Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Vugrek’s Cell Phone Gun for Organized Crime

September 11, 2023 Ian McCollum 5

The Vugrek family of Croatia (Marko Sr, Marko Jr, and Ivan) were talented firearms designers, who ended up supplying organized crime. Their best-known development was the Agram 2000 submachine gun, a very well-built weapon submitted […]

Mateba Unica 6: A Semiauto Revolver in .44 Magnum

September 9, 2023 Ian McCollum 7

The Mateba 6 Unica is the culmination of a series of revolver development by Italian designer Emilio Ghisoni (1937-2008). The Unica 6 is one of only a few self-cocking revolvers to see commercial production and […]

Ugly Pistol Day at the BUG Match: CZ38

August 19, 2023 Ian McCollum 5

For this month’s BackUp Gun Match, I decided to bring out the CZ38 – one of the top contenders for ugliest service pistol ever adopted. It’s a single-stack, double-action-only .380 with a weirdly bulky grip, […]

Llama M87: Everything You Would Want for IPSC (at the time)

August 18, 2023 Ian McCollum 3

The Llama M87 was Gabilondo y Cia’s high-end competition pistols based on the M82 action, and made in both 9mm Parabellum and 7.65mm Parabellum. This was mechanically a copy of the Beretta 92 system, and […]

Semiauto PM-63C “Rak” at the BUG Match (It’s Technically a Backup Gun…)

August 12, 2023 Ian McCollum 16

I recently picked up one of the Pioneer Arms semiauto PM-63C pistols that are sporadically available here in the US. They have a pretty mediocre reputation and I wasn’t expecting much, but the gun is […]

Tara TM-9: What a Tangled Web of Intrigue for a Crappy Gun

August 9, 2023 Ian McCollum 17

Tara Aerospace is an arms factory in Montenegro that was privatized around 2013 or 2014, and a major stake in it was purchased by one Heinrich Thomet (formerly of Brugger & Thomet, and then the […]

Yugoslav M57: Tito’s Tokarev

August 7, 2023 Ian McCollum 10

Yugoslavia purchased both 1895 Nagant revolvers and TT33 Tokarev from the Soviet Union after World War Two, but this was only a holdover until domestic pistol production could begin. While Yugoslavia was formally communist, Tito […]

“Made for the Republic of China”: Shanghai Arsenal’s FN 1900 Copy

July 31, 2023 Ian McCollum 8

“Pistols of the Warlords” available now from: http://www.headstamppublishing.com/purchase The Shanghai Arsenal was founded in 1865 as a joint venture between British and Chinese customs officers. They bought a defunct American ironworking company and rebuilt it […]

USPSA with a 105-Year-Old Artillery Luger Rig

July 22, 2023 Ian McCollum 3

Get Entered to WIN this legendary Artillery Luger rig! DEADLINE to ENTER is 07/28/23 @ 11:59pm (PST). Today I’m taking an original (made in 1918) Artillery Luger rig out to a 6-stage USPSA match. I’m […]

The First German Assault Weapon: The Lange Pistole 08

July 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 37

Get Entered to WIN this original Artillery Luger rig! https://go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 07/28/23 @ 11:59pm (PST). The Lange Pistole 08 (long pistol), or Artillery Luger as it is commonly known today, has an […]