2013 - Forgotten Weapons

M1918 BAR – First Variant Photos

August 14, 2013 Ian McCollum 30

The Browning Automatic Rifle, or BAR, was a staple of American infantry forces through WWII and the Korean War, and has an outstanding reputation today. The gun was originally developed in 1917 and first fielded […]

Recognizable Features

August 13, 2013 Ian McCollum 12

Identifying guns is a bit like learning a language. Once you understand enough different words, you become able to decipher the meanings of brand new ones by breaking down the syllables, figuring out their basic […]

Type 46 Siamese Mauser

August 12, 2013 Ian McCollum 28

Siam, now known as Thailand, was one of the few independent south Asian nations around the turn of the 20th century. Looking to modernize its military to protect against colonial imposition, is decided in 1903 […]

German 9mm Training MG

August 11, 2013 Ian McCollum 13

A while back we had an excellent guest article by Michael Heidler on the Haenel ZfG-38 training machine gun. Well, we also happen to have found a pretty detailed line drawing of another Haenel training […]

Vintage Saturday: Desert Watch

August 10, 2013 Ian McCollum 52

British soldiers manning a post somewhere in Palestine. The Lewis gunner is adjusting his sights, while his A-gunner is ready with a new magazine. Three men in the background looking at something else, and using […]

Breechloading Wheel Lock

August 9, 2013 Ian McCollum 17

I have some photos of a pretty cool firearm today, although alas I have very little information about it. It looks like a more or less typical wheel lock, missing several parts… On closer inspection, […]

Book Review: Rifles of the Snow

August 8, 2013 Ian McCollum 5

Today’s book is really more of a pamphlet than a proper book, but it still serves well given its purpose. It is Rifles of the Snow by Doug Bowser and Powers Dunaway, and it is […]

Recent Developments in Auto-Loaders (1922)

August 7, 2013 Ian McCollum 20

Today’s guest author is none other than Julian Hatcher – although he didn’t give me permission to use his article on account of having passed away 20 years before I was born. I was looking […]

Digging for WWII Relics

August 6, 2013 Ian McCollum 45

I expect this is a subject more familiar to our European readers than folks here in the US – the idea is tromping out to the sites of WWII skirmishes or battles with a shovel […]

George Wilson’s Prototype .45 Autopistol

August 5, 2013 Ian McCollum 13

George A. Wilson was a designer for the High Standard company, and also a competitive bullseye pistol shooter. Formal bullseye shooting requires the use of a .45 caliber pistol, and the 1911 really isn’t an […]