Forgotten Weapons
Season 2021
Host Ian McCollum goes over, disassembles, tests, and assesses some of history's most captivating and unorthodox firearms.
Where to Watch Season 2021
300 Episodes
- Boys Mk I Anti-Tank Rifle at the RangeE1
Boys Mk I Anti-Tank Rifle at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons (Edit: Tungsten carbine is, of course *denser* than steel, not lighter. Sorry.) I have done several previous videos on the Boys antitank rifle, but never actually fired one - until today! We're out at the range with a MkI Boys and five rounds of its .55 Boys ammunition. So let's see if it's an painful to shoot as people say... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Tarn: A Terrible British WW2 Experimental PistolE2
Tarn: A Terrible British WW2 Experimental Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Tarn was a 9x19mm pistol developed by a Polish ex=pat designer named Z. de Lubicz Bakanowski. It was a simple blowback design, with a quite heavy slide and recoil spring. It was manufactured by the Swift Rifle Company, and ten examples were made as prototypes. They were tested formally by the British in April 1945, and rejected on grounds of being overly violent in action, difficult to charge, and inaccurate. The FN High Power would be pursued instead, and the Tarn saw no further production or development. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the "Trade of the Century"E3
True Crime Collector Skulduggery: R.L. Wilson and the "Trade of the Century"http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons R.L. Wilson was a pillar of the firearms collecting community, and especially the Colt collecting community, in the 1970s and 80s. He wrote a slew of books on Colt, and was a major broker, dealer, and appraiser. He also betrayed the trust people put in him, as best exemplified by the "trade of the century", in which he swindled 290 firearms out of the Connecticut State Library museum in exchange for 8 guns and a cane (including two stolen guns and two later generally accepted to be fakes). Today we will talk about that story... If you want to hear more about Wilson's work, I would encourage you to subscribe to support C&Rsenal on Patreon, and check out the two-hour podcast Othais and Cody Museum Associate Curator Danny Michael did on the topic: https://www.patreon.com/posts/unloaded-30-45416855? You can also download a huge PDF or Connecticut State Police files on the investigation to read yourself: http://www.forgottenweapons.com/true-crime-collector-skullduggery-r-l-wilson-and-the-trade-of-the-century/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Charger-Loading Lee Enfields: The CLLE MkI* and MkIIE4
Charger-Loading Lee Enfields: The CLLE MkI* and MkIIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In our continuing series on the development of the British Lee Enfield rifles, we are looking at the CLLE conversions today. In 1907 the British adopted a new universal short rifle (the SMLE) that used charger (aka stripper) clips. Previous models of the Lee in British service had to be loaded one round at a time by hand. In order to make use of the hundreds of thousands of "Long Lee" (and Metford) rifles already manufactured, the British instituted a program to update them with charger guides. The began in 1908 and ran to 1914, although the majority were done in 1909 and 1910. In addition to removing the dust cover and fitting the charger guide, the front sight, rear sight, magazine, and volley sights were all updated. The new sights were windage-adjustable on both front and rear, and calibrated for Mk VI ammunition (although many were later updated again and re-re-calibrated for Mk VII ammunition). These CLLE rifles would serve as second-line rifles in World War One and even through the end of World War Two. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Mannlicher 88/95 - A Rare World War One UpdateE5
Mannlicher 88/95 - A Rare World War One Updatehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Austro-Hungarian Empire went into World War One with the Steyr M95 straight-pull rifle as its standard infantry arm. Heavy losses in just the first few months of the war made it clear that the existing stockpiles of those M95 rifles would not suffice, however. Older guns were pulled out of inventory, including Werndl and early straight pull rifles of the M88 and M88/90 patterns. These rifles had been designed around a black powder 8mm cartridge, and by 1915 many had heavily corroded bores. Some of these were rebarreled for active service using new rear sights of the M95 type - and thus we get the M88/95 pattern (this is a collector designation, not an official Austro-Hungarian one). In addition to the rear sight and new barrel, it appears that these rifles were also fitted with upper handguards held in place by spring clips. Those hand guards are often missing, including on this example and every other one I saw that was imported from Ethiopia. Thanks to InterOrdnance and Royal Tiger Imports for providing this rifle for filming! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Curators Speak Out: Danny and Ashley on the World of Firearms MuseumsE6
Curators Speak Out: Danny and Ashley on the World of Firearms Museumshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When I posted my video last week about some of the problems with museum firearms collections, I touched on issues that Danny Michael and Ashley Hlebinsky deal with on a daily basis. They invited me onto their weekly podcast to discuss the subject, and we decided to record the discussion on video as well. I'd like to apologize to the staff of the UK National Firearms Centre; they have all been extremely gracious and helpful to me despite the bureaucratic overhead they have to navigate. I would also like to highlight the efforts of Mathieu Willemsen at the Nationaal Militair Museum in the Netherlands for doing a great job of balancing the general interest and specialist accommodations of his museum, and having the time to publish books and articles on their collection at the same time. His is an excellent example for other museums to emulate! If you enjoy listening to Danny and Ashley, make sure to check out the other episodes of History Unloaded: https://historyunloaded.podbean.com And hey, if you do have that $3 million check ready to endow a staff researcher position at Cody, Danny would love to hear from you at DannyM@centerofthewest.org ! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - First Range Trip with a Type 96 Nambu LMG (I Think I'm in Love)E7
First Range Trip with a Type 96 Nambu LMG (I Think I'm in Love)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons What goes into preparing a gun for filming? Function checking, zeroing, and generally building some familiarity. Today we will go through that process with a Japanese Type 96 Nambu LMG. Rather like some French guns, Japanese small arms from World War Two have a thoroughly undeserved poor reputation. The Nambu is an excellent LMG design - Japanese machine guns are largely derived from Hotchkiss systems, although the Type 96 is several generations removed from any French-made Hotchkiss. It is chambered for the 6.5x50mm semi-rimmed cartridge, which is one of the softest-shooting cartridges used in WW2. The Type 99 is basically the same gun scaled up to use a 7.7mm round, and those are pretty nice to shoot. The Type 96 is downright fantastic, as you can see by my target at the end. I am excited to get the chamber cleaned up and do a bunch more filming with it! The 6.5 Japanese is a caliber that is difficult to find ammunition for, and I am grateful to Steinel for providing me a batch of theirs to use today! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - "NATO Burp Guns" - Winchester's 1950s Experimental SMGsE8
"NATO Burp Guns" - Winchester's 1950s Experimental SMGshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the mid 1950s, the Winchester company designed a compact 9mm submachine gun for military use. It was internally called the. "NATO Burp Gun", and according to Winchester historian Herbert House, was developed in part (or with the assistance of) Melvin Johnson. The design was a simple tubular receiver with a folding stock that doubled as a vertical front grip when folded. Instead of an external charging handle, it used serrations cut in the side of the bolt, making the gun sleek and compact (albeit more difficult to cock). Today we are looking at the N2 and M4 developmental patterns, both housed at the Cody Firearms Museum. The development program got little further than these prototypes before Winchester abandoned it. Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film these very interesting prototypes! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Modernizing a Classic: the Brownells BRN-180 ProjectE9
Modernizing a Classic: the Brownells BRN-180 Projecthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am chatting with Paul Levy of Brownells about their BRN-180 upper; a modernization of the original Armalite AR-180. This particular project is an interesting combination of recreating an older design but simultaneously modernizing it - so let's pick Paul's brain about some of the unexpected hurdles that came up! Thanks to RIA for hosting us. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The First SMLE Trials Rifles: Lessons From the Boer WarE10
The First SMLE Trials Rifles: Lessons From the Boer Warhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the aftermath of the Boer War, the British military needed to address critical issues of practical marksmanship with its troops. The Long Lee rifles it had deployed to South Africa suffered significant problems in making real-world hits on the battlefield. In addition to investing in better musketry training, the military chose to radically change its rifles. In place of the Lee rifles and carbines, a single short rifle pattern would be issued for all branches of service (cavalry, artillery, and infantry). A stripper clip loading system was introduced to speed reloading and a full-length handguard for improving bayonet handling and reducing sight mirage. A windage adjustable rear sight was mandated, and a stout full protective hood added around the front sight. A new nosecap design was implemented to put the weight of the bayonet onto the stock, and not on the barrel where it would impact the rifle’s zero. Two different patterns of rear sight were considered. The A pattern design was a tangent type sight like a Mauser, pinned at the front. The B pattern used a ladder sight, pinned at the rear. Five hundred of each were made, and put through a rigorous set of remarkably practical field trials. The testing involved not just static shooting for accuracy, but also shooting against timed disappearing targets, camouflaged targets, and snap shooting. The trial winner was the A pattern design, and it went into mass production in 1904 as the Short, Magazine, Lee Enfield Mark I - the first SMLE. As adopted a few minor changes were made from the trials rifles, most notably a change from a full front sight hood to a pair of stout protective Ewings, to allow more light onto the sight. In addition, the design was almost immediately updated to a MkI* pattern, with a stronger rear sling - Rifles of Simo Häyhä: The World's Greatest Sniper (w/ 9 Hole Reviews)E11
Rifles of Simo Häyhä: The World's Greatest Sniper (w/ 9 Hole Reviews)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Thanks to Henry from 9 Hole Reviews for the guest segment! Check out his channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsrKsXEAqCbZyVrCibkgpwQ In light of the approaching Finnish Brutality: The Winter War match, I though we could take a look at the two rifles associated with the world's most successful sniper: Simo Häyhä. Häyhä was born in 1905, joined the Civil Guard at the age of 17, and did his mandatory military service from 1925 to 1927. He was first issued an American-made New England Westinghouse M91 Mosin as a Guardsman. After being discharged from the Army in 1927, he returned to active Civil Guard membership while living and working on his family farm in Karelia. He developed a reputation as an excellent marksman, both in competitive shooting and as a hunter. When the Civil Guard developed the M28-30 pattern of Mosin, Häyhä was once of many who opted to pay a part of the cost to have his own personal rifle to keep at home, and it is with his personal M28-30 (slight correction from the video: Simo's rifle was s/n 35281, and had Civil Guard inventory number S60974.) that he went to war when the Soviet Union attacked in November 1939, starting the Winter War. The 28-30 featured a new style of sights to replace the Russian Konovalov pattern. Henry Chan from 9 Hole Reviews will give us some insight into why these sights were so excellent. In addition, the barrels were free-floated and the stocks made from two spliced pieces of wood to prevent changing temperatures and humidity from impacting rifle zero. In his 95 days of active service during the Winter War, Simo Häyhä was credited with 542 enemy soldiers killed - mostly with his M28-30 Mosin Nagant (although he did also use the Suomi SMG and LS-26 LMG at times). He finally ran out of luck on March 6, 1940 when he was hit - Indian 4-Shot Repeating Matchlock ToradarE12
Indian 4-Shot Repeating Matchlock Toradarhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today, courtesy of Mike Carrick from Arms Heritage magazine, we are taking a look at a quite old Indian matchlock "toradar". Not just any matchlock, but one with a 4-shot revolving cylinder. Matchlocks appeared in India in the 1500s, and repeating ones like this appeared by the 1600s - firearms development was not the exclusive domain of Europe. This particular example shows influences from both east and west, with a typically Asian forward-moving match and a stock resembling an Afghan jezail. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Terrible 2-Gun: Lebel, 1892 Revolver, and a WW1 Gas MaskE13
Terrible 2-Gun: Lebel, 1892 Revolver, and a WW1 Gas Maskhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today, I thought it would be fun (or at least interesting) to shoot a 2-gun match in a reproduction World War One gas mask and helmet. Specifically, a French M2 pattern, which was used extensively by French, British, and American troops. I paired this with an Adrian helmet, a Lebel rifle, and a Modele 1892 revolver. The match started out badly, as it was cool enough outside in the morning for the mask to fog up significantly. Combined with small targets, my shooting in the first (pistol-only) stage was...not very good. Things got worse on the second stage, where I simply could not see the targets at all. I opted to just abandon that stage, and it was quite frustrating. Not wanting to leave without any rifle shooting at all, I abandoned the gas mask and helmet for the third stage. That one ended up being quite satisfying, despite running out of time just before making my final shot. It was an enlightening experience to try to engage targets in a period style gas mask. Between the total lack of peripheral vision and lens fogging, it was very difficult. I can't imagine trying to do it in a real firefight where poison gas was being used. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Pistols of Denmark's Artist-Turned-Inventor Bent Agner NielsenE14
Pistols of Denmark's Artist-Turned-Inventor Bent Agner Nielsenhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Bent Agner Nielsen was a Danish tinkerer born in 1925, who studied art as a young man and worked as a painter. In the 1970s he became interested in firearms, beginning with engraving work. This soon evolved into an interest in mechanical design, and in 1978 he began work on the M80, an Olympic-style .22 rimfire target pistol. It was released on the commercial market in Denmark in 1980, and produced for most of the decade (including being exported to the US and elsewhere). It was a quite competent and well-made pistol, built from stainless steel and incorporating a few clever design elements. Most notably, it offered a way to easily cock the firing mechanism to allow dry fire practice without actually releasing the firing pin, thus allowing dry fire practice without risk of damaging the pistol. With this reasonably successful design under his belt, Agner turned to the military and security market for his next effort in the early 1990s. He designed a pair of pistols for the Danish police and military, the M800 in .32ACP and the M900 in 9x19mm. They had a lineage from his target pistols, with fixed barrels and sights mounted to the frame instead of on a moving slide. Unfortunately for Agner, neither was adopted - the police opted to continue using their Walther PP/PPK pistols and the Army stuck with its SIG P210s. Only a small number of both were made; 16 or the M800 and and unknown number of the M900. After a much longer interlude, he returned to the .22 target pistol arena with his M5 design in 2005. Only about 100 of these were produced, and Agner passed away in 2011. Many thanks to Hunter's House in Copenhagen for giving me the opportunity to bring this selection of Agner pistols to you! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - How Does it Work: Short Recoil OperationE15
How Does it Work: Short Recoil Operationhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Correction: Browning invented the pistol slide, but not the overall short recoil system. Maxim was the first to successfully create a short recoil firearm. Short recoil is the most common system used today in self-loading handguns, and it also used to be fairly popular in machine gun designs. The basic principle is that the bolt and barrel (in a handgun, slide and barrel) are locked together for an initial travel substantially less than the overall length of the cartridge. After typically a few millimeters of travel, the barrel stops and the bolt or slide is able to continue rearward to extract and eject the empty case. Short recoil can be paired with virtually any locking system, but today the Browning tilting barrel system is most common. Short recoil has never been popular in shoulder rifle, as the reduction in mechanical accuracy from the moving barrel can be undesirable. In handguns and machine guns, this accuracy reduction is generally below the threshold of relevance. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - SMLE MkIII: The Iconic Smelly of World War OneE16
SMLE MkIII: The Iconic Smelly of World War Onehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In 1907, the British adopted the final major pattern in the evolution of the Short, Magazine, Lee Enfield. Designated the ShtLE MkIII (Short Lee Enfield) at the time, it would be retroactively renamed Rifle No1 MkIII in the 1920s. This new design was simpler and more durable than its predecessors while actually improving the practical accuracy of the rifle. The rear sight protector wings were substantially strengthened, the front sight became a square post, the front sight protectors were opened up to allow more light in, and the rear sight windage adjustment was simplified - while retailing 1 MOA adjustment clicks and 25m elevation adjustments. A new bayonet was also adopted in 1907 for the MkIII. The previous 1903 pattern bayonet was deemed too short, and the British essentially copied the Japanese Type 30 Arisaka bayonet as its new Pattern 1907 - hooked quillion and all. The example we are looking at in today's video is a fantastic specimen, as it was sold out of service to an Australian reservist in 1912 having not received any post-production modifications or updates. It is still sighted for the early MkVI round-nose ammunition, for example, and its bayonet retains the hooked quillion. The rifle's owner died prior to World War One, and the gun remained stored away and forgotten through both World Wars, where virtually all existing service rifles were taken back into service and updated. Only in the 1960s was this one found, making it a pristine collector's example to show how the MkIII was originally produced. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Q&A: Silencers with Kevin Brittingham of AAC & QE17
Q&A: Silencers with Kevin Brittingham of AAC & QI am excited to have the opportunity to talk suppressors today with Kevin Brittingham. He has been working with them for more than 25 years, over that time founded Advanced Armament, sold it to Remington, and then founded his current company, Q. He was responsible for the commercial popularity of the .300 Blackout cartridge and his Honey Badger was adopted by various Special Forces units to replace the MP5SD - and that is only a small part of his contribution to the world of silencers. My visit with Kevin was prompted by a book project we are starting about the history of military silencers, which I am very excited about - but we will make a formal announcement of that later on in the process. To receive updates on the book, make sure to sign up for Headstamp Publishing's notification list: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/silencer-book For now, let's answer some of your questions about silencers! 01:59 - Why are suppressors included in the NFA? 02:39 - How will additive manufacturing impact suppressor design? 06:48 - What is "first shot pop", and can it be eliminated? 08:46 - Thoughts on universal military silencer use 14:02 - Measuring sound consistently 17:48 - Thoughts on USMC suppressor adoption 19:28 - Impact of a .30 caliber suppressor on a .22 caliber bore? 22:14 - Potential to use heat and pressure from a suppressor to power electronics? 23:48 - Shooting original Maxim Silencers 27:49 - "Generations" of suppressor design 31:18 - Volume vs number of baffles 32:56 - Suppressor cleaning 34:07 - "Silencer" vs "suppressor" 36:36 - First military suppressor use 37:33 - Effectiveness of multi-purpose muzzle devices ("Smuzzle") 40:55 - Thoughts on Russian suppressed ammunition 42:25 - Are wipe-based designs held back by legal rulings? http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgot - Wilkinson Arms "Linda"E18
Wilkinson Arms "Linda"http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Linda is a semiauto 9mm pistol that just exudes 1980s aesthetics. It was made along with a carbine version called the Terry, by Wilkinson Arms of California (later Idaho). Both were named after daughters of the company founder, Ray Wilkinson. He would also later produce a Sherry pistol named after a third daughter and a Diane pistol, named after his second wife. The Linda uses a telescoping bolt similar in concept to the Uzi or its Czech predecessors, and it a surprisingly accurate gun, thanks to its fixed barrel and sights. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The 80s Strike Back! Linda and Qwik-Point at the BUG MatchE19
The 80s Strike Back! Linda and Qwik-Point at the BUG Matchhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Yesterday we took a look at the history and operation of the Wilkinson Arms Linda, and today I have it out at the BackUp Gun Match. Since I don't have iron sights on mine, I fitted with with a period-correct Weaver Qwik-Point fiber optic red dot sight. Overall, the Linda performed much better than I expected. All of my magazines were reliable, and the gun itself is quite accurate. This is to be expected, though, as it is a fixed barrel design with a similarly fixed optic (ie, not on a reciprocating slide) and it has a remarkably good trigger. It was so good that the match turned out to be a bit anticlimactic, as I only needed to fire 15 rounds in total. On the last stage, by the way, the targets were three paper silhouettes, and my penalty was for not shooting them in the required order (near to far). Whoops! We will definitely be bringing this Linda back again, in a context better suited to it's magazine capacity and overall not-crummy performance! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - France's InterWar Aircraft Machine Gun: the 1926 DarneE20
France's InterWar Aircraft Machine Gun: the 1926 Darnehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Darne was a French gunmaker best known for sporting shotguns, but they entered the military arms field during World War One. The Lewis Gun was one of the best Entente aircraft guns, and Darne put a licensed copy into production in 1915, making a bit more than 3,000 of them by the end of the war. During this time they also developed their own machine gun design, which was ordered by the French military, but cancelled with the Armistice in November 1918. After further refinement, Darne's design was formally adopted by the French Air Force in the 1920s. About 11,000 were made in total, about half for France and the other half for a variety of foreign clients including Brazil, Turkey, Italy, Yugoslavia, and Spain. Darne hoped to market its machine gun design as more than just an aircraft armament. In its catalog, the same basic mechanism was offered as a light infantry gun, fortification gun, heavy machine gun, dual-mount antiaircraft gun, and vehicular gun. While some countries tested these other configurations, it was only the aircraft pattern that we are looking at today which was actually purchased in substantial quantities by anyone. Darne was just a bit too late to make substantial sales during World War One, and their gun was being eclipsed by better designs (like Browning aircraft guns) by the European rearmament of the 1930s. Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this rare and interesting machine gun! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - New Rifles for Old Ammo: The Royal Navy's Unique SMLE MkI**E21
New Rifles for Old Ammo: The Royal Navy's Unique SMLE MkI**http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the SMLE was adopted by the British, it was to be the new universal rifle for all branches of service, including the Royal Navy. This suited the Navy just fine; they like the features of the new design. However, the Army quickly moved to update their rifles for the new MkVII Spitzer ammunition, and this was an issue. The Navy still had substantial stockpiles of the older round-nose MkVI cartridge, and did not go through it nearly as quickly as the Army. The Navy did not want to simply throw out their ammunition, but the differences in trajectory between the two types of ammunition was substantial. So the Navy opted to adopt its own unique rifle variation, the MkI**. This in effect was the new Army pattern rifle, but with the rear sight still calibrated for the trajectory of MkVI ammunition. This pattern was first adopted in 1908, using rifles with the then-standard split charger guide. When the fixed charger bridge was adopted, the Navy (which still had plenty of MkVI ammunition) chose to update its MkI** rifles to fixed charger bridges, without making any change to their designation. Once they finally ran out of the older ammunition during World War One, the rifles were updated once again to what was then the standard MkI*** pattern. As a result, intact MkI** rifles - especially ones with the split charger guide - are extremely rare to find today. Many thanks to the owner of these two specimens for giving me access to share them with you! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Yes, the AR-14 is a Real Gun...Sort OfE22
Yes, the AR-14 is a Real Gun...Sort Ofhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The AR-14 was the subject of a widely-seen political gaffe a while back - but what was the real AR-14? Because yes, there was one! It was one of many firearms planned by Armalite, but not put into production... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Richardson Industries Slamfire Guerrilla ShotgunsE23
Richardson Industries Slamfire Guerrilla Shotgunshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Iliff Richardson was a US Navy Lieutenant assigned to PT 34 during the campaign in the Philippines. His boat was sunk in April 1942, and he ended up spending more than two years fighting with Philippine guerrillas against the Japanese occupation. He was decorated with the Silver Star and also given the rank of Major in the Philippine Army alongside his US Navy position. One of the things Richardson's men did was assemble simple slamfire shotguns to ambush Japanese patrols as a source for better arms. When Richardson returned home to the US after the end of the war, he was something of a famous war hero - a book was written about his time in the Philippines, and a big Hollywood movie was also made about him. In 1946, Richardson Industries was formed to produce and sell a civilian version of the shotgun that Richardson had famously used with his guerrillas. Two versions were mass produced, one with a vertical front grip and a "trigger" that actually functioned as a safety, and a simplified versions with just 6 parts that did away with the safety. The guns were marketed as utilitarian, economy, general-purpose guns suited for hunting or recreational skeet shooting. They were not well received, and the company dissolved in 1947. Whether the more complex design was the first or second is not clear, but I suspect the complex one came first, to be replaced by the simpler one both to reduce production cost and because the complex version is surprisingly counter-intuitive to use. Having taken both guns out to the range, I have to say that I was very surprised by just how goofily fun the simple type is to shoot. Thanks to Mike Carrick from Arms Heritage magazine for the opportunity to film and shoot these! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - PCC Course: Lage Max31A Mk2 Submachine GunE24
PCC Course: Lage Max31A Mk2 Submachine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons How does full automatic effect a gun's time on the PCC Cours of Fire? Well, let's find out with a Lage Max31A Mk2 on a M11A1. I've got a red dot optic on the gun to simplify aiming, and so the question is how semiauto compares to bursts. My hypothesis was that automatic fire would offer no real benefit on this course, and I was correct. Despite giving myself 50% more ammunition than allowed for previous guns, I ran dry with 6 targets still left standing. The implications for the real world are not well represented here though, as real world targets are generally not static steel plates that react perfectly to a single hit. So the extra rounds in each burst are more likely to be useful in the real world than in this sort of target presentation. Later, I will repeat the test with the same gun, but set to semiauto only. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Experimental Gras-Vetterli Repeating RifleE25
Experimental Gras-Vetterli Repeating Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the 1870s and 1880s, France experimented with a huge variety of repeating rifle designs, including tube magazines hopper magazines, box magazines, and all sorts of other unique systems (more than 40 different types in total). These experimental rifles appear from time to time, but only a small number of each were ever made. Today we have one I have termed a Gras-Vetterli, although it important to not that it is not the only variation to bear this name. Another rifle type is documented in Jean Huon's books called a Gras-Vetterli, but without the loading gate in the side. The example we have today uses a Kropatschek style lifter and tube magazine, but with a side loading gate like the King's patent type used on the Swiss Vetterli rifles. The receiver itself was made new, and is not a repurposed Gras receiver, although the bolt is of the Gras type. It is also marked "Henry", but the exact extend of involvement by the New Haven Arms or Winchester companies is unknown to me. While some external parts of this rifle have been restored, the mechanical elements have not been, and the loader is frozen in place. A missing element on the right side of the receiver could have been a loading gate cover, magazine cutoff, or magazine capacity indicator. So many unknowns! Many thanks to the owners of Galerie de Mars in Paris for giving me access to film this rifle from their reference collection. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Modernizing the G3E26
Modernizing the G3http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Of all the classic 7.62mm battle rifles of the Cold War, only the G3 remains in modern military service updated to serve alongside the more recent 5.56mm rifles (no, the M14 DMR rifles don't count). Why the G3, and how? Today we will take a look at a clone of a Norwegian AG3F2 and a sort-of clone of a Swedish AK4D with its Spuhr stock and handguard. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - SMLE MkI***: The Updated Early Lee Enfields (and Irish Examples!)E27
SMLE MkI***: The Updated Early Lee Enfields (and Irish Examples!)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the British adopted a new high-velocity spitzer bullet for the .303 cartridge, they had to update their rifles to use it. Specifically, the sights had to be recalibrated for the flatter trajectory of the new MkVII ammunition. In addition, the sight picture was changed form a barleycorn front and V-notch rear to the more precise square front post and rear U-notch. These rifles are quite scarce, but several thousand were brought into the US in the early 1960s as surplus from Ireland. These Irish examples all had new serial numbers applied when the were sent to Ireland by the British in the 1920s, and they are in two different batches (one in put MkI*** configuration, and one with the MkIII rear sight). We will take a look at both patterns today as well, so you can see the difference between the much more available Irish type and the pure British version. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - What's Up With Norway and Military Scout Scopes?E28
What's Up With Norway and Military Scout Scopes?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Aside from the German widespread issue of the ZF-41 type scope, I have only come across three other military uses of long eye relief optics - and they are all Norwegian! One is simply Norwegian reuse of surrendered German K98k-ZF41 scopes, including updating them to .30-06 in the 1950s (these were eventually replaced by the M59 pattern sniper). Second is a very interesting M1A1 carbine fitted with a ZF-41 scope by the Norwegian Resistance during World War Two, which is on display at the Imperial War Museum in London (https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/30035937). Third is an experimental Norwegian G3 sniper made with a Leupold M8 scout scope in 1968. Both books referenced today are by Aslikd Antonsen, are written in Norwegian, and were donated to me by viewers. I don't have any good source where I can direct you to buy copies, unfortunately. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Broomhandle Mauser "Red Nine" - the C96 in World War One (Updated)E29
Broomhandle Mauser "Red Nine" - the C96 in World War One (Updated)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The German military did not actually adopt the Mauser C96 "broom handle" before World War One. It was the first really successful semiauto pistol, but the German military chose the Luger instead, in 1908. However, as World War One continued, the German military realized it was going to be seriously short of handguns. The P08 Luger was a slow and expensive gun to produce, and so Germany went looking for alternatives. They would adopt a variety of .32 ACP caliber simple blowback pistols as substitute standards, but also took a new look at the C96. While the design was quite complex, Mauser still had all the tooling set up to produce them, and deliveries could begin relatively quickly. In July 1917 the German military placed a contract for 200,000 C96 pistols, specifying that they be chambered for the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, instead of the 7.63mm Mauser cartridge the gun was originally designed for. In order to prevent ammunition mixups (as many existing 7.63mm Mausers had been brought into service as well) the new guns were to have large "9" numerals engraved in their grip and painted red - hence the colloquial name of the guns as "Red Nines". The first deliveries were made in January of 1918, and would continue until the end of the war. Mauser was unable to completely fill the contract, and only about 95,000 were delivered by the end of the war, although production did continue post-war. These pistols are numbered in a new series starting at "1", unrelated to the serial numbers of commercial Mauser pistols. Some, but not all, have a Prussian eagle marking on the front of the magazine. Total production after the war continued into the low 140,000 range. The guns were all shipped with wooden holster/stock units and leather rigs to hold the pistol, holster, spare magazine sprin - 2 Gun: Finnish Mosin & TT33 ... Once Again!E30
2 Gun: Finnish Mosin & TT33 ... Once Again!http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Update: Finnish Brutality has alas been cancelled because of Finnish covid regulations on event size. All practice is still good practice, though... I'm getting in some more practice for Finnish Brutality this week, once again running a match with the M39 Mosin and TT33 Tokarev that I am planning to take with me to Finland. This time, the match only has 18 shooters, so the match director decided to combine stages together to create two long stages (240 second par times) in place of 4 shorter ones. This was pretty awful, which means it was excellent practice for Finnish Brutality! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Afghan Schlegelmilch Carbine from the Kabul ArsenalE31
Afghan Schlegelmilch Carbine from the Kabul Arsenalhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This is a rifle I have not been able to find any specific documentation about or even reference to - but we can tell what it it, and that's a very interesting story. The rifle is mechanically a Schlegelmilch design, from Louis Schlegelmilch of the Spandau Arsenal in Germany. An earlier 1896 pattens of this rifle was tested by the German military, but rejected in favor of the Model 1898 Mauser. A small number or trials examples were made, along with a few sporting rifles using the system - and apparently a handful or carbines for the Emir of Afghanistan to consider. The Schlegelmilch action has two front locking lugs, but uses a receiver design totally different than the Mauser. The locking recesses are machined directly into the end of the barrel, and so the receiver does not need to withstand any pressure upon firing. The receiver is a flat and easily machined part, to which the barrel is dovetailed. The bolt has a distinctive integral dust cover. The German trials Schlegelmilches used Mauser-type magazines with stripper clip guides, where this example fits a Gewehr 88 pattern of Mannlicher clip (and appears to be chambered for 8mm Mauser). This example also has no manual safety, where the German ones have a Mauser-style flag safety on the rear of the striker. This carbine is marked with the crest of the Kabul Arsenal, which was applied to both arms made there and also ones acquired from abroad and inspected/accepted at Kabul. Many of the parts are serial number 24 in Dari, and the receiver is dated 1321, which converts to 1903 (possibly 1904) in the Gregorian calendar. This carbine shares many general features with the Steyr 1890 carbines, which we know the Emir purchased a small quantity of in 1899. It seems fairly clear that this Schlegelmilch is one of just a few tha - ZF-41: Germany's Worst Sniper ScopeE32
ZF-41: Germany's Worst Sniper Scopehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons One of the pieces of feedback the German military got form he invasion of Poland in 1939 was a desire for a squad-level designated marksman in each unit. This would be a man with the best shooting skills of the unit, but not actually a fully trained sniper, and he should be equipped with a light and simple optical sight, for shooting at small targets like pillbox ports or sandbagged machine gun nests. To fill this need, development of what would become the ZF-40 and ZF-41 scope was started. It was initially envisioned as mounting to the G41(M) and G41(W) rifles, although this never actually happened. Instead, by the time the scopes were ready for use, those fully-trained snipers were deemed a higher priority, and there were insufficient regulations ZF-39 type scopes in production to equip all the snipers being put through sniper school. So, the K98k with ZF-41 was used as a substitute sniper's rifle - much to the chagrin of those new snipers who found its 1.5x magnification and very narrow field of view sub-par. It would not be until the summer of 1944 that the K98k-ZF41 was finally classified as a rifle suitable for anyone in the infantry. Production would continue right to the end of the war, with over 100,000 of these optics being made. They are today the most common German scopes (and scoped rifles) of World War Two, and reproductions have also been made. Today we are looking at an original example with its scope case, as well as a reproduction to distinguish between them. Ken Tomonari's very detailed web site on the ZF40/ZF41: http://zielfernrohr.b.la9.jp/index.htm Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Wait, Go Back! The SMLE MkIII* Wartime SimplificationE33
Wait, Go Back! The SMLE MkIII* Wartime Simplificationhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The British entered World War One with a technically excellent rifle, with lots of bells and whistles. By 1916, the war was taking a previously unimaginable toll on the industrial capacity of the Empire and rifle production had to be economized. This led to the adoption of the MkIII* pattern of the Lee Enfield, to reduce cost and speed up production. The MkIII* omitted the windage adjustments on the rear sight, the front and rear volley sight elements, and the magazine cutoff. Around the same time, stock discs stopped being stamped with unit information (to avoid giving military intelligence of troop distribution when rifles were captured) and eventually deleted entirely. The Pattern 1907 bayonet was also changed, although this does not coincide with the MkIII* rifle. In 1913, the British decided to delete the quillon from the standard bayonet. A great many bayonet with quillons were already in service, and those would be used in World War One, although many were modified in the field to cut off the quillons to avoid them hanging up on barbed wire or other obstacles. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Interested in Gun Law Issues? Check out FuddBustersE34
Interested in Gun Law Issues? Check out FuddBustershttps://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLrm1e8ffKnV8gnACtGjy6A Channel link not working for you? Here's one of his videos: https://youtu.be/DRnjM_t4kho I don't cover politics here, but I know many of you folks are interested or invested in gun law current events. I recently found the FuddBusters channel, and it was a real breath of fresh air in this realm - and I figured many of you would also appreciate it. Matt Larosiere is a gun rights attorney who has recently started a YouTube channel to explain gun law and policy questions and current events without the hype and fear mongering that are so prevalent in social media. It's called FuddBusters, and the idea is to eliminate the community "fuddlore" misconceptions that can cause so much confusion about what actually is and isn't legal. Matt covers the actual laws, rulings, and ATF writings involved in a variety of different areas, both foundational to our firearms regulation and also about current events. So, check out the channel if this is your thing! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Fallschirmjäger Style: SMG's Semiauto 1st Pattern FG-42E35
Fallschirmjäger Style: SMG's Semiauto 1st Pattern FG-42http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The early pattern (Type E, specifically) FG-42 is one of the most eye-catching military rifles ever made. Designed to be a universal paratrooper's rifle capable of acting as sniper's rifle, light machine gun, hand-to-hand weapon, and grenade launcher, only 2,000 of this early pattern were ever made. With its distinctive sherply swept-back grip, brass scope mount, and fishtail stamped buttstock, it is a svelte and elegant rifle. Originals are extremely rare and command the highest price of virtually any military small arms, and so it is not surprising that a reproduction has been made for those who would like to actually shoot them. SMG began making the later pattern of semiauto-only FG-42 more than 8 years ago (not that this means they have spent more than twice as long perfecting their design than Rheinmetall and Krieghoff did on the originals). This second pattern is a significantly more accurate reproduction, as it uses a milled receiver like the early design originally did. The bayonet, bipod, stock, grip and markings are authentically reproduced to a magnificent degree, and the rifle is is nice to shoot as it is to look at. The reproduction scope that is paired with the rifle is based on a Russian PU - perfectly appropriate as the original ZFG42 optic made by Voigtländer was also heavily based on the PU. The workmanship in this rifle and its scope are outstanding, and the attention to detail is as well. It is truly a treat to handle and shoot! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - 2-Gun with SMG's 1st Pattern Semiauto FG-42E36
2-Gun with SMG's 1st Pattern Semiauto FG-42http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am taking the SMG first pattern semiauto FG-42 out to a 2-gun match to give it a try on the clock. This particular match has two rifle-only stage and one pistol-only stage, so I'll only be including the rifle stages here. The 1st model FG-42 is a rifle that really just feels like it is waiting to be let loose. It is compact and svelte, and fits me very well, between the grip, stock, and optic. The quasi-bullpup configuration with the magazine side-mounted directly over the grip definitely contributes to its compactness. And yet, this is a rifle chambered for full-power 8mm Mauser ammunition (I am shooting PPU 198gr FMJ in this video) that doesn't kick sharply like so many full-power rifles do. It gives you enough recoil that you know you are launching serious energy downrange, but it is restrained by the muzzle brake, in-line design, and stock buffer spring. In short, it is a rifle that demands your respect, and then delivers for you. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Britain's Experimental Viper No.3 SMG/PDWE37
Britain's Experimental Viper No.3 SMG/PDWhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons A series of very compact submachine guns - possibly better described as personal defense weapons - was made in Britain at the end of World War Two under the name Viper (as an interesting aside, snake names were popular - the EM-1 and EM-2 were code-named Cobra and Mamba during the same timeframe). The first was a simplified take on the Sten, but the No.3 Viper here is a wholly new gun made from the ground up. Designed to hang under the arm and be used either with or without the detachable shoulder stock, it is chambered for standard 9x19mm ammunition. Oddly, the No.3 Viper uses MP40 magazines, instead of what should have been ubiquitous Sten magazines. According to Matthew Moss at The Armourer's Bench (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvKdxHf2bJOaZA4TtabjdA), the project was organized by a Mr. Oliphant of the Ministry of Supply, and the design team included Derek Hutton-Williams (later to be superintendent of the Royal Small Arms Factory, Enfield and the director general of Britain’s Royal Ordnance Factories) and Messrs. J. Soutcott and W. T. Walker. Many thanks to the Royal Armouries for allowing me to film this tremendously rare artifact! The NFC collection there - perhaps the best military small arms collection in Western Europe - is available by appointment to researchers: https://royalarmouries.org/research/national-firearms-centre/ You can browse the various Armouries collections online here: https://royalarmouries.org/collection/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Max Popenker on Russian Pistols and Ammunition: 7N21, 9x21mm, 9x18mm, and moreE38
Max Popenker on Russian Pistols and Ammunition: 7N21, 9x21mm, 9x18mm, and moreNote: If you have trouble understanding Max, turn on the subtitles (thanks to Stephen for transcribing them!). http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Today I am again joined by Max Popenker, Russian small arms historian and researcher. Max is explaining the basic history of Russian handguns and ammunition, starting with the adoption of the 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge to replace the Nagant revolver. This was satisfactory until the end of World War Two (the Great Patriotic War), when the Kalashnikov in 7.62x39mm supplanted the submachine gun in military service, this removing the need for a powerful handgun cartridge. Alongside this change, the 9x18mm Makarov cartridge was adopted to provide a 9mm diameter bullet, but at a low enough velocity to be used in a compact and simple blowback handgun. Security service interest in armor piercing handgun ammunition grew as body armor became more widespread, however. This led at first to development of an AP 9x18mm cartridge - which was both quite unpleasant to shoot and also very rough on the Makarov pistol. A new 9x21mm cartridge was then developed, and armor piercing projectiles used. in both it and 9x19mm ammunition as debates over the importance of military vs police vs export requirements took place. We will take a look at the 7N21, 7N30, and 7N31 9x19mm loadings, as well as a few of the pistols (like the GSh-18) developed to use them. Oh, and also a quick look at the PSM and it's unique 5.45x18mm cartridge! Thanks to Max for taking time to chat with me today! I apologize for the video an audio quality; I hope to have a chance to meet up with Max this year in person, so we can record some much better footage. If you are interested in Russian and Soviet small arms, make sure to sign up for our email list at Headstamp Publishing, to get notifications when we are - Prototype Jungle Carbine: A No1 MkV Becomes a No5 MkIE39
Prototype Jungle Carbine: A No1 MkV Becomes a No5 MkIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the British began developing a shortened version of the No4 Lee Enfield in 1943 (which would become the No5 MkI "Jungle Carbine"), the development process included work with some rather older rifles. What we have here is a 1922 production No1 MkV rifle cut down as a trials prototype for the carbine development program. The No1 MkV was a trials gun itself from the early 1920s which basically gave a rear aperture sight to the classic MkIII SMLE. Unfortunately, I don't have any specific details on the testing or use of this particular example, but I think it is a fascinating example! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Q&A 48: Magnetic Guns, Electronic Guns, and Fake GunsE40
Q&A 48: Magnetic Guns, Electronic Guns, and Fake Gunshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons 00:35 - Automatic rifles in .250 Savage in WW1? 04:21 - Why did stripper clips stay around so long? 07:24 - Modern military responses to body armor 09:17 - M1 Carbine in 5.7x28? 11:08 - Under-appreciated firearms designers 14:28 - Why no rotary cannons until the Cold War? 19:34 - Potential of the Burton LMR? Full video on the Burton: https://youtu.be/-OGyJPFzNfU 21:07 - Oldest guns that could still be effective on a battlefield 23:14 - New go-to handgun? 24:36 - Thoughts on semiauto rebuilds of machine guns 27:37 - Remington Rolling Block or Martini-Henry? 29:04 - Competition shooting with historical rifles 32:30 - More WW1 battlefield tours coming? 34:36 - Most surprising "big bucks" auction results? 38:27 - Electronic trigger mechanisms Full video on the Remington eTronX: https://youtu.be/8qP6Q9ZEsEo 42:41 - Elbonia options for 9x18mm SMGs 44:38 - What two designers would I want to see work together? 46:34 - Fake guns sold in auctions 52:48 - Thoughts on stolen valor with respect to surplus camo 55:16 - Spare parts for rare guns I shoot? 56:48 - Magnetic locking systems in guns? 58:56 - Do I still have my Matrix Armory wall? Original video on Matrix Armory: https://youtu.be/mOnH_deRTHw Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Winchester Mystery Prototype: Melvin Johnson does Project SALVO?E41
Winchester Mystery Prototype: Melvin Johnson does Project SALVO?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons This rifle is a Winchester semiauto prototype that has no documentation I could find in any source. So, today we will take a look at what we can possibly extrapolate from its various features. It will be a fun exercise, and if any archival record of it ever comes to light we will get to see if any of my guesses were anywhere near correct... For the record, my best guess is that it was made in the early to mid 1950s under the direction of Melvin Johnson as a testbed for a flechette or multiple-projectile cartridge design for the US military. Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this mystery rifle! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Duckbill Done Right? Testing the A&W Diverter Shotgun Barrel (w/ Matt Haught)E42
Duckbill Done Right? Testing the A&W Diverter Shotgun Barrel (w/ Matt Haught)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The A&W Diverter was designed by Clifford Ashbrook and Wilson Wing to change a shotgun's circular pattern into a horizontal linear one. They applied for a patent in 1967, and it was granted in 1970 (US Patent #3,492,750). Their invention was similar in purpose to the "duckbill" chokes tried out by the US military in Vietnam, but done with a lot more engineering. Two versions were made, a sporting one with a 2:1 shot pattern and a military one with a 4:1 pattern. Thanks to Mike Carrick of Arms Heritage magazine, we have a Remington 870 barrel with a 4:1 Diverter to test out today. Joining me for the experiment is Matt Haught of Symtac Consulting. Matt is a dedicated shotgun trainer who is slowly converting me to have a better appreciation for smoothbores... For a look at the original published data on Diverter performance, check the May 1970 issue of Guns Magazine: https://gunsmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/G0570.pdf Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Prototype Ross "H5" from 1909E43
Prototype Ross "H5" from 1909http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Ross MkII (aka Ross 1905) was a reasonably successful rifle design, but it lacked a few elements that the Canadian military would have preferred. Most significantly, it was not compatible with the charger clip that was introduced for the Lee Enfield rifles in 1907. The rifle we have today is a toolroom prototype Ross from about 1909 that was an experiment in adding clip compatibility. The receiver is a 1905/MkII type, but with a combination stripper clip guide and rear sight screwed onto the rear of the action. It has a 5-round staggered Mauser-type magazine box, a Lee Enfield style buttstock, a 1903 Springfield type bolt stop, and a thinner profile barrel than either the MkII or eventual MkII Ross patterns. The only marking on the rifle is the designation "H5" on the receiver and bolt. Ultimately, virtually none of this rifle's unique features were included in the finalized MkIII Ross. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The FG-42 as a Sniper Rifle?E44
The FG-42 as a Sniper Rifle?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The FG-42 was specifically made with a scope attachment on every rifle, and intended to serve as a marksman's or sniper's rifle. But how much of that actually happened during World War Two? And was the FG-42 actually suited to a sniper role? Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Remote Brutality: Ian's WWSD Run - Join Us Yourself!E45
Remote Brutality: Ian's WWSD Run - Join Us Yourself!Covid restrictions forced the cancellation of the main Finnish Brutality 2021 match - but in its place we are running Remote Brutality 2021! This is one of the stages from the planned main match, and ice want to see your runs - and Varusteleka will give three winners some cool gear! Update: the deadline for entries has been extended to March 14. To enter, just film your run, and upload the video to YouTube, Instagram (must be a public account) or Facebook with the hashtags #remotebrutality2021 and #finnishbrutality . Full details at the Remote Brutality 2021 Event Page on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/287918286010482 What you'll need: • A kettlebell, rock, backpack, or another item you can throw around weighing 20 kg (44 lbs). In the instructions, this item will be referred to as the kettlebell. • A metal target • A rifle • A timer • Fault line indicators Setup: • There are two boxes marked on the ground, A and B, with a distance of 15 meters • The target is approximately 50 meters from the center point of the two boxes • The shooter starts standing in Box A or Box B, with the rifle fully loaded, on safe, held at low ready. • The kettlebell is in the same box with the shooter on the ground. How to perform the stage: • At the buzzer, the shooter will go prone next to the kettlebell and acquire one hit on the target. • The shooter will put the safety on, ground the rifle and get up. The shooter will take the kettlebell and throw it towards the other box. • The shooter will grab the rifle, go prone next to the kettlebell and acquire one hit on the target. • The shooter will continue in the same manner until the kettlebell crosses the fault line of the opposite box. • The shooter goes prone next to the kettlebell in the box and acquires one hit on the target. • The shooter will continue back towards the first box in the same manner and continue this until the 180 second par time expires. Important: • The kettlebell needs to b - Bren MkI: The Best Light Machine Gun of World War TwoE46
Bren MkI: The Best Light Machine Gun of World War Twohttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons In the years after World War One, the British military wanted a new machine gun, and they wanted it to replace both the Lewis and the Vickers. Through the 1920s the British would tinker with most of the light machine guns that became available, but it was not until the early 1930s that a serious formal trial was conducted. The initial trials found three particularly encouraging guns; the ZB-26, Madsen, and Vickers-Berthier. Over a series of followup testing, the Madsen and Vickers-Berthier were both eliminated, leaving the Czechoslovakian ZB as the final choice. The British were extremely enthusiastic about the qualities of the ZB, and it is understandable why. The final .303 British version, the Bren, is widely regarded as the best magazine-fed light machine gun ever made. In its final preproduction trial, one of the prototype guns endured a 150,000-round trial without any real problems. The design was licensed for British production as well as in the Dominions, and would be put into production at both Enfield in England and the John Inglis company in Canada. About 30,000 were produced before the Dunkirk disaster, which would lead to simplification of the design. But those changes are a subject for another video later... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Very Rare and Mostly Pointless: the Bren Fixed Line SightE47
Very Rare and Mostly Pointless: the Bren Fixed Line Sighthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The very early production MkI Bren light machine guns were made with two dovetail brackets on the left side of the receiver. The rear one was for the standard rear sight, and the front one was to accommodate two types of optical sights. A mounting for the No.32 telescopic sight (the same one used not he No4(T) sniper rifle) was planned, but never produced. What was made in small numbers by the Plessey company was a "fixed line sight". This was really more like a surveyor's tool than a traditional sight, and it used the same optical element as the Vickers dial sight that was introduced alongside it in 1939. The purpose was to allow a tripod-mounted Bren to be set up with specific limits to its field of fire, and then for the gun to be removed, used on the bipod elsewhere, and returned to the tripod and confirm the field of fire, especially in the dark. This is a somewhat technically complex task, but not one that was actually needed very much for the Bren. As a result, production and use of the fixed line sights was very limited, and the sights are extremely rare today. The mounting bracket on the Bren receiver was rather quickly dropped from production as an unnecessary waste of machining time. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Clair Brothers Semiauto Shotgun from the 1890sE48
Clair Brothers Semiauto Shotgun from the 1890shttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Clair brothers were three men from Saint Etienne, France – Benoit, Jean Baptiste, and Victor Clair. They submitted their first patent in 1889, which described in general a gas-operating system for firearms. This was followed by a British patent (#15,833) in 1893 for their system, which they claimed was applicable to anything from a pistol up to a rifle, Gatling-style large gun, or even cannon. We know that they did apply the design to shotguns (like the one in today's video), rifles, and handguns. At least one functional example of their pistol was built, because it was tested (unsuccessfully) against the French Mle 1892 revolver. The basic system is a long stroke gas pistol system and a magazine extending from the action backwards into the stock. For more information on Clair firearms, see my previous blog post on the Clair self-loading pistol: https://www.forgottenweapons.com/early-automatic-pistols/clair/ Thanks to the Liege Arms Museum for access to film this for you! If you are in Belgium, definitely plan to stop into the museum, part of the Grand Curtius. They have a very good selection of interesting and unusual arms on display. https://www.grandcurtius.be Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Scattergun Science! Testing Diverter and Duckbill ChokesE49
Scattergun Science! Testing Diverter and Duckbill Chokeshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Matt Haught joins me one more time to try out some practical testing of the Diverter and Duckbill shotgun chokes. We are using a 2-liter bottles of seltzer water on strings at 10 yards, and testing the A&W Diverter and Duckbill, using a standard cylinder bore riot gun as a control. So, it's not really science...but it is a lot of fun! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Uruguayan Celmi Hermanos .32 ACP PistolE50
Uruguayan Celmi Hermanos .32 ACP Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Celmi brothers were Italians who moved to Uruguay and opened an arms factory. They are best known for sporting shotguns, but in 1943 they introduced an automatic pistol, much like the Walther PP but with a removable barrel bushing, a la FN 1910. Quality was questionable, and only a few hundred were made, with the only known significant purchaser being the Uruguayan state oil company. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - How Did I Get My Guns to Finnish Brutality? Polaris Logistics.E51
How Did I Get My Guns to Finnish Brutality? Polaris Logistics.http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons I took my own Finnish M39 Mosin and TT-33 Tokarev to Finland for Finnish Brutality, along with a WWSD-2020 carbine. I've gotten a lot of questions from people wondering how I did that, and the answer is Les Winner, of Polaris Logistics. Les handled all of the paperwork and shipping, and he also joined us to shoot the match. So, I took a few minutes in the evening to chat with him about how the process works. He has made the process so much easier than the other importers I have tried to work with, and I am very happy to recommend his services to anyone who is trying to move guns across the US border. You can reach him directly at: les.winner@polaris-logistics.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Wartime Changes: The Bren MkI Modified and Bren MkIIE52
Wartime Changes: The Bren MkI Modified and Bren MkIIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The British lost some 90% of their stock of Bren light machine guns in the disastrous Dunkirk evacuation, and in the following months rushed to rearm. Part of this program was a two-tiered simplification of the Bren design. First was a MkI Modified Bren (which was not marked any differently than the original MkI), and this was followed by a MkII design. These patterns simplified many of the machining operation required to produce the Bren, significantly reducing the number of required machining operations. The most visually distinctive elements of the MkII pattern were the omission of the stainless steel flash hider assembly and the replacement of the original dial rear sight with a simple ladder sight. In addition, changes were made to the buttstock, buttplate, receiver profile, gas block, and bipod. Both Enfield and Inglis would produce the simpler MkII Brens by the middle of the war. Despite the many changes made, the core operating components (bolt, bolt carrier, etc) were left unchanged, so they could still interchange between all patterns of the gun in service. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Book Review: The Complete Book of Tokarev PistolsE53
Book Review: The Complete Book of Tokarev Pistolshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The Tokarev is a pistol that does not have much written about it in the world of firearms reference literature - largely because it was not until the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact that many of the. variations. became accessible to Western collectors and researchers. What we have seen, though, is a veritable flood of Tokarev from many different nations come onto the collector market in the past few decades. They are an area of collecting that is interesting and has a quite low bar of entry - all the has been missing is a good reference work describing them. Thanks to Dr. Cameron White, we now have that reference work. His new "Complete Book of Tokarev Pistols" covers all the nations that produced variations of the Tokarev. Arranged in chapters by nationality, each discusses the factory(s) that produced the different guns, the circumstances of their production, and the unique features of each model. Each nation has a serial number and production date table identifying when the guns were made (to the best of the available records), and plenty of high quality color photographs - usually examples of each individual year of production. This includes the very scarce patterns, like North Korean, Pakistani craft-made copies, and the explanation of the mythical Bulgarian Tokarev. If there is an area where White comes up short, it is in describing the development programs and experimental models, but that is understandable given the paucity of information available about the early production of most patterns. I would also have. like to see a bit more clarification of which grips and safeties in the photographs were added as part of US importation requirements, but this is a minor quibble. For anyone interested in collecting these pistols or in simply gaining a better u - Göring's Platinum LugersE54
Göring's Platinum Lugershttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons There are a lot of guns out there attributed to German leaders and politicians of the Second World War. Many of these are completely specious, and many more are true simply because these men had a lot of guns. What we are looking at today is an exception; one of the rather small number of guns whose personal provenance to Hermann Göring is quite well documented. This is a P08 Luger manufactured by the Krieghoff firm of Suhl and beautifully engraved, platinum plated, and fitted with embellished ivory grips for Göring. We know he purchased several of these from Krieghoff, although the exact number is unknown (I would suspect 5-10). They are serialized in a range between the 16,900s and 17,200s and all bear the same presentation marking, dated August 15, 1939. It appears that they were purchased for Göring to use as gifts to various cronies, but we do not know or any specific recipients by name. Several currently documented in the US have solid provenance to US servicemen who brought them home from Europe as souvenirs in 1945. For more information, the best reference (albeit unfortunately out of print) is "The Krieghoff Parabellum" by Randall Gibson. Thanks to Legacy Collectibles for providing me access to film this remarkable pistol! Check out their YouTube channel for lots of other interesting firearms history: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCesjdfSFVwNgqa299Bf3Zlw Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle #36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - A Tour of Varusteleka: Outdoor and Military SpecialistsE56
A Tour of Varusteleka: Outdoor and Military SpecialistsThe time for me to give a proper callout to Varusteleka is frankly long overdue. I've been working with them for years now, and they have never asked for anything in return for hosting Karl and I for three annual Finnish Brutality matches. In a world where most surplus stores have turned from actual surplus to mediocre Chinese airsoft-tier kit, Varusteleka continues to find lots of actual surplus from all over the world (complete with ACTUAL USABLE SIZING GUIDES), and has eschewed the cheap gear in favor of creating their own brands of top-quality clothing and equipment. Intended to serve both the general outdoor enthusiast and the Finnish military (both active duty and reserve), their Särmä TST line is as good as it gets. Every item is deliberately designed to give the best service, in ways that only real field testing can inform. The non-military line is just as good, with copious use of luxurious merino wool and wonderfully practical designs like Woolshell and the Särmä merino wool hoodie. It's not cheap, but it is worth every dollar, and I have found myself replacing most of my own wardrobe with their products, at my own expense (although they don't have a good line of hot weather clothing yet, for some reason!). If this be shilling, I am happy to be guilty of it. I filmed this at my own behest, and without any remuneration. It is wonderful to find a company that has the mindset, integrity, and quality that Varusteleka does, and I look forward to watching their further progress towards Total World Domination! http://www.Varusteleka.com My particular favorites: Woolshell: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-woolshell-jacket/59958 Merino hoodie: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-merino-wool-hoodie/30651 Tactical jeans: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-tactical-jeans/58865 - Clement Pottet: Father of the Shotgun ShellE57
Clement Pottet: Father of the Shotgun Shellhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Clement Pottet was one of the original fathers of the modern shotgun shell. He took the work of men like Pauly and developed a paper-walled, metallic-base shell for shotgun use. He had two main French patents on his work, the first in 1829 and a followup in 1855. The shell he designed in the 1820s remained fundamentally unchanged for more than a century, until plastic replaced paper for the shell body. Today we are looking at one of Pottet's original shotguns, designed for his ammunition. It is a double barrel side-by-side type, with a unique rotary action to open and close. Thanks to the Liege Arms Museum for access to film this for you! If you are in Belgium, definitely plan to stop into the museum, part of the Grand Curtius. They have a very good selection of interesting and unusual arms on display. https://www.grandcurtius.be Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - An Interesting Possibility: The FG-42 in 8x33mm Kurz?E58
An Interesting Possibility: The FG-42 in 8x33mm Kurz?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Here's an interesting thought - what if they made the FG-42 in 8x33mm Kurz? Well, they actually did, in very small numbers. The rifle's designer, Louis Stange, actually thought it was a really good idea, and the Heereswaffenamt office converted a handful of first model FG42s for testing, although it never went farther than that. The Army was very much in favor fo the 8x33mm cartridge in the MP43/44 for a variety of reasons, but the Luftwaffe was determined to issue its own unique rifle in the full 8x57mm cartridge. After the war, there was one further addendum to this idea - Waffenfabrik Bern in Switzerland made a couple experimental patterns of what was essentially the FG42 in 7.5mm Kurz (7.5x38mm). These were tested as part of Switzerland's move to a self-loading rifle, but ultimately lost out to SIG's design in the full 7.5x55mm. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - L4: The Bren in 7.62mm NATOE59
L4: The Bren in 7.62mm NATOhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the British military transitioned form the .303 British cartridge to 7.62mm NATO in the 1950s, it replaced the Enfield rifles with the new L1A1 SLR (the FAL) but retained the Bren gun as a support weapon. The Bren was updated to use 7.62mm, in a process more complicated than most people would think. Ultimately, about 16,000 thousand L4 series Brens were made, as they were rather quickly supplanted by the FN MAG as a belt-fed support weapon. The four different patterns of L4 are: L4A1 - the initial pattern, without magazine supports L4A2 - the Bren MkIII in 7.62mm with magazine supports L4A3 - the Bren MkII in 7.62mm with magazine supports L4A4 - the A2 and A3 patterns with chrome-lined barrels Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Q&A 49, with Mike and Fabien of Bloke on the RangeE60
Q&A 49, with Mike and Fabien of Bloke on the RangeToday's Q&A was filmed in Finland, with special guests Mike and Fabien from Bloke on the Range, who came out to shoot the scaled-down Finnish Brutality 2021 with me. If you like what you see here, you can watch and support their work: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9k2WzcJ1kUMl4KIwNQwrFA https://www.patreon.com/BlokeOnTheRange 01:48 - Most effective first generation smokeless rifle? 06:04 - Swiss straight pulls ever fired in anger? 06:56 - "Bring backs" in Europe? 08:32 - Stgw 57 vs FAMAS 10:05 - Museums, ranges, and other gun places to visit in Switzerland 12:12 - Dichotomy of bayonets alongside 400m zeroes on rifles 14:29 - Any recent changes to Swiss gun law? 17:46 - What has the local reaction been to the Bloke on the Range channel? 18:37 - P14/M1917 vs SMLE/No4? 22:06 - What do Bloke and Chap see in the US market that is unavailable in Switzerland? 26:18 - Ammo prices and availability in Europe 28:50 - FAL vs G3? 33:32 - What gun(s) to takeoff a brand new shooter to guarantee a fun time? 36:27 - .303 or 7.5x55? 38:30 - How to make a good shooter out of a sporterized SMLE (without a new stock) 40:57 - Why the Swiss and straight pulls? 44:32 - Favorite Enfield variant? 48:06 - Why didn't Switzerland adopt NATO calibers? 50:33 - Guns that surprised you (good or bad) 55:56 - Non-gun factories that made SMLEs or SMLE parts? 58:08 - Is the 9mm vs .40/10mm/.45 question different in Switzerland because of their ban on hollow points? 1:00:28 - What is the best breech loading conversion system? http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Schulhof Model 1887 Manual Ring-Trigger PistolE61
Schulhof Model 1887 Manual Ring-Trigger Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Josef Schulhof was the the first and most prolific designer of manually operated pistols in Austria in the 1880s. For a brief few years, there was a lot of developmental work done in this field, comparable really only to the American Volcanic system. The Austrian pistols were more practical, and as they still predated the development of any practical self-loading pistols, there was a chance that they could have become commercially relevant. This did not actually happen, of course, as any advantages they offered over revolvers were still better in the crop of self-loaders that emerged in the late 1890s. Schulhof’s first pistols were patented in 1884, and he experimented with a variety of locking system and magazine systems. This example is an 1887 type, with a spring-loaded rotating bolt and a 6-round rotary magazine. It was intended to be fired from an open bolt, rather like a double-action revolver - but it could be carried with the chamber loaded an a manual safety engaged. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Semiauto DShKM "Dushka" in .50 BrowningE62
Semiauto DShKM "Dushka" in .50 Browninghttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Developed by the Soviet Union primarily as an antiaircraft weapon (and used to good effect in that role through World War Two), the DShK heavy machine gun was modernized almost immediately upon adoption. The first batch of new DShKM guns entered production in February of 1945. The final pattern would be formally adopted in 1946. What we have today is a semiauto DShK built in .50 Browning, which makes ownership and feeding much simpler than with a fully automatic original Russian-caliber example. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Schouboe Model 1916: The Final AttemptE63
Schouboe Model 1916: The Final Attempthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The final iteration of the Danish Schouboe pistol is this, the model 1916. Produced in prototype quantities only, it took the features of the 1910 pattern (safety and external barrel pivot) and made a few more changes. The slide no longer telescopes over the barrel - possibly to add mass and reduce slide velocity? The grip angle has been made very aggressively steel, with checkering on both front and back straps (and on the now-enlarged magazine release). This example is serial number 366, which comes within the range of known 1910 pattern examples. This raises questions about the production order; perhaps when the new grip style failed to meet a goal the factory went back to the 1910 pattern? Or perhaps additional 1910 type unswore assembled from existing parts right at the end of production? Unless more primary source records come to light, we do not know. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle Box 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Passler Model 1887 Ring Trigger Pistol - Now With Mannlicher Clips!E64
Passler Model 1887 Ring Trigger Pistol - Now With Mannlicher Clips!http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Franz Passler and Ferdinand Seidl formed a partnership to make manually-operated pistols in Austria in the late 1880s, but the arrangement did not last. Their design was initially patented by Passler in Austria, and then jointly by both men in Germany. It is a rotating barrel design similar in function to the 1887 pattern Schulhof, but with a simplified internal design that makes it more durable and easier to manufacture. They also used a different magazine system, choosing a 5-round Mannlicher type clip to feed the pistol. Only about 100 pistols were made under both Passler and Passler & Seidl, and they all show minor variations - there was no commercial success achieved with the model. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - IMI "Galatz" - Galil DMR/Sniper in 7.62 NATOE65
IMI "Galatz" - Galil DMR/Sniper in 7.62 NATOhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Adopted in 1983, the “Galatz” (a contraction of the Hebrew for Galil Sniper) is a DMR based on the 7.62x51mm Galil action. It was fitted with a 23” heavy barrel, rear-m mounted bipod, folding stock, cheek riser, and a Nimrod 6x40 scope in a detachable mount offset to the left of the action. Only a very small number came into the US commercially before importation was banned in the late 1980s. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Reiger Model 1889: Quick-Change Revolver Clips!E66
Reiger Model 1889: Quick-Change Revolver Clips!http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Edwin Reiger was an Austrian designer who took the basic mechanism of the Passler & Seidl ring trigger manual pistol and added a sort of revolver magazine to it. Reiger used a drop-in 6-round clip very similar to the Blake rifle clip. Only two examples of these pistols are known to survive, and this one has a very striking brass frame. Very cool! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Colt's Prototype Scaled-Down Model 1910 in .38/9.8mmE67
Colt's Prototype Scaled-Down Model 1910 in .38/9.8mmhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons With the impending success of Colt’s program to develop new .45 caliber pistol for the US military (the 1911), the company began to look for ways to exploit the work that had gone into it. They had previously sold lots of .38 caliber automatic pistols, so why not offer a .38 caliber version of the 1910? In addition to a potential US commercial market, a new rimless .38 caliber cartridge might be just teething to get some foreign military contracts. So about 5 pistols were handmade by Colt’s tool room around both the old .38 ACP cartridge and a very similar 9.8mm cartridge (which was tested in both semi-rimmed and rimless variations). These guns were not conversions of the .45 caliber frame, but rather wholly new guns built around the smaller ammunition. They are slightly smaller in scale across all dimensions compared to the now-familiar M1911. At the same time, Colt’s relationship with FN was getting tense as FN was selling more guns into Central and South America. Colt decided to send their new 9.8mm prototype (in the hands of Eugene Reising, then a Colt employee) to pistol trials in England and Romania. While winning a contract would be great, just appearing would let FN know that Colt was still paying attention. In the end, Colt didn’t win any contracts - but they were able to negotiate a new marketing agreement with FN from a stronger position. The experimental .38/9.8mm pistols gathered dust in storage, as they were never ultimately put into production. In 1929, someone remembered them when Colt was releasing the M1911A1 in .38 Super. Serial number 3 (this pistol) was given a nice new finish and put into Colt’s factory museum (from whence it later was sold into the collector market). Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Maxim-Silverman .455 Caliber Behemoth of a PistolE68
Maxim-Silverman .455 Caliber Behemoth of a Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons Hiram Maxim’s hired shop supervisor was a man named Louis Silverman. He was a skilled engineer, who was treated rather poorly by Maxim, and whose contributions were systematically understated. One of the most interesting projects Silverman partook in was the design of a self-loading pistol in 1896. A patent was taken out in the names of both he and Maxim, but the lack of discussion by in Maxim’s papers makes it clear that the idea was Silverman’s. The pistol was simple and efficient; easy to make and quite forward-looking. However, it was crippled by the choice to use cartridges too powerful for its simple blowback operation. Today we are taking a look at the particular massive example made in .455 Webley. The other two regular Maxim-Silverman pistols are rather large, and this one is a true behemoth… For more information, see my full article on the design, and my video on the surviving 7.65mm Borchardt example: https://www.forgottenweapons.com/maxim-silverman-1896-pistol/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1ElpucXu6A Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Apocrypha: Tour of the Kyrö DistilleryE69
Apocrypha: Tour of the Kyrö DistilleryWhile I was in Finland for Finnish Brutality 2021, I took a day to hitch a train ride up to Isokyrö, about 400km northwest of Helsinki. The Kyrö distillery was founded there in 2012, making single malt Finnish rye whiskey and several varieties of gin. Their own video does a fine job describing the origins of the distillery: https://youtu.be/6Q35akNanEs But I wanted to get a look at the production process - and it's impressively well set up! The rye is made in a pair of imported Scottish pot stills, and the gin uses a combination of pot and column distillation. They were kind enough to give me a tour of the whole place, so let's have a look around! They are distributed throughout the EU, and to a limited extent in the US. https://kyrodistillery.com (Apocrypha is a behind-the-scenes periodic series normally only available to Patreon supporters of Forgotten Weapons. Want to see more? Sign up to help support me directly at http://www.patreon.com/forgottenweapons ) - 1896 Bittner: The Most Beautiful Steampunk PistolE70
1896 Bittner: The Most Beautiful Steampunk Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons One of the very last, most common, and best looking of the Austrian manually operated pistols is the Bittner. Designed by Gustav Bittner in 1893 and going into production in 1896 (the known examples were proofed in 1897 and 1898), I think the Bittner is just about the most beautiful pistol I have seen. Several hundred were made; possibly as many as 500. They were produced for the civilian market only, with an option for a fancy presentation case. The Bittner was the last gasp of the manually operated pistol, as successful self-loaders like the C96 Mauser were being introduced alongside it. Note that the numbers often found on the bottom of the barrel are not serial numbers - they are Vienna proof house sequential numbers. The actual Bittner serial numbers are stamped on the inside of the frame, visible only after removing the side plate. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Deckungszielgerät - Germany's WW2 Trench Rifle SystemE71
Deckungszielgerät - Germany's WW2 Trench Rifle Systemhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons When the German attack into Russia stagnated in late 1942, some areas of the front returned to a trench-and-sniper sort of warfare that was reminiscent of World War One. The German military actually went so far as to design and issue a periscopic tech rifle mount, the “deckungszielgerät” (DZG). Stereotypically German in design, it was adjustable to fit a variety of different rifles. The original design intent was for the Gewehr 41(M) and 41(W), but the devices were quickly modified to also fit captured SVT-40 rifles, and the K98k could also be used if necessary (although unlike the WW1 trench rifle mounts, these had no mechanism for cycling a bolt action). It is unclear how many DZGs were actually made, but certainly not many. This example has been heavily restored, but none of the known surviving ones have serial numbers of manufacturer codes (the “DZG” stamped on the side is its designation, not a manufacturer). For more information, see Michael Heidler’s article in Small Arms Review: http://www.smallarmsreview.com/display.article.cfm?idarticles=315 Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The First Trapdoor Springfield Carbine, Model 1870E72
The First Trapdoor Springfield Carbine, Model 1870http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons The first production of a carbine model of the Trapdoor Springfield was the Model 1870 (excluding 4 prototypes produced in 1868). There was a focus infantry rifles in theTrapdoor program, and just 362 of these carbines were made in 1870. They use the short receiver of the 1870 rifle, a 21 3/4” barrel, a slinger and ring on these in place of sling swivels, and are not serialized. They also use a unique narrow rear sight slider, for no apparent reason. The 1870 pattern was the last of the .50-70 Trapdoors, to be supplanted in 1873 by the new .45-70 cartridge. The two main improvements of the type were the shorter receiver (the use of sleeved barrels previously made a longer receiver necessary) and an increase in the opening arc of the breech block (to make it less likely to fall shut inadvertently). Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Manton's Waterproof FlintlockE73
Manton's Waterproof Flintlockhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.bbtv.com/collections/forgotten-weapons How does one keep a flintlock action reliable in wet, riany weather? Well, let’s have a look at a flintlock shotgun designed specifically to be waterproof! This is a Joseph Manton shotgun from about 1815. Manton was not the only smith making this sort of waterproof action, but his is a fine example… Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ian Fangirls Over Some Weird Bergmann (Prototype M1910)E74
Ian Fangirls Over Some Weird Bergmann (Prototype M1910)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com This unique Bergmann Model 1910 was made by Anciens Etablissements Pieper with a grip angled slightly back compared to the standard model. It was also fitted with a square front sight and square rear notch in place of the standard barleycorn style sights. Its serial number (8800) puts it right in the middle of pre-war Danish contract production. Curiously, it has grips of the Danish 1910/21 pattern, but was made by Pieper well before those grips were adopted, and is not a Danish-accepted pistol that was retrofitted (it also retains the 1910 style side plate latch, not the Danish 1921 screw update). What is the story behind this gun? We really just don’t know. It appears to be completely authentic, and has the provenance of coming from the Sidney Aberman collection. In my opinion, both the sights and grip are an improvement over the standard pattern, and I find it very interesting. But then, of course I’m a sucker for all manner of Bergmann pistols… Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - M39 Snow Test in FinlandE75
M39 Snow Test in FinlandCheck out Bloke on the Range's matching shenanigans with a No4 MkI Enfield and a pre-war MAS-36: https://youtu.be/g6V19emlcjE While in Finland for Finnish Brutality 2021, the question naturally arose of how bolt action rifles would fare in the snow. Bloke and Chap from Bloke on the Range decided to find out, and peer-pressured me into doing the same thing with my M39 Finnish Mosin. Thanks to Sako for sponsoring the match - and for making my rifle, back in 1944! http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Movie Conversions: The Flintlock Trapdoor SpringfieldE76
Movie Conversions: The Flintlock Trapdoor Springfieldhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The movie industry has always had special requirements for firearms. Flintlocks, for example, can be rather finicky guns for folks to use without practice and care, and that does not work will in a filming environment where a whole scene's setup would be wasted it a flintlock fails to fire properly on demand. Today, courtesy of Mike Carrick from Arms Heritage magazine, we have an example of an old solution to this problem: use a thoroughly reliable cartridge-firing Trapdoor Springfield and just make it look more or less like a flintlock. Guns like this one were used in a variety of movies, including specifically the 1953 picture "The Man From the Alamo" and John Wayne's 1960 film "Alamo" (in Wayne's film, the same system was also used to make mock Kentucky rifles). Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ian Rants About Dumb Ammo Purchasing DecisionsE77
Ian Rants About Dumb Ammo Purchasing Decisionshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Seriously guys, buying trash surplus ammo is false economy. Do the research, don't get tempted by a 2c/round savings, and get ammunition that will actually run. You will have a way better time shooting, and your guns will thank you for it. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Mauser 1912/14: Flapper-Delayed BlowbackE78
Mauser 1912/14: Flapper-Delayed Blowbackhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Starting in 1909, Mauser had a plan to introduce a family of automatic pistols, with a picket gun in 6.35mm (.25 ACP) and a military/police service pistol in 9mm Parabellum that shared the same basic look. The initial 1909 prototype in 9mm was simple blowback, and proved to be a failure. The next attempt was a simple blowback 6.35mm, which was quite successful, and was marketed as the Mauser 1910, as well as the 1914 in .32 ACP (7.65mm). With that selling well, the company went back to its 9mm gun, and began experimenting with locking systems. After failing to get a vertically tipping locking block to work, they came to a flapper-delayed blowback system that was expensive, but worked well. That was the Model 1912, in 9x19mm. Between 1912 and 1914 about 200 examples of this gun were made, with production standardizing by about serial number 50. Later examples were made for a military market, with 500-meter tangent sights and detachable holster stocks. Any hopes of challenging the Luger in Germany military service were dashed by the death of Paul Mauser in May 1914, coupled with the outbreak of war in August. The project fizzled to an end, and was never restarted after the war - although elements would go with Josef Nickl to Czechoslovakia and eventually show up in the CZ Model 27... For more information on this and other Mauser handgun developments, I recommend "Mauser Pistolen" by Schmidt, Speed, and Weaver: https://amzn.to/31rr3KJ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Luger in FinlandE79
The Luger in Finlandhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com After the failure of the domestic production Ahlberg pistols and some disappointment with the performance of surplus French Ruby pistols, the Finnish military turned to DWM in Germany for a main service pistol in 1922. The core of the Finnish armed forces had been exposed to the Luger as Jaegers in German military service during World War One, and they knew and liked the Luger design. Bowing to Versailles restrictions in the post-war years, the guns purchased were chambered for 7.65mm Luger, with sub-100mm barrels (specifically, 95mm and 98mm). The first 2,000 were received in 1922, another 2,000 in 1923, and by 1929 the Army had acquired 8,000 (purchases stopped in 1929 with the decision to produce a domestic pistol, which would be the Lahti L-35). The Luger in 7.65mm was designated the m/23 pistol. In addition to Army purchases, many private individuals bought their own Lugers that would see military service, as did the Civil Guard. In fact, the Luger was a more common service pistol than the L-35 in both the Winter War and the Continuation War. Once the Winter War began, worn-out m/23 pistols were fitted with new 9x19mm barrels made by Sako and Tikkakoski, although the hot Finnish SMG ammunition would cause significant wear and eventually destroy many of the guns. Those that survived both wars would remain in service all the way into the 1980s, when they were finally surplussed. One of the examples we have today is a gun that was eventually transferred to the Finnish prison administration system, and was marked by them - there was no crest or chamber marking put on the Finnish contract guns by DWM. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Gordon Ingram's Westarm .308 Battle RifleE80
Gordon Ingram's Westarm .308 Battle Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In the late 1970s and early 80s, Gordon Ingram came close to producing a military rifle in one of the most convoluted international arrangements I’ve yet heard of. Prototypes were made in Italy using British raw castings, to be tested in Somalia as part of a project to build a rifle factory there with Dominican Republic expertise from the San Cristobal armory. Somalia actually ordered a large quantity of rifles in 7.62x39mm, but Ingram prototyped the design in .223 and .308 as well. Mechanically, the rifle was essentially a scaled-up M1 Carbine with a long stroke gas piston instead of a gas tappet. The production guns were select-fire, but the handful or prototypes brought into the US were semiautomatic only, to meet import requirements. In .308, the rifle used FAL magazines, while the .223 ones used AR magazines and the 7.62x39mm ones AK magazines. Unfortunately for Ingram (but predictably), the project fell apart as the result of financial corruption among the many interested parties. The Somali government ended up payout out something like $5 million US and all they got for it were 10 unreliable prototype rifles. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Sterling SMG at the RangeE81
Sterling SMG at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The L2A3 Sterling submachine gun was a staple of British and small arms after World War Two, until the L85 rifle was adopted. Designed by George Patchett during the war and produced by Sterling, it is a simple and economical tubular open-bolt, simple blowback gun. It uses a very compact folding stock that is stable and useful when deployed, a very well shaped pistol grip, and a wonderful 34-round magazine. I've (surprisingly) not really had a chance to shoot a Sterling before, so I'm taking advantage of this one at Morphy's to change that! Overall, the Sterling is an excellent SMG. My only real complaint is that the stock layout and central position of the firing grip tends to make is a little bit bouncy in full automatic. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Daewoo K2: The South Korean AK/AR HybridE82
Daewoo K2: The South Korean AK/AR Hybridhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com South Korea experimented with a series of rifle designs in 7.62x51mm in the 1960s and early 1970s, but none of them came close to production. In 1974 a license was acquired from Colt for Daewoo Precision Industries to built the M16A1 for South Korean military use. This was good, but the license did not allow South Korea to build as many rifles as they wanted (well over a million, sufficient to arm a full mobilization of reserves in case of war). So indigenous rifle development continued in 5.56mm, taking many elements from the M16. In 1982/3 trials concluded on the final domestic design, which was adopted as the K2. This rifle is a hybrid of AR and AK systems, with a long stroke gas piston action clearly take form the AK and a lower receiver, fire control group, and rotating multi-lug bolt clearly taken from the AR. It also features aperture sights, a robust sidefolding stock, and uses standard AR magazines. Well over a million were made, including commercial semiauto examples for export, like the one in today’s video. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Miniature Guns for the Fascist Youth: Italian Balilla CarbinesE83
Miniature Guns for the Fascist Youth: Italian Balilla Carbineshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com As part of his effort to imbue Italy with a fascist culture, Mussolini formed the ONB, or National Balilla Organization as a replacement for all other youth organizations in Italy in 1926. It was intended for boys aged 6 to 18, and included military training. Older boys practiced shooting and drill with real rifles, but the younger boys were given Balilla carbines - blank-firing scaled-down versions of the Modelo 1891 Carcano carbine, named after an 18th century folk hero who sparked a revolt in Genoa at the age of 10 in 1746. Over 100,000 of these Balilla carbines were made between 1931 and 1943. The most prolific manufacturer was Fratelli Grazian of Verona, and we have both an early and later type example of Grazian carbines today. They made extensive use of bronze parts, and the early model has a distinctive bulge to the magazine well. Grazian made some 57,000 of these carbines in total. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - 1945: The French Occupy Mauser and Make LugersE84
1945: The French Occupy Mauser and Make Lugershttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home CCool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In July 1945, just a few months after the first French troops entered Oberndorf, the Mauser factory began assembling guns under French oversight. In addition to HSc pistols, P38 pistols, K98k rifles, and Model 45 training rifles, Mauser also had sufficient stocks of Luger parts to assemble several thousand for French use (as well as occasional sale to Allied occupation soldiers). The highest recorded serial number is 3334, and there are five different variations of markings. Today, we have a 1st type and a 3rd type to look at. In 1945 and 1946, the French Army was in need of really any functional arms, and the Luger was happily accepted as a front-line service handgun (in fact, the Spahis who made up French General Koenig’s personal bodyguard carried Lugers). These Lugers were used early in the fighting in Indochina, but they were phased out of service once the MAC-50 pistol was put into production. They were then used to replace even older guns like Rubies and Mle 1892 revolvers in second-line service, and eventually transferred to the Gendarmerie. They were used by the Gendarmes until the 1970s, when the last ones were surplussed. At some point, a batch of them was given to the Austrian Army, presumably in the early/mid 1950s after Austria was once again allowed to have armed forces. For more information, I highly recommend “The Parabellum is Back!” By Gerben van Vlimmeren and Mauro Baudino: https://amzn.to/3988Jui Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Springfield Model 1795 Musket: America's First Military ProductionE85
Springfield Model 1795 Musket: America's First Military Productionhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The first US-production military arm was the “US musket, Charleville pattern” - known today as the Model 1795 Springfield Musket. Copied from the French 1766 model Charleville which made up the bulk of existing US arms supplies, this was a .69 caliber smoothbore flintlock with a 44.5 inch (1.13m) barrel. Springfield was formally established as a manufacturing center in 1795, and this was its first weapon. By 1798, 3,152 had been made for the government, along with guns of the same pattern made by a myriad of private contractors. It was only in 1799 that quality control concerns led to a requirement to mark a manufacturer’s name to the guns, and Springfield started stamping its name and a date on its guns. This example is dated 1799 on the buttplate, making it the earliest model of identifiable US martial long arm. Total production would end up being between 80,000 and 85,000 guns form Springfield before evolution of the design led to a new model designation in 1816. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Savage M1918 Aircraft Lewis GunE86
Savage M1918 Aircraft Lewis Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com As an open-bolt machine gun, the Lewis was not well suited to synchronization on WW1 aircraft - but it was an ideal gun for flexible mounting. To suit this use, a series of aircraft-specific Lewis variations were made. Today, we are looking at a 1918 model made by Savage for the US, chambered in .30-06. It has a single rear spade grip, and no cooling shroud. Instead, a small metal cylinder was added just to protect the gas piston. It has a muzzle brake designed to increase back pressure and raise the rate of fire to 800 or 850 rounds/minute, and was fitted with 97-round double-height pan magazines. The sights are Norman wind vane sights, designed to automatically compensate for the deflection of the gun pointing in different directions relative to the aircraft’s own movement and orientation. By the end of the war, Savage had produced 32,231 aircraft Lewis guns, with this type being the final pattern. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Savage M1918 Aircraft Lewis at the Range (With Rare Tripod Mount!)E87
Savage M1918 Aircraft Lewis at the Range (With Rare Tripod Mount!)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we looked at the Savage M1918 aircraft version of the Lewis gun, used by American aviators during World War One. Today, we are taking it out to the range along with a very scarce original tripod mounting adapter. I was not expecting all that much from the gun, but it is really tremendously enjoyable to shoot. The swiveling mount really makes one feel like a vintage aviator, dueling Fokkers over the trenches. Interestingly, the rate of fire was almost identical to that of a standard ground Lewis we had out the same day, despite the muzzle brake intended to increase the rate of fire. Whether that is due to ammunition or some other factor, I do not know. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Colt's Model 1915 Vickers Gun in .30-06E88
Colt's Model 1915 Vickers Gun in .30-06http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com After extended testing in 1913 and 1914, the US formally adopted the Vickers gun as the Model 1915. A contract was placed for licensed production of 125 guns by Colt, who had also taken contracts to produce Vickers guns for the UK and Russia. It would ultimately be the summer of 1917 before the first guns arrived for US Army use, and a total of 12,125 were made by the time production ended in September 1918 (in favor of the new Browning 1917 machine gun). Ten divisions of the American Expeditionary Force were equipped with Colt Vickers guns in .30-06 in World War One, and they gave good service on the battlefield. The are very scarce today because almost all surviving examples were sent to Britain as part of Lend-Lease in World War Two, and destroyed at the end of that conflict. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Fritz Mann Model 1921: Chamber-Ring-Delayed BlowbackE89
Fritz Mann Model 1921: Chamber-Ring-Delayed Blowbackhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In 1920, Fritz Mann of Germany patented the idea of cutting a shallow ring in the chamber of a pistol as a delaying mechanism. When fired, a cartridge case would expand into this groove, thus requiring more time and energy to push the case out of the chamber and effectively delaying opening. This allowed Mann to reduce the weight of the operating parts of his model 1920 semiauto pistol in .25ACP (aka 6.35mm Browning). The gun was designed to be as small and as light as possible; a true pocket pistol. Thousands of them were made in 1920 and 1921, although he gun failed to see long-term popularity. For more information, I recommend Stefan Klein’s article on Ed Buffaloe’s web site: https://unblinkingeye.com/Guns/Mann/mann.html Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - MAS-45: The French .22 Trainer Designed by MauserE90
MAS-45: The French .22 Trainer Designed by Mauserhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When the French occupied the Mauser factory in April 1945, they found all the tooling to produce .22 caliber rifles still in place and in good order (among other things). The French military did not have a proper training rifle at the time, and they decided to have Mauser design and produce one. The result, adopted for production in August 1945, was essentially a Mauser KKW action with the detachable magazine from the Mauser 410B and a rear-mounted aperture sight. About 10,500 of these Model 45 rifles were made at Mauser by June 1946, when production was shut down in preparation for the demolition of most of the Mauser buildings. The tooling and incomplete parts fort he rifle were relocated to the MAS factory at St Etienne, where production resumed and another approximately 30,000 were made. The MAS-45 would serve as a standard French training rifle until he 1970s, and remained in limited use afterwards (even to this day, in fact). To see some of the French drill and shooting, check out Bloke on the Range’s video on the MAS-45: https://youtu.be/yczMCaaumUI Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Swedish m/21 BAR in 6.5x55mmE91
The Swedish m/21 BAR in 6.5x55mmhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Sweden was a remarkably early adopted of the light machine gun, for a nation not involved in World War One. Looking over the designs that existed right after the war, Sweden opted to purchase 700 (technically, 703) commercial BAR automatic rifles from Colt (by way of FN). These were configured to Swedish request, with substantial pistol grips, mid-mounted bipods, and chambered for the 6.5x55mm Swedish cartridge. This initial purchase was followed by a license to produce the guns domestically at the Carl Gustafs Stads factory in 1923, and another approximately 7500 were made by 1935. In 1937, the design was modified to allow for a quick-change barrel, designated the m/37. Another 15,400 of these were built by 1944, and many oft he earlier m/21 guns updated to the new configuration. These would serve as Sweden’s standard support weapons until replaced by the FN MAG in the late 1950s, and remaining in limited service until the 1980s. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Howard's Thunderbolt: A Remarkably Compact CarbineE92
Howard's Thunderbolt: A Remarkably Compact Carbinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Designed by brothers Charles and Sebre Howard and first patented in 1862, this is a single shot lever action produced by the Whitneyville Armory between 1866 and 1870. It is a really neat compact design that is all contained within a tube. The system was made in rifle, sporting rifle, and shotgun configurations, with a total production of not more than about 1700. The rifle pattern guns, like this one, were chambered for .44 Rimfire. A prototype military configuration example was tested unsuccessfully by the US military in 1867. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Semiauto ZK-383 on the RangeE93
Semiauto ZK-383 on the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Czech ZK-383 is a magnificent submachine gun, but sadly very scarce in the United States. So when I saw the semiauto example, I wanted to take it out to the range for some plinking. It has some magazine issues (as one might expect form a one-off semiauto made by a hobbyist here in the US), but is an interesting option for someone who can't find a live and intact example of a ZK-383... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Colt's MG52-A: Water-Cooled 50-Caliber Heavy Machine Gun for the WorldE94
Colt's MG52-A: Water-Cooled 50-Caliber Heavy Machine Gun for the Worldhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Before the Browning M2, there was a series of Colt commercial .50 caliber machine guns. The .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) cartridge began development in 1918, and after the end of the war Colt and John Browning finalized a water-cooled machine gun to use it. While military experimentation and development continued, Colt introduced the gun as the Model 1924, and sold it in both water-cooled and air-cooled varieties. The names were changed in 1932/3 to become the MG52 (water cooled) and MG53 (air cooled) to keep the guns sounding modern. In addition, they introduced the MG52-A, which was a water cooled model with interchangeable feed to accommodate vehicle and dual mounts. The Model 1924/MG52 has a number of early features that would be changed when the M2 become the standard model. These have simple straight-line charging handles, instead of the camel system of the M2. They have rear sights like the early M1917 .30 caliber guns, manual safeties, and are built on dedicated water-cooled receivers (the M2 would introduce a universal receiver). Only a few thousand of these were made by World War Two, and their production did not resume after the war. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - System Kuhn: A Novel Single Shot BreechloaderE95
System Kuhn: A Novel Single Shot Breechloaderhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com This is an interesting single-shot breechloading system built by Kuhn of Besançon - a city near Switzerland in eastern France. It is clearly a sporting rifle, firing an 11mm black powder cartridge and probably dates to the 1870s or 1880s. It automatically ejects an empty case when opened and automatically cocks the hammer when the action is closed, making it a cleverly efficient system to shoot. The trigger is also not actually operable until he lever is fully closed, rendering it safe from out of battery firing. I don’t know anything about the maker, however… Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Australia's FAL-Based L2A1 Heavy Automatic RifleE96
Australia's FAL-Based L2A1 Heavy Automatic Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Many the nations that adopted the FAL (or L1A1, in Commonwealth terminology) opted to also use a heavy-barreled variant of the same rifle as a light support weapon. In the Commonwealth, this was designated L2A1 and it was used by Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The Australian model was build at Lithgow and supplied to the Australian and New Zealand forces, as well as being exported to a variety of other nations including Ghana, India, Singapore, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and others (total Lithgow production was 9,557). It has a 21” heavy barrel and a distinct folding bipod with wooden panels that act as handguard when the bipod is folded up. Doctrinally, the L2A1 was intended to be used in semiauto most of the time, with the bipod and heavy barrel allowing greater sustained semiauto fire than a standard rifle. A 30-round magazine was developed and issued, but abandoned before long. It was found to be insufficiently reliable, interfered with prone shooting, and contributed to overheating of the guns. Interestingly, Australia also opted to not have an automatic bolt hold open functionality in their FAL type rifles. The control can be used manually, but the rifle does not lock open when empty. This was presumably done in favor of keeping the action closed and clean at the expense of slower reloading (the same compromise was made on the G3 family of rifles). This particular example is a registered transferrable machine gun made on a Lithgow receiver imported by Onyx in 1985 with other Lithgow-produced parts, including a 1960 bolt, 1961 carrier, and 1961 lower receiver from an L1A1 originally exported to Malaysia. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Type 97: Kijiro Nambu Adapts the ZB-30 for Japanese TanksE97
Type 97: Kijiro Nambu Adapts the ZB-30 for Japanese Tankshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Introduced in 1937, the Type 97 was basically a copy of the ZB 26/30 pattern light machine gun adapted to use in Japanese tanks and armored cars. The adaptations included mounting an optical sight to the left side fo the action, moving the iron sights to the right, and moving the recoil spring to wrap around the gas piston so that a folding stock could be used. About 15,000-17,000 of these guns were made in 7.7x58mm (rimless), and used to equip all of the tanks and armored cars in Japanese service from 1937 until the end of World War Two. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Lugers Under Versailles: The 1926 Simson P08E98
Lugers Under Versailles: The 1926 Simson P08http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Simson & Co of Suhl was chosen as the sole contractor legally allowed to manufacture and rework military small arms for the German military under the Versailles treaty. They acquired the P08 Luger tooling from the Erfurt arsenal, and began small volume P08 production in 1925. They would product just under 12,000 pistols total between 1925 and 1934. The first 600 were made with 1925 chamber dates, and the first 100 or so in 1926 were also dated, but then the markings changed to a blank chamber for the rest of the production run. These were all Army and police pistols, with no commercial production. This particular example is an interesting outlier, with a 1926 chamber date but a serial number (424) that should be in 1925. It is likely that this gun was set aside for quality control reasons (it also has an RC stamp on the frame) and not completed and marked until early 1926. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - .303 Lewis Gun at the RangeE99
.303 Lewis Gun at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I really enjoy the Lewis Gun, and it's been a long time since I had a chance to put some rounds through one. This particular example is a Savage-made gun marked USN, and I think (but can't prove) that it is one of a small number purchased in .303 British caliber for the US Marine Corps. It also has the heavy-duty bipod system used by the Marines, which I have never tried before. So, let's give it a try! For a great series of World War One machine gun content, check out my Project Lightening collaboration with C&Rsenal: https://candrsenal.com/product/lightening/ https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9e3UCcU00TQD2hVzKwnLjqCaZ1SFfjhX Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Pancor Jackhammer Mk3E100
Pancor Jackhammer Mk3http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com John Anderson was a Korean War veteran who became interested in developing a high capacity, selective-fire combat shotgun for military use. He designed what became known as the Pancor Jackhammer, a fully automatic, gas operated, blow forward, drum fed shotgun. Three working examples were made, two tested to destruction by HP White Labs, and one which Anderson retained for himself. The project ultimately failed for lack of funds when the military decided not to pursue its development - but not before Anderson began working on an improved Mk3 version. The Mk3 never reached completion, but what we have to look at today is a partially completed prototype of it. This gun never had a firing mechanism installed (and appears to be unfinished inside as well), but is registered as a transferrable machine gun. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Book Review: The Green Meanie - L96A1 by Steve HoughtonE101
Book Review: The Green Meanie - L96A1 by Steve Houghtonhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Following up on his 2018 "The British Sniper: A Century of Evolution", Steve Houghton has now released a followup book on the L96A1 in particular: "The Green Meanie". This rifles was a paradigm shift for sniping rifles, and a tremendous success for the British military. It is also a quintessentially British story, as the rifle was essentially developed by three men in a shed. Well, more accurately a garage, but the idea is the same. It is the story of two engineers (Dave Caig and Dave Walls, who were competitive shooters in their spare time) and a world-class competitive shooter named Malcolm Cooper who together developed a benchrest-accurate rifle using a chassis system instead of the traditional bedded stock. Cooper was connected to the sniper program at the Special Air Service, and the SAS adopted the trio's rifle to replace their L42A1 Enfields. When the British Army announced a tender for a new sniper rifle for the whole service, the trio figured they could get some useful feedback on their rifle by entering the competition. Little did they realize that they would eventually win it! Houghton's book covers the origins of the Accuracy International PM rifle - which became the L96A1 - in excellent detail, informed largely by primary sources (Dave Walls wrote the Introduction). This includes the troubles the project had when production was contracted to a large firm, and how those problems eventually led to Accuracy International bringing production back in-house and really becoming the company they are today. Houghton also takes the rifle's story through to the present day, covering all of the accessories and equipment that went along with it. Scopes (both the original ones and the mid-life upgrades to the system), spotting scopes, thermal and image-intensifying optics, even the clothing issued - Hill SMG/Pistol: Inspiration for the FN P90E102
Hill SMG/Pistol: Inspiration for the FN P90http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com John L. Hill was a World War One fighter pilot who went into the oil and gas industry, and enjoyed tinkering with guns in his free time. In 1949 he got an idea for a new style of magazine and feed system, which he developed and patented in the early 1950s. Hill’s intention was to create a submachine gun for the military or police that held its magazine flat atop the action, instead of sticking out of the gun where it would get in the way. To do this, Hill designed the system that would be later used in the FN P90, with ammunition held perpendicular to the barrel, and a turret mechanism in the action to turn the cartridges 90 degrees for feeding in the chamber. Hill built 7 or 8 fully automatic prototypes, which were examined by the US Army and the FBI. One was tested at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in 1953, and we still have some of the photos from that examination (that particular gun was guilt using an MP40 barrel, interestingly). Hill’s guns varied in pretty much all details, including different barrel lengths, stock configurations, and magazines. Some used single stack and some double stack magazines, but all were a simple blowback action. At some point in the late 50s or early 60s, Hill sold his patent rights to a pair of Texas businessmen who built 90 or 100 more examples (mostly semiautomatic) under the name H&B Enterprises. They took one to FN in Belgium, who found it interesting but did not opt to license or produce it. Ultimately, nobody was interested enough to put the gun into production, and only a small number of the H&B guns survive today. The original Hill prototypes were donated to the Lone Star Flight Museum in Texas in 1993, although it is not clear where they are today. When FN began to design the P90 in the early 1980s, Hill’s concept made a return. It is not known exactly h - Adventures in Surplus: Early Battle-Worn Berthier 1907-15E103
Adventures in Surplus: Early Battle-Worn Berthier 1907-15http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we are taking a look at a really interesting Mle 1907-15 Berthier rifle. This was the substitute pattern adopted by France as an infantry rifle to supplement the Lebel in 1915, and this particular one is one of the very first examples made. It has a carbine-style bent bolt handle, which was used only for the first few months of production, and retains a legible military acceptance stamp dated September 1915. This rifle was damaged in combat soon after being issued, and was repaired with a new bolt. That bolt was also an early bent-handle type, and it was renumbered for match the rifle. The gun went back into combat, and this time was captured in the field by German forces. It was overhauled by a German depot, had its bayonet guide lugs removed to fit a German bayonet adapter (now missing, alas), and the stock was stamped "Deutsches Reich" on the stock. At the end of the war it ended up in the hands of an American solder, and was brought back to the US as a souvenir. Whether it was recaptured by the French and traded from a French soldier, or taken directly from a German prisoner or depot, who have no way of knowing... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Roth Steyr Developmental Models 1904 and 1906E104
Roth Steyr Developmental Models 1904 and 1906http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Before the Austro-Hungarian Empire adopted the Roth Steyr Model 1907 as its official cavalry pistol, they of course went through a series of pistol trials. The winners of two sets of trials were the Roth Steyr Models of 1904 and 1906, and today we have an example of each to look at. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Earth-Shattering ka-Boom! How (and Why) Guns ExplodeE105
Earth-Shattering ka-Boom! How (and Why) Guns Explodehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Just yesterday Scott at Kentucky Ballistics posted a very sobering video detailing his Serbu RN-50 quite literally exploding in his face. A lot of people have asked if I have seen it, and I figured this is a good opportunity to discuss the different ways in which guns can explode, and what some manufacturers have historically done to fail-safe their designs. While not nearly as cool as Scott's "Just Put a Thumb in it" shirts, I do have a pretty nice lightweight Carhartt shirt now available in the Forgotten Weapons merch store: http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Scott's original video on the event: https://youtu.be/1449kJKxlMQ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - British Money-Walker 1868 Trials RifleE106
British Money-Walker 1868 Trials Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Patented in 1868 by Colonel G.H. Money and Mr. M. Walker, this rifle was one of the 10 finalists in the British breechloading rifle trials of 1868. It is a simple falling block system with an internal hammer. In the second set of trials, it proved to be middle of the pack in rapidity of fire (20 shots in 1 minute and 14 seconds) but succumbed badly to exposure testing. The Martini would win those trials, and the Money-Walker system was only used in limited commercial rifle and shotgun manufacture. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Mounties' First Revolver: the NWMP Adams MkIIIE107
Mounties' First Revolver: the NWMP Adams MkIIIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The first handguns issued by the North West Mounted Police (which would later become the modern RCMP) were 330 Adams revolvers, requisitioned by the new police service in March 1874, and shipped over from England. Upon their receipt in July of that year, the Mounties were dismayed to find thoroughly worn out Adams Mk I 5-shot conversions from old percussion revolvers. These were found totally unfit for frontier service, and an appeal was sent back to England for something better. A replacement shipment arrived in October 1875, and this time they received 326 much better Adams MkIII revolvers (330 were shipped, but 4 were stolen in transit). The MkIII pattern was a purpose-made .450 Adams cartridge revolver, holding six shots with a double action trigger and solid frame. These served very well, and the. NWMP ordered more in 1880 - for which they instead received Enfield revolvers, which had replaced the Adams in British military service by that time. The 326 Adams MkIII revolvers issued by the NWMP were marked by a local gunsmith upon their arrival. The right side of the frames are marked “C M.P.” (presumably Canada Mounted Police) and given a police inventory number just below the barrel (in addition to the serial number above the trigger). These issue numbers were defaced when the guns were sold out of service. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle Box 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Colt-Berdan I: Russia's First Military Cartridge RifleE108
Colt-Berdan I: Russia's First Military Cartridge Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In 1867, a Russian delegation came to the United States to source new small arms for the Czar. In addition to purchasing Gatling guns, they met with Hiram Berdan and agreed to purchase a trapdoor single shot rifle he had designed. Berdan had been very active in the years immediately after the Civil War trying to sell breechloading conversions to any interested party, from New York to Egypt. The design that the Russians agreed on was a purpose-built single shot rifle instead of a conversion, chambered for the slightly bottlenecked .42 Berdan cartridge and using an in-line striker instead of the side hammer more common to trapdoor conversions. Colt would produce 30,000 of these Model 1868 Berdan rifles for export to Russia, with the first example ready in December 1868 and bulk deliveries running from March 1869 until May 1870. Berdan himself immediately set about improving his design, and sold the result to the same Russian delegation in 1870.This was a single shot turnabout action, commonly referred to as the Berdan II. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Failed Good Intentions: S&W's Straight Line TargetE109
Failed Good Intentions: S&W's Straight Line Targethttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Introduced in 1925 as a major change to the target pistol market, the Straight Line Target used an automatic-style straight grip instead of the traditional revolver frame. S&W had been a market leader in this sort of single shot competition .22 pistol, but was under pressure from the popular new Colt Camp Perry model and wanted to try something fundamentally new. Unfortunately, S&W misjudged their customers’ willingness to accept a significantly different design, and the new Straight Line Target didn’t actually give any particular radical advantage. Most shooters, used to the revolver type grip, found that they shot as well or better with the old S&W Olympic Models than with the new pistol. Just 1,870 Straight Line Targets were made, and it took until 1936 to sell them all. This made it the least popular .22 target pistol S&W had ever made, much to S&W’s dismay. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Remington's Last Rolling Block: the No.7 Target RifleE110
Remington's Last Rolling Block: the No.7 Target Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Remington introduced the No.7 Rolling Block in 1903, and it was the last pattern of the action to be introduced. They were expensive, hand fitted guns, costing $24 in 1903 (compared to $12 for a standard No.2 pattern Rolling Block). The only reason Remington made them was that they were built on 1871 pattern Rolling Block pistol frames, which were left over and unused in Remington’s warehouse - so why not sell them in a new configuration? The standard barrel length was 26 inches, with 24 and 28 available optionally, and they were chambered for .22 Short, .22 Long, .22 Long Rifle, .25-10 Stevens Rimfire, and .32-20 centerfire. The grip of the pistol frame made for a very nice target rifle, and these were sold with fancy tang mounted aperture sights. Only 350 were made between 1903 and 1910, numbered from 300001 to 300350. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - German World War One Gewehr 98 SniperE111
German World War One Gewehr 98 Sniperhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Germany was the earliest adopter of scoped rifles in World War One, and produced more of them over the course of the war than any other power. After an initial stop-gap effort to scrounge up civilian hunting rifles, a sniper conversion program was adopted by the main German rifle factories. Germany was a world leader in optics production at the time, and so at least 10 different manufacturers provided scopes for military use. Each pattern of scope was unique, and fitted to its own specific mounting bases. In general (and particularly early on), the Prussians tended to prefer 3x magnification, left-offset scopes with 100-1000 meter range adjustment. The Bavarians, on the other hand, opted for 4x scopes (more magnification but less field of view) that were center-mounted and had range dials marked for 200, 400, and 600 meters. These preferences were never absolute though, and tended to blur as the war progressed. This particular rifle was originally a sniper, but I believe it was originally fitted with a 3x Voightlander optic. It is currently fitted with a 3x Oigee that has been unfortunately renumbered and mounted on what appears to be a reproduction rear base. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - H&K 512 Old-School Tactical ShotgunE112
H&K 512 Old-School Tactical Shotgunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In the late 1970s, H&K decided that it wanted to offer a tactical shotgun for the police and security market. Having no experience with shotgun manufacture, they turned to Franchi in Italy - for whom they already handled sales outside Italy. Franchi produced a gas-operated semiautomatic shotgun for HK, who brought in the parts and did the final assembly themselves, in order to legally identify the guns as H&K products. About 1500 were built, and most of these were sold to security agencies in Germany, Austria, Spain, and Portugal. A small remained of unsold ones were imported into the United States in the late 80 and early 90s, apparently between 250 and 350. The most interesting element of the H&K 512 to me it the inclusion of an A&W Diverter as an OEM part. The Diverter changes the shot pattern from a circle to a roughly rectangular shape between 3:1 and 4:1 height to width. On the 512, the Diverter was mounted vertically, to create a tall and narrow pattern - that is, a pattern ideal for hitting a target without pellets straying onto potential hostages right next to the target. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Very Rare Union Semiauto Revolver from OhioE113
The Very Rare Union Semiauto Revolver from Ohiohttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The most well-known historic automatic revolver is the British Webley-Fosbery, but there were other handguns of the type that were put into production. One example is the Union auto-revolver, made in Toledo, Ohio shortly before the First World War. While the Webley-Fosbery was intended to be a high-quality military and competition gun, the Union Firearms Company intended to have their auto-revolver compete with inexpensive common revolvers. It was chambered for .32 S&W Short, with a 5-round cylinder and a shrouded hammer. Mechanically, it is very similar to the Webley, although simplified and clearly not made to the same standards of fit and finish. The design was patented by Charles Lefever - who you may recognize as the son of Daniel Lefever, who built Lefever shotguns (which were eventually taken over by the Ithaca Gun Company). Only about 300 Union pistols were made before the effort was abandoned - the guns were much too expensive to manufacture to compete effectively in the chosen market. The retail advertised price for a Union was $10, when one could buy a new Iver Johnson, Hopkins & Allen, or similar traditional revolver for $3 - $6. For the Union’s $10 price, one could get a Colt/Browning Model 1906 semiauto, which was smaller, lighter, more advanced, and much better made. Union Firearms Reifgraber pistols: https://youtu.be/TuBt5qEwggQ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle Box 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Just Too Powerful: The C96 in 9mm Mauser ExportE114
Just Too Powerful: The C96 in 9mm Mauser Exporthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In an effort to widen its potential marked for the C96 pistol, Mauser offered it in 9x25mm (aka 9mm Mauser Export) as well as the much more common 7.63x25mm cartridge. The 9mm cartridge was made by simply blowing out the bottlenecked 7.63mm case to a straight walled type and loading a 126gr bullet. The two cartridges has the same muzzle velocity (1360fps) and effectively equal ballistic coefficients, so the rear sight graduations were left unchanged (a very clever design feature!). In fact, the only distinctive feature of the 9x25 model aside from its bore and chamber dimensions was the addition of a small divot to the follower to improve feeding with he straight walled case. Only about 150 examples of 9x25mm C96 appear to have been produced, based on the surviving Mauser order books. The cartridge was also used in the experimental C06/08 Mauser pistol, but it was really too powerful for pistols at the time and found a better home in submachine guns. The Swiss and Austrians both adopted it for SMG use (in the Steyr MP30/34 and the SIG/Kiraly guns). Mauser Export C96 pistols are found with serial numbers in these ranges: 28,000 78,000 88,000-90,000 (with an “a” suffix) 176,000-180,000 Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle Box 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Salvatore Mazza Gold-Inlaid Percussion Collier RevolverE115
Salvatore Mazza Gold-Inlaid Percussion Collier Revolverhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Before Samuel Colt popularized the mechanical connection between the revolver hammer and cylinder, the revolvers being made were manually operated. This example is a copy of a third type Collier (that is to say, a gun made originally for percussion caps). After firing, one pulls the cylinder back against a spring and rotates to the next chamber. A shield at the front of the cylinder protects the chambers, and the cylinder mouth is chamfered to seal into the barrel, preventing most of the gas leakage at the cylinder gap. This beautiful ornate example was made by Salvatore Mazza of Naples (the official armorer of the Prince of Sicily, he would like you to know!), most likely in the 1820s. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Savage & North "Figure 8" RevolverE116
Savage & North "Figure 8" Revolverhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Designed and patented in 1856 by Henry North (the grandson of company founder Simeon North), approximately 450 of these revolvers were made between 1856 and 1859. A first prototype was sent to the Washington Arsenal for examination in June 1856, and its successful testing led to an Ordnance Department order for 100 more. These were delivered in June 1857, and additional orders would follow. In 1859, the company was reorganized as the Savage Revolving Fire Arms Company (Henry North had been an employee, but not a partner) and the design was improved to what is today known as the Savage Navy revolver. These would prove much more successful, with about 24,000 produced during the Civil War. The Figure 8 has an interesting action which allows rapid fire without altering the shooting grip, unlike the contemporary Colt designs. It also has a cylinder that cams forward and back, to seal against the barrel when firing. It has a six shot cylinder, caliber .36, with a 7 1/8 inch long barrel and a weight of 3 pounds and 6 ounces. Savage Navy revolver: https://youtu.be/3_5U9AoIS5I Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle Box 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Headstamp's Second Book! Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup FirearmsE117
Headstamp's Second Book! Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms"Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms 1901 - 2020" is now available directly from Headstamp Publishing: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/bullpup-rifle-book I am very excited to be able to announce that Headstamp Publishing's second book, "Thorneycroft to SA80" is now in stock and shipping! As the name suggests, this is a study of British bullpup firearms, written by the Keeper of Arms & Artillery and the British National Firearms Centre, Jonathan Ferguson. The book focusses on the three major waves of British military bullpup rifle development - the pre-WWI Godsal and Thorneycroft bolt actions, the post-WW2 EM-1 and EM-2 self-loaders, and the massive SA80 program that created the current British issue L85 rifle. That development program includes everything from the very first mockups and the 4.85mm XL60 series prototypes through to the current L85A3 system laden with upgrades and improvements. In addition, the book covers a number of lesser-known British bullpups, like the 1944 SLEM sniper prototype. A tremendous amount of archival research went into this book, which expands significantly on the story told by Steven Raw in "The Last Enfield" nearly twenty years ago. This is coupled with beautiful full-color photography and a selection of period documents including schematics, promotional literature, and field reports. Until the final stages of SA80 development, nearly all the rifles in this book are unique, and Jonathan gives them the individual attention they each deserve. If you are interested in British military arms or firearms development in general, this is a fantastic reference to understand the pros and cons, the what-ifs and how-abouts of bullpup design! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Roth-Steyr 1907 at the Backup Gun MatchE118
Roth-Steyr 1907 at the Backup Gun Matchhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Posting a couple videos on interesting versions of the Roth-Steyr pistols recently made me think about just how nice of a pistol the 1907 is to shoot, So, I figured I'd bring it out to the monthly Backup Gun Match. Alas, I had ammo from two different lots, one of which would not reliably cycle the gun. This led to a lot of malfunction clearing and a pretty dismal score... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - 1893 Lee-Metford Trials Carbine (One of Only 100 Made)E119
1893 Lee-Metford Trials Carbine (One of Only 100 Made)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Once Lee-Metford rifle production was in place, the British began working on a carbine version of the same action for their cavalry. In 1893 a trial run of 100 carbines were made, and today we are looking at serial number 32 of that batch. These carbines differ in several ways from the ultimately adopted pattern. They had exposed muzzles like the Martini carbines, instead of the heavy snub-nose muzzle that would be adopted (similar to the muzzle of most early Mauser carbines). These trials carbines also had no safety, no sling attachments, and no barrel band. They did have the bent bolt handle of the final pattern (albeit not flattened down) and the short 6-round magazine. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Mauser Train: High Adventure in the Last Days of WWIIE120
The Mauser Train: High Adventure in the Last Days of WWIIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Only days ahead of the French Army in April 1945, Ott-Helmuth von Lossnitzer and about 250 Mauser engineers and technicians fled Oberndorf with the core of Mauser's new projects. They had the drawings, components, and gages for guns like the new StG-45 assault rifle, MK214 aircraft cannon, and Volkspistol and they were headed for an impregnable series of tunnels in the Austrian Alps to carry on the war. In a story that is absolutely worthy of film adaptation they scrounged a series of locomotives, dodged P47 Thunderbolt attacks, and went careening through the Alps with about 2 dozen boxcars of the most important prototype guns in the German arsenal. Of course, the idea of continued resistance was a complete fantasy. When it did finally arrive in Ötztal, the Mauser refugees found all the tunnels already occupied by other groups with the very same idea. So they basically made camp and waited for American forces to arrive. The train was found by a British-American CIOS (Combined Intelligence Objective Subcommittee) party, the engineers were all questioned, and the train contents packed up for shipment to the UK and US. Ott-Helmuth von Lossnitzer himself emigrated to the US as part of Operation Paperclip, where he worked for Springfield Arsenal for many years until retiring in 1968 and then living in Wisconsin until his passing in 1989. For anyone interested in this story, I highly recommend Lossnitzer's oral recollections compiled into book form by Leslie Field and Bas Martens - ISBN 9789081737807. It is out of print now, but you may be able to find it on the secondary market. Much more accessible is the reprinting of the original CIOS report on Mauser published by Peter Dallhammer (whom you may recall from his Textbook of Pistol Technology and Design). This is a 360-page treasure trove of det - Q&A 50: Disagreeing With the Premise of the QuestionE121
Q&A 50: Disagreeing With the Premise of the QuestionThe Kickstarter for my new book, "Pistol of the Warlords" is live! Check it out: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=2mth4s 00:56 - What is the status of the Chinese Warlord Pistols book? 03:01 - Are open-bolt guns mechanically less accurate? 04:39 - Was Johnson influenced by the RSC? 06:02 - Arms development in totalitarian countries 09:03 - What is #36720? 10:27 - Design features to improve reliability in harsh environments? 13:21 - What if the M1 Carbine was more reliable? 15:06 - More distillery tours? Tour of the Kyrö Distillery: https://youtu.be/YM7dGuGd404 17:07 - My favorite pre-1950 revolver Webley WG video: https://youtu.be/tswjqQocbbA 17:46 - Absinthe cocktails besides the Sazerac? 18:30 - Constant Recoil in open-bolt SMGs? 20:04 - Notch sights vs aperture sights 22:37 - Gun development dead ends 25:42 - Iron sight preferences 27:06 - Did anyone succeed in replacing 3 different guns with just one? 29:32 - Naval willingness to experiment more than Armies 32:01 - Prototype design that was *this close* to being really good? 35:07 - How to do an LMG competition? 38:27 - Revolving rifles and gas seal designs 41:09 - Amateur radio 41:58 - Why no .32ACP submachine guns? vz61 Skorpion video: https://youtu.be/0QUcZjBHq8A 43:48 - Books on Pederson and/or the Pedersen rifle? 44:56 - Adding detailed photography to my video work 46:47 - Did 7.62mm NATO set back Western small arms? 49:05 - Books on Israeli small arms? David Gaboury's book on the Uzi: https://youtu.be/qIJXymt7AOY 51:02 - What if the French had not rushed the 8mm Lebel rifle and cartridge? 56:37 - Reproduction PTRD in .50 BMG? PTRD video: https://youtu.be/cUO3Bmt5XTQ 59:56 - Most interesting delayed blowback mechanisms Headspace-operated rifle: https://youtu.be/SfuwgVCh79M http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapo - Chinese FN 1900s: From Wauser to BrowningsbrowningsbrowningsE122
Chinese FN 1900s: From Wauser to BrowningsbrowningsbrowningsCheck out the Kickstarter-exclusive options for my new book, "Pistols of the Warlords"! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=2q1cwd One of the most popular pistols in Warlord Era China was the FN 1900, a compact and reliable officer's pistol in .32 ACP. The Chinese also found great use for the Mauser C96, but this was seen as a sort of combat carbine, where the FN was more a defensive weapon and status symbol. Several large Chinese arsenals (notably the Shanghai Arsenal and the Jinling Arsenal) produced high-quality exact copies of the FN model 1900 - but a huge number of less strict copies were made by a plethora of other workshops and arsenals. Today we're going to look at the main categories of these copies, including straight-grip, curved-grip, and baby models. These are the most accessible type of Warlord Era pistol for collectors today, and no two guns are quite the same. Except for the serial number, as nearly half of the examples I examined had basically the same serial number... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - British L85A1 at the Range: Will It Work?E123
British L85A1 at the Range: Will It Work?http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I am excited to have a chance today to take a trip to the range with a proper, factory L85A1 rifle (it's in the United States as a post-1986 dealer sample). I had a chance a while back to shoot one of these in the U.K., but I only had 10 cartridges to work with at that time. Today, I have several magazines to play around with. So, let's give it a go! How long will it run before it malfunctions? For all the information you could ever want on the L85 (and the whole SA80 program, from the first prototypes to the H&K A3 program), grab a copy of "Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Rifles", by Jonathan Ferguson: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/bullpup-rifle-book Thanks to Woody's and Sienna for the opportunity to film this extremely rare rifle! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Tipo Alleggerito Beretta: Because Italian Gun Laws are WackyE124
Tipo Alleggerito Beretta: Because Italian Gun Laws are Wackyhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we are looking at two examples of prewar/wartime Beretta compact pistols. The first is a Tipo Alleggerito Model 34 in .380. This was developed because of a quirk in Italian law which prohibited the civilian sale of military small arms. Beretta had been selling the Model 1934 commercially for a few years before it was adopted by the Italian military, and that adoption turned it into a de facto military weapon, thus prohibiting further commercial sale. Beretta complained to the government, and cited two rather odd arguments for why they should be able to continue selling them. First, the claimed that .380 was a large caliber and thus more suited to close range than long range and thus more of a civilian weapon than a military one. Second, that it was recognized that pistols under 600g (about 21 ounces) were widely acknowledged to be civilian. Following this second argument, they made a small number of lightweight model ("Tipo Alleggerito") Model 1934s with enough material removed from the barrels to weigh in just under 600g. The Italian government rejected both arguments, however, and the guns never went into real production. The second pistol is an aluminum alloy framed version of a Model 1935 in .32ACP. This model was not used by the Italian military, so it was fair game to sell to the civilian market. Beretta made a small number of guns in 1940 and earlier using aluminum frames for a lighter gun, and this is one of them. They did try this on the .380 caliber Model 1934, but found the recoil to be a bit too heavy for long-term durability of the barrel seat. After World War Two, this sort of aluminum frame became common on the compact Beretta pistols sold commercially, but the design was developed before the war. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - DS-39: The Failed Soviet Machine Gun of World War TwoE125
DS-39: The Failed Soviet Machine Gun of World War Twohttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Soviet Union recognized the need for a modernized machine gun to replace the Maxim, and in the late 1920s Degtyarev began work on a “universal” type of gun. This would be air cooled, use standard Maxim belts and 7.62x54R ammunition, and used as a tripod mounted infantry gun, a vehicle mounted gun, and also as an anti-aircraft gun. The first prototype was delivered in 1930, and over the next 9 years it was tested and developed (including the addition of a Shpagin type rotary feed system). It was formally approved and adopted in 1939, and production began in June 1940 - just in time to see service in the Winter War against Finland. Unfortunately, the testing that had made the gun look ready for service had not been adequate, and when DS39s reached the field they quickly began having major problems. In particular, the gun was plagued by out of battery detonations and a remarkable type of malfunction in which the bolt opened violently enough that it would pull the an unfired cartridge case out of its belt while leaving the bullet still in the belt. An investigation by Soviet ordnance found no suitable way to fix these problems on the fly, and production ceased only a year after it began. A total of just 10,345 were made, and the Red Army kept using its old 1910 Maxim guns instead. A new machine gun program was quickly put in place, and the result was the Goryunov SG-43 several years later. The Finnish Army captured a quantity of DS39 machine guns during the Winter War, and VKT (the State Rifle Factory) actually came up with a number of improvements to the design, which were implemented on those guns in Finnish hands (unfortunately I don't have details on just what those improvements were). Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Why Guns Take Years to Get Into ProductionE126
Why Guns Take Years to Get Into Productionhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today, let's take a few minutes to discuss why it's hard to actually put guns into production. Making a functional prototype is one thing, but the truly hard part is often translating that one prototype into a whole set of tooling and fixtures to mass-produce the design. Generally speaking, the whole development process is a 5-10 year endeavor, and even some of the guns we think of as the most reliable today were plagued with serious manufacturing problems early on. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Chinese Warlord Pistols: the "Horn Grip Type"E127
Chinese Warlord Pistols: the "Horn Grip Type"Interested in these guns? Check out the Kickstarter for my new book on the subject, "Pistols of the Warlords"! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=c4pkft In the course of researching Chinese domestic pistols of the Warlord Era, I sorted through several hundred examples, and was able to identify six distinct patterns of uniquely Chinese designs. Once of these I have designated the Horn Grip Type, as almost all the examples identified use horn (sometime light yellowish and sometimes dark brown) for grip panels. These pistols are simple blowback actions with open slides, external hammers, and Eibar-style safety levers above their triggers. They are chambered for the .32 ACP cartridge. They have a characteristic style of rear sight that vaguely mimics the tangent sight and bolt of a C96 Mauser, but without any separate rear sight leaf. The part we would expect to be the rear sight slider is actually an unmoving piece used to hold the extractor in place. I cover all six different types of domestic Chinese design in "Pistols of the Warlords", but figured we could go through a variety of different examples of this particular type today. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - An Economy Model WWSD: The Civil Defense RifleE128
An Economy Model WWSD: The Civil Defense RifleThe initial rollout of the WWSD2020 rifles has been slow, as a shortage in a couple key components (primarily carbon fiber hand guards) has been a bottleneck in completing rifles. However KE Arms and Brownells, in collaboration with Karl and InRange and myself, opted to offer a second version to alleviate these problems. Thus we present the CDR (Civil Defense Rifle). The CDR is a rifle designed on the same principles as the original WWSD and the WWSD2020, but with an eye towards budget and parts availability. By changing a few elements, it was possible to reduce the price about 30% without sacrificing any of the fundamentals of the rifle. Specifically, the CDR has: - Skeletonized aluminum handguard instead of carbon fiber - Standard recoil system instead of the JP Silent Capture - KE Arms' DMR trigger instead of the SLT/Rekluse - Ambidextrous safety only, instead of fully ambi controls - Nitrided bolt and carrier instead of chromed - MSRP of $1249.99 instead of $1699.99 Brownells is now offering the CDR (currently in stock) alongside the WWSD2020 (on backorder while parts are sourced). For folks who are looking for a less expensive WWSD alternative, this is a great option. Disclosure: InRange does receive a royalty from Brownells on WWSD-branded products. - Mauser 1912/14 Development in .45ACPE129
Mauser 1912/14 Development in .45ACPhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Mauser did not limit their Model 1912 and 1912/14 pistols to just being chambered in 9mm - they also developed a number of prototypes in .45ACP. Today we have a series of three such prototypes showing the sequence of changes in the operating Mechanism used by Mauser. The first uses a friction lever with a buffer, the second is a revised version of friction delay, and the third uses the flapper-delaying system that became standard on the 9mm examples. My previous video on the 9mm Mauser 1912/14: https://youtu.be/1oq6aCQY6nQ For more information, I suggest "Mauser Pistolen" by Weaver, Schmid, and Speed: https://amzn.to/3tj3e41 Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - How William Fairbairn Created the Modern SWAT Team in Warlord Era ShanghaiE130
How William Fairbairn Created the Modern SWAT Team in Warlord Era ShanghaiThe Kickstarter for my new book, "Pistols of the Warlords" is live here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=6p67mz William E. Fairbairn is best know for his work with Eric Sykes and their ""Commando" knife design during World War Two. However, Fairbairn spent some 33 years in the Shanghai Municipal Police, working his way up from a beat constable to Assistant Commissioner. There he was responsible for the SMPD adopting truly forward-thinking fighting methods, and he essentially invented the modern SWAT team (the "Reserve Unit", which Fairbairn led for 10 years). He combined expertise in formal marksmanship, instinctive practical shooting, and hand-to-hand combat schools (including jiu-jitsu and judo) into a comprehensive training program like no other on earth at the time. Book references: The World's First SWAT Team, by Leroy Thompson: https://amzn.to/2TrYiNv Gentleman & Warrior, by Peter Robins: https://amzn.to/3vuODn9 http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Portugal's Model 1886 Trooper's Model Abadie RevolverE131
Portugal's Model 1886 Trooper's Model Abadie Revolverhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Isaac Abadie's gate-loading system was a significant improvement in revolver technology in the 19th century, and Portugal was one of the first to adopt it. The initial Portuguese model was adopted in 1878 specifically for officers, and this was expanded in 1886 to a longer-barreled version for cavalry (the extra barrel gave about 10% more muzzle velocity). The detail of Abadie's patent that was innovative was a mechanism which disconnected the hammer when the loading gate was opened. Thus, one could open the gate and then pull the trigger to cycle the cylinder one position at a time. This greatly sped up the process of loading and unloading the gun, since it was not necessary to exactly align the cylinder each time by hand. This would remain the faster-loading system for solid-frame revolvers until the development of swing-out cylinders. In total, it appears that about 12,000 Abadie revolvers were made for Portugal between the two models. They remain very scarce here in the US, and I'd like to thank Mike Carrick of Arms Heritage Magazine for providing me access to this one! For more detail on the Portuguese use of these revolvers, I suggest checking out the C&Rsenal episode filmed on the topic: https://youtu.be/sSuqe8ZHatc Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - How Does It Work: Toggle ActionsE132
How Does It Work: Toggle Actionshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Toggle actions are a relatively exotic locking system that are relatively common and well-known because the system was used in a pair of particularly successful early guns: the Luger and Maxim/Vickers. There have also been toggle-action shotguns, military rifles, sporting rifles, and submachine guns, but the system went out of favor by the 1930s (except in the mind of one Adolf Furrer). Most toggle-action designs use the toggle as a locked breech system, unlocked by a secondary operating system (usually short recoil). However, toggle system can also be the basis for delayed blowback actions, as in the Pedersen rifle. For a full playlist of toggle-action firearms, check here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9e3UCcU00TTMpD_JlvZDh4nXSzyfPwZ5 Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Chinese Warlord Pistols: Shanghai Model 1900 Pistol-CarbineE133
Chinese Warlord Pistols: Shanghai Model 1900 Pistol-CarbineGet in on the "Pistols of the Warlords" Kickstarter today! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=43frzb Not all of the handguns made in China during the Warlord Era were made one at a time by individual artisan gunsmiths. A few models were produced on proper Western-style production lines. Almost all of these production pistols were direct copies of the FN 1900 and Mauser C96, except for this fascinating exception: the Shanghai Arsenal Model 1900 Pistol-Carbine (a collector designation and not an original name - we don't know what the original designation was). This pistol is essentially a hybrid of the two common Chinese copies. It uses the mechanical basis of the FN 1900, with that design's unique breechblock and striker mechanism, plus the recoil spring above the barrel and the .32 ACP chambering. This is blended with a grip slotted for a Mauser-type stock, a 10-round magazine, a 500m fully functional tangent rear sight, and an extended (5.5 inch) barrel. Several thousand of these were made by the Shanghai Arsenal between 1916 and 1921, just as the height of the Warlord Era was about to begin. These guns were well made and reliable, and have legitimate serial numbers and dates. However, there were also small-scale knockoffs of this domestic Chinese design made, and we have one such example to look at today along with the originals! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Shanghai 1900 Pistol-Carbine at the Backup Gun MatchE134
Shanghai 1900 Pistol-Carbine at the Backup Gun MatchDon't miss the Kickstarter-exclusive version of "Pistols of the Warlords"! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=16k9au Today I am going to actually do some shooting with a Chinese Warlord Era pistol - a Shanghai Model 1900 Pistol-Carbine. As I described in yesterday's video, these were well-made guns produced by a large and legitimate factory arsenal. I only have a single magazine (and sadly no shoulder stock) for mine, so the Backup Gun Match is a perfect place to try it out! Will it explode in my hands, or will I win the match? Let's find out... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Thunder-Studded Battle Pits: Nuances of Chinese Translation w/ Henry ChanE135
Thunder-Studded Battle Pits: Nuances of Chinese Translation w/ Henry ChanInterested in Chinese Warlord Era pistols? Check out my new book! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=6jmm4d Henry Chan of 9 Hole Reviews (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsrKsXEAqCbZyVrCibkgpwQ) was a big help to me throughout the writing of Pistols of the Warlords, helping me translate a variety of really interesting Chinese markings we found on various pistols. So when I decided I wanted to translate the title of the book into Chinese to embellish the back cover, I figured it would be a fairly simple job. However, there are a lot of nuances to Chinese writing, and in particular different approaches to something like a book or film title in different Chinese-speaking regions. Today, Henry and I chat about what was involved in this translation, what we ended up using as the final Chinese title for my book, and why Saving Private Ryan is known in Hong Kong as "To save a soldier from the thunder-studded battle pits". - Chinese Warlord Rifles: Hanyang Type 88, aka Type HanE136
Chinese Warlord Rifles: Hanyang Type 88, aka Type HanIt's not too late to get in on the Kickstarter for Pistols of the Warlords! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=b4fw8l One of the biggest arsenals in China in the 20th century was the Hanyang Arsenal, built in 1890 by the Qing dynasty to help modernize China’s military. The fist rifle to be made there was a copy of the German Gewehr 88 commission rifle (designated Type 88), which began production in 1895. A few changes were made early in production, with the barrel shroud deleted in 1904 and the rear sight changed form a ladder type to a tangent type in 1910. After this, production would remain basically the same through the end of production in 1944. In total, some 1,083,000 examples were made over nearly 50 years of production. A major shift in production occurred in 1938, when the Hanyang Arsenal had to be evacuated to avoid the advance of Japanese troops. At that time it was renamed the 1st Arsenal, and its rifle production machinery was transferred to the 21st Arsenal. The Type 88 rifle was renamed the Type Han at that point, and production from 1939 until 1944 took place at the 21st Arsenal (ending when that facility transitioned to production of the Chiang Kai-Shek rifle instead). These 21st Arsenal rifles (or which some 207,000 were made in those 5 years) can be identified by the left-handed swastika used as the arsenal’s symbol, as opposed to the 5-pointed star used by the Hanyang Arsenal. The Type 88/Type Han was made to use the same clips as the Gewehr 88, and chambered for the .318” round nosed 8mm Mauser ammunition. This ammo was in production in China through the end of the 1930s, and there was not a systematic effort to rechamber the rifles for a Spitzer version of the cartridge, as there was in Germany. That said, some were converted here and there, and some were also captured and converted to single shot use as trainers by the Japanese military. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 - Tank Driving in Finland: Piglet and the T55E137
Tank Driving in Finland: Piglet and the T55http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com We were going to have a couple serious military vehicles as range props for Finnish Brutality back in February, but with the match postponed because of covid restrictions that didn't come to pass. However, Jari (CEO of Varusteleka) and I were not going to let that stop us from having a bit of fun! So we headed out to Mil-Safarit.com in Pornainen (about 50km northeast of Helsinki) to get some driving lessons. First up, the "Nasu". That is an abbreviation for Nauha-Sisu, but it also translates as "Piglet" (just like the Winnie the Pooh character) and that's what it is called by troops in service. It's a light tracked utility vehicle with a really neat steering system. The vehicle consists of a front driver's compartment and a rear cargo section, each in an independent set of tracks. A flexible drive shaft connects the two, along with a pair of hydraulic cylinders that bend the two sections side to side. That is how it steers; by being the vehicle in the middle - the tracks are always turning at equal speeds. It's a very effective and reliable vehicle, used to haul pretty much anything, as well as towing trains of infantry on skis. Jari had experience driving these in the service, but it was a pretty neat new experience for me. The steering definitely took some getting used to, but it will pretty much go anywhere. Next up was the real star, a Polish T55 (the Finnish military used Soviet T55s for a while). This beast weighs in at about 40 tons, powered by a 39-liter V12 Diesel engine. It has a 5-speed manual transmission, and hydraulic-assisted steering levers. It was intimidating at first (and still at the end, if I am to be honest), but actually not that hard to drive once I squeezed myself into the driver's compartment. And a tremendous amount of fun! We will have either these vehicles o - The Crazy Guns of the Winchester-Bannerman Pump Action LawsuitE138
The Crazy Guns of the Winchester-Bannerman Pump Action Lawsuithttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today I'm at the Cody Firearms Museum, taking a look at two of the guns that were used in the court case between Francis Bannerman and the Winchester company - a prototype Magot pump-action rifle and a Winchester-made example of a Krutzsch patent pump-action rifle. The case came to be because Bannerman was the owner of the first US patent on a pump-action shotgun, which he acquired when Sylvester Roper went bankrupt - the patent had been originally filed by Christopher Spencer (of Spencer rifle fame). Winchester made a big splash in the market when they introduced their Model 1893 pump shotgun, and Bannerman took them to court for patent infringement in 1894. Winchester decided to defend themselves by proving the patent was invalid, because the pump action machismo had already been invented when the patent was filed. They sent a lawyer to Europe to find some pump action design patents that would predate Spencer's, and they came up with four! One was a very strange bullpup rifle, which I have a separate video on (https://youtu.be/HcIG5OqQjlw). Two others were by the Frenchman M.M. Magot (which Winchester purchased a prototype example of) and William Krutzsch. Failing to find an extant example of Krutzsch's gun, the Winchester tool room built one themselves. These examples were sufficient to win the case for Winchester in 1897. They proceeded to release their improved model 1897 pump shotgun, which would prove exceptionally successful and popular. That said, the Magot and Krutzsch guns we are looking at today are exceptionally impractical - I am not even sure how the Magot is supposed to work. But practicality is not required for a patent. For a much more detailed account of this story, check out the multi-part article by Seth Newman at Surplussed.com: https://surplused.com/index.php/2 - The M1 Garand's Mysterious 7th Round StoppageE139
The M1 Garand's Mysterious 7th Round Stoppagehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The M1 Garand ran great in testing, but as soon as Springfield began to crank out production-line guns a mysterious problem appeared. If the top round in the clip was on the right-hand side, the 7th round in the clip would often run askew and malfunction. Where did this very odd problem come from, and why the connection to how the clip was loaded? In a classic example of "guns are hard" going from prototypes to production line tooling, Springfield had to figure out the problem while the War Department was busy sending hundreds of problem rifles to Camp Perry for public demonstration... Reference source for this video is Julian Hatcher's "Book of the Garand": https://amzn.to/34We1qr Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Chinese Warlord Pistols: Massive FN 1900 Copies in .30 MauserE140
Chinese Warlord Pistols: Massive FN 1900 Copies in .30 MauserIt's not too late to join the "Pistols of the Warlords" Kickstarter! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=96ei57 The armies of Warlord Era China had quite a fondness for the FN 1900 pistol, but they also made extensive use of the 7.63mm Mauser cartridge. So what would be a more natural choice than to make copies of the FN 1900 in 7.63mm Mauser? We can look past the fast that the FN design (and its Chinese copies) used a simple blowback mechanism that was not strong enough for extended use with a cartridge as potent as the Mauser round... There are a variety of different patterns of 7.63mm FN copies made in China. Some are only a tiny bit larger than the genuine FN 1900, often with a round-bottomed grip. Others are larger - some of them a LOT larger - with longer magazines and fitted for shoulder stocks. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Back-Up Gun Match Teaser with an MR-73E141
Back-Up Gun Match Teaser with an MR-73http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com It came out recently that the Beretta Group has purchased Chapuis, the French manufacturer of the legendary MR73 revolvers. A bunch of people have asked me if I'm getting one of the Beretta-imported guns, and the answer is YES! But it's not here yet. So while I wait for it (a 5.25" Sport model, by the way), I figured I could dig up some older footage from when I took my Century-import Gendarmerie model (complete with it's awful Century import markings) to a local Back-Up Gun Match... GIGN Sniper model MR73: https://youtu.be/P1zEUGck8NE Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Finland's First Domestic Handgun: the AhlbergE142
Finland's First Domestic Handgun: the Ahlberghttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In the wake of Finland gaining its independence, small arms were much in demand for the armed forces. Many rifles had been taken from Russian stockpiles in Finland, but not many handguns. Hugo Ahlberg ran Ab H. Ahlberg & Co Oy, a machining company in Turku and he decided that making guns for the government would be a great way to get some stable and profitable business. He made a copy of the FN Model 1910 pistol in .32 ACP, and proposed to the Army. After a bit of tweaking (the barrel and slide were made 15mm longer than the original pattern), a deal was made for Finland to purchase 1,000 Ahlberg pistols. As so often happens in this sort of situation, production turned out to be much more difficult than Ahlberg had anticipated. He failed to meet delivery deadlines, and quality control problems made at least 20% of his production scrap (of 1,000 pistols delivers, serial numbers are known as high as 1,251). Ahlberg grew frustrated that he was taking a financial loss on the project, and the Army got frustrated that it wasn't receiving its pistols. Ultimately, the contract of 1,000 pistols was fulfilled by Ahlberg, although the promised additional orders were cancelled. Instead, the Army purchased a quantity of surplus Ruby pistols from France. These would turn out to be unsatisfactory, leading to later purchases of Luger pistols from Germany. Still, the Ahlbergs were used by the government in a variety of roles (included Defense Forces and police) into the 1960s before the last remaining ones were finally sold as surplus. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Prototype Johnson Model R Military RifleE143
Prototype Johnson Model R Military Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When Melvin Johnson's rifle design was first going through US military testing in 1938, it was set up to use box magazines. These magazines were a problem - they were not quite fully perfected, and were causing a lot of the problem that the rifle was having. Johnson opted to withdraw the rifle from trials, and revise the design to use a 10-round rotary magazine instead. This took place after his relationship with the Marlin company had ended, and a machine shop called Taft-Peirce had signed a contract to make rifles for Johnson. They designated the new rotary magazine type of rifle the Model R, and made seven military pattern examples for further trials (as well as seven sporting pattern guns). the military model had a bayonet lug for a Krag/Springfield standard bayonet, and a wooden handguard on the exposed front section of the barrel. Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this prototype rifle! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - How Does It Work: Clips! (Not Magazines)E144
How Does It Work: Clips! (Not Magazines)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we are looking at clips and how they work. There are two different types; Mannlicher-style and Mauser-style. Mannlicher clips were introduced circa 1885, and are also known as en bloc or packet loading clips. They include a set of feed lips, and are inserted completely into a gun. Once the last round is chambered (or fired, in some cases) the empty clip is ejected from the action. Mauser clips were introduced in 1889, and are also called stripper or charger clips. On these, the clip acts only as a guide to load the cartridges into a separate magazine, either a fixed internal magazine or a detachable box magazine. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Chinese Warlord Pistols: The Huge Shanxi .45 ACP BroomhandleE145
Chinese Warlord Pistols: The Huge Shanxi .45 ACP BroomhandleThe "Pistols of the Warlords Kickstarter ends Friday night; don't miss out! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/pistols-of-the-warlords?ref=f31dzu The best known and most highly valued of the Warlord Era Chinese pistols is undoubtedly the .45 ACP copy of the C96 Mauser. These were made at the Taiyuan Arsenal in Shanxi Province between 1928 and 1931, with more than 8,000 made in total. They were the product of a proper Western-style production line, and Taiyuan Arsenal actually made standard C96 copies in 7.63mm Mauser before scaling up to the .45 ACP version. This change was made because the Arsenal was also making Thompson submachine guns, and it made sense to have caliber compatibility with their C96-style pistols. The result was a truly massive hand cannon, holding 10 rounds of ammunition in its fixed magazine, and fitted with an equally large combination shoulder stock and holster. In the 1980s, a run of copies of these pistols were made in China and imported into the United States under the guise of being refinished originals. In actuality, they are poorly made imitations - the original Shanxi .45 Broomhandles are quite high quality pistols. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Roth Steyr 1907 New Plastic Stripper ClipsE146
Roth Steyr 1907 New Plastic Stripper Clipshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com YouTube really hates this subject. Please see ForgottenWeapons.com for more information. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Captain Carl Pelo's Model 1954 Prototype Semiauto RifleE147
Captain Carl Pelo's Model 1954 Prototype Semiauto Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Carl Pelo was a an engineer with Sako in the 1930s, and developed a series of self-loading rifles. He used a short recoil mechanism with a pair of locking flaps on the bolt, much like the Degtyarev machine guns from the Soviet Union. Pelo attempted to market his design both to the Finnish armed forces as well as the UK and Sweden, but was unable to get any interest (in Finland, this appears to have been largely the result of trying to sidestep standard military procurement channels by appealing directly to civil government authorities). Prior to the Winter War, the Finnish Army was short on funds and did not see the value in trying to adopt a self-loading standard infantry rifle, but this opinion changed by 1940. There was not nearly enough time to develop Pelo's rifles between the Winter War and Continuation War, but by the early 1950s the Army was willing to give the gun a real chance. It performed surprisingly well in testing, but was ultimately rejected for its cartridge. The Finnish test rifles were chambered for 7.62x54R (53R in Finnish usage), and in Swedish testing 6.5x55mm. Finland decided to adopt a rifle in 7.62x39mm instead, and this made Pelo's design moot. While testing and iterations on the design continued through the 1950s (the model in today's video is a 1954 pattern), nothing was ever put into production and surviving examples are very scarce. Thanks to Sako for giving me access to film this one from their factory museum! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The KP-15: Now in OD Green for you Forest-DwellersE148
The KP-15: Now in OD Green for you Forest-DwellersKE Arms has finally pretty much caught up with the demand for black KP-15 monolithic polymer lowers, and now has the time to put out a limited run of them in OD Green (virtually identical in color to Magpul green). They will be making 3,000 of these and they will be shipping in about 4 weeks. They can be pre-ordered at KE Arms' web site. Brownells will also be offering the full WWSD-2021 lower in OD Green, although it may not be listed when this video publishes. I opted to put mine (KE gave me this preproduction sample) on my Brownells BRN-605 reproduction that I took to Desert Brutality 2019. I think it makes a really cool combination with the OPD camo tape on the upper assembly... - Colt Prototype Double Action 1911E149
Colt Prototype Double Action 1911http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Thanks to Legacy Collectibles, today we have a unique Colt prototype pistol to look at today - a double-action variation of the 1911. Judging by the grips and markings, this was made in the late 1950s - but I have been unable to find any documented record giving details. The double action capability was added by dropping the trigger mechanism down a bit, extending the trigger, and adding a linkage between lugs added to the side of the trigger and hammer. The original single action sear mechanism and trigger bar were left intact, and the added mechanism is simply a cocking lever - firing is done by the original elements. In addition to the D/A linkage, another safety mechanism has been added to the slide. What looks like a decocting lever is actually a simple firing pin retractor. When engaged, it pulls the firing pin forward such that the hammer does not strike it when dropped. This effectively safes the gun. Presumably, this would have been a replacement for one of the other safeties already present on the design (grip and thumb), as it seems rather redundant when added to those others. Make sure to check out Legacy Collectibles' YouTube channel! They have a bunch of videos on interesting firearms and firearms collecting: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCesjdfSFVwNgqa299Bf3Zlw Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Book Review: The Guns of John Moses Browning, by Nathan GorensteinE150
Book Review: The Guns of John Moses Browning, by Nathan Gorensteinhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com John Moses Browning is, without argument, the greatest firearms designer in history. While we have had many brilliant designers who had their names forever connected to guns (Maxim, Luger, Kalashnikov...), Browning invented whole *categories* of firearms. Gorenstein's new book "The Guns of John Moses Browning" is a welcome biography of the man, giving great insight into Browning's life and work. The book is well researched, well written, and thoroughly engaging. It is also worth noting that Gorenstein is himself a competitive shooter, and understands the world that Browning operated in. I think my back-cover blurb for the book (for which I received no compensation; full disclosure) sums it up well: Following Browning from his birth in rural Utah to his death in urban Belgium, we see how a changing world shaped his inventions and how, in turn, his inventions shaped a changing world. Browning began in the last years of the Wild West inventing lever action rifles, then became a major part of the blossoming of the automatic pistol, then invented the semiauto shotgun before designing the modern machine guns that become iconic to the United States' involvement in two world wars. It is a tremendous story, and Gorenstein's book lays it all out for the reader. Available from Amazon here: https://amzn.to/355eMxe Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Vickers for Interwar Tanks: The Class C/T Machine GunE151
Vickers for Interwar Tanks: The Class C/T Machine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Vickers company developed several versions of the Vickers machine gun for aircraft use during the 1920s and 1930s, but they also worked on armored vehicle versions of the gun in the 1930s. Between 1930 and 1936 these were adopted by the British military as the Mk IV through Mk VII guns, but the gun we are looking at today is the commercial export pattern, the Class C/T. This particular gun is one sold to Argentina. The basic mechanics of the gun are unchanged from the standard Vickers heavy machine gun, but a bunch of adaptations were done to make the guns more suitable to use in armored vehicles. A pistol grip was developed to mount under the gun in place of the spade grips. Coupled with a large leather-covered buttpad and cheek pads, this allowed the gunner to hold the gun much like a rifle; essential in the tight confines of a turret. The barrel was shortened, and a new style of booster was designed which allowed the barrel to be removed from the rear of the gun, allowing the gun to be worked on from within the protection of the vehicle. The top cover was also give a hinge on the side, again for more compact use. The most complex change was the development of interchangeable feed blocks to allow left-hand or right-hand feeding with only the changing of that one unit. One of the really interesting aspects of these tank guns was the experimentation around their cooling systems. For the British military, the goal was to have a gun capable of firing 3,000 rounds in 30 minutes. Normally this would be an easy bar for a Vickers to clear, but it would require refilling the water jacket - and that was a really clumsy exercise inside a tankette turret. Various types of circulating systems were tried out, but they all had problems with the need for the guns to be in flexible mounts. What would seem - Ian Finally Takes a Full Auto FAMAS F1 to the RangeE152
Ian Finally Takes a Full Auto FAMAS F1 to the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Huzzah! I finally have a chance to take a proper full-auto FAMAS F1 out to the range. My conclusions? It's very nice, just like the semiauto civilian model. It has a limited 3-round-burst option for those who need it, but also unrestricted automatic for those with enough practice to use it. The gun really doesn't try to climb at all; the in-line design (like an AR) pushes recoil straight back into the shoulder. The rate of fire is higher than most 5.56mm shoulder rifles, measuring right about 950 rpm on this example. Automatic is of limited practical use from the shoulder, but given the FAMAS' free floated barrel and integral bipod, it is certainly capable of limited supporting type fire from the prone position. I may be a bit prejudiced, mais il est un magnifique fusil. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Winchester's Prototype Model 1911 Was Actually a Browning Auto-5E153
Winchester's Prototype Model 1911 Was Actually a Browning Auto-5http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When John Browning developed the self-loading shotgun that would become the Auto-5, he decided to depart from his existing standard business relationship with the Winchester company. Browning had historically sold his patents to Winchester for a flat fee, but with his new shotgun he decided he wanted a royalty per gun sold instead. Winchester thought about it and decided that perhaps Browning was not quite as important as he though he was, and they rejected his request. So Browning instead took the design to Fabrique Nationale in Belgium, who was happy to offer him a royalty. The design became a tremendous success, and it left Winchester in a bit of a pickle. They had been planning on marketing a self-loading shotgun, but now the didn't have the rights to one. So what they did was to purchase one of the very first FN guns made (serial number 262) and use it to figure out a loophole around Browning's patent. The most significant feature was the bolt handle, which unlocked the action and allowed the bolt to be opened without the barrel reciprocating (this was a long-recoil action). Winchester ended up using the very simple method of adding some texturing to the barrel and requiring the user to simply cycle the barrel back all the way to open the action. Needless to say, this was substantially inferior to the way one could operate the Browning Auto-5, and it was a factor in the Winchester design (the Model 1911, not to be confused with the 1911 pistol) garnering the nickname "Widowmaker". But that's a story for another episode... Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this very cool prototype shotgun! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Q&A 51: Troop Trials, Postwar MG34/42, and the DIY Maker's MatchE154
Q&A 51: Troop Trials, Postwar MG34/42, and the DIY Maker's Matchhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Want to help support excellent history? Check out "Glory and Defeat: the Franco-Prussian War of 1870" from Real Time History: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/documentary-book-the-franco-prussian-war#/ 0:00:00 - Intro 0:02:05 - Why no Madsen LMGs in WW1? 0:06:26 - MG34 use post-WW2, and Norwegian rechambering of the MG34 0:10:40 - Post-WW2 use of the MG42, and comparison to the MG5 0:13:34 - Difference between prototyping and troop trials 0:17:45 - Modern handgun to use 7.65mm French Long? 0:20:18 - Least appropriate gun at the Backup Gun Match 0:21:08 - The Indian INSAS 0:21:39 - Why did anti-tilt M16 followers take so long? 0:22:52 - H&K Mk23 for home defense? 0:25:29 - "Re-homing" individual guns vs batches? 0:27:55 - Archive project progress 0:29:19 - Left-handed guns 0:30:23 - Other YouTube channels I would like to collaborate with 0:31:48 - Difference between locked and delayed (ie, roller or flapper) 0:33:17 - Borchardt the first bullpup PCC? 0:34:05 - Contacting gun companies for research 0:36:11 - Covid's impact on my work 0:37:36 - Guns other than High Powers and Brens sent to China? 0:40:30 - Why no modern revolving rifles? 0:43:00 - Is the surplus market dead? 0:45:45 - Three suggestions for the French armament program in 1906 0:50:37 - Why no spitzer handgun bullets? 0:53:39 - French Foreign Legion arms procurement 0:54:47 - Semi-pistolgrips on lever actions? 0:55:10 - Status of the Calico shooting 0:56:27 - Impact of the Maker's Match on public perception of DIY guns? 0:58:11 - Issues reprinting firearms reference books 1:01:39 - Supervision handling guns in other countries 1:03:16 - MAS49 vs FN49 1:05:01 - What is my favorite rum? Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - L-34 Sampo: Aimo Lahti's Rejected MasterpieceE155
L-34 Sampo: Aimo Lahti's Rejected Masterpiecehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Finland's standard light machine gun going into the Winter War was the LS-26, a gun which did not succeed in field use. It was complex and cumbersome, and Finnish troops quickly replaced it with captured Russian DP-27 LMGs. Part of the problem of the LS-26 was it's recoil-operated design. Finnish military authorities specified a recoil-operated mechanism for their LMG in light of the success of the recoil-operated heavy Maxim guns in Finnish service. Gas operation was quickly recognized as a superior system for light machine guns, but too late to stop adoption of the LS-26. In the early 1930s, Aimo Lahti did design a gas-operated LMG, heavily influenced by the Czech ZB-26 system. A handful of prototypes were made by VKT, looking for both Finnish military acceptance and international sales. The gun was made in several calibers, most notably 7.62x54R for Finland and 7.92x57mm Mauser for export. However, bureaucratic issues prevented its consideration by the Finnish Army, and the timing was too late for exports. The L-34 was significantly lighter and simpler than the LS-26, and it was performed quite well in Finnish trials - which did not happen until the 1950s. By that time, the Finnish military was looking for an intermediate-caliber belt-fed gun, and the L-34 was not suitable regardless of its performance. Many thanks to Sako for providing me access to film this L-34 from their reference collection! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - L96A1 Behind the Scenes: Manufacturing Catastrophes and Exploding RiflesE156
L96A1 Behind the Scenes: Manufacturing Catastrophes and Exploding Rifleshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Accuracy International's L96A1 was a stunning success in British military trials, and became the basis for one of the most respected line of precision rifles in the world. However, it very nearly was abandoned almost as soon as the first rifles were delivered to the British military in 1986. Production had been subcontracted to a firm called Pylon Industries, a respected high-tech military equipment manufacturer. Pylon bungled the production so badly that the rifle was nearly recalled when improper materials use led to broken firing pins and out-of-battery detonations. One Royal Marine was seriously injured, and serious steps were taken to bring back the old L42 snipers... Want to know more about the L96A1? You can get a copy of Steve Houghton's book "L96A1: The Green Meanie" from Swift & Bold Publishing here: https://www.swiftandboldpublishing.co.uk/the-green-meanie-l96a1/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - P90: FN's Bullpup PDWE157
P90: FN's Bullpup PDWhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com FN began developing the P90 in the late 1980s, actually preceding the NATO requirement that it would eventually compete for. The idea of the P90 was to develop a weapon for secondary troops to replace 9mm pistols and SMGs. There was an anticipated threat of Russian paratroops wearing armor that could defeat 9mm ball. The P90 was intended to be a light and handy weapon that was easily controllable without a tremendous about of training, and could defeat that sort of body armor. The result was the 5.7x28mm cartridge, firing a 31 grain armor-piercing bullet at 2350 fps. This was combined with a simple blowback action and a Hall-style 50-round magazine in a fully ambidextrous, bullpup layout. The gun was introduced onto the market in 1990, and has been widely purchased by security and special operations organizations. In its original intended role for support troops, it has only been adopted by Belgium. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - FN P90 at the RangeE158
FN P90 at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Having taken a look at the history and mechanics of the P90 yesterday, I'm taking it out to the range today. I wasn't sure how I would feel about the progressive trigger... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Japan's First Military Revolver: the S&W No.3E159
Japan's First Military Revolver: the S&W No.3http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When Commodore Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay in 1853, he began a serious upheaval of Japanese life. Among other things, the insular Japanese society had been virtually the only nation to ever successfully implement gun control, with a virtually complete prohibition of any arms manufacture or import. This was done to preserve the position of the Samurai nobility. As European aristocrats discovered, the lifetime of martial training of an expert mounted swordsman in armor is handily ignored by a handful of peasants with simple firearms. At any rate, Perry brought quite a lot of firearms with him, and within a few decades many Japanese government agencies began importing and using handguns - their possession by civilians even became legal. This led to substantial importation of European and American arms into Japan, and eventually to the adoption of a standard handgun by the Imperial Army and Navy. This first official standard sidearm was the Smith & Wesson No.3 revolver, chambered for .44 Russian. The Japanese military made dozens of small purchases of these revolvers from 1878 until 1908, totaling some 17,000 (including nearly a third of all No.3 New Model production, and more than any other export customer except Russia). Japanese purchases actually included 2nd and 3rd pattern Russian Model guns, New Model guns, and even at the end, Frontier Model guns (these fitted with .44 Russian cylinders instead of the normal .44-40 cylinders, so they could continue to use the standard Japanese ammunition). Japan liked the top break system enough that when they decided to produce their own domestic revolver, it (the Type 26) would be a top break type as well. Many thanks to Mike Carrick of Arms Heritage Magazine for providing me access to film this example! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracl - Book Review: SS Contract Walther PP/PPKE160
Book Review: SS Contract Walther PP/PPKhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I have done some videos previously with Tom Whiteman from Legacy Collectibles - mostly ones about his area of specialty; German WW2 handguns. Well, he has now published a reference book compiling more than 20 years of research on SS-contract Walther PP and PPK pistols. Thanks to records captured by American military intelligence at the end of World War Two, a substantial amount of data survives on these pistols, which Tom and other collectors and researchers have used to identify the characteristics of nearly a dozen different specific contract purchases. If you are interested in collecting the specific group of pistols, Tom's new book is an absolutely essential reference, placing all the information easily at your fingertips. At $50 for a relatively small paperback volume the price seems high, unless you consider how much it will assuredly save the first time you can use it to identify a good deal or spot a fake. While there is not a huge value proposition here for the mildly interested person, it is an excellent reference for anyone planning to acquire even just one of the pistols it describes. Availably directly from Legacy Collectibles: https://www.legacy-collectibles.com/060921-1.html Or through Amazon: https://amzn.to/3juaVlW Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - A New Enfield for a New War: The No4 MkIE161
A New Enfield for a New War: The No4 MkIhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The stalwart No1 MkIII "Smelly" served the United Kingdom well during the First World War, but by the 1920s it was growing obsolescent. The war had revealed a number of shortcomings of the design, and in the interwar years the British developed a replacement. The main issues that the new rifle would address were: - Better mechanical accuracy, through use of a heavier barrel - Better practical accuracy, through use of a micrometer-adjustable aperture sight - A more practical short spike bayonet - More efficient manufacturability After a brief dalliance with the No1 MkV rifle in the early 1920s, the No1 MkVI was developed, which was fundamentally the new No4 rifle, just without the name. In the early 1930s a run of about 2500 No4 MkI rifles was produced, and they would go through field trials for the next several years until being formally adopted in 1939. Production actually began in the summer of 1941 at Maltby, Fazakerley, and BSA. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ian's Customs: Remington Auto-8E162
Ian's Customs: Remington Auto-8http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I have a number of interesting custom guns, and I figured it would be fun to do videos on a couple of them...let me know if you enjoys this and would like to see more like this! Today's example is what I call my Remington Auto-8. It's a recreation of the FN Police Model Auto-5. Those guns were standard Auto-5 actions made with longer 8-round magazine tubes and full-length hand guards. The most well-known purchase of them was by the Rhodesian military (probably through Portugal), but they were bought in small numbers by a variety of police and security organizations. A shotgun of this pattern was also a personal favorite of Charlie Askins. Mine was done by the shotgun wizards at Vang Comp, with their barrel (12ga), a sling, shortened stock, and modernized Auto-5 lifter that allows one-handed loading. It still has the original safety in the trigger guard, but is otherwise a pretty capable tactical shotgun...and a heck of a head-turner at the range! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - French Trials VHS-F2 Croatian BullpupE163
French Trials VHS-F2 Croatian Bullpuphttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com HS Produkt of Croatia makes an interesting modern bullpup rifle, the VHS. The rifle has gone through several major design iterations in the past two decades or so, and the most recent version (the VHS-2) was part of the competition to replace the FAMAS in French military service. It ultimately placed second, behind the HK 416, and I have been very interested to get a closer look at one for some time. Well, today I was able to! What we have here is not just a VHS-2, but actually one of the group of rifles actually tested by the French, designated a VHS-F2. It has the longer of the two barrel lengths (about 19 inches) and uses STANAG M16-type magazines (although a FAMAS-magazine adapter was developed and offered). So let's dig into it! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - VHS-2 Bullpup at the RangeE164
VHS-2 Bullpup at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we took a look at the inner workings of the VHS-2, and today we are going to put some rounds through it. I am trying out both a short-barreled VHS-K2 that was limited to 2-round burst (for French police trials) and a full-length VHS-F2 from French military trials. Overall, I quite liked the VHS. The length of pull is a bit long (I kept the stock almost fully collapsed), but the in-line layout prevents it from wanting to climb in automatic and it is a very pleasant rifle to shoot. I like the aperture sights, and the long Picatinny rail makes any optic an easy option. I also like being able to set the rifle up for left-handed ejection, but still being able to shoot it right-handed if necessary (and vice-versa). The controls are completely ambidextrous and easy to use, the weight and balance are good, and the trigger is not bad. This is definitely one of my top few bullpups! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Qatari Royal Guard m/71-76 ValmetE165
Qatari Royal Guard m/71-76 Valmethttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Valmet company in Finland made excellent AK-type rifles for the Finnish Defense Forces, but also offered a variety of designs on the international commercial market. The Valmet was a very expensive rifle for a AK, however, and only a few significant commercial sales were made. One of these was a batch of rifles for Qatar, which included perhaps 50 (the exact number is unclear) made with fancy wooden furniture and nickel-plated for use by the Qatari Royal Guard. These were the m/71-76 pattern, with the 76 indicating Valmet's stamped aKM-type receiver. The m/71 was a rifle pattern which reverted back to traditional AK-style open notch sights instead of the rear aperture adopted by Finland on its rk/62. The m/71 was not adopted by the Finnish military, but is was chosen by Qatar, and also imported into the United States in semiauto-only form. Many thanks to Sako for providing me access to film this unique AK variant in their reference collection! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - CatalogIt Firearms Inventory Software for Museums and CollectorsE166
CatalogIt Firearms Inventory Software for Museums and CollectorsCheck out CatalogIt for firearms here: https://www.catalogit.app/classifications/firearms When I went looking for a piece of good modern software to use for maintaining a collection inventory, I came up almost completely empty. Talking to Ashley Hlebinsky, formerly of the Cody Firearms Museum, it was rather surprising to learn just what a dearth of good inventory software exists even for large institutions. However, I did find a really good piece of software called CatalogIt - they just didn't support firearms specifically. I reached out to see if they would consider adding firearms support, and the result was several months of collaboration between myself, Ashley, and CatalogIt to create a firearms classification system for their software. It's now complete and available, and I think it is an outstanding tool for firearms collections from the amateur hobbyist to the largest museum organization. It offers a huge selection of information that can be stored, excellent organization, and access from both desktop and mobile systems. Best of all, accounts with up to 50 items are free, so it's easy to try out. Whether you are going to use the system for insurance itemization, financial record keeping, mobile access to your collection, or some other reason, try out CatalogIt! Note: CatalogIt gave me a free subscription for my help building the firearms category, but I get no kickback or other remuneration from them. http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Britain's Last Ditch: Wartime Changes to No4 Lee EnfieldE167
Britain's Last Ditch: Wartime Changes to No4 Lee Enfieldhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When we think of "last-ditch" rifles, we normally think of 1945 and the very end of World War Two. For the British, however, the lowest ebb of the war was in 1941 and 42, and it is during that period that the Lee Enfield was at is crudest. British ordnance instituted a number of simplifications to maximize weapons production. In particular: - Walnut replaced with kiln-dried birch and beech for furniture - Two-groove barrels replacing five-groove ones - A vastly simplified 2-position flip sight in place of the original fine micrometer style - Simplified bolt release, designated the No4 MkI* (which was only produced in the US and Canada) - Aluminum buttplates - Much reduced standards of fit and finish, leading to really ugly machine marks and haphazard markings. Most of these changes would be walked back later in the war as Britain's footing became more solid, but they make a very interesting period of changes for the collector to study. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Book Review: The US M3/M3A1 Submachine Gun by Michael HeidlerE168
Book Review: The US M3/M3A1 Submachine Gun by Michael Heidlerhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com It is a bit surprising that there has not previously been a significant book written on the M3 "Grease Gun" submachine gun - but Michael Heidler has corrected that empty space in the firearms literature. His new book "The US M3/M3A1 Submachine Gun" is 224 pages covering all aspects of the Grease Gun's development, manufacture service, and accessories. The M3 was the American second-generation SMG, developed for maximum simplicity and production economy. Heidler covers more than a dozen different proposed guns that competed for adoption before the M3, and also discusses the development of the T-15 and T-20 guns that became the M3. This includes specific testing procedures and trials reports. He then explains the mechanics and disassembly of the gun, and goes into detail about its manufacture. The M3 was produced by GM's Guide Lamp division, a company specializing in sheet metal stampings that was an excellent choice for the new design. As the M3 saw field use a number of shortcomings came to light, resulting in the improved M3A1 variation. Production only ran for a couple years however, ending in the summer of 1945 once enough guns were in inventory to fulfill American military needs. A relatively sparse number of accessories were made, which are also covered in the book. In addition, Heidler has some discussion of experimental patterns (like the curved-barrel types, 9x19mm conversions, silenced models, and .30 Carbine experiments) and foreign production copies of the M3. Overall, the book is an excellent source for all things Grease Gun. The text is a bit short in some places, buoyed by a lot of photographs, both period original pictures and images or guns and parts. I would have liked to see it go a bit more in-depth in some areas, but there simply might not be much more detail available. - wz.88 Tantal: Poland's Alternative to the AK-74E169
wz.88 Tantal: Poland's Alternative to the AK-74http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com As part of the Warsaw Pact, Poland anticipated adopting the AK-74 after it was developed by the Soviet Union. However, the eventual Soviet terms for license fees and export restrictions were too severe for Polish taste. Instead, Poland opted to develop its own new rifle to use the 5.45x39mm cartridge. This would essentially be a 5.45mm version of the AKM. That sounds like an AK-74, but the 74 actually involved a significant number of changes to parts which the Poles though could be leave identical tot he AKM (like the rear trunnion, for instance). The Poles also wanted to separate the selector lever into two separate controls, with a safety lever on the right and a selector lever (including a 3-round burst option) on the left side. This new project, codenamed Tantal, was adopted as the wz.88 just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Production ran for only a couple years, with a total production of 30-50 thousand rifles. Once it became clear that Poland had a path to join NATO, the Tantal was dropped in anticipation of a new rifle in 5.56x45mm NATO. For much more information on the Tantal, see Leszek Erenfeicht's extensive article at ForgottenWeapons.com: https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rifles/wz-88-tantal/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Polish wz.88 Tantal at the RangeE170
Polish wz.88 Tantal at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we took a look at the history and the design of the Polish wz.88 Tantal, and today we are taking it out to the range. Let's see how that unique Polish 3-round-burst works! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Features: Full Auto FAMAS F1 vs Semiauto MAS 223E171
Features: Full Auto FAMAS F1 vs Semiauto MAS 223http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Since I happen to have simultaneous access to both a military-pattern F1 FAMAS and also a civilian semiautomatic MAS-223, I figured it would be nice to compare them side by side and see how they differ. A number of changes were made for the civilian semiauto rifles, including: - Rifle grenade capability - Bayonets - Stock recoil buffer - Fire control mechanism - Muzzle device - Night sights - Markings Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Q&A 52: Sam Colt was a Jerk, the NGSW will not be Adopted, and German WW1 WunderwaffeE172
Q&A 52: Sam Colt was a Jerk, the NGSW will not be Adopted, and German WW1 Wunderwaffehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:00:27 - Stocked pistols as submachine gun substitutes? Shanghai stocked pistol: https://youtu.be/Lf6S7faQbhg 0:03:20 - Haunted guns? 0:03:58 - Is the NGSW hybrid cartridge case a gimmick? 0:06:23 - My loadout for Desert Brutality 2021 (and Finnish Brutality 2021) 0:08:42 - M60 vs FN MAG 0:11:49 - Why so few 10mm Auto PCCs? Also, 10mm H&K Mk23. 0:14:15 - Best design for an assault rifle in WW1 0:16:37 - Did WW1 accelerate or decelerate small arms development? 0:21:11 - Why no more hammer prices in auction videos? 0:22:23 - Actually trying volley fire with rifles 0:25:13 - Using the same bore diameter for pistol, PDW, SMG, rifle, and SAW 0:27:55 - [in French] Do my videos change the prices of milsurps? 0:30:08 - Gun collecting in 2121 - will modern rifles still be cool? 0:35:28 - Were other countries trying to develop smokeless powder at the same time as France? 0:37:23 - Making .44 Automag form .308 Winchester 0:38:30 - How do NFA sales at auction work in terms of possession and transfer paperwork? 0:41:54 - Garand or SKS? 0:43:26 - How is the LMG project (Lage Max11/15A1) going? 0:46:57 - Was Sam Colt a charlatan? Colt company history: https://youtu.be/fk_TxE1d9HY 0:48:58 - Why weren't more top-fed guns made/adopted? 0:52:22 - German "wonder weapons" for the 1919 spring offensives? 0:54:12 - Was the Thompson made in .38 Super? 0:57:37 - Did German miss an opportunity for the Vollmer M38 to be an early Sturmgewehr? 0:59:27 - Are small arms obsolete in an era of hypersonic missiles and cyber warfare? 1:01:12 - How did designers or inventors handle the NFA legalities before 1968? Hill H15: https://youtu.be/tAZs7GdLreI 1:05:00 - How to donate a collection to a museum 1:10:37 - Advanced Primer Ignition: is it really a thing? (Blok - No4 MkII: The Lee Enfield's Final Standard UpgradeE173
No4 MkII: The Lee Enfield's Final Standard Upgradehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The final standard pattern of the venerable Lee Enfield as a standard-issue service rifle was the No4 MkII, introduced after the end of World War Two. The new pattern was adopted to resolve problems that had come about because of wartime simplifications to the rifle. Specifically, the use of kiln-dried wood for stocks. On the original No4 design, the trigger was pinned to the trigger guard, which was in turn connected to the front handguard. The sear was pinned to the receiver. If the handguard swelled, shrank, or warped (which was much more likely on the quickly kiln-dried stocks used during the war, compared to the naturally dried pre-war wood), the trigger/sear interaction could be impacted. To solve this, the receiver was changed slightly to include a boss for attaching the trigger. This kept both the trigger and sear pinned to the (metal) receiver, and stock shifting was not longer a problem. In addition, a change was also made to remove the boss originally intended for mounting the magazine cutoff lever, so that No4 rifles would be made using No5 receiver forgings (this change did not result in a new rifle designation). Many existing rifles were refitted to the new standard, with upgraded MkI rifles becoming Mk I/2 and upgraded MkI* rifles becoming MkI/3. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Bayonet Development for the Lee Enfield No4 RifleE174
Bayonet Development for the Lee Enfield No4 Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Having wrapped up our series on the major development of the Lee Enfield rifle in British service, I figured it would be a nice addendum to talk about the bayonets developed for the No4 rifle. These went through a substantial evolution, and are an interesting field for collectors all by themselves. During World War One, the British used the Pattern 1907 bayonet, a long blade type essentially copied from the Japanese Type 30. By the 1920s, this was being reconsidered - the long blades were expensive, fragile, and perhaps not really necessary. When the No1 Mk VI rifle was put into trials, it was given a new bayonet style. This was inspired by the Swiss cyclists' bayonet, with a cruciform spike instead of a true blade. It was only 8 inches long; this was determined to be long enough for virtually all use cases and being short minimized weight and bulk. As World War Two progressed, the spike bayonet was simplified several times. Before the initial production of the first standard model (No4 MkI) was completed, the cruciform pattens had already been abandoned for a much simpler (and faster and cheaper) round body spike with a screwdriver-like point at the end. This was in turn simplified by separating the socket and spike into two parts for easier production, and then further simplified by casting the socket instead of forging it. After the war, the spike was replaced by a short blade-type socket bayonet (the No9), although this was rather short-lived because of the adoption of the SLR (FN FAL). Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - MP7A1 vs MP7A2: H&K's Modern PDWE175
MP7A1 vs MP7A2: H&K's Modern PDWhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we are taking a look at H&K's PDW, the MP7. Specifically, we're going to go over the changes made form the MP7A1 to the MP7A2 pattern... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - New Beretta-Imported MR73 at the RangeE176
New Beretta-Imported MR73 at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Manurhin MR73 has always been one of the very best combat revolvers made, but they have been hard to find here in the US. That has now changed, as the Beretta group purchased Chapuis, manufacturer of the MR73. They are now importing both 4" and 5.25" versions, and I have a demo of the 5.25" Sport model to try out. So, let's see how it handles... Disclosure: Beretta provided this gun as a T&E demo, but I do not get to keep it. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - wz.96 Beryl: Poland's 5.56mm Military AKE177
wz.96 Beryl: Poland's 5.56mm Military AKhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com With Poland's entry into NATO in the 1990s, a new service rifles was needed, chambered for the 5.56mm NATO cartridge. Initial development work had been done in 1990/91 to adapt the wz.88 Tantal to 5.56mm, and this project was dusted off in 1995 to create the Beryl. Essentially a Tantal in 5.56mm, the Beryl includes an improved folding stock, a shorter muzzle device (and correspondingly longer rifled barrel) and a new handguard design. Initially adopted in 1996 as the wz.96, the Beryl has undergone several mid-life improvements. These include the addition of a Picatinny optics rail, collapsing stock, and improved safety and magazine release. The basic mechanics, however, remain the same as the Tantal, with a left-side selector switch allowing semiauto, full auto, and 3-round-burst firing options. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Mini-Beryl: The Carbine Version of the Polish wz.96E178
Mini-Beryl: The Carbine Version of the Polish wz.96http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we looked at the standard Polish service rifle, the wz.96 Beryl. Today we have the carbine version, the Mini-Beryl. Specifically, we have an early example, predating several of the mid-life improvements that were made by the time the first major contract for the Mini-Beryl was placed. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Aircraft Vickers Meticulously Repaired as a Gunnery Training AidE179
Aircraft Vickers Meticulously Repaired as a Gunnery Training Aidhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com This is a really interesting artifact of the First World War that I found in a collection and wanted to share (since the owner, understandably, wouldn't part with it!). All the major powers in the Great War set up aerial training schools to teach pilots and observer/gunners how to use their guns without having to be up in the air. These often included mocked-up cockpits and gun mounts which could be towed to enable practice while moving. The Vickers Gun we are looking at today began its life as an aircraft gun, with the water jacket cut away to allow air cooling and reduce weight. It appears that a French training base needed a training gun with an intact water jacket for extended firing (the air cooling doesn't work so well when the gun is essentially static on the ground). Unable to procure a new standard ground Vickers, an armorer spent a significant amount of time re-sealing the jacket on an aircraft gun instead. A major clue to its purpose is the French-language tag riveted to the back of the jacket warning users to ensure that the oscillating arm doesn't hit the jacket - this indicates that it was set up with a firing mechanism to duplicate the synchronizers used on aircraft. Unfortunately, the gun was disassembled at some point and all the detachable parts removed, along with the right-hand side plate of the receiver (the part that is legally a machine gun in the US). However, the jacket and remnants of the receiver remain a really interesting artifact, to me at least... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - How to Swap FAMAS Ejection Left to RightE180
How to Swap FAMAS Ejection Left to Righthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com One of the very nice features of the FAMAS is that it can be swapped between left-hand and right-hand ejection in just a few moments without needing any tools or spare parts. I had this FAMAS out at the range in left-handed configuration and the owner asked me to return it as a right-handed gun, so I figured it would be a fine opportunity to demonstrate the process... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - RPD: The LMG Adapts to Modern CombatE181
RPD: The LMG Adapts to Modern Combathttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we are looking at a Chinese Type 56 RPD, but we will be focusing on the basic design and why it was adopted in the Soviet Union rather than the details of its use in China. The RPD was the result of research into reduced-power cartridges to replace the 7.62x54R for infantry use. While that round was good for heavy machine guns on mounts, it was found to be excessively powerful for infantry rifle and squad machine guns. The problem is that a more powerful cartridge requires heavier and stronger guns, generates more recoil, and allows fewer cartridges to be carried for any given weight. The Soviet leadership found that the M43 cartridge (7.62x39mm) was sufficiently effective out to 800m, and that covered virtually all squad weapon use in the real world. And so, as the Great Patriotic War came to an end, the Red Army was working on a whole new family of infantry arms in 7.62x39mm. The rifle adopted was the SKS, the AK served as a submachine gun (originally intended for specialty troops like paratroops and mechanized infantry), and the RPD was the squad support weapon. With its lighter action and cartridge, the standard load out of gun and 300 rounds of ammunition weighed almost half as much as the equivalent load out with the previous DP-27/RP-46 machine gun. Mechanically, the RPD is a flapper-locked, gas-operated system, very similar to Degtyarev's prior guns (the DP-27 and DS-39). It is belt-fed, with a drum-like carrier holding a 2-part, 100-round belt. It has a fixed barrel, on the principle that it is to be used for short, controlled bursts and not sustained or continuous fire. In theory, the barrel will overheat at about the same time as the standard 300-round load out is used up, so the added complexity and weight of a changeable barrel is not needed. This compromise was continued in - Combloc SAW: Chinese RPD at the RangeE182
Combloc SAW: Chinese RPD at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I am excited to take an RPD out to the range today - I've wanted to try one for quite a while. The RPD is a very light and compact weapon for a squad automatic, and I'm curious how it will actually handle. This particular example is a Chinese Type 56, with many of the improvements that were made over the course of Soviet adoption and field use of the gun. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Spanish Patent Quirks: Anitua Y Charola's Copy of the Merwin & HulbertE183
Spanish Patent Quirks: Anitua Y Charola's Copy of the Merwin & Hulberthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The firm of Anitua Y Charola in Eibar, Spain (later renamed Charola Y Anitua) was founded in 1880 or 1881, and their first substantial product was a copy of the American Merwin & Hulbert revolver. They were made with hopes of getting Spanish military adoption, and thus were chambered for the .44 S&W American cartridge instead of the .44-40 Winchester cartridge that the original Merwin & Hulbert used. The military acceptance never did come, but the guns were in production for about 15 years. An interesting quirk of Spanish patent law was that a product had to be actually produced in Spain in order to qualify for patent protection. None of the major small arms developers had manufacturing facilities in Spain, and so most never bothered to take out Spanish patents - and Spanish gunmakers rampantly copied European and American designs. In this case, though, Anitua took the rather brazen step of patenting the Merwin & Hulbert system them selves in Spain! To make things more interesting, a legal fight then developed between Anitua and the rival company Orbea Hermanos, who claimed to have been making the Merwin & Hulber system first... Many thanks to Mike Carrick of Arms Heritage Magazine for providing me access to film this example! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ian's Customs: The Terrible KrinkovE184
Ian's Customs: The Terrible Krinkovhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Since you all seemed to enjoy the first installment in the series, today we have another of Ian's Customs... This is my "Krinkov" - not a proper name for a short-barreled factory AK (the AKS-74U, specifically), but a word that I think fits this gun just fine. It is a registered SBR that I put together myself about 10 years ago using a Nodak Spud receiver, Romanian "G" kit, cheap-o Chinese airgun stock, and a new set of front end parts. It has a barrel just 9.5 inches long, poorly set rivets, a kludged rear trunnion, and requires one of the recoil buffer plugs to keep the bolt carrier from jumping off its tracks. But it's my first NFA item, and for all its awfulness I really like it. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - "Jungle Carbine" - the Lee Enfield No5 MkI RifleE185
"Jungle Carbine" - the Lee Enfield No5 MkI Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today I am concluding our series on the standard-issue Lee Enfield system with the No5 MkI - the "jungle carbine". Developed in 1943 as a shorter and handier pattenr of rifle than the No4, the carbine went into production in 1944 and saw use during World War Two. It featured a number of lightening cuts, as well as a shortened barrel, conical flash hider, side-mounted sling, 800-yard sights, and rubber buttpad. Unfortunately, the No5 was beset by a problem of "wandering zero". A significant number of the rifles failed to properly hold zero when they were widely issued. The problem was never fully resolved, but appears to have been the result of receiver flex due to the lightening cuts. Efforts to fix it were essentially abandoned, as it was recognized that a new self-loading rifle was going to be adopted soon, and it would be a waste of time and money to continue development of the Lee Enfield by that point. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Throwback Thursday: Dolf Goldsmith Reminisces About Destructive DevicesE186
Throwback Thursday: Dolf Goldsmith Reminisces About Destructive Deviceshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Dolf Goldsmith is a legend; a truly passionate machine gunner who has been a pillar of the NFA shooting community since the 1950s. He has some great stories to tell, and today we are going to hear several of them. This interview was recorded in December 2011. Further references: Bazooka attack on the UN: https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/story-attempted-bazooka-attack-united-nations-article-1.817308 20mm Lahti bank robbery: https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/shades-of-thunderbolt-lightfoot-the-20-mm-brinks-heist/ Finnish 82mm mortars: https://www.jaegerplatoon.net/MORTARS5.htm Dolf's books on Amazon: https://amzn.to/2VnwoU0 Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - All the Guns on a T-62 Tank (with Nicholas Moran, the Chieftain)E187
All the Guns on a T-62 Tank (with Nicholas Moran, the Chieftain)Try out World of Tanks with a special bonus tank using this link! https://tanks.ly/3dqGoBL Today Nicholas Moran (the Chieftain) and I are at Battlefield Vegas courtesy of Wargaming.net, to show you around a Soviet T-62 and all its various armaments. This particular T-62 was built in 1971 or 1972 and initially sold to Syria. It saw combat in the Valley of Tears in 1973, but survived as was eventually transferred to Lebanese ownership. From there is was captured by Israel and eventually imported into the United States via the UK. The T-62 was the last of the "simple" WW2-style Soviet tanks, and equipped with and extremely effective 115mm smoothbore main gun. In addition to that cannon, we will discuss and shoot the coaxial PKT machine gun and the loader's antiaircraft DShKM heavy machine gun. If you enjoy this video, check out World of Tanks - and maybe they will send Nicholas and I back again to do the same thing yet again on a third tank! For videos on the detail of tanks like this one, check out The Chieftain: https://www.youtube.com/user/WorldOfTanksCom https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp4j9Y9L6jie44iZroCb99A 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:06:02 - Coaxial PKT 0:13:12 - Antiaircraft DShKM 0:20:25 - 115mm Main Gun 0:28:43 - Firing the main gun Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Interview: Restoring the T-62 w/ Scott from Battlefield VegasE188
Interview: Restoring the T-62 w/ Scott from Battlefield Vegashttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com My opportunity to drive and shoot a T62 tank yesterday was a ton of fun - but there is so much more to that vehicle - and everything Battlefield Vegas is doing with their motor pool - than we could cover in one video. Today, I'm taking a moment to talk with Steve, who led the restoration of this vehicle. BFV is one of the very few places in the world that will restore not just the drive train of a vehicle, but also the ancillary systems (night vision, targeting, etc) and also the main armament. The business model is based on people paying for the experience of driving and shooting, but what that funds is a truly awesome team of passionate restorers and mechanics. It is a wonderful symbiosis of keeping history alive and giving people access to it. Scott and Dimitri and the rest of the crew have their own YouTube channel documenting much of their work on the vehicles - the real nuts and bolts that you will never see anywhere else. Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwgOYMBdQTz1BfbzH5OoHgg Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Three Types of Chassepot Cavalry CarbinesE189
The Three Types of Chassepot Cavalry Carbineshttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com There are few records I have been able to find on production of the original Mle 1866 Chassepot cavalry carbines. However, Royal Tiger / InterOrdnance just recently brought in a crate of 200 Gras and Chassepot-Gras cavalry carbines and I was able to help unpack and sort them. In the process, I found examples of all three main types of markings. The pattern was adopted in 1869, and production began in 1870. The first roughly 55,000 at St Etienne were made under the Second Empire, and marked "Manufacture Imperiale". Following the defeat of Napoleon III and the fall of the Empire, the marking changed to just "St Etienne" in large script letters. About 100,000 cavalry carbines were made with this marking, in 1871 and 1872. Finally, after the Third Republic was formed in 1873, a final 25,000 or so were made with the receiver marking "Manufacture d'Armes". The examples were are looking at today were all converted into metallic-cartridge Gras carbines in the late 1870s, as were the vast majority of Chassepot carbines - originals still firing paper cartridges are extremely rare today. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Great Sportsman's Guide AK Magazine Lottery of 2006E190
The Great Sportsman's Guide AK Magazine Lottery of 2006http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Someone left a comment about my casual use of a stamped Chinese AK magazine in my little Krink build, and it prompted me to consider where that magazine came from. I got that magazine as part of what really was a magnificent treasure trove of AK magazines that were imported by Sportsman's Guide back in 2006/2007. They apparently found a warehouse full of AK magazines in Sarajevo, stuff that had found its way into the former Yugoslavia during the wars in the 90s. Sportsman's Guide bought them all up and imported them into the US, where they proceeded to dump them on the market without any sorting or organization. The magazines were packed 6 per bag, and you could get either 6 or 12 at a time, for something like 6 bucks per mag (less if you were a member of their loyalty program). Opening those bags was like buying collectible playing cards; you never knew what you would get, but you were always hoping for something rare and exotic. The cache was largely generic European mags, but also included Russian steel, Russian bakelite,, slab sides, aluminum waffles, Egyptian, Yugoslav bolt hold-opens, Chinese roll-backs, Chinese stamped, Croatian 2-ribs, Bosnian single ribs, and (the one I really wanted but never did get) Bosnian Fleur-de-Lis mags. Ah, good times... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Winchester Model D: The WW1 Origins of the Famous Model 70E191
Winchester Model D: The WW1 Origins of the Famous Model 70http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Just as World War One broke out in Europe, TC Johnson was working on a new Mauser-based sporting rifle design for the Winchester company. With the war, Johnson added options for military configurations (handguard, bayonet lug, etc) and presented the design (at this point called the Model A) to Winchester management. A few changes were made to simplify production, and the Model B was seen favorably in late 1914. However, at this time Winchester received a contract to produce Pattern 1914 rifles for the British. Johnson was put in charge of overseeing that work, which would take up almost a year of his time. Once the Model 1914 production was smoothly underway, Johnson returned to his new rifle. The rear sight was now moved back to the receiver bridge like the P14 to become the Model C, and an economy model of the same was named the Model D. By this time the date is 1916, and Winchester was trying to market the Model D as a military rifle to a variety of nations. This particular example is chambered in 6.5 Portuguese (6.5×58mm Vergueiro), because of interest from that country. The most potential, however, came from Russia, and in late 1917 Winchester made a sample batch of 500 Model D rifles chambered for the Russian 7.62x54R cartridge. These rifles were ready in October 1917, which was not exactly an idea time to be making business deals with the Czar - and the whole effort fell apart. After the was, the Model D was followed by the Model E and Model F, which in turn became the Model 51 and Model 54 and ultimately the Model 70, which is still in production today. Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this very rare prototype rifle! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 8574 - Why The Most Expensive US Martial Pistol Exploded A LotE192
Why The Most Expensive US Martial Pistol Exploded A Lothttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Colt Model 1847 Walker is one of the most valuable of all US military handguns in the collecting community, with examples sometimes breaking seven figures. However, the Walker was in many ways a remarkable failure as a service sidearm, mostly because it tended to explode. By today's standards, it exploded quite a lot. Why? Basically, a combination of several factors: - The Walker was made of wrought iron, and not always the best quality wrought iron. Cylinders had internal flaws that became weak points and failed upon firing. - The Walker had a huge powder capacity in its chambers, between 50 and 60 grains depending on the projectile used. This was basically rifle size, and it left the cylinder design with a very small margin of safety. - Powder composition and grain size was less standardized in the 1840s than it is today, making overpressure loads more likely than today. - The Walker was designed for a conical "Pickett" bullet that was tricky to load correctly (point forward). Loading it backward could increase the powder volume in a chamber. Of nearly 400 Walkers issued for the Mexican-American War, only 191 were returned after a year's service, and only 82 of those were serviceable. Some of those missing guns were lost and stolen, but a substantial number - generally accepted to be 20%-30% - suffered burst barrels, burst cylinders, and broken cylinder arbors. Whoops! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Stalin's Record Player: The DP-27 Light Machine GunE193
Stalin's Record Player: The DP-27 Light Machine Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Despite having early experience with the Madsen LMG prior to World War One, the Soviet military opted to follow the German path of machine gun development after the war. Valuing the sustained firepower of belt-fed guns like the MG08-15 and MG08-18 over the portability of guns like the BAR or Lewis, the Soviet Union formally adopted the Maxim-Tokarev in 1925. However, Degtyarev developed his own simple, light, bis-fed design anyway, with support of one M.V. Frunze in the military establishment. The Army ultimately came around to the benefits of a more portable light machine gun, and the Degtyarev was adopted in 1927, with production beginning in 1928 (hence the references to both DP-27 and DP-28 as its name). It would continue to undergo iterative development for several years, eventually becoming a very durable and reliable weapon for the Red Army. Service in World War Two showed a few shortcomings however, resulting in an upgrade program to the DPM, adopted in 1944. This involved moving the recoil spring to the back of the gun, adding a pistol grip, and improving the bipod. In 1946 it was adapted to belt feed, and eventually only pushed out of service by the introduction of the PK in the early 1960s. Degtyarev's gas-operated, flapper-locked system proved to be very successful, and he used the same basic system in the DShK, DS-39, and RPD machine guns as well. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Hotchkiss Universal SMG at the RangeE194
Hotchkiss Universal SMG at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I have previously filmed a semiauto Hotchkiss Universal, but until today I'd not had a chance to try shooting an intact, original automatic one. Thanks to Battlefield Vegas, I have the chance today! Turns out, the French absolutely made the right choice taking the MAT-49 over the Hotchkiss Universal. The Hotchkiss has very cool folding features, but in actual firing it's pretty awful. The sights are awkwardly low, the overall handling ergonomics are poor, and it bounces around quite a lot when firing. About the only SMGs that I think the Hotchkiss outperforms are the MkII and MkIII Sten - and that's a pretty low bar to clear! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Deliberately Obsolete: Ottoman S&W New Model No.3 in .44 Henry RimfireE195
Deliberately Obsolete: Ottoman S&W New Model No.3 in .44 Henry Rimfirehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The S&W No.3 revolver was originally designed for the .44 Henry Rimfire cartridge, but initial US military testing caused it to be changed to a centerfire cartridge, and all serial production would use centerfire ammunition. All serial production, that is, except a couple orders from the Ottoman Empire. The Ottomans had a substantial number of 1866 Henry rifles (chambered for .44 Henry Rimfire) that they rather liked (see also: the Battle of Plevna), and they requested revolvers from Smith & Wesson that could use that same cartridge. S&W obliged, and the result was the only production rimfire pattern. Ottoman purchases of the rimfire No.3 revolver ran for nearly 10 years, from 1874 until 1883. They included 2nd and 3rd model Russian No.3s, and also 5,000 of the New Model No.3, which is what we are looking at today. Many thanks to Mike Carrick of Arms Heritage Magazine for providing me access to film this example! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ian's Customs: Tanker M1 ScoutE196
Ian's Customs: Tanker M1 Scouthttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we are looking at the Tanker M1 rig I put together about 15 years ago. This is an original WW2 production receiver rebuilt with an 18" 7.62mm NATO barrel in the 1980s by Arlington Ordnance. In pursuit of a universal do-it-all practical rifle, I then added a forward scope mount with a Burris 2-7x pistol scope, and a muzzle brake from Smith Enterprises. To go along with the rifle, I have a really nice single-clip index holder from Comp-Tac (which I really wish someone would put back into production...) and a much less practical flashlight fitted to a cut-off M1 bayonet. I really had forgotten just how enjoyable of a rifle this turned out to be, despite its weight... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Marius Berger's Ring-Trigger Tube-Magazine PistolE197
Marius Berger's Ring-Trigger Tube-Magazine Pistolhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The 1880s and 1890s were a fertile period of experimentation with repeating handguns. One such example is this design by Marius Berger, manufactured in France by St Etienne in 1880 and 1881. It uses a ring trigger and a 4-stage cycle in which pulling the trigger sequentially: 1) Opens the breech, extracting the empty case 2) Ejects the empty case as an elevator lifts the next round up from the magazine tube 3) Chambers a new cartridge and closes the breech behind it 4) Fires the cartridge This particular example, serial number 14, has an interesting and unusual magazine tube design. Instead of removing the follower and loading rounds in the front of the tube, or loading them through the action from the back, this tube has two parts. The inner liner can be rotated to open up the side of the tube, thereby allowing rounds to be dropped in place. The inner tube liner is then rotated back into position, sealing the tube and releasing the follower to push rounds onto the elevator. Guns like the Berger (and the wide array of Austrian manually-operated pistols of this period) were rendered obsolete as smokeless powder made semiautomatic pistols viable by the mid 1890s. In my opinion, however, they are a really interesting and marvelously varied area of experimentation! Thanks to the Institute of Military Technology (https://www.instmiltech.com) for giving me the opportunity to bring this remarkable pistol to you! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Throwback Thursday: Cei Rigotti Rifle DisassemblyE198
Throwback Thursday: Cei Rigotti Rifle Disassemblyhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Cei Rigotti is a fascinating early Italian self-loading rifle design that was tested in several countries, but never adopted or put into production. I had a chance to disassemble one at the British REME museum in Warminster back in 2012, and the video has not gotten much traction because of how small the channel was back then. So, coupled with a bit of backstory about how we filmed it, this makes an excellent Throwback Thursday video. Enjoy! For more information and photos of the Cei Rigotti, see the Forgotten Weapons main page on it: https://www.forgottenweapons.com/early-semiauto-rifles/cei-rigotti/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Zastava M93 Black Arrow: Serbia's .50 Cal Anti-Materiel RifleE199
Zastava M93 Black Arrow: Serbia's .50 Cal Anti-Materiel Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The M93 Black Arrow is a .50 caliber anti-materiel rifle developed by Zastava to replace some applications of the RPG with better accuracy. It was originally produced in 12.7x108mm, the same as used in the DShK machine guns then in use by the Serbian military. Later production (including this example) included 12.7x99 Browning, which is much more common in Western nations. The mechanics of the gun are very interesting, as it is essentially a scaled-up French FR-F1 with the exception of the front half of the bolt, which uses Mauser-style locking lugs and extractor. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Zastava M93 Black Arrow in .50 BMG at the RangeE200
Zastava M93 Black Arrow in .50 BMG at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we have the M93 "Black Arrow" out at the range. I made an attempt to get the scope zeroed enough to be on paper, but was unable to get it there within a few rounds, so most of this video is shot using the rifle's backup iron sights. Perhaps others will have more recoil tolerance to properly dial in one of these. Overall, the M93 is definitely a military-spec heavy rifle, not a commercial precision rifle. All of its elements are functional, but they all leave something to be desired. The grip and stock are a bit uncomfortable, the iron sights are a bit crude, the trigger is heavy and squishy, and the recoil is more brutal than I am used to, even considering that it's chambered for the .50 BMG cartridge. That said, I got a remarkable 3-round group, at least by my estimation. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ross WWI Sniper Rifle w/ Winchester A5 ScopeE201
Ross WWI Sniper Rifle w/ Winchester A5 Scopehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The standard Canadian sniper's rifle of World War One was the MkIII Ross fitted with a Warner & Swasey "musket sight" purchased from the United States. However, armorers in the field did create sniping rifles using other scopes - in particular the Winchester A5. The A5 was a popular commercial rifle scope at the time, and it found its way onto military rifles for many nations - I have seen examples on Lebel and SMLE rifles as well as of course American Springfields and this Ross. The A5 was a 5x magnification scope with external adjustments. We don't know when this example was built into sniper configuration, but it's provenance is solid (this sort of thing would be relatively easy to counterfeit). Personally, I would much prefer a Winchester A5 over the Warner & Swasey pattern... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Q&A 53: With Matt Larosiere (FRT Trigger) and Russell Phagan (KP-15)E202
Q&A 53: With Matt Larosiere (FRT Trigger) and Russell Phagan (KP-15)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:00:28 - What am I using to learn French? 0:01:21 - How difficult is a C&R license? 0:04:06 - Thoughts on FB Radom's return to the US commercial market? Military Beryl AK: https://youtu.be/VGUHYjZFg5c 0:06:22 - Do milling and optics on slides impact pistol reliability? 0:08:09 - Maxim-Tokarev 0:09:29 - Suppressing the Nagant 1895 0:12:09 - Military sidearms by someone like Arex? 0:13:30 - Why did the Luger 1906 rifle not catch on? 0:15:51 - Why doesn't the RSC-1917 load from the top? RSC-1917: https://youtu.be/BQan6gn37A4 0:18:12 - Thoughts on the Rare Breed FRT - Guest spot by Matt Larosiere Matt's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLrm1e8ffKnV8gnACtGjy6A 0:25:15 - M1 Garand vs M14 0:27:25 - Finnish military 1895 Nagant revolvers 0:29:39 - Why was the SKS not a more successful military rifle? 0:32:13 - Converting .303 British to rimless 0:34:45 - Manurhin MR-73 vs H&K Mk23 0:36:33 - Why no revolvers in .30 Carbine? 0:38:05 - Elements of European culture I like 0:40:07 - Would the British use 9mm or .455 in a WW1 SMG? 0:42:19 - What are the MP-1 through MP-4 and the MP-6? Walther MPL: https://youtu.be/tQSilZnqdlA 0:43:51 - Painting the KP-15 - Guest spot by Russell Phagan Russell's channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/SinistralRifleman 0:46:02 - NFA Trusts 0:51:44 - Direct gas impingement pistol? 0:52:21 - Arms for Archduke Franz Ferdinand's bodyguard 0:54:42 - Did prop/engine speed effect machine gun RoF? 0:56:34 - Build your own WW1 rifle 0:59:21 - Underbarrel grenade launchers vs rifle grenades 1:01:15 - How to have a career working with old guns 1:04:23 - Am I still involved with InRangeTV? 1:06:07 - Japanese vz24 Mauser 1:09:11 - How does the P90 magazine not malfunction all the time? P90: https://youtu.be/M20PiFxMkrs - But Does it Take 1911 Mags? Prototype Winchester 1905SL in .45 ACPE203
But Does it Take 1911 Mags? Prototype Winchester 1905SL in .45 ACPhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com One of the really cool aspects of the Cody Firearms Museum is that their collection is built largely on the original Winchester factory collection. Thus they have a significant number of prototype Winchester designs that were built and tested, but never put into production. One of them is this Winchester Model 1905 Self Loader chambered for .45 ACP, using standard 1911 pistol magazines. This example was built circa 1919, but never progressed farther than this one prototype. Why not? Probably because it was not seen as being a viable commercial offering at the time. While pistol caliber carbines are popular today, at the time Winchester's problem was that the hunting market dominated, and customers wanted more powerful cartridges in the 1905/1907/1910 series of self-loaders - not less powerful ones. Thanks to the Cody Firearms Museum for allowing me access to film this unique prototype! Check them out here: https://centerofthewest.org/explore/firearms/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Great Celebrity Breakups: Winchester and John BrowningE204
Great Celebrity Breakups: Winchester and John Browninghttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In August 1903, Thomas Bennett (head of the Winchester company) wrote a letter to his many distributors and agents explaining how Winchester had decided to part ways with the Browning Brothers, and how the company would certainly be better off as a result. The gun at the heart of the breakup was Browning's new self-loading shotgun, the Auto-5. Browning would end up taking the design the FN, where it became a massive commercial success - but the whole story is really much more nuanced than most people recognize. This isn't simply a matter of Browning demanding a royalty arrangement, but rather much more... Nathan Gorenstein's biography of John Browning is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/37Sx9XS Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - The Dutch Model 1871/79 Beaumont - from EthiopiaE205
The Dutch Model 1871/79 Beaumont - from Ethiopiahttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Beaumont was one of the early European breechloading metallic-cartridge rifles, adopted in 1871. The rifle is a combination of elements form the Chassepot, the Mauser-Norris, and a unique V-spring firing pin system invented by John Claes of Liege. The rifle was submitted to Dutch testing by Edouard de Beaumont, and ended up taking his name. Cloes' bolt system uses a V-spring set inside the bolt handle itself to power the firing pin spring. This is an interesting system, but many countries were concerned that a V-spring was too fragile for this purpose. It also precluded the production of a bent-bolt carbine version of the Beaumont for cavalry (the Netherlands bought Remington Rolling Black carbines for this purpose). In total, 31,600 Beaumont rifles were made for the Dutch by a gunmaking consortium in Suhl, 86,000 by J. Stevens in Maastricht, and 29,700 by JFJ Bar in Delft. In 1878 a new cartridge was adopted, and the rifle became the 1871/79. The rear sight was changed to fit the new higher-velocity round, and the bolt-locking safety from the original pattern was removed. In 1888, most of the rifles in Dutch service were further modified to use a 4-round Vitali pattern magazine - single-shot examples are fairly rare today. This particular example was imported out of Ethiopia, and is in remarkably good condition for that. It has a clear and professionally-applied Lion of Judah stamp right over the barrel date, suggesting that a professional dealer sold a whole batch of Beaumonts to King Menelik of Ethiopia. This may have taken place in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of Adwa in 1896, but I cannot confirm that. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Field to Table: Shooting (Delicious) Lionfish to Protect our ReefsE206
Field to Table: Shooting (Delicious) Lionfish to Protect our ReefsWant to do this yourself? Talk to Brady Hale at Ocean Strike Team, and tell him Ian sent you: https://oceanstriketeam.org/ Also, a huge thanks to Niuhi Dive Charters (http://www.niuhidivecharters.com) and Sake Cafe (http://www.sakecafepensacola.com). Lionfish are a scourge on reef habitats in the Atlantic, Caribbean, and Gulf of Mexico from the eastern coast of South American as far north as New York. They are a species native to the Indian Ocean and Polynesia, and in their native habitat they have competition and predators, and exist as a balanced part of the ecosystem. In American waters, they have no natural predators at all, and their voracious appetites and rapid reproduction rate have caused them to multiply exponentially since they were first released off the Florida coast in the 1980s. One of the key strategies that has been successful in starting to control their population has been hunting by human recreational and commercial divers. Fortunately, lionfish are in fact delicious eating. They give a flaky, white meat that is quite mild in flavor, with no "fishiness" at all. Whether battered and fried, grilled for fish tacos, or prepared as traditional sashimi, they make a fantastic meal. And so, when I wanted to do another "Field to Table" type video with a different feel from last year's Texas hog hunt, lionfish were a perfect prey. I should note that while lionfish do have 13 venomous spines, they are neither potentially fatal nor do they carry any risk form eating at all. Like a rattlesnake, the spines must break the skin to inflict injury. If you are stung, the venom is very painful, but not life-threatening (with the caveat that diving is inherently dangerous, and getting stung underwater presents a great opportunity to do something stupid the will kill you). Working with Brady, Adam, and Captain Andy, we spent several days on Pensacola Bay learning how to use the pole spear and Zookeeper to effectively kill and safely handle the lionfish. - The Army's Labor Union: Winchester 94s for the Loyal Legion of Loggers & LumbermenE207
The Army's Labor Union: Winchester 94s for the Loyal Legion of Loggers & Lumbermenhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we have a rifle from a really neat forgotten corner of American military history. During World War One, the Pacific Northwest was the source of prime lumber, in particular Sitka Spruce that was ideal for aircraft production. The US military wanted that spruce for its own aircraft, and there was also massive demand form France and the UK for their production as well. As part of the American war effort, the Signal Corps (which oversaw military aviation) set about increasing spruce production severalfold. The Corps sent a Colonel to investigate what would be necessary to do this, and he found that logging work was being significantly disrupted by labor union organizing, ranging from strikes to active sabotage. In response, the Army essentially created its own labor union, the Loyal Legion of Loggers and Lumbermen which both provided some of the labor reforms sought by groups like the IWW and also succeeded in massively increasing timber output for the war. The LLLL is a mostly-forgotten organization, and most of the documentation on it is from very left-wing organizations that paint it as a government attempt to quash labor rights. The reality appears to be far more nuanced, with several very legitimate reforms instituted in good faith. Unfortunately, the best reference on this period is completely out of print, "Soldiers and Spruce: Origins of the Loyal Legions of Loggers & Lumberman" by Harold Hyman (https://amzn.to/3lErrRC). At any rate, part of the effort included the creation of the Spruce Production Division - 25,000 soldiers (mostly with backgrounds in logging and lumber) to Vancouver. They were seconded to private logging companies with Army-subsidized wages, but retained a military structure and officer corps. The Signal Corps purchased about 1,800 Winchester Model 1894 rifles in .3 - Ian's Customs: WWSD CommandoE208
Ian's Customs: WWSD Commandohttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Having worked with the KP-15 for the WWSD2020 project, I got a hankering to know how a tiny SBR carbine would work using a KP-15 lower. There is no option for using a pistol brace, of course so this was built as a registered short-barreled rifle. I used a Faxon 10.5 inch 5.56mm pencil-weight barrel, a Tacstar (?) carbon fiber handguard, a standard KE upper, and a complete WWSD 2021 lower. The hand stop is from Slate Black Industries, and the optic is a Holosun 503CU. Why not use .300 Blackout? Basically, because 5.56mm is a lot more convenient and I don't need any of the benefits of .300. Why use a fixed stock? Weight, strength, and simplicity. I wanted the light weight of the monolithic polymer stock, and it is a stronger design than a collapsing type. I'm really happy with how the experiment turned out! The WWSD Commando has an overall length of 29.5 inches, and weighs (with the optic) 5lb 2oz (2.3kg). It has a bit more snap and bark than a proper-length barrel, but is not unpleasant to shoot by any means. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Odd BSA Prototype Charger Bridge Long LeeE209
Odd BSA Prototype Charger Bridge Long Leehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today we have a very odd BSA prototype Long Lee rifle. The details of its production are unknown, but it has good provenance; the Charnwood Ordnance collection. What makes the rifle unusual is a unique style of split charger guide unlike either the SMLE type fixed guides or the earlier CLLE guides mounted to the bolt head. It has commercial proof markings, and nothing on the receiver socket. An interesting mystery rifle for you Lee Enfield enthusiasts... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Throwback Thursday: 70 Years' Perspective on Gun Collecting (Dolf Goldsmith)E210
Throwback Thursday: 70 Years' Perspective on Gun Collecting (Dolf Goldsmith)http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Today I am reposting an interview I filmed with Dolf Goldsmith back in December 2011. We talk about the state of gun collecting at that time, and how things have changed since Dolf first took up the hobby in the 1950s. In particular, he has some fun anecdotes about US Army testing with the PKM, and the heavy machine gun his aunt was sent by the US Government for her Red Cross service. Sadly, the Robert Segel whom Dolf mentions as a book collaborator passed away this past year, and their book on the lesser-known machine guns has not come to fruition. Dolf remains a vibrant member of the community still today at age 93, though! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Zastava's M90: The Serbian M70 Updated to 5.56mmE211
Zastava's M90: The Serbian M70 Updated to 5.56mmhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Zastava has been making AK rifles in Serbia (formerly Yugoslavia) since the 1960s, and today has a number of offerings made for the commercial market. One of the recent ones is the M90 (or more specifically, the PAPM90PS). This is a 5.56mm rifle fundamentally based on the M70 pattern. It uses Serbian magazines (not interchangeable with other types of 5.56mm AK magazine) and comes with a combination of modern Hogue and Magpul furniture as well as a left-side optics mounting rail. It does also include as 3-position gas regulator like on the Yugoslav M76. Several military M70 features have been removed for importation, including the bayonet lug and night sights. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - NAA .22 Magnum Mini-Revolver at the BUG MatchE212
NAA .22 Magnum Mini-Revolver at the BUG Matchhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com I've been taking a lot of big pistols to the (alleged) BackUp Gun Match, and I figured it was time to try out something that actually would quality as a back-up gun. So, I got my hands on one of NAA's .22 Mini-Revolvers. This is the smallest practically shootable "real" gun made, and they are relatively popular with some people as a deep concealment pistol. They are available in .22 Short, .22 LR, and .22 Magnum, with a wide variety of options and features. What I am using today is a very basic example. It has a .22 Magnum 5-shot cylinder, basic wood grips, and is single action only with a sheath trigger. It has a 1.625" (41mm) barrel and weighs 6.5 ounces (184 g). It has a front sight and no rear sight, and is effectively impossible to aim at any reasonable distance. So, let's see it f it is still better than a Taurus Curve! Epilogue: I placed 27th of 31 shooters (87th percentile), with a total score of 2 point. With the Curve - including the fact that I used a fully-functional HiPoint for the last stage - I scored -4 overall. That was not on the same course of fire, so it's not strictly comparable, but I think it is highly suggestive. I also placed worse relative to the field with the Curve, at 37th of 41 (90th percentile). The Mini-Revolver is slow to shoot, underpowered, and essentially impossible to aim, but it is well made and reliable. The Curve has much more oomph, but it does not run reliably at all. Given a terrible choice between only these two guns, I would be very temped to take the NAA simply because I know it will at least work. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - A Rare Navy Stopgap: the CLLE MkI Naval EnfieldE213
A Rare Navy Stopgap: the CLLE MkI Naval Enfieldhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The British Royal Navy tended to accumulate some of the obsolescent patterns of Enfield rifles around the turn of the 19th century, as the Army had higher priority for the new types of rifle. This resulted in a rather odd and poorly-documented pattern, the Charger-Loading Lee Enfield (CLLE) MkI Naval. Produced around 1910-1912, these guns began as original production Long Lee (or Metford) rifles. In 1910, the new MkVII high velocity Spitzer ammunition was adopted, and it was largely issued on charger clips for use in the new SMLE rifles. The Royal Navy decided that it wanted to be able to use this ammunition, and so it converted some (exact numbers are unclear) of the old Long Lees with a mishmash of updates: The rear sights were recalibrated for MkVII ammunition, but not changed in style. So, no windage adjustment was possible on either the front or rear. A charger bridge was added, including a channel cut to allow a sigh picture on the old-style sights. This also involved removing the early pattern dust covers on the bolts. The resulting guns were marked "HV" for "high velocity" in front of their rear sights. The right side of the receiver socket retained the original production markings, and "CLLE MkI" was added to the left side of the sockets. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Cheek Pistol Concept: Unorthodox But EffectiveE214
Cheek Pistol Concept: Unorthodox But Effectivehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com My friend Rhett Neumayer has been experimenting with an unorthodox but very interesting way to use handguns that don't have reciprocating slides. He fits a red dot optic on a relatively tall mount, then presses the back of the pistol into his cheek while gripping it over the top of the frame with his support hand. There are only a few pistols that can be used this way, like the KelTec CP33 and the Steyr SPP, but it allows remarkably fast, accurate shooting with a very compact presentation (basically the same as shooting a traditional handgun form retention). It's a really interesting idea, and Rhett has shown it to be very effective. Check out his channel for various demonstrations: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3ZSvyxYpdQOnRUseGV7lmw Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Danish M1941 Suomi SMGE215
Danish M1941 Suomi SMGhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When the Tikkakoski company bought the rights to produce the kp31 "Suomi" submachine gun in the 1930s, they attempted to make a bunch of export sales, although none were very successful. By the late 30s more countries were interested, but by that time Finnish military needs took precedence. While a few export sales were made during World War Two, the more significant exports were in the forms of licensed production. In particular, Sweden, Switzerland, and Denmark all bought the rights to manufacture Suomis. In Denmark, this was the Model 1941, produced by both Madsen and Hovea with approval of the German occupying authorities. About 1400 were made between the 1941 and 1943 before the Germans lost confidence in Denmark and disarmed its military. The M1941 is mechanically identical to the standard Finnish kp31 except for: - Front sight protective wings - Triangular front sling swivel - Rear sling swivel (instead of a sling bar) - Aggressive pistol-grip stock design Interestingly several of these changes were also incorporated into Tikka's 1942 prototype improved kp31, which never saw production. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ethiopian Oddities - Single Shot French Mle 1878 MarineE216
Ethiopian Oddities - Single Shot French Mle 1878 Marinehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Among all the standard rifles that are coming into the US from Ethiopia through InterOrdnance, there are a handful of really unusual oddballs, and we are going to look at several of them. We have the first one today; a single shot adaptation of a French Mle 1878 Marine Kropatschek. Only a small number of these rifles were originally made, part of a contract for the French Navy made by Steyr in Austria. As originally built, the rifle has a 7-round tubular magazine inside the handguard. This example, however, has been fitted to a stock with no space for a magazine tube. The stock is inletted to fit the rifle's elevator mechanism, but the elevator goes nowhere, and the system is capable of single shot use only. Why was this done? Perhaps the magazine tube was damaged at some point, and there were no replacement parts available? This is certainly a rare pattern of rifle, and spares would not be likely on hand for an Ethiopian armorer... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Vickers Mk IV .50 Caliber Water-Cooled Tank GunE217
Vickers Mk IV .50 Caliber Water-Cooled Tank Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Development of the .50 caliber Vickers guns began during World War One, but stagnated after 1918, and was not really completed until the early 1930s. At that point, Vickers produced a series of the guns for use primarily as armored vehicle armament and for antiaircraft use. It was formally adopted in 1933, and declared obsolete in 1944. A total of 1,117 were made for ground use, plus more for naval use. The ground guns ran from MkI to MkV, with today's example being a MkIV. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Vietnamese MAT-49 in 7.62mm Tokarev at the RangeE218
Vietnamese MAT-49 in 7.62mm Tokarev at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com While I have filmed a MAT-49, I have not had a chance to actually try one out at the range until today. But today I don't just have a normal example; I have one rebarreled to 7.62x25mm Tokarev by the Vietnamese! So let's see how it handles... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Personalized 1911s from the WW1 American Expedition to SiberiaE219
Personalized 1911s from the WW1 American Expedition to Siberiahttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com At the end of the Great War, the United States sent several thousand soldiers to eastern Siberia, to protect war supplies from the Red Russian forces and to help rescue the Czechoslovak Legion. Also known as the Polar Bear Expedition, this force spent 1919 around Arkhangelsk and Vladivostok. They saw some combat action, and also took on the job of guarding German POWs who had been in Russian captivity. One of those POWs - we will probably never know his name - was a skilled artisan who made fancy custom M1911 grips for a number of American soldiers and officers. They have deep reliefs of eagles and oak leaves and engraved silver plaques. There are at least half a dozen pistols with these grips documented in various collections around the US, and we have two examples to look at in person today. The wood carvings ing is basically the same on all of them, but the wording on the silver varies from gun to gun. Typically one side has the owner's name or initials and the other side commemorates the mission, with "AEF" or "Vladivostok" and/or dates of 1919 and 1920. These pistols are a fantastic personal link to a mostly-forgotten corner of US involvement in World War One. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Parker-Hale .303-.22 Conversion Kits for the Enfield, Lewis, and VickersE220
Parker-Hale .303-.22 Conversion Kits for the Enfield, Lewis, and Vickershttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In July of 1918, the British military formally adopted a Parker-Hale system of adapting .303-caliber arms to .22 rimfire for short range training. The system involved lining standard barrels with .22 caliber blanks that were machined with full size .303 chambers. Special cartridge inserts were used which had the external dimensions of .303 cartridges, but held .22LR cartridges inside. This allowed the weapon to use the same feeding system as it normally would, and to duplicate the handling and trigger mechanism of a standard .303 caliber gun wile only firing a small rimfire cartridge. Parker-Hale built kits of this type for the Lee Enfield rifle, the Lewis LMG, and the Vickers HMG, and all were used by the British military. In the Lewis and Vickers, there was no accommodation made to actually cycle the guns; this sort of .22 practice drill was done by manually cycling the actions after each shot. Still, it was a good way to practice basic drill (loading, unloading, etc) as well as basic marksmanship without the noise of full power cartridges and without the need for a full-power-rated backstop. The system for the Lee Enfield was replaced in 1920 (after only about 2 years of use) with the No2 MkIV* rifle, a dedicated .22 conversion of an SMLE. Parker-Hale kept the system in their commercial catalog into the 1930s, however. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - What Would Ross Do? The .280 Military Match M10 RifleE221
What Would Ross Do? The .280 Military Match M10 Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com There were many different versions of the Ross straight-pull bolt action rifle made and adopted by the Canadian military. However, the version that Sir Charles Ross thought would be best was only ever made as a small run of prototypes. this rifle was called the Military Match M10, in .280 Ross caliber. The .280 Ross was a powerful cartridge on par with 7mm Remington Magnum, firing a 140 grin bullet at 3000 fps. This made it very flat-shooting, which Ross saw as ideal for minimizing range estimation errors. Ross' military experience had been in the Boer War, where long range individual marksmanship was perhaps as important as in any other modern military conflict. For his idea rifle, he used his M1910 action with a Mauser-style 5-round double-column flush magazine, a finely adjustable rear sight with an aperture for precision shooting but also a notch sight for snap shots. He gave a it a 26 inch barrel - longer than many of the rifles being adopted in the early 1900s, but long enough to have good ballistics and a very long sight radius. Ross presented his rifle to the Canadian and British militaries, but it was not accepted, because of the British retention of the .303 cartridge if for no other reason. Only about two dozen were made, with serial numbers in the 102XX range. Only perhaps half of those still exist today, and it's a rare treat to be able to examine this one! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Throwback Thursday: The Nifty Hybrid-Design HAC-7 Battle RifleE222
Throwback Thursday: The Nifty Hybrid-Design HAC-7 Battle Riflehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Halloway Arms Company HAC-7 was a very interesting hybrid design that incorporated elements of the FAL, AR10, and AK designs. It needed a bit more development to really work out the kinks, though, and only 300 were made (including a couple carbines and some mirrored left-handed examples) before the company went bankrupt. The guns today are rare and expensive, but I had a chance to take one out to the range back in 2013. I think the gun is really interesting, and most of the folks watching today did not see this video when it came out. So it's a great candidate for Throwback Thursday... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Engineer's Delight: Stemple 76/45 Becomes the Stemple Takedown GunE223
Engineer's Delight: Stemple 76/45 Becomes the Stemple Takedown Gunhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The saga of how the original Stemple 76/45 became the Stemple Takedown Gun is a fantastic story of engineering design choices. Essentially, John Stemple began by building a rather crude copy of the Swedish K in .45 ACP in the mid 1980s, called the Stemple 76/45. He produced and registered 2,000 transferrable receivers for the gun (pre-1986), but only built them slowly, a few at a time. In the late 1980s he faced criminal charges from ATF, and transferred the receivers to a friend while he (successfully) fought the charges. When he went to get the receivers back, his friend refused, and the two entered into a nearly decade-long legal battle over them. By the time Stemple eventually won the case, he recovered about 900 transferrable tubes. By this time (circa 2000) these tube receivers were much more valuable than when he first made them, as the machine gun registry was closed in 1986 and new ones can no longer be made. At this point, Stemple reached out to Brian Poling (BRP Corp) to act as a subcontractor to make the parts for the Stemple 76/45. But Poling had a better idea... Poling's thought was to instead design a new gun that would be much more desirable as a recreational gun than the 76/45. He envisioned something controllable, low recoil, and using large drum magazines. Such a gun would be a lot more fun at the range than the MACs and Uzis that tended to dominate the submachine gun market at the time. In addition, Poling's gun would be designed specifically to protect the irreplaceable registered receiver tubes from wear or damage. The result was the STG-76 - the Stemple Takedown Gun. In order to remain legal, the STG-76 had to leave the original 76/45 receiver tube cutouts unmodified, so as not to change the configuration of the receiver itself. Poling designed a replaceable intern - Stemple/BRP STG-76 "Heavy Submachine Gun" at the RangeE224
Stemple/BRP STG-76 "Heavy Submachine Gun" at the Rangehttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Having spent quite a long time yesterday exploring the origins of the Stemple/BRP STG-76, I figured I should take it out to the range. So, let's see what sort of groups I can make with a bipod-mounted open bolt 9mm... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Something of a Mystery: Rimfire 1874 Gasser MontenegrinE225
Something of a Mystery: Rimfire 1874 Gasser Montenegrinhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com This revolver is a bit of a mystery. It is a Gasser-produced, Montengrin pattern model 1874, but it has been converted to use rimfire cartridges - and the specific caliber of rimfire cartridge is unclear. This specific example was proofed in Vienna in 1905, making it a very late-production example. It would have been originally made as a centerfire revolver using the Werndl carbine cartridge, and why it would be downgraded, so to speak, to rimfire is a mystery... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Collette Gravity Guns: A 60-Shot Rifle in 1854E226
Collette Gravity Guns: A 60-Shot Rifle in 1854http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com What we today call the Collette Gravity Gun was actually designed by a gunsmith named Jean Nicolas Herman in Liege between 1850 and 1854. He was an employee of Victor Collette (note: spellings vary), and licensed his patent for Collette to produce. The system was first shown at the 1855 Paris International Exposition, and both rifle and pistol versions of the gun would be produced by Collette until the early 1870s. The name "Gravity Gun" is a bit more exciting than the reality of the gun; the name comes from the fact that the magazine tube is operated only by gravity. A channel above the barrel holds a stack of rocket ball type self-contained cartridges, and pointing the barrel upward when cycling the action allows gravity to pull rounds into the breechblock one at a time. These were guns intended for recreational parlor-type shooting, and their ammunition was extremely underpowered by military standards. However, the very short cartridge length meant that the standard pistol could hold 20 rounds, and the rifle approximately 60! Collette Gravity Rifles are extremely rare today, and I didn't want to miss this chance to show one of them on the channel. Thanks to Ader of Paris for the chance to film it! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Portuguese m/937B Kar98k: Back to the Standard PatternE227
Portuguese m/937B Kar98k: Back to the Standard Patternhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In the 1930s, Portugal was looking to update its small arms, and wanted to get some top-shelf K98k Mausers to replace its 1904 Mauser-Vergueiros. The country was on good terms with Germany, and so Portugal placed an order for 100,000 K98k rifles in 7.92mm Mauser caliber from Mauser Oberndorf in 1937. The first 50,000 (designated m/937) were to be standard production just like the Wehrmacht used, and the other 50,000 (designated m/937A) were to include a few changes to elements like the front sight and sling swivels. All would have a Portuguese crest on the receiver and a 1937 date (although delivery trailed over into 1938), but all of the proof marks were standard Wehrmacht pattern. These guns were all delivered, and Portugal was quite happy with them. A second contract for another 50,000 was placed in 1941, once again for the standard Germany military configuration. These were designated m/937B, and we are looking at one of those rifles today. In total, 60,000 were made, as 10,000 were requisitioned for German military use. The Portuguese Mausers are a neat time capsule because they show the standard of prewar and early-war Mauser production, and many survive in excellent condition since they sat essentially unused in Portugal instead of seeing combat. It is worth mentioning that the roughly 10,000 examples seized by the German military have turned up basically everywhere Mausers went, including Russian captures and Norwegian F1 conversions. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Milanese 7mm Pinfire Saber-RevolverE228
Milanese 7mm Pinfire Saber-Revolverhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Tacticool is not a modern creation - people have been making arms that are impractical but cool looking for centuries. As a case in point, I present this Model 1864 Milanese style saber-revolver. Several different variations on this theme were made in the mid 1800s, but this one closely follows the type made by one Carlo Maria Colombo in Milan. It is a 6-shot, 7mm pinfire revolver built into the hilt of a saber. Of course, it is a difficult way to aim the revolver, and the saber blade has no tang... Thanks to Ader of Paris for the chance to film this very cool piece of firearms curiosa! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - BRP Recreates a Classic: the Stemple-SuomiE229
BRP Recreates a Classic: the Stemple-Suomihttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When the Stemple STG-76 was designed, it used internal parts from the Finnish kp/31 Suomi submachine gun. Since the whole point of the Stemple was to have a modular and interchangeable gun, it would make sense for BRP to make a version that duplicated the Suomi as closely as possible. This is especially true given that the original Suomi is an excellent SMG with readily available magazines, but very rare to find in the US today. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Ian Takes the Pepsi Haaste: Suomi vs Stemple-SuomiE230
Ian Takes the Pepsi Haaste: Suomi vs Stemple-Suomihttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we took a look at the Stemple-Suomi on the bench - today it's time to find how similar it is in handling to the real thing! I have a Danish M41 Suomi, a Stemple-Suomi, and a couple of 71-round drums all ready to go... The result? The Stemple pattern is virtually indistinguishable from the real thing on the range. If I was blindfolded, I don't think I could tell the difference between the two in terms of recoil, controllability, rate of fire, etc. Fantastic! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740 - Colonies Lead the Way: Charger-Loading Lee Enfield MkI India PatternE231
Colonies Lead the Way: Charger-Loading Lee Enfield MkI India Patternhttp://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com While the Indian Army was looked down upon by much of the British military, it saw much more combat service than its European counterpart. The Indian Army was actually faster than the British to recognize and adopt a number of small arms improvements, and the CLLE MkI India Pattern is a good example. When the mobile charger guide was first adopted by the British military, no effort was made to retrofit earlier rifles with it. The Indians, however, saw the advantage and began to convert Long Lees to the Charger-Loading configuration as early as 1905. Between then and 1909, some 22,000 of these MkI I.P. rifles were assembled at the Ishapore Arsenal. Following the adoption of the fixed charger bridge, a MkII I.P. became the new standard, with the fixed guide instead of the mobile one. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740