Video - Forgotten Weapons

Chinese Warlord Rifles: Hanyang Type 88, aka Type Han

June 7, 2021 Ian McCollum 9

It’s not too late to get in on the Kickstarter for Pistols of the Warlords! One of the biggest arsenals in China in the 20th century was the Hanyang Arsenal, built in 1890 by the […]

Shanghai 1900 Pistol-Carbine at the Backup Gun Match

June 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 11

Don’t miss the Kickstarter-exclusive version of “Pistols of the Warlords”! Today I am going to actually do some shooting with a Chinese Warlord Era pistol – a Shanghai Model 1900 Pistol-Carbine. As I described in […]

Chinese Warlord Pistols: Shanghai Model 1900 Pistol-Carbine

June 4, 2021 Ian McCollum 17

Get in on the “Pistols of the Warlords” Kickstarter today! Not all of the handguns made in China during the Warlord Era were made one at a time by individual artisan gunsmiths. A few models […]

Portugal’s Model 1886 Trooper’s Model Abadie Revolver

June 2, 2021 Ian McCollum 9

Isaac Abadie’s gate-loading system was a significant improvement in revolver technology in the 19th century, and Portugal was one of the first to adopt it. The initial Portuguese model was adopted in 1878 specifically for […]

How William Fairbairn Created the Modern SWAT Team in Warlord Era Shanghai

June 1, 2021 Ian McCollum 12

The Kickstarter for my new book, “Pistols of the Warlords” is live here! William E. Fairbairn is best know for his work with Eric Sykes and their “”Commando” knife design during World War Two. However, […]

Mauser 1912/14 Development in .45ACP

May 31, 2021 Ian McCollum 21

Mauser did not limit their Model 1912 and 1912/14 pistols to just being chambered in 9mm – they also developed a number of prototypes in .45ACP. Today we have a series of three such prototypes […]

Chinese Warlord Pistols: the “Horn Grip Type”

May 28, 2021 Ian McCollum 8

Interested in these guns? Check out the Kickstarter for my new book on the subject, “Pistols of the Warlords”! In the course of researching Chinese domestic pistols of the Warlord Era, I sorted through several […]

Why Guns Take Years to Get Into Production

May 27, 2021 Ian McCollum 34

Today, let’s take a few minutes to discuss why it’s hard to actually put guns into production. Making a functional prototype is one thing, but the truly hard part is often translating that one prototype […]

British L85A1 at the Range: Will It Work?

May 22, 2021 Ian McCollum 66

I am excited to have a chance today to take a trip to the range with a proper, factory L85A1 rifle (it’s in the United States as a post-1986 dealer sample). I had a chance […]

Chinese FN 1900s: From Wauser to Browningsbrowningsbrownings

May 21, 2021 Ian McCollum 18

Check out the Kickstarter-exclusive options for my new book, “Pistols of the Warlords”! One of the most popular pistols in Warlord Era China was the FN 1900, a compact and reliable officer’s pistol in .32 […]