Light MGs
USMC Johnson LMG at the Range
The Johnson LMG was adopted by the US Marine Corps for specialist units like Paramarines and Raiders, and saw use in some of the fiercest island campaign of the Pacific (in addition to use in […]
Year: 2022
Accessories
Forgotten Web Gear: Johnson LMG Magazine Backpack
While the Johnson LMG was issued in limited quantities throughout World War Two, notably to Marine Raiders, Paramarines, and the 1st Special Service Force, the US never issued web gear made for its uniquely-sized magazines. […]
Submachine Guns
Late-Production Degtyarev PPD 34/38 at the Range
A crash program to produce the PPD 34/38 after the initial battles of the Winter War, even as the improved PPD 40 was being rapidly developed. These are very rare gun today, and we have […]
Submachine Guns
The Soviet Union Adopts an SMG: Degtyarev’s PPD-34/38
The Soviet Union adopted its first submachine gun in 1935 after trials of some 14 different design in 1932/33. The winner of the trials was Vasily Degtyarev, once of the Soviet Union’s most prolific firearms […]
Light MGs
Colt Model 621: An Attempt at an AR-Style Export SAW
During the 1970s and 1980s, Colt wanted to sell not just standard M16 rifle and CAR-15 carbines to foreign military customers, but also wanted to supply support weapons. They put together the Model 621, aka […]
Antiques
Older Gun With Newer Ammo: A Centerfire Winchester 1866
The Winchester 1866 was chambered for the .44 Henry rimfire cartridge, like the Henry rifle before it. Before too long, however, centerfire ammunition began to take over as the best and most common type of […]
Semiauto Rifles
Valmet M76: Finland’s Stamped Receiver AK
Finland adopted the AK in 1962, as the m/62 – a milled receiver pattern. By the late 1960s the Valmet factory was experimenting with stamped receiver design to reduce costs. The first stamped Valmet rifle […]
Conversion
Evolving the Cheek Pistol Concept: Calico M950
I have found the “cheek pistol” concept form Rhett Neumayer at Demonstrated Concepts to be pretty interesting. When I was thinking about what pistol designs might be suitable for this sort of use, the Calico […]
Semiauto pistol
My Favorite Chinese Warlord Pistol: the Luger Grip Type
“Pistols of the Warlords” is available and shopping now from Headstamp Publishing: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/chinese-pistols My favorite pattern of domestic Chinese pistol form he Warlord Era is the one I have termed the “Luger Grip Type”. The […]
Video
Something Completely Different: Ian Tries Hákarl; Icelandic Fermented Shark
On my recent trip to Finland for Finnish Brutality, I spent a few days first in Iceland, with my friend Dr. Jackson Crawford (https://www.youtube.com/c/JacksonCrawford/). Some Icelandic gun videos are coming, but we also took a […]