RIFLE OF THE HUNDRED SWISS GUARDS OF THE KING'S MILITARY HOUSEHOLD, first type 1814, Restoration period. 29981

RIFLE OF THE HUNDRED SWISS OF THE KING'S MILITARY HOUSEHOLD, first type 1814, Restoration period. 29981

Eight-sided barrel at the breech then round, dated "1814," stamped with "MR" (Manufacture Royale), "C" under the star of the inspector Chateaubrin, 1814-1816, and "H" of the 2nd controller Hardy, 1814-1816; adorned with the gold damascened inscription "Compagnie des Cent Suisses du Roi," barrel length 113.5 cm, length with the buttstock 119 cm. Caliber 17 mm.
Flintlock mechanism stamped with a "G" topped with a fleur-de-lis (variant of the Germain stamp, used during the Restoration), signed "Mre Royale de Versailles" model year IX for infantry, brass pan.
Walnut stock with a long shaft, acceptance mark dated "1814" from the manufacturer.
All fittings in brass alloy, attached to the stock by steel springs, iron fittings.
Brass trigger guard. Buttcap of the first type cut in the shape of a fleur-de-lis.
All screws in iron.
Iron ramrod.
Overall length of the rifle 153 cm.

Socket bayonet in iron, iron length 39 cm, total length 47.5 cm.

France.
Restoration period.
Very good condition, missing the central part of the acceptance mark, slight oxidation on the iron parts, small 3 mm crack at the rear of the lock.

NOTE:
The Versailles factory produced 151 rifles of the first type in 1814. The 87 rifles made in 1815 are of the second type. In 1817, the Maubeuge factory will provide 250 rifles, still of the second type.
Upon the reestablishment of the Hundred Swiss company, the number of guards was initially set at 100 in 1815, and increased to 250 guards, leading in 1817 to renaming the troop as the Company of Ordinary Foot Guards of the King's Body, a more logical designation. The number of guards was further increased by about fifty men in 1817. According to production records, it seems that in 1817, the first type rifles were replaced by second type weapons, thereby ensuring a uniform armament for the entire troop. Indeed, the total of second type rifles is 337, corresponding to the number of Swiss guards in 1817, where sergeants and corporals would carry rifles. The rifles of the Hundred Swiss are extremely rare arms, found mainly in private collections and at the Army Museum. They are weapons of both sturdy and elegant appearance, with perfect craftsmanship.