Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

FK Brno 7.5mm at the BackUp Gun Match

July 5, 2025 Ian McCollum 44

The FK Brno is a take on the classic CZ75 pistol made in the Czech Republic. It was originally released as a boutique steel-framed gun, and then later as a much more affordable polymer-framed model. […]

Galand de Guerre Model 1872: Too Good for the Military

June 23, 2025 Ian McCollum 14

Charles François Galand is best known for his simultaneous-extraction Model 1868, but he also developed a very good solid-frame revolver. This was specifically for the French 1871 military trials, which specifically required a solid frame. […]

Prodynamic II: A New High-End Competition Pistol

June 16, 2025 Ian McCollum 46

Proarmis is a Slovenian pistol manufacturer that has introduced a new high-end competition pistol (priced at approximately €4000). The first example has arrived in the US, and I had the chance to borrow it for […]

Modern Stocked Pistol: B&T’s Universal Service Weapon (USW)

June 9, 2025 Ian McCollum 30

The genesis of the B&T USW was a two and a half hour car ride home from a youth hockey game, when Karl Brugger and a friend were thinking about how to improve police effectiveness […]

“Kevin” – A Czech Pocket Pistol With a Weird Delay Trick

June 6, 2025 Ian McCollum 62

The “Kevin” (sometimes called a ZP-98) was developed by Czech gunsmith Antonín Zendl and introduced at the IWA show in 2007. It was a micro-compact pocket pistol chambered for either .380 ACP or 9mm Makarov […]

Beretta Model 1934: Italy’s Unassuming Workhorse Service Pistol

May 16, 2025 Ian McCollum 23

The Beretta Model 34 was basically the final iteration of a design by Tullio Marengoni that began all the way back in 1915. That pistol was updated in the early 1920s, and that one was […]

Glock 26: Glock’s First Sub-Compact Pistol

May 14, 2025 Ian McCollum 36

The Glock 26 was introduced in 1995 alongside the Glock 27. These were sub-compact pistols with 3.43 inch barrels chambered for 9x19mm (the 26) and .40 S&W (the 27). These were Glock’s first foray into. […]

Dutch Navy Luger: From World War One to the End of Neutrality

May 12, 2025 Ian McCollum 2

The Dutch Navy first acquired Luger pistols in 1918 specifically for its aviators. They has 12 German P04 Lugers taken from a German submarine stranded in the (neutral) Netherlands, and 28 more were purchased from […]

P38K: The Real One, not the Nazi Fantasy Piece

May 5, 2025 Ian McCollum 21

The P38K is both a fantasy WWII concept and also a real pistol made in small numbers by Walther in the 1970s. The idea is simple; just cut down the barrel on a P38 to […]

Japanese 3-Barrel Palanquin Swivel-Breech Pistol

May 3, 2025 Ian McCollum 6

This is a very rare style of Japanese matchlock, with three separate barrels on a revolving axis. It has all the design and decorative elements of a tanegashima musket, but built more as a self-defense […]