United States - Forgotten Weapons

RIA: Bendix-Hyde Second Model Prototype Carbine

March 31, 2016 Ian McCollum 19

In late 1940, the US military opened a competition for what would become the M1 Carbine – a rifle that needed to use the .30 Carbine cartridge and weigh no more than 5 pounds (2.27kg). […]

Finnish red guard militia members posing for the camera some time during the civil war.

Vintage Saturday: Finnish Militia

March 26, 2016 Ian McCollum 48

The woman at the front right has a Winchester 1895, almost certainly of Russian contract origin in 7.62x54R. The others appear to have Type 30 Arisaka rifles, which would have been sold to Russia by […]

Savage .25ACP Automatic Pistol

March 21, 2016 Ian McCollum 33

Savage made more than a quarter-million pocket pistols in .32 and .380 caliber, but never commercially marketed a .25ACP design. They did design such a “baby” pistol, though, beginning in about 1912. Despite a significant […]

Vintage Saturday: Colt 1895 on Water Tower Hill

March 19, 2016 Ian McCollum 43

In 1914, a long-standing strike of mine workers against the Colorado Fuel & Iron Company was ended by the Colorado National Guard in what is known today as the Ludlow Massacre. As part of their […]

Smill & Welson Spanish Counterfeit Revolver

March 18, 2016 Ian McCollum 31

This revolver looks like it is a Smith & Wesson DA from the early 20th century, right down to the S&W grips. However, it is actually a Spanish Eibar-made copy, and you can tell when […]

Today’s New Tech: Red Dot Handguns

March 14, 2016 Ian McCollum 75

https://youtu.be/U3ogBYjTQqk I am often asked what is the coolest new thing in firearms technology…and the answer isn’t anything having to do with the actual gun design. Our guns today are mechanically the same as they […]

James D. Julia: Confederate Cofer Revolver

March 12, 2016 Ian McCollum 23

T.W. Cofer was a Virginian gunsmith who made revolvers for the Confederate cause during the Civil War – although he never had a formal contract with the CSA. His pistols were sold privately to individual […]

James D. Julia: Presentation Colt 1851 w/ Canteen Stock

March 11, 2016 Ian McCollum 10

One of the less common accessories for Colt percussion pistols is the original factory shoulder stock. And far less common still is the factory stock made with a canteen inside it! The stocks were made […]

James D. Julia: An Assortment of James Reid “My Friend” Knucklers

March 10, 2016 Ian McCollum 14

James Reid was a Catskills gunsmith who emigrated form Ireland by way of Scotland. He made a number of different revolvers, but is best known for his line of “My Friend” knuckleduster pepperboxes (or “knucklers”, […]

The Gun as Art: Tiffany Colts from Two Eras

March 9, 2016 Ian McCollum 13

The famous American jewelry company Tiffany & Co has a long history of offering decorative firearms, and today I’m looking at two of them. One is a cartridge conversion Colt from the 1870s, engraved by […]