RSC 1917: France's WW1 Semiauto Rifle

[@wolvie90]

I'm consistently impressed by Ian's ability to describe metal parts of guns, instead of "this pointy bit with a hole in it" or "the surrounding thing with a hole in it".

[@DarthWillSmith]

"The French don't get much respect for small arms design, but they ought to." Forgotten Weapons in a nutshell

[@josedosanjosvieira4059]

Eu mbx

[@SexyFace]

it's only because they were knocked out so quickly in the second world war. the free french were equipped with munitions from the previous war along with allied surpluses, thus depriving the nation of any official and original small arms advancements during the war

[@vonmazur1]

I have one of these, the Garand used at least 7 features of this design. The French were years ahead of everyone with this design...The Kalishnikov uses the trigger/sear without many changes. My gun is a late 1918 gun with the improvements that were added to the Mle 1918...

[@ragimundvonwallat8961]

do you ever fire it???

[@SexyFace]

where did you find one?

[@vonmazur1]

@@SexyFace Birmingham Alabama.

[@SexyFace]

I'm thoroughly impressed. a local gun show I'm assuming? I'm in north east Ohio, a relatively good place to find antique firearms. there are two rifles I've been on a several year long search for. an rsc & a mondragon

[@vonmazur1]

@@SexyFace haven seen a Mondragon in years, and the RSC is just as hard to find!

[@derjoejoel]

That bolt gliding is satisfying to watch.

[@shellcracker18]

Glad I'm not the only one lol

[@Psychol-Snooper]

It sounds smooth too!

[@Psychol-Snooper]

@Medina Real Estate 8:00

[@davewolf8869]

Ah yes. The sex

[@davewolf8869]

@Medina Real Estate the whole way. Its how baby rifles are made

[@FMHammyJ]

i'm amazed that Ian can keep so many facts and figures in his head....and speak without notes....He is a joy to listen to.....

[@brianthompson5672]

He is a really good, but this is what he does. I'm sure you are good at your job as well sir.

[@BeChucky]

As a French myself, I'm a bit surprised when you say the rear sight is graduated in yards, which isn't common in France. I think we're talking about meters here ! Great review though !

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Charles Faure Yes, I meant meters.

[@brucebaxter6923]

+Forgotten Weapons Love seeing all the old and different mechanical systems. When I was young I remember using a .22 open bolt rifle that I think was called a gevarm. I remember it didn't have an extractor or a firing pin or an ejector. Just a solid bolt with a blade shape on the face to fire the round. Do you know anything about this?

[@crobulari2328]

+Bruce Baxter Was it a .22" short fairground or gallery gun . Loaded through the side of the stock and then a spring loaded brass rod pushed into the buttplate. If so, my Grandad had one back in the forties or early fifties. Never knew what happened to it. Grandad must have disposed of it around 1952, The open bolt you mention gave me the clue. Long time ago.

[@brucebaxter6923]

This one was a .22lr and if you fired longs it went full auto as the blowback couldn't reach the catch and if you ran shorts it wouldn't eject at all.

[@RCP-1136]

@@brucebaxter6923 classic full auto kids toy back in the day.

[@alaskanbullworm5500]

didn't garand study French autoloading rifles when designing the garand?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Carlos B Yes.

[@crobulari2328]

+Forgotten Weapons I bet John Garand soon forgot about the French designs, don`t you.

[@nightwind7022]

+Carlos B Garand should have copied the French sights, for sure. The biggest drawback to most US rifles of the time were those target-style peep-sights they put on everything. In rain, snow, or desert sands those sights were useless. I've seen a lot of old 'sporterized' military guns and the sights are the first thing they threw away.

[@alaskanbullworm5500]

how would weather be disadvantageous? because water/snow/sand could lodge itself into the peep sight?

[@nightwind7022]

+Carlos B Yes, they clog really easily and are hard to keep clear.

[@Leetgrain]

It's a damn shame the French don't get the reputation they deserve with weaponry, it all seems to be focused on WWII with people.

[@TonboIV]

+Leetgrain The French had maybe the best tanks around at the beginning of WWII. The Char B1 contained some impressive technology other countries wouldn't start using for decades. It would have been interesting to have seen what they'd have come up with later if they'd managed to stay in the war. The Richelieu class battleships were pretty cool too. Richelieu herself actually 'defected' to the allies in 1943 and fought in the British fleet with a French crew.

[@rigormortis6481]

+TonboIV gotta luv those all forward facing turrets..:D

[@TonboIV]

+Himanshu Gogoi Yeah. Might be a bad surprise for anyone who thought they'd 'cross her T' . Just don't let anyone get behind and never retreat! Forward!

[@rigormortis6481]

TonboIV Forward for the third Republic !! :D

[@Leetgrain]

canicheenrage Thanks, but I'm not one for pop quizzes. I vowed never to succumb to them ever again after finishing up with school! Haha :P

[@MrMitchthegreat]

I love the look of Great War firearms. The Semi-autos and automatics are so rough and industrial. It reminds me of a lot of concept guns in Steampunk.

[@jeremiasastorga8399]

So basically, the French invented DLC.

[@dan173]

Kayraaa2 that's not funny

[@happysh_t4202]

Dan r/wooosh

[@meehaerospace1476]

@@happysh_t4202 That's not worthy of a whoosh, he got the joke. You only whoosh if they don't get the joke, he just didn't find it funny.

@@happysh_t4202 Dumbass

[@blondewoman1]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DLC what ?

[@theophileification]

One of my absolute favorite rifles from my country. Hard to find, even in France. They're not notably accurate and have some flaws but I think it looks super cool and is a very significant weapon for us along with the 1886. The Meunier is pretty cool too.

[@FyremaelGlittersparkle]

I love how much I learn from this channel.

[@SigmarJuffe]

Never knew about this. Cool video.

[@DillyVesper]

Same here.

[@xerotolerant]

Yeah I was thinking the same thing. I thought I saw them all and then this shows up in my suggestions.

[@sambroman543]

Juffe cool kovic picture

[@Sniper474]

Kovic? Is that yoooou?

[@br.l.f]

you are not the real Adam

[@NormanMatchem]

The French deserve more respect in the way of small arms development. Flintlock, Minie ball, smokeless powder, first to use FMJ bullets I think (Swiss design?), wasn't the Chauchat the first practical LMG(?), and of course here's the RSC 1917, as well as the French-Canadian designed M1 Rifle(Garand). Vive la France! I do not say that as a Frenchman because... well... I'm not French, but I say that as a gun owner, because they've done SO MUCH to help advance firearm technology over the centuries. Also, have you tried escargot? It's actually pretty good!

[@NormanMatchem]

thickterranarmor All the same, an impressive feat. It's one of the first, and came out early enough to see widespread use in WWI.

[@nunyabidniz2868]

+NormanMatchem Nowhere near the first, the Benet-Mercie' machine rifle was adopted by the U.S. a good decade before the Chauchat got off the drawing board. The Chauchat is an excellent example of "just enough" industrial design, and what made it useful was the rapidity & quantities in which it was delivered, the development & adoption by the French military of an effective method of utilization rather than just throwing them in the hands of ill-trained troops & saying "Use this!" a la' the M16 in U.S. hands 50 years later on...

[@NormanMatchem]

Nunya Bidniz Did a bit of research on this Benet-Mercie, never heard of it before. It's better known as the Hotchkiss. Adopted by France, Britain, and America around 1909. It weighed over a pound more than the MG34 (which was 25lb by my recollection, MG42 was 24lb due to using more stamped parts and less milled parts), and was designed by the Hotchkiss company in France. The Hotchkiss company was started by an American in the 1800s, but this Hotchkiss fellow didn't live to see the 20th century; he was gone for over 2 decades before this design came out. With a name like Benet-Mercie, I believe it's safe to say that it's partially or entirely designed by the French. As for "machine rifle" by which I assume you mean "automatic rifle", yeah, at 26lb empty, it barely qualifies as an LMG, but for the first decade of the 1900s, it was no doubt revolutionary for its time.

[@sergeantbigmac]

+NormanMatchem Ya I wasnt a big fan. Anything baked in that much butter (ie basically fried) and garlic is going to taste good, but the texture was way too much for me. Used to cover up an otherwise unpleasent natural taste maybe, idk? ...Lol foodie and gun nut. Makes for an eclectic mix of hobbies eh? ;)

[@NormanMatchem]

sergeantbigmac Had to look over my comments to see what in the Hell you were talking about lol Escargot, eh? Yeah I had it on 2 or 3 occasions, pretty tasty, though yeah, maybe it's because of the garlic and the fact it comes in a funny dish that keeps it swimming in a buttery sauce. Kind of a plate, but with a bunch of holes in it, kind of looks like it's made to hold hard boiled eggs, but instead it's filled with garlicky snails and butter.

[@556deltawolf]

That gun looks like a Lebel got impregnanted by a Chauchat! XD

[@AtholAnderson]

+556deltawolf Well it WAS (partially) designed by Mister Chauchat, and it DOES use Lebel furniture, so... :P

[@TheStewieOne]

+556deltawolf If I were an American Soldier at the time and knew that this rifle was made by guy who designed the Chauchat. I wouldn't even handle this rifle. We Americans hated the Chauchat. So I will stick with my Springfield or Enfield Rilfes thank you.

[@vguyver2]

+TheStewieOne his rifles weren't too bad. Just horrible quality control.

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

+556deltawolf They both assure us that it was consensual.

[@jean-baptistecarrere-gee9157]

+TheStewieOne Actually the Chauchat used by the American whas horrible because it used the .30-06 cartridge hen ammo that made the weapon even more subject to overheating(because it whas more powerfull than 8mm lebel) alslo the 1918 series suffered from flaw in the design of the barrel.

[@Wasssup3232]

Hope the "they shall not pass" dlc has this weapon added to bf1

[@Loutral]

I foresee Lebel or Berthier for bolt action. Meunier or RSC for self loading. Chauchat for LMG. Ribeyrolles 1918 for SMG and Revolver Mle 1892 or Ruby for handgun. I can't wait !

[@HKSlapActual]

was literally going to type this

[@Siencyns1989]

Real world issues be damned, I'm so hype about using the Chauchat.

[@Wasssup3232]

Chauchat was actually a very good lmg, in one of ians videos he says why it was considered awful :)

[@letmeouttamycage]

It is being added, and it will pack quite a punch.

[@MrSebfrench76]

You constantly ,through your incredible vids , make more for the conservation of the french rare arms ,than the french Army itself.Really brilliant and so far from the usual "i am a badass retired from the USMC and i love firing guns" .Thanks so much.

[@LilOutdoorsmangoogleplus]

Best gun in the verdun game!

[@ryandick7264]

Same ammo capacity and one hit kill ability as you standard bolt action rifle, but now semi auto!

[@soapkiller3239]

I think it's one of the worst guns it's really hard to use

[@LoneWolf051]

its all about the skill of the shooter

[@a_shuchu_601]

+1. great accuracy, one shot - one kill AND semi-auto. the only drawback is the reload.

[@konnigkratz]

Terrible sights let it down. Give me a Enfield instead

[@GECKOZFTW]

I absolutely love this channel. I learn so much just from one video. Keep this channel alive, brother. Greetings from Poland.

[@milgeekmedia]

It's amazing how French arms development is sort of dismissed. I've learned so much about French weapons of this period lately and it's given me a real respect for them. On the artillery front the Canon de 75 modèle 1897 (75mm field gun) was fantastic, in the air Neuports and Spads were wonderful. And this rifle is pretty nice too.

[@XanderTuron]

I think that the intent of using the Lebel furniture was that first of all it is already available, and second of all, it might make it harder for enemy snipers to distinguish who had a Lebel and who had a RSC 1917. Just my thoughts

[@sillylittleowlguy2392]

Plausible

[@discerningscoundrel3055]

It could also be for accountancy reasons; disguising them as upgrade kits might be enough to pull the wool over the eyes of someone higher up who didn't like the idea of issuing a new rifle design, or it could enable the use of a different part of the budget, ie money set aside for maintenance etc rather than needing money to be allocated for new rifles.

[@jonbush7467]

Ian has taught me that the French developed some pretty cool stuff the past 125 years or so. Thanks Ian!

[@ultrahevybeat]

oh i love how many videos you are putting out now

[@Jmcculloughc1350]

I just realized thanks to this video that I never 100% understood how a rotating locking bolt actually unlocked until now. I'm still not sure how recoil operated ones functioned so I was wondering if he has a great video where he shows one? I can't help but admire the mechanics.

[@SNOUPS4]

The description on the RIA catalogue says "mechanically fine" and doesn't mention the clipped firing pin; maybe you should advise them of its condition so that they can improve their description?

[@RealKazukiShikimori]

I like how at the end you said, "Good Luck, if you want to try and make this your own." Something with this much history must be extremely expensive and go for a lot at Auction Houses such as Rock Island.

[@IrontMesdent]

I know there's only 4 in existence, but if you can, I would love to see a video about the Huot automatic conversion of the Ross rifle. I read a bit about it (It cost about 50$ to convert the ross rifle into a full auto LMG instead of 1000$ for a new lewis gun) and I'm super intrigued by how it actually works. That, and I'm also a french speaking Canadian so It would be cool to see a prototype weapon from my part of the world :P

[@giterdone246]

Same I love the look of the Huot Automatic Rifle. I'm sure it would be very difficult for Ian to get a look at the very few remaining Huots. If he is even given the chance probably no shooting video sadly.

[@achillebelanger989]

How about a Ross study contract 1911?

[@andrewlavoie6034]

The Huot was more reliable than the Lewis gun too, the only problem with it (the Ross rifle had the same problem) is that the action was too tight, so almost as soon as mud or grime got into the action it would jam. What a shame, the Ross rifle was very accurate and used frequently as a marksman rifle.

[@cameroncowen5011]

Boy does Ian have just the video for you

[@mekaerwin7187]

I got a chuckle when you said they were given to the guys who could best exploit them and listed company CO's. Not that you are wrong (how would I know), but it made me think of some of my CO's exploiting any weapon. The CO's with the most decked out M4's tended to be the ones who would be the least likely to be using them.

[@sdymddc]

Thanks a lot to show us one of our rarest rifles ! I was looking since a long time for a closer looks of that's rifle. I hope that one day you will present us the meunier 1916 and maybe, an another rare weapon, the STA modèle 1924. Thanks a lot for your high quality presentations. Best regards from France

[@napoleonibonaparte7198]

50% of the comments are BF1 hopes for French faction... Tnx a lot EA... I am just here to learn the gun

[@zackbatcountry5647]

then learn about the gun and ignore the bf1 comments what's difference does it make to you?

[@bradleyhall1746]

zack Batcountry the same difference that out makes to you thay he commented on people commenting on battlefield.. and the same difference it makes to me that you commented on him commenting.. it's a comments section.. People are going to comment.. drink your own lemonade..

[@Immortalkalashnikov]

You should thank BF1 for inspiring people to appreciate older weapons more. Before BF1, I could give two shits about old weapons. I prefer modern weapons but now I am starting to research about WW1 weapons.

[@Immortalkalashnikov]

n bo Not really. I got into guns because of Battlefield Bad Company 2. My first firearm was a Mosin Nagant and then a SGL 21. I still enjoy shooters. Especially shooters that feature the weapons that I own. I don't have any genuine BF1 weapons but my closest is my 1903A3 which pretty much the same rifle with a few differences.

[@XDAWG756]

n bo hmm possible cuz it's a video game. No offence or anything just saying

[@Logaweed]

This channel is so amazing. Not only do you showcase modern weapons but you also help educate and preserve history by showing old rifles like this.

[@pepperspray7386]

So early 20th century had it's own form of downloadable content.

[@medicineman360]

That's some hard-core machining on that bolt. No? I can't imagine these being cheap to mass produce.

[@Grogutz]

i don't know how i've gone this long without knowing the proper use of those old iron sights, Thank you

[@axelc8801]

Didn´t the French use meters on their sights? Interesting video btw.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+Axel C Whoops, did I say yards? It should have been meters.

[@WhiteCavendish]

Wow, amazingly modern design. It's remarkable how similar the action is to the Garand, mechanically speaking. I definitely think the French are much maligned when it comes to anything military, sometimes unfairly as this rifle demonstrates. Another great vid, thanks Ian! :)

[@SlavicCelery]

Who in their right mind would dislike this video? Great work Ian, I love the channel and always get excited to see new videos.

[@JACKSONLEWISOFCANADA]

cool to see more detail on this rifle!..... you can still see the influence on later designs....

[@pops55650]

When you pulled back the bolt, it seemed like a real smooth action, at least in camera

[@marcamant7258]

It is ever a pleasure to listen such an informative and well-balanced lecture about weapons.

[@Xerxes1688]

The magazine system is pretty similar to the one of the PTRS-41 anti-tank rifle. Maybe Simonov got the inspiration from this french rifle. I guess that style of magazine works well for an AT rifle, but not so well for an infantry rifle. The SKS is pretty much a scaled down PTRS, but with a more conventional top loading fixed magazine..

[@jamesranger6283]

Very nice piece. the action sounds smooth as well. Very pleasing to look at.

[@caseyc408]

This channel rules!

[@bobgarr6246]

Every once and awhile I come across a firearm that I didn't know existed. Bravo Ian. As in most things, including firearms design, one can see with this rifle that there are few concepts and ideas that are new. More than 100 years ago the rotating bolt and multiple locking lugs were not only thought of but were being used in production firearms. Nothing new under the sun , huh. Semper Fi

[@samcyphers]

your videos are so great! Thanks for all the history behind each. I had no clue this all happened

[@timcoxman6433]

Bygone politics aside(as many of the comments herein seem to focus on), I just want to say that your videos are the most informative and well rounded firearms entries on youtube. I enjoy firearms mostly for their mechanical innovations and intricacies. I can tell that you share my fascination with the history and ingenuity that created these instruments. Only their use is subject to politics.

[@fhsreelfilms]

I just about did a happy dance when I saw you'd done a video about this! Thanks for bringing such a cool piece onto the show. It's great to finally see one. I think I read once that certain features of the Mle. 1917 and Mle. 1918 rifles inspired John Garand with his project.

[@Moue666]

Love the sound of the bolt getting cycled

[@freedomisntfreeffs]

interesting that it uses a spring in the gas system as a return spring instead of behind the bolt.

[@kentr2424]

Just like a Garand/M14 rifle...

[@StonewallJackson304]

+Forgotten Weapons Hey Ian have you ever played the PC game Verdun?

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+cope030 Yep

[@DormantGames]

+Forgotten Weapons Out of curiosity, how was it? I've not got it myself, but would like to know if it's any good (:

[@StonewallJackson304]

***** Get it man its amazing, if you like rising storm/red orchestra you will love it.

[@cariboupetepeterson3711]

Great video, Ian!

[@versal339]

Great Job Ian, another rife even someone like myself was not aware of.

[@jasward3826]

This is one of my favourite channels

[@rasiabsgamingcorner2258]

It might be just me but when yiu operate the charging handle that sound it makes sounds amazing

[@rlbadger1698]

Great stuff, I'm hoping C&Rsenal will do a peace on this.

[@Candrsenal]

+Rl Badger We're still digging around for all sorts of exotics from the war! First chance we get!

[@rlbadger1698]

+C&Rsenal Oh you cheap b@$+#%& ! Just come off the $3.5K to 5.5K and buy it at auction. Make a video and KZbin will pay you back for it after 5,500,000 views. PS REALLY,REALLY love your stuff!

[@randomlyentertaining8287]

+Rl Badger +C&Rsenal Isn't it epic when a channel you mention replies to your comment? lol

[@rlbadger1698]

I just hope Indie Neidell never hears of me talking about his channel, that guy scares me. I'm afraid his magic desk will get me.

[@RockIslandAuctionCompany]

+Rl Badger is right. You really should just buy it at auction. ;)

[@g-dcomplex1609]

this one is obviously a holdover from the musket era, super cool pioneer in semi-auto design

[@jgn69]

Great video Ian ! I have been curious about this rifle for a long time, thanks for all the info:) Best regards Vintovka builder

[@willywilmouth]

Slt..."Armes oubliées", le titre correspond bien! Après Guerre, on a tellement oublié que la MAS/ MAT avaient fabriqué cette Arme, qu'on en est revenu à la répétition manuelle avec le Mas 36, soit 18 ans plus tard!!! . Merci beaucoup pour ce rappel...Excellente vidéo d'une Arme devenue très rare! Cdt.

[@youngy1919]

Learnt alot there and to be honest a very nice looking piece of kit.

[@kawaiikitty495]

You always bring up a gun that just blows my mind. Very very neat.

[@alexanderm3504]

French DLC for BF1 i guarantee that.. I'm really hoping we get to play as a Legionnaire, in the French DLC

[@andreizedlav7303]

From what I've seen it's not likely, unless there'll be two or more different representations of French forces.

[@theangel7208]

this is why i am subscribed love the videos

[@josephschu7969]

It's such a silly thing, but that magazine cover is adorable.

[@wastedangelematis]

so cool to be shown such things

[@markoneil6562]

This rifle has a shockingly smooth sounding action

[@ihateemael]

Hi Ian, that gas port cover looks like a type of delay valve design. Ive seen similar used in other applications. Of course I could be completely wrong lol !!

[@willyhearrell9060]

I can get used to 1 video a day...

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+willy hearrell It'll last for another couple weeks, then we will drop back to 2/week for a while.

[@Maxsimodem]

@@ForgottenWeapons Ian, I am from the future. I have come to tell you that even through a global pandemic, you will continue to upload once per day, all through the writing and signing of your own book! How cool is that?

[@originaltonywilk]

Thanks Ian, entertaining and informative as ever. I guess the gas port plug would make it easy to adjust the amount of blowback by machining plug grooves to different depths and/or different hole sizes - I wonder if this was intentional ?

[@harrowedone974]

I want one of these so bad, they are so interesting and I love them to bits.

[@RolloTonéBrownTown]

I actually did realise the French equipped soldiers with this weapon. Cool design and asethetics. Excited to learn about its performance here

[@smokeydops]

I had no idea about this gun! Thank you for the informative video.

[@farkasmate14]

It would be interesting to see a comparison between this, a Mondragon M1908 and a Fedorov Avtomat.

[@SearchEast2069]

wow that action is smooth as butter

[@nightwind7022]

What a cool rifle---another one for the wish-list. By the magazine design and gas piston, I could see Chauchat's engineering right away. Question on this gun: what is the recoil like with that gas-piston design in a semi-auto?

[@me67galaxylife]

It seem it have very hard recoil

[@Philmarken1]

Never knew about this rifle --- nice video Ian, keep them up!

[@filipeamaral216]

Do a video on the Ribeyrolle 1918! It was the first functional weapon with an intermediate cartridge.

[@Metalkillerification]

It's cool seeing a bolt that looks like it's from a later era automatic rifle being pulled out of a 1917 weapon.

[@Viper0hr]

Awesome and informative video!

[@BYLRPhil]

Love your videos!

[@PredatorKillsAlien]

I've been waiting for a video on this particular rifle for ages. Ever since I learned of its existence I've been fascinated by it. Everything about it screams that this is how semi-automatic battle rifles should look (in over all design, not specifically this configuration). Aesthetically, this is what I prefer in battle rifles. A long stock that comes up near the end of the barrel, the gas tube concealed withing said stock, and just being long like that. That's part of why I'm more of a fan of the Gewehr '98 than I am of the Kar98k. To me, for some odd reason, a short bolt action just doesn't seem right (but a shorter semi-auto is fine with me, and I'm not sure why for either of these), and the distance between the front and rear barrel bands looks too short for my preference (again, I prefer the Gewehr '98 in this regard). With all of those things in mind, when I saw this, I fell in love with it, which was odd for me, because there was a bit of a stigma in my mind towards French firearms, which I guess, rather illogically, stemmed from how I viewed them in WW2, which is to say that many were desperately thrown together just to get something out there to kill Germans with. On a slightly related note, I'm actually designing a rifle like this for Germany in a story I am writing set in WW2, and this obviously is instrumental in that design (both in the lore of the story setting and in my actual design).

[@ahtauwylye1340]

Can you email me your story for a review?

[@eaglelord1780]

The bolt head really reminds me of a Ross Mk. 3. It would be interesting if they got some inspiration from that design.

[@feraligatorade99]

So if the metallurgy was better, would these have been way better rifles? They seem pretty intuitive in design, many similar concepts were used in the m1 garand.

[@feraligatorade99]

In ither words, was the metallurgy available at the time the main reason these weapons didn't see too much service?

[@neutronalchemist3241]

More than the metallurgy, I think the problem was the hurry to press it into service. The M1 Garand was developed for more than ten years. This, for maybe one year. Having a little more time they could have ironed out the problems. IE, to put a dust cover on that opening in the receiver was not really complicate. But, in 1917, the priority was to manufacture a lot of rifles in the shortest time possible.

[@bubbamike4743]

Just got the gun in Bf1, it's awesome!

[@cesarpallincourt9987]

Really glad to see a video about this rifle. I am French but i am also a reenactor and this is my favourite rifle. Next a video about the italian breda 30?

[@owainrichards4372]

The action on that is so smooth

[@BigDaddyJL89]

you are a master of your craft. thank you for your teaching

[@ormjo940]

Awesome rifle thanks Ian

[@yPhil]

Ian, I learned more about my own country, France, in your all American videos, than I care to admit :)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Merci! :)

[@slowpokebr549]

I have actually handled and shot one of these. We did not have any clips for it but it was quite easy to use as a single shot. Recoil was negligible from such a heavy rifle but the action was quite violent.I can see how it would break parts. It must have been the later design because it held open on every shot.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

+slowpokebr549 There was a European company that made reproduction 1917 clips a bunch of years ago, but they are very difficult to find now, unfortunately. I have been told that at least a few 1917s were field-modified to use the standard Berthier clip, but I don't have any indication how to tell that by sight.

[@slowpokebr549]

Forgotten Weapons The rifle was owned by an older friend of my family. He has long since passed as has his collection. He had some really obscure weapons.Your video brought back fond memories, thank you.

[@Eastwood007x]

Other than also being a southpaw named Ian, I also look at French small arms favorably (setting aside bias that comes with French heritage) - I know I'm gonna love your channel! ;D

[@connorcolquhou5845]

6 years later, Ian has taught us respect for French small arms.

[@blitoris]

I'd love to know the reasons of why people give your videos a thumbs down. They're clear, concise and informative. What possible reason could they have?

[@appalachiangunman9589]

It’s kind of strange that machine guns became mainstream before semi-auto rifles.

[@MDC1972.]

Dick head 🇦🇺

[@BlackKnight-ll8qh]

That bolt sounds amazing

[@tb7771]

After seeing one of these in the Kansas City WW1 museum I have wanted one.

[@rickautry2759]

Geez - all the machining that went into that bolt! Quite time consuming and expensive (it looks to me)... Otherwise, it looks like an interesting rifle.

[@randywatson8347]

It amaze me how they can mill parts with such precision hundreds of years ago.

[@GETitHOWuLIVit]

It seems like if they moved the charging handle forward they could install the dust cover so it would stay in place while firing.

[@TroopperFoFo]

So I wonder what it would take to get the devs of Verdun to put this in the game.

[@PlanetHell92]

+TroopperFoFo And your wish was granted.

[@TacticalViper]

+TroopperFoFo They did!

[@jason1182000]

.Judging from the rifle's name, it was made in 1917. The Battle of Verdun, which the game is centered around, happened in 1916...

[@TacticalViper]

TheGaminWeasel The game will have more further areas in the future. So its fine.

[@jason1182000]

TacticalViper Oh haven't really gotten a chance to play it...

[@DrunkNotIAm]

Hope this makes it into Battlefield 1 with the french DLC

[@Arthurzeiro]

You bet it will, along with the M1915 Chauchat LMG wich I really want to use.

[@KebeQ]

elite dumbass the gun was actually good, the ones that were bad were the 30/6 American conversion

[@maxbielinski2276]

I bet my balls it will be in the game! I'm looking foward to it

[@Bunters196]

No, when the Chauchat was invented it was labelled "the worst machine gun ever made". And still holds that title today. There's one in Leeds Armoury and I read a big bit on it.

[@UgandanAirForce]

the only bad thing about it was the fact that you couldn't fire it after shooting 300 rounds without stopping (this was an automatic rifle and wasn't suppose to do that anyways), and the magazine was kinda garbage. Other than that, it wasn't bad