Flobert Rifles

by
posted on March 27, 2014
qanda2015_fs.jpg (6)

 

Q. I need your assistance in identifying a rifle. The caliber is .32 or 7.65 mm. The heavy octagonal barrel is 24" long and measures 13/16" across the flats. There is no identification of manufacturer or model on the rifle. There are proofmarks on the bottom of the barrel, but I can’t read them because of the surface rust. When the receiver is opened, camming action moves the extractor aft.

A. You have a typical, virtually unmarked Warnant Flobert .32 rimfire single-shot. Most were Belgian, but German and French guns are known to have been produced. Some Flobert barrels were rifled, but others were smoothbore. Some Flobert rifles were chambered for an obsolete European 4.5- or 5 mm rimfire or .22 BB- or CB-Cap calibers. Do not fire modern .22 cartridges in Floberts-even if they will chamber! The “E/LG/*” within an oval indicates the final proof in Liege, Belgium, after 1856 and before July 9, 1893, when a crown was added on top of the oval.  The three main Flobert variants are described and illustrated in Single Shot Rifles And Actions by Frank De Haas.

The first Flobert action had only the massive hammer and its strong mainspring to close the action. There was no locking mechanism except for the chamber friction of the soft copper cartridge case. The extractor was only a little lip on the lower face of the one-piece breechblock/hammer. The second type had a manual side-lever extractor, and yours, the third or Warnant type, had a hinged U-shaped breech piece with a separate firing pin that flipped over to hold the action closed and moved the extractor as it opened.

Many Floberts were made of very soft steel and designed to sell at the lowest possible price. In 1920, when a box of 100 blackpowder .22 shorts cost 21 cents, the price of a new Flobert rifle was about $2.50. Literally tons of them were imported into the United States between about 1885 and 1910 as single-shot pistols, rifles and small-bore shotguns.

Flobert guns were chambered for the .22 BB Cap, .22 CB Cap, .22 Short or .32 Short, as well as 4.5 mm, 5 mm or 9 mm Short shot-and-ball rimfires. This highly corrosive ammo quickly rusted the rifling. Even Flobert guns in good condition are not safe to shoot with modern BB- or CB-Cap ammunition, so they are best kept strictly as wall hangers.

-Angus Laidlaw

Originally published April 2006

More like this from around the NRA

Latest

John Parker flowing piece flintlock muzzleloader right-side view on white background
John Parker flowing piece flintlock muzzleloader right-side view on white background

Captain John Parker's Fowler: Witness To History

While thousands of firearms were used in and around the Massachusetts towns of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775, few survive today. One survivor is the flintlock fowler used by Capt. John Parker of the Lexington militia.

New For 2025: Mossberg 590M Standoff & 500 Slugster Pump Shotguns

The Mossberg 500 is one of the most popular pump-action shotguns ever made. That doesn’t keep the company from making updates and improvements, as evidenced in the new-for-2025 590M Standoff and 500 Slugster series.

Preview: Warthog Sharpeners V-Sharp Elite A4

Warthog USA’s V-Sharp Elite A4 pairs the company’s most feature-packed portable blade-sharpening unit with a detachable wooden base for added stability.

The Men & Guns Of Lexington Green

On April 19, 1775, 250 years ago, approximately 80 armed militiamen from Lexington gathered on their village green to confront several hundred British infantrymen. The events of that morning began a conflict that would ultimately establish the United States of America.

"Battle Road" & The British Retreat To Boston: 250 Years Later

After the fights at Lexington and Concord's North Bridge, the British column had to return to Boston. On its way, the regulars were set upon by hundreds, then thousands, of armed militiamen hell bent on revenge.

Preview: Hawke Airmax 2-7X 32 mm AO

Shooters looking to add optics to their air rifles should choose airgun-specific scopes such as those in Hawke’s Airmax line—which offers four models.

Interests



Get the best of American Rifleman delivered to your inbox.