Like most countries in the 1840s, Russia also modernized military by adopting percussion firearms for the first time. These weapons would see extensive service during the Crimean War where the faced off against their much more well-known British and French counterparts. Perhaps ironically, the arms that the Russian army fielded in the Crimean War were essentially copies of the allied weaponry.  
    Generally Russian arms were patterned after French weapons, at least in the case of their muskets. However, for the new percussion rifle adopted by Russia in 1843, they would turn to the British for inspiration. Essentially, the Model 1843 Luttich Carbine is a copy of the British Pattern 1837 Brunswick Rifle. The rifles have a 30 and 3/16ths inch barrel with a nominally .704 caliber bore rifled with two groove rifling that makes one turn in the barrel’s length. As originally manufactured the rifles were fitted with a two-leaf sight ranged for 200 and 300 yards respectively, the same as the British Brunsiwkc Rifle. However, in 1848 the Russians updated the rifles for use with a “Kulikovsky” conical belted ball. To accomplish this, the rear sights were replaced with a uniquely Russian sight ranged for 1,200 arshins, or 917 yards. At the same time the ramrods were also modified with a new brass head thar is cupped to take the conical ball.  
The rifles’ back-action locks bear the name of, J.P. Malherbe, the Belgian firm that produced them. The rifles are also equipped with a brass patchbox of the same style as the original British rifle, and a large iron saber bayonet lug on the right side of the muzzle. The buttplate tang is engraved with the Russian Imperial eagle as well as a three-digit serial number. A brass thumb piece is inlayed into the wrist of the stock that is engraved with the cypher of Czar Nicholas I.  
    Though the Russians adopted a new rifled musket in 1856, the Model 1843 Luttich Carbine was the only rifled weapon to see any sizeable use by Russian troops during the Crimean War. The experiences of the generally smoothbore-armed Russian forces against the British which were generally issued rifled arms no doubt prodded the Russian Ordnance Board to adopt the new 6 line Model 1856 Rifle-Musket. No doubt, the Russian riflemen who were fortunate enough to be issued these Carbines were glad to have them.  
  
    Our rifle is a nice, basically untouched, example of the Model 1843 Luttich Carbine. The rifle shows signs of fairly hard use and the iron parts show some pitting, especially the Damascus barrel, which shows a fair amount of the original twist pattern. The updated 1848 pattern rear sight is intact and fully functional. The rifle also retains its matching numbered ramrod, which has been updated by the addition of a cupped brass head for used with the conical belted ball designed rear sight. The buttplate is engraved with the Imperial Russian eagle as well as the serial number 725. That number is repeated on the side of the bolster. As is correct, the wrist is inlayed with the Imperial cypher of Czar Nicholas I. The rifle retains both of its original sling swivels. The retention screw for the upper swivel has broken, but is still attached to the gun. 
    The stock has some handling marks and dings, but no major issues. The area of the stock on the left side of the upper ramrod key shows some old wood loss, but is comparatively minor. There is also a small nail that has been driven into the stock on the right-hand side of the forearm behind the middle barrel key. The left-hand side of the forearm around the lower key shows some very fine grain cracks, probably due to the rusting of the key inside the stock. 
   The most notable feature of the gun is a wonderful period capture inscription applied to the patchbox lid. The French inscription, which is read with the comb of the stock facing down, reads: 
 
                                           “Souvenir of Traktir 
                                               16 August 1855 
                                    Clerc to his friend Paillard” 
 
    The name “Traktir” no doubt references the Traktir bridge which was a central figure of the battle of the Chernaya River fought on August 16, 1855. French a Piedmontese forces inflicted a severe defeat on the Russian attempt to relieve the Siege of Sevastopal. Though the identities of the Frenchmen named on the rifle are unknown at present future research may at least pinpoint the identity of “Clerc”, who it would seem was likely a member of the 50th, 82nd, 95th or 97th Regiments of Line, or the 19th Chasseurs a Pied, or 2nd or 3rd Zouaves.  
  
    Russian firearms of the 19th century are quite scarce on the collectors' market today, even in their home country. Hard use during their working lives, followed by the immense scrap drives of both World Wars no doubt contributes to their rarity today. Though most European countries took advantage of the need for arms in America during our Civil War, Russia did not sell off any old pattern arms and consequently these weapons are among the rarest of      European muzzleloading arms in the United States today. This is an above average example of a desirable Russian Rifle, that shows honest wear, and has a wonderful period provenance to one of the more important, yet often forgotten battles of the Crimean War. 
  This rifle would no doubt be a show piece for a Crimean War collection, or collection of identified or captured arms. I have been proud to have owned 4 examples of these in the last 12 or so years, and this rifle is hands down the most intriguing example I have encountered.