France - Forgotten Weapons

The Rarest Chassepot: Rifle for the African Cavalry

July 14, 2023 Ian McCollum 8

“Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016” is in stock and shipping now: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/purchase The rarest pattern of factory-made Chassepot is the fusil modèle 1866 pour la cavalerie d’afrique – the Model 1866 rifle for […]

Ultima Ratio: RAID and the Founding of PGM Precision

June 17, 2023 Ian McCollum 6

Thanks to Creedmoor Sports for sponsoring this video, and providing a couple of fine shooting mats to experiment with. Check them out for all your long range competition needs! The Ultima Ratio was the rifle […]

Chatellerault Experimental SMGs: MAC48 & 48LS

June 12, 2023 Ian McCollum 10

Continuing our look at the French submachine gun designs from the Chatellerault Arsenal, today we have the MAC48 and MAC48LS (lightened and simplified). In the development program that would eventually lead to adoption of the […]

“Le Formidable” Pre-WW1 Pocket Revolver at the BUG Match

May 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 7

“The Formidable” was the name given to one of many different civilian pocket-carry revolvers made by the French Manufrance firm in St Etienne. This particular model was introduced in 1895, although it went through a […]

Gnome et Rhône R5: A Foiled Communist Arms Plan

April 26, 2023 Ian McCollum 23

The R-5 was a French-made copy of the Sten produced after the 1944 liberation of France. It was built by Gnome et Rhône, a French company best known for making aircraft engines. The Sten was […]

Cutting Edge Military Hardware for Civilians: Manufrance Mle 1892

March 31, 2023 Ian McCollum 12

When the French Army adopted the Mle 1892 revolver, it was a huge improvement over the previous standard from 1873. The new sidearm has a swing-out cylinder, simultaneous ejection, was lighter, and used a high-tech […]

Darne Model 1933: An Economic & Modular Interwar MG

February 15, 2023 Ian McCollum 67

The Darne company was one of relatively few private arms manufacturers in France, best known for shotguns. During World War One they got into the machine gun trade, making licensed Lewis guns for the French […]

Operation CARPETBAGGER: French Resistance No4 Enfield

November 18, 2022 Ian McCollum 8

During 1944, the US and UK cooperatively ran a major effort to drop arms and equipment to French Resistance forces in preparation for the Allied landings in France. It began as Operation Carpetbagger with night […]

MAC Model 1947 Prototype SMGs

October 12, 2022 Ian McCollum 17

Today’s video – and many others – have been made possible in part by my friend Shéhérazade (Shazzi) Samimi-Hoflack. She is a real estate agent in Paris who specializes in working with English-speakers, and she […]

Scrome J8 Commercial Production Update (For the FR-F2)

August 21, 2022 Ian McCollum 4

Scrome, the original maker of the J8 scope used by the French Army on the FR-F2 sniper rifle, is making a commercial run of J8 scopes for collectors who have the recently-released surplus FR-F2 rifles. […]