2020 - Forgotten Weapons

Luxembourg Model 1884 Gendarmerie Nagant

June 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 27

The military of Luxembourg chose to purchase Nagant revolvers in the 1880s, and they got three different models. The most interesting of these was the Model 1884 for the Gendarmerie, which was chambered for the […]

Berthier with a Chauchat Magazine at the Range

June 13, 2020 Ian McCollum 30

Today I am out at the range to put the first shots through a completed replica of the French Chauchat-magazine Berthier conversion. The real versions of these guns were made on Mle 1890 cavalry carbines […]

Walther Q5 “Arabesque”: Art in the Form of a Match Pistol

June 12, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

Engraved pistols are not just the domain of antiques; they are being made right now, on the most modern platforms. This is the “Arabesque”, a project between Walther and Bottega Incisioni Giovanelli. The base gun […]

Restoring Sporterized Military Rifles for Fun and…Probably not Profit

June 11, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

I get a fair number of questions about restoring sporterized rifles, so I figured I should address them in a stand-alone video…

M44L: The Experimental Midlength Folding-Bayonet Mosin Nagant

June 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

Courtesy of The Mosin Crate, we have a Soviet “M44L” today. This was an intermediate length (24 inch barrel) pattern of the Mosin Nagant rifle with an M44-style permanently attached folding spike bayonet. Developed in […]

M91/41: A Step Back From the M38 and the Last Carcano

June 9, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

In my opinion, the M38 Carcano as a very insightfully designed infantry rifle for World War Two, acknowledging the real-world use conditions of such weapons. With the M91/41 (aka M41), Italy took a step back […]

FN 1900 for the Russian Imperial Army Fencing & Gymnastics School

June 8, 2020 Ian McCollum 11

We have an FN 1900 to look at today that was purchased by the Russian Imperial Army’s primary Gymnastics and Fencing School (Главная гимнастическо-фехтовальная школа). That was an institution established in 1909 to train officers […]

Adventures in Surplus: Yugoslav M48 Mauser

June 6, 2020 Ian McCollum 33

Today is a look at a Yugoslav M48 Mauser. This was the standardized model that Yugoslavia adopted to replace its assortment of repaired and rebuild older Mauser rifles in the aftermath of World War Two. […]

Adventures in Surplus: Mid-war “CE44” German Kar 98k

June 5, 2020 Ian McCollum 29

Today’s rifle is a German Karabiner 98k, made by JP Sauer in 1944 and marked with the appropriate receiver code, “ce”. This is from the final year of JP Sauer production of the K98k, before […]

French FR-F1 Sniper Rifle at the Range

June 4, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

The FR-F1 was adopted in 1967 as the French Army’s marksman or sniper’s rifle. It was based roughly on the MAS-36 bolt action system, but with a heavier receiver and 10-round detachable box magazine. It […]