Video - Forgotten Weapons

Spitfire: The Semiauto That Became a Machine Gun

November 9, 2021 Ian McCollum 13

The Spitfire is a firearm with an interesting importance in legal history. Originally designed and marketed as an open-bolt semiautomatic-only carbine, it was determined to be a machine gun under the law in 1968, and […]

Unique Rotating Single-Shot Percussion Rifle

November 8, 2021 Ian McCollum 29

This is a very unusual single-shot muzzleloading rifle. It is devoid of markings that might identify it, but appears (to my eye, anyway) to have been built from what was originally intended to be a […]

The Sneaky Silent Sten MkII(S) at the Range

November 6, 2021 Ian McCollum 23

Today we are taking an original Sten MkII(S) out to the range – something I am excited to be able to do! The suppressor on this Sten is all original, and about 80 years old…and […]

A Covert Weapons for Special Operations: the Sten MkII(S)

November 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 18

https://youtu.be/hcmVCb_ZgZA There are a fairly wide variety of silenced Sten guns that were made during World War Two, because many were needed for small Special Operations Executive missions. However, the British Army did also formally […]

The Schmeisser MP-28,II at the Range

November 4, 2021 Ian McCollum 14

We have previously looked at the original MP-18, the System Schmeisser improvement, and the followup MP-28,II design on the table – but we have not taken the MP-28 out to the range. So, that’s what […]

Lugers for the Dutch East Indies Army

November 3, 2021 Ian McCollum 11

Note: When I say the double magazine pouch is unique for this model, I was not thinking about those issued with LP-08 Artillery Lugers. While the Dutch Army dithered over new pistol adoption, the Dutch […]

A Police SMG Upgrade: the MP-18 System Schmeisser

November 2, 2021 Ian McCollum 39

When the MP-18 was issued by the German Army in World War One, it used the then-in-production Luger “snail drum” magazines. These were expensive, awkward, and generally not ideal. Once the war ended, Hugo Schmeisser […]

Fancy Martini-System Venus Pistole

November 1, 2021 Ian McCollum 20

This is a great example of an interwar single-shot fancy target pistol. It is chambered for basic .22 rimfire, and uses a Martini system of dropping breechblock to operate.

ZX-7 American Sterling at the Range

October 30, 2021 Ian McCollum 27

Today we are taking the ZX-7 (essentially a Sterling SMG in .45 ACP) out to the range. It runs rather faster than I initially expected, but isn’t too hard to handle…

PAWS ZX-7: An American Sterling in .45 ACP

October 29, 2021 Ian McCollum 30

An American entrepreneur named Bob Imel found the Sterling SMG particularly interesting, and wanted to import them into the United States. He reached out to Sterling in 1967, but was unable to work out a […]