Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Sweden’s Green Trials Galil: the FFV-890C

August 3, 2026 Ian McCollum 28

When Sweden decided to replace the AK-4 (a license-built H&K G3) with a 5.56mm rifle in the 1970s, they tested nearly every potential rifle on the market. Only two survived the stringent Swedish arctic trials; […]

Canadian No4 MkI(T) “Trade Pattern” Sniper w/ Lyman Alaskan

July 29, 2026 Ian McCollum 13

During World War Two, the Canadian military adopted the No4 MkI (T) Enfield as their standard sniper’s rifle, and placed an order for 441 of them from the Long Branch arsenal. However, after receiving just […]

Prototype SAKO Boy’s Rifle Version of the m/39

July 20, 2026 Ian McCollum 3

My Finnish guns book “Forged in Snow” is available for preorder here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/forged-in-snow In 1944, SAKO made two prototype boy’s rifles. They were intended to be used by essentially Boy Scout type organizations for both […]

Testing 9×39 SP6 AP Ammo Against Body Armor

July 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 28

Today I have a chance to test out a couple rounds of SP6 armor-piercing 9x39mm ammo, using an ex-Russian AS Val rifle. First I’ll try an MNIJ Level 3A soft vest, which is rated for […]

AS Val: The Soviet 9x39mm Silent Assault Rifle

July 8, 2026 Ian McCollum 11

The AS (Special Assault rifle) Val was one of two dedicated silenced rifles developed in Russia in the 1980s. The Val was intended for assault use with full auto firing, while the VSS (Special Sniper […]

MAT 54 SB: A Semiautomatic SMG for Banks and Cash Trucks

July 3, 2026 Ian McCollum 4

The MAT 54 SB is a variation of the MAT 49/54, which was in turn the police model of the French MAT 49 submachine gun. Chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, it uses MAT 49 magazines and […]

Pauza P50: A Failed Barrett .50BMG Competitor

June 29, 2026 Ian McCollum 39

Developed in the late 1980s by machinist Robert Pauza, the P50 is a .50 BMG semiauto rifle that was introduced in 1990. It uses a short-stroke gas piston and tilting bolt closely copied (and scaled […]

US Armament Reproduction DeLisle Commando Carbine (Silenced .45ACP)

June 24, 2026 Ian McCollum 10

The DeLisle Commando Carbine is one of the coolest special operation weapons of the Second World War – an SMLE rebuilt in .45ACP with a ginormous suppressor. It fed form slightly modified 1911 magazines, and […]

FN’s New ARKA: Revamping the SCAR for Military Tenders

June 10, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

The ARKA is essentially FN’s SCAR rifle on the inside but with more AR-style controls and handling. It was developed in response to a number of military and security service tenders which required specifically an […]

Romanian vz24 Sniper Rifles from World War Two

June 8, 2026 Ian McCollum 7

Romanian Marshal Antonescu officially requested development of a sniper’s rifle on January 22, 1942. The Romanian military at that point was using the vz24 Mauser rifle, and the Romanian optics company IOR developed a pair […]