Shotgun - Forgotten Weapons

Testing an Original WW1 Trench Gun w/ GI Buckshot: How Does it Pattern?

September 29, 2023 Ian McCollum 10

Today I am out at the range with Matt Haught from Sym-Tac to test out our original WW1 Winchester 1897 Trench Gun with some original WW2 GI buckshot. While the US did buy some shotgun […]

Testing Slamfire: Sneaky Advantage or Useless Hype?

September 23, 2023 Ian McCollum 16

We’ve all heard about how the Winchester 1897 is capable of slam fire, but is that really a useful feature? Or is it just a cost-saving safety hazard? Well, Matt Haught of Sym-Tac consulting and […]

Real or Fake? Authenticating an 1897 Trench Gun

September 19, 2023 Ian McCollum 3

Authentic World War One 1897 trench guns will have: Serial number between E613,000 and E705,000 High quality rust blue finish Solid frame 20-inch cylinder bore barrel (with no bead) Muzzle in lone with bayonet lug […]

Peak American: the Winchester 1897 Trench Gun in WW1

September 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 8

The United States was the only country to use shotguns in World War One in a substantial way. It was not the first time the US had used such guns either; shotguns were used in […]

Iceland’s Domestic Guns: The Drífa and Others

December 2, 2022 Ian McCollum 7

Today I have the very cool opportunity to bring you a history of Icelandic domestic firearms manufacturing, courtesy of the Veiðisafnið – the Hunting Museum of Iceland: https://www.hunting.is/english/ The first documented record of a firearm […]

Ye Olde Tactical: A Vintage Riot Shotgun w/ Nydar 47 Optic

July 27, 2022 Ian McCollum 13

All that is tactical is not necessarily new…and this shotgun is a perfect example. It was put together by a Tucson police officer in the late 1940s or early 1950s, and has all the elements […]

How to Shoot the Shockwave w/ Demonstrated Concepts

May 28, 2022 Ian McCollum 19

Rhett Neumayer is a guy with some really interesting and innovative thoughts on small arms training and handling. He runs Demonstrated Concepts, offering training classes on a variety of different firearms. You can check out […]

Cosmi: A Boutique 8-Round Selfloader Hiding in a Single-Shot Body

December 30, 2021 Ian McCollum 23

The Cosmi is a very high-end boutique Italian sporting shotgun. It has all the looks and lines of a single shot break-action gun, but hiding inside is a long recoil self-loading action and 8-round magazine […]

Alofs: A Steampunk Mousetrap for a Shotgun

December 29, 2021 Ian McCollum 31

The Alofs conversion is a contraption that can be bolted onto the side of a single shot break action shotgun to convert it into a 4+1 capacity repeating action. Patented by Herman Alofs in 1924 […]

Mystery Shotgun With a Very Unusual Action

December 20, 2021 Ian McCollum 19

This is a commercial pump-action shotgun manufactured in France and proofed at the St Etienne proof house. I know basically nothing else of its provenance, including who designed it, who sold it (although I would […]