Forgotten Weapons
Season 2018
Host Ian McCollum goes over, disassembles, tests, and assesses some of history's most captivating and unorthodox firearms.
Where to Watch Season 2018
300 Episodes
- Overview of Canadian Gun LawsE1
Overview of Canadian Gun Lawshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today, a general overview of Canadian gun laws, so we Americans (and you folks across the ocean) can have a better idea of what the legal situation is in the Great White North. Please recognize that this is a general overview only - we are not getting into the nitty gritty details, and this is not meant to be used for legal advice. Thanks to John at Marstar for joining me! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Lepage Wax-Bullet Dueling PistolsE2
Lepage Wax-Bullet Dueling Pistolshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the early years of the 20th century, before the Great War tempered society's interest in the martial arts, dueling came into the popular vogue. Not the lethal kind, but rather a more sporting style using pistols firing wax balls instead of lead bullets. It was even demonstrated at the 1908 Olympics (although not made an official part of the Games, as some claim). Today we are at the Institute of Military Technology looking at a beautiful early 1900s set of Lepage Brothers wax-ball dueling pistols made in Paris, along with their specialty ammunition and protective gear. For the record, we did try firing these, and found that the primer caps were all sadly destroyed by time and would not fire. A shame, because I was hoping to bring you a proper duel between myself and the IMT's Curator! Anyway, the sport bears quite a lot of similarity to today's innovative new (*cough*) trend in force-on-force firearms training, just styled more like fencing than a HEMA melee. The protective gear was just what you would expect today - a handguard to protect the knuckles and a mask to protect the head, with a clear solid visor over the eyes and a metal shield to protect the mouth. Add a heavy coat, and you're all ready to go! Thanks to the Institute of Military Technology for allowing me to have access to this very cool gear so I can bring it to you! Check out the IMT at: http://www.instmiltech.com If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Forgotten Weapons Short: Stacking Rods & Stacking SwivelsE3
Forgotten Weapons Short: Stacking Rods & Stacking Swivelshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I get a lot of questions about the purpose of stacking rods and stacking swivels on rifles - so let's see if we can clear some of them up today. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Meunier A6: France's First Semiauto Battle RifleE4
Meunier A6: France's First Semiauto Battle Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons France began experimenting with self-loading rifle designs in the late 1890s, although most of this work is mostly unknown today. The work was done by the State arsenals, and kept as military secrets, without patents being filed or commercial sales considered. All sorts of systems were developed experimentally, including short recoil, long recoil, and direct gas impingements. The most successful result of the various programs was the A6 model designed by one Etienne Meunier. This rifle was approved for limited production in 1910, but the ever-present bureaucracy meant that by 1913, the production line was still being worked on at the Tulle arsenal. Semiautomatic rifles were set aside when the Great War broke out in 1914, but when it became clear that the war would not be over quickly, weapons development came roaring back as a priority. The French put the Chauchat automatic rifle into production as a close support weapon, and were looking for a semiautomatic infantry rifle as well. The natural choice was the A6 Meunier, and its production tooling was finished in 1916 and 1013 rifles were built - with 843 of these being sent to the front for combat use. Unfortunately, while the A6 was the best that had been available in 1910, it was not ready for the rigors of World War One combat. Tight clearances in the long recoil mechanism led to problematic reliability, and the use of a non-standard cartridge really hobbled the rifle. The A6 used a proprietary 7x57mm round (unrelated to 7mm Mauser). This cartridge was quite advanced at the time, and much better than 8mm Lebel, but given the logistic choice between a few hundred semiauto rifles and literally millions of bolt action rifles and machine guns, the 7mm Meunier cartridge was obviously untenable. The project was ended in the summer of 1917 when the RSC 1917 rifle began to come off pr - Book Review: The Modele 1866 ChassepotE5
Book Review: The Modele 1866 ChassepotGet your copy from the publisher direct:http://www.woodfieldpublishing.co.uk/contents/en-uk/p435_The_Modèle_1866_Chassepot.html Or via Amazon.uk: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Needle-Ignition-System-Modele-1866-%60Chassepot/dp/1846831873/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Until now, there has really been nothing substantial and scholarly printed on the Chassepot needle-fire rifle in English - but now that has changed, thanks to Guy & Leonard A-R-West. Their just-released book on the system covers everything from the development (including several competing systems form the 1850s and 1860s), the mechanics, the ammunition, the production and markings, and the historical impact the rifle had in Europe. Despite the French defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, the Chassepot was a stand-out piece of technology, offering substantially higher velocity and longer effective range than the Dreyse rifles used by the Prussian forces. It was such an impressive rifle that tens of thousands were reissued by German cavalry units, both in the original needlefire configuration and converted to 11mm Mauser metallic cartridges. The authors cover the modification from the first production rifles to the standard later versions, and also the progressive improvements to the ammunition. Visually, this is done with a combination of photographs and hand drawings. The photographs are sometimes a bit small, and the drawings (which are very well done) do a good job of showing the specific details the authors are trying to highlight. The occasional firsthand commentary taken from soldiers on both sides of the 1870/71 battles also adds a very interesting flavor to the narrative. The book is published in the UK, and runs 145 pages softcover (but in color). As of this writing, the price is £45.00 plus shipping, and it can be ordered directly from the publisher's web site or through them on Amazon.uk. - "Carbine" Williams' Battle Rifle: The Winchester G30RE6
"Carbine" Williams' Battle Rifle: The Winchester G30Rhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Winchester G30R is the final iteration of David Marshall Williams' work on a full power .30 caliber military rifle. The project began with a design by Ed Browning (John Browning's half brother) using a tilting bolt an annular gas piston, manufactured for US military trials by Colt. It moved to the Winchester company, which assigned Williams to the project when Browning died in 1939. Williams first replaced the annular gas piston with his gas tappet system, creating the G30M rifle. This performed poorly in trials, and the next iteration was the replacement of the tilting bolt with a Garand-type rotating bolt, creating the Winchester M2 rifle. The US military was not interested in the M2 in .30-06, but thought the concept could be ideal for the Light Rifle trials then underway, and Winchester scaled it down to .30 carbine, and won the Light Rifle trials with it. That weapon would go on to become the M1 Carbine. Once it was in mass production, Winchester returned to the M2 design and improved it into this G30R. It was tested by the Marine Corps, but not adopted. The Canadian military also expressed an interest, but the US government opted to not allow any exports, and so Canada never tested it. The US Army was quite satisfied with the M1 Garand, but suggested that this rifle might be made into a replacement for the BAR if it were redesigned a bit for greater sustained fire capacity. Winchester did so, creating the Winchester Automatic Rifle (WAR), which was on track for adoption until World War Two ended and immediate arms development became a much less important priority for the military. Thanks to the Institute of Military Technology for allowing me to have access to this rifle so I can bring it to you! Check out the IMT at: http://www.instmiltech.com If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! - Croatian Šokac SMG - A PPSh-41 Copy from the 1990sE7
Croatian Šokac SMG - A PPSh-41 Copy from the 1990shttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Šokac is just one of more than a dozen different submachine guns developed and produced domestically in Croatia during the Yugoslavian civil war of the early 1990s. It is a mechanical copy of the Soviet PPSh-41 made in 9x19mm and a folding stock modeled after the vz25 family of submachine guns. Like the PPSh, it has a selector for semiauto or fully automatic fire, and used stick magazines of 25- and 30-round capacity. The Šokac was first tested in August of 1991, and it appears that as many as 5,000 were produced in total. Today we are looking at both an early metal-framed example with a wooden grip and a later (and more typical) type with a plastic grip and magazine housing. There were also at least a few made with underfolding MP40-type stocks. Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Full Auto at 1000m: The 7.92x41mm CETME CartridgeE8
Full Auto at 1000m: The 7.92x41mm CETME Cartridgehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The US insistence on a full-power rifle cartridge for the NATO standard in the 1950s derailed a couple potentially very interesting concepts - including the 7.92x41mm CETME cartridge. This round was developed by Dr. Gunther Voss, formerly of Mauser, while working with other ex-Mauser employees like Ludwig Vorgrimler for the Spanish CETME concern. They were tasked with creating a rifle which could be fired effectively from the shoulder in fully automatic and also be capable of accurate fire out to 1000 meters. This seemingly paradoxical concept was cracked by Voss, who designed a bullet which was both light weight to minimize recoil and also had an excellent ballistic coefficient for to retain velocity at long range and - most importantly - also had enough rotational inertia to remain stable at long range. He did this by making an aluminum bullet with a copper racket only around the center portion. The jacket's primary role was to add mass at the maximum diameter of the bullet to provide more rotational inertia for the round. This bullet and the rifle built around it (the CETME Modelo 2) did quite well in both Spanish and American testing, as were well on the way to full Spanish adoption when the NATO trials became known. Spain opted to use the new international standard cartridge, but the CETME rifle was not built to withstand the much greater recoil of the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge. Ultimately the rifle res redesigned for handle the NATO cartridge, becoming the CETME Modelo C, but one interim solution was the development of a 7.62x51mm CETME cartridge which was dimensionally identical to the NATO round but used a much lighter 112gr bullet. This round has become the basis for a number of myths about both CETME rifles and the FR-7 and FR-8 bolt action conversions made around the same time. Note: I recognize that my statement about th - Marlin UD-42 from the Dutch ResistanceE9
Marlin UD-42 from the Dutch Resistancehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The UD-42 was originally the design of Carl "Gus" Swebilius, who was at the time (1940) working for the High Standard company. It failed to attract interest form the US military, but was appealing to the Dutch government for arming their East Indies colonies. A contract for 15,000 guns was signed, but High Standard did not have the production capacity to fill the order. Instead, the United Defense company took up the contract, and then subcontracted the actual manufacture to Marlin. Production startup issues slowed production, however, and it was April 1941 before the first gun was completed. Delivery would not come before the Japanese completed their conquest of the Dutch East Indies, and the guns were repurposed. They were ideal for OSS and SOE use in supplying Resistance organizations in occupied Europe, and the bulk of the guns would be distributed in this way, from Greece to Norway and most everywhere in between. This particular example is in Holland, with provenance back to an OSS covert supply drop. Many thanks to the anonymous collector who let me take a look at this piece and bring you a video on it! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Machine Gun Terminology Part 2: SMG, PDW, & Machine PistolE10
Machine Gun Terminology Part 2: SMG, PDW, & Machine Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today we have Part 2 of machine gun terminology - the small caliber guns. Specifically, submachine guns, personal defense weapons, and machine pistols. Submachine Gun: Pistol caliber, fully automatic, and fitted with a shoulder stock. For example, Thompson, MP40, MAS-38. Machine pistol: Handgun form factor and fully automatic. For example, Glock 18, Mauser Schnellfeuer, Stechkin. Automatic Rifle: Shoulder or hip fired, limited magazine capacity, minimal sustained fire capacity. Examples: M1918 BAR, Chauchat. Persinal Defense Weapon: (1) Armor-piercing or (2) holsterable submachine gun, not intended for front line combat. For example, FN P90, H&K MP7, Czech vz.61 Skorpion, Polish PM63 Rak. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Dead Air PBS-1 Wolverine AK SuppressorE11
Dead Air PBS-1 Wolverine AK Suppressorhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Soviet Union produced and issued (on a quite limited basis) a suppressor for the AK platform, designated the PBS-1. It had a rather distinctive shape, and used a combination of baffles and wipes. Unfortunately, these original Soviet silencers are quite rare, and I have not had a chance to examine or disassemble one myself...so I have the next best thing. Today we are putting a few rounds through a PBS-1 Wolverine suppressor from Dead Air Silencers, a suppressor made specifically for the AK platform today which mimics the look of the original Soviet can. However, since this isn't an original Soviet can, we decided to cover it in depth on InRangeTV instead of Forgotten Weapons. So if you are curious about the quirks of suppressing AKs and military use of suppressors in general as well as their commercial use today, check out the video on InRange: https://youtu.be/iXAB9SSlPjw If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: Col Chinn's (Free) 5-Volume Opus on Machine GunsE12
Book Review: Col Chinn's (Free) 5-Volume Opus on Machine GunsYou can download Chinn's work in PDF format here: http://www.milsurps.com/content.php?r=347-The-Machine-Gun-%28by-George-M.-Chinn%29 or here: https://www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USN/ref/MG/index.html http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons George Chinn's 5-volume opus machine gun-icus is a massive and extremely valuable reference work on the development of machine guns, as well as aircraft machine guns and aircraft cannon. It also includes and entire volume on the actual technical design of self-loading firearms systems, including both the big things like locking and operating systems, but also small things, like trigger mechanisms, extractors, firing pins, and more. For the historian and the design enthusiast alike it is very useful. Unfortunately, the set is long out of print and both expensive and difficult simply to find for sale. Complete sets can easily cost $1000. Fortunately, the book was published by the US Government and is in the public domain and freely available online. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - MAS-38 Shooting FailE13
MAS-38 Shooting Failhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I have been getting a lot of comments asking when there will be a shooting video with my MAS-38 submachine gun. If has cleared the NFA transfer process, so it's not actually in my possession. So, the next hurdle is finding ammunition. The 7.65 French Long cartridge it uses has been out of production for at least 50 years, and there are only very limited options. The best one out there is Buffalo Arms, and I bought some from them (at just over $1/round) when they recently restocked it. Unfortunately, something about the cartridge does not allow it to feed and fire as it should - I'm not yet sure exactly why. This is simply a part of the process for guns with unusual ammunition like this, unfortunately. I am going to attempt to get a company like Starline to begin producing proper new brass for the 7.65 French Long, as it would be usable not just in MAS-38 submachine guns but also in the cheap and fairly common 1935A and 1935S pistols. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - MAT 49: Iconic SMG of Algeria and IndochinaE14
MAT 49: Iconic SMG of Algeria and Indochinahttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The MAT-49 was developed by France after World War Two to satisfy the need for a more modern submachine gun to replace the MAS-38. The military had come around to standardizing on the 9x19mm cartridge for its pistols and subguns, and the 7.65mm MAS-38 was not feasible to convert. All three state arsenals and the Hotchkiss company submitted designs, and the Tulle arsenal won out with a gun that borrows substantially from the American M3 "Grease Gun". About 700,000 MAT-49s were produced between 1949 and 1979, when it (along with the MAS 49/56 rifle) was replaced by the FAMAS bullpup rifle. During that time it saw substantial combat in France's colonial wars, notable Algeria and Indochina. Despite being a relatively heavy weapon, it came to be well liked by all who used it for its durability and reliability. Many thanks to the anonymous collector who let me take a look at this piece and bring you a video on it! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Q&A #16: Lightning Round!E15
Q&A #16: Lightning Round!http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today we are doing a slightly different Q&A format, because I ran a bit short of time to do my usual background research on questions. So instead, we have a Lightning Round of short questions...7 pages of questions. Please et me know what you think of this format - I don't plan to use it frequently, but if you do like it I will occasionally throw one like this into the mix. As always, questions came from Patrons at the $2/month level and above. Thanks to all of you for the support! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Snabb Semiauto Conversion of a Dutch MannlicherE16
Snabb Semiauto Conversion of a Dutch Mannlicherhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Snabb was a Swedish company created to market a system for converting bolt action rifles into semiautomatic rifles. The system was patented in the US in 1938, making this one of the very last attempts at such a conversion. It appears that the company made a substantial number of overtures to many different nations in search of a customer, as Snabb conversions can be found built on a wide variety of rifles - several patterns of Mauser, the US M1917 Enfield, 1903 Springfield, and in this particular case a Dutch Mannlicher. Not surprisingly, no country was shortsighted enough to actually convert its rifles into Snabb semiautos - you will understand why when you see how the rifle works! The basic system is a gas trap one, but complicated by the use of a two-part system of interlocking ratchet teeth so that the forward blast of gas from firing pulls the muzzle cap forward, but it is the rearward return of the muzzle cap which actually propels the bolt rearward. The bolt remains a two-lug rotating type, with the manual handle removed and a screw cam added to the rear to convert the rearward movement of the operating rod into a rotary movement to unlock the bolt. The strange stock is necessitated by the extension of the receiver to fully enclose the bolt's travel (not necessary with a manually operated bolt action rifle). With that extension, the trigger remains too far forward for a conventional grip, and a pistol grip is required. Snabb probably used the thumbhole style because it is stronger than a standalone grip. On this particular rifle, the original follower in the magazine is missing, but the rifle appears to have remained fed by 5-round Mannlicher clips. In addition, the rifle has been rebarreled in .303 British as part of the conversion, for unknown reasons. Finally, it is worth pointing out that there is no "Snabb" markin - Interview: Bill Chase on Restoring Collectible FirearmsE17
Interview: Bill Chase on Restoring Collectible Firearmshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today we are speaking with Bill Chase on the subject of restoration of collectible firearms. Mr. Chase is a very talented machinist and artisan, and has substantial experience in restoring firearms, including manufacturing new parts for some very rare and valuable guns. This video was promtped by my discovery that he had purchased a really rough Reifgraber .32 S&W pistol that was featured in a Forgotten Weapons video several years ago, and had restored it to a beautiful new condition. So - what is involved in that sort of work? If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Wildey Survivor .45 WinMag: Perfect for a Backup Gun MatchE18
Wildey Survivor .45 WinMag: Perfect for a Backup Gun Matchhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Thanks to Peter, we have a .45 Winchester Magnum Wildey Survivor to do some video with. I figured the best way to start would be to take it to a Backup Gun match, right? Unfortunately, I had continuous feeding problems despite having (I thought) gotten the gas system properly dialed in. Despite that, the match was still a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to doing more with this behemoth of a hand cannon. Enjoy! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - How to Check If A P08 Luger Has All Matching Serial NumbersE19
How to Check If A P08 Luger Has All Matching Serial NumbersToday I am visiting Simpson Ltd in Galesburg, Illinois - the question we are look at is one of the most common they hear from customers: how do you tell if a Luger is all matching? When the guns were originally made, the factory put the serial number on a whole bunch of different parts, and on many guns some of these parts have been replaced over the years. A gun that retains all of its original matching parts brings a substantial increase in value. We are going to look at a standard WWII German Army Luger, which is the most common type in the US today, and show you where each of the number is on the outside and the inside. There are many other types of Lugers with somewhat different numbering patterns, but this will hopefully be a good primer for you! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Jet Li Maneuver: Beretta Disassembly at GunpointE20
The Jet Li Maneuver: Beretta Disassembly at GunpointIn Lethal Weapon IV, Jet Li's character is caught at gunpoint by Mel Gibson's character...until he turns the tables by stripping the slide right off Gibson's Beretta 92FS. I wonder how feasible that really is? Also, I wonder if perhaps Jet Li's character was not the first to do it...? http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Inglis High Power: How a Chinese Whim Became A British Service PistolE21
Inglis High Power: How a Chinese Whim Became A British Service PistolDuring World War Two, the Canadian government set up a loan program to help Chinese companies provide all manner of material aid to Canada’s allies. Among many others, one recipient of this aid was the Nationalist Chinese government under Chiang Kai Shek. Chinese representatives asked the John Inglis company to manufacture no less than 180,000 Browning High Power pistols, and the company agreed. After some wrangling, Inglis acquired a license from FH representatives to make the guns, got a complete technical package through the British government and FN’s representatives in exile, and the direct personal aid of Laloux and Saive from FN. Delivery proved difficult, though, with only about 4000 guns being shipped to Karachi and then needing to be flown over The Hump in cargo planes, along with massive amounts of other aid - and a few pistols didn’t get a lot of priority there. By the fall of 1944, the contract was cancelled under concerns that it was not really contributing to any progress in the war against the Japanese, along with insistence from American General Stilwell that the Chinese forces be armed with weapons that could be supplied more easily through the American logistic network. Production restarted after the defeat of Germany, with another 40,000 or so being made and delivered before it was cancelled again when the Nationalist Chinese forces were seen to be clearly losing to their Communist opponents. Each of these pistols was supplied with a combination shoulder stock and holster. In the US, attaching a stock to a pistol would normally subject it to registration as a Short Barreled Rifle, but the Inglis High Powers are among the guns exempted from this requirement. They are, in fact, among the least expensive and most modern guns to be exempted in this way. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister chann - Armalite AR-17: A Shotgun from the World of Tomorrow!E22
Armalite AR-17: A Shotgun from the World of Tomorrow!Armalite was a company founded as an offshoot of the Fairchild Aircraft company, and working with aluminum was their specialty. This was a fairly novel material to the arms industry, and they were able to exploit it fantastically in the AR-10 and AR-15 rifles. The AR15 rights were sold to Colt in 1959, though, and Armalite went in search of other guns to market. One of these was the AR-17, introduced in 1964 to the commercial market, aimed at hunters and sport shooters. It was a short recoil action with a 10(!) lug coating bolt similar to the earlier Armalite rifles and a 2-round capacity, chambered for 2.75” 12 gauge shells. It didn’t have a magazine so much as a single round lifter/elevator in addition to the chambered round. Most importantly, it was a nearly all-aluminum gun, weighing just 5.5 pounds (2.5kg). Only the barrel extension and bolt were steel, plus a few small parts. The receiver and barrel were hardened aluminum, and the furniture was foam-filled Nylon. The was truly the shotgun from The World of Tomorrow! Unfortunately for Armalite, being extremely lightweight was not necessarily a good thing in a shotgun. It was certainly nice to carry for long periods while hunting, but short shooters found its heavy recoil to be punishing. The light weight also brought complaints that it did not swing well. And finally the limited 2-round capacity, while not logically a problem for the intended uses, was a turn-off to many potential buyers. Parts for 2000 of the guns were manufactured in 1964 and 1965, but only about 1200 were actually assembled and sold. The gun was a commercial failure by all measures. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Pietta's PPS/50 - A Popular PPSh PlinkerE23
Pietta's PPS/50 - A Popular PPSh PlinkerIntroduced by the Italian Pietta company in the 1970s (yes, the same Pietta that makes all those reproduction Old West revolvers and lever action rifles), the PPS/50 has been a continuously popular firearm for more than 40 years now. Designed to roughly resemble a Soviet PPSh-41 submachine gun, the PPS/50 is a semiautomatic .22 rimfire for the recreational market and nothing more. It is a simple blowback action, and perhaps the most interesting mechanical feature is its 50-round drum magazine (which is really what differentiates it from the plethora of other rimfire semiautomatic rifles on the market). The drum is remarkably reliable, and has certainly contributed to the long sustained manufacture of the PPS/50. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Orden Y Patria: Carabineros de Chile Model 1935 MauserE24
Orden Y Patria: Carabineros de Chile Model 1935 MauserThe Carabinieros de Chile were formed in 1927 by combining the Rural Police, Fiscal Police, and Corps of Carabinieros into a single national police organization. We do not have an organization like this in the United States, but they are fairly common elsewhere in the world, acting as sort of a combination of National Guard, FBI, and police. At any rate, the Carabinieros needed rifles, and in 1935 they placed an order for 10,000 carbines from Mauser in Oberndorf. These were chambered for 7x57mm Mauser (the standard Chilean military cartridge) and were all delivered prior to the outbreak of World War Two. They are excellent quality rifles, and feature a number of unique markings, most notable the receiver crest of crossed rifles over the Carbinieros motto, “Orden Y Patria”. They also have a unique sling arrangement, with the original Mauser quick-detach fitting fixed permanently in place by the addition of a saddle ring for mounted use. This particular example is all matching, including the cleaning rod, and has very nice distinct stock markings. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Albanian SKS: A Few Different DetailsE25
The Albanian SKS: A Few Different DetailsThe Albanian SKS is the rarest of the major adoptees of the SKS rifle (Russia, China, Romania, Yugoslavia, Albania), and has a handful of interested details that differ from all other examples of the SKS rifle. The gun came about as the result of Albanian dictator Enver Hoxha’s pivot from Soviet to Chinese alliance in the 1960s. Mao granted Albania a license to produce the Type 56 SKS in 1962, and the country would produce between 15,000 and 20,000 or the rifles by 1978. Mechanically, the Albanian version is identical to the Chinese Type 56. It differs in a few aesthetic details, however: - Longer stock and handguards, completely covering the gas tube - Hook shaped bolt handle - Curved profile to the magazine body - Two trapdoors in the buttstock - Slightly shorter spike bayonet These may not be hugely important details, but the give the Albanian SKS a different (and I think better) look than the other variations. In addition to the dated examples between 1967 and 1978 (less 1972-75, when no production took place), there are also a batch of undated examples. These may be the early year or years of production, but this is not known for sure. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - CZ38 - The Czech Ugly DuckingE26
CZ38 - The Czech Ugly DuckingThe CZ vz.38 pistol was developed by the CZ factory as a replacement for Czechoslovakia’s vz.24 pistols. It was formally accepted by the Czech Army in June of 1938, and 41,000 were ordered from the factory. Tooling and production setup took close to a year, and the German military occupied the country just 4 days after testing of the first pre-production batch of pistols. However, the German authorities decided that CZ should complete to pistol production anyway, and took possession of the guns themselves for use by the Wehrmacht, Reich Labor Service, Luftwaffe, and other services at the Pistole 39(t). The initial order of 41,000 was completed by the end of 1939 with serial numbers from 250,000 through 291,000 and accepted by the Czech military on behalf of the Germans - so these pistols will not have waffenamt marks. Two additional batches were made - 3000 guns for the Luftwaffe (numbered 240,000-242,000) and 1000 for export, probably to Bulgarian (with B-prefix serial numbers 291,000-292,000). Mechanically, the vz.38 is a simple blowback automatic pistol chambered for the .380 cartridge, aka 9mm Browning or 9x17mm. It is a rather awkward looking gun, and a double action only trigger. It does have a quite unique and very simple disassembly procedure though! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Authenticating a Very Rare GL Script LugerE27
Authenticating a Very Rare GL Script LugerLuger collecting is one of the most detail-oriented and tricky niches in the whole firearms community - the amount of knowledge that has been documented is staggering, and the level of obsession with Lugers has led to lots of people chasing a small number of rare examples. And what do you get when lots of people are willing to pay a lot for a small number of items only slightly different from common versions of the same thing? Fakes, of course! Today we are going to use an advertised fake to look at how one might go about assessing a potentially very rare Luger - one of the 10,000B serial range with a GL script toggle. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - SITES Spectre: Think of it as an SMG, not a pistolE28
SITES Spectre: Think of it as an SMG, not a pistolThe SITES Spectre was originally developed by the SITES company (Societa Italiana a Technologie Speciali SPA) of Torino to be the best police and counterterrorist submachine gun on the market. To this end, they studied the other guns on the market and what made a good SMG. The results were rolled into the Spectre design - things like minimal width (about 35mm), no protrusions to the sides, ambidextrous controls, closed-bolt operation, quad-stack magazines, and a double action trigger option in place of a traditional manual safety. The gun went into production in 1985 as the Model 2…but did not garner many sales. It was shortly updated to the Model 4 with improved sights and stock, and better disassembly procedure. It was also released as a semiautomatic pistol and carbine, in an effort to create some cash flow on the civilian market. The standard version was in 9x19mm, but it was also sold in .40 S&W, 9x21 IMI, and .45 ACP. Importation into the US lasted until 1993, and the guns were never all that popular. As a submachine gun it was a fine design, but simply not better enough than its competition to bring sales in a market crowded with other options. As a semiautomatic pistol, it was heavy and awkward (6.4 pounds / 2.9kg unloaded). SITES went out of business in 1997 and the rights were purchased by Swiss company Greco Sport. They continued to manufacture them until 2001, and went out of business themselves in 2006. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - How to Identify a Real M1A1 Carbine vs a FakeE29
How to Identify a Real M1A1 Carbine vs a FakeLooking for a light and compact weapon to equip its new Airborne units, the US military adopted the M1A1 Carbine in May of 1942. This was mechanically identical to the existing M1 Carbine but with a wire-frame side folding stock in place of the standard wooden stock. This allowed the M1A1 to fit into a very handy leg bag for paratroops. Deliveries began in October 1942, with all of the guns being manufactured by the Inland company. A total of 140,591 were made in two batches (71,000 between October 1942 and October 1943 and another 69,000 between April and December 1944). This is a very small fraction of the more than 6 million M1 Carbines made during the war, and the M1A1 has become quite notable and desirable for its association with elite Airborne units. As a result, reproduction and fake stocks abound, and are quite difficult to tell from original ones. Today we are going to look at some of the specific features that can help you authenticate an M1A1 stock. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Rollin White's Own Revolver ProductionE30
Rollin White's Own Revolver ProductionWhile Rollin White’s patent for the bored-through cylinder was a massively important element in the development of Smith & Wesson as a company, White’s actual firearms design was impractical and never produced. In fact, there is only one firearm that actually bears his name - the solid frame .22 rimfire revolvers made by the Rollin White Arms Company. And yet, his association with that company is a bit mysterious and certainly not very deep. The company was formed in 1864 and by 1865 had a contract to make rimfire revolvers for Smith & Wesson to resell. This implies some sort of cooperation with White himself, but White is not listed as an officer of the company at its foundation, and by 1865 it changed its name to the Lowell Arms Company, clearly indicating a break with White - whatever the initial association had been. S&W bought all of the Rollin White and Lowell produced revolvers, 11,853 in total. They were marked “Manufactured for Smith and Wesson” in the same manner as the four brands of patent infringing revolvers that were sued by White and S&W. Later examples include a loading gate and ejector rod, but this early one is of the basic standard pattern. To reload, the cylinder is removed and the axis pin used as an ejector rod. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Daewoo K1A1: A Hybrid AR-15 and AR-18E31
Daewoo K1A1: A Hybrid AR-15 and AR-18During and after the Korean War, the South Korean military was armed with American weapons - M1 Garands, M1 Carbines, M3/M3A1 Grease Guns, and so on. In the 1970s they wanted to modernize their equipment, and looked to the US. South Korea purchased M16A1 rifles form Colt, and the Daewoo conglomerate obtained a license to manufacture them. Around the same time, they began a development program to produce a new array of Korean domestic small arms. The first result was the K1, a 5.56mm carbine (designated a submachine gun) to replace the Grease Gun. The K1 used the AR15 gas system and AR15 fire control system, but couples with a right-side charging handle and a bolt carrier and recoil spring setup similar to the AR18, negating the need for a recoil spring in the stock and allowing the use of a wire collapsing stock. In its military form, it had a 10.4 inch barrel, and had both semiauto and full auto fire settings. The K1 remains in South Korean service today in the K1C form, updated to allow mounting of optics and other accessories. In the 1980s and early 90s, the K1 was imported into the United States under several different names, including the K1A1, MAX-1, and (in the case of the rifle in today’s video) AR-110C. All had barrels lengthened to 16 inches to avoid the NFA, and were semiautomatic only. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Slow Motion: Gerät 06 (German WWII Prototype)E32
Slow Motion: Gerät 06 (German WWII Prototype)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Before the invention of the roller-delayed system which would become the H&K G3, Mauser engineers in late World War Two built a small number of prototype roller-locked, gas piston operated rifles in 8x33mm, designated the Gerät 06. This would be followed by the Gerät 06(H) for "half-locked", which was the first of the delayed blowback designs. This first gas operated design is slightly heavier because if the inclusion of gas piston components, but otherwise nearly identical in handling to the 06(H). Only a very few of these rifles were built experimentally by Mauser, and we are very lucky to have access to fire this top-quality reproduction. This video was actually filmed some time ago, and lost in my back catalog - oops! For more information on these rifles and their development into the H&K series, please see my video "Last Ditch Innovation": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WEPwmYcCPFs If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Sheet Metal and Wood: The Polish Sudayev PPS 43/52E34
Sheet Metal and Wood: The Polish Sudayev PPS 43/52http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Poland was one of the states which manufactured the Soviet PPS-43 submachine gun under license, but they decided to make a change to is in 1952. Where the original PPS-43 used a top-folding metal stock, the Poles decided to instead add a fixed wooden buttstock. This made the gun substantially more comfortable to shoot, and also less compact to transport. Was the tradeoff worthwhile? Let's see how it shoots... Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their PPS-43/52! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Walther Olympia: Germany's Interwar Target PistolE35
Walther Olympia: Germany's Interwar Target Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Colt Woodsman, introduced in 1915, was the premier - and really the only serious - option for the competitive target shooter into the 1920s when the Walther company decided to introduce a competitor. Walther needed a product to bring business, of course, and the Versailles treaty prohibited it from manufacturing military arms. So, with the flexibility and responsiveness that the company often exhibited, it decided to enter the competition pistol market in 1925 with the Olympia. This was a semiautomatic, .22 Long Rifle caliber pistol with a 10-round magazine. It was a simple blowback action, with large precise sights and a quite nice feel to the grip. It was not quite the equal of the Woodsman in international competition, but still a strong second-place contender on the market. Always looking to improve and respond to customer desires, Walther began to experiment with changes to the Olympia in the early 1930s, and in 1936 introduced a brand new version. This new Olympia offered, among other improvements, the option to add barrel weights, and it became an even more serious competitor for the Woodsman. Today we will be looking at a large selection of Olympias, showing you all the different variations of both the 1925 and 1936 models as well as some transitional guns from Walther's experimental period. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Swiss Prototype von Steiger Auto-Ejecting RevolversE36
Swiss Prototype von Steiger Auto-Ejecting Revolvershttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the 1870s, Switzerland was looking for a new military revolver, and they were particularly interested in finding a system which would allow faster reloading than the standard loading gate and manual ejection rod. A military veteran and gunsmith by the name of von Steiger in Thun submitted a design which automatically ejected an empty case each time the gun was fired. This did dramatically increase the rate of fire (one Swiss officer in the trials managed 10 rounds in 20 seconds), but at the price of complexity and durability. The first series of von Steiger revolvers were in 9mm, followed a few years later by a redesign to the 10.4mm cartridge which would ultimately be adopted in 1878. We have six examples to look at today, form prototype #2 through one of the trials pistols in 10.4mm. Ultimately the Abadie system was chosen in favor of von Steiger's guns. Abadie's gun was not as fast as von Steiger's to reload, but it was still faster than the traditional system and did not sacrifice as much cost or durability. It would prove to be quite successful, and was adopted by many European militaries in the late 1800s. Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Who is Springfield Armory? A Tale of Two EntitiesE37
Who is Springfield Armory? A Tale of Two EntitiesToday we will take a look at the history of Springfield Armory - both the American national arsenal founded in the 1770s and the commercial entity founded in the 1970s. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Book Review - The P38 Pistol by Alexander KrutzekE38
Book Review - The P38 Pistol by Alexander KrutzekIf you have been looking for a comprehensive reference work on the P38 pistol but balked at paying $400 for the out-of-print three volumes by Warren Buxton, the solution is here. Newly available in English is "The P.38 Pistol" by Alexander Krutzek, with Dietrich Jonke and Orvel Reichert. Based in part on a massive 43,000-gun database compiled by Mr. Reichert, this book is an excellent and well organized reference for the P38 collector. Spanning the life of the P38 from pre-production trials guns and the commercial HP series through to the French and Soviet post-war production (although not the P1), it includes major sections on each of the manufacturers (Walther, Mauser, and Spreewerke). The major variations - all 27 of them - are broken down and identified, along with as many as half a dozen subvariations for each one. This comprehensively covers both the mechanical changes made over the course of production at all three factories as well as major subcontractors and changes to markings. Unlike some information-heavy reference books, this work by Krutzek is also quite well organized, and easy to navigate when trying to identify and actual P38 specimen of unknown type. Beyond the classification of the different pistol variations, the book also includes detailed descriptions and photographs of each individual part and its changes through the war. There are also substantial sections on magazines and holsters, plus shorter sections on manuals, cleaning kits, training materials, and other ancillary subjects, for a total of just over 600 pages. If there is a weakness to the book, it is that it does not do much to put the P38 in context (although competing production of the P08 and P38 is discussed in several places). The book sets out to be a technical collector's reference work, and fulfills that goal very well. It will absolutely remain a standby reference in my library, and I would consider it an essential resource for anyone with an interest in collecting! At th - Forgotten Weapons Short: Yataghan BayonetsE39
Forgotten Weapons Short: Yataghan Bayonetshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons What is the explanation for the odd recurved Yataghan-style bayonet popular through the second half of the 19th century? It may have been named after a Turkish sword, but it doesn't really match that pattern of blade. It isn't any stronger that a straight or single-curved blade, and its balance makes for a lousy short sword. What many sources appear to overlook is the practicality of the design when attached to a muzzleloading rifle: it offsets the pointed tip several inches from the shooter's hand when reloading with a ramrod. Not an insignificant benefit! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Military SIG P-49 VariationsE40
Military SIG P-49 Variationshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When looking at P-49 (aka SIG 210) pistols used by the Swiss military, there are five distinct groups, with different characteristics. Today we will be showing you these differences, as well as a few features of the Swiss military holster for the P49. For reference: Type 1: 100001-103200 High polish blue, checkered slide release, wood grips, smooth safety lever, no halfcock notch (most retrofitted), mag body in the white. First batch delivered to Army. Type 2: 103201 - 107210 Blued magazines, no halfcock (most retrofitted) . Otherwise same as Type 1. Second batch delivered to Army. Type 3: 107211-109710 All with halfcock notch, otherwise same as Type 1. Third batch delivered to Army. Type 4 (aka Transitional): 109711-120500 Black plastic grips, matte blue finish (different tone between slide and frame), checked slide stop, serrated safety, separate grip escutcheons, matte blue or high polish blue magazine. Type 5: 120501-213110 All matte blue magazine, serrated slide stop, integral grip escutcheons, otherwise same as Type 4. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Valmet M71 - How Does it Shoot in Full Auto?E41
Valmet M71 - How Does it Shoot in Full Auto?The Valmet M71 was introduced as a commercial export rifle in 1971, and was the first AK available on the commercial market in the United States and Europe. It was offered in both .223 and 7.62x39mm calibers, because the 7.62x39mm cartridge was rare and expensive at the time outside of Finland and the Soviet bloc. As a result, the majority of sales were for .223 rifles. The vast majority were sold as semiautomatic rifles, but this one has been legally converted into a fully automatic machine gun, per the NFA. To make the M71 appear more "AK-like", Valmet opted to revert to the Soviet style of sights, with a notch on the front of the receiver and a post mounted at the muzzle (as opposed to the Valmet military pattern, which used an aperture mounted at the rear of the top cover and a front post on the gas block). They also appear to have maintained the Soviet gas port size, as the rifle recoils more than one might expect for its caliber. This was done intentionally, to ensure that it would continue to function reliably in very cold weather, when ambient temperature causes chamber pressure to be reduced. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - King Louis XV's Magnificent Engraved Lorenzoni RifleE42
King Louis XV's Magnificent Engraved Lorenzoni RifleThis Lorenzoni-pattern rifle was presented to King Louis XV of France in the mid 1700s, and is an exquisite example of firearms deemed suitable for royalty at the height of the European kings. It is .38 caliber and rifled, with remarkably usable sights and a repeating mechanism with the ball and powder magazines accessible through a trapdoor in the back of the stock. The barrel is made of a gorgeous damascus steel, with the whole of the gun adorned with silver inlay, engravings, and deep wood carvings. The gun was noted in the 1775 inventory of the French royal arms collection, but that collection was broken up in 1789 with the French Revolution. This rifle was rediscovered by an American officer in Europe in 1945, who noticed it in a pile on confiscated arms slated to be destroyed. He saved it from that fate and brought it home, where is stayed in his family until being put up for auction at James D Julia this year. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Lee Metford MkI*: Britain's First Repeating Rifle (Almost)E43
Lee Metford MkI*: Britain's First Repeating Rifle (Almost)The first repeating rifle adopted by the British military was the Lee-Metford MkI, or as it was later redesigned, the Magazine Rifle MkI. This design combined the cock on closing action and detachable box magazine of James Paris Lee with the rounded-land Metford rifling pattern. Formally adopted in 1888, about 350,000 Lee-Metford rifles would be produced in total, among the LSA, BSA, Sparbrook, and Enfield factories. It would not be long until the design began to be modified, however. The Lee-Metford we have here today was made in 1891 as a MkI pattern, but updated to the MkI* variant in 1892. This modification involved removing the manual safety, changing from Lewis pattern sights to traditional barleycorns, and modifying the upper hand guard for easier removal. Other changes would follow, with the MkII pattern adopted in 1893 with a 10-round magazine, Enfield pattern rifling adopted in 1895, and ultimately charger loading adopted in 1907. Despite the fairly large number of Lee Metford rifles made, they are very scarce to find in original condition like this one. Typically the British military would update any older pattern rifle to meet new specifications, or convert them in to rimfire training rifles if such a conversion was not possible. Few left the military in the early configurations. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Custom Transferrable 7mm BARE44
Custom Transferrable 7mm BARWant to play He-Man shooting a BAR from the shoulder? This one has been built for just that purpose. It’s chambered in 7x57mm for reduced recoil, has a 21” barrel to improve handling, a custom lengthened pistol grip, safe-semi-full trigger group, good early M1918 pattern sights, and Bren Gun tripod mounting brackets for when you get tired. A neat example of a customized beast of an automatic rifle! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - A Rare World War One Sniper's Rifle: Model 1916 LebelE45
A Rare World War One Sniper's Rifle: Model 1916 LebelUnlike Great Britain and Germany, the French military never developed a formal sniper doctrine during World War One - they had no dedicated schools or instruction manuals for that specialty. The three major arsenals did produce scoped sniping rifles, however, with models of 1915, 1916, and 1917 (and a post-war 1921 pattern). We have a model 1916 example here today. The rifles were completely ordinary off-the-rack Lebels, modified simply to add scope mounts. The 1916 pattern mount used a round peg on the side of the rear sight and a bracket wrapped around the front of the receiver, which allowed the scope to be quickly and easily detached for carry in a separate pouch (similar to what other nations did, to protect the optic from damage when not in use). The rifles were issued only in small numbers (2 per company, or even 2 per battalion) and it was left to the unit commander to decide how to employ them. This particular scope has some neat provenance of being brought home by a US soldier after the war - it came back wrapped in a period copy of Stars and Stripes magazine. The rifle is of the appropriate type, but the “N” marks on the barrel and receiver indicated French overhaul in the 1930s, precluding it from being the original rifle this scope was mounted on. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Norton DP-75: Titanium Plus German Police PistolE46
Norton DP-75: Titanium Plus German Police PistolThis pistol is something of a mystery - its design comes from the experimental Mauser HsP of the mid 1970s. It uses a short recoil system with a pivoting locking block vaguely like a P38, and was an unsuccessful competitor to the H&K P7 in German police trials. The design was dropped by Mauser by 1983, and only a small number were ever made. However, this aluminum and titanium DP-75 version was produced for some reason by the Norton Armament company of Michigan. Norton is best known for being the American company affiliated with Edgar Budischowsky, designer of the high-end Korriphila pistols. I was unable to find any connection between Budischowsky and Walter Ludwig (designer of the HsP) or the Mauser company, however. In an neat twist, this pistol was used by the ridiculously talented machinist Raymond Hutchens to create a fully functional perfect half-scale miniature, which is being sold as a package with the full size gun. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Colt R75A: The Last Commercial BAR (With Shooting)E47
Colt R75A: The Last Commercial BAR (With Shooting)The R75A was the last version of Colt’s commercial BAR, with 832 made between August and December of 1942 for the Netherlands Purchasing Commission. It was a derivative of the commercial R75 BAR, with a pistol grip, magazine well cover, and ejection port cover. The R75A added on a folding bipod and a detachable barrel functionality, albeit not of the most elegant sort. To remove the barrel, one first used the lever under the muzzle to detach the gas block from the barrel by sliding it rearwards. Then a tool or cartridge tip was used to pry open the barrel locking lever at the front of the receiver, which then allowed the barrel to be rotated about 60 degrees to unlock its interrupted threads and remove it. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Nock's Volley Gun: Clearing the Decks in the 1700sE48
Nock's Volley Gun: Clearing the Decks in the 1700sThe Nock Volley Gun was actually invented by an Englishman named James Wilson in 1789, and presented to the British military as a potential infantry weapons. This was declined as impractical, but the Royal Navy found the concept interesting for shipboard use. In 1790 the Navy ordered two prototypes made by the British gunsmith Henry Nock, and finding them suitable, proceeded to oder a total of 500 of the guns (thus forever associating Nock’s name with the gun instead of Wilson’s). A further 100 or so were ordered in 1797, and the guns were in fact issued out to various ships - although accounts of their use in combat are difficult to find. Unfortunately for Nock, the guns presented a couple substantial problems in use. One was simply the recoil of firing. A single 32-bore (approximately .55 caliber) round ball over 40 grains of black powder is not a very impressive load, but seven of them firing simultaneously add up to a recoil comparable to 4- or 6-bore rifles, and in a volley gun weighing just 13 pounds (5.9kg). In addition, the guns did not always reliably fire all barrels, especially when dirty. This produced a conundrum: how to determine which barrels had fired and which had not? The practical result was double-loaded barrels, which could be liable to bulge or burst. For these reasons, the weapon was declared obsolete in 1805, and never appeared to play any significant military role. The gun did receive a new wave of popular awareness in 1960, when the character of Jim Bowie was outfitted with one in the movie “The Alamo” (against all historical evidence). His easy handling of the weapon and the waves of men he was able to mow down with it brought the gun back into the popular consciousness. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weap - SC Robinson Confederate Sharps CarbineE49
SC Robinson Confederate Sharps CarbineDuring the Civil War, the Confederacy was perpetually in serious need of armaments, as the South did not have the amount of industrial infrastructure that the North did. This led to many attempts at arms production by various entrepreneurs, of quite varied result. One of the more successful enterprises was the Robinson Arms Manufactory, founded in Richmond VA in December of 1862. Samuel Robinson was a transplanted Connecticut industrialist who proved himself capable and reliable for the CSA government with a series of contracts to convert flintlock muskets to percussion ignition. Probably because of this, it was he that the CSA’s Colonel Burton turned to to set up production of a copy of the Sharps carbine for Confederate cavalry use. Robinson produced about 1900 of these carbines between December 1862 and March of 1863. His work was impressive enough that in March of 1863 the Confederate government decided to buy out his operation and make it into a government run arsenal. They continued to make Sharps carbines there until the end of the war, producing an additional 3500 or so. These later Confederate production guns have serial numbers between about 1900 and about 5500, along with unmarked lock plates - Robinson’s guns have his company name and the date 1862 marked on the lock plates, along with serial numbers up to about 1900. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Uzi Submachine Gun: Excellent or Overrated?E50
The Uzi Submachine Gun: Excellent or Overrated?The Israeli Uzi has become a truly iconic submachine gun through both its military use and its Hollywood stunts - but how effective is it really? I found this fully automatic Uzi Model A to be actually rather better than I had expected. Despite the uncomfortable sharp metal stock, the rate of fire and large sights make this a relatively easy gun to shoot. Not one of the absolute best, but certainly above average. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Parallel-Bore Side by Side Shotgun - Look Ma, No Rib!E51
Parallel-Bore Side by Side Shotgun - Look Ma, No Rib!Virtually all side by side shotguns are not actually made with the barrels parallel - they are made pointing just slightly together, so that the shot patterns will converge and meet up at a particular range. Today, we have an Ellis Brothers (of Birmingham) sporting shotgun that was actually made with bores that are entirely parallel - and it looks quite unusual when one is used to the traditional configuration! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Porter Turret Rifle (2nd Variation) - Unsafe in Any DirectionE52
Porter Turret Rifle (2nd Variation) - Unsafe in Any DirectionThe Porter Turret Rifle was patented in 1851 by Perry W. Porter, and is a vertical turret design - meaning that it has a revolving cylinder in which the chambers are aligned pointing outward radially from the center axis (instead of all being parallel to the center axis as in a traditional revolver). There were a few turret rifle and pistol designs in this period (another well known one being the Cochran) before mainstream revolvers really solidified their dominance on the market, but they were never very successful. In addition to being complex and expensive, the risk of a chain fire causing a round to his the shooter or a bystander was worrisome to many potential buyers. Porter made three variations of his turret rifle, and this is an example of the 2nd variation. Where the first pattern guns were made in Taunton Massachusetts, the second and third patterns were made in New York. In this pattern, Porter added a grip safety under the action lever, a pair of flash hole guards, a serpentine loading lever attached to the top of the barrel, and an improved primer feeding system, now designed to use standard percussion caps. About 350-400 of this pattern were made, of the roughly 1250 total Porter turret rifles produced. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - M20 75mm Recoilless Rifle: When the Bazooka Just Won't Cut ItE53
M20 75mm Recoilless Rifle: When the Bazooka Just Won't Cut ItNote that this is a rewelded action. It should be inspected by a professional before being fired (the firing footage in the video is a different example). The M20 75mm Recoilless Rifle was developed starting in 1944 as a replacement for the 3.5” bazooka in an antitank role. It was developed and produced in parallel with a 57mm recoilless rifle (the M18), and both entered service in March of 1945, seeing just a slight bit of combat use before the end of World War Two. It would be a mainstay of US troops in the Korean War, however, along with a 105mm recoilless rifle. The M20 fired HE, HEAT, and WP (smoke) rounds, with the projectiles weighing 20-22 pounds (about 10kg) and having muzzle velocities of about 1000 fps (305 m/s). The shaped charge HEAT warhead could penetrate about 4” (100mm) of armor, and had an effective range of about 400 yards. The HE warhead could be effectively used out to about 1000 yards, and the gun was equipped with both direct fire and indirect fire optical sights in order to effectively use both types of ammunition. By the Vietnam War, the M20 was on its way out, as were recoilless rifles in general - they were being replaced with wire-guided missiles for antitank use. However, the M20 remains in service today for avalanche control in many Western states - a neat repurposing of obsolete weaponry! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Shooting the M3A1 Grease GunE54
Shooting the M3A1 Grease GunThe M3 (and its followup improved M3A1 model) was the United States' answer to the high cost and manufacturing complexity of the Thompson submachine gun. The M3 "Grease Gun" (because really, that is what it looks like) was a very inexpensive weapon with a stamped and welded receiver and only a few milled parts. It also had the slowest rate of fire of any World War 2 submachine gun at about 450 rounds/minute. Its weight, compactness, and controllability made it almost universally preferred over the Thompson, at least by soldiers who had to carry and fight with either of them. The Grease Gun is reputedly extremely controllable because of its low rate of fire, but this is my first time to actually try shooting one. Will it live up to that reputation? http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Darne "Canardière Portative" Shoulder-Fired Punt GunE55
Darne "Canardière Portative" Shoulder-Fired Punt GunIn the days when market hunting was a normal practice, hunters would use pretty huge shotguns to harvest large numbers of waterfowl. These were called punt guns, named after the small shallow-draft boats which they were used on - punts. The largest punt guns had bores of up to 50mm (2 inches) and cannon-type breech mechanisms, and could only be fired from their boat mounts. However, smaller punt guns were also made which could be fired from the shoulder, and this is one of those. This is a French Darne “Canardière Portatif”, or mobile fowling gun. It is a nominal 4-bore (1 inch) shotgun (although its .920 inch bore actually makes it closer to a 6-bore) with a 1.2m (48 inch) barrel and a rolling block action. It could be fired from the shoulder or mounted to a rope breeching rig on a boat to help absorb recoil. This type was manufactured form 1905 until the 1930s, when market hunting fell out of common practice. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - George Hyde's First Submachine Gun: The Hyde Model 33E56
George Hyde's First Submachine Gun: The Hyde Model 33George Hyde was a gun designer who is due substantial credit, but whose name is rarely heard, because he did not end up with his name on an iconic firearm. Hyde was a German immigrant to the United States in 1927 who formed the Hyde Arms Company and started designing submachine guns. His first was the Model 33, which we have here today. This quickly evolved into the Model 35, which was tested by Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the summer of 1939. It was found to have a number of significant advantages over the Thompson, but also some durability problems. The problems could probably have been addressed, but Hyde (who had gone from working as shop foreman at Griffin & Howe to later becoming chief designer for GM’s Inland division during WWII) had already moved on to a better iteration. His next design was actually adopted as the M2 to replace the Thompson, but production problems caused it to be cancelled. The M3 Grease Gun was chosen instead, and Hyde had designed that as well. He was also responsible for the design of the clandestine .45 caliber Liberator pistol. The Hyde Model 33 is a blowback submachine gun which obviously took significant influence from the Thompson - just look at the front grip, barrel ribs, controls, magazine well, and stock design. However, it was simpler, lighter, and less expensive than the Thompson. It fared better than the Thompson in military mud and dust tests, probably in part because of its unusual charging handle, a long rod mounted in the rear cap of the receiver. This was pulled rearward to cycle the bolt, a bit like the AR15 charging handle. Like the AR15, this setup eliminated the need for an open slot in the receiver. Apparently, however, the handle had a disconcerting habit of bouncing back into the face of the shooter when firing. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV - First Variation Flatside Winchester 1895 MusketE57
First Variation Flatside Winchester 1895 MusketWhen Winchester first began producing Model 1895 rifles, they made a model that only lasted a short time. Between serial numbers 5000 and 6000, the first pattern 95s were replaced by a second pattern of the design, which changed several elements. The most notable was the receiver profile, which went from a flat sided slab to one with a scalloped relief cut. Most substantially, the safety mechanism which prevented out of battery firing was substantially improved in the second model, with the distinctive spring loaded lower element of the action lever. First pattern Winchester 1895s are quite rare, especially in a condition as nice as this one! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Japanese Contract Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 (aka MP34)E58
Japanese Contract Steyr-Solothurn S1-100 (aka MP34)In order to circumvent Versailles Treaty restrictions on arms manufacture, the German Rheinmetall firm purchased a small Swiss company called Solothurn Waffenfabrik in 1929, allowing it to route its business through Switzerland instead of Germany. One of its first products was the S1-100 submachine gun, designed by Louis Stange. This was an excellent example of a first generation submachine gun, made to very high standards with an elaborately milled receiver. They were expensive, premium guns in the 1930s, and were sold worldwide, including contracts to Bolivia, El Salvador, Japan, Thailand, Uruguay, Portugal, Austria, and more. To accommodate these different client militaries, the gun was offered in 9mm Steyr, 7.63mm Mauser, 7.65 Parabellum, and .45 ACP. This particular example appears to be a Japanese one, purchase in the mid 1930s to equip some elite Japanese units like the Special Naval Landing Force. It is in 7.62mm Mauser and shows the D/E selector markings one would expect from that contract (other contracts used markings with Spanish or Portuguese abbreviations). This gun would have been captured by an American serviceman during World War II and brought back, to be registered later in the 1968 amnesty. It is all original, with the exception of what appears to be a replaced barrel. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Browning M1917: America's World War One Heavy Machine GunE59
Browning M1917: America's World War One Heavy Machine GunWhen the United States entered World War One, its military has a relatively tiny handful of machine guns, and they were divided between four different types, as the military budget was small and machine guns were not given much priority. However, since the failure of his gas-operated 1895 machine gun design to become a popular military item, John Browning had been working on a recoil-operated machine gun to replace it. This work became serious in 1910, and by 1915 Browning had met with Colt and agreed to give them exclusive license to his new design - and they began to work with him to refine and perfect it. When the United States realized that it would be fighting in Europe and would need machine guns in 1917, it held an open trial for designs which Colt and Browning entered. The Browning gun was the undisputed star of the show, firing 40,000 rounds with only one parts breakage and no malfunctions that were not the fault of ammunition or belts. The gun was almost immediately adopted and pushed into production. Ultimately, Colt would allow the manufacture of its guns by Remington and New England Westinghouse, and Browning himself would accept a lump-sum royalty payment from the government for its use, which was about 3.5 million dollars less than he was contractually entitled to - out of patriotism and a desire not to profit too much from the war. Browning 1917 machine guns would see only brief combat use in World War One, first tasting action in September of 1918. They would remain a staple of US military armament through World War Two, however, improved after the Armistice to the M1917A1 pattern. The gun we are looking at today is an original WW1 M1917, mounted on an equally rare M1917 original tripod. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgott - Scoped Sharps 1874 Buffalo RifleE60
Scoped Sharps 1874 Buffalo RifleThis 1874 Sharps rifle is a great example of a been-there, done-that authentic western buffalo rifle. It was shipped from Sharps in 1879 with double set triggers, open sights, and a medium-weight .45 caliber barrel, but rebuilt by a Cheyenne gunsmith with a much heavier barrel in .40-100 caliber, and fitted with a Rice telescopic sight in a free-floating mount. While this was built just too late to have been used in the heyday of the slaughter of the wild buffalo, it is a fine example of the rifle configuration used by serious hunters and target shooters alike at that time. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Italy's Sleeper Submachine Gun: The Beretta 38AE61
Italy's Sleeper Submachine Gun: The Beretta 38AThe Beretta 38A is not a gun that comes to mind for many people today when discussing World War Two submachine guns, but at the time it was one of the most desirable guns of its type. So - does it live up to that reputation? http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Stoner 63A Automatic Rifle - The Original Modular WeaponE62
Stoner 63A Automatic Rifle - The Original Modular WeaponThe Stoner 63 was a remarkably advanced and clever modular firearm designed by Eugene Stoner (along with Bob Fremont and Jim Sullivan) after he left Armalite. The was tested by DARPA and the uS Marine Corps in 1963, and showed significant potential - enough that the US Navy SEALs adopted it and kept it in service into the 1980s. It was a fantastic balance of weight and controllability, offering a belt-fed 5.56mm platform at less than half the weight of the M60. The other fundamental characteristic of the Stoner 63 was modularity. It was built around a single universal receiver component which could be configured into a multitude of different configurations, from carbine to medium machine gun. Today we have one of the rarer configurations, and Automatic Rifle type. In addition, today’s rifle is actually a Stoner 63A, the improved version introduced in 1966 to resolve some of the problems that had been found in the original. Ultimately, the Stoner system was able to achieve its remarkably light weight be sacrificing durability. The weapon was engineered extremely well and was not a danger to itself (like, for example, the FG-42), but it was prone to damage when mishandled by the average grunt. This would limit its application to elite units like the SEALs, who were willing to devote the necessary care to the maintenance and operation of the guns in exchange for the excellent handling characteristics it offered. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Lancaster Four-Barrel Shotgun With Double-Action TriggerE63
Lancaster Four-Barrel Shotgun With Double-Action TriggerCharles Lancaster started his gunmaking business in London in 1826, and it would survive more than one hundred years, being run after Charles’ death by his sons and then by an apprentice who bought out the firm in 1878. The company had an excellent reputation for quality, and did some pioneering work on developing the modern breechloading shotgun, as well as interesting technological developments like Lancaster’s oval-bore rifling. One of their most notable products was a series of 2-barrel and 4-barrel handguns, and they expanded the mechanism from those into a small number of 4-barrel shotguns (and an even smaller number of 4-barrel rifles). This particular four-barrel shotgun is in 20 gauge, and exhibits a unique trigger mechanism derived from the pistols. It has two triggers, with the bottom one acting as a cocking lever and the top as a firing trigger. This allows the shooter to either cock the gun and then make a careful shot with the light upper trigger, or to pull all the way through with the upper trigger, much like a double action revolver. The reason for the system was that the firing mechanism had four firing pins but only one striker, which rotated to fire each barrel in sequence. The “cocking” action of the trigger was in fact the process of retracting the striker and rotating it to the next barrel. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Shooting a Suppressed Sten GunE64
Shooting a Suppressed Sten GunDuring World War Two, the British spent several years developing a silenced version of the Sten gun for special operations commandos and for dropping to mainland European resistance units. This is a recreation of one of the experimental types, based on a MkII Sten with the receiver lengthened into an integral suppressor. So - how does it shoot? http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Cook and Brother of New Orleans - A Confederate Rifle FactoryE65
Cook and Brother of New Orleans - A Confederate Rifle FactoryCook and Brother was one of the largest and most successful of the private ordnance factories in the South during the Civil War. It was formed by two British brothers who had moved to New Orleans, Frederick and Francis Cook. They opened a rifle factory at the intersection of Common and Canal streets, and began making Enfield pattern rifles. A contract was soon procured for sale of a thousand rifles to the state of Alabama, and in total they produced about 1100 rifles in New Orleans before the city fell to the Union. When that happened, they managed a hectic evacuation, and the armory was reestablished in Athens Georgia by early 1863. Production there took some time to ramp back up due to labor shortages, and they produced only about another thousand rifles in 1863. By this time they had a large contract with the CSA government, and managed an impressive 4500 more guns in 1864, before the entire enterprise collapsed as the CSA became unable to make payments. What we have today are a very early New Orleans production rifle and an early Athens production cavalry carbine, the latter engraved with its owner’s name and unit (the 3rd Virginia Cavalry). http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Semiauto Portuguese AR-10 on a Sendra ReceiverE68
Semiauto Portuguese AR-10 on a Sendra ReceiverSo, you would like to get an original AR-10 rifle to shoot? Well, the original Armalite AR10 rifles were almost all manufactured by Artillerie-Inrichtingen in the Netherlands, and they were virtually all machine guns. They were made circa 1960-1961, and only a few contracts were made -Cuba, Guatelmala, Suban, and most notable, Portugal. The Portuguese really liked the AR10 and were planning to adopt it for their whole military, but international pressure for their activity in Angola led to the Netherlands cutting off arms sales, and Portugal only had enough AR10 rifles for its airborne units. After many years of hard use, these were ultimately replaced by newer weapons, and the surplus guns were found by American importers. In the 1980s, these came into the US as parts kits, which led to a hunt for compatible lower receivers on which to build them. Several small companies made receivers of varying quality before Jerry Drasen and the Sendra company (note the anagram) invested the money to produce a high quality forged and milled 7075 aluminum AR10 receiver, compatible with both Guatemalan and Portuguese pattern rifles. These became the most common and the best regarded AR10 receivers, and that’s what was used to build this particular rifle. This one also has replacement wood furniture, as the original brown Bakelite was relatively fragile. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Japanese Type 10 Light Grenade Projector (aka Knee Mortar)E69
Japanese Type 10 Light Grenade Projector (aka Knee Mortar)In the aftermath of World War One, the Japanese military saw the utility of infantry-portable light grenade launchers instead of rifle grenades, and adopted the Type 10 in 1921 (Taisho 10). It went into production in 1923 at the Tokyo Army Arsenal, although the great Tokyo earthquake led to production being moved to Nagoya, where about 11,000 were made between 1925 and 1937. The Type 10 was a remarkably light and handy weapon, weighing just 5.5lb (2.5kg) and disassembling into a transport configuration the size of a wine bottle. The larger Type 89 grenade launcher was adopted in 1929, which led to the older Type 10s being relegated to use for illumination and signaling, which they did through the end of World War Two. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Swiss 1897 Schmidt-Rubin Kadettengewehr Training RifleE70
Swiss 1897 Schmidt-Rubin Kadettengewehr Training RifleThe Swiss replaced their Vetterli rifles in the late 1880s with the new Schmidt-Rubin pattern, and this eventually trickled down to the cadet corps. These youth programs had been using short single-shot 1870 Vetterli carbines, but as those became obsolete and in need of replacement, the 1897 Kadettengewehr was adopted. This was a single-shot short version of the Schmidt-Rubin 1889/96 action. Just under 8,000 were made between 1898 and 1927, and they would see use at least into the 1950s. The most interesting detail on the rifle is the rear sight, which is graduated for two different rounds - the standard Army GP90, and a reduced cadet load. The reduced load was calibrated to that its muzzle velocity matched the velocity of the GP90 at 100m, thus meaning that the trajectory of the two rounds matched, with a 100 meter different in range. Therefore, the rear sight to have identical graduations for both rounds, with the 200/300/400 meter settings for the cadet load being equal to the 300/400/500 meter settings for the GP90. Clever! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Svelte Jenks Navy Carbine of the Mexican-American WarE71
The Svelte Jenks Navy Carbine of the Mexican-American WarThe Jenks carbine was a remarkably svelte and elegant breechloading system patented by South Carolinian William Jenks in 1838. It was tested by the US Navy in 1841, and found to be quite successful. The Navy would proceed to adopt it, and order 1,000 rifles and 5,250 carbines from N.P. Ames in the early and mid 1840s. The last 1,000 carbines were a separate contract which included the use of the Maynard tape primer system, and this contract was purchased from Ames by the Remington company, which manufactured those carbines. The Army also tested the Jenks system, but found it completely unsuccessful - perhaps due to a misunderstanding of the appropriate powder charge and projectile. Mechanically, the Jenks uses a bolt which slides forward and rear connected to a larger action lever on the top of the receiver. Opening the lever retracts the bolt, opening a round port through which a ball and powder charge may be dropped into the breech. Shortly before the Civil War, most of the guns in Navy inventory were modified to extend this round loading port into an elongated oval, to allow the use of paper or linen cartridges instead of loose powder. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Merrill-Jenks Navy Carbine ConversionE72
Merrill-Jenks Navy Carbine ConversionJames Merrill was a Baltimore inventor and businessman who patented an improvement to the Jenks pattern carbine in 1858. His idea was for an improved locking lever for the gun, which would also allow the use on paper or linen cartridges instead of loose ball and powder. He demonstrated the improvement at the Washington Navy Yard in 1858, and received a contract to convert 300 of the Navy Jenks carbines to his new system. He did so, and had his guns almost immediately returned to him, as the springs in the lever latch were apparently too weak. He fixed this problem, but only submitted 240 carbines back to the Navy (the reason for the 60-gun loss is unknown). He received no further orders, but he did produce a new-manufacture carbine using the same patent which he sold to the Army during the Civil War. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Israeli M1919 Brownings and the US Semiauto MarketE73
Israeli M1919 Brownings and the US Semiauto MarketIn the world of converted semiautomatic “machine guns,” the Browning 1919 is a happy example of one of the most iconic and historically important US machine guns and also one of the cheapest semiautomatic belt fed guns available. This stems from two factors, primarily. One is that the Browning 1919, being developed form the water-cooled M1917 Browning, is a closed bolt system. Open bolt semiautomatic designs are not allowed by ATF, and so most semiauto machine gun conversions require substantial alteration to convert from open bolt to closed bolt - which the M1919 does not need. Second, the IDF used the Browning M1919 for many years and in large numbers, and surplussed many of them in the late 1990s. These guns came into the United States as parts kits in large numbers. This meant a glut of cheap guns, easily built as semi autos, and in an easily shootable caliber - 7.62mm NATO (as converted by Israel from their original .30-06 chambering). Today, we are looking at an example of a semiautomatic converted M1919, and specifically at the various changes made by Israel to both improve the design and convert it successfully to the NATO cartridge. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Detroit's Short-Lived Kimball .30 Carbine PistolE74
Detroit's Short-Lived Kimball .30 Carbine PistolThe J. Kimball Arms Company of Detroit introduced a semiauto pistol in 1955, chambered for the .30 Carbine cartridge - what better companion for the tactical uber weapon of the day, the M1 Carbine? Kimball’s pistol was styled heavily after the High Standard, and it looks good and handles well. The .30 Carbine cartridge is too powerful for a blowback pistol, however, and so Kimball needed some type of locked breech or delaying mechanism. He chose to cut an annular ring in the front of the chamber - the mouth of the brass would expand into this ring upon firing, and the force required to press it back down to the diameter of the chamber body would force the slide to remain closed long enough for pressure to drop to a safe level. However, the system was not adequate for the cartridge. The slide velocity was high enough that the guns very quickly battered the slide stop block. The would peen and deform at first, then crack, and eventually either bend to the point that the gun would not cycle, or break off and allow the slide to come right off the back of the frame. I can’t find any documentation of anyone actually injured in this way, but that was obviously the concern. Only between 250 and 300 of the pistols were made before the company went bankrupt and closed. There had been plans to expand the line to include gun in .38 Special, .357 Magnum, and .22 Hornet, but none of those went any farther than prototypes. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Dig Hill 80 Contest Winner UpdateE75
Dig Hill 80 Contest Winner UpdateFor more information about Hill 80: https://dighill80.com Congratulations to Tom L, our randomly selected winner of an expenses-paid trip to visit the Hill 80 dig this summer! Thanks to everyone who contributed to the Dig Hill 80 fundraiser! It finished with almost 40,000 Euros more than the minimum goal, and you guys in the Forgotten Weapons audience were a critical part of that. I am very excited to visit the site after the project begins this spring. If all goes according to plan, I will bring you some footage during the dig in June and also footage of the final state in November. Forgotten Weapons on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons - Hall's Patent Clock Gun: A Shot Every Hour, On The HourE76
Hall's Patent Clock Gun: A Shot Every Hour, On The HourPatented by one John Hall of Cumberland, England in 1902, this is a device intended to scare birds out of a field at regular intervals. It has twelve chambers for 12-gauge pinfire shotgun shells, which are fired by falling steel weights. Those weights are held up by thin cotton strings which are connected to the face of a clock dial inside the box. The hour hand on the clock has a small razor edge on it, which will cut the strings when the hand reaches them. Once the string is cut, the weight falls and fires a shell. The clock face has slots at 15-minute intervals, so one can select exactly when one wants each shell fired, up to the maximum capacity of 12 shells and the maximum time period of 12 hours. Neat! You can see Hall's patent here: https://worldwide.espacenet.com/publicationDetails/originalDocument?CC=GB&NR=190207756A&KC=A&FT=D&ND=3&date=19021204&DB=&locale=en_EP http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Korth PRS Automatic Pistol: German Quality (And Price!)E77
Korth PRS Automatic Pistol: German Quality (And Price!)Korth is a boutique firearms manufacturer in Germany generally known for their very fine and very expensive revolvers. In 2015, they decided to introduce an automatic pistol as well, which they called the PRS. It is a combination of a 1911 frame and a roller-delayed, fixed barrel slide assembly. As one would expect from their revolvers, the fit and finish quality is magnificent…and the price reflects that. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Remington Split Breech - Before It Was FamousE78
Remington Split Breech - Before It Was FamousThe Remington Rolling Block was one of the most widely successful and popular military rifles of the late 1800s, and its development began with the Remington Split Breech carbine during the American Civil War. The concept was independently conceived by two different engineers - one was Leonard Geiger, and the other was Joseph Rider - an engineer working for the Remington firm. When the guns went into production, Remington agreed to a royalty deal with Geiger (and his partner, Charles Alger) to avoid any potential patent lawsuits. The system is a clever and compact design in which the hammer acts as a lock to hold the rotating breechblock in place when fired, and it would prove capable of use not just with black powder cartridges but also after the widespread adoption of high powered smokeless power ammunition. However, when Remington first demonstrated it to the US Ordnance Department during the war, they did not have the production capacity to actually make a large number. Instead, the gave that authority to a Mr. Samuel Norris, who was able to obtain contracts for 20,000 of the guns (5,000 in .44 Rimfire and 15,000 in .56-50 Spencer rimfire), and contract their manufacture to the Savage Revolving Fire Arms Company. These guns would all be delivered to the Federal government, but not in time to see any use during the war. Instead, they were put into storage, and soon sold off as surplus. Virtually all of them were repurchased by Remington and a few other surplus brokers and resold to France in 1870, when the French were desperate for arms to replace their huge losses in the Franco-Prussian War. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Diamond of Collector FALs: The G-SeriesE79
The Diamond of Collector FALs: The G-SeriesWhen the Browning Arms Company first began importing semiautomatic FAL rifles from FN in 1959, the submitted an example for evaluation, and ATF determined that it was not a machine gun. The rifle was made with a selector that could not be moved to the fully automatic position, and did not have the automatic sear required for full auto firing. This was acceptable at the time, and Browning would import 1,836 of these rifles (mostly standard configuration, but some heavy barrel and paratrooper patterns) by January 10,1963. On that date, ATF changed its standard, and ruled the FAL as currently being imported now *would* be considered a machine gun subject to the NFA. In order to be acceptable now, the rifle must not be able to accept an automatic sear at all, not merely be made without one. However, ATF ruled that the previously imported guns would be grandfathered in, and remain legally owned as semiautomatic rifles. They were listed by serial number (an additional 12 guns were added in 1974 which were imported by “administrative error”), and remain exempted from the NFA to this day. For the FAL collector, these G-series rifles are desirable because they are completely authentic and original early FN production guns, without any of the design changes that would be required later for importation. Exempt serial number list: http://www.gseriesfal.com/docpages/91174atf.html http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Colt's Prototype Post-War Pocket Hammerless Model ME80
Colt's Prototype Post-War Pocket Hammerless Model MProduction of the Colt Pocket Hammerless (aka the Model M) pretty much died at the end of World War Two. Military contracts ended, and the civilian market was quite weak - Colt shipped just 132 of the .32 caliber guns between 1946 and 1953, and only a handful of .380s at the same time. Several problems faced Colt in restarting production; for one thing, their tooling was pretty worn out after nearly 50 years of use, and was really in need of a substantial (and expensive) overhaul. In addition, many of the long-term experienced workers who know the gun inside and out had retired at the end of the war. Colt did attempt to design a new model of the gun to reinvigorate commercial interest, and this is one of the three prototypes of that new model that were made. It retained the core mechanical elements of the Pocket Hammerless (fixed barrel, simple blowback), but added many external elements from the 1911, such as a short grip safety, larger thumb safety, separate slide release, magazine release button, and substantially larger sights. Ultimately the project never reached production status, and Colt’s next commercial .380 would be the Pony, a rebranded Star Model DK (which was also not particularly successful). http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Danish Gevaer m/50 - An American Gun Made in ItalyE81
Danish Gevaer m/50 - An American Gun Made in ItalyDozens of countries around the world received M1 Garand rifles from the United States in the decades after World War Two, and Denmark was one of those that not only got some rifle but went so far as to formally adopt the M1 as its post-war standard. The US and Denmark signed a mutual defense agreement in 1950 which coincided with Danish adoption of the M1 as the 7.62mm Gevaer M/50. They receiver 20,000 rifles on load, and by 1964 would purchase another 49,000 from the US (including 1,000 M1D snipers). They also purchased 20,000 rifles from Italy, who had been chosen to be the official NATO supplier of new M1s. These were made by Beretta and Breda, and have an interesting set of Danish markings on the receivers, unlike the surplus American rifles. Unlike some other countries, Denmark opted not to convert its M1s to 7.62mm NATO, and eventually replaced them in 1975 with the G3 (although is would take more than 20 years before the M1s would be sold as surplus). http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Incompetence, Corruption, and a Rioting Mob: The Gibbs CarbineE82
Incompetence, Corruption, and a Rioting Mob: The Gibbs CarbineThe Gibbs carbine is fantastic illustration of just how difficult it can be to actually manufacture a new firearm. The gun itself is a breechloading, percussion fired cavalry carbine designed to use paper cartridges. It was patented in 1856 by Lucien Gibbs, and he was joined by financier William Brooks and gunsmith WW Marston to create a company to produce them. Marston made 20 examples by hand in 1857, and one of these was used in a successful demonstration at West Point in 1858. This led to a contract for 10,000 carbines from General Ripley in December of 1861. Marston had a property in New York (called the Phoenix Armory) that they planned to use as their factory, but assembling the necessary machines and workers in the wartime economy of 1861 proved much more difficult than they expected. With not even a sample produced by the spring of 1862, a new contract was written in June, for the same 10,000 carbines but with delivery to begin in August of 1862. This deadline was also missed completely, and there had still been no deliveries by December of 1862. At that point, the outfit was bought out by New York Mayor George Opdyke, who was surely convinced he could easily make money from this seemingly simple deal. Opdyke was able to put in place a team more experienced in getting things done, and on May 30, 1863 the first 550 carbines were delivered to the Federal government and accepted. Now things were rolling - another 502 guns were delivered on June 24, and another 500 were at the factory complete and awaiting deliver on July 13, when the introduction of Union military conscription sparked a massive riot in New York. The Phoenix Armory was defended by a group of police officers (armed with Gibbs carbines right off the racks), and when rioters attempted to break down the factory front entrance, the officers fired through the door. They killed the lead man, wounded two others, and the mob quickly decided to move elsewhere. The police stuck around for two hour - McCarty's Peculiar RevolverE83
McCarty's Peculiar RevolverWilliam McCarty patented this turret revolver design in 1909 (submitted in 1908, approved in 1909), with the idea of making a high capacity revolver. His gun held 18 rounds of .22 rimfire ammunition - double the typical .22 revolver capacity. He did that by making a vertical turret system with a large ring to hold the 18 rounds, which in turn made the gun pretty bulky. I had a reader send me a copy of his patent back in 2013, and at the time I didn’t know that one had ever been actually made. Well, there was one - it’s here and also documented in Louis Winant’s book “Firearms Curiosa”. Not surprisingly, the design never made it into mass production… http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - OSS Flying Dragon: A Silent Poisoned Dart GunE84
OSS Flying Dragon: A Silent Poisoned Dart GunThe OSS experimented with a lot of…unorthodox weapons during World War Two, and one of their overarching goals was a weapon with a 100 yard lethal range but without flash or noise. To this end they experimented with a number of suppressed firearms as well as weird stuff like various crossbow designs, silenced dart gun pistol conversions, and in this case a CO2 powered dart gun. It was code aimed the Flying Dragon, and first mentioned in documents in 1943. In the summer of 1945, 15 were manufactured, and 12 of these remained in OSS stocks at the end of the war. In July 1945 testing, the Flying Dragon was found the be the second-quietest option (the William Tell crossbow was quieter, at 66 decibels to the Dragon’s 69 decibels). However, the testing board noted that a simple suppressed .22 pistol was pretty much just as good, and quite a lot cheaper (and more reliable, I would expect). The problem with a dart gun like this one is that if it is not reliably lethal, the whole point of its silenced is lost. Anyone shot by that big dart and not killed by it (which would require a pretty significant muzzle velocity) will immediately start making a heck of a lot of noise. OSS investigated options for poison on the darts to give the weapon the necessary lethality, but was unable to find a suitable solution. This led to discussion of using a small hypodermic syringe as a projectile, an even less practical idea - but this was the freewheeling OSS, where such things were not uncommon to consider. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - H&K Quality Meets the Thumbhole Stock: The SR-9E85
H&K Quality Meets the Thumbhole Stock: The SR-9The H&K SR9 was a the version of the H&K G3/91 designed to comply with (or avoid, if you prefer) the Bush Sr. 1989 import ban on “assault weapons”. About 4,000 of these were imported between 1990 and 1998, and they featured a bare muzzle and plastic thumbhole stock and handguard. The first 1000 or so had a faux wood grain finish on the furniture, but it was rather delicate and was dropped fairly shortly. A small number were fitted with PSG-1 grip and trigger assemblies and either MSG-90 or PSG-1 buttstocks and sold as the SR9T and SR9TC models. These changes were possible because the 1989 ban was an administrative one, not legislative, and was not applied to rifles with a specific target-shooting design intent. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Schulhof 1884, Type IIa Manual Repeating PistolE86
The Schulhof 1884, Type IIa Manual Repeating PistolJosef Schulhof was an Austrian who decided to leave his farm and work in firearms design. He moved to Vienna and received his first firearms patent in 1882. He would go on to design and manufacture a small line of manual repeating handguns through the mid and late 1880s, until his death in 1890. This particular example is an 1884 model, type IIa. It uses a toggle lock much like the Winchester series of rifles, and a tubular magazine which runs down into the grip and is loaded via a gate under the chamber. The “II” refers to Schulhof's design improvement of making the actual trigger a separate part from the ring trigger (on the type I they were integrated together). This allowed for a more controlled trigger press, and better practical accuracy. About 50 of these 1884 pattern guns were made, and they include several different type of magazine, including a rotary magazine on at least one example and an en bloc clip on at least one other. Needless to say, these pistols failed to spark any serious military interest, and were also never produced in series for the commercial market. Still, they remain an important link in the development of self-loading handguns. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Colt Tries To Make a Service Pistol: The Model 1971E87
Colt Tries To Make a Service Pistol: The Model 1971In the early 1970s, Colt wanted to develop a new military pistol so that it could offer a modern replacement for the venerable 1911. Colt Engineer Robert Roy designed the new gun in 1971, and was granted patents on it in 1972. It was made entirely of stainless steel, had a 15 round capacity (in 9mm; 12 rounds of .45 ACP in that version), and a DA/SA trigger along with a manual safety mounted on the slide. In fact, the gun shares many elements with Charles Petter’s pistols, the French 1935A and the SIG 44/16 family (which became the SIG P210). It has full length frame rails, and a modular removable fire control mechanism, along with a barrel ramp to lock and unlock in place of Browning’s swinging link. The Colt 1971 prototypes became the Colt SSP (Stainless Steel Pistol), and were entered in the US military XM9 trials in the 1980s, where it ultimately lost to the Beretta 92. The SSP (and the 1971, for that matter) was never offered on the commercial market, although it certainly would have had potential there in the 1970s. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Original Retro AR-10: Armalite's AR10BE88
The Original Retro AR-10: Armalite's AR10BIn 1994, a man named Mark Westrom, owner of Eagle Arms, purchased the husk of the Armalite corporation, and acquired its trademarks. Westrom wanted to create a new commercial .308 AR pattern rifle, and did so under the Armalite AR-10 name. He developed an AR-10 which borrowed some elements from the AR-15, and introduced it in 1996 with pretty reasonable success. In addition to versions with Picatinny rails and AR-15 style charging handles, he also had a retro version with the top-mounted charging handle so iconic form the original AR-10s. One substantial change to the pattern was the use of modified M14 magazines in the new Armalite AR-10B rifles. This was done because of the Assault Weapon Ban that had gone into effect in 1994, which prohibited manufacture of magazines holding more than 10 rounds. There were no cheap .308 AR magazines available at that time (no MagPul yet…), and modifying ubiquitous M14 magazines was the best option available - so that’s what was done. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - SIG's World War Two Semiauto Rifle: The Model UE89
SIG's World War Two Semiauto Rifle: The Model UThe SIG company of Neuhausen Switzerland spent the 1920s, 30s, and 40s working on developmental semiauto rifles to sell both to the Swiss military and abroad. One of the experimental models in the succession of designs was the Model U, of which 16 were made in caliber 7.5x55mm Swiss. It was a gas-tappet operated action with a tilting bolt, and included a permanently mounted 1.8x optical sight on the left side of the receiver (the same type as used in the K31/42 marksman’s rifle). The Model U was made in 1942 and 1943, to typical Swiss levels of quality and precision. Like the designs both before and after, it was a valuable iterative step for SIG but not a rifle which would find any military or commercial sales. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Pritchard's 19th Century Precharged Air GunE90
Pritchard's 19th Century Precharged Air GunWilliam Pritchard was a Birmingham gunsmith in the mid 1800s who offered both firearms and air guns, and this particular ball-reservoir air gun is a fine example of the latter. Air guns have existed in Europe nearly as long as firearms, although they have never had the popularity of their powder-burning cousins. Air guns offered a cleaner, quieter, and more rapid firing option than firearms (and also one that would work in the rain), but at the cost of power and cost. That is not to say that early air guns were weak; they were not. A large-bore air gun like this one would have held 700 or 800 psi in its tank, and produced a muzzle velocity probably around 550-600 feet per second (170-180 m/s). A round ball of .50 caliber at that speed was certainly lethal with a well-placed shot, and these weapons were just fine for hunting as well as sport shooting. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - LugerMan Reproduction of the 1907 .45 Test Trials LugerE91
LugerMan Reproduction of the 1907 .45 Test Trials LugerEugene Golubtsov, aka LugerMan, is manufacturing reproduction .45ACP caliber Luger pistols, based on the original blueprints of the 1907 pattern US Army trials guns. When he offered to send me one to try out, how could I say no? I have had some rather unimpressive experiences trying to shoot similar reproductions made by other people, and my expectations for this one were pretty low. Well, I have no problem saying that I was entirely wrong. This pistol is magnificent - it ran great, shot dead on point of aim, and was everything I could have asked, right down to the correct 55.5 degree grip angle found only on the US trials Lugers. In addition to the trials pattern, Eugene is also making a wide variety of other patterns, include .45ACP "baby" Lugers, long barreled target models, stocked carbines, 10mm Auto versions, and more. They are not cheap, but in my opinion they are worth the cost if you can afford them. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: The Kalashnikov Encyclopaedia by Drs. Cor RoodhorstE92
Book Review: The Kalashnikov Encyclopaedia by Drs. Cor RoodhorstAll three volumes available worldwide from: http://www.kalashnikov-encyclopaedia.com While there are several books available which showcase a decent number of different Kalashnikov variants (like Tokoi's work), and there are good reference works on the history and development of the system (Iannamico's "Grim Reaper" and Ezell's "Kalashnikov: Arms and the Man"), until recently there has not been a good encyclopedia of the myriad of different variations on the Kalashnikov like Steven's work on the FAL. Until recently, that is. We now have Drs. Cor Roodhorst's monumental work, "The Kalashnikov Encyclopedia" at our disposal. At nearly 4,000 pages spread into three separate volumes, this is a truly encyclopedia work which covers literally all the Kalashnikov variations and derivates made through 2015 (when it was published). As the cover says, a "Recognition and Weapon Forensic Guide for Kalashnikov Arms and Derivatives". For the researcher, collector, journalist, or enthusiast who needs or wants to know about the distinctions between, say the Hungarian AMD-63 and AK63/D, this is the answer. In addition, Roodhorst has made an interesting study of the variations in the different variances on the Kalashnikov theme and created a categorization system differentiating between three different types of copies and six different types of derivates. These range from a Type A Copy (all parts, but mechanical and otherwise, interchange with original Russian parts) to Type Z Derivatives, which may look somewhat like Kalashnikovs but share no mechanical features or parts (like the Czech VZ58). Where the work's strength is it exhaustive comprehensiveness, there are weaknesses that naturally come with such a work. These are: - A lack of depth on any particular weapon. Most receive about a half page of text and statistics. - Inconsistent illustration. Images were clearly sourced from a wide variety of places, and the quality varies substantially. - Editorial thoroughness. Ma - Turkish "Enfauser" - Mauser/Enfield Hybrid RifleE93
Turkish "Enfauser" - Mauser/Enfield Hybrid Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the mid 1930s, Turkey updated and overhauled the bolt action rifles in its inventory, to bring them all up to that same standard for sights, ammunition, sling configuration, etc. Most of the rifles overhauled were Mausers of various vintages, but some were other designs, like Gewehr 88s...and British Lee Enfields. Yep, the Turks converted Lee Enfield rifles (mostly Magazine Lee Enfields and Charger-Loading Lee Enfields, but also some SMLEs) to have Mauser sights and furniture and fire 8mm Mauser ammunition. These hybrid rifles have no formal designation, and are usually called "Enfausers" or "Mausenfields" by people in the collecting community. Only a few hundred were brought into the US, apparently by accident among vast imports of Turkish Mauser rifles over the last few decades. They are made from rifles captured in the siege of Kut and the Gallipoli campaign - this particular one came from the 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry, which surrendered at Kut in April 1916. Thanks to viewer Wyatt for providing the rifle for me to film! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Final Prices: James D Julia Spring 2018 AuctionE94
Final Prices: James D Julia Spring 2018 AuctionAs usual, I have a recap today of the final prices of the guns I filmed from the most recent Julia auction (spring of 2018). Once again, I focussed on machine guns, as well as high end sporting arms and Civil War rifles. This was the last auction being held in Maine by James Julia, as the company has been merged with the Morphy auction company. I will be continuing my working relationship with Morphy, so you will see me filming firearms there in a few months. My thanks to everyone at Julia for so many wonderful years! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Walther Toggle-Locked Semiauto Shotgun (ouch!)E95
Walther Toggle-Locked Semiauto Shotgun (ouch!)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Between the world wars, the Walther company designed and marketed a short recoil, toggle-locked 12 gauge shotgun for sporting use. It was patented by the Walther brothers, but actually manufactured by the Deutsche-Werke consortium, which was organized by the German government to employ German workers and export guns for much-needed foreign hard currency (they also made the Ortgies pistols). The Walther shotgun was not particularly successful though, with only about 5700 made over about a 10-year period in the 1920s. I suspect the problem was as simple as the excessive recoil generated by the action. As I discovered shooting this example, it kicks substantially more than other comparable semiauto shotguns, and was really quite unpleasant to shoot. I cannot blame potential customers for choosing different guns (like, for example, the Browning Auto-5) that would have been available at the time. Thanks to H. in Sweden for letting me shoot this quite uncommon shotgun! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - HK XM-8: What Was it and Why? (With Larry Vickers)E96
HK XM-8: What Was it and Why? (With Larry Vickers)Larry Vickers has the closest thing most any of us will ever have to a true XM-8 rifle, and has more than a little trigger time on the original XM-8 rifles. So, I asked him to explain what the rifle was and why it failed to become the new American service rifle. It's a fascinating story that will give you a lot of insight into the state of rifle development over the last 20 years! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Iron Sights at 800 Yards: New Mexico Milsurps Match!E97
Iron Sights at 800 Yards: New Mexico Milsurps Match!While traveling through Albuquerque, I was invited to join the New Mexico Milsurps club for one of their long range rifle matches. This is no typical shooting challenge - the course of fire is 20 rounds (after the spotting shots to figure out your hold) on a 21" x 43" silhouette target at 800 yards. It is open to unmodified military firearms only, with a heavy focus on iron sighted bolt action rifles. I was loaned an Eddystone M1917 rifle in .30-06 to use - one of the best military bolt actions ever made, in my opinion. The club has a very cool system set up for spotting hits on the target. A bracket on the back of the target holds a piezoelectric accelerometer connects to a bright strobe flash on a tripod about 10 yards off to the side. When a bullet hits the target plate, the accelerometer triggers the strobe to flash, and that light is readily visible from even 800 yards away (as you can see in the video). The match was a lot of fun - both the shooting challenge and the company of the club members. My thanks for their hospitality and a great time! http://1886lebel.tripod.com/nmmilsurps/home.html http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review - The Mac Man: Gordon B Ingram and His Submachine GunsE98
Book Review - The Mac Man: Gordon B Ingram and His Submachine GunsGet your copy here: https://amzn.to/2pVQ26w Gordon Ingram served as an infantryman during World War Two, and decided to get into the gunmaking business after the war. He though there was a market for a submachine gun for police and military forces, and to that end designed the very Thompson-esque Model 5 and Model 6 guns. These were not major successes, but did sell well enough to keep Ingram in business. Eventually he would change his focus to gun which were very cheap to make, in hopes of finding contracts with small foreign governments, if not the US. The .45 caliber Model 10 would be his iconic breakthrough design, most commonly referred to as the MAC 10, as it was initially manufactured by the Military Armament Corporation. In addition to this, Ingram produced a scaled down Model 11, chambered for the .380 cartridge. These two cartridges were specifically chosen for their subsonic nature, as one of the Ingram guns' key selling points was their pairing with suppressors made by the Sionics company. Eventually MAC would go out of business, and a rather sordid trail of companies would follow, acquiring and auctioning off assets and patent rights. These would include RPB and SWD, as well as other smaller shops, making receiver flats, fully automatic guns, semiautomatic guns, and more. That tale is a complex one, but one which Thomas and Iannamico do a good job of retracing. This book is an essential resource for anyone considering purchase of a MAC-type submachine gun, to demystify the complex world of models and manufacturers. A few neat elements I picked up form reading this book, which I had not previously known: * The MAC logo was a combination of a cobra and a moray eel...a Cobray. * A major reason for investor backing of MAC in the early days was the possibility of the US Army replacing the 1911 with the .380 M11 as an "individual weapon". * In an effort to avoid ATF ruling of open bolt guns as machine guns, at one point a single-shot M-10 wa - Lahti L-35: Finland's First Domestic Service Automatic PistolE99
Lahti L-35: Finland's First Domestic Service Automatic Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When Finland decided to replace the Luger as its service handgun, they turned to Finland's most famous arms designer, Aimo Lahti. After a few iterations, Lahti devised a short recoil semiautomatic pistol with a vertically traveling locking block, not too different from a Bergmann 1910 or Type 94 Nambu. It was adopted in 1935, but production did not really begin in earnest until 1939 at the VKT rifle factory. Several variations were made as elements of the gun were simplified to speed up production, and the design was also licensed to the Swedish Husqvarna company, which manufactured nearly 10 times as many of the pistols as VKT eventually did. In today's video we will look at each of the variations, including one with an original shoulder stock and the early and late military guns as well as the post-war commercial guns marked Valmet instead of VKT. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Q&A #17: Bullpups, Stocked Pistols, Delayed Blowback, and More!E100
Q&A #17: Bullpups, Stocked Pistols, Delayed Blowback, and More!http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons 0:26 - Can roller delayed blowback system be relevant in modern guns? 3:32 - Difference between gas tappet and short stroke gas piston 6:00 - Cleaning procedure, particularly for corrosive ammunition 7:32 - Brief synopsis of Yugoslavian post-WWII Mausers 10:45 - Final weight of WWSD carbine 11:44 - What hindered automatic arms development during WWI? 16:55 - Why not use MLOK/Keymod for optics? 18:05 - Forward-acting gas pistons? 19:26 - My opinion on the Remington bankruptcy 22:18 - Will 3D printing allow squeeze-bore rifles? 25:39 - What was the last US cavalry carbine? 26:20 - When the the Potato Digger leave US service? 28:11 - What was the first gun I bought specifically as a collectible? 28:55 - Is the FAMAS the best bullpup ever? 33:59 - What nation is underappreciated in small arms design history? 36:28 - Stocked pistols and modern arm brace pistols 41:04 - Do I approach museums and collectors or do they approach me? 42:46 - What is the Segway of modern guns? 44:40 - Are British DP (Drill Purpose) guns safe to shoot? 48:30 - What is the process to buy a machine gun in the US? 54:32 - Soviet TKB-59 triple barreled prototype 57:11 - Would modern high speed cameras have helped gun designers of the past? 58:48 - Why did primer-actuated systems never catch on? 1:01:44 - Progress on MAS-38 SMG and 7.65 French Long ammo 1:04:17 - What are the missing US designations, like rifles M2 through M13? As always, questions came from Patrons at the $2/month level and above. Thanks to all of you for the support! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Polish and German Police Silenced CZ-27 PistolsE101
Polish and German Police Silenced CZ-27 Pistolshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today we are looking at two suppressed CZ-27 pistols, one Polish and one German. The Polish one was issued by the Ministry of Public Security, an agency which only existed from 1945 until 1954. It uses an aluminum suppressor with 5 baffles and 5 rubber wipes, threaded onto an extended barrel. It is clearly not intended for precise shooting, as the sights do not clear the top of the suppressor! The German pattern is substantially different. It was used by the Gestapo during the Nazi regime, and also by West German security services after World War Two. The suppressor is a non-disassemblable unit with a series of sheet metal baffles, and attached to a belled expended barrel. The rear of the suppressor has a circle of six flexible flanges that snap over the belled muzzle, and a threaded section which screws down over them to lock the unit in place. This suppressor also blocks the pistol's sights, and so it was made with a set of sights on the body of the suppressor tube. Thanks to the anonymous collector who provided me access to these two pistols! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Testing 7.65mm French Long Ammo (Reed's and Buffalo Arms)E102
Testing 7.65mm French Long Ammo (Reed's and Buffalo Arms)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I am on the search for suitable ammunition for the Mle 1935A and Mle 1935S French pistols, as well as my MAS-38 submachine gun. They are chambered for the 7.65mm French Long cartridge, aka 7.65x20mm, aka .32 French Long. It has never been produced commercially that I am aware of, and surplus French military ammunition is scarce, corrosive, and very unreliable. So that leaves a couple custom ammunition makers to try from. I did not try anything from Gad's Ammo, as I have had poor experiences trying to order from him in the past. I did buy a supply of ammo from Buffalo Arms, made with converted .32 S&W Long brass. I also was given some similar ammunition made by Reed's Custom Ammo by a viewer (thanks!). I also had a selection of steel-case French surplus ammo. My results on a chronograph were: Buffalo Arms (9 shots): Average velocity at 3 yards - 979fps Standard deviation - 41 fps. Conclusion: Underpowered; usually ejected the case but would not chamber a new one. Not recommended. Reed's Custom (9 shots): Average velocity at 3 yards - 815fps Standard deviation - 82 fps. (!) Conclusion: Significantly underpowered and extremely inconsistent. Never cycled the pistol, and usually failed to eject the empty case. Definitely not recommended. French surplus: 10 rounds attempted, only one fired. Velocity of that round was 1085fps. Corrosive. Not recommended. At SHOT Show in January 2018, the Starline booth rep told me that they were planning to start making proper new production 7.65mm French Long brass within the year. My understanding is that converted .32 S&W brass has a tendency to split case heads when loaded to original spec, so getting new production brass from Starline will be the key to anyone being able to make workable ammo for these pistols (both at home and commercially). If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check ou - Swiss MP-41/44: Adolph Furrer and His Toggle Lock FascinationE103
Swiss MP-41/44: Adolph Furrer and His Toggle Lock Fascinationhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Swiss military discovered an urgent need for submachine guns in the early years of World War II, and sent out a very short-notice request for SMG designs. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for the SIG concern, which had been development a very good line of submachine guns through the 1930s. Their only serious competition was the WF Bern factory, which did not have anything of the sort in production. However, the director of the Bern plant (Adolph Furrer) was politically connected and make an energetic effort to promote a gun of his own design. Furrer had been tinkering with toggle locked designs for several decades, and had designed the Swiss LMG-25 machine gun. He claimed that his own submachine gun would be lighter, simpler, cheaper, and just all around better than SIG's...despite the fact that he didn't actually have it in production yet. Unfortunately for the Swiss, Furrer's arguments worked, and Bern ended up with a contract for what would be designated the MP41. It was a short-recoil, toggle-locked gun using a side-mounted 40 round single-feed magazine and firing at a rate of 850-900 rounds/minute. Predictably, production delays meant that the threat of German invasion was completely gone by the time a substantial number of the guns were actually delivered. The Swiss military would honor his contract, but lost patience in 1943 and obtained a production license for the Suomi SMG from Finland, and would produce more MP43/44 Suomi guns than Furrer guns. The MP41 was slightly updated in 1944, and would remain in Swiss service until the mid 1970s, when they were removed from inventory and almost all scrapped (because no other country was interested in buying them). Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.yo - Feeling the Bern: Shooting the Swiss Furrer MP-41/44 SMGE104
Feeling the Bern: Shooting the Swiss Furrer MP-41/44 SMGhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When I filmed yesterday's video on the MP-41/44, and did not know I would have a chance to actually do some live fire with it. But we snuck off to a little shooting range to have a try (sorry for the poor lighting!). The question going in for me was whether the locking system and the weight of the gun would make for a very nice shooting experience. I knew that it had a fairly high rate of fire, but didn't know how all the elements would come together. It turned out to be a pretty controllable weapon, not exceptionally bad but also not exceptionally good. For all the complexity that Furrer put into the design, it handled pretty much like any other typical 9mm submachine gun. Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: Serbian Army Weapons of Victory 1914-1918E105
Book Review: Serbian Army Weapons of Victory 1914-1918http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Serbia, as one of the minor powers of World War One, if usually overlooked by history books - and is especially overlooked by firearms reference books. Want to know about the M1899/07 Mauser rifles? The Koka-Djuric M1880/07 conversion of single shot 10.15mm black powder rifles to magazine-fed 7x57mm repeaters? Well, good luck! Until now, anyway. Branislav Stankovic and John Sheehan have worked together to product the first of a planned 3-volume set of books on Serbian arms of the First World War. Volume One here covers rifles, bayonets, and ammunition, and is the only English-language reference that I am aware of which provides any substantial level of detail on the progression of Serbian small arms in specific. Serbia was a small country, and lacked any substantial domestic arms production industry before WW1. As a result, it sourced its small arms from foreign factories, but was always interested in tinkering with them to get the optimal designs. For instance, their development and insistence on the 10.15x63mm cartridge in their single-shot Mauser rifles, instead of the standard German 11mm Mauser cartridge. They were also one of few European countries to recognize the value of the 7x57mm cartridge and adopt it. Unfortunately, all of this planning would become moot in late 1915, when the Serbian Army suffered strategic defeat and was forced to retreat across the mountains to the Albanian coast for evacuation, losing most of their arms along the way. The Army would regroup and prepare for a new campaign, but Serbia had no arms supplies left with which to equip them. France would take the responsibility for equipping the Serbian forces in 1916, and this book covers the Lebels and Berthiers with which Serbia fought in substantial detail. It also covers the capture Austrian Mannlichers and Russian military aid Berdan and Mosin-Nagan - Vektor CR21: South Africa's Futuristic BullpupE106
Vektor CR21: South Africa's Futuristic Bullpuphttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The CR-21 was a private effort to create a new rifle for the South African military in the 1990s. Bullpup designs were all the rage at the time (Austria has the AUG, France had the FAMAS, the UK had the SA80, etc), and so a company called Lyttelton Engineering Works (now part of Denel Land Systems) created a bullpup conversion design for the South African R4 (Galil). It was given a very fluid, futuristic look, and equipped with a fiber optic optic without any iron sights. The action and magazines remained original R4/Galil, however. The weapon was promoted to the South African military as an economical upgrade package for the R4 rifles already in service, but was met with little interest. Further efforts to sell the weapon to South African police and international military or security customers similarly met with no success. In total, only 200 complete rifles were made, plus parts for another 200. They achieved some notoriety in fictional media because of their looks, including use in the film "District 9". As often happens, however, becoming popular in film or video games does not equate to commercial success. Many thanks to the anonymous collector who let me take a look at this piece and bring you a video on it! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Final Prices: Rock Island April 2018 AuctionE107
Final Prices: Rock Island April 2018 AuctionAs usual, I have a recap today of the final prices of the guns I filmed from the most recent RIA auction (April 2018). Probably the most surprising one in this batch was the McCarty prototype turret revolver... http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Dutch Mannlicher Plus Lewis Gun Bolt Equals Semiauto...?E108
Dutch Mannlicher Plus Lewis Gun Bolt Equals Semiauto...?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Basically nothing is known about this rifle in terms of who created it or when - but it is a pretty interesting example of an attempt to convert a bolt action rifle to semiautomatic. This rifle began life as a standard Dutch Mannlicher rifle. The conversion was done here be splicing a Lewis Gun gas piston/op rod to the side of the barrel, and then modifying the bolt to work like a Lewis bolt, with a fixed firing pin and rotating cam in the bolt body. To top it off, the gas piston is driven not by a drilled gas port, but rather by a gas trap extension on the muzzle. The bolt conversion work seems to have been done pretty well, but the receiver extension could hardly be any more crude. It cracked and broke off the original receiver at some point, and has been poorly welded back in place (mostly). Thanks to the Dutch National Military Museum for allowing me access to film this rifle! Check them out at: https://www.nmm.nl If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Short: How to Pronounce "Garand" (and why)E109
Short: How to Pronounce "Garand" (and why)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Is it "GUH-rand" or "GAIR-end"? Well, let's find out by asking John Cantius himself... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Yugoslavia's PPSh Lookalike: The M49/57E110
Yugoslavia's PPSh Lookalike: The M49/57http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Shortly after the end of World War Two, Yugoslavia adopted a submachine gun that looked very much like the Soviet PPSh-41, and was obviously inspired by it. However, the manufacturing methods were completely different, with the Yugoslav gun being of all milled construction and with internal parts far more similar to the Beretta 38 family of SMGs than to the PPSh. In fact, the original Yugoslav M49 used a captive recoil spring like the Beretta 38, which was simplified in the M49/57 variation just as is was simplified by Beretta during WW2. The controls are similar to the PPSh, particularly the fire selector lever and the magazine release, which are basically identical in both guns. The Yugo uses a push-button safety in place of the PPSh's bolt-mounted safety, and the disassembly procedure is entirely different because of the different construction technique. The M49 and M49/57 were offered for export sale in both 7.62mm Tokarev and 9mm Parabellum, but I was not able to find evidence of any substantial sales. The gun was ultimately replaced in Yugoslav service by the M56 submachine gun - a gun with an interesting similarity to the German MP40. Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine their M49/57! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Shooting the Yugoslav M49/57 Submachine GunE111
Shooting the Yugoslav M49/57 Submachine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Yugoslav M49/57 submachine gun looks very similar to the Soviet PPSh-41, but it constructed quite differently, and has a much larger recoil spring. The question is, how will it shoot? Will it be fast and controllable like the Papasha or slower like the Sudayev? Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their M49/57! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: The Wipers TimesE112
Book Review: The Wipers TimesGet your copy here: https://amzn.to/2jzWnkI Or here: https://amzn.to/2JOpMm3 The Wipers Times was a satirical trench newspaper printed from February 1916 until December 1918 by British Captain F.J. Roberts and a crew of assistants. Such papers were not particularly uncommon, but the Wipers Times was particularly successful, well written, and long-lived, and it has survived in reprints today to a greater extent than any other similar work. A total of 23 issues were printed, and they consist of poetry, commentary, mock advertisements, advice columns, and short stories. While much of the humor is still quite accessible to us today, much of it also includes references, abbreviations, and inside jokes that are inscrutable to those who are not quite knowledgeable about life in the trenches. Roberts and his cohorts were legitimate front-line soldiers, not writing as visiting journalists or from the safety of the rear echelons. Beyond its basic entertainment value, their writings also provide a rare and interesting view into the minds of men who were truly living the Great War. Not that a book about the newspaper has also been printed, titled "The Wipers Times", and with a very similar cover. If you want to buy a copy of the reprinted original issues, make sure you are not buying that book. The BBC made a 90 minute program based on the Times, which is available in its entirely on YouTube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKPXum4Va7k http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Reproduction RP-46 Belt-Feed ConversionE113
Reproduction RP-46 Belt-Feed ConversionOperator's Guide to the RP-46: https://youtu.be/aKj9FuF5-xQ You can order your own by contacting SMG Guns at [redacted per YouTube rules]. It's very exciting to have these available, as they are extremely difficult to find originals for sale - and these reproductions can be mounted on standard DP/DPM guns (semiauto or full auto) whereas the original require a couple permanent modifications to the host gun. Full comparison video with an original RP-46 coming soon, I hope! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Maschinengewehr des Standschützen Hellriegel: A WW1 PhantomE114
Maschinengewehr des Standschützen Hellriegel: A WW1 Phantomhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I have gotten quite a lot of questions about this experimental Austrian 1915 machine gun or submachine gun since it was included in the Battlefield One computer game. Unfortunately, the sum total of information we have on this weapon is three photographs found in an Austrian archive. Extrapolating from those photos, we can tell that it was a water-cooled, pistol caliber weapon fed by both stick magazines and drums. To the best of my knowledge, no example survives, as the weapon never went beyond an initial firing trial. For more information, I recommend Matthew Moss's excellent article at HistoricalFirearms.info. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Steyr ACR: A Polymer Flechette-Firing Bullpup From the 90sE115
Steyr ACR: A Polymer Flechette-Firing Bullpup From the 90shttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The US Army ACR (Advanced Combat Rifle) program was an effort to find a new type of infantry rifle which could increase the practical accuracy of the M16 by a whopping 100% in the early 1990s. Building on a legacy of similar programs like SALVO and SPIW, the basic idea being tried were extremely high rates of burst fire, flechette rounds, and duplex cartridges as a way to increase hit probability mechanically. There were four final entries into the rifle trials - rifle from AAI, Colt, H&K (the G11), and this rifle from Steyr. The Steyr ACR entry is a polymer-bodied weapon taking many basic cues from the AUG. It has a low power optic as its primary sighting device, translucent magazines (capacity only 24 round, though), a roughly 1200 rpm rate of fire, and full-hand trigger guard. Mechanically, uses an annular gas piston and fired from an open bolt, with semiauto and 3-round burst modes. The locking system is a unique vertically sliding chamber, using a similarly unique 10gr flechette cartridge with a polymer case and ring primer. It is quite the interesting an unusual rifle...but it failed meet the accuracy standards of the M16, much less substantially improve upon them. In the end, the ACR program was cancelled with none of the entrants meeting the goal. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - French Rifle Markings Tutorial with Patrick HernandezE116
French Rifle Markings Tutorial with Patrick Hernandezhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Patrick Hernandez is a noted collector of French rifles here in the US, and a moderator of several French firearm discussion channels - so when it comes to deciphering the markings on a French rifle he is an excellent person to ask. So today, we will go through each of the markings that is found on a typical French military rifle. We will be demonstrating on an 1890 Cuirassier Berthier carbine, but this information is applicable to all variations of the Chassepot, Gras, Berthier, Lebel, and RSC rifles. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Madsen M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær: The Strangest SemiautoE117
Madsen M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær: The Strangest SemiautoDevelopment of the weapon that would eventually become the very successful 1902 Madsen light machine gun began many years earlier, in 1883. Two Danes, Madsen and Rasmussen, began working on a recoil-operated self loading rifle design that year, with Madsen developing the idea and Rasmussen fabricating the actual pieces. The project was made difficult by the black powder cartridges available at that time (black powder fouled intricate mechanics quickly, and also created a relatively poor recoil impulse compared to later smokeless powders), but by 1887 they had a workable gun completed. This rifle, designated the M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær, was entered into Danish military testing, and went so far as to have 50 rifles field-tested by a battalion of troops. The conclusion was that the design wasn’t good enough for infantry use (although it was considered for fortress use, which would presumably be a cleaner environment that being in the hands of field infantry units), and the Krag-Jørgensen was selected instead for general issue. Note the very small bayonet, typical of recoil-operated rifles in which too heavy a bayonet will cause the rifle to malfunction by increasing the weight of the reciprocating barrel assembly (the M1941 Johnson rifle was also recoil operated and used a similar style bayonet). As testing progressed, stacking swivels were added to the guns. Many thanks to the Tøjhusmuseet (Royal Danish Armory Museum) for letting me have access to these very rare rifles! Check them out at: http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-royal-danish-arsenal-museum/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - GPMG Firing Comparison: PKM vs UK vz.59E118
GPMG Firing Comparison: PKM vs UK vz.59http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Since I had the opportunity to do some shooting with both a Yugoslav PKM and a Czech vz.59 general-purpose machine gun, I thought it would be interesting to compare them side by side. Which is better as a proper machine gun? And, to make things interesting, which is better as a semiauto-only firearm, as they are both available in the US? Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their M84 PKM and UK vz.59! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: Experiment and TrialE119
Book Review: Experiment and TrialAmericans can order the book from Gun and Sword Collector here: https://gunandswordcollector.com/product/experiment-and-trial/ Europeans should order from Verlag Militaria here: https://www.militaria.at/Book.aspx?book=1558836&Language=en Experiment and Trial, by Mathieu Willemsen, is a catalogue of the 218 guns in the collection of the Dutch School of Musketry, which existed from 1855 until 1933. It includes a large number of very unusual prototypes, as the School was a testing ground for designs submitted by inventors hoping to receiver Dutch military contracts. In particular, these include a wide variety of magazine conversion of the Beaumont action - designs which I have not seen any reference to anywhere else. Not everything in the book is so exotic, though, as the collection includes plenty of entirely ordinary service arms from other nations as well as from the Netherlands. This is a fairly expensive book (€99 plus shipping in Europe; $145.50 shipped in the US), and it is definitely for a narrow group of enthusiasts. But for those of us who are particularly interested in experimental arms from the transitional period between single shot and repeating rifles, it includes quite a lot of thoroughly unique information. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Hungarian KGPF-9: Kalashnikov Genetics in a 9mm SMGE120
Hungarian KGPF-9: Kalashnikov Genetics in a 9mm SMGhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This modern Hungarian submachine gun bears a remarkable similarity to the AKM rifle in many aspects, from the pistol grip to many of the manufacturing practices. In fact, the more we did into the gun, the more Kalashnikov influence we can see in it. This particular example is semiautomatic only, but the weapon is made as both a civilian carbine and as a fully automatic submachine gun for military sales. And no, it's not available in the United States - my thanks to its anonymous owner outside the US for sharing it with us! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Ken Hackathorn on the M1 Carbine: Reputation vs RealityE121
Ken Hackathorn on the M1 Carbine: Reputation vs Realityhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The M1 Carbine has long been a bit of an enigma to me, because I have never had really good luck with the design, and yet they were extremely popular with American soldiers, German soldiers, Korean soldiers, Vietnamese soldiers, and a great many other countries. So what's the deal? Is it as simple as just that the Carbine was light and thus popular mostly with people who never had to actually fire them? Or is there something more going on? Today we are speaking to Ken Hackathorn about this question. He has a lot of experience with M1 Carbines himself, as well as discussing them with many first-hand military and law enforcement folks who used them. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Development of the SIG P220, aka the Swiss P75 Army PistolE122
Development of the SIG P220, aka the Swiss P75 Army Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The SIG 210, aka the P49, was a magnificent pistol, but really too expensive for a modern military sidearm. In the 1960s, the Swiss military began looking for a new service sidearm that would be a bit less costly, and SIG developed the 220 in response, which would ultimately be adopted as the P75. The P75 would maintain the basic structure of the P49, but used a folded sheet metal slide design and an alloy frame, significant departures from the all-milled construction of the P49. In today's video, was have a fantastic set of P75 pistols to look at and see the whole developmental process. This includes two iterations of the first prototypes of the design, one of the very first production Army P75s, a standard late production P75 showing the final simplified features, and a Z-series border patrol example with its unique magazine release shield. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Q&A 18: Ammunition Adventures (and more)E123
Q&A 18: Ammunition Adventures (and more)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons 00:30 - Belts or links, and why? 04:53 - What determines locations of gun manufacturing centers? 06:40 - Why did France not use 7.62 NATO? 09:38 - CMMG Guard, yea or nay? 12:32 - How do/did proof houses actually work? 15:45 - History of the 6mm Lee Navy (to be expanded into a standalone video later) 17:22 - 7.62mm NATO rifles in modern military applications? 19:42 - Why that straight trigger on French rifles? 23:00 - What Old West revolver would I carry? 24:37 - Why not lip-less magazines like the Madsen? 27:13 - Why did Germany not have a semiauto rifle before WWII? 30:33 - Would a modernized M1941 Johnson be a good thing? 32:49 - Is 5.56mm NATO due for replacement? 33:36 - Best gun-related gift I have ever received? 35:39 - Should the US Army have retained the .30-40 cartridge? 37:32 - Next international trip? 39:25 - Cool collectible guns for the Anglophile 43:20 - US intermediate cartridge development before WWII? 45:24 - Where do I get my surplus ammo? 47:42 - Why not more straight pull military rifles? 50:31 - How would I have improved the Mosin in the 20s or 30s? 52:11 - Inertial locking firearms? 53:35 - What about the FX-05 and Type 89 rifles? 54:50 - How to make a legal gun from an open-bolt SMG kit? 58:48 - What was the French problem with the Remington 07/15 rifles? As always, questions came from Patrons at the $2/month level and above. Thanks to all of you for the support! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Madsen M1896 Flaadens Rekylgevær: The First Military SemiautoE124
Madsen M1896 Flaadens Rekylgevær: The First Military SemiautoAfter losing out in the 1888 trials, Madsen and Rasmussen continued to refine their rifle. They reduced the overall length and weight, and replaced the feeding clip with a more modern enclosed magazine (although it was still gravity fed, without a spring or follower). The mechanism was refined for more reliable functioning, including changing it to more positively control the position of cartridges as they were fed. The Martini-like rear charging lever was replaced with a more modern rotary handle on the right side of the receiver. Still, the basic mechanism remained the same. This 1896 Madsen-Rasmussen rifle was again considered by the Danish Military, and deemed reliable enough to limited use. A total of 60 rifles were purchased and issued by the Danish Navy for use in defending coastal fortifications. They were never used in anger, but remained in the Danish inventory until 1932. With the success of the 1896 model’s sale to the Danish Navy, it was time to expand sales internationally. A company was formed in 1898, which would soon become known as the Danish Recoil Rifle Syndicate, and Madsen and Rasmussen sold their patent rights to it in exchange for royalties on future production. By 1899 the company manager was Lieutenant Jens Schouboe, and it is his name found on the subsequent Madsen LMG patents. For this reason, the Madsen is sometimes referred to as the Schouboe rifle. In 1903, the US military tested one of the 1896 model rifles (which they identified as a Schouboe) chambered for the new US .30-03 cartridge. This appears to have proved too powerful for the rifle as it was built at the time, although further tests were conducted on the gun in 1905, 1906, 1909, and 1911. The final 1911 report on the rifle listed a number of faults. The arm lacked strenght and durability the report concluded: “It is inferior to our service rifle in accuracy, serviceability, and in rapidity, the competition had become very much keener and each invention showed the res - M1918 Chauchat: First Shots (Will It Work?)E125
M1918 Chauchat: First Shots (Will It Work?)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This M1918 Chauchat is still awaiting NFA transfer, but my dealer was able to bring it out to a public range where I could do some initial testing on it. I was expecting to get extraction problems as soon as it got warm, as that is what the literature suggests will happen. The .30-06 American Chauchats were made with improperly cut chambers. However, I ended up finding no extraction problems at all - although I had lots of feed problems with my original magazines. People expect that because they don't have the big open cutouts, the American Chauchat magazines are much better than the semicircular French 8mm Lebel Chauchat magazines. This is not the case; the American mags are made of equally flimsy material, and their feed lips are actually worse that the French magazines. They are supposed to hold 16 rounds, but I could not get more than 13 into any of them before I started to get a worrying amount of mag body bulging and feed lip stress. I have plans for arranging much more reliable magazines, and once I have those (and the gun is out of NFA jail) I am excited to do a lot more shooting with it! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - A Book and a Rifle: The Vercors Resistance in WWIIE126
A Book and a Rifle: The Vercors Resistance in WWIIGet your copy of "Tears of Glory" here: https://amzn.to/2KLSQvI One of the single largest actions of the French Resistance during World War Two was Operation Montagnards - the plan to drop about 4,000 Allied paratroops onto the Vercors Massif when the resistance was activated in support of the Allied landings in Normandy and Provence. If you are scratching your head trying to figure out why you don't remember that operation, it is because it never actually happened. The two Allied landings were originally intended to take place simultaneously, but logistical limitations forced the southern landings to be delayed about two months. In an deliberate decision to prevent the Germans from immediately understanding the nature of the Allied attack, the whole of the French Resistance was activated to support the Normandy landings in June 1944. The internal attacks in the south would force the Germans to keep significant forces in that area in expectation of a second landing, which would increase the chances of the Normandy landings succeeding. Unfortunately, the other result of this decision was that Resistance cells would come into the open in anticipation of imminent military support, which would not be coming. The southern elements of the Resistance were basically sacrificed in this gambit. The Vercors Massif is a large geographical feature near Lyon and Grenoble which comprises basically a triangular sheer-walled plateau rising well above the surrounding plains. It offers an fantastically defensible redoubt, and that is what it was planned to be. Paratroops dropped onto the top of the massif would reinforce a substantial force of Maquis fighters, and create a serious strong point behind the German lines to aid in the fight inland from the landing beaches. The plan was organized in Algiers by Resistance representatives from the Vercors and Free French officers earlier in the war. Some have argued that the lack of support was simply due to the compromises of the sin - Ribeyrolles 1918 - France's First Assault Rifle or a Failed Prototype?E127
Ribeyrolles 1918 - France's First Assault Rifle or a Failed Prototype?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Paul Ribeyrolles was the manager of the Gladiator bicycle factory, and by 1918 he had significant experience in small arms design, having been a core member of the team that designed and built the 1915 CSRG Chauchat automatic rifle and the RSC-1917 semiautomatic rifle. These were forward-looking weapons, the first of their types ever to be successfully used in combat. Ribeyrolles continued to pursue the next generation of infantry small arms, and in the summer of 1918 he presented his 1918 automatic rifle for military testing at Versailles. The model 1918 met most of the requirements to be considered an assault rifle by today's standards - it used an intermediate cartridge, it could fire in both semiautomatic and fully automatic modes, and it was fed by detachable box magazines (with a capacity of 25 rounds). The cartridge it used was a modification of the .351 Winchester WSL cartridge, modified to be semi-rimmed and to use an 8mm Lebel armor-piercing bullet. Unlike modern weapons of this type, however, Ribeyrolles' rifle used a simple blowback action and this required a quite heavy bolt to work properly. Unloaded, the weapon weighed 11.25 pounds (5.1kg), and the long receiver necessary for the bolt to effectively decelerate gave it an overall length of 1.09m (43 inches) - this was long and heavy for its capabilities. Still, it was conceptually pretty advanced for 1918. The biggest problem which prevented the gun from seeing any military interest was reliability. At the 1918 trials, it was very unreliable - the one source I sound said that 53 malfunctions were had in 75 rounds of semiautomatic fire. That is definitely a sign of a design not ready for adoption! Ribeyrolle brough the gun back for more testing in the summer of 1921 at Camp de Chalons, but it does not appear that he had fully cured the reliability problems. In addition, - Interview: Mathieu Willemsen, Curator of the Dutch National Military MuseumE128
Interview: Mathieu Willemsen, Curator of the Dutch National Military Museumhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today we have a brief conversation with Mathieu Willemsen, Curator of the Dutch National Military Museum. This was shorter than I would have preferred, because it came right at the end of a long day of filming guns, and we only had a few minutes - but I would like to encourage anyone who happens to find themselves in the Netherlands to make time to visit the museum - it is well worth it! You can see their online presence here: https://www.nmm.nl/en/ Those who are particularly interested will enjoy and appreciate Mathieu's book, "Trial And Experiment" on the Dutch collection of interested experimental firearms: https://amzn.to/2IySEhu If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Ian Explains the French Mutinies of 1917E129
Ian Explains the French Mutinies of 1917http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Check out my new series of WW1 shirts! https://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons While on the road with Military Historical Tours visiting American battlefields of World War One, I was asked to explain the French mutinies of 1917. This was an extemporaneous lecture, so please forgive any factual errors I may have made (and such errors are entirely my fault, not that of MHT). Please not that I am not a regular tour guide or anything for MHT; I'm on this tour as a participant. Want to take one of their tours yourself? They go all over Europe and Asia, covering sites form WW1, WW2, Korean, and Vietnam: https://www.miltours.com If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - PTRD 41: The Simple Soviet Antitank Rifle of WWIIE130
PTRD 41: The Simple Soviet Antitank Rifle of WWIIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Soviet Union had originally eschewed the use of large numbers of antitank rifles, anticipating that any potential combat use of them would be largely against tanks impervious to AT rifle cartridges. However, when German forces came flooding across the border in 1941, the Soviet Union found themselves being attacked by quite large numbers of tanks which were in fact vulnerable to an antitank rifle cartridge. Stalin ordered an immediate development and production of such a weapon, and the designers responded with concepts. Simonov produced the PTRS-41, a semiautomatic 14.5mm weapon that was sophisticated, expensive, and effective. Degtyarev produced the PTRD-41, a single shot 14.5mm weapon which was simple, cheap, and also effective. Both used the same cartridge, which fires a 980gr armor piercing projectile at a remarkable 3320 fps. Both the Simonov and Degtyarev rifles were ordered into production, with the PTRD-41 being available and fielded within a month because of its very simple nature. By the end of the war some 185,000 of these rifles had been made, and even after the new German tanks became impervious to them, they remained effective weapons for use on light armored vehicles, field guns, machine gun nests, pillboxes, and other hardened targets. The PTRD-41 is a mechanically interesting and unusual weapon in that despite being only a single shot system, it is recoil operated. When fired, the entire barrel assembly recoils rearward, absorbing some of the immense recoil energy and also opening the bolt and ejecting the spent case. The shooter then need only drop a new cartridge into the action and close the bolt to be ready for a subsequent shot. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85 - Gevarm A6: An Open Bolt Semiauto .22 Sporting RifleE131
Gevarm A6: An Open Bolt Semiauto .22 Sporting Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Gevarm, a gunmaking offshoot of the Gevelot cartridge company, produced a line of open-bolt semiautomatic rimfire sporting rifles from the early 1960s until 1995. This is an A6 model, the base type. It is chambered for .22LR, with an 8 round magazine and basic open sights. What makes these rifles unusual is the open bolt mechanism, which allows them to be extremely simple. The bolt is a single part, with the firing "pin" in the form of a rib running all the way down the center of the bolt face. No extractor is built in, as chamber pressure alone is sufficient to extract cases in a simple blowback system like this one. Because it is an open-bolt firing design, one need not ever extract an unfired cartridge from the chamber. Open bolt semiautomatic designs were prohibited in the US by ATF in the early 1980s, although existing guns in the country (like these) were grandfathered. They had never been popular sellers, though, because of their high price. The series produced included some with more sophisticated sights, one that simulated the look of an M1 carbine, some in .22 Short, and a takedown model. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - All Four Secret Weapons of 1919 Shirts Now Available!E132
All Four Secret Weapons of 1919 Shirts Now Available!Britain (Farquhar-Hill): https://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons/products/forgotten-weapons-1919-secret-weapons-britain-t-shirt Germany (MG-08/18): https://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons/products/short-sleeve-unisex-t-shirt-12 United States (Pedersen Device): https://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons/products/forgotten-weapons-1919-secret-weapons-america-t-shirt France (RSC-1918 Carbine): https://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons/products/on-ne-passe-pas-tee And the full Forgotten Weapons merchandise shop: https://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons These shirt designs will also be released as posters on May 31... - Germany's First Smokeless Carbines: the Kar 88 and Gewehr 91E133
Germany's First Smokeless Carbines: the Kar 88 and Gewehr 91http://www.forgottenweapons.com/germanys-first-smokeless-carbines-the-kar-88-and-gewehr-91 http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons With the development of the smokeless Gewehr 88 “Commission Rifle”, the German Army finally made a serious effort to bring their cavalry units up to a modern standard. There had never been a carbine variant of the Mauser 71/84 produced, and even by the late 1880s many German cavalrymen were still carrying single shot Mauser 71 carbines - or worse, converted captured Chassepots from the Franco-Prussian War. While the Karabiner 88 wasn’t in production quite as quickly as they would have liked, guns were coming off the factory line in quantity by the summer of 1890. The factories tasked with this production were not actually the major start arsenals, but rather two private companies in Suhl - CG Haenel and VC Schilling (although the Erfurt Arsenal would step in in 1891 to make a batch of 25,000 carbines). The Kar 88 was remarkable light and handy, and designed for use in a cavalry scabbard, meaning that it had a nice slick profile. This became a problem when the Army wanted to issue the carbines for foot artillery crews as well, because it gave them no way to stack the rifles while tending to their artillery pieces. The result was the Gewehr 91, which was identical to the Kar 88 in every way except for the addition of a stacking rod under the muzzle. Both the Kar 88 and Get 91 were already being slowly taken out of service before World War One, as the new Mauser 98 pattern carbines introduced in 1909 or 1910 were taking their place. This would change with the outbreak of war, of course, and every one of the 88 pattern carbines in German inventory would be issued out during the Great War. Their size and weight made them ideal for the troops who needed a personal weapon but were unlikely to actually have to fight with it (artillery crews, cyclists - Romania Doesn't Make the Dragunov: The PSLE134
Romania Doesn't Make the Dragunov: The PSLhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/romania-doesnt-make-the-dragunov-the-psl http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When Romania vocally objected to the Soviet-led invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, it lost some of its opportunities for technology transfer form the Soviet Union. The USSR had adopted the SVD Dragunov in 1963, and it was looking like Romania would be putting that weapon into domestic production alongside the AK, but after 1968 not so much. If Romania wanted a designated marksman’s rifle, it would be on its own to develop one. So, that’s exactly what the Romanian did. They already had a very successful factory complex making Kalashnikov rifles, and so they decided to take that design and scale it up to the 7.62x54R cartridge. The result was the PSL, with a semiautomatic only fire control group and 10-round magazines. It also featured an automatic hold open on an empty magazine, a feature only seen on one other AK variant (the early Yugoslav M64). It was fitted with a 4 power LSO-2 telescopic sight; basically a tritium-lit copy of the Soviet PSO-1. After the Wall came down and the Warsaw Pact disintegrated, the Cugir factory complex would sell the PSL (and many other AK variants) widely on the international military and civilian markets. This has resulted in lots of Romanian PSL rifles here in the US today. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Astra 300 - A Pocket Pistol Bought Mostly By GermanyE135
Astra 300 - A Pocket Pistol Bought Mostly By Germanyhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Astra 300 was introduced in 1923, copying the layout, mechanics, and handling of the Astra 400 military pistol in a much more convenient pocket size. It was made in both .32 ACP (7.65mm Browning) and .380 (9mm Kurz), with a magazine capacity of 7 and 6 rounds respectively. More than 150,000 were made in total, as the gun was quite popular with various military and security agencies in Spain. The majority of production, however, went to Germany between 1941 and 1944. They purchased 63,000 Astra 300s in .380 caliber and another 22,390 of then in .32 caliber. Most of the .380s did receive waffenamt markings (WaA251), although not all of them. Production ended in 1945, with the gun being replaced by the improved Model 3000 in 1946. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Ordnance Research SSP-91, aka the Lone EagleE136
Ordnance Research SSP-91, aka the Lone Eaglehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/ordnance-research-ssp-91-aka-the-lone-eagle http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Designed by John Foote (of MAC/Cobray fame), the SSP-91 is a single shot rifle-caliber pistol intended for silhouette competition shooting and handgun hunting. It was introduced by Foote and Ordnance Technology of Stetson, Maine in 1986 as the SSP-86. He made some improvements to the design in 1990, resulting in the improved SSP-91 model available form 1991 until 1993. In 1994, the rights were purchased by Magnum Research, who renamed is the Lone Eagle (to fit their eagle-themed catalog - Desert Eagle, Baby Eagle, etc). The SSP and Lone Eagle were available in a wide variety of calibers, from .22 Hornet and .223 up to behemoths like .444 Marlin, .358 Winchester, and .30-06. Caliber conversion kits were available, but since they consisted of a whole new barrel and breechblock, the kits cosy about 75% as much as a complete new gun. Production ran until about the year 2000, when Magnum Research discontinued the pistol for poor sales. One interesting side note is that one of Foote’s subcontractors for SSP part manufacturing, a man named Stratiff, decided to produce his own imported version in 1988. Since nothing on the SSP was patented (the breech system was long since in the public domain), Straitiff build what was basically a copy of the SSP but with an automated cocking system integrated into the breechblock, so that the separate cocking lever was not needed. He marketed this as the “Competitor” pistol, and these can also be found today. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Very Neat Peruvian Navy 1891 Mauser CarbineE137
The Very Neat Peruvian Navy 1891 Mauser Carbinehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-very-neat-peruvian-navy-1891-mauser-carbine http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Peru acquired a large stock of Model 1891 Mausers from Argentina in 1901, and the carbine we are looking at today is a conversion from one of those long rifles - not a factory carbine. A few hundred of these conversions were done in the 1930s for the Peruvian Navy, and the result is a pretty interesting configuration, I think. The guns have 1909-type langevisier “roller-coaster” rear sights, which don’t appear to have been calibrated with the barleycorn front sights of the marked range settings (400-2000m). The hand guard is retained form the 1891 long rifle, and the barrels include a variety of replacement types - this one is Belgian proofed, making it almost certainly an FN barrel purchased in the 1930s as well. The other interesting mark is a date stamp of 1963 on the stock. This seems very unlikely to have been the date of conversion (which is almost certainly in the 30s), and these dates vary between 1963 and 1968 on other observed carbines like this. Whether is was added by an importer for some reason or perhaps as a property mark in the 60s by the Peruvian Navy (or some other reason altogether) remains a mystery. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Demro XF-7 Wasp - An Open Bolt Semiauto From the 70sE138
Demro XF-7 Wasp - An Open Bolt Semiauto From the 70shttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/demro-xf-7-wasp-an-open-bolt-semiauto-from-the-70s http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Designed by Gerry Fox in the early 1970s, this carbine saw production sequentially as the Fox Carbine, the TAC-1, and the XF-7 Wasp, as it went through several different manufacturers. It is an open bolt, semiauto carbine sold in both 9mm Parabellum and .45 ACP - and you could get caliber conversion kits consisting of a bolt and barrel assembly to swap caliber on an existing gun. In 9mm they used Sten magazines, and in .45 then used M3 Grease Gun magazines. The gun was marketed to law enforcement audiences as well as civilians, but never found any LEO success. A fully automatic version was also made, but similarly saw little popularity (because of the cost of NFA registration in the 1970s and 80s). Mechanically, the gun is somewhat akin to the Soviet PPSh, which an upper cover that hinges open and a bolt which is square on the bottom and rounded on top. The TAC-1 version had a few neat additional features, namely a combination lock built into the receiver and a battery in the fixed wooden stock to power a stun gun/baton device for police use. The Wasp replaced the wooden furniture with a fairly clever collapsing metal stock. In total, about 3,500 Fox carbines of all types were made, with production ending in 1983 when the ATF determined that open-bolt semiauto designer were too readily convertible into machine guns. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Fitz Special: Art of the Gunfighter, Circa 1926E139
The Fitz Special: Art of the Gunfighter, Circa 1926http://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-fitz-special-art-of-the-gunfighter-circa-1926 http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons John Henry Fitzgerald was not the first person to cut down a revolver barrel, nor the first person to bob the trigger guard or hammer. But he was the person who put all these modifications together as a package and popularized it as a self-defense piece. “Fitz” was a former NYPD police officer, very successful competitive and exhibition shooter, and a gunsmith and representative of the Colt company from 1918 until 1944. He made somewhere between 20 and 100 Fitz Specials as part of the Colt custom shop, and inspired many more to be made by other gunsmiths. The Idea was to have a gun that would carry easily, and not get hung up on clothing. The shortened barrel, bobbed trigger guard, bobbed hammer, and bobbed ejector rod all served this purpose, with the trigger guard removal also easing use of the gun with gloves on. With the exception of the trigger guard, all of these ideas have become commonly accepted and available on revolvers designed for concealed carry. The trigger guard, of course, is a bridge too far in today’s more litigious and safety-minded society… If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - AMT Automag IV - A Browning in .45 Winchester MagnumE140
AMT Automag IV - A Browning in .45 Winchester Magnumhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/automag-iv-a-browning-in-45-winchester-magnum http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Automag series of pistol introduced by Arcadia Machine & Tool in the late 1980s and early 1990s were produced by the same man as the original Auto Mag Pistol - Harry Sanford - but they share nothing mechanical with that first generation gun. The later Automags (note the single word spelling, instead of two words) are mechanically Browning pistols, with tilting barrels as opposed to the rotating bolt of the original. Four different types were brought to market - the II in .22 Magnum, the III in .30 Carbine, the IV in .45 Winchester Magnum, and the V in .50 Action Express. None sold particularly well, and only the II remains in production today through High Standard. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Serbian 1899 Mauser - Like Boers in EuropeE141
Serbian 1899 Mauser - Like Boers in Europehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/serbian-1899-mauser-like-boers-in-europe http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Serbia in the 1890s was not a large or wealthy kingdom, and they had no domestic arms manufacturing capacity - but they did appreciate a good rifle and a good cartridge. The Serbian Army was armed with their M1880 rifle, which was a slightly improved Mauser 1871 single shot design, chambered a the Serbian-designed 10.15mm cartridge. By the mid 1890s this was seriously obsolete, and Serbia began to look for ways to replace it. In 1898 they were able to secure a loan from the Austro-Hungarian Empire to purchase new rifles, and they chose the 1895 pattern Mauser, in 7x57mm. However, Mauser was at that time at full capacity making rifles for Turkey, and had to hand the Serbian order off to DWM. By the end of 1900 the full order of 90,000 rifles (plus a stockpile of ammunition) had been delivered, and most of the Serbian first Ban forces were back on technological par with the rest of the world. These Model 1899 rifles would be followed by the 1899/07 and the Model 1910, both of which were basically the same action in the same caliber. In World War One, the Serbs with their Mausers would make a good first showing against (ironically) the Austro-Hungarians forces, but they did not have the stamina or resources to repel a second major offensive in 1915, when the Serbian Army was routed and forced to evacuate to the Greek island of Corfu. Most of their arms were lost in the process, and the Serbian Mausers would see no more organized use in the Great War (the army was re-equipped with French rifles instead). If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Serbian 1908 Carbine - Light, Handy, and Chambered for 7x57E142
Serbian 1908 Carbine - Light, Handy, and Chambered for 7x57http://www.forgottenweapons.com/serbian-1908-carbine-light-handy-and-chambered-for-7x57 http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The DWM order placed in 1899 had not provided Serbia with as many rifles as it had wanted, but it would take until 1906 for the Kingdom to arrange another loan to purchase additional arms. This would come from France, and it allowed Serbia to order 30,000 rifles, 10,000 carbines, and 50,000 barrels (which they would use to convert their old 1880 rifles to 7x57) from Steyr in 1908. Delivery was made in full in 1909,plus an additional 2,530 rifles and carbines were shipped in 1910 and 1911 - presumably a contract overrun Steyr offered to the Serbs at a good price. The rifles were basically identical to the previous DWM 1899 guns, with an improved rear sight designed by one Filip Petrovic and a gas relief hole milled in the underside of the bolt body. The carbines were the first such arms that Serbia had bought, but aside from the shorter barrel (17.6 inch / 448mm) and the bent bolt handle, they were mechanically identical to the 99/07 rifles. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Britains First Standard Trainer: the No 2 Mk IV*E143
Britains First Standard Trainer: the No 2 Mk IV*http://www.forgottenweapons.com/britains-first-standard-trainer-the-no-2-mk-iv http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The British military started using training rifles in 1883, with the .297/.230 Morris cartridge in adapted Martini rifles. This would give way to the .22 rimfire cartridge for training shortly after the Boer War, and a substantial variety of rifles converted to .22 rimfire. Standardization would take until 1921, when the "Rifle, short, .22 inch, RF, Mk IV” was formally adopted - a conversion of the No1 MkIII SMLE to a single shot .22 rimfire weapon. This was modified to Mk IV* in 1925, when an empty magazine body was added to the rifle, to act as a brass catcher. Just to make things more confusing, the nomenclature system was retroactively changed in 1926, and the designation because Rifle, No2 Mk IV*. This rifle is a very simple conversion. It used a standard bolt body, with the striker and bolt head modified for a rimfire type firing pin and .22 caliber extractor. The sight was not even changed; instead a conversion chart was issued with the rifles to specify the proper sight settings for .22 rimfire shooting (ie, set sight to 300yd for shooting at 25yd). These rifles would be used into the 1950s, particularly by India and Australia, who did not produce No4 rifles and thus did not produce No4 trainer conversions either. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Origin of a Flare Pistol: Shpagin's SPSh-44E144
Origin of a Flare Pistol: Shpagin's SPSh-44http://www.forgottenweapons.com/origin-of-a-flare-pistol-shpagins-spsh-44 http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons After finishing his work on the PPSh-41 submachine gun, Georgiy Semyonovich Shpagin was tasked with creating a simplified flare or signal pistol for the Red Army. They had entered the war with a 1930 pattern type, which was quite nice, but more expensive than really necessary. Shpagin first created the OPSh in 1943, which was made in 43 and 44 and then further simplified the design to this 1944 model. This example was made at the Molot plant (factory 356) where Shpagin was based either during or shortly after the war, as evidenced by its wooden grips and lack of date stamp. Later the design would be widely licensed throughout the Warsaw Pact region, and SPSh pattern flare pistols made in Poland and Czechoslovakia are widely available in the US today. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - 10mm is the Best Millimeter: the Colt Delta EliteE145
10mm is the Best Millimeter: the Colt Delta Elitehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/10mm-is-the-best-millimeter-the-colt-delta-elite http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Colt introduced the Delta Elite in 1987 to take advantage of the hype and publicity surrounding the 10mm Auto cartridge in the Bren Ten pistol. When the Bren Ten became such an ignominious failure, it left Colt in an excellent position as one of the first companies to actually have a viable offering in the caliber. However, the gun never sold particularly well despite its cult following, and it was removed form production in 1996 because of poor sales. It was reintroduced by Coly in 2009 with a few incremental improvements, and remains available today. Mechanically, the Delta Elite is basically identical to the standard Series 80 1911. It has a polymer guide rod and recoil buffer, along with a set of dual nested recoil springs to handle the more powerful cartridge. It was a reasonable reliably and durable pistol in stock form with stock ammunition, but suffered from reputation problems because of owners who enthusiastically tried to load and shoot the most powerful ammunition they could find, in pursuit of maximum power. Bren Ten video: https://youtu.be/A3amzB_hVUw If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Citadel Martini - British Guns Rebuilt in CairoE146
Citadel Martini - British Guns Rebuilt in Cairohttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/citadel-martini-british-guns-rebuilt-in-cairo http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In 1903, the British government shipped a load of spare/surplus Martini parts and tooling to Egypt, where it was set up in the Armory at the Citadel in Cairo. While Egypt was technically a part of the Ottoman Empire at this time, British troops had entered the country in 1882 to protect the British interest in the Suez Canal and never left. Eventually in 1914 Britain would declare the country a formal protectorate, but until then they just did their best (pretty successfully) to exercise political power - in part by helping to supply Egyptian security forces with arms. In the Citadel, the Egyptians assembled Martini-Enfield rifles and carbines in .303 British caliber using British-made parts from a variety of sources. Some, like the one in this video, were acquired as guns sold out of service, as indicated by the double facing broad arrow marks on the barrel knox form. The British markings were (mostly) removed, and replaced by a simple mark on the right side of the receiver with a seat in crescent, the word “Citadel” and the date of the work - between 1903 and 1908. While these guns most all saw long and hard service lives and are in pretty rough shape today, they were all made of legitimate British factory-made parts, and were good guns when assembled. If they were reasonably cared for, they will continue to be good quality guns today…and even if not, they are a really interesting lost corner of history. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Gewehr 71/84: Germany's Transitional Repeating RifleE147
Gewehr 71/84: Germany's Transitional Repeating Riflehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/gewehr-71-84-germanys-transitional-repeating-rifle http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the ongoing arms race between France and Germany, the Mauser 71/84 was the first German repeating rifle. Paul Mauser began work on it in the late 1870s, patented the design in 1881, and it was adopted formally in 1884. Production began in 1885, with a total of 1,161,148 rifles being delivered by the four major state arsenals (Spandau, Amberg, Erfurt, and Danzig) by 1888 - when it was replaced by the Gewehr 88. With an 8-round tube magazine under the barrel, the 71/84 represented a substantial increase in firepower over the single-shot Mauser 71 and the French 1874 single shot Gras - but it was put into production just in time to be rendered obsolete by the Lebel and its smokeless powder cartridge in 1886. The 71/84 was perhaps the German rifle with the shortest service life, at barely 5 years. It would come back out as a reserve rifle during World War One, of course, and it also was responsible for a change in Germans arm that would last all the way to the present day - the pull-through cleaning kit. The tubular magazine made it impossible to leave a cleaning rod under the barrel as on the Gew71, and rather than put it on the side like the French and Portuguese, Germany oped to remove it entirely in favor of the then-new pull-through cleaning kit. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Republic Arms RAP-401: Compact South African SteelE148
Republic Arms RAP-401: Compact South African Steelhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/republic-arms-rap-401-compact-south-african-steel http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Republic Arms 401 was originally designed as a compact pistol for the South African Police. The country was under international arms embargo, and the police wanted to replace their assortment of Beretta 81s, PPS, and PPKs with something standardized, for use by detectives and female officers. They put out a request for an all-steel gun (they were quite specific on that) like the Astra A75. Republic Arms submitted the RAP401, and it was adopted in 1990. In 1994, the newly elected government in South Africa ended the purchasing of new firearms, including the RAP401. This left Republic Arms looking for a market, and with the end of the arms embargo they decided to see if they could succeed on the US commercial market. In addition, they realized that the RAP401, begins stronger and heavier than really necessary for 9x19mm would be an excellent candidate for the new and popular .40 S&W cartridge. So they adapter the design for .40 caliber and exported it as the RAP440 alongside the 9mm RAP401. The guns sold reasonably well in the US thanks to their low price point but good quality, and remained in production until 2006. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Britain’s Only Repeating Enfield Trainer: the No7 Mk IE149
Britain’s Only Repeating Enfield Trainer: the No7 Mk Ihttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/britains-only-repeating-trainer-the-no7-mk-i http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Developed by BSA immediately after World War Two, the No7 MkI training rifle was the only one of the British Enfield trainers to use a magazine. Only 2500 of these rifles were produced, contracted by the Royal Air Force and delivered in 1948. Their magazine is a commercial BSA 5-round magazine modified slightly to latch into a housing inside a regular No4 Enfield magazine body. This makes them a particularly enjoyable rifle for range shooting, as well as one of the scarcest of the standard British trainers. Note that Canada also developed and adopted a No7 MkI .22 rimfire trainer, but that type is a single shot design, and does not share any parts with the British No7 MkI. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Mystery Mauser - Haitian? Czechoslovakian? Or Not?E150
Mystery Mauser - Haitian? Czechoslovakian? Or Not?http://www.forgottenweapons.com/mystery-mauser-haitian-czechoslovakian-or-not http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This Mauser is one that I simply have not been able to definitively identify. It is marked “Haiti 1957” and “CZ 29 - 53”, serial numbered 10, and chambered for an 8mm cartridge (probably 8x57 Mauser). However, the rifles known to have been purchased by Haiti were FN model 24/30 short rifles in .30-06, not long guns like this and not with these markings. The chamber symbol in particular is a mystery to me. Is this an example of the elusive CZ 29/53 pattern, unsuccessfully marketed to Haiti? Why would Haiti be using an 8mm rifle in 1957 anyway? If you know the answers to any of these questions, I would love to hear form you in the comments section... If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Astra 600/43: A Straight Blowback 9mm for the WehrmachtE151
Astra 600/43: A Straight Blowback 9mm for the Wehrmachthttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/astra-600-43-a-straight-blowback-9mm-for-the-wehrmacht http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When Germany acquired a land border with Spain after the French capitulation in 1940, they took advantage of the opportunity to purchase Spanish firearms, and have them delivered across the French border to the town of Hendaye. A German inspection office was set up there for use with both Spanish arms and Unique pistols. The first purchases from Spain were Astra 300 and Astra 400 pistols - the 300s were fine, but in .380 and .32 caliber. The 400 was a more suitable service sidearm, but it was chambered for the 9x23mm cartridge which Germany did not use. So in 1943, a couple of German engineers visited Astra to see about production of a pistol more suited to the Wehrmacht use. The result was the Astra 600/43, basically a model 400 rechambered for 9x19mm. It used a Navy pattern of magazine release instead of the 400’s heel release, and was generally much more what the German military wanted. Germany ordered 41,500 of them, and production began. The first delivery was in May of 1944, and a total of 10,500 were delivered to Hendaye before Allied advances into France made further deliveries impossible. These 10,500 guns were inspected at Hendaye, given WaAD20 proof marks, and distributed into the German military system. Astra continued to produce the guns through 1945 despite the inability to deliver (Germany had paid for them in advance, after all), and by the end of the war they had nearly 50,000 available. Some were sold on the Spanish civilian market, and a few small sales were made to militaries worldwide (Portugal, Chile, Jordan, Turkey, etc) as well as the Spanish government. But the bulk of the guns remained in inventory or storage until 1951, when the West German Police adopted the gun, and bought everything Astra still had (45,350 approxima - Olympic OA96 Pistol: A Loophole in the Assault Weapons BanE152
Olympic OA96 Pistol: A Loophole in the Assault Weapons Banhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/olympic-oa96-pistol-a-loophole-in-the-assault-weapons-ban http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In 1993, Olympic Arms introduced an AR-15 with a side folding stock, as well as a stockless - and buffer-tube-less - pistol version. They did this by relocating the recoil spring of the AR to a tube running above the barrel and receiver. It was a clever modification (although the execution left something to be desired), but it came at a very unfortunate time. The very next year, in 1994, the US Assault Weapons Ban was enacted and Olympic’s pistols were prohibited from production. However, Olympic recognized that the definition of “assault pistol” was based first on a semiautomatic handgun with a detachable magazine. If the magazine were not detachable, the gun was not an “assault pistol”, regardless of any other features it might have. So they introduced the OA-96 in 1996, with a 30-round fixed magazine, as well as a barrel shroud, pistol grip, and flash suppressor. In order to reload it, they incorporated a button to easy hinge the upper receiver open, allowing access to the magazine. This was a slick workaround, but of course what they and their customers really wanted was a detachable magazine. Olympic went immediately to work on that, and introduced the OA-98 two years later… If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Swedish m/41B - Best Sniper Rifle of World War TwoE153
Swedish m/41B - Best Sniper Rifle of World War Twohttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/swedish-m-41b-best-sniper-rifle-of-world-war-two http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Everything was going great in Sweden until 1940, when they looked up and realized that on one side they were next to a bunch of Finns busy trying to fight off the Russians, and on the other side were a bunch of Norwegians not being quite so successful at fighting off the Germans. It was a dangerous looking world, and Sweden realized that it somehow had never bother to get any scoped snipers’ rifles. So, they made a quick deal with the Germans to buy 4x AJACK telescopic sights and short rail type mounts, and the Carl Gustaf factory complex quickly put into effect a program to build sniper rifles, which were designated the m/41. These rifles were built on existing guns which showed particularly good accuracy - and so m/41 snipers exist with markings form all three of Sweden’s rifle sources (Mauser, Husqvarna, and Carl Gustaf) and from a wide range of production dates. Between 2000 and 3000 such guns were converted before Germany realized that it also needed quite a lot of snipers’ rifles, and stopped selling the optics to Sweden. At that point, the Swedes turned to domestically-made AGA scopes, which were really not a good as the German ones. In total, 5,300 m/41 snipers were built between 1941 and 1943. The rifles were never actually needed, and in 1955 Sweden decided to initiate a rebuilding program to bring them all up to the same standard. Virtually all of the AGA scopes were discarded, and AJACK scopes made universal. The mounting rails were now numbered, and their attachment method changed slightly (peened screws instead of additional locking screws). The rear icon sight leaves were also replaced with more precise dial-adjustable m/55 sights, allowing the guns to be used quite well both with and without the scopes. They would remain in Swedish servi - Franchi LAW12 - Like the SPAS-12, but Semiauto OnlyE154
Franchi LAW12 - Like the SPAS-12, but Semiauto Onlyhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/franchi-law12-like-the-spas-12-but-semiauto-only http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The LAW-12 was a sister product to the much better-known SPAS-12 shotgun made by Franchi in the 1980s. The SPAS was a selectable pump or semiauto system, and the LAW was semiauto only. This made it simpler, less expensive, and about 2 full pounds lighter. It was intended for the law enforcement market, with an eight-round magazine capacity (plus one in the chamber), a secondary “quick employment safety”, and magazine disconnect for select-slug drills. It never did prove particularly successful, though, on account of its relatively high price and its lack of compelling features to distinguish it from other options available at the time. Importation into the US ceased in 1989 as a result of the Bush import ban, and production ended in about 2000. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Britain Goes From Trainer to Competition: the No 8 Mk IE155
Britain Goes From Trainer to Competition: the No 8 Mk Ihttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/britain-goes-from-trainer-to-competition-the-no-8-mk-i http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Initially intended to be used only by the British Army (the Land Service), in 1950 the No8 rifle’s role was expanded to cover all three services. Unlike the other trainers made up to this point, the No8 MkI was designed as a target and competition rifle, instead of a service rifle reduced in caliber. It has a heavy barrel, a nice trigger converter to cock on open, and a heavy competition type stock. Adopted in 1948 or 1949 (sources differ), a whopping 76,000 were ordered and manufactured by BSA and Fazackerly - they remained in service until finally declared obsolescent by the British in 2014. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - CZ Makes a 45 for the Americans: the CZ-97BE156
CZ Makes a 45 for the Americans: the CZ-97Bhttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/cz-makes-a-45-for-the-americans-the-cz-97b http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Introduced in 1997, the CZ-97B is a .45ACP caliber addition to CZ’s line of globally popular handguns. However, the 97 has some substantial mechanical differences from the CZ-75 line. Most significantly, it locks on the front of the chamber and the ejection port instead of having locking lugs cut into the top of the barrel and underside of the slide. It also has a threaded and removable barrel bushing, unlike the 75s. This is an early 1998 production example, with wooden grips, no front slide serrations, and a solid front sight (newer examples have thinner aluminum grips, front serrations, and a fiber optic front sight). The CZ97 has never been particular hot or popular, in large part I suspect because of its overall size coupled with a 10-round magazine. During the AWB when it was introduced in the US (and I’m sure the US is a primary market for a .45ACP CZ) this was not so much of a liability, but today there are many other options for a full-size .45ACP handgun with significantly more capacity. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Dominican Republic Gets Mausers, 50 Years Too LateE157
The Dominican Republic Gets Mausers, 50 Years Too Latehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-dominican-republic-gets-mausers-50-years-too-late http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Dominican Republic is one of the few Central and South American nations which did not buy Mauser rifles when they were the top of the line military armament available. Instead, the Dominicans waiting until the 1950s, and bought surplus long and short Mauser rifles from Brazil. Using their newly built arms factory in San Cristobol, they refurbished these Brazilian Mausers by scrubbing them of all markings, giving them a heavy new dark finish (including the receivers, which were originally in the white), varnishing the stocks, and remarking them as Dominican Republic property. Some were also rebarreled to .30-06 from the original 7x57mm, but apparently only a minority of them. Some of these were subsequently used, and some just went right into storage until ultimately sold as surplus and brought into the US. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Short: Revolvers with Manual SafetiesE158
Short: Revolvers with Manual Safetieshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons One of the classic mistakes make by authors who are not "gunnies" is to have a character threateningly click off the safety catch...on a revolver (sound effects editors do it in movies and TV, too). Argh! That's not a thing! Except that, well, it sometimes is a thing. The Webley-Fosbery automatic revolver is the best known example, in large part due to its appearance in "The Maltese Falcon", but there are lots of other examples of revolvers with manual safeties. Let's have a look at a few... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Inkunzi PAW aka Neopup - 20mm Direct-Fire Grenade LauncherE159
Inkunzi PAW aka Neopup - 20mm Direct-Fire Grenade Launcherhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Inkunzi PAW (Personal Assault Weapon) is a 20mm shoulder fired semiautomatic grenade launcher designed by Tony Neophytou (and previously known as the Neopup). It is a creative and very interesting weapon system, both from a mechanical perspective and also from a question of practical application. The PAW has a 6-round detachable rotary magazine, and an effective range of 1000m for area targets and 600m for point targets. Its purpose is to give the individual soldier an explosive area-effect weapon that fires like a rifle. To this end, the ammunition has been developed to give a muzzle velocity of 1000fps (310m/s), giving it a far flatter trajectory and shorter flight time than a 40mm grenade, either low pressure or high. It allows rapid repeat shots, rapid reloading, and easy target transition. The high muzzle velocity (for a grenade launcher) makes range estimation and engagement of moving targets much simpler than with the rainbow-like trajectory of 40mm systems. For specialized modern applications like guarding against one or more vehicle suicide bombs, fast-moving pirate skiffs, it seems extremely compelling. That utility extends to typical targets as well, like light armored vehicles, buildings, gun emplacements, and even something as simply as a patch of brush with an enemy hiding within somewhere. Typical small arms fire requires a substantial expenditure of ammunition for targets like those, while an explosive 20mm projectile can neutralize them in one or two rounds, without the need for a direct hit. The lethal radius of a 20mm HEI shell is between 6 and 18 feet (2m - 6m) depending on who you ask. That's a significant margin of error. Mechanically, the PAW is a simple system to disassemble, and it uses a quite clever inertial locking system which is clean and reliable. The unique layout with the grip on the right sid - Shooting the Berthier Cuirassier CarbineE160
Shooting the Berthier Cuirassier Carbinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Cuirassier carbine is one of the very scarcest versions of the Berthier in the world, yet Patrick here is going to let me shoot a few rounds through his. My target is a steel plate at 300 meters, with a "feldgrau" silhouette - not visible through the camera, unfortunately. Thanks, Patrick! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: Communist Bloc Handguns by George LaymanE161
Book Review: Communist Bloc Handguns by George LaymanAvailable from the publisher here: https://gunandswordcollector.com/product/communist-handguns/ Or from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/2Mf2Uxi There is not really a good reference book available on Communist Bloc pistols - or at least there wasn't until now. George Layman has just released this overview of Cold War handguns from the USSR, Bulgaria, China, Czechoslovakia, East Germany, Hungary, North Korea, Poland, Romania, and Yugoslavia. At 157 pages total, however, the level of detail on each individual firearm is necessarily brief. While the work is a pretty nice overview for the idly curious, it does not include much information that isn't pretty easily found online (including a number of misconceptions). That said, it's not a bad book. The illustration is well done, and it is very nice as a single-stop reference on the basic handguns of the period. In particular, I found this to be true for the Tokarev pistols, as they were manufactured by a bunch of different countries with each national variation being a bit different in some way. Layman's book is a nice handy reference for understanding what those differences are. Unfortunately, it doesn't go into much more detail on things like rare variations, production totals, or any details about development of the various pistols. There are many personal anecdotes about the author's experiences with various examples of the guns over the course of a long military career, but unfortunately little formal research. At a cover price of $39.95 I think the book is priced a bit high for its contents, but for folks specifically interested in the Cold War period there are not many other books available to choose from. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson - William Soper's Direct Action Breech LoaderE162
William Soper's Direct Action Breech Loaderhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons William Soper of Reading, England designed this "Direct Action Breech Loader" and attempted to have it tested for British military adoption - but he was one day too late to have his rifle included in the tests and the Martini-Henry was ultimately adopted. The intent of Soper's system was to have the fastest possible rate of fire for a single-shot rifle, and what he came up with is quite interesting. A single lever just above and behind the trigger (intended to be operated by the shooter's right thumb) operated all aspects of the action, pressing the lever down recocks the hammer, opens the breech, extracts, and ejects the empty case. All that need be done is to drop a new cartridge into the breech, and press the lever up to close the action. Soper had an assistant who was reportedly able to fire the rifle at a rate of 60 rounds/minute - very impressive for a gun designed in 1868! Many thanks to the anonymous Dutch collector who provided me access to this rifle to bring to you! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Forgotten History: The Capture of Fort DouaumontE163
Forgotten History: The Capture of Fort Douaumonthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Welcome to out first episode of Forgotten History! This will be an occasional series looking at interesting events and places in military history. We will begin with the capture of Fort Douaumont on February 25, 1916... This video was made possible by Military History Tours, and it is the first of a bunch you will be seeing from their Spring 2018 tour of American WW1 battlefields in France. If you are interested in seeing places like this (or WW2, or Korea, or many others) firsthand yourself with a guided tour, check them out: https://www.miltours.com/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Rhodesia's First Production: Northwood Developments R76 & M77E164
Rhodesia's First Production: Northwood Developments R76 & M77http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the mid to late 1970s, several different Rhodesian arms designers were basically racing to be the first to come to market with a domestically produced civilian carbine type weapon. Northwood Developments would be the first, designed by former RAF engineer Roger Mansfield and manufactured in Salisbury, Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). The weapon was intended to be a whole modular system, with a basic receiver unit which could accept any of four different barrels and either a collapsing wire stock or a fixed wood stock (or not stock at all). The barrels ranged from short pistol types to longer carbine barrels, either with or without a bayonet lug and clamp-on bipod. The pistol configuration was introduced first as the R76, followed shortly thereafter by the M77 carbine. With the exception of prototypes made for military consideration, they were all semiauto-only guns, as required by Rhodesian law. The were chambered for the 9x19mm pistol cartridge, feeding from standard Browning High Power magazines, which Northwood manufactured in 13-, 20-, and 30-round sizes. The magazine catch is interchangeable with the Browning pistol. In total, about 2,000 of these carbines were produced before the Rhodesian wars ended around 1980. Most remained in Rhodesian/Zimbabwe, with a few filtering into South Africa. Many thanks to the anonymous collector who generously allowed me access to these two to bring to you! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Q&A 19: Answers From The BooniesE165
Q&A 19: Answers From The Boonieshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons 0:25 - FAMAS parts kits coming? 1:15 - Why heel magazine releases on European handguns? 3:07 - Are Continsouza Berthiers worth less than MAS and MAC ones? 5:10 - Having stronger FAMAS magazines made. 5:50 - Why were there M2 and M3 Carbines instead of M1A2 and M1A3 Carbines? 7:17 - What was my first parts kit build (and ARs don't count)? 9:25 - Would the Pedersen Device have been as great in combat as the US Army hoped? I highly recommend C&Rsenal's video on this topic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M637KpEP1_E 10:22 - Best firearm operating system for suppressing? 12:21 - Why not show clearing of the action in every video? 13:46 - Why should a new gun collector NEVER do? 17:21 - Have I encountered any haunted or possessed guns or locations? 18:18 - Why did militaries waste so much money on single shot and tube magazine rifles and then replace them so quickly? 20:45 - Why did simple-manufaxcture submachine guns take so long to appear? 23:46 - Was the MAB-15 ever an official French military service weapon? 24:17 - How often do I travel, and does it cause problems? 25:54 - Have I ever been to the WWI museum in Kansas City? 26:20 - Best setup Milsurp bolt gun for lefties? 28:20 - What semiauto pistol mechanism could have been as popular as Browning's tilting barrel in an alternative timeline? 29:26 - Why do some countries ban possession of military caliber firearms? 30:47 What firearm was just a tweak away from greatness? 31:45 - Was the Lebel the single largest leap forward in small arms technology in history? If not, what else? 33:09 - What was the coolest pawn shop/small gunshop/etc find you ever had? Berthier Cuirassier unboxing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1G9a4c_61Bk Scotti Model X: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF-yRugPwuI 34:31 - Can recoil energy b - Neostead 2000 Dual-Tube Pump ShotgunE166
Neostead 2000 Dual-Tube Pump Shotgunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Developed in the mid 1990s by South African designer Tony Neophytou, the Neostead 2000 is a pump action shotgun with a substantial cult following. It was the first truly high-capacity shotgun put into production, with two magazine tubes over a single barrel (a concept which was independently implemented by KelTec in their later KSG shotgun). This configuration gave it a capacity of 12+1, and a selector switch allowed the shooter to control whether only one tube was fed from or if both would be used alternating back and forth. Thus the tubes could be loaded with different types of ammunition to have readily available at the flip of a switch. It was produced only in 12ga, with a 3" chamber. The Neostead has a bullpup type layout, with the action and ejection port behind the grip and trigger. This allows a full-length barrel in a short overall package, and it is for this reason that the pump mechanism is designed to cycle opposite of traditional shotguns (forward to open and back to close). By having the shooter pulling their hand rearwards to close the action, the potential danger of the hand slipping in front of the muzzle while firing (something that has happened on the KSG) can be avoided. Production of the Neostead did not happen until the early 2000s, and only 200 of the guns were made. The problem was ultimately the excessive complexity of the design. Short-stroking the pump could result in two shells both trying to feed onto the lifter, which would require field stripping the gun to resolve. The internal complexity also made the gun quite expensive - too expensive to be commercially successful. Most of the guns remain in South Africa today, where they are sought after as collectible items. Many thanks to the anonymous collector who provided the production gun for disassembly, and to Mr. Neophytou for providing his prototype for - Shooting the Techno Arms MAG-7 (properly!)E167
Shooting the Techno Arms MAG-7 (properly!)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons A while back I filmed some shooting with a Techno Arms MAG-7 shotgun in the US. It had been set up in the American non-NFA configuration, with a terrible wooden stock and long barrel, and I had not been able to find the appropriate mid-length shells for it. Well, on a trip to South Africa I had a chance to try shooting another MAG-7 in the proper intended configuration and with actual Techno Arms ammunition. It was much better this way, not surprisingly! The metal folding stock is still pretty poor, but the recoil from the shells was lighter than I expected (enough so that I am a bit dubious of its actual terminal effectiveness). It ran reliably, which was nice, although the really annoying problem of slamming the tip of your trigger finger into the pump handle remained! My host managed to do that not once but twice, and was suffering from it well into the next day. So...it you can get (or make) the specialty ammo and are willing to overlook all its other warts, the MAG-7 is not the worst choice you could make in shotguns. I will still stick to a proper Mossberg or 870, though. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Rhodesian FAL - with Larry VickersE168
Rhodesian FAL - with Larry Vickershttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The iconic weapon of the Rhodesian Bush War is the FN-FAL, painted in a distinctive "baby poop" yellow and green pattern. Because Rhodesia was under international embargo, its options for obtaining weapons were limited. Some domestic production was undertaken, but one large source was neighboring South Africa. Both South African production FALs and also Belgian-made South African contract FALs were provided. This rifle is one of the latter, with the South African crest and proof marks defaced for some theoretical deniability should it be scrutinized. Larry Vickers will talk us through this FAL, pointing out the different elements that are distinctly Rhodesian, as well as the unique Halbeck Device - and detachable muzzle brake. Thanks to Larry for sharing this rifle with us! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - A Well-Traveled LugerE169
A Well-Traveled Lugerhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This Luger has seen basically all of 20th century German history. It began as a 1917 production DWM pistol, used in World War One. After the war, it was one of the guns remarks for use by the police and military of the Weimar Republic, and at some point in this period had a special police safety installed, to prevent a careless officer from accidentally shooting himself with the disassembled slide assembly. That safety was later removed, and the pistol remained in German official service through World War Two. It was still there when the eastern half of Berlin was occupied by the Soviets, and was issued to the Volkspolizei of Soviet-controlled Weissensee. During this time, it was reissued new matching magazines made by Haenel in East Germany. When the Berlin Wall came down, it was liberated from a Stasi arms depot in Weissensee, and a few years later reproofed under the newly unified Germany to make it legal on the commercial market. Today it resides in the collection of a European arms collector, who found it for sale and recognized the tremendously long history shown in its markings. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Military Historical ToursE170
Military Historical ToursMilitary Historical Tours is a company specializing in guided tours of battlefields and war memorials, for the historical enthusiast and veteran alike. I spent about 10 days with them visiting WW1 American battlefields in France this spring, and had an excellent time - their offerings are a great way to see a lot of sites without having to deal with arranging transportation and lodging in a faraway place. In addition to WW1, they also have tours around WW2 in the Western, Eastern, and Pacific fronts, Korea, Vietnam, Spain, Israel, and more. To see their full schedule of tours, check their web site: https://www.miltours.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - RP46 Variations: Russian, North Korean, and US ReproductionE171
RP46 Variations: Russian, North Korean, and US ReproductionFYI, the Russian kit in this video is currently for sale on GunBroker. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merchandise! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The RP-46 was the final iteration of the Degtyarev DP27/DPM light machine gun, modified to feed from Maxim/SG43/PK belts instead of pan magazines. As such, it was able to serve the role of a universal machine gun like the MG34 and MG42 until the Soviet Union was able to develop a true purpose-built GPMG in the PK. Because the RP-46 is a very rare firearm in collectors' hands today, it is not well understood by most. While the top feed adapter is known, many people do not realize that several other elements of the weapon were changed at the same time, including a complete redesign of the gas block. Today we are looking at a Russian-made set of RP-46 parts and also a North Korean set (North Korea adopted the design as the Type 64, with several changes form the Soviet pattern). We will also look at the American-made reproduction RP46 top cover made by SMG Guns of Texas. The reproduction adapter has several improvements over the originals, while maintaining a very authentic look. Most significantly, it can be used without any permanent modification to a semiautomatic or fully automatic DP/DPM. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Interview: Tony Neophytou (Neostead, Inkunzi PAW, NTW-20, NeoStrike)E172
Interview: Tony Neophytou (Neostead, Inkunzi PAW, NTW-20, NeoStrike)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Tony Neophytou is the South African designer of several very interesting and innovative firearms: the Neostead 2000 pump shotgun, the NTW-20 anti-material rifle, the NeoPup/Inkunzi PAW, and most recently the NeoStrike/Inkunzi Strike machine gun. He was generous enough to spare some time to sit down with me and discuss his experiences from a career of firearms design, and some advice for anyone who might be thinking of doing the same ("sit down until the urge passes!"). Mr. Neophytou is a remarkably talented designer (or as he would have been called 150 years ago, a "mechanic") and very humble and self-aware. He is one of a very small cadre of people who have actually undertaken the whole experience of arms design from idea through production, and he doesn't sugar-coat the perseverance it requires. So if you want to know what it takes to actually do that, then grab a coffee and join us for the next half hour! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - MKb-42(W) - The Sturmgewehr That Never WasE173
MKb-42(W) - The Sturmgewehr That Never Washttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the German military first requested rifles in the new 8x33mm Kurz cartridge, there were two companies that provided designs. One was Haenel, who would eventually win the competition. The other was Walther, who submitted this rifle - the MKb-42(W). Where the Haenel gun fired from an open bolt and used a tilting bolt locking system, the Walther rifle fired from a closed bolt and used a rotating bolt to lock. It also used an unusual annular gas piston. In competition, the Walther's closed bolt operation made it more accurate in semiauto fire and less susceptible to ingress of dirt. However, it was substantially more complex and more expensive that the Haenel gun. In total, just 200 of the MKb-42(W) were made before being cancelled in late 1942. Needless to say, very few survive today, and it was a great privilege to be able to disassemble and present this one to you. Thanks to the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters for the invitation to do so! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - OVP 1918: Italy's first WW1 Submachine GunE174
OVP 1918: Italy's first WW1 Submachine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The original Villar Perosa machine gun was a rather odd combination of features; a double-barreled gun in 9mm Glisenti with spade grips and a blistering rate of fire. This proved to be of limited practical utility, and the Officine Di Villar Perosa went back to the drawing board in response to an Italian military desire for a true submachine gun. The result was the OVP-1918, which utilized a number of parts from the 1915 guns, including the bolts, magazines, and magazine locking system. The OVP-1918 retained the very high rate of fire that the earlier 1915 weapon had, but had a traditional style stock and grip, along with a semiauto trigger and a full auto trigger. The most unusual aspect of the design was the cocking sleeve in the place of a normal charging handle. The Beretta firm also developed a submachine gun in 1918, and it is still debated among historians whether either of them saw combat earlier than the German MP-18. Whether they were the very first or not, the combat use of the OVP was limited during World War One, and they would be replaced by more well-developed designs long before World War Two. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Gahendra: the Nepalese Not-A-Martini (Updated)E175
Gahendra: the Nepalese Not-A-Martini (Updated)This video has been updated from its original form to fix translation issues and to clarify that Nepal was not, in fact, a British colony. Originally published January 10, 2017. Long a mysterious unknown member of the Martini family, the Nepalese Gahendra rifles finally became available in the US and Europe after IMA purchased Nepal’s cache of historic arms. The Gahendra is a uniquely Nepalese design built to sidestep British reluctance to supply military arms to the country. Developed by a General Gahendra (who is also responsible for the Bira copy of the Gardner Gun), the rifle is not actually a Martini at all. Instead, it shares its mechanical features mostly with the earlier Peabody falling block rifles, using a hammer and flat mainspring (the Martini improvement replaces there with a striker and coil spring). Gahendras are chambered for the standard British .577/.450 Martini cartridge, although their bore diameters vary substantially, and one should absolutely slug a specific rifle before loading ammunition for it. In fact, unless you are capable of proficiently assessing the safety of the Gahendra, it is wiser not to shoot them at all. These rifles were individually handmade well over a hundred years ago using steels of questionable metallurgy and hardening. That said, the guns were actually much better made than most people assume, considering their non-interchangeable parts. Craftsmen built each rifle part by part, giving the factory an output of just 4 rifles per day. Production began in the 1880s, and according to the Nepalese government ended prior to 1899. Dates on the rifles, however, are commonly found as late as 1911. These dates are generally assumed to be inventory or refurbishment dates. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Dreyse M60 Needle Rifle (Updated)E176
Dreyse M60 Needle Rifle (Updated)This video has been updated from its original form to remove a reference to an erroneous claim that it did not effectively obturate, and was thus fired from the hip. For a great video showing live fire of the Dreyse, check out CapAndBall: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5xH1YELizY Originally published May 27, 2015. The Dreyse needle rifle (or zundnadelgewehr, which translates to needle firing rifle) was a major step forward in military rifle technology, although it did not remain at the forefront for very long (much like the Spencer repeating rifle in that regard). It used a paper cartridge with an integrated percussion cap primer, allowing the shooter to carry fully self-contained ammunition. It was a breech-loading bolt action, and the combination of these features gave it a much higher rate of fire than the muzzleloading rifles it replaced. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Russian Type 2 AK: Introducing the Milled ReceiverE177
Russian Type 2 AK: Introducing the Milled Receiverhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Updated to fix errors in nomenclature and production dates. With recognition of the production problems of the original Type 1 AK, an alternative was needed. Russian engineer Valeriy Kharkov led a team of engineers who designed a replacement drop-forged and machined receiver for the AK. This new receiver was not a technical challenge for Izhevsk to produce, and it added durability and potentially accuracy to the weapon, at the cost of an additional pound (half kilo) of weight and more manufacturing time/expense. The Type 2 AK is distinctive for its rear socket used to attach the buttstock, which was done to simplify the receiver profile and to allow the same receiver to be used for both fixed and underfolding stocks. The Type 2 receiver also has a weight reduction scalloped cut on the right side which is parallel to the top surface of the receiver (on the later Type 3, this cut would be made parallel to the bottom of the receiver instead) as well as a few other smaller features. While the Type 2 receiver solved the immediate problem for Kalashnikov's team, it would only be in production for a short time. Introduced in 1951, production ceased in 1957, being replaced by an improved iteration of milled receiver, the Type 3, in 1955. The Type 3 would remain in production until the stamped receiver was finally perfected as the AKM in 1959, and the Type 3 would be produced by a significant number of nations outside the Soviet Union. Today, the second pattern AK is an very rare weapon, and I am grateful to the private collector who allowed me to video this one for you! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Type 1 Russian AK: The First Production Stamped AK (Updated)E178
Type 1 Russian AK: The First Production Stamped AK (Updated)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Updated to fix errors of nomenclature and production dates. The AK was formally adopted in 1947, and went into production in 1948. In this very first form, it used a stamped receiver with front and rear trunnions riveted in place. Unfortunately, while the hand-fitted preproduction guns were quite excellent, the manufacturing processes and quality control left a lot to be desired. The stamped receiver was relatively thin (especially compared to previous stamped Russian small arms like the PPS-43), and was very susceptible to warping during heat treating and other parts of the manufacturing process. The guns that met QC requirements were every bit as good as expected, but the high number of rejects nullified much of the point of having those stamped parts in the first place. For this reason, Type 1 AK production ended in 1951, and a milled receiver was developed to allow rifles to continue being made while the engineering and production team worked to improve the receiver design and the manufacturing processes around it. It should be noted that the "AK-47" was the final prototype version of the gun, and the Type 1 was designated simply "AK" in official Soviet documentation. Today, the first pattern AK47 is an extremely rare weapon, and I am grateful to the private collector who allowed me to video this one for you! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - St Petersburg Cavalry School Mosin CarbineE179
St Petersburg Cavalry School Mosin Carbinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This is a rather mysterious - or at least poorly documented - Mosin Nagant carbine variation. Made from an assortment of rifles dated from 1896 through 1920, these carbines were designed to fit Gulkevich folding bayonets. They have a barrel just slightly longer than a 1907 carbine, but were fitted with 1907 Carbine rear sights. They were also fitted with metal sheaths alongside the rear sights to retain the tip of the folding bayonet, as well as new sling swivels on the left side of the stock and barrel band. Basically no documentation has been published explaining the origin and purpose of these carbines, but hopefully some will eventually be found. The best hypothesis I am aware of at this time is that the carbines were made by and for the St Petersburg Cavalry School. Thanks to the anonymous collector who shared this one with us! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Forgotten History: World's Biggest Black Powder Cannon - a 100-Ton GunE180
Forgotten History: World's Biggest Black Powder Cannon - a 100-Ton Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The largest muzzleloading black powder cannons ever built were the Armstrong 100-ton guns which saw service with the Italian Navy and with British coastal fortifications on Malta and Gibraltar. They were purchased by the Italians first, to outfit a pair of new super battleships, each vessel having two turrets with two of these guns in each. To avoid being outclassed, the British ordered two guns for installation to protect the Grand Harbor of Malta and two more to protect Gibraltar. Today one survives at each location, and we are visiting the Rinella Battery in Malta, which was built to house one of the Maltese guns. These guns had a maximum range of 8 miles, and was capable of piercing 15 inches of iron armor at 3 miles. It had a 17.7 inch (45cm) bore fired a 2000 pound (900 kg) shell with a 450 pound (200kg) charge of black powder. The gun itself weighed approximately 102 tons, and with its cradle and a shell the whole assembly came in at 150 tons. Aside from the massive scale of the piece, the most interesting part of its design is actually the loading machinery. Because of the titanic size of the gun and ammunition, Armstrong designed a fascinating hydraulic reloading facility which makes up the body of the fortress in which the gun is set. A pair of steam engines drove a pair of hydraulic accumulators, which provided hydraulic pressure to move the gun on its carriage, to douse the barrel after firing, to hoist ammunition into position for loading and power a 60-foot (18m) ramrod to mechanically ram the charge and shell into place. Two mirror-image reloading galleries under the fortification operated in turn, giving the gun a sustained rate of fire of 1 round every 6 minutes - at least until its 120-round barrel life was exhausted. I am grateful for the Malta Tourism Authority's assistance in helping to make this visit and vide - Dutch Farmers Against the Empire: ZAR Mausers of the Boer WarE181
Dutch Farmers Against the Empire: ZAR Mausers of the Boer Warhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the intercepted Jameson Raid made it clear to the governments of the ZAR (Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek; South African Republic) and the Orange Free State that war with Britain was imminent, a hasty armaments program was undertaken by both countries. The ZAR went looking for small arms, and wound up buying a tiny number of Krag-Jorgensens, a lot of Steyr Guedes single shot rifles, and about 28,000 modern Mauser bolt action repeaters. The Boer military system at that time (the Second Anglo-Boer War would run from 1899 to 1902) was based on a universal civilian militia. Every male citizen of the Republic was required to present himself for military service when needed, supplying his own horse, rifle, ammunition, and basic ration supply. These were farming nations, with neither the industrial infrastructure nor the wealth to maintain an arms industry or a standing army. While the kommandos were sufficient for defending again minor border intrusions, they would be severely stressed by a real war. Because there was no military standard for arms, the men constituting the ZAR's army were armed with a mixture of all the rifles types available at that time - really anything that a traveling salesman might have brought to the area in the past couple decades. Sniders, British muskets, Kropatscheks, early Mausers, Vetterlis, and more. When the ZAR government purchased its Mauser rifles and carbines form Loewe/DWM, they were then sold at cost to individual Boers as an opportunity to improve and standardize their arms. Men who could not afford to buy one of the Mausers were loaned one by the government. One interested consequence of this entirely private rifle ownership was that a great many Boer rifles were personalized with carvings of names, battles, and decorations. The usual military taboo on modifying Army property did not apply to a Bo - Overview of South African Gun LawsE182
Overview of South African Gun Lawshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Basic gun ownership in South Africa - what does it involve and how does it work? Dedicated collectors, sportsmen, and hunters? Self-dense and concealed carry? Well, when I was in South Africa I figured I'd get the scoop from a local... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Pistola PRESSIN: Llama's Sneaky Self-Defense WeaponE183
Pistola PRESSIN: Llama's Sneaky Self-Defense Weaponhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Developed in 1978 and produced by Llama until 1995, the Pressin was a two-shot derringer made to be disguised as a pair of glasses. It was intended for use by politicians, military officers, and other potential victims of kidnapping by groups like the ETA. It held two rounds of a special 7.65mm E cartridge, which was .32 ACP with a case cut down to 15mm. A total of about 900 were made, most of which were deactivated and sold on the Spanish civilian market after Llama's bankruptcy. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Rhodesia Made Their FALs Great With This One Weird Halbek Device!E184
Rhodesia Made Their FALs Great With This One Weird Halbek Device!http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Halbek Device was a clamp-on muzzle brake designed by two Rhodesians, Douglas Hall and Marthinus Bekker. It was patented in Rhodesia in 1977 and in the US in 1980, and manufactured in small numbers for the Rhodesian military. I have seen these occasionally, and doubt they are actually very effective. But during a filming trip to South Africa I had a chance to actually try one on a select-fire R1 FAL, complete with high speed camera to find out for sure. So, let's see what they really do... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Virtual Tour of the Excavation at DigHill80E185
Virtual Tour of the Excavation at DigHill80http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons DigHill80 was an archaeological project funded in large part by you, the viewers of Forgotten Weapons. Hill 80 was a German fortified position in World War One outside the Belgian town of Wijtschate. In 2015 and exploratory excavation prior to construction on the site discovered remarkably extensive and well preserved trenches. Belgian law required a minimum level of historical investigation, but the archaeologists on the site felt the site deserved a much more extensive excavation, and they set up a KickStarter to fund it. You responded, and the dig was fully funded. It began this spring, and has just now concluded - the time frame was short because of the construction that is scheduled to begin on the site. This is not a place that can become a permanent site; it was an effort to find and record as much as possible in the brief window allowed. In addition to a multitude of artifacts found, more than 100 soldiers were recovered from the site, now able to be given proper burial in their respective national cemeteries. German, French, and British men all fought and died in these trenches. I was hoping to be able to visit the site while the dig was underway, but unfortunately I wasn't able to. However, thanks to Simon Verdegem (the lead archaeologist) we have a virtual tour here of the site on its final day. Thanks, Simon! The overall findings from the dig are going to be presented in London on November 12th, and I will be attending that event. If you are interested in joining me, you can find full details and purchase tickets here: https://dighill80.com/collections/events/products/london-event-presentation-of-findings-with-dan-snow-al-murray Hill80 project home page: http://hill80.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - OSS "Stinger" Covert Cigarette GunsE186
OSS "Stinger" Covert Cigarette Gunshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons During World War Two, the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) was the primary US clandestine operations organization. It was responsible for making all sorts of unique weapons, including these "Stinger" cigarette guns. They were single shot disposable .22 Short pistols. The first pattern was contracted and manufactured entirely by the OSS, and 25,000 of them were manufactured early in the war. They proved to have a myriad of minor to moderate problems, though, including failures to fire and burst barrels. A second version was produced by the Ordnance Department in 1944, with a strengthened and improved design, and 25,500 of those were made. I have not found any documentation of these being actually used, but then again not much documentation exists on the use of any OSS weapons. These sorts of things were often provided to infiltration agents who might never be heard from again, or dropped to partisan or resistance groups who weren't exactly writing field reports on their gear. Many thanks to the collector who provided me access to these! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - FESAC and the Rights of European Arms CollectorsE187
FESAC and the Rights of European Arms Collectorshttps://www.fesac.eu http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am joined by Mr. Stephen Petroni, chairman of FESAC - the Foundation for European Societies of Arms Collectors. FESAC is an organization set up to advocate for and protect the rights of European arms collectors at the European Union level. Here in the United States many people shrug off gun collecting in Europe as a lost cause when in reality American and European collectors have a lot to learn and gain from cooperation, as do collectors within each nation in the European Union. Just as the US is a collection of states with widely differing gun laws, so is the EU a collection of nations with diverse laws and regulations. If we want to promote the preservation of military history worldwide, we must work together worldwide to support each other. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Kaiserliche Schutztruppen G98 - for the German Camel CorpsE188
Kaiserliche Schutztruppen G98 - for the German Camel Corpshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Germany established their colony of German South West Africa (Deutsch-Südwestafrika, now Namibia) in 1884, as part of its late attempt to become a colonial power to rival the United Kingdom. The soldiers deployed to protect German interests t here were the Kaiserliche Schutztruppen, and they were few in number and armed with a variety of rifles. Most had Mauser 1871 Jager rifles, single shot black powder arms. The best off, however, were outfitted with new Mauser 98 rifles when the German military adopted the G98. A special batch was made for these colonial troops, with a few distinctive features - a bent bolt handle and sights calibrated down to 200m. And yes - they were used by troops mounted on camels! When World War One broke out, the fighting in Namibia ended fairly quickly, with the German forces soundly defeated by South Africans under General Jan Smuts in the summer of 1915. Fighting in the other German colonies (especially German East Africa, now Tanzania) would last much longer. A slight correct to the video: 10,000 of these rifles were actually in German South West Africa by 1908, but 8,000 of them were destroyed by the German forces prior to surrendering in 1915. The German armed force was small, but extra troops had been deployed to the area in response to the Herero Wars in 1904, and they left their rifles behind when they returned to Germany afterwards. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Ken Hackathorn on the Thompson and the MP5E189
Ken Hackathorn on the Thompson and the MP5http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am speaking with Ken Hackathorn about submachine guns - specifically the Thompson and the MP5. Mr Hackathorn has an extensive resume that he is quite humble about, but I will point out that it includes being a US Army Special Forces Small Arms Instructor. He has a great deal of practical knowledge about military small arms, and an unusually insightful perspective. So if you want to know why the reality of the Thompson is not the same as it's image and reputation, or why the MP5 is the best submachine gun that has been or ever will be, then settle down for a fun half hour! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - WW2 Mauser Becomes Heckler & Koch: the StG-45(M), or Gerat 06HE190
WW2 Mauser Becomes Heckler & Koch: the StG-45(M), or Gerat 06Hhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons After the Mp44/StG44 Sturmgewehr was starting to see substantial production and field use, the German military and the Mauser company began working on a way to simplify production of the weapon. The design for the Gerät 06H actually began with the Gerät 03, an attempt to make a roller-locked G43 rifle in 8x57mm. An accident with automatic fire and bolt bounce sparked the idea of roller-delayed blowback, and Mauser engineers incorporated this concept into a rifle in the same layout as the StG-44 and using the 8x33mm cartridge. The Gerät 06H would successfully complete early prototype trials, and was ordered to be fully developed, with the designation StG-45(M). The next step in the process was to make a small batch of guns for extended trials. A total of 30 more guns were ordered, but they were not completed by the time US troops began threatening to overrun the Mauser complex at Oberndorf. All the most valuable material at the factory was packed into a train with the intent of reassembling the factory in a secret cave in the Austrian Alps. The train left Mauser on the night of April 21/22 1945, with the incomplete sets of StG45(M) parts aboard. US and British military intelligence men found the train in June, and took the parts into custody. Eventually, imprisoned Mauser staff held in the Netherlands would be put to work assembling some of these rifles so they could be tested by Allied governments. The roller-delayed blowback system would find its way to Spain with a number of former Mauser men, where it was developed into the CETME rifle and adopted by Spain. The Heckler & Koch company was formed to continue this work when arms development again became legal in Germany, and the system would see massive worldwide use as the G3 rifle, MP5 submachine gun, and many other derivative weapons designs. The rifle in this video was a set of - Cobray Terminator at the Range: The Worst Shotgun EverE191
Cobray Terminator at the Range: The Worst Shotgun Everhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Most of the guns made by Cobray are pretty awful, but one can at least understand the market they were made for. The Terminator is different, because it really is rather incomprehensible who would have actually thought that a single shot, open bolt 12 gauge shotgun with a terrible stock would be a good thing to spend money on. Really the only explanation I can come up with is that it looks industrial and mean, and I suppose some people would have bought it just for that. Having taken one to the range now, my suspicions of its terribleness have been fully confirmed. It actually is painful to shoot, and the open bolt slamfire mechanism does a greta job of magnifying the inevitable flinch it will give you. It's clunky and annoying to reload, and also to unload after firing. I never did figure out why it was failing to fire so much for me, unless it was simply a short firing pin with deep-set primers. To be honest, I don't really care. I'm just happy to be able to send it back to the generous (if perhaps sadistic) viewer who loaned it to me. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: The Makarov Pistol Part 2 (China, Bulgaria, Khyber Pass)E192
Book Review: The Makarov Pistol Part 2 (China, Bulgaria, Khyber Pass)Get your copy here: https://amzn.to/2Ob6lai http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Henry Brown and Cameron White have released the second part of their work on the Makarov pistol, this time with additional assistance from Edwin Lowe. This second volume covers Chinese, Bulgarian, and craft-made ("Khyber Pass") versions of the Makarov. This volume is very similar to the first in a technical sense - the layout is relatively simple and the photos not particularly glamorous. The information, however, is quite good, as in the first volume. The authors cover the distinctions between the civilian and military versions of each country's Makarovs, as well as the differences between guns brought in by each importer. Some speculation remains about total production numbers and the meaning of some markings (particular with the Chinese military ones), but the authors do a very good job of explaining what is and isn't known, and presenting the current best theories on the less understood points. The Khyber Pass chapter is less substantial than the other two, as one might expect - but it does a good job of explaining several distinctive non-standard aspects of the craft-made Makarov. Overall, this is an very good resource for the American collector of Makarovs. Aside from archival information about the original Soviet development of the pistol, it is rather difficult to see what additional information might be desired that is missing form these two volumes. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Argentina's Open-Bolt Pocket .22s: the Hafdasa HA and the ZondaE193
Argentina's Open-Bolt Pocket .22s: the Hafdasa HA and the Zondahttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Originally made by Hafdasa (Hispano-Argentina Fábrica de Automóviles S.A.), the HA pistol is a .22 Long Rifle caliber, semiauto only, open bolt pocket pistol. It was produced in the 1950s, right at the end of Hafdasa's existence (coincidence?). When the firm shut its doors, a group of employees took the basic design, improved it in a few ways, and creased a new company called Armotiv SA to produce it under the name Zonda. The Zonda has a floating firing pin instead of the HA's fixed one, and a creative safety machinist which simply cams the magazine down when engaged. As an open-bolt gun, if the magazine is too low for the bolt to pick up a cartridge, it cannot fire. Both the HA and Zonda are quite rare today, as not many were originally made or sold. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Forgotten History: The Underground Hell of Fort VauxE194
Forgotten History: The Underground Hell of Fort Vauxhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons With the surprise capture of Fort Douaumont in February 1916, the French reinforced all the remaining forts around the city of Verdun, and would hold them all successfully for many months. In fact, the only other fort in the area to fall would be Fort Vaux, in June of 1916. In the chaos of the early battle, orders had actually gone out to evacuate Vaux and destroy it, but these were countermanded, and the fort remained a major lynchpin of French defenses in the sector. Critically, before they could be removed, demolition charges set in the fort's main gun turret were detonated by a massive German shell, destroying the weapon. In May, German advances seriously threatened the fort, and a new commander was assigned - Major Sylvain Eugene Raynal. Upon arrival, he found the fort in a terrible condition - heavily damaged by German bombardments and hugely overcrowded with as many as 500 soldiers, most of them wounded and sheltering in the fort (it had been designed to garrison 150 men). Shelling had broken through the fort's walls in several places, and unbeknownst to Raynal or his men, the water cistern had been damaged and was nearly empty despite its gauge reading substantial levels of water. The climactic German assault began on June 1st 1916, and by the end of the day only 71 French soldiers remained in unwounded inside. On June 2nd, the cistern damage was discovered - at that point it held just 8 gallons of putrid dregs. Intense fighting would continue for nearly another week, without any relief forces or supplies able to reach the fort. On the 5th, a bit of water was collected from rain, but not much. A relief force attempted to reinforce the fort, but was virtually obliterated, with only 37 men reaching its walls. The Germans would storm the fort on June 5th, and the most horrific of combat would rage for two days inside its tu - South African Galils: The R4, R5, R6, and LM SeriesE195
South African Galils: The R4, R5, R6, and LM Serieshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When South Africa decided to replace the R1 rifle (a metric FAL), they chose to adopt the Israeli Galil. Both nations had similar environmental issues with blowing sand (in northwestern South Africa particularly), and Israel was one of the few nations willing to trade arms with South Africa in the 1970s. The Galil ARM was adopted as the R4 rifle, with the initial batch of guns purchased directly from IMI, and a licensing agreement put in place to follow those up with domestic South African production. These would be followed later by the R5 carbine, and the abortive attempt at the R6 carbine. In addition, semiautomatic copies of these rifles were also available on the civilian market at the LM-4, LM-5, and LM-6. Today we will look at the differences between the South African and Israeli guns, the changes made through production, and the variation in the different types. Everything you wanted to know about the South African Galils! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Q&A 20 - With Special Guest Bob BigandoE196
Q&A 20 - With Special Guest Bob Bigandohttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Check out the Secret Weapons of WWI shirts and posters: http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons On to our questions... 0:50 - Berthier type iron sights on military rifles 2:15 - Books covering all US military small arms 3:25 - 4.85mm British compared to its contemporaries 4:19 - Alternative history: PMC armament in the 20s and 30s 8:19 - What gun do I dislike the most? 8:40 - How to find rate or fire and bullet velocity pre-computer? 11:21 - Why is rimfire priming only used on weak cartridges? 13:28 - Infantry rifles as PDWs instead of primary arms 14:52 - Winchester 1917 Model D 17:21 - Underappreciated development of the 21st century? 18:20 - Who are the team behind Forgotten Weapons? 19:44 - How to calculate iron sight design on old rifles? 21:00 - What is the worst part of my job? 23:11 - What collection would I really like to visit? 24:06 - Would the Davis Gun be suitable for Forgotten Weapons? 25:19 - Plans to do Browning High Power videos? 26:50 - Clip logistics in WW1 and WW2 28:38 - Most beautiful and ugliest rifles? 29:35 - Do 3-round clips work in the RSC-1918? 31:55 - Thoughts on the .224 Valkyrie 33:01 - Is the belt-fed squad machine gun obsolete? 33:59 - Why were semiauto pistols around so much earlier than semiauto rifles? 36:24 - "Dream guns" 39:14 - How did US small arms rank in WW2 compared to other nations? 41:12 - Matching numbers and headspace in milsurp rifles 43:26 - Weapon that is not so great but is enjoyable anyway? 44:56 - Why did smokeless rounds all end up 7-8mm? 46:56 - Why did box magazines not predate tube magazines? 48:54 - Semiauto AA-12 shotguns 51:08 - What does Ian's average day look like? 53:47 - How did artillery pieces get onto the US civilian market? Featuring guest answer from Bob Bigando of Hamilton Firearms. 58:10 - Library book list on the web site 59:02 - Would early adoption of better small arms have changed WW2? 59:53 - How - Hafdasa's Ballester Campeon Competition .22LR PistolE197
Hafdasa's Ballester Campeon Competition .22LR Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Made after World War Two until 1957, the Ballester Campeon was a .22 rimfire competition pistol built on the frame of the Argentine Ballester-Molina .45 ACP service pistol. Two versions were made, a standard 5 inch (127mm) barrel with normal sights and the longer 7.5 inch (190mm) Campeon model with larger adjustable sights. Both use the floating chamber system to function, allowing them to run reliably regardless of barrel length. A few thousand of the standard .22s were made, and only a few hundred of the Campeons. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Mythbusting with the .30-06 American Chauchat: Reliability TestE198
Mythbusting with the .30-06 American Chauchat: Reliability Testhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Everyone knows, of course, that the Chauchat is the worst gun ever, and can't normally get through an entire magazine without malfunctioning. Well, let's try that out...and with an even worse culprit; an M1918 Chauchat made for the AEF in .30-06. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945E199
Book Review: Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945Available direct from Schiffer: https://www.schifferbooks.com/japanese-military-cartridge-handguns-1893-1945-a-revised-and-expanded-edition-of-hand-cannons-of-imperial-japan-492.html Or on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2LuzaAK http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons What began as Harry Derby's "Hand Cannons of Imperial Japan" in 1981 was revised, expanded, and reprinted in collaboration with James Brown in 2003 as "Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945". That new edition is both the definitive guide to Japanese military handguns, but also a great example of how to write a firearms reference book. It is both broad in scope and deep in content, covering both major production gun like the Type 14 and Type 94 but also the minor ones like the Hino, Sugiura, and Hamada, as well as experimental variations. It includes detailed serial number and production date tables, and even detailed explanations of minor inspection marks. The book is not just tabulated data, either - far from it, in fact. There is a tremendous amount of written history, describing the development, production, variations, and military use of the different pistols. If it has any shortcomings, it is in the illustration. Some of the photographs are color, but many are black and white, and they are not nearly as numerous as in many other books. However, they are sufficient to explain the information being given, and their absence hurts the work only in artistic way. Anyone with an interest in handgun development in general, or Japanese arms in particular, should have a copy of Derby & Brown's excellent work in their library. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Sunngård Automatic Pistol: 50 Rounds in 1909E200
Sunngård Automatic Pistol: 50 Rounds in 1909http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Harald Sunngård was Norwegian inventor in the early years of the 20th century who noticed a common perceived weakness of automatic pistols: reloads under stress were often bungled by shooters, leaving them vulnerable to return fire without being able to shoot back. Doing the classic inventor thing, Sunngård figured out a solution to the problem – a two-part solution, in fact. The first part of his solution was to use a big magazine and a small cartridge, to maximize magazine capacity. The second part of his solution was to store a spare magazine right in the magazine well of the pistol for immediate use. The grip of the pistol is long enough front-to-back to store two identical magazines. The front magazine sits higher than the rear one, and the boltface on the slide feeds rounds from the front magazine into the chamber. Once the front magazine is empty, the shooter ejects it, and need only slide the rear magazine into the front position (and rack the slide) to continue shooting. There is a misconception that the pistol will fire automatically from both magazines in succession, but this is not true. In addition to having the handy spare available, Sunngard designed the magazines to hold no fewer than 25 cartridges each (in the more common 6.5mm chambering). This gave the pistol a total of 50 rounds stored on-board, which was a major point in Sunngard’s marketing. The 6.5mm cartridge designed for the pistol had a 23mm overall length, and used a 19mm case. The projectile was a scant 28.5 grains (1.85 gram), and Sunngard claimed a muzzle velocity of just under 2000 ft/s (600 m/s) – which is almost certainly an exaggeration. There was also an 8mm version of the pistol made in much smaller numbers, which fired an equally light projectile (29gr / 1.88g), and may have gotten closer to the claimed velocity (magazines for the 8mm version hel - Forgotten History: Vercors - the Climactic Battle of the French ResistanceE201
Forgotten History: Vercors - the Climactic Battle of the French Resistancehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The imposing heights of the Vercors Massif form a very impressive natural defensive position in the southeastern corner of France. It was here that the French Resistance had its largest set piece battle against German occupation forces, in the summer of 1944. Plan Montagnards originally called for several thousand Allied paratroops to be dropped into Vercors when the landings in Normandy and Provence took place. The Provence landings were pushed back many weeks, however, and the Resistance forces streaming onto the plateau were left almost entirely on their own. One large airdrop of supplies and a single American OSS combat team were all the reinforcement they received. French Maquisards repelled German probing attacks for about 6 weeks until in late July the final German offensive against the plateau came. It would see nearly 20,000 troops, units of tanks, glider-borne paratroops, and reserve mountain troops in a well coordinated assault that soundly defeated the lightly-armed resistance fighters. Today we are on the plateau itself, and we will follow the battle across several specific sites, including the glider landings at Vassieux, the last stand of Section Chavant, the destroyed village of Valchevrière, and the hospital at Le Grotte de la Luire. Want to see some original footage of these fighters taken in the weeks before the battle? It actually exists, and you can see it here: https://youtu.be/zoq7QREIgB8 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - SIG's Pump Action 550 Rifle: the 550 VRBE202
SIG's Pump Action 550 Rifle: the 550 VRBhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In many countries, manually operated rifles are substantially easier for civilians to own than semiautomatic ones - and this was not lost on firearms manufacturers. In an effort to potentially open a new market, SIG experimented with manufacturing a pump action version of their very successful 550 military rifle. The effort was quickly dropped, however, and only 12 were manufactured. These were made in both .223 Remington and also .222 Remington caliber, to accommodate countries where .223 was considered a restricted military caliber. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Overview of French Gun LawsE203
Overview of French Gun Lawshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am joined by my friend Edouard for a discussion of French gun laws, as part of our continuing series on how firearms laws vary across the world. The French system is...bureaucratic. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Rhodesian Cobra SMG/CarbineE204
Rhodesian Cobra SMG/Carbinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Cobra was one of a variety of semiautomatic compact carbines designed and manufactured in Rhodesia in the latter half of the 1970s for sale as civilian self-defense weapons (primarily for rural farming families). Unlike most of these guns, the Cobra was designed as a hammer-fired, closed bolt action. It is chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, and uses standard Uzi magazines. The action is blowback, with the hammer intended to provide additional delay to the bolt opening. In our experience with the example, however, the delay was insufficient, and empty cases showed signed of dangerously high pressure during extraction (bulges and pierced primers). The Cobra was designed by two men, Tommy Steele and Bruce Whyte. They formed a company called Stellyte, which suffered from delays in getting production started and subsequently went bankrupt a month after the guns became available in the spring of 1977. Production was picked up by Bulawayo Armoury, and a total of about 2500 examples were ultimately produced. The vast majority have a horizontal front grip, while this very early example has a vertical front grip instead. Many thanks to the anonymous collector who generously allowed me access to bring this one to you - and who risked his face shooting it! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Star Z-70B: Spain's Improved SMGE205
Star Z-70B: Spain's Improved SMGhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Star Z-70B was an incremental improvement on the earlier Z-62 and Z-63 submachine guns adopted by the Spanish military and security services. It remains an open bolt, selective fire design, with an underfolding stock. The trigger has changed from a progressive type to a standard trigger with a 3-position safety/selector lever (safe, semi, full). In addition, the Z-70B was chambered for 9x19mm instead of the more antiquated 9x23mm Largo cartridge. While the stock geometry lends itself to the gun climbing in fully automatic, I was pleasantly surprised by how nice it was to shoot. Not the world's best 9mm SMG, but far from the worst! These are still in service with Spanish armed forces in some roles, and one can certainly understand why. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: The Suomi M/31 by Michael HeidlerE206
Book Review: The Suomi M/31 by Michael HeidlerAvailable direct from the author via PayPal. Email him at GGBuch@web.de to order a copy. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Michael Heidler's bi-lingual (German and English) book on the Finnish Suomi m/31 submachine gun is a small but dense history of one of the best submachine guns of World War Two. It covers Aimo Lahti's background, the development of the submachine gun, its adoption by the Finnish Defense Forces, the handful of variations made, and its training and use in the Winter War and Continuation War. Because of Finnish tactics and the densely forested environments of the combat, the Suomi became perhaps the most important Finnish weapon in their wars against Russia. Light machine guns were too heavy, and their benefits could not be properly exploited by the Finnish fast-moving and close-in style of combat, but the Suomi excelled. The book is just under 100 pages long, with about 60 of those consisting of a wealth of excellent photos from the SA Kuva military archive. All of the text and photo captions are presented side by side in both English and German. The book may not be large, but it is well presented and an excellent reference on an otherwise rather obscure weapon. Pricing at the time of this filming is 29 Euro shipped in Germany, 34 Euro shipped to the rest of the EU, and $44 US shipped outside of the EU. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Musgrave Ambidex: Straight Pull Rimfire Rifle for Lefties or RightiesE207
Musgrave Ambidex: Straight Pull Rimfire Rifle for Lefties or Rightieshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Ambidex was a rifle developed by the Musgrave company in South Africa in the late 1980s. It was a straight-pull bolt action rifle inspired by the Browning T-Bolt, but with the ability to have the bolt swapped to either the left or right side for ambidextrous use. They were chambered for the .22 LR rimfire cartridge, and offered in three different grades. However, in light of high cost and plenty of competition from CZ rimfire rifles, the Ambidex was a commercial flop. Only about 400 were made, and by 1991 it was discontinued. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Malta's Hand-Hewn Bomb Shelter TunnelsE208
Malta's Hand-Hewn Bomb Shelter Tunnelshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons During World War Two, the Grand Harbor in Malta was the most-bombed place in the world, under aerial bombardment for two full years because of its position as a central Mediterranean base for British air and sea forces. While these attacks were focused on the harbor facilities, most of the island's population lived right in the same area, and civilian casualties during the war were substantial. In an effort to safeguard the population, a vast number of underground bomb shelter tunnels were dug. The island of Malta is mostly relatively soft limestone, and the Maltese are quite experienced in working it, after millenia of quarrying limestone to build structures and digging it out to make cisterns and wells. This allowed an otherwise enormous project to be successful - using mostly hand tools, enough shelters were dug to safely house the entire at-risk population. Many of these shelters and shelter complexes are open to the public today, including the system under the Malta At War Museum, which we are visiting today... I am grateful for the Malta Tourism Authority's assistance in helping to make this visit and video possible! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Project Ultra: Germany Wants a Stronger Compact PistolE209
Project Ultra: Germany Wants a Stronger Compact Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This pistol is one of just a couple surviving from a development project run by Walther in the mid to late 1930s. The goal was to produce a compact sidearm for pilots and officers using a more potent cartridge than the .32ACP or .380. To do this, Walther split the dimensional difference on case length and developed the 9x18mm cartridge, which would later be known as 9mm Police or 9mm Ultra. It used a standard .355 inch bullet, but split the ballistic difference between 9x17 Browning and 9x19 Parabellum. The early developmental testing was done by simply chambering a PP for the new cartridge, but it proved a bit too powerful for the simple blowback action of the PP. So this was followed by the development of the pistol we have today, which integrated a short recoil, rotating barrel locking system to meet the demands of the new cartridge. By this time, however, it was 1939, and the importance of the project was dwarfed by the rapidly accumulating wartime production needs of the German military. The gun was dropped, although the cartridge would be reintroduced after the war. For more information on the project, and all of Walther's other work, see "Walther: A German Legend" at Amazon: https://amzn.to/2K315lI Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Maltese Flintlocks: Girard Mle 1733 Pistols of the Order of St. JohnE210
Maltese Flintlocks: Girard Mle 1733 Pistols of the Order of St. Johnhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Order of St John - the Knights of Malta - began as an order to protect Christian pilgrims on the road to Jerusalem, but transformed into an organization dedicated to corsairing in the Mediterranean Sea. Basically, legally justified pirates. For about 300 years they were based on the island of Malta, and while they produced their own cannons there, they purchased small arms from mainland Europe. Today, we are looking at guns from the last major order placed by the...Order. In addition to muskets, it included 2000 flintlock handguns of the French Modele 1733 pattern. Part of the order was for long barreled (300mm) individual pistols, and part was for pairs of shorter barreled (240mm) ones. These were for both naval and cavalry forces, although it remains unclear which service received which type. However, the two different models have distinctly different acceptance marks. In 1798, Napoleon's fleet captured Malta, and these pistols (along with many other arms) fell into French hands, where they were easily absorbed into the armed forces, being identical to a French standard pattern. The fleet was very shortly thereafter defeated by the British, and control of Malta and these arms went to Great Britain. The long barreled type of Maltese 1733 pistol is particularly rare today, with probably only about 5 surviving. The short barreled ones are more common by a factor of 10 or so, but still very rare all things considered. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Holy Mother of Muzzle Flash, the Rico SpecialE211
Holy Mother of Muzzle Flash, the Rico Specialhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Rico is a gunsmith at SIG Neuhausen who likes to tinker. He put together this SIG 510 (aka Stgw 57), with a modern collapsing stock, quad rail foreend, Aimpoint red dot, heavy barrel, and massive muzzle brake. And we just happen to have some 7.5 Swiss and a full-auto grip assembly. How hard can it be? Thanks, Rico! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Book Review: Cold War Pistols of CzechoslovakiaE212
Book Review: Cold War Pistols of CzechoslovakiaGet your copy through Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ObUzLL Or direct from the publisher, Schiffer: https://www.schifferbooks.com/cold-war-pistols-of-czechoslovakia-4076.html http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Recently, we have been looking at a selection of books on Cold War eastern bloc pistols - and James D. Brown's "Cold War Pistols of Czechoslovakia" is the best of them. While its scope is specifically on Czechoslovakian pistols, it provides a wealthy of information for the collector, histories, and shooter alike. The book is 150 pages long, and its major chapters cover the Duo, "Z", and vz.45, CZ 50/70, CZ 52, VZ 75/85, and CZ 82/83. Each includes detailed developmental history, production timelines complete with annual serial number tables (this is particularly interesting and important with the vz.52), disassembly and mechanical information, content on use by the Czech government or military, different patterns of holsters and magazines, and more. Mr. Brown also co-authored the excellent "Japanese Military Cartridge Handguns 1893-1945", and this solo work of his follows the same organizational layout and editorial feel. If I were to criticize anything, it would be that the layout could use more and better photographs, and perhaps the text could be broken up a bit for easier readability (particularly in the disassembly instructions). These are minor critiques, however. While the book only covers a relatively small number of models, those models include some of the most mechanically unique (vz.52) and technically outstanding (CZ75, CZ82/83) handguns to come out of the eastern bloc. All of the guns detailed herein are quite readily available on the US collector's market, and make the basis for an interesting collection for those wishing to find a specialty. If Mr. Brown decides to write a third book on another firearm subject, I will purchase a copy without reserva - Garand Primer-Activated 1924 Trials RifleE213
Garand Primer-Activated 1924 Trials Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The first successful iteration of John Garand’s rifle was developed in 1921 and refined through 1924. A small batch were made for US military testing in 1924, where it was compared to guns like the Bang, Hatcher-Bang, and most significantly the Colt/Thompson Autoloading Rifle. Garand’s rifle was primer-activated, with a downward-tilting locking lug at the rear of the bolt (like an 1886 Mannlicher). It was the clear willer of the trials, but was rendered useless in 1925 when the military adopted a new loading of .03-06 which used IMR powder (with a substantially different pressure curve than wha tGarand had been using for his design) and staked primers - which rendered it thoroughly unusable in the 1924 Garand. In response, Garand would completely change his design, moving to a rotating bolt with two symmetrical locking lugs and a long stroke gas piston - which would eventually be adopted as the US Rifle M1. However, Garand’s skills as a rifle designer are clear in this 1924 prototype - it handled and balances wonderfully, and has excellent sights and trigger. It disassembles easily, and simply feels robust and svelte in a way that is quite unusual for early semiautomatic rifles. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - WWI Steyr M95 Sniper CarbineE214
WWI Steyr M95 Sniper Carbinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons During World War One, Austria-Hungary produced about 13,000 sniper rifles and carbines - and while the significant majority of these were full length rifles, the Empire was the only major power to produce a scoped sniper carbine during the war. These continued to be produced until about 1920 or 1921, to be used as war reparations to Italy. However, Italy never made use of them, and the vast majority were eventually scrapped. For this reason, they are very scarce rifles today. Because the M95 loaded using a 5-round Mannlicher type en bloc clip, the scope on the M95 snipers had to be offset to the left of the action. Scopes from 5 different manufacturers were used, including many purchased form Germany in the early stages of the war. This particular one is a Reichert scope, but Kahles, Suss, Fuess, and Oigee were also used. Most, including this one, were of 3x magnification. The reticle is a German post type, with a dial adjustment on the scope for 100 to 600 meters, which moves the reticle vertically in the field of view. Several numbers are stamped on the various parts of an M95 sniper. There will be an assembly number on the front scope base which should match the number on the right side of the rear scope ring. In addition to matching the scope to its base during assembly, this also indicates production number, as sniper rifles were numbered sequentially by AZF, where they were built. There will be another number on the left side of the rear scope ring, which should match the barrel serial number of the rifle or carbine. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Germany's New Light Howitzer: the 7.5cm le.IG 18E215
Germany's New Light Howitzer: the 7.5cm le.IG 18http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the aftermath of World War One, every military force immediately began to assess what they thought was most important to improve in their arsenals for the next war. For Germany, one thing they felt lacking was a light howitzer that could be organic to infantry units, mobile enough to remain with the front lines in an advance to provide easy and immediate supporting fire. The Rheinmetall company would develop just such a gun and the German military adopted it in 1932 under the designation 7.5cm leichtes Infanteriegeschutz 18. The 7.5cm le.IG 18 fired a roughly 12 pound (5.5-6 kg) 75mm high explosive shell out to 4,000 meters, and was capable of both direct and indirect fire (elevation maxed out at 90 degrees). These guns would see service on all fronts with the German military in World War Two, remaining inservice throughout the entire war. The mechanical operation of the gun is rather unusual for an artillery piece, with a fixed breech and a barrel which tips up from the muzzle for loading and ejection. This did not really convey any particular advantage, but it also did not have any particular weakness and was quite satisfactory in action. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Colt Prototype Self-Ejecting RevolverE216
Colt Prototype Self-Ejecting Revolverhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Robert Roy was a career Colt employee, who began his work as an engineer in 1963 (including work on the 1971/SSP pistols and the CMG machine gun series) and retired in 1993 as Director of International Sales. One of his side projects appears to have been experimentation into auto-ejecting revolvers. This proof of concept revolver has a gas port added to the barrel and a gas tube which vents gas directly in the 2 o’clock chamber each time the gun is fired. That gas blows right into the previously-fired cartridge case, ejecting it out the back of the cylinder through a spring-loaded aluminum deflector/cover. In theory, the system seems like it should work just as intended, although I have no information about how successful it was for Roy. The practical problem with such a system, however,r is that it cannot eject the final round, as the cylinder is them empty and there is no additional cartridge to provide the gas to eject the last one. Thus the cylinder must be opened and the ejector rod used to eject the final case - and there is really no difference to the shooter between manually ejecting one case and manually ejecting all six. So the added complexity doesn’t really provide a practical benefit. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Suomi m/31 - Finland's Excellent Submachine GunE217
Suomi m/31 - Finland's Excellent Submachine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Designed by Aimo Lahti, the Suomi m/31 submachine gun is in my opinion one of the standout submachine guns of the World War Two era. Despite its hefty weight (10.4lb / 4.7kg) and lack of a good pistol grip stock, it still manages to be tremendously controllable and accurate, with a very high rate of fire (about 900 rpm). For a detailed written description of the history and development of the weapon, I would refer you to the excellent article by Jaeger Platoon: http://www.jaegerplatoon.net/MACHINEPISTOLS1.htm If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The M9A1 Bazooka: Now With Optics and Quick TakedownE218
The M9A1 Bazooka: Now With Optics and Quick Takedownhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Bazooka - or rather the Launcher, Rocket, 2.36”, M1 - was introduced by the United States in 1942, the result of a fast development by two Army officers, Captain Leslie Skinner and Lt. Edward Uhl. The US has no infantry antitank weapon at that point, and it had become quite clear that such a thing was needed. The Bazooka offered a theoretical effective range of 300 yards, throwing a 1 pound hollow-charge projectile capable of penetrating 4 inches of armor plate. The 2.36 inch bore measurement, incidentally, was chosen as the inch equivalent of 60mm, to match the common mortar size. In October of 1943, an improved M9 version was introduced, using a magnet firing system instead of the unreliable batteries of the original. A followup M9A1 variant was adopted in June of 1944, which broke down into two parts for easier transportation, and the T90 optical sight was added in September of 1944. These were effective weapons against armor early in the war, but the heavier tanks introduced late in the war were too heavily armored for the Bazooka to be very effective - although it remained a valuable tool for attacking pillboxes and other fortified positions. It would continue to see extensive service in the Korean War, although its limited armor penetration was particularly acute in that conflict. Note that the inert M6 rocket in the video is not being sold with the Bazooka. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Classic Imperial British Revolvers: the Webley WG Army and TargetE219
Classic Imperial British Revolvers: the Webley WG Army and Targethttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Webley company used the “WG” (Webley Government) nomenclature in its literature starting in 1883, but the first revolver actually market as such was the WG Model of 1889. These revolvers were made primarily for the military market, as officers were responsible for supplying their own sidearms in the British military until 1915. The WG was a full size service revolver in .455 caliber (accepting a wide variety of .45 inch British cartridges, including the .450, .455, .476, Enfield Mk II, and Enfield MkIII). A series of refinements would be made to the design culminating in the generally-accepted standard WG pattern in 1896. These would be produced until 1902, when they were replaced by the Webley WS (Webley Service). The two main variation of the WG were the Army and the Target. The Army typically had a bird’s-head grip and a 6 inch barrel, where the Target had a longer 7.5 inch barrel and a flared square-butt grip, as well as adjustable sights. However, Webley was happy to supply and mix of features to a customer, and many branded patterns exist. The Target pattern proved very successful for shooters at the Dublin, Glasgow, and Wimbledon matches of the period. A total of about 22,000 WG pattern revolvers were made, with the “standard” 1896 model appearing around s/n 10,000. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Original CETME Mars ImportationE220
The Original CETME Mars Importationhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The CETME Model C would be the basis for the wildly successful H&K 91 / G3 rifle, and a small batch of CETME rifles was brought into the United States as early as 1966. They were imported by the Mars Equipment Corporation of Chicago, and are completely Spanish-made examples of the original CETME. A few changes were made to the military pattern to made them semiautomatic only, and a total of 1254 were brought into the US between 1966 and 1971. They were imported in two models; the first batch had metal handguards and integral folding bipods, and the second batch had wooden handguards and no bipods. To increase their civilian appeal, they also came with a pair of scope mounting blocks on the receiver, which were not standard to Spanish military rifles. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Colt's Camp Perry Model Target Single ShotE221
Colt's Camp Perry Model Target Single Shothttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Camp Perry Model was Colt’s top-end target pistol between the world wars. Based on the same frame and grip as the Officer’s Model revolver, it was designed to look like a revolver while actually being a single shot pistol with a monolithic barrel (no cylinder gap). It has a couple other differences from Colt’s other pistols, such as the use of a coil mainspring in place of the then-standard flat spring. Development began many years before the gun came onto the market, as this particular example is serial number 35 of a 63-gun preproduction batch made for national and Olympic targets shooters, and it was shipped out of the factory in 1920. Commercial production began in 1926 and would run until 1941, when Colt’s wartime obligations superseded the production of competition pistols. In total, only about 2500 were actually made during that 15-year production run, all in .22LR. The Camp Perry Model was much less popular than the Colt Officer’s Model (which offered a 6-shot cylinder) and the Colt Woodsman semiauto .22 pistol. Two variations exist, as the early guns have 10 inch (254mm) barrels, and after 1933 the barrel was reduced to 8 inches (203mm) and the hammer travels was reduced to improve lock time. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Thompson's .30-06 1923 Autorifle: Blish Strikes AgainE222
Thompson's .30-06 1923 Autorifle: Blish Strikes Againhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This is a Model 1923 Thompson Autoloading Rifle, one of a batch of 20 made by Colt for US military testing in 1924. The system is designed on the same basic Blish principle as the Thompsons submachine gun; the idea that two sliding surfaces will lock solidly together under enough pressure, and not begin to slide until the pressure drops below a certain level. In reality, both guns are simply delayed blowback, and the rifle (in .30-06) suffered from very high extraction pressures. So high, that ejected cases were reportedly sticking in a wood board at the 1924 trial. Versions of the Thompson rifle would continue to receive military testing until 1929, and one broke a bolt in an endurance test and was pulled out for the final time. This particular rifle is a bit of an interesting anomaly in that it has a lightweight rifle barrel and a detachable magazine. In theory, the Model 1923 included a rifle version with a fixed internal magazine and a light machine gun versions with this rifle’s type of detachable magazine but also a heavy barrel and a folding bipod. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Enfield MkI Revolver: Merwin Meets Webley (Sort Of)E223
Enfield MkI Revolver: Merwin Meets Webley (Sort Of)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Adopted in 1880 to replace the Adams revolver, the Enfield MkI was based on an extraction system patented in the 1870s by Owen Jones of Philadelphia. This was similar in practice to the Merwin & Hulbert, with the barrel and cylinder hinging forward while the cartridge cases were held to the back of the frame. This system allowed empty cases to drop free (except the 6 o’clock position one, which often stuck) while retaining any unfired cartridges in the cylinder. Because the extractor star was fixed to the frame, the piece had to be loaded one round at a time through a loading gate (again, like the Merwin & Hulbert). In 1882 a number of improvements were made to the design and lockwork, including features to prevent the cylinder from rotating freely and to disconnect the hammer when the loading gate was open. This was adopted as the MkII in 1882. A further change was made in 1887, following the death of a Royal Navy sailor whose gun fell out of its holster and discharged upon hitting the hammer. A new safety mechanism was added to prevent this from happening again, and most guns in service were retrofitted with it. The Enfield was generally not well received, as it was heavy and a bit awkward to handle. It was issued to the Army, Navy, and RCMP, but replaced by the first adopted Webley top-break revolvers in the late 1880s (Enfield MkII production ceased in 1889). Unlike the Webleys and other private-production guns, there was never a civilian version of the Enfield MkI or MkII made, and they are scarcer to find today as a result. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Swedish Antiaircraft Artillery: Bofors 40mm Automatic Gun M1E224
Swedish Antiaircraft Artillery: Bofors 40mm Automatic Gun M1Note: In the video I mistakenly describe this as a two-stamp NFA gun. It is actually deactivated, and thus does not require a tax stamp. Sorry for the mistake! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Swedish Bofors company developed their 40mm antiaircraft gun in the 1930s, and it would go on to be one of the most successful weapon designs in modern history. Used by both sides in WWII and in all theaters, improved versions of the 40mm Bofors gun continue to serve in military front lines to this very day. In the US, they comprise part of the armament on the AC-130 Spectre gunships, for example. This particular gun is a WW2 vintage piece, made in Sweden. Most of the examples used by the United States were made under license by Chrysler, the car company. Something like 60,000 were produced during the war, mostly for naval use. These guns would be a mainstay of American vessels' air defense against Japanese Kamikaze attacks. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Valmet's Bullpup: The M82E225
Valmet's Bullpup: The M82http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Valet M82 is a bullpup conversion of the Valmet M76 rifle, originally designed in the hopes of attracting Finnish military interest for paratroopers. These initial military rifles were made with wood stocks and in 7.62x39mm. For a multitude of pretty obvious reasons, this did not work out - but the rifles were sold commercially on the civilian market, mostly to the US. The commercial guns were chambered for the 5.56mm cartridge, and used a urethane stock instead of the original wood. A total of about 2,000 were made and sold between 1982 and 1986, when "assault weapon" importation was cut off. Today they are one of the scarcer Valmet variants, and definitely the strangest. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - "Ideal" Holster/Stock for the LugerE226
"Ideal" Holster/Stock for the Lugerhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Most automatic pistols of the early 20th century were offered with shoulder stock options, and the Luger had more than most. Probably the most interesting one I am aware of is the Ideal Holster Company’s design, which was patented by one Ross Phillips of Los Angeles. Phillips applied for his patent in 1901, and had it granted in 1904. The design uses a set of special grip panels with metal locking surfaces in them in conjunction with some very clever angular geometry to allow the stock to be easily attached and detached when in the short position, but lock tight and secure when the stock is extended to shooting length. Not many of these Ideal stocks exist today, and it seems that the idea was not commercially viable - or at least it was too expensive to become popular. All of the known examples are marked “Patents Pending”, which would suggest that all manufacture predates 1904, when the patent was granted. Most likely only one batch was made, and they took too long to sell to be deemed worth continuing to manufacture. The company did also offer this type of stock for colt and S&W revolvers, although those are also very scarce today. Note that the pistol in this video is being sold by Rock Island as a separate lot from the stock, and the stock does come with a set of the requisite special grip panels. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Pair of Rigby Triple-Barrel Percussion DerringersE227
Pair of Rigby Triple-Barrel Percussion Derringershttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons John Rigby founded his unmaking company in 1775, and it continues to exist making fine rifles and shotguns to this day. He himself died in 1818, passing the business on to his son William, who was joined by John II (John Junior?) in the 1820s. During that time, they made not just rifles and shotguns but also a variety of pocket pistols for self defense at shops in both London and Dublin. This pair is an interesting and unorthodox example of the type, with three barrels on each and a rotating striker on the hammer to select which barrel to fire. The selector rotates only clockwise, preventing the possibility of accidentally returning to a previously fired barrel under stress. The triggers fold up when the hammer is not cocked, preventing them from catching in a pocket and removing the need for a bulky trigger guard. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Alsop Navy Revolver, Compared to its Pocket Model CompanionE229
Alsop Navy Revolver, Compared to its Pocket Model Companionhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Joseph Alsop and his sons Charles R and Charles H were investors in the Savage Revolving Firearms Company, but also made an attempt to produce revolvers of their own (similar) design. In 1862 and 1863 they made a total of 800, the first 500 being .36 caliber Navy pattern guns, and the final 300 being .31 caliber pocket pattern guns. The two types do have different sized frames, but not as different as one might expect. Today’s video is primarily to point out the differentiating features between the two - see my previous video on the Alsop Pocket for more on the history and mechanics of the design (the two types are identical mechanically). The most visible difference between the two is on the top of the grip frame, where the Navy has a prominent protrusion and the Pocket has just a slight step. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Heavy But Effective: Britain's No4 MkI (T) Sniper RifleE230
Heavy But Effective: Britain's No4 MkI (T) Sniper Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The main British sniper rifle of World War Two, and arguably one of the best looking military sniper rifles of all time, the No4 MkI (T) was something the British military knew they would want even before the No4 MkI rifle had gone into real production. The first No4 snipers were built on leftover trials rifles from Enfield, and the pattern was formally introduced in February of 1942. First use was in North Africa, but the fighting there was not really suited to sniper rifles, and the weapon’s practical combat debut was in Italy in 1943. The No4 MkI (T) was a conversion of a standard No4 MkI rifle, using examples chosen for particular good accuracy. They were sent to Holland & Holland to have scope mount bases added and No32 telescopic sights fitted (along with cheek risers on the stocks and having the battle sight aperture ground off to allow room for the scope bell). Between 23,000 and 26,000 were made during the war, and they would continue to be used in the British military for decades, including later conversion into 7.62mm NATO L42A1 rifles. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Competition with an SAA: The Colt Bisley and Bisley TargetE231
Competition with an SAA: The Colt Bisley and Bisley Targethttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Named for the famous British shooting competition range, the Colt Bisley was the target version of the 1873 Single Action Army revolver. Colt first offered a flat-top model of the SAA from 1890 until 1895, and dropped it to introduce a specialized Bisley model in 1894. The Bisley had a redesigned trigger, hammer, and grip frame. The regular SAA grip was designed to let the gun roll in the hand under recoil, to bring the hammer under the thumb for recocking. This was not ideal for target shooting, where one would prefer to maintain the exact same grip throughout a course of fire. The Bisley grip design eliminated the rolling of the gun, and the hammer was widened and lowered to allow easy recocking from that firing grip. In addition to the basic Bisley model, a Bisley Target model was also offered, with a windage adjustable rear sight and an elevation adjustable front blade (the regular Bisley had the same fixed sights as the standard SAA). In total, 44,350 Bisley were sold, and 976 Bisley Targets. They could be ordered in any barrel length, but mostly were made with 7.5 inch barrels to get the longest sight radius for competition shooting. Almost any caliber could be ordered, and the Bisleys tended to skew more toward light cartridges than the standard SAA, with the most common being .32-20, aka .32 WCF. Production ended in 1912, and the last Bisley was shipped from Colt’s inventory in 1919. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - The Last Lee Enfield: the L42A1 SniperE232
The Last Lee Enfield: the L42A1 Sniperhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the British military adopted the FAL (L1A1 SLR) in 1960, they adopted the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge along with it. While the Brens guns were converted to the new cartridge, efforts at converting the Lee Enfield into a precision rifle were not successful t the time. However, civilian target shooters and the British NRA would work on perfecting that conversion for use in competition, and would ultimately produce very accurate 7.62mm rifles built on Lee Enfield actions - accurate enough that the military took notice. Copying the competition rifles, the British military would adopt the L42A1 in 1970, an Enfield action converted to 7.62mm NATO with a shortened and free-floated stock and hand guard and a heavy profile barrel. A total of 1,080 L42A1 rifles would be converted from existing No4 MkI(T) sniper rifles, and they would serve in the front lines of the British military until 1992, when they were replaced by the Accuracy International L96A1. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - France's Super-Light 50mm Modele 37 Grenade LauncherE233
France's Super-Light 50mm Modele 37 Grenade Launcherhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons A new very light and portable mortar to replace the V-B rifle grenade was one of the facets of the French plan for rearmament and modernization after World War Two. The concept for the weapons that would become the L.Gr. Mle 37 was first requested in 1924 - but like so almost all the other parts of that arms program, it was crippled by delays through the 1920s and 1930s. Only in the late 1930s when was was looking imminent did the program finally move forward. The design, created by Captain Nahan of the Chatellerault arsenal, was adopted in 1937 and a whopping 21,950 were ordered in January of 1938 - and the order was quickly revised up to 50,000. However, only 2900 had been produced by the time of the armistice in June 1940. Production resumed in 1944, and the launcher did see use in Indochina. In addition, its 50mm grenade was the basis for the postwar French rifle grenades, as used on the MAS-36 LG 48, the MAS-44, and MAS-49 rifles. As fired form the mortar, the projectile weighed about one pound (0.4kg) and had a range of 80 to 460 meters, with an effective rate of fire up to 20 rounds per minute. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Germany's Not-So-Light 5cm Le GrW 36 Light MortarE234
Germany's Not-So-Light 5cm Le GrW 36 Light Mortarhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The 5cm 5CM Leichter Granatwerfer 36 was the standard German light infantry mortar going into World War Two. It was designed by Rheinmetall-Borsig in the mid 1930s and adopted in 1936. It fired a 0.9kg / 2 pound mortar bomb with a range of up to 550 meters. In theory, it occupied the same role as the French Mle 1937 50mm light mortar - except it was far heavier than was practical, and substantially more complex to use. The LeGrW 36 weighed in at a hefty 31 pounds (14kg) - nearly four times as much as its French counterpart. It was a striker fired design, with a trigger lever and thus did not fire immediately upon a round being loaded. It used adjustments in angle to determine range, with a constant projectile velocity (as opposed to venting a varying amount of propellent gas to adjust range). By the middle of the war, it was being pulled out of front-line use, as its weight and relative complexity made it impractical for its intended role. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - WW Marston Breechloading Pistol and Leather-Base CartridgeE235
WW Marston Breechloading Pistol and Leather-Base Cartridgehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons William Walker Marston was born in 1822, and would spend his career as a gunsmith and gunmaker in New York City. He produced a wide variety of firearms, including pepperboxes, multi-barrel derringers, percussion revolvers, and the breechloading single-shot pistol which we are looking at in this video. This pistol is based on an 1852 patent Marston received for a cartridge which used a heavy paper or cardboard case and a leather base pad. That leather pad appears to have been intended as a self-clean bore wipe, which would be remain in the chamber when fired and then be pushed down the bore by the subsequent round. About 1,000 of these pistols were made, in a variety of barrel lengths (from 4” to 8”) and in all three popular calibers (.31, .36, and .44). While the cartridge was a nice improvement over a muzzleloading design, it was apparently not practical or innovative enough to become a real commercial success compared to the other types of combustible cartridges appearing on the market in the 1850s. The tang sight on this pistol is rather interesting, as it seems to be usable only if the pistol is held very close to the eye. This suggests to me the use of a simple wire stock, although there is no evidence of such a thing being fitted to the gun. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Rock Island Arsenal M15 General Officer's ModelE236
Rock Island Arsenal M15 General Officer's ModelMore info: https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rock-island-arsenal-m15-general-officers-model http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The M15 General Officer’s pistol was the replacement for the Colt Model M, which had long been the military issue sidearm for General-level officers. By the late 1960s, however, the supply of Model M pistols was running out, and Colt no longer had the design (the Pocket Hammerless) in production. Dale Hoffman, Superintendent of Small Arms at Rock Island Arsenal designed his own shortened (4.25 inch barrel) and accurized 1911 and submitted it to the Army unsolicited as a replacement for the Model M. This resulted in trials in 1971, where Hoffman’s gun was put up against both steel and aluminum framed S&W Model 39s, a 9mm Colt Series 70, and a Walther P38. Hoffman’s design came out the best, and was formally adopted in 1972. Between 1972 and 1974, the Rock Island Arsenal converted 1004 stock 1911A1 pistol into M15s, and they were issued out until 1982, when the supply was exhausted. At that point, General officers began to be issued standard 1911A1 pistols, and later Beretta 92s. As an interesting side note, any General issued an M15 had the option of purchasing it from the government for $147 upon retirement - and I would presume that most took that option. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - The Original Pasadena Auto Mag 180E237
The Original Pasadena Auto Mag 180http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Auto Mag 180 was basically the result of two guys noticing that nobody made a semiauto .44 Magnum pistol…and that they could probably do it. The men were Max Gera, a young Italian immigrant gunsmith, and his employer, gun shop owner Harry Sanford. Gera put together the core of the gun’s design in late 1969 and 1970 - a short recoil, rotating bolt pistol with an accelerator to aid extraction and a rimless case based on a cut-down .30-06 or .308 case. This would become the .44 AMP cartridge, which aimed to duplicate .44 Magnum ballistics in a rimless case. When Sanford brought in investors to help fund to commercial production of the gun, Gera sold his share of the endeavor and left - apparently the chaos and drama of a bunch of cutthroat investors was not what he wanted to have in his life (and I can hardly blame him). Sanford and a couple other engineers completed gun pistol design, and set up a manufacturing facility in Pasadena. The first guns came off the line in August of 1971, and by May of 1972 the company was bankrupt. They had been selling the guns for far less than they actually cost to produce, in hopes of driving enough demand to get an economy of scale going in the production…but it didn’t work. Over the next 10 years, five more companies would take on the Auto Mag, each of them losing money and selling out in short order. In total, about 9,000 Auto Mag Model 180 pistol were made, 3,000 in the original Pasadena gun and the remained divided amongst the other companies. Ironically, interest in the gun would peak only after the last company gave up, when Clint Eastwood used one in the 1983 Dirty Harry film “Sudden Impact”. Sanford passed away in 1996, but the story continues. A new company purchased the rights and the engineering to the gun in 2015, and announced new production at SHOT Show a couple years ago. Time will te - S&W 1940 Light Rifles: Receiver Breakage is a ProblemE238
S&W 1940 Light Rifles: Receiver Breakage is a Problemhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Designed in 1939 by S&W engineer Edward Pomeroy, the S&W Light Rifle is an extremely well manufactured but rather poorly thought out carbine. It is a 9mm Parabellum open-bolt, semiautomatic, blowback carbine feeding from 20-round magazines. It was tested by the US military at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, and rejected for a number of reasons, including not being in the US standard .45 ACP cartridge and not being full automatic. However, the British were in dire need of small arms, and S&W decided to pursue sales to the UK rather than redesign the gun to US taste. The UK ordered a large number, but upon putting the first guns through trials found them to be unsatisfactory. The 9x19mm loading used by the British was substantially hotter than what S&W had used in designing the weapon, and receiver endcaps were shearing off in as few as 1000 rounds under British testing. The British cancelled the order, and took delivery of S&W revolvers in lieu of a refund on their (sizable) down payment. At the end of the war, all but 5 of the 1,010 guns delivered were destroyed. In 1974, crates of leftover Light Rifles were discovered in the basement of S&W - 137 MkI types and 80 MkII types. These were sold as a batch to Bill Orr of GT Distributors, who then sold them on the commercial market. Orr also petitioned ATF to exempt the guns from NFA short-barreled rifle classification (the guns have 9.75” barrels), and was successful - so these transfer as ordinary rifles despite their short barrels. The difference between the MkI and MkII is the safety and the firing pin. The MkI has a lever safety which locks the bolt in the rearward position, and a floating firing pin with a lever actuator like a Beretta M38. The MkII has a rotary sleeve safety which locks the bolt either forward or rearward (a better system), and a fixed firing pin milled into the bolt f - Denel NTW 20: A Multi-Caliber Anti-Materiel RifleE239
Denel NTW 20: A Multi-Caliber Anti-Materiel Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Created by noted South African gun designer Tony Neophytou, the NTW-20 is a bolt action anti-materiel rifle made in 20x82mm, 20x110mm, and 14.5x115mm. The weapon began as idea to use the large quantities of surplus 14.5mm ammunition available at the time, and a recognition that the 14.5mm Soviet cartridge was an excellent anti-armor round, with a really remarkably high muzzle velocity. To widen the rifle's capabilities, it was decided to incorporate an easily interchangeable barrel, and also chamber it for the 20x82mm round used in the Inkunzi PAW individual weapon and Inkunzi Strike machine gun. The 20x82mm is low velocity compared to traditional 20mm cartridges, carrying the same explosive or incendiary payload but without the punishing recoil of what was originally an aircraft cannon cartridge. Both of these cartridges are fed from a 3-round box magazine on the left side of the action. A single-shot version in the longer 20x110mm cartridge was also developed by request of a military client, but this cartridge is too long to fit the magazine. A version in .50 BMG was considered, but decided against on the basis of the 14.5mm being just as available and substantially more effective. The gun is liberally sprinkled with clever engineering and design features - things like using the recoil-absorbing travel of the action to recock the hammer, and the use of both 20mm and 14.5mm cartridge cases as levers for unlocking the barrel. The optic was custom made for the rifle, an 8x56mm long eye relief scope to prevent any chance of the scope bell injuring the shooter during recoil. The trigger mechanism uses only a single spring, and is easily removed from the action. The bolt handle itself is on a pivot pin, and provides the primary extraction leverage to ensure easy cycling with the high-pressure 14.5mm cartridge. From a military perspect - 8mm M1915 Chauchat Fixing and Range TestingE240
8mm M1915 Chauchat Fixing and Range Testinghttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Well, my 8mm French Chauchat finally cleared transfer, as did my application to reactivate it. This was a "dewat", or "Deactivated War Trophy" - a machine gun put on the NFA registry but modified to be non-firing. This is not the same as legal destruction, as the receiver of the gun remained intact. The method of deactivation on such things can very significantly; in this case the chamber was plugged with weld, the bolt face welded up, and the barrel extension welded to the receiver. I did have an intact spare bolt and barrel assembly, however. I removed the weld holding the barrel assembly in place, cleaned it up a bit, and dropped in my new parts. Legal note: this was done after the receipt of an approved Form 5 from ATF, complete with tax stamp. Today I took it out to the range for the first time, to see if any further work would be needed. And yeah, there was a bit of tweaking necessary. The feeding and extraction are solid, but the ejection requires some work. So, after swapping in a better extractor, I headed back to the range for another test run. This time is ran great, with the exception of one bad magazine (3 of 4 being 100% reliable is better than I expected, given their age and construction). So now, I have a fully functioning Chauchat and three known-good magazines. Next up? Two-gun match! Stay tuned... If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Swiss Reibel M31 Tank & Fortress Machine GunE241
Swiss Reibel M31 Tank & Fortress Machine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Reibel Modele M31 was the variation of the French Chatellerault M24/29 light machine gun made for use in vehicles and fortifications. In accordance with that role, it lacked a buttstock or sights (these were integrated into the vehicle or fortress mounts), was fitted with a very heavy barrel for sustained fire, and fed from a massive 150-round drum magazine. These were often used in dual mounts, with one left-hand and one right-hand feed gun (note that the bolt is easily swapped for feed from either side). After World War Two, the Swiss purchased a number of these guns form France, rechambered them for the 7.5x55mm Swiss cartridge, and fitted them in AMX tanks. This particular gun is one of those, and it is mounted on a Swiss LMG-25 tripod using an adapter designed for gunsmith test firing outside the tank. Thanks to the Kessler auction company in Switzerland for letting me take a look at this piece! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Forgotten History: The Americans Take Blanc Mont Ridge, October 1918E242
Forgotten History: The Americans Take Blanc Mont Ridge, October 1918http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The German army captured Blanc Mont Ridge in the early months of World War One and occupied it throughout the years of fighting, fending off repeated French assaults throughout 1915 and 1916. While the ridge looks far from imposing, it is a piece of high ground which overlooks a large part of the front in the Champagne region of France, and was a very valuable outlook for artillery observation. Its continuous occupation allowed it to be heavily fortified by the Germans as a major strong point in their defensive lines. In October of 1918, the task would fall to the American Expeditionary Force to take the ridge as part of the ongoing offensive that was finally pushing the Germans back all along the front lines. Years of war had gradually sapped the strength of the German forces, and the last gasp spring offensive earlier in the year had destroyed the last remaining units of elite German troops. And yet, the still had their fortifications here, armed with more than 350 machine guns on this ridge alone. On the morning of October 3rd, 1918, a combined force of US Army and Marines (the 2nd and 36th Infantry Divisions) set off on an attack up the gradual slope towards the ridge. The attack was preceded by only a few minutes of artillery fire and then a creeping barrage behind which the men advanced. A thick layer of ground fog was perhaps their best ally, as they began the assault of the German position. A fierce fight left the positions on the front of the ridge in American hands by the end of the day, although the fighting would be tenacious for several days, as the Americans advanced well beyond the supporting French units on their flanks, and were left exposed on the reverse slope of the ridge. By October 7th, the ridge position was consolidated, and the French and American forces continued their advance towards the next objective, th - Catalonia's Attempt at a Pistol: the Blowback IsardE243
Catalonia's Attempt at a Pistol: the Blowback Isardhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Republican factions in the Spanish Civil War had much more trouble obtaining arms than the Nationalist elements, and this led to several attempts to build pistols in small-scale workshops. The best known of these are the RE and Ascaso copies of the Astra 400, but in the city of Barcelona a group of workers attempted to produce a copy of the 1911/Star pistols in 9mm Largo - except as simple blowback actions instead of Browning-type locked actions. Named "Isard" after a Spanish antelope, no more than about 250 were built (the highest recorded serial number is 207) and they show substantial variation between examples as one might expect of handmade guns. There were two main variants, with the later guns using a two-piece frame and a distinctive extended barrel and barrel bushing. Today we have four examples to look at, two early type and two late type. Want to learn more about the Isard in particular, or Spanish pistols in general? I highly recommend these two books: Star Firearms: http://amzn.to/2c29MyS Astra Firearms: http://amzn.to/2c29OXw If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Q&A 21: French EditionE244
Q&A 21: French Editionhttp://www.frenchriflebook.com Check it out for all the cool news on my upcoming book on French military rifles! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Today's Q&A is all about French guns, because I am getting close to being finished writing a book on French military rifles - the first book to cover this subject in English from the Chassepot through the FAMAS! 01:34 - Favorite French pistol, rifle, and machine gun 03:13 - How did I get interested in French arms? 05:05 - Lebel's effectiveness at preventing tube magazine detonation? 07:45 - Plans to make the RSC after WW1? 10:00 - Why was French arms development overwhelmingly government and not private? 12:01 - Current arms manufacturing capacity in France? 13:30 - How does the FAMAS fit into the general bullpup timeline? 16:16 - Should the RSC have been updated to use the 7.5mm cartridge? 17:30 - Do I speak French? 19:46 - Which was better, the Lebel or Berthier? 20:35 - Why did it take so long to replace the MAS 49/56? 22:18 - Would a modern FAMAS using P-mags be feasible? 24:05 - Why did France not adopt the Maxim gun? 26:02 - Do I plan to get optics for my FAMAS? 30:07 - Why did the French adopt en bloc clips? 31:20 - What French arms are currently available at reasonable prices? 34:36 - Are there French-specific themes to their small arms? 36:35 - Would it have made a difference if France had adopted a semiauto rifle by 1939? 37:04 - What did the French arsenals do under occupation/Vichy? 38:28 - Will my book include the tabatiere? 39:17 - Should France have adopted an intermediate round in place of the 7.5x54? 40:37 - Do I have a Chatellerault M91 Mosin? 42:48 - What could be improved on the FAMAS? 44:17 - Most practical French rifle of WW1? 44:54 - Did France use the Gatling Gun in the Franco-Prussian War? 47:13 - Thoughts on the adoption of the HK 416? 50:20 - Best French rifle adopted at its time? 51:54 - Why does the French government keep WW1 and WW2 stuff classifi - USFA Zip 22: How a Garbage Gun Destroyed A Good CompanyE245
USFA Zip 22: How a Garbage Gun Destroyed A Good Companyhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons USFA used to be the producers of probably the best Single Action Army reproductions on the market - but then the company owner decided to pursue a crazy whim and embarked on the Zip 22 project. This was to be a very modular and very inexpensive little pistol with lots of cool possibilities. Problem was, the thing was a malfunctioning piece of junk that handled like a lumpy 2x4. To make it cheap and easy to make, Donnely (owner of USFA, and apparently the actual designer of the Zip) eschewed the use of either an extractor or ejector. Furthermore, the bolt is a roughly 1" (25mm) cube of polymer and is a consumable part like the recoil springs. The combination of a short bolt travel, very light mass of reciprocating parts, and lack of traditional parts to ensure extraction and ejection resulted (not surprisingly) in a notoriously unreliable firearm. While each individual Zip is very cheap, this is only possible through the use of polymer molds, which are very expensive to create. Apparently USFA sold off all its traditional machine tools (ie, the Single Action Army production capacity) to finance the various molds for the Zip 22 project. Donnely thought that the massive profits form the Zip would allow him to purchase new tools and restart SAA production after a two-year hiatus. However, the massive problems with the Zip destroyed the company's finances. It was only in production for just about a year, and by January of 2017 the company was formally dissolved, with no assets remaining. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Zip 22: Shooting the Worst Gun EverE246
Zip 22: Shooting the Worst Gun Everhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today, may the good lord help me, I am taking the Zip 22 out to the range for some shooting. Note that while it actually worked remarkably well right up until it jammed solid, on the second range trip when we went back to get the high-speed footage, we literally could not get two rounds in a row. We did get a couple neat high-speed malfunctions though... A big thanks to viewer Matt for generously loaning me the gun to film! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Book Review: Collector's Guide to the Savage 99 RifleE247
Book Review: Collector's Guide to the Savage 99 RifleAvailable from Schiffer direct: https://www.schifferbooks.com/a-collectors-guide-to-the-savage-99-rifle-and-its-predecessors-the-model-1895-and-1899-5926.html Or through Amazon: https://amzn.to/2PROjL2 Savage is an often under appreciated gun company, and the Savage Model 99 a rifle often not given the credit it is due. How many other firearms can claim to have been in active production by their original company for 103 years, with more than a million examples made? Well, for those who are interested in collecting the Model 99 (or its earlier iterations, the Model 1895 and Model 1899), David Royal's "Collector's Guide to the Savage 99 Rifle" is the sole and definitive source of information. He carefully catalogs all of Savage's model designations, factory options, production dates, serial numbers, and other such details. It is not a book with a lot of outside context, and thus not much of a general-interest read - but for the serious Savage enthusiast it is indispensable. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Ukrainian or Russian Partisan Modified MP40E248
Ukrainian or Russian Partisan Modified MP40http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Some collectors hunt for firearms which look perfectly new form the factory, and others prefer arms that show lots of evidence of use and history. Well, this is definitely one of the latter type - this 1943 production MP40 submachine gun has a terrible finish, most likely as a result of being buried for a period of time. It also has a crudely fabricated and attached brass-catching bag. The muzzle nut is missing as well - possible just lost, or possible removed to attach a suppressor along with the brass catcher. There is no way to know for sure, but the evidence all taken together suggests that this is a weapon captured and modified by Soviet or Ukrainian partisans during the latter years of World War Two. Thanks to the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters (http://www.amacs-malta.org) for providing this unique submachine gun for video! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - What Sets Gun Values? (RIA 74 Final Prices)E249
What Sets Gun Values? (RIA 74 Final Prices)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons As usual, I have a recap today of the final prices of the guns I filmed from the most recent RIA auction (#74; September 2018). Lots of examples here of seemingly similar items selling for substantially different amounts because of factors like whether or not they are German. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Special Presentation: Semiauto Pistols of the 1800sE250
Special Presentation: Semiauto Pistols of the 1800shttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today's Special Presentation is an overview of all the semiautomatic pistols that were actually put into serial production before the year 1900. We have looked at these individually before, but I think it is worthwhile to examine them together in context, to gain a better understanding of what the automatic pistol scene was really like in the last years of the 19th century. Want to learn more about any of these? Here are some videos on individual guns: Volcanic: https://youtu.be/RZBHTOYHY6Y Luger: https://youtu.be/rIX1EL1hTmE Schwarzlose 1898: https://youtu.be/rYl0dQAJMh4 Mannlicher 1894: https://youtu.be/lBBCZ_5SveE Mannlicher 1896: https://youtu.be/vtInWFneOtA Bergmann No1: https://youtu.be/SGNPqqau-E0 Bergmann No2: https://youtu.be/yiT_LzDJqTM Bergmann No3 & 4: https://youtu.be/gNERn3UXZXg Bergmann No5: https://youtu.be/HnKKmeTOU-s Salvatore-Dormus: https://youtu.be/QGzb-0PJadI Schonberger-Laumann: https://youtu.be/AFhU3Dixvnk If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Shooting the MAS-38 Submachine Gun: Second TryE251
Shooting the MAS-38 Submachine Gun: Second Tryhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Take 2! I have some ammunition loaded up for me by awesome viewer Cameron, and we're going to try it out in the MAS-38 submachine gun. This is loaded hot enough to properly cycle Mle 1935 pistols, unlike the ammunition available from Reed's and Buffalo Arms. However, it is a bit shorter than the original French loading, and I don't know if the length and bullet profile will properly cycle the MAS-38. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Steyr StG 77, aka the AUGE252
Steyr StG 77, aka the AUGhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today's rifle is not quite an Austrian military StG-77, but it is virtually identical. This is one of the commemorative rifles sold by Steyr, which has been rebuilt with military parts and is a registered dealer sample machine gun (which is why I can show you the complete full-auto functionality in the trigger group. The AUG (Armee Universal Gewehr) was one of the wave of bullpup-style military rifles developed and adopted in the 1970s, along with the British SA80 and French FAMAS F1. The AUG embodied a number of very forward-looking elements in its design, including extensive use of polymers (including the entire fire control group), a completely modular barrel, and standard integrated optical sight (albeit one considered obsolete today). Mechanically, the rifle's operating mechanism is a derivative of the Armalite AR-18, as are many other service rifles from this period. Special thanks to Bear Arms in Scottsdale, AZ for providing this rifle for video! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Brownells BRN-10A: A Retro Cold War AR-10 ReproductionE253
Brownells BRN-10A: A Retro Cold War AR-10 ReproductionCompanion shooting video on InRangeTV: https://youtu.be/a91nJOD31Lk We have a new Brownells BRN-10A reproduction AR-10 to take a look at today, hot off the production line! Brownells is making both AR-15 and AR-10 rifles in their "Retro" reproduction line, but this is definitely the more interesting one to me. You can piece together a good retro AR-15, but the AR-10 platform has until now been very limited in retro options. In today's video, I am comparing the BRN-10A to a semiauto conversion of an original Portuguese AR-10. This allows some good comparisons, but it is also of limited use, because Brownells has chosen to reproduce the cleaner lines of the early Cuban-pattern AR-10. Details like the muzzle, handguards, charging handle, and front sight block are quite different between early and late original AR-10s, but the comparison with a late Portuguese one does allow us to see how much detail did go into properly replicating many of the other elements. Overall, I am quite impressed by Brownells' new rifle. There is room for improvement, and my biggest complaint is the feel of the handguards - but they certainly do look right. Incidentally, after I finished filming I spoke with the company, and was told that a more accurate pistol grip is in development, as are waffle-pattern mags. Those will be nice improvements added to guns as they start shipping. The BRN-10 is definitely a much better reproduction than the old Armalite AR-10B rifles, and a heck of a lot less expensive than finding a semiauto conversion of an original one! YouTube does not allow links to firearms manufacturers in video descriptions, but I am sure you can figure out how to find Brownells. Related videos: Semiauto Original Portuguese AR10: https://youtu.be/7hibrCMBq_8 Armalite AR-10B Reproduction: https://youtu.be/OJcuBB24yoE Shooting a Sudanese AR10: https://youtu.be/nuEKwdwoqBA If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtu - M1918 Chauchat: Testing a New MagazineE254
M1918 Chauchat: Testing a New Magazinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am testing out a new .30-06 Chauchat magazine converted from a Johnson M1941 machine gun magazine. The workmanship on this new mag is excellent, and much more extensive than I had initially realized would be necessary. This had the side effect of also making is a very expensive magazine to have made properly. Unfortunately, the cost of that project has become unjustifiable. I initially wanted to have 5 or 6 of these, to allow me to have about 100 rounds loaded into magazines for competition use. Instead, I will be using a French 8mm Chauchat for anything requiring more than 10-20 rounds of ammunition, and leave this gun for more historical uses. While 8mm Lebel ammunition is expensive as well, I have a substantial number of good military magazines for it, as well as a much more accessible market of spare parts should anything break. I know a bunch of people will ask about 3D printing magazines. The reason that is not practical is because all of the clearances in the gun were designed around a magazine made of thin metal. In order for a 3D printed plastic to be strong enough to withstand the force of a stack of ammunition under sufficient pressure to feed reliably, the plastic would need to be substantially thicker than the original steel design. And there is not physical space inside the gun for that - the clearances between the bolt head, magazine feed lips, cartridge pusher, and barrel extension don't allow it. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The American FAL: Harrington & Richardson T48 (w/ Larry Vickers)E255
The American FAL: Harrington & Richardson T48 (w/ Larry Vickers)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am joined by Larry Vickers to take a look at his original H&R T48 FAL. The Harrington & Richardson company was awarded a contract to produce a pre-production series of 500 of these rifles in the mid 1950s when the United States was conduction trials to choose a new combat rifle. The Belgian-designed FAL (built by H&R with technical assistance from Canada, who was the first to formally adopt the FAL) was designated the Rifle, T48. By this time, it's only competition was the Springfield-designed Rifle, T44 - which would eventually become the M14. Both rifles were put through a wide array of testing and trials, and in the end they were so close in performance as to be both deemed acceptable by the testing officials. The decision went up the chain of command to almost the very top before a decision was made in favor of the M14, on the basis of it being slightly lighter in weight and capable of being produced on existing M1 Garand tooling. This would prove to be a mistaken expectation, and the process of developing the tooling and production lines for the M14 would be one of the major problems with its adoption. Interestingly, the Belgians at FN had offered the FAL design to the United States royalty-free, but this was not enough to sway US brass to adopt a non-American design. Only a handful of T48 FAL rifles exist in private hands today, and this one actually came out of the H&R company museum. Thanks to Mr. Vickers for sharing this fantastic piece of Cold War rifle history with us! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Forgotten History: Glade of the ArmisticeE256
Forgotten History: Glade of the Armisticehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Here at a forested railroad crossing outside Compiègne in Picardy, France, two rail cars met in November of 1918 - one with members of the Allied/Entente high commend and ones with representatives of Imperial Germany. They met here to end 5 years of slaughter; the German delegation being presented terms for armistice by the Allies. Faced with no other viable option, they would accept these terms, and the fighting officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day or the 11th month of 1918. More than a year would go by before the Treaty of Versailles was fully ratified, but it was here that the decision to end the death was made. The rail car in which the papers were signed was kept as a monument here, along with a rather pointed monument to the French dead, featuring a slain German Imperial eagle. A large stone message was also put up in the center of the clearing, reading (in translation): "Here on the 11th of November 1918 succumbed the criminal pride of the German reich, vanquished by the free peoples which it tried to enslave." When France signed an armistice with Germany in 1940, Hitler would have those papers signed here as well, in that very same rail car. The car was then taken to Berlin as a trophy, and the monuments here destroyed. The car itself was burned accidentally in 1945, but the monuments were rebuilt by the French following the war, and a sister car is now on display here with many of the original artifacts of the Armistice (which were hidden from the Germans in 1940). Thanks to Military History Tours for making this video possible! https://www.miltours.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Prototype 9mm Clement Military PistolE257
Prototype 9mm Clement Military Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Charles Clement is best known for a series of civilian pocket pistol made in the years before World War One, but today we are looking at a prototype Clement military pistol from 1914. This gun retains most of the same mechanical features of Clement's pocket guns, but is scaled up to the 9x20mm Browning cartridge for potential military use. It is a shrouded-hammer, simple blowback action, with a single stack magazine and a quite long barrel (probably to complement the shoulder stock which it is cut to fit). Only two examples of these are known to exist today, and probably only about 15 were originally made. They were trialled by the Belgian military, but not adopted - probably in part because of the outbreak of World War One. For much more information on Clement and his guns, I recommend this excellent collaborative article by Ed Buffaloe, Bill Chase, Dr. Stefan Klein, and Dr. Dirk Ziesing: https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Clement/clement.html If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Overview of Swedish Gun LawsE258
Overview of Swedish Gun Lawshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am joined by my friend Kristoffer to speak briefly about gun laws in Sweden while we take a break from the competition at Finnish Brutality 2018. As always, this is not intended to be legal advice for Swedish viewers, but just a basic overview for the edification of folks in other countries. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - The Rhodesia Mamba: Big Hype and a Big FlopE259
The Rhodesia Mamba: Big Hype and a Big Flophttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Mamba was originally conceived in a 1970s Salisbury, Rhodesia barroom bull session about the best elements of semiauto pistols. The project would wind up being pushed by an American expat named Joe Hale, and production of parts was contracted out to a South African engineering firm. The Mamba was hugely hyped at the time as being the best service handgun ever developed. It was an SA/DA system based on the Smith & Wesson Model 59, with ambidextrous safety, all stainless steel construction, and nary a single stamped part. Probably less than 100 were ever made (definitely not more than 200), as a result of massive technical problems. Many of these were ultimately because of an improper heat treating regimen insisted upon by Hale, but poor quality control in the manufacturing process didn't help anything. When the South African manufacturer bailed on the gun (having gotten a lucrative armored car contract from the South African government instead), the parts and IP were purchased by Navy Arms of the US. A small number of guns were assembled in New Jersey from South African parts, but there the project died. Today, the Mamba is a vary scarce pistol, for all the obvious reasons. Many thanks to the South African collection who provided this one for filming! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Webley Model 1911 Stocked .22 Single-Shot Target PistolE260
Webley Model 1911 Stocked .22 Single-Shot Target Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Webley Model 1911 is a single-shot, self-ejecting target pistol made only for a few years. It was fitted with a long barrel to increase sight radius and also a detachable shoulder stock for those who wanted a bit more stability when shooting. Mechanically, the piece must be loaded manually, and it will then open the slide and eject the empty case automatically when fired, leaving the slide open for the shooter to load the next round. These were manufactured until 1914, with the final batch of pistols sold in 1919 from remaining parts stocks. I am at the range with this example on Malta, thanks to the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters. I thought it would be interesting to compare shooting with and without the stock, although my biggest takeaway was that I need more practice time on the range! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85704 - Apocrypha - Leetle Friends (Ian Dual Wields Stechkins)E261
Apocrypha - Leetle Friends (Ian Dual Wields Stechkins)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Apocrypha is the behind-the-scenes material for Patrons who support Forgotten Weapons at the $3 level - things like daily happenings and goofy outtakes like this one. :) - Ammunition Evaluation: Ethiopian 7.62x51mm NATOE262
Ammunition Evaluation: Ethiopian 7.62x51mm NATOhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Century International Arms has imported a quantity of Ethiopian ammunition, and asked me to do a video on it. So, I have a three-part evaluation here: appearance and packaging, live fire testing (including velocity and consistency), and teardown and bullet weight consistency. This ammunition was produced (as best I can tell) at the Emperor Haile Selassie Ammunition Factory, established with Czech technical aid in the late 1940s in Addis Ababa. This ammunition was produced between 1977 and 1985, for use in Ethiopian BM59 and M14 rifles, as well as machine guns. Velocity: I tested velocity using a 7.62x51mm Israeli K98k Mauser rifle (barrel length 23.6 inches). Measurements were take at 10 feet from the muzzle, with a sample size of 15 rounds fired. I found an average velocity of 2637 fps, extreme spread of 143 fps (max 2689, min 2546), and standard deviation of 33.29 fps. At least half of the rounds fired exhibited a very brief hangfire, although every round fired on the first primer strike. Bullets: I tested the weight of 10 bullets using a calibrated Lyman electronic scale. I found an average weight of 143.4 grains, extreme spread of 1.7 grains (max 144.4 gr, min 142.7 gr), and standard deviation of 0.52 grains. Bullet construction is boat tail with an open base, lead core, and gilding metal over steel jacket (these bullet do attract a magnet). Century advertises this ammunition as using corrosive primers, and I took them at their word and did not test for corrosivity. Raw data: Velocities (fps): 2641, 2629, 2629, 2646, 2606, 2663, 2616, 2679, 2546, 2637, 2689, 2651, 2630, 2646, 2649 Bullet weights (grains): 143.3, 143.2, 142.7, 143.6, 143.9, 144.4, 142.9, 143.2, 142.9, 143.7 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons - Mauser C98: The System That Cost Paul Mauser an EyeE263
Mauser C98: The System That Cost Paul Mauser an Eyehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons One of Paul Mauser's lifelong projects was the design of a semiautomatic rifle for the German military. He would go through a multitude of different designs searching for something that would be sufficiently reliable, durable, and simple - and ultimately he would never fulfill the goal. But his efforts left us a trail of very interesting prototypes! In 1898 he conceived this sort of flapper-locked system, on a short recoil action. It is actually a pretty clever system mechanically, but apparently lacked sufficient protection against an out of battery detonation. In 1901, one of the C98 rifles of this pattern (but not this specific gun) suffered an out of battery detonation while Mauser was firing it, and the explosion broke his finger and took his left eye. After this experience, Mauser would not give up on his search for a military selfloader, but his subsequent designs (like the long-recoil C02 pattern) would have a much greater emphasis on mechanical safety. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Forgotten History: A German Bunker at MontfauconE264
Forgotten History: A German Bunker at Montfauconhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When one visits the Montfaucon American Memorial (to the soldiers in the Meuse-Argonne offensive), one finds the road in flanked by a pair of (mostly) surviving German bunkers. These standing artifacts of 20th-century warfare are something that we simply don't have in North America, and I find them fascinating and poignant to experience. Today's video is not a detailed history, but simply a look in and around one of these bunkers. https://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries-memorials/europe/montfaucon-american-monument Thanks to Military History Tours for making this video possible! https://www.miltours.com If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Varan PMX90: Ambidexterity in South AfricaE265
Varan PMX90: Ambidexterity in South Africahttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Varan pistol was developed by two Rhodesian designers, Tony Blackshaw and Stewart Beecham, and was originally designated the PMX-80. Development would take nearly a full decade, however, and mostly took place in South Africa. The goal was simply to create a good domestic service handgun, as such things were relatively difficult to obtain in these countries at that time. When it was finally completed in 1990, the Varan PMX-90 would fill this role reasonably well. It was not an exceptional handgun, but it was serviceable and reasonably high quality, and about 2,000 were produced before it become commercially unable to compete with the Vektor Z88 and SP1. The PMX-90 offered substantial ambidextrous features, including a top-facing ejection port in the early models. These would also allow the safety lever, slide release, and magazine release to be swapped to either side to fit the shooter's preference. In time, several of these features were discarded, and the later versions had a right-side ejection port and fixed slide release lever. The gun included several interesting features from a manufacturing point of view as well. The magazines were made of a transparent plastic, although it tended to turn to an opaque yellow with exposure to gun oil, and cracked easily. A later black plastic magazine partially solved the cracking problem. The frame was a hybrid milled and stamped assembly, presumably to reduce fabrication costs. Otherwise, it was mechanically a copy of the Browning High Power, including a single action only trigger mechanism. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Q&A 22: Travel and MoreE266
Q&A 22: Travel and Morehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Whew - this was a long one! As usual, I had far more questions submitted by you awesome Patrons than I could answer, so if yours didn't get in this time please submit it again next time. 0:00:52 - What have been my favorite or most enlightening trips abroad? 0:02:55 - Systems like Blish that work despite being based on faulty physics 0:05:30 - Gun stands and display blocks 0:08:18 - Window or aisle? Airline preferences? 0:11:54 - Specific future improvements in guns and ammunition 0:14:10 - 6mm Unified and the lack of modern SCHV military cartridges 0:16:06 - What is a "parts kit", anyway? 0:20:52 - Plans to cover the Savage 99? 0:21:42 - Plans to re-film any of the older videos? 0:23:25 - 1930s French plans for a 9x66 machine gun Huon & Barreliers' book on French machine guns can be found here: https://www.crepin-leblond.fr/accueil/768-les-mitrailleuses-francaises-9782703003922.html 0:25:12 - Which are the most interesting combloc surplus pistols? 0:27:36 - Modernized SKS, yea or nay? 0:29:17 - War or battle where difference in small arms was decisive? 0:30:24 - Makeup of my gun collection 0:32:06 - Best TSA/Customs story from my traveling 0:34:35 - Ideas for a pre-1898 collection? 0:37:48 - Why have European nations abandoned small arms manufacture? 0:40:38 - Why metallic feed strips instead of belts? 0:43:21 - Thoughts on writing firearms reference books today 0:48:41 - What can the American firearms community learn from our international colleagues? 0:50:15 - Market for modernized historical firearms? 0:52:48 - Thoughts on the Ohio Ordnance HCAR 0:54:47 - Quad-stack or drum? 0:56:45 - What modern military rifle feature is unnecessary but still used? 0:58:19 - Should the US have retained the 1903 Springfield or switched to the 1917 Enfield? 0:59:42 - How often do I have trips get cancelled? 1:00:52 - Why - Thompson 1921: The Original Chicago TypewriterE267
Thompson 1921: The Original Chicago Typewriterhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/thompson-1921-the-original-chicago-typewriter/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The first prototype Thompsons submachine guns (and it was Thompson who coined that term, by the way) were produced in 1919 and dubbed the "Annihilators". The gun was intended to be a military weapon to equip American soldiers in World War One, but by the time the gun was developed the war had ended. Still, Thompson and his Auto-Ordnance company contracted with Colt to manufacture 15,000 of the guns. These were the Model of 1921, and they were marketed to both the US military and as many European armies as Thompson and his salesmen could reach. They found few takers in the climate of the early 1920s, however, and sales were slow. This is the first in a 5-part series about the development of the Thompson, concluding with a trip to the range to fire three different patterns side by side... Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Szecsei & Fuchs Double Barrel Bolt Action Dangerous Game RifleE268
Szecsei & Fuchs Double Barrel Bolt Action Dangerous Game Riflehttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/szescei-fuchs-double-barrel-bolt-action-dangerous-game-rifle/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Normally in big game rifles, one has the choice of either a double barrel or a bolt action (semi autos being generally eschewed as not reliable enough). After the surely unnerving experience of being charged by three elephants simultaneously, however, Hungarian hunter Joseph Szecsei decided he wanted both the immediate followup shot of the double barrel and the capacity of the bolt action all in a single rifle. So working with Fuchs Fine Guns in Austria, he created just that - a double barrel bolt action rifle. The system uses six locking lugs on the rear end of the bolt to lock two bolts and chambers, and a dual magazine which holds three extra rounds for each barrel. The guns are made to order for the very high end of the market, and are available in pretty much your choice of caliber - this particular example is in .416 Remington Magnum. Interestingly, Fuchs also makes an over/under pattern of this system as well as a miniaturized rimfire pattern. Neat! Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - British Cabin Pressure Flare Pistols (Quite Unusual)E269
British Cabin Pressure Flare Pistols (Quite Unusual)https://www.forgottenweapons.com/british-cabin-pressure-flare-pistols-quite-unusual/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Signal flares were an important communications tool for aircraft during World War Two, and a multitude of flare pistol types exist with mounting brackets for aerial use. The introduction of pressurized fuselages made this a much more difficult proposition, however. These two flare pistols were designed by the British to maintain the pressurized seal of an aircraft body while still allowing firing and reloading through a pivoting mount and system of seals. I bet you haven’t seen something quite like these before! Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - The Marines' First SMG: 1921/28 Thompson GunE270
The Marines' First SMG: 1921/28 Thompson Gunhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-marines-first-smg-1921-28-thompson-gun/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The USMC had acquired a few hundred early 1921 model Thompson submachine guns in 1926, and prompted the US Navy to formally test the guns. The Navy requested a reduction in the rate of fire, in order to improve controllability and reduce ammunition consumption (20 round magazines go quickly at 900rpm!). Auto-Ordnance happily complied, and Oscar Payne returned to the company on his spare time to modify the gun. He did this my adding a substantial amount of mass to the actuator, and was able to reduce the rate of fire substantially. The Navy subsequently ordered 500 guns, designated the Model of 1928. Since most of the original 15,000 guns made by Colt were still in inventory, Auto-Ordnance simply overstamped the "1" at the end of "1921" with an "8" and put the new heavier bolt assemblies in the guns, leading to the collector term "21/28 overstamp" for these Thompsons. The lower rate of fire would become the new standard for the Thompson. By late 1928, only about 6,000 Thompsons had been sold, and by the end of 1938 10,300 had been sold. Of these, about 1500 total had gone to the US government, about 4100 exported, and the remainder to American police and security agencies. Times were not good for the Thompson - it was an expensive military weapon without a war that needed it. Despite the gun's huge notoriety, it was actually not used in particularly large numbers by the motor bandits of the 20s and 30s, nor in great numbers by the police. While the FBI did purchase Thompsons, they only bought 115 in total, and not until 1935. This is the second part in a 5-part series on the development of the Thompson... Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.yo - Panzerschreck: Germany Makes a BazookaE271
Panzerschreck: Germany Makes a Bazookahttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/panzerschreck-germany-makes-a-bazooka/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The German military first encountered American Bazookas in Tunisia in 1943, and quickly put in place a program to copy and improve on the design. At that point, the latest German antitank weapons was the Raketenwerfer 43 “Puppchen”, which was a locked-breech rocket launcher built on a carriage like a standard AT gun. It had a substantial range and a very effective 88mm shaped charge warhead, but lacked the one-man mobility offered by the Bazooka. So, the Raketenpanzerbuchse 43 - shortly thereafter renamed the Panzerschreck - was developed in late 1943. The Panzerschreck kept the 88mm bore of the Puppchen, so that the warhead could be kept unchanged. The rear half of the munition was redesigned to fit an open tube type of launcher. The early Bazookas captured by German forces were at that time fitted with a battery-powered firing system, which the Germans opted to replace (as would the Americans, in later versions). The Panzerschreck trigger used a small generator, where a heavy spring pushed an iron core through a copper winding and magnet, this creating an electrical charge to fire the rocket. One shortcoming of the Panzerschreck compared to the Bazooka was that the German rockets did not burn completely within the launch tube - the motors continued to fire for about the first 2 meters of flight. This meant that the shooter would receive substantial burns to the face and hands if protective gear was not worn when firing. Initially, troops were instructed to wear filter-less gas masks and winter gloves when shooting, but it was quickly recognized that this was an impractical burden. Soldiers in the field began to craft protective shields to mount on the tubes, and these were formalized in a windowed shield was introduced in 1944 as standard on new production lau - World War Two Heats Up: The M1928A1 Thompson SMGE272
World War Two Heats Up: The M1928A1 Thompson SMGhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/world-war-two-heats-up-the-m1928a1-thompson-smg/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons By 1939, Auto-Ordnance was thoroughly bankrupt, having about $400 in assets and a debt of more than $1.2 million to the estate of the late Thomas Ryan, it's original financier. Ryan had died in 1929, but the company shareholders had prevented his estate from forcing the sale of the company for a decade. In 1939 they could hold out no longer, and the company was sold to one Russell Maguire, a high profile corporate raider. Maguire, however, saw the potential of a submachine gun company on the brink of a new world war, and negotiated a contract with the Savage Arms Company to begin new production of Thompsons (the original Colt guns from 1921 having finally all sold). Orders began to come in from Europe, and new Model of 1928 Thompsons were sold to France, Sweden, and most substantially, the United Kingdom. The US military would also start buying Thompsons in quantity (designated the M1928A1), but the UK orders (paid for in bullion) were a massive source of profits for the company. Auto-Ordnance would roll some of these profits back into the company, buying an old automotive brake factory in Bridgeport Connecticut and tooling up their own production of receivers and trigger frames to supplement Savage's production. A number of changes were progressively made to the guns to simplify and speed up their manufacture, including smooth barrels, stamped ejectors, vastly simplified rear sights, and horizontal front grips. By the time the M1928A1 was replaced by the M1 Thompson, more than 1.1 million had been made by AO and Savage combined. The Thompson had at last found it's purpose! This is the third of a 5-part series on the development of the Thompson... Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, chec - H&R's Experimental M14 Guerrilla GunE273
H&R's Experimental M14 Guerrilla Gunhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/hrs-experimental-m14-guerrilla-gun/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons While Harrington & Richardson was making M14 rifles for the United States military, they were also experimenting with other variations on the design. Among these was the “Guerrilla Gun”, an shortened and lightened M14. The barrel was reduced in length by 4.5 inches and also reduced significantly in diameter, and a special conical flash hider fitted. The intention was to make a version more suitable to small-statured Asian soldiers, and several of these rifles were made in the X-40 range of serial numbers. This particular one was also fitted with a custom made underflowing stock which further lightened the gun as well as making it quite compact. One can only imagine how difficult this configuration would have been to shoot in fully automatic! This rifle was registered and sold by H&R in the mid 1980s, and it is well provenance to the factory. A previous owner replaced the short barrel with a standard length one as well as a standard stock, and in that configuration it is a quite scarce fully transferrable M14. The short barrel and its fittings (less the flash hider) are still with it, however, and hopefully the next owner will return it to its original form. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Shooting the M14: Full Auto Really Uncontrollable?E274
Shooting the M14: Full Auto Really Uncontrollable?https://www.forgottenweapons.com/shooting-the-m14-full-auto-really-uncontrollable/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today we are out shooting the H&R M14 "Guerrilla Gun" prototype, but fitted with a standard M14 stock and barrel. With these parts, it handles and fires exactly like a standard M14 - so I can answer the most pertinent question: Is the M14 really so uncontrollable in full auto? Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - The First Browning 1919: The Automatic Tank Machine GunE275
The First Browning 1919: The Automatic Tank Machine Gunhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-first-browning-1919-the-automatic-tank-machine-gun/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In 1918 the United States began manufacturing tanks for the war effort in Europe, and these tanks naturally required armament. The British were mostly using the Hotchkiss Portative for they new tanks and the French were using the Hotchkiss 1914 heavy machine gun. The initial American weapon of choice for tanks was the Marlin 1917, as straight gas piston conversion of the Colt 1895 design - but the Marlin had substantial flaws and a better gun was desired. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - The Iconic American WW2 Thompson: the M1A1E276
The Iconic American WW2 Thompson: the M1A1https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-iconic-american-ww2-thompson-the-m1a1/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons While the US Army was satisfied with the Thompson as a fighting weapon in World War Two, it was most certainly not happy with the gun's exorbitant price tag. The Thompson was a very expensive gun, and the Army wanted to see that change. In March of 1942, engineers at the Savage factory submitted a simplified version for Army consideration, and it was accepted and adopted the very next month. Savage would transition from M1928A1 production to the new M1 pattern in June and July of 1942. This new M1 Thompson had eliminated at last the unique and unnecessary Blish lock system in favor of a simple blowback action delayed only by bolt mass. In addition to greatly simplifying the production of bolt components, this also allowed the receiver internal shape to be much simplified. A further simplification would follow shortly, as the hammer and floating firing pin were replaced by a fixed firing pin milled into the bolt face in October of 1942 - this new type being designated the M1A1. Another 715,000 M1 and M1A1 Thompsons would be produced by Savage and Auto-Ordnance by February of 1944, when the Thompson was finally replaced by the yet cheaper M3 "Grease Gun". This is the fourth in a 5-part series on the development of the Thompson... Note: I refer to the M1A1 in this video as a transferrable gun; it is actually a pre-May dealer sample. Sorry! Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Strange History: A Remington Rolling Block From the USS NiagaraE277
Strange History: A Remington Rolling Block From the USS Niagarahttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/strange-history-a-remington-rolling-block-from-the-uss-niagara/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The story of the USS Niagara is quite an odd little corner of history. It was a ship built in 1877 and acquired by the US Navy in 1898, fitted out as a water distillery and supply ship. That fitting out was not actually done by the Navy, though, but rather by a group of wealth private citizens in New York, headed by William Randolph Hearst. As an outburst of (allegedly) grassroots support for the US war effort against Spain, these men outfitted and donated the Niagara to the Navy. And the fitted it out like a private yacht, with porcelain china and silver flatware for all the officers and sailors, and much more. The arms and accouterments purchased were all finely stamped or engraved with the name of the ship, including 35 brand new Remington Rolling Block rifles in 7mm Mauser, with “NIAGARA” engraved in bold letters across the top of the receiver. Once the outfitting was complete and the ship was in Navy service, she sailed down to Cube, stayed on station for about two months without participating in any action of note, and then sailed back to New York to be decommissioned and sold for scrap. Francis Bannerman was on hand at the scrap auction, and bought most of the small items form the ship (including the rifles). Bannerman’s catalog would list Niagara items until 1927... Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Shooting the Thompsons: Comparing the 1921, 21/28, and M1A1E278
Shooting the Thompsons: Comparing the 1921, 21/28, and M1A1http://www.forgottenweapons.com/shooting-the-thompsons-comparing-the-1921-21-28-and-m1a1/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Having gone through the whole series of Thompson submachine guns, now it's time to take them out to the range! I was quite curious to see how the different variations would handle side by side, since they have several significant differences. The Cutt's Compensator and the changing rate of fire can both be expected to have a noticeable impact on the shootability of the guns. I went in expecting to prefer the World War Two M1A1 pattern, and was rather surprised to find myself actually liking the 1921 model best. It's very high rate of fire actually worked very well, with less noticeable vibration and sight disruption than either of the other types. Its sights are close to useless, and it is both heavy and awkward to handle - but I can see why it developed the following it has! Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Solothurn 20mm S18-1000 Wheeled CarriageE279
Solothurn 20mm S18-1000 Wheeled Carriagehttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/solothurn-20mm-s18-100-wheeled-carriage/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Before they became obsolete, antitank rifles were a way to bring substantial firepower to small infantry teams - but they were never light weight. As with some of the early water cooled heavy machine guns, designers looked for ways to make the weapons more easily transported, and the solution arrived at for the Solothurn S18-1000 20mm cannon was a small wheeled mount. Complete with elevation adjustment to raise the gun just above the available cover and trail arms to secure it against recoil movement, the carriage allowed the gun to be early pulled by its crew or by a draft animal, bicycle, or light motorized vehicle. Most buyers of the guns did not opt to purchase these carriages, however, and they are quite scarce today. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Smith & Wesson 76: American's Vietnam 9mm SMGE280
Smith & Wesson 76: American's Vietnam 9mm SMGhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/smith-wesson-76-americans-vietnam-9mm-smg/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Early in the Vietnam War, the US Navy acquired a quantity of Swedish M/45B submachine guns (“Swedish K”) for special forces use. By 1966, however, the Swedish government would no longer authorize sales of arms to the United States because of involvement in the Vietnam War. So instead, the US turned to Smith & Wesson to design and produce a copy of the gun. In January of 1967 the first prototypes were presented of the S&W Model 76, which incorporated a number of changes form the Swedish original. The S&W gun had an ambidextrous selector lever allowing either semiauto or full auto fire, and a permanently fitted magazine well for use with a close copy of the Suomi 36 round double stack box magazine. Most interestingly, the inside of the receiver tube is cut with long rifling-like grooves to allow dirt and fouling to accumulate without impacting the gun’s reliability. Only a relatively small number of 76s were procured by the Navy (under the designation Mk 24 Mod 0), as the availablity of AR15/M16 carbines proved more attractive option than 9mm submachine guns. The company would continue making them until 1974, with a total of 6,000 produced. This particular example is a T prefix serial, which I suspect (but cannot prove) was Navy purchase. The reputation of the S&W 76 has been unfortunately tarnished by a succession of full auto and semiauto clones, none of which are as well made or as reliable in use as the original S&W production. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Shooting the S&W Model 76 - the Original!E281
Shooting the S&W Model 76 - the Original!https://www.forgottenweapons.com/shooting-the-sw-model-76-the-original/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I have long been told that the Smith & Wesson Model 76 is a very nice submachine gun to shoot, despite its rather crude appearance. Some complain about a very heavy trigger pull, but this gun does not have that problem. Well, in my opinion the stories I have been told are true - the 76 is an almost boringly comfortable gun to shoot. It is simple and controllable, with no particularly faults I am able to spot. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - German U-Boat Line-Thrower Rifle ConversionsE282
German U-Boat Line-Thrower Rifle Conversionshttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/german-u-boat-line-thrower-rifle-conversions/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons These two Gewehr 98 rifles were converted by the Mauser factory to be used as naval line-throwing rifles. The exact nature of the line and lead projectiles is not clear, but they are clearly original military conversions and came form the Geoffrey Sturgess collection. Entirely new stocks were made for these guns, with a substantially increased length of pull to mitigate the harsh recoil of line throwing. The magazines were blocked with wooden plugs, allowing only one short (blank) round to be held, but allowing that round to be depressed enough to close the rifle’s bolt over it and keep the chamber empty. The barrels were replaced with launch tubes, on 10 inches long with a 2 inch bore and the other 10.5 inches long with a 1.75 inch bore. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Webley WG Single Shot Not-A-RevolverE283
Webley WG Single Shot Not-A-Revolverhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/webley-wg-single-shot-not-a-revolver/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This is a really interesting and probably unique Webley - a single shot, flat sided version of the WG Target revolver. It has a WG Target frame and grip and WG Target adjustable sights, but a monolithic barrel block with a single chamber and ejector in place of a cylinder (rather like a Colt Camp Perry). It is in magnificent condition, but there is a complete dearth of historical information on this pattern. The only deduction I can make is based on the serial number, which is just 11 digits shy of the last known WG revolver. This would place production just before World War One, and perhaps in using the last of the available parts it was reasonable to make a single-shot version like this for a custom special order? Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - M1909 Benet Mercie - America's First LMGE284
M1909 Benet Mercie - America's First LMGhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1909-benet-mercie-americans-first-lmg/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons 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 adopted when the US military realized that machine gun doctrine reuqired different guns for the light and heavy roles, and the M1904 Maxim gun was only suitable for use in the heavy role. Less than 2,000 of the M1909 guns were acquired, virtually all of them being made under license by Springfield Arsenal and the Colt company. They were used as training guns by US forces mobilizing for World War One, but did not see combat in that war. Indeed, the only action of note the Benet-Mercie saw was in Pancho Villa's 1916 raid on the town of Columbus, New Mexico. Want to know more about the Columbus raid? Check out the InRangeTV video on that battle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMYo0RoWL7E Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Colt Model 639: MACVSOG's Vietnam CarbineE285
Colt Model 639: MACVSOG's Vietnam Carbinehttp://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-model-639-macvsogs-vietnam-carbine/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Colt Model 639 was the export version of the Colt Model 629, which was type classified by the US military as the XM177E2 and issued to MACVSOG special operations units in 1967 and 1968. Improved from the Model 609 carbine, the 629/639 has an 11.5 inch barrel and an interesting small muzzle device (“moderator”) which served to change the signature of its firing to sound much more like an AK type rifle than an M16. The device does that job well - at least until it had been fired extensively, which slowly fills up the (non-disassemblable) unit with carbon and powder residue, substantially reducing its effectiveness. It has a full-fence lower, standard carbine buffer and spring, and a two position aluminum collapsing stock. It is the iconic weapon of US special forces in Vietnam. Only about 100 of the Model 639 were made in the early 1970s, and many of those were sent back to Colt in 1975 under a recall. At that time, the ATF decided to classify the muzzle device as a silencer, prompting Colt to recall the guns and remove and destroy the devices. Some owners, however, kept their carbines and instead registered the muzzle devices, allowing them legally remain on the guns. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - The MG 08/15 Updated Between the WarsE286
The MG 08/15 Updated Between the Warshttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-mg-08-15-updated-between-the-wars/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the aftermath of World War One, the Treaty of Versailles strictly limited the number of machine guns that the German military could keep in inventory. The main type that the Germans chose to keep was the MG08/15 (although a substantial number of MG08 guns were kept as well). Through the 1920s and 1930s, these Maxim guns were improved and updated in a variety of ways until finally replaced by the MG34 starting in 1936. Many of these updated 08/15s would be deployed in reserve areas during World War Two, but relatively few survive today. Today we are looking at one such gun, and noting the changes made to it compared to the 08/15 of World War One. Specifically: * Anti-aircraft sights and mounting brackets * Oiler bottle in the stock * Bipod attachment at the muzzle * New water drain and fill plugs * Modified drum hanger bracket * Feed block for both cloth Maxim belts and metal MG34 belts * Leather pistol grip cover * Top cover locking latch Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Apocrypha - Reverse UnboxingE287
Apocrypha - Reverse UnboxingSigning and packing Vickers Guide AK books... Apocrypha is a behind the scenes video series for Forgotten Weapons Patrons who support the channel at $3/month. Join in here: Http://www.patreon.com/forgottenweapons https://www.vickersguide.com/purchase/kalashnikov-standard - Ingram Model 6: Like A Thompson Without the Price Tag (Sort Of)E288
Ingram Model 6: Like A Thompson Without the Price Tag (Sort Of)https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ingram-model-6-like-a-thompson-without-the-price-tag-sort-of/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Before he made a big success with the M10 (MAC-10) submachine gun, Gordon Ingram designed a couple other guns. His initial M5 submachine gun and M20 light machine gun never went past prototype stage, but the M6 did prove to be successful, at least in a limited way. The M6 was a very simple blowback .45ACP submachine gun very deliberately made to look like the Thompson. It was introduced in 1948, and in 1949 Ingram and other investors created the Police Ordnance Company to market and sell it. A total of about 2,000 were made, including an order of 400 to the Peruvian government which was coupled with a licensing agreement which would see some 8,000 more produced in Peru on license. The Model 6 was offered in three calibers, but only the .45 ACP saw any sales (the other options were 9x19mm and .38 Super). Three configurations were detailed in the company’s marketing literature, although in production guns some of the features were mixed. The official models were the Police (finned barrel and vertical front grip), Guard (smooth barrel and horizontal front grip), and Military (smooth barrel, fully hooded sight, sling swivels, and spike bayonet). Production on lasted for a few years, as Ingram left the company in 1953 and it dissolved in 1954. Today, Model 6 submachine guns are a neat and under recognized piece of Ingram history, completely overshadowed by the M9, M10, and M11 designs which Ingram would produce later. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Durs Egg Ferguson - The Rifle That Didn't Shoot George WashingtonE289
Durs Egg Ferguson - The Rifle That Didn't Shoot George Washingtonhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons 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 Brandywine. Ferguson presented two rifles to the British military for consideration, one of them being this specific gun. In a shooting demonstration on a windy, rainy day he convinced the Board of Ordnance of the viability of his rifle, and a field trials was set in motion. One hundred Ferguson rifles were made for the Crown, and Ferguson was detached form his Regiment to be given command of a company of specially trained elite riflemen. His men were drilled in accurate shoot as well as use of the bayonet, they were organized in small groups to make use of cover and concealment, and they were fitted with green uniforms to blend into the terrain. This unit deployed to the American colonies in 1777, and saw action in the Battle of Brandywine. Unfortunately for Ferguson and his ideas, the unit didn’t make any particularly notable impact on the battle, although not by any fault of their own. Worse, Ferguson was wounded, and because the unit was so heavily dependent on him it was disbanded while he recuperated. He did see service again at the Battle of King’s Mountain, where he was killed in action. This particular Ferguson rifle was made by the noted London gunsmith Durs Egg, and is one of the two guns presented to the Board of Ordnance that began the whole series of events. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Schwarzlose HMG Converted to 8x57mm by RomaniaE290
Schwarzlose HMG Converted to 8x57mm by Romaniahttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/schwarzlose-hmg-converted-to-8x57mm-by-romania/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Schwarzlose 07/12 was made through the wolf of World War One as the standard heavy machine gun of the Austro-Hungarian armed forces, and many of them remained after the war ended. With the breakup of the Austro-hungarian Empire, these guns were dispersed to a variety of nations, among them Romania. The Romanians contracted with FN between the world wars for new 8x57mm barrels and converted a substantial number of Schwarzlose machine guns to 8x57 to match the other arms in use by the Romanian military. These guns appear to have seen little (if any) use in World War Two, and were brought into the US a few decades ago. Being after 1968, they could not be imported as live machine gun, and were instead cut into parts kits. The parts, however, are an easy drop-in conversion on an original 8x50mm Schwarzlose, resulting in a far more easily shootable machine gun thanks to the availability of 8x57mm ammunition. In addition to the caliber conversion, several other changes were made to the guns. The water jacket and barrel were lengthened by about 4 inches and the cartridge oiler was disabled. The rear sight was replaced with one calibrated for both light and heavy 8mm Mauser loadings, and a set of mounting brackets were added to the top cover - probably for anti-aircraft sights. If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Swiss Tankbuchse 41 Semiauto Antitank RifleE291
Swiss Tankbuchse 41 Semiauto Antitank Riflehttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/swiss-tankbuchse-41-semiauto-antitank-rifle/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Originally developed for use in light tanks purchased from Czechoslovakia, the Tankbuchse 41 was a 24x139mm semiautomatic rifle designed by Adolph Furrer of the Waffenfabrik Bern factory. Furrer was also responsible for the LMG-25 and MP41/44 used by the Swiss, and with the TB-41 he once again used the operating system he was most familiar with: a short recoil toggle locked action. The gun was ready and adopted in 1941, and a total of 3,581 were produced, used in light tanks, lake patrol boats, fortifications, and on wheeled carriages by the infantry. High explosive and armor piecing projectiles were made, both weighing 3475 grains (225g) and with muzzle velocities between 2800 and 2950 fps (860-900 fps). The armor piercing round could perforate 30cm of perpendicular armor plate at 500m - more than most other contemporary antitank rifles. Designed specifically for rapid fire, the gun fed from 6 round magazines, and automatically ejected the magazine when the last round was chambered, so that the crew could reload it without having to run the chagrin crank handle. The guns never saw combat use, and by the end of World War Two were being pulled back out of inventory and relegated primarily to fortress use. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Book Review: Desert Sniper, by Ed NashE292
Book Review: Desert Sniper, by Ed NashAvailable from Amazon: https://amzn.to/2yy2zRf "Desert Sniper" is an autobiographical account of Ed Nash's time fighting as a volunteer with Kurdish forces against ISIS in Syria in 2015 and 2016. Nash had been working as a volunteer with the Free Burma Rangers when he decided in 2015 that the growing list of ISIS atrocities demanded action. With his background in journalism and experience as a liaison for the FBR, he thought he could do some good helping to fight one of the most starkly evil groups the 21st century has yet seen. So, he boarded a plane to the middle east. Kurdish organization being somewhat subpar, his skills as a journalist were not exploited, and instead he went to a sniper tabor (fighting unit) with a Dragunov, which would be his primary weapon for the rest of his time in country. His book describes the experience from start to finish, including insight into Kurdish culture and politics, training, tactics, and more. He worked with both Kurdish men and women (a substantial fraction of the Kurdish fighters and commanders were female) and with other foreign volunteers like himself and various Special Forces teams from coalition nations like France, the UK, and the US. There are several things that I particularly appreciate about Nash's work. First is its honesty and lack of either bravado or squeamishness. Today's popular sensibilities insist that doing violence must inevitably damage a person psychologically, but this is not true. When one believes in the rightness of one's actions, one can survive combat without becoming a psychological victim of it. There are certainly physiological exceptions like the prolonged shelling experienced by many in WW1 and the brain injuries caused by pressure waves associated with bomb blasts, but if we are to believe Nash (and I do), one can engage in lethal violence for a just cause and sleep well at night afterward. On a more technical side, Nash's journalism experience shows in his writing. The book is - August Coenders' 9x19mm Belt-Fed MGE293
August Coenders' 9x19mm Belt-Fed MGhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons August Coenders was an independent arms designer in Germany. During the 1930s he spent several years working in England and at the French Puteaux Arsenal, which contributed to a general lack of trust and interest in his designs by the German high command (the man's generally adversarial nature didn't help either). He developed several different types of gun during World War Two, including a belt-fed 8mm machine gun, a last ditch Volkssturm bolt action rifle, and this 9x19mm Parabellum caliber belt fed machine gun. This 9mm belt-fed was probably intended for use as a vehicle machine gun, where the range and power of the ammunition was not really a liability, and where the compact nature of the gun and its ammunition would be a real advantage. The German military was not interested in it, though, and this gun was captured by American troops at the end of the war, missing its barrel and feed cover. It was taken back to Aberdeen Proving Grounds for examination, where a new barrel and an MG42-type feed cover were fabricated for it. Today it resides in a Maltese private collection, where I had the opportunity to film it thanks to the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Q&A #23: Kalashnikov Questions w/ Larry VickersE294
Q&A #23: Kalashnikov Questions w/ Larry Vickershttps://www.vickersguide.com/kalashnikov/ Larry's training class schedule: https://www.vickerstactical.com/training-class.html Today's questions: 02:15 - AK as replacement for PPSh? 03:52 - Benefits of an AK over a M4? 05:52 - What you learned during the process of authoring it together that you didn't know before hand that you found fascinating. 07:46 - Opinion on the IWI Ace? 09:40 - 5.45 vs 7.62 11:28 - Does the AK still has a place as a "front-line" service rifle in comparison to the AR-15 family and the various other new generation assault rifles and carbines? 12:52 - Of all the countries that made AKM variants, which is actually the best? 14:51 - Has Russia ever attempted to replace the AK platform? 15:47 - Best AK muzzle device? 17:01 - Most significant changes/improvements made to the AK platform over the last decade? 19:08 - Followup, what about the siderail optics? 21:10 - What is your favorite offshoot of the Kalashnikov family? 22:08 - Reasons for continued use of 5.45mm? 24:32 - If you were part of the original development of the AK, what would you change from the beginning with the foresight of future development? 26:29 - AK-specific Vickers Tactical training in 2019? 27:16 - Underfolder, sidefolder, AR tube adapter, which one and why? 28:33 - Thoughts on the AK prototypes with a recoil reduction counterweight? 30:48 - How does the Russian GP-25 40mm grenade launcher compare to western 40mm launchers like the M203. 31:41 - What do the Russians think about our military rifle? 33:05 - What made the AK platform superior to the SKS? 35:10 - Where do you think the AK’s reputation for poor accuracy came from? 37:40 - Thoughts on the AN-94? 39:46 - Was AK production done with technical aid or reverse engineering? 41:52 - Unique unique features on the prototypes that never made it to production? 42:39 - If I want to own everything within 300m, what's my optimal barrel len - Tommy Steele's TS V: Integrally Suppressed 9mm CarbineE295
Tommy Steele's TS V: Integrally Suppressed 9mm Carbinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Thanks to a friend in South Africa, we have a chance today to take a look at one of the five prototypes of Tommy Steele's TS V semiauto carbine. This thing is completely ambidextrous (including swappable ejection ports), has an abundance of safety mechanisms, and an integral suppressor complete with massive barrel venting to (in theory) reduce muzzle velocity on standard 115gr 9mm ammunition below the speed of sound. Steele had begun his military career with the British Royal Marines, before moving to Rhodesia and joining the Rhodesian Army. In 1980 he left the country and emigrated to South Africa, where he joined the SADF, working as an armorer. He began work on this design in the mid 1980s, but the TS V guns were not actually produced until 1996 and 1997 in South Africa. He was unable to find a financial supporter for the design, and thus it never went into series production. All five existing prototypes vary in their details, and this the the first of them. Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Sport Systeme Dittrich Semiauto BD-38 (MP-38)E296
Sport Systeme Dittrich Semiauto BD-38 (MP-38)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Sport Systeme Dittrich in Germany is a manufacturer of a remarkably wide range of reproduction German World War Two small arms (including the FG42, StG-44, G43, MP-3008, MP-35, and VG1-5 as well as the MP-38). They have a mixed reputation, as they are magnificently accurate looking reproductions, but the Sturmgewehr in particular suffered from a great deal of parts breakage and reliability problems (in the US, these were imported as the PTR-44 many years ago). For collectors and shooters in the United States, this is generally a moot point, because the Dittrich reproductions are too accurate mechanically to be allowable for import. The BD-38 semiauto copy of the MP-38, for instance, is an open-bolt carbine, which is deemed easily convertible to fully automatic under US law (a similar conclusion was reached by the RCMP in Canada). At any rate, I had a chance to do some shooting with a BD-38 on Malta, where the open bolt mechanism is not a concern, since collectors are allowed to own fully automatic arms anyway. Aside form a faulty original magazine, it shot quite well, as one might expect. Recoil is basically nil, given the weight of the MP38 design. The Dittrich reproduction guns are an excellent example of the conundrum faced by manufacturers of reproduction historical guns. The market demands a very accurate reproduction, but these sorts of guns are never popular in mass-market numbers, which means the prices must be quite high to cover the costs of tooling and development. The BD-38 costs 3000-4000 Euros where it is available - which further reduces the number of potential buyers. Thanks to the Association of Maltese Arms Collectors and Shooters (http://www.amacs-malta.org) for providing this BD-38 for video! If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow - Romagne 14-18 Museum TourE297
Romagne 14-18 Museum Tourhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Jean-Paul de Vries runs a very interesting private World War One museum in the village of Romagne-sous-Montfaucon in the Meuse region of northeastern France. It is the exact opposite of typical modern museums, as it has a massive number of artifacts on display with almost no printed explanation. It is also unusual in displaying almost exclusively recovered artifacts of the war, the majority of them have been left on the fields or buried for decades. You will not find new specimens here; you will find remnants of war and weather. That may sound dreary to some, but to me it is a very interesting way to approach the war and its history. You know that every item in this museum was actually used on the field of battle, and that can provide some interesting insights. For example, the American .30-06 Chauchat automatic rifles here indicate, contrary to most printed sources, that those guns were actually used in combat actions by American soldiers and not just for training. Tired of museums that have great open rooms with a single item on a glass case in the center? Then this is one place you will really appreciate! The museum is an entirely private operation, and includes a small restaurant for sandwiches and such, and a shop offering books, reproduction items, and original artifacts for sale. If it located near the huge American Meuse-Argonne Cemetery, and I would highly recommend it to anyone traveling in the area with an interest in the Great War. You can see the museum's web site here: https://romagne14-18.com/index.php/en/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Charlie Taylor Interview: Blank Fire Guns for the MoviesE298
Charlie Taylor Interview: Blank Fire Guns for the Movieshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I had a chance to spend a couple days filming at Movie Armaments Group up in Toronto, and took a minute to speak with Charlie Taylor, their Managing Director. MAG is has been around for 25 years supplying guns to the film and TV industry, and Charlie has immense experience working with blank-fire guns. Sounds easy, right? Well, there's really a lot more that goes into reliable and safe blank-fire conversions than you might expect... Check out MAG on Instagram: https://instagram.com/moviearmamentsgroup http://www.moviearms.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Vickers-Berthier 1919 US Trials Rifle (Second Type)E299
Vickers-Berthier 1919 US Trials Rifle (Second Type)https://www.forgottenweapons.com/vickers-berthier-1919-us-trials-rifle-second-type/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons After designing the bolt action rifle that bears his name, Andre Berthier went on to experiment with self-loading designs. He developed a light machine gun in the years before World War One, but was not able to interest the French government in it. He also submitted that gun for US military consideration in 1917, but was similarly rebuffed (in fairness to the militaries, the gun was not really ready for field service). Then the US issued a request for semiautomatic should rifles in 1920, Berthier and his partners at the Vickers company dated the machine gun design into a closed-bolt, semiauto shoulder rifle. After rejection at the May 1920 trials, they redesigned the gas system to be shorter, and resubmitted another rifle to the followup tests in November of 1921. That resubmitted rifle is what we are looking at today. Internally, the rifle’s design is actually much better than its ungainly external appearance would suggest - but it was still not good enough to interest the US military. The locking system is a two-piece tilting bolt, very similar to the eventually successful Vickers-Berthier light machine gun of the mid 1920s. A firing pin is fixed to the operating rod, and the trigger releases the whole op rod to jump forward under residual mainspring pressure to fire - much like the Lewis and FG42 designs. Clever safety and manual bolt hold open levers double as takedown pins, and the whole system is really quite modern for 1920/21. Unfortunately, the rifle suffered parts breakage and its top-mounted magazine was a major mark against it in US eyes (unfortunately, the magazine itself appears to have been lost since almost immediately after the firing trials). Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754 - Evolution of the Karabiner 98k, From Prewar to KriegsmodellE300
Evolution of the Karabiner 98k, From Prewar to Kriegsmodellhttps://www.forgottenweapons.com/evolution-of-the-karabiner-98k-from-prewar-to-kriegsmodell http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Mauser Karabiner 98k began production as an excellent quality rifle, with every nuance of fine fit and finish one would have expected form the Mauser company. World War Two had barely begun by the time a few compromises began to be made to maintain production, however - and by the end of the war the K98k was a mere shadow or its former self. As with the similar deterioration in quality with Japanese Arisaka rifles, the critical mechanical elements of the K98k were just as safe and functional at the very end as the were at the beginning - but the ancillary aspects came crashing down. One might argue that these changes should have been made from the beginning; that issuing an infantry rifle made to the same finish as a fine commercial sporting arm is a silly waste of resources… Contact: Forgotten Weapons PO Box 87647 Tucson, AZ 85754