Select-fire Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

India’s Unique X95 Tavor “Zittara” (I Did Not Expect the Magazine)

September 30, 2026 Ian McCollum 18

https://youtu.be/PwOZXF5c-nw The Tavor has a history of being popular in service with high-end Indian military and security forces, and a deal was made to manufacture the X95 domestically. What makes it unusual is that it […]

Saudi Gold Plated Presentation G3: Gaudy or Elegant?

September 14, 2026 Ian McCollum 16

The Saudi Arabian government signed a contract with H&K to license domestic production of the G3 rifle at the Al Kharj factory complex in 1972. Production included standard rifles for general use, but also chrome- […]

A WW2 German Mystery: Knorr Bremse FG42 Prototype?

August 24, 2026 Ian McCollum 77

This is really a mystery rifle, or half of a mystery rifle. It is part of the collection at Springfield Armory National Historic Site, but its exact provenance from World War Two is not recorded. […]

The Very First FAL Prototype (in 8mm Kurz)

August 22, 2026 Ian McCollum 21

Dieudonne Saive at Fabrique Nationale began developing the FAL to submit for the British post-war program to adopt new small arms. He built the first example in the German 8x33mm Kurz cartridge, as this was […]

Colt’s Vietnam Prototype AK/M16 Hybrid: the Model 703

August 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 16

“From Hartford to Vietnam” is available here for preorder: Or you can find it bundled with “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=3b3v8y The Model 703 was an experimental project at Colt which […]

Sweden’s Green Trials Galil: the FFV-890C

August 3, 2026 Ian McCollum 34

When Sweden decided to replace the AK-4 (a license-built H&K G3) with a 5.56mm rifle in the 1970s, they tested nearly every potential rifle on the market. Only two survived the stringent Swedish arctic trials; […]

Testing 9×39 SP6 AP Ammo Against Body Armor

July 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 29

Today I have a chance to test out a couple rounds of SP6 armor-piercing 9x39mm ammo, using an ex-Russian AS Val rifle. First I’ll try an MNIJ Level 3A soft vest, which is rated for […]

AS Val: The Soviet 9x39mm Silent Assault Rifle

July 8, 2026 Ian McCollum 11

The AS (Special Assault rifle) Val was one of two dedicated silenced rifles developed in Russia in the 1980s. The Val was intended for assault use with full auto firing, while the VSS (Special Sniper […]

FN’s New ARKA: Revamping the SCAR for Military Tenders

June 10, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

The ARKA is essentially FN’s SCAR rifle on the inside but with more AR-style controls and handling. It was developed in response to a number of military and security service tenders which required specifically an […]

AK-12: The Improved 2019 Model

June 1, 2026 Ian McCollum 3

The AK-12 went through an extensive development program that attempted to substantially change the AK design, but failed. In 2015 the early design plans were scrapped, and the project reverted to simply making some changes […]