Monsieur Benjamin Gineste (France) has successfully shot a target at 4150 meters, or 4540 yards. He used a .408 CheyTac caliber rifle, with a scope mounted in an extreme 270 MOA inclination. From what I can understand from the french press release he fired 12 rounds and [Read More…]
If any of you still had doubts about the HK416’s rumored win of the French AIF (Arme Individuelle du Futur – Future Individual Weapon) contract, doubt no more. The French DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement, their defense procurement office) has released [Read More…]
According to an as of yet uncorroborated report from the French publication RETEX MAG, the next French rifle will be a variant of the German-made Heckler & Koch HK416. The report cites notices sent out to the five participants in the French Army’s AIF (Arme [Read More…]
The French next generation rifle competition is coming to an end, the two finalists, one from Belgium and the other from Germany, and the incumbent is set for replacement over the next few years. Before either the SCAR or the HK416 are inducted as the new arm of France, [Read More…]
At the 2016 Eurosatory defense trade show, Czech gunmaker CZ debuted for the first time its improved 806 Bren 2 rifle on the international market. The Bren 2 was announced in October of 2015, and improves on the 805 Bren by being lighter, having an improved selector [Read More…]
Beginning in the last decade of the 19th Century, the French government began work on the next great advancement in infantry small arms technology: The selfloading rifle. By 1916, after the outbreak of World War I, they had produced what many consider the most advanced [Read More…]
This is part 2 of the “Country Rifles” by Rainier Arms and Blown Deadline as shown at the IWA exhibition in Germany 2016. Part 1 can be found here. Bonjour! Some Freedom Fries with your SBR? Aimpoint Micro T-2 2 MOA on top. French flag. Together with [Read More…]
Remy Deville, a French competitive shooter, posted these videos from some matches. I assume they were in France. First up is a stationary bike. The shooter’s pistol is unloaded and sitting in the little box. The box is tied to the back wheel. The shooter must [Read More…]
Nearly two weeks ago, I published an article that caused a great deal of consternation among my readership, even resulting in a prompt rebuttal video from Ian and Karl with InRange TV. That highly negative article was entitled 7 Reasons I Don’t Like The [Read More…]
Recently, I ran an article on this site pointing out some of the less impressive aspects of the MP.44 assault rifle’s history. Many people were unhappy with my assessment that the legendary Sturmgewehr was overrated and over-hyped, and therefore I think it’s [Read More…]
Let it not be said that when provoked, Paris won’t respond in kind. Following the cowardly attacks on the city last week, the French National Police came out in force armed with several different kinds of firearms, some fairly old but still very capable in the [Read More…]
It saddened and sickened me to read the horrific news coming out of France. Our thoughts this weekend were with the French people as they came to terms with the 5th, and deadliest, terrorist attack they have experienced this year alone. Tweets, likes, blog posts and [Read More…]
Ben, an old friend of mine, emailed me this photo of a gun he saw yesterday at the Musée de l’Armée (Army Museum) in Paris. Apparently France’s national military museum is packed full of interesting firearms. This triple barreled wheel-lock pistol was [Read More…]
The MAS 36 is often derided for its crude physical appearance and a few quirks that most shooters aren’t used to, but the gun truly is an under appreciated great. But what about this gun makes it stand out among other distinguished military bolt action rifles? Well, let’s have a look. [Read More…]
The Chauchat Machine Rifle, formally designated the Fusil Mitrailleur Modele 1915 CSRG, has come to be widely regarded as one of the worst firearms ever made. The rifles made for the French military during WWI were chambered for the standard 8mm Lebel, but the weapon [Read More…]
After Alex C’s excellent review of the MAS 49/56 rifle, I decided I just had to have one of my own. The MAS 49/56 is the perfected French vision of a semi-automatic infantry battle rifle, an important piece of late 20th Century history, and a very handy, [Read More…]
Well, certainly it is not in fact the last big game rifle, but rather a little-known offshoot of what was the last military bolt-action rifle adopted as a standard infantry weapon by its home country, the relatively well-known MAS 36. The pictures below shows the [Read More…]
So you’ve just bought a MAS 36, and you’ve heard a lot about how it was too little, too late, how it shoots a weird, hard-to-find caliber, has no safety, and you can’t adjust the sight for windage. On the other hand, you like that the action is short [Read More…]
Prior to seeing the beautiful photo expose on MessyNezzyChic, I had no idea this place existed in the world (especially surprising, considering the 30+ times I’ve been to France on business). The “Zone Rouge” is “forsaken territory” from [Read More…]
French Mayor Furiously Criticized For Arming His Police A mayor in France has been accused of creating a “Wild West” atmosphere by arming the police in his city with 7.65mm handguns, The Telegraph reports: A controversial far-right mayor in France has been [Read More…]
At my request the famous South American gun writer Ronaldo Olive kindly sent me this photo of himself with a PGM Hécate II .50 BMG anti-materiel rifle. This particular rifle is in service with the SpecOps Battalion (Batalhão Tonelero) of Brazil’s Corpo de [Read More…]
French military blogs are reporting that General Paul Tellié, the lead engineer of the FAMAS assault rifle, has passed away. The General began working on what would become the FAMAS in the late 1960s. It would take more than a decade before the French military [Read More…]
Gregor sent us this nifty photo of his new PGM 338 chambered in (you guessed it) .338 Lapua Magnum. He has fitted it out with a S&B 5-20 Ultra Short scope, Era-Tac QD mount and a Harris Bipod. It is one handsome rifle in my opinion. The PGM 338 is made by PGM [Read More…]
Eddie sent us this photo he took of a PGM Hecate II anti-material rifle chambered in .50 BMG. This particular rifle belongs to the Brazilian Special Operations Brigade. The optic is a Schmidt & Bender 3-12X50mm. The Hecate II is manufactured by French rifle [Read More…]
Jeff sent us this photo of his Papillon (a French breed) and his French Berthier rifle. The Berthier was chambered in the 8mm Lebel, the world’s first smokeless cartridge, and introduced in 1890. It remained in service for over 50 years and a few were still in use [Read More…]
A reader emailed us asking to help identify the grenade launcher, at least I think it is a grenade launcher, on the hip of the commando in the foreground of the above photo. The photo shows two French special force soldiers. I don’t know the context of the photo [Read More…]
The above photo was included in the article Michael wrote about the weapons in use by the French Foreign Legion. Readers commented that the EOTech sight mounted on top of the FELIN scope would have been very hard to use effectively in combat. A [Read More…]
[ This guest post was written by Julien, a French TFB reader and gun enthusiast, in order to give us insight into the French Army rifle upgrade program. ] First of all, forgive my quite miserable english, I’ll try to explain with my own words. I am a French [Read More…]
A trusted source has revealed to me that the French Army has adopted the Heckler & Koch HK416 to replace the FAMAS. I will endeavour to find out which model has been adopted. I fully believe my source, but you should treat this as rumour until it has been [Read More…]
The solider belongs to France’s 11th Parachute Brigade. It looks like the parachutists have adopted the FN SCAR L. France is looking at replacing the FAMAS with a new service rifle. Both the SCAR L and HK416 are both in limited use already with special forces. [ [Read More…]