July, 2026 - Forgotten Weapons

Prototype SAKO Boy’s Rifle Version of the m/39

July 20, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

My Finnish guns book “Forged in Snow” is available for preorder here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/forged-in-snow In 1944, SAKO made two prototype boy’s rifles. They were intended to be used by essentially Boy Scout type organizations for both […]

Testing 9×39 SP6 AP Ammo Against Body Armor

July 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 28

Today I have a chance to test out a couple rounds of SP6 armor-piercing 9x39mm ammo, using an ex-Russian AS Val rifle. First I’ll try an MNIJ Level 3A soft vest, which is rated for […]

That Fine Line Between Smuggling and Legal Trade: Anecdotes from Val Forgett

July 15, 2026 Ian McCollum 1

Dealing in firearms internationally is a trade scrutinized pretty closely by governments, and its practitioners can often end up acting as agents for government priorities, and also victims of said priorities changing. Val Forgett of […]

How the USS New Jersey’s 16-Inch Guns Work: Top to Bottom

July 13, 2026 Ian McCollum 16

Join World of Warships today to and use invite code USA250 to get your free rewards: https://wo.ws/FW I had a chance to spend some time on the USS New Jersey, today docked in Camden NJ […]

Train Company Makes Guns: Union Switch & Signal M1911A1

July 11, 2026 Ian McCollum 3

Of the five companies that made 1911 pistols during World War Two, Union Switch & Signal was the last to be awarded a contract and the smallest mass production producer. A subsidiary of the Westinghouse […]

How to Make Reproduction Guns (And How Not To)

July 10, 2026 Ian McCollum 16

Since I continue to get a lot of questions about reproductions, I figured I’d devote today’s video to looking at different elements that go into producing a reproduction firearms. Why some work out and some […]

AS Val: The Soviet 9x39mm Silent Assault Rifle

July 8, 2026 Ian McCollum 11

The AS (Special Assault rifle) Val was one of two dedicated silenced rifles developed in Russia in the 1980s. The Val was intended for assault use with full auto firing, while the VSS (Special Sniper […]

Russian Current Service Pistol: the PYa / MP443 Grach / MP446C Viking

July 6, 2026 Ian McCollum 45

The current Russian service pistol is the PYa, or MP-443 “Grach”, and it is (or was) made for civilian sales as the Baikal MP-446C “Viking”. The gun was adopted by the Russian Federation to replace […]

From the .50 M2 to the Mk7 16 Inch Turrets: All the Guns of the USS New Jersey

July 4, 2026 Ian McCollum 4

I had a chance to spend some time on the USS New Jersey, today docked in Camden NJ as a public museum ship. Today we are going to go through all of the weapons systems […]

MAT 54 SB: A Semiautomatic SMG for Banks and Cash Trucks

July 3, 2026 Ian McCollum 4

The MAT 54 SB is a variation of the MAT 49/54, which was in turn the police model of the French MAT 49 submachine gun. Chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, it uses MAT 49 magazines and […]