Prototype - Forgotten Weapons

RIA: Prototype CZ-38 Trials Rifle (Video)

August 29, 2016 Ian McCollum 31

Like most other nations with modern military forces. Czechoslovakia was interested in developing a semiautomatic infantry rifle in the 1920s and 1930s. The most successful such rifle to come out of Czech factory during this […]

RIA: M1944E1/M1945 Johnson Light Machine Gun

August 27, 2016 Ian McCollum 54

After getting his Model 1941 machine gun purchased in small numbers by the US military, Melvin Johnson continued to press for more sales and a general adoption. Following testing results and recommendations from soldiers in […]

RIA: Prototype Mauser HSv Pistols (Video)

August 24, 2016 Ian McCollum 35

When the German military finally could no longer tolerate the expense of the P.08 Luger in the late 1930s, they held a trial of possible replacements. The three main entrants were BSW with a gas-operated […]

RIA: Ethiopian ZH29 and Czech Experimental Z37

August 23, 2016 Ian McCollum 31

The ZH-29 was an influential early semiautomatic military rifle, although not one that saw any significant adoption. As best I can tell, only two countries purchased them in any quantity: China and Ethiopia. This ZH-29 […]

RIA: Prototype W+F Bern AK44 Copy of the SVT

August 22, 2016 Ian McCollum 45

The Swiss factories of SIG and W+F Bern both produced a remarkable number and variety of experimental self-loading rifles in the 1920s, 30s, 40s, and 50s. Nothing would be adopted by the Swiss military until […]

GX vs GY: What Are the Differences in Pedersen’s Garands?

August 20, 2016 Ian McCollum 24

In a last hopeful attempt to get a rifle adopted and produced for the US military, John Pedersen designed his own copy of the M1 Garand rifle in the late 1930s (approximately 1939). His toggle-locked […]

RIA: Colt 1907 Trials Pistol

August 19, 2016 Ian McCollum 34

The Colt 1907 was one of the significant developmental iterations of the design that would eventually be adopted as the Model 1911 by the US military. This pistol began as John Browning’s Model 1900 in […]

RIA: Prototype Gustloff 206 Rifle

August 17, 2016 Ian McCollum 49

German arms development during World War II was quite the chaotic mess, in many ways. While it is not uncommon for different service branches to have independent procurement systems, in fascist-era Germany this was coupled […]

RIA: Japanese ZH-29 Copy by Tokyo Gas & Electric

August 15, 2016 Ian McCollum 36

The Japanese military experimented with self-loading rifle designs through the 1930s, and had 4 major rifles in testing during that period. One was a new design by Kijiro Nambu, one was a Pedersen copy made […]

Winchester-Williams WWII .50 BMG Antitank Rifle (Video)

August 3, 2016 Ian McCollum 43

David Marshall Williams was hired by the Winchester company in 1939, and would have a hand in a number of major projects during his 10-year stint with the company, although best known for the M1 […]