Commentary
Why Drum Magazines are a Bad Idea
I often see questions form people asking why drum magazines are not more widely used – the BAR and the MP40/I in particular. People often view the box vs drum magazine question simply in terms […]
Video
Semiauto pistol
H&K’s Hydrocephalic P7M10 in .40 S&W
Everyone has an off day eventually, and for H&K one of those off days took the form of the P7M10. Introduced in 1991, the M10 was based on the frame and magazine body of the […]
Gunsmithing
Short: Inspecting an RSC 1917 Gas System
The French Model 1917 RSC rifle has a rather unusual gas system, and without some experience it can be difficult to know what one is looking at in one. So today, we’re taking a quick […]
Semiauto pistol
SS-Contract Walther PP and PPK Pistols
Today, courtesy of Tom from Legacy Collectibles, we are taking a look at Walther PP and PPK pistols made specifically for the SS and RSHA. These guns comprised several special contracts, distinct from general military […]
Artillery
Soviet 122mm D30 Cannon
The D30 is a Soviet 122mm multi-role gun introduced in the 1960s and still in use around the world today. It has a somewhat unusual 3-leg mount that is slower to set up than a […]
Submachine Guns
H&K’s Experimental SMG and SMG II for the US Navy
In the 1980s, the US Navy requested a new submachine gun to replace the MP5 then in use. In particular, the Navy wanted a gun that was optimized for use with a suppressor. H&K built […]
Artillery
Chatting About Cannons & Tanks with Glenn Fleming
When I arrived at DriveTanks.com down in Texas, I was happily surprised to find my old acquaintance Glenn Fleming working there as lead gunsmith. Glenn and I first met on the set of a certain […]
Semiauto Rifles
SIG 550-1 Sniper: Answering a Question Nobody Asked
Today at the Kessler auction house in Kreuzlingen Switzerland, we are taking a look at a SIG 550-1 Sniper model. This is mechanically a SIG 550, aka Sturmgewehr 90, but made to a very high […]
Book review
Book Review: Weapons Mounts for Secondary Armament
Weapon Mounts for Secondary Armament is a nearly 1200-page reference on all manner of machine gun mounting systems for tanks, aircraft,t light vehicles, and ground mounts. The book was commissioned in 1957 by the Detroit […]
Conversion
Erquiaga EM-62: Castro’s Ex-Armorer Makes an M14
Juan Erquiaga was a Peruvian Army officer who was introduced to Gordon Ingram and the Police Ordnance Company, probably during Ingram’s time working on sales of the Model 6 submachine gun to Peru. Erquiaga first […]