Video - Forgotten Weapons

Blow-Forward Schwarzlose 1908 at the Backup Gun Match

March 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 9

The Schwarzlose 1908 is the only blow-forward firearm ever to see real commercial sale. It is a compact pocket pistol chambered for .32 ACP, with a 7-round magazine. They were sold by Schwarzlose in Germany […]

Light, Mobile, and Deadly: the French Mle 1937 25mm Puteaux AT Gun

March 20, 2020 Ian McCollum 30

After World War One, the French military set up a program to modernize all of its weaponry, and that included a replacement for the Mle 1916 light infantry cannon. An anti-tank gun had not been […]

Scotch, Crackling Fire, and the Story of the Chassepot

March 19, 2020 Ian McCollum 11

One of the stretch goals in the presale Kickstarter for Chassepot to FAMAS was for me to do some reading from the book, on video. So, I present the story of the Chassepot! Copies of […]

H&K’s Middle Child: The HK33 and HK53 in 5.56mm

March 18, 2020 Ian McCollum 20

Introduced in 1968, the HK33 was Heckler & Koch’s adaptation of their roller-delay operating system to the 5.56mm / .223 Remington cartridge. In addition to the standard full-length rifle (with a 15.35 inch barrel) a […]

French Underfolding Paratrooper Rifle: MAS 36 CR39

March 16, 2020 Ian McCollum 10

The CR39 (“crosse repliable”, or folding stock) is the paratrooper version of the MAS 36. The need for a more compact and transportable pattern was recognized almost as soon as the MAS 36 was finalized, […]

Zastava M91: Serbia Modernizes its DMR to 7.62x54R

March 13, 2020 Ian McCollum 39

After World War Two, Yugoslavia was left with a tremendous amount of German war material – enough that it cost to adopt the 8x57mm Mauser cartridge as its standard. The M76 precision rifle was developed […]

Book Review: Chassepot to FAMAS – French Military Rifles 1866-2016

March 12, 2020 Ian McCollum 27

I am very excited to finally be able to formally present to you Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles 1866-2016! After about 3 years of work, it’s finally here and shipping. My goal with this […]

Canadian Ross MkIII Sniper Rifle with Warney & Swasey Scope

March 11, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

The Canadian infantry that went to Europe in the early years of World Wa rOne were equipped primarily with the Ross MkIII rifle. The Ross would become quite the scandal, and was replaced in service […]

Military Trials Beretta 34 – Can You Make it More Walther?

March 9, 2020 Ian McCollum 20

When the Italian military was looking for a new sidearm in the early 1930s, they really liked the pistol submitted by Beretta – but they also really liked the Walther PP. During the development process, […]

FAMAS PGMP w/ EOTech in a Team 2-Gun Match

March 7, 2020 Ian McCollum 23

My book is now in stock and shipping! Order your copy today! The PGMP (Poignée Garde-Main Polyvalente) handguard assembly is the original modification to allow mounting of optics to the FAMAS rifle. The FAMAS handguard […]