Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

“FUSTAN” – The Competition Rimfire MAS-36 for North Africa

November 24, 2021 Ian McCollum 11

While the French military adopted a .22 rimfire training version of the MAS-36, that rifle (the “Tir Réduit 5.5mm”) was intended for military training, and not for formal competition. During World War Two, the design […]

Ethiopian Oddities: A Long Lee / SMLE Hybrid

November 23, 2021 Ian McCollum 3

Today’s Ethiopian Oddity is a rifle that began its like as an early Lee Enfield MkI made by London Small Arms. It has the original buttstock, early style safety, volley sights, and magazine cutoff from […]

Winchester Reference Collection: Uruguayan M1908 Short Rifle

November 22, 2021 Ian McCollum 9

Uruguay first adopted a Mauser rifle in the 1880s, with the single-shot Mauser model 1871. After an abortive attempt to update those rifles to a small bore smokeless powder cartridge (the Dovitiis conversion), they opted […]

Throwback Thursday: A .22 Rifle for John Wayne

November 18, 2021 Ian McCollum 18

Today I’m reposting part of an interview I did with L James “Jim” Sullivan back in 2014. Aside from being one of the two men who did the conversion of the AR-10 into the AR-15, […]

Belgian Black Rifle: the FNC at the Range

November 13, 2021 Ian McCollum 29

Today, we’re taking the FN FNC out to the range to see how it handles…

FN FNC: The Belgian 5.56mm NATO Carbine

November 12, 2021 Ian McCollum 50

The FNC (Fabrique Nationale Carabine) was FN’s followup to the unsuccessful CAL rifle. Chambered for the newly-adopted 5.56mm NATO cartridge, the FNC uses a long stroke gas piston system very reminiscent of the AK, combined […]

Dodge Patent Prototype Rolling Block Rifle

November 11, 2021 Ian McCollum 28

William Dodge and his brother were inventors in Washington DC who in the 1870s patented a bunch of different improvements to the Remington Rolling Block, among other guns. This particular one I cannot identify with […]

Unique Rotating Single-Shot Percussion Rifle

November 8, 2021 Ian McCollum 29

This is a very unusual single-shot muzzleloading rifle. It is devoid of markings that might identify it, but appears (to my eye, anyway) to have been built from what was originally intended to be a […]

Confederate Gillam & Miller Rolling Block Transformation

October 26, 2021 Ian McCollum 6

Most people think about the Remington Rolling Block as a purpose-built rifle, but it was also used as a way to transform muzzleloaders into more modern breechloaders. Remington did this commercially, and small gunsmiths did […]

Remington’s Revolving Rifle: Not Expensive, but not Successful

October 21, 2021 Ian McCollum 17

While Colt put significant effort into developing a revolving rifle design, Remington chose to simply use their existing New Model revolver architecture. Remington introduced it’s Revolving Rifle (it had no other model name) in 1865, […]