French Ordnance Revolvers

[@atlanticproducts]

Hey Mike, thanks for the kind comments; glad to see there are others out there who appreciate historical firearms.

[@littlefury]

It's because the gun was designed for Cavalry officers, and their main arm was still the sword in the 1890s. The gun was always fired left-handed, thus the cylinder swinging to the right.

[@1972glm]

8:12, I don't know why but I saw this video years ago when it came out and always remember the specific way you gleefully said "someone put his name on this" and chuck away in disbelief. Whenever I see shoddy work done, I always chuckle the same way and repeat the same line. Just perfectly sums up the awe you have seeing how someone could put forth such awful work out for everyone to see .

[@eliast2351]

So, the year the French came up with this, Colt came up with SAA.

[@Warptenlololol]

Yeah, Americans tend to... "inspire" themselves alot with Euro design, but don't you dare say that to said Americans!

[@lefr33man]

my grandfather used to say about the 1873 : " the quality of a swiss watch, the stopping power of an oyster" (yes, he was a very odd man)

[@RabbitusMaximus]

Nice. For my 1873 French Ordnance I start with .44 Russian cases and first cut the case to a length of 18mm (not 17). Then I thin the rims of the .44 Russian cases to a thickness of 1.15-1.20 mm (so they clear the shallow chamber). A 5 grain charge of Trail-boss or, 0.7cc Lee Dipper) under a std. heeled .451 (.430 heel) bullet gives me Webley .455 performance and accuracy. It definitely is of the big slow and heavy line of thinking.

[@Las-Vegas-Muskets]

Do you remember what the headstamp said? Cartridges of the World says they can be made from .44 S&W. Gad must be making their own molds. No one ever made a bullet mold for this cartridge.

[@atlanticproducts]

Gad's used Starline .44 Russian brass, which I suspect he had to trim down some. I see that Midway USA has this right now www.midwayusa.com/product/941448167/starline-reloading-brass-44-russian. I haven't ordered the following mould and crimp die yet, but I plan to. So I hope you don't buy the last one, but I found this highly recommended mould and crimp die here--oldwestbulletmoulds.com/products/11mm-french-revolver-mould-and-crimp-die-set. Good luck.

[@Las-Vegas-Muskets]

Thanks!

[@dominic0147]

did you get a bad batch? or is that how they usually come ? because 40 bucks isnt that bad and i will get shells to reload too.

[@pcysneros]

I found one in my attic, what should I do with it?

[@TheInternetBlows]

Your Chamelot-Delvigne is awesome! I need one for myself.

[@atlanticproducts]

Which one? Neither are mine. I just sold my example of the 1873, and I only got $425 for it, but it wasn't nearly as nice as his. His 1873 is worth between $600-$800. I can only guess at the 1892, but I'd say it is probably about the same.

[@pcysneros]

Found one in my attic, I don't even own guns... Can I sell it and how much is it worth?

[@nomad1187]

What would you value this gun at?

[@Soundwave85]

8:43 Oh my...

[@BillyBeale]

I got some of that ammo, but for an 1887 Swedish revolver (7.5mm). It is some pretty inconsistent stuff. The ammo I ordered actually shoots just fine, but several of the cartridges were very amateurish and sloppy looking.

[@buckshotbandit000]

Good gravy that ammo was inconsistent... That's slightly terrifying haha. :P

[@patrickmcwilliams1056]

GAD has a reputation for erratic quality control. But, if you look at the guy's web site, you'll see corroded cases and misshapen bullets. So, you can't fault him on truth in advertising.

[@XperienceDUDE]

Is it single or double action (the 11mm french ordonance, second pistol in the video).

[@johnnyfedpost1776]

I want an 1873 but I'd use 45 auto rim and

[@LUBXTV]

You shoot with smokless cartridge in a black powder gun ? This is not recommended even at low doses.

[@LetMeEducateYou-vj6un]

Correct

[@TheSoulMan11]

My grandfather just gave me a 1873 model year 1878, still dont know if I want to shoot it because this example worries me lol

[@atlanticproducts]

Wow, I didn't know people were still watching these older videos of mine! Thanks for watching and commenting! If your newly-acquired 1873 is in good condition, I wouldn't be afraid to shoot it. These are pretty robust revolvers. I was showcasing my friend's revolver when this video was made, but I've recently traded him out of it. Not a fan of Gad's Custom Cartridges' quality control, I have plans to reload my own with black powder. My friend threw in what remaining Gad's cartridges he had left, and I plan to shoot those just to keep the brass for reloading. I WILL acquire the appropriate dies and bullet mold, because this revolver is just too much of a classic not to shoot. I'll post a video when that happens. Meanwhile, congratulations on owning such a neat revolver from a time when fine craftsmanship prevailed.

[@TheSoulMan11]

atlanticproducts Yeah, been trying to do research on it. It's in great condition, it was very well taken care of clean wise. I was going to do a small video of it soon

[@TheSoulMan11]

atlanticproducts I'm going to probably put it on KZbin soonish.

[@adrianlarkins7259]

f Firing old frog guns with "ifey" ammo would seem to be either courageous or plain stupid. I'm leaning towards the latter.

[@Las-Vegas-Muskets]

What is the name of the custom reloader for the 11mm?

[@atlanticproducts]

Gad's Custom Cartridges, but I wouldn't recommend them based on what my friend received. I recently traded my friend out of that revolver, and he threw in the rest of the Gad's cartridges. I don't even think I'll shoot them, but I will pull the bullets and re-use the brass. The brass, at least, looks to be pretty decent. I don't know what the usual quality is with Gad's. My only experience has been with these 11mm French, and they were lousy. Perhaps he was having a bad day?

[@Las-Vegas-Muskets]

Thanks for the reply. Hopefully after 4 years, they would be doing better. I looked at their site, and they are still in business and have many calibers. I saw that the 1873 can be made to shoot .45 ACP. I might go that route.

[@atlanticproducts]

It can be made to chamber and fire .45 ACP, but that is a handloading proposition only, since factory ammo would generate pressures much too great for the metallurgy of this otherwise robust revolver. But I'm sure you could fill a .45 ACP case with blackpowder and shoot it safely. When I was reloading for shaved Webleys, I could get about 18 grains of FFF under a Webley bullet in the .45 ACP case. That's more than the 10 grains the 1873 was designed for, but I don't think that would be a problem.

[@Las-Vegas-Muskets]

I have been hand loading for 40 years. I would use BP. Thanks for the reply.