1884 Kropatschek: Groundwork for the Lebel

This video announces the final stretch goal for a Kickstarter campaign to fund the book "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-201". The creator expresses gratitude for the overwhelming support and plans a livestream party for backers and Patreon supporters, featuring French adult beverages and aiming to break records for funded publishing projects. The livestream will celebrate the book's progress and encourage final pledges.

This video announces the preorder launch for the book "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866 - 2016". It is described as a reference guide for collectors, curators, historians, and enthusiasts. While the Kickstarter is over, regular copies can still be ordered through the provided website. The content focuses entirely on the book and its subject matter, which are French military rifles spanning a significant historical period.

This comprehensive reference book, 'Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016' by Ian McCollum, fills a critical gap in English-language literature on French military rifles. It details ten distinct rifle families with extensive historical data, production figures, variations, and service records. The book is lauded for its high-quality photography and utility for collectors and historians.

This video provides an update on the printing of the book "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016." The pages are officially coming off the press, with photographer James capturing the process. While the printing has begun, it's behind schedule due to the large print run of 10,000 copies. The estimated completion date is December 31st, with delivery to customers expected in early to mid-January. The creators apologize for any inconvenience and disappointment for those hoping for Christmas delivery.

This YouTube video serves as a final call for pre-orders of the book "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifle 1866-2016" via Kickstarter. The creator highlights the benefits of pre-ordering, including an exclusive blue cover, additional features, and a discounted price. The book covers a significant period of French military rifle history. The project has achieved remarkable success, becoming the second most-funded publishing project on Kickstarter. An alternative pre-order method using PayPal via BackerKit is also provided.

This Q&A episode covers a wide range of firearms-related topics, including C&R licenses, historical firearms like the Hotchkiss revolving cannon and Kropatschek rifle, and modern firearm discussions. It delves into gun depiction in media, the logistics of publishing firearm books, and practical aspects like carbine conversion kits and trench warfare loadouts. The video also touches on optics, government property marks, vintage suppressors, and addresses common criticisms of American AK variants. The discussion extends to personal interests like favorite firearm learnings and future book projects.

This video details the unique 'French Finger Trap' issue with the MAS-36 rifle's bayonet, where two rifles can become unintentionally locked together. A 1951 French arsenal memorandum identified this problem, proposing a simple modification to the bayonet handle. Drilling a small hole allows a tool, like a firing pin, to depress the internal spring, enabling the separation of locked rifles.

The M134 Minigun is a scaled-down 7.62 NATO rotary cannon, requiring 24V DC power and consuming 1.5 kW. Its high rate of fire (3,000+ RPM) is essential for aircraft engagement windows. The complex delinker mechanism is critical for feeding ammunition, and practical hand-held use is impossible due to weight and recoil. Live fire demonstrates rapid ammunition consumption and the need for indirect aiming.

The H&K G11 is a revolutionary prototype assault rifle designed in the late 20th century, notable for its caseless ammunition and unique rotating drum bolt mechanism. Despite advanced features like a 2000 RPM burst fire rate and integrated optics, its development was ultimately halted by geopolitical shifts and cost concerns.

This video demonstrates the assembly and live-fire of the German 1936 pattern light mortar (L.Gr.W.36). It highlights the mortar's leveling mechanism for accuracy and the difficulty in visually tracking its 50mm projectiles after firing. The content showcases historical military hardware and its operational use.