2026 - Forgotten Weapons

Bannerman, the Father of Gun Collecting: Tales from the Golden Age of Surplus

February 11, 2026 Ian McCollum 7

Francis Bannerman is really the father of the modern military surplus industry, and in many ways a father of gun collecting as we know it today. Before Bannerman, “gun collecting” was generally something for the […]

Which Customer Are You? (w/ Mike Branson of Gideon Optics)

February 9, 2026 Ian McCollum 1

Suit from Grayman & Co: https://grayman.co Today I’m speaking with Mike Branson from Gideon Optics at SHOT Show 2026 about what he sees in the industry. Specifically, the three categories that customers fall into…

The Real Deal: My New Mexico Public-Land Elk Hunt

February 7, 2026 Ian McCollum 7

Interested in learning how to source your own meat, from field to table? Outdoor Solutions has a bunch of classes running: https://www.fromfieldtotable.com This past December I met up with my friends Greg Ray and Chef […]

Reproduction GX-607 and XM-177 Moderators: Do They Work?

February 6, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

When the first carbine variants of the AR-15 were developed by Colt (the Model 607 initially, and later the XM-177E1 and XM-177E2), one of the complaints was that they were painfully loud. This should not […]

Coenders’ Bolt-Less Last Ditch Bolt Action Rifle

February 4, 2026 Ian McCollum 106

When the German Army tested last-ditch Volkssturm rifles late in World War Two, one of the particularly obscure submissions was August Coenders’ Coenders-Rochling Volkssturmkarabiner. This was a bowl action rifle chambered for 8mm Mauser with […]

Cordova Estandar: Colombia’s Domestic Service Pistol

February 2, 2026 Ian McCollum 18

Javier Traba Pistolas: https://www.youtube.com/@TrabaPistolas/videos When the Colombian government wanted a locally produced service pistol for its military and security services, it turned to Indumil – the government-owned small arms factory. Indumil already had a license […]

How Guns are Made: Tolerances, Methods, and Metallurgy (Q&A January 2026)

January 30, 2026 Ian McCollum 24

Today’s Q&A is sponsored by Kyrö – get 10% off all their spirits with code FORGOTTENGIN10 at: https://www.kyrodistillery.com 0:02:41 – Could the US scale up small arms production to wartime mass levels? 0:08:57 – How […]

Ross 1912 Cadet: Straight Pull .22 Rimfire Training Rifle

January 28, 2026 Ian McCollum 7

The Ross model 1912 Cadet rifle was introduced in 1912 as a diminutive rimfire companion to the 1905 and 1910 military Ross rifles. It was a single-shot straight pull rifle, with a somewhat unusual locking […]

Book Review: Vickers Guide to H&K Volume 4: Rifles & Machine Guns (and more)

January 27, 2026 Ian McCollum 0

Available directly from Vickers Guide: https://www.vickersguide.com/purchase/heckler-koch-vol-4-standard The fourth and final volume of the Vickers Guide to Heckler & Koch covers the post-roller-delayed long guns made by H&K. This begins with the G11, and then the […]

Roller Locked Czechnology: the CZ 482 Pistol (Which Eventually Became the vz.52)

January 26, 2026 Ian McCollum 9

The Czech vz.52 service pistol actually began as a commercial export program at CZ. It was developed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl. They actually designed two pistols with similar shape and controls, one […]