Ian McCollum - Forgotten Weapons

Book Review: Chassepot to FAMAS – French Military Rifles 1866-2016

March 12, 2020 Ian McCollum 27

I am very excited to finally be able to formally present to you Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! After about 3 years of work, it’s finally here and shipping. My goal with this […]

Canadian Ross MkIII Sniper Rifle with Warney & Swasey Scope

March 11, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

The Canadian infantry that went to Europe in the early years of World Wa rOne were equipped primarily with the Ross MkIII rifle. The Ross would become quite the scandal, and was replaced in service […]

How Does It Work: Roller Locking

March 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 48

Roller locking is a system that is not used in many guns and often confused with roller-delayed blowback – which is understandable, given the similarities between the systems. Roller locking is really a sub-type of […]

Military Trials Beretta 34 – Can You Make it More Walther?

March 9, 2020 Ian McCollum 20

When the Italian military was looking for a new sidearm in the early 1930s, they really liked the pistol submitted by Beretta – but they also really liked the Walther PP. During the development process, […]

FAMAS PGMP w/ EOTech in a Team 2-Gun Match

March 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 23

My book is now in stock and shipping! Order your copy today! The PGMP (Poignée Garde-Main Polyvalente) handguard assembly is the original modification to allow mounting of optics to the FAMAS rifle. The FAMAS handguard […]

H&K UMP: An H&K SMG Made for .40 and .45

March 6, 2020 Ian McCollum 26

H&K introduced the UMP (universal machine pistol) in an effort to attract sales from American law enforcement by offering a modern submachine gun in .45 ACP and .40 S&W calibers. The MP5 was and remains […]

Movie Review: 1917

March 5, 2020 Ian McCollum 42

I have had a bunch of requests to comment on the recent movie 1917 by Sam Mendes, and I finally had a chance to watch it…

French Air Force Snipers: the FR-G1 and FR-G2

March 4, 2020 Ian McCollum 0

When St Etienne developed the FR-F1 sniper rifle, all the branches of the French military were given the opportunity to purchase them – and the Army, Navy, and Gendarmerie did. The Air Force, decided that […]

How the 1911 Got Its Safeties – and Why Its Ancestors Had None

March 3, 2020 Ian McCollum 37

Some people put a lot of weight on the fact that the 1911 has a grip safety and a thumb safety…but I don’t think many folk understand how it ended up that way. John Browning’s […]

High Standard’s Prototype World War One .45 ACP Pistol

March 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 17

The High Standard company only made on .45 caliber pistol, and it was an improvement on the Grant Hammond pistol tested by the US military during World War One. After his gun’s rejection by the […]