2016 - Forgotten Weapons

RIA: Mauser Model 1878 “Zig-Zag” Revolvers (Video)

August 25, 2016 Ian McCollum 44

After making their big break with the adoption of the Model 1871 Mauser rifle by the newly unified German government, the Mauser brothers, took a shot at getting the handgun contract for the military as […]

RIA: Prototype Mauser HSv Pistols (Video)

August 24, 2016 Ian McCollum 35

When the German military finally could no longer tolerate the expense of the P.08 Luger in the late 1930s, they held a trial of possible replacements. The three main entrants were BSW with a gas-operated […]

RIA: Ethiopian ZH29 and Czech Experimental Z37

August 23, 2016 Ian McCollum 31

The ZH-29 was an influential early semiautomatic military rifle, although not one that saw any significant adoption. As best I can tell, only two countries purchased them in any quantity: China and Ethiopia. This ZH-29 […]

RIA: Prototype W+F Bern AK44 Copy of the SVT

August 22, 2016 Ian McCollum 45

The Swiss factories of SIG and W+F Bern both produced a remarkable number and variety of experimental self-loading rifles in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Nothing would be adopted by the Swiss military until […]

RIA: Strange Unique European Revolver

August 21, 2016 Ian McCollum 37

With no markings or provenance at all, the origins of this revolver are a mystery. Its features all point to the 1880s or 1890s, and someone clearly spent a lot of time working on it […]

GX vs GY: What Are the Differences in Pedersen’s Garands?

August 20, 2016 Ian McCollum 24

In a last hopeful attempt to get a rifle adopted and produced for the US military, John Pedersen designed his own copy of the M1 Garand rifle in the late 1930s (approximately 1939). His toggle-locked […]

RIA: Colt 1907 Trials Pistol

August 19, 2016 Ian McCollum 34

The Colt 1907 was one of the significant developmental iterations of the design that would eventually be adopted as the Model 1911 by the US military. This pistol began as John Browning’s Model 1900 in […]

RIA: CheyTec M200 Intervention

August 18, 2016 Ian McCollum 39

The CheyTac M200 Intervention is a massive precision rifle chambered for the .408 CheyTac cartridge (although it can also be had in .375 CheyTac). It uses an action made by EDM Arms, and is capable […]

RIA: Prototype Gustloff 206 Rifle

August 17, 2016 Ian McCollum 49

German arms development during World War II was quite the chaotic mess, in many ways. While it is not uncommon for different service branches to have independent procurement systems, in fascist-era Germany this was coupled […]

RIA: Real vs “Fake” Wheellocks – What is “Fake”, Anyway?

August 16, 2016 Ian McCollum 27

When someone makes a “fake” historical gun, they can do so with the intent to deceive or be up-front with the gun’s new manufacture. Those acknowledged reproductions are a great option to have – guns […]