Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Mars Automatic Pistols at James D. Julia

March 2, 2015 Ian McCollum 49

The Mars pistol was designed by Sir Hugh Gabbett-Fairfax in England in 1898, and only 81 were produced by the time manufacturing ended in 1907. These pistols were chambered for several different cartridges, all of […]

Elmer Keith’s Revolver No. 5 at James D Julia

March 1, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

Elmer Keith’s No.5 Single Action Army is arguably the most famous custom revolver ever made. Keith had it built in 1928 after developing a friendship with Harold Croft, another revolver enthusiast. Croft had shown Keith […]

Dreyse/Kufahl Needlefire Revolver at James D Julia

February 27, 2015 Ian McCollum 11

Needlefire rifles were developed in the 1830s and represented and early effective type of breechloading rifle. As such, they were adopted by both German and French armies – but only in rifle form. Needlefire handguns […]

Walther MP-PP Prototype at James D Julia

February 26, 2015 Ian McCollum 19

During the late 1920s, it looked like the German Army was going to replace the P08 Luger with a less expensive sidearm, and several major German companies developed prototype guns to meet this anticipated need. […]

Two Prototype Webley Automatic Pistols at James D Julia

February 25, 2015 Ian McCollum 18

So, I may have gone a bit overboard and filmed more video at this upcoming Julia auction than I actually had time to publish before the auction takes place (but there were so many amazing […]

Thuer Conversion Colt 1849 at James D Julia

February 24, 2015 Ian McCollum 10

As the self-contained metallic cartridge because popular, a niche industry developed in converting percussion revolvers to use the new cartridges. One of the first of these conversions was designed by F. Alexander Thuer and marketed […]

Shooting Elmer Keith’s Carry Pistol at James D Julia

February 22, 2015 Ian McCollum 59

Elmer Keith should need no introduction here, as one of the fathers of the .44 Magnum, as well as the .357 Magnum and .41 Magnum. Well, his gun collection being sold at the James D. […]

Moore’s Patent Revolver at RIA (Video)

February 14, 2015 Ian McCollum 14

Manufactured in Brooklyn from 1861 until 1863, Moore’s revolver was a 7-shot single-action piece firing .32 rimfire cartridges. What makes it unique is its swing-out cylinder design – the first commercial revolver in the US […]

Shansei .45ACP Broomhandle Mauser at RIA (Video)

February 12, 2015 Ian McCollum 21

During the Chinese civil war in the 1920s and 30s, international arms embargoes made rifles difficult to acquire – which led to a lot of popularity for pistols with shoulder stocks. The C96 “broomhandle” Mauser […]

Fiala Model 1920 Combination Gun at RIA (Video)

February 11, 2015 Ian McCollum 23

The Fiala Model 1920 was a manually-operated repeating pistol in .22LR caliber that was marketed with the backing of famed polar explorer Anthony Fiala. The guns came as a set of one frame, three barrels […]