Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

German Occupation FN High Power Pistols

April 28, 2025 Ian McCollum 26

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 […]

Herman Brevete: A Pepperbox Hidden in Your Bicycle Handlebars

April 18, 2025 Ian McCollum 21

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 […]

One of a Kind Prototype vz.38 Pistol in .32ACP

April 11, 2025 Ian McCollum 8

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 […]

Savage 1915 at the BackUp Gun Match

March 29, 2025 Ian McCollum 17

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 […]

Beretta Tries a Machine Pistol: the Model 951A

March 10, 2025 Ian McCollum 9

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 […]

Glock 18 & 18C Machine Pistols: How Do They Work?

March 3, 2025 Ian McCollum 54

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 […]

Deckard’s Pfläger-Katsumata Series D 5223

February 8, 2025 Ian McCollum 35

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 […]

TOZ-36 and TOZ-49: Soviet Gas-Seal Target Revolvers

January 22, 2025 Ian McCollum 29

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 […]

The End of the Mamba: A Tale of Manufacturing Incompetence

December 20, 2024 Ian McCollum 32

This is your last chance to win this very rare Mamba pistol! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 12/20/24 @11:59 PM PST The Mamba was a pistol that had a pretty decent design, but failed […]

P320 Flux Legion Raider at the Range

December 19, 2024 Ian McCollum 18

Today I am taking the SIG P320 Flux Legion (aka the SIG Legion edition of the Flux Raider) out to the range. I’m a big fan of PDW systems, and the Raider is one of […]