Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

Turkish Conehammer “Broomhandle” C96 Mauser

October 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 17

This is Lot 2493 in the upcoming October Morphy Extraordinary auction. The “cone hammer” was the first commercial version of the Mauser C96, so named for the stepped conical sides of its hammer. The C96 […]

Ecia Model 1930 Family: Competitors to the Astra

September 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 10

Juan Esperanza was one of the two partners who formed the Astra company (with Pedro Unceta). When the two had a falling-out in 1925 and parted ways, Esperanza formed his own company and went on […]

Star Pistol-Carbines: Model MMS and Model MB

September 9, 2019 Ian McCollum 8

Star produced 1911-style pistols in a wide variety of calibers and configurations for more than 50 years, including several models with shoulder stocks. Two of the later such models were the MMS and MB. These […]

Menz Liliput Pocket Pistols: 4.25mm and 6.35mm

September 1, 2019 Ian McCollum 19

Lot 517 (5.25mm) and lot 444 (6.35mm) in the September 2019 RIA auction. The Liliput was made by the August Menz Company in Germany during the 1920s, in several variations. It was introduced in both […]

HK4: Heckler & Koch’s Multi-Caliber Pocket Pistol

August 28, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Lot 3959 in the September 2019 RIA auction. The H&K Model 4 was named for the fact that it was offered in four different calibers – .22LR, .25 ACP, .32 ACP, and .380 ACP. The […]

1938 Swedish Army Trials Luger

August 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 17

Lot 524 in the September 2019 RIA auction. Sweden tested the Luger in 1904, along with all the major semiauto pistols available at the time. The Luger was found to be the most accurate gun […]

P7A13: H&K’s Entry into the US XM9 Pistol Trials

August 5, 2019 Ian McCollum 13

The US held three series of pistol trials beginning in the late 1970s to find a replacement for the venerable M1911 handgun. H&K was a participant in all three – in the first the entered […]

Belgian GP35: The First Military Browning High Power

July 29, 2019 Ian McCollum 30

The Grande Puissance – High Power – was John Browning’s last firearms design. In fact, he only began the design; it was taken to completion by his protege Dieudonné Saive at FN in Belgium. It […]

SIG Chylewski: One-Handed Vest Pocket Automatic

July 24, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

Designed by Witold Chylewski, this was only the second pistol manufactured by SIG (the first being the 6.5mm blow-forward 1894 MAnnlicher design). It was patented prior to WW1, but only after the war was Chylewski […]

Abercrombie & Fitch Luger

July 22, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Back before World War One, when Abercrombie & Fitch was still a true sporting goods company catering to the likes of Joseph Steinbeck and Theodore Roosevelt, they decided to offer Luger pistols for sale. This […]