United States - Forgotten Weapons

Testing Slamfire: Sneaky Advantage or Useless Hype?

September 23, 2023 Ian McCollum 17

We’ve all heard about how the Winchester 1897 is capable of slam fire, but is that really a useful feature? Or is it just a cost-saving safety hazard? Well, Matt Haught of Sym-Tac consulting and […]

Real or Fake? Authenticating an 1897 Trench Gun

September 19, 2023 Ian McCollum 3

Authentic World War One 1897 trench guns will have: Serial number between E613,000 and E705,000 High quality rust blue finish Solid frame 20-inch cylinder bore barrel (with no bead) Muzzle in lone with bayonet lug […]

Colt 607: The First AR Carbine

September 18, 2023 Ian McCollum 56

The Model 607 was Colt’s first attempt at a carbine version of the AR-15 rifle, shortening both the barrel and stock. The action is identical to a standard AR, but the barrel is only 10 […]

Peak American: the Winchester 1897 Trench Gun in WW1

September 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 8

The United States was the only country to use shotguns in World War One in a substantial way. It was not the first time the US had used such guns either; shotguns were used in […]

Introducing the BD-38: A New Production Copy of the German MP-38

September 4, 2023 Ian McCollum 14

There has never been a proper semiauto version of the MP40 available in the US, until now. SSD (Sport-Systeme Dittrich) is a German company that has been making semiauto copies of German WW2 small arms […]

Pacific Theater USMC-Modified Johnson M1941 Rifle

August 25, 2023 Ian McCollum 8

Johnson M1941 rifles were used in limited numbers by the US Marine Corps in the Pacific theater of World War Two, but they were used – and generally well liked. Interestingly, there was a fairly […]

The Post-War Legacy of the FG42

August 23, 2023 Ian McCollum 55

If the FG-42 was such a great gun, then why didn’t it get used after the war? Well, two answers… 1) It was crazy expensive to make and there weren’t very many lying around for […]

What’s Wrong with Private Jackson’s Sniper Rifle? (Saving Private Ryan)

June 30, 2023 Ian McCollum 26

Today we are going to take a look at how Private Jackson’s sniper rifle is portrayed in Saving Private Ryan. It’s a great movie, and I enjoyed it a lot – but this sniper rifle […]

Remington M1903A4 Sniper at the Range

June 24, 2023 Ian McCollum 7

Today we are taking the Remington M1903A4 out to the range for some shooting. This was the standard US sniper rifle during World War Two, and I’m curious to see how one actually handles…

Fascinating Finds in a Guadalcanal Relic Museum

June 16, 2023 Ian McCollum 8

Today I’m visiting the Solomon Islands War Memorial Museum in Honiara (the capital city on Guadalcanal). This is a private museum run by two brothers on the island, and it is filled to the brim […]