Single Shot Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Confederate Whitworth Sniper: Hexagonal Bullets in 1860

October 12, 2017 Ian McCollum 55

Sir Joseph Whitworth is quite the famous name in engineering circles, credited with the development of such things as Whitworth threading (the first standardized thread pattern) and engineer’s blue. When he decided to make a […]

The Keen-Walker Carbine – A Simple Confederate Breechloader

October 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 12

Little is known about the Keen-Walker Gun Company, except for a few Confederate arsenal records that have survived. From those we know that the company delivered a total of 282 of these single-shot .54 caliber […]

Kurdish Zagros and Şer Anti-Materiel Rifles

October 4, 2017 Ian McCollum 27

Thanks to correspondent Ed Nash (he gave me permission to use his name after I had recorded the video), I have a number of really interesting photos and video clips of YPG (Kurdish) locally-produced anti-materiel […]

Jennings Muzzleloader Conversion: The Perils of Early Adoption

August 16, 2017 Ian McCollum 24

Early adoption of new technology is a sword which cuts both ways – you might be getting the first of a fantastic new system, or you might be paying for a flop – and in […]

Major Fosbery’s Breechloading Prototype Rifle

August 5, 2017 Ian McCollum 6

George Fosbery was the British officer (Major, at the time of this particular design) responsible for the quite famous Webley-Fosbery self-cocking revolver, as well as the Paradox system for shotgun slugs and many other lesser […]

Greener Harpoon Gun – Yes, the One From Jaws

June 16, 2017 Ian McCollum 28

Imported into the US through the appropriately-named Navy Arms company, this is a Greener Martini action built into a “Light Harpoon Gun” by Webley & Scott in the UK. These were built as legitimate hunting […]

Hans Larsen’s Unique Falling Block Rifles at James D Julia

March 26, 2017 Ian McCollum 6

Hans Larsen was a very successful competitive marksman (World Champion, in fact) and gunsmith in Norway in the late 1800s. He, and later his company, made a wide variety of guns, from revolving rifles and […]

Wheellock 101: History and Shooting (Video)

March 11, 2017 Ian McCollum 24

The wheel lock was one of the first types of early gun or firearm, developed as an alternative to the simple but problematic matchlock musket. The wheellock uses an iron pyrite set against a spinning […]

Frank Wesson’s Rimfire Carbine (Video)

February 14, 2017 Ian McCollum 12

First patented in 1859 and sold as a sporting rifle before the Civil War (in calibers 32, 38, and 41 rimfire), Frank Wesson added a military model with a 24 inch barrel and chambered for […]

Sharps & Hankins Navy Model Carbine

February 9, 2017 Ian McCollum 10

Designed by Christian Sharps (or Sharps rifle fame), the Sharps & Hankins carbine was a light and handy rimfire carbine intended for military use. It was a single-shot weapon with an unusual action to lever […]