United States - Forgotten Weapons

California Arms Co 20ga “Defiance” Pistol-Shotgun

November 9, 2018 Ian McCollum 16

This registered NFA AOW sold for $3,738 at Rock Island on December 1, 2018. Made to compete with guns like the Ithaca Auto & Burglar, the “Defiance” form the California Arms Company is a side […]

Vickers-Berthier 1919 US Trials Rifle (Second Type)

November 6, 2018 Ian McCollum 14

This rifle sold for $31,625 at Rock Island on December 1, 2018. After designing the bolt action rifle that bears his name, Andre Berthier went on to experiment with self-loading designs. He developed a light […]

Durs Egg Ferguson – A Trials Breechloader From 1776

October 27, 2018 Ian McCollum 8

This Ferguson rifle sold for $96,000. Captain Patrick Ferguson was a British officer who designed and patented a breechloading rifle in 1776, which would actually see service in the American Revolution at the Battle of […]

Ingram Model 6: Like A Thompson Without the Price Tag (Sort Of)

October 26, 2018 Ian McCollum 22

This transferrable Model 6 SMG is being sold at Morphys on October 30, 2018. Before he made a big success with the M10 (MAC-10) submachine gun, Gordon Ingram designed a couple other guns. His initial […]

Colt Model 639: MACVSOG’s Vietnam Carbine

October 24, 2018 Ian McCollum 21

This two-stamp transferrable Colt 639 is being sold at Morphys on October 30, 2018. The Colt Model 639 was the export version of the Colt Model 629, which was type classified by the US military […]

M1909 Benet Mercie – American’s First LMG

October 23, 2018 Ian McCollum 35

This Benet-Mercie is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018. The first light machine gun adopted by the United States was the M1909 Benet-Mercie, made by the Hotchkiss company in France. The gun was […]

Shooting the S&W Model 76 – the Original!

October 20, 2018 Ian McCollum 3

This S&W 76 is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018. I have long been told that the Smith & Wesson Model 76 is a very nice submachine gun to shoot, despite its rather […]

Smith & Wesson 76: American’s Vietnam 9mm SMG

October 19, 2018 Ian McCollum 49

This S&W 76 is being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018. Early in the Vietnam War, the US Navy acquired a quantity of Swedish M/45B submachine guns (“Swedish K”) for special forces use. By […]

Shooting the Thompsons: Comparing the 1921, 21/28, and M1A1

October 17, 2018 Ian McCollum 21

These Thompsons are all being sold by Morphys on October 30, 2018: Model 1921 (transferrable), Model 1921/28 overstamp (transferrable), and M1A1 (pre-86 dealer sample). Having gone through the whole series of Thompson submachine guns, not […]

Strange History: A Remington Rolling Block From the USS Niagara

October 16, 2018 Ian McCollum 35

This rifle is being sold at Morphys on October 31, 2018. The story of the USS Niagara is quite an odd little corner of history. It was a ship built in 1877 and acquired by […]