Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

Politicians Ruin Everything: Dutch Luger Trials

October 27, 2021 Ian McCollum 26

The Dutch military started looking for semiauto pistols to replace its aging revolvers around 1899. They tested all the early models; the Roth, Borchardt, Mauser and Mannlicher – and then they obtained a Borchardt-Luger (aka, […]

Krieghoff: Lugers for the Luftwaffe

October 20, 2021 Ian McCollum 26

One of the scarce, small-production manufacturers of the Luger is Krieghoff – Heinrich Krieghoff to be exact. Kreighoff Waffenfabrik was a smallish arms company that wanted to get into major contracts with the rearming German […]

BUG Match with a 98-Year-Old 6.35mm Le Français

October 16, 2021 Ian McCollum 39

Today I’m at the BackUp Gun Match in Tucson with a first model Le Français made in 1923. This is an early French semiauto pistol design intended for pocket carry. It has a 7-round magazine […]

Personalized 1911s from the WW1 American Expedition to Siberia

September 13, 2021 Ian McCollum 23

At the end of the Great War, the United States sent several thousand soldiers to eastern Siberia, to protect war supplies from the Red Russian forces and to help rescue the Czechoslovak Legion. Also known […]

Cheek Pistol Concept: Unorthodox But Effective

September 7, 2021 Ian McCollum 49

My friend Rhett Neumayer has been experimenting with an unorthodox but very interesting way to use handguns that don’t have reciprocating slides. He fits a red dot optic on a relatively tall mount, then presses […]

Stopping the action of pistol bullets. Soviet view.

July 11, 2021 Ian McCollum 38

This guest post authored by Andrey Ulanov. In the USSR, the issue of choosing the main pistol cartridge was dealt with twice. For the first time, this was done by a commission in the early […]

Colt Prototype Double Action 1911

June 23, 2021 Ian McCollum 16

Thanks to Legacy Collectibles, today we have a unique Colt prototype pistol to look at today – a double-action variation of the 1911. Judging by the grips and markings, this was made in the late […]

Roth Steyr 1907 3D Printed Stripper Clips

June 19, 2021 Ian McCollum 34

Thanks to Thomas for sending me a couple of these clips to try out, and sharing his STL files for them! Here are the files for anyone who wants to make themselves a few: Clip […]

Chinese Warlord Pistols: The Huge Shanxi .45 ACP Broomhandle

June 17, 2021 Ian McCollum 13

The “Pistols of the Warlords Kickstarter ends Friday night; don’t miss out! The best known and most highly valued of the Warlord Era Chinese pistols is undoubtedly the .45 ACP copy of the C96 Mauser. […]

Finland’s First Domestic Handgun: the Ahlberg

June 14, 2021 Ian McCollum 24

In the wake of Finland gaining its independence, small arms were much in demand for the armed forces. Many rifles had been taken from Russian stockpiles in Finland, but not many handguns. Hugo Ahlberg ran […]