Austria - Forgotten Weapons

La Lira: A Spanish Copy of the Mannlicher 1901

January 14, 2019 Ian McCollum 16

The Spanish firm of Garate Anitua y Cia manufactured this copy of the Mannlicher 1901/1905 pistol for just a brief period around 1910. It is not a straight copy, as the Mannlicher was chambered for […]

Steyr 1893 Gas-Seal Trials Revolver

December 26, 2018 Ian McCollum 14

Today we are looking at a pair of Steyr 1893 trials revolvers. Only about 100 of these were made, primarily for Austro-Hungarian military trials. These two are early pattern examples, with Pieper-type gas seal systems […]

Type 13 Manchurian Mauser – A WW1 Legacy in China

November 26, 2018 Ian McCollum 28

This rifle sold for $5,750 at Rock Island on December 2, 2018. The Liao Type 13 was produced at what would become known as the Mukden Arsenal in Manchuria starting in 1924, with production facilitated […]

Roth Haenel Model 1899 – The First Semiauto Sporting Rifle?

November 14, 2018 Ian McCollum 37

This rifle sold for $10,925 at Rock Island on December 2, 2018. While Karel Krnka and Georg Roth were in the process of developing the M1907 pistol, they diverted slightly to apply their patents to […]

Schwarzlose HMG Converted to 8x57mm by Romania

October 28, 2018 Ian McCollum 32

This transferrable Schwarzlose HMG is being sold at Morphys on October 30, 2018. The Schwarzlose 07/12 was made through the wolf of World War One as the standard heavy machine gun of the Austro-Hungarian armed […]

Szescei & Fuchs Double Barrel Bolt Action Dangerous Game Rifle

October 7, 2018 Ian McCollum 29

This rifle is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018. Normally in big game rifles, one has the choice of either a double barrel or a bolt action (semi autos being generally eschewed as […]

Steyr StG 77, aka the AUG

September 21, 2018 Ian McCollum 29

Today’s rifle is not quite an Austrian military StG-77, but it is virtually identical. This is one of the commemorative rifles sold by Steyr, which has been rebuilt with military parts and is a registered […]

Special Presentation: Semiauto Pistols of the 1800s

September 19, 2018 Ian McCollum 11

Today’s Special Presentation is an overview of all the semiautomatic pistols that were actually put into serial production before the year 1900. We have looked at these individually before, but I think it is worthwhile […]

WWI Steyr M95 Sniper Carbine

August 14, 2018 Ian McCollum 6

RIA’s catalog page for this rifle During World War One, Austria-Hungary produced about 13,000 sniper rifles and carbines – and while the significant majority of these were full length rifles, the Empire was the only […]

Steyr ACR: A Polymer Flechette-Firing Bullpup From the 90s

May 9, 2018 Ian McCollum 62

The US Army ACR (Advanced Combat Rifle) program was an effort to find a new type of infantry rifle which could increase the practical accuracy of the M16 by a whopping 100% in the […]