The French Pistol .32 Auto |
Description of the mechanism The "LE FRANCAIS" automatic pistol is the defense weapon par excellence. It is in fact the most perfected of all automatic pistols, both for its handling and safety, and for the simplicity of its mechanism which can be almost entirely disassembled by hand. The "LE FRANCAIS" automatic pistol consists of a frame, in the handle of which the magazine fits, a carefully rifled barrel, a sliding breech and a small number of parts for the percussion and relaxation mechanisms. All these parts have a simple shape which allows them to be mechanically manufactured with great precision. They are therefore absolutely interchangeable, very robust and do not risk being deformed by disassembly and reassembly. |
 |
||||
A special feature of the "LE FRANCAIS" semiautomatic pistol is that thanks to its two symmetrical recoil levers, the operation is performed without the slightest imbalance, which ensures that the weapon runs smoothly and evenly. The barrel, mounted on a hinge, can tilt. It is held in place by a lock terminated by a small external key which operates with the utmost ease. By pressing this lever, the barrel, under the pressure of a spring, automatically tilts, showing the cartridge chamber, which makes it very easy to insert a cartridge or remove the one it contains. |
 |
|
|||
|
 |
||||
This same tilting movement also occurs automatically as soon as the magazine is removed from the grip and it is therefore impossible to close the barrel on the breech until the magazine is put back in its housing. The purpose of this mechanical arrangement is to avoid the very serious defect that all other pistols have of retaining, invisible in the barrel, a cartridge when by removing the magazine it is believed that the pistol has been unloaded and the weapon rendered harmless. The "LE FRANCAIS" automatic pistol also has a very particular percussion mechanism which also makes it superior to all the others. Due to the arrangement of this mechanism, the pistol, with the round in the chamber or not, can never remain cocked, it is to be considered a double action pistol only. It is therefore protected from any premature start-up, which does not happen with other systems which, as soon as they are loaded, are always ready to fire. In "LE FRANCAIS" it is necessary, to arm the firing pin and fire the shot, pull your finger on the trigger and make it travel a certain distance. It is the same movement that used to be done in revolvers and has never caused an unexpected or accidental departure. The figure above shows the gun sectioned and allows you to understand the entire mechanism; the other images separately reproduce the other various parts of the gun very faithfully.
|
|||||
Loading.: 1) Remove the magazine magazine by grasping it by the two wings which end at the heel of the handle (see fig. 1 above), push it slightly forward (arrow 1) and pull it downwards (arrow 1) . The barrel tilts automatically. 2) Insert the 7 cartridges into the magazine, with the bullet facing the rounded part of the magazine, operating as shown opposite (fig. 2). 3) Replace the charger. 4) Insert a cartridge into the barrel chamber. 5) Bring the barrel back to its horizontal position by simply pressing on it; it hooks itself automatically. Liarme is ready to fire. Shooting: Squeeze the trigger. Renew this pressure as many times as you want to shoot cartridges To check the loading: A simple pressure on the closing key tilts the barrel and makes it visible. cartridge placed in the magazine. Unloading: Remove the magazine as indicated above for loading, remove the cartridges it contains and put it back in place. The barrel, which tilts automatically, shows whoever forgets the cartridge which has been inserted. After removing this cartridge, Disassembly: Remove the magazine, and then continue with the hand the rocking motion begins with the barrel. The breech then lifts forward slightly. Grasp it as shown in fig. 3 and remove it. "The dismantling of the cylinder head thus carried out is sufficient to recognize the good condition of the parts of the mechanism, to wipe them and oil them for their maintenance. Reassembly: Replace the breech in its location and return the barrel to its normal position by simply pressing on it; it hooks itself automatically. We see, by what precedes, how much the handling of our automatic repeating pistols "Le Francais" is simple, fast, easy and exempt from any danger. |
 |
||||
Another incredible source of inspiration for the Beretta pistol designers, I let you find the common solutions adopted for the Beretta pocket pistols like Tomcat and Bobcat.
|
|||||