Video - Forgotten Weapons

High Standard’s Prototype World War One .45 ACP Pistol

March 2, 2020 Ian McCollum 17

The High Standard company only made on .45 caliber pistol, and it was an improvement on the Grant Hammond pistol tested by the US military during World War One. After his gun’s rejection by the […]

106mm M40 Recoilless Rifle, History and Firing

February 29, 2020 Ian McCollum 48

The M40 was the final and largest iteration of the recoilless rifle in American military service. Designed to fix the shortcomings of the 105mm M27 that preceded it, the M40 was light and powerful, and […]

Forced-Air Cooling in an Experimental Ross Machine Gun

February 28, 2020 Ian McCollum 22

In addition to building three main patterns of straight-pull bolt action rifle for the Canadian military and the commercial market, Sir Charles Ross also experimented with self-loading rifles. Starting with a standard Ross Mk III, […]

The Truth About the Type 94 Nambu “Surrender Pistol”

February 25, 2020 Ian McCollum 23

If there is a historical military firearm out there as badly misunderstood as the Chauchat, it is probably the Type 94 Nambu pistol. Nambu designed this pistol with an exposed sear bar, which was not […]

The Prototype .280 FAL from 1950s NATO Trials

February 24, 2020 Ian McCollum 112

After World War Two, the new NATO defense alliance held a series of trials to adopt a standard cartridge and infantry rifle. This would eventually devolve and the goal of a standardized rifle would be […]

The FAL for British Troop Trials in 1954: X8E1 & X8E2

February 21, 2020 Ian McCollum 33

The NATO rifle trials of the early 1950s eventually chose the 7.62mm x 51mm cartridge, and the British and Belgians agreed on the FAL rifle to shoot it (and they thought the US would as […]

A Unique Partnership: Czech Mausers for Ethiopia after WWII

February 19, 2020 Ian McCollum 13

After World War Two, the Czech economy was in serious need of money to recover from the ravages of war. The arms factory at Brno was not bound by the same restrictions as German manufacturers, […]

RIA Feb 2020 Special: Sporterized M1 Carbine

February 16, 2020 Ian McCollum 12

Our final quick video from RIA this weekend is a look at a sporterized M1 Carbine – but one that was actually done quite nicely! I would never suggest that someone cut up an intact […]

RIA Feb 2020 Special: Mystery Spanish Revolver

February 15, 2020 Ian McCollum 18

Today’s quick look at RIA is a Spanish revolver that I can’t identify. The proof stamps indicate that it was made in 1931, and it has an unusual cylinder latch that looks like a loading […]

RIA Feb 2020 Special: Field-Modified Mannlicher 1888 Carbine

February 14, 2020 Ian McCollum 6

Today’s quick RIA look is a Mannlicher 1888 that was cut down to carbine length and adapted to fit a Type 30 Japanese Arisaka bayonet. Most likely done in China in the teens or twenties, […]