This is that one question that always seems to have the same answer. "Why did you adopt X even though it's clearly not very good?" "It was cheap." Military procurement never changes.
Also, when there's a war on: "We can have this great weapon available in a year or so." "We might have lost the war by then! Anything else?" "Well, there's this other one that's definitely not as good, but we can have them in just a few months." "You should have started with this. I want a gazillion of them, and I want them yesterday!" tl:dr The Chauchat procurement. Not dissing the gun or the choice to have it made, but if the French could've had instead something like the BAR or the FM 24 as early (and in 8mm of course) and in the same numbers, they wouldn't have hesitated a second. But beggars can't be choosers.
I love hearing Ians progression with French over the years. Especially talking to a native french speaker. I wish i had the dedication to learn another language
If you can spare 15 minutes a day you can learn a language. It's really a question of it being part of your routine and your brain does the rest for you.
Yeah, it is about doing a little work constantly. Learn a couple of vocabulary words every day and a couple of good verbs a week with most of the conjugation, you will get the basics down in a few weeks. Then, just listen to the language being used, like watching a few news broadcasts by a clear and slow speaker (search around youtube, you will find plenty). A few months of that, you will find people think you are reasonably capable. The big trick is to keep USING the language by listening to it and writing a little in it every day. Most of the professional linguists I know spend a minimum of ten minutes a day with each language they have, mostly listening to youtube videos or reading short news articles, just to keep their brains convinced it should keep that data fresh in the system.
In my experience, it takes time as well, it can take 2-3 years to get to a point where you feel comfortable having normal conversation with a native speaker.
My sister has been learning it for a bit over 2 years, mostly through Duolingo, although she had private lessons for a bit, and has been able to hold conversations with native speakers. Although I have to point out that our native language is Portuguese, so that makes it easier for us, although not a lot, I basically can't understand French at all, Spanish and Italian are MUCH easier. Duolingo is far from perfect, but if you do keep at it it's a huge leg up in helping you learn a language.
@@moonrazk Yeah, the heavy Germanic and Celtic influence makes French stick out from all the other romance languages about as much as Romanian with its Hungarian influence.
C'est super de pouvoir entendre du français avec Ian qui, malgré lui, s'en sort très bien pour essayer de participer à la discussion ! It's great to hear french with Ian who is doing surprisingly really well to participate to the discussion !
Was very surprised he managed to somewhat keep up. Can't say the same for myself, I needed those subtitles (French is so hard for me, despite being fluent in two languages, and somewhat understanding multiple others)
@@quietusplus1221 I understand french is an awful language to learn (my wife had to). I'm Swiss (from the French part) so it's my mother tongue, but even though English was easy to learn, I still have to practice my German, which is important in Switzerland. I got to say that since I've got English covered, German got easier to learn (same roots). Anyway, it'll always be easier to learn the language once you are living in the country that speaks of it. Cheers !
My first wife was French, we were married for 8 years but always lived in the US. My French got to be halfway decent, but that was many years ago. Anyway, I was listening to Mr. Proteau and noticed his accent. I knew he had to be from the south of France because his accent is identical to my ex wife and her family. I looked him up on Wikipedia and sure enough, he is from the same small village of Beziers as my ex lol.
This and the MR-73 interview are probably my favourite ever Forgotten Weapons videos. The knowledge that is being imparted is amazing and Ian's interview skills are perfect.
It feels like he is one of those guys that are very nice, but you can get the feeling that if you ever got on the bad side of him, you would have a very bad day.
What the hell, I looked this man up and he is 77 years old?! He mentioned operating in 1974, and that got me curious. How does he look so youthful? I would have assumed this man was in his late 40s, not pushing 80 years old!
I can't find it right now, but somewhere, Ian talks about the film. He was disappointed by the sniper rifles used as props in the film; instead of FR-F1s they were ... sporterized MAS-36s? I think?
I think they used a mix of whatever. 9-hole reviews has a video on the FRF1 and they included an excerpt of the scene where they shoot the rebels. It's difficult to work out exactly what are the guns but one doesn't look like an FRF1, the others do look like an FRF1 but could well be 36s modified to look like one.
And I think other people have also said that it's not really an accurate depiction of what happened in other ways too. Regardless of that, I did find it an enjoyable movie to watch! Just don't take it as a history lesson. =)
My understanding is that muzzle device is timed to rifling I.e. three prong muzzle device for the rifle's three groved barrel. They did the same thing on FR-F2 but use a four prong muzzle because of the four groves barrel. His Interview with Henri Canaple Talk about this.
Main takeaway: 4.5 Kg weight is a huge tactical advantage 1/2 MOA 10 shot groups at 200m 1.5-6x Zeiss riflescope for 0-300m range 2.5-10x Zeiss riflescope for long range Zeiss scopes were adopted by GIGN in 1976
@@simoncleret You can just nix the "French" part of your statement and you'll have the situation in every country at several occasions in the past, present and future.
Ian, I have to admire how well your converse in French now. Most people would have said stuck to English, but you've gone out of your way to connect to people in France by learning the language. I asked for a second language posting when I finished my trade course in the Army, and I know how much effort and courage that takes. You've made videos and posted them to TH-cam where you engage in conversation in a language that isn't your first, where the whole world is free to nit pick your dialogue. Well done, sir!
I did the tireur d'elite course while on rotation in Djibouti in the eighties with this - always liked the FR-F1, in 'army' mode it was a great DMR rather than a 'sniper' role as we imagine today. I left in '90 just after they introduced the FRF2 to the regt., about the same time they 'upgraded' the 4th Cie [destructor/sniper specialty] with Barratts. My favourite was the MAS-49/56 though; punchy, versatile, accurate and reliable, preferred it to the FAMAS while on tour. Kudos for the French there Ian!
It always helps immensely when the interviewer is deeply knowledgable on the topic and also understands that an interviewer should facilitate rather than force the topic. There was never any doubt Ian was the former, but being his chill self it would turn out that the latter came naturally to him as well....
4.5K is nothing! I had no idea. Even having watched this out of context, I can definitely ascertain that this guy really had a bond with this rifle, even with the crappy, economical scope :D
Amazing insight, and huge thanks and appreciation to your translator as well! I do believe we, the audience, got a chance to understand the motivation of GIGN in this rifle.
Just watched the movie “15 minutes of war” and although it’s far from realistic, it should be praised for bringing to light the acts of courage during the rescue in Djibouti. Monsieur Prouteau is a legend in the history of special forces, on par with David Sterling and Aaron Bank. It’s amazing that Ian was able to interview him.
Soooooooooo, they spoke for longer and on other topics beyond the MR73!!! Yesssss! I hope there are videos coming. I remember a picture or a TV news item of a GIGN operator with a Ruger Mini-14 with laser sight and wearing night vision goggles. That was years before this stuff became common in pop culture through movies and video ganes. At the time, it was completely new.
merci ian merci de donner de la visibilité à nos armes et à notre histoire et de faire l'effort de parler français merci beaucoup translated: thank you ian thank you for giving visibility to our firearms and our history and making the effort to speak french thank you very much
Yeah, he really has showcased how the American stereotype of German engineering being the best in Europe is a lie. Smokeless ammo, the best revolver, best bullpump, great precision rifles. Now if only French politicians where as good as French engineers! The world would be a different place.
Alas, bad politicians, legal and business people are the bane of good STEM people. Conversely, good bean counters can put a stop to bad engineering projects. And when there is convergence of politics, economics and engineering, you end up with great designs.
Honestly, I think Ian would deserve a Legion d'Honneur or an Arts et Lettres. These are given regularly to foreign figures. He significantly made English-speaking people interested in French military firearm history, and military history in general, (re-)discover my country.
Amazing interview! Love to get more insider info from non-Anglo-American sources. :) Only qualm I have is the claim that other equivalent rifles weigh 9kg, when things like the SAKO TRG are very much in the same weight category.
Super interview ian, amazing to have someone asking all of these to Prouteau directly, and by an american on top of that ! (great accent btw !! ). please tell me there is a 4 hours interview where he details the loyada op ?
So clearly there needs to be a WWPD 2022. If he could remake the FR-F1 today with modern materials, what would that look like? I'll just go ahead and pre-order 3 now, thanks again Ian!
Today it's almost certainly going to be an Accuracy International rifle of some description. If he would prefer .308 or .338 Lapua Magnum is another matter entirely. Probably .308 since the GIGN would absolutely rarely have to cover distances longer than, say, 500 meters, and the lighter construction seems to appeal to him.
@@andersjjensen nah gotta be the same action and fundamental gun, just updated materials and maybe controls, for all of us mere mortals that can't get an actual FR-F1.
The bean counters did the same thing with tanks for ww2... they made a new light tank.. Obviously a massive improvement over the ft17... then reused a lot of older guns from the 17 ... which was just bonkers..
@Paul Lytle It was bonkers... it saved almost nothing and the older reused guns were incapable of any meaningful utility... whilst the newer guns could cut straight through most german armour with ease.... It's better to have 175 tanks that can function as tanks than 195 or so that have no ability to counter enemy armour...
@Paul Lytle In the real world a low velocity worn out ww1 ft17 gun is lucky to even hit a german tank before its platform.is destroyed.... let alone hoping the Germans oblige with your choice of target..... whereas the new weapon was higher velocity and more capable... Perhaps you think having a clapped out low velocity piece of junk is cool on a new tank ... say 3 10ths as good as the new weapon the tank was designed for... In reality... no .. it was a terrible idea... saved almost nothing and forced people to use old ww1 stocks of corroded ammo... Real life is not repeat not world of tanks..
@@janwitts2688 I feel like actually having stocks of ammo might be useful even if it's shit and especially considering the state of France in the interwar period any tanks are a marvel
@@gfanikf (I was joking a bit -- the FR-F2 rifles all started life as FR-F1s, then re-barrelled from 7.5mm French to 7.62 NATO with the weird thermal jacket added). (Why yes, I do spend too much time reading Iain's book).
Love you’re content Ian fantastic. I’m from Bonny Scotland, we have mega gun restrictions here’. So seeing your content is amazing for me . U should check out long thorne guns in Britain they are making new hand gun copy of browning high power but built different with modern ways and high quality metals. These guys apparently build for space companies and formula one aswell so very high quality. . Thanks again keep up your fantastic work. 👍
Would I be correct in assuming that the FR-F1 muzzle device is similar in concept to the later Browning "BOSS" gizmo? The concept has considerable merit in a military situation. Mass produces, carefully batched ammo and a limited quantity of specialist weapons to fire it. Civilian shooters fill the coffers of component and tool-makers in the perennial process of tuning their ammo to their specific rifle. Military ammo is made in enormous quantity, usually under incredibly strict quality control. For "general service" ammo: A hundred million rounds per batch; maybe a few hundred thousand rifles. The troops in the field with sniper rigs are not likely to be interested in setting up a reloading bench in a shelled chateau and they will (generally) happily use the authorized-issue ammo. And, if ammo with a "different" batch number is delivered? A quick trip to the range with the the new ammunition, and an armourer with tools and gauges. Fire, adjust, confirm, find a cafe. No need to disturb the bedding, just write the new settings in the log book and carry on. The MOST important thing is that it is a "cold-bore" zero. Snipers who fire warming shots and sighters on the two-way range will have VERY short careers. Barrel tuning is not an entirely novel concept; the Swiss were onto it well over a century ago.
A former SWAT-Member told me once that they trained with french comrades. The french showed them that they are able to shoot through a cockpit window and hit a target behind. What they didn't tell which ammunition they use... My guess was depleted Uranium or Tungsten carbide. But we don't know...
Just a couple of sentences before the same word was translated as stupid, makes kinda sense not to repeat same words so close together in text if you can use other words to convey same meaning.
@@johnegan7622 Very true... He just strikes me as the epitome of the "The hard man willing to do violence to bad people and stand at post so we can live is peace"
I was just reading about this rifle in Chassepot-FAMAS last night before going to bed. Read the passage about the Loyada kidnapping in 1976 in Djibouti…pretty terrible that it happened to a bus load of children.
there's a vid in French where Prouteau talks about Loyada, and decades later, he appears still quite emotional when he mentions the two young girls who got killed during the GIGN assault
he said that the thing that looks like a muzzle device is actually here to tune the wave length inside the barrel. and then he simplifies to " internal ballistics". si I guess it's about how the bullet, gases and shockwave behave inside the barrel
@@NinjaofApathy parce que le canon est fin,et conçu ainsi pour un contrôle des courbes due a l'explosion et l'évacuation des gaz ,ainsi ,les gaz s'échappent en formant un vortex,qui corrige l'ondulation est permet de tirer précisément coup après coup, aujourd'hui nous avons des canons lourds,afin de limiter l'ondulation,le FRF1 était un fusil très moderne et très précis a cette époque je possède un FRF1 ainsi qu'un frf2 et un ultima ration PGM qui a modernisé le concept et c'est un régal de tirer avec ,pour info quand j'étais en service en 1982 j'avais touché une ''cible'' à 400m avec mon frf1
The self timable muzzle brake/flash hider is used as a barrel tuner that can be screwed further on or off the rifle to alter its harmonics, in effect to dampen harmonic whip during firing, leading to much increased consistency of point of impact, and can be tuned for specific ammo/projectiles.
Why would the three point system be less stable than a two point system? Because one can brace against two of the points and be loose on a third? I do not understand.
Because a line is defined by 2 points (ideally a rotation axis and a reference surface). If you add more, you are overconstrained and can't ensure repetitivity of location every time you try to fit those 3 points.
@@corentinnaisse5350 This is not an actual mathematical reason though. Three collinear points will define a line just as easily as two. You are right that the points could end up not being collinear (indeed, there is more opportunity for it to be not collinear) but it seems to me that if the lockup is sufficiently tight this won't matter. I can't imagine a situation where the gunsight is stable when firing (i.e. a tight fit) and doesn't retain zero when you take it off and put it back on again. Maybe this is because I don't understand manufacturing.
@@TheFanatical1 Three collinear points is unachievable in the real world. There is simply no way to manufacture such a system (apart from counter-boring and reaming after assembly but then you run into other problems) so you will always end up with some error. If you need to force the collinearity by tightening everything until you bend it in the proper way (which will still be not collinear), you end up with a repetitivity error during the tightening process as the preload will depends on the torque and friction coefficient. Also, this is the same kind of thing as when he speaks of how older rifles had overconstrained barrels while we now know better than that and use free-floating barrels with resonant frequencies that can be tuned to a specific ammunition.
@@TheFanatical1 I can't provide a definitive answer as everyone can have his own reason (which may be anchored more in tacticool lore than reality) but, as another comment on this video said, it will give a stronger mount which can be abused on the rough conditions of a battlefield. As Mr. Prouteaux's team was mostly engaged in short, controlled environment figthing, he could spare some ruggedness to increase the accuracy of his weapons by using state of the art hunting accessories (recknagel mount and zeiss scope). I've tried finding some studies comparing the repeatability of different mounting systems but I couldn't find any quickly, I'll try again later.
003 sir F W... i have adored ever video you have posted. the evolving technology or curious/innovative skill of old masters i want one serially "out of the ball park" (youtub) per week and you can chill The-fermentation out, then chillax and focus on family or love-ones.
This is that one question that always seems to have the same answer.
"Why did you adopt X even though it's clearly not very good?"
"It was cheap."
Military procurement never changes.
Also, when there's a war on:
"We can have this great weapon available in a year or so."
"We might have lost the war by then! Anything else?"
"Well, there's this other one that's definitely not as good, but we can have them in just a few months."
"You should have started with this. I want a gazillion of them, and I want them yesterday!"
tl:dr The Chauchat procurement.
Not dissing the gun or the choice to have it made, but if the French could've had instead something like the BAR or the FM 24 as early (and in 8mm of course) and in the same numbers, they wouldn't have hesitated a second. But beggars can't be choosers.
Another popular reason is "We already had them in stock, and didn't want to throw them away...".
@@chrisd8866 "We have this thing. It's basically a pipe with a spring in it"
"SOLD!!"
Interviewing people like Prouteau, those who has forgotten more than many will ever know, is a cultural deed.👍
Ian is a very humble Mr Worldwide indeed.
I thought that was Pitbull
Indeed! He continues to impress me!
I love hearing Ians progression with French over the years. Especially talking to a native french speaker. I wish i had the dedication to learn another language
If you can spare 15 minutes a day you can learn a language. It's really a question of it being part of your routine and your brain does the rest for you.
Yeah, it is about doing a little work constantly. Learn a couple of vocabulary words every day and a couple of good verbs a week with most of the conjugation, you will get the basics down in a few weeks. Then, just listen to the language being used, like watching a few news broadcasts by a clear and slow speaker (search around youtube, you will find plenty). A few months of that, you will find people think you are reasonably capable. The big trick is to keep USING the language by listening to it and writing a little in it every day. Most of the professional linguists I know spend a minimum of ten minutes a day with each language they have, mostly listening to youtube videos or reading short news articles, just to keep their brains convinced it should keep that data fresh in the system.
In my experience, it takes time as well, it can take 2-3 years to get to a point where you feel comfortable having normal conversation with a native speaker.
My sister has been learning it for a bit over 2 years, mostly through Duolingo, although she had private lessons for a bit, and has been able to hold conversations with native speakers. Although I have to point out that our native language is Portuguese, so that makes it easier for us, although not a lot, I basically can't understand French at all, Spanish and Italian are MUCH easier.
Duolingo is far from perfect, but if you do keep at it it's a huge leg up in helping you learn a language.
@@moonrazk Yeah, the heavy Germanic and Celtic influence makes French stick out from all the other romance languages about as much as Romanian with its Hungarian influence.
C'est super de pouvoir entendre du français avec Ian qui, malgré lui, s'en sort très bien pour essayer de participer à la discussion !
It's great to hear french with Ian who is doing surprisingly really well to participate to the discussion !
Was very surprised he managed to somewhat keep up. Can't say the same for myself, I needed those subtitles (French is so hard for me, despite being fluent in two languages, and somewhat understanding multiple others)
@@quietusplus1221 I understand french is an awful language to learn (my wife had to). I'm Swiss (from the French part) so it's my mother tongue, but even though English was easy to learn, I still have to practice my German, which is important in Switzerland. I got to say that since I've got English covered, German got easier to learn (same roots).
Anyway, it'll always be easier to learn the language once you are living in the country that speaks of it.
Cheers !
Any good recommendations for english video resources for proteau?
Its Hard to find good interviewers who know what to ask.
Thanks
To be fair, Ian said in the MR-73 interview that they were using an interpreter for the interview. This is just cut so you only hear the speakers.
@@MarvinCZ Yes indeed ! But still.
My first wife was French, we were married for 8 years but always lived in the US. My French got to be halfway decent, but that was many years ago.
Anyway, I was listening to Mr. Proteau and noticed his accent. I knew he had to be from the south of France because his accent is identical to my ex wife and her family. I looked him up on Wikipedia and sure enough, he is from the same small village of Beziers as my ex lol.
And yet again, when I thought the well of incredible interviews had dried up, Ian surprises us with another inside view :) Thanks !
This and the MR-73 interview are probably my favourite ever Forgotten Weapons videos. The knowledge that is being imparted is amazing and Ian's interview skills are perfect.
I love how far beyond any false bravado mr. Prouteau is.
All bite and no bark.
It feels like he is one of those guys that are very nice, but you can get the feeling that if you ever got on the bad side of him, you would have a very bad day.
That is the way frenchmen are. Think of George Saint-Pierre.
What the hell, I looked this man up and he is 77 years old?! He mentioned operating in 1974, and that got me curious. How does he look so youthful? I would have assumed this man was in his late 40s, not pushing 80 years old!
He sniffs gun powder.
Pure thoughts and good wine?
Or, something?
It's because he is a reptilian.
The french diet is a little more healthy on average, and more importantly he probably still moves around a lot.
Good food good wine and exercise
The operation he talks of in Djibouti was made into a film: "15 Minutes of War". Quite a good movie.
I can't find it right now, but somewhere, Ian talks about the film. He was disappointed by the sniper rifles used as props in the film; instead of FR-F1s they were ... sporterized MAS-36s? I think?
I think they used a mix of whatever. 9-hole reviews has a video on the FRF1 and they included an excerpt of the scene where they shoot the rebels. It's difficult to work out exactly what are the guns but one doesn't look like an FRF1, the others do look like an FRF1 but could well be 36s modified to look like one.
@@gnfnrf The scopes in the film are very mix and match. Nothing like the correct period type.
And I think other people have also said that it's not really an accurate depiction of what happened in other ways too.
Regardless of that, I did find it an enjoyable movie to watch! Just don't take it as a history lesson. =)
@@jubuttib I never watch movies for history lessons. But it gives a reasonable flavour of what happened.
Thanks Ian for the french interview of Commandant Prouteau, I'm happy to see again a legend who made the GIGN.
Ian, Do a video on the muzzle device for adjusting internal ballistics mentioned by M. Prouteau.
that caught my attention as well , who would have known that the ( b.o.s.s ) system was potentially developed by the french in the mid 50’s 🤔
My understanding is that muzzle device is timed to rifling I.e. three prong muzzle device for the rifle's three groved barrel. They did the same thing on FR-F2 but use a four prong muzzle because of the four groves barrel. His Interview with Henri Canaple Talk about this.
He talks about that in his videos about the FR-F1 iirc
I think Browning had it commercialized at some point
Edit : th-cam.com/video/GQGI6HYsTBU/w-d-xo.html
Ian has an interview with a st etienne engineer where it's mentionned as well
Main takeaway:
4.5 Kg weight is a huge tactical advantage
1/2 MOA 10 shot groups at 200m
1.5-6x Zeiss riflescope for 0-300m range
2.5-10x Zeiss riflescope for long range
Zeiss scopes were adopted by GIGN in 1976
Of course it's a good scope. It's German. I like a post recital best
You forgot the part of the French government wearing pants on their collective head.
@@simoncleret You can just nix the "French" part of your statement and you'll have the situation in every country at several occasions in the past, present and future.
@@andersjjensen You're not wrong.
I hope more videos with Mr Prouteau are coming. What a well of practical and historical knowledge!
Ian, I have to admire how well your converse in French now. Most people would have said stuck to English, but you've gone out of your way to connect to people in France by learning the language. I asked for a second language posting when I finished my trade course in the Army, and I know how much effort and courage that takes. You've made videos and posted them to TH-cam where you engage in conversation in a language that isn't your first, where the whole world is free to nit pick your dialogue. Well done, sir!
"...an engineer's fantasy."
Boy, have I seen that more than a few times! 😂
Of course, the man knows french, why do I even act surprised?
Oui
He can see the subtitles in front of him.🤣😂🤣👍
that's the language he speaks to his french rifles
@Mäkirannantörmä He's Gun Jesus - mirror writing is small potatoes
Given his recent fascination with Finnish firearms... I'm worried he might just casually start speaking fluent Finnish one day...
I did the tireur d'elite course while on rotation in Djibouti in the eighties with this - always liked the FR-F1, in 'army' mode it was a great DMR rather than a 'sniper' role as we imagine today. I left in '90 just after they introduced the FRF2 to the regt., about the same time they 'upgraded' the 4th Cie [destructor/sniper specialty] with Barratts. My favourite was the MAS-49/56 though; punchy, versatile, accurate and reliable, preferred it to the FAMAS while on tour. Kudos for the French there Ian!
Always great getting to hear such insights from the best. Encore une fois merci Ian :)
This guy is great really like his different and unique take, and Ian's interview style is excellent (probably because he is genuinely curious).
It always helps immensely when the interviewer is deeply knowledgable on the topic and also understands that an interviewer should facilitate rather than force the topic. There was never any doubt Ian was the former, but being his chill self it would turn out that the latter came naturally to him as well....
This man and his camarades are a national treasure !
4.5K is nothing! I had no idea. Even having watched this out of context, I can definitely ascertain that this guy really had a bond with this rifle, even with the crappy, economical scope :D
To add context, he was the founder of GIGN and lead it for 9 years.
@@Zombine45 and I believe he lead the schoolbus shot, where the GIGN pioneered many of the techniques snipers still use today.
Amazing insight, and huge thanks and appreciation to your translator as well! I do believe we, the audience, got a chance to understand the motivation of GIGN in this rifle.
Really enjoyed the first video with this legend so this was a pleasant surprise!
Another outstanding interview!
Just watched the movie “15 minutes of war” and although it’s far from realistic, it should be praised for bringing to light the acts of courage during the rescue in Djibouti. Monsieur Prouteau is a legend in the history of special forces, on par with David Sterling and Aaron Bank. It’s amazing that Ian was able to interview him.
The 1,5-6x39 was much liked ,then updated to 1,5-6x42 . Perhaps one of the best allround sniping and hunting scope for up to 300 meter.
Now Ian wants one of that FR-F1 with the Zeiss scope.
Naturally!😁😆
Another fantastic interview!
This was a great interview!
I love these Prouteau interviews. This guy is down to earth and obviously put a lot of thought into his solutions.
Custom ReckNagel ,EAW turnmount,and Zeiss ZA 2,5-10x52 is on the depicted rifle. A well liked scope even today.
Soooooooooo, they spoke for longer and on other topics beyond the MR73!!! Yesssss! I hope there are videos coming. I remember a picture or a TV news item of a GIGN operator with a Ruger Mini-14 with laser sight and wearing night vision goggles. That was years before this stuff became common in pop culture through movies and video ganes. At the time, it was completely new.
A great video would be Ian and Mr. Prouteau at the range with dueling FR-F1s. I'd love to see the master in action.
Very cool to hear from him on this as well.
merci ian
merci de donner de la visibilité à nos armes et à notre histoire
et de faire l'effort de parler français
merci beaucoup
translated:
thank you ian
thank you for giving visibility to our firearms and our history
and making the effort to speak french
thank you very much
Yeah, he really has showcased how the American stereotype of German engineering being the best in Europe is a lie. Smokeless ammo, the best revolver, best bullpump, great precision rifles. Now if only French politicians where as good as French engineers! The world would be a different place.
Alas, bad politicians, legal and business people are the bane of good STEM people. Conversely, good bean counters can put a stop to bad engineering projects. And when there is convergence of politics, economics and engineering, you end up with great designs.
Wicked mate. Nice bit of insight there. Cheers Ian.
That was a very interesting interview.
Thanks for the video, this man is a real pro and a wise fighter!
This series and the whole ggn firearms discussion really highlights the benefits of training over fancy, newest gear.
Nice! Especially that it kept Zero over Intl. Shipping! Thats amazing.
Will this be a French and Finnish language channel by 2025?
Well it seems a reasonable target 😂 I will write to the next person at the French presidency to grant Ian an honorary French citizenship 🤣🇫🇷😇
Membership of the Légion D'Honneur at a minimum.
Honestly, I think Ian would deserve a Legion d'Honneur or an Arts et Lettres. These are given regularly to foreign figures. He significantly made English-speaking people interested in French military firearm history, and military history in general, (re-)discover my country.
@@drdoom-skull2244 excellent idea even if with the current government I do not see this happen but yes Art et Lettres is a brilliant idea! 🙏🏆
@@khaelamensha3624 They should create Armes et Lettres just for Ian
I feel like M.Prouteau's response at the end is more of a "I'm very pleasantly surprised"
Amazing interview!
Love to get more insider info from non-Anglo-American sources. :)
Only qualm I have is the claim that other equivalent rifles weigh 9kg, when things like the SAKO TRG are very much in the same weight category.
Yeah. They got there in the end
Prouteau,à presque 100ans, du coup ses références sont vielles...😂
Super interview ian, amazing to have someone asking all of these to Prouteau directly, and by an american on top of that ! (great accent btw !! ).
please tell me there is a 4 hours interview where he details the loyada op ?
Excellent interview Ian
So clearly there needs to be a WWPD 2022. If he could remake the FR-F1 today with modern materials, what would that look like? I'll just go ahead and pre-order 3 now, thanks again Ian!
Today it's almost certainly going to be an Accuracy International rifle of some description. If he would prefer .308 or .338 Lapua Magnum is another matter entirely. Probably .308 since the GIGN would absolutely rarely have to cover distances longer than, say, 500 meters, and the lighter construction seems to appeal to him.
@@andersjjensen nah gotta be the same action and fundamental gun, just updated materials and maybe controls, for all of us mere mortals that can't get an actual FR-F1.
@@andersjjensen Would be way to trivial!---Must be something,nobody else has!
@@SolidSioux1987 Well then it has to be 7.5x54mm too... which makes it a non stater to mere mortals anyway :P
@@andersjjensen A French unit wouldn't choose a AI rifle, when they have their domestic line of PGM rifles available, that are comparable, at least.
I see a period correct zeiss scope on the horizon for the FR-F1.
The bean counters did the same thing with tanks for ww2... they made a new light tank.. Obviously a massive improvement over the ft17... then reused a lot of older guns from the 17 ... which was just bonkers..
It's not bonkers if it means you can Field more tanks
@Paul Lytle
It was bonkers... it saved almost nothing and the older reused guns were incapable of any meaningful utility... whilst the newer guns could cut straight through most german armour with ease....
It's better to have 175 tanks that can function as tanks than 195 or so that have no ability to counter enemy armour...
@@janwitts2688 do you think 37mm would fail to pen a panzer 2
@Paul Lytle
In the real world a low velocity worn out ww1 ft17 gun is lucky to even hit a german tank before its platform.is destroyed.... let alone hoping the Germans oblige with your choice of target..... whereas the new weapon was higher velocity and more capable...
Perhaps you think having a clapped out low velocity piece of junk is cool on a new tank ... say 3 10ths as good as the new weapon the tank was designed for...
In reality... no .. it was a terrible idea... saved almost nothing and forced people to use old ww1 stocks of corroded ammo...
Real life is not repeat not world of tanks..
@@janwitts2688 I feel like actually having stocks of ammo might be useful even if it's shit and especially considering the state of France in the interwar period any tanks are a marvel
What a nice interview
I too am working on my French. Still very bad. I really appreciate these videos. Don’t be afraid of posting videos in French it’s a feature for me.
I know someone who is going to replace his FRF1 scope to match the post-Loyada standards… :D
By the way the translation is good, except "système à verrou" is for the bolt action system, not the pivot specifically
Wonderful conversation, but they didn’t talk about it’s ability to counter mold influenced vampires.
That's the FR-F2, not the FR-F1 :)
@@JohnHughesChampigny well that would explain why :)
@@gfanikf (I was joking a bit -- the FR-F2 rifles all started life as FR-F1s, then re-barrelled from 7.5mm French to 7.62 NATO with the weird thermal jacket added). (Why yes, I do spend too much time reading Iain's book).
Oh, is that it? we need more!
I had no idea Ian spoke French. He really is an international man of mystery.
Love you’re content Ian fantastic. I’m from Bonny Scotland, we have mega gun restrictions here’. So seeing your content is amazing for me . U should check out long thorne guns in Britain they are making new hand gun copy of browning high power but built different with modern ways and high quality metals. These guys apparently build for space companies and formula one aswell so very high quality. . Thanks again keep up your fantastic work. 👍
On any scope, I think you should have a variable magnification like 1.5-6x or 3-9x
Thank you so much !
more of this..... please
Maybe Ian should consider having up a custom mount made for his rifle to try to replicate that Zeiss set up?
Why replicate,what readily available????
Damn! Respect!
Ah! Armes Oubliées. Très bien.
Just wonderful!!!! More! Mooooooore!!!!!!
Would I be correct in assuming that the FR-F1 muzzle device is similar in concept to the later Browning "BOSS" gizmo?
The concept has considerable merit in a military situation. Mass produces, carefully batched ammo and a limited quantity of specialist weapons to fire it.
Civilian shooters fill the coffers of component and tool-makers in the perennial process of tuning their ammo to their specific rifle.
Military ammo is made in enormous quantity, usually under incredibly strict quality control.
For "general service" ammo: A hundred million rounds per batch; maybe a few hundred thousand rifles.
The troops in the field with sniper rigs are not likely to be interested in setting up a reloading bench in a shelled chateau and they will (generally) happily use the authorized-issue ammo.
And, if ammo with a "different" batch number is delivered?
A quick trip to the range with the the new ammunition, and an armourer with tools and gauges. Fire, adjust, confirm, find a cafe.
No need to disturb the bedding, just write the new settings in the log book and carry on.
The MOST important thing is that it is a "cold-bore" zero. Snipers who fire warming shots and sighters on the two-way range will have VERY short careers.
Barrel tuning is not an entirely novel concept; the Swiss were onto it well over a century ago.
A former SWAT-Member told me once that they trained with french comrades. The french showed them that they are able to shoot through a cockpit window and hit a target behind. What they didn't tell which ammunition they use... My guess was depleted Uranium or Tungsten carbide. But we don't know...
Could we have more of this interview? Please??
Looks like Ian needs to take his FR-F1 and a Zeiss scope to the gunsmith for an upgrade.
😍 merci pour ce précieux témoignage
Magnifique!!!!
Translating "debile" as "makes no sense" is overly polite. :)
"stupid" is what google says for anyone wondering
@@jameshealy4594 Closer to "retarded", but stupid is ok.
I would go for moronic
Just a couple of sentences before the same word was translated as stupid, makes kinda sense not to repeat same words so close together in text if you can use other words to convey same meaning.
That is one hard nosed man Ian is interviewing. You wouldn't want him coming after you
I don't think you would ever hear or see him coming. It would just fade to black like the end of The Sopranos.
@@johnegan7622 Very true... He just strikes me as the epitome of the "The hard man willing to do violence to bad people and stand at post so we can live is peace"
@@ZATennisFan He is 77 years old now... and I still wouldn't fuck with him!
Awesome. And shows once again, let the people who know make the equipment decisions. Bean counters never help.
I just watched " hunter" ( new New Zealand) what type of gun is he using?
Magnifique
Ian's transformation is almost complete
pretty epic!
I was just reading about this rifle in Chassepot-FAMAS last night before going to bed. Read the passage about the Loyada kidnapping in 1976 in Djibouti…pretty terrible that it happened to a bus load of children.
there's a vid in French where Prouteau talks about Loyada, and decades later, he appears still quite emotional when he mentions the two young girls who got killed during the GIGN assault
Very cool
man i love when ian speaks french.
Allez, Ian, vous parlez fracais ?, mais c'est magnifique !!! .Big fan of your work, Paul.
Great!
I assume when he says the second lightest precision rifle is 9kg he means stock from the factory?
hats off for learning french. i guess passion help
I klicked like and started watching
You're such a lucky guy! And it's a French speaking here!
🖖🏻🇫🇷😎🇫🇷😎🇫🇷🖖🏻
What did he mean when he said that the barrel was also built around a specific wavelength? I also noticed it got glazed over in the subtitles
he said that the thing that looks like a muzzle device is actually here to tune the wave length inside the barrel. and then he simplifies to " internal ballistics". si I guess it's about how the bullet, gases and shockwave behave inside the barrel
Very basically it is a very light barrel waving when you shoot, depending on your setup you must adjust its waving so the bullet exits straight
I guess Ian is in need for Zeiss scope now
How does adjusting the muzzle brake change bore ballistic adjustments???
Ce n'est pas un frein de bouche ,mais un vibrator,il règle l'ondulation,la vibration du canon
@@bernardmichel4935 por que?
@@NinjaofApathy parce que le canon est fin,et conçu ainsi pour un contrôle des courbes due a l'explosion et l'évacuation des gaz ,ainsi ,les gaz s'échappent en formant un vortex,qui corrige l'ondulation est permet de tirer précisément coup après coup, aujourd'hui nous avons des canons lourds,afin de limiter l'ondulation,le FRF1 était un fusil très moderne et très précis a cette époque je possède un FRF1 ainsi qu'un frf2 et un ultima ration PGM qui a modernisé le concept et c'est un régal de tirer avec ,pour info quand j'étais en service en 1982 j'avais touché une ''cible'' à 400m avec mon frf1
Man, do you can make video about prices of guns and ammo?
The screws on the 5 WWSDs I bought from you are rusting
There's more? There's more!
Christina's voice is basically panharmonic.
What did he mean "adjust the internal ballistics of the rifle"?
From my understanding it is used to smooth the Shockwave/ vibration in order to stabilize the barrel until the bullet leave this one.
@@khaelamensha3624 It will even alter the harmonics of the barrel vibrations.
The self timable muzzle brake/flash hider is used as a barrel tuner that can be screwed further on or off the rifle to alter its harmonics, in effect to dampen harmonic whip during firing, leading to much increased consistency of point of impact, and can be tuned for specific ammo/projectiles.
"Lucky!" Clearly, that final comment reveals he was unaware he was speaking with Gun Jesus... 😉😄
I dunno. Light weight is not an attribute that I look for in a precision rifle, although there may be certain circumstances where it may be desirable.
Why would the three point system be less stable than a two point system? Because one can brace against two of the points and be loose on a third? I do not understand.
Because a line is defined by 2 points (ideally a rotation axis and a reference surface). If you add more, you are overconstrained and can't ensure repetitivity of location every time you try to fit those 3 points.
@@corentinnaisse5350 This is not an actual mathematical reason though. Three collinear points will define a line just as easily as two. You are right that the points could end up not being collinear (indeed, there is more opportunity for it to be not collinear) but it seems to me that if the lockup is sufficiently tight this won't matter. I can't imagine a situation where the gunsight is stable when firing (i.e. a tight fit) and doesn't retain zero when you take it off and put it back on again. Maybe this is because I don't understand manufacturing.
@@TheFanatical1 Three collinear points is unachievable in the real world. There is simply no way to manufacture such a system (apart from counter-boring and reaming after assembly but then you run into other problems) so you will always end up with some error. If you need to force the collinearity by tightening everything until you bend it in the proper way (which will still be not collinear), you end up with a repetitivity error during the tightening process as the preload will depends on the torque and friction coefficient. Also, this is the same kind of thing as when he speaks of how older rifles had overconstrained barrels while we now know better than that and use free-floating barrels with resonant frequencies that can be tuned to a specific ammunition.
@@corentinnaisse5350 Then why would anyone use a three-point mounting system?
@@TheFanatical1 I can't provide a definitive answer as everyone can have his own reason (which may be anchored more in tacticool lore than reality) but, as another comment on this video said, it will give a stronger mount which can be abused on the rough conditions of a battlefield. As Mr. Prouteaux's team was mostly engaged in short, controlled environment figthing, he could spare some ruggedness to increase the accuracy of his weapons by using state of the art hunting accessories (recknagel mount and zeiss scope). I've tried finding some studies comparing the repeatability of different mounting systems but I couldn't find any quickly, I'll try again later.
003 sir F W... i have adored ever video you have posted. the evolving technology or curious/innovative skill of old masters
i want one serially "out of the ball park" (youtub) per week and you can chill The-fermentation out, then chillax and focus on family or love-ones.
👍