Prototype - Forgotten Weapons

Canadian Experimental Lightweight No4 Enfield at James D Julia

March 20, 2017 Ian McCollum 7

In 1943 the need for a lighter and handier version of the Lee Enfield rifle became clear throughout the British Commonwealth, and experimentation began in Canada, Britain, and Australia. The work in Britain would culminate […]

Poland’s Battle Rifle: the wz.38M at James D Julia

March 17, 2017 Ian McCollum 39

Had it not been for the German and Russian invasions in 1939, Poland might have entered the 1940s with a very modern semiauto infantry battle rifle – the wz.38M. Designed by Josef Maroszek (notably also […]

Ross Experimental A2 Prototype (Video)

March 13, 2017 Ian McCollum 12

This is a very rare Ross automatic pistol, patented in 1903 by Charles Ross, of the Ross Rifle Company in Quebec. It is a short recoil, toggle locked design, made for the .45 Ross proprietary […]

British Submachine Gun Overview: Lanchester, Sten, Sterling, and More!

March 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 62

Armament Research Services (ARES) is a specialist technical intelligence consultancy, offering expertise and analysis to a range of government and non-government entities in the arms and munitions field. For detailed photos of the guns in […]

Schwarzlose 1901 Toggle-Delayed Prototype (Video)

March 10, 2017 Ian McCollum 42

https://youtu.be/ddNsrxe4ddY Andreas Schwarzlose was a German designer who created several very interesting and unusual handgun designs (in addition to his 1907 heavy machine gun, which was adopted as a standard arm of the Austro-Hungarian military). […]

Sosso 1941 Italian Prototype Pistol (Video)

March 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 20

The Model 1941 Sosso is a huge Italian experimental semiauto pistol designed by Giulio Sosso. It uses a short recoil locking mechanism and is chambered for standard 9x19mm Parabellum ammunition, but its more unusual feature […]

Maxim Silverman Model 1896 Automatic Pistol (Video)

February 24, 2017 Ian McCollum 35

Hiram Maxim is obviously best known for the Maxim Machine Gun, but he and (most significantly) his assistant Louis Silverman also dabbled in handgun design. It appears that the work was primarily Silverman’s, done with […]

Savage .25 ACP Prototype Pocket Pistols (Video)

February 19, 2017 Ian McCollum 19

Savage was very successful with their .32 ACP and .380 ACP pocket pistols, and in the 1910s was interested in also breaking into the .25 ACP market, to compete with the Colt 1908 “Baby Browning”. […]

Bergman 1920s Trials Prototype Pistol

January 20, 2017 Ian McCollum 28

This was, as far as I can tell, the final iteration of the Bergmann pistols, developed by AEP in Liege for potential military contracts. It retains the locking system of the 1910 pattern pistol, but […]

Woodhull Export Model 35 Carbine

January 17, 2017 Ian McCollum 9

Does anyone recognize this rifle? It was designed by Fred Woodhall in 1945 (after his unsuccessful entry in the M1 Carbine trials), and now his son Tad Woodhull is trying to track it down. If […]