The Le Français pistol by
Manufrance was produced from 1913 till 1969, in a variety of calibres.
[Fitzsimons, Bernard (1978)] It was mainly sold in France, primarily to the greater public but also to some officers of the
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (, , ), is the principal Army, land warfare force of France, and the largest component of the French Armed Forces; it is responsible to the Government of France, alongside the French Navy, Fren ...
(during the
Phony War
The Phoney War (; ; ) was an eight-month period at the outset of World War II during which there were virtually no Allied military land operations on the Western Front from roughly September 1939 to May 1940. World War II began on 3 Septembe ...
), and to the
French municipal police. In 1912, Etienne Mimard the Head of
Manufrance (La Manufacture Française d'Armes et de Cycles de Saint Etienne) started development. Mr. Mimard obtained the patent for the first model (Modèle E) on August 6, 1913, with n° 472.505. Sales started in 1914 with the name "Le Français".
Description
It is loaded through a
tip up barrel and after the first shot loads from the magazine. However, the first shot can only be loaded into the barrel since there is no way to manually pull back the slide. The trigger is double action only. The pistol was the first to function solely in
double action
Double action (or double-action) refers to one of two systems in firearms where the trigger both cocks and releases the hammer.
*Double-action only (DAO) firearms trigger: The trigger both cocks and releases the hammer. There is no single-action ...
.
* Manufrance "Le Français" modèle E (France – Pistol DAO in 1913 – 6.35 mm/
.25 ACP)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Franco (France – Pistol DAO – 6.35 mm/.25 ACP)
* Manufrance "Le Français" manumodèle (France – Pistol DAO – 6.35 mm/.25 ACP)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Type Policeman (France – Pistol DAO – 6.35 mm/.25 ACP)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Type francais-Champion (France – Pistol Selective mode DAO /SA – .25 ACP or
.22LR)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Type ARMEE (France – Pistol DAO –
9 mm Browning Long)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Type Français civil (France – Pistol DAO – 7.65 mm/
.32 ACP)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Type Français 50 (France – Pistol DAO – 7.65 mm/.32 ACP)
* Manufrance "Le Français" Type Français 7,65 (France – Pistol DAO – 7.65 mm/.32 ACP)
References
*
*
*
* Henrotin, Gerard – ''French LE FRANCAIS pistols explained'' – HLebooks.com, 2011.
External links
LE FRANCAIS pistol model Policeman (infographic tech. drawing)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Le Francais (pistol)
Semi-automatic pistols of France
.25 ACP semi-automatic pistols
.32 ACP semi-automatic pistols
.22 LR pistols