Belgium - Forgotten Weapons

Revolver with a Bayonet: Luxembourg Model 1884 Gendarmerie Nagant

June 10, 2022 Ian McCollum 16

I previously filmed one of the Model 1884 Luxembourg Gendarmerie Nagant revolvers, but I got my hands on one with the original bayonet, and I wanted to show you that. These are extremely rare revolvers, […]

A Belgian Sten Replacement: Vigneron M2 at the Range

April 30, 2022 Ian McCollum 14

The Vigneron was adopted to replace the Sten in Belgian service – so is it actually better than the Sten? In my opinion, yes. The sights and overall handling are better. The pistol grip is […]

Vigneron M2: Belgium’s Little-Known Post-War SMG

April 29, 2022 Ian McCollum 26

After World War Two, the Belgian military wanted to replace its many Sten guns with a better standard SMG. The solution was designed by Colonel Georges Vigneron in 1953, and adopted by all branches of […]

FN-DA1: The BAR for NATO

April 13, 2022 Ian McCollum 28

After World War Two, FN put the BAR back into production. This was initially the FN-D version with a quick-change barrel, but with NATO’s adoption of the 7.62mm cartridge, there was a demand for the […]

FN MAG: Best of the Western GPMGs

April 6, 2022 Ian McCollum 73

The FN MAG (Mitrailleuse d’Appui Général – General Purpose Machine Gun) was designed by Ernest Vervier, who took over from Dieudonné Saive as FN’s lead military arms designer in 1954. The Swedish government approached FN […]

Amsterdam Police Carbine: 8mm Mauser for the Carbine/SMG Squad

February 2, 2022 Ian McCollum 27

In the wake of World War Two, much of Europe was awash in small arms – but there were still organizations looking to purchase new arms rather than use the available surplus. The Gemeentepolitie Amsterdam […]

Belgian Black Rifle: the FNC at the Range

November 13, 2021 Ian McCollum 29

Today, we’re taking the FN FNC out to the range to see how it handles…

FN FNC: The Belgian 5.56mm NATO Carbine

November 12, 2021 Ian McCollum 50

The FNC (Fabrique Nationale Carabine) was FN’s followup to the unsuccessful CAL rifle. Chambered for the newly-adopted 5.56mm NATO cartridge, the FNC uses a long stroke gas piston system very reminiscent of the AK, combined […]

American Mausers: The Hopkins & Allen Model 1889 for Belgium

October 11, 2021 Ian McCollum 12

When World War One began, German armies roared through Belgium, occupying all but a small corner of the nation. Belgium still had an army to defend that last bit of territory, but it no longer […]

Collette Gravity Guns: A 60-Shot Rifle in 1854

September 21, 2021 Ian McCollum 18

What we today call the Collette Gravity Gun was actually designed by a gunsmith named Jean Nicolas Herman in Liege between 1850 and 1854. He was an employee of Victor Collette (note: spellings vary), and […]