May, 2015 - Forgotten Weapons

Mannlicher 1885 Semiauto Rifle

May 6, 2015 Ian McCollum 21

Ferdinand von Mannlicher’s Model 1885 self-loading rifle design as a failure, never seeing anything even resembling mass production. However, it was a failure which in many way set the stage for a huge number of […]

Aberdeen Proving Grounds Tests the Madsen in 7mm and 20mm

May 5, 2015 Ian McCollum 5

In October of 1940, the US proving ground at Aberdeen, Maryland conducted testing of both the Madsen light machine gun (in 7mm caliber) and the Madsen anti-tank/anti-aircraft cannon in 20mm. On November 8th it published […]

Schwarzlose 1898 Pistol (Video)

May 4, 2015 Ian McCollum 37

The model 1898 Schwarzlose was a self loading pistol definitely ahead of its time. It was simple, powerful (for the period; it was chambered for 7.63mm Mauser), and remarkably ergonomic. It used a short recoil, […]

Walther G41 and G43 in the 2-Gun Action Challenge Match

May 3, 2015 Ian McCollum 9

I decided to bring back my Walther G41 for the April 2-Gun match, this time with a reproduction ZF-41 scope mounted on it. My G41 is a bit unusual in that it was originally made […]

Vintage Saturday: Commando, Eh?

May 2, 2015 Ian McCollum 42

Canadian Commando with a Lanchester SMG. It wasn’t only the Japanese who put huge bayonets on subguns! I do wonder how awkward it would get to use Lanchester mags, with their 50-round capacity. Notice the […]

Experimental AK Muzzle Brakes

May 1, 2015 Ian McCollum 24

In 1950, early in the days of AK development, there was some experimentation done with muzzle brakes, in an effort to reduce muzzle climb and improve accuracy (as well as full-auto controllability, I expect). From […]