Artillery - Forgotten Weapons

Germany’s New Light Howitzer: the 7.5cm le.IG 18

August 15, 2018 Ian McCollum 43

RIA’s catalog page on this gun In the aftermath of World War One, every military force immediately began to assess what they thought was most important to improve in their arsenals for the next war. […]

Forgotten History: World’s Biggest Black Powder Cannon – a 100-Ton Gun

July 10, 2018 Ian McCollum 32

The largest muzzleloading black powder cannons ever built were the Armstrong 100-ton guns which saw service with the Italian Navy and with British coastal fortifications on Malta and Gibraltar. They were purchased by the Italians […]

Inkunzi PAW aka Neopup – 20mm Direct-Fire Grenade Launcher

June 22, 2018 Ian McCollum 52

The Inkunzi PAW (Personal Assault Weapon) is a 20mm shoulder fired semiautomatic grenade launcher designed by Tony Neophytou (and previously known as the Neopup). It is a creative and very interesting weapon system, both […]

Japanese Type 10 Light Grenade Projector (aka Knee Mortar)

March 24, 2018 Ian McCollum 12

In the aftermath of World War One, the Japanese military saw the utility of infantry-portable light grenade launchers instead of rifle grenades, and adopted the Type 10 grenade projector in 1921 (Taisho 10). It went […]

M20 75mm Recoilless Rifle: When the Bazooka Just Won’t Cut It

March 8, 2018 Ian McCollum 46

The M20 75mm Recoilless Rifle was developed starting in 1944 as a replacement for the 3.5” bazooka in an antitank role. It was developed and produced in parallel with a 57mm recoilless rifle (the M18), […]

Vietnam Mk18 Mod0 Hand-Crank Grenade Launcher

December 20, 2017 Ian McCollum 32

The Mk18 Mod0 grenade launchers was developed by the Honeywell corporation in 1962, and was the first weapon in what would became a category of high volume grenade launchers used by the US military. The […]

American Viven-Bessières WW1 Grenade Launcher

November 26, 2017 Ian McCollum 22

The standard American grenade launching system in World War One was the Viven-Bessières, borrowed directly form the French. It had been adopted by France in 1916, replacing copies of the British Martin-Hale rod grenades. The […]

PIAT: Britain’s Answer to the Anti-Tank Rifle Problem

November 25, 2017 Ian McCollum 81

The British began World War Two with the Boys antitank rifle, but like all antitank rifles it rather quickly became obsolete. The replacement for it was adopted in 1942 as the PIAT – Projector, Infantry, […]

“Double Deuce” 2-Bore Rifle: A Gunsmithing Spectacle

November 11, 2017 Ian McCollum 20

Double Deuce rifle Lil’ Deuce pistol The largest sporting rifles ever actually used in the field as more than an exhibition were 4-bore stopping rifles, firing roughly 1″ in diameter (25mm) projectiles. These were intended […]

M20A1B1 Super Bazooka – It’s a Super Bazooka. Need I Say More?

October 28, 2017 Ian McCollum 47

The US was one of the few major military powers that went into World War II without a substantial infantry antitank weapon. Most countries had an antitank rifle of some sort, but the US just […]