Prototype - Forgotten Weapons

What Would Ross Do? The .280 Military Match M10 Rifle

September 15, 2021 Ian McCollum 0

There were many different versions of the Ross straight-pull bolt action rifle made and adopted by the Canadian military. However, the version that Sir Charles Ross thought would be best was only ever made as […]

Odd BSA Prototype Charger Bridge Long Lee

September 1, 2021 Ian McCollum 5

Today we have a very odd BSA prototype Long Lee rifle. The details of its production are unknown, but it has good provenance; the Charnwood Ordnance collection. What makes the rifle unusual is a unique […]

But Does it Take 1911 Mags? Prototype Winchester 1905SL in .45 ACP

August 25, 2021 Ian McCollum 0

One of the really cool aspects of the Cody Firearms Museum is that their collection is built largely on the original Winchester factory collection. Thus they have a significant number of prototype Winchester designs that […]

Throwback Thursday: Cei Rigotti Rifle Disassembly

August 19, 2021 Ian McCollum 15

The Cei Rigotti is a fascinating early Italian self-loading rifle design that was tested in several countries, but never adopted or put into production. I had a chance to disassemble one at the British REME […]

Winchester Model D: The WW1 Origin of the Famous Model 70

August 11, 2021 Ian McCollum 13

Just as World War One broke out in Europe, TC Johnson was working on a new Mauser-based sporting rifle design for the Winchester company. With the war, Johnson added options for military configurations (handguard, bayonet […]

L-34 Sampo: Aimo Lahti’s Rejected Masterpiece

June 30, 2021 Ian McCollum 39

Finland’s standard light machine gun going into the Winter War was the LS-26, a gun which did not succeed in field use. It was complex and cumbersome, and Finnish troops quickly replaced it with captured […]

Winchester’s Prototype Model 1911 Was Actually a Browning Auto-5

June 28, 2021 Ian McCollum 14

When John Browning developed the self-loading shotgun that would become the Auto-5, he decided to depart from his existing standard business relationship with the Winchester company. Browning had historically sold his patents to Winchester for […]

Colt Prototype Double Action 1911

June 23, 2021 Ian McCollum 16

Thanks to Legacy Collectibles, today we have a unique Colt prototype pistol to look at today – a double-action variation of the 1911. Judging by the grips and markings, this was made in the late […]

Captain Carl Pelo’s Model 1954 Prototype Semiauto Rifle

June 21, 2021 Ian McCollum 37

Carl Pelo was a an engineer with Sako in the 1930s, and developed a series of self-loading rifles. He used a short recoil mechanism with a pair of locking flaps on the bolt, much like […]

Prototype Johnson Model R Military Rifle

June 15, 2021 Ian McCollum 21

When Melvin Johnson’s rifle design was first going through US military testing in 1938, it was set up to use box magazines. These magazines were a problem – they were not quite fully perfected, and […]