Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

M1895 Lee Navy Salvaged from the USS Maine at James D Julia

February 28, 2015 Ian McCollum 21

The M1895 Lee Navy was a rifle well ahead of it’s time – a smallbore (6mm) straight-pull bolt action adopted by the US Navy at the same time that the US Army was adopting the […]

Winchester 94 with Maxim Silencer at James D Julia

February 23, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

The Winchester Model 94 is one of the most iconic American sporting rifles ever made, and this particular one is chambered in the equally iconic .30-30 cartridge. It is a takedown version, made in 1907, […]

Vintage Friday: Russians

February 20, 2015 Ian McCollum 37

Russian troops with SVT-40 rifles in a particularly photogenic framing. My book review planned for today isn’t quite done yet, so I’m changing up the schedule a bit.

A Rifle of Many Travels

February 19, 2015 Ian McCollum 33

I was visiting a friend recently (James, who runs Tombstone Territorial Firearms, which you should definitely visit if you are ever in Tombstone – it’s a remarkably well-stocked shop), and he had pulled out a […]

Sharps-Borchardt M1878 at RIA (Video)

February 18, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

The M1878 was the last new rifle produced by the Sharps company before it went out of business in 1881. It was the invention of none other than German gun designer Hugo Borchardt, better known […]

Standard Arms Model G Rifles at RIA (Video)

February 9, 2015 Ian McCollum 16

Right at the beginning of the 20th century, there were 3 options on the market for semiauto commercial sporting rifles in the US: the Remington Model 8, the Winchester 1905/1907 Self-Loader, and the Standard Arms […]

Khyber Pass Martini Pistol at RIA (Video)

February 6, 2015 Ian McCollum 13

The Khyber Pass is a well known center of arms production, with gunmaking there going back at least 100 years. The quality of craftsmanship varies greatly, from excellent and safe weapons to thoroughly unsafe guns […]

Vintage Saturday: Not the Best Choice

January 31, 2015 Ian McCollum 16

A postcard photo from May 1918 (sent to me by Shane M. – thanks, Shane!). Featuring Arthur L. Potts, 103rd MG Co. 26th Division. The Standard Arms Model G rifle he’s holding was a direct […]

Mexican Pieper Revolving Carbine

January 28, 2015 Ian McCollum 28

I often find myself answering the question, why didn’t anybody adopt a revolving rifle based on the M1895 gas-seal Nagant revolver? It does seem like a natural solution to the gas-related problems inherent to a […]