Ian McCollum - Forgotten Weapons

Winchester 94 with Maxim Silencer at James D Julia

February 23, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

The Winchester Model 94 is one of the most iconic American sporting rifles ever made, and this particular one is chambered in the equally iconic .30-30 cartridge. It is a takedown version, made in 1907, […]

Shooting Elmer Keith’s Carry Pistol at James D Julia

February 22, 2015 Ian McCollum 59

Elmer Keith should need no introduction here, as one of the fathers of the .44 Magnum, as well as the .357 Magnum and .41 Magnum. Well, his gun collection being sold at the James D. […]

Vintage Friday: Russians

February 20, 2015 Ian McCollum 37

Russian troops with SVT-40 rifles in a particularly photogenic framing. My book review planned for today isn’t quite done yet, so I’m changing up the schedule a bit.

A Rifle of Many Travels

February 19, 2015 Ian McCollum 33

I was visiting a friend recently (James, who runs Tombstone Territorial Firearms, which you should definitely visit if you are ever in Tombstone – it’s a remarkably well-stocked shop), and he had pulled out a […]

Sharps-Borchardt M1878 at RIA (Video)

February 18, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

The M1878 was the last new rifle produced by the Sharps company before it went out of business in 1881. It was the invention of none other than German gun designer Hugo Borchardt, better known […]

Vickers Semiauto Conversion at RIA (Video)

February 16, 2015 Ian McCollum 34

The Vickers machine gun was an evolution of the Maxim, the world’s first successful machine gun. The Vickers was adopted by the British armed forces shortly before World War I and remained in active service […]

Moore’s Patent Revolver at RIA (Video)

February 14, 2015 Ian McCollum 14

Manufactured in Brooklyn from 1861 until 1863, Moore’s revolver was a 7-shot single-action piece firing .32 rimfire cartridges. What makes it unique is its swing-out cylinder design – the first commercial revolver in the US […]

Winchester 1893 & 1897 Shotguns at RIA (Video)

February 13, 2015 Ian McCollum 11

The Winchester 1897 was the gun that really set the standard for the now-ubiquitous pump action shotgun. It was designed by John Browning, but was not the first pump action designed and sold. That credit […]

Shansei .45ACP Broomhandle Mauser at RIA (Video)

February 12, 2015 Ian McCollum 21

During the Chinese civil war in the 1920s and 30s, international arms embargoes made rifles difficult to acquire – which led to a lot of popularity for pistols with shoulder stocks. The C96 “broomhandle” Mauser […]

Fiala Model 1920 Combination Gun at RIA (Video)

February 11, 2015 Ian McCollum 23

The Fiala Model 1920 was a manually-operated repeating pistol in .22LR caliber that was marketed with the backing of famed polar explorer Anthony Fiala. The guns came as a set of one frame, three barrels […]