Casimir Lefaucheux

Casimir Lefaucheux (French: [kazimiʁ ləfoʃø]; 26 January 1802 – 9 August 1852) was a French gunsmith. He was born in Bonnétable and died in Paris.

Casimir Lefaucheux
Born	26 January 1802 Bonnétable, France
Died	9 August 1852 (aged 50) Paris, France
Nationality	French
Occupation	Gunsmith

Casimir Lefaucheux obtained his first patent in 1827. In 1832, he completed a drop-barrel sporting gun with paper-cased cartridges.[1]

Lefaucheux is credited with the invention of one of the first efficient self-contained cartridge systems in 1836, featuring a pin-fire mechanism. This followed the pioneering work of Jean Samuel Pauly in 1808-1812. The Lefaucheux cartridge had a conical bullet, a cardboard powder tube, and a copper base that incorporated a primer pellet.[2] Lefaucheux thus proposed one of the first practical breech-loading weapons.[3]

In 1846, the Lefaucheux system was improved upon by Benjamin Houllier, who introduced an entirely metallic cartridge of copper brass.[2]

In 1858, the Lefaucheux pistolet-revolver became the first metallic-cartridge revolver to be adopted by a national government, becoming the standard sidearm of the French Navy.[2]

It is thought likely that the revolver with which the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh fatally shot himself in a field in 1890 was a 7mm Lefaucheux à broche; the pistol was found, extremely corroded, in about 1960 and is on display at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.[4][5]

A 7mm Lefaucheux revolver used by Paul Verlaine to shoot and wound Arthur Rimbaud in 1873 sold with a price of €435,000 at a 2016 Paris auction.[6][7]

Gallery

• 
  Belgian-made Lefaucheux service revolver, c. 1860–1865
• 
  Pepper-box in Lefaucheux system
• 
  Pocket revolver in Lefaucheux system

Notes

1. Walter, John (25 March 2006). "Rifles of the World". Krause Publications – via Google Books.
2. Kinard, Jeff (1 January 2004). "Pistols: An Illustrated History of Their Impact". ABC-CLIO – via Google Books.
3. Machine Guns: An Illustrated History of Their Impact - Page 15 by James H. Willbanks
4. "The whole truth about Van Gogh's ear, and why his 'mad genius' is a myth". The Guardian. 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
5. "Van Goghs ziekte, oor en zelfmoord voor het eerst uitvoerig belicht" [Van Gogh's illness, ear and suicide extensively discussed for the first time]. Van Gogh Museum (in Dutch). 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2016.
6. France-Presse, Agence (30 November 2016). "Gun that almost killed Arthur Rimbaud sells for €435,000 at Paris auction" – via The Guardian.
7. "L'arme avec laquelle Verlaine a tiré sur Rimbaud vendue aux enchères 435 000 euros". 30 November 2016 – via Le Monde.

References

• Henrotin, Gerard Lefaucheux 7mm pinfire revolver explained, HLebooks.com, 2013
• Henrotin, Gerard European percussion & pinfire shotguns explained, HLebooks.com, 2011