Le Francaise Model 28 Military
Notes:
Though this pistol was designed in 1929 specifically for French Army
service by Manufrance, the French Army decided to almost completely pass on the
design and relatively few were taken into service.
French civilians liked the Military (also known as the “Armee”), however,
and they were sold commercially until 1939.
Most were made to fire 9mm Browning Long ammunition, but a few rare ones
were chambered for .25 ACP or .32 ACP.
Operation is by simple blowback and the empty shells are ejected by gas
pressure. The Military uses a
tip-up barrel that not only allows quick cleaning of the bore, but allows the
shooter to load cartridges into the breech and fire them whether or not a
magazine is inserted. The barrel is
a full 5 inches long. The Military
was a hot seller until the late 1950s, and they can still be found in France in
good numbers. The biggest defect is
that the Military has NO safety mechanism of any kind at all.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Military |
9mm Browning Long |
1.09 kg |
8 |
$258 |
Military |
.32 ACP |
0.77 kg |
8 |
$193 |
Military |
.25 ACP |
0.53 kg |
8 |
$147 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Military (9mm) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
12 |
Military (.32) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
12 |
Military (.25) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
4 |
Nil |
10 |
MAB Model A/B
Notes: Built
from 1921-65, the MAB Model A (also called the “Brequette”) was essentially a
French version of the Browning “Baby” M-1906.
Most of these pistols were carried as self-defense weapons by civilians,
though about 1130 of them were built during the Nazi occupation in World War 2
and used by the Vichy French government.
The plastic grip
plates of the Model A were of better quality than the Browning with finer
checkering, and construction quality was in general better than that of the
M-1906. The Model A also had a
manual slide catch/safety, a magazine safety, and an unlocked breech system.
Until 1948, the parts of the Model A were almost entirely milled and
machined; in 1948, however, the internal operating parts of the Model A were
changed to stamped parts.
Starting in 1954, the rifling of the barrels was done by automatic machinery
instead of by manual machinery.
Built from
1932-49, the Model B was internally similar to the Model A, but externally
looked more like Beretta or Walther pocket pistols of the period.
The Model B had a barrel shroud that was integral with the frame, and the
slide was open-topped for over half its length like many Berettas of the period.
The Model B is even smaller than the Model A, including a shorter barrel
and grip.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Model A |
.25 ACP |
0.38 kg |
6 |
$82 |
Model B |
.25 ACP |
0.31 kg |
5 |
$81 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Model A |
SA |
-1 |
Nil |
0 |
4 |
Nil |
3 |
Model B |
SA |
-1 |
Nil |
0 |
5 |
Nil |
3 |
MAB Model C/D
Notes: The Model
D was essentially a clone of the Browning M-1910.
It resembles the M-1910 in most respects, with a 3.5-inch barrel, but the
grip of the Model C is deep – long from the front to the back of the grip.
It looks strange, but allows for a surprisingly good hold on the pistol.
The Model C sold mostly to civilians, though there were some police sales
in France.
Alongside the
Model C, MAB produced the Model D.
Though designed for police use, the Model D primarily found employment in
civilian hands and in the hands of the World War 2 Vichy government police in
France. It is a medium-weight
weapon using low-power ammunition, so barrel jump and muzzle blast are low.
The Model D is similar in appearance and design to the Model C, but has a
barrel length of 4 inches. Many of
these pistols were built after the Nazi invasion of France; these have German
Army test and acceptance stamps on them.
Originally, the Model D was built using a steel frame, but later ones
used a light alloy frame.
Twilight 2000
Notes: The Model D, though an old design, was still in production at the
beginning of the Twilight War and was easy to find in Western Europe and Africa.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Model C |
.32 ACP |
0.7 kg |
7 |
$178 |
Model C |
.380 ACP |
0.89 kg |
7 |
$216 |
Model D (Steel Frame) |
.32 ACP |
0.73 kg |
9 |
$183 |
Model D (Alloy Frame) |
.32 ACP |
0.67 kg |
9 |
$184 |
Model D (Steel Frame) |
.380 ACP |
0.93 kg |
9 |
$221 |
Model D (Alloy Frame) |
.380 ACP |
0.85 kg |
9 |
$223 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Model C (.32 ACP) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
8 |
Model C (.380 ACP) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
9 |
Model D (.32 ACP) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
9 |
Model D (.380 ACP) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
10 |
MAB Model P
Notes: A distant
descendant of the Model D, the Model P is a militarized version of another
descendant of the Model D, the Model R.
The two primary versions of the Model P – the PA-8 and PA-15 – began
manufacture in 1966 as an independent effort by MAB to introduce a new military
pistol to the world market. As the
French military’s MAS Mle 1950s became too worn in and spare parts became scarce
in the 1970s, the French bought the PA-15 and used it until the early 1990s,
when it was largely replaced by the PAMAS G1.
In 1991, Zastava in Serbia was given the rights to license-produce the
Model P, though it appears that Zastava never actually manufactured any Model
Ps.
The Model P uses
a complicated mechanism, featuring a rotating-barrel lock with several internal
and external safety features.
Operation is based on a very old design, the Savage-Searle system, dating back
to 1905. The Model P is therefore
very reliable and safe, but when a Model P breaks, it
really breaks. In addition, the
complicated mechanism is difficult and expensive (in real-life terms) to
manufacture. The PA-8 and PA-15 are
essentially the same pistols except for their magazine capacities and the width
of their grips, with each having 4.5-inch barrels.
A further version, the PA-PF1, is a target model with a 5.5-inch barrel
and micrometer-adjustable sights.
The PA-PF1 is still popular with the French military competition shooting team.
Merc 2000 Notes:
As these weapons were also built by Zastava of Yugoslavia, it is inevitable that
they ended up all over the planet.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
PA-8 |
9mm Parabellum |
1.06 kg |
8 |
$241 |
PA-15 |
9mm Parabellum |
1.08 kg |
15 |
$243 |
PA-PF1 |
9mm Parabellum |
1.13 kg |
15 |
$257 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
PA-8 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
11 |
PA-15 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
2 |
Nil |
11 |
PA-PF1 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
2 |
Nil |
14 |
Manurhin 22 Sport
Notes: This
light pistol grew out of French manufacture of the Walther PP series of pistols
shortly after World War 2 (Walther was prohibited from making firearms until
1955). Manurhin continued to make
PP-series weapons until 1985 (sending them to Walther after manufacture for
sale), and during that time, developed the Manurhin 22 Sport pistol.
This weapon is basically a Walther PP with longer barrels.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Manurhin 22 Sport (6” Barrel) |
.22 Long Rifle |
0.64 kg |
8 |
$139 |
Manurhin 22 Sport (7.5” Barrel) |
.22 Long Rifle |
0.67 kg |
8 |
$156 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Manurhin 22 Sport (6”) |
SA |
-1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
11 |
Manurhin 22 Sport (7.5”) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
14 |
MAS Mle 1935
Notes:
After World War 1 the St Etienne Arsenal was asked by the French
government to design a new service pistol for the French military.
A Swiss designer working for St Etienne, Charles Petter, took an existing
Browning design and modified it by making the firing mechanism a removable
module, changing the recoil spring housing, and adding magazine and slide safety
catches. This became the Mle 1935A.
The first Mle 1935As were delivered to the French Army in 1937, but less
than 11,000 had been built by the time of the French surrender to the Nazis in
1940, and far less were actually issued to French troops.
The Nazis kept the Mle 1935A in production, issuing it to police and
collaborators as well as occupying Nazi troops, and called it the P-625(f).
Under Nazi occupation, almost 24,000 were built.
After World War 2, the Mle 1935A remained in production until 1950, and
were issued to French troops and the Foreign Legion alike.
Captured examples were encountered by American troops throughout the
Vietnam War; in addition, due to wide use by the Foreign Legion in Algeria, the
Mle 1935A also worked its way into most of North Africa, where some are still in
use today. French police themselves
also used the Mle 1935A well into the 1980s.
The plans for the Mle 1935A were also sold to SiG in the late 1930s, and
the Mle 1935A’s influence can be seen in the P-210.
After World War
2, the Mle 1935A was modified later by greatly simplifying the method of
locking, reshaping the butt, and a few other changes, becoming the Model 1935S.
(These changes were made primarily to quicken and simplify production,
but also made the Mle 1935S a more modern pistol.)
The pistol also got a little heavier and the barrel was made a bit
longer. In addition, production was transferred from MAS (which had suffered a
lot of damage during World War 2, to Manufrance while MAS got back on its feet.
Manufrance built about 10,000 themselves, after which production was transferred
to Chautellerault, and later to SACM.
(This allowed those firms to work on their own projects while still
maintaining production of the Mle 1935S.)
Chautellerault and SACM also made parts kits, which were assembled at the
Tulle Arsenal.
Both versions
had modern features like a chamber-loaded indicator, a magazine safety, and
simple checkered black plastic grips plates.
The Mle 1935A uses a 4.3-inch barrel; the Mle 1935S’s barrel is a tad
longer at 4.4 inches. The Mle 1935
is rarely seen outside of France, but the pistol is not the problem. The Mle
1935 fired the weak and unusual 7.65mm Longue cartridge (sort of an imperfect
version of the .30 Pederson cartridge); few other countries wanted the weapons
that actually fired it.
MAS quickly
found that their factory could not handle the large orders they were getting
from the French government, and newer, larger-scale facilities could not be
built fast enough. MAS was afraid
they would lose their contract. They turned to a rival firm, MAC, who did have
the necessary facilities to take up the slack.
Their version are almost identical to the MAS Mle 1935A and 1935S, and
are identical for game purposes.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Mle 1935A |
7.65mm Longue |
0.68 kg |
8 |
$204 |
Mle 1935S |
7.65mm Longue |
0.77 kg |
8 |
$207 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Mle 1935A |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
9 |
Mle 1935S |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
10 |
Notes: The
standard French military service pistol until 1988, and then again in the early
2000s, the Mle 1950 essentially combined the Mle 1935A with the improvements of
the Mle 1935S, upsized to take the 9mm Parabellum round.
In addition, the magazine release was relocated from the butt to behind
the trigger. Many Mle 1950s were
sold or given to former French colonies in Africa during the 1950s, and remain
in service in those countries until this day.
As said, the Mle
1950 is essentially an older pistol upsized to take the 9mm Parabellum round and
with some other improvements. This
makes the Mle 1950 heavier than either the Mle 1935A or Mle 1935S.
A few other minor improvements were also made, but the mechanism is still
essentially that of the Mle 1935.
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
|
Mle 1950 |
9mm Parabellum |
0.89 kg |
8 |
$242 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Mle 1950 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
11 |
PAMAS G1
Notes: This is a
Beretta M-92G made under license by Giat in France.
Most of the pistol is a virtual copy of the M92G, except for the
safety/decocking lever combination.
And that’s the problem: The French military encountered the same slide cracking
problems as the US military, and temporarily brought the MAS Mle 1950s back out
of storage in the early 2000s.
French Army and Navy special operations units switched to the SiG-Sauer P-226
and the Heckler & Koch USP, while much of the rest of the military and police
re-armed with the SiGPro 2022 in 2002.
The PAMAS is still used in limited quantities by the Gendarmerie and the
French Air Force.
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
|
PAMAS G1 |
9mm
Parabellum |
0.96 kg |
15 |
$248 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
PAMAS G1 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
12 |
St Etienne Automatique
Francaise
Notes: One of St
Etienne’s first designs, it was also one of the last produced before the company
went out of business and reorganized a few years later.
This iteration of St Etienne went out of business before the end of World
War 1; there was simply not a market for small-caliber self-defense pocket
pistols in France during the war. It was based on a Mannlicher pocket pistol
design, and fire the anemic .25 ACP cartridge. Operation was somewhat unusual,
having a slide with arms that lay (internally) against the barrel.
These arms held the recoil spring in place, which otherwise was around
the barrel. The 2.36-inch barrel
itself was mostly exposed, supposedly to help cool the barrel in long fights,
and save some metal. The weapon had a deep butt, which was highly (and
unnecessarily) stylized. The backstrap included a grip safety, and the magazine
release was at the heel of the butt.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Automatique Francaise |
.25
ACP |
0.32 kg |
6 |
$85 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Automatique Francaise |
SA |
-1 |
Nil |
0 |
5 |
Nil |
4 |
Unique Bcf-66 Police
Notes: This
pistol was introduced in 1954 for police forces.
It is similar to many Beretta designs of the period, and has several
safeties to help insure that the weapon cannot be fired accidentally.
These include a manual safety, a magazine safety, and a half-cock safety.
The magazine release is on the heel of the grip, as with many pistols of
the period. There is no external
slide catch, but the slide still remains to the rear after the magazine is
emptied. Production of this weapon
stopped in 1980.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Bcf-66 Police |
.32
ACP |
0.71 kg |
9 |
$183 |
Bcf-66 Police |
.380 ACP |
0.79 kg |
8 |
$221 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Bcf-66 Police (.32) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
9 |
Bcf-66 Police (.380) |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
10 |
Unique Kriegsmodell 17
Notes: Unique
designed a light pistol for use by civilians in self-defense, with an unstated
secondary use as a resistance weapon.
However, before they could ship these pistols (which never received a
French designation), Unique’s facilities were seized by the invading Nazis.
The Nazis made minor changes and designated the pistol the Krigsmodell
17; some 25,000 were produced at the captured facility, and production stopped
in 1944 when Unique’s factory was recaptured by the Americans. Production of
this pistol never restarted.
The Kriegsmodell
was meant to be a simple, easy to operate, and easy to maintain weapon.
As such, there is no slide lock nor does the slide lock to the rear after
emptying the magazine. The manual
safety is on the frame above the trigger guard; a normal push safed and unsafed
the Kriegsmodell, but by taking a rod or something like that and pushing the
manual safety completely out of the frame, the pistol could be field stripped,
fairly easily. The Kriegsmodell had
a passive magazine safety and the magazine release at the heel of the butt.
Barrel length was 3.15 inches.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Kriegsmodell 17 |
.32
ACP |
0.65 kg |
10 |
$116 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Kriegsmodell 17 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
7 |
Unique Model D/E
Notes: Depending
on the exact type of one of these pistols, the Unique Model D and E are
small-caliber pistols for plinking, recreational use, or target shooting.
They were introduced in 1954.
The Model D2 is a plinker’s weapon; it has a 4.25” barrel, an
interchangeable front sight, and a laterally-adjustable rear sight.
The D2 is still in production.
The Model D4 is a target pistol with a barrel of 8.5 inches, a muzzle
brake, provision for a barrel counterweight of up to 425 grams, and an
interchangeable front sight and laterally-adjustable rear sight.
Production of the D4 stopped in 1974.
The D6 is a weapon that is normally for recreational shooting, but has
the accuracy for target shooting; it has a 6-inch barrel, with the same sights
as the D2. The D6 is still in
production. The Model E4 is
designed for rapid-fire shooting competitions; it fires .22 Short, has an 8.5”
barrel with a muzzle brake, and the same sights as the other versions.
The E4 was manufactured until 1975.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Model D2 |
.22
Long Rifle |
0.68 kg |
10 |
$122 |
Model D4 |
.22
Long Rifle |
0.79 kg |
10 |
$215 |
Model D6 |
.22
Long Rifle |
0.72 kg |
10 |
$139 |
Model E4 |
.22
Short |
0.74 kg |
6 |
$200 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Model D2 |
SA |
-1 |
Nil |
1 |
2 |
Nil |
7 |
Model D4 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
2 |
2 |
Nil |
16 |
Model D6 |
SA |
-1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
11 |
Model E4 |
SA |
-2 |
Nil |
2 |
2 |
Nil |
17 |
Unique Rr-51
Police/Fr-51 Police
Notes: These are
two police pistols introduced in 1951.
They look identical, and somewhat misshapen, with a short slide and frame
and relatively long grip. Both have
a magazine release on the frame, as well as a safety catch.
They were both used by French police at one point; however, neither is
anymore. The Fr-51 stopped being
manufactured in 1975, but the Rr-51 is still being made.
Weapon |
Ammunition |
Weight |
Magazines |
Price |
Rr-51 |
.32
ACP |
0.75 kg |
9 |
$175 |
Fr-51 |
.380 ACP |
0.83 kg |
8 |
$213 |
Weapon |
ROF |
Damage |
Pen |
Bulk |
SS |
Burst |
Range |
Rr-51 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
7 |
Fr-51 |
SA |
1 |
Nil |
1 |
3 |
Nil |
8 |