Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

South African R2 and its Special Furniture

June 5, 2019 Ian McCollum 12

In South African military service, the R1 was the FN FAL and was the preferred infantry combat rifle until the adoption of the Galil as the R4 rifle. So what were the guns in between? […]

A Rifle for International Competition: the MAS 49-56 MSE

May 29, 2019 Ian McCollum 43

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! The MSE (Modified St Etienne) version of the MAS 49-56 was developed specifically for international competition shooting by […]

French NATO Standardization: the MAS 49-56 in 7.62mm

May 27, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! In the late 1950s, France was still part of the NATO integrated military structure. When the 7.62x51mm cartridge […]

France’s Final Battle Rifle Iteration: The MAS 49-56

May 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! While the development of the MAS 49 had given France a very utilitarian rifle that could serve as […]

MAS 49: A Universal Service Rifle

May 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! As the MAS 44 saw combat service with French Marines in Indochina, some of its shortcomings began to […]

Book Review: The Dreyse Military Needle-Ignition System

May 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 7

Leonard and Guy A-R-West have released the second book in their series on antique military rifles, this time on the Dreyse system. As anyone interested in the Dreyse has probably already learned, there is very […]

MAS 44: The French Adopt a Semiauto Rifle

May 17, 2019 Ian McCollum 22

Pre-sales for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866 – 2016 are now live on Kickstarter – check it out! The French Army had been planning a semiauto infantry rifle since 1921, but […]

1884 Kropatschek: Groundwork for the Lebel

May 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! After the adoption of the single-shot Gras rifle in 1874, attitudes towards repeating rifles began to shift in […]

Book Review: Basque-Made Rolling Blocks of the 3rd Carlist War

May 12, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

This new book from Mowbray is an English translation of a work originally written in Spanish by Fernando de Aguinaga and Jose Luis de Aguinaga, which clearly involved a tremendous amount of original research. The […]

French 1878 Marine Kropatschek

May 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Preorders now open for my book, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! Get your copy here! The French Navy chose not to adopt the Gras rifle, and continued to use the paper-cartridge, needlefire Chassepot […]