Ian McCollum - Forgotten Weapons

Vintage Saturday: On Guard

December 26, 2015 Ian McCollum 56

Armed with a Trapdoor Springfield – with fixed spike bayonet – and a long-barreled Colt Single Action Army. Dated 1890s – back when “labor dispute” meant more guns and fewer negotiators than it does today. […]

Happy Holidays to All!

December 25, 2015 Ian McCollum 15

I hope everyone has a joyous holiday season and a great New Year! There are some cool things in the works here at Forgotten Weapons, and I am looking forward to a 2016 that is […]

Swiss Prototype: N33 (Video)

December 24, 2015 Ian McCollum 19

The N33 is one of a series of Swiss prototype semiautomatic rifles developed between WWI and WWII (the “33” refers to 1933). This particular design is interesting because it fires from an open bolt, a […]

Sidewinder SMG Photos

December 23, 2015 Ian McCollum 45

The Sidewinder is a rather unusual submachine gun designer by Sidney McQueen in the mid 1960s. His objective was to create a weapon which could be fired one-handed with the firepower of a submachine gun […]

New Ad Banner – Historic Investments

December 22, 2015 Ian McCollum 5

Just a quick note that I have added a new banner to the site sidebar: Historic Investments. They have a GunBroker account instead of a standalone web site (although I think that is coming at […]

Israeli Dror LMG: Shooting & Disassembly (Video)

December 21, 2015 Ian McCollum 38

The Dror was an Israeli copy of the Johnson LMG, which was made domestically in Israel as part of Israel’s war of independence in the late 1940s. The design was developed through a combination of […]

2nd Lieutenant L. J. Barley of the 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), watching as a rifle grenade is prepared for firing from trenches at Grande Flamengrie Farm on the Bois Grenier sector of the line during February 1915.

Vintage Saturday: Rifle Grenade

December 19, 2015 Ian McCollum 62

2nd Lieutenant L. J. Barley of the 1st Battalion, Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), watching as a rifle grenade is prepared for firing from trenches at Grande Flamengrie Farm on the Bois Grenier sector of the line […]

Mystery Japanese Semiauto

December 18, 2015 Ian McCollum 30

While in the Smithsonian gun room, I noticed a semi auto Japanese rifle of a type I have not seen reference to before. It is definitely Japanese, judging from elements like the split buttstock and […]

Knoble Automatic Pistol, Cal .30 (Video)

December 17, 2015 Ian McCollum 35

The Knoble in .45 caliber was one of the pistols in the US pistol trials of 1907. Unfortunately for Mr. Knoble, his pistol was deemed to crude for the Ordnance Board to consider even test […]

Should Guns be in Museums or Private Collections? (Video)

December 16, 2015 Ian McCollum 69

Guns in museums get condemned to a purgatory behind glass. Guns in private collections get shot and broken. What are we to do? As it happens, I have spent the last two days in museum […]