United States - Forgotten Weapons

Colt 1903 in US Military Service (and for the OSS)

November 13, 2023 Ian McCollum 12

The Colt Model 1903, aka Pocket Hammerless, aka Model M, was a massively successful design for Colt on the commercial market. It was chambered for the .32ACP cartridge, with a .380 model introduced in 1908. […]

The Sexy Retro Shorty: Original AR-180 Police Carbine

October 28, 2023 Ian McCollum 6

When Armalite designed the AR-180, they needed a factory to produce it, as their own production capacity was limited. Initially a license was granted to How in Japan, but this only lasted a few years […]

Testing an Original WW1 Trench Gun w/ GI Buckshot: How Does it Pattern?

September 29, 2023 Ian McCollum 10

Today I am out at the range with Matt Haught from Sym-Tac to test out our original WW1 Winchester 1897 Trench Gun with some original WW2 GI buckshot. While the US did buy some shotgun […]

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 […]