2019 - Forgotten Weapons

John Browning vs Hiram Maxim: Patent Fight!

September 25, 2019 Ian McCollum 19

When John Browning designed his Model 1895 machine gun with it’s rotary-lever gas operation system, Hiram Maxim filed suit claiming patent infringement. Maxim had filed quite broad patents covering gas pistons operation, but specifically in […]

Forgotten History: Violent Jewish Resistance to the Holocaust

September 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 38

I wrote this paper back in 2003 or 2004 for a college class I was taking (HIST 595 – The Holocaust And Genocide). Today, it sounds a bit amateurish – but I suppose that is […]

Steyr Model 1911 Semiautomatic Trials Rifles

September 23, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

In 1909, the Austro-Hungarian Empire announced a desire to find a new semiautomatic military rifle, and requested proposals from arms manufacturers. Six rifles were submitted to the resulting trials in 1911, including this model from […]

Book Review: Flayderman’s Guide to Antique American Firearms

September 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 5

Norm Flayderman opened an antique gun shop in 1952, and a few years later expanded his marketing to a mail-order catalog. He would ultimately print 119 such catalogs by 1998, researching and documenting a tremendous […]

Quick Look at a 37mm Maxim “Pompom” Automatic Cannon

September 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 25

This Vickers, Sons & Maxim 37mm MkIII “Pompom” is on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The MkIII pattern is quite scarce, with less than one hundred ever made. It is built around […]

Sterling Meets Owen: The Australian F1 Submachine Gun

September 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 28

The Australian Owen submachine gun was once of the best overall SMG designs of the Second World War, and when Australia decided to replace them in the 1960s, the new F1 design have big shoes […]

Arsenals of History 2019: Guns in Video Games

September 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

Arsenals of History is an annual symposium of firearms museum, and met this year at the newly renovated Cody Firearms Museum. The theme of this year’s symposium was social media and museums. This presentation was […]

Britain’s Tubeless WW1 Sniper Optics: Martin Galilean Sight

September 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

When Britain entered the First World War, it had no formal sniper program. Germany was the first combatant to train and utilize snipers, and their effectiveness quickly convinced the British military that a similar program […]

Q&A #33: It’s All Compromises

September 17, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Time for another monthly Q&A! 00:18 – Guns that exceeded and fell short of my expectations? 03:14 – Why did the US keep the 1903 instead of the 1917 after WW1? 04:59 – Bren guns […]

Ecia Model 1930 Family: Competitors to the Astra

September 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 10

Juan Esperanza was one of the two partners who formed the Astra company (with Pedro Unceta). When the two had a falling-out in 1925 and parted ways, Esperanza formed his own company and went on […]