Gunsmithing - Forgotten Weapons

The Fitz Special: Art of the Gunfighter, Circa 1926

June 2, 2018 Ian McCollum 28

This revolver is coming up for auction at Rock Island here. John Henry Fitzgerald was not the first person to cut down a revolver barrel, nor the first person to bob the trigger guard or […]

Scoped Sharps 1874 Buffalo Rifle

March 15, 2018 Ian McCollum 13

This 1874 Sharps rifle is a great example of a been-there, done-that authentic western buffalo rifle. It was shipped from Sharps in 1879 with double set triggers, open sights, and a medium-weight .45 caliber barrel, […]

Hudson H9 Prototypes & Development (with Cy Hudson)

December 28, 2017 Ian McCollum 17

I am joined today by Cy Hudson, to take a look at the early prototypes of the Hudson H9 pistol – nicknamed the Brick and the Boat Anchor – and to discuss the development […]

Improvised & Craft-Built Firearms w/ Jonathan Ferguson & Nic Jenzen-Jone

December 27, 2017 Ian McCollum 24

Today I am joined for a round table discussion (well, octagon table, technically) by Jonathan Ferguson (Curator of the National Firearms Centre collection at the Royal Armouries) and Nic Jenzen-Jones (Director of Armament Research Services) […]

Khyber Pass Handmade Bolt Action AK Lookalike

December 13, 2017 Ian McCollum 48

Today we are looking at a unique rifle in the National Firearms Centre collection – at first glance it appears to be an AK in a full-lenght rifle cartridge, using a Bren gun magazine. A […]

Gebert Custom Mauser 71 with all the Bells and Whistles!

November 20, 2017 Ian McCollum 47

Made by Carl Gebert, a master gunsmith in Munich, this custom sporting rifle exhibits all the fancy options available in the 1870s or 1880s! The base action is an 1871 Mauser, which was a single […]

John Martz Custom P38s: Babies, .45s, and .38 Supers

November 15, 2017 Ian McCollum 7

Guns in this video: Baby P38 .38 Super P38 .45ACP P38 John Martz was a WWII US Navy veteran who spent a career in metalworking before turning his gunsmithing hobby into a full time occupation […]

John Martz Custom Luger Pistols – Babies, Carbines, and .45 ACP Conversions

November 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 31

Guns in this video: DWM 1917 Baby Luger American Eagle Baby Luger P08 .45ACP Luger Navy .45ACP Luger Luger Carbine John Martz was a WWII US Navy veteran who spent a career in metalworking before […]

America’s WW1 Trench Rifle: The Cameron-Yaggi 1903

November 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 11

Virtually all nations in World War One had a periscope trench rifle of some sort, and the United States was no exception – although it was not formally adopted. The Cameron-Yaggi conversion was developed by […]

Weapons as Political Protest: P.A. Luty’s Submachine Gun

August 2, 2017 Ian McCollum 58

Armament Research Services (ARES) is a specialist technical intelligence consultancy, offering expertise and analysis to a range of government and non-government entities in the arms and munitions field. For detailed photos of the guns in […]