Commentary
Independence Day!
We’re taking the day off today in recognition and celebration of Independence Day. To many people it’s the Fourth of July, a day for grilling and beer and firecrackers, and while I have nothing against […]
Articles by Ian McCollum
Semiauto pistol
Clausius Model 1895
German inventor Claus Claudius patented a design for a long-recoil automatic pistol in 1895, and we ran across a couple photos of an example of it that was actually manufactured: We found the photo in […]
Commentary
AAR: After Auction Report
The Rock Island regional auction this past weekend was, in fact, my first experience actually participating in a gun auction – and it was a pretty interesting experience. I’ve been aware of such auctions for […]
Handgun
Semmerling LM4 Video
The Semmerling LM4 has pretty much no historical significance, but it does have a pretty unusual operating system. It is a .45ACP backup pistol developed by a fellow named Philip R. Lichtman in the 1970s. […]
Light MGs
Vintage Saturday: Femme Fatale
Leningrad, 1942, with a DP28 light machine gun. Women served the Red Army in substantial numbers as pilots, snipers, and machine gunners. In light of the controversy over US women moving into combat roles, this […]
Aircraft MGs
Turkish Manual for the Colt MG40
I recently found this in a private library, and I believe it’s the first Turkish-language manual I’ve come across. It’s dated 1936, and although the cover illustration shows a 1917 type water cooled gun, the […]
Book review
Book Review:Schuetzen Rifles – History and Loadings
In my ongoing effort to broaden my firearms horizons, I have been reading up on subjects I have little knowledge of. This week, that involved a copy of Gerald Kelver’s Schuetzen Rifles: History and Loadings. […]
Semiauto Rifles
Madsen 1888 and 1896 Self-Loading Rifles
It is often said that the 1907 Mondragon was the first self-loading rifle formally adopted by a military, but it turns out this is not quite accurate. In fact, the 1896 Madsen-Rasmussen rifle was produced […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Rock Island’s Upcoming Auction
The auctions that Rock Island is really known for are its Premier Auctions, which happen a few times per year and have really phenomenal goodies. But in between those are smaller regional auctions, which are […]
Light MGs
Semiauto Madsen LMG Video
The Madsen light machine gun is note-worthy for several reasons – it was the first military-issue light machine gun developed and it was successful enough to remain in production into the 1950s (long after every […]