Select-fire Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

HK-32 Prototype in 7.62x39mm

February 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Among the large family of roller-delayed rifles produced by Heckler & Koch, one of the rarest and least known is the HK32. This was the select-fire shoulder rifle chambered in 7.62x39mm. These rifles appeared in […]

AMP 69: Hungary’s Grenade-Launching AK

February 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 19

The Hungarian AMP-69 is, I think, the undisputed ugliest military AK variant ever fielded. It is truly an example of function over form, designed specifically for the role of dedicated rifle grenade launcher. To this […]

CETME Modelo A: First Step Towards the G3

February 8, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

The Modelo A was the first series production version of the CETME rifle, following a series of successful trials in Spain. It was developed by a team of ex-Mauser engineers led by Ludwig Vorgrimmler, and […]

Colt CK901: An AR in 7.62x39mm for the Yemeni Military

February 6, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

Colt developed this rifle, the CK-901, for the Yemeni military in 2014 – which appears to be the only buyer they have found for it since. The rifle is basically an AR-15 chambered for 7.62x39mm, […]

Shooting the HK G41: Like an HK33 But Worse

January 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 51

We took a look at the history and mechanics of the G41 yesterday; now it’s time to actually try it out on the range… It, ah, did not go so well. But I did get […]

H&K G41: The HK33 Meets the M16

January 25, 2019 Ian McCollum 34

The H&K G41 was developed for the NATO trials of the early 1980s, which were set up to look at both rifles and cartridges for NATO standardization (although they did not end up choosing a […]

Neophytou Gas-Operated .22 Rimfire Conversion for the R4/Galil

January 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 20

Today we are looking at – and shooting – a one of a kind .22 rimfire conversion kit for the Galil developed by South African designer Tony Neophytou (better known for the Neostead shotgun, Neopup […]

Evolution of the Dutch-Made AR10

January 5, 2019 Ian McCollum 25

The AR-10 rifle was developed in the United States (Hollywood California, specifically) by Eugene Stoner, but the Armalite company did not have a suitable large scale manufacturing facility to produce the number of guns they […]

FN CAL: Short-Lived Predecessor to the FNC

January 4, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

The CAL (Carabine Automatique Leger; Light Automatic Carbine) was FN’s first attempt to produce a 5.56mm rifle as a counterpart to the 7.62mm FAL. While light and handy, the CAL was a relatively complex and […]

H&K G36: Germany Adopts the 5.56mm Cartridge

December 28, 2018 Ian McCollum 36

When the G11 program was cancelled and German reunified, the West German military was still using the 7.62mm G3 rifle, while the East German forces had AK-74 variants. Neither of these were suitable for a […]