Semiauto pistol - Forgotten Weapons

BSW Prototype Gas-Operated Pistol (Video)

July 6, 2015 Ian McCollum 116

In 1936 or 1937, the BSW company (Berlin-Suhler Waffenwerk) produced a small number of prototype pistols for German Army trials. These trials were eventually won by the Walther P38, and for good reason in this […]

Khyber Pass Colt Copy at RIA

June 19, 2015 Ian McCollum 25

The Khyber Pass is a region near the Afghan/Pakistan border known for firearms production – particularly for very crude guns made with crude tools. This particular pistol is an excellent example of the type – […]

One More Chinese Mystery Pistol at RIA!

June 15, 2015 Ian McCollum 14

This particular Chinese pistol is a great example of all the elements of a proper Chinese Mystery Pistol: sights that don’t function, gibberish markings, mechanical derivation from the Browning 1900, aesthetic elements form the C96 […]

Spanish Anarchist Pistols: the RE and Ascaso at RIA

June 8, 2015 Ian McCollum 48

When the Spanish Civil War erupted, the Nationalist/Fascist forces quickly captured all the major arms production factories in the country. This left the Republican forces dependent on arms importation and the creation of new factories. […]

M1 Enforcer Carbine Pistols at RIA

June 5, 2015 Ian McCollum 41

There are rarely any truly original ideas in the gun world, and today’s “pistol” ARs and AKs are not among them. Back in the 60s and 70s, companies were marketing the “Enforcer” M1, a pistol […]

Campo-Giro M1913 at RIA (Video)

June 1, 2015 Ian McCollum 26

The Campo-Giro was Spain’s first indigenous self-loading military pistol, adopted in 1912 to replace the Belgian 1908 Bergmann-Mars. Only a small number were made of the original M1913 variety, with the vast majority being the […]

Andrew Burgess’ Blow-Forward Pistols

May 29, 2015 Ian McCollum 24

You may recognize Andrew Burgess from guns like the Burgess folding shotgun and the 1883 Colt-Burgess lever action rifle…but you probably don’t know him for his semiauto handgun designs. Until recently, I had not even […]

Slow Motion: Mauser 1914 Pocket Pistol

May 14, 2015 Ian McCollum 17

Mauser’s classic early pocket pistol began as the model 1910, in .25 ACP caliber (6.35mm). It was then re-engineered for the larger .32 ACP (7.65mm) cartridge in 1914, and a final set of modifications too […]

Slow Motion: Interesting Extractor Problem (Schwarzlose 1898)

May 7, 2015 Ian McCollum 14

Many people don’t realize that an extractor is not strictly necessary in many types of pistols – several early blowback models (notably the Bergmann 1896, as well as some later Spanish pistols) did not even […]

Schwarzlose 1898 Pistol (Video)

May 4, 2015 Ian McCollum 37

The model 1898 Schwarzlose was a self loading pistol definitely ahead of its time. It was simple, powerful (for the period; it was chambered for 7.63mm Mauser), and remarkably ergonomic. It used a short recoil, […]