Single Shot Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

Barton Jenks’ Model 1867 Rolling Block Trials Rifle

April 6, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

These are lots #133 (from-scratch rifle) and #134 (muzzleloader conversion) in the upcoming RIA Premier Auction. It was scheduled for April, but has been postponed – check their web site for upcoming Online Only auctions […]

Mauser-Norris Prototype: Origins of the Mauser Legacy

January 10, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

Today we are looking at one of the rarest and earliest rifles built by Paul and Wilhelm Mauser, a design which would set in motion all the events that led to the Mauser company becoming […]

Terry’s Breechloading Carbine: Used by Hussars and Confederates

December 5, 2019 Ian McCollum 12

This capping breechloader was patented in the UK by William Terry in 1856, and adopted (in limited numbers) by the British military in 1860. Approved for cavalry use, it was issued to the 18th Hussars, […]

Pieper’s 7-Barrel Mitrailleuse: Like a Shotgun But Accurate

November 23, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

Manufactured in the 1880s and 1890s to serve the professional hunter market, Pieper’s 7-barrel Mitrailleuse was essentially a rimfire volley gun. It was offer in both .22 rimfire and .32 rimfire calibers, both models having […]

Civil War Smith Carbine and its Rubber Cartridges

November 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

The US military experimented with a wide variety of breechloading carbines during the Civil War. One of these that got a bit of a head start on the others was the Smith carbine, patented in […]

Cooey: The Unassuming Canadian Workhorse

November 6, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

Cooey is a brand name that will be immediately recognized by Canadians, but pretty much unknown everywhere else. Founded in 1903 by Herbert Cooey, the company would produce a series of simple and practical firearms […]

Shooting the Mle 1866 Chassepot

September 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

A while back, I visited @CanadianGunLover, and we did a bit of shooting with an 1866 Chassepot. I lost track of the footage and only just now found where I had put it – so […]

Lindsay’s Two-Shot US Army Musket

August 26, 2019 Ian McCollum 12

Lot 1197 in the September 2019 RIA auction. John Parker Lindsay patented a superposed, 2-shot muzzleloading rifle action in 1860, and remarkably, was able to get a contract to sell them to the US Federal […]

Platypus or Prototype? Authenticating a Hybrid Entini

August 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 30

Lot 1688 in the September 2019 RIA auction. I debated whether or not to film this rifle, because I can’t say with 100% confidence that it is genuine. It really seems genuine to me though, […]

Barnekov Greene Prototype 1870 Open-Bolt Army Rifle

August 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

Lot 3293 in the September RIA auction. Patented by Kiel V. Barnekov of New York in 1870, this is a toggle-locked, single shot, open bolt rifle. It was entered into the US 1872 rifle trials […]