Light MGs - Forgotten Weapons

Hiram’s Extra Light Maxim Gun

August 7, 2019 Ian McCollum 9

Designed in an effort to compete with the then-new Colt/Browning air cooled 1895 machine gun, the Extra-Light Maxim weighted in at just 27 (maybe 28) pounds for the gun, and 44 pounds with tripod. This […]

From Bolt Action Lee to LMG: The Charlton Automatic Rifle

July 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 27

The Charlton automatic rifle is one of very, very few examples of a conversion from bolt action to self-loading rifle actually working reasonably well. Typically this sort of project founders in expense and unreliability. Charlton, […]

History of the PK, PKM, and Pecheneg w/ Max Popenker

July 9, 2019 Ian McCollum 25

I’m happy to be joined once again by Russian small arms historian Max Popenker, for a discussion of the development of the Kalashnikov PK machine gun. This is universally regarded as one of the best […]

Last Gasp of the ZB26: Czech vz 52/57 LMG

July 1, 2019 Ian McCollum 40

Czechoslovakia adopted the 7.62x45mm cartridge after World War Two, introducing both a vz.52 rifle and vz.52 light machine gun using the round. It was about 200 fps faster than the Soviet standard 7.62x39mm. It was […]

Shooting the Negev LMG

June 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 30

After yesterday’s look at the history and mechanical details of the Israeli Negev LMG, today we are taking it out the the range. It certainly is a very pleasant experience to shoot! The recoil is […]

Negev LMG: The Israeli Take on the SAW

June 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 18

When the Israeli Defense Forces tested the FN Minimi, they found it to be lacking in a few areas, and decided that they could develop a better SAW domestically. Developed in the 1980s, the result […]

Shooting the Chatellerault FM 24/29 Light Machine Gun

May 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 39

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! The Chatellerault FM 24/29 is an oft-forgotten light machine gun despite its relatively early design (predating the ZB/Bren […]

Knight’s Assault Machine Guns at the Range

May 11, 2019 Ian McCollum 66

Knights Armament introduced their “Assault Machine Gun” a couple years ago, and I had a chance to take both versions (5.56mm and 7.62mm) out to the range recently. The gun is the spiritual descendant of […]

Portugal’s MG-13: the M938 Light Machine Gun

May 2, 2019 Ian McCollum 40

The MG-13 is a transferrable machine gun being sold as lot #746 in the upcoming May 2019 Rock Island auction. The MG13 was an interim machine gun used by the German military in the 1930s […]

Shooting the Inglis 8mm Bren Gun

April 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 27

This Bren is lot #1013 at Morphy’s April 2019 auction. The Bren gun is widely regarded as one of the best light machine guns ever built, but that reputation is based on the British .303 […]