Revolver
.577 caliber Tranter Revolver
William Tranter was a British gunmaker of some repute, although generally not remembered today. He was apprenticed to a gunsmith in 1830, at the age of 14, and by 1839 had left and opened his […]
Articles by Ian McCollum
Accessories
“I Found This Old Maxim Silencer…”
Since I posted my brief article on the original Maxim silencers, I’ve had more than a few people contact me saying that they have found one among the possessions of a deceased parent or grandparent. […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Model 1871 Ward-Burton Rifle
The Model 1871 Ward-Burton was one of the early experimental rifles trialled by the US military in its search for a new breechloading rifle to replace the theoretically-interim Allin conversion that made muzzle-loading rifles into […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Vintage Saturday: Mausers on the Silk Road
Commentary from the photographer: Full-length portrait of the four men, standing in a line with rifles. ‘While halting for the night I had an interesting opportunity of becoming acquainted with a small party of well-armed […]
Heavy MGs
How to Set Up Your Vickers Gun
Some archived footage here, of the Manchester Regiment showing us how to properly set up a Vickers gun…and how not to! The clip comes from the Museum of the Manchester Regisment, in Ashton-under-Lyne east of […]
Uncategorized
Thanks to all my readers (and a sale!)
I would like to point out on this Thanksgiving that I am grateful to everyone who visits and reads Forgotten Weapons – whether you are a newbie to guns and shooting who is here to […]
Semiauto pistol
Bergmann 1897 Carbine
Several of the popular pistols of the very early 1900s were offered by factories in carbine configurations, with 10-14 inch barrels and permanent shoulder stocks (not to be confused with the detachable stock/holsters also made […]
Semiauto pistol
Bergmann M1910 and 1910/21 Pistol
We come now to the final chapter in the Bergmann pistol saga – the Danish M1910 and 1910/21 pistols. When Pieper (AEP) in Belgium contracted to build the 1908 Bergmanns for Spain, they also got […]
Uncategorized
Premiere Rock Island Auction
Yep, it’s that time again – another RIA Premiere Auction is coming up on the weekend of December 6th-8th. As usual, there are thousands of firearms up for sale, including a whole bunch of 1911s, […]
Semiauto pistol
Bergmann-Mars 1903/1908 Pistol
The military breakthrough for Bergmann finally came in 1903 with a new locking system for the pistol, designed by Louis Schmeisser (who had also designed the previous Bergmann handguns). In 1901, Schmeisser developed the new […]