2025 - Forgotten Weapons

Hotchkiss Model 1886 3-pounder Quick Firing Gun

September 26, 2025 Ian McCollum 15

Small fast boats with torpedos (or other explosives) have always been a threat to large warships. One of the weapons the British Royal Navy adopted to counter that threat was the Hotchkiss Model 1886 “Quick […]

M1918A2 MOR: How to Make a Non-NFA BAR

September 24, 2025 Ian McCollum 18

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent firearms books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten Prior to 1986, Group Industries imported BAR parts kits and then manufactured and registered full-auto receivers for them. This produced transferrable guns which were […]

Where I Shop for Clothes & Gear (and why it’s Varusteleka)

September 23, 2025 Ian McCollum 4

I’ve been wearing Varusteleka clothing in my daily life and using their military kit for many years now, because t’swell made, high quality, and comfortable. They very much fit the Nordic stereotype of “buy once, […]

Hovea M44: Husqvarna Makes a Submachine Gun

September 22, 2025 Ian McCollum 7

The Hovea M44 was tested by the Danish and Swedish militaries in 1945, competing agains the Carl Gustaf M45. It was designed and produced by Husqvarna (yes, the chainsaw company) and just 10 of them […]

September 2025 Q&A: All About Battle Rifles

September 20, 2025 Ian McCollum 30

NATO Battle Rifles book: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle 00:30 – What is a “battle rifle”? 03:02 – What is the specific definition of “full power cartridge”? 07:59 – Will the US 6.8×51 lead to more widespread battle rifle […]

Prototype vz.38 “Nutcracker” in 9x19mm

September 19, 2025 Ian McCollum 19

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten The Czechoslovakian military adopted the vz.38 pistol as a simple blowback action chambered for .380 ACP (well, the Czech military version of .380 ACP). Other […]

FAMAS G1: Simplified for Export

September 17, 2025 Ian McCollum 22

The FAMAS G1 was developed as a lower-cost option for FAMAS export sales. The original F1 model had been offered for international sale, but it attracted little interest largely because of its high price. In […]

S.R.E.M.: Britain’s Experimental WW2 Bullpup Sniper

September 15, 2025 Ian McCollum 30

Want to know more about the S.R.E.M. and other British bullpup rifles? Check out Jonathan Ferguson’s book on this subject, “Thorneycroft to SA80”: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/bullpup-rifle-book The Sniper Rifle Experimental Model (S.R.E.M.) was designed by the “Czech […]

French Marine Commando 2-Gun: CETME-B & MAC-50

September 13, 2025 Ian McCollum 1

There is a well-documented incident of the French intercepting a couple hundred CETME-B rifles being smuggled to the FLN in Algeria, and putting them into service with the Marine Commandos. I managed to get a […]

Czechoslovakian Flare Pistols: vz 44/67 and vz 44/81

September 12, 2025 Ian McCollum 12

In 1951, Czechoslovakia received the technical data package for the Soviet SPSh flare pistol. This was a simple single shot break-action 26.5mm signal flare launcher, and they put it into production from 1952 through 1958. […]