Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

Japanese Inagaki and Sugiura Pistols at RIA

April 15, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

The most common Japanese pistols used during World War II were the Type 14 and Type 94 Nambu designs, by a huge margin. However, there were a number of other handguns used in small numbers, […]

Schouboe .32ACP Pistol at RIA

April 14, 2015 Ian McCollum 11

Before he adapted it to .45 caliber for US Army pistol trials, Jens Schouboe was building his pistol design in .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning). It was a blowback action, hammer fired, and very quick and […]

A Selection of Chinese Mystery Pistols at RIA

April 12, 2015 Ian McCollum 18

During the 1920s and 1930s, a combination of civil wars and international arms embargoes led to a lot of domestic firearms production in China. The size and quality of manufacturing facilities varied widely – everything […]

Collected Works of John Pedersen

April 11, 2015 Ian McCollum 8

John Pedersen was one of the more prolific and successful gun designers in American history, having even been described by John Moses Browning as “the greatest gun designer in the world”. And yet, many people […]

North Korean Type 70 Pistol at RIA

April 9, 2015 Ian McCollum 87

The “Hermit Kingdom” of North Korea has a number of somewhat unusual military firearms that are not quite direct copies of anything else, but we very rarely get to see example of them up close. […]

Grant Hammond .32ACP Prototype at RIA

April 7, 2015 Ian McCollum 33

Grant Hammond is best known (to the extent he is known at all) for a .45 caliber pistol submitted to US military trials in 1917 and 1918. This pistol is a proof of concept prototype […]

7.65mm Radium Pistol at RIA

April 4, 2015 Ian McCollum 18

The Radium was the predecessor to the much more well-known (and more successful) Ruby pistol made by Gabilonda y Urresti, which was sold to the French Army by the hundreds of thousands during World War […]

KrauseWerke .45ACP Luger at RIA

March 29, 2015 Ian McCollum 18

The story of the .45ACP Lugers is a bit complex, and widely misunderstood. What most people believe is that two such guns were made for US military testing, one was lost, and the other is […]

Schwarzlose 1898 Preview

March 25, 2015 Ian McCollum 33

Yesterday turned into a rather hectic afternoon, as a friend dropped off half a dozen fantastic guns that we will be out shooting tomorrow. Yesterday was my opportunity to become acquainted with how they work […]

Biography: Henri & Nicolas Pieper

March 24, 2015 Ian McCollum 15

Today’s biography is a guest post by our friend Robert White – thanks, Robert! Henri Pieper was born and raised in modest German home in Soest (Westphalia) Germany on Oct 30, 1840. He received his […]