1882 French Infantry Officer Sword
Feb 23, 2015 6:34:53 GMT
Post by Afoo on Feb 23, 2015 6:34:53 GMT
I was giving this sword a new coat of oil tonight, and I figured I should snap a few pictures of it while I had it out.
Unlike Dave Kelly or Ulahan, I am not a walking encyclopedia who occasionally sneezes out swords. I am guessing that this sword was first manufactured in 1882, and was used by infantry officers (surprise). This particular example dates to 1924, and is thus a relatively late production model. I have another one in worse condition, but its date of manufacture (Summer of 1916) makes it one of my favorites simply because of the history behind it, the people who held it, and their decisions and actions during that crucial time in the war.
M1882 infantry officer sword
The sword itself is surprisingly large for an infantry officer sword - measuring 40 inches overall with a 34 inch blade. Its not light either - I do not have a scale, but I would guess its in the ballpark of 2.5-2.7 pounds. The entire monster and its attendant scabbard is nickle plated for a very lovely shine.
Closer view of the guard
The guard is a 3 bar hilt which provides really good protection for the hand - not as good as the piece of sheet metal on the British 1897, but certainly very robust. This guard, along with the substantial blade indicates that this model was designed with at least some element of combat in mind. The 3 bar hilt merges with a nice nickle-plated pommel and backstrap. Being French, everything is elegant - despite being an 1882 design, it almost has an art deco look to it.
3-bar hilt from the back. Also note the lovely nickle-plated backstrap and pommel.
As a side effect of being French, the sword has a distinct emphasis on the thrust. The blade is extremely long and narrow all the way down, tapering to a deadly, needle-like point. One unusual feature of the sword is its ovoid blade cross-section. This gives it immense strength and stiffness, though at the expense of totally eliminating cutting ability.
Long, fearsome thrusting blade
Closeup of the oval cross-section
Another unique feature is the fullers. The sword has a set of deep, narrow fullers running almost the length of the blade. These fullers are actually so deep that they are offset - on the right side of the blade the fullers are near the top, while on the left side of the blade the fullers are at the bottom. Despite this, the blade itself is incredibly heavy.
Part of this is due to the fact that there is almost no taper - the blade starts off around 8mm at the base, and keeps this thickness for at least the top two thirds. However, I suspect the main culprit here is the ovoid cross-section. This has the opposite effect of a hollow grind, increasing the amount of material on the blade. All this contributes to a PoB of around 4.75 inches. Not horrible, just a bit further than you would expect
Consequently, this does not handle like a British 1897 infantry sword - it has serious presence. The grips are not an orthopedic pistol-grip design, but they provide good control over the long and heavy blade. The end result is something which feels solid and is capable of mixing it up with bayonets and cavalry sabers, while retaining good point control and a fearsome reach.
At the end of the day, this is a neat sword to hold, and a much better sword to behold. Its solid in the hand, and feels equally at home on the battlefield or in the officers club. Unlike its (somewhat) US 1902 lookalike, this manages to combine a serious weapon with stylish looks and history - whether it presides over the twilight of the French empire or bore witness to the destruction of WWI.
This particular sword I picked up from ebay for a decent price. I got it from an old lady who thought it was a reproduction since it was not sharp. I was just starting off at the time, so I said nothing about it. I suspected it was an original, though I really did not have the confidence to be 100% sure anyways. Other examples can be had on e-bay for relatively low prices, depending on the history and condition. Its certainly not in as high demand as cavalry swords of the equivalent vintage. Its similarity to the 1902 makes it easy for many people to dismiss it as a gaudy show piece rather than a real weapon. Another downside is that the plating can be a bit of a liability in terms of maintenance, and it is hard to find one with no scratches anywhere to the plating
Arsenal markings. Infantry officer Sword model 1882. Made in the Chatellerault arsenal in May 2924
Unlike Dave Kelly or Ulahan, I am not a walking encyclopedia who occasionally sneezes out swords. I am guessing that this sword was first manufactured in 1882, and was used by infantry officers (surprise). This particular example dates to 1924, and is thus a relatively late production model. I have another one in worse condition, but its date of manufacture (Summer of 1916) makes it one of my favorites simply because of the history behind it, the people who held it, and their decisions and actions during that crucial time in the war.
M1882 infantry officer sword
The sword itself is surprisingly large for an infantry officer sword - measuring 40 inches overall with a 34 inch blade. Its not light either - I do not have a scale, but I would guess its in the ballpark of 2.5-2.7 pounds. The entire monster and its attendant scabbard is nickle plated for a very lovely shine.
Closer view of the guard
The guard is a 3 bar hilt which provides really good protection for the hand - not as good as the piece of sheet metal on the British 1897, but certainly very robust. This guard, along with the substantial blade indicates that this model was designed with at least some element of combat in mind. The 3 bar hilt merges with a nice nickle-plated pommel and backstrap. Being French, everything is elegant - despite being an 1882 design, it almost has an art deco look to it.
3-bar hilt from the back. Also note the lovely nickle-plated backstrap and pommel.
As a side effect of being French, the sword has a distinct emphasis on the thrust. The blade is extremely long and narrow all the way down, tapering to a deadly, needle-like point. One unusual feature of the sword is its ovoid blade cross-section. This gives it immense strength and stiffness, though at the expense of totally eliminating cutting ability.
Long, fearsome thrusting blade
Closeup of the oval cross-section
Another unique feature is the fullers. The sword has a set of deep, narrow fullers running almost the length of the blade. These fullers are actually so deep that they are offset - on the right side of the blade the fullers are near the top, while on the left side of the blade the fullers are at the bottom. Despite this, the blade itself is incredibly heavy.
Part of this is due to the fact that there is almost no taper - the blade starts off around 8mm at the base, and keeps this thickness for at least the top two thirds. However, I suspect the main culprit here is the ovoid cross-section. This has the opposite effect of a hollow grind, increasing the amount of material on the blade. All this contributes to a PoB of around 4.75 inches. Not horrible, just a bit further than you would expect
Consequently, this does not handle like a British 1897 infantry sword - it has serious presence. The grips are not an orthopedic pistol-grip design, but they provide good control over the long and heavy blade. The end result is something which feels solid and is capable of mixing it up with bayonets and cavalry sabers, while retaining good point control and a fearsome reach.
At the end of the day, this is a neat sword to hold, and a much better sword to behold. Its solid in the hand, and feels equally at home on the battlefield or in the officers club. Unlike its (somewhat) US 1902 lookalike, this manages to combine a serious weapon with stylish looks and history - whether it presides over the twilight of the French empire or bore witness to the destruction of WWI.
This particular sword I picked up from ebay for a decent price. I got it from an old lady who thought it was a reproduction since it was not sharp. I was just starting off at the time, so I said nothing about it. I suspected it was an original, though I really did not have the confidence to be 100% sure anyways. Other examples can be had on e-bay for relatively low prices, depending on the history and condition. Its certainly not in as high demand as cavalry swords of the equivalent vintage. Its similarity to the 1902 makes it easy for many people to dismiss it as a gaudy show piece rather than a real weapon. Another downside is that the plating can be a bit of a liability in terms of maintenance, and it is hard to find one with no scratches anywhere to the plating
Arsenal markings. Infantry officer Sword model 1882. Made in the Chatellerault arsenal in May 2924