2026 - Forgotten Weapons

Canadian No4 MkI(T) “Trade Pattern” Sniper w/ Lyman Alaskan

July 29, 2026 Ian McCollum 13

During World War Two, the Canadian military adopted the No4 MkI (T) Enfield as their standard sniper’s rifle, and placed an order for 441 of them from the Long Branch arsenal. However, after receiving just […]

Only for Algerian Terrorists: The Sola Super and Sola Leger SMGs

July 27, 2026 Ian McCollum 19

Sola (Société Luxembourgeoise d’Arms) was a company in Luxembourg that attempted to get into the arms business in the 1950s making simple, stamped 9mm open-bolt submachine guns. They produced two models, the Solar Super and […]

Aimpoint Square: An Ambitious Failed Prototype

July 24, 2026 Ian McCollum 6

Between 1990 and 1993, Aimpoint experimented with a red dot optics that was pretty ambitious on several fronts. It used a rectangular window to maximize field of view for hunting rifles and shotguns (this was […]

Silenced SOE Lugers: Setting Europe Aflame Before the Welrod

July 22, 2026 Ian McCollum 34

In the early days of World War Two, Britain had a branch of the SIS for sabotage operations, called Section D. It became part of Special Operations Executive in 1940, but in the early days […]

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

July 20, 2026 Ian McCollum 3

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 29

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 […]