Ian McCollum - Forgotten Weapons

Why Antitank Rifles Were Not Sniper Rifles

January 23, 2020 Ian McCollum 42

When talking about antitank rifles, I often hear people ask why such things were not fitted with telescopic sights and used as snipers’ rifles. So today, I figured I’d take a few minutes to explain […]

MAT 49-54 Police Submachine Gun

January 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

After the adoption of the MAT 49 as the standard French military submachine gun, elements of the French security services also adopted it to replace the 7.65mm MAS 38 submachine guns. These included the Paris […]

Q&A #37: FNs in Korea and Suomis in Denmark (and more)

January 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 53

0:00:21 – Do I only drink Scotch? 0:02:03 – Belgian semiauto rifle at Chosin Reservoir? 0:03:54 – Do patent laws improve firearms design? 0:05:49 – Who do I like when I read fiction? 0:06:14 – […]

Real, Reworked, or Faked? Authenticating a C96 Mauser

January 20, 2020 Ian McCollum 17

When you get into expensive historical firearms, values begin to diverge significantly for guns in particularly good condition. This, naturally, leads some people to take poor quality guns and make them better. Sometimes this is […]

Ians Top 5 SMGs

January 18, 2020 Ian McCollum 74

One of the questions I got for this month’s Q&A was, “what are your favorite submachine guns?” Well, I figured that would be a good idea for a standalone video instead of just a Q&A […]

Star Z45: Spain’s Improved MP40 Submachine Gun

January 17, 2020 Ian McCollum 33

The Z45 was a submachine gun designed during World War Two by the Start firm in Eibar, Spain for export sale to Germany as well as domestic Spanish use. It was heavily based on the […]

SdKfz 2 Kettenkrad: Germany’s Halftrack Motorcycle

January 16, 2020 Ian McCollum 39

The Sd.Kfz. 2 Kettenkraftrad (aka Kettenrad) is a deliciously German sort of vehicle, a small utility tractor made with a pair of treads and motorcycle front wheel. It was powered by a 4 cylinder Opel […]

Post-War Paris Police MAS 38 Variation

January 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

At the end of World War Two, the Paris Police decided that they needed a few different features on a police submachine gun than the then-standard MAS 38 offered. A few hundred were converted to […]

Book Review: Browning Auto-5 Shotguns

January 14, 2020 Ian McCollum 11

I am normally more interested in military small arms than sporting ones, but the Browning Auto-5 is such an important firearm that it deserves the recognition of and proper small arms enthusiast. It was not […]

Overview of Danish Schouboe .45 & .32 Caliber Pistols

January 13, 2020 Ian McCollum 35

In 1903, Danish engineer Jens Schouboe began developing an automatic pistol for the Dansk Rekylriffel Syndikat in Copenhagen (later to become the Madsen company). He made the guns in both .32ACP and also in a […]