This video from the Royal Armouries features Curatorial Assistant Joe Ford discussing the Beardmore-Farquhar, a British light machine gun designed to be lighter, cheaper, and more efficient than the Lewis Gun. The video details the LMG's unusual gas-spring system, its trials between 1916 and 1931, and the reasons for its eventual failure to enter service. The content includes a look at early trials, the troubled 1921 trials, a disassembly of the weapon, and later design iterations.
This video explores the H&K 33F, a variant of the HK33 rifle developed for French military trials in the 1970s to meet requirements for rifle grenade launching. The HK33F was modified with features like a reinforced magazine well, a 4-position fire control group with 3-round burst, and grenade-specific sights. Despite performing well, it was politically rejected in favor of the domestic FAMAS. The video also details a second iteration of the HK33F, assembled in France for the Berlin police due to treaty restrictions on West German arms entering East Germany. These export models, while outwardly similar, lacked grenade adaptations and featured heavy barrels. The description highlights the historical context of French arms procurement and the role of MAS in distributing HK firearms.
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