Video - Forgotten Weapons

Book Review: Arming the West

July 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 4

Published in 2008, “Arming the West” is, as it self-describes, “a fresh new look at the guns that were actually carried on the frontier.” Herbert Houze used the sales records of the Shuyler, Hartley, and Graham […]

FAL in the North: The Canadian C1A1

July 19, 2019 Ian McCollum 53

Canada was the first country to adopt the FAL rifle, purchasing trials rifles from FN within weeks of the formal standardization of the 7.62mm NATO cartridge. Canada acquired production rights to the rifle along with […]

Forgotten History: Musée de Plans-Reliefs (Paris)

July 18, 2019 Ian McCollum 22

Hidden away up on the 4th floor of the Paris Army Museum (in Les Invalides) is the rather unexcitingly-named Musée de Plans-Reliefs. Up here in the dark is a collection of strategic dioramas dating back […]

Walther Experimental Hybrid Olympia/Woodsman

July 17, 2019 Ian McCollum 5

In the early 1930s, Walther began to experiment with changes to its Olympia target pistol in hopes of beating the Colt Woodsman out of its place as the most popular pistol of the type. The […]

Larry Vickers’ Delta Force Colt 723 Carbine

July 15, 2019 Ian McCollum 18

Today I’m with Larry Vickers, taking a look at the recreation of his Delta Force Colt 723 carbine – the rifle he used at Modelo Prison in Panama and in Desert Storm hunting for SCUD […]

Book Review: History of the Mauser Rifle in Chile, by David Nielsen

July 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 3

David Nielsen’s newly released book on Chilean Mauser rifles is a tremendous piece of academic work – which is both good and bad. It is 192 pages dedicated to the testing and procurement of the […]

Some Brief Shooting with a SIG 553R

July 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

Some of my last footage from my trip to Switzerland last year; a bit of shooting with a SIG 553R. This is the model in 7.62x39mm, and the guns here are set up with 3-round […]

P7M7: The Mythical Lost .45 ACP H&K

July 12, 2019 Ian McCollum 27

The P7 was one of the most interesting and original handgun designs of the last few decades. Originally created for West German police trials, it was chambered in 9x19mm. As it became popular beyond Germany, […]

How Does It Work: Lever Delayed Blowback

July 11, 2019 Ian McCollum 40

Lever-delayed blowback is a relatively uncommon action system, although it is applicable to a wide variety fo firearms and has been successfully used in submachine guns, rifles, and light machine guns. It uses a principle […]

Toolroom Prototype .32 ACP Walther Olympia

July 10, 2019 Ian McCollum 6

In the late 1930s, Walther experimented with the idea of an Olympia target pistol in .32 ACP. They used the frame from a 1936 pattern standard (.22LR) Olympia with a .32 caliber barrel, increased mass […]