The French Berthier: the world's ugliest battle rifle started life as a 3-shooter. How dumb was that?

Guns Magazine, Feb, 2006 by John Sheehan

The easiest way to determine the number of potential wartime variations is to take a stack of Berthier components from the various models and see how many different ways you could possibly put them together! I own and have seen wartime examples with matching serial numbers with Mle 07-15 receivers with all the features of the Mle 16, Mle 16 marked receivers with all of the features of the Mle 07-15 and everything in between. Rifles are found with carbine bolts, carbines with rifle bolts, and when it comes to stock furniture, you name it. So if you stumble across a Berthier in the back corner of a gun shop or in the rack at a gun show, don't be surprised if it has one or more feature from several different models.

The US Remington Berthier

As the war dragged on, the French Army continually suffered staggering losses in men and material. With the German Army ensconced on French soil, the pressure to maintain the offensive was a burden resulting in continued Allied offensives. With Verdun at it's peak, the French placed orders with the Remington Arms Co., Ilion N.Y. The French had been buying single-shot rolling blocks from the New England firm since late 1914. A contract was issued in late 1916 or early 1917 for an unknown quantity of Mle 1907/15 Berthier rifles. The Remington records are missing and what happened next is now a subject of debate among collectors. Remington claims the contract was originally for 200,000 rifles, while at least one French source lists the contract as having been for no more than 10,000 rifles, of which 9,444 were supposedly delivered. Considering Remington produced over 100.000 Rolling Blocks for the French Government in 8mm Lebel. it seems inconceivable they would have only placed an order for 10.000 repeating rifles.

Surviving examples turn up quite regularly in the US. Most of the rifles are in excellent shape because they were never shipped to France. Why the contract was never completed is not known. It is known the rifles shipped to France were serialized upon inspection. The vast majority of surviving Remington Berthiers are found with no serial number at all, a definite indication they were never shipped. What sketchy information does exist seems to indicate a maximum of perhaps 9,000 to 10,000 rifles were actually received by the French Military. Some, if not all of these rifles, are believed to have been inspected and rejected by the French. The rejected rifles were then reportedly sent to one of the French arsenals (reportedly MAC Chatellerault) where they were reworked. after which they were placed in stores as reserve weapons.

An extremely small number of rifles accepted and marked with French serial numbers have surfaced. The example in my collection bears an "E" serial number in the 6,000 range. This rifle, along with other serialized examples I have examined in Europe, would seem to support the numbers quoted in French sources. Speculation to the actual cause for the rejection and subsequent cancellation of the contract run the gamut Suggestions of dimensional issues with the chambers of the rejected arms are not supported by a thorough examination of surviving rifles. Another theory bandied about implicates poor heat treatment of the receivers This is certainly possible as the problems encountered with the heat treat of large numbers of the US Model 1903 Springfield and 1917 Enfield receivers is well known today.