Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Valmet M71 – How Does it Shoot in Full Auto?

February 24, 2018 Ian McCollum 20

The Valmet M71 was introduced as a commercial export rifle in 1971, and was the first AK available on the commercial market in the United States and Europe. It was offered in both .223 and […]

Slow Motion: Gerät 06 (German WWII Prototype)

February 15, 2018 Ian McCollum 27

Before the invention of the roller-delayed system which would become the H&K G3, Mauser engineers in late World War Two built a small number of prototype roller-locked, gas piston operated rifles in 8x33mm, designated the […]

Daewoo K1A1: A Hybrid AR-15 and AR-18

February 14, 2018 Ian McCollum 20

During and after the Korean War, the South Korean military was armed with American weapons – M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, M3/M3A1 Grease Guns, and so on. In the 1970s they wanted to modernize their equipment, […]

How to Identify a Real M1A1 Carbine vs a Fake

February 10, 2018 Ian McCollum 41

Looking for a light and compact weapon to equip its new Airborne units, the US military adopted the M1A1 Carbine in May of 1942. This was mechanically identical to the existing M1 Carbine but with […]

The Albanian SKS: A Few Different Details

February 2, 2018 Ian McCollum 30

The Albanian SKS is the rarest of the major adoptees of the SKS rifle (Russia, China, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania), and has a handful of interested details that differ from all other examples of the SKS […]

Orden Y Patria: Carabineros de Chile Model 1935 Mauser

January 31, 2018 Ian McCollum 9

The Carabinieros de Chile were formed in 1927 by combining the Rural Police, Fiscal Police, and Corps of Carabinieros into a single national police organization. We do not have an organization like this in the […]

Pietta’s PPS/50 – A Popular PPSh Plinker

January 29, 2018 Ian McCollum 21

Introduced by the Italian Pietta company in the 1970s (yes, the same Pietta that makes all those reproduction Old West revolvers and lever action rifles), the PPS/50 has been a continuously popular firearm for more […]

Snabb Semiauto Conversion of a Dutch Mannlicher

January 18, 2018 Ian McCollum 17

Snabb was a Swedish company created to market a system for converting bolt action rifles into semiautomatic rifles. The system was patented in the US in 1938, making this one of the very last attempts […]

Full Auto at 1000m: The 7.92x41mm CETME Cartridge

January 10, 2018 Ian McCollum 33

The US insistence on a full-power rifle cartridge for the NATO standard in the 1950s derailed a couple potentially very interesting concepts – including the 7.92x41mm CETME cartridge. This round was developed by Dr. […]

“Carbine” Williams’ Battle Rifle: The Winchester G30R

January 8, 2018 Ian McCollum 26

The Winchester G30R is the final iteration of David Marshall Williams’ work on a full power .30 caliber military rifle. The project began with a design by Ed Browning (John Browning’s half brother) using […]