M1870 Belgian Comblain
| M1870 Belgian Comblain | |
|---|---|
![]() Chilean soldier during the War of the Pacific and his Comblain[1] | |
| Type | Service Rifle |
| Place of origin | Belgium |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Brazilian, Chilean and Peruvian armies |
| Wars | War of the Pacific |
| Production history | |
| Designer | Hubert-Joseph Comblain |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 4.3 kg (withpout bayonet) |
| Length | 130 cm (without bayonet) |
|
| |
| Cartridge | metalic |
| Cartridge weight | 40 gr |
| Caliber | 11mm |
| Action | Falling Block |
| Rate of fire | 10 shots/min |
| Effective firing range | 300 m |
| Maximum firing range | 1300 m |
| Sights | Iron |
The M1870 Belgian Comblain was a falling-block rifle invented by Hubert-Joseph Comblain of Liège, Belgium and produced in several variants known as the Brazilian, Chilean or Belgian Comblain.
W.W Greener wrote in Modern beechloaders: sporting and military in 1871 (page 214):
- This rifle is called No.2, to distinguish it from the first Comblain, which is a modification of the Snider principle. The Comblain no 2 has the vertical sliding block and guard lever of the Sharp rifle; but the arrangement for exploding the cartridge is different.
- The mechanism of the lock is fixed in the breech block, which consists of the ordinary main-spring acting upon a tumbler by a swivel. The tumbler and striker are made in one piece; the scear and trigger are also in one piece . By depressing the lever the breech block is brought down, the cartridge-case extracted and the rifle is cocked. A fresh cartridge being inserted, and the lever returned, the rifle is ready for firing.

Comblain Breech block.
- The hinge screw can be removed without the aid of a turnscrew, which arrangement allows the breech block and lock to be taken out for the purpose of cleaning.
- The breech arrangement is strong and simple. It is used by the Belgian volunteers, and has been severely tested both at Liege and Wimbledon.
Users
Belgium: M1882 Belgian Comblain
Brazil: M1873 Brazilian Comblain
Chile: M1874 Chilean Comblain
Brazil: Brazilian Comblain Carbine Model 92
Sources
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 8/5/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.
