Bolt Action Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Yugoslav M52 Sniper: East Meets West

March 4, 2019 Ian McCollum 9

In 1947, Yugoslavia received about 4600 Russian M91/30 PU sniper rifles as military aid, which were basically not used, as Yugoslavia had standardized on the 8mm Mauser cartridge. In 1952, however, a new sniper rifle […]

Parker Hale M85: Traditional Sniper in a Modern World

February 27, 2019 Ian McCollum 32

The 1985 competition to pick a new sniper rifle for the British military came down to a closely fought contest between the Accuracy International PM and the Parker Hale M85. The M85 was a fantastically […]

L96A1: The Green Meanie – the First Modern Sniper Rifle

February 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

The Accuracy International Precision Marksman rifle was the winner of the British MoD’s competition to replace the L42A1 as the standard British sniper rifle, and was accordingly adopted as the L96A1. It was the vanguard […]

Zeroing the FR-F1

December 27, 2018 Ian McCollum 20

After about 2 years or working and waiting, my FR-F1 has arrived from France – so it’s time to get it zeroed! I am using the only commercial ammo available in the us; PPU 139gr […]

Type 13 Manchurian Mauser – A WW1 Legacy in China

November 26, 2018 Ian McCollum 28

This rifle sold for $5,750 at Rock Island on December 2, 2018. The Liao Type 13 was produced at what would become known as the Mukden Arsenal in Manchuria starting in 1924, with production facilitated […]

Germany’s WW1 Zeiss Bifocal Scope: the Glasvisier 16

November 24, 2018 Ian McCollum 6

This rifle sold for $4,600 at Rock Island on December 2, 2018. The Zeiss 2.5x Glasvizier 16 optic is one of the most unusual and interesting of the German sighting systems used on rifles during […]

Ishapore No6 Jungle Carbine SMLE Prototype

November 21, 2018 Ian McCollum 20

This rifle sold for $5,175 at Rock Island on December 2, 2018. In 1943, the British government began a program to develop a shortened and lightened version of the No1 SMLE rifle, for production in […]

Mosin-Nagant Factory Pressure Test Rifle

November 20, 2018 Ian McCollum 17

This rifle sold for $3,450 at Rock Island on December 1, 2018. How did people determine chamber pressure in the years before computers and fancy electronics? Well, by squishing a calibrated slug of copper. Factories […]

Wehrmannsgewehr – German Shooting Competition After WW1

November 19, 2018 Ian McCollum 16

This rifle failed to sell at Rock Island on December 1, 2018. Introduced by a Dutchman in 1897, the Wehrmannsgewehr was a type of 3-position shooting competition using military pattern rifles in a sporting caliber […]

British 1942 Prototype Simplified…Enfield?

November 18, 2018 Ian McCollum 47

This rifle sold for $5,750 at Rock Island on December 1, 2018. In 1942, the British government instituted a development program to design a new simplified rifle to replace the No4 MkI Lee Enfield. The […]