Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Oversized 8-Barrel British Pepperbox Revolver

October 16, 2017 Ian McCollum 11

The typical pepperbox revolver is a sleek and small .31 caliber double action pocket gun, like the Allen & Thurber standard type. This one, however, is anything but typical. This London-made gun is a far […]

Kerr Revolvers: An English Source for Confederate Arms

October 15, 2017 Ian McCollum 19

James Kerr formed the London Armoury Company in 1856, manufacturing Adams patent revolvers (Adams was one of the founding investors) and 1853 pattern Enfield rifles. The rifles were the better business and the company rather […]

Astra 902: Because More Rounds Are Better

October 8, 2017 Ian McCollum 8

The Spanish Astra firm introduced its C96 Mauser lookalike, the Model 900, in 1927 to take advantage of the strong Chinese demand for that type of handgun. When Bestigui Hermanos introduced a select-fire machine pistol […]

Phillips & Rodgers M47 Medusa: Multicaliber Revolver for a Nonexistent Apocalypse

October 2, 2017 Ian McCollum 29

The Phillips & Rodgers M47 Medusa is a mechanically very interesting firearm; a revolver that can chamber basically any cartridge with a 9mm bullet diameter and an overall length no longer than a .357 Magnum. […]

Book Review: Pistolas y Subfusiles de la República Producción de Guerra

October 1, 2017 Ian McCollum 13

“Pistolas y Subfusiles de la República Producción de Guerra” is a new 580-page reference book about the pistols and submachine guns made in the Republican zone during the Spanish Civil War. It is written by […]

Gebrüder Rempt Four-Barrel Enormous Flare Pistol

September 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 26

In 1917, the German military issued a contract for the construction of 2500 of these unique and impressive 4-barreled flare launchers. They were manufactured by 7 different companies (this example being from Gebrüder Rempt), and […]

Arsenal AF2011: A Double Barreled 1911 Monster Pistol

September 4, 2017 Ian McCollum 15

The Arsenal AF2011 began as a manufacturing proof of concept, to showcase the technical ability of the company making it (their prior experience was largely in exquisite miniature firearms). It was introduced to the public […]

LAR Grizzly: A 1911 on .45 Winchester Magnum Steroids

August 24, 2017 Ian McCollum 43

Developed in the early 1980s by Perry Arnett, the LAR Grizzly was manufactured from 1983 until 1998. It was an expensive gun (base price was $675 in 1985), a huge gun (48oz / 1.36kg), and […]

Danish m/49 Service Pistol by SIG

August 21, 2017 Ian McCollum 14

When Denmark decided to replace its M1910/21 Bergmann service pistols, it did not have to look far for a very high-quality option. The Swiss military was just concluding several years of handgun trials that had […]

The Volcanic: Smith & Wesson’s First Pistol

August 18, 2017 Ian McCollum 17

Guns in this video: S&W Navy model S&W Pocket Model Volcanic Navy model New Haven Pocket model The deep beginnings of the Volcanic go back to Walter Hunt’s Volitional Repeater, which became the Jennings repeating […]