Video - Forgotten Weapons

Longslide 10mm Javelina 1911: Plate Rack Obliterator (When it Works)!

August 3, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

In 1977, Arcadia Machine & Tool introduced the Hardballer, the first commercial stainless steel 1911. Stainless steel was a hot commodity, although there were some initial teething issues with slide/frame galling. Eventually, AMT introduced a […]

Hotchkiss Universal on the PCC Course of Fire

August 1, 2020 Ian McCollum 21

Today I am running a semiauto (SBR) Hotchkiss Universal through my standardized Pistol-Caliber Carbine course of fire. This consists of a selection of cool target systems from MOA Targets – an 8-plate dueling tree, a […]

Hotchkiss Universal: The Most Folding Gun Made

July 31, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

The Hotchkiss Universal was a closed-bolt submachine gun submitted to French military trials in the late 1940s to replace the MAS-38. The French were looking for a compact SMG in 9mm Parabellum, and tested guns […]

Saga of the AR15 Forward Assist: A Solution Searching for a Problem

July 30, 2020 Ian McCollum 51

In 1963, the US Army set out to purchase 85,000 AR-15 rifles as a one-time procurement to hold the infantry through until final adoption of the expected Project SPIW rifle. Where the previous Air Force […]

British Ballester Molina for Special Operations Executive

July 29, 2020 Ian McCollum 21

During World War Two, the British government contracted for about 8,000 Ballester Molina pistols from HAFDASA in Argentina. They were produced between 1942 and 1944, and are easily identified by the application of a second […]

Knight’s XM9 Beretta “Hush Puppy” – For USAF Survival Kits

July 24, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

The original “Hush Puppy” was a Smith & Wesson Model 39 pistol fitted with a suppressor for use by Special Forced in Vietnam. The name came back in the 1980s, when the US Air Force […]

New Model Melior: A Remarkably Nice Belgian FN Lookalike

July 22, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

The New Model Melior was patented just before World War One, but did not go into production until 1920. It was a visual lookalike of the FN Model 1910, where the (retroactively named) Old Model […]

What is a Duffel Cut?

July 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 19

American service members in World War One and World War Two brought a tremendous number of firearms back to the US as trophies and souvenirs. While some mailed guns home, most brought them back in […]

Pistols for Royalty: the Mannlicher 1900 Standard and Magnificently Engraved

July 20, 2020 Ian McCollum 16

The model 1900 was a transitional pattern of Mannlicher pistol, intended to be an improvement over the somewhat clumsy and underpowered Mannlicher 1896. Only about 250 of them were made, with an eye towards military […]

Walther PPKs on the Range: Comparing the .32 to the .380

July 18, 2020 Ian McCollum 26

Today I’m out at the range with three examples of Walther PPK pistols – one in .22 rimfire, one in .32 ACP, and one in .380 ACP. While the .22 is along for the comparison, […]