Antiques
Daly Arms “Tom Thumb” – A Tiny Ring-Trigger Revolver
The “Tom Thumb” is a tiny .22 rimfire revolver made in Belgium by an unknown shop and imported into the US to be sold by the Daly Arms Company of New York. These are antique […]
Articles by Ian McCollum
Light MGs
Colt Automatic Machine Rifle Model 1919: the First Commercial BAR
Several patents were taken out on the BAR during World War One, but they were all kept unpublished and secret during the war. Just days after the Armistice, Colt patent attorney CJ Ehbets wrote to […]
Aircraft MGs
Maxims in the Skies: the German LMG 08/15
As soon as the MG08/15 “light” machine gun was adopted by Germany, it was recognized as an ideal basis for an aircraft gun. Weight was of the essence for WW1 aircraft, and a lightened Maxim […]
Prototype
The Rarest 1911: North American Arms Co
In the summer of 1918, the US government wanted to increase production of M1911 pistols, but all current manufacturers were working at capacity. So they looked to issue new contracts, and someone realized that the […]
Commentary
What is the Best Maxim Gun? (with John Keene)
Today, Ian is talking to John Keene, NFA specialist for Morphy Auctions. The question is, what is the best model of Maxim gun? Whether it’s for a recreation shooter or a historical enthusiast, there are […]
Competition
‘Murican 2-Gun: M1918A3 BAR and M1911A1
Today I’m taking a brand new Ohio Ordnance M1918A3 semiauto BAR to the 2-gun match, along with a Tisas M1911A1 clone. The BAR is the WW2 configuration, but I followed the footsteps of many a […]
Heavy MGs
MG11: The Magnificent Swiss Maxim Gun
The Swiss were one of the first countries to test Hiram Maxim’s new automatic machine gun in 1887, and they found it far superior to their just-recently-purchased Gardner guns. The first Swiss maxims were delivered […]
Submachine Guns
Type 100 / 44 (Late Pattern) Japanese SMG
The Japanese never really embraced submachine guns during and before World War Two. A series of development programs in the 1920s and 30s led nowhere, and there never really seems to have been much motivation […]
Select-fire Rifles
M14: America’s Worst Service Rifle – What Went Wrong?
While the US never adopted a significant variation of the M1 Garand (excluding sniper models), testing continued on new iterations and features throughout the war. By the time the war ended, the US military had […]
Conversion
A Guns to Save Lives: Winchester 1886 Line Thrower
Line-throwing devices have long been an important part of maritime safety, and many different have been guns adapted to launch ropes from shore to ship or ship to ship. Usually they are inexpensive obsolete surplus […]