Tom - your grandfather is John F. Hasey? He was the first American in WW2 to shed his blood for Free France and was awarded a Companion of the Order of the Liberation by De Gaulle. That is an extremely rare and prestigious honor, with just over 1,000 given. John F. Hasey worked for Cartier in Paris before the war, selling luxury items. When the war broke out and he saw France falling apart, he escaped and decided he needed to do something. He was fighting in East Africa and the Middle East with the Free French a year before the US entered the war and was seriously wounded by a Vichy French machine gun in the Syrian campaign. The book he wrote about his service is a great read for anyone interested.

Seeing Ian as a Legionnaire is something I didn't know I desperately needed

3:26 "With the baïonnette on you are halfway to the target already!" :)

"Merde" cracks me up, hearing Ian utter some profanities in my language

A lot of these where converted to 32 gauge shotguns for hunting in Greece. Due to the long barrel it can really reach out to birds flying.

Ngl this series is a breath of fresh air along with “weapons of xyz war” new stuff is cool but I think a lot of us are here for the older weapons

It never gets old watching Ian working a bolt action rifle left handed. Impressive

And when the smoke did clear, gun Jesus was still there 🇺🇸

The Hellenic Army adopted the Gras in 1877, and it was used in all conflicts until the Second World War. It became the favourite weapon of Greek guerrilla fighters, from the various revolts against the Ottoman Empire to the resistance against the Axis, acquiring legendary status. The name entered the Greek language, and grades (γκράδες) was a term colloquially applied to all rifles during the first half of the 20th century. 1877 - Greece purchases about 60,000 Gras rifles from Steyr. 22 March 1886 - Last recorded order (1,000 Gras rifles). In total 129,000 have been bought since 1877 (118,000 infantry rifles, 6,000 artillery musketoons and 4,800 cavalry carbines). 24 Jul. 1923 - At the time of the Treaty of Lausanne, the Greeks have 77,000 Gras rifles & carbines, which corresponds to about 25% of the total number of rifles. 28 Oct. 1940 - At the time of the Italian invasion, the Greeks have 60,000 Gras rifles, which corresponds to about 13% of the total number of rifles.

When I was a kid, we moved into a new house and I found that specific bayonet in the basement. It was dated around that time and the writing on it was in French.

Really interesting when you have to make your own ammo. Converting cartridge cases to another caliber, fun! Just for fun i played with converting 9×19 to 9x18 Russian, used minimum loads that would still cycle and melted battery lead for projectiles. Here comes the "cant use battery lead cause its corrosive " comments. Really, by the time you wash and remelt battery lead it is not corrosive, just soft.

Are your children texting about Forgotten Weapons? ROFL: Respect our Foreign Legion LOL: Love our Legion STFU: Send the French Up BOGO: Bayonet on Gras, Obviously YMMV: Yes, minimal muzzle velocity ISTG: Ian Shoots the Gras WTF: Watch Tom Fire IMHO: Ian Makes Hits Ontarget

I liked the points in the side-by-side shoot-off where they basically fired in sync.

We’ve got a gras that has been converted to 28 gauge with a 2.5” chamber. I make my own black powder for it. Very cool gun.

So that's what rifle that bayonet goes to. My dad had picked one up at an estate sale some 15 or 20 years ago when i was a kid because he knew I would like it. I only ever knew it was French because it is engraved on the spine of the blade with a phrase and in that phrase it has the date 1877.

Black powder is where it's at. I've been shooting muzzleloaders since the 70's and I only like them more as time goes by. My first was an H+R huntsman, which was just an Handi-Rifle break action that they converted to black powder by plugging the breach with a stainless plug sealed with 2 O rings. In the intervening decades I've discovered more of the historical and modern models available and I love them all. In recent decades I've also discovered air power. It's more expensive to get into than BP because of the specialized pumps, carbon fiber bottles and compressors one needs to create and store high pressure air, and they're not as powerful as some of the more powerful BP guns, but you get multi shot capability not available in most BP guns. What would make me happiest would be for a major manufacturer to make modern big bore airguns....at least a few...look more like a traditional muzzleloader, but that's me, I don't know how well they would sell in a market saturated with the "black rifle" look. By the way, your uniforms are magnifique. Excellent video as always.

I hope the Martini-Henry gets a run in this series!

Episode 3? A truly ambidextrous contemporary of the Springfield and the Gras - the Martini-Henry .577/450.

we have precedents that with enough pestering from gun Jesus, some manufacturer will soon be producing 11mm Gras ammo...

shooting black powder is the second most fun i've had with my pants on.

I have one of those lovely guns, and yes, it lives in my house in france and I also have a shotgun conversion one but it's missing the wood but it's a on going project ❤

I loved watching this video whilst cradling my own Gras. For those of you who are interested in getting 11mmR Gras cartridges, Bertram Bullet Co. in Victoria, Australia makes brass for the Gras and a number of other black powder or smokeless cartridges.

I finally got ammo for my Gras after nearly a decade of owning it. Still waiting for a special occasion to shoot it 'cause it's nine bucks a pop. Also gonna be fully decked out in French gear.

seems to be a really easy and fun way to dabble into black powder shooting 👍

It's slightly disappointing how there are aren't massive clouds of smoke - but of course in films they usually show a whole row of soldiers firing, not individual rifles.

To anyone wanting to load ammo for an old rifle sometime in the future- .348 Winchester brass is very versatile. It can be made into shootable ammo, if not perfect, for a variety of calibers. 11 Gras, 8mm Lebel, .50-70 US, 10.15x61R Jarman, and with a little more work, .43 Spanish. There are also a plethora of European shells that can be made from the .43 Spanish, but as thinning the casewall is involved with the .348 conversation, l wouldn't recommend using the .348 for those. Winchester still makes a run of .348 brass every couple of years, so it isn't always available. Get some when you see it.

I always enjoy seeing historic arms put through their paces.

That reload is pretty slick. With uh, “proper motivation” I could see these having a formidable rate of fire.

didn't expect to ever say this on this channel, but i've got one! edit: unfortunately, being british, my gas-venting safety feature isn't a scallop but a dirty big hole drilled through the breech.

Terrence and Phillip go to the range...

The speedrun wasn't even fair! Sure, the rifle wasnt set up for a lefty, but Ian clearly had the power of an obscure French rifle on his side! It's his natural environment!

I thought this was the sequel to the 'Carry On' movie 'Follow That Camel' 😂

At 1800 meters, it's a tiny howitzer. :)

Been on a BP kick recently, friggin perfect timing mate! 😂

We need more reproduction models of these old classics.

Nice kepi and gun. 🙂

I am thoroughly enjoying this series. Single shot BP rifles are simple and fun to shoot.

07:35 "There we go, that's how it's supposed to come out" says Ian, as his belt pouch starts dumping all his reserve ammo on the mat! 😀

Nothing quite like a bolt gun. They always bring a smile to my face.

I've recently become interested in black powder firearms due to @capandball 's channel. I'm really enjoying this series.

"Once you go black, you never go back," 🤣🤣

I liked that a lot

That long bayonet on a that long rifle is a reminder that there was a time when hand to hand combat meant that infantry wouldn't just be fighting a guy but also the horse he's riding.

French Foreign Legion: Monsieur Ian, on ne porte pas le kepi avec un queue de cheval.

Getting a gras soon and was looking to see if 32ga brass would work, thanks for confirming that for me. 🙏

Jesus enjoying some fine french heaters.

This and the 1871 are the only rifles left on my bucket list. Then its back to building custom muzzleloaders.

Very very cool. It's modern enough I'd forgotten about fouling until Ian mentioned it during the speed run. Damn, very cool rifle and mechanics and knowledge on display here!

Awesome gun. I sympathize with the left handers pain of right hand bolt, but we adjust. Looks like a lot of fun. Thank you.

This is shaping up to be one of my favorite series of the channel.

I feel so cool owning my own gras bayonet watching this haha. Just imagine being in a 3 line deep ranks of men. You can see the bayonets of your comrades just passing your face

Always so interesting these single shot single load bolt actions. Trapdoor rifles are also very cool too!

Never thought of it before but the one side of that bayonet is really going to be covered in soot! One more thing to clean. Someone get the water hot...

Gotta love when The Desert King of Guns is out and about firing old guns in period clothing

So cool. I want to see so many more black powder cartridge rifles demo'd like this.

Very enjoyable content, thank you.

Watching this familiarization video was very interesting, well done Ian and Tom. The 1874 Gras was a very exquisite gun to look at.

The Gras is a great rifle and fun to shoot - looks great too.

Got one myself including original Gevelot brass wich I alterd from berdan to boxer primers. A very fine rifle to shoot. Thanks for the vid Ian.

As a left handed shooter, it is always great to see Ian shooting bolt action rifles. I don't have a bolt action rifle, but I do shoot rifles in a similar manner as Ian and when I do get my hands on a milsurp bolt action, I will definitely be shooting it just like Ian does. Otherwise, the Modele 1874 Gras looks like a solid rifle for it's time.

I have a sword bayonet for that rifle for being over 140 years old it's in very good condition would still do the job no problem

Интересный ,прикид, на стрелках.🎉

The French always thinking about logistics

1800 meters is an expression of purest optimism.

If you just squint your eyes you can pretend this is March or Die with Gene Hackman and Terence Hill.

This seems to be a useful defense weapon for today...with the right brass.

Thanks for making this video

I will bet that receiving fire from 1800m (especially) in 1870 would be somewhat disconcerting and more so if it were 40 or 50 Gras in volley fire. Just the rounds impacting around you would be bad enough but if they get a couple of your buddies you are thinking "We are still over a kilometre and a half away, what will happen at 300m?" Area fire, even with bolt action rifles has its place even today. All you need do is get close enough that the impact is seen and heard, if you get one or two of them, even better.

Glad to see Ian enjoying Foie gras!

If a mechanical device can be said to be beautiful or elegant then military rifles of the late 19th century are beautiful and elegant. It's part of the reason they're so collectable.

I noticed this was the same weapon Jean Claude Van Dam used on the movie Legionaire. It made a big impression on me because I never saw a single-shot rifle before like that.

I grew up playing with one of those bayonets! The grip is unparalleled. Matt Easton should do a video on it lol... Matter of fact, I'd personally love to see a collaboration!

In Tucson/Three Points for at least a week visiting my parents and sister.🤠👍🇺🇲

Gras sounds like a sound a crow would make. "Graw! Graw!"

I was expecting Ian to lead a charge, Mle 1892 in hand

That rifle is phat with a capital G

The logistics issue of the Chassepot paper cartridge is well illustrated by the French navy. Who did not change to the brass cartridge Gras post 1870 war but kept the paper cartridge Chassepot. They were ship based and had all the materials and tools to make them on board ship not to mention men to do the making. So could turn them out to the proper standard and the Chassepot paper cartridge, when properly made, was very adequate. Eventually replaced by the Kropatchek tubular magazine rifle.

At least the crosswind cleared the smoke quickly.

COOL Kepi Blanc hello from Albuquerque

Chile had two standart guns during the saltpeter war, one was the comblain, the other the gras. Was a great logistical advantage over the peruvians and bolivians who were equiped with sniders, chassepots, remingtons and even minnie's (altough those were given to irregulars if i'm not mistaken)

It's really nice n cool shot of gun

This makes me think that a really cool video would be a splitscreen of different eras of military weapon against the clock. Musket vs minié ball vs trapdoor vs bolt action vs clip fed semi vs assault rifle. “How many shots can I put on target in 2 minutes.”

Thank's.

The unaltered 1874 Gras already has gas venting grooves in the bolt and receiver, they just enlarged them with the M80 mod.

Ian doing the lefty version compared to all righties is like shooting another rifle 😂

I live in the UK and have an immaculate Gras with all matching numbers. Doesn’t have the safety cut out which makes it rare. It’s for sale if anyone’s interested

🎉 i have 2 of them fore repear 1 infanterie 1 Cavalerie bot 1866-74. The cavelerie is from the fabric of the german citry and i have the barjonet also 😊

LE PIÈCE DE RÉSISTANCE!

5:30 Oh, merde ! 😂 Le Gras, c’est la vie !

It's funny that one of my uncles have a Gewerhr 88(/05?), made in 1888 same year that JACK THE RIPPER started his murder spree. My grandfather has a browning model 1910 with some FN grips and seeing that pistol in Kingsman and later learning that it was the model used to assassinate Arch Duke Ferdinand. It's crazy how time seems to warp when you hold things that has a part in history.

Isn't this the same cartridge they adopted in a revised format for aerial machine gun use against balloons? With smokeless powder and incendiary projectiles?

Look just like the gun in the beginning of the movie "The Mummy."

It would be interesting to have high speed footage of the gun with and without the Bayonet fixed. The resonance is probably quite different with that sabre hung on it.

Légionnaires!

I hope that the Berdan 1&2 will receive attention in the black powder series.

Find any rattlecan-camo'd electronic earpro laying on the ground while filming? Lost a pair at the exact spot. Don't want 'em back or anything but figured it would be a good story for the friends if you guys were the ones that found 'em.

You two look beautiful like that. Love from France.

Cool kepi

7:30 Ian's bicep? 🥺👉👈

as seen at the beginning of the movie the MUMMY where the Legion was fighting the tribes!