Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

“My Friend” Knuckle-Duster Revolver at RIA

November 17, 2014 Ian McCollum 21

The “My Friend” knuckle-duster revolver was a defensive weapon sold on the civilian market from the late 1860s until the early 1880s. It functioned both as a revolver (this one is in .22 caliber, with […]

Spanish Miquelet Flintlock at RIA

November 14, 2014 Ian McCollum 25

The miquelet lock is generally considered the first true, mature flintlock action in the progression of firearms technology. It combined the pan cover and frizzen (the plate against which the flint strikes) into a single […]

Iraqi Tariq Pistol at RIA

November 12, 2014 Ian McCollum 32

The official issue sidearm for the Iraqi Army (and many of its police agencies) is the Tariq, a domestically-manufactured copy of the Beretta M1951 pistol. The Beretta is a pretty decent pistol, mechanically fine and […]

Chicago Palm Protector Pistols at RIA

November 10, 2014 Ian McCollum 17

“The Protector” was a very discreet palm pistol developed in the late 1800s by a French inventor, produced in bulk by the Ames Sword Company, and sold by the Chicago Firearms Company. They are mechanically […]

Lancaster Howdah Pistols at RIA

November 9, 2014 Ian McCollum 45

Charles Lancaster was a master London gunsmith who made 2-barrel and 4-barrel pistols in a variety of British revolver cartridges (commonly known as Howdah pistols). Many of his pistols was purchased privately by British military […]

Colt Offensive Pistol at RIA

November 6, 2014 Ian McCollum 11

I had the opportunity to visit Rock Island Auction again to check out the guns they have up for sale in their December 2014 Premier Auction, and put together a big batch of videos, which […]

Slow Motion: Star Model B Super

October 30, 2014 Ian McCollum 29

Today’s high speed video analysis is the first Browning-style pistol that was at hand when I took out the camera: a Star Model B Super. Manufactured in Spain for many years, this basic pistol was […]

Bergmann 1894 Grip Style

October 29, 2014 Ian McCollum 21

I recently had the opportunity to examine a very early model 1894 Bergmann pistol, and made an interesting discovery (discovery to me, at any rate). The gun has a rather elegant bird’s-head grip, and a […]

Colt All-American 2000 (Video)

October 27, 2014 Ian McCollum 71

The All-American 2000 was Colt’s attempt to break into the polymer high-cap pistol market in the early 1990s, when Glock was dominating that field. Colt took what appears to have been a pretty good pistol […]

Slow Motion: Fémáru 37M

October 16, 2014 Ian McCollum 9

The Frommer/Femaru 37M was the last in the line of handguns designed by Rudolf Frommer. The 37M was a single-action blowback pistol chambered for .380, although it was also purchased by Germany in .32 ACP […]