Commentary
The FG-42 as a Sniper Rifle?
The FG-42 was specifically made with a scope attachment on every rifle, and intended to serve as a marksman’s or sniper’s rifle. But how much of that actually happened during World War Two? And was […]
Commentary
Commentary
What’s Up With Norway and Military Scout Scopes?
Aside from the German widespread issue of the ZF-41 type scope, I have only come across three other military uses of long eye relief optics – and they are all Norwegian! One is simply Norwegian […]
Commentary
Curators Speak Out: Danny and Ashley on the World of Firearms Museums
When I posted my video last week about some of the problems with museum firearms collections, I touched on issues that Danny Michael and Ashley Hlebinsky deal with on a daily basis. They invited me […]
Commentary
True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the “Trade of the Century”
RL Wilson Case R.L. Wilson was a pillar of the firearms collecting community, and especially the Colt collecting community, in the 1970s and 80s. He wrote a slew of books on Colt, and was a […]
Commentary
It Belongs in a Museum! Or, “Ian Offends Curators”
Have museums fundamentally changed since the advent of the internet? Does this impact decisions about whether artifacts like firearms are best held in museums versus private collections for the sake of study and understanding? How […]
Commentary
Evolution of the Submachine Gun: Three Distinct Generations
Submachine guns have gone through a distinct evolution over the past one hundred years. Today we will look at these changes, specifically identifying: – 1st Generation guns from World War One and through the 1930s […]
Commentary
Saga of the AR15 Forward Assist: A Solution Searching for a Problem
In 1963, the US Army set out to purchase 85,000 AR-15 rifles as a one-time procurement to hold the infantry through until final adoption of the expected Project SPIW rifle. Where the previous Air Force […]
Bolt Action Rifles
What is a Duffel Cut?
American service members in World War One and World War Two brought a tremendous number of firearms back to the US as trophies and souvenirs. While some mailed guns home, most brought them back in […]
Commentary
Buying a Machine Gun with a C&R License
I am often asked how a C&R license (Curio & Relic, also called a Type 03 Federal Firearms License; not to be confused with “Class 3”) affects the purchase of a machine gun. So, I […]
Commentary
No, It Doesn’t Take Glock Mags…and Sometimes That’s Better
Sometimes it makes sense to use convenient existing magazines. Sometimes it doesn’t. Like all things in firearms design, magazine features are all compromises. Single feed vs double feed, polymer vs steel, and straight vs curved…one […]