Estonian R20L Designated Marksman’s Rifle in 7.62x51mm

August 24, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

Alongside their new 5.56mm R20 infantry rifles, Estonia has recently adopted the LMT 7.62x51mm MARS-H as its new designated marksman’s rifle; the R20L. These rifles were part of a single rifle contract, with the vast […]

The Axe in Viking Age Iceland: Both Weapon and Tool

August 23, 2024 Ian McCollum 8

While I was in Iceland, I had an opportunity to visit the National Museum of Iceland and take a look at a couple of historic axes found on the island. Since these are really outside […]

H&K USC: Civilian Version of the UMP Submachine Gun

August 21, 2024 Ian McCollum 26

Heckler & Koch introduced the UMP submachine gun as a successor to the MP5, with a particular focus on American law enforcement agencies (hence its initial development in .45 ACP). The UMP never has come […]

WF-54: The Swiss FG-42 Scaled up to 7.5×55

August 19, 2024 Ian McCollum 20

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 […]

Welrod .32 at the Range: British SOE’s Silent Assassin’s Pistol

August 17, 2024 Ian McCollum 25

I had the chance to take a .32ACP Welrod MkII out to the range for a bit of shooting. These use a combination of baffles and rubber wipes, and the suppressor’s effectiveness quickly drops from […]

CZ’s New P09 Nocturne: DA/SA Polymer Frame Now With Optics

August 16, 2024 Ian McCollum 32

CZ has just released their new P09 Nocturne pistols, an update to the previous P07/P09 pairing. These guns fundamentally go back to the classic CZ-75. While that was (and still is) a very popular design, […]

R20 “Rahe” – Estonia Modernizes its Infantry Rifles

August 14, 2024 Ian McCollum 17

In 2017, the Estonian military began the process of replacing its infantry rifles. At that time, the primary rifle in use was the Galil, which had been purchased from Israel shortly after Russian occupation ended […]

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, […]