Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Turkish Conehammer “Broomhandle” C96 Mauser

October 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 17

This is Lot 2493 in the upcoming October Morphy Extraordinary auction. The “cone hammer” was the first commercial version of the Mauser C96, so named for the stepped conical sides of its hammer. The C96 […]

Osorio Selectiva: A Nicaraguan .22 Rimfire Machine Pistol

October 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

This is Lot 1067 in the upcoming October 2019 Morphys Extraordinary auction. Made by Señor Osorio in Nicaragua, this is a .22 rimfire caliber machine pistol with several clever design elements. It fires from an […]

The CIA’s New Liberator: the 9mm Deer Gun

October 6, 2019 Ian McCollum 58

This is Lot 1523 in the upcoming October 2019 Morphy’s Extraordinary auction. The Deer Gun is a covert CIA pistol inspired by the Liberator. In fact, the initial desire was to pull Liberators out of […]

Model 1808 US Navy Pistol by Simeon North

September 29, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

This is Lot 2137 in the upcoming October 2019 Morphy Extraordinary auction. The US Congress passed a Militia Act in 1808 to provide funding for military supplies, and one of the immediate resulting contracts was […]

Ecia Model 1930 Family: Competitors to the Astra

September 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 10

Juan Esperanza was one of the two partners who formed the Astra company (with Pedro Unceta). When the two had a falling-out in 1925 and parted ways, Esperanza formed his own company and went on […]

Star Pistol-Carbines: Model MMS and Model MB

September 9, 2019 Ian McCollum 8

Star produced 1911-style pistols in a wide variety of calibers and configurations for more than 50 years, including several models with shoulder stocks. Two of the later such models were the MMS and MB. These […]

America’s First Contract Pistol: North & Cheney Model 1799

September 3, 2019 Ian McCollum 8

Lot 1421 in the September 2019 RIA auction. In 1798, the US Congress allocated a huge sum of money – $800,000 – to the procurement of military equipment to supplement the output of the Springfield […]

Menz Liliput Pocket Pistols: 4.25mm and 6.35mm

September 1, 2019 Ian McCollum 19

Lot 517 (5.25mm) and lot 444 (6.35mm) in the September 2019 RIA auction. The Liliput was made by the August Menz Company in Germany during the 1920s, in several variations. It was introduced in both […]

Prisons and Pirate Mutinies: the Duck’s Foot Pistol

August 30, 2019 Ian McCollum 27

Lot 391 in the September 2019 RIA auction. Duck’s foot pistols are one of the iconic classic “weird gun” categories. The one exemplifies the typical pattern, with four barrels arranged in a wedge, fired simultaneously […]

HK4: Heckler & Koch’s Multi-Caliber Pocket Pistol

August 28, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Lot 3959 in the September 2019 RIA auction. The H&K Model 4 was named for the fact that it was offered in four different calibers – .22LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP. The […]