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HomePrototype

Prototype

Prototype

FN Grand Browning: The European 1911 that Never Happened

February 17, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

When John Browning licensed his handgun patents, the North American rights were granted to Colt, and the Western European rights to FN in Belgium. Browning provided the patents and patent model guns to the companies, […]

Prototype

SIG 44/16: The Best Service Pistol, But The Road Not Traveled

February 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

When SIG was developing the pistol that would ultimately be adopted as the m/49 by the Danish Army and the P49 by the Swiss Army (P210 commercially), they initially experimented with both single stack and […]

Prototype

Mauser-Norris Prototype: Origins of the Mauser Legacy

January 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

Today we are looking at one of the rarest and earliest rifles built by Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, a design which would set in motion all the events that led to the Mauser company becoming […]

bullpup

Experimental Bullpup Over/Under Shotgun with a Secret

November 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 36

This is a prototype or one-off over/under sporting shotgun, made in a bullpup configuration. It is basically two long slabs of wood clamshell around a pair of barrels, with the action at the very end […]

Light MGs

Bill Ruger’s Prototype WW2 Light Machine Gun

October 23, 2019 Ian McCollum 21

In April 1940, the US Ordnance Department circulated a request for a new light machine gun to replace the Browning M1919A4. It was to be shorter and lighter than the Browning, and was not to […]

Light MGs

Before the Lewis Gun was the McClean Automatic Rifle

October 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

This is Lot 1158 in the upcoming October Morphy Extraordinary auction. Samuel McClean was a medical doctor from Iowa who began tinkering with firearms designs in 1889, and formed the McClean Arms Company in 1896. […]

Gunsmithing

Osorio Selectiva: A Nicaraguan .22 Rimfire Machine Pistol

October 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

This is Lot 1067 in the upcoming October 2019 Morphys Extraordinary auction. Made by Señor Osorio in Nicaragua, this is a .22 rimfire caliber machine pistol with several clever design elements. It fires from an […]

Lever Action Rifles

Experimental Triple-Magazine Henry Rifle

September 27, 2019 Ian McCollum 12

This rifle is an experimental twist on the Henry, built with three magazine tubes in a fixture pivoting around the axis of the barrel. While only half the length of the barrel itself, the three […]

Heavy MGs

John Browning vs Hiram Maxim: Patent Fight!

September 25, 2019 Ian McCollum 19

When John Browning designed his Model 1895 machine gun with it’s rotary-lever gas operation system, Hiram Maxim filed suit claiming patent infringement. Maxim had filed quite broad patents covering gas pistons operation, but specifically in […]

Prototype

Steyr Model 1911 Semiautomatic Trials Rifles

September 23, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

In 1909, the Austro-Hungarian Empire announced a desire to find a new semiautomatic military rifle, and requested proposals from arms manufacturers. Six rifles were submitted to the resulting trials in 1911, including this model from […]

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