Here is an interesting video of the first series of GIGN sniper revolvers. They later in the early 80s used the 9 inch version of the 10 inch Silhouette. The 9 inch had taken out a terrorist that was on a train. It was Manufacture du Rhin after the war. His story of the Walther deal is full of...………. After the war, Walther had a German police and military contract but no plant and only the tooling. Mulhouse is a few Km across from Germany where a renamed company Manurhin was. They hand shock the deal that Manurhin would makes all the parts and ship to Germany for assembly. Also the deal would allow Manurhin in the mid 50s to the mid 80s, manufacture under their name. There was no license! By the 80s, all PP, PPK, PPk/S were manufactured, and boxed in France under both names and with the same plastic boxes, instructions and fired groups. The tooling wore out in the late 80s. Walther sold Interarms in Virginia, the rights to manufacture investment cast pistols for the NA market. SIG could not manufacture firearms for any military outside Switzerland. Manurhin manufactured the SIG 530 and 540 rifles for the export market. It also manufactured the SIG 220 for the French military and others. As the Police National decided to go with the Beretta 92F, these were also made under contract by Manurhin.
The MR 73 as the first firearm manufactured using CNC machine. All interna parts are interchangeable. The barrels are cold hammered and stress relieved. The forcing cone is not cut at a certain angle but has a cup that feeds the barrel. All part are from forging. The trigger group has 3 rollers. There is one adjustable flat spring for the trigger and another adjustable for the hammer. With careful adjustment, one can get less that 4 pound double action trigger pull with reliable ignition. Accuracy on the Silhouette model with handloaded 180 gr .357 is 1inch at 50M, 1.5 at 100M, 2.5 at 150 and 4 inches at 200M with the match open sights.
Manurhin also produced a Disruptor Gun for IED and bomb disposal. This part was sold off by the GIAT. The main business was the manufacture of precision munition loading machines from 5.56 to 105MM. General Dynamics outside of Montreal has several production lines using Manurhin production lines.
In the late 90s, Manurhin was sold to the Suez Group and became part of FN Defence. The MR73 line and all the CNC machinery was sold to Chapuis Armes which continued to manufacture on a small volume the MR73. Chapuis Armes was bought by Beretta this past February.
The MR 73 as the first firearm manufactured using CNC machine. All interna parts are interchangeable. The barrels are cold hammered and stress relieved. The forcing cone is not cut at a certain angle but has a cup that feeds the barrel. All part are from forging. The trigger group has 3 rollers. There is one adjustable flat spring for the trigger and another adjustable for the hammer. With careful adjustment, one can get less that 4 pound double action trigger pull with reliable ignition. Accuracy on the Silhouette model with handloaded 180 gr .357 is 1inch at 50M, 1.5 at 100M, 2.5 at 150 and 4 inches at 200M with the match open sights.
Manurhin also produced a Disruptor Gun for IED and bomb disposal. This part was sold off by the GIAT. The main business was the manufacture of precision munition loading machines from 5.56 to 105MM. General Dynamics outside of Montreal has several production lines using Manurhin production lines.
In the late 90s, Manurhin was sold to the Suez Group and became part of FN Defence. The MR73 line and all the CNC machinery was sold to Chapuis Armes which continued to manufacture on a small volume the MR73. Chapuis Armes was bought by Beretta this past February.
