Bolt Action Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

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 […]

Lee Metford MkI: Great Britain’s First Magazine Rifle

September 14, 2020 Ian McCollum 10

The British went into the 1880s with plans to adopt the Enfield-Martini as its new rifle, a single shot Martini-action rifle with essentially a sidesaddle of ready-access cartridges on the side of the receiver. It […]

Not Always Bubba: A Factory Sporter Winchester-Lee Navy Rifle

August 26, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

Lot 3106 in the September 2020 RIA Premier auction. I am happy that the practice of sporterizing military rifles has fallen out of favor, but sometimes one can throw the baby out with the bathwater. […]

What is a Duffel Cut?

July 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

American service members in World War One and World War Two brought a tremendous number of firearms back to the US as trophies and souvenirs. While some mailed guns home, most brought them back in […]