Germany - Forgotten Weapons

Book Review: Deadly Beauties – Rare German Handguns

June 25, 2017 Ian McCollum 5

Deadly Beauties is a photographic collection of rare and collectible German pistols from 1871 through 1945, split into two volumes. The written sections are quite brief, and the photography is beautiful. More importantly, the […]

The Model SS41 – A Czech Bullpup Anti-Tank Rifle for the SS

June 23, 2017 Ian McCollum 59

The SS41 was a bullpup, bolt action antitank rifle manufactured in small numbers by CZ for the SS. contrary to common assumption, the SS were not a part of the standard German military arms procurement […]

What is the German 1920 Double Date Stamp?

June 3, 2017 Ian McCollum 18

One will sometimes encounter German WW1 arms – mostly Lugers and Kar98 carbines – that have two date stamps, one of them being 1920. What is the significance of this? The crux of the matter […]

Dreyse 1910: An Attempted Military 9mm Pistol

May 8, 2017 Ian McCollum 25

Designed by Louis Schmeisser, the Dreyse Model 1910 was an attempt to build a blowback pistol in 9x19mm for German military or police service, expanding on the existing market for the popular smaller .32ACP (7.65mm) […]

Could a Tankgewehr Really Take Out a British MkIV Tank?

May 6, 2017 Ian McCollum 40

The Tankgewehr antitank rifle was developed by the Mauser company and adopted by the Imperial German military as an emergency measure to counter the introduction of tanks to the WW1 battlefield. The question is, did […]

A Unique Pre-WWI Custom Combination Gun

April 25, 2017 Ian McCollum 25

This unique custom sporting rifle (and shotgun) is a very cool example of the true gunsmith’s art. This firearm began as a Mauser model 98 action, which was embellished and fitted with a fancy barrel […]

Massive Wheellock Hand Mortars at James D Julia

April 8, 2017 Ian McCollum 13

These wheellock hand mortars, or katzenkopf, are an example of a weapon made and used for everything from front line military application to civilian parades to simple decoration. The pair we are looking at today […]

The Ultimate German Sniper Rifle: the H&K PSG-1 at James D Julia

March 18, 2017 Ian McCollum 22

Developed in the 1980s, the H&K PSG-1 is one of the most iconic sniper rifles in popular culture, with a reputation for unmatched accuracy. It is, in fact, an excellent rifle, and today we will […]

Ralf Dieckmann Interview

March 14, 2017 Ian McCollum 46

Ralf Dieckmann is a German-born firearms designer who grew up as a small child in Berlin during World War II. His interest in firearms developed in the post-war years with war detritus literally lying about […]

Wheellock 101: History and Shooting (Video)

March 11, 2017 Ian McCollum 24

The wheel lock was one of the first types of early gun or firearm, developed as an alternative to the simple but problematic matchlock musket. The wheellock uses an iron pyrite set against a spinning […]