MAS Gaulois No 1 Palm Pistol

he Manufacture Française d’Armes de Saint-Étienne was making Gaulois Squeezer Palm Pistol in an obsolete calibre 8mm Gaulois from 1893 to 1911. This semi auto magazine fed pistol was perhaps the most effective of all French palm guns. Made in four different grades that varied from the simplest which had plain bluing and rubber grips, to the top grade, Damascus steel barrel over a nickel dinish. This pistol was originally named "Le Mitrailleuse" (usually translated as “machine gun”), but which was renamed to Le Gaulois within a year or two. The frame features a fine factory geometric engraving and has a three position switch on the left side. Fitted with a checkered black palm grip. . The top of the frame is marked in gold "CAL./ 8m/m" over the chamber with the full company marking "MANUFACTURE FRANCAISE/SAINT-ETIENNE" in a circle between gold lines surrounding "ARMES/ ET/ CYCLES" at the rear.