The Le Français pistol by

Manufrance Manufrance was the trade name of ''Manufacture Francaise d'Armes et Cycles de St.Etienne'' ("French Arms and Cycle Factory of St. Etienne"), a French mail order company which was situated in the manufacturing town of St. Etienne since 1888. P ...

was produced from 1913 till 1969, in a variety of calibres. 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 (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

(during the

Phony War The Phoney War (french: Drôle de guerre; german: Sitzkrieg) was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front, when French troops invaded Germ ...

), and to the French municipal police. In 1912, Etienne Mimard the Head of

(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 A tip-up barrel is a type of semi-automatic pistol design in which the barrel can be swung up and away from the firing pin, pivoting around a hinge set into the frame near the muzzle. Such a design allows a round to be inserted directly into th ...

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 f ...

. * Manufrance "Le Français" modèle E (France – Pistol DAO in 1913 – 6.35 mm/

.25 ACP The .25 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol) (6.35×16mmSR) is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled centerfire pistol cartridge introduced by John Browning John Moses Browning (January 23, 1855 – November 26, 1926) was an American firearm designe ...

) * 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 The .22 Long Rifle or simply .22 LR or 22 (metric designation: 5.6×15mmR) is a long-established variety of .22 caliber rimfire ammunition originating from the United States. It is used in a wide range of rifles, pistols, revolvers, smoothb ...

) * 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 .32 ACP ( Automatic Colt Pistol, also known as .32 Automatic) is a centerfire pistol cartridge. It is a semi-rimmed, straight-walled cartridge developed by firearms designer John Browning, initially for use in the FN M1900 semi-automatic pi ...

) * 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