2019 - Forgotten Weapons

Walther Experimental Hybrid Olympia/Woodsman

July 17, 2019 Ian McCollum 5

In the early 1930s, Walther began to experiment with changes to its Olympia target pistol in hopes of beating the Colt Woodsman out of its place as the most popular pistol of the type. The […]

Overview of Estonian Gun Laws

July 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 12

Today I am joined by an Estonian collector friend to discuss gun laws in Estonia. This a continuing series on gun laws in different countries around the world, and is intended to be an overview […]

Larry Vickers’ Delta Force Colt 723 Carbine

July 15, 2019 Ian McCollum 18

Today I’m with Larry Vickers, taking a look at the recreation of his Delta Force Colt 723 carbine – the rifle he used at Modelo Prison in Panama and in Desert Storm hunting for SCUD […]

Book Review: History of the Mauser Rifle in Chile, by David Nielsen

July 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 3

David Nielsen’s newly released book on Chilean Mauser rifles is a tremendous piece of academic work – which is both good and bad. It is 192 pages dedicated to the testing and procurement of the […]

Some Brief Shooting with a SIG 553R

July 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

Some of my last footage from my trip to Switzerland last year; a bit of shooting with a SIG 553R. This is the model in 7.62x39mm, and the guns here are set up with 3-round […]

P7M7: The Mythical Lost .45 ACP H&K

July 12, 2019 Ian McCollum 27

The P7 was one of the most interesting and original handgun designs of the last few decades. Originally created for West German police trials, it was chambered in 9x19mm. As it became popular beyond Germany, […]

How Does It Work: Lever Delayed Blowback

July 11, 2019 Ian McCollum 40

Lever-delayed blowback is a relatively uncommon action system, although it is applicable to a wide variety fo firearms and has been successfully used in submachine guns, rifles, and light machine guns. It uses a principle […]

Toolroom Prototype .32 ACP Walther Olympia

July 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

In the late 1930s, Walther experimented with the idea of an Olympia target pistol in .32 ACP. They used the frame from a 1936 pattern standard (.22LR) Olympia with a .32 caliber barrel, increased mass […]

History of the PK, PKM, and Pecheneg w/ Max Popenker

July 9, 2019 Ian McCollum 25

I’m happy to be joined once again by Russian small arms historian Max Popenker, for a discussion of the development of the Kalashnikov PK machine gun. This is universally regarded as one of the best […]

German-Capture 1910 Russian Maxim in 8×57

July 8, 2019 Ian McCollum 9

This is a very interesting WW1 heavy machine gun. It is a Russian M1910 Maxim that was repaired at some point using the brass jacket from a 1905 Russian Maxim. This may have been done […]