France - Forgotten Weapons

King Louis XV’s Magnificent Engraved Lorenzoni Rifle

February 25, 2018 Ian McCollum 14

This Lorenzoni-pattern rifle was presented to King Louis XV of France in the mid 1700s, and is an exquisite example of firearms deemed suitable for royalty at the height of the European kings. It is […]

MAT 49: Iconic SMG of Algeria and Indochina

January 16, 2018 Ian McCollum 31

The MAT-49 was developed by France after World War Two to satisfy the need for a more modern submachine gun to replace the MAS-38. The military had come around to standardizing on the 9x19mm cartridge […]

MAS-38 Shooting Fail

January 15, 2018 Ian McCollum 48

I have been getting a lot of comments asking when there will be a shooting video with my MAS-38 submachine gun. If has cleared the NFA transfer process, so it’s not actually in my possession. […]

Book Review: The Modele 1866 Chassepot

January 7, 2018 Ian McCollum 10

Until now, there has really been nothing substantial and scholarly printed on the Chassepot needle-fire rifle in English – but now that has changed, thanks to Guy & Leonard A-R-West. Their just-released book on […]

Meunier A6: France’s First Semiauto Battle Rifle

January 6, 2018 Ian McCollum 59

France began experimenting with self-loading rifle designs in the late 1890s, although most of this work is mostly unknown today. The work was done by the State arsenals, and kept as military secrets, without […]

Lepage Wax-Bullet Dueling Pistols

January 3, 2018 Ian McCollum 28

In the early years of the 20th century, before the Great War tempered society’s interest in the martial arts, dueling came into the popular vogue. Not the lethal kind, but rather a more sporting style […]

Repurposing Obsolete Rifles: The Lebel R35 Carbine

December 19, 2017 Ian McCollum 21

Get your “Only Dropped Once” shirt here, and do your part to push back against the stereotype of the French soldier! The French military had investigated the possibility of a Lebel carbine in the 1880s, […]

Converting the Lebel to 7.5mm: The M27 Lebel

December 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 19

Get your “Only Dropped Once” shirt here, and do your part to push back against the stereotype of the French soldier! In the aftermath of World War One, the French military instituted a plan to […]

Gevelot 11mm Sliding-Chamber Pinfire Rifle

December 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 14

This rifle design was developed by the Gevelot cartridge company to compete with the Modele 1866 Chassepot for French military use, although it was not successful in that attempt. The weapon has an uncommon […]

The First Modern Military Rifle: The Modele 1886 Lebel

December 5, 2017 Ian McCollum 40

Get your “Only Dropped Once” shirt here, and do your part to push back against the stereotype of the French soldier! The Lebel was a truly groundbreaking development in military small arms, being the first […]