Video - Forgotten Weapons

Marlin UD-42 from the Dutch Resistance

January 11, 2018 Ian McCollum 21

The UD-42 was originally the design of Carl “Gus” Swebilius, who was at the time (1940) working for the High Standard company. It failed to attract interest form the US military, but was appealing to […]

Full Auto at 1000m: The 7.92x41mm CETME Cartridge

January 10, 2018 Ian McCollum 33

The US insistence on a full-power rifle cartridge for the NATO standard in the 1950s derailed a couple potentially very interesting concepts – including the 7.92x41mm CETME cartridge. This round was developed by Dr. […]

Croatian Šokac SMG – A PPSh-41 Copy from the 1990s

January 9, 2018 Ian McCollum 21

The Šokac is just one of more than a dozen different submachine guns developed and produced domestically in Croatia during the Yugoslavian civil war of the early 1990s. It is a mechanical copy of the […]

“Carbine” Williams’ Battle Rifle: The Winchester G30R

January 8, 2018 Ian McCollum 26

The Winchester G30R is the final iteration of David Marshall Williams’ work on a full power .30 caliber military rifle. The project began with a design by Ed Browning (John Browning’s half brother) using […]

Book Review: The Modele 1866 Chassepot

January 7, 2018 Ian McCollum 10

Until now, there has really been nothing substantial and scholarly printed on the Chassepot needle-fire rifle in English – but now that has changed, thanks to Guy & Leonard A-R-West. Their just-released book on […]

Meunier A6: France’s First Semiauto Battle Rifle

January 6, 2018 Ian McCollum 59

France began experimenting with self-loading rifle designs in the late 1890s, although most of this work is mostly unknown today. The work was done by the State arsenals, and kept as military secrets, without […]

Rhodesian FAL – with Larry Vickers

January 5, 2018 Ian McCollum 33

The iconic weapon of the Rhodesian Bush War is the FN-FAL, painted in a distinctive “baby poop” yellow and green pattern. Because Rhodesia was under international embargo, its options for obtaining weapons were limited. Some […]

Forgotten Weapons Short: Stacking Rods & Stacking Swivels

January 4, 2018 Ian McCollum 14

I get a lot of questions about the purpose of stacking rods and stacking swivels on rifles – so let’s see if we can clear some of them up today…

Lepage Wax-Bullet Dueling Pistols

January 3, 2018 Ian McCollum 28

In the early years of the 20th century, before the Great War tempered society’s interest in the martial arts, dueling came into the popular vogue. Not the lethal kind, but rather a more sporting style […]

Overview of Canadian Gun Laws

January 2, 2018 Ian McCollum 83

Today, a general overview of Canadian gun laws, so we Americans (and you folks across the ocean) can have a better idea of what the legal situation is in the Great White North. Please recognize […]