Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Khyber Pass Handmade Bolt Action AK Lookalike

December 13, 2017 Ian McCollum 48

Today we are looking at a unique rifle in the National Firearms Centre collection – at first glance it appears to be an AK in a full-lenght rifle cartridge, using a Bren gun magazine. A […]

Converting the Lebel to 7.5mm: The M27 Lebel

December 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 19

Get your “Only Dropped Once” shirt here, and do your part to push back against the stereotype of the French soldier! In the aftermath of World War One, the French military instituted a plan to […]

Gevelot 11mm Sliding-Chamber Pinfire Rifle

December 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 14

This rifle design was developed by the Gevelot cartridge company to compete with the Modele 1866 Chassepot for French military use, although it was not successful in that attempt. The weapon has an uncommon […]

Madsen LAR: An AK for NATO!

December 8, 2017 Ian McCollum 18

The Madsen LAR (light automatic rifle) was an attempt by the main Danish arms manufacturer to get into the military rifle market after World War Two (they also released a bolt action rifle around the […]

Thorneycroft: A Victorian Bullpup Rifle with Volley Sights

December 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 19

The Thorneycroft was the first military bullpup rifle, developed in the United Kingdom in response to combat experiences in the second Boer War showing the British infantry rifles to be overly long and cumbersome. Scotsman […]

The First Modern Military Rifle: The Modele 1886 Lebel

December 5, 2017 Ian McCollum 40

Get your “Only Dropped Once” shirt here, and do your part to push back against the stereotype of the French soldier! The Lebel was a truly groundbreaking development in military small arms, being the first […]

The .32ACP Dreyse Light Carbine

December 2, 2017 Ian McCollum 41

Manufactured by Rheinmetall and designed by Louis Stange, this light .32ACP (7.65mm Browning) carbine is a bit of a mysterious item. Very little written information exists about it, but we know it was sold on […]

Steyr M30S Prototype: A Repurposed WW1 Improved Mauser

November 29, 2017 Ian McCollum 23

This rifle, as best I can tell, is a prototype model made by Steyr in Switzerland in the early 1930s for use in Hungarian military trials. The Hungarians were looking to replace their old 1895 […]

M1903 Springfield – Stripped for Air Service

November 28, 2017 Ian McCollum 32

Edit: For additional information on these, including some unpublished documentation, see the C&Rsenal video on the 1903 Springfield One of the more interesting and unusual – and rare – variations of the M1903 Springfield is […]

American Viven-Bessières WW1 Grenade Launcher

November 26, 2017 Ian McCollum 22

The standard American grenade launching system in World War One was the Viven-Bessières, borrowed directly form the French. It had been adopted by France in 1916, replacing copies of the British Martin-Hale rod grenades. The […]