Accessories - Forgotten Weapons

Thompson SMG Cases: Police, FBI, and Secret Service

November 3, 2022 Ian McCollum 9

The Auto Ordnance company made a couple different types of cases for the Thompson SMG, and today we are going to look at two of the most common and one exceptionally cool type. The two […]

Water-Cooled .50s: The US Navy Mk22 Pedestal Mount

October 27, 2022 Ian McCollum 16

In 1942, the US Navy adopted the Mk22 Pedestal mount, which fitted a pair of water-cooled Browning M2 machine guns (one left-hand feed and one right-hand). It was used for antiaircraft use primarily, and was […]

Forgotten Web Gear: Johnson LMG Magazine Backpack

October 24, 2022 Ian McCollum 8

While the Johnson LMG was issued in limited quantities throughout World War Two, notably to Marine Raiders, Paramarines, and the 1st Special Service Force, the US never issued web gear made for its uniquely-sized magazines. […]

How’s It Made: A Giant Machine That Make MG Links

October 11, 2022 Ian McCollum 4

When I got a tour of Arex Defense in Slovenia, one of the really neat things I saw (which I had not seen elsewhere before) was a machine for making MG links. It’s a single […]

Great New FW Merch from Varusteleka

September 16, 2022 Ian McCollum 3

I’m really excited to have this merchandise available from my friends at Varusteleka – check it out!

CETME-L Handguards: The Poor Early Model and the Later Better One

September 13, 2022 Ian McCollum 1

The early production CETME-L (and CETME-LC) rifles used a thin, fragile, full-length handguard. It was redesigned fairly early in production with a much more durable version that provided better hand insulation. The Spanish Army updated […]

Germany Copies the Soviets: L23 & L27 Silencers

September 12, 2022 Ian McCollum 4

The German L23 silencer was essentially a copy of captured Soviet Bramit silencers, complete with the attachment system locking around a rifle front sight. Two hundred of these made for the K98k rifle for German […]

Scrome J8 Commercial Production Update (For the FR-F2)

August 21, 2022 Ian McCollum 4

Scrome, the original maker of the J8 scope used by the French Army on the FR-F2 sniper rifle, is making a commercial run of J8 scopes for collectors who have the recently-released surplus FR-F2 rifles. […]

HK Ziel Punkt Projektor: A Flashlight For Aiming

April 27, 2022 Ian McCollum 23

In the late 1970s, H&K partnered with Hensoldt to create the ZP/AP (Ziel/Aiming; Projektor/Projector) and then ZPP/APP (Ziel/Aiming; Punkt/Point; Projektor/Projector). This was essentially a calibrated flashlight with an aiming point and pressure switch. It projected […]

M43 Salakari: A Dynamic Assault Mount for the Finnish Maxim

October 1, 2021 Ian McCollum 20

The Finnish military depended heavily on Maxim machine guns until the 1960s, first using ones captured from the Russians and later starting production at Tikkakoski in the 1930s. One of the difficulties of the Maxim, […]