A look at French firearms: Tracking the evolution of military sidearms in France

During the intense battles with the Prussian Army, the standard French Army M1822 single shot percussion “t bis” pistols had proven to be woefully inadequate. The navy’s Lefaucheux pinfire revolver, which had been adopted as the model M1858, would also see service by some army officers, along with those privately purchased percussion or cartridge revolvers from French, Belgium, Spanish, American and other manufacturers. Privately procured commercial pieces made in France included the M1860 “Raphael” from the Societe Pindault & Cordier, the M1859 Perrin, the M1858 Divisme and the M1868 Galand. In addition to some of these being considered only moderately serviceable in the field by their owners, the logistics of supporting and supplying these weapons became a nightmare for the French military armorers.

Prior to the outbreak of war, trials had begun by the French Navy in 1869 to find replacements for the M1858 revolvers. Despite some shortcomings with its prior pinfire designs, the well-respected Lefaucheux Company again received the contract to produce a solid frame, double-action, center-fire revolver. The M1870 naval revolver was well made, and, after a few ongoing alterations (redesignated the M1870N, for “new”), remained in service into the early 1900s. Because of the problems associated with the war and internal political conflicts, the Lefaucheux Company, and later, the “MAS” (“Manufacture d’Armes de Saint-Eitienne – French state arsenal) produced a total of about 10,000 weapons for the Navy and civilian use. To augment these new sidearms, the Navy had many of their M1858 pinfire revolvers converted to centerfire, then reissued to their troops in the field. 

All of these variations in weapons only added to the difficulties that tipped the scales during the Prussian conflict. In 1871, a committee of French officials was organized at Vincennes to find revolvers better suited for the recovering French Army. In 1873, a new model of revolver (taking some features from the M1870 pistol) was tested and accepted (in 1874). This solid frame, 11mm, single/double action pistol was designed by retired French army officer, Henrti-Gustave Delvigne, and Belgium inventor, J. Chamelot. The well-made weapons were milled from high-grade steel, left unfinished (“in the white”), with each part fully, or partially serial numbered to the gun. The hexagon/round barrel supported a heavy front sight which aligned with the rear groove in the cylinder top strap. A spring-loaded button on the right side of the frame could be depressed that would allow the cylinder pin to be released, the end of which was used as a takedown screwdriver. With this, the side plate retention or grip screws could be turned out, exposing the internal parts for cleaning and repair in the field. The six-shot cylinder was loaded through a rear pivoting side gate, with empties pushed through assisted by an enclosed side extractor rod. The rounded walnut checkered grips were offset to accommodate the side plate, and mounted above a sturdy steel cap and heavy lanyard ring. 

Markings on the M1873 included “Mre d’ Armesde St. Etienne” (Saint Etienne Weapons Factory) in script on the right frame, the date of manufacture preceded by an “S” on the right side of the barrel, and “Mle 1873” on the left barrel side. On the left frame was the serial number with prefix, and an “M” (for Col. Maignien, director of the state-owned MAS arsenal) and “J” (for the chief arsenal inspector). Final marks included a “Crown E” proof mark on the cylinder, and a number of line inspectors’ marks throughout. The 9.5-inch long pistol weighed just under 3 lbs., the weight of which helped to soften the recoil from the large black powder-propelled 11mm bullet, traveling at a relatively slow velocity of only 426 feet per second.

In 1874, the MAS began producing the M1874, “Officers’ model”. The same basic design of the M1873 was followed, but produced as a slightly smaller version, with a modified fluted cylinder, and coated with a deep polished bluing. 

To house the heavy revolvers, a sturdy hardshell holster was designed to fully enclose the M1873s and M1874s while not in use. Because of their large tapered appearance, the holsters were dubbed the “Etui-Jambon” (ham bone) by French soldiers. The top grain leather was molded in a round hinged cover shell, held down by a strap with a brass holed plate over a stud. The body reverse contained a thick leather belt loop, two additional brass loops to accommodate a cross strap, and a “blister” molded into the leather towards the toe. This protrusion allowed the M1873 cylinder pin end to fit in the holster without wearing a hole through it.  The front hardshell covered an ammo pouch with two rows of individual loops to hold twelve additional rounds. Holsters were dyed brown for regular soldiers, black for officers or police, and red for those servicemen stationed in colonial Africa. Accessories for the M1873 & M1874 revolvers included oil bottles, cleaning tools, leather lanyards and a unique handkerchief on which diagrams were printed to show the assembly of the pistols.

By 1885, the M1873 & M1874 pistols were deemed outdated by the French military, primarily because of their large, underpowered cartridges. As such, the quest for a new military revolver was undertaken. The result was the M1887, an 8MM revolver which was distributed in small numbers to artillery and calvary units. In subsequent field use, these sidearms proved to be unreliable, and were sent back for further modifications. After several years of testing and modifications, the M1892 French service revolver was born.

The elegant M1892 pistols were well crafted of fine steel with close attention paid to fit and finish. Following the lead of other armies around the world, smaller revolvers using lighter cartridges with higher velocities (due to the advent of smokeless powder) became the cornerstones for military revolver production. This allowed for better control of the pistols when fired (with less recoil) and more rounds of lighter ammunition to be carried while in the field. In addition, the idea at the time of using smaller caliber arms was that it was more desirable to wound enemy soldiers (thus taking them, their caregivers and resources out of the fray) than it was to outright kill them. Though the overall length of 9.5 inches matched that of the M1873, the weight of the M1892 was reduced by a third, to just under 2 lbs. The long, slender grip, lighter frame and crisp action gave the weapon a more balanced and comfortable feel. Once the loading gate was lowered, a fluted, swing-out cylinder used a star extractor to easily remove the spent casings. By swinging the crane back in place, the operator could rotate the cylinder to load each chamber quickly by pulling the trigger, once for each chamber rotation. Disassembly of the M1892 was simple with only seven parts in the internal lock work, and thirty-two pistol parts in total. Finish on the M1892 was a deep polished blue which was continued throughout the First World War, though some parts needed for assembly became scarce and had to be salvaged from damaged guns. Markings on the pistols consisted of the “Mre d’ Armesde St. Etienne” in script on the right frame, serial numbers with prefix on the right frame, “Mle 1892” on top of the barrel and the date of manufacture preceded by an “S” on the right side of the barrel. Inspectors’ marks were located throughout the frame and small parts. Naval revolvers had an anchor stamped into the metal grip base next to the lanyard ring.

On occasion, M1892s were presented as awards for shooting contests or as commemorative gifts for service. These generally had a small oval metal plate attached to the grip with engraving dedicated to the recipient or event. 

Holsters for the M1892s came in both heavy hardshell and lighter softshell styles. The M1892 hardshell holster appears smaller than that of the M1873/74’s, and lacks the “blister” on the reverse body, being as the M1892 pistol does not have a protruding cylinder pin end. Another difference was the ammo pouch that contained three large loops to hold packages of ammunition, rather than twelve individual cartridge loops found in the M1873 holster. Soft body holsters were made of thinner leather with a flap and strap that covered the pistol and the ammunition pouch. Like the hard-shell version, the softshell pouch contained three large loops to hold packages of rounds. The reverse had a narrow leather belt loop and two brass loops to support a cross strap. 

Because of their durability, wide distribution, and the needs generated by subsequent conflicts over time, M1873s, M1874s and M1892s continued to see service for many years with French and other military and police forces. Even France’s most dire Nazi enemies in the Third Reich issued M1892’s (designated as the “revolver 637”) to their auxiliary military, paramilitary and police forces in occupied territories. In all, approximately 335,000 M1873s, 36,000 M1874s and 385,000 M1892s were produced over a period that extended from 1874 until 1927.

     By 1972, the last M1892s had been in service for over 45 years and needed to be replaced. The Manurhin MR73 revolver was the answer for the French Gendarmerie and military special forces. Chambered in either 9mm or 357 magnum, these modernized revolvers were manufactured with 2.5-, 3-- or 4-inch barrels. Made of high-quality steel with adjustable trigger weights, they proved to be effective sidearms with reliable actions and lasting designs.

Though semi-auto weapons will continue to dominate the sidearm use of most military and police forces, the old “wheel guns” have continued to find a small niche with forces in France and other countries around the world. 

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