Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

The SVD with a Red Dot Optic (2-Gun Match)

May 24, 2015 Ian McCollum 20

This isn’t exactly a “forgotten” weapon, but it is a very cool one, and one we have been unable to pry out of Karl’s hands. In the recent May 2-Gun Action Challenge Match, Karl opted […]

British Army patrol in Northern Ireland, circa 1971

Vintage Saturday: Roller Skates

May 23, 2015 Ian McCollum 80

Scotti Model X Internals

May 21, 2015 Ian McCollum 46

I recently acquired a Scotti Model X rifle, so now we can have a set of internal photos of one (shooting and evaluation will be coming). This was one of the semiauto rifles trialed by […]

Vintage Saturday: Trench Armor

May 16, 2015 Ian McCollum 88

Interestingly, one of the German troops in the front row is wearing grabenpanzer steel armor. This was reportedly used primarily for machine gun crews and sharpshooters – soldiers whose jobs were particularly heavy on staying […]

History of the Designated Marksman’s Rifle (Video)

May 13, 2015 Ian McCollum 11

Today Karl and I are looking at the history and evolution of the DMR concept. This is the idea of a squad force-multiplier in the form of a rifle with greater precision capability than the […]

The SVT-40 and Soviet Tactics

May 12, 2015 Ian McCollum 27

I have an SVT-40, but haven’t had a chance to really put it through the paces and do a video on it yet. So I was interested to watch when I saw that Balázs Németh […]

Ferguson Breechloading Flintlock (Video)

May 11, 2015 Ian McCollum 27

Patrick Ferguson was a British inventor and Army officer who developed a breechloading flintlock rifle in the 1770s (his patent was granted in 1776). He impressed British Army ordnance officials with a remarkable demonstration of […]

Rheinmetall Model 1928

May 8, 2015 Ian McCollum 10

The Rheinmetall model 1928 (designed by one Karl Heinemann and made in Switzerland) was one of the rifles tested by US Ordnance in trials that eventually settled on the Garand and Pedersen designs (and ultimately […]

Mannlicher 1885 Semiauto Rifle

May 6, 2015 Ian McCollum 21

Ferdinand von Mannlicher’s Model 1885 self-loading rifle design as a failure, never seeing anything even resembling mass production. However, it was a failure which in many way set the stage for a huge number of […]

Aberdeen Proving Grounds Tests the Madsen in 7mm and 20mm

May 5, 2015 Ian McCollum 5

In October of 1940, the US proving ground at Aberdeen, Maryland conducted testing of both the Madsen light machine gun (in 7mm caliber) and the Madsen anti-tank/anti-aircraft cannon in 20mm. On November 8th it published […]