French 1777 cavalry pistol

[@jamesbromstead4949]

"Because don't all good stories involve pirates?" - The History Guy

[@Zorglub1966]

Yaaaaarrrrrrr!

[@jon9021]

Arrrr shipmate!

[@old_guard2431]

@@Zorglub1966 KZbin wants to translate to English. Easy job for them: exactly the same.

[@Zorglub1966]

@@old_guard2431 I'm afraid i don't understand, i can say Yaaaaar! In any language.

[@old_guard2431]

@@Zorglub1966 (It’s KZbin that does not understand a perfectly simple and common English word. A tragedy, although a very minor one.)

[@aljole683]

I always enjoy your approach to the guns you discuss. A bit of history, a bit of engineering, and a bit of humor!😅

[@marcusott2973]

Much awaited, much appreciated looking forward to excellent insights as always from you.

[@carlcarlton764]

What an interesting irrational design. And thanks for recommending the other video.

[@freidelkyle]

Fantastic! I've owned two of these reproductions and there is almost as little content available on them as there is about them in US service! Its seems no one bothered to write about using them even though we know a ton of them got issued.

[@SamEEE12]

I think these are quite nice in that there is very little to take away in the design, it is a neat design

[@thebotrchap]

The design isn’t bad as such but it came at the wrong time, if it had been 100yrs before it probably wouldn’t have raised any eyebrows.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

Excellent

[@moosemaimer]

The Springfield Armory museum has an example on display, made at St. Etienne in 1782.

[@paulargent1003]

Jolly good show old chap

[@HistoryNeedsYou]

Did you film your metal-bashing of the replacement components? I’d be interested to see your you temper and heat-treat them.

[@thebotrchap]

No, just a lot of filing, fitting, filing, fitting, filing, fitting and polishing. Heat treated with a propane blowtorch, quenched in oil, tempered back also with blowtorch going by colour. All done by guesswork 😅

[@robertl6196]

Very nice.

[@neilelsewhere9473]

Happy tinkering!

[@kingerikthegreatest.ofall.7860]

Est-ce que vous aller prendre avec vous, à 🇫🇮?

[@18robsmith]

I find all those 18c guns as much works of art as useful firearms.

[@xxxlonewolf49]

Looks like the remake is a more severe handle curve, ouch.

[@darylmiller5725]

Hi, Thanks for the interesting presentation. Be nice if you could do one for the Federal rifle in the background, I've had one in my cupboard for years but know very little about it.

[@thebotrchap]

Well spotted, the federal carbine will indeed be the subject of my next videos

[@darylmiller5725]

@@thebotrchap Great looking forward to it. Loading data would be good too. Thanks

[@thebotrchap]

@@darylmiller5725 I only use the service load, so 4 grams of Swiss #5. It was the same for all 3 service bullets.

[@darylmiller5725]

@@thebotrchap Thanks again, quite course, I have 3 and 4 will experiment.

[@Zorglub1966]

11:40 i wonder how you gonna do the same in French!

[@thinkfocus]

Awesome tnkering! You were a bit harsh on Honore Blanc, he is the hero originator of interchangeable parts in arms, following Gribeauval, and his demonstration to Thomas Jefferson triggered the American precision manufacturing revolution. See Simon Winchester 'Exactly: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World'.

[@exploatores]

sounds like you should wait until contact before you fire it.

[@thebotrchap]

So average US pistol shooting distance then 😜

[@exploatores]

@@thebotrchap when I say contact. I ment the muzzle having contact with the body of the person that you shoot. so i think the avrage us pistol shooting distance is a few feet more.

[@thebotrchap]

So the end of a cavalry sabre as I said is about right. Sarcasm is difficult to transmit through text 😅 There is a good olde French expression from around that time for almost contact shooting “tirer à brule pourpoint” - shooting so close that you burn the others doublet or waistcoat.

[@JosipRadnik1]

Chappuis, tell me please: how did you get the Riffle Shoppe to deliver anything in any time to your address in Switzerland? I've been trying for years until I finally gave up which is a real shame as they have such beautiful things on offer....

[@thebotrchap]

It was actually 2-3 years ago. It took me a while to get around to the project. I actually rang them up to check availability and quickly followed up with an email order directly to the person I talked to. I was also astonished as I had previously tried and failed with a simple email order. I had a very helpful friendly lady on the line.

[@JosipRadnik1]

@@thebotrchap I had probably the same friendly helpful lady at the line about four times without any result. all my e-mails simply vanished into eternity. Fun fact: I just bought the same pistol as a kit from an also quite friendly and helpful store in Hoechststetten BE - I guess you know which one. Now I learn that I have to do more than just to do the finnish and assemble the kit? why oh why did I click on your video... 😅

[@thebotrchap]

@@JosipRadnik1 The mods I did are essentially all cosmetic, you don’t have to do anything just to shoot it

[@JosipRadnik1]

@@thebotrchap Thanks for the hint and thanks for the helpful info in the video. Since any type of aiming device - from barleycorn front sight to laser pointer - isn't really historically accurate, I guess that pistol is eventually going to be a backup pistol for Banntag action 😄

[@mikeblair2594]

Chap, you and I both know that bridle is pronounced just like the headwear for a horse. Its purpose is the same as the bridle For your horse. Cheers

[@thebotrchap]

It is forever “briddle” in my head. The other pronunciation is reserved for horses, paths and weddings.

[@skepticalbadger]

I'm sorry, but that's ridiculous. It's the same word. "Bridal" on the other hand, is not. ​@@thebotrchap

[@thebotrchap]

@@skepticalbadger I said pronunciation not spelling 😉 Do you pronounce horse bridle and bridal gown differently?

[@sd4594]

No video from the range?

[@thebotrchap]

Search our back catalog and you’ll find a largely unsuccessful one 😅

[@bounty157]

gotta love coq jokes :D

[@Antonino-t3y]

hi, to you Chap ‼️ i think the steel insert on the box deserve to stop the hammer goes forward too, to avoid that its inner cam on the notch disengaged the hammer spring ... and the hammer cannot cock ... bye

[@thebotrchap]

That too yes. My comment was more regarding why it has to be steel.

[@robertrobert7924]

I am very happy to have this video to show up at coffee time here in the US. The mechanics of this "Ugly Ducking" are very interesting. I never bought a repro because they were so ugly. Does the enclosed breech area keep BP fouling from coating the internal lock mechanism, so it would not have to be cleaned in the field. And therefore the only cleaning would be the inside and outside of the barrel, cock, pan, frizzen/spring, and the brass frame they were a to?

[@thebotrchap]

Theoretically there is less chance of ingress although with a traditional side lock there should also not be any ingress around the lock if well stocked and screws tight, which they usually are. In both cases there is the potential for fouling or water to seep down between the barrel and the lock around the pan area and in that case it’s easier to clean a traditional pistol.

[@Zorglub1966]

I didn't know it was so badly designed.

[@thebotrchap]

I don’t think it’s badly designed, it’s just not suited for purpose. Scale it down to 45-50 cal and it would have made a nice civilian pistol

[@Zorglub1966]

@@thebotrchap Yes, you're right.

[@pghgb5572]

Would it help the channel if we liked the French version of your presentations as well?

[@thebotrchap]

If you like them then sure 😊

[@pghgb5572]

@@thebotrchap I’m sure they are at least as good as the English version 😉 - unfortunately, my French is low grade conversational at best and at present it is assisting me in visiting Paris for the Paralympics, along with the traditional method of speaking louder when all else fails.

[@jules-9372]

Fascinating video, and as entertaining as ever, but "briddle"?

[@thebotrchap]

Phonetically I completely agree but my brain refuses to accept. Always has, always will.

[@xxxlonewolf49]

So...chrome the ex-blued parts? 😊😂

[@thebotrchap]

So you can just blind your enemy with shining chrome and brass just by drawing your pistol? Quite a smart move 🤔

[@sh4dowchas3r]

Lots of opportunity to lose a screw in the mud to never be seen again, perfect. Presumably all different too just to be extra useful. 80000ish guns made and I guess another 80000 worth of screws too.

[@thebotrchap]

Probably 😝 Keeps the workforce busy I guess.

[@gorbalsboy]

It does look good,pity it's so bad, 😊

[@thebotrchap]

@@gorbalsboy Well you have to qualify bad considering that fact that as a cavalryman if you have to resort to your pistol you have basically failed as a cavalryman, and if/when you do revert to your pistol, you’re going to shoot max 2-3 times in an engagement. It’s more bad in the sense that everyone involved didn’t like the changes over the traditional pistols. Functionally it’s a good solid pistol.