History of the FR-F1 and FR-F2 Sniper Rifles: Henri Canaple Interview

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  • Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
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    Henri Canaple is a former St. Etienne and GIAT gunsmith now in private practice, who has extensive experience rebuilding and tuning FR-F1 and FR-F2 sniper rifles for the French military and competitive teams. He also designed his own precision rifle, which came close to being adopted by the French military in the late 1980s - to see more details on that rifle, head over to the blog post on ForgottenWeapons.com where I have attached some documentation on it:
    www.forgottenwe...
    M. Canaple was generous enough to share some of his time to speak to me about the history and development of French precision rifles, which I am happy to share with you today. Note that he speaks only French (which I do not), and while the interview starts out a bit choppy, we get the hang of it after a few minutes. Many thanks to Edouard L. for acting as translator for me and for providing the translated subtitles to the video!
    If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! / inrangetvshow

КОМЕНТАРІ • 541

  • @JgM-ie5jy
    @JgM-ie5jy 7 років тому +91

    Amazing.
    The French expert you interviewed taught me three things
    1) the muzzle brake vents must line up with the barrel grooves for better accuracy,
    2) barrel wear is concentrated at the breech end and at the muzzle, requiring tapering of the barrel at both locations,
    3) a tilting bolt cannot make perfect contact with the cartridge head - hence no "sniper" FAL.
    Plus a few heartfelt comments about stupid decisions made.
    And yes, the english subtitle accurately reflect the French. Good job.
    You are being taken seriously by a lot of people such as Ares and now by designers in another country - and the language barrier was actually no barrier at all.
    Looking forward to future interviews with other key designers - whatever the language.
    By the way, I also follow your book reviews - I especially appreciate your indication as to whether a book is likely to be a single-printing production. Man, you're getting expensive.

  • @Solsys2007
    @Solsys2007 7 років тому +71

    (French) Il y a des choses qui devaient être dites sur l'histoire de notre industrie nationale, je suis très reconnaissant à Ian d'avoir organisé cette interview. En conséquence je viens de souscrire à une assistance par Patreon à la fois par récompense et pour lui permettre de continuer à faire ce travail essentiel, je vous invite à faire de même. Henri Canaple et d'autres ont des choses à dire :)
    (English) Some things about the history of French state industry had to be said. I am very thankful to Ian for having set up this interview. Consequently, I just pledged some support on his Patreon account, both to thank him and to allow him to continue this important work, I invite you to do the same. Henri Canaple and others still have some things left to tell :)

    • @ForgottenWeapons
      @ForgottenWeapons  7 років тому +24

      Merci!

    • @poja82
      @poja82 2 роки тому +6

      C'est clair que ca fait plaisir d'écouter l'histoire de l'armement francais avec Ian comme interlocuteur. Difficile de faire plus bon que ca.

  • @Punisher9419
    @Punisher9419 7 років тому +79

    Henri needs to make a book with all his stories in it. Would be a great asset to the future of firearms. He clearly knows his stuff.

  • @cheekslappinsaab
    @cheekslappinsaab 7 років тому +835

    "gun jesus talks to French gun moses"

    • @genericdave8420
      @genericdave8420 7 років тому +36

      On top of everything else, Henri seems such a fantastic down to earth guy. I just wish my French was better to not lose him on many of the terms and descriptions.

    • @Zorglub1966
      @Zorglub1966 7 років тому +70

      Hi,
      The guy who translated is very accurate, none of Mr Canaple's words are mistranlated.
      It's impressive.

    • @julienciampanelli3149
      @julienciampanelli3149 7 років тому +5

      Totally agree, translation is right!

    • @matdu1581
      @matdu1581 3 роки тому

      tellement vrai :)

  • @axldematt6747
    @axldematt6747 4 роки тому +5

    j'ai eu le FR-F2 dans les mains pendants 10 ans sur mes 15 années de services avant de passer sur le PGM HECATE II
    c'est une arme redoutable extrêmement fiable et surtout vraiment très précise
    j'en garde un formidable souvenir

    • @teller1290
      @teller1290 11 місяців тому

      15 yrs...would be needed time of service for retirement from FFL. I hear they changed it to 17 yrs some years ago.

  • @Matt_The_Hugenot
    @Matt_The_Hugenot 7 років тому +122

    Translation note: polytechnician refers to graduates of France's ultra elite École Polytechnique, the school that traditionally monopolised the upper ranks of public service there.

    • @laurentpremel
      @laurentpremel 5 років тому +16

      If I may; I'd precise that "X" comes second in rank behind E.N.A. (Ecole Nationale d'Administration / National School for Administration) in "feeding" public service with high level admins since "Polytechnique" provides rather high level technicians/engineers".

    • @Xouxi
      @Xouxi 3 роки тому +1

      @@laurentpremel most énarques went to polytechnique/scpo beforehand, not really a competition

    • @yannickramouillet3742
      @yannickramouillet3742 2 роки тому

      @@Xouxi actually most of ENA students come from the ENS (École Normale Supérieure) or other Grandes Écoles

    • @Xouxi
      @Xouxi 2 роки тому

      @@yannickramouillet3742 Between 60% and 80% of ENA students come from scpo every year. Look it up.

  • @soldatdemarine4801
    @soldatdemarine4801 6 років тому +3

    I used the FRF2 during my 15 years of service. This is the opinion of a comrade who used FRF1:
    "I do not agree too much on the usefulness of the thermal sleeve. After several shots with the F1, the barrel was heated and it greatly hindered the sight through the telescope, a disadvantage disappeared with the thermal sleeve of the F2."
    it is true that with the FRF2 we did not have this problem.
    Cordially .

  • @kabalder
    @kabalder 7 років тому +14

    That was absolutely astonishing. I've always wondered about the purpose of locking lugs on rifle bolts outside mechanical operating consistency - and here it was explained, in three sentences.

  • @brillenfux4687
    @brillenfux4687 7 років тому +197

    From this point on I will refer to the place where I buy my ammo as the "Cartoucherie".

    • @brillenfux4687
      @brillenfux4687 7 років тому +71

      Roadrunner XB No, no, no you're not gonna take this fantasy away from me. I'm seeing cartridges laid out behind glass like pralines, and Cartouchessiers picking them up with little tongs. Glorious! The french are so much more refined!

    • @jasondoe2596
      @jasondoe2596 7 років тому +22

      brillenfux thanks, this mental image made my day :D

    • @frankkrunk
      @frankkrunk 7 років тому +41

      I agree with and fully support this fantasy.
      "Cartouchier", I think, would be the title of the proprietor. Like boulangerie = bakery, boulanger = baker. He would be a gruff man with a permanently red nose and a very limited tolerance of nonsense and modernity.
      His shy but incredibly beautiful daughter works behind the counter as a Cartouchiatrice. You will never work up the courage to ask her out, as the Cartouchier would classify this as nonsense, and you don't want to get on his bad side.

    • @ph43drus
      @ph43drus 7 років тому +17

      Okay, I am now labeling my Lee Progressive "Cartoucherie"

    • @Jakovdred
      @Jakovdred 7 років тому +9

      The language is most romantic if you don't understand it.

  • @ristoalanko9281
    @ristoalanko9281 7 років тому +16

    This kind of personal experience is invaluable in understanding how the "behind the curtains" development goes. Lots of the "engineering" is politics and management problems. Especially self taught "designers by birth" often have problems with military and "school engineer" managers. But documenting these personal histories is invaluable. Thanks again, Ian!

  • @QuercyAnimalier
    @QuercyAnimalier 5 років тому +16

    Une encyclopédie cet homme, je passerai des heures à l'écouter partager son savoir. Merci monsieur Canaple

  • @Wolf_Larsen
    @Wolf_Larsen 7 років тому +5

    Absolutely fascinating! I had been hoping for a deeper look into the FR-F1/2 for quite a while. It seems to be among the most well-liked precision rifles out there, even today. That's quite the achievement.

  • @frankpasqua7706
    @frankpasqua7706 5 років тому +5

    It's amazing how specific this man's knowledge is to this particular rifle system

  • @moelordkaito9891
    @moelordkaito9891 7 років тому +448

    YES
    LIVING IN QUEBEC FINALLY HAS A USE

    • @Michael_Smith-Red_No.5
      @Michael_Smith-Red_No.5 7 років тому +37

      Poutine, yes.

    • @centblinde1450
      @centblinde1450 7 років тому +7

      Kaito The Kanadian Same situation here xD

    • @dwaynetherock-hardjohnson5676
      @dwaynetherock-hardjohnson5676 7 років тому +11

      Kaito The Kanadian were the subtitles fairly accurate? Like, a good representation of context? I'm always curious about translations and if they loose some of the heart of what is said

    • @MrSharkybook
      @MrSharkybook 7 років тому +16

      Dwayne the 'Rock-Hard' Johnson I live in Ontario and I just finished my twelfth-grade French class this past year. Of course, Canadian French and French French is different and I didn't learn any firearm related terms at school (for obvious reasons), but as far as I can tell, it's right on point.

    • @ohcliffy
      @ohcliffy 7 років тому +5

      Obvious reasons??? What the entire fuck are you talking about
      ??? Are they afraid of words now too?

  • @alphaomega2937
    @alphaomega2937 4 роки тому +8

    I really hope we get another interview with Henri canaple again i could listen for hour's i just watched 9 hole reviews on the fr-f1and it was very impressive

  • @jimvandemoter6961
    @jimvandemoter6961 7 років тому +13

    Ian, this is an amazing video. how often can you actually sit down with the designer of a gun and have a real in depth interview. He seems like a very cool guy. I know some people might think he's egotistic, but I think he's proud of his design, and he should be.

  • @ruaway
    @ruaway 7 років тому +141

    How did you manage to find Henri AND a translator with adequate terminology ??!! More of these PLEASE

    • @Se7enAte
      @Se7enAte 7 років тому +15

      I wouldn't think it'd be TOO hard to find a gun nut that has lived in both English and French speaking countries. After all the best way learn the intricacies of a language is to live somewhere people speak only that language. Or could just find a Canadian that works in the firearm business

    • @brillenfux4687
      @brillenfux4687 7 років тому +67

      The legend goes some Frenchmen actually know English. Of course this is heavily contested by the french!

    • @TheBigOne0305
      @TheBigOne0305 7 років тому +17

      @brillenfux They are also very good at hiding that knowledge until after you have made a fool of yourself trying to remember what you learned in the one year of French you took back in 7th grade. Especially if they realize that you are German XD

    • @eddyguizonde401
      @eddyguizonde401 7 років тому +5

      you rang? born on the banks of the garonne, and i'm a qualified translator. i'm more of a knife nut, but hanging around with gun nuts (and having access to both french and english books), you get all the terminology quite quickly once you understand what the "thingamajig" you're holding is (iirc, that was a broken bolt-lock)

    • @gamesbok
      @gamesbok 7 років тому +9

      Eddy Guizonde
      I always find technical situations easier. You sort of know what people will say, you know what questions they might have, there is a context. It's social situations that are tough, people might say anything.

  • @thegreenman2030
    @thegreenman2030 7 років тому +19

    I was never interested in French firearms so I wasn't sure if I would have been able to make it through 30 minutes of closed captioning. Boy was I wrong! This was excellent and I hope to hear more of his stories in the future.

  • @GlFeras
    @GlFeras 7 років тому +14

    Forgotten weapons is one of the coolest channels and I think that Ian does a fantastic job of showing off firearms and and firearm history in a way that makes interesting. Just pure goodness

  • @Anusideral
    @Anusideral 7 років тому +20

    Very good interview.
    It would have been really interesting to interview him on the whole MAS factory debacle, between the time they bought FN, to their closure. As it needs to be documented for history as one of the worst and most stupid industrial debacle in history.

  • @superbibibobo
    @superbibibobo 7 років тому +3

    I'm impressed by the translator. Very rare to hear a french with such a good english accent.

  • @SlimRhyno
    @SlimRhyno 4 роки тому +2

    Thank you so very much for this incredibly rare and valuable insight into a man and project which, I must admit, I was not very familiar with at all. Then again, that is precisely why your channel is perhaps my all time favorite gun channel on UA-cam! Thanks again to everyone involved, and please take care.

  • @SKEptic-mg2dd
    @SKEptic-mg2dd 7 років тому +24

    Another excellent video. Aligning the openings in the flash hider with the lands of the barrel and determining the reasons for wear zones in the bore were fascinating.

  • @stewrmo
    @stewrmo 7 років тому +73

    I've never held a weapon. I have never even seen a weapon up close being from the UK. I also don't speak French. Why am I here then? Because I love everything Ian does and find it facinating. Thank you!

    • @idk-zy9ig
      @idk-zy9ig 7 років тому +3

      Same here. Hopefully i'll be able to own some of my own one day. Weapon laws in germany are ridiculous.

    • @simonferrer
      @simonferrer 7 років тому +4

      If you're interested in firearms in the UK, it's not as impossible as you think. Check out Callum on The English Shooting Channel here on UA-cam. He has all sorts of detailed information on British shooting clubs, applying for your Firearms Certificate, etc.

    • @MajorArtillary
      @MajorArtillary 7 років тому +9

      As an American, I can tell you this; be careful in referring to firearms as "weapons" if you ever talk to an American. Some of my fellow Americans go insane at this and start screeching about how firearms are not weapons, but instead are "tools". They cannot be reasoned with, and if you ask them if swords, maces, and Mosin-Nagants are tools as well, their uninterpretable screeching will only intensify. Just a heads up, my friend.

    • @51WCDodge
      @51WCDodge 7 років тому +3

      UK isn't the easiest place to get a FAC, but not impossible. The general idea is that people who are trusted with firearms should be responsible and law abiding. It's when a politician thinks they can get a vote out of hysteria the problems start.

    • @michaelashton8754
      @michaelashton8754 7 років тому +3

      just join a gun club, it's easy when you meet the right people

  • @109268
    @109268 7 років тому +153

    The description at the end of how firearm focused engineers were replaced with general focus engineers seems to mirror the SA 80 story, with similar disastrous results.

    • @lougrims
      @lougrims 7 років тому +72

      If you know French schooling system there also an undertone of the classic "people from prestigious schools (école Polytechnique) vs people with less prestigious degrees but with practical experience".

    • @Matt_The_Hugenot
      @Matt_The_Hugenot 7 років тому +10

      lougrims Especially polytechniciens.

    • @jeremyshaw1
      @jeremyshaw1 7 років тому +29

      Ah, wonderful to know office politics transcend borders and cultures.

    • @miguelangelsimonfernandez5498
      @miguelangelsimonfernandez5498 7 років тому +1

      perhaps we need another real war to settle things back to real wisdom

    • @sarrumac
      @sarrumac 7 років тому +8

      H3x4r35 and the ESTP guy will rebuild the damn thing!

  • @johnd0e25
    @johnd0e25 3 роки тому +1

    It's amazing to see an interview like that, thanks a lot for all the work you have done regarding French gun history. Merci :)

  • @ScottKenny1978
    @ScottKenny1978 5 років тому +1

    Fascinating that lining the vents in the muzzle brake up with the rifling matters!

  • @matchesburn
    @matchesburn 7 років тому +1

    VERY rare opportunity to get an interview with someone that was behind the design of the firearms in question. Great video, man.

  • @Matt_The_Hugenot
    @Matt_The_Hugenot 7 років тому +1

    I've recently been rewatching Ian's older interviews from five years ago and was thinking I'd like to see more, this is just what I wanted.

  • @nat040496
    @nat040496 7 років тому +3

    Easily some of the most gorgeous looking rifles ever made. Never knew a whole lot about these guns but always loved how they look.

  • @kyleno4mk27
    @kyleno4mk27 7 років тому +2

    Good stuff Ian! Hope for more from Mr. Canaple! Things made from wood, steel, and even paper can be around for generations, but the men who shaped them are disappearing fast.

  • @Seekles
    @Seekles 7 років тому +15

    Thank you Ian, this is a very nice attention for us French fans. Much appreciated.

  • @theharbinger2573
    @theharbinger2573 7 років тому +2

    Great stuff. There is far more to making an accurate firearm than I had previously thought. I just love learning these sorts of things. Thank you Ian and Henri.

  • @arcantos9103
    @arcantos9103 4 роки тому +1

    Seeing a guy disassemble an original prototype of the gun he designed is pretty freaking cool

  • @mrd1433
    @mrd1433 7 років тому +8

    Ian is what the History and Military Channel's on cable wish they were.

  • @yappojilla
    @yappojilla 7 років тому +1

    great interview ian. your gun designer interviews are some of my favorites and very inspiring. thanks!

  • @briarus1000
    @briarus1000 7 років тому +3

    a: what a beautiful looking rifle. B: what an interesting topic. thanks Ian and thank you Mr. Canaple

  • @thebotrchap
    @thebotrchap 7 років тому +21

    Nice to hear from the old guard of firearms designers. I did cringe when the translator translated "receiver" to "receveur" in French🙄. The correct word is "boîtier" my good man!

    • @jodc2760
      @jodc2760 7 років тому +3

      J'ai tiqué aussi ! Nice video BTW. Thanks Ian

    • @sarrumac
      @sarrumac 7 років тому +1

      Certains mecs, trop en contact avec les américains, font ce genre d'erreurs.

    • @laurentpremel
      @laurentpremel 5 років тому

      On peut être traducteur et avoir des lacunes en terminologie technique, et M. CanaplE utilise, évidemment, le terme "boîtier".
      Donc les francophones, un peu de mansuétude, de grâce ! :D

  • @RasdenFasden
    @RasdenFasden 7 років тому +10

    I think Ian might want to start learning French!
    Hearing Henri say Garand in the correct French manner is oddly pleasing to the ears.

    • @guigui78340
      @guigui78340 7 років тому +2

      wait it's suppose to be pronounced with french accent?

    • @wowo666
      @wowo666 7 років тому +16

      sugar glider John Garand was born a french canadian. So yeah that's technically the right way to pronounce it.

    • @ForgottenWeapons
      @ForgottenWeapons  7 років тому +31

      I am working on learning French, actually. :)

  • @leso1402
    @leso1402 3 роки тому

    Congratulations to the translator who did an excellent job ! Thank you Ian for this video.

    • @alexandrelarsac9115
      @alexandrelarsac9115 2 роки тому

      His french sounds very much like "Bloke on the range". Wouldn't be surprised if it was him translating.

  • @miguelangelsimonfernandez5498
    @miguelangelsimonfernandez5498 7 років тому +1

    Another very fine video and a delightful interview.

  • @florian2199
    @florian2199 7 років тому +1

    It's quite surprising but very pleasant to see a video in French in your channel, especially for a rifle like the FR-F1. I hope you will shoot one one day and show us his internal features.

  • @PassionOld
    @PassionOld 7 років тому +1

    Merci Ian pour cette rencontre ! Thanks a lot for this interview !

  • @louisgerard5978
    @louisgerard5978 Рік тому +1

    Excellente interview d'un très grand armurier ! Merci !

  • @CheshireTomcat68
    @CheshireTomcat68 7 років тому +2

    That was great. So well done and many thanks to Edouard L. for facilitating such an interesting interview AND subtitles.

  • @MrPh30
    @MrPh30 7 років тому +1

    Excellent episode, Schultz and Larsen M54, 60, 65.68 also has rear locking lugs ,and Steyr M,S,L , and Remington 788 also. Similar story i have heard of other good makers who designed good rifles and then managment and other came in and it was completely changed .

  • @AdrenalineJunkieXL
    @AdrenalineJunkieXL 7 років тому +4

    finally some insider knowledge from the French military I think it's time to break out the Rosetta stone Ian since your such a big fan of french rifles and also I find it surprising how much he's referring to the garand I'm guessing they liked the m1

  • @milesfinch
    @milesfinch 7 років тому +17

    As a heterosexual male, i feel i'm falling in love with this bloke!!! Who else would tackle a foreign speaking expert and supply translation and CC on such a niche firearm. This guy constantly brings great, insightful, knowledgeable and, above all, comedic value to all videos he produces. Give this guy a medal and become a patreon.

  • @MonMalthias
    @MonMalthias 7 років тому +14

    The collapse of MAS is truly unfortunate in that now France has lost the native ability to produce its own firearms. In a way, MAS almost did its job too well, producing the FAMAS in its G1 and G2 forms, for so long, that the question of replacement did not come up until the factory, now bereft of orders and facing a lack of domestic support (the days of dirigisme are long over), had to shutter.
    In this respect, I actually think that the one thing the Soviets got right was in separating its design houses from its production houses. Mikoyan-Gurevich and Sukhoi, for example did not have their own factories but did have subsidiaries making airframes and parts. This insulated it, and other design houses, after the collapse of the USSR, and allowed it to ride through difficult financial periods. Contrast this with the almost inevitable consolidation, then collapse of the Western defense manufacturers outside of Germany and the USA, especially in the wake of the peace dividend. Their design teams were integrated with the factories, and when the factories had to close due to lack of orders, so too did their engineers become scattered to the four winds. Where once there was Grumman, Douglas, Fairchild Republic, Boeing, Lockheed and so many more, there is now just two big players: Lockeed and Boeing.
    I agree with M. Canaple in that the FAMAS had a few more years in it. The basic design and operating principles were sound. It really did come down to it being inconceivable that a weapon could be 50 years old and still in service.

    • @sarrumac
      @sarrumac 7 років тому +6

      And lack of political vision. French politicians have a very bad record to be fair. Great people, poor leaders!

    • @goodmaninastorm4617
      @goodmaninastorm4617 7 років тому +1

      "It's inconceivable a rifle could serve for 50 years"........How long has the M16/AR-15 been in service?

    • @MonMalthias
      @MonMalthias 7 років тому +4

      In its original form? No longer in service with the US Army. In its upgraded versions? For certain. But that was not my point. My point was that the civil servants in the French government thought it necessary to replace something that worked, at the cost of offshoring (well, not really off-shoring, more like cross-bordering) their domestic arms manufacturing and design to Heckler and Koch of Germany.
      MAS has a history extending back to 1764. Now it is dead, its factories closed, workers laid off, engineers dispersed to other departments. Further upgraded the FAMAS would have been able to serve for a few decades more. Same with the FR-F1. Just as the AR-15 was changed to make the M-16A1 to A4, then changed further to make the M4 carbine. So yes, it is very much conceivable that a rifle can serve for so long. A pity that the French civil service did not see it the same way. You may well say, "the FAMAS was replaced because it was flawed" but the AR-15 in its original form was not without flaws, and it took several rounds of upgrades to correct them. Just as the FAMAS did as well. And the SA-80. And the G-36. And nearly every other 5.56 carbine in the West. Not even the venerable AK-47 has gone without upgrades and changes. Arguably the adoption of 5.45 was an even larger change for the Eastern bloc states.

    • @SuperFunkmachine
      @SuperFunkmachine 7 років тому

      All the M16's in service todays are much younger then that, the FAMAS's were often old guns often 20-30+ years old with out any factory to make new replacement parts.

    • @leneanderthalien
      @leneanderthalien 6 років тому

      It say not this, but that a rifle serve 50 years WHITHOUT MODIFICATION...the M16 isn't in service in he's basic original design...

  • @jumperharz6270
    @jumperharz6270 7 років тому

    Camera / cutting work results in an absolutely fantastic way to make this video nice to watch. Great work. Translation is spot on aswell. You amaze me again and again.

  • @PhotoArtBrussels
    @PhotoArtBrussels 7 років тому +2

    PS: Translation was excellent! I'm from Belgium, so we are used to some languages here, dutch (majority), french and german (very small part) (the 3 official languages of our small country) ... and English of course! ;-)

  • @ScottRuggels
    @ScottRuggels 7 років тому +4

    Interesting how the bolt disassembles just like that of a Type 99 Arisaka. Very efficient.

    • @loyp4328
      @loyp4328 7 років тому +2

      Scott Ruggels The MAS 36 is strongly influenced by the Arisaka, as very well explained in Steve Jackson's The Last Bolt Gun

  • @MrSqu1nty
    @MrSqu1nty 7 років тому +2

    This was a fascinating video, I love getting information and opinions from those that were there. I want more, when possible! I am supposed to be changing my bikes oil right now, instead I am watching while glued to my seat.

  • @scurlcube
    @scurlcube 7 років тому

    Man its super cool that you are doing this Ian, really cool for everyone. Thanks again!

  • @pikeywyatt
    @pikeywyatt 7 років тому +6

    Ian you must meet Henri Canaple again.thanks.

  • @bobbzor
    @bobbzor 7 років тому +2

    I don't know why the "~translating what Ian just said~" caption makes me giggle but I'm glad it's there

  • @theswissgunsmith2122
    @theswissgunsmith2122 7 років тому +41

    Ian, to make sense of Henri Canaple’s strange stories and
    bitter speech, you must understand the context. After the Algerian War, which
    ended up with a failed military coup, the French Army was pretty much
    decapitated, and good generals replaced with weak ones. The procurement agency,
    the DGA, seized the opportunity to pretty much confiscate the design process.
    The military ended up having no role in weapons design. They would issue basic
    specifications (“Fiche de Caractéristiques Militaires”), then wait patiently
    until field trials, where nothing significant could be changed anymore. This
    explains why Mr Canople has no idea what type of ammo the soldiers used, or
    whether they liked the weapon or not. He simply had no contacts with the end users,
    like most of the industry. With the DGA full of very arrogant “military
    engineers” with no military knowledge at all, who wanted to rule on both
    military procurement and the industry, design decisions were taken on the basis
    of industrial concerns only. This explains why, as Canople explains, they
    wanted to make do with leftovers from the MAS 36, rather than acquiring and
    developing what was really required. Indeed, for decades, the French Army got
    plagued, across the board, with equipment desiged by engineers and for
    engineers, with little concern for operational issues. French soldiers had to
    become very, very creative to operate their over-engineered and overpriced
    equipment. A trend that is still largely going on. This is how the French small
    arms industry went down completely.

    • @Zorglub1966
      @Zorglub1966 7 років тому +5

      Très bien expliqué. Merci.

    • @theswissgunsmith2122
      @theswissgunsmith2122 7 років тому +7

      Mais de rien. Toujours heureux de partager ces douloureux souvenirs. ;-)

    • @sarrumac
      @sarrumac 7 років тому +1

      The Swiss Gunsmith saletés d'énarques et autres X.... toujours a côté de la plaque.

    • @laurentpremel
      @laurentpremel 5 років тому +1

      Brillante démonstration quant à la façon dont des hiérarques ont torpillé l'industrie française d'armement mais je tique sur les "bons" généraux opposés à de supposés faibles. 1962, c'est après l'arrivée "musclée" d'un certain de Gaulle en 58, non ? Je vois un coup de balai entre vieille et jeune garde, avec pour "corollaire", entre autres, l'échec de la CED en 1952.
      De plus, les avatars qu'a subis M. Canaple, c'est fin années 1980 - début années 1990, me semble-t-il. Il a lui-même assisté à la fin des manufactures de Saint-Etienne. Enfin, Dassault, GIAT industries ou Thomson CSF, parmi d'autres, ont connu et connaissent de beaux jours, quelques noms que portent aujourd'hui ces fleurons ;)
      Comme le dit lui-même M. Canaple, le Famas pouvait encore tenir fort honorablement son rang, mais qui veut d'une arme qui a plus de 30 ans? Pas l'Armée Française, en tout cas :D

    • @DC2022
      @DC2022 5 років тому +1

      @@laurentpremel le problème du FAMAS ne vient pas de l'âge de l'arme, mais de l'âge des armes en service. Elles ne sont plus fabriquées depuis les années 90, le stock de pièces détachées est dramatiquement bas au point que la verte a réquisitionné tous les FAMAS de France et de Navarre et que refaire des pièces coûte un bras (un peu comme pour nos Leclercs d'ailleurs). Ce n'est pas un problème d'obsolescence mais un problème d'âge réel des outils eux mêmes. Jusqu'à il y a quelques années (et je suis sûr qu'on peut encore en trouver dans les kits de secours) il y avait des pistolets MAC 50 en dotation. Les derniers ayant été fabriqués en... 1970! Au point que sur certains les chargeurs ne tenaient plus en place et qu'il fallait les retenir avec les moyens du bord.
      Après, oui il y a aussi la notion de prestige de certains généraux de salon et politiques pour qui cela ne coûte rien, mais dans l'affaire le remplacement du FAMAS n'est pas spécialement une mauvaise chose. Qu'il soit remplacé par le H&K416F ça par contre, c'est une autre affaire. Les CPA l'ont trouvé bon, les RPIMa aussi et ce sont loin d'être des manchots, mais était ce le meilleur choix? Peut être un élément politique vu le mariage NEXTER/KMW.

  • @bh9229
    @bh9229 2 роки тому +1

    Thank you, that was fascinating, and thank you for saving some knowledge which may have otherwise been forgotten, forever.
    VR
    A loyal Patreon

  • @asphaltmemories4597
    @asphaltmemories4597 7 років тому +1

    Thank you for the informative interview. The FR F1 is a very slick design and Id love to see a shooting video on one, but just like a military grade FAMAS, it'll be quite the unicorn. Really enjoying your extensive French small arms series of video's in general, there not usually widely seen or appreciated. Looking forward to your MAS 38 live fire video.

  • @pipss2669
    @pipss2669 7 років тому +20

    Superb video in every way ! :D
    It also shows that the language-barrier can be overcome. As I do understand french reasonably well, this was also a good opportunity to test my language skills XD
    DOUBLE WHAMMY !

    • @pipss2669
      @pipss2669 7 років тому

      lol so true XD

    • @jeremyshaw1
      @jeremyshaw1 7 років тому +4

      Older people have a nice tendency of speaking slowly and repeating concepts, to help us understand their speach. :D

    • @dollyvintage8558
      @dollyvintage8558 7 років тому

      As a native French speaker, I must say that M. Canople was very hard to follow! Kept changing topics halfway through his sentences, and also used an unusually technical and formal vocabulary. Don't fret if you couldn't keep up - he is not good French practice material ;)
      Great video Ian! As always! And many thanks to the translator too :)

  • @OlujaDoTokija
    @OlujaDoTokija 7 років тому

    Thanks for this interview, it was really interesting to watch. I hope we can see more interviews with weapon designers, be those weapons forgotten or not, presented by you in the future.

  • @MrJeriiko
    @MrJeriiko 7 років тому +1

    As a french I have to say that the work of your translator has been quite difficult because H.Canaple finish none of his sentences ^^'.
    Btw i have watch the whole video and it was very interesting, thank you ForgottenWeapons :D

  • @travisdutra8225
    @travisdutra8225 7 років тому +5

    I've never been this early to a Forgotten Weapons video lol vids pretty good as far as I've seen, very interesting

  • @trumble7766
    @trumble7766 7 років тому

    Good video, I am not a French speaker, i took about 5 minutes of French before I chose to learn Spanish which I sadly have forgotten most of... But the subject matter kept me engaged and intrigued enough to sit through 30 minutes of subtitles. I know English is predominantly a mix of German, French, and Latin, but I find it funny just how much I could pick up what I was hearing before I saw the subtitle pop up, and the same with the comments to the video below in French, I can get the gist of most of it.

  • @TerryMazerolle
    @TerryMazerolle 7 років тому +1

    This is amazing! A great historical record and so interesting. Thank you

  • @Contribuablevener
    @Contribuablevener 7 років тому +1

    ça fait plaisir de voir une vidéo FW en Français.

  • @ChaosPootato
    @ChaosPootato 7 років тому

    The two-way translation thing is really cool for French people interested in guns. You're a cool guy Ian, merci!

  • @dwaynetherock-hardjohnson5676
    @dwaynetherock-hardjohnson5676 7 років тому

    What a super cool video, seeing something described in the tongue that it was built in has a bit of a special charm

  • @muddyboots1881
    @muddyboots1881 7 років тому

    Tracking down not only forgotten weapons but also their gunsmiths... Very cool

  • @matthayward7889
    @matthayward7889 7 років тому

    I loved the look of this rifle in "worlds military weapons" when I was a kid.
    Great subject, and what a fascinating interview!

  • @TheNetsrac
    @TheNetsrac 7 років тому +1

    Awesome video Ian. Always nice to get the history and info directly from the source, whenever possible.
    I wish I had learned french back in 7-9 grade in school, but my mother insisted that I should learn German instead :-(
    I got nothing against the German language, but never got any good at it and French would have been much more useful imo

  • @Davidious
    @Davidious 7 років тому +46

    " I started working on military rifles on my school holidays " ...who else can say that?

    • @theswissgunsmith2122
      @theswissgunsmith2122 7 років тому +21

      He means he got a summer job at the factory. Current practice in industrial towns. Youth, mostly with connexions to factory workers get summer jobs to while other wokers are on the long French Summer paid leave.

    • @murphy7801
      @murphy7801 3 роки тому

      @@theswissgunsmith2122 I don't think alot people in the USA fully appreciate how much annual leave the french have.

    • @RA-ov5cw
      @RA-ov5cw 3 роки тому

      @@murphy7801 Around 6weeks a year but some admins and mostly teacher get something around 14 weeks..

    • @gastonlefier3144
      @gastonlefier3144 2 роки тому +1

      ​@@RA-ov5cw the teachers go in fact to have long holidays but in fact it is the holidays of the pupils, them, are held with additional tasks without the presence of pupils. As french I don't know admins with around 14 weeks. Leave in France is 5 weeks since 1981 !But the productivity of French employees measured by OECD is the highest in all of Europe and that compensates ...

    • @RA-ov5cw
      @RA-ov5cw 2 роки тому

      @@gastonlefier3144 Je suis français aussi. Les professeurs n'ont pas tous des tâches supplémentaires comme les corrections du BAC. Puis lorsqu'ils corrigent le BAC ils sont indémnisés pour chaque copie corrigée en plus de leur salaire donc bon... Après je veux bien qu'un enseignant débutant doive préparer ses cours mais ensuite ils ne font que ressortir les mêmes cours.

  • @jak0spades579
    @jak0spades579 7 років тому +2

    Great video ! However I would like to point out a slight translation mistake on the section where Henri is talking about the muzzle device of the FR-F1. He call it a "frein de bouche" which means muzzle break not flash hider. A flash hider in French is a "cache flamme". Sorry to nitpick what as top notch translation work !

  • @chrisgs8727
    @chrisgs8727 3 роки тому

    those interviews are pure gold

  • @velo1795
    @velo1795 7 років тому

    i'm glad u finally did a video on the frf1 and frf2 french sniper rifles ( a french fan)

  • @filouphilippe7680
    @filouphilippe7680 3 роки тому

    It was a pleasure to hear this Stephanois Accent (Accent from Saint Etienne) for me (as a French) !

  • @higherpowerfitness2115
    @higherpowerfitness2115 7 років тому

    Thank you for another awesome video Ian. You are the man!

  • @emotodude
    @emotodude 7 років тому +1

    Fascinating show as always Ian. I think you should make a series where you travel the world and interview as many of the older generation weapons designers as you can. Before their wisdom and knowledge is lost to the world.

  • @Zajuts149
    @Zajuts149 7 років тому +26

    Now this is the sort of subject that incentivizes you to learn French:)

    • @banama1758
      @banama1758 7 років тому +2

      well after you learn russian or german

    • @Zajuts149
      @Zajuts149 7 років тому +1

      Sdravsotje! Ya ne gavaryu po-russkij,
      aber ich habe in die Schule Deutsch gelernt;)

    • @eeeboytvr
      @eeeboytvr 7 років тому +1

      And American, I'm English :)

  • @mugwump58
    @mugwump58 7 років тому +1

    I for one would love to hear more of the "stories". Incompetents, LOL, they're everywhere.

  • @snape1464
    @snape1464 5 років тому +3

    Where has my life led me, that I'm voluntarily listening to someone speaking french

  • @BrickZ87
    @BrickZ87 7 років тому

    What an examplary interview! Excellent!

  • @gunner678
    @gunner678 7 років тому

    Well said, its got to be one or the other. The F1 is a beautiful rifle 'une belle fusile de precision'. Its amazing how the French use totally different processes to arrive at innovative solutions, not just with weapons, but with everything. It truly is fascinating to see this on a daily basis! Vive la difference!

  • @poja82
    @poja82 2 роки тому

    Je suis si content de pouvoir entendre cette histoire, en plus avec IAN, QUE DU BONHEUR.

  • @B60IN3
    @B60IN3 7 років тому

    Fascinating session. Wish I could speak French and met this man. Thanks for the upload.

  • @johnharvey5412
    @johnharvey5412 7 років тому

    I did *not* think I was going to be interested in a half-hour long interview about obscure gun trivia in a language I don't understand, but boy was I mistaken. Two thumbs up!

  • @nicholas_scott
    @nicholas_scott 7 років тому

    this was great. please do more interviews. also, maybe more info on that thermal system. I've never heard of anything like that

  • @MadNumForce
    @MadNumForce 7 років тому +74

    Through this kind of content, Ian shows he's a top notch scholar, sparing no effort to freely share information that will otherwise die out or is buried in obscure magazines. I think the only thing Ian is lacking is mastering some foreign languages, mainly French, German, Italian, Russian, Czech, and this would turn him into the most respected authority on firearms EVER!
    Par contre, si le mec est certainement respectable pour sa carrière dans le développement de l'armement français, il se comporte de manière tout à fait grossière avec Ian. On reconnaît bien là ce coté chauvin un peu beauf qui ne fait pas honneur à notre pays.

    • @jasondoe2596
      @jasondoe2596 7 років тому

      MadNumForce that second paragraph doesn't look nice, LOL.

    • @inspecteurjohnson2548
      @inspecteurjohnson2548 7 років тому

      Burt McCauley ça cest raciste (assumer que quelqu'un est raciste parce qu'il vient d'un pays raciste)
      *MINDFUCK*

    • @phillgizmo8934
      @phillgizmo8934 7 років тому +2

      No, He spends less time to find accurate translators.

    • @laurentpremel
      @laurentpremel 5 років тому +5

      Je pense que monsieur CanaplE ;) est surtout très ému par le fait qu'on vienne de si loin pour l'interroger sur ce sujet. Il doit avoir aussi beaucoup d'aigreur au sujet de son projet avorté d'arme. Quant à la grossièreté, appeler un homme de cette expérience "mec", c'est pas mal non plus :D

    • @DC2022
      @DC2022 5 років тому +4

      @@laurentpremel effectivement, la seule grossièreté que j'ai trouvé était dans le commentaire de cette personne. Henri Canaple partage volontiers son expérience et son travail avec Ian, se montre ouvert et détaille bien les explications données. Si ça c'est de la grossièreté... Pour le coup c'est cet anonyme prompt à juger qui fait honte, mais à lui-même seulement (et peut être ses proches), car Mr Canaple ne m'a pas fait honte du tout, bien au contraire, accueillant quelqu'un et partageant son savoir avec bonhommie.

  • @dandel351
    @dandel351 7 років тому

    Awesome video again Ian , I enjoyed every minute of it.

  • @Francois15031967
    @Francois15031967 7 років тому +1

    Best gun engineering video I've ever seen. Great channel.

  • @theres1dentevil
    @theres1dentevil 7 років тому

    fascinating video. some much attentention to detail to get a great rifle. well done Ian. hopefully you can chat to him again.

  • @oOkenzoOo
    @oOkenzoOo 7 років тому +1

    12:08 subtitles : "What he said." XD
    Anyway a really great and informative video as always, good job =)

  • @jonasglanshed
    @jonasglanshed 7 років тому

    this is by far the best video so far. more!!!!!

  • @abalcerzak1931
    @abalcerzak1931 7 років тому +7

    When you are French, and don't need translation at all
    (good translation work, by the way)

  • @Mr9Guns
    @Mr9Guns 7 років тому

    Interesting tidbit on flash suppressor slots being lined up with the rifling.

  • @RaduB.
    @RaduB. 6 років тому +4

    Ça a eté très intéressant!... Et instructive.
    That was very interesting!... And informative.
    Merci! / Thanks!

  • @praetoreanbob2634
    @praetoreanbob2634 6 років тому

    Another oustanding video. Keep them coming.

  • @rossmum
    @rossmum 7 років тому

    Fantastic interview and some authentic use of gentle mechanical persuasion to get that bolt apart! Is that the non-business end of a Fairbairn-Sykes I see accompanying all the rifle guts on the desk?

  • @jakelanier4042
    @jakelanier4042 7 років тому

    I guess you were on a trip to Europe? First the Finnish metal festival, then this!
    Amazing content, I'm very impressed you were able to get this interview.

    • @eeeboytvr
      @eeeboytvr 7 років тому

      I'm waiting for his Karaoke 'Je ne regrette rien' while trying to explain the Chauchat to battlefield 1 fans :o

  •  7 років тому

    Awesome video!