Semiauto pistol
P38K: The Real One, not the Nazi Fantasy Piece
The P38K is both a fantasy WWII concept and also a real pistol made in small numbers by Walther in the 1970s. The idea is simple; just cut down the barrel on a P38 to […]
Articles by Ian McCollum
Antiques
Japanese 3-Barrel Palanquin Swivel-Breech Pistol
This is a very rare style of Japanese matchlock, with three separate barrels on a revolving axis. It has all the design and decorative elements of a tanegashima musket, but built more as a self-defense […]
Antiques
“Howth” Mauser 1871: Irish Volunteers Gunrunning into Dublin
On July 14th, 1914 the 50 foot pleasure yacht “Asgard” sailed into Howth harbor in Dublin with its cabin completely filled with arms. It has 900 Mauser 1871 rifles and 29,000 rounds of ammunition for […]
Antiques
Unique British Crankfire .58 Morse Manual Machine Gun
This is a really interesting piece with a mostly unknown origin. It was manufactured in the UK (the barrel was deemed Enfield-made by former Royal Armouries curator Herb Woodend) and is chambered for the .58 […]
Semiauto pistol
German Occupation FN High Power Pistols
When Germany occupied Belgium in the summer of 1940, the took over the FN factory complex and ordered production of the High Power pistol to continue. It was put into German service as the Pistole […]
Antiques
Enjoying Black Powder Episode 10: Model 1871/88 Beaumont-Vitali
Full video with reloading segment and clip solid file available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-10-beaumont-vitali-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and […]
Submachine Guns
Type 79 SMG: China’s MP7 At Home
The Type 79 is an overly-complex submachine gun that uses a scaled-down AK operating system chambered for 7.62x25mm Tokarev. In many ways, this is akin to the H&K MP7 – it’s a miniaturized combat rifle. […]
Antiques
Military-Issue Colt Model 1839 Paterson Revolving Rifle
The first rifle made in Sam Colt’s Paterson NJ factory was the 1837 “ring lever” rifle. These were rather fragile and underpowered and while they were used successfully in the First Seminole War, they needed […]
Competition
Save the Date! Moons Out 2026: March 6-8
Mark your calendars; Moons Out 2026 will be March 6-8 at the Echo Valley Training Center, in WV. Practiscore registration will open December 1: https://practiscore.com/moons-out-26/register
Light MGs
M1922 BAR Cavalry Light Machine Gun
After World War One, there was a lot of tinkering with the BAR by the US military. It was recognized as being a very good platform, but the original M1918 configuration left a lot to […]