Select-fire Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

sa81 KRASA: Czechoslovakia’s Ultra-Compact Lost PDW

October 14, 2024 Ian McCollum 29

The Krása project (which translates as “beauty”, but is also a shortening of “short assault rifle” – “KRÁtký SAmopal”) is a fascinating piece of Czech small arms development. In 1976, the Czechoslovakian military requested development […]

Leaning Westward: Galils for Estonia

October 10, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

When Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it was initially armed with a wide variety of miscellaneous small arms. They clearly needed a primary standardized rifle for the new armed forces. […]

The FAL in Cuba: Left Arm of the Communist World?

October 7, 2024 Ian McCollum 42

In 1958, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista ordered some 35,000 FAL rifles from FN, including both regular infantry rifles have heavy-barreled FALO light machine guns. Before any of them could arrive, however, Batista fled the country […]

The New CZ Bren 3: What Did They Change?

September 9, 2024 Ian McCollum 28

From the Mauser bolt action to the AK and AR, all new military rifles take time to perfect. With the Bren 3, CZ is now on the third iteration of the Bren platform, having gone […]

SR3 Vikhr: Russian 9x39mm PDW

September 2, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

The SR-3 Vikhr is mechanically based on the AS-VAL and VSS Vintorez rifles, but built to be a very compact personal defensive weapon instead of a silenced rifle. Still chambered for 9×39, the Vikhr is […]

Type 63: China Makes an AK/SKS Hybrid

August 28, 2024 Ian McCollum 21

Starting in 1960, China ran a program to develop an infantry rifle that would combine the accuracy of the SKS with the firepower of the AK. The result was the Type 63, which used the […]

Estonian R20L Designated Marksman’s Rifle in 7.62x51mm

August 24, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

Alongside their new 5.56mm R20 infantry rifles, Estonia has recently adopted the LMT 7.62x51mm MARS-H as its new designated marksman’s rifle; the R20L. These rifles were part of a single rifle contract, with the vast […]

WF-54: The Swiss FG-42 Scaled up to 7.5×55

August 19, 2024 Ian McCollum 20

After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and […]

R20 “Rahe” – Estonia Modernizes its Infantry Rifles

August 14, 2024 Ian McCollum 17

In 2017, the Estonian military began the process of replacing its infantry rifles. At that time, the primary rifle in use was the Galil, which had been purchased from Israel shortly after Russian occupation ended […]

WF-51: A Swiss Intermediate-Cartridge Copy of the FG-42

August 5, 2024 Ian McCollum 19

After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and […]