Video - Forgotten Weapons

Charger-Loading Lee Enfields: The CLLE MkI* and MkII

January 6, 2021 Ian McCollum 9

In our continuing series on the development of the British Lee Enfield rifles, we are looking at the CLLE conversions today. In 1907 the British adopted a new universal short rifle (the SMLE) that used […]

True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the “Trade of the Century”

January 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 49

RL Wilson Case R.L. Wilson was a pillar of the firearms collecting community, and especially the Colt collecting community, in the 1970s and 80s. He wrote a slew of books on Colt, and was a […]

Tarn: A Terrible British WW2 Experimental Pistol

January 4, 2021 Ian McCollum 30

The Tarn was a 9x19mm pistol developed by a Polish ex=pat designer named Z. de Lubicz Bakanowski. It was a simple blowback design, with a quite heavy slide and recoil spring. It was manufactured by […]

Boys Mk I Anti-Tank Rifle at the Range

January 2, 2021 Ian McCollum 26

I have done several previous videos on the Boys antitank rifle, but never actually fired one – until today! We’re out at the range with a MkI Boys and five rounds of its .55 Boys […]

It Belongs in a Museum! Or, “Ian Offends Curators”

December 31, 2020 Ian McCollum 79

Have museums fundamentally changed since the advent of the internet? Does this impact decisions about whether artifacts like firearms are best held in museums versus private collections for the sake of study and understanding? How […]

1854 Treuille de Beaulieu: Open-Bolt Pinfire for the Imperial Guard

December 30, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

The Mousqueton Modele 1854, named for General Antoine Hector Thésée Treuille de Beaulieu, was the first breechloader adopted by the French military. It was issued to the Cent Gardes (personal bodyguard) of Emperor Napoleon III […]

The Real Guns of Star Wars: A New Hope

December 29, 2020 Ian McCollum 20

Ever since The Mandalorian chose a terrific prototype Bergmann pistol as the base for Mando’s blaster pistol, I’ve been asked to cover the real gun origins of the blasters form he original Star Wars film. […]

Headspace-Operated Prototype Rifle – Yeah, it’s as Weird as it Sounds

December 28, 2020 Ian McCollum 80

Today we are taking a look at a very unusual prototype rifle, courtesy of Legacy Collectibles. I suspect – but have no direct evidence – that this was designed by one Francis K. Young, […]

Browning M2HB .50 BMG at the Range

December 26, 2020 Ian McCollum 34

The Browning M2 heavy machine gun is one of the longest serving firearms in US military service, and still going strong. Let’s take this one out to the range and find out why!

Ma Deuce: The Venerable Browning M2 .50 Caliber HMG

December 25, 2020 Ian McCollum 26

The M2 Browning machine gun was first conceived in 1918, as a request by General John Pershing of the AEF for a large-caliber antiaircraft and antitank machine gun. John Browning scaled his M1917 water-cooled .30 […]