Antiques
Marston 3-Barrel Selectable Pocket Derringer
Lot 1173 in the September 2019 RIA auction. William Marston was born in the UK in 1822 and emigrated to the US in the 1830s with his father, who was a gun smith. William became […]
Video
Conversion
Spencer 1871 Conversion: From Carbine to Infantry Rifle
Lot 237 in the September 2019 RIA auction. During the Civil War, the Union purchased about 12,000 Spencer rifles and many tens of thousands of carbines, and the weapon became a standard arm for the […]
Semiauto Rifles
The Type 81 LMG in Civilian Form: Norinco Model 313
Lot 1817 in the September 2019 RIA auction. The Norinco 313 is the semiauto commercial variation of the Type 81 LMG. The Type 81 was a small arms family of rifle and LMG developed to […]
Revolver
Scheintod Revolver: A German Tear Gas Pepperbox
Lot 3129 in the September 2019 RIA auction. First appearing in the decade of so before World War One, the Scheintod guns were designed to fire either flash or irritant cartridges, not lethal projectiles. The […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Walther KKW: Competition Shooting in Nazi Germany
Lot 3620 in the September 2019 RIA auction. The KKW (“Klein Kaliber Wehrsportgewehr”, or small caliber military sporting rifle) was developed by BDW in 1937 as an amalgamation of various .22 rifle elements form other […]
Percussion
Freeman’s Patent Revolver
Lot 259 in the September 2019 RIA auction. Patented by Austin H. Freeman in 1862, 2000 of these revolvers were manufactured by Hoard’s Armory in Watertown New York in 1863 and 1864. None were purchased […]
Shotgun
SPAS-15: Franchi’s Improvement on the SPAS-12
Lot 776 in the September 2019 RIA auction. The SPAS-15 was Franchi’s successor to the SPAS-12, improved with detachable box magazines (6 round capacity) and a construction of simple sheet metal samplings and polymer. Like […]
Book review
Book Review: Carvings From the Veldt (3 Volumes)
Over the past 15 year, Dave C. George has compiled three volumes of his book “Carvings From the Veldt”, documenting nearly a thousand carved rifles from the Boer War. This is feature almost unique to […]
Bayonet
The French Finger Trap: Because Soldiers Will Be Soldiers…
Soldiers will be soldiers…give them something that *can* be screwed up, and they *will* screw it up. Haven’t ordered a copy of Chassepot to FAMAS yet? You can place your order right now!
Bolt Action Rifles
Berthier Carbine with Chauchat Magazine
Early in World War One, a small number (less than 200) Berthier rifle and cavalry carbines were adapted to use Chauchat magazines for aerial use. They were employed as defensive arms in observation balloons and […]