Semiauto pistol
P38K: The Real One, not the Nazi Fantasy Piece
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 […]
Handgun
Antiques
Japanese 3-Barrel Palanquin Swivel-Breech Pistol
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 […]
Semiauto pistol
German Occupation FN High Power Pistols
When Germany occupied Belgium in the summer of 1940, the took over the FN factory complex and ordered production of the High Power pistol to continue. It was put into German service as the Pistole […]
Antiques
Herman Brevete: A Pepperbox Hidden in Your Bicycle Handlebars
In the 1890s, there was a lot of interest in small caliber, simple revolvers for self-defense by cyclists, primarily against dogs. This led to the creation of a whole category of “velodog” revolvers, and a […]
Prototype
One of a Kind Prototype vz.38 Pistol in .32ACP
When CZ developed the vz.38 pistol for the Czechoslovak military, they made a number of attempts to also sell it on the international export market. This involved offering some various changes in configuration for different […]
Competition
Savage 1915 at the BackUp Gun Match
Savage launched its model 1907 pistol with a lot of marketing fanfare. It was “10 Shots Quick!” and promoted with testimonials form personalities like Buffalo Bill Cody and Sheriff Bat Masterson. It was intended as […]
Machine pistol
Beretta Tries a Machine Pistol: the Model 951A
Beretta’s first machine pistol was actually a full-auto variant of the Model 1923, complete with shoulder stock – but that did not sell well. They tried again in the 1950s with an automatic model of […]
Machine pistol
Glock 18 & 18C Machine Pistols: How Do They Work?
After the success of the Glock 17 in Austrian military trials, the company chose two specific markets to target for expansion. One was competition shooters, for whom the Glock 17L was released. The other was […]
Conversion
Deckard’s Pfläger-Katsumata Series D 5223
In the film Blade Runner, Deckard carries a pistol called a Pfläger-Katsumata Series D 5223 – a name created by the fan community to have the initials “PKD” after Phillip K. Dick, who wrote Blade […]
Revolver
TOZ-36 and TOZ-49: Soviet Gas-Seal Target Revolvers
These two revolvers were developed for competitive sport shooting in the Soviet Union. They are usually described as variants of the Model 1895 Nagant, but they actually work on a different mechanism, despite both being […]