Prototype - Forgotten Weapons

Sterling S11: Donkey in a Thoroughbred Race

June 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 43

In the 1960s, the Sterling company began to worry about the prospects of continued sales of the Sterling (Patchett) SMG, especially in light of new competitors like the H&K MP5. Its chief design engineer, Frank […]

AAI 2nd Gen SPIW Flechette Rifles

June 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 36

The SPIW program began in 1962 with entries from Colt, Springfield, AAI, and Winchester. The first set of trials were a complete failure, and both Colt and Winchester abandoned the project at that point. AAI […]

Lightweight Experimental Lanchester SMGs

June 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 33

George Lanchester was the engineer responsible for originally reverse engineering the German MP28 submachine gun for production by the British, under the designation Lanchester. Once he finished that design work, the gun was put into […]

Smith & Beecham Prototype Polymer High Power

June 12, 2019 Ian McCollum 32

The South African company Smith and Beecham was not a large operation, and their most notable product was a .380 caliber compact pistol, of which not more than 2000 were ever made (it was not […]

French NATO Standardization: the MAS 49-56 in 7.62mm

May 27, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! In the late 1950s, France was still part of the NATO integrated military structure. When the 7.62x51mm cartridge […]

Marga Trials Rifle: Competition For the Belgian Army

April 30, 2019 Ian McCollum 15

This rifle is lot #410 in the upcoming May 2019 Rock Island auction. When the Belgian military decided to adopt a new rifle in the late 1880s, they attached a wide variety of competitors. The […]

Viper MkI: A Simplified Steampunk Sten

April 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

The Viper Mk I was an experimental submachine gun developed in the UK for use by military policemen in post-WW@ occupation West Germany. It was a simplified Sten gun (full-auto only, without the semiauto option […]

Schlegemilch 1896: Closest Competition to the Mauser 98

March 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 37

Louis Schlegemilch had been one of the contributors to the Gewehr 1888 and when the German military decided to replace it, Schlegemilch was there with a design he hoped would win. His model 1896 rifle […]

Bolt Action Cartridge Conversion of a French M1822 Rifle

March 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 11

This is a conversion of a French 1822 rifle to a single shot bolt action, using a newly manufactured receiver. It is unfortunately not marked with a patent name or date, and I have been […]

Unique Military Trials Steyr-Hahn M1911 Pistol

February 4, 2019 Ian McCollum 17

Today we are looking at a unique military trials Steyr-Hahn M1911 pistol which has been fitted with an adjustable tangent rear sight. The standard model of the Steyr-Hahn has a fixed rear notch, but it […]