Ian McCollum - Forgotten Weapons

RIA: Darne 1892 Rotary Shotgun

June 6, 2016 Ian McCollum 28

The most popular shotgun made by the French Darne company was their 1897 sliding breech side-by-side, which saw sales and use worldwide. Before that, however, Darne invented a rotating breechblock system – first a series […]

RIA: Spanish “El Tigre” Winchester 92 Copy

June 5, 2016 Ian McCollum 29

Spain was historically a major center of patent infringement in firearms manufacture because its patent law left open a big loophole: patents were only enforceable if the patent holder actually manufactured their guns in Spain. […]

A Couple Antique Revolvers For Sale

June 4, 2016 Ian McCollum 5

I have found myself in the unfortunate situation of having bought a handful of antique revolvers at auction for an acquaintance, only have him decide not to pay for them. These aren’t guns I am […]

RIA: Dutch Police Revolver (with safety!)

June 4, 2016 Ian McCollum 39

This Dutch police revolver is an interesting example of technology being used as an element of police policy and procedure. The Dutch police administration in the late 1800s/early 1900s decided that officers should carry a […]

RIA: Evans New Model Carbine

June 3, 2016 Ian McCollum 14

The Evans rifle/carbine was developed in 1873 by a Maine dentist named Warren Evans. Its main innovation was a large helical magazine that held a whopping 34 cartridges of Evan’s proprietary .44 caliber cartridge. By […]

RIA: Steyr-Hahn Pistol Variations

June 2, 2016 Ian McCollum 37

The Steyr-Hahn is one of the less glamorized pistols used in WWI, despite being made in quite large numbers (250,000-313,000, depending on who you read). The gun is an interesting mix of features, including bits […]

Wolfgang Riess, one of the Commandos who used these CETMEs, later to work as an H&K weapons technician

French Marine Commandos with CETME Rifles

June 1, 2016 Ian McCollum 40

I was doing some reading up on the early roller-delayed rifles (in Blake Stevens’ exquisitely technical and detailed book Full Circle: A Treatise on Roller Locking) and came across this very cool story, which I […]

Detailed Photos: Hamada Pistols (7.65mm and 8mm)

May 31, 2016 Ian McCollum 12

The Hamada pistols were two of the few examples of Japanese military arms made by private companies rather than government arsenals. Hamada ran a shop making sporting arms before the war (and after), and converted […]

Japanese Type 100 Flamethrower

May 30, 2016 Ian McCollum 30

The Japanese Type 93 and its slightly-improved sister the Type 100 were the standard flame weapons of the Imperial Japanese Army for its fighting in China and the Pacific. They are a smaller and handier […]

Belgian soldier smokes a cigarette during a fight between Dendermonde and Oudegem Belgium in 1914.

Vintage Saturday: Smoke Break

May 28, 2016 Ian McCollum 54

This is a really good photo of a Belgian Maxim, although it appears to be staged – the man has his thumbs on the trigger, but there does is not ammo belt in the gun.