Christian Prouteau On GIGN Training & The Manurhin MR73

[lamarw]

This an interesting Video with several segments separated by brief commercials. It is worth the viewing all the way to the end. Mr, Prouteau is highly regarded as the developer of the training and the weapon of choice by the GIGN. He was also the point of the spear for many of the French anti-terrorist strikes.

His discussion of the "Confidence Shot" was rather astounding.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=klK_tHy_PdA[/ame]

 

[Gene L]

Incidentally, a couple of days ago I posted about this on another forum. "Confidence Shot"; I couldn't remember what it was called but it sure demonstrated Confidence.

 

[sigp220.45]

Yowzers! I had some great partners over the years but I think I’d pass on that Confidence shot.

I did know some snipers who would walk downrange to change targets while the guy (also a sniper) in the next lane was still shooting. Same concept I guess.

 

[CLASSIC12]

Very good stuff. Thanks for posting it.

Illustrating some of the comments Prouteau made

A three inch police fixed sights MR 73 with a 5 1/4 adjustable sights one

Shooting on your partner as a trust test at the end of the training

The 8 inch sniper version

An original 5 1/4 inch MR 73 (sadly not mine)

 

[NY-1]

Very good stuff. Thanks for posting it.
A three inch police fixed sights MR 73 with a 5 1/4 adjustable sights one

Do you know if Manurhin still produces fixed-sight models? That one looks sharp - I'd love to find a way to import one someday.

 

[sigp220.45]

Maximum style points

 

[bigwheelzip]

They posted a video of the "Confidence Shot" for their class of 2021.

Le... - GIGN - Groupe d'Intervention Gendarmerie Nationale

 

[CLASSIC12]

They posted a video of the "Confidence Shot" for their class of 2021.

Le... - GIGN - Groupe d'Intervention Gendarmerie Nationale

Great find, thanks

 

[woden]

Just got curious about that he mention to use slow powders for better accuracy, did someone try slow powders on a 357 mag?

 

[VictorLouis]

Saw a 3" fixed sight in an LGS' case the other day. Crappy C.A.I. import stamping, & lots of blueing wear. Had probably a fresh set of those wonderful Trausch grips on it, and the timing was awesome. I was mentally talking myself into it. THEN.....

I turned to the gun's RH side. There was a 'strip' of thick, black epoxy applied horizontally just above the trigger. Sloppily done, and dripping down into the upper portion of the trigger guard was evident. I shuddered to think what that crud might be hiding (a crack?), and had to pass...

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Outstanding discussion - really appreciate it being posted. Makes me appreciate my revolvers more than before!

 

[Univibe]

It's fashionable to snicker at the French; but they have one of only two serious militaries in western Europe, and their spec ops guys and counterterrorism police enjoy a high reputation.

I, for one, would not want French special forces or GIGN coming after me!

 

[teletech]

Yowzers! I had some great partners over the years but I think I’d pass on that Confidence shot.

I did know some snipers who would walk downrange to change targets while the guy (also a sniper) in the next lane was still shooting. Same concept I guess.

You want some confidence, how about your teammate shooting the cigar out of your mouth:
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDP8BRSEjrA[/ame]

 

[CLASSIC12]

Just got curious about that he mention to use slow powders for better accuracy, did someone try slow powders on a 357 mag?

I thought it was notorious that slow powders work best in magnum loads. I have used 2400 for tens of thousands .357 and .44 magnums.

 

[xtrtsqrt11]

The confidence shot (or whatever guise) has been used by a number of Special Operations types over the years. Especially early on in the 70s.

"L'intervention" or "15 minutes of war" is a pretty good French made film about GIGN's first (IIRC) real test in Africa. Bus load of French children were taken hostage in a French colony. Subtitled but still very much worth watching. It's on Youtube.

 

[xtrtsqrt11]

It's fashionable to snicker at the French; but they have one of only two serious militaries in western Europe, and their spec ops guys and counterterrorism police enjoy a high reputation.

I, for one, would not want French special forces or GIGN coming after me!

Very true this. It's common to hear jokes about once dropped rifles, but the French have the political will to go after anyone who has harmed them to a significant degree. Unfortunately more so than we do here in the US (IMO) to some degree.

In my time on a SWAT team, I used to study out to the best of my ability past hostage rescue operations. When he talks about the prison hostage taking in the video and shooting the bad guy in both hands, that was one in particular I remember reading an AAR about. IIRC, food was also delivered to another area and the food handler was GIGN who drew from concealment to engage a hostage taker.

 

[Richard Simmons]

I found it interesting that GIGN focuses on shooting to disarm. If you watched the video he mentions how he shot a guy in the shoulder and another time one of the GIGN guys shot the revolver out of a guys hand then shot his other hand when he tried to pick the revolver off the ground. Their job is to arrest the bad guys and take them to court not carry out “immediate justice”.

 

[lamarw]

I found it interesting that GIGN focuses on shooting to disarm. If you watched the video he mentions how he shot a guy in the shoulder and another time one of the GIGN guys shot the revolver out of a guys hand then shot his other hand when he tried to pick the revolver off the ground. Their job is to arrest the bad guys and take them to court not carry out “immediate justice”.

It is also nice to have a live terrorist to have him/her spill the beans on their bosses and fellow terrorist. The right inquisition will make life a living hell until they meet up with all the virgins in Heaven.

 

[Stephanie B]

It's fashionable to snicker at the French; but they have one of only two serious militaries in western Europe, and their spec ops guys and counterterrorism police enjoy a high reputation.

I, for one, would not want French special forces or GIGN coming after me!

If I were being held hostage somewhere, I'd be praying hard for GIGN to intervene.

 

[Richard Simmons]

They didn’t focus on it too much but they said they shoot around 100 rounds a day, five days a week of full power .357 magnum. That’s 26,000 rounds a year. I believe most of their shooting is also DA. That’s a lot of shooting!

Say an article where one MR73 has has 1,000,000 rounds through it without a major parts failure.