Manurhin revolvers

[upptick]

How long has manurhin been in existence?

My understanding is that Manurhin started off as a German manufacturing concern and the plant itself was dismantled and moved to France after WW2, essentially as an act of reparations. Their early guns were German designs, just continuations of what was being produced in Germany before the move.

 

[GEM]

Discuss the guns and not French Military history if you please.

 

[bc1023]

How long has manurhin been in existence?

1950’s

The MR73 debuted in ‘73, obviously. It’s a very finely built and extremely strong revolver.

 

[Slater]

If these were priced at even $1500, I think they'd be big sellers in this country.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

In what ways is this new model inferior to the old models from the 70s?

 

[Electricmo]

Manurhin Walthers were of good quality. These better be flawless for the price of them. The grip looks just a little funky but otherwise it has good lines

 

[UncleEd]

Those grips have always gotten good reports from
those who used them; they really soak up recoil
better than anything else tried. For one thing the
web of the hand doesn't get slammed by recoil.

 

[reddog81]

If these were priced at even $1500, I think they'd be big sellers in this country.

I bet they do good even at $2,000. That’s what Pythons have been selling at. However Once you get above $2,500 the number of buyers starts to tapper off real quickly.

 

[PzGren]

1950’s

The MR73 debuted in ‘73, obviously. It’s a very finely built and extremely strong revolver.

The MR73 was built on special request of Raymond Sassia. He was in charge of weapons procurement for GIGN and had enjoyed some training in New York with their police, .357 Magnum revolvers were not only widely used by American law enforcement at the time but were considered to be good man stoppers and not be deflected by a car's windshield . On Sassia's request S&W came up with a small batch of 500 special model 19 revolvers with a three inch barrel and fixed sights. From there it was about improving the gun, from special treatment of the chambers by running a hardened steel ball bearing through them, an idea taken from Korth. The adjustable trigger return spring was also something Willi Korth had spearheaded and that was incorporated into the MR73.

This is one of the very few S&W 19-3 Raymond Sassia revolvers that were sold to the civilian market and that I have inherited, the story of it was told to me hundreds of times.

 

[GEM]

Deleted history crap. Stay on topic

 

[alfsauve]

Beretta had one at the USPSA LoCap Nationals this past weekend. Action felt almost too smooth. My gnarly old finger couldn't tell if it was actually working without looking at the cylinder. One could easily get use to it.

It felt light in the frame and heavy in the barrel. Not a bad thing just different.

the grip actually did allow me to hold it pretty high up. I could get use to it. My birthday is in 2 months, just saying, if any one needs a gift idea.

 

[George P]

Manufacture de Machines du Haut-Rhin was established in 1952, according to one source. The original location was Mulhouse, along the Rhine River, so, really, an area peopled largely by Germanic-Swiss folks. Manurhin is probably better-known to USA folks as the company that made Walther pistols, in the post-WW2 era, when weapons could not generally be produced in Germany. In the Nineties, Chapuis came to possess the Manurhin trademark.

And Chapuis makes some excellent shotguns and double rifles

 

[Jim Watson]

special treatment of the chambers by running a hardened steel ball bearing through them

There is the same story about Colt Python and the "Silver Ball" treatment of the barrel.

Ball burnishing is a known method of smoothing holes of uniform diameter.

But a .357 chamber tapers a thousandth over the case body and then there is the .023" transition down to cylinder throat diameter. So I can see ball burnishing the throat which would give a smooth and uniform diameter there, which is desirable for accuracy, as long as the bullet, throat, and barrel diameters are well matched. Do the French shoot lead bullets? I recall publicity for the copper THV and Arcane bullets.

Likewise the Python is frequently said to have a tapered bore, which does not comport with pushing a hard ball through it.

 

[Rojack]

....and they helped the American Colonials cast off the shackles of British Imperialism. Moreover, many of the Framers of the Constitution spoke French, had been educated in France, and the American independence movement itself espoused the ideals of the French Revolution (and Scottish Enlightenment, to be fair). The impression that the French are somehow inferior is a shameful disservice to the actual record and reality of French influence over American affairs.

If it weren't for the French, we'd still be subjects of the Crown- and joined at the hip with Canada, God forbid.

 

[PzGren]

If it weren't for the French, we'd still be subjects of the Crown- and joined at the hip with Canada, God forbid.

Welcome to the forum!

That is another good reason to buy a Manurhin 73 but it is a very nice revolver, even without the French history. Among double action revolvers Korths and Manurhin are the best there is. I have had the privilege to own Dan Wessons, Arminius, Ruger, Charter Arms, S&S, Taurus, Colts and S&W and from first hand experience I am putting the quality of Korths and MR73s above the others. However, I found the MR88 to be no improvement over the Ruger SP101, besides the extra round.

 

[donki1967]

They are designed to be dropped at the first sign of trouble.

Watch out for who will pick it up....