2016 - Forgotten Weapons

Techno Arms MAG-7 Shotgun: Shooting, History, & Disassembly

March 16, 2016 Ian McCollum 46

The MAG-7 is an unusual shotgun made in South Africa in the 1990s, and imported to the US in small numbers. The idea of the gun was to offer maximum firepower in the smallest package […]

The Sketchy AKs of the Libyan Civil War

March 15, 2016 Ian McCollum 41

Armament Research Services (ARES) has a database of Conflict Material (CONMAT), logging arms and munitions documented within the illicit sphere in conflict and post-conflict zones. I have been working on co-athoring a report with N.R. Jenzen-Jones covering Libyan […]

Today’s New Tech: Red Dot Handguns

March 14, 2016 Ian McCollum 75

https://youtu.be/U3ogBYjTQqk I am often asked what is the coolest new thing in firearms technology…and the answer isn’t anything having to do with the actual gun design. Our guns today are mechanically the same as they […]

James D. Julia: Experimental Muzzle Cover 1893 Mauser

March 13, 2016 Ian McCollum 16

(Note: this rifle was removed from the auction, so I have no link to provide for it) I have been unable to find any history on this particular rifle, which is an experimental mixture of […]

James D. Julia: Confederate Cofer Revolver

March 12, 2016 Ian McCollum 23

T.W. Cofer was a Virginian gunsmith who made revolvers for the Confederate cause during the Civil War – although he never had a formal contract with the CSA. His pistols were sold privately to individual […]

James D. Julia: Presentation Colt 1851 w/ Canteen Stock

March 11, 2016 Ian McCollum 10

One of the less common accessories for Colt percussion pistols is the original factory shoulder stock. And far less common still is the factory stock made with a canteen inside it! The stocks were made […]

James D. Julia: An Assortment of James Reid “My Friend” Knucklers

March 10, 2016 Ian McCollum 14

James Reid was a Catskills gunsmith who emigrated form Ireland by way of Scotland. He made a number of different revolvers, but is best known for his line of “My Friend” knuckleduster pepperboxes (or “knucklers”, […]

The Gun as Art: Tiffany Colts from Two Eras

March 9, 2016 Ian McCollum 12

The famous American jewelry company Tiffany & Co has a long history of offering decorative firearms, and today I’m looking at two of them. One is a cartridge conversion Colt from the 1870s, engraved by […]

James D. Julia: Polish wz.28 BAR Shooting, History, Disassembly

March 8, 2016 Ian McCollum 43

In the aftermath of WWI the newly-united Poland had a military equipped with a mishmash of leftover light machine guns, from Chauchats to MG 08/15s. They wanted to adopt a new standardized weapon, and trials […]

James D. Julia: Confederate Spiller & Burr Revolver (Presentation!)

March 7, 2016 Ian McCollum 13

The Spiller & Burr was a Confederate copy of the 1854 Whitney revolver, made in .36 caliber under contract to the CSA. As with so many Confederate arms projects, many thousands were promised and only […]