France - Forgotten Weapons

French Mle 1892 Revolver in Competition

December 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

Today at the Backup Gun Match, I’m shooting a French Modèle 1892 service revolver. It’s a 6-shot revolver with a swing-out cylinder, chambered for the 8x27mm cartridge (often called 8mm Lebel, although it really shouldn’t […]

GIGN’s MR73 Sniper Revolver in .357 Magnum

December 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 29

Courtesy of the French Ministry of the Interior, we have a chance to take a look at an authentic GIGN sniper model MR73 revolver today. GIGN is the elite intervention element of the French Gendarmerie, […]

Chauchat Field Testing vs Mock MG08/15 Nest

December 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 41

Out at the range today with the Chauchat, testing accuracy against a simulated MG08/15 nest at 150 yards. I’ll try out semiauto and full auto (in short bursts), and see how they compare. For reference, […]

Noël’s 10-Shot Pocket Turret Revolver

November 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

Designed by A. Noël in 1865 and manufactured by Gouery, Canat et Cie in Paris, this is a .28 caliber, 10-shot turret revolver. It has a folding double-action trigger, and is actually a remarkably svelte […]

Book Review: French Tanks of the Great War

October 27, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

Having recently finished guiding a WW1 battlefield tour in France and Belgium, I found myself curious to learn more about the details of French tank development and service. We are used to seeing and hearing […]

Star Model 1914 at a Backup Gun Match

October 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

This didn’t come out as well as I was hoping (one of the stage videos got corrupted and the others don’t show the shooting stages as well as I’d anticipated), but I will do better […]

Martyr of Verdun: Émile Driant’s Command Post

October 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 42

Émile Driant was a French army officer who served originally as an aide to General Boulanger (and married his daughter). This connection would tarnish his career when politics forced Boulanger to resign (and shortly afterward […]

Shooting the Mle 1866 Chassepot

September 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

A while back, I visited @CanadianGunLover, and we did a bit of shooting with an 1866 Chassepot. I lost track of the footage and only just now found where I had put it – so […]

The French Finger Trap: Because Soldiers Will Be Soldiers…

August 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 27

Soldiers will be soldiers…give them something that *can* be screwed up, and they *will* screw it up. Haven’t ordered a copy of Chassepot to FAMAS yet? You can place your order right now!

Berthier Carbine with Chauchat Magazine

August 9, 2019 Ian McCollum 18

Early in World War One, a small number (less than 200) Berthier rifle and cavalry carbines were adapted to use Chauchat magazines for aerial use. They were employed as defensive arms in observation balloons and […]