Forgotten History
Sir Charles Ross was a Jerk: The Martello Tower
Sir Charles Ross was really a jerk sometimes. Not the sort of guy you would want to go into business with…
Articles by Ian McCollum
Bolt Action Rifles
Ross MkI: Canada’s First Battle Rifle
Sir Charles Ross was heir to a very wealthy Scottish family, and was a talented if temperamental engineer. He took an interest in firearms and their design, and worked with American and English connections to […]
Book review
Book Review: French Tanks of the Great War
Having recently finished guiding a WW1 battlefield tour in France and Belgium, I found myself curious to learn more about the details of French tank development and service. We are used to seeing and hearing […]
Competition
Star Model 1914 at a Backup Gun Match
This didn’t come out as well as I was hoping (one of the stage videos got corrupted and the others don’t show the shooting stages as well as I’d anticipated), but I will do better […]
Semiauto pistol
Three Variations of Party Leader PPK Pistols
Today, courtesy of Tom from Legacy Collectibles, we are taking a look at “party leader” PPK pistols. There are three different versions of these, and we will look at all of them in sequence. They […]
Crude Copies
Japanese WW2 Training Machine Gun
This is Lot 2086 in the upcoming October 2019 Morphy Extraordinary auction. Before and during World War Two, the Japanese used a variety of training rifles and machine guns in both formal military instruction and […]
Q&A
Q&A 34: Brought to you by Scotch
Today’s Q&A is brought to you by the Patrons who make Forgotten Weapons possible! Not actually by Scotch (although maybe that’s why it went longer than normal). Our questions this month are: 0:00:50 – Why […]
Light MGs
Bill Ruger’s Prototype WW2 Light Machine Gun
In April 1940, the US Ordnance Department circulated a request for a new light machine gun to replace the Browning M1919A4. It was to be shorter and lighter than the Browning, and was not to […]
Forgotten History
Martyr of Verdun: Émile Driant’s Command Post
Émile Driant was a French army officer who served originally as an aide to General Boulanger (and married his daughter). This connection would tarnish his career when politics forced Boulanger to resign (and shortly afterward […]
Accessories
Papers Behind the Pistol: Mauser’s Archives on the Model 1910
Courtesy of the Paul Mauser Archive, we have a very cool opportunity to look at the documentation and paperwork behind a production pistol design, from beginning to commercial sales. This sort of documentation is rare […]