Discussion France

[Racing]

I´ve had this Q the back of my head for a while...

As the US CW came to an end the guns were collected, for the most, and went back into storage.

Then came the upcoming war between France and Preussia in 1870-71 and as the French obviously knew this was coming it has been my understanding that they bought loads of guns off the US Army (as well as Navy). Their own "new" Chassepot in hand or not (commonly known as the worlds first modern rifle)

I live in Europe since ages and as far as i´ve come to understand this is the reason US CW firearms are fairly common over here in Europe to this day.
For instance.
Believe i read somewhere that France bought a total of 30k Remington revolvers.? Could that be right?

Thing is though, i´ve run into a downright plethora of both rifles, carbines, revolvers and what not of all makes n genders over here, why i wonder if anyone´s got a grasp on what actual numbers were imported by the French?

As France came to lose that conflict the Germans impounded loads of these guns, and sorry to say melted them down to become new guns. Not all though by a long shot.
Some in turn were modified to greater or less extent and reused too.


I work on antique guns, thus see a gun or two, and from what i´ve seen for instance the Remington revolvers that i BELIEVE to have seen acceptance by the French are often stamped with a capital letter ahead of the US set serial on the grip frame below the stocks ?

Like this lovely NMA for instance.

Anyways.
Anyone know any numbers to share and if so of what gun?

 

[Don Dixon]

The book you want on French purchases of American arms during the Franco-Prussian War is Pierre Lorain's Le Armes Americaines de la Defense Nationale: 1870-1871. He discusses 711,612 shoulder arms - largely Civil War surplus or conversions of Civil War arms - sold the French during the war. He mentions that New Model 1863 Remington revolvers, as well as other cap and ball revovlers, were also sold to the French, but doesn't list numbers. If you have French, the book is interesting reading.

Regards,
Don Dixon

 

[James Brenner]

House of Representatives Executive Document 89, 42nd Congress, 2nd Session (1872) lists the ordnance and ordnance stores sold between 1865 and 1871 to dealers, individuals, brokers, and countries. Go to the Hathi Trust website and key in United States Congressional Serial Set and scroll down to volume 1511. Open that volume and scroll about halfway down. Document numbers are listed in the upper right corner. Watch for Document 89. The CSS does not use page numbers, but Hathi Trust puts the page number as 507. The opening paragraphs specifically mention Remington.

I hope this helps.

Jim