New Book: Chassepot to FAMAS (French Rifles)

[D.B. Cooper]

In case anyone is interested, Ian McCollum, is available for pre-order on his kickstarter page. This is the guy who does the Forgotten Weapons youtube channel. This should be a thorough dissertation on French military rifles from prior to the Great War through the present day.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project..._9hwv24Gm7IgKfu8NnHoZqZar0mDeVs5suYu5nljEsKFw

PS: I have no affiliation with anyone connected to this project. (They don't even know I exist.) I've just been waiting for the release date for a while, and I'm excited about the book.

PPS: save all your "surrender" and "only dropped once" jokes for someone who cares.

 

[Chevelle SS]

Already placed my order. Hopefully I can find out more about my Gras rifle.

 

[bannockburn]

D.B. Cooper

Thanks for the heads-up!

 

[AlexanderA]

French small arms are an interesting subject. From the 18th century through the middle of the 19th century, they were the innovative leaders of the world. (All the early American muskets were copies of French designs.) Then, something strange happened, and French arms went on their idiosyncratic way, overtaken by the Germans, the British, etc. This book apparently covers the period when French arms design was in decline. As such, it would be a much-needed supplement to the classic book by James Hicks, French Military Weapons 1717 - 1938.

 

[czhen]

D. B. Cooper
Thank you for posting the link to a very interesting book.

 

[bannockburn]

French military sidearms have always interested me. I still want to get an Mle. 1892 revolver. Did have a MAB PA-15 for awhile along with a Manurhin PP. Currently I have a Manurhin P1.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Already placed my order. Hopefully I can find out more about my Gras rifle.

Awesome. I don't have any French rifles as of yet. I'd like to have a 49/56 but I'm steering clear of the CAI imports with all the stories of how they botched the .308 conversion.

 

[Whiterook808]

I only have two rifles, a Berthier 1892-15 and a MAS-36 and I also have a 1892 French Ordinance Revolver. Still, I signed up for the book immediately after the email arrived. He does good research and french arm are unique and interesting. There is a special kickstarter edition of the book for supporters which is turning out to be quite nice with all the stretch goals that have been met so far. If you are thinking about getting this book, now is a good time to jump in. You'll get a much nicer book for less money.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I only have two rifles, a Berthier 1892-15 and a MAS-36 and I also have a 1892 French Ordinance Revolver. Still, I signed up for the book immediately after the email arrived. He does good research and french arm are unique and interesting. There is a special kickstarter edition of the book for supporters which is turning out to be quite nice with all the stretch goals that have been met so far. If you are thinking about getting this book, now is a good time to jump in. You'll get a much nicer book for less money.

Yup. I splurged and got the autographed edition.

 

[wbbh]

Ordered! Ian and Forgotten Weapons have done a ton for preserving firearm history. I have a three French MAB pistols and have owned a Ruby or two.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Very nice! Ian is one of my top YouTubers, miles ahead of Hickok45, or the sea of middle age guys wearing size husky BDUs or a too tight graphic tee with a beard.

I have a 8mm 1892 Revolver (complete with frag hits) and one of the unissued 7.5mm Mas 36's that hit the market in 1999 or so.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

Very nice! Ian is one of my top YouTubers, miles ahead of Hickok45, or the sea of middle age guys wearing size husky BDUs or a too tight graphic tee with a beard.

I have a 8mm 1892 Revolver (complete with frag hits) and one of the unissued 7.5mm Mas 36's that hit the market in 1999 or so.

LMAO @ "size husky BDUs"

Wish I could have gotten in on those 7.5mm rifles. Another boat I missed.

 

[fpgt72]

I have a few "collector grade" books, and I think I can say one thing about them all. Unless you are really into the subject it is some pretty dry reading. I have the Remington model 8 book for example, and it goes into great detail about different butt plates....every little change is documented, no matter how small it is. Another example is I have a book on the T-34, this one is even worse....more like reading a text book. I am not sure as it is translated from Polish to english, and this last version of the book finally has the captions in english....ver 2 still had the captions in polish.....why would you translate the entire book to english but the captions....oh yea, to get another $130 out of me. But the same kind of details are in there as well....changes from model to model, and even factory to factory.....it makes a very good resource on that specific vehicle.

These books are a fantastic go to resource tool to those that are taking a very deep dive into the subject at hand.....I know this guy is very popular and that will no doubt help him sell books.....and that is a good thing. I just wanted to put that in there that this may not be the read you are expecting.

I myself am not that "into" French weapons......I have not decided if I am going to pick one up or not.

Not trying to talk anyone out of anything just giving an impression on other "collector grade" books and what they have in them.

 

[D.B. Cooper]

I have a few "collector grade" books, and I think I can say one thing about them all. Unless you are really into the subject it is some pretty dry reading. I have the Remington model 8 book for example, and it goes into great detail about different butt plates....every little change is documented, no matter how small it is. Another example is I have a book on the T-34, this one is even worse....more like reading a text book...

These books are a fantastic go to resource tool to those that are taking a very deep dive into the subject at hand.....I know this guy is very popular and that will no doubt help him sell books.....and that is a good thing. I just wanted to put that in there that this may not be the read you are expecting.

I myself am not that "into" French weapons......I have not decided if I am going to pick one up or not.

Not trying to talk anyone out of anything just giving an impression on other "collector grade" books and what they have in them.

You kind of beat me to it with your reference to the T-34 manual; I was going to mention reading the maintenance manual for a Boeing 747.

In all serious, however, the author has been clear that the book is for collectors and enthusiasts of that very narrowly defined subset of firearms; it's not intended to be an historical narrative along the lines of Stephen E. Ambrose's works. (n fact, the author has already rejected the idea of an audiobook version.)

If you're not "into" French firearms, I can't imagine why you would buy one-especially at the current prices. I bought mine because a.) I'd like to own an example of just a couple of the guns (MAS 36 and 49/56) some day and b.) I'm something of Francophile who likes to study the history of the french colonial system. Additionally, if this project is a financial success, he will undoubted do something similar in the future, and that may be of interest to others.

 

[fpgt72]

You kind of beat me to it with your reference to the T-34 manual; I was going to mention reading the maintenance manual for a Boeing 747.

In all serious, however, the author has been clear that the book is for collectors and enthusiasts of that very narrowly defined subset of firearms; it's not intended to be an historical narrative along the lines of Stephen E. Ambrose's works. (n fact, the author has already rejected the idea of an audiobook version.)

If you're not "into" French firearms, I can't imagine why you would buy one-especially at the current prices. I bought mine because a.) I'd like to own an example of just a couple of the guns (MAS 36 and 49/56) some day and b.) I'm something of Francophile who likes to study the history of the french colonial system. Additionally, if this project is a financial success, he will undoubted do something similar in the future, and that may be of interest to others.

I have those same two rifles you spoke of.....I am looking at the others, but I have not seen the correct examples cross my path yet.....and I love some of the french bayonets.

 

[Whiterook808]

This is not a book that is going to read like a novel and it certainly is not for everyone.. It is after all, a reference book. There promise to be some really great photos and historical narratives. If you have any interest in french rifles, though, you should check it out. Incidentally I have his father's book on Japanese rifles and I found it useful. It was just a a paperback, though.

 

[HoosierQ]

The Berthier is a really nice rifle and comes in some very intriguing configurations. I like the 3 round en-bloc clip...for some reason. The upgraded version takes 5 rounds but it will still work with a 3-rounder. Neat.

 

[Elkins45]

His video on the Chassepot was really interesting. I had seen the term “needle gun” before but never knew what it meant until then.

 

[HoosierQ]

In case anyone is interested, Ian McCollum, is available for pre-order on his kickstarter page. This is the guy who does the Forgotten Weapons youtube channel. This should be a thorough dissertation on French military rifles from prior to the Great War through the present day.

https://www.kickstarter.com/project..._9hwv24Gm7IgKfu8NnHoZqZar0mDeVs5suYu5nljEsKFw

PS: I have no affiliation with anyone connected to this project. (They don't even know I exist.) I've just been waiting for the release date for a while, and I'm excited about the book.

PPS: save all your "surrender" and "only dropped once" jokes for someone who cares.

Amen to your PPS DB. Nobody has fought harder over the centuries than the French. They were at war and fighting like tigers from the time of Julius Caesar all the way up until 1918...almost continuous warfare. They invented smokeless powder too!