Prototype - Forgotten Weapons

White-Merrill Experimental Model 1911 Pistol at James D Julia

April 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 17

In the aftermath of their rejection in the US 1907 pistol trials, Joseph White and Samuel Merrill continued working on handgun designs. In 1911, Merrill wrote to the Ordnance Department to inquire about whether they […]

High Standard T3 Prototype: An American Blowback at James D Julia

April 5, 2017 Ian McCollum 53

In 1947, the US Army Air Corps (it had not yet become the Air Force) was assessing its pilot survival equipment, and decided that it wanted a smaller and lighter handgun than the Colt 1911. […]

The Very First Troop Trials SMLE Rifles at James D Julia

April 4, 2017 Ian McCollum 17

One of the British lessons form the Boer War was that the distinction between infantry rifles and cavalry carbines was becoming obsolete. In 1902, they would initiate troop trials on a new short rifle pattern, […]

Joseph White Experimental .38 Caliber Automatic Pistols at James D Julia

April 3, 2017 Ian McCollum 7

Joseph White’s experiments in handgun design did not begin with the White-Merrill 1907 submitted to US handgun trials. In 1905 he submitted a patent (US #888560) for features in these two .38 caliber semiauto prototype pistols. […]

The Short-Lived No1 Mk6 SMLE at James D Julia

March 30, 2017 Ian McCollum 16

The SMLE No1 Mk3 was the iconic British infantry rifle of World War 1, but not the final evolution of the Lee Enfield design. By World War 2 it had been replaced by the new […]

US Test Trials White-Merrill .45 Caliber Pistol at James D Julia

March 29, 2017 Ian McCollum 29

One of the domestic US made pistols entered in the US military pistol trials of 1907 was this White-Merrill design. It is particularly interesting because White and Merrill submitted a manual along with the gun, […]

The Very Steampunk M1915 Howell Automatic Rifle at James D Julia

March 28, 2017 Ian McCollum 25

The M1915 Howell Automatic Rifle is a conversion of a standard No1 MkIII Lee Enfield rifle into a semiautomatic, through the addition of a gas piston onto the right side of the barrel. Despite its […]

Knoble .22 Rimfire Prototype Pistol at James D Julia

March 27, 2017 Ian McCollum 16

W.E. Knoble of Tacoma, Washington is not a well-known gun designer, and was in fact not a successful gun designer. But he did enter a .45 caliber pistol in the 1907 US pistol trials, and […]

Australian Experimental Jungle Carbines at James D Julia

March 24, 2017 Ian McCollum 9

In 1943, experimentation began in Great Britain, Canada, and Australia into developing a shortened and lightened version of the Lee Enfield rifle. In Australia, the work was done on the No1 Mk3* rifle, as the […]

US Test Trials .45 Caliber Knoble Pistol at James D Julia

March 22, 2017 Ian McCollum 14

One of the domestic American pistols entered in the US 1907 pistol trials was this short recoil, toggle locked design by W.E. Knoble of Tacoma Washington. Knoble submitted two experimental pistols to the trial, one […]