Ian McCollum - Forgotten Weapons

Q&A 36: All About Tanks, with Nicolas Moran (the Chieftain)

December 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 20

I recently had the chance to do some collaborative filming with Nicolas Moran, and figured it would be a good chance to do a Q&A specifically on issues related to tanks. Nicolas is a Major […]

Colt 601: The AR-15 Becomes a Military Rifle

December 25, 2019 Ian McCollum 21

The AR-15 rifle was originally developed by Armalite as an offshoot of the AR-10 rifle designed by Eugene Stoner. How that second-thought rifle became the US standard military rifle – and the longest-serving infantry rifle […]

20 Minutes of Ian’s Hats

December 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 29

This is my 2,000th published video (although there are a lot more if you count the behind-the-scenes Apocrypha videos that are only available to Patrons), and I wanted to do something a bit different. So, […]

Italian Sci-Fi Blaster: The Franchi LF-57

December 23, 2019 Ian McCollum 28

Introduced in 1957, Franchi’s LF-57 submachine gun has a very distinctive sci-fi look to it, but was never able to become a major player in the Cold War arms market. It is in all ways […]

Comparison: French 1935A vs 1935S Pistols

December 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 33

I finally have a source for top quality reliable 7.65mm French Long, thanks to Steinel! I can’t link to them, but I’m sure anyone who wants some themselves can find them online. Anyway, with ammo […]

French Mle 1892 Revolver in Competition

December 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

Today at the Backup Gun Match, I’m shooting a French Modèle 1892 service revolver. It’s a 6-shot revolver with a swing-out cylinder, chambered for the 8x27mm cartridge (often called 8mm Lebel, although it really shouldn’t […]

Prototype Mauser 1917 Trench Carbine

December 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 15

In the latter stages of World War One, the German military was looking for new arms for its Sturmtruppen. Without a reliable self-loading rifle design to use, they instead focused on pistil caliber arms. The […]

Rock Island Final Prices Dec 2019: A Pricey American Luger

December 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 7

Time for another recap of a Rock Island Premier auction – what did that Powell Cartridge Counter Luger go for? And why did people pay crazy prices for strange shotguns?

M203 Underbarrel Grenade Launcher

December 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 29

After the problems with the Colt XM-148 under barrel grenade launcher were discovered in service in Vietnam, the US military was eager to quickly find a better alternative. The idea of replacing the standalone M79 […]

Ballester-Molina Pistols from German Pocket Battleship Armor?

December 17, 2019 Ian McCollum 33

There is an old gun shop tale that Argentine Ballester-Molina pistols were made form the salvaged armor plate of the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee. The Graf Spee was scuttled in the Rio de la […]