Video - Forgotten Weapons

The Experimental SOE Welrod MkI Prototype

August 12, 2024 Ian McCollum 17

The Welrod was a program to develop a silent assassination pistol for British SOE (Special Operations Executive) late in 1942. It needed to be chambered in the .32 ACP cartridge, be effective to a range […]

Pump-Action AK: Romanian PAR-3 (How Not to be an “Assault Weapon”)

August 10, 2024 Ian McCollum 39

Between 1994 and 2004, there was a national “assault weapon” ban in place int he United States, along with some related importation restrictions on military-looking rifles. Most semiauto rifle importation continued by adjusting various cosmetic […]

Hunting in Communist Romania: Nicolae Ceaușescu’s Finnbear 61

August 9, 2024 Ian McCollum 5

Nicolae Ceaușescu ruled România through much of its communist period, from 1967 until 1989. Ceaușescu was a passionate hunter, and owned more than 100 firearms, mostly for hunting. These included some gifts from foreign dignitaries, […]

Kalthoff 30-Shot Flintlock: The First Repeating Firearm Used in War (1659)

August 7, 2024 Ian McCollum 26

The first repeating rifle used in combat by a military force was a flintlock system developed by the Kalthoff brothers. It was adopted in the 1640s by the Danish Royal Guard, who purchased a bit […]

WF-51: A Swiss Intermediate-Cartridge Copy of the FG-42

August 5, 2024 Ian McCollum 19

After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and […]

How Companies Bend US Import Laws (An Example)

August 2, 2024 Ian McCollum 12

Part of the 1968 Gun Control Act in the US put restrictions on importation of small handguns. These rules intended to protect US manufacturers and prevent people from having access to particularly inexpensive and concealable […]

RT20: Croatia’s Insane Kludged 20mm Anti-Material Rifle

July 31, 2024 Ian McCollum 0

During its Homeland War, Croatia manufactured a wide variety of ad-hoc firearms including a number of anti-material rifles. The RT-20 was the largest of these, and its development began with the discovery of a stash […]

Colt 608: The AR15 as a Pilot’s Survival Rifle

July 29, 2024 Ian McCollum 18

As part of its effort to build out the AR-15 family of small arms, Colt introduced the Model 608 in 1965. This was intended to be an aircraft survival rifle, able to pack disassembled into […]

History of SAW Use in the US Army

July 26, 2024 Ian McCollum 37

THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO WIN! https://go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 07/26/24 @ 11:59pm (PST). The first squad automatic weapon used by the US Army was the French Mle 1915 Chauchat, which was […]

MAGAL: A Galil in .30 Carbine for the Israeli Police

July 24, 2024 Ian McCollum 30

In the early 1990s, Israeli Military Industries (IMI) developed the Galil MAR (Micro Assault Rifle) and the MAGAL at the same time. Both were intended to be very compact rifles, with the MAR in 5.56mm […]