2024 - Forgotten Weapons

Romania Copies the Jericho: Cugir Models 95 & 98

May 10, 2024 Ian McCollum 17

By the end of communism in Romania in 1989, the standard service pistols for the army and police were still the old Tokarevs and the Cugir Model 74 “Carpați” Walther PP copy. These were obviously […]

Hungarian Blast Machine: AMD-65 at the Range

May 9, 2024 Ian McCollum 15

“Rifles on the Danube” Kickstarter is live! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/rifles-on-the-danube?ref=ewy77i Today I took my AMD-65 out to the range. I’ve shot regular AKMs with AMD muzzle brakes, but never had the chance to try the AMD-65 in […]

Tanegashima: Guns of the Samurai

May 8, 2024 Ian McCollum 9

The first Japanese exposure to firearms came from Portuguese traders in 1534, as the southern Japanese island of Tanegashima. They received a matchlock, and quickly recognized its utility and potential – within 10 years matchlocks […]

Researching Hungarian Kalashnikovs: Interview with László Becz

May 7, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

Rifles on the Danube: Hungarian Kalashnikov Firearms 1959-2002 is available now on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/rifles-on-the-danube?ref=ezuyuv Nic Jenzen-Jones, Director of Research for Headstamp Publishing, spent some time in Budapest speaking with László Becz, author of “Rifles on […]

MG08: The Devil’s Paintbrush

May 6, 2024 Ian McCollum 16

The MG08 was the German Army standard Maxim gun in World War One. The Germany Navy adopted the Maxim first in 1894, followed by the Army in 1899, then a new pattern in 1901, and […]

Rupertus Pepperbox: A Sophisticated 8-Shot Rimfire Pocket Gun

May 5, 2024 Ian McCollum 5

The Rupertus Patent Pistol Manufacturing Company was founded in Philadelphia by Bavarian-born Jacob Rupertus. The company made a variety of derringers, pepperboxes, and revolvers and today we are looking at an 8-shot, .22 rimfire pepperbox […]

.30-06 M1918 American Chauchat – Doughboys Go to France

May 4, 2024 Ian McCollum 28

When the US entered World War One, the country had a grand total of 1,453 machine guns, split between 4 different models. This was not a useful inventory to equip even a single division headed […]

AMD-65: The Specialist’s AK Turns Standard-Issue

May 3, 2024 Ian McCollum 25

Get your copy of “Rifles On The Danube” today! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/rifles-on-the-danube?ref=84e865 The Hungarian AMD-65 (Automata Módosított Deszantfegyver – “Modified Paratrooper Automatic Rifle”) was requested first in 1964 because the standard AKM-63 rifles in Hungarian service were […]

Rifles on the Danube: Hungarian Kalashnikovs – Headstamp’s New Book!

May 2, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/rifles-on-the-danube?ref=1c2u2e Rifles on the Danube:  Hungarian AK-Pattern Firearms, 1959–2002 At the end of the Second World War, Hungary was occupied by Soviet troops and soon fell into the Soviet sphere of influence, joining the Warsaw […]

Madsen M50: From the Korean War to Star Trek

May 1, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

During World War Two, Madsen (DISA) manufactured a licensed copy of the Finnish Suomi (see: https://youtu.be/hjs1uiAIpNQ). When the war ended, they wanted to replace this with a more modern, inexpensive design of their own. The […]