French Trials FN CAL: Adding Rifle Grenade Capability

The Viven-Bessières (VB) grenade launcher, adopted by French and US forces in WWI, revolutionized rifle grenades with its cup-style muzzle attachment. Unlike earlier rod grenades, the VB used a live ball cartridge where the bullet passed through the grenade to ignite its fuse, propelling it forward. The US adapted the design for the .30-06 cartridge, resulting in the M1917 series, with specific variants for the M1903 Springfield and M1917 Enfield rifles.

This video demonstrates the firing of a custom-made, reusable rifle grenade from an M1 Garand equipped with an M7 grenade launcher. The host highlights the assembly process, safety checks, and the live fire demonstration, including recoil and flight path. Humorous commentary on ergonomics and rifle identification adds to the informative content.

This video showcases an inert M31 practice rifle grenade and its M7 spigot launcher, detailing their historical use against tanks. It highlights the specific .30 caliber M3 cartridges used as blanks for launching and presents vintage combat footage demonstrating their effectiveness. The ASMR-style presentation focuses on the mechanical aspects and historical significance of this vintage ordnance.

This video analyzes rare archival footage of the British EM-2 bullpup rifle, showcasing its action cycling in slow motion and demonstrating forward-ejection benefits. It details durability tests, including drop and swing tests, and examines the violent bolt cycling during rifle grenade firing due to the lack of a gas shut-off valve. The footage also features designer Stefan Janson performing magazine dumps, highlighting the automatic bolt closure on magazine insertion.

The French Modele 1937 50mm light mortar, developed from a 1924 concept, offered a portable solution for intermediate firepower. Despite its lightweight design (3.6kg) and innovative folding mechanism, adoption was delayed, with limited production before WWII. Its range is adjustable from 80m to 460m via a unique vent hole collar, and it fires a 0.4kg shell using a lever-actuated firing pin. Post-war, its projectiles were adapted for rifle grenades.

This video details the SMLE rifle's grenade launcher attachment, a crucial WWI innovation bridging the gap between hand grenades and mortars. It explains the cup launcher's mechanics, firing techniques to manage extreme recoil, and structural reinforcements needed. The system's versatility, launching various grenade types, and its significant production numbers highlight its wartime importance.

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.