2026 - Forgotten Weapons

A WW2 German Mystery: Knorr Bremse FG42 Prototype?

August 24, 2026 Ian McCollum 4

This is really a mystery rifle, or half of a mystery rifle. It is part of the collection at Springfield Armory National Historic Site, but its exact provenance from World War Two is not recorded. […]

The Very First FAL Prototype (in 8mm Kurz)

August 22, 2026 Ian McCollum 17

Dieudonne Saive at Fabrique Nationale began developing the FAL to submit for the British post-war program to adopt new small arms. He built the first example in the German 8x33mm Kurz cartridge, as this was […]

MG51: When the Swiss Make an MG42

August 19, 2026 Ian McCollum 21

When Switzerland decided to adopt a modern universal machine gun toe replace both the MG11 Maxim and the LMG25, both SIG and Waffenfabrik Bern used the German MG42 as a starting point. W+F Bern was […]

Authentic Custom Tiger Stripe From Vietnam: Short-Shorts to Tuxedos

August 18, 2026 Ian McCollum 0

Reserve your copy of “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=6oc7ul Today I am talking to Owen Thornton about the huge variety of custom tiger stripe garments made in Vietnam. Local tailor […]

Colt’s Vietnam Prototype AK/M16 Hybrid: the Model 703

August 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 16

“From Hartford to Vietnam” is available here for preorder: Or you can find it bundled with “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=3b3v8y The Model 703 was an experimental project at Colt which […]

CISO Prototype Suit #1: America’s First Tiger Stripe Camo

August 15, 2026 Ian McCollum 0

Reserve your copy of “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=2fdyem Tiger stripe camouflage was initially developed by the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps, and adopted by early US advisors in-country. As […]

US Type 1 Fencing Bayonet Made From Whale Tooth (Baleen)

August 14, 2026 Ian McCollum 10

In 1852-53, the Watervliet Arsenal in New York produced 1,500 fencing bayonets for the West Point Academy. These were made for practicing bayonet fencing with live opponents without risk of injury. They were comprised of […]

Road to Finnish Brutality 2026: My Guns & Kit

August 13, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

Tune in to watch Finnish Brutality 2026 live for free this weekend, August 15/16: https://twitch.tv/varusteleka https://varusteleka.com/en/blogs/events/finnish-brutality This year for Finnish Brutality I am shooting in Armored division, with a 7.62x39mm Stenzel SAK-21 as my rifle […]

The FAMASenning: All the FAMAS from Airsoft to Centerfire

August 12, 2026 Ian McCollum 4

The military FAMAS has spawned several clones, and we are taking a look at each one of them today. First up is the Cybergun AEG airsoft FAMAS – a normal commercial production piece, but this […]

Tiger Stripe Camouflage Pattern Book

August 11, 2026 Ian McCollum 0

The tiger stripe pattern book is now available as an add-on item: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=1n4exq This color swatch style reference tool has about 180 different tiger stripe and related camouflage patterns, for awesome handy reference! Now available […]