Video - Forgotten Weapons

Aimpoint’s 3.5x Scope for French Trials

September 4, 2026 Ian McCollum 11

Aimpoint is known for its red dot optics, but in the early 2000s the company decided to develop a 3.5x fixed magnification traditional scope. It was intended for a French military trial, and Aimpoint used […]

Saco Defense M683: A Super-Simple SMG for the US Army

September 2, 2026 Ian McCollum 12

During the 1980s, the US ran the Joint Service Small Arms Program to reduce the number of different small arms in US inventory. The most significant outcome of this program was the M9 pistol, but […]

Bronze M1870 Gasser Revolver Made for Polar Exploration

August 31, 2026 Ian McCollum 19

In 1872, two Austro-Hungarian military officers named Julius Payer and Carl Weyprecht set out on an expedition to find a northeast passage to reach the Orient by traversing across the Arctic Ocean above Russia. The […]

Lt Gen Lê Nguyên Kháng’s Custom Tiger Stripe M65 Field Jacket

August 25, 2026 Ian McCollum 2

Reserve your copy of “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=76pah5 Lt Gen Lê Nguyên Kháng was the commander of the South Vietnamese Marines (RVMC), and much respected by both his own […]

A WW2 German Mystery: Knorr Bremse FG42 Prototype?

August 24, 2026 Ian McCollum 77

This is really a mystery rifle, or half of a mystery rifle. It is part of the collection at Springfield Armory National Historic Site, but its exact provenance from World War Two is not recorded. […]

The Very First FAL Prototype (in 8mm Kurz)

August 22, 2026 Ian McCollum 21

Dieudonne Saive at Fabrique Nationale began developing the FAL to submit for the British post-war program to adopt new small arms. He built the first example in the German 8x33mm Kurz cartridge, as this was […]

Authentic Custom Tiger Stripe From Vietnam: Short-Shorts to Tuxedos

August 18, 2026 Ian McCollum 0

Reserve your copy of “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=6oc7ul Today I am talking to Owen Thornton about the huge variety of custom tiger stripe garments made in Vietnam. Local tailor […]

Colt’s Vietnam Prototype AK/M16 Hybrid: the Model 703

August 17, 2026 Ian McCollum 16

“From Hartford to Vietnam” is available here for preorder: Or you can find it bundled with “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=3b3v8y The Model 703 was an experimental project at Colt which […]

CISO Prototype Suit #1: America’s First Tiger Stripe Camo

August 15, 2026 Ian McCollum 0

Reserve your copy of “Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story” on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=2fdyem Tiger stripe camouflage was initially developed by the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps, and adopted by early US advisors in-country. As […]

US Type 1 Fencing Bayonet Made From Whale Tooth (Baleen)

August 14, 2026 Ian McCollum 10

In 1852-53, the Watervliet Arsenal in New York produced 1,500 fencing bayonets for the West Point Academy. These were made for practicing bayonet fencing with live opponents without risk of injury. They were comprised of […]