Video - Forgotten Weapons

Hitler’s Zipper: The MG-42 Universal Machine Gun

November 4, 2020 Ian McCollum 79

The MG42 was developed to be a more reliable and easier to manufacture replacement for the MG34, although both would serve side by side until the end of World War Two. Designed by Grossfuss company […]

Vickers Ltd Luger Pistols for the Dutch East Indies

November 3, 2020 Ian McCollum 17

The Dutch government adopted the Luger for the KNIL (Dutch East Indies colonial forces) in 1910, and placed an initial order for 4,182 pistols from DWM in Germany. These were standard 9mm New Model Lugers, […]

Valmet M78: Finland’s Hypothetical Squad Automatic Weapon

November 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 11

The M78 was Valmet’s RPK-style heavy barreled squad support weapon pattern of the Finnish AK. It was initially developed as the M74 cavalry machine gun for Finnish military service, but never adopted. Instead, that experimental […]

Steyr-Solothurn MP-34 in .45 ACP at the Range

October 31, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

Today we are out at the range with the .45 ACP Steyr-Solothurn MP-34. I was curious to see how this submachine gun, much more commonly found in 9mm, would handle with the big .45 caliber […]

Subguns for South America: the Steyr-Solothurn MP-34 in .45ACP

October 30, 2020 Ian McCollum 8

The MP-34 was made by Steyr-Solothurn in four different calibers – 9×19 for the Germany army, 9×25 for the Austrian army, 9×23 for the Austrian police, and .45 ACP for the export market. This is […]

Königliche Marine (Prussian Navy) Colt 1851 Rig

October 28, 2020 Ian McCollum 25

In 1855, Prussian customs officials discovered a shipment of 3,000 Colt 1851 Navy model revolvers (and their accouterments) hidden in bales of cotton being shipped from New York to Russia. Prussia was a neutral power […]

WW1 British Contract M1911 in .455 Webley Self-Loading

October 27, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

On the eve of World War One, the Royal Horse Artillery and Royal Flying Corps had both adopted the Webley Self-Loading Pistol, chambered for a special .455 caliber semi-rimmed cartridge. With the needs of wartime, […]

Heckler & Koch’s Modular Machine Gun: the HK21E

October 26, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

In 1961, Heckler & Koch introduced a new light machine gun based on their roller-delayed blowback system as a companion piece to the G3/HK91 rifle. While the German military was quite happy with its MG3 […]

The Erma EMP at the Range

October 24, 2020 Ian McCollum 7

Having taken a close look at this original Erma EMP submachine gun yesterday, we are out at the range with it today. Like several of the interwar SMGs, the Erma was designed with a magazine […]

Erma EMP: Heinrich Vollmer’s Interwar Submachine Gun

October 23, 2020 Ian McCollum 24

Developed by Heinrich Vollmer in the 1920s, this quite distinctive submachine guns was marketed by the Erma company starting in 1932 and sold quite well internationally. This particular example was used by the German police […]