Submachine Guns - Forgotten Weapons

Experimental German 08/18 Maxim SMG

May 9, 2014 Ian McCollum 92

From Max Popenker, we have a set of photos of a very funky German submachine gun from the first world war (presumably 1918). The weapon is currently in possession of the weapon design department at […]

Vintage Saturday: Mountaineer

April 5, 2014 Ian McCollum 26

Not sure which army exactly, but he has a PPSh-41 (or copy) and plenty of rope…

Andrews Machine Carbine

January 24, 2014 Ian McCollum 77

I’m flattered to say that we received another research question from the Pattern Room, and a bit dejected to say that once again it was something I couldn’t provide a good answer to. However, the […]

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 […]

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.

Czech vz.61 Photos and Catalog

October 9, 2013 Ian McCollum 25

Thanks to reader Denny, we have some more information on the Czech vz.61 “Skorpion” PDW, including pages from a CZ catalog advertising three different versions of the gun for sale. These three variants are: vz.61 […]

Book Review: The Fighting Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol, and Shotgun

September 5, 2013 Ian McCollum 11

I’ve really enjoyed spending this summer shooting some unusual old guns in “practical” type matches, both because it’s simply a lot of fun to do, and because I think it can really help give some […]

Original Mendoza HM-3

July 24, 2013 Ian McCollum 34

Mexico has more of a history of domestic arms design and production than many people expect – from the many designs of Manuel Mondragon to Rafael Mendoza’s light machine guns, the Trejo machine pistols, and […]

Experimental MP38(L)

June 19, 2013 Ian McCollum 20

Michael Heidler has again come up with a one-of-a-kind German firearm, and sent us this writeup. This time, it is an experimental variation on the MP38 submachine gun. Thanks, Michael! The German experimental light-weight submachine […]

San Diego Destinations and a Mystery SMG

June 16, 2013 Ian McCollum 25

First up, it looks like I’m going to be traveling to San Diego for the week of July 21st – does anyone know of a museum in the area with a good small arms collection […]