Bolt Action Rifles
Rifles
Prototype
Pavesi Prototype SVT Copy (Video)
This rifle is pretty much a big mystery – I have virtually no good information on it. Through inspection, we know it is a mechanical copy of the Soviet SVT 38 or 40 – it […]
Conversion
Semiauto RPD Light Machine Gun (Video)
The RPD was the first belt-fed light machine gun (or squad automatic weapon) developed by the Soviet Union. It was designed in 1944 for the then-new M43 cartridge (7.62x39mm), although wartime exigencies followed by post-war […]
Gunsmithing
CETME-L Flats: HMG vs Prexis
You may recall a while back I picked up a CETME-L flat from Prexis, because it was the only option available for building a CETME-L rifle. Well, there is now another option available. Hill & […]
Prototype
Pavesi Model 1942 Prototype Semiauto (Video)
The Pavesi Model 1942 is a prototype Italian semiauto rifle chambered for the 8×59 Breda cartridge. It is a short recoil action with a 4-lug rotating bolt, and appears to use a Mannlicher type en […]
Artillery
A 75mm Maxim-Nordenfelt Cannon and the Type 30 Arisaka
First up, a 75mm Maxim-Nordenfelt cannon that was on display at the Carabinieri Museum in Rome. Guns like this one were pretty widely used by countries all over the world, with a wide variety of details […]
Prototype
Burton 1917 Light Machine Rifle
America’s first assault rifle? Well, it does meet all the requirements – select-fire, intermediate cartridge, and shoulder-fired. It was never actually fielded, though. The Burton Light Machine Rifle was developed during World War One, with […]
Accessories
Vintage Saturday: Folding Transport
Not just any bicycle, but a folding Gladiator bicycle! You can see the entire 13-photo set here. Thanks to Denny for pointing these pictures out!
Prototype
Beretta Model 1931 & 1937 Prototype Semiauto Rifles
In the 1930s, the Italian military (like all major military forces at the time) was investigating options for a semiautomatic service rifle. Beretta’s Tulio Marengoni developed one such rifle, and submitted it in two forms. […]
Gunsmithing
Q&A #5: Rollin White and Other (Better) Designers
Questions in part I of today’s Q&A: 1:04 – What was Rollin White’s revolver like? 7:09 – Why did pan magazines disappear? 10:14 – Why no pointed pistol bullets? 13:24 – Funky rounds like Trounds […]