Competition - Forgotten Weapons

AJ Ordnance “Thomas” at the Backup Gun Match

July 4, 2020 Ian McCollum 14

Today, I’m taking the AJ ordnance “Thomas” .45 to the Backup Gun Match to try it out on the clock. The Thomas was designed as a concealed carry pistol, with no external controls and a […]

1911 vs M1 Carbine in a Practical Match

June 27, 2020 Ian McCollum 61

The M1 Carbine was developed to be a personal defense weapon to replace the 1911 pistol for groups of soldiers like drivers, artillery crews, and others who did not need a full-size M1 Garand but […]

Blow-Forward Schwarzlose 1908 at the Backup Gun Match

March 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

The Schwarzlose 1908 is the only blow-forward firearm ever to see real commercial sale. It is a compact pocket pistol chambered for .32 ACP, with a 7-round magazine. They were sold by Schwarzlose in Germany […]

FAMAS PGMP w/ EOTech in a Team 2-Gun Match

March 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 23

My book is now in stock and shipping! Order your copy today! The PGMP (Poignée Garde-Main Polyvalente) handguard assembly is the original modification to allow mounting of optics to the FAMAS rifle. The FAMAS handguard […]

Type 94 Nambu at the Backup Gun Match

February 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

The Type 94 Nambu pistol is best known for the exposed sear that allows it to be fired by pressing on the side of the gun. This is actually not really the safety issue it’s […]

MAS 49-56 in a 2-Gun Match

February 1, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

A while back, I ran a 2-Gun match on my own with my MAS 49-56 (and a plain Glock 19), including the original APX L806 optic. It was not a particularly complex match, but it […]

French Resistance 2-Gun: FG-42 & Mle 1935A (Prep for Desert Brutality)

January 25, 2020 Ian McCollum 29

Next week is Desert Brutality 2020, the big annual 2-Gun “nationals”. I’ll be shooting it in the Classic division (guns from 1946 and earlier) this year, with an SMG semiauto FG-42 rifle and a French […]

The Most 80s Gun Ever: COP 357 at the Backup Gun Match

January 11, 2020 Ian McCollum 41

The C.O.P. (Compact Offduty Police) .357 was designed by Robert Hillberg, patented in 1983, and manufactured by COP Inc in California. It’s a stainless steel, 4-barrel, .357 Magnum derringer. It’s also an awful pistol to […]

French Mle 1892 Revolver in Competition

December 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

Today at the Backup Gun Match, I’m shooting a French Modèle 1892 service revolver. It’s a 6-shot revolver with a swing-out cylinder, chambered for the 8x27mm cartridge (often called 8mm Lebel, although it really shouldn’t […]

Star Model 1914 at a Backup Gun Match

October 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

This didn’t come out as well as I was hoping (one of the stage videos got corrupted and the others don’t show the shooting stages as well as I’d anticipated), but I will do better […]