Try fighting another world war while your nation is still recovering form the last one (that was fought primarily in your country). France is a very old nation, and it got there by winning more wars than 'Murica.
sneering insinuating cowardice. Their military deaths as a percentage of population was much higher than other nations, particularly the US. The French experienced German atrocities throughout the war, beginning in 1940. France endured the war, and remains both democratic and a republic. Show some respect to our benefactor from the Revolutionary War.
GestapoSantaClaus Germany had to recover as well. Sure, the war wasn’t fought in Germany, but France didn’t get subjected to all the crap of the Treaty of Versailles.
I always knew you must own quite a lot of firearms but the fact that you can fill a wall too big to fit into the video with nothing but French bolt action rifles still blew my mind.
The M1917 was also 3" longer and 1.5 lbs heavier than the M1903. The M1903 was adopted as a "universal" rifle replacing the carbine and long rifle. The Enfield would have been a retrograde step as it would have been clumsy and hard to use by the cavalry, which remained about 20% of the US Army's post-war (1920) Regular Army.
I swear to God if Ian's grandkids throw away his collection at a turn-in event, he'll be doing summersaults in his grave. His ghost will be haunting their lineage for eons.
On the 1917 American Enfield I feel compelled to add that there were some 'people of influence' that were not thrilled about the image of American troops with a British designed rifle. I have read that US army photographers were 'encouraged' to photograph troops with 1903s as often as possible and eschew images of troops with 1917 Enfields when possible.
The US military always picks the wrong gun. Starting with the 30-40 Kraig then the 1903 then the M-14 over the FN FAL and the M-60 over the MG-3/MG-42. They did hit a home run with the M-1 and 1911 45ACP. My first military rifle was a mail order Lee Enfield No.4 Mk.1 I got for $18.00 plus $3.00 shipping delivered to the door by the US mail all before the 1968 Gun Act. I still have it in my collection.
@@thedeadwookie25 Fairly famous British gun companies, Accuracy International made the famous Arctic Warfare series whereas Holland and Holland is renowned for sporting and game rifles.
Got an answer for those who are worried about shooting a gun with matching numbers, find every thing on it that can break and replace it, put the matching parts away and never shoot them.
Absolutely love this guy... love listening to the wealth of knowledge and love for this subject. As a veteran I really respect admire surplus firearms. Thanks for your time and effort put into these videos... the topic of the surplus firearms should be one video in itself
I'd never even heard of the thing, but a quick google search provided all the hilarity needed. At a remove, hype to bankruptcy is a hilarious transition.
As a British Army Cadet in the 60's, for training I was issued with an Enfield #4 303 rifle. It was marked US property on the right side serial 51C3692, there was no catch to remove the bolt, instead there was a cut out about 1/2 inch from the breach and the bolt head was aligned with the cut out and could be flipped up to allow the bolt to be slid out. Other than those mentioned above it looked exactly the same as the other 303 Enfield rifles in the armoury. Have you seen others like this?
The FAMAS will be issued to the newly created French National Guard (wich is the reserve troops from the military, Gendarmerie and police, kind of all merged together). Its creation was decided after the 2015 terror attacks (and the ones that followed).
Historically, don't the French have kind of an odd mix of military/regional police/civilian/etc. organization anyway? In the sense of "this structure was organically grown over 5 centuries, and makes no sense unless you know the underlying history" sort of way?
I worked for Surplus military gun dealers in the Free-for-All '90's. My employers taught me well enough to be an effective salesman. Our main Wholesaler taught me some and was smart. But the depth of your knowledge and presentation is impressive. Coupled with your pov, i enjoy this channel.
Your take on the opinions of French rifles is spot on. I remember hearing in the 70's a man say 'French surplus rifles are Great! They're never fired and only dropped once'. This was from a guy who collected French rifles. Their quick defeat in WW2 was not an inadequacy of their weapons as much as it was the ability and surprise tactics of the Nazi 'war machine'. I also agree completely with you on binary triggers. Hmm, what's the most expensive way I can increase the likelihood of a stoppage...? Binary Trigger! Great video!
The gain twist rifling idea sounds like a compound radius fretboard on a guitar. On a regular guitar, the curvature of the fretboard is uniform (like the surface of a cylinder). A compound radius is like the surface of a cone...the fretboard is more rounded near the nut/tuning pegs and flatter near the body. The reason for this is that it's easier to play chords on a rounder board, but easier to rapidly play single notes and "bend" the strings to change their pitch if the board is less curved. Being able to use computer-aided machining today makes compound radius fretboards hugely easier to make...this is a feature found on entry-level guitars now that were custom shop options 30 or 40 years ago.
"Should you shoot your collectible gun." Yes.. yes you should. As long as it is in shootable condition. Otherwise, that gun should be encased in wax and at a bank. If you want it mint, keep it mint. It is not even a gun at that point it is a bar of silver. If it has the slightest nick in it though.. Shoot the hell out of it :D
Unless it is the only one in existence. You can shoot a unicorn like a WA-2000 or Johnson M1941, but if your weapon of choice is a unique, you should not shoot it. Unless you can replicate it, then shoot the replica.
It depends IMO. If its a unicorn but there is no good modern videos or info on how they were like to shoot, shooting a dozen rounds or so for documentation makes sense. Otherwise, no. Either way, get good scans/pics of all the internals so repairs might be possible.
Like with classic cars racing once the numbers get so high, you can just pay to have parts remade. Hence the X million dollar car costs only 1/2 to be fully rebuilt.
Never knew the Vulcan used gain twist, very interesting stuff. My Phalanx Close-In Weapons System utilizes standard rifling and is also 20mm, however it's a plastic jacket sabot; the projectile itself is 17mm. Could the sabot design explain why it's not necessary for CIWS? I should probably know that as a First Class...Thanks Ian, best Q&A yet.
Ian, I think your Francophilia has rubbed off on me. I just bought a MAS 49/56, am looking for a MAS 44 and 36 and am trying to piece together a correct French WW1 outfit. So, thanks.
You should really consider looking into Snaplocks and Snaphaunces. They are a forgotten form of fllintlock and when you find ones like the Scottish Snaphaunces you're really looking at both forgotten and unusual firearms. Just a thought.
"Be the second generation" or the third even. This applies to guns, optics, knives, software, cars, etc. I bought one car the first year it was released on the US market, however, I knew it had been driven overseas for a year already, basically the body and interior trim was new. So far so good, fingers crossed on that one. With most anything, being a "trend setter" will lead to lots of buyers remorse. Another interesting, informative video Ian.
Burning Spork of Doom -Yes, some years after WW2, he and some others (American Rifleman staff probably) fitted 30-06 barrels to various actions and fired proof loads in them as a test. The SMLE let go first, not surprisingly. The Springfield and the K98 were similar; not sure which one failed first (makes sense, since they are mostly identical). The Arisaka kept on trucking. I think the stock broke but the action was fine. I think they stopped after that. If there was a Mosin (not sure), i think it let go a bit after the SMLE.
Another video to prove that gun talk beats football -, rugby or other types of sport. I have never been able to listen to any of the other types of experts for 65 minutes non-stop. Thanks.
The L98A2 are not manually operated they are semi auto only versions of the L85A2 so could be sold on the US market, however they cannot be sold on the UK market due to this
@@ForgottenWeapons On the first question; if initial rifle twist adds peak pressure, which then requires a heavier and more expensive gun no matter what type, and gain twist is difficult and expensive to manufacture, then why not machine the first half the barrel smooth and only rifle the outer half? thus reducing peak pressure and spinning the bullet? all at low cost? Might boring out the first half of the barrel enable the German guns to fire the hot Russian PPSh ammo?
@@ForgottenWeapons If L85-L98s came to American civilians, I would expect it to be through British supplied third countries, which might be more reluctant to destroy them, such as Chile? Guyana? Pakistan? Saudi Arabia? Strange to think they would trust Pakistani soldiers before American civilians.
Hey Ian, weird idea, but could you do a disassembly video on common rifles like AR-15s and AKs for those of us in places like Europe? Your style is superb for explaining guns. Perhaps it could be part of WWSD?
I read a story about a Marine at Iwo Jima who dove on top of a grenade to save his buddies survive with minor injuries because his BAR's reciever was able to blocked the blast, although it did destory the gun.
this is very neat to watch at the end of 2021. the beginning of French 32 long and MAS 38, Hudson h9, Ian looking for a Frf1 that he finally got 2021, WWSD2020, Binary trigger boom and legal conflicts, Ian working on Chassepot to Famas that i have on my shelf
Rim-lock in Commonwealth weapons was a non event, as the .303 British ammo was designed to avoid this , it is only in recent commercial non commonwealth ammo that this has become apparent.
Regarding American stigma against French arms in general, I think you are right on the nose Ian. I know I subconciously held onto those stigmas for a long time. They weren't broken in my mind until I saw (and still am seeing) The Great War channel and how hard the French fought during WW1. They really do deserve a place in the history books among the world's toughest fighters, considering how much they bled for their country.
In the debate of piston AR vs DI, DI works perfectly well in rifles with barrels longer than 14.5 ins. If you watch what Larry Vickers has to say on it (who helped develop the 416) the reason the 416 is a piston gun is because the perameters for it were to have a barrel length less than 14.5 ins and be able to run with a suppressor pretty much constantly. Early versions of ARs with short barrels tend to have reliability issues which is why the M4 retaines a 14.5 in barrel to maintain it's reliability, also in Vietnam it was found any shorter than 14.5 lends to greater hearing damage which is why xm177 had the noise dampaner/ flash suppressor on the end of the barrel.
Ian, what the heck man! You have a 1902, two 1902/16s, and a 1907? And a 1907/15/34 to boot?? WHERE IS THIS VIDEO please don't leave us hanging for much longer..
Rotating barrel pistols... Beretta claims that the rotating barrel, through the magic of physics and conservation of momentum, imparts less rearward force to the shooter's hand. Sounds fine on paper (for a not-physicist like myself, anyhow), and in practice (IME/IMO) the PX4 is fantastically soft shooting; the sights are so easy to track it's like using cheat codes. Very underrated pistol. Given current market trends, had Beretta designed the PX4 as SFA instead of TDA it'd be MUCH more popular.
Redesigning the AR-15, I would have the spring wrap around the barrel and redesign the lower to allow two small holes on either side of the breach/barrel, for two rods connected to a circular plate which also slides over the barrel, which would be the contact point where the bolt and spring meet, which would be towards the front of the barrel behind the sight block, which would compress around the front of the lower and upper receiver face, then pushing the contact plate forwards, pulling the bolt along with it back into battery. I've thought of doing a similar thing with a short or long stroke piston design, which would wrap a gas tube around a barrel, which contains two springs pushing in opposite directions, one to push the short stroke piston back into place, the other to return the bolt back into battery. The pistons would actually be circular, also wrapping around the barrel, which in my head would allow a bigger gas chamber, allowing more gas to be tapped into it, which after pushing the short piston far enough to make contact with the bolt piston, would then get vented out if port holes, which should reduce gas pressure exiting the end of the barrel, making the gun less noisy without a suppressor, while the design itself, taking all the gas system and return springs and moving them around the barrel, which would, depending on barrel length, would reduce overall length of the final design.
Okay, out-there suggestion. You mentioned the Kennedy assassination. I would be curious indeed to see you do a video where you discuss the rifle and ammo that Oswald used and the shots he made. Many claims exist about the shooting, of course. I'm not suggesting you delve into conspiracy theories or anything controversial, but rather just lay out the facts about the weapon and how it was used. Would be very interesting and informative!
Graham Kennedy I owned a 6.5 Carcano and it was not the piece of junk as most are led to believe. It was pretty accurate and the round nosed ammo (military surplus) was of good quality. Properly zeroed I could put five rounds in a 4" circle at 100yards. The bolt action wasn't as smooth as an Enfield but you can get three accurate shots off in about 10 to fifteen seconds. I used super fine lapping compound to smooth out the action. Removed a few machining marks off internal components and it operated great. Only problem I had was a lack of clips for loading it. I bought it back in the 60's for about $25 which included about 10 boxes of ammo.
I owned a Carcano 91/38 in the late 1980s and found that with most commercially-loaded ammunition with Spitzer bullets, the accuracy was terrible but, loaded with the longer round nosed bullets from Italian surplus, it was surprisingly accurate. Something I didn't learn until after I dumped for a loss, unfortunately.
On progressive twist: Couldn't it even decrease accuracy, especially in long, (relatively) thin barrels? Reasoning: As the bullet accelerates down the barrel, the twist length decreases, so the acceleration of the rotation increases more than in a standard barrel. Higher acceleration means higher forces on the bullet and (with action=reaction) on the inside of the barrel. The force on the circumference of the bore result in torque (again, more than in conventional barrels). That torque will cause the barrel to twist, and if the bore is not absolutely concentric to the outside of the barrel (or in the presence of other microscopic imperfections), the barrel will not only twist, but also bend in the direction of least resistance, "deflect" the bullet and intervere with barrel harmonics. That effect will be present in all barrels, but because of the higher forces more pronounced with progressive twist. Thoughts?
You're correct on your Echo/Binary triggers, I do find the Echo fun and the only thing that isn't stated is the quick follow up shot. When shooting and not trying to unload the magazine, the follow up shot upon subsequent trigger release is neat, kind of like a 2rd burst option. Really agree with the safety hazard, especially since the release function doesn't always work as it takes a very deliberate pull/release technique to actually make it work. The upside is a decent semi-auto pull weight and for the safety deficiencies in the 3rd position I think makes up for being able to put the rifle in safe if the hammer is forward and there is not guessing involved if one forgets to charge the handle and move it into safe(it make you more mindful when handling tho). It really has no use and it's probably best bought just for the novelty of it's capability knowing that it's not a full-auto but pretty close...
My thoughts on the Scout Rifle concept: 1) It is probably an ideal concept for those worried about living in a "Post-Apocalyptic" world. Prepper-types should take note. 2) While militarily it wouldn't be very practical, for irregular or guerrilla/insurgent troops, even in an urban setting, it seems ideal as a marksman weapon. A team of two or a few more loose agents operating in a wide-open field. It seems perfect for those sort of limited-engagement, shoot n' scoot operations. The actual marksman would have the rifle while his spotter or other comrades would have weapons capable of laying down suppressive fire for defensive/ambush situations.
On the Springfield vs Enfield issue, they also needed far fewer rifles in peacetime, so the quantities of '03s on hand was more than sufficient for the peacetime army.
My thought on the Scout concept is that it is more results driven than anything. Most of the specific features are there to support the results. When Cooper designed the gun, he wanted a lightweight gun that you could grab off the wall, and do just about any job. All the details are a little negotiable. I think a What Would Jeff Cooper Do? project would come up with a very different scout rifle. To be honest, other than caliber and backup irons, your WWSD guns meet all the desired capabilities. If GWACS made an AR-10 lower, I would say with very little hesitation that a modern 'scout rifle' would be a lightweight AR-10 with a low magnification optic, ching sling, and a carbine length barrel.
Brazil's army still got stockpilles of thompsons 1928 submachine guns, mausers, madsen machine guns and 1911s.... Would they be able to get into the US?
Guilherme Checchia I might be wrong, but it is my understanding that they would have to been registered back in '86 to be allowable for sale. So, while those guns are the correct vintage unless laws are changed I wouldn't count on seeing them stateside.
Sorry for repost - I somehow cannot see my original, but thankfully I had it copied, so I paste it in here - that was response to jokes about France being cowardly. While as a Pole I do get kick out of the fact that it took Germany alone to defeat combined forces of UK and France in little more time, than it took combined forces of USSR and Germany to defeat Poland in WW2, it is mostly because I hate the fact that French (and British) decided not to fully honor the Alliance with us (seriously, French in September 1939 could have steamrolled the Germany alone - most of German forces being engaged in Poland) and continued policy of appeasement - there are things one learn from really studying the History. 1. France and UK had such a tremendous losses in WWI, that I partially accept their reluctance to go into War - though in hindsight it would be rather short War - and then occupation of Germany, but Hindsight was only developed, after the fact. 2. French troops, even with obsolete doctrine fought valiantly, and remember that Prime Minister Reynaud was opposing armistice - his idea was to evacuate to the Algieria and other French colonies, regroup and attack from there. Petain - while I don't have much respect for him - was a tragic person in a tragic situation: Your capital has fallen, your soldiers won't recover, you will be beaten on your own land, and only manage to hold onto colonies - combine it with a fact that by that time French knew that not going into offensive in September 1939 was their greatest mistake (and reason why USSR invaded Poland - Stalin was supposed to do this at 14th at the latest, he only went in when he was sure that UK and France won't back-up Poland in any tangible way), as well as losing most of the supply/manufacturing lines, needs for better equipment, changes in doctrine and tactics done mid-war - all of it screamed "More French will die if we don't surrender" - it was a huge blow to one of the people that personally oversaw the armistice of 1918, and was not trivially responsible for Entente forces Victory. He was 84 when he had to make that decision, and from what I've read it wasn't easy for him. 3. French Organized one of the best resistance group in WW2. In Europe only rivaled by the Polish Home Army, and Yugoslavian National Liberation Army. They did fight. 4. The Free French, led by de Gaulle also fought for the whole time. While obviously they couldn't do as much as other countries (being practically stateless), they did what they can. Poland evacuated most of their navy on last day of August. French didn't even manage that (they did through mutinies, but not from government sanctioned action) - so in this role French were even in a worst state than Poland. Don't get me wrong, I hate the fact that Allies left us alone, including French, in far worse conditions that French had during WW2 - take for example the average punishment for hiding a Jewish person - in France, or Germany occupied France, usually Jail-time, in Poland (deliberately I might add, to further divide two ethnicities) - usually execution of whole family - and/or extended family in Auschwitz. Of course there were exceptions. But stupid jokes how the rifles weren't fired or tanks had one gear forward and six to the rear, are not even dumb and based on some "stereotypical facts" - they are based on lies, and to be truthful are continuation of Goebbels propaganda. And they harm Millions of regular soldiers that had nothing to do with this disaster, who just followed orders - I wonder what would have happened if a Company of French troops advanced in September of 1939, further into German territory - because they felt obliged by the Alliance? They would have been court-martialled at best, and probably the France would have to apologize for their behavior. That would be even worse. It also paints the wrong picture of Politicians, some of them, like Reynaud wanted to continue the fight. If you're looking for the politician that is mostly responsible for the Fall of France - his name is Neville Chamberlain. Had he mobilized the UK earlier, and sent enough manpower and supplies, as well as treated this like a real War, France wouldn't feel so alone in 1939 and might have attacked. But then again it is Hindsight. Thankfully my country regained independence in 1989, though our BELOVED PARTY (right-wing, and not even competent at that, mostly senile idiots, who wish their role in Overthrowing Communism was bigger than it actually was - so they fell inadequate), tries to tell us that we regained independence for short time in 2005, and lost it in 2007, only again to regain it in 2015 (so when they were/are in power - I'm not making this up, they seriously were saying in 2005, that with their election we finally regained independence). Since then they've dismantled two highest courts of the land, and are practically making themselves to win every election from 2019 onwards - they rigged the voting mechanism so much that overthrowing them will be at least difficult. And since 30% of population is happy with empty slogans and poor job at doing barely anything it is likely that Poland will soon be only semi-free state. To end on a high note - Vive la France, Vive la liberté!
The most likely source of L85A1 in the US would be ones that had been previously owned by film and TV armourers. During the 1980s Royal Ordnance was prepared to sell the SA80/L85A1 commercially to film and TV armourers. As they look futuristic yet use a standard AR15 mag and ammunition you do see them in a fair few US Sci Fi shows and films in the late 80s, 90s and early 00s. For example you can see the L85A1 in the TV series Firefly. That would be the best way to source an L85A1, the external parts and furniture to make it cosmetically look like a later A2 can fit on an A1 model also easily available on ebay and other places. If you wanted it to look like an Afghanistan used A2 you would need: Daniel defence railed foregrip (regularly pop up on ebay) Grippod Magpul EMAG ACOG with back up holo sight ACOG raiser (original and Airsoft copies available on ebay)
FWIW, Savage also has a Scout rifle in .308. I got to shoot a Styer, as a potential purchase, asking price with a Tasco pistol scope (which functioned perfectly, hit silhouette targets at 100 and 200 yards) for a cool 2 grand, the Ruger Scout which belongs to a friend of mine, for me both too heavy and too front heavy. I bought the Savage, with a Barska 2x7 Scout scope is 7 pounds, 6 ounces, with a fully loaded 10 round box mag. I slid in under the 1 grand wire by a whisker initially, went over when I upgraded to Leopold scope mounts and 3 additional mags, at damn near 70 bucks a pop.
Many P-17s were send as lend lease to Britain for the home guard and many more to China. The Chinese ones would had been shorten to be more user friendly and the Chinese loved them due to the ability to fire rifle grenades from M2 grenade launcher. Quartermasters in both countries had headaches with them for parts and not standardized ammunition.
The British built a battle rifle, the Germans built a hunting rifle, and the Americans built a target rifle. Lee Enfield, 98 Mauser, 03 Springfield respectively.
Gain twist barrels still have a place today in running lighter weight bullets at faster twist rates without worrying about having "over stabilizing" and having a bullet turn into dust.
Gain twist, interesting concept, but moreso would be a trully forgotten weapon system which was the largely unknown use of the shot spinner which would now be considered an add on but did in fact pave the way for a new era of weapons development. Take a naval cannon, clamp a frame to the muzzle that spun the shot after it left the bore and.... It was actually the proof that barrel length had nothing to do with accuracy, even if it was unrecognized at the time.
Thank you for answering my question! I'm not super knowledgeable on modern firearms and wasn't aware the PX-4 was rotating barrel. I only thought of my question because I've been looking at getting a modern carry gun and thought it would be cool to own a modern Steyr Hahn, now I know one actually exists and have added it to the shortlist of guns to try out.
About shooting all matching rifles, if some parts are subject to breaking, why not get the parts now and fire them with the replacement parts? This way you keep your matching parts. As for firing your rifles, as a general rule, I always buy "shooters". Less $$, more fun!
The Garand was adopted in January, the MAS 36 was obsolete from day one (though to be fair the first Garands did not come off the line until 1937), unless it was adopted before January 9.
Also, I think I remember Hickok45 doing a video about barrel length and accuracy. It really isn't so simple as to think greater length = more accuracy. Shorter barrels tend to be stiffer ones, all else being equal. The longer barrel whipping around like a fire hose doesn't lend itself to accuracy. :-)
I personally find myself interested in the scout rifle because living in a AWB state severely limits my options for a good all-around rifle. In a more reasonable polity, the AR-15 would suit me perfectly, but the situation here heavily limits semi-autos, so a good all-around bolt action is the next best thing.
On rotating barreled pistols: If you've ever shot a PX4 Storm you'll see the advantage, it has very little recoil. That low recoil gets you follow up shots for days.
I finally love my Century FAL. The barrel threading, on the receiver was under cut, by about 1/30th of a turn. Caused jams, and scarred brass. ,I figured it our, and finished the thread cut. Glad I did. That rifle spent 2 years in a safe. Now, it lives a full, productive life. Everyone loves a happy ending. Until the Wife sees the credit card bill. 😆
The predjudices towards the french are in total disrespect to them being an important reason for the United States to exist. Without french support, the idea of rich people not paying taxes to a King far away would have been ended right there.
If memory recalls, Ian made a video where he detailed the advantages vs. disadvantages of firearms in the hands of museums vs. collectors. I'm not sure what the video was titled, but it boiled down into something like in a museum it will be persevered, but may only be presented under glass for the duration of its life. In the hands of collectors, it will get used, but it may be more accessible than if it were in a museum.
That’s why I’m glad my dad collected milsurp rifles in the 80s, 90s, early 00s. He has either gifted me many of them or sold them to me for stupid cheap prices (like $20 for a 1938 manufactured Mauser K98)
H&k GMG and the American short brl version of the light gun are two good examples of gain twist. Also their large bore makes it easy to See For the untrained eye
OR, instead of chosing to shoot or not to shoot a gun with matching numbers, replace the parts you don't want to break BEFORE it breaks. obviously buying a whole new gun is redundant. But in the case of the G43s smashing thier bolts, just buy a bolt specifically for smashing, and save the original for when you sell it. Matching numbers are great for collecting, not that important for shooting.
One big reason that countries now destroy obsolete rifles instead of surplussing them is because the cost of a FAMAS or an L85 is such a small, tiny % of the national budget today compared to what a Mauser, etc. cost as a % of the national budget 50-100 years ago. When you have a bigger initial investment in the guns, you are going to care more about getting some of that back out of them when you dispose of them.
In regard to your chat about ease of importing through the UK to the US - it's always fascinating to hear just how bustling the British arms trade is, considering how restricted civilian ownership is.
Rimmed cartridges; Much easier to construct a belt-fed MG for a rimless cartridge, whether a German-style belt or a disintegrating belt, skipping the entire "extract-from belt" operation.
In re mismatched guns deriving, if not value, at least interest from being mismatched, I have in my collection the most mismatched gun I know of. About two-thirds of it is a very early-postwar VKT Lahti L-35, and the rest is a Husqvarna m/40.
I wouldn't put off the possibility for FAMAS parts kits. Actually parts kits in general because as you mentioned, there is no other way to get get modern firearms into the US. I see it as an emerging market. A lot of countries are going to an ar15 variant or something "modern" and there is a lot of firearms collectors would love to get their hands on for a pretty penny, famas included considering the going rate is 20k in the us. Something similar to what century did with the vz58 to vz2008. Convert a few thousand famas parts kit to semi auto and you are sitting on a gold mine. You guys proved it yourselves on Inrange when you built your own spanish cetme L s. Spanish cetme Ls have a surprising underground when it comes to builders. There are so many cool 80s and 90s guns I would love to get my hands on like Fara 83, Howa Type 89, and the ST Kinetics SR-88A,
If anyone is wondering why French rifles are so hard to find in the US, it's because Ian bought them all
Try fighting another world war while your nation is still recovering form the last one (that was fought primarily in your country). France is a very old nation, and it got there by winning more wars than 'Murica.
France doesn't deserve the
sneering insinuating cowardice. Their military deaths as a percentage of population was much higher than other nations, particularly the US. The French experienced German atrocities throughout the war, beginning in 1940. France endured the war, and remains both democratic and a republic. Show some respect to our benefactor from the Revolutionary War.
😂😜🤪🇫🇷🤣🤪😎
GestapoSantaClaus Germany had to recover as well. Sure, the war wasn’t fought in Germany, but France didn’t get subjected to all the crap of the Treaty of Versailles.
"I've re-organized my wall to be all French bolt-action rifles"
is a statement I wish I could say. Thanks, Gun Jesus.
Добротно лизнул волосатику меж булок...
I always knew you must own quite a lot of firearms but the fact that you can fill a wall too big to fit into the video with nothing but French bolt action rifles still blew my mind.
The M1917 was also 3" longer and 1.5 lbs heavier than the M1903. The M1903 was adopted as a "universal" rifle replacing the carbine and long rifle. The Enfield would have been a retrograde step as it would have been clumsy and hard to use by the cavalry, which remained about 20% of the US Army's post-war (1920) Regular Army.
One day, a very lucky boy is going to inherit Grampa Ian's collection.
Daniel Aramburo I’m sure Grandpa Ian will have taught them right.
I swear to God if Ian's grandkids throw away his collection at a turn-in event, he'll be doing summersaults in his grave. His ghost will be haunting their lineage for eons.
Does Ian have kids?.... Never heard him mention it
@@cyruspalmer98 yeah he’s got 6
As a terrible twist one of his grandsons turns them in at a gun buyback program $50 a rifle LOL
On the 1917 American Enfield I feel compelled to add that there were some 'people of influence' that were not thrilled about the image of American troops with a British designed rifle. I have read that US army photographers were 'encouraged' to photograph troops with 1903s as often as possible and eschew images of troops with 1917 Enfields when possible.
"a couple of inches is all you need" yeah I tried telling her that, didn't work
tehgreatvak What was the twist rate of your barrel?
Imperator Phil ; It's not the size of the prize - It's the motion in the ocean.
Sounds like you kept her waiting, huh?
Imperator Phil “Mine is 5 inches....Around”
Fortunately, I only shoot blanks...😉
The US military always picks the wrong gun. Starting with the 30-40 Kraig then the 1903 then the M-14 over the FN FAL and the M-60 over the MG-3/MG-42. They did hit a home run with the M-1 and 1911 45ACP. My first military rifle was a mail order Lee Enfield No.4 Mk.1 I got for $18.00 plus $3.00 shipping delivered to the door by the US mail all before the 1968 Gun Act. I still have it in my collection.
As a brit hearing "the British government isn't interested in selling machine guns to American civilians" made me loose it lol
Even the old L96 sniper rifles aren't being sold off..... They could make a semi auto civilian version.
Chuckling... Nobody wants anything British. Nobody outside of Britain cares about the British.
Explain accuracy international or Holland and holland then?
@@shanchat3904 who
@@thedeadwookie25 Fairly famous British gun companies, Accuracy International made the famous Arctic Warfare series whereas Holland and Holland is renowned for sporting and game rifles.
Got an answer for those who are worried about shooting a gun with matching numbers, find every thing on it that can break and replace it, put the matching parts away and never shoot them.
Absolutely love this guy... love listening to the wealth of knowledge and love for this subject. As a veteran I really respect admire surplus firearms. Thanks for your time and effort put into these videos... the topic of the surplus firearms should be one video in itself
Insert sad Steve Rogers meme when Ian mentions how excited he is to see how the production Hudson H9 turns out.
I'd never even heard of the thing, but a quick google search provided all the hilarity needed. At a remove, hype to bankruptcy is a hilarious transition.
I love going back to these old videos to see the hudson h9 come out then fail and now daniel defense making it again lol
As a British Army Cadet in the 60's, for training I was issued with an Enfield #4 303 rifle. It was marked US property on the right side serial 51C3692, there was no catch to remove the bolt, instead there was a cut out about 1/2 inch from the breach and the bolt head was aligned with the cut out and could be flipped up to allow the bolt to be slid out.
Other than those mentioned above it looked exactly the same as the other 303 Enfield rifles in the armoury. Have you seen others like this?
Yes, seen one in my closet. Interesting to note, the metal parts were painted olive drab green at some point in its history.
We DO need to build the wall now!
Like the one Ian has.
The FAMAS will be issued to the newly created French National Guard (wich is the reserve troops from the military, Gendarmerie and police, kind of all merged together).
Its creation was decided after the 2015 terror attacks (and the ones that followed).
Wambi45 That's sounds really interesting why they using it?
Buying brand new HK 416 for reserve units was deemed too expensive and unnecessary
Same reason the German reserves used Mauser 88s during WW1
98103485DP cheap and a lotta french are buthurted because the hk416 is german
Historically, don't the French have kind of an odd mix of military/regional police/civilian/etc. organization anyway? In the sense of "this structure was organically grown over 5 centuries, and makes no sense unless you know the underlying history" sort of way?
Hunters Lodge...A lahti anti-tankrifle and all the goodies for a 100 bucks! an MP 44 for 30!!! Marty McFly where are you!!!
_"That's heavy...."_
😊😊😊
Brilliant work! Keep it up!
no
"They were bought by Colombia, who realized they didnt need them and had no use to them" That's Colombian arms procurement for you
> 1 hour of gun-mumbo-jumbo? I LOVE IT!!!
That's a whole lotta Berthiers.
overthejames
He has the entire weapon family. He couldn't separate Berthiers and sisters. :}
I worked for Surplus military gun dealers in the Free-for-All '90's. My employers taught me well enough to be an effective salesman. Our main Wholesaler taught me some and was smart. But the depth of your knowledge and presentation is impressive. Coupled with your pov, i enjoy this channel.
Very enjoyable chat, and the long format is perfect. No rush.
MAS 36 mud test. I'd love to see if it handles mud well, I have a gut feeling the rear locking lugs are a huge advantage in that regard.
Your take on the opinions of French rifles is spot on.
I remember hearing in the 70's a man say 'French surplus rifles are Great! They're never fired and only dropped once'. This was from a guy who collected French rifles. Their quick defeat in WW2 was not an inadequacy of their weapons as much as it was the ability and surprise tactics of the Nazi 'war machine'.
I also agree completely with you on binary triggers. Hmm, what's the most expensive way I can increase the likelihood of a stoppage...? Binary Trigger!
Great video!
The gain twist rifling idea sounds like a compound radius fretboard on a guitar. On a regular guitar, the curvature of the fretboard is uniform (like the surface of a cylinder). A compound radius is like the surface of a cone...the fretboard is more rounded near the nut/tuning pegs and flatter near the body. The reason for this is that it's easier to play chords on a rounder board, but easier to rapidly play single notes and "bend" the strings to change their pitch if the board is less curved. Being able to use computer-aided machining today makes compound radius fretboards hugely easier to make...this is a feature found on entry-level guitars now that were custom shop options 30 or 40 years ago.
"Should you shoot your collectible gun."
Yes.. yes you should. As long as it is in shootable condition. Otherwise, that gun should be encased in wax and at a bank. If you want it mint, keep it mint. It is not even a gun at that point it is a bar of silver.
If it has the slightest nick in it though.. Shoot the hell out of it :D
AND its depending on "why you bought the gun".
Do you bought it for schooting or for increasing value?
Unless it is the only one in existence. You can shoot a unicorn like a WA-2000 or Johnson M1941, but if your weapon of choice is a unique, you should not shoot it. Unless you can replicate it, then shoot the replica.
It depends IMO. If its a unicorn but there is no good modern videos or info on how they were like to shoot, shooting a dozen rounds or so for documentation makes sense. Otherwise, no. Either way, get good scans/pics of all the internals so repairs might be possible.
I hate you
Like with classic cars racing once the numbers get so high, you can just pay to have parts remade.
Hence the X million dollar car costs only 1/2 to be fully rebuilt.
Never knew the Vulcan used gain twist, very interesting stuff. My Phalanx Close-In Weapons System utilizes standard rifling and is also 20mm, however it's a plastic jacket sabot; the projectile itself is 17mm. Could the sabot design explain why it's not necessary for CIWS? I should probably know that as a First Class...Thanks Ian, best Q&A yet.
Ian, I think your Francophilia has rubbed off on me. I just bought a MAS 49/56, am looking for a MAS 44 and 36 and am trying to piece together a correct French WW1 outfit.
So, thanks.
TheGoldenCaulk I've got a mas-36 that was drug through every war the French ever fought... cool gun tho.
*dragged - 'drug' is never a verb.
FRF-1 & 2 hype!
TheGoldenCaulk
I loved my gevarm.
So simple, so reliable.
I love my MAS-36. Light, handy, and, one of the smoothest bolt actions I have ever owned. I've had a little trouble getting ammo, though.
I could sit and listen to Ian talk about history and facts all day. he's like a audio book.lol nice video.
You should really consider looking into Snaplocks and Snaphaunces. They are a forgotten form of fllintlock and when you find ones like the Scottish Snaphaunces you're really looking at both forgotten and unusual firearms. Just a thought.
"Be the second generation" or the third even. This applies to guns, optics, knives, software, cars, etc. I bought one car the first year it was released on the US market, however, I knew it had been driven overseas for a year already, basically the body and interior trim was new. So far so good, fingers crossed on that one.
With most anything, being a "trend setter" will lead to lots of buyers remorse.
Another interesting, informative video Ian.
In regards to the Arisaka being extremely strong, I think that comes from P.O. Ackley's destructive blow up tests.
Burning Spork of Doom -Yes, some years after WW2, he and some others (American Rifleman staff probably) fitted 30-06 barrels to various actions and fired proof loads in them as a test. The SMLE let go first, not surprisingly. The Springfield and the K98 were similar; not sure which one failed first (makes sense, since they are mostly identical). The Arisaka kept on trucking. I think the stock broke but the action was fine. I think they stopped after that. If there was a Mosin (not sure), i think it let go a bit after the SMLE.
Another video to prove that gun talk beats football -, rugby or other types of sport. I have never been able to listen to any of the other types of experts for 65 minutes non-stop. Thanks.
The L98A2 are not manually operated they are semi auto only versions of the L85A2 so could be sold on the US market, however they cannot be sold on the UK market due to this
xX420bonghitsXx I would love one, I got to train with the L85, L86 and L98 as a cadet. I know people harp on them, but I loved shooting them.
Waiting patiently for the MAS-38 slow motion video.
It'll be a while; NFA transfers are running something like 9-12 months right now.
@@ForgottenWeapons On the first question; if initial rifle twist adds peak pressure, which then requires a heavier and more expensive gun no matter what type, and gain twist is difficult and expensive to manufacture, then why not machine the first half the barrel smooth and only rifle the outer half? thus reducing peak pressure and spinning the bullet? all at low cost?
Might boring out the first half of the barrel enable the German guns to fire the hot Russian PPSh ammo?
@@ForgottenWeapons Might you be more interested in binary triggers if you were not a machine gun owner?
@@ForgottenWeapons If L85-L98s came to American civilians, I would expect it to be through British supplied third countries, which might be more reluctant to destroy them, such as Chile? Guyana? Pakistan? Saudi Arabia? Strange to think they would trust Pakistani soldiers before American civilians.
And he understands external ballistics and methods of rifling, and engineering as well...by far the best gun channel around.
Hey Ian, weird idea, but could you do a disassembly video on common rifles like AR-15s and AKs for those of us in places like Europe? Your style is superb for explaining guns.
Perhaps it could be part of WWSD?
Keep it up! Looking forward for more videos from you, don't stop!
Great video as always. I see you have all of your French Rifles on display. That is an awesome collection.
I read a story about a Marine at Iwo Jima who dove on top of a grenade to save his buddies survive with minor injuries because his BAR's reciever was able to blocked the blast, although it did destory the gun.
this is very neat to watch at the end of 2021. the beginning of French 32 long and MAS 38, Hudson h9, Ian looking for a Frf1 that he finally got 2021, WWSD2020, Binary trigger boom and legal conflicts, Ian working on Chassepot to Famas that i have on my shelf
Rim-lock in Commonwealth weapons was a non event, as the .303 British ammo was designed to avoid this , it is only in recent commercial non commonwealth ammo that this has become apparent.
Great Puckle shirt and majestic hair, Ian.
Kind of a bummer - would love to get a FAMAS - Being a Francophile I'm sure you would too Ian
I love the berthiers on the wall rack in the center. I just added 2 from RTI to my collection! One grade B matching and Grade A non matching.
Regarding American stigma against French arms in general, I think you are right on the nose Ian. I know I subconciously held onto those stigmas for a long time. They weren't broken in my mind until I saw (and still am seeing) The Great War channel and how hard the French fought during WW1. They really do deserve a place in the history books among the world's toughest fighters, considering how much they bled for their country.
In the debate of piston AR vs DI, DI works perfectly well in rifles with barrels longer than 14.5 ins. If you watch what Larry Vickers has to say on it (who helped develop the 416) the reason the 416 is a piston gun is because the perameters for it were to have a barrel length less than 14.5 ins and be able to run with a suppressor pretty much constantly. Early versions of ARs with short barrels tend to have reliability issues which is why the M4 retaines a 14.5 in barrel to maintain it's reliability, also in Vietnam it was found any shorter than 14.5 lends to greater hearing damage which is why xm177 had the noise dampaner/ flash suppressor on the end of the barrel.
Ian's willingness to say he doesn't know enough about flintlocks to comment on them shows just how much of an expert he is.
Ian, what the heck man! You have a 1902, two 1902/16s, and a 1907? And a 1907/15/34 to boot?? WHERE IS THIS VIDEO please don't leave us hanging for much longer..
I will be doing a complete series on French rifles, but it won't be for a couple months (sorry).
Excited to hear that!!
William Michael Sexton
Please please please do the gevarm
Rotating barrel pistols... Beretta claims that the rotating barrel, through the magic of physics and conservation of momentum, imparts less rearward force to the shooter's hand. Sounds fine on paper (for a not-physicist like myself, anyhow), and in practice (IME/IMO) the PX4 is fantastically soft shooting; the sights are so easy to track it's like using cheat codes. Very underrated pistol. Given current market trends, had Beretta designed the PX4 as SFA instead of TDA it'd be MUCH more popular.
I hope that those FAMASs are not destroyed. Would love to get my hands on one of those some day.
In regard to the French rifles, it sounds a bit like the adage "The early bird gets the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese."
Redesigning the AR-15, I would have the spring wrap around the barrel and redesign the lower to allow two small holes on either side of the breach/barrel, for two rods connected to a circular plate which also slides over the barrel, which would be the contact point where the bolt and spring meet, which would be towards the front of the barrel behind the sight block, which would compress around the front of the lower and upper receiver face, then pushing the contact plate forwards, pulling the bolt along with it back into battery. I've thought of doing a similar thing with a short or long stroke piston design, which would wrap a gas tube around a barrel, which contains two springs pushing in opposite directions, one to push the short stroke piston back into place, the other to return the bolt back into battery. The pistons would actually be circular, also wrapping around the barrel, which in my head would allow a bigger gas chamber, allowing more gas to be tapped into it, which after pushing the short piston far enough to make contact with the bolt piston, would then get vented out if port holes, which should reduce gas pressure exiting the end of the barrel, making the gun less noisy without a suppressor, while the design itself, taking all the gas system and return springs and moving them around the barrel, which would, depending on barrel length, would reduce overall length of the final design.
Okay, out-there suggestion.
You mentioned the Kennedy assassination. I would be curious indeed to see you do a video where you discuss the rifle and ammo that Oswald used and the shots he made. Many claims exist about the shooting, of course. I'm not suggesting you delve into conspiracy theories or anything controversial, but rather just lay out the facts about the weapon and how it was used. Would be very interesting and informative!
Graham Kennedy I owned a 6.5 Carcano and it was not the piece of junk as most are led to believe. It was pretty accurate and the round nosed ammo (military surplus) was of good quality. Properly zeroed I could put five rounds in a 4" circle at 100yards. The bolt action wasn't as smooth as an Enfield but you can get three accurate shots off in about 10 to fifteen seconds. I used super fine lapping compound to smooth out the action. Removed a few machining marks off internal components and it operated great. Only problem I had was a lack of clips for loading it. I bought it back in the 60's for about $25 which included about 10 boxes of ammo.
I owned a Carcano 91/38 in the late 1980s and found that with most commercially-loaded ammunition with Spitzer bullets, the accuracy was terrible but, loaded with the longer round nosed bullets from Italian surplus, it was surprisingly accurate. Something I didn't learn until after I dumped for a loss, unfortunately.
On progressive twist: Couldn't it even decrease accuracy, especially in long, (relatively) thin barrels?
Reasoning: As the bullet accelerates down the barrel, the twist length decreases, so the acceleration of the rotation increases more than in a standard barrel. Higher acceleration means higher forces on the bullet and (with action=reaction) on the inside of the barrel. The force on the circumference of the bore result in torque (again, more than in conventional barrels). That torque will cause the barrel to twist, and if the bore is not absolutely concentric to the outside of the barrel (or in the presence of other microscopic imperfections), the barrel will not only twist, but also bend in the direction of least resistance, "deflect" the bullet and intervere with barrel harmonics. That effect will be present in all barrels, but because of the higher forces more pronounced with progressive twist.
Thoughts?
You're correct on your Echo/Binary triggers, I do find the Echo fun and the only thing that isn't stated is the quick follow up shot. When shooting and not trying to unload the magazine, the follow up shot upon subsequent trigger release is neat, kind of like a 2rd burst option. Really agree with the safety hazard, especially since the release function doesn't always work as it takes a very deliberate pull/release technique to actually make it work. The upside is a decent semi-auto pull weight and for the safety deficiencies in the 3rd position I think makes up for being able to put the rifle in safe if the hammer is forward and there is not guessing involved if one forgets to charge the handle and move it into safe(it make you more mindful when handling tho). It really has no use and it's probably best bought just for the novelty of it's capability knowing that it's not a full-auto but pretty close...
My thoughts on the Scout Rifle concept:
1) It is probably an ideal concept for those worried about living in a "Post-Apocalyptic" world. Prepper-types should take note.
2) While militarily it wouldn't be very practical, for irregular or guerrilla/insurgent troops, even in an urban setting, it seems ideal as a marksman weapon. A team of two or a few more loose agents operating in a wide-open field. It seems perfect for those sort of limited-engagement, shoot n' scoot operations. The actual marksman would have the rifle while his spotter or other comrades would have weapons capable of laying down suppressive fire for defensive/ambush situations.
On the Springfield vs Enfield issue, they also needed far fewer rifles in peacetime, so the quantities of '03s on hand was more than sufficient for the peacetime army.
Remember also that old Colt cap and ball revolvers also had gain twist rifling so it wasn't just rifles.
True, good point!
The FR-F1 is my grail gun as well
Are you going to do a shooting video on the MAS-38 now that you own one?
Once the NFA transfer completes, you bet.
My thought on the Scout concept is that it is more results driven than anything. Most of the specific features are there to support the results.
When Cooper designed the gun, he wanted a lightweight gun that you could grab off the wall, and do just about any job. All the details are a little negotiable.
I think a What Would Jeff Cooper Do? project would come up with a very different scout rifle. To be honest, other than caliber and backup irons, your WWSD guns meet all the desired capabilities. If GWACS made an AR-10 lower, I would say with very little hesitation that a modern 'scout rifle' would be a lightweight AR-10 with a low magnification optic, ching sling, and a carbine length barrel.
Brazil's army still got stockpilles of thompsons 1928 submachine guns, mausers, madsen machine guns and 1911s.... Would they be able to get into the US?
Guilherme Checchia I might be wrong, but it is my understanding that they would have to been registered back in '86 to be allowable for sale. So, while those guns are the correct vintage unless laws are changed I wouldn't count on seeing them stateside.
Import ban was part of the assault weapons ban
Not the madsens tho, they’re still in use! Lol
"Turning money into noise." Amazing
The longer these are the better! Thanks for the upload! Awesome work
Sorry for repost - I somehow cannot see my original, but thankfully I had it copied, so I paste it in here - that was response to jokes about France being cowardly.
While as a Pole I do get kick out of the fact that it took Germany alone to defeat combined forces of UK and France in little more time, than it took combined forces of USSR and Germany to defeat Poland in WW2, it is mostly because I hate the fact that French (and British) decided not to fully honor the Alliance with us (seriously, French in September 1939 could have steamrolled the Germany alone - most of German forces being engaged in Poland) and continued policy of appeasement - there are things one learn from really studying the History.
1. France and UK had such a tremendous losses in WWI, that I partially accept their reluctance to go into War - though in hindsight it would be rather short War - and then occupation of Germany, but Hindsight was only developed, after the fact.
2. French troops, even with obsolete doctrine fought valiantly, and remember that Prime Minister Reynaud was opposing armistice - his idea was to evacuate to the Algieria and other French colonies, regroup and attack from there. Petain - while I don't have much respect for him - was a tragic person in a tragic situation: Your capital has fallen, your soldiers won't recover, you will be beaten on your own land, and only manage to hold onto colonies - combine it with a fact that by that time French knew that not going into offensive in September 1939 was their greatest mistake (and reason why USSR invaded Poland - Stalin was supposed to do this at 14th at the latest, he only went in when he was sure that UK and France won't back-up Poland in any tangible way), as well as losing most of the supply/manufacturing lines, needs for better equipment, changes in doctrine and tactics done mid-war - all of it screamed "More French will die if we don't surrender" - it was a huge blow to one of the people that personally oversaw the armistice of 1918, and was not trivially responsible for Entente forces Victory. He was 84 when he had to make that decision, and from what I've read it wasn't easy for him.
3. French Organized one of the best resistance group in WW2. In Europe only rivaled by the Polish Home Army, and Yugoslavian National Liberation Army. They did fight.
4. The Free French, led by de Gaulle also fought for the whole time. While obviously they couldn't do as much as other countries (being practically stateless), they did what they can. Poland evacuated most of their navy on last day of August. French didn't even manage that (they did through mutinies, but not from government sanctioned action) - so in this role French were even in a worst state than Poland.
Don't get me wrong, I hate the fact that Allies left us alone, including French, in far worse conditions that French had during WW2 - take for example the average punishment for hiding a Jewish person - in France, or Germany occupied France, usually Jail-time, in Poland (deliberately I might add, to further divide two ethnicities) - usually execution of whole family - and/or extended family in Auschwitz. Of course there were exceptions. But stupid jokes how the rifles weren't fired or tanks had one gear forward and six to the rear, are not even dumb and based on some "stereotypical facts" - they are based on lies, and to be truthful are continuation of Goebbels propaganda. And they harm Millions of regular soldiers that had nothing to do with this disaster, who just followed orders - I wonder what would have happened if a Company of French troops advanced in September of 1939, further into German territory - because they felt obliged by the Alliance? They would have been court-martialled at best, and probably the France would have to apologize for their behavior. That would be even worse. It also paints the wrong picture of Politicians, some of them, like Reynaud wanted to continue the fight. If you're looking for the politician that is mostly responsible for the Fall of France - his name is Neville Chamberlain. Had he mobilized the UK earlier, and sent enough manpower and supplies, as well as treated this like a real War, France wouldn't feel so alone in 1939 and might have attacked. But then again it is Hindsight.
Thankfully my country regained independence in 1989, though our BELOVED PARTY (right-wing, and not even competent at that, mostly senile idiots, who wish their role in Overthrowing Communism was bigger than it actually was - so they fell inadequate), tries to tell us that we regained independence for short time in 2005, and lost it in 2007, only again to regain it in 2015 (so when they were/are in power - I'm not making this up, they seriously were saying in 2005, that with their election we finally regained independence). Since then they've dismantled two highest courts of the land, and are practically making themselves to win every election from 2019 onwards - they rigged the voting mechanism so much that overthrowing them will be at least difficult. And since 30% of population is happy with empty slogans and poor job at doing barely anything it is likely that Poland will soon be only semi-free state.
To end on a high note - Vive la France, Vive la liberté!
The most likely source of L85A1 in the US would be ones that had been previously owned by film and TV armourers.
During the 1980s Royal Ordnance was prepared to sell the SA80/L85A1 commercially to film and TV armourers. As they look futuristic yet use a standard AR15 mag and ammunition you do see them in a fair few US Sci Fi shows and films in the late 80s, 90s and early 00s. For example you can see the L85A1 in the TV series Firefly.
That would be the best way to source an L85A1, the external parts and furniture to make it cosmetically look like a later A2 can fit on an A1 model also easily available on ebay and other places.
If you wanted it to look like an Afghanistan used A2 you would need:
Daniel defence railed foregrip (regularly pop up on ebay)
Grippod
Magpul EMAG
ACOG with back up holo sight
ACOG raiser (original and Airsoft copies available on ebay)
FWIW, Savage also has a Scout rifle in .308.
I got to shoot a Styer, as a potential purchase, asking price with a Tasco pistol scope (which functioned perfectly, hit silhouette targets at 100 and 200 yards) for a cool 2 grand, the Ruger Scout which belongs to a friend of mine, for me both too heavy and too front heavy.
I bought the Savage, with a Barska 2x7 Scout scope is 7 pounds, 6 ounces, with a fully loaded 10 round box mag. I slid in under the 1 grand wire by a whisker initially, went over when I upgraded to Leopold scope mounts and 3 additional mags, at damn near 70 bucks a pop.
Many P-17s were send as lend lease to Britain for the home guard and many more to China. The Chinese ones would had been shorten to be more user friendly and the Chinese loved them due to the ability to fire rifle grenades from M2 grenade launcher. Quartermasters in both countries had headaches with them for parts and not standardized ammunition.
The British built a battle rifle, the Germans built a hunting rifle, and the Americans built a target rifle. Lee Enfield, 98 Mauser, 03 Springfield respectively.
Gain twist barrels still have a place today in running lighter weight bullets at faster twist rates without worrying about having "over stabilizing" and having a bullet turn into dust.
Gain twist, interesting concept, but moreso would be a trully forgotten weapon system which was the largely unknown use of the shot spinner which would now be considered an add on but did in fact pave the way for a new era of weapons development. Take a naval cannon, clamp a frame to the muzzle that spun the shot after it left the bore and.... It was actually the proof that barrel length had nothing to do with accuracy, even if it was unrecognized at the time.
I think this was your best hour show, Ian.
Thank you for answering my question! I'm not super knowledgeable on modern firearms and wasn't aware the PX-4 was rotating barrel. I only thought of my question because I've been looking at getting a modern carry gun and thought it would be cool to own a modern Steyr Hahn, now I know one actually exists and have added it to the shortlist of guns to try out.
About shooting all matching rifles, if some parts are subject to breaking, why not get the parts now and fire them with the replacement parts? This way you keep your matching parts.
As for firing your rifles, as a general rule, I always buy "shooters". Less $$, more fun!
The Garand was adopted in January, the MAS 36 was obsolete from day one (though to be fair the first Garands did not come off the line until 1937), unless it was adopted before January 9.
Hey. Nice wall.
Those French beauties look amazing.
Also, I think I remember Hickok45 doing a video about barrel length and accuracy. It really isn't so simple as to think greater length = more accuracy. Shorter barrels tend to be stiffer ones, all else being equal. The longer barrel whipping around like a fire hose doesn't lend itself to accuracy. :-)
I personally find myself interested in the scout rifle because living in a AWB state severely limits my options for a good all-around rifle. In a more reasonable polity, the AR-15 would suit me perfectly, but the situation here heavily limits semi-autos, so a good all-around bolt action is the next best thing.
On rotating barreled pistols: If you've ever shot a PX4 Storm you'll see the advantage, it has very little recoil. That low recoil gets you follow up shots for days.
I finally love my Century FAL.
The barrel threading, on the receiver was under cut, by about 1/30th of a turn.
Caused jams, and scarred brass.
,I figured it our, and finished the thread cut.
Glad I did.
That rifle spent 2 years in a safe.
Now, it lives a full, productive life.
Everyone loves a happy ending.
Until the Wife sees the credit card bill.
😆
The predjudices towards the french are in total disrespect to them being an important reason for the United States to exist. Without french support, the idea of rich people not paying taxes to a King far away would have been ended right there.
If memory recalls, Ian made a video where he detailed the advantages vs. disadvantages of firearms in the hands of museums vs. collectors. I'm not sure what the video was titled, but it boiled down into something like in a museum it will be persevered, but may only be presented under glass for the duration of its life. In the hands of collectors, it will get used, but it may be more accessible than if it were in a museum.
Figure out what the most breakage prone parts are on the G43, buy replacement parts, and install them for shooting, to keep the original parts intact.
A G43 isn't a full auto weapon.
Ian, you look like you used to be in a grunge band from the 90's, that's awesome.
Great video as always.
Nice. A reference book. That is very interesting ! Good luck !
That’s why I’m glad my dad collected milsurp rifles in the 80s, 90s, early 00s. He has either gifted me many of them or sold them to me for stupid cheap prices (like $20 for a 1938 manufactured Mauser K98)
The wall you had built for your guns turned out really well Ian. I want one someday.
Regarding rotating barrel pistols, the Grand Power K100 is a fine modern example.
H&k GMG and the American short brl version of the light gun are two good examples of gain twist. Also their large bore makes it easy to See For the untrained eye
OR, instead of chosing to shoot or not to shoot a gun with matching numbers, replace the parts you don't want to break BEFORE it breaks. obviously buying a whole new gun is redundant. But in the case of the G43s smashing thier bolts, just buy a bolt specifically for smashing, and save the original for when you sell it. Matching numbers are great for collecting, not that important for shooting.
One big reason that countries now destroy obsolete rifles instead of surplussing them is because the cost of a FAMAS or an L85 is such a small, tiny % of the national budget today compared to what a Mauser, etc. cost as a % of the national budget 50-100 years ago. When you have a bigger initial investment in the guns, you are going to care more about getting some of that back out of them when you dispose of them.
Plus most of these nations are no longer willing to give autofire to their civilians.
In regard to your chat about ease of importing through the UK to the US - it's always fascinating to hear just how bustling the British arms trade is, considering how restricted civilian ownership is.
Rimmed cartridges; Much easier to construct a belt-fed MG for a rimless cartridge, whether a German-style belt or a disintegrating belt, skipping the entire "extract-from belt" operation.
In re mismatched guns deriving, if not value, at least interest from being mismatched, I have in my collection the most mismatched gun I know of. About two-thirds of it is a very early-postwar VKT Lahti L-35, and the rest is a Husqvarna m/40.
I wouldn't put off the possibility for FAMAS parts kits. Actually parts kits in general because as you mentioned, there is no other way to get get modern firearms into the US. I see it as an emerging market. A lot of countries are going to an ar15 variant or something "modern" and there is a lot of firearms collectors would love to get their hands on for a pretty penny, famas included considering the going rate is 20k in the us. Something similar to what century did with the vz58 to vz2008. Convert a few thousand famas parts kit to semi auto and you are sitting on a gold mine. You guys proved it yourselves on Inrange when you built your own spanish cetme L s. Spanish cetme Ls have a surprising underground when it comes to builders.
There are so many cool 80s and 90s guns I would love to get my hands on like Fara 83, Howa Type 89, and the ST Kinetics SR-88A,
if you keep the original numbered part after replacing it it does help the resale value if you include it when you sell
Rewatching this again love it