Video - Forgotten Weapons

Quick Look at a 37mm Maxim “Pompom” Automatic Cannon

September 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 25

This Vickers, Sons & Maxim 37mm MkIII “Pompom” is on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The MkIII pattern is quite scarce, with less than one hundred ever made. It is built around […]

Sterling Meets Owen: The Australian F1 Submachine Gun

September 20, 2019 Ian McCollum 28

The Australian Owen submachine gun was once of the best overall SMG designs of the Second World War, and when Australia decided to replace them in the 1960s, the new F1 design have big shoes […]

Arsenals of History 2019: Guns in Video Games

September 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

Arsenals of History is an annual symposium of firearms museum, and met this year at the newly renovated Cody Firearms Museum. The theme of this year’s symposium was social media and museums. This presentation was […]

Britain’s Tubeless WW1 Sniper Optics: Martin Galilean Sight

September 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

When Britain entered the First World War, it had no formal sniper program. Germany was the first combatant to train and utilize snipers, and their effectiveness quickly convinced the British military that a similar program […]

Q&A #33: It’s All Compromises

September 17, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Time for another monthly Q&A! 00:18 – Guns that exceeded and fell short of my expectations? 03:14 – Why did the US keep the 1903 instead of the 1917 after WW1? 04:59 – Bren guns […]

Ecia Model 1930 Family: Competitors to the Astra

September 16, 2019 Ian McCollum 11

Juan Esperanza was one of the two partners who formed the Astra company (with Pedro Unceta). When the two had a falling-out in 1925 and parted ways, Esperanza formed his own company and went on […]

Shooting the Mle 1866 Chassepot

September 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 26

A while back, I visited @CanadianGunLover, and we did a bit of shooting with an 1866 Chassepot. I lost track of the footage and only just now found where I had put it – so […]

Too Late and Not Much Better: the Austen Mk II SMG

September 12, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

The story of the Austen submachine gun did not end when the Mk I guns were pulled from combat service in 1944. The manufacturer continued to work on an improved version, which would be ready […]

The Diggers’ Dismay: Austen Mk I SMG

September 11, 2019 Ian McCollum 20

When World War Two began, Australia saw little threat of invasion from Germany (obviously), and sent a substantial number of firearms to Britain to help arm the Home Guard there, which was seriously concerned about […]

AS Val, VSS Vintorez, OTs-14 Groza, and more: 9x39mm with Max Popenker

September 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 14

Today we welcome back Max Popenker of ModernFirearms.net to discuss the Soviet and Russian development of the 9x39mm suppressed rifle cartridge. From the early unsuccessful and sidetracked efforts to replace the PBS suppressor through the […]