Prototype
Prototype Locked-Breech 9x19mm Mauser HSc
When Mauser began development of the HSc pistol, it was intended to be a pair of guns – a simple blowback gun in .32 or .380 caliber for civilian and police use and a larger […]
Handgun
Competition
Blow-Forward Schwarzlose 1908 at the Backup Gun Match
The Schwarzlose 1908 is the only blow-forward firearm ever to see real commercial sale. It is a compact pocket pistol chambered for .32 ACP, with a 7-round magazine. They were sold by Schwarzlose in Germany […]
Semiauto pistol
Military Trials Beretta 34 – Can You Make it More Walther?
When the Italian military was looking for a new sidearm in the early 1930s, they really liked the pistol submitted by Beretta – but they also really liked the Walther PP. During the development process, […]
Competition
FAMAS PGMP w/ EOTech in a Team 2-Gun Match
My book is now in stock and shipping! Order your copy today! The PGMP (Poignée Garde-Main Polyvalente) handguard assembly is the original modification to allow mounting of optics to the FAMAS rifle. The FAMAS handguard […]
Commentary
How the 1911 Got Its Safeties – and Why Its Ancestors Had None
Some people put a lot of weight on the fact that the 1911 has a grip safety and a thumb safety…but I don’t think many folk understand how it ended up that way. John Browning’s […]
Prototype
High Standard’s Prototype World War One .45 ACP Pistol
The High Standard company only made on .45 caliber pistol, and it was an improvement on the Grant Hammond pistol tested by the US military during World War One. After his gun’s rejection by the […]
Commentary
The Truth About the Type 94 Nambu “Surrender Pistol”
If there is a historical military firearm out there as badly misunderstood as the Chauchat, it is probably the Type 94 Nambu pistol. Nambu designed this pistol with an exposed sear bar, which was not […]
Competition
Type 94 Nambu at the Backup Gun Match
The Type 94 Nambu pistol is best known for the exposed sear that allows it to be fired by pressing on the side of the gun. This is actually not really the safety issue it’s […]
Prototype
FN Grand Browning: The European 1911 that Never Happened
When John Browning licensed his handgun patents, the North American rights were granted to Colt, and the Western European rights to FN in Belgium. Browning provided the patents and patent model guns to the companies, […]
Revolver
RIA Feb 2020 Special: Mystery Spanish Revolver
Today’s quick look at RIA is a Spanish revolver that I can’t identify. The proof stamps indicate that it was made in 1931, and it has an unusual cylinder latch that looks like a loading […]