The problem is whether the French model 1717 was used during the Seven Years War in New France.From 1690 to the 1740's Tulle supplied arms to the Compagnies franches and the Army Model 1717 was apparently never issued to them Rather they would have received the Tulle Marine Fusil Ordinaire or Fusil Grenadier manufactured from about 1691-1729 and under a later contract from 1729-1741. After the 1740's the Ministry de la Marine increasingly ordered it's weapons from Saint-Etienne and these were similar to the Army Model 1728,"The French Soldier In New France" by Rene Chartrand,Historical Arms Series No.18,P.21
The Model 1717 was the first identifiable model in a series of muskets between then and 1763 when the Treaty of Ghent was signed ending the Seven Years War. These include the 1717,1728,1746,and 1754 but it was doubtful that many of the Model 1754 found their way to this continent before the beginning of the Seven Years War in 1754.,"The Military Arms Of Canada by The Upper Canada Historical Arms Society,Historical Arms Series No.1
Since by 1754 the Model 1717 was pretty much out of date and had not been issued to the Ministry de la Marine for it's Compagnies franches,the arms issued to them would have been the Fusils Ordinaire and Grenadier manufactured by Tulle which was very similar to the Regulation Models of 1717 and 1728.It's general design was somewhere between those two models.,"The Fusil de Tulle in New France,1691-1741",Russel Bouchard,P.28. The regular French Infantry would have had the models 1728 and 1746.
These muskets,1728 and 1746 were manufactured in great numbers by the Royal French Armories at St. Etienne, Maubege,and Charleville with about 375,000 being produced as compared to about 48,000 of the model 1717 and were contemporary with the British long land pattern Brown Besses and would likely have been the arms carried by the French forces in New France although in "Battle Weapons of The American Revolution" by George C. Neuman it is stated in the description under the Model 1717 that artifacts and restocked arms indicate the pattern's presence in Canada prior to 1750.With only about 48,000 of them being manufactured for regular French Infantry,it is doubtful that very many found their way to New France
The bottom line is that the use during the Seven Years war of the French Model 1717 produced by the Royal Armories at Saint-Etienne,Maubege,and Charleville is highly questionable and the more likely muskets brought home from the Seven Years War would have been the models 1728 and 1746 or the 1729-1741 Tulle Fusils Ordinaire and Grenadiers.I hope I haven't confused you too much
Tom Patton :m2c:
