Russia - Forgotten Weapons

US Army Tokarev Rifle Manual

August 21, 2013 Ian McCollum 19

One problem I have consistently found with Russian weapons manuals is that they are all written in Russian, which I can’t read. The illustrations are still interesting and useful, but it does make some of […]

Digging for WWII Relics

August 6, 2013 Ian McCollum 45

I expect this is a subject more familiar to our European readers than folks here in the US – the idea is tromping out to the sites of WWII skirmishes or battles with a shovel […]

More 2-Gun Action!

July 29, 2013 Ian McCollum 20

Yep, it’s that time again – we’ve had another 2-Gun Action Challenge Match. I was hoping to take a Ross rifle this month, but it didn’t arrive in time – so instead I used a […]

Vintage Saturday: The Not-French Resistance

July 20, 2013 Ian McCollum 22

Soviet guerrillas in the Crimea, with a few different types of rifles. Just women in the main shot, but there are men in the background as well.

Vintage Saturday: Comparing Gear

July 13, 2013 Ian McCollum 25

Russian and American troops linking up to fight the Germans. Note the variety of weapons – Browning 1917A1, M1 Carbine with grenade launcher, M38 Mosin carbine, PPS-43, and let’s not forget the emergency grenade on […]

Book Review: Fred Datig’s Tokarev Volume

July 11, 2013 Ian McCollum 7

The full title of this work is far too long to use as the title of this post, as it is (deep breath) “The History and Development of Imperial and Soviet Russian Military Small Arms […]

Vintage Saturday: Femme Fatale

June 29, 2013 Ian McCollum 90

Leningrad, 1942, with a DP28 light machine gun. Women served the Red Army in substantial numbers as pilots, snipers, and machine gunners. In light of the controversy over US women moving into combat roles, this […]

Vintage Saturday: Lever Actions in the Trenches

June 22, 2013 Ian McCollum 51

Russian soldiers in World War One armed with Winchester 1895 lever action rifles chambered for 7.62x54R. In addition to the gas masks and long bayonets, note the fellow at the back left reloading with a […]

Vintage Saturday: Nazi Zorro

June 8, 2013 Ian McCollum 41

German Skijäger troops with Sturmgewehr rifles in the Ukraine, February 1944. Note how two of the guys in the background are using ski poles as shooting sticks. If there had been more of these guys […]

Vintage Saturday: Rank Hath its Privileges

June 1, 2013 Ian McCollum 33

A Soviet M1910 Maxim (early version, without the snow cap) on the Mannerheim Line, 1940.