Basile Gras

General Basile Gras created the Gras rifle for the French Army in 1874 by converting the Mle 1866 Chassepot rifle to fire metallic cartridges. Gras, who was a colonel at the time, played a very important role in the formulation and industrial production of the Lebel rifle. He was an alumnus of Ecole Polytechnique, then a shooting instructor at lcole Normale de Tir at Chlons. Eventually he supervised the three weapon manufacturing facilities at St Etienne, Chtellerault and Tulle. Finally he became Secretary of War for France.

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Source: Wikipedia