2017 - Forgotten Weapons

Winchester Lever Action Development: Model 1892

June 15, 2017 Ian McCollum 28

Rifle Carbine As the Model 1873 began to show its age, Winchester wanted a new rifle to take its place in the company catalog. Scaling down the Model 1886 to the pistol cartridges of the […]

Warner Infallible: An Optimistic Competitor to Savage and Colt

June 14, 2017 Ian McCollum 26

The Warner Arms Company was formed in (or around) 1911 to import and sell Schwarzlose 1908 blow forward pistols in the United States. It was run by Franklin Warner, who also operated a sporting goods […]

Winchester Lever Action Development: Model 1886

June 13, 2017 Ian McCollum 26

Saddle Ring Carbine Deluxe Rifle The Model 1886 was the first Winchester repeating rifle to improve on the original toggle locking system of the 1860 Henry, and it is also the first of John Moses […]

Mossberg 44US: A Cheaper Training Rifle for World War Two

June 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 38

As World War Two expanded to encompass the whole US economy, it became clear to the Army that some cost cutting measures would be required. One place that was a clear choice was in rimfire […]

Winchester Lever Action Development: Model 1876

June 11, 2017 Ian McCollum 20

Rifle NWMP Carbine While the Model 1873 was a very popular rifle, its pistol caliber cartridge did leave a segment of the market unaddressed. Winchester wanted a rifle that could chamber the larger and more […]

Rogak P18 – A Cautionary Tale of Manufacturing

June 10, 2017 Ian McCollum 80

The Rogak P18 was a copy of the Steyr GB service pistol, with some disagreement over whether it was unlicensed or just unfortunately made. Les Rogak was a Steyr distributor in Illinois who managed to […]

Winchester Lever Action Development: Model 1873

June 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 25

Musket Rifle Trapper Carbine With the Model of 1873, Winchester was able to address the major remaining weakness of the Henry and 1866 rifles – the cartridge. The 1873 was introduced in tandem with the […]

Bushmaster M17S – An American Commercial Bullpup

June 8, 2017 Ian McCollum 21

The M17S began as an Australian design by a man named Alex Hand, apparently intended for Australian military trials. It did not succeed in that effort, although the Australian military did adopt a bullpup rifle […]

Winchester Lever Action Development: Model 1866

June 7, 2017 Ian McCollum 11

While the Henry Repeating Rifle had been an serious leap forward in firearms capability, it was not without problems. The biggest single weakness of the Henry was its magazine. The tube magazine was open to […]

Winchester Lever Action Development: 1860 Henry

June 5, 2017 Ian McCollum 36

The Henry Repeating Rifle was a truly revolutionary development in firearms technology. It was not the first repeating rifle, but it was the best of a emerging class of new arms, reliable in function and […]