Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Germany’s WW1 “Kurz” Model Tankgewehr

October 29, 2020 Ian McCollum 7

When the German Tankgewehr was introduced in May 1918, the first 300 or so guns were of a different pattern than the standard production that would follow (and of which about 16,000 would be made). […]

Gardiner/Scott Prototype Grip Safety on an Early 1903 Springfield

October 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 8

In 1904, a man named Orlando Scott from Ontario filed a patent application for a safety device for breechloading rifles and shotguns. His idea was basically a spring loaded grip safety in the fore-end of […]

CETME Paratrooper Top-Folding Stock

October 16, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

Spain adopted the CETME Modelo B rifle for service in 1958. These early rifles were chambered for the reduced-pressure 7.62mm CETME cartridge, and had a few other unique features. Some of these were made with […]

The 1843 Side-Lever Hall Carbine by Simeon North

October 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 8

The final production version of the Hall was Simeon North’s Model 1843 Carbine, of which 10,500 were made between 1844 and 1853. It used North’s percussion update to the design, and a cleverly simple calming […]

Polytech AKS – The First Wave of Semiauto Chinese AK Rifles

October 14, 2020 Ian McCollum 14

The first semiauto commercial AK rifles to enter the US were Finnish Valmets. These established a US collector interested but while excellent in quality, they did not quite fit the visual pattern of the classic […]

Bilharz Hall & Co : A Crude Confederate Cavalry Carbine Copy

October 13, 2020 Ian McCollum 7

In 1863, the Bilharz, Hall, & Co firm of Pittsylvania Court House, Virginia (now Chatham VA) received a contract to make 1,000 examples of a simple percussion cavalry carbine modeled after the US Model 1855 […]

The Last Swiss Battle Rifle: SIG-Manurhin 542 (in .243)

October 12, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

After the failure of the SIG 530 rifle (a gas operated, roller locked design), SIG looked for a much simpler rifle design, in both operation and manufacture. Wheat they came up with was fundamentally AK-like, […]

Valkyrie Silenced DeLisle Carbine at the Range

October 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

The DeLisle carbine was a conversion of the Lee Enfield to .45 ACP made by the British during World War Two for SOE use. They used modified 1911 magazines to feed, and included a very […]

Vetterli-Ferracciu for the Italian Navy

October 9, 2020 Ian McCollum 7

The Italian military adopted the single-shot Vetterli rifle in 1870, and by 1882 the Italian Navy was looking for something with a bit more firepower. The proceeded to adopt the Vetterli-Bertoldo in 1882, a version […]

Turkish Model 1903/30 Short Rifle with Folding Bayonet

October 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

The Ottoman Empire purchased a staggering number of Mauser rifles over many decades, and Turkey would update many of them to a standardized pattern in the 1930s. This particular example is very rare, with an […]