August, 2024 - Forgotten Weapons

Spanish JoLoAr One-Handed Pistol at the BUG Match

August 31, 2024 Ian McCollum 9

Today for the monthly BackUp Gun Match I am using a Spanish JoLoAr pistol in .380 ACP. It’s an interesting piece designed with a lever on the side that allows it to be cocked one-handed. […]

Estonian R20L DMR Clone at the Range

August 30, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

Today we are out at the range with a semiauto clone of the Estonian R20L “Rahe” designated marksman’s rifle. These rifles are based on the LMT MARS-H platform, with a few tweaks requested by the […]

Type 63: China Makes an AK/SKS Hybrid

August 28, 2024 Ian McCollum 21

Starting in 1960, China ran a program to develop an infantry rifle that would combine the accuracy of the SKS with the firepower of the AK. The result was the Type 63, which used the […]

wz.35: Poland’s Remarkably Misunderstood Antitank Rifle

August 26, 2024 Ian McCollum 19

Polish wz. 35 ATR by Leszek Erenfeicht In 1929 Maj. Tadeusz Felsztyn [TADEUSH FELSHTEEN], Scientific Director of the Central Shooting School in Torun (a chief firearms research and instruction institution in Poland between 1919 and […]

Estonian R20L Designated Marksman’s Rifle in 7.62x51mm

August 24, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

Alongside their new 5.56mm R20 infantry rifles, Estonia has recently adopted the LMT 7.62x51mm MARS-H as its new designated marksman’s rifle; the R20L. These rifles were part of a single rifle contract, with the vast […]

The Axe in Viking Age Iceland: Both Weapon and Tool

August 23, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

While I was in Iceland, I had an opportunity to visit the National Museum of Iceland and take a look at a couple of historic axes found on the island. Since these are really outside […]

H&K USC: Civilian Version of the UMP Submachine Gun

August 21, 2024 Ian McCollum 26

Heckler & Koch introduced the UMP submachine gun as a successor to the MP5, with a particular focus on American law enforcement agencies (hence its initial development in .45 ACP). The UMP never has come […]

WF-54: The Swiss FG-42 Scaled up to 7.5×55

August 19, 2024 Ian McCollum 20

After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and […]

Welrod .32 at the Range: British SOE’s Silent Assassin’s Pistol

August 17, 2024 Ian McCollum 25

I had the chance to take a .32ACP Welrod MkII out to the range for a bit of shooting. These use a combination of baffles and rubber wipes, and the suppressor’s effectiveness quickly drops from […]

CZ’s New P09 Nocturne: DA/SA Polymer Frame Now With Optics

August 16, 2024 Ian McCollum 32

CZ has just released their new P09 Nocturne pistols, an update to the previous P07/P09 pairing. These guns fundamentally go back to the classic CZ-75. While that was (and still is) a very popular design, […]