Bolt Action Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Checking Ammo in my Finnish M39 Mosin for Finnish Brutality

December 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 15

Finnish Brutality 2021 is going to be a tough match in the best case. But I will be running it in a 1940 uniform, with a Mosin. A Finnish M39 Mosin, sure, but still a […]

Czechoslovakia Recycles Mosins: The vz.54 Sniper

December 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 57

Czechoslovakia adopted a whole new slate of small arms in the 1950s, including the vz.52 pistol vz.52 rifle, and vz.52 light machine gun. They also adopted a new sniper rifle, developed by a Moravian designed […]

Remington-Lee Model 1899: A Final Smokeless Version

November 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 15

This is Lot #1230 in the upcoming December 2020 RIA Premier auction. The Model 1899 was the last pattern of the Remington Lee Military Rifle, following the models of 1879, 1882, and 1885. In this final […]

Gardiner/Scott Prototype Grip Safety on an Early 1903 Springfield

October 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 8

In 1904, a man named Orlando Scott from Ontario filed a patent application for a safety device for breechloading rifles and shotguns. His idea was basically a spring loaded grip safety in the fore-end of […]

Valkyrie Silenced DeLisle Carbine at the Range

October 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

The DeLisle carbine was a conversion of the Lee Enfield to .45 ACP made by the British during World War Two for SOE use. They used modified 1911 magazines to feed, and included a very […]

Vetterli-Ferracciu for the Italian Navy

October 9, 2020 Ian McCollum 7

The Italian military adopted the single-shot Vetterli rifle in 1870, and by 1882 the Italian Navy was looking for something with a bit more firepower. The proceeded to adopt the Vetterli-Bertoldo in 1882, a version […]

Turkish Model 1903/30 Short Rifle with Folding Bayonet

October 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

The Ottoman Empire purchased a staggering number of Mauser rifles over many decades, and Turkey would update many of them to a standardized pattern in the 1930s. This particular example is very rare, with an […]

Lee Metford and Lee Enfield Carbines for the Cavalry

September 28, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

When the Lee magazine rifle was adopted for British military service, it was initially produced as a long rifle for the infantry. To accommodate the cavalry on horseback, a much more compact carbine version was […]

Origins of the Lee Enfield Rifle: Lee Metford Updates

September 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

The Lee Metford MkI had scarcely been introduced when it was modified into the MkI* pattern, This was quickly followed by the MkII and MkII*, the Lee Enfield MkI, and Lee Enfield MkI*. In essence, […]

Ethiopian M90/95 Hybrid Mannlicher Carbine

September 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 8

Today we are looking at a uniquely Ethiopian carbine, a hybrid M90/95 Mannlicher. It began life as an Austrian-issue M90 carbine proofed in 1892. It served through World War One, and was probably given to […]