Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

Development of the SIG P220, aka the Swiss P75 Army Pistol

May 16, 2018 Ian McCollum 7

The SIG 210, aka the P49, was a magnificent pistol, but really too expensive for a modern military sidearm. In the 1960s, the Swiss military began looking for a new service sidearm that would be […]

Testing 7.65mm French Long Ammo (Reed’s and Buffalo Arms)

April 26, 2018 Ian McCollum 36

I am on the search for suitable ammunition for the Mle 1935A and Mle 1935S French pistols, as well as my MAS-38 submachine gun. They are chambered for the 7.65mm French Long cartridge, aka […]

Polish and German Police Silenced CZ-27 Pistols

April 25, 2018 Ian McCollum 19

Today we are looking at two suppressed CZ-27 pistols, one Polish and one German. The Polish one was issued by the Ministry of Public Security, an agency which only existed from 1945 until 1954. It […]

Lahti L-35: Finland’s First Domestic Service Automatic Pistol

April 23, 2018 Ian McCollum 21

When Finland decided to replace the Luger as its service handgun, they turned to Finland’s most famous arms designer, Aimo Lahti. After a few iterations, Lahti devised a short recoil semiautomatic pistol with a vertically […]

LugerMan Reproduction of the 1907 .45 Test Trials Luger

April 14, 2018 Ian McCollum 19

Eugene Golubtsov, aka LugerMan, is manufacturing reproduction .45ACP caliber Luger pistols, based on the original blueprints of the 1907 pattern US Army trials guns. When he offered to send me one to try out, how […]

Colt Tries To Make a Service Pistol: The Model 1971

April 10, 2018 Ian McCollum 22

In the early 1970s, Colt wanted to develop a new military pistol so that it could offer a modern replacement for the venerable 1911. Colt Engineer Robert Roy designed the new gun in 1971, and […]

Colt’s Prototype Post-War Pocket Hammerless Model M

April 3, 2018 Ian McCollum 12

Production of the Colt Pocket Hammerless (aka the Model M) pretty much died at the end of World War Two. Military contracts ended, and the civilian market was quite weak – Colt shipped just 132 […]

Korth PRS Automatic Pistol: German Quality (And Price!)

March 31, 2018 Ian McCollum 39

Korth is a boutique firearms manufacturer in Germany generally known for their very fine and very expensive revolvers. In 2015, the decided to introduce an automatic pistol as well, which they called the PRS. It […]

Detroit’s Short-Lived Kimball .30 Carbine Pistol

March 29, 2018 Ian McCollum 57

Target Model Combat Model The J. Kimball Arms Company of Detroit introduced a semiauto pistol in 1955, chambered for the .30 Carbine cartridge – what better companion for the tactical uber weapon of the day, […]

Norton DP-75: Titanium Plus German Police Pistol

March 1, 2018 Ian McCollum 43

This pistol is something of a mystery – its design comes from the experimental Mauser HsP of the mid 1970s. It uses a short recoil system with a pivoting locking block vaguely like a P38, […]