Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

RIA: Steyr-Hahn Pistol Variations

June 2, 2016 Ian McCollum 37

The Steyr-Hahn is one of the less glamorized pistols used in WWI, despite being made in quite large numbers (250,000-313,000, depending on who you read). The gun is an interesting mix of features, including bits […]

Detailed Photos: Hamada Pistols (7.65mm and 8mm)

May 31, 2016 Ian McCollum 12

The Hamada pistols were two of the few examples of Japanese military arms made by private companies rather than government arsenals. Hamada ran a shop making sporting arms before the war (and after), and converted […]

Savage Prototype Longslide .380 (Video)

May 26, 2016 Ian McCollum 29

Savage made just a few experimental long-slide versions of their pistols (most of the ones out there are fakes made by modifying existing guns). Personally, I think that this version in .380 would have made […]

Greener MkIII Police in a 2-Gun Shotgun Match (Video)

May 23, 2016 Ian McCollum 39

Every few years, there is a special 2-Gun match at my local club, using shotgun and pistol instead of rifle and pistol. The rules of this match are a bit different than most multigun competition […]

Four Italian WWI soldiers of the Regia Guardia di Finanza (Royal Finance Police)

Vintage Saturday: Royal Finance Police

May 21, 2016 Ian McCollum 39

From left to right: The soldier without a hat is a sergeant holding a Beretta Model 1915 pistol chambered in 9mm Glisenti. He is resting his shooting arm on a folded coat with a […]

Disassembly photos: Simson Prototype Blowback 9mm

May 10, 2016 Ian McCollum 12

In the late 1920s, the Simson company built a handful of prototype pistols for consideration by the German military. Noises had been made about replacing the Luger with something more cost effective, and several companies […]

2-Gun Action Challenge Match: US WWI Infantry (M1917 & M1911)

May 2, 2016 Ian McCollum 57

In this month’s 2-Gun match, I am competing as a WWI US infantryman, with an M1917 Eddystone rifle and an M1911 pistol (both are genuine WWI-era originals). I am also using a reproduction US 1917 […]

RIA: Nambu 15-Shot Type A Experimental

April 21, 2016 Ian McCollum 33

Before the Type 14 Nambu pistol was developed to replace the “Papa” Nambu, Kijiro Nambu experimented with a high-capacity design with a 15-round magazine. This pistol was called the Type A Experimental, and was designed […]

RIA: Reifgraber .38 S&W Automatic

April 17, 2016 Ian McCollum 21

Designed by Austrian immigrant Joseph Joachim Reifgraber, this is a prototype gas-assisted short recoil pistol in a .38 rimmed revolver cartridge. While this version did not see any serial production, the Union Firearms Company of […]

RIA: Walther P38 Development

April 13, 2016 Ian McCollum 52

The Walther P38 was adopted by Germany in 1938 as a replacement for the P08 Luger – not really because the Luger was a bad pistol, but because it was an expensive pistol. Walther began […]