Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Short: Revolvers with Manual Safeties

June 21, 2018 Ian McCollum 35

One of the classic mistakes make by authors who are not “gunnies” is to have a character threateningly click off the safety catch…on a revolver (sound effects editors do it in movies and TV, too). […]

CZ Makes a 45 for the Americans: the CZ-97B

June 19, 2018 Ian McCollum 34

This pistol is up for auction at RIA on June 23. Introduced in 1997, the CZ-97B is a .45ACP caliber addition to CZ’s line of globally popular handguns. However, the 97 has some substantial mechanical […]

Olympic OA96 Pistol: A Loophole in the Assault Weapons Ban

June 15, 2018 Ian McCollum 39

The pistol in this video is up for auction here. In 1993, Olympic Arms introduced an AR-15 with a side folding stock, as well as a stockless – and buffer-tube-less – pistol version. They did […]

Astra 600/43: A Straight Blowback 9mm for the Wehrmacht

June 14, 2018 Ian McCollum 46

The Astra in this video is coming up for auction here… When Germany acquired a land border with Spain after the French capitulation in 1940, they took advantage of the opportunity to purchase Spanish firearms, […]

Republic Arms RAP-401: Compact South African Steel

June 11, 2018 Ian McCollum 11

This pistol is coming up for auction at Rock Island here. The Republic Arms 401 was originally designed as a compact pistol for the South African Police. The country was under international arms embargo, and […]

10mm is the Best Millimeter: the Colt Delta Elite

June 8, 2018 Ian McCollum 14

This pistol is coming up for auction at RIA on June 23. Colt introduced the Delta Elite in 1987 to take advantage of the hype and publicity surrounding the 10mm Auto cartridge in the Bren […]

AMT Automag IV – A Browning in .45 Winchester Magnum

June 3, 2018 Ian McCollum 25

The pistol in this video is coming up for auction here. The Automag series of pistol introduced by Arcadia Machine & Tool in the late 1980s and early 1990s were produced by the same man […]

The Fitz Special: Art of the Gunfighter, Circa 1926

June 2, 2018 Ian McCollum 28

This revolver is coming up for auction at Rock Island here. John Henry Fitzgerald was not the first person to cut down a revolver barrel, nor the first person to bob the trigger guard or […]

Ordnance Research SSP-91, aka the Lone Eagle

May 30, 2018 Ian McCollum 30

This pistol is coming up for sale here. Designed by John Foote (of MAC/Cobray fame), the SSP-91 is a single shot rifle-caliber pistol intended for silhouette competition shooting and handgun hunting. It was introduced by […]

Astra 300 – A Pocket Pistol Bought Mostly By Germany

May 29, 2018 Ian McCollum 25

The pistol in this video is coming up for auction here. The Astra 300 was introduced in 1923, copying the layout, mechanics, and handling of the Astra 400 military pistol in a much more convenient […]