In 1806, the military authorities and armament industry of the Russian Empire set the task to establish the same caliber for all types of guns — 7 lines, or 17.7 millimeters. The model of smoothbore infantry shotgun with a flintlock from the museum’s collection was approved by Alexander I decree on April 9, 1808 and put into service in the Russian army.
The Izhevsk Armory, established in 1807, immediately started to produce 17.7 mm flintlock guns for soldiers. In 1808, the plant produced only 25 guns, but in 1811, it made 1,822 guns. This weapon consisted of the barrel with breechloader, the flintlock, wooden stock, sighting device, gun furniture and ramrod.
Soon cuirassier, dragoon, hussar and cavalry guns were developed based on the gun model 1808. They differed from each other by barrel length, caliber, sighting devices and stock shape. However, the method of loading and the principle of ignition remained unchanged.
The upper part of the lock contained the flash pan for priming powder which was equipped with a spring-loaded steel cover, moved from below, and fitted with arch-shaped fusy — a device used to receive the fire. Behind the flash pan, there was a trigger consisting of upper and lower jaws, between which a flint was rigidly fixed. To fire, a soldier loaded the gun through the muzzle, putting in a portion of gunpowder, wadding and a bullet. Then he aimed and pulled the trigger. The flint would strike a spark from the fusy, which would ignite the powder on the flash pan. The fire reached the main powder charge through the hole and the shot was fired.
The flintlock infantry gun model 1808 served as the basis for rifles of 1826, 1828 and 1839. The latter became basic for Russian arms production for several decades. In 1839–1840, the Izhevsk plant produced over 27,000 such shotguns per year.
A special committee was set up in St. Petersburg to increase the rate of production at the Izhevsk Armory. The prince, Major General Ilya Dolgorukov spoke at the Committee’s meeting on April 10, 1839. He planned the output of 30,000 guns and “upgrading the production facilities to reach 40,000.”
In the fall of 1824, Emperor Alexander I visited the Izhevsk plant and took a symbolic part in the welding of the gun barrel, hitting it several times with a hammer. To commemorate the occasion, the gun’s barrel was engraved with the inscription “Emperor Alexander I deigned to forge this barrel at the Izhevsk plant in 1824 on the 5th day of October”. The gun was stored in the Arsenal, then in the plant museum, from which it was stolen during the Civil War. Nowadays the gun is in the Biysk Museum of Local Lore.
The flintlock infantry gun from the museum’s collection was produced in 1840 at the Izhevsk plant. It was acquired by the museum in 2019. It became the oldest example of Russian weapons in the collection.
The Izhevsk Armory, established in 1807, immediately started to produce 17.7 mm flintlock guns for soldiers. In 1808, the plant produced only 25 guns, but in 1811, it made 1,822 guns. This weapon consisted of the barrel with breechloader, the flintlock, wooden stock, sighting device, gun furniture and ramrod.
Soon cuirassier, dragoon, hussar and cavalry guns were developed based on the gun model 1808. They differed from each other by barrel length, caliber, sighting devices and stock shape. However, the method of loading and the principle of ignition remained unchanged.
The upper part of the lock contained the flash pan for priming powder which was equipped with a spring-loaded steel cover, moved from below, and fitted with arch-shaped fusy — a device used to receive the fire. Behind the flash pan, there was a trigger consisting of upper and lower jaws, between which a flint was rigidly fixed. To fire, a soldier loaded the gun through the muzzle, putting in a portion of gunpowder, wadding and a bullet. Then he aimed and pulled the trigger. The flint would strike a spark from the fusy, which would ignite the powder on the flash pan. The fire reached the main powder charge through the hole and the shot was fired.
The flintlock infantry gun model 1808 served as the basis for rifles of 1826, 1828 and 1839. The latter became basic for Russian arms production for several decades. In 1839–1840, the Izhevsk plant produced over 27,000 such shotguns per year.
A special committee was set up in St. Petersburg to increase the rate of production at the Izhevsk Armory. The prince, Major General Ilya Dolgorukov spoke at the Committee’s meeting on April 10, 1839. He planned the output of 30,000 guns and “upgrading the production facilities to reach 40,000.”
In the fall of 1824, Emperor Alexander I visited the Izhevsk plant and took a symbolic part in the welding of the gun barrel, hitting it several times with a hammer. To commemorate the occasion, the gun’s barrel was engraved with the inscription “Emperor Alexander I deigned to forge this barrel at the Izhevsk plant in 1824 on the 5th day of October”. The gun was stored in the Arsenal, then in the plant museum, from which it was stolen during the Civil War. Nowadays the gun is in the Biysk Museum of Local Lore.
The flintlock infantry gun from the museum’s collection was produced in 1840 at the Izhevsk plant. It was acquired by the museum in 2019. It became the oldest example of Russian weapons in the collection.
