2019 - Forgotten Weapons

How Does it Work: Blow Forward

May 28, 2019 Ian McCollum 32

The blow forward system has only bee used on three commercially-produced firearms: the Schwarzlose 1908, Hino-Komuro, and Mannlicher 1894 (The SIG AK-53 uses a forward barrel movement, but in conjunction with a locked breech). It […]

French NATO Standardization: the MAS 49-56 in 7.62mm

May 27, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! In the late 1950s, France was still part of the NATO integrated military structure. When the 7.62x51mm cartridge […]

Book Review: The US Rifle M14 – The Last Steel Warrior

May 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 2

The M14 rifle is a rather controversial arm in American military service. As Frank Iannamico’s title says, it was the last steel-and-wood infantry rifle to be adopted by the US military, and it has a […]

Shooting the HK21 Modular Machine Gun

May 25, 2019 Ian McCollum 21

The HK21 is a the belt-fed iteration of the H&K roller-delayed blowback mechanism. H&K built a wide range of firearms around that system, including submachine guns (MP5), rifles (HK33, HK91), precision rifles (PSG-1), and machine […]

France’s Final Battle Rifle Iteration: The MAS 49-56

May 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! While the development of the MAS 49 had given France a very utilitarian rifle that could serve as […]

Q&A 29: Galilean Sights and American AKs

May 23, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

The Kickstarter presale for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS, is still running, and you can still get an exclusive Kickstarter copy at a discounted price! Questions for today’s Q&A, as always, come from my Patrons, […]

Watchmaker’s Perfect Miniature MG08 Maxim

May 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 15

Today at the Kessler auction house in Kreuzlingen Switzerland, we are looking at an exquisitely made miniature model of an MG08 Maxim machine gun. This was probably made by a watchmaker in military service, but […]

How Does It Work: Direct Gas Impingement

May 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

Interested in small arms history? Make sure to pre-order a copy of my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866 – 2016! Direct gas impingement is an operating system that has been used only in […]

MAS 49: A Universal Service Rifle

May 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! As the MAS 44 saw combat service with French Marines in Indochina, some of its shortcomings began to […]

Book Review: The Dreyse Military Needle-Ignition System

May 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 7

Leonard and Guy A-R-West have released the second book in their series on antique military rifles, this time on the Dreyse system. As anyone interested in the Dreyse has probably already learned, there is very […]