Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Beretta 93R: The Best Machine Pistol?

December 13, 2024 Ian McCollum 14

The Beretta 93R (“Raffica”) was developed in the 1970s by Beretta engineer Paolo Parola at the request of Italian military special forces. It took the basic Beretta 92 pistol design and added a well-thought-out burst […]

Best of American and Europe: the Webley No5 Express New Army

December 6, 2024 Ian McCollum 14

Webley introduced their No5 Express New Army model revolver in 1878. This was essentially a ruggedized and scaled up variation on the No5 RIC revolvers that was very popular with police forces. The RIC was […]

“Grey Ghost” – The French Occupation Production P38 Pistol

November 23, 2024 Ian McCollum 34

When the French took over control of the Mauser factory complex in May 1945, the plant had some 85 tons of pistol parts on hand – 7.3 million individual components in various stages of production. […]

P99: The Pistol that Rejuvenated Walther

November 20, 2024 Ian McCollum 21

For a couple decades after World War Two, Walther survived on legacy designs – the PP/PPK and P38 (eventually made with an aluminum frame as the P4) primarily. In the 1970s they developed the P5 […]

A DAO Service Revolver in the Civil War: the Pettengill Army

November 15, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

The Pettengill revolver is a 6-shot, muzzleloading double-action-only system designed and patented by C.S. Pettengill in 1856, and improved by Edward Raymond and Charles Robitaille in 1858. In 1859, the Rogers & Spencer company was […]

Colt Boa: Rarest of the Snake Revolvers

November 13, 2024 Ian McCollum 20

Of the seven revolvers Colt named after snakes, the rarest is the Colt Boa. Only a single production run of these were made totaling just 1,200 guns. They were made in 1985 as a custom […]

Portuguese Navy Lugers: Model m/910 from DWM and Mauser

November 2, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

Following Portuguese Army adoption in 1908, the Portuguese Navy adopted the Luger in 1909 as the m/910. The pattern they chose was a “new model” Luger in 9x19mm, with a 100mm / 4” barrel. A […]

Enfield MkII: Better Than the MkI, I Guess

November 1, 2024 Ian McCollum 3

The Enfield MkI had only been in service for two years when the MkII was adopted in March 1882 to resolve some of its problems (and reduce its cost). At the same time, a new […]

Legacy of the K5: Daewoo DP51 Through Lionheart Vulcan-9

October 23, 2024 Ian McCollum 19

The South Korean military was using old Colt M1911A1 pistols in the 1980s, and as they became worn out a new pistol was needed. This would be something designed and built domestically, and chambered for […]

MP9 and TP9: A Complete History From Steyr to B&T

October 21, 2024 Ian McCollum 9

Steyr introduced their TMP (Tactical Machine Pistol) and its semiauto SPP counterpart in 1989, but it was never a very popular item. After the company was purchased, the new ownership decided to scrap the TMP […]