France - Forgotten Weapons

France’s InterWar Aircraft Machine Gun: the 1926 Darne

January 25, 2021 Ian McCollum 26

Darne was a French gunmaker best known for sporting shotguns, but they entered the military arms field during World War One. The Lewis Gun was one of the best Entente aircraft guns, and Darne put […]

Terrible 2-Gun: Lebel, 1892 Revolver, and a WW1 Gas Mask

January 16, 2021 Ian McCollum 35

Today, I thought it would be fun (or at least interesting) to shoot a 2-gun match in a reproduction World War One gas mask and helmet. Specifically, a French M2 pattern, which was used extensively […]

1854 Treuille de Beaulieu: Open-Bolt Pinfire for the Imperial Guard

December 30, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

The Mousqueton Modele 1854, named for General Antoine Hector Thésée Treuille de Beaulieu, was the first breechloader adopted by the French military. It was issued to the Cent Gardes (personal bodyguard) of Emperor Napoleon III […]

Uniquely Ethiopian Shortened Lebel Rifles

December 16, 2020 Ian McCollum 10

Today we are looking at an interesting sub-type of Ethiopian Lebel short rifle. When InterOrdnance brought in the surviving Lebels from Ethiopian storage, eleven of one hundred were in this configuration, with barrels shortened to […]

Shooting an Original Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon

October 18, 2020 Ian McCollum 6

Several years ago, my friend Joe Lozen had an opportunity to fire an original Hotchkiss Revolving Cannon. He kindly sent me this clip – it is the only footage of one of these actually firing […]

The Last Swiss Battle Rifle: SIG-Manurhin 542 (in .243)

October 12, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

After the failure of the SIG 530 rifle (a gas operated, roller locked design), SIG looked for a much simpler rifle design, in both operation and manufacture. Wheat they came up with was fundamentally AK-like, […]

MAS 38 at the Range – Finally!

October 3, 2020 Ian McCollum 25

My MAS 38 submachine gun is *finally* running properly and with the 7.65mm French Long ammunition now being made by Steinel Ammo, I can finally take this out to the range! What to shoot at? […]

AZ PCC Championship: 10 Stages of Hotchkiss Universal!

October 1, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

Every year, the Rio Salado Sportsman’s Club host’s the Arizona PCC (Pistol-Caliber Carbine) Championships. I signed up initially planning to use my Calico carbine, but my travel schedule kept me form getting the gun in […]

Napoleonic Sphinxes: A Magnificent Boutet Carved Pistol Set

September 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

Lot 252 in the September 2020 Premier RIA auction. Nicolaus-Noël Boutet is one of the most significant gunsmith artists in the world. He was the “directeur-artiste” of the Manufacture d’Armes de Versailles, set up in […]

Century-Old Challenge Coin: The American Legion’s 1927 Paris Convention

August 6, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

The American Legion was founded in 1919 as a veterans service organization for soldiers who served in World War One, and they chose the 10th anniversary of America’s entrance into the war to make a […]