Hi,
In both France and England, only wealthy land owners could hunt big game so hunting with rifles was not widespread. Breech loading "deer park" rifles were made in England beginning in the mid-17th century and even the early turn-off pistols were sometimes rifled. However, there was no incentive to evolve a common rifle culture in either country. As Mattox Forge wrote, that changed a little militarily for the British because of experience fighting in North America. Officers sometimes had rifles made for them so they could hunt big game in America. That may be the only opportunity for them to do so and they sometimes hunted for the regiment. There also was the incentive of neutralizing the American riflemen during our war for independence. However, the British did that effectively by employing their light infantry (some of whom were issued Birmingham pattern rifles) and their German jaeger allies. It really wasn't until the Napoleonic wars that the British developed permanent rifle companies and regiments. From a civilian sporting standpoint, the extension of the empire during the 19th century to include much of Africa and India provided opportunities for more British sportsmen to hunt big game. Consequently, rifles became more popular and more were produced. The French took much longer to follow suit and never did militarily until the percussion era and the hollow-based bullet. However, during the late 18th century, they had another government firearms factory that we often overlook, Versailles. At that facility, they made two rifled carbines that were issued to both land and naval forces. They were never popular and eventually they were abandoned. Allegedly, it was a French marine shooting one of those carbines who killed Nelson at Trafalgar. I do not know how true or documented that is.
dave
