Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Interview w/ Biofire’s Lead Designer: Features and Reliability

May 3, 2023 Ian McCollum 33

When I visited Biofire, I was able to spend several hours discussing the history of the gun with its creator, lead designer, and lead engineer. We also completely stripped one of the guns down to […]

SIG M18: New USMC Service Pistol (and Little Brother of the M17)

April 28, 2023 Ian McCollum 33

The SIG 320 was adopted by the US Army as its new M17 full-size service pistol, but that was only have of the Modular Handgun System. The other half was the M18, a compact version […]

What’s the Deal with the SIG P320 Exploding and Firing “Un-Commanded”?

April 20, 2023 Ian McCollum 13

Social media is very excited these days about “exploding” SIG 320s…so let’s consider what might actually be happening. Of course, this discussion is invariably clouded by the fact that the P320 did have a legitimate […]

Biofire: The First Worthwhile “Smart Gun”?

April 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 51

Note: The New Jersey law that would ban sale of regular guns once “smart guns” were deemed commercially viable is no longer on the books. 0:00 – Introduction 4:12 – Electronic elements 6:50 – User […]

Surplus 101st Airborne M17: Differences Between Army and Civilian SIGs

April 12, 2023 Ian McCollum 9

Today we are looking at one of the surplus US Army M17 pistols that SGI put on the commercial market about 3 years ago. These were some of the very first M17s issued to Army […]

Cutting Edge Military Hardware for Civilians: Manufrance Mle 1892

March 31, 2023 Ian McCollum 12

When the French Army adopted the Mle 1892 revolver, it was a huge improvement over the previous standard from 1873. The new sidearm has a swing-out cylinder, simultaneous ejection, was lighter, and used a high-tech […]

“Alk” – A Unique German Target Pistol

March 27, 2023 Ian McCollum 15

This is a unique and interesting German proofed .22 rimfire target pistol. It uses a simple blowback slide, which locks open after each shot. It is striker fired, with a 12-inch barrel and a quite […]

Crude Khyber Pass Webley Revolver Copy

March 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 20

The town of Dara Adam Khel has became a locus of firearms manufacture in response to the British occupation of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 19th century, and it has remained dedicated to that industry […]

Prototype Birdshead Grip S&W No.3 Russian

March 6, 2023 Ian McCollum 12

This revolver appears to be one of the pre-production prototypes S&W made for the Russian No.3 revolver contract. Its frame has been expertly converted to a birdshead style. It handles very nicely, but was apparently […]

Beretta’s New 80X Cheetah at the BUG Match (feat. Symtac)

March 4, 2023 Ian McCollum 9

Back in 1975, Beretta introduced a line of mid-size semiauto pistols. The Model 81 was in .32 ACP (intended for the European market) and the Model 84 was chambered for .380 ACP for Americans. These […]