Terrible 2-Gun: Lebel, 1892 Revolver, and a WW1 Gas Mask
Forgotten Weapons
•
9m 31s
Today, I thought it would be fun (or at least interesting) to shoot a 2-gun match in a reproduction World War One gas mask and helmet. Specifically, a
French M2 pattern, which was used extensively by French, British, and American troops. I paired this with an Adrian helmet, a Lebel rifle, and a Modele 1892 revolver.
The match started out badly, as it was cool enough outside in the morning for the mask to fog up significantly. Combined with small targets, my shooting in the first (pistol-only) stage was...not very good. Things got worse on the second stage, where I simply could not see the targets at all. I opted to just abandon that stage, and it was quite frustrating. Not wanting to leave without any rifle shooting at all, I abandoned the gas mask and helmet for the third stage. That one ended up being quite satisfying, despite running out of time just before making my final shot.
It was an enlightening experience to try to engage targets in a period style gas mask. Between the total lack of peripheral vision and lens fogging, it was very difficult. I can't imagine trying to do it in a real firefight where poison gas was being used.
Up Next in Forgotten Weapons
-
Kalashnikov USA KP-9: A Perfect Copy ...
The PP-19-01 Vityaz is a development of the PP-19 Bizon, a submachine gun developed by Izhmash at the request of the Russian Interior Ministry in the early 1990s. The Bizon design team included the sons of both Mikhail Kalashnikov and Evgeniy Dragunov, and they created a well-designed unlocked bl...
-
Kalashnikov USA KP-9 (Semiauto Vityaz...
Today I have Kalashnikov USA's KP-9 (which is a virtually exact semiauto copy of the Vityaz SMG) out at the range. I chose the most suitable ammo to try it out with; slightly rusty steel-case Tulammo. And it just ate it all up. The KP-9 does not have the best trigger or the lightest recoil (altho...
-
Kohout & Spol 7.65mm Mars Pistol
The “MARS” pistols made in Czechoslovakia began with the “Slavia” line, designed by one Antonin Vilímec in 1920 or 1921. Those were basically simple copies of the vest-pocket Browning pistols, and were made until 1935. At that point the factory (shop?) was acquired by the Kohout & Spol company, w...
