Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

French FR-F1 Sniper Rifle at the Range

June 4, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

The FR-F1 was adopted in 1967 as the French Army’s marksman or sniper’s rifle. It was based roughly on the MAS-36 bolt action system, but with a heavier receiver and 10-round detachable box magazine. It […]

Adventures in Surplus: Chromed Argentine 1891 Parade Rifle

June 3, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

When I got this Model 1891 Argentine rifle, I assumed it was the unfortunately result of someone’s experimenting with chrome plating parts. All the small parts are chromed and then heavily worn, while the barrel […]

Adventures in Surplus: A WW1 & Weimar Police Kar98a Carbine

June 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 10

I have been wanting one of these rifles for a long time, and with this example I think I have found a fantastic example. This is a Kar98a carbine made in 1918 and used in […]

Zastava DMR Showdown: M76 vs M91 at the Range

May 30, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

Time to compare the Zastava over-sized AKs! Today I’m out at the range for a comparison shutoff between a Yugoslav M76 and a Serbian M91, both Kalashnikov-based DMRs made by the Zastava factory. The M76 […]

FAMAS G2: The French Navy Updates its Bullpup

May 27, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

The FAMAS rifle was originally adopted for use with 55 grain ammunition, with a 1:12 inch rifling twist rate and, of course, a proprietary 25-round magazine. This was the F1 pattern. Further development of the […]

M38 Carcano: Best Bolt Rifle of World War Two?

May 26, 2020 Ian McCollum 109

During the 1920s, Italy was concerned about insufficient lethality with their 6.5x52mm cartridge, and began experimenting with larger bore diameters. By the late 1930s they settled on a new 7.35x51mm round, based closely on the […]

An AK in 8x57mm: The Yugoslav M76 at the Range

May 23, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

Yesterday we looked at the history and mechanics of this Yugoslav M76; today we are taking it out to the range…

Zastava’s Heavy Hitter: The Yugoslav M76 DMR

May 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 25

In the 1970s, the Yugoslav Army decided that it wanted a semiautomatic marksman’s rifle, something akin to the Romanian PSL or Soviet Dragunov. Not having the technical data package to manufacture the SVD, the Zastava […]

Trials Soviet M91/30/43 Mosin – Semin’s Folding Bayonet

May 20, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

As World War Two developed, the Soviet Union found that bayonets were frequently lost from its M91/30 Mosin Nagant rifles. The standard bayonet, as adopted all the way back in 1891, was a long spike […]

Special Troops M91 Carcano Carbine and the M91/24 Carbine

May 19, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

“Special Troops” does not mean Special Forces; it means all the various service branches that need neither a full length rifle nor a permanently attached bayonet. This included artillery, engineers, naval troops, and more. The […]