Machine Guns - Forgotten Weapons

MG17 Belt Feed Mechanism

January 3, 2014 Ian McCollum 21

The MG17 is one of the lesser-known German machine guns used in WWII, used for aircraft armament. Mechanically, the MG17 is basically the same as the MG15 ground gun, but with some aircraft-specific features like […]

Vintage Saturday: Kiwi Rambo

December 28, 2013 Ian McCollum 19

Since we were just looking at Bren drums yesterday, here’s a New Zealand trooper in the desert somewhere with a pair of them…

Shooting a Bren 100-Round Drum

December 27, 2013 Ian McCollum 13

A friend of mine went to a local machine gun shoot recently, and came back with some footage of a pair of Bren guns being fired with a 100-round drum magazine. These drums were designed […]

Vintage Saturday: Strange Bedfellows

December 21, 2013 Ian McCollum 22

Soviet troops with M38 Mosin carbines and Breda Model 37 heavy machine guns (presumably captured from the ill-fated Italian ARMIR expedition in 1942/43). Thanks to Leszek for finding the photo at Waralbum.ru!

Dutch Bren Manual

December 13, 2013 Ian McCollum 12

Dutch forces during and well after World War II used the excellent Bren LMG (and the Dutch Artillerie-Inrichtingen factory at Hembrug made Bren parts as well). So, it should come as no surprise that they would […]

Book Review: Firearm Anatomy I – Thompson M1A1 Submachine Gun

December 12, 2013 Ian McCollum 15

One of the questions I have gotten quite a few times is what resource I would recommend for folks who are interested in the technical engineering aspects of firearms design. It’s always been a tough […]

How to Set Up Your Vickers Gun

November 29, 2013 Ian McCollum 6

Some archived footage here, of the Manchester Regiment showing us how to properly set up a Vickers gun…and how not to! The clip comes from the Museum of the Manchester Regisment, in Ashton-under-Lyne east of […]

Vintage Saturday: Night Vision

November 23, 2013 Ian McCollum 38

German SdKfz 251 “Falke” with an MG42 machine gun and IR scope and spotlight.

Vintage Saturday: Maritime Gunnery

November 16, 2013 Ian McCollum 35

Sailor mounting an antiaircraft Hotchkiss Portative machine gun on the Canadian corvette Trillium.

Vintage Saturday: Checkpoint Tommy

November 2, 2013 Ian McCollum 33

British soldier with a fancy new (unloaded) Sterling submachine gun manning a checkpoint in post-war occupied Germany.