History WebVideo / CandRsenal

* PunnyName: "[=C&Rsenal=]" is a play on "C&R," which is short for "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Firearms_License#Collectors_of_Curio_and_Relic_.28C.26R.29_Firearms curio and relic]]," a defined class of weapons in U.S. law. All of the guns shown on the channel (and the original website) fall into this classification. It's also a pun on "arsenal", a collection of weapons.

* CoolGuns: Most of the guns of the week fit this trope.

* CoolGuns: Most of the guns of the week fit this trope. Some are also RareGuns.

* {{Unobtanium}}: How Othais described a [[RareGuns super-rare]] Romanian Mannlicher rifle.

* AwesomeMcCoolname: Othais

* GunPorn

* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The "Making of..." [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xb0WrLii6M episode]] and the "Q&Arsenal" question-and-answer episode.

Each ''Primer'' episode presents a detailed examination of the development, design, dissasembly, and service history of a particular military weapon or series of weapons, including a live fire demonstration. Since the video series started as a partner channel to ''WebVideo/TheGreatWar'', the ''C&Rsenal'' channel began by concentrating on military firearms used in UsefulNotes/WorldWarI.

** A [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KR8vzMBak video conversation between Othais and Ian McCollum]] of ''WebVideo/ForgottenWeapons'' discusses how Othais's original archival research on the Air Service model of the Springfield M1903 rifle overturned the conventional wisdom regarding the intended role of the weapon. This led to [[https://youtu.be/d6ofO8MaIp4 a joint "Q&A" session]], and to "Project Lightening," a collaboration between the two channels on the topic of World War I light machine guns.

%%* AwesomeMcCoolname: Othais
%%* {{BFG}}: the German "T-Gewher" antitank rifle.

%%* BrutalHonesty: If Mae doesn't like something about a gun, she tells you.
%%* CoolGuns: Most of the guns of the week fit this trope. Some are also RareGuns.

%%* DeadpanSnarker: Othais, who often engages in low-intensity SnarkToSnarkCombat with Mae.
%%* DisapprovingLook: Mae has a great one, which she uses on Othais if he gets too snarky.
%%* GunPorn
%%* ImprobableAimingSkills: Mae is an ''extremely'' good shot.

%%* {{Mascot}}: Crozier the guinea pig.

%%* SelfDeprecation: Othais doesn't take himself too seriously. Neither does Mark.

%%* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The "Making of..." [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xb0WrLii6M episode]] and the "Q&Arsenal" question-and-answer episode.
%%* SouthernFriedGenius: Othais, Mae, and Mark Novak, residents of South Carolina, all qualify.

%%* {{Unobtanium}}: How Othais described a [[RareGuns super-rare]] Romanian Mannlicher rifle.
%%* WallOfWeapons: Although many of them are simply on loan to Othais for the show.

''C&Rsenal'' began as a [[http://candrsenal.com/ firearms history blog]]. Its first Website/YouTube video, hosted by blogger-historians Othais and Mae, was uploaded on June 5, 2015. Appearing on alternate Tuesdays, each "Primer" episode presents a detailed examination of the development, design, dissasembly, and service history of a particular military weapon or series of weapons, including a live fire demonstration. Since the video series started as a partner channel to ''WebVideo/TheGreatWar, C&Rsenal'' is concentrating on military firearms used in World War I, but will eventually cover weapons from other conflicts and eras.

On February 7, 2017, ''C&Rsenal'' began a second series of episodes, "Anvil," in which gunsmith Mark Novak demonstrates techniques for repairing and restoring the vintage weapons seen on the show. These are posted on Tuesdays in the weeks between "Primer" episodes.

''C&Rsenal'' is supported in large part by donations to its [[https://www.patreon.com/CandRsenal Patreon account]].

!!"Hi, I'm Othaus and ''this'' is a list of tropes appearing on this channel."
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Othais
* BrutalHonesty: if Mae doesn't like something about a gun, she tells you.
* CoolGuns: most of the guns of the week fit this trope. Some are also RareGuns.
** {{BFG}}: the German "T-Gewher" antitank rifle.

** During the run of ''[[WebVideo/TheGreatWar Great War]],'' there was a series of episodes in which Othais and Indy showed and commented on the rifles and pistols of a particular warring nation.
** On November 28, 2017, the channel published [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KR8vzMBak a video conversation between Othais and Ian McCollum]] of ''WebVideo/ForgottenWeapons'' discussing how Othais's original archival research on the Air Service model of the Springfield M1903 rifle overturned the conventional wisdom regarding the intended role of the weapon. This led to [[https://youtu.be/d6ofO8MaIp4 a joint "Q&A" session]] and:
*** "Project Lightening," a collaboration between the two channels, beginning in February of 2019, on the topic of World War I light machine guns.
* DeadpanSnarker: Othais, who often engages in low-intensity SnarkToSnarkCombat with Mae.
* DisapprovingLook: Mae has a great one, which she uses on Othais if he gets too snarky.
* GunPorn
* ImprobableAimingSkills: Mae is an ''extremely'' good shot.
* KillAndReplace: As part of a skit parodying {{telenovela}}s with Crozier the guinea pig (as Guillermo) taking the place of his supposedly identical twin, Sir Raspberry, by eating him and taking over the family fortune.
* {{Mascot}}: Crozier the guinea pig.
** BlatantLies: "We are a serious historical firearms show, we don't have time for fuzzy little things running around on camera with us."

* OnceAnEpisode: each Primer follows a standard format:
** A short introductory narration over vintage photos or film clips, followed by the title sequence.
** Lightbox photos and basic statistics of the gun of the week.
** A detailed history of the weapon, its designers, and the company that made it.
** A look at the gun itself, including a 3-D animation of its inner workings and details of markings and serial numbers.
** A live-fire demonstration by Mae.
** The weapon's service history in World War I and afterward, including production totals.
** Finally, Mae reviews the ergonomics of the weapon, describes the experience of shooting it, and gives her opinion on whether or not she'd carry it into combat.
* OnlyOneName: Othais and Mae; averted with gunsmith Mark Novak.
* PunnyName: "[=C&Rsenal=]" is a play on "C&R," which is short for "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Firearms_License#Collectors_of_Curio_and_Relic_.28C.26R.29_Firearms curio and relic]]," a defined class of weapons in U.S. law. All of the guns shown on the channel (and the original website) fall into this classification.
* ReliablyUnreliableGuns: some of the guns of the week fit this trope; for example, the notoriously flawed [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uGYSQ_-FJU Canadian Ross rifle]] and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-qOEh_DwJR0 Italian Vetterli-Carcano,]] a black powder rifle converted to fire modern ammunition which the show accurately described as "very explody." (Both of the Vetterli-Carcanos they used to film the live fire segment blew up on them.)
* RunningGag: several

* SelfDeprecation: Othais doesn't take himself too seriously. Neither does Mark.
* ShownTheirWork: the channel runs on this trope.
** Othais is a thorough researcher, insists on having a reliable source for all the facts he presents, and tries in each video to cover everything he's learned in his research about the gun of the week. This attention to detail results in some epic-length installments: the episodes on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl51NVkt6Sg the British SMLE rifle]] and the [[https://youtu.be/oQAqNqaiQwY U.S. Krag-Jørgensen]] ran to an hour and forty minutes each, and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sn346sYXys two]]-[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXhpouvQ7SE part]] episode on Maxim machine guns clocks in just short of three hours.
*** Even though the SMLE is generally and justifiably considered one of the greatest bolt-action rifles ever made, it's not without its flaws, and Othais and Mae made sure to discuss these in a fair fashion.
** The show goes to great lengths to demonstrate the weapons being used as they were a century ago, even to the point of making their own rounds for guns that use rare or extinct cartridges.
*** In live-fire demonstrations, Mae shoots pistols one-handed ("fencing style") because that's how European troops of 100 years ago were trained to use them.
** Gunsmith Mark Novak gives guns borrowed from collectors a thorough inspection, and repairs any defects he finds, before they go out to the range. Some of this work is shown in "Anvil" episodes.
** When discussing the Springfield 1903 Air Service variant they were able to source, with assistance from another researcher, original cablegrams that prove the role it was meant for was as an air-to-air weapon fired by pilots at enemy aircraft instead of the generally accepted narrative of it being designed as a survival rifle for downed airmen.

* ShoutOut: To ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' via the War Were Declared RunningGag, a reference to a scene in which the characters are promised by a military recruiter that they could join the army, exploit the military discount to buy some gum, then turn around and quit the service, unless "war were declared," followed immediately by a siren indicating that "war were declared."
* SmallGirlBigGun: Mae is not a large woman. In [[https://youtu.be/_ovHGvT4f9k this video]], she shoots a German anti tank rifle that is about as long as she is tall.
* SomethingCompletelyDifferent: The "Making of..." [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xb0WrLii6M episode]] and the "Q&Arsenal" question-and-answer episode.
* SouthernFriedGenius: Othais, Mae, and Mark Novak, residents of South Carolina, all qualify.
* TeamSwitzerland: In 2020 travel issues caused by COVID 19 disrupted the intended World War 1 combat weapon schedule and forced the team to cover weapons from neutral powers, like Sweden and Switzerland, that never saw action in the Great War.
* {{Unobtanium}}: how Othais described a [[RareGuns super-rare]] Romanian Mannlicher rifle
* WallOfWeapons: Although many of them are simply on loan to Othais for the show.
* WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings: Othais frequently has to explain that he has to severely restrict in person fan interaction because of [[RecklessGunUsage firearms safety issues]] with people he doesn't know and the likelihood that Mae will attract a StalkerWithACrush.
** It was also mentioned that Ian from ''WebVideo/ForgottenWeapons'' frequently interacts with fans and has [[DoubleStandard never had]] [[LoonyFan these problems]].

* TeamSwitzerland: In 2020 travel issues caused by COVID 19 disrupted the intended WW1 combat weapon schedule and forced the team to cover weapons from neutral powers, like Sweden and Switzerland, that never saw action in the Great War.

[[caption-width-right:350:Othias and Mae and their WallOfWeapons]]

''C&Rsenal'' began as a [[http://candrsenal.com/ firearms history blog]]. Its first Website/YouTube video, hosted by blogger-historians Othias and Mae, was uploaded on June 5, 2015. Appearing on alternate Tuesdays, each "Primer" episode presents a detailed examination of the development, design, dissasembly, and service history of a particular military weapon or series of weapons, including a live fire demonstration. Since the video series started as a partner channel to ''WebVideo/TheGreatWar, C&Rsenal'' is concentrating on military firearms used in World War I, but will eventually cover weapons from other conflicts and eras.

!!"Hi, I'm Othias and ''this'' is a list of tropes appearing on this channel."
* AwesomeMcCoolname: Othias

** During the run of ''[[WebVideo/TheGreatWar Great War]],'' there was a series of episodes in which Othias and Indy showed and commented on the rifles and pistols of a particular warring nation.
** On November 28, 2017, the channel published [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KR8vzMBak a video conversation between Othias and Ian McCollum]] of ''WebVideo/ForgottenWeapons'' discussing how Othias's original archival research on the Air Service model of the Springfield M1903 rifle overturned the conventional wisdom regarding the intended role of the weapon. This led to [[https://youtu.be/d6ofO8MaIp4 a joint "Q&A" session]] and:

* DeadpanSnarker: Othias, who often engages in low-intensity SnarkToSnarkCombat with Mae.
* DisapprovingLook: Mae has a great one, which she uses on Othias if he gets too snarky.

* OnlyOneName: Othias and Mae; averted with gunsmith Mark Novak.

** Othias's "[[{{Tradesnark}} Patented]] Plastic Pokey-Hand," a swizzle stick that he uses as a pointer when showing the details of a weapon.
** The "WAR WERE DECLARED" video that plays [[https://youtu.be/vICOHvcyonY?t=22m9s when Othias's narrative gets to August of 1914]].
** Othias's many Southern-style euphemisms for the UsefulNotes/AmericanCivilWar (''e.g.'', "War of Southern Independence").
* SelfDeprecation: Othias doesn't take himself too seriously. Neither does Mark.

** Othias is a thorough researcher, insists on having a reliable source for all the facts he presents, and tries in each video to cover everything he's learned in his research about the gun of the week. This attention to detail results in some epic-length installments: the episodes on [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hl51NVkt6Sg the British SMLE rifle]] and the [[https://youtu.be/oQAqNqaiQwY U.S. Krag-Jørgensen]] ran to an hour and forty minutes each, and the [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sn346sYXys two]]-[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXhpouvQ7SE part]] episode on Maxim machine guns clocks in just short of three hours.
*** Even though the SMLE is generally and justifiably considered one of the greatest bolt-action rifles ever made, it's not without its flaws, and Othias and Mae made sure to discuss these in a fair fashion.

** In order to get a working example of [[https://youtu.be/M637KpEP1_E the Pedersen Device]], a never-issued "secret weapon" that converted a standard Springfield rifle into a semi-automatic carbine, Othias reverse-engineered some of the internal parts, and [[https://youtu.be/1PxPo8sFNEc Mark fabricated replacements]].

* SouthernFriedGenius: Othias, Mae, and Mark Novak, residents of South Carolina, all qualify.
* {{Unobtanium}}: how Othias described a [[RareGuns super-rare]] Romanian Mannlicher rifle
* WallOfWeapons: Although many of them are simply on loan to Othias for the show.
* WhyFandomCantHaveNiceThings: Othias frequently has to explain that he has to severely restrict in person fan interaction because of [[RecklessGunUsage firearms safety issues]] with people he doesn't know and the likelihood that Mae will attract a StalkerWithACrush.

* MsFanservice: {{Averted|Trope}}. Mae is certainly an attractive lady, but she's also an experienced shooter who is very knowledgable about historical firearms. She does the live-fire demonstrations in part because she's roughly the same height and weight as the average soldier in World War I. If a gun is awkward or cumbersome for her to use, it was probably just as awkward or cumbersome for the man it was originally issued to.

* HaveAGayOldTime: In [[https://youtu.be/TV_LhNIWNH8 this video]], Mae is dissatisfied with her grip on a pistol, and says "I'm not straight, that's a massive problem."

** The "[[MemeticMutation WAR WERE DECLARED]]" video that plays [[https://youtu.be/vICOHvcyonY?t=22m9s when Othias's narrative gets to August of 1914]].

''C&Rsenal'' began as a [[http://candrsenal.com/ firearms history blog]]. Its first Website/YouTube video, hosted by blogger-historians Othias and Mae, was uploaded on June 5, 2015. Appearing on alternate Tuesdays, each "Primer" episode presents a detailed examination of the development, design, dissasembly, and service history of a particular military weapon or series of weapons, including a live fire demonstration. As a partner channel to ''WebVideo/TheGreatWar, C&Rsenal'' is concentrating on military firearms used in World War I, but will eventually cover weapons from other conflicts and eras.

* CrossOver: an ongoing series of ''[[WebVideo/TheGreatWar Great War]]'' episodes in which Othias shows and comments on the rifles and pistols of a particular warring nation.
** Also, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8KR8vzMBak a video conversation between Othias and Ian McCollum]] of ''WebVideo/ForgottenWeapons'' discussing how Othias's original archival research on the Air Service model of the Springfield M1903 rifle overturned the conventional wisdom regarding the intended role of the weapon.