Canada - Forgotten Weapons

Huot Automatic Rifle: The Ross Goes Full Auto

December 13, 2019 Ian McCollum 23

During World War One, Joseph Alphonse Huot, a Canadian machinist and blacksmith living in Quebec, designed a conversion of the Ross MkIII rifle to become an automatic rifle. The Ross was the standard issue Canadian […]

Cooey: The Unassuming Canadian Workhorse

November 6, 2019 Ian McCollum 24

Cooey is a brand name that will be immediately recognized by Canadians, but pretty much unknown everywhere else. Founded in 1903 by Herbert Cooey, the company would produce a series of simple and practical firearms […]

The Ross in the Great War: The Mk III (and MkIIIB)

November 1, 2019 Ian McCollum 15

While the MkII (1905) iteration of the Ross rifle had resolved most of the major mechanical problems form the MkI, it retained a number of characteristics that the Canadian (and British) military was not fond […]

Ross MkII: Sorry, We’ll Get it Right This Time

October 30, 2019 Ian McCollum 21

The many significant problems with the Model 1903 / MkI Ross rifle had quickly led to the development of the improved MkII design. This strengthened many parts, including the sights, nosecap, bolt latch, and more. […]

Sir Charles Ross was a Jerk: The Martello Tower

October 29, 2019 Ian McCollum 12

Sir Charles Ross was really a jerk sometimes. Not the sort of guy you would want to go into business with…

Ross MkI: Canada’s First Battle Rifle

October 28, 2019 Ian McCollum 22

Sir Charles Ross was heir to a very wealthy Scottish family, and was a talented if temperamental engineer. He took an interest in firearms and their design, and worked with American and English connections to […]

Quick Look at a 37mm Maxim “Pompom” Automatic Cannon

September 21, 2019 Ian McCollum 25

This Vickers, Sons & Maxim 37mm MkIII “Pompom” is on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. The MkIII pattern is quite scarce, with less than one hundred ever made. It is built around […]

Book Review: Arms & Accoutrements of the Mounted Police 1873-1973

September 15, 2019 Ian McCollum 5

The Royal North West Mounted Police (later merged with the Dominion Police to become the RCMP – Royal Canadian Mounted Police) are an interesting and often overlooked element of the western frontier. We Americans tend […]

Book Review: The Ross Rifle Story

September 8, 2019 Ian McCollum 9

“The Ross Rifle Story” is the Bible of Ross rifle collecting – it is the only substantial reference work on the subject and it has a tremendous amount of information about the development of the […]

C2A1: Canada’s Squad Automatic FAL

September 6, 2019 Ian McCollum 33

Canada was the first country to formally adopt the FN FAL as its standard service rifle, and in 1958 it added the C2 light machine gun version of the FAL to its arsenal. The C2, […]