Review: Manurhin MR 73 357 revolver - Better than a Korth?
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 2 авг 2024
- SHOOTING VIDEO: • Manurhin MR73
This French-made 357 is probably my favorite revolver, just barely beating the Korth out for the title. It's beautifully made, and extremely durable and rugged - they were designed from the start to shoot 150 rounds of 357 magnum per day for elite French combat units. Simply put, you won't find a tougher revolver, especially not one with this level of fit and finish.
While I don't shoot the gun in this video, as usual, RUclipsr Hippo939 has a great video of the gun in action. I've linked it above.
For sure, this is the best revolver in the world. I'm a French policeman and I used it (4 inches) at the World Police and Fire Games in Barcelona in 2003. I got the gold medal in Police Action Pistol with this gun. My French friend David got the same medal with the same gun at the 2001 WPGF in Indianapolis. At this date, US competitors used only Colt or S&W revolvers and laugh about us... but since this competitions, this revolver changed the rules ;-)
The MR73 was issued to French anti-gang / organised crime forces back in the 70's. The bad guys at the time were carrying plenty of 45 ACP equivalent and 9mmP was rejected as at the time AP's did not digest diverse loads other than fmj. The police needed stopping power and special forces but not over penetration which was inherent to the fmj 9mmP of the time. 357, high accuracy and robustness was selected over ease of use (obviously the guys using had serious levels of training). Current manufacturer is by Chapuis Arms (still French which make top of the line hunting guns) which bought out as all the tooling in the mid 1990's. Chapuis guns are better finished contrary to pupular belief. The GIGN guy actually took down 3 guys in that plane in 1994. Hope that's useful to a few revolver fans.
If anything the chapuis guns should be higher quality, they have some of the best gunsmith into he world, making some of the finest custom firearms ever
Also, from what I've read they were issued revolvers to ram home the point they were special ops guys, i.e. precision instruments and they wanted super accurate fire, as in many hostage situations they may only get that one shot, instead of dudes just rolling in and spraying everything with hi cap semi autos they know they can reload in a flash. At least that's what I've read in at least 2 sources concerning the legendary MR73 and the GIGN chads.
The fact is that the GIGN has a real "conservative" way to think. "Why change something which still works perfectly fine ?" kind of reasoning.
However, GIGN operators carry two handguns. Their "service" MR73, and a "high" capacity pistol of their choice (generally a P228 or a Glock 19).
What. A. Beauty. This classic design. The ARCHETYPE of a good revolver.
MR73, I was so impressed with your video that I bought one! And I love it!
Good choice ! I am shooting with one in 5 inches 1/4 (GIGN model) for more than 20 years with no issue. Fantastic gun !!!
I truly appreciate your time and effort in making these videos. I've certainly learned a tremendous amount of info re: rare firearms.
~thanks and take care
The Manurhin MR73 differs from other .357 Magnum revolvers that it was built to shoot A LOT of magnum rounds. Many .357 revolvers are guilty of not being able to withstand the pressure of continuous magnum shooting, since most gun makers assume that people will shoot more .38 Special rounds instead of .357 Magnum in their handguns.
In the GIGN's case, they need the power of .357 Magnum for stopping terrorists quickly, so the MR73 fits their needs perfectly.
Arguably a Ruger GP100 can withstand a lot of magnums, but it's not on the same planet in terms of finish, fit, and accuracy.
@@exothermal.sprocket Ruger revolvers are very tough to the point of withstanding very hot handloads, but they lack the smooth DA/SA trigger pull, high accuracy, and beautiful finish of Smith & Wesson revolvers. The MR73 has ALL of these traits, and that's why its considered the best .357 revolver by many folks.
@@ReonMagnum What's the Ruger accuracy compared to Manurhin's? Is there an official chart to check firearms accuracy and toughness? Thanks.
@@diegos2594 Smith & Wessons are smoother than Rugers in terms of trigger pull (DA & SA). Both are accurate guns, though a smooth or rough trigger pull can affect user accuracy. Rugers are much more rugged than Smiths, being able to withstand higher cartridge pressures and rough field usage.
The Manurhin MR73 combines the smoothness of S&W, and the ruggedness of Ruger. GIGN operatives are required to fire 150 rounds of full house .357 Magnum in their revolvers everyday.
During the Air France Flight 8969 kidnapping, a lone GIGN operator was able to take out three terrorists armed with AKs & Uzis using his MR73. He shot two in the head, and critcally wounded the other.
@@ReonMagnum Thanks for the info! Can I ask if anything was heard of the current Manurhin?
Really liking the channel. Good to see videos that show the more unique firearms.
Very interesting.
That single action. Wow. I had to rewatch a couple times, can't get enough of it.
I don't know why you left but it would be awesome if you came back to RUclips.
Who'd have thought those Europeans would have better revolvers than us. God damn you Colt, bring back out pride and joy, the Python.
A thumb-up for your honesty.
It's too late man. The craftsmen that built those things by hand are all dead now or almost dead. There just ain't enough talent to build those on a big scale again, since all the guys from the era of hand fitting most guns are all gone now. The era of amazingly tuned hand built revolvers is over sadly.
Also the company MANURHIN doesn't exist any more...
Pal, if you ever had a Colt Python Elite, you wouldn't want any other 357 in your life.. These European revolvers are not mass produced revolvers, they are manufactured like Swiss watch and in terms of value for money, Colt, Smith and Ruger beat them hands down.. 4000$ for a revolver ??? ( the price of a new Korth ) you godda be kidding me.. The US still makes the best revolvers in the World by a long shot .. The comments in the video represent nothing but personal opinions of whoever downloaded this and believe me his opinion is not shared by vast majority of revolver owners..
Of course Manurhin still exist.
If you like this revolver, I highly encourage you to take a look at the main scene of the movie "L'assaut", which can be found on RUclips. The movie recreates the hijacking of an Air France flight that happened in 1994. All terrorists were taken down by the GIGN using this particular Manurhin.
Yes, for you US mates, you can also watch "tir de confiance GIGN" and you will undestand what is this gun in GIGN hands
Or "Police Python 357" with Yves Montand : P
@@Gieszkanne RIP,, THE GREAT YVES MONTAND!!
I watched "Wages of Fear" just the other night. He did a lot of his own driving in "Grand Prix" as well and was said to be best actor driver after James Garner. Also, he fucced Marilyn Monroe.
You really do great reviews!Thanks!
I really enjoy seeing the reviews of some of these high end guns that most of us will never own, kinda nice to geta peek at em. I may never own a Ferrarri, but that dont mean I dont enjoy looking at em and learning a thing or two bout em. Nice review, MIKE.
Classically good-looking shooter. I shoot target pistol in .22LR at 50m in the UK (our gun laws are well-known to be very restrictive) and the trigger action in SA on that Manhurin looks perfect for precision shooting. Love the review and you’re rightly proud of it
FYI:
Manurhin MR 73 357 is one of the few firearms that withstood the russian weapon tests with flying colours (russian test is far far harsher than the worst real world neglect and abuse of weapon).
To me that alone speaks volumes about this gun.
@Uksi o What is the Russian firearms test named? Thanks.
@@diegos2594 Good luck getting an answer, Uksi posted that comment 8 years ago… heck for all we know, he could be on the front lines of the Ukraine.
@@RevolverOcelot79 haha shame I would love a source on that
Genuinely interested about it!
@@diegos2594 they shoot cans of caviar while being drunk on vodka.
I loved the Korth video and shared it with friends so I was really excited when I saw this one right after!
My original colt python i purchased decades ago came with almost that black chrome bluing...yes I did finally get enough savings to finally purchase this beauty..its outstanding thru and thru..thx for posting
What an awesome revolver and WORTH EVERY PENNY.
10 years on , LifeSizePotato - videos still hold up , correct information , good shooting , high quality video standards. i dont know what hes doing today (june 2024) but i'm stil rewatching his videos.
Right on. That is very interesting info. Thanks for the reply!
Thanks for doing this review, it's rare to see Americans or Canadians on the internet paying attention to the guns produced in by our nation. (Probably because we made so few of them)
This revolver has a great history since it was the first high-quality revolver produced in here since the black powder era. It used to be standard issue to the police, before the Beretta 92 FS produced under licence as the MAS G1, and latter the SIG Pro. I know old police officers who used to trust their lives on this thing and never got disappointed with it.
Special forces and anti terror units such as the GIGN, the RAID, the 1st RIMA, the Navy Commandos, or the Aerial Commandos still use it and it has seen action in the Paris shooting, both in the kosher shop attacked by the RAID, and the warehouse attacked by the GIGN.
You'd expect such units to have moved on to more modern systems, but as I have been told by people from the Gendarmerie (not the GIGN, since their identities are classified) it is rugged, reliable and accurate enough to be still used un close quarter combat to this day, and it backs a hell of a punch. (Some speculate that the bullet prof vests the Kuachi brothers wore were ripped to pieces by this gun).
As an American, I love my Colts and S&W's but will buy an MR73 the first chance I get because of the sheer accuracy and quality of the gun. Check out "Forbidden Weapons" on youtube..Ian, aka Gun Jesus, loves French weapons and knows a lot about them and collects them. You may enjoy it very much.
@@MW-bi1pi Love Ian channel too! But I am a bit jealous about the number of weapons he tests and how easy it is for you in US to do it (PAK try was a very good one ^^).
Very informative video. The endurance test was amazing & you explained very well what makes it a real premium revolver. I'm curious to know how a Ruger GP100 would compare in terms of endurance ( I always thought they were stronger than Smiths or Colts).
Nice to see an american fellow doing a review on a french revolver.
I have on of these too and compete with in what we call TAR tournaments (combat shooting). It's doing great!
Nice video you made there. I'd like to see you using it at the range tho.
Oh and an advice: never dry shoot a revolver like you do. I'm pretty sure your hammer's pin is not loving it. If you want to dry shoot the weapon, load ammo casings into the chambers so that the pin can hit something on trigger release.
I owned 2 Mr73 and they were the best shooting revolvers I ever owned , I also owned a Korth 357 sport and that was also for single action shooting perfect but for double action shooting I hated the thing , their the unique double action system in the Mr73 revolvers worked out perfectly they have a system that even when you pull the trigger back the tension says the same and for double action shooting this is awasome.
These are some great videos here. Keep making these, they are extremely entertaining and educational. On a separate note stop the video at 9:39....look at the hammer and tell me you dont see a face hahaha, looks like a character out of a Gumby movie.
Beretta USA is now importing these new.... MSRP $3300. Not a cheap gun, but one of the best revolvers that you can buy in the world.
King of revolvers.
Cool gun! Absolutely gorgeous finish!
I have been looking for one. Thanks for the detail.
Hello, just wondering if you can do a quick review on the recently imported century mr73 revolvers, you do a GREAT job on these reviews and I really enjoy them. Thanks
Nice pieces. That Manurhin makes me salivate. Where did you get yours? Darn hard to find a good one in US.
Yes the Manurhin is a excellent revolver, this model in the vid is a sport version, the police/special forces as a rounded sign to not lock in the holster. Important detail: the Manurhin is high accurate and as a high precision assembly: this need high quality ammo, not to heawy loaded to avoid primer rear deformation who can lock the barel rotation
Nice presentation, glad you chose a French weapon, it changes from S & W, COLT and RUGER.
Please make a MR93 Review! Your the best!
Enjoy your videos....tempting me to start a hunt for the Korth and or the '73. One question, how do you avoid possible chemical damage from the electrical tape, you are using?
This review is a love letter.
Its the BEST revolver of all times...tested with 300 000 full power load shots....and zero failure or metall loosing !!!!!
P S . ex aequo with 2 others...
.KORTH and RUGER gp100
like your reviews... thanks.
what would be your opinion on Dan Wesson revolvers? Would you make a review on that?
I saw that movie and remember thinking "they musta ran short of semi autos when making this film", love that they made an insanely tough .357 as a combat pistol!
I'd like to see a video on the MR-96, to be honest. There's absolutely nothing on youtube about the MR-96; a few vids about the MR-93. Back in the days, when the 96 was new, it got pretty good ratings in gun-magazines (here in Europe, at least).
9:38 the hammer looks just like a little man. LOL There's a lot less haters on this vid than on the Korth video. Every other comment on the Korth was some nasty vitriolic comments. Congrats again on another fine acquisition. Also, when are you going to do a review on the rabbits?
Had one that was surplus. Had little finish left from use and still shot excellent. It is one gun I should have kept, even though it looked like hell.
Very cool revolver, I saw Hippo939's and fell in love. Your videos are just so much more intimate.. its like gun porn haha.
What a truly beautiful object!
Traditional GIGN gun , you can see it in action here L'Assaut (2011) - French GIGN stormed Air France 8969 in Marignane Airport 1994
That is some deep bluing. Looks great. I would never own one unless it was one of those beat up ones. I do not like keeping weapons around here that would break my heart if I scratch it.
The first wave of the guys who stormed the flight AF8969 was equipped with this unique weapon...
Could you link to a review (I assume you've done one and I just haven't gotten to it yet), where you explain the problems with the new Smiths?
I own a Manurhin .357. Just recently I picked up a Korth .22 lr. Will be interesting to see how that shoots!
Congratulation from France for being the pride owner of that jewel !! You can't go wrong with a MR 73 :)
They are now produced by the company Chapuis armes
@@tonyffessm233 Do you know if the current Manurhin is the same exact quality and features as the previous models? Thanks.
@@diegos2594 Hi Diego ! The very first Manurhin made by Chapuis were not exactly as as perfect as the original ones. Since Chapuis usually produces very high quality hunting guns they needed a bit of time to adapt to handguns making.
Since then, the Chapuis made Manurhin are just as good as the original ones. They have the same features, durability and quality standards ... But also the same problem (this are very expensive guns - every penny worth but still expensive).
The best thing to do is to order one directly from France avoiding the importer and dealer margins.
@@tonyffessm233 Thanks for the info! Can I ask when the 2020-2021 model's production started? I didn't find anything on the web. Also, no info about tests and feedbacks.
@@diegos2594 Chapuis took over the Manurhin production in 1998. They never stopped their production since then. Some people say that the Chapuis made revolver are even better finished than the old Manurhin made.
Nothing pretentious about pronouncing something properly.
Exactly. And as a Frenchie (who can't pronounce anything in English properly), I appreciate that. :)
He was close enough, that was kinda refreshing.
@@schplafff I do agree, I am french too, and the first time he said it, it was near perfect.
Why everyone looked at me confused after I ordered a croissant with perfect pronunciation? I’m in China btw.
really nice gun collection, how did you get started collecting guns? (sorry if you've already answered that somewhere)
It's cool. I love to hear the durability factor. I however wont shoot that much ever and prefer my occasional shooter puthon for looks and trigger. I can only go by the reviews to judge trigger as I've never seen one let alone shot one
Do a video of you reading the part of the gun dealer from the movie Taxi Driver. You have a similar manner of speaking, so it would be an interesting exercise.
Great review. I really would love to find a non-Beretta original one.
i'll be waiting to see henry again
Super clever method to prevent cylinder drag line! What kind of tape are you using?
Make a review of your mauser c96 or walther ppk, please. Your videos are superb.
I would really like to see some reviews of your rabbit collection, especially some of the rarer models.
great video, but what happened to making a mr93 video???
he made one a while ago, but there isnt any talking in it, just shooting
LifeSizePotato, thanks for the review. How did you acquire yours? I'm interested in getting 3 new.
for those with netflix, there's a french film (The Assault in English) about the 1994 Air France hostage rescue. GIGN consulted on it, and you get some exposure to the MR73.
Looking at this video makes my heart hurt because I own a MR 73 but heavily modifiyed for 1500 Shooting. Wish I could revert the modifications someday.
What are your thoughts on Colt Pythons made after the 1950's ? Beautiful Manurhin by the way.
God,wish I could afford one, surplus would be fine. Read where one had fired one million rounds and was still performing fine. Saw a you tube video where they were being sold for 600.00 bucks. Wish in one hand ..
Are you concerned or have you had any issues with moisture being trapped under the tape on the cylinder?
Also, could you do a side-by-side with this and the Korth or possibly the Python showing the locks (with side plates off)?
I change it pretty frequently. It only lasts about 2 range trips, and then I take it off, wipe it down with some oil and clean it, and put new tape on.
Under the grips along the front grip strap there is an allen head screw for the trigger pull and a regular screw for the hammer. Real pain setting them.
Once I'll explain how to succeed, it's very easy ;-)
Aim surplus has a bunch of the GIGN guns for sale... also i would love to see a bren ten
Question. Are all square back full size hadguns like a taurus model 80 and SW model 10 share the same grips?
To me it looks like a beautiful mixture of S&W with a bit of Colt design. Like a copy that is better than the original.
How does it compare to Dan Wesson Model 15 or how does the Dan Wesson compare?
Do you have a Dan Wesson by any chance? I know they are a more common gun than what I have seen you review, but I'd like to know your take on them. I have a Model 15-2 that needs some serious work done to get it fixed and money is too tight to get it up and running again yet.
how much did you pay for it? was it new?
i ll get mine as soon as i ve got my permit. it retails for about 1400euros in france.
nice guns you have! like the python too.
Is the FIRING PIN soldered or riveted to the hammer, or are the hammer and firing pin molded out of a single piece?
I keep hearing Century was/is importing surplus MR-73's but have never seen one, or seen a price listed. Does anyone know if this is still true? This is one of my desert island pistols!
I was extremely lucky and managed to snag a MR 22 for 300€. Fantastic gun in every way imaginable.
Je rappelle que la France faisait des armes d'excellence et que notre politique nous a condamné a abandonner nos manufacture. J'ai honte de nos dirigeants !!!! Vive les citoyens armes et libre!!
Interesting do you leave the tape on when you shoot it too?
Question, I am interested in the 4 inch police model of this gun. Beretta is importing a very limited quantity of some of these pistols in the United States this year, they are very rare and very limited at this point, I need to know if the police model has adjustable sights! The 4 inch model! From the websites I’ve seen so far it does not list very much if anything about the sites
i shot an MR 32 once. it was super smooth
The bluing is beautifully awesome.
I think the bluing is "Baader Blau".
It's so the cylinder catch(?) can pass the cylinder guard on closing. Many revolvers have it.
Nice collection, did you have to import this on a form 6 or was it already stateside ? I am looking into importing one of these, and a Korth, but the paperwork is a pain.
Call Evolution they are importer for the Manhurin
Evolution USA Manhurin
P.O. Box 154
357 Yellow Wolf Road
White Bird, Idaho 83554
phone: 208-983-9208
Beretta is importing then now if you're still interested
Very interesting review. if you can understand french, there's another presentation from Michel Bottreau-Blauwart with other informations that might interest you.
As for the pronunciation, your french version sound more french-canadian than european french. And around here, it's actually that version that sound strange; the english one sounding, well, precisely snobbish. XD
Anyway, have fun !
Nice video =)
those sights though...😉I love em. im partial to the korth
What score would you give a 686-4 from the 90s, pre-keylock and hogue grips model?
What does MR 73 normally go for in the US, as new in box?
Are the Manurhins used for competition?
I have one, MR 73 with a 3" barrel. Is it much rarer than the the 4" barrel.
I used to have a Dan Wesson .357 mag but sold it for what I paid for it. Still kinda regret it but I still have an old beat up but charming webley mk4 in 38sw. These revolvers are beautiful Lifesizepotato if you dont mind me asking where would someone look to purchase one of these in good condition? I want to get one really nice handgun and it will be either one of these or an Ed Brown Kobra carry.
Very Nice one :)
I got to fondle a MR 73 once, sadly, I never got to fire it. The owner had it set up as a show piece instead of a shooter.
It will stand here for eternity s
Does it have any type of drop safety with that fixed firing pin?
the best revolver ....I had a MR 73, parkerised and 3" barrel, on duty 10 years ago, now I'm wearing a plastic gun (SIG PRO)... :(
One important thing that is not touched upon in this video. How does it compare with s&w when it comes to shooting fast?
how would a Ruger GP100 fair against this revolver, in terms of toughness?, very beautiful gun by the way.
Can any 357 magnum revolver shoot a 38 sp. Im asking because i was thinking of saving for one
Can you give us sources? I would love to read about it.
I Bought a chapuis made MR73 in Nov 2017. By feb 2019 I had put 3,500 rounds of Geco 357 158 gr SJHP and 500 "soft" professionally reloaded 38spl LRN .
The cylinder release catch broke. A gunsmith removed the catch which had split in two and pointed out the forcing cone was cracked and flame damaged. The frame above the forcing cone also had slight flame damage. There were "ghost" marks from the cartridges and ejector star on the recoil plate. The gunsmith attributed this damage to the gun not "liking" magnum loads.I returned the gun to the vendor who informed me I'd clearly been dangerously overloading my re-loads. Therefore my warranty is void. In an act of good will he informed the Police I was unsafe with fire arms and should have my licence revoked. I took the gun to a second gunsmith for another assessment, his conclusion was, the barrel was made of poor quality steel and the gun is fit for use with magnum loads. I have read only favourable reviews of the Manurhin made MR 73s. My theory is Chapuis have dropped the quality control ball. I deeply regret this purchase. Mainly due to abysmal customer service.