Book review - Forgotten Weapons

Book Review: The Early Arisakas

September 26, 2013 Ian McCollum 10

Are you interested in Japanese weapons and militaria? There is a group you should be aware of – Banzai. Formed in 1982, Banzai has been publishing a newsletter full of Japanese-weaponry-related articles for more than […]

Book Review: Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn

September 19, 2013 Ian McCollum 36

I’m sure all my American readers are familiar with George Custer and the Battle of the Little Bighorn, one of the more famous disasters in American military history. For our European folks, a bit of […]

Book Review: Handguns of the World

September 12, 2013 Ian McCollum 7

I normally don’t have all that much interest in coffee table type gun books – the glossy photos are nice, but they generally don’t have all that much actual information. I had assumed initially that […]

Book Review: The Fighting Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol, and Shotgun

September 5, 2013 Ian McCollum 11

I’ve really enjoyed spending this summer shooting some unusual old guns in “practical” type matches, both because it’s simply a lot of fun to do, and because I think it can really help give some […]

Book Review: Webley & Scott Automatic Pistols

August 29, 2013 Ian McCollum 11

Having previously read and quite enjoyed Gordon Bruce’ Evolution of Military Automatic Pistols, I was looking forward to checking out his much more in-depth volume on the Webley semiautos, appropriately titled Webley & Scott Automatic […]

Book Review: Fighting Iron

August 22, 2013 Ian McCollum 10

What is the difference between a Damascus knife and a Damascus shotgun? Why did barrel composition contribute to the short lifespan of the 6mm Lee Navy concept? Why did high-grade flintlocks use platinum touchhole sleeves? […]

Book Review: A Genius in the Family

August 15, 2013 Ian McCollum 15

Hiram Stevens Maxim is one of America’s less recognized polymath inventors, and quite a character in addition to all his quantifiable accomplishments. Starting live on a rural Maine farm, Maxim had only a few years […]

Book Review: Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945

August 1, 2013 Ian McCollum 8

Japanese Nambu pistols used to be widely ignored as inferior and uninteresting, but prices have been climbing in recent years (as with all Japanese wartime arms). As prices rise, it is beneficial have as much […]

Book Review: Honour Bound – The Chauchat Machine Rifle

July 25, 2013 Ian McCollum 17

I’ve discussed the much-maligned CSRG machine rifle (the Chauchat) previously – it was not the utter disaster that common knowledge would lead you to believe. You won’t find much literature on the Chauchat, but fortunately […]

Book Review: Military Rifles of Japan (Honeycutt)

July 18, 2013 Ian McCollum 1

I’ve been boning up on Japanese WWII firearms recently, and when it comes to rifles my go-to resource is Fred Honeycutt’s book Military Rifles of Japan 1897-1945. It isn’t the newest book on the subject, […]