Germany - Forgotten Weapons

Deckungszielgerät – Germany’s WW2 Trench Rifle System

March 23, 2021 Ian McCollum 26

When the German attack into Russia stagnated in late 1942, some areas of the front returned to a trench-and-sniper sort of warfare that was reminiscent of World War One. The German military actually went so […]

An Interesting Possibility: The FG-42 in 8x33mm Kurz?

March 9, 2021 Ian McCollum 115

Here’s an interesting thought – what if they made the FG-42 in 8x33mm Kurz? Well, they actually did, in very small numbers. The rifle’s designer, Louis Stange, actually thought it was a really good idea, […]

Göring’s Platinum Lugers

March 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 28

There are a lot of guns out there attributed to German leaders and politicians of the Second World War. Many of these are completely specious, and many more are true simply because these men had […]

The FG-42 as a Sniper Rifle?

February 23, 2021 Ian McCollum 24

The FG-42 was specifically made with a scope attachment on every rifle, and intended to serve as a marksman’s or sniper’s rifle. But how much of that actually happened during World War Two? And was […]

2-Gun with SMG’s 1st Pattern Semiauto FG-42

February 13, 2021 Ian McCollum 62

Today I am taking the SMG first pattern semiauto FG-42 out to a 2-gun match to give it a try on the clock. This particular match has two rifle-only stage and one pistol-only stage, so […]

Fallschirmjäger Style: SMG’s Semiauto 1st Pattern FG-42

February 12, 2021 Ian McCollum 51

The early pattern (Type E, specifically) FG-42 is one of the most eye-catching military rifles ever made. Designed to be a universal paratrooper’s rifle capable of acting as sniper’s rifle, light machine gun, hand-to-hand weapon, […]

ZF-41: Germany’s Worst WW2 Sniper Scope

February 9, 2021 Ian McCollum 8

One of the pieces of feedback the German military got form he invasion of Poland in 1939 was a desire for a squad-level designated marksman in each unit. This would be a man with the […]

Broomhandle Mauser “Red Nine” – the C96 in World War One

February 5, 2021 Ian McCollum 7

The German military did not actually adopt the Mauser C96 “broom handle” before World War One. It was the first really successful semiauto pistol, but the German military chose the Luger instead, in 1908. However, […]

Book Review: Vickers Guide SIG SAUER, Volume 1

December 8, 2020 Ian McCollum 5

The most recent addition to the Vickers Guide series of books is SIG Sauer Volume 1. This is 460 pages covering SIG’s handguns and submachine guns from it’s very first contract (the Mannlicher 1894 blow-forward […]

Korriphila HSP-701: A Masterful Bespoke German Pistol

November 27, 2020 Ian McCollum 23

The Korriphila HSP-701 is a boutique luxury pistols designed by Edgar Budischowsky in the late 1970s, which entered production in 1984. It uses a fixed barrel and roller-delayed blowback action with a single roller below […]