# Forgotten Weapons

> Your destination for rare, exotic, and prototype firearms

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## Posts

- [Too Good for Elbonia: ARS Custom HK 630 for Viking Brutality](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/too-good-for-elbonia-ars-custom-hk-630-for-viking-brutality/): https://youtu.be/Yxw5V83r7Ik Chassepot to FAMAS at Headstamp Publishing Light wool check shirt at Varusteleka Anton Wallin at Action Reaction Sports built this very remarkable rifle from an HK 630 for use in competitions. He has taken it the several Polish Light Infantry matches, and I will be using it this year at Viking Brutality. It's a
- [Does the End of SBR Regulation Mean a Stocked Pistol Renaissance?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/does-the-end-of-sbr-regulation-mean-a-stocked-pistol-renaissance/): https://youtu.be/oP36fEy0OV0 With the ATF appearing to essentially throw out regulation of short-barreled rifles, should we expect a renaissance in stocked pistols? Personally, I think not. They are very specialized tools that have been around for as long as pistols have, but have never been very popular because of all the sacrifices they make. I think
- [US Navy MkVI Lewis Gun in .30-06 for the Marines](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/us-navy-mkvi-lewis-gun-in-30-06-for-the-marines/): https://youtu.be/gUXu47SzeG0 During World War One, the US Army basically got in a personality spat with Isaac Newton Lewis, and refused to adopt the Lewis gun. The British and Belgians happily made use of it though, and contracted manufacture to the Savage company in New York. As US involvement in the war got closer, the US
- [Q&A September 2026: Resto-Mod Pistols, 6x45mm SAW, and M14s](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-september-2026-resto-mod-pistols-6x45mm-saw-and-m14s/): https://youtu.be/cwS7iNPR6FM Tired of YouTube unsubscribing you or just not showing you my videos? Join Patreon and get a regular feed of ad-free videos: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons 0:00:42 - Elbonia replaces the Reichsrevolver: revolver or semiauto? 0:03:48 - Bayonets in modern war 0:06:58 - FN Evolys vs Knights LAMG 0:09:34 - Squad MGs in intermediate or full power
- [Saudi Gold Plated Presentation G3: Gaudy or Elegant?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/saudi-gold-plated-presentation-g3-gaudy-or-elegant/): https://youtu.be/W_8Z5KO2YZY The Saudi Arabian government signed a contract with H&K to license domestic production of the G3 rifle at the Al Kharj factory complex in 1972. Production included standard rifles for general use, but also chrome- and gold-plated examples used as presentation pieces and diplomatic gifts. This is one of the gold examples, with deep
- [PAMAS G1S: The French Beretta 92 (Now in the US!)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pamas-g1s-the-french-beretta-92-now-in-the-us/): https://youtu.be/bcj7Sj0AHzc Looking for a replacement for the MAC-50, the French Gendarmerie Nationale adopted the Beretta 92 in 1987 after finding it equal in quality to the SIG P226, but less expensive. In addition to the Gendarmerie, it was also adopted by the French Air Force, and a total of about 98,000 were made by the
- [ZKP-541: A Competition Pistol So Complex it was Never Produced](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zkp-541-a-competition-pistol-so-complex-it-was-never-produced/): https://youtu.be/uTrQiArjn_I Designed by Augustin Nečas in 1954, the ZKP-541 is a .22 rimfire target pistol, also called the Universal Super Rapid. It is designed to use .22 short, and long rifle, with different bolt assemblies and magazines for each caliber. When the design was complete it was sent to CZ’s Uhersky Brod factory, where the
- [America's Do-It-All Naval Gun: The 5 Inch Mk12 on the USS New Jersey](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/americas-do-it-all-naval-gun-the-5-inch-mk12-on-the-uss-new-jersey/): https://youtu.be/eWgCCSMNP88 The Mk12 5 inch, 38 caliber gun was one of the triumphs of American naval weaponry from World War Two. First used in 1934, it remained a standard weapon on new vessels until 1948. It used a 55 lb shell with a separate case that was manually loaded but power-rammed, allowing a high rate
- [The First EOTech: Series 400 aka Bushnell Holosight](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-first-eotech-series-400-aka-bushnell-holosight/): https://youtu.be/D_Vrdt9bj84 EOTech as a company was formed in 1995 as a spinoff of the University of Michigan Ann Arbor’s Environmental Research Lab, specifically to commercialize holographic weapon sights. Their first product was the Model 400, released in collaboration with Bushnell as the Holosight. They partnered with Bushnell because that was one of the biggest names
- [Precursor to the High Power: FN's 1923 Prototype Model Stocked Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/precursor-to-the-high-power-fns-1923-prototype-model-stocked-pistol/): https://youtu.be/OGT_xv6W5hc The FN High Power pistol began with a request for a new French Army pistol. The initial design was done by John Browning, with later iterations and improvements from his protege Dieudonne Saive at FN. After several years of French trials, FN decided that the gun was well-developed enough for international sales, and split
- [US Army 1871 Rolling Block Pistol - Obsolete When New](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/us-army-1871-rolling-block-pistol-obsolete-when-new/): https://youtu.be/uPNVd6OSZYk In the wake of the Civil War, the US Army recognized that many of its small arms were obsolete, and needed replacement. For handguns, the main user was the cavalry, for whom a handgun was still seen as a secondary weapon to a saber. While modern metallic cartridges were fairly well established by the
- [Remington Model 10: The Rarest American Trench Shotgun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/remington-model-10-the-rarest-american-trench-shotgun/): https://youtu.be/LCLhcbvBbss The US military purchased a small number of Remington Model 10 shotguns during World War One to supplement its Winchester 1897s. They were made in both "riot" and "trench" configuration, with the trench guns using a unique Remington bayonet mount and handguard design (to avoid paying royalties to use Winchester's patented model). The original
- [M1E4: Origins of the M14 Gas Expansion/Cutoff System](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1e4-origins-of-the-m14-gas-expansion-cutoff-system/): https://youtu.be/B41AX5Hv5Uc The E-series Garands were a series of prototypes made at Springfield Armory to test all sorts of different changes to the basic rifle design, from flash hiders to folding stocks. The M1E4 is a design that uses a new gas system developed by J.C. White in the 1930s, and adapted to the M1 by
- [Lercker M53 Experimental .380 Italian SMG (or PDW?)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/lercker-m53-experimental-380-italian-smg-or-pdw/): https://youtu.be/dxuuSytK4Ys Between 1952 and 1956 an Italian designer named Cesare Lercker from Bologna developed a series of pistols and submachine guns. He worked with Beretta, although it is unclear if he did the work at their request of it the showed interest in the design after he came up with it. The submachine gun we
- [Bavarian Lightning: The New Model Werder M1869/76](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bavarian-lightning-the-new-model-werder-m1869-76/): https://youtu.be/KVt0qeG1Wu4 Poor Bavaria got the rug pulled on its infantry rifle program a solid three times in only about 20 years. With the development of the self-contained brass cartridge, they run a new rifle trials program and adopt the Werder M1869 - the fastest-firing and arguably most advanced of all the single-shot military rifles of
- [M16A Schwarzlose: Austro-Hungarian WW1 Aircraft MG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m16a-schwarzlose-austro-hungarian-ww1-aircraft-mg/): https://youtu.be/ASzKoJRNIb0 One of the rare aircraft machine guns from the First World War is the Austro-Hungarian Schwarzlose. This was a delayed blowback heavy machine gun used by the Empire's infantry as the M1907/12, and it was really the only domestic machine gun available for use in aircraft at the time. While guns were initially used
- [India's Unique X95 Tavor "Zittara" (I Did Not Expect the Magazine)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/indias-unique-x95-tavor-zittara-i-did-not-expect-the-magazine/): https://youtu.be/PwOZXF5c-nw The Tavor has a history of being popular in service with high-end Indian military and security forces, and a deal was made to manufacture the X95 domestically. What makes it unusual is that it was to use the 5.56mm INSAS cartridge. This round uses standard 5.56mm NATO brass paired with a 64-grain bullet and
- [Intro to EOTech: How Holographic Sights Actually Work](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/intro-to-eotech-how-holographic-sights-actually-work/): https://youtu.be/xiDUpponBVU Holograms are pretty close to space magic, but today I will try to explain how they work in an understandable way. They have also proven surprisingly difficult to find commercial use for, but one program at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor led to the creation of EOTech to produce holographic weapon sights. So
- [Aimpoint's 3.5x Scope for French Trials](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoints-3-5x-scope-for-french-trials/): https://youtu.be/jQRNIQ2OIDo Aimpoint is known for its red dot optics, but in the early 2000s the company decided to develop a 3.5x fixed magnification traditional scope. It was intended for a French military trial, and Aimpoint used their 3x magnifier as the base for building it. I have three different iterations of the project to show,
- [Sicario Hunting and Mölkky: Finnish Brutality 2026 Day 1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sicario-hunting-and-molkky-finnish-brutality-2026-day-1/): https://youtu.be/Ti484eZrW60 See all my kit here: https://varusteleka.com/en/collections/ian-mccollum-brutality-loadout Use code FIRETOTHEBALLS26 for 15% off your whole order at Varusteleka! Today we have stages 1-5 from Finnish Brutality 2026. I ran the match in pseudo contractor type kit, with a Stanzel SAK-21 and a Laugo Remus, with kit from Varusteleka (field shirt, tactical jeans, low-profile plate carrier,
- [Drone Chaos & an Epic Pool Party: Finnish Brutality 2026 Day 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/drone-chaos-an-epic-pool-party-finnish-brutality-2026-day-2/): https://youtu.be/rvF9dolzO84 See all my kit here: https://varusteleka.com/en/collections/ian-mccollum-brutality-loadout Use code FIRETOTHEBALLS26 for 15% off your whole order at Varusteleka! Today we have stages 6-10 from Finnish Brutality 2026. I ran the match in pseudo contractor type kit, with a Stanzel SAK-21 and a Laugo Remus, with kit from Varusteleka (field shirt, tactical jeans, low-profile plate carrier,
- [Saco Defense M683: A Super-Simple SMG for the US Army](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/saco-defense-m683-a-super-simple-smg-for-the-us-army/): https://youtu.be/AIzv3RqRAEw During the 1980s, the US ran the Joint Service Small Arms Program to reduce the number of different small arms in US inventory. The most significant outcome of this program was the M9 pistol, but the program also considered adopting a submachine gun. The requirements were bit tricky, with things like a low rate
- [Road to Finnish Brutality 2026: My Guns & Kit](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/road-to-finnish-brutality-2026-my-guns-kit/): https://youtu.be/ODTjiZoBS6Q Tune in to watch Finnish Brutality 2026 live for free this weekend, August 15/16: https://twitch.tv/varusteleka https://varusteleka.com/en/blogs/events/finnish-brutality This year for Finnish Brutality I am shooting in Armored division, with a 7.62x39mm Stenzel SAK-21 as my rifle and a left-handed Laugo Remus as my pistol. Since those aren't military-issue firearms I decided to go with more
- [1789 Girardoni Air Rifle: A Generation Ahead of Its Time](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/1789-girardoni-air-rifle-a-generation-ahead-of-its-time/): https://youtu.be/fuHHcK3mPGA Designed by Bartolomeo Girardoni the in the 1770s, the Girardoni is an air rifle that can fire 20 rounds as quickly as a modern bolt action rifle. It uses .46 caliber round lead balls, delivering 154 grains of lead per shot at about 1000 fps. This was a revolutionary weapon when it was created,
- [Tiger Stripe Camouflage Pattern Book](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tiger-stripe-camouflage-pattern-book/): https://youtu.be/bjvMYNQwSns The tiger stripe pattern book is now available as an add-on item: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=1n4exq This color swatch style reference tool has about 180 different tiger stripe and related camouflage patterns, for awesome handy reference! Now available as an add-on to any pledge in the Tiger Strip: The Vietnam Camouflage Story kickstarter, and also as a
- [The FAMASenning: All the FAMAS from Airsoft to Centerfire](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-famasenning-all-the-famas-from-airsoft-to-centerfire/): https://youtu.be/2BkL8pZB_jY The military FAMAS has spawned several clones, and we are taking a look at each one of them today. First up is the Cybergun AEG airsoft FAMAS - a normal commercial production piece, but this one is surplus brought into the US by Navy Arms. It was used by the French National Police as
- [Announcing "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" from Headstamp Publishing](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/announcing-tiger-stripe-the-vietnam-camouflage-story-from-headstamp-publishing/): https://youtu.be/EZEEw8K9ixY Reserve your copy of "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=45nn7u With historical roots based in the “Lizard” camouflage patterns worn by French colonial troops in Indochina in the years following the Second World War, “Tiger Stripe” has become an icon of the Vietnam War. Most commonly associated today with US
- [Authentic Custom Tiger Stripe From Vietnam: Short-Shorts to Tuxedos](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/authentic-custom-tiger-stripe-from-vietnam-short-shorts-to-tuxedos/): https://youtu.be/0gxVwpQwo2k Reserve your copy of "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=6oc7ul Today I am talking to Owen Thornton about the huge variety of custom tiger stripe garments made in Vietnam. Local tailor shops in Saigon were happy to make anything to order for both Vietnamese and American clients. The results included
- [Lt Gen Lê Nguyên Kháng's Custom Tiger Stripe M65 Field Jacket](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/lt-gen-le-nguyen-khangs-custom-tiger-stripe-m65-field-jacket/): https://youtu.be/WLJNfSM4iLU Reserve your copy of "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=76pah5 Lt Gen Lê Nguyên Kháng was the commander of the South Vietnamese Marines (RVMC), and much respected by both his own men and American troops who worked with him. As the commander of the service, he could choose to have
- [Vietnam Field-Made Tiger Stripe Combat Vests](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/vietnam-field-made-tiger-stripe-combat-vests/): https://youtu.be/jDG6eE7wrI4 Reserve your copy of "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=6ncf6e We are back with Owen Thornton today to talk about combat vests form Vietnam, specifically tiger stripe ones. These were not issued items; they were all made bespoke in theater - many in the tailoring shops of Saigon.
- [CISO Prototype Suit #1: America's First Tiger Stripe Camo](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ciso-prototype-suit-1-americas-first-tiger-stripe-camo/): https://youtu.be/iD2EorjMfHw Reserve your copy of "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=2fdyem Tiger stripe camouflage was initially developed by the Republic of Vietnam Marine Corps, and adopted by early US advisors in-country. As it became more highly desired, the Counterinsurgency Support Office (CISO) on Okinawa began to manufacture tiger stripe fatigues in
- [Origins of Tiger Stripe: British Windproof and French Lizard Camouflage](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/origins-of-tiger-stripe-british-windproof-and-french-lizard-camouflage/): https://youtu.be/7RlYisl361Q Reserve your copy of "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter today: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=evt699 Today I am speaking with Owen Thornton (author of Headstamp's new book on Tiger Stripe camo) about the origins on Tiger Stripe. The *French* origins, naturally...
- [Q&A July 2026: Elbonian SMGs and HICAR (Feat. Comrade Clower of Type 56)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-july-2026-elbonian-smgs-and-hicar-feat-comrade-clower-of-type-56/): https://youtu.be/66EuqlYcUsw Tired of YouTube unsubscribing you or just not showing you my videos? Join Patreon and get a regular feed of ad-free videos: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons 01:05 - Elbonian service handguns and training 06:16 - My contrarian views? 07:16 - Elbonian Gendarmerie SMG 08:39 - Difference between M2HB and ANM2 10:35 - Impact of the H&K G11
- [From Hartford to Vietnam: An Illustrated History of How Colt Brought the AR-15 to War](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/from-hartford-to-vietnam-an-illustrated-history-of-how-colt-brought-the-ar-15-to-war/): https://youtu.be/XeLmDHSiN5Q "From Hartford to Vietnam" is available here for preorder: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/hartford-to-vietnam Or you can find it bundled with "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=3b3v8y From Hartford to Vietnam: An Illustrated History of How Colt Brought the AR-15 Rifle to War is a journey through the development and production of the AR-15 by
- [Tour: Greek War Museum in Athens (Lots of Guns!)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tour-greek-war-museum-in-athens-lots-of-guns/): https://youtu.be/v01Im6w5HR8 I had a chance to stop in the War Museum in Athens, and really enjoyed the visit. There are a lot more firearms on display than I expected, covering the whole gamut from muzzleloaders to fairly modern arms. The Balkan Wars, World War One, and World War Two all get a lot of attention,
- [Colt's Vietnam Prototype AK/M16 Hybrid: the Model 703](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colts-vietnam-prototype-ak-m16-hybrid-the-model-703/): https://youtu.be/7Q52B8it2Ik "From Hartford to Vietnam" is available here for preorder: Or you can find it bundled with "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" on Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=3b3v8y The Model 703 was an experimental project at Colt which they envisioned being adopted as the M16A2 - although that clearly did not happen. It was essentially an adaptation
- [CZ75 Legend: A Reissue of the Iconic Original Short-Frame CZ75 (BUG Match & Comparison)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/cz75-legend-a-reissue-of-the-iconic-original-short-frame-cz75-bug-match-comparison/): https://youtu.be/J7RIuL8aGSM "Tiger Stripe: The Vietnam Camouflage Story" available now on Kickstarter with lots of extras: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/tiger-stripe?ref=au6p35 CZ has started shipping the CZ75 Legend, a reissue of the original short frame CZ75 pistol. This was the first production model of the gun, with only about 16,000 made in the late 1970s and very scarce and expensive
- [Moroccan Unique Rr51 at the Hot Summer BUG Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/moroccan-unique-rr51-at-the-hot-summer-bug-match/): https://youtu.be/uKChNpqoOzc It's pretty hot out here in the southern Arizona summer, so I figured I'd lean into it. For the BUG Match this month, I have an-Moroccan police Unique Rr51. This is a simple blowback .32 ACP pistol made by MAPH in a bunch of variations for many decades. It holds 9 rounds in the
- [Aimpoint Square: An Ambitious Failed Prototype](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoint-square-an-ambitious-failed-prototype/): https://youtu.be/Xb-eoV24B6k Between 1990 and 1993, Aimpoint experimented with a red dot optics that was pretty ambitious on several fronts. It used a rectangular window to maximize field of view for hunting rifles and shotguns (this was still Aimpoint's main market at this point). It used a solar panel on top as a backup power source,
- [Bronze M1870 Gasser Revolver Made for Polar Exploration](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bronze-m1870-gasser-revolver-made-for-polar-exploration/): https://youtu.be/9WyZ7YRyRTc In 1872, two Austro-Hungarian military officers named Julius Payer and Carl Weyprecht set out on an expedition to find a northeast passage to reach the Orient by traversing across the Arctic Ocean above Russia. The expedition was well-funded, and among their other specialized articles equipment they had several bronze Gasser M1870 revolvers and Werndl
- [The Very First FAL Prototype (in 8mm Kurz)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-very-first-fal-prototype-in-8mm-kurz/): https://youtu.be/Tno1jLnYteQ Dieudonne Saive at Fabrique Nationale began developing the FAL to submit for the British post-war program to adopt new small arms. He built the first example in the German 8x33mm Kurz cartridge, as this was of a lot of interest at the time, and offered the possibility of controllable automatic fire from the shoulder.
- [US Type 1 Fencing Bayonet Made From Whale Tooth (Baleen)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/us-type-1-fencing-bayonet-made-from-whale-tooth-baleen/): https://youtu.be/wCURTGMjwZU In 1852-53, the Watervliet Arsenal in New York produced 1,500 fencing bayonets for the West Point Academy. These were made for practicing bayonet fencing with live opponents without risk of injury. They were comprised of a regular bayonet socket fitted with a holder and thumb screw for a "blade" made of whale baleen and
- [MG51: When the Swiss Make an MG42](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mg51-when-the-swiss-make-an-mg42/): https://youtu.be/LL7JbEEI2sM When Switzerland decided to adopt a modern universal machine gun toe replace both the MG11 Maxim and the LMG25, both SIG and Waffenfabrik Bern used the German MG42 as a starting point. W+F Bern was the eventual winning of the trials with the MG51. This is basically a Swiss out-Germaning of the Germans. The
- [A WW2 German Mystery: Knorr Bremse FG42 Prototype?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/a-ww2-german-mystery-knorr-bremse-fg42-prototype/): https://youtu.be/hiefl4W7J3c This is really a mystery rifle, or half of a mystery rifle. It is part of the collection at Springfield Armory National Historic Site, but its exact provenance from World War Two is not recorded. It is catalogued as a Knorr Bremse product, which is plausible but there is no specific marking on the
- [FN Evolys: A New Ultralight Squad Automatic Weapon in 5.56mm & 7.62mm](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fn-evolys-a-new-ultralight-squad-automatic-weapon-in-5-56mm-7-62mm/): https://youtu.be/gmBXtCma1_8 FN's new Evolys machine gun is designed to fill an interesting role not already help by either the MAG or Minimi - it is intended as an automatic rifle in the mold of the BAR or M27 IAR, but capable of much greater firepower than either of those. This is a short-stroke, belt-fed automatic
- [Sweden's Green Trials Galil: the FFV-890C](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/swedens-green-trials-galil-the-ffv-890c/): https://youtu.be/lloOGS216P8 When Sweden decided to replace the AK-4 (a license-built H&K G3) with a 5.56mm rifle in the 1970s, they tested nearly every potential rifle on the market. Only two survived the stringent Swedish arctic trials; the FN FNC and the Israeli Galil. The Galil was being offered by a Swedish company called Försvarets Fabriksverk
- [Canadian No4 MkI(T) "Trade Pattern" Sniper w/ Lyman Alaskan](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/canadian-no4-mkit-trade-pattern-sniper-w-lyman-alaskan/): https://youtu.be/wTs9G2A2MKc During World War Two, the Canadian military adopted the No4 MkI (T) Enfield as their standard sniper's rifle, and placed an order for 441 of them from the Long Branch arsenal. However, after receiving just 91, they agreed (under some pressure) to relinquish the retainer of their order to the British military, which claimed
- [Train Company Makes Guns: Union Switch & Signal M1911A1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/train-company-makes-guns-union-switch-signal-m1911a1/): https://youtu.be/osv4Jkj0NSo Of the five companies that made 1911 pistols during World War Two, Union Switch & Signal was the last to be awarded a contract and the smallest mass production producer. A subsidiary of the Westinghouse Air Brake Company, US&S produced a variety of ordnance material during the war (and during World War One as
- [FNA Brescia's Last Project: The X4 and X5 SMG and Machine Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fna-brescias-last-project-the-x4-and-x5-smg-and-machine-pistol/): https://youtu.be/vJdmUNBSids FNA (Fabbrica Nazionale d'Armi) Brescia was a factory in the Val Trompia in northern Italy, the same valley that is home to Beretta and many other, smaller Italian arms shops. During World War Two the factory mad a lot of small arms for the Italian military, including some interested designs like the FNA-B 43.
- [Testing 9x39 SP6 AP Ammo Against Body Armor](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/testing-9x39-sp6-ap-ammo-against-body-armor/): https://youtu.be/jIrC_TxhBfI Today I have a chance to test out a couple rounds of SP6 armor-piercing 9x39mm ammo, using an ex-Russian AS Val rifle. First I'll try an MNIJ Level 3A soft vest, which is rated for pistol rounds. Second, I will move up to a VPAM6 hard plate. That's a European standard certified for 7.62x39mm
- [How the USS New Jersey's 16-Inch Guns Work: Top to Bottom](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-the-uss-new-jerseys-16-inch-guns-work-top-to-bottom/): https://youtu.be/pNevTo0dDL4 Join World of Warships today to and use invite code USA250 to get your free rewards: https://wo.ws/FW I had a chance to spend some time on the USS New Jersey, today docked in Camden NJ as a public museum ship. Today we are looking at the main armament of the ship, the absolutely massive
- [That Fine Line Between Smuggling and Legal Trade: Anecdotes from Val Forgett](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/that-fine-line-between-smuggling-and-legal-trade-anecdotes-from-val-forgett/): https://youtu.be/WkEZm3I7Kes Dealing in firearms internationally is a trade scrutinized pretty closely by governments, and its practitioners can often end up acting as agents for government priorities, and also victims of said priorities changing. Val Forgett of Navy Arms grew up with his father doing exactly this sort of thing. Today we have some interesting anecdotes
- [Prototype SAKO Boy's Rifle Version of the m/39](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/prototype-sako-boys-rifle-version-of-the-m-39/): https://youtu.be/nsysfsbH6Jw My Finnish guns book "Forged in Snow" is available for preorder here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/forged-in-snow In 1944, SAKO made two prototype boy's rifles. They were intended to be used by essentially Boy Scout type organizations for both military drill instruction and marksmanship. They are single-shot rifles chambered for .22 rimfire, and the major design elements (stock,
- [AS Val: The Soviet 9x39mm Silent Assault Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/as-val-the-soviet-9x39mm-silent-assault-rifle/): https://youtu.be/2Num2XE7dMo The AS (Special Assault rifle) Val was one of two dedicated silenced rifles developed in Russia in the 1980s. The Val was intended for assault use with full auto firing, while the VSS (Special Sniper Rifle) Vintorez used the same action and suppressor, but had a thumbhole stock and was intended as a specialized
- [From the .50 M2 to the Mk7 16 Inch Turrets: All the Guns of the USS New Jersey](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/from-the-50-m2-to-the-mk7-16-inch-turrets-all-the-guns-of-the-uss-new-jersey/): https://youtu.be/Qo9bgrzpbQE I had a chance to spend some time on the USS New Jersey, today docked in Camden NJ as a public museum ship. Today we are going to go through all of the weapons systems on the New Jersey, starting from the humble .50-caliber M2 machine guns and going up to the massive 16"
- [S&W Model 52-1: A Magnificent Target Pistol for .38 Special Wadcutters](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sw-model-52-1-a-magnificent-target-pistol-for-38-special-wadcutters/): https://youtu.be/xfgWixcPQYE The Model 52 is a purpose-built target pistol that Smith & Wesson built on the Model 39 frame. It is chambered for a very specific flush-loaded 148gr .38 Special wadcutter loading, to be used in bullseye pistol competition. It was first introduced in 1961 as a double action pistol, and replaced by the single-action-only
- [Announcing Truk Lagoon 2027: The Best WW2 Wreck Diving on Earth](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/announcing-truk-lagoon-2027-the-best-ww2-wreck-diving-on-earth/): https://youtu.be/k63V8v16TvY Join me and Dirty Dozen Expeditions for a week of diving in Truk Lagoon in December 2027: https://dirtydozenexpeditions.wetravel.com/trips/truk-lagoon-with-ian-mccollum-december-2027-dirty-dozen-expeditions-26862261#about-this-trip I am very excited to announce a trip to Truk Lagoon in December 2027 for a week of diving on the best collection of World War Two wrecks anywhere in the world. I have treated up
- [How to Make Reproduction Guns (And How Not To)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-to-make-reproduction-guns-and-how-not-to/): https://youtu.be/UjWfPYkrx6I Since I continue to get a lot of questions about reproductions, I figured I'd devote today's video to looking at different elements that go into producing a reproduction firearms. Why some work out and some don't.
- [US Armament Reproduction DeLisle Commando Carbine (Silenced .45ACP)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/us-armament-reproduction-delisle-commando-carbine-silenced-45acp/): https://youtu.be/VvVgwYAT9kk The DeLisle Commando Carbine is one of the coolest special operation weapons of the Second World War - an SMLE rebuilt in .45ACP with a ginormous suppressor. It fed form slightly modified 1911 magazines, and thanks to .45ACP being subsonic in its normal loading, it is incredibly quiet. Because the gun is relatively easy
- [Silenced SOE Lugers: Setting Europe Aflame Before the Welrod](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/silenced-soe-lugers-setting-europe-aflame-before-the-welrod/): https://youtu.be/AnA55pQ3Iis In the early days of World War Two, Britain had a branch of the SIS for sabotage operations, called Section D. It became part of Special Operations Executive in 1940, but in the early days British operatives did not have the specialized weaponry that came later, like the Welrod or DeLisle. Instead, they simply
- [Strength, Balance, and Shooting in a Fine Suit: Lynx Brutality 2026, Day 1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/strength-balance-and-shooting-in-a-fine-suit-lynx-brutality-2026-day-1/): https://youtu.be/TRo1c218Pd0 Grayman and Company double breasted convertible jacket for rifle plates: https://grayman.co Use code FORGOTTENWEAPONS for 10% off. Lynx Brutality is one of the premiere two-gun physical shooting matches in the world, held annually in Slovenia by Polenar Tactical. This year I chose to run the match in a Grayman and Company suit made specifically
- [LARPing John Wick: Lynx Brutality 2026, Day 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/larping-john-wick-lynx-brutality-2026-day-2/): https://youtu.be/cRFg1jUPGG4 Grayman and Company double breasted convertible jacket for rifle plates: https://grayman.co Use code FORGOTTENWEAPONS for 10% off. Lynx Brutality is one of the premiere two-gun physical shooting matches in the world, held annually in Slovenia by Polenar Tactical. This year I chose to run the match in a Grayman and Company suit made specifically
- [Isotta Fraschini (Albertini) Bent & Riveted SMG (MP40 Mag Version)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/isotta-fraschini-albertini-bent-riveted-smg-mp40-mag-version/): https://youtu.be/eB8RQwA_ilM Isotta Fraschini was an Italian firm in Cavaria best known for making luxury automobiles before World War Two. It entered the arms industry during the war. It made mostly heavy weapons like aircraft cannons, and not small arms, but the chief designer Albertini began working on a submachine gun in 1943. It eventually went
- [Aimpoint CS: Revolutionary Battery Life for the Swedish Home Guard](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoint-cs-revolutionary-battery-life-for-the-swedish-home-guard/): https://youtu.be/zDdCEIipGBw The Aimpoint CS is an optic designed specifically for the Swedish Home Guard, which wanted a red dot that was extremely durable and also capable of being left on for 10 years on a single battery. This was a very challenging requirement, and Aimpoint considered two paths to meet it. One was a pulsed
- [FN MAG Tactical with Long Rail Upgrade Kit](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fn-mag-tactical-with-long-rail-upgrade-kit/): https://youtu.be/g0DbcHaPWNs The full version with shooting footage is available on Pepperbox and to Forgotten Weapons Patrons: https://www.patreon.com/posts/160428945/ https://www.pepperbox.tv/video/13546 The FN MAG is one of those guns that is so durable and well designed that it continues to be one of the best options in its field despite being nearly 70 years old. To meet the
- [FN's New ARKA: Revamping the SCAR for Military Tenders](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fns-new-arka-revamping-the-scar-for-military-tenders/): https://youtu.be/0ea6jNRFsM8 The ARKA is essentially FN's SCAR rifle on the inside but with more AR-style controls and handling. It was developed in response to a number of military and security service tenders which required specifically an AR-style top charging handle and AR-compatible buttstock. It is made in 11.25" and 14.5" barrel lengths, with long and
- [Russian Current Service Pistol: the PYa / MP443 Grach / MP446C Viking](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/russian-current-service-pistol-the-pya-mp443-grach-mp446c-viking/): https://youtu.be/6PRNTvdkwQ4 The current Russian service pistol is the PYa, or MP-443 "Grach", and it is (or was) made for civilian sales as the Baikal MP-446C "Viking". The gun was adopted by the Russian Federation to replace the PM Makarov in 2003, although it took many years to actually get into production and widespread issue. Mechanically,
- [MAT 54 SB: A Semiautomatic SMG for Banks and Cash Trucks](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mat-54-sb-a-semiautomatic-smg-for-banks-and-cash-trucks/): https://youtu.be/Aoix1VUEc2c The MAT 54 SB is a variation of the MAT 49/54, which was in turn the police model of the French MAT 49 submachine gun. Chambered for 9x19mm Parabellum, it uses MAT 49 magazines and most MAT-49 parts. However, the trigger mechanism has been changed to be semiautomatic only, and a fixed wooden stock
- [BUG Match: Beretta 1934 (in .380)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bug-match-beretta-1934-in-380/): https://youtu.be/xIuIGsBof5Q Given the influx of very inexpensive Beretta M1934 pistols into the US market - and the fact that I have a fine Carabinieri hat - it is a no-brainer to run the monthly Back Up Gun match with one. It's chambered for .380 ACP (aka 9mm Corto) and holds 7 rounds in the magazine...a
- [Hunting the African Big 5 with Percussion Muzzleloaders (w/ Val Forgett)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hunting-the-african-big-5-with-percussion-muzzleloaders-w-val-forgett/): https://youtu.be/eUnIT6zCZSE Today we are back with Val Forgett and another story about the history of Navy Arms. When his father was making reproduction sidelock percussion guns, he wanted to prove that they were still viable hunting arms. So he took a pair of .58 caliber rifles (one single and one side-by-side) to Africa for a
- [Pauza P50: A Failed  Barrett .50BMG Competitor](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pauza-p50-a-failed-barrett-50bmg-competitor/): https://youtu.be/JeGoMLBOtGI Developed in the late 1980s by machinist Robert Pauza, the P50 is a .50 BMG semiauto rifle that was introduced in 1990. It uses a short-stroke gas piston and tilting bolt closely copied (and scaled up) from the SVT-40 Tokarev. It has a single-stack, 5-round magazine, and a clever retained-but-freefloated bipod design. The rifle
- [NFA Taxes, More M7 Ranting, and Rimless 12ga: Q&A May 2026](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/nfa-taxes-more-m7-ranting-and-rimless-12ga-qa-may-2026/): https://youtu.be/koTV0lEARmE Thanks to Kyro for sponsoring the Q&A! Get 10% off all spirits with code FORGOTTENMALT10: https://www.kyrodistillery.com 01:13 - Rifles that arrived too early 04:14 - DETAC Arms' new rimless 12ga shotgun 09:55 - WWCD (What Would Cooper Do) 13:34 - The P7Pro 15:14 - Mauser bolt actions with aperture sights? 16:16 - If NATO
- [RIA 5.0E: A Very Nice Pistol, But For Whom?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ria-5-0e-a-very-nice-pistol-but-for-whom/): https://youtu.be/zdPoGI7J_Dw Rock Island Armory is best known for its Philippine-made 1911s, but expended into US pistol production with a novel design a couple years ago. The call it the 5.0, and it uses an interesting vertically-traveling locking block instead of the typical Browning tilting-barrel system. It is (concealed) hammer fired, chambered for 9x19mm, with a
- [MAC 34T Aviation: Interwar French Turret-Mount Aircraft Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mac-34t-aviation-interwar-french-turret-mount-aircraft-gun/): https://youtu.be/4WtuYTy76e4 During World War One France used the Lewis gun as a flexible aircraft armament, and it was replaced by the Darne in 1922. This was an adoption of convenience, and by 1926 the Chatellerault Arsenal was working on adapting the new Mel 1924 light machine gun for aircraft use. Initial efforts were directed at
- [Explaining the Yugoslav / Zastava M70 Series of Rifles](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/explaining-the-yugoslav-zastava-m70-series-of-rifles/): https://youtu.be/xHuJu0c5n0k Yugoslavia never received a technical data package or license for the AK; they reverse engineered the system themselves in the 1960s. In the process, they created a version of the AK noted for its ruggedness. In addition, they added a number of features to facilitate rifle grenade usage. Over the course of many iterations
- [Romanian vz24 Sniper Rifles from World War Two](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/romanian-vz24-sniper-rifles-from-world-war-two/): https://youtu.be/GRUaY-17-qI Romanian Marshal Antonescu officially requested development of a sniper's rifle on January 22, 1942. The Romanian military at that point was using the vz24 Mauser rifle, and the Romanian optics company IOR developed a pair of optics to mount on that rifle - one 4.25x and on 6x. The design used many parts already
- [Sako M92S: Finland's Last Civilian AK (now being imported to the US)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sako-m92s-finlands-last-civilian-ak-now-being-imported-to-the-us/): https://youtu.be/v0oVE-rDmYs My book on Finnish small arms is available for preorder: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/forged-in-snow The M92S is the semiautomatic civilian version of the Finnish military rk95 rifle. The rk95 was intended to be a modernization of the Finnish AK platform, but it fell victim to military funding cuts as a result of the collapse of the Soviet
- [SIG Manurhin 543 Semiauto: I Really Like This Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sig-manurhin-543-semiauto-i-really-like-this-rifle/): https://youtu.be/s9W14CwIT6Y SIG introduced the 540 series of rifles in 1973, which included the full-length 540 in 5.56mm, the 541 in a number of experimental calibers for the Swiss military, the 542 in 7.62mm NATO, and the 543 carbine with an 11.8" (300mm) barrel in 5.56mm. In 1978 they licensed production of the 540, 542, and
- [Iver Johnson Prototype .25ACP Blow Forward Pocket Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/iver-johnson-prototype-25acp-blow-forward-pocket-pistol/): https://youtu.be/gR8hb6faPWc This is a one-of-a-kind prototype of a .25ACP blow forward pistol made by Iver Johnson. It was patented in 1916 (patent applied for in 1912) by William O. Barnes of Massachusetts, and assigned to Iver Johnson. We don't know much more about it, but it was probably dropped by the company for not working
- [The Surplus Guns Gold Rush When Communism Fell (w/ Val Forgett)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-surplus-guns-gold-rush-when-communism-fell-w-val-forgett/): https://youtu.be/NyFRot3ggfU When the Soviet Union collapsed, there was a gold rush for the surplus guns held by all the various newly independent republics, as well as the Warsaw Pact nations. Lord of War is not far off...and Val Forgett was there, bringing guns into the US for Navy Arms.
- [North Korean Type 68-1 Export "Asian Contract" Underfolder (Semiauto Build)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/north-korean-type-68-1-export-asian-contract-underfolder-semiauto-build/): https://youtu.be/KKTMrlYIVjM North Korea is too poor to finance social credit points, but if they did have them, you'd get loads for wearing our Best Korea propaganda shirt: https://varusteleka.com/en-us/products/forgotten-weapons-best-korea-propaganda-t-shirt North Korea began making a version of the AKM in 1968. In addition to the Type 68 with a fixed stock, they also made the Type 68-1
- [Prototype MAS 1925M Pistol: Cartridge Counting in 7.65 French Long](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/prototype-mas-1925m-pistol-cartridge-counting-in-7-65-french-long/): https://youtu.be/SW-3-uUSerU After World War One the French military created a plan to replace basically all of its small arms, including the array of handguns it had in use. The trials to adopt a single new replacement ultimately took nearly 15 years and actually resulted in two new pistols being chosen. One of these was the
- [H&R T223: In Vietnam Before the HK33](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hr-t223-in-vietnam-before-the-hk33/): https://youtu.be/Mx0es2ekSJo The very first iteration of the HK 33 roller-delayed rifle was included in early US rifle testing in Vietnam. H&K worked with Harrington & Richardson as their US representative, who did final assembly on a small number of trials rifles and marked them "H&R T223". These went to Vietnam for testing and while the
- [Q&A April 2026: The Good, the Bad, and the Really Dumb](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-april-2026-the-good-the-bad-and-the-really-dumb/): https://youtu.be/5gHQ4x6BBJ8 Today's Q&A is sponsored by Kyrö - get 10% off all their spirits with code SAUNAWHISKY10 at: https://www.kyrodistillery.com 00:01:25 - The .30-06 experimental Thompson Thompson 1923 auto-rifle video: https://youtu.be/EMO4o4yANpY Thompson .30 Carbine prototype: https://youtu.be/lW-IjtiVthc Previous owner talking about the .30-06 1943 experimental: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Dse6kd1kDc 00:07:57 - Why side-mounted magazines didn't catch on 00:12:28 - Other
- [AK-12: The Improved 2019 Model](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak-12-the-improved-2019-model/): https://youtu.be/wCCPR0XRhUM The AK-12 went through an extensive development program that attempted to substantially change the AK design, but failed. In 2015 the early design plans were scrapped, and the project reverted to simply making some changes to the AK-100 series. This resulted in the AK-12 being adopted as the new Russian standard infantry rifle in
- [AK-12: The Original Adopted Model (with Shooting)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak-12-the-original-adopted-model-with-shooting/): https://youtu.be/seRdl88CFKM Full version with all the shooting footage is available for all Patrons: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons It is also available to subscribers on Pepperbox and Floatplane: https://www.pepperbox.tv/video/12941 https://www.floatplane.com/post/cvS8e83PUH The AK-12 went through an extensive development program that attempted to substantially change the AK design, but failed. In 2015 the early design plans were scrapped, and the project
- [Only for Algerian Terrorists: The Sola Super and Sola Leger SMGs](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/only-for-algerian-terrorists-the-sola-super-and-sola-leger-smgs/): https://youtu.be/4kT2kAWth2g Sola (Société Luxembourgeoise d'Arms) was a company in Luxembourg that attempted to get into the arms business in the 1950s making simple, stamped 9mm open-bolt submachine guns. They produced two models, the Solar Super and the stripped-down Sola Leger (light). Neither one found any military or commercial buyers, and instead the company became embroiled
- [MAS SE 1935 SMG: Emblematic of French Interwar Gun Development](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mas-se-1935-smg-emblematic-of-french-interwar-gun-development/): https://youtu.be/ZALoMfdW86A Submachine guns made their entrance into military thinking during World War One. The French military saw this and decided to adopt one in the years after the war, although they saw it in a bit of a different light than other countries. For France, the SMG was to be a weapon for junior officers,
- [ARAC: Making Submachine Guns from Bolt Actions](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/arac-making-submachine-guns-from-bolt-actions/): https://youtu.be/gVHgyLtyUn0 In 1954 and 1955, the French company SOFAM (Société de Fabrication d'Armaments) in Paris marketed a system to convert bolt action rifles into submachine guns. The original design is reportedly Spanish, but was marketed through the French company. The design was pretty simple, using the stock and trigger guard of the rifle (in these
- [Navy M1 Garand Conversions to 7.62mm NATO: Mk2 Mod0 & Mk2 Mod1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/navy-m1-garand-conversions-to-7-62mm-nato-mk2-mod0-mk2-mod1/): https://youtu.be/nbcMpYO_ZFg Available from Morphys here: Mk2 Mod0 - https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__DOCUMENTED_USN_SPRINGFIELD_M1_GARAND_MK_2_MOD_-LOT661040.aspx Mk2 Mod1 - https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__DOCUMENTED_USN_SPRINGFIELD_M1_GARAND_MK_2_MOD_-LOT661041.aspx When the US military adopted 7.62mm NATO, the Army considered converting M1 Garands to the new caliber, and decided it wasn’t worthwhile. For them, Garands in .30-06 were perfectly suitable for training, and a large supply of .30-06 ammunition was still on
- [Minimalist Outdoorsman’s Combination Gun: The Marbles Game Getter (1st Model)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/minimalist-outdoorsmans-combination-gun-the-marbles-game-getter-1st-model/): https://youtu.be/IhKnqK6NPD0 Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__MARBLES_1908_GAME_GETTER__22_RF____44_GAME_GET-LOT663251.aspx Webster L. Marbles was a lifelong outdoorsman, who spent 30 years working as a surveyor, trapper, and lumberman among other jobs. He invented an axe with a safety cover to prevent accidents, and started the Marbles Safety Axe Company to produce it. Then in 1908, he designed a minimalist
- [Hungarian 48M Sniper Mosin (aka M52)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hungarian-48m-sniper-mosin-aka-m52/): https://youtu.be/8cjaulCtAPo Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__HUNGARIAN_91_30_M52_7_62X54MMR_BOLT_ACTION_SNI-LOT666019.aspx Under the Stalinist government that took control of Hungary in 1948, the Hungarian military adopted a whole suite of Soviet small arms. This included the M91/30 Mosin Nagant as the 48M rifle, and the 91/30 PU as the sniper model of the 48M. Production began at FEG in 1950,
- [M26 MASS (Modular Accessory Shotgun System)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m26-mass-modular-accessory-shotgun-system/): https://youtu.be/BE3OP2f-bz8 Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__VERTU_CORP_C_MORE_COMPETITION_M26_MASS_12_GAUG-LOT661207.aspx The M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System (MASS) was designed by C-More Products company as a new shotgun option for the US military. First prototyped in 1999, it was not actually adopted until 2012, but had been purchased in significant numbers since then. The idea is that the M26 can
- [Model 1867 Trapdoor: A Unique Rifle for West Point Cadets](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/model-1867-trapdoor-a-unique-rifle-for-west-point-cadets/): https://youtu.be/JiFBc1BuzdE Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_A__SPRINGFIELD_MODEL_1867_TRAPDOOR_CADET_STYLE_RI-LOT661752.aspx When the US military academy at West Point opened in 1802, one of the things it did was train cadets in rifle drill. The cadets were as young as 14 at that time, and the standard US infantry rifle was quite long and heavy, and it was not well
- [The First Military Luger: Swiss Model 1900 s/n 01](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-first-military-luger-swiss-model-1900-s-n-01/): https://youtu.be/r3C8HKDlKKY Available from Morphy's here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__IMPORTANT_FIRST_EVER_PRODUCED_DWM_1900_SWISS_L-LOT658702.aspx The first nation to adopt the Luger was Switzerland, which began testing in late 1898 and formally accepted the Luger in May 1900. Their guns were the first Lugers to be mass produced, as they were the first order received by DWM. The first batch of 600 arrived in
- [Remington Model 17 Police Special: The Shockwave a Century Ago](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/remington-model-17-police-special-the-shockwave-a-century-ago/): https://youtu.be/bau9TAGxyEs Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__REMINGTON_ARMS_COMPANY_MODEL_17_SPECIAL_POLICE-LOT665717.aspx Remington introduced the Model 17 as a lightweight 20ga pump shotgun in 1921. In addition to a variant of sporting grades and a 20” barreled riot model, they also offered the “Police Special” configuration. This was a 14.5 inch barrel with a 4+1 capacity and a Shockwave-style pistol grip
- [Custom-Order Walthers: Model HP and P38 in 7.65mm Parabellum](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/custom-order-walthers-model-hp-and-p38-in-7-65mm-parabellum/): https://youtu.be/WY5aZSd8j-0 Available from Morphys here: 7.65 P38 - https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__RARE_EARLY_WALTHER_P38_7_65_SEMI_AUTOMATIC_PIS-LOT658919.aspx 7.65 Walther HP - https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__WALTHER_HP__30_LUGER_SEMI_AUTOMATIC_PISTOL_-LOT658893.aspx When Walther first developed the P38, it was designated the Heerespistole - “Army Pistol”. Only after getting official Wehrmacht adoption did it get the designation P38. Walther offered models with both designations for commercial sale, albeit not to just anyone. Army
- [Singer M1911A1: The Rarest WW2 1911](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/singer-m1911a1-the-rarest-ww2-1911/): https://youtu.be/0vNYGqiXdz0 Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__OUTSTANDING_SINGER_MODEL_1911A1__45_ACP_SEMI_A-LOT660708.aspx The Singer Manufacturing Company, best known for its iconic sewing machines, received an Educational Contract to product 500 M1911A1 pistols on April 17, 1940. They set up production for the gun, producing every part except the grip panels in-house. The 500 pistols were delivered in December 1941, with a
- [ZB-26 vs Bren LMGs (w/ John Keene)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zb-26-vs-bren-lmgs-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/kEgIVKLEdYg ZB-26 Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__UTTERLY_FANTASTIC_CONDITION_WWII_GERMAN_NAZI_P-LOT655878.aspx Today John Keene and I are comparing two light machine guns: the Czech ZB-26 and the British Bren. Of course, the Bren is a development of the ZB, so there are a great many similarities between the two. The question is which one would we prefer to have?
- [Late-War Commercial K98k - Production in 1944 But Not for the Wehrmacht](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/late-war-commercial-k98k-production-in-1944-but-not-for-the-wehrmacht/): https://youtu.be/hPnTro7WgKI Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__RARE_LATE_WAR_COMMERCIAL_GUSTLOFF_WERKE_BCD_4_-LOT662278.aspx Late in 1944, a number of small companies assembled a batch of K98k rifles and commercially proofed them. These are a known group of guns to the collecting community, although many of the details of their purpose remain unclear. They were assembled from a mixture of reclaimed reject parts,
- [Guatemalan Contract St Chamond 70mm Mountain Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/guatemalan-contract-st-chamond-70mm-mountain-gun/): https://youtu.be/RG7YpgqjywE Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_D__TREMENDOUS_HIGH_CONDITION_WWI_ERA_70MM_ST_CHAM-LOT657316.aspx Despite the French Army adopting a 65mm mountain gun in 1906, several French companies - including St Chamond and Schneider - developed their own mountain gun designs in the years before World War One. These were popular guns for foreign export, being relatively small, light, and inexpensive. St Chamond's
- [Franchi LF-57 vs Colt SMG (w/ John Keene)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/franchi-lf-57-vs-colt-smg-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/a_CpfR4NaAk LF-57 Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__MARS_EQUIPMENT_CORP_FRANCHI_M1962_MACHINE_GUN_-LOT667044.aspx Today John Keene and I are comparing and contrasting a pair of quite different submachine guns. One is a Franchi LF-57, a rare second generation stamped Italian design very similar to the Walther MPL/MPK. The other is twenty years later, a Colt SMG - a closed-bolt third generation
- [St Chamond 75mm Field Gun: From Mondragon to WW1 Tanks to Israel](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/st-chamond-75mm-field-gun-from-mondragon-to-ww1-tanks-to-israel/): https://youtu.be/_hYGgdUxqHM Available from Morphy's here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_D__EXCEPTIONAL_CONDITION_ST_CHAMOND_75MM_FIELD_GU-LOT657326.aspx The design for the St Chamond 75mm field gun was initially created by Mexican small arms designer Manual Mondragon, who worked extensively in artillery as well as small arms. As Mexico had no domestic artillery production capability, he worked with the engineering team at St Chamond under Emile Rimailho
- [Simplified Warner Revolving Rifle: Caught by Colt’s Patent](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/simplified-warner-revolving-rifle-caught-by-colts-patent/): https://youtu.be/RwLhDDBQY5k Available from Morphy's here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_A__RARE_WARNER_S_PATENT_OPEN_FRAME_GROOVED_CYLIND-LOT665548.aspx James Warner was a gunsmith and owner of the Springfield Arms Company. In the 1850s he produced a series of revolving rifle designs which are interesting, but poorly documented. Only a few hundred of each were made (at most) and they appear to have begun as with a design
- [Carlstrom / Juhasz Concealed Sleeve Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/carlstrom-juhasz-concealed-sleeve-gun/): https://youtu.be/Skeu1QzV-94 Available at Morphy's here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__E__CARLSTROM_SLEEVE_PISTOL__ANY_OTHER_WEAPON__-LOT665729.aspx In 1929 Elek B. Juhasz of Lebanon PA patented this sleeve gun. It is a single-shot, manually cocked firing mechanism with a screw-on barrel and is worn on the inside of the forearm, presumably under a sleeve. The firing sear is connected to a pull string, which is to
- [Battle Rifles in the Jungle: Guatemalan AR-10](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/battle-rifles-in-the-jungle-guatemalan-ar-10/): https://youtu.be/e7Nl2bMXw3Y Available at Morphy's here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__ARTILLERIE_INRICHTINGEN_AR10_MACHINE_GUN__PRE_-LOT667077.aspx Guatemala was one of the handful of countries to purchase original AR-10 rifles, made at Artillerie Inrichtingen (AI) in the Netherlands. The sale was made by Sam Cummings, legendary arms dealer. He spent much of 1957 and 1958 traveling through Central and South America demonstrating the new AR-10 to
- [Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond - Books Now Shipping!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/licensed-troubleshooter-the-guns-of-james-bond-books-now-shipping/): https://youtu.be/ewp58Xzx80E Available and shipping now: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/licensed-troubleshooter Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond is a celebration of the most fascinating small arms wielded by one of the world’s most acclaimed action heroes, 007. This in-depth analysis spans the entire collection of Bond films and the novels that inspired them, including those authored by Ian Fleming
- [Masterpiece Arms MPA-971: Frankengun of the Assault Weapons Ban](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/masterpiece-arms-mpa-971-frankengun-of-the-assault-weapons-ban/): https://youtu.be/_9_hPXp_UJ8 The Masterpiece Arms MPA-971 was designed in 2003, at the tail end of the US Federal Assault Weapons Ban. Among other things, the ban prohibited the manufacture or import of magazines holding more than 10 rounds, and so MPA based this design on finding a readily available and inexpensive source of large magazines grandfathered
- [OSS & CIA Special Weapons and Equipment Books](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/oss-cia-special-weapons-and-equipment-books/): https://youtu.be/p1z73mFWJz0 OSS Special Weapons & Equipment: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/purchase/p/oss CIA Special Weapons & Equipment: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/purchase/p/cia As part of the Kickstarter for "Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond" we obtained the rights to reprint H. Keith Melton's two books on OSS and CIA weapons and equipment. These are the tools of real-world espionage form World War Two
- [The Origins of Aldo Uberti and Reproduction Cowboy Guns](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-origins-of-aldo-uberti-and-reproduction-cowboy-guns/): https://youtu.be/7W3zeWhkIgc In 1958, Val Forgett of Navy Arms contracted with Beretta engineer Aldo Uberti to produce 1,000 reproductions of the Colt 1851 Navy revolver. That turned into the beginning of many decades of production of a wide variety of revolvers and rifles, from the LeMat to a line of Winchester lever actions. Fueled by both
- [Aimpoint ICE: A More Aesthetic 1990s Prototype Red Dot](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoint-ice-a-more-aesthetic-1990s-prototype-red-dot/): https://youtu.be/GfIAE4PFJyQ During the 1990s, Aimpoint had a product developed who thought it would be good to develop a new red dot sight that had a more curved, organic look to it. The design he came up with also had some good technical elements - like separating the optical and electronic elements of the sight into
- [Henry Deringer’s Remarkable Percussion Pocket Pistols](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/henry-deringers-remarkable-percussion-pocket-pistols/): https://youtu.be/sj9nr6-Rc3I Henry Deringer Jr was born in Easton PA in 1786 to German parents. As a young man he apprenticed to a gunsmith, then spent 1808 working in the Virginia Manufactory making guns, and then open his own business in 1809 at 612 North Front Street in Philadelphia. He remained there until his death in
- [Ambient Arms EXO 5.56 Suppressor: Does it Really Stay Cool?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ambient-arms-exo-5-56-suppressor-does-it-really-stay-cool/): https://youtu.be/737bQlKu20w Ambient Arms has recently released a suppressor which pulls cool air into the body of the can in several places, mixing with combustion gasses to (among other things) keep the can from heating up as quickly as traditional designs. Since I was recently at a night vision match, I thought it would be interesting
- [Conch Fritters & Cuban Bread: Arms of the Conch Republic](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/conch-fritters-cuban-bread-arms-of-the-conch-republic/): https://youtu.be/fUBqz7WZ6jc Check out the full Conch Republic history video on @DeepDiveWithIan : https://youtu.be/wBUfknotHN8 More details on the Conch Republic Military Forces: http://www.conchrepublicmilitaryforces.com Conch Battle Hymn in full, sung by Conch First Sea Lord Finbar Gittelman here: https://youtu.be/HM1q5WN-XoE
- [Using Thermal in a Night Vision Match (Moons Out 2026)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/using-thermal-in-a-night-vision-match-moons-out-2026/): https://youtu.be/lgsCQzc-KrM I am really interested in the use of thermal optics for night shooting. As we can see from lots of footage in Ukraine, thermal imaging is a really important technology in modern warfare, and IR emissions like lasers and floodlights are far less useful in a peer-on-peer environment than in the low-tech counter-insurgency the
- [Laugo Alien Remus: Making the Best Pistol Better](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/laugo-alien-remus-making-the-best-pistol-better/): https://youtu.be/QvpwU3v8xNM The Remus is the new version of the Laugo Alien pistol. It was released about a year ago, and just recently also made available in a left-handed version - which I have been eagerly awaiting. The Remus is designed to be a more general-purpose and carry-suited pistol in contrast to the competition focus of
- [TRW Low Maintenance Rifle: America's Roller Locked Flechette Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/trw-low-maintenance-rifle-americas-roller-locked-flechette-rifle/): https://youtu.be/aTt_Zs8GLlI TRW's Low Maintenance Rifle seems to have been the result of a program to use a blank slate and a modern space age scientific mindset to develop a rifle that would be more reliable and effective than other existing designs. It was contracted to TRW during the Vietnam War, and they produced a very
- [Austrian Mosin Nagant Rifles Rechambered for 8x50mm in WWI](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/austrian-mosin-nagant-rifles-rechambered-for-8x50mm-in-wwi/): https://youtu.be/jhRSBUajR88 The Austro-Hungarian Empire captured a very large number of Mosin Nagant rifles from Russian forces during World War One. They decided as early as November 1914 to convert many of these rifles to the 8x50mm Mannlicher cartridge (as used in the M95 Mannlicher rifles of the Austrian and Hungarian forces) and put them back
- [Moons Out 2026 Night Rifle Match by Nocturn Industries (Night 1)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/moons-out-2026-night-rifle-match-by-nocturn-industries-night-1/): https://youtu.be/ZtYOBRhLoFM Moons Out is the premier annual night vision rifle match, held at the Echo Valley Training Center in West Virginia. This year I am shooting in the Passive division, using a CMMG Banshee 9mm carbine with an EOTech XPS-2 holographic sight. Because I'm in Passive I do not have a laser or illuminator; just
- [Moons Out 2026 Night Rifle Match by Nocturn Industries (Night 2)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/moons-out-2026-night-rifle-match-by-nocturn-industries-night-2/): https://youtu.be/_4yUsVEAOlI Moons Out is the premier annual night vision rifle match, held at the Echo Valley Training Center in West Virginia. This year I am shooting in the Passive division, using a CMMG Banshee 9mm carbine with an EOTech XPS-2 holographic sight. Because I'm in Passive I do not have a laser or illuminator; just
- [March 2026 Q&A: Introduction to Night Vision (w/ PSR, Brass Facts, Hop, Luke, & Kit Badger)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/march-2026-qa-introduction-to-night-vision-w-psr-brass-facts-hop-luke-kit-badger/): https://youtu.be/itscGoLX048 I took the opportunity to film this month's Q&A at the Moon Out 2026 night rifle match, where I was joined by Hop, Brass Facts, Kit Badger, Luke (Ballistic Aviation), and PSR. These guys have a lot of night vision experience between them, and I figured it would be a perfect place to answer
- [Will FRTs Kill Machine Gun Values? (feat. DIAS)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/will-frts-kill-machine-gun-values-feat-dias/): https://youtu.be/E8Kenu4vSYA When bump stocks made their appearance on the market, people suggested that they might cause a drop in the value of registered transferrable machine guns. That didn't happen, largely because bump stocks were tricky to use well, and fairly limited in application. The growing availability and popularity of FRTs raises the same question again.
- [Q&A February 2026: Drones, AI, 6.5mm Cartridges, and More](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-february-2026-drones-ai-6-5mm-cartridges-and-more/): https://youtu.be/-l-UbKheSac Today's Q&A is sponsored by Kyrö - get 10% off all their spirits with code FORGOTTENWHISKY10 at: https://www.kyrodistillery.com 01:05 - Guns from Peru JoLoAr video: https://youtu.be/c9JfodMKlBY 03:23 - Why not blow-forward bullpups? AK-53 video: https://youtu.be/-ykmqUFJWAw 05:00 - Was the SKS used in WW2? C&Rsenal SKS video: https://youtu.be/7x1jyDHxqO4 07:28 - Favorite gun breakdown? Terni 1921
- [Austrian Sniper Prototype: SSG-1917A4 (M1917 and 03A4 Springfield Hybrid)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/austrian-sniper-prototype-ssg-1917a4-m1917-and-03a4-springfield-hybrid/): https://youtu.be/If4kfnlmf_I In the years after World War Two when the Austrian Army began looking for new sniper rifles, one of their experiments was to use available M1917 rifles and M73B1 scopes (from M1903A4 sniper rifles). The scopes fit onto the M1917 rifles very well, and offered a basically cost-free option for new sniper weapons, albeit
- [M15 Automatic Rifle (aka T44E5): Adopted But Not Produced](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m15-automatic-rifle-aka-t44e5-adopted-but-not-produced/): https://youtu.be/00tjmP33ML8 When the US replaced the M1 Garand, the plan was to adopt both a select-fire infantry rifle and a heavy-barreled support weapon on the same platform. During development, both the T44 (later M14) and T48 (FAL) rifles had heavy-barreled versions. In the case of the M14, the final iteration of the heavy-barreled weapon was
- [US Army M68 Close Combat Optic aka Aimpoint CompM Series](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/us-army-m68-close-combat-optic-aka-aimpoint-compm-series/): https://youtu.be/256QB6XkddY When Aimpoint entered the competition for a US Army standard-issue combat optic in the 1990s, they really didn't expect to win. The other finalists were Trijicon and Meprolite, and it seems like a safe bet that the American firm - Trijicon - would get the contract. However, it ended up going to Aimpoint's CompM
- [Lithuanian Model 24L Mauser](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/lithuanian-model-24l-mauser/): https://youtu.be/a9lGKmoa0ek The history of early Lithuanian small arms usage is hard to trace, as most records were destroyed over the course of a German invasion, two Russian invasions, and a 50-year communist occupation. When Lithuania gained its independence after the collapse of the Russian Empire, it chose to standardize on the 8mm Mauser cartridge. The
- [Madsen Model 1945: A Rather Unusual SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/madsen-model-1945-a-rather-unusual-smg/): https://youtu.be/r9SSeCPbDoU At the end of World War Two, the Danish Madsen company wanted to replace its production of licensed Suomi submachine guns with a design of its own. The result was the Model 1945, a quite unusual design with a pistol-like slide. The nearest similarities would be the Polish PM-63 and the German VG1-5. The
- [Civil War Gwyn & Campbell Carbines (aka Cosmopolitan, Union, & Grapevine)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/civil-war-gwyn-campbell-carbines-aka-cosmopolitan-union-grapevine/): https://youtu.be/9yNeYRRnmFg The first version of this carbine was the Cosmopolitan, designed and patented by Henry Gross in 1859 and manufactured by Edward Gwyn and Abner Campbell. It is a single-shot .52 caliber carbine that loads from the breech with a paper cartridge and a separate external percussion cap. After producing a batch of the guns,
- [Eugene Stoner's Future Assault Rifle Concept (F.A.R.C.)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/eugene-stoners-future-assault-rifle-concept-f-a-r-c/): https://youtu.be/XmMah3Boj9Q After developing the AR-15 with Armalite, Eugene Stoner worked for a number of different companies. In 1972 he cofounded Ares Inc, where he and his partners worked on a wide variety of weapons platforms. Their work included rapid-fire cannons and full-fledged artillery as well as small arms. The first of those small arms was
- [Adventures in Surplus! Type 38 Arisaka Carbine in World War One](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/adventures-in-surplus-type-38-arisaka-carbine-in-world-war-one/): https://youtu.be/TP0F9TVfFaI "Forged in Snow", my book on Finnish small arms, is available for pre-order right now along with all the other cool options at: https://www.headstamppublishing.com In the fall of 1914 it became apparent that the minor fracas in Serbia was going to stretch a lot longer than anyone had expected, and governments began scrambling to
- [Russian NSV .50 manual](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/russian-nsv-50-manual/): The NSV was a modern heavy machine gun design that replaced the DShK. WE have a complete NSV technical manual available for free download now.
- [Aimpoint's First Tube Optics: 2000, 3000, & 5000](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoints-first-tube-optics-2000-3000-5000/): https://youtu.be/I786pgkby_I Aimpoint introduced its first tubular red dot sight in 1985, the Aimpoint 2000. They were still making direct rail-mounted optics like the Aimpoint Electronic, but recognized the customer demand for a sight that could fit into normal scope rings. The 2000 included a number of other innovations, like a light sensor to automatically adjust
- [Which Customer Are You? (w/ Mike Branson of Gideon Optics)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/which-customer-are-you-w-mike-branson-of-gideon-optics/): https://youtu.be/GSdi7z964ac Suit from Grayman & Co: https://grayman.co Today I'm speaking with Mike Branson from Gideon Optics at SHOT Show 2026 about what he sees in the industry. Specifically, the three categories that customers fall into...
- [The Real Deal: My New Mexico Public-Land Elk Hunt](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-real-deal-my-new-mexico-public-land-elk-hunt/): https://youtu.be/xn9zqi_g04s Interested in learning how to source your own meat, from field to table? Outdoor Solutions has a bunch of classes running: https://www.fromfieldtotable.com This past December I met up with my friends Greg Ray and Chef Joe from Outdoor Solutions for an ambitious (more ambitious than I realized at the time!) elk hunt. We had
- [Reproduction GX-607 and XM-177 Moderators: Do They Work?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/reproduction-gx-607-and-xm-177-moderators-do-they-work/): https://youtu.be/Q0RvJP9QayY When the first carbine variants of the AR-15 were developed by Colt (the Model 607 initially, and later the XM-177E1 and XM-177E2), one of the complaints was that they were painfully loud. This should not be surprising, given the blast and concussion created by 10.5" and 11.5" 5.56mm barrels. Colt's solution was to design
- [Mauser M90 DA: Not Mauser and Not a High Power](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mauser-m90-da-not-mauser-and-not-a-high-power/): https://youtu.be/yLgSpp8MtI4 Our book on Hungarian AKs, "Rifles on the Danube", is available here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/danube-book In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Mauser firm was not in good shape. It had no new products, and its ability to survive marketing its name and legacy pistols was waning. Without much vision for the future, it turned
- [How Guns are Made: Tolerances, Methods, and Metallurgy (Q&A January 2026)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-guns-are-made-tolerances-methods-and-metallurgy-qa-january-2026/): https://youtu.be/_9LJ6RPoX3g Today's Q&A is sponsored by Kyrö - get 10% off all their spirits with code FORGOTTENGIN10 at: https://www.kyrodistillery.com 0:02:41 - Could the US scale up small arms production to wartime mass levels? 0:08:57 - How were wood gunstocks made? 0:13:36 - Barrel attachment; alternatives to threading? 0:15:50 - Decline in gunsmiths and gunsmithing 0:20:34
- [Roller Locked Czechnology: the CZ 482 Pistol (Which Eventually Became the vz.52)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/roller-locked-czechnology-the-cz-482-pistol-which-eventually-became-the-vz-52/): https://youtu.be/TqRmg6uKJR0 The Czech vz.52 service pistol actually began as a commercial export program at CZ. It was developed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvíl. They actually designed two pistols with similar shape and controls, one blowback in .32ACP (which became the CZ 50 and then CZ 70) and one with a roller locked action
- [Book Review: Vickers Guide to H&K Volume 4: Rifles & Machine Guns (and more)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/book-review-vickers-guide-to-hk-volume-4-rifles-machine-guns-and-more/): https://youtu.be/8ylB4thQ17g Available directly from Vickers Guide: https://www.vickersguide.com/purchase/heckler-koch-vol-4-standard The fourth and final volume of the Vickers Guide to Heckler & Koch covers the post-roller-delayed long guns made by H&K. This begins with the G11, and then the G36, HKM4/HK416, HK417, MG4, and MG5 families. It also covers a number of other related groups of guns including
- [Vaporware or Successful Release: SHOT Show 2025 Retrospective](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/vaporware-or-successful-release-shot-show-2025-retrospective/): https://youtu.be/yBJRUx2nfcs Today we take a look back at last year's SHOT Show. Of all the products I did videos on, which ones successfully came to market and which dissolved into vaporware? Hop's HTX-1 Video: https://youtu.be/snpg6Vz5DOY AKB-23 Video: https://youtu.be/46wfJRmGK7A
- [Coenders' Bolt-Less Last Ditch Bolt Action Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/coenders-bolt-less-last-ditch-bolt-action-rifle/): https://youtu.be/6dq5K1cwdyY When the German Army tested last-ditch Volkssturm rifles late in World War Two, one of the particularly obscure submissions was August Coenders' Coenders-Rochling Volkssturmkarabiner. This was a bowl action rifle chambered for 8mm Mauser with a 5-round magazine. However, instead of using a traditional bolt action system it had a fixed breechblock and the
- [ZKP-524: A Prototype Czech 7.62x25mm 1911 Copy](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zkp-524-a-prototype-czech-7-62x25mm-1911-copy/): https://youtu.be/spdKFCRgWBE The Czechoslovak military knew when they adopted it that the vz.52 pistol was not very good, and they initiated a replacement program as the same time as its adoption. Two pistols were developed to be its replacement; the CZ 531 and the ZKP 524. The ZKP was designed by the brothers Josef and František
- [Clearing Bannerman's Island: Tales from the Golden Age of Surplus](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/clearing-bannermans-island-tales-from-the-golden-age-of-surplus/): https://youtu.be/3b4RZkyRhO4 The Bannerman family decided to sell Bannerman's Island tot he state of New York in the 1950s, but the sale required that they first clear all the ordnance off it. That was no simple task, and the military was not interested in the job. Instead, the family found Val Forgett Jr, a demolitions expert
- [Bannerman, the Father of Gun Collecting: Tales from the Golden Age of Surplus](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bannerman-the-father-of-gun-collecting-tales-from-the-golden-age-of-surplus/): https://youtu.be/vOR2Ho1FpLs Francis Bannerman is really the father of the modern military surplus industry, and in many ways a father of gun collecting as we know it today. Before Bannerman, "gun collecting" was generally something for the wealthy and revolved around fancy and bespoke guns. It was not about have representative pieces of normal arms, it
- [Colombia's Cowboy Revolvers: Cassidy, Marshall, and Scorpio](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colombias-cowboy-revolvers-cassidy-marshall-and-scorpio/): https://youtu.be/_7EIS5zZv9k Indumil in Colombia was originally founded as a state workshop to repair military small arms. Its first complete production gun was the Cassidy, a licensed copy of Llama's copy of the Smith & Wesson Model 10. This was developed by Llama for the .357 Magnum cartridge and retains that frame length, but Indumil only
- [Cordova Estandar: Colombia's Domestic Service Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/cordova-estandar-colombias-domestic-service-pistol/): https://youtu.be/dNpYerpJcLc Javier Traba Pistolas: https://www.youtube.com/@TrabaPistolas/videos When the Colombian government wanted a locally produced service pistol for its military and security services, it turned to Indumil - the government-owned small arms factory. Indumil already had a license from IMI to produce Galil rifles (both the older AR and the new Ace), and they leveraged the tools
- [How Red Dot Sights Work (What is a Collimator?)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-red-dot-sights-work-what-is-a-collimator/): https://youtu.be/kSiBPvdFnwo A whole lot of people have used red dot sights, but how many actually understand how they work? Let's see if we can fix that today...
- [Stamm-Saurer Model 1916 Short-Recoil Light Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/stamm-saurer-model-1916-short-recoil-light-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/_VpoSAyltZY Hans Stamm developed a series of firearms in Switzerland in the early 1900s, and today we are looking at a Model 1916 light machine gun. This was developed while Stamm was working for the Saurer company, where he headed its small arms division. Stamm's prior straight pull manual rifle and long-recoil semiautomatic rifles had
- [Buying W.W. Greener: Tales from the Golden Age of Surplus](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/buying-w-w-greener-tales-from-the-golden-age-of-surplus/): https://youtu.be/15t_-T6ufOU I am joined today by Val Forgett III of Navy Arms for the first in a series of videos telling some of his stories form growing up in the golden age of surplus, with a father who was one of the largest arms dealers in the US. Today, we are talking about how his
- [The First Red Dot Sights: Aimpoint Electronic, MkIII, and Aimpoint 1000](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-first-red-dot-sights-aimpoint-electronic-mkiii-and-aimpoint-1000/): https://youtu.be/OFd8GVITzOY Today we are looking at the first commercial red dot optic, and its successors. In 1975, Aimpoint released the Aimpoint Electronic, a collimating optic using an LED as a light source. It was intended for the hunting market, where an unmagnified optic that could be used with both eyes open offered a significant improvement
- [Ross 1912 Cadet: Straight Pull .22 Rimfire Training Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ross-1912-cadet-straight-pull-22-rimfire-training-rifle/): https://youtu.be/ZSYajKG4u4M The Ross model 1912 Cadet rifle was introduced in 1912 as a diminutive rimfire companion to the 1905 and 1910 military Ross rifles. It was a single-shot straight pull rifle, with a somewhat unusual locking bolt system. Somewhere between 13,000 and 17,000 appear to have been made, for civilian commercial sale, Cadet Corps, and
- [Print Gun Magazines are Dead (or are they?)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/print-gun-magazines-are-dead-or-are-they/): https://youtu.be/HAPk4Fq-jsI Print gun magazines used to be the standard way to stay tuned to the new scholarship in the world of collectible firearms. Then we got the internet. Today, researchers paid to write articles for print magazines have been effectively supplanted by collectors posting equally detailed and well-researched pieces on free public forums. While this
- [Indonesian M95/51 Mannlicher Carbine & Short Rifle Converted to .303 British](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/indonesian-m95-51-mannlicher-carbine-short-rifle-converted-to-303-british/): https://youtu.be/yRyJ7mwHpRI When Indonesia won its independence in 1949, its military had a real mess of different equipment. The SMLE was adopted as the first standard rifle, ut these were in short supply and a lot of Arisakas and Dutch Mannlichers were also in the country's possession. Looking for a weapon for rural police using the
- [Finnish Civil Guard m/33 Sniper (Built on the m/28-30 Mosin)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/finnish-civil-guard-m-33-sniper-built-on-the-m-28-30-mosin/): https://youtu.be/x1XkUVvRt4E The first Finnish Civil guard sniper rifle was the m/28, but its development was paused when the m/28-30 improved rifle was developed. Once that rifle wa sin production, they set about making a scoped version. The scope was the Zeiss Zielview 4x, and the Guard bought 25 of them to build the first run of
- [Israeli Mauser K98k Sniper Rifles: Wild Heerbrug & Nimrod](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/israeli-mauser-k98k-sniper-rifles-wild-heerbrug-nimrod/): https://youtu.be/I3OPzdhah6U The first Israeli military sniper rifles were German K98k snipers obtained by the nascent Israeli armed forces in the late 1940s. These were used in Israel's independence war, and served well. When the IDF decided to adopt the 7.62mm NATO cartridge and converted its Mauser rifles to that caliber using new barrels, the best-shooting
- [Rare & Unique Sightings From 100 French FR-F2 Sniper Rifles](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rare-unique-sightings-from-100-french-fr-f2-sniper-rifles/): https://youtu.be/GEOR7hclVFE Today I had a chance to dig through no less than one hundred FR-F2 snipers brought in by Navy Arms. I found a number of interesting and unusual things in the process, including a number of three-digit serial numbered very early production examples and some renumbered guns. We'll also be looking at the Scrome
- [Yugoslav M92: The Serbian 7.62x39mm Pseudo-Krink](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/yugoslav-m92-the-serbian-7-62x39mm-pseudo-krink/): https://youtu.be/aqhHzANgNWg The Yugoslav M92 rifle is most often compared to the Soviet AKS-74U "Krinkov" - it is a compact, folding-stock version of Zastava's M70 AK, just as the 74U was the compact version of the AK-74 series. However, the M92 was actually not made for a particular military requirement but rather for commercial export sales.
- [SAP M10: RPB Makes a Semiauto MAC-10](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sap-m10-rpb-makes-a-semiauto-mac-10/): https://youtu.be/CmPUmcm8W58 When Wayne Daniels took over control of RPB in 1978, he introduced a semiautomatic pistol version of the iconic MAC submachine gun. Called the "SAP" (Semi Automatic Pistol), there were three versions; .380, 9mm, and .45. They fired form an open bolt, and were virtually identical to the full auto type, but with a
- [Q&A December 2025: How I Write Books (and Much More)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-december-2025-how-i-write-books-and-much-more/): https://youtu.be/bruFeV7zGDs Thanks to Kyrö for sponsoring this Q&A! Use the code HOLIDAYSPIRIT10 for 10% off their spirits at: https://kyrodistillery.com 0:03:34 - Gun design standing on the shoulders of others 0:08:08 - Swiss adoption of the SIG P320 0:10:43 - High pressure cartridges, like 7mm Backcountry 0:13:46 - FRTs and SuperSafeties 0:17:55 - Is it hard
- [Mauser M80SA: Actually a High Power and Actually Hungarian](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mauser-m80sa-actually-a-high-power-and-actually-hungarian/): https://youtu.be/Qke2sUb5P0s Our book on Hungarian AKs, "Rifles on the Danube", is available here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/danube-book In the 1980s, the Mauser company was completely adrift, without any real plans or goals or good leadership. They had been trying to get by on relaunched old designs, and not been very successful. By the late 80s they move on
- [Ian Must Face the Cursed Chauchats](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ian-must-face-the-cursed-chauchats/): https://youtu.be/zSVY5l5FP84 Just for reference, here's the Belgian M1927 Chauchat: https://youtu.be/0RtTck6tLIU
- [Beretta M1918: Italy's 9mm Semiauto 9mm Carbine from WWI](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/beretta-m1918-italys-9mm-semiauto-9mm-carbine-from-wwi/): https://youtu.be/jM3kZHUAtCA Italy adopted the Villar Perosa in 1915, a gun that is sometimes considered the first submachine gun. Despite being fully automatic and chambered for pistol ammo (9mm Glisenti/Parabellum), it was actually not a submachine gun in practice. It was actually a twin gun, fired usually from a bipod using spade grips. It had some
- [Tanki Maraka: the US Radar Base 50 Miles from Venezuela](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tanki-maraka-the-us-radar-base-50-miles-from-venezuela/): https://youtu.be/BNxwGjgClNo Just as today, the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao had oil refining infrastructure back in World Wa rTwo. After some German naval action in the Caribbean early in the war, the Dutch government invited US forces to move onto the islands as security. This became part of US Caribbean Command, and
- [LMG-25: The Swiss Toggle-Locked Light Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/lmg-25-the-swiss-toggle-locked-light-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/QWOafSW-ZEQ The LMG-25 was designed by Adolph Furrer at Waffenfabrik Bern in the 1920s. Furrer was a devoted fan of the toggle locking system, and also designed a toggle-locked submachine gun that Switzerland (unwisely) adopted in 1941. The LMG-25 was first produced in 1924, adopted in 1925, and remained in production until 1946 with a
- [Grendel P10 and its Stripper Clips at the BUG Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/grendel-p10-and-its-stripper-clips-at-the-bug-match/): https://youtu.be/Ay-4OeWAK3g The Grendel P10 is a .380 ACP pistol designed to use 10-round stripper clips in a fixed magazine. Specifically, it used M16 clips - the case head of .380 is nearly identical to that of 5.56mm, and so the clips can be interchanged. Neat! The downside is that the Grendel has a terrible trigger,
- [AR-16: Armalite's Lost Battle Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ar-16-armalites-lost-battle-rifle/): https://youtu.be/jBl6ERBZ4sw The AR-16 was developed in the late 1950s as a less manufacturing intensive option to the AR-10. It began with the AR-12, which was a prototype intended to use a stamped receiver with the Stoner DI gas system. When Armalite sold the AR-15 patents to Colt, they had to revise that design, and it
- [The Real T26 "Tanker" M1 Garand](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-real-t26-tanker-m1-garand/): https://youtu.be/G9cwZ6Dw39Q Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten The name "tanker" has been applied to shortened M1 Garand rifles for a long time and today we are looking at one of the rifle that was the genesis of that concept. It actually has nothing to do with tanks; the idea for a
- [The Extremely Rare Folding Stock Beretta 38/43](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-extremely-rare-folding-stock-beretta-38-43/): https://youtu.be/CE-74usHyW8 The Beretta Model 38 SMG was a very successful design, and a folding-stocked version of it was a natural development. Beretta first made a prototype of such a thing in 1941, but it never went into production - possibly because Italy ceased to have an effective paratrooper corps after El Alamein. However, many of
- [Japanese National Police Revolvers: S&W 37-2 and 360J](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/japanese-national-police-revolvers-sw-37-2-and-360j/): https://youtu.be/IxcPZhfK1qA Before World War Two, the national police in Japan were used substantially as an enforcement agency for political reasons. After the war this changed, and the police were re-formed with a vision of them being a community oriented agency, non-threatening and helpful. Still, some sort of armament was needed, and so they were given
- [Between SMG and PDW: Sweden's CBJ-MS](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/between-smg-and-pdw-swedens-cbj-ms/): https://youtu.be/USr6QiWtOOE The CBJ-MS is a submachine gun designed by Swedish arms developed Carl Bertil Johansson, perhaps better known for his remarkable armor-piercing 6.5x25mm CBJ cartridge. He developed the gun at about the same time as the cartridge, on his own time while working at the Carl Gustafs factory in Eskilstuna. While it bears a lot
- [Small Arms of the Cold War: NATO Battle Rifles - Book Now Shipping!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/small-arms-of-the-cold-war-nato-battle-rifles-book-now-shipping/): https://youtu.be/ru45s8M5eoU Available and shipping now from: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle Sorry to our European folks, but the copies allocated to the European shipping center have already sold out, so we can only fulfill orders from the US. The Battle Rifle is a class of infantry rifles inextricably linked to the NATO forces of Cold War-era Europe. After the
- [M1E5 Experimental Paratrooper Garand](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1e5-experimental-paratrooper-garand/): https://youtu.be/8JVBCchQ_fM In January 1944 men of the 93rd Infantry Division field-modified an M1 to give it a shorter (18") barrel, and the rifle was sent back to the US and tested by the Infantry Board. The idea was that a rifle like this might be of use to paratroopers, being more powerful than the M1A1
- [Knight's Armament Silent Revolving Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/knights-armament-silent-revolving-rifle/): https://youtu.be/I2V4Cjob6_s In the early 1990s, Knight's Armament was approached by an unnamed agency looking for a very specialized weapon. It needed to be a repeating firearm that left no brass behind while being effectively silent and capable of shooting a 1.5" group at 100 yards. To meet these requirements, Knight's chose to begin with a
- [PSS: Russia's Silent Captive-Piston Handgun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pss-russias-silent-captive-piston-handgun/): https://youtu.be/6RDS92zBv6k The PSS is a semiautomatic pistol using captive piston ammunition to achieve a comparable level of sound suppression to a .22 pistol with a good normal suppressor. It was developed to replace a couple multi-barrel derringer style captive piston pistols in Soviet use, with the semiautomatic action and (6-round) detachable magazines making it suitable
- ["Forged in Snow" Launch Ends Tonight: Livestream Announcement!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/forged-in-snow-launch-ends-tonight-livestream-announcement/): https://youtu.be/qZEfqdyxou4 You still have a few hours to get in on the discount and the Kickstarter Exclusive "frozen" cover: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=4esibx
- [Why the M7 and 6.8x51mm are Bad Ideas: Welcome to my TED Talk](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/why-the-m7-and-6-8x51mm-are-bad-ideas-welcome-to-my-ted-talk/): https://youtu.be/kqlKXrwmRMQ NATO Cold War Battle Rifles and much more: https://www.headstamppublishing.com Cappy Army video on the SIG M7A1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n06vpf-vaSg CBJ Armor Piecing ammunition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90ECrL_4GPc The plan to replace the 5.56mm M4 Carbine with the 6.8mm M7 as the US Army's standard infantry rifle is a bad idea, and today I will try to explain why. In
- [T31: Garand's Bizarre Bullpup](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/t31-garands-bizarre-bullpup/): https://youtu.be/D5TMfK0NvFM The T31 was John Garand's last project during his employment at Springfield Armory. It was proposed in 1948 as a bullpup configuration rifle to minimize muzzle blast and flash. It was a select-fire rifle with a 20-round detachable box magazine and basically every aspect of the design was unorthodox. The original gas system was
- [Steyr M1912/16 Automatic "Repetierpistole"](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/steyr-m1912-16-automatic-repetierpistole/): https://youtu.be/1OFophjcKCY In the latter half of World War One the Austro-Hungarian military experimented with a number of select-fire pistol type weapons. One of these was the Steyr Repetierpistole M1912/16, an automatic adaptation of the regular M1912 pistol. It was given a 16-round fixed magazine (loaded via two 8-round stripper clips) and a selector switch. A
- [Pretty Cool Finnish Gun Posters: Suomi, AK, & Mosin](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pretty-cool-finnish-gun-posters-suomi-ak-mosin/): https://youtu.be/5CglpIPHnC4 We made some pretty awesome posters of the best Finnish small arms to go along with Forged in Snow - Suomi SMGs, Finnish military AKs, and Finnish Mosins. Check them out at the Forged in Snow Kickstarter: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=e6kitz
- [Origins of the Legendary CZ-75: Short Rail and Pre-B Models](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/origins-of-the-legendary-cz-75-short-rail-and-pre-b-models/): https://youtu.be/vIhLBhZ8UjQ Find something cool for Black Friday at Headstamp Publishing! https://www.headstamppublishing.com The CZ-75 began development in the late 1960s as a commercial project. It was not intended for Czechoslovak military use, but instead for export sales to bring foreign currency into Czechoslovakia. It was designed by František Koucký with some elements form other pistols (like
- [Semiauto SAR-80 "Sterling Assault Rifle" at the Range](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/semiauto-sar-80-sterling-assault-rifle-at-the-range/): https://youtu.be/uhw6sVnxqB0 The SAR-80 was a design by Frank Waters at Sterling in the UK, but was not actually put into production by Sterling. Instead, it was licensed to Chartered Industries of Singapore in 1977, who eventually made about 80,000 of them for Singapore, Slovenia, Thailand, Papua New Guinea, and the Central African Republic. This is
- [Q&A November 2025: The 6.8x51 is Still a Bad Idea](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-november-2025-the-6-8x51-is-still-a-bad-idea/): https://youtu.be/k4rRDm5mRD0 Use code "FORGOTTENRYE10" for 10% off Kyrö Distillery spirits at their web store: https://kyrodistillery.com/ 00:00:20 - Aimpoint offering multi-reticle options? 00:01:55 - Blood lead levels from shooting 00:05:59 - Combining scuba with history and guns My scuba channel; Deep Dive With Ian: https://www.youtube.com/@DeepDiveWithIan 00:07:51 - Change in rifling twist rate for 5.56mm 00:10:30 -
- [TKIV-85: Finland's Ultimate Mosin Nagant Sniper Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tkiv-85-finlands-ultimate-mosin-nagant-sniper-rifle/): https://youtu.be/h5eMChPYH_k Join the Kickstarter for "Forged in Snow: Finnish Small Arms 1917-2025" here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=desl1o Finland's final iteration of Mosin Nagant sniper was adopted in the 1980s to replace a mix-and-match assortment of m/39-43, m/27-66, and m/28-76 rifles. The two options were a Mosin system using a new bedding block (developed by Border Guard officer E.
- [The First M60 Prototype: FG42 + MG42 = T44](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-first-m60-prototype-fg42-mg42-t44/): https://youtu.be/Xdwx17V_7VY The FG-42 caught the attention of a lot of countries at the end of World War Two. The British and Swiss both used it as the starting point for some developments. The US went one step simpler, and simply cut up a captured FG-42 to make into the T44, the first prototype of what
- [Pienoiskivääri m/91 Finnish .22 Mosin Trainer](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pienoiskivaari-m-91-finnish-22-mosin-trainer/): https://youtu.be/q8OVe-IxUl0 This and all the other Finnish Mosins are detailed in my new book "Forged in Snow": https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=b8ft1r In the 1920s the Finnish Defense Forces wanted a reduced-power training rifle to allow low-cost marksmanship practice and to allow shooting on small ranges. After investigating drop-in rimfire conversions, they decided to make dedicated .22 rimfire m/91
- [Rideout Arsenal Dragon: A New Low-Bore-Axis Lever-Delayed Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rideout-arsenal-dragon-a-new-low-bore-axis-lever-delayed-pistol/): https://youtu.be/FQ7RdSgGeMA Wauser t-shirt available from Varusteleka: https://varusteleka.com/en/products/forgotten-weapons-wauser-cotton-t-shirt The Rideout Arsenal Dragon is a very interesting new pistol from an independent entrepreneurial designer, Travis Rideout. It is a lever-delayed action with a very low bore axis and a stationary optic when firing. It has a completely tool-less disassembly, and a lot of clever design elements. This
- [Aly & Kaufman AKB-23: Better Than the SA80 / L85](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aly-kaufman-akb-23-better-than-the-sa80-l85/): https://youtu.be/46wfJRmGK7A Penguin Brutality t-shirt available from Varusteleka: https://varusteleka.com/en/products/forgotten-weapons-penguin-brutality-t-shirt The Aly & Kaufman AKB-23 is a set of parts that allows one to use a Brownells BRN-180 upper to create an SA80 / L85 lookalike. It's a very clever adaptation, based on the fact that the original British L85A1 was essentially copied from the AR-180 design.
- [MY NEW BOOK! Forged in Snow: Finnish Small Arms 1917-2025](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/my-new-book-forged-in-snow-finnish-small-arms-1917-2025/): https://youtu.be/DOEcQHAgHIY Join the book launch on Kickstarter now! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=f1ouec Forged in Snow: Finnish Small Arms 1917 - 2025 is a reference guide to military firearms manufactured and modified in Finland. Intended for collectors and historians alike, it covers the full scope of Finland's small arms from pistols to antitank rifles and from independence in 1917
- [Drum-Fed LMG for Chinese Warlords: the Finnish LS-26/31](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/drum-fed-lmg-for-chinese-warlords-the-finnish-ls-26-31/): https://youtu.be/a0qQ5I7Ykt0 Join the Forged in Snow launch here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=2sw39d After the Finnish Defense Forces adopted the LS26 light machine gun, Aimo Lahti and the Tikkakoski factory continued to work on further developing it. They designed a 75-round drum for antiaircraft use, and built 50 trials examples in 1931. The design used a specially cut receiver
- [Adventures in Surplus! Finnish M28 "Ski Trooper"](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/adventures-in-surplus-finnish-m28-ski-trooper/): https://youtu.be/xK_Bo2KIBrM Get your exclusive preorder copy of Forged in Snow today! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=3xnziv Today we are going to take a look at just how much historical be read from the features and markings of an individual rifle. This is an early production Finnish M28 "ski trooper" Mosin Nagant that can be traced from Russian manufacture to
- [m/27PH aka m/37: Finland's First Standard Sniper Rifle (and it's really bad)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m-27ph-aka-m-37-finlands-first-standard-sniper-rifle-and-its-really-bad/): https://youtu.be/xJGqaNOBb_o Join the Forged in Snow launch here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/forged-in-snow?ref=55a9yv The m27PH, aka the m/37, was the first standardized Finnish sniper rifle. It was developed as part of the plan to make a whole family of m/27 rifles for the Finnish Army, including cavalry, trainer, and sniper models. The sniper model was delayed because of the
- [Preproduction wz89 Onyx: the Polish Krinkov](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/preproduction-wz89-onyx-the-polish-krinkov/): https://youtu.be/Kyh3FuDNbUs After developing the 5.45mm Tantal rifle (adopted in 1988), the Radom factory moved on to designing a compact "SMG" version. This would be designated the wz.89 "Onyx", but never made it into mass production thanks to the collapse of the Communist government in Poland. The first production batch was made in 1991 using a
- [T20 Family: Springfield Makes the Garand a Grenade Launching Sniper Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/t20-family-springfield-makes-the-garand-a-grenade-launching-sniper-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/1b2BTTyx1AM Late in 1944 the Ordnance Committee recommended adoption of a magazine-fed, select-fire version of the M1 Garand as a new standard US infantry rifle. Both Springfield and Remington developed rifles to meet the requirement, with Springfield's being the T20 and Remington's the T22. The Springfield design went through several iterations from the original T20
- [Apache Arms Carbine: A Saga of Compliance and Crappy Manufacture](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/apache-arms-carbine-a-saga-of-compliance-and-crappy-manufacture/): https://youtu.be/41kZ17Fr8IA The Apache Arms carbine was a Thompson SMG lookalike that was made in small numbers in the late 1960s. It was the successor to the Spitfire carbine made by the same people, after the Spitfire was deemed a machine gun by the IRS. The Apache used M3 Grease Gun magazines and was chambered for
- [Licensed Troubleshoot: Guns of James Bond UPDATE!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/licensed-troubleshoot-guns-of-james-bond-update/): https://youtu.be/yUtYyVkoGH0 Licensed Troubleshooter is still available for preorder: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/licensed-troubleshooter At long last we have proof of life for Licensed Troubleshooter: the Guns of James Bond by Caleb Daniels! This book hit several production delays, but is finally now in the final stages and nearly ready to ship. We just got a couple advance copies; have
- [Q&A October 2025: Weird Pistols & Future Plans](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-october-2025-weird-pistols-future-plans/): https://youtu.be/_WG0Tq0-wcA Use code "FORGOTTENWEAPONS10" for 10% off Kyrö Distillery spirits at their web store: https://kyrodistillery.com/ Personal questions 03:07 - How is Ian doing? 04:38 - Family firearms background 05:47 - Favorite Finnish firearm 08:22 - Am I still learning French? How about Finnish? 09:58 - Plans for 2026 for Forgotten Weapons and Headstamp Publishing 12:14
- [AK50: How Hard Could it Be? Brandon Herrera's 10-Year Project](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak50-how-hard-could-it-be-brandon-herreras-10-year-project/): https://youtu.be/YagIIpex8Is Scaling the AK up to .50 BMG...how hard could it be? Today we find out, with a detailed looks at all threee iterations of Brandon Herrera's AK-50 project.
- [GIGN's Unique Bren 2 in 7.62x39: Counterterrorism and Hostage Rescue](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/gigns-unique-bren-2-in-7-62x39-counterterrorism-and-hostage-rescue/): https://youtu.be/XW9psVnYJAY GIGN - the "Group d'Intervention de la Gendarmerie Nationale" (Intervention Group of the National Gendarmerie) is the tip of the spear for French counterterrorism and major crime response. They are a relatively small (a few hundred operators) unit that deploys anywhere in France any often around the world. They curate a wide range of
- [Type 85: China's Special Forces SMG (Regular and Silenced Versions)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/type-85-chinas-special-forces-smg-regular-and-silenced-versions/): https://youtu.be/stPCRbxXvqE Jason Clower's video on the development and use of the Type 85: https://youtu.be/-XB3axKpn98 The Type 85 was a submachine gun developed in the 1980s in China to replace the failure that was the Type 79. It was a very simple design; firing from an open bolt and using a plain blowback action chambered for
- [The Original AR-15: Serial Number 6 in Original Configuration](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-original-ar-15-serial-number-6-in-original-configuration/): https://youtu.be/Trs30zg7S8k The very first AR15 rifles submitted to US government trials were extremely light rights, with an assortment of interesting features that did not last long. They had top-mounted charging handles, one-piece hand guards, very thin barrels with plain muzzles, and a different safety selector configuration than became normal later one. Updates and modifications were
- [Soldier of Three Armies: Lauri Törni Biography Part 1 - Finland](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/soldier-of-three-armies-lauri-torni-biography-part-1-finland/): https://youtu.be/B2LZJ3BhqJo Törni/Thorne shirts & patches: https://varusteleka.com/products/forgotten-weapons-lauri-torni-t-shirt-cotton "Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne" by J. Michael Cleverley; recommended English language book on Thorne: https://amzn.to/3ZUjni4 Kari Kallonen's book in Finnish is available here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50744551-lauri-t-rni---mannerheim-ristin-ritari-ja-usa Today is the first of a two-part biography on Finnish legend Lauri Törni, later known as Larry Thorne. He
- [Larry Thorne Biography Part 2: Green Berets in Vietnam](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/larry-thorne-biography-part-2-green-berets-in-vietnam/): https://youtu.be/4Usz8HjRIuE Törni/Thorne shirts & patches: https://varusteleka.com/products/forgotten-weapons-lauri-torni-t-shirt-cotton "Born a Soldier: The Times and Life of Larry Thorne" by J. Michael Cleverley; recommended English language book on Thorne: https://amzn.to/3ZUjni4 Kari Kallonen's book in Finnish is available here: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50744551-lauri-t-rni---mannerheim-ristin-ritari-ja-usa Welcome back to Part II of our biography on Lauri Törni / Larry Thorne with author and researcher Kari
- [ASh-78: Albania Makes the Worst AK](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ash-78-albania-makes-the-worst-ak/): https://youtu.be/doA3TmxUZ2Q Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten Albanian AKs are both pretty scarce to find outside Albania, and also a bit unusual in the AK field. Where most countries followed Russian AK development, Albania instead patterned theirs on the Chinese Type 56. China had Russian assistance in producing the original milled-receiver
- [Remote Brutality 2025: Burpees For Everyone!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/remote-brutality-2025-burpees-for-everyone/): https://youtu.be/GS3A_sr-Vmk Grayman & Co Tailoring: https://tidd.ly/3VFYqpp Because of the scheduling of Finnish Brutality 2025 early this year and Finnish Brutality 2026 in late summer next year, there is a really drought of Finnish Brutality right now - so Varusteleka decided to hold a Remote Brutality. This is one rifle and one pistol stage that are
- [Foldy-Glock: The Full Conceal M3D (History and Shooting)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/foldy-glock-the-full-conceal-m3d-history-and-shooting/): https://youtu.be/opR5D7AhZlk Full Conceal was a company that designed a folding Glock. The intent was to create a pistol that could be easily, discreetly, and safely carried in a pocket but still offer the handing and capability of a full size service pistol. They did this by cutting off the grip of a Glock 19 (M3D)
- [BUG Match: Serbu Super Shorty vs MIL Thunder 5](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bug-match-serbu-super-shorty-vs-mil-thunder-5/): https://youtu.be/U-6AnYtwiQs Today at the Back-Up Gun Match we have a showdown between shotguns. But not proper shotguns; oh no - we are using only tiny shotguns! Friend of the channel (and regular BUG Match enjoyer) Matt Haught from Symtac Consulting is shooting a Serbu Super Shorty and I am shooting a MIL Thunder Five (a
- [Colt LE-901 Modular Multi-Caliber AR: A Well-Designed Failure](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-le-901-modular-multi-caliber-ar-a-well-designed-failure/): https://youtu.be/7QnK6FMxdxY Colt originally developed the 901 as part of the US Army SCAR program, with the intention being to create a 7.62x51mm rifle that could also use unmodified 5.56x45mm upper assemblies. This would allow special operations units to customize a single weapon to a variety of different configurations for different mission profiles. Mechanically, the system
- [Project PRAK: Converting the CZ50 Pistol to 9x18mm Makarov](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/project-prak-converting-the-cz50-pistol-to-9x18mm-makarov/): https://youtu.be/DusMWSHL9yQ In 1966, CZ undertook Project PRAK (“Slingshot”) to investigate the possibility of converting the CZ50 pocket pistol to 9x18mm Makarov. The PM Makarov was adopted in the 1950s and used throughout the eastern bloc, but not in Czechoslovakia. A normal CZ50 pistol was taken from the production line and fitted with a barrel from
- [Forgotten SIGs: SIG Pro SP2009 & SP2022](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/forgotten-sigs-sig-pro-sp2009-sp2022/): https://youtu.be/Nb4u7yl0iP4 In 1998, SIG released the SIG Pro SP2340, essentially a polymer framed P226 chambered for .40S&W. This was followed the next year by the SP2009; the same gun but in 9x19mm. These pistols proved quite popular with law enforcement agencies, and SIG was able to win a very large contract with French law enforcement
- [Where I Shop for Clothes & Gear (and why it's Varusteleka)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/where-i-shop-for-clothes-gear-and-why-its-varusteleka/): https://youtu.be/wbRYTEfSltQ I've been wearing Varusteleka clothing in my daily life and using their military kit for many years now, because t'swell made, high quality, and comfortable. They very much fit the Nordic stereotype of "buy once, cry once" and making things that will last a lifetime. They have just recently relaunched a new web store,
- [September 2025 Q&A: All About Battle Rifles](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/september-2025-qa-all-about-battle-rifles/): https://youtu.be/W2nVO4PhhMQ NATO Battle Rifles book: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle 00:30 - What is a "battle rifle"? 03:02 - What is the specific definition of "full power cartridge"? 07:59 - Will the US 6.8x51 lead to more widespread battle rifle adoption? 10:54 - Full auto practicality in battle rifles (w/ FRTs and such) 12:40 - Favorite hypothetical boutique AR-10
- [Hovea M44: Husqvarna Makes a Submachine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hovea-m44-husqvarna-makes-a-submachine-gun/): https://youtu.be/_r3hmDUO7is The Hovea M44 was tested by the Danish and Swedish militaries in 1945, competing agains the Carl Gustaf M45. It was designed and produced by Husqvarna (yes, the chainsaw company) and just 10 of them were made for testing. It was designed around the Suomi quad-stack magazine, which was also originally a Swedish design.
- [FAMAS G1: Simplified for Export](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/famas-g1-simplified-for-export/): https://youtu.be/p2FgIwl6z0o The FAMAS G1 was developed as a lower-cost option for FAMAS export sales. The original F1 model had been offered for international sale, but it attracted little interest largely because of its high price. In response, GIAT created the G1 with many of the extra features left optional. This allowed them to reduce the
- [An Interesting Silenced Bulgarian Makarov](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/an-interesting-silenced-bulgarian-makarov/): https://youtu.be/xFfHlXQT6qs Today we are taking a look at an interesting silenced Bulgarian Makarov with a mechanism added to lock the slide. This sort of feature is usually thought of as a sneaky way to avoid ejecting brass and leaving it behind, but it actually serves a much more practical purpose. One of the loudest elements
- [Albania's Rather Odd Grenade Launching AK](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/albanias-rather-odd-grenade-launching-ak/): https://youtu.be/g-VS_ZwXxF0 In addition to its regular ASh-78 (fixed stock) and ASh-82 (under folder) Kalashnikovs, Albania also made a model specifically for launching rifle grenades and it has some odd features. The rear sight block was redesigned to have a hinge permanently attaching the top cover, and the rear sight was moved back onto that top
- [ZK-466: CZ Makes a Folding Submachine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zk-466-cz-makes-a-folding-submachine-gun/): https://youtu.be/7YUnr18WRfw The ZK-466 was one of the post-war submachine guns developed in Czechoslovakia as part of the competition for a new Czech military SMG. Developed by Josef Koucky (who was also designer of the ZK-383 before the war), it is a 9x19mm open bolt simple blowback system with a collapsing stock and folding magazine well
- [Tomiska's Czech Army Pistol: Empty Magazine Auto-Ejection](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tomiskas-czech-army-pistol-empty-magazine-auto-ejection/): https://youtu.be/uqkbnO2oCqY Alois Tomiška is best known for designing the first commercially successful double-action semiautomatic pistol, the “Little Tom”. But he also designed this pistol for very early Czechoslovakian military pistol. The first trial in the program was in 1920, and the winner of the trial was Josef Nickl with what became the vz.24 pistol. Tomiška
- [M1E10 Garand-Ljungman Prototype](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1e10-garand-ljungman-prototype/): https://youtu.be/8JpFsLl8u-4 Springfield Armory was involved in experimenting with he M1 Garand throughout its production, looking at various different elements that could be improved. A series of experimental models were made, with M1E[x] designations. Some of these went on to become production models like the M1C and M1D snipers, while others simply proved that some idea
- [Hungarian K1 "Kucher" Light Submachine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hungarian-k1-kucher-light-submachine-gun/): https://youtu.be/nvwf3QA4TJo In the early years after World War Two the Hungarian government needed new small arms, but chose to license Soviet designs instead of developing their own. when it came to submachine guns, this entailed production of the PPSh-41 at FÉG in 1950. Josef Kucher was a talented Hungarian arms designer who had worked with
- [CZ-531: A Czech Browning in 7.62mm Tokarev](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/cz-531-a-czech-browning-in-7-62mm-tokarev/): https://youtu.be/G64SHKQTUZE The CZ-531 was developed as a replacement for the vz.52 pistol in 1953. Even as the vz.52 was being adopted, the Czech military knew that it wasn’t a great gun, and they wanted a long-term replacement based on the TT33 Tokarev design. There were two pistols put into development for this; the CZ 531
- [Bommarito: America’s First Toggle-Locked Battle Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bommarito-americas-first-toggle-locked-battle-rifle/): https://youtu.be/nuXpxa-dv8c Designed by Giuseppe Bommarito, this was one of the many independent rifle designs submitted to the US War Department in the 1910s hoping for military adoption. It is a short recoil operated, toggle-locked system chambered for .30-06 and using detachable 20-round magazines. It was tested (without much success) at Springfield and remained in development
- [Gerat 06: Germany's Incremental Steps Towards Roller Delay](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/gerat-06-germanys-incremental-steps-towards-roller-delay/): https://youtu.be/B1foKhZ_W1U The Gerät 06 is one of the steps in the development of the roller delay system that became H&K. The initial experiments involved replacing the flaps in a G43 rifle bolt with simpler rollers. In addition to making this as an experimental system in 8x57mm, Mauser also made a model in 8x33mm - and
- [Czechoslovakian Flare Pistols: vz 44/67 and vz 44/81](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/czechoslovakian-flare-pistols-vz-44-67-and-vz-44-81/): https://youtu.be/HaeilznIlo4 In 1951, Czechoslovakia received the technical data package for the Soviet SPSh flare pistol. This was a simple single shot break-action 26.5mm signal flare launcher, and they put it into production from 1952 through 1958. However, it was made with mediocre materials and the guns wore out in as few a 1,000 rounds fired.
- [Pauly/Roux Pistols: The First Self-Contained Cartridges](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pauly-roux-pistols-the-first-self-contained-cartridges/): https://youtu.be/N-h1aPjYl-w EDIT: Please note that apparently the Priestel book I used as a major source for this video is partially incorrect, in that Pauly did create a traditional percussion system in France. The fire piston / diesel system was done slightly later after he moved to England, perhaps to avoid the Forsyth patent there. ---------
- ["The World's Assault Rifles": Essential for any Firearms Library](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-worlds-assault-rifles-essential-for-any-firearms-library/): https://youtu.be/siteEoW3snY Available from Chipotle Publishing: https://chipotlepublishing.com/product/the-worlds-assault-rifles/ I am often asked about what books someone interested in firearms should get. That's a really hard question to answer because most good books have a pretty narrow focus, but there are a few that are both wide in scope and deep in detail and "The World's Assault Rifles"
- [Steyr's New Modular Pistols: AT-C Competition and AT-D Defense](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/steyrs-new-modular-pistols-at-c-competition-and-at-d-defense/): https://youtu.be/qac6_5YU9EU Steyr has just released its first new handgun since the M9. This new design is call the AT (Austria), with a competition model (AT-C) and a service/carry/defense model (AT-D). The gun is a Browning short recoil system that takes a lot of cues from the original Sig P226 handling and design. In fact, part
- [Four-Barrel Mule Ear Custom Rifle from the 1850s](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/four-barrel-mule-ear-custom-rifle-from-the-1850s/): https://youtu.be/Ta5qqtX4E1c This is a custom rifle made by gunsmith P.E. Hall of Ashtabula, Ohio most likely between 1848 and 1854. It has a cluster of four .36 caliber rifles barrels (24 inches long) in an octagonal frame. The action is a quadruple set of mule ear hammers, two on each side, with a double set
- [Japanese Last-Ditch Pole Spear Bayonet](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/japanese-last-ditch-pole-spear-bayonet/): https://youtu.be/ld2rGKBwDAU Japanese bayonets followed the same trend of simplification as Arisaka rifles towards the end of World War Two, culminating in what is today called the "pole bayonet". Abandoning even the fittings to mount to a rifle, these bayonets were intended to be lashed to a pole to create a spear. The Japanese government did
- [Registered Bolt vs Registered Receiver Uzis](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/registered-bolt-vs-registered-receiver-uzis/): https://youtu.be/BdRNt7MUtPM Most of the transferrable Uzis in the US are not factory original guns, but rather semi autos that were converted and registered as machine guns in the US before 1986 (when such activity was legal). There were several different ways to do this, with the two main ones being the registered bolt route and
- [OSS Lockpick Pocketknife for Secret Intelligence Operatives](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/oss-lockpick-pocketknife-for-secret-intelligence-operatives/): https://youtu.be/RVr3zZo8XFo In early 1944, the Office of Strategic Services purchase 1,000 specialized pocketknives made by Schrade. Instead of regular blades and tools, these were lock picking knives, with one small blade, three different picks, and two rakes. Able to easily pass as a normal pocketknife on casual inspection, nearly all of them were issued out
- [The Official American Boy Scout Rifle: Remington 4-S](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-official-american-boy-scout-rifle-remington-4-s/): https://youtu.be/WQ_V-ljJ9Wo The scouting concept exploded into the American culture after 1907, with a multitude of local, regional, and national organizations setting up in the years before World War One. Among these was the American Boy Scouts, founded by William Randolph Hearst. In 1913 they adopted the Remington 4-S as their official rifle, a .22 Short
- [The Best Operational Briefcase: American 180 & Laser Sight](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-best-operational-briefcase-american-180-laser-sight/): https://youtu.be/yC3F9Paa7aE The “American 180 Security Briefcase” is the best execution of the operational briefcase concept that I have yet seen. The idea is simple; hide a submachine gun inside an ordinary looking briefcase so that it can be carried in the open by VIP security without arousing attention. Sometimes this is done strictly for stowage
- [Potato Digger at War: Marlin Model 1917 Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/potato-digger-at-war-marlin-model-1917-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/fjI8MK0n3jM John Browning’s first machine gun design was a gas operated system that used a swinging lever instead of a linear piston. He presented the first prototype to Colt in 1890, and it went into production in 1895. The US Navy bought a couple hundred, but the Army opted not to adopt it (much to
- [Knife-Gun Monday: Sigaud-Barnerias 5mm Pinfire](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/knife-gun-monday-sigaud-barnerias-5mm-pinfire/): https://youtu.be/GSMCI_9mRmw Jacques Sigaud-Barnerias ran a business in Theirs, France (in the south, east of Lyon) making a variety of cutlery and associated products. Among his various table knives, pruning knives, corkscrews, and pock knives he also sold some pinfire revolver knives. The revolver element was made under contract by a shop in Liege Belgium, proofed
- [Webley .22 Target Model Mk IV Revolver](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/webley-22-target-model-mk-iv-revolver/): https://youtu.be/ElkvpUqePe8 Webley made a variety of .22 rimfire revolvers and revolver conversions for most of its history. Rimfire conversions were used by the military for reduced-cost training, and they were popular on the civilian market for sport and competition shooting. When Webley introduced its MkIV small-frame revolver, it was available in .38 and .32 caliber,
- [Soviet World War Two 50mm Light Mortars (RM-39 & RM-40)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/soviet-world-war-two-50mm-light-mortars-rm-39-rm-40/): https://youtu.be/VxuYbDyCSiw The Soviet Union decided to adopt a 50mm light mortar in 1937 as a company-level armament. The first such weapon they used was the RM-38, introduced in 1938. It was a complex design, with a gas venting system to adjust range (200m - 800m), a bipod specifically set to either 45 or 75 degrees,
- [A Modern Integrally Suppressed Pistol for Everyone: The SilencerCo Maxim 9](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/a-modern-integrally-suppressed-pistol-for-everyone-the-silencerco-maxim-9/): https://youtu.be/j47UzC7qQ3M SilencerCo announced the Maxim-9 pistol in late 2015. Having gone through some huge growth of the past few years, the company wanted to expand its capabilities and thought that the time was right for a modern integrally suppressed pistol. It was a unique new design of modern semiautomatic pistol build from the ground up
- [M2 Carbine vs MP44 Sturmgewehr (w/ John Keene)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m2-carbine-vs-mp44-sturmgewehr-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/U4hE6Km3RaY Today we are considering two late World War Two rifles: the American M2 Carbine and the German MP-44 Sturmgewehr. Which would you take into combat? The Sturmgewehr is certainly iconic, with a more powerful cartridge, easy controllability, and a solid combat record. The M2 Carbine is much lighter and shorter, but often considered underpowered
- [Walther’s Forgotten SMG: The MPK (and MPL)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/walthers-forgotten-smg-the-mpk-and-mpl/): https://youtu.be/3qElfsloKH8 Walther began developing a modern stamped sheet metal SMG in the late 1950s, and it entered production in 1963. It was an open-bolt, simple blowback gun available in a short (MPK; 6.75” barrel) and long (MPL; 10.25” barrel) version. It was cheap and simple, but well thought out with a number of quite good
- [Interdynamic MP-9 SMG: Origin of the TEC-9](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/interdynamic-mp-9-smg-origin-of-the-tec-9/): https://youtu.be/2_6EtJVG-PY The story of the Tec-9 begins with a Swedish company called Interdynamic AB and their designer Göran Lars Magnus Kjellgren designing a cheap and simple submachine gun for military use. It found no interested clients, and so the company decided to market it in the United States as a semiautomatic pistol. Kjellgren moved to
- [Baker Pattern 1800 Rifle for Napoleonic Wars Sharpshooters](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/baker-pattern-1800-rifle-for-napoleonic-wars-sharpshooters/): https://youtu.be/8xKEC414BBo The British military decided to organize their disparate small units of riflemen into a single standardized group in 1800. The 95th Regiment - the British Rifle Corps - was founded and it was equipped with a pattern of rifle designed by one Ezekiel Baker. This was a .625 caliber rifle with a 30” long
- [Colt SMG: First of the 9mm ARs](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-smg-first-of-the-9mm-ars/): https://youtu.be/cwhCl8VdYh0 All the best firearms history channels streaming to all major devices! Join today and get a week free: weaponsandwar.tv With the expansion of SWAT teams throughout law enforcement in the 1980s, Colt realized that it was leaving a lot of sales on the table by not having a submachine gun it could offer alongside
- [Reproduction HEL-E4A Vietnam M16 Silencer by International Milspec Co](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/reproduction-hel-e4a-vietnam-m16-silencer-by-international-milspec-co/): https://youtu.be/7wwBKCtKtm8 The Human Engineering Lab's HEL-E4A was the most commonly used suppressor used in the Vietnam War. It was the result of a series of suppressor designs from the Aberdeen Proving Grounds HEL which were developed to balance suppression and back pressure, so that they could operate reliably on a standard M16 rifle. A total
- [SIG's Real P320 Problem is no Longer Uncommanded Discharges](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sigs-real-p320-problem-is-no-longer-uncommanded-discharges/): https://youtu.be/rjEhgXAALL8 Penguin Brutality patch and t-shirt available from Varusteleka: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/forgotten-weapons-penguin-brutality-t-shirt/81986 The problem of the P320 has evolved past the actual mechanical issue with the pistol - which still hasn't actually bee identified. The problem is actually that the P320 does not offer any capability that isn't available in a multitude of other pistols that are,
- [Q&A: Chinese Small Arms w/ Jason Clower from Type 56: The Story of China's Army](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-chinese-small-arms-w-jason-clower-from-type-56-the-story-of-chinas-army/): https://youtu.be/051A-rPvqdI My book "Pistols of the Warlords" is available through Headstamp Publishing: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/chinese-pistols Today I am very happy to welcome Jason Clower as our Q&A guest. Jason runs the channel "Type 56: The Story of China's Army" where he teaches the history of the PLA and its small arms, combat tactics, strategy, and logistics to
- [.50 BMG and the Geneva Convention](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/50-bmg-and-the-geneva-convention/): https://youtu.be/5yQF7bbYmv4 Adorable Penguin Brutality shirt available from Varusteleka: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/forgotten-weapons-penguin-brutality-t-shirt/81986?option=81709 I'm sure you've heard the one about how targeting an enemy soldier with a .50 BMG is a war crime, but targeting his belt buckle is okay because it's "materiel"? Yeah, it's totally false, but boy does that story get around...
- [ATF Hates This One Trick to Get a Short Barreled Shotgun!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/atf-hates-this-one-trick-to-get-a-short-barreled-shotgun/): https://youtu.be/woE2Fbk6SZE How can you have a 12ga with a 14" barrel but not have it be an NFA-regulated Short Barreled Shotgun? And how can you have a .410 shotgun-firing pistol that isn't an NFA-regulated Any Other Weapon?
- [H&R Handy Gun: A Smoothbore Pistol Killed Off by the NFA](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hr-handy-gun-a-smoothbore-pistol-killed-off-by-the-nfa/): https://youtu.be/NZUxfc2rVuQ The Handy Gun was introduced by Harrington & Richardson in 1924. H&R took their Model 1915 single-barrel break-action shotgun and cut it down into a handgun. It got a pistol grip and an 8” barrel, and was offered in both .410 and 28 gauge (the .410 model also able to fire some .44-caliber single-bullet
- [M1918A2 MOR: How to Make a Non-NFA BAR](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1918a2-mor-how-to-make-a-non-nfa-bar/): https://youtu.be/w3JFwUYuyVg Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent firearms books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten Prior to 1986, Group Industries imported BAR parts kits and then manufactured and registered full-auto receivers for them. This produced transferrable guns which were subject to NFA registration and the $200 transfer tax - which was a much more significant sum at that
- [Prototype vz.38 "Nutcracker" in 9x19mm](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/prototype-vz-38-nutcracker-in-9x19mm/): https://youtu.be/oGCqgKs2K4U Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten The Czechoslovakian military adopted the vz.38 pistol as a simple blowback action chambered for .380 ACP (well, the Czech military version of .380 ACP). Other countries were interested in other calibers though, and the factory looked at making the gun in 9x19mm Parabellum as
- [French Marine Commando 2-Gun: CETME-B & MAC-50](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/french-marine-commando-2-gun-cetme-b-mac-50/): https://youtu.be/EgZHnLePcH8 There is a well-documented incident of the French intercepting a couple hundred CETME-B rifles being smuggled to the FLN in Algeria, and putting them into service with the Marine Commandos. I managed to get a CETME-B parts kit and have it built into a complete rifle (thanks, Parabellum Combat Systems!) and I figured that
- [S.R.E.M.: Britain's Experimental WW2 Bullpup Sniper](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/s-r-e-m-britains-experimental-ww2-bullpup-sniper/): https://youtu.be/bDHG6rl52M8 Want to know more about the S.R.E.M. and other British bullpup rifles? Check out Jonathan Ferguson's book on this subject, "Thorneycroft to SA80": https://www.headstamppublishing.com/bullpup-rifle-book The Sniper Rifle Experimental Model (S.R.E.M.) was designed by the "Czech Section" of small arms designers who had taken refuge in the UK to escape German occupation of Czechoslovakia. The
- [French Trials FN CAL: Adding Rifle Grenade Capability](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/french-trials-fn-cal-adding-rifle-grenade-capability/): https://youtu.be/mXEkfc4CBUg Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books! In the 1970s when the French Army was looking for a new rifle 5.56mm, they tested a number of foreign rifles alongside development the FAMAS at St Etienne. These included the HK33, the M16, and the FN CAL - and today we are looking at
- [East Germany's Nice .22 AK Trainer: KK-Mpi-69](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/east-germanys-nice-22-ak-trainer-kk-mpi-69/): https://youtu.be/cgh4LUT8ZzE Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books! The KK-Mpi-69 (Klein Kaliber Maschinenpistole 1969) was a .22 rimfire training model of the standard East German stamped AKM. It used a simple blowback replacement bolt assembly and proprietary front trunnion along with a standard AKM receiver and fire control group. There is no gas
- [Pick One: G1 (FAL) vs G3 (H&K) w/ John Keene](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pick-one-g1-fal-vs-g3-hk-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/FTXCwYjhlW8 If you had to pick one, would you take a G1 (FAL) or a G3 (H&K)? Both are 7.62mm NATO rifles adopted by Germany. The G1 has more features and capabilities, like the carry handle, bipod, multiple muzzle devices, and adjustable gas system. The G3, on the other hand, is simpler, without things to
- [Deep Dive With Ian: Origins of the Navy SEALs](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/deep-dive-with-ian-origins-of-the-navy-seals/): https://youtu.be/9qKbjOja0fo I've been holding out on you - I started a second channel a little while back, focused on SCUBA related material. It's a subject I am very interested in, but I didn't want to talk about it much until I had a few videos posted for people to see. I'm only posting there twice
- [ASAC Presentation: The Springfield Continental Arsenal Before 1794](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/asac-presentation-the-springfield-continental-arsenal-before-1794/): https://youtu.be/NTeTYPQCCkQ This lecture was presented at the Spring 2025 meeting of the American Society of Arms Collectors. It was given by Alex MacKenzie, Curator of the Springfield Armory National Historic Site.
- [Swedish Paratrooper Prototype: AK Fm/57](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/swedish-paratrooper-prototype-ak-fm-57/): https://youtu.be/zplQTuttnCE Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten As Sweden was looking to adopt a new self-loading infantry rifle in the 1950s, one of the contenders was a modernized version of the Ljungman. The Fm/57 is one of the last iterations of that project. It is chambered for 6.5x55mm but uses the
- [G150: Swiss Silenced Guerrilla Anti-Material Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/g150-swiss-silenced-guerrilla-anti-material-rifle/): https://youtu.be/VceFkxGqDWw The G150 is a rifle specifically assembled by and for the Swiss P-26 organization: a very secretive stay-behind group intended to fight foreign occupiers of Switzerland. It was one of a series of such organizations that began with a concern during World War Two the Germany might invade, and continued during the Cold War
- [Roller Delay in France: The H&K 33F (Trials & Export Models)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/roller-delay-in-france-the-hk-33f-trials-export-models/): https://youtu.be/sKqfAIEkFgg Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten When France was looking to replace the MAS 49/56 rifle for military service in the 1970s, it tested all of the major rifle options available. These included the Colt M16, FN CAL, and HK33. The HK required some modification to meet French military requirements,
- [Jonathan Ferguson: British Military AR15s & Flintlock Revolvers](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/jonathan-ferguson-british-military-ar15s-flintlock-revolvers/): https://youtu.be/OYjpnk7Gb58 Jonathan's book, "Thorneycroft to SA80": https://www.headstamppublishing.com/bullpup-rifle-book "Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier": https://www.headstamppublishing.com/collier-book "Who Invented the Wheelgun?": https://www.headstamppublishing.com/purchase/p/wheelgun Armax Journal: https://www.armaxjournal.org Jonathan's flintlock revolver article:
- [ZK 381: Czech Pre-War Prototype Battle Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zk-381-czech-pre-war-prototype-battle-rifle/): https://youtu.be/P7c7Xwqugjs The ZK-381 was designed by Josef Koucký, his first design of 1938 (hence 381). This is one of the last of the Czech pre-war self-loading rifle projects, of which there were quite a lot. It uses a tilting bolt and a short-stroke gas piston, with ZB26 machine gun magazines and chambered for 7.92mm Mauser
- [Bullets and Bones: Archaeological View of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (ASAC Presentation)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bullets-and-bones-archaeological-view-of-the-battle-of-the-little-bighorn-asac-presentation/): https://youtu.be/VgbQ_bO0Xnw This lecture was presented at the Spring 2025 meeting of the American Society of Arms Collectors. It was given by Doug Scott, who ran a series of archaeological surveys of the Little Bighorn battlefield and coauthored a book on the results. You can find his book here: https://amzn.to/443w6kD I reviewed this book on the
- [AK fm/54: Prototype Swedish Paratrooper Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak-fm-54-prototype-swedish-paratrooper-rifle/): https://youtu.be/daQ7S9lAKV0 Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten As Sweden experimented with updating the AG42 Ljungman in the 1950s, one of the intermediate patterns was the fm/54. This took the 7.62mm NATO short stroke piston conversion already developed and added a 20-round box magazine and a Carl Gustaf m/45 folding stock to
- [URZ: Czech Prototype Universal Modular Weapon](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/urz-czech-prototype-universal-modular-weapon/): https://youtu.be/8cImUtPiT3k The URZ (Univerzální Ruční Zbraň, or Universal Hand Weapon) was a 1966 project designed by Jiří Čermák (designer of the vz.58 rifle). He envisioned a weapons system family with largely interchangeable elements that could be configured as a service rifle, carbine, light machine gun, vehicular machine gun, or precision rifle. The Czech military was
- [Orita 1941: The Original Romanian Submachine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/orita-1941-the-original-romanian-submachine-gun/): https://youtu.be/Zh4QWGEkST4 The Model 1941 Orita was Romania's first domestic submachine gun, but after World War Two the design was upgraded in many ways. The Model 41/48 improved the stock, sights, and controls - and virtually all of the guns underwent these changes. Original configuration 1941 examples are extremely rare today, so I made sure to
- [Krieghoff's Bizarre Prototype FG42 Proposal](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/krieghoffs-bizarre-prototype-fg42-proposal/): https://youtu.be/09Y231o2lCw Check out Headstamp Publishing's extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten When the Luftwaffe was looking for its new universal paratrooper rifle, six different German arms companies were asked to submit proposals. Only two actually did; Krieghoff and Rheinmetall. Krieghoff designed this very interesting system, clearly optimized to reduce weight and length as required by
- [AK4 TP: Estonia's Modernized G3 DMR / Sniper](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak4-tp-estonias-modernized-g3-dmr-sniper/): https://youtu.be/qCDYHtNlxYM When Estonia received a large influx of small arms from Sweden they got both regular AK4 rifles (Sweden's version of the G3) and scoped DMR models. The standard Estonian infantry squad had nine riflemen and one designated marksman, and the scoped G3s became a large part of the DMR armament as the AK4 TP
- [One-Gun Action Match: Stuff & Things "Stizon" Kit](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/one-gun-action-match-stuff-things-stizon-kit/): https://youtu.be/caZIeb74YeA The PP-19 Bizon is a Russian 9mm AK model using helical drum magazines, made in several calibers. It was taken into service in 1996, and has been making Western AKphiles drool ever since, because who wouldn't want a compact 9mm SMG with a 64-round capacity (64 rounds in 9x18 Mak; 53 rounds in 9x19
- [Samopal vz 38: Czechoslovakia's Interwar Drum-Fed SMG in .380](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/samopal-vz-38-czechoslovakias-interwar-drum-fed-smg-in-380/): https://youtu.be/NPBzN2-6zh0 Military interest in a submachine gun was late in Czechoslovakia, but by the late 1930s a development program was put into place. Interestingly, the main use case for an SMG was seen as being a replacement for a rifle-caliber LMG in fortification mounts. The thought process seems to have been that a large volume
- [Galand de Guerre Model 1872: Too Good for the Military](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/galand-de-guerre-model-1872-too-good-for-the-military/): https://youtu.be/jIRteGFAO-o Charles François Galand is best known for his simultaneous-extraction Model 1868, but he also developed a very good solid-frame revolver. This was specifically for the French 1871 military trials, which specifically required a solid frame. The Galand was chambered for 12mm Galand (with its distinctive very thick rim), held 6 rounds, operated in either
- [CZ247: Experimental Swivel-Action SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/cz247-experimental-swivel-action-smg/): https://youtu.be/Nt3g8C7Dxkw The CZ247 was developed for Czechoslovakia's post-war submachine gun trials, where it was pitted against the ZB47. It was a simple blowback 9x19mm SMG with a number of interesting elements, most notably the ability to fire with the magazine either vertical or horizontal. In theory, this made the gun more compact for use in
- [Book Review: Archaeological Perspectives on the Battle of the Little Bighorn](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/book-review-archaeological-perspectives-on-the-battle-of-the-little-bighorn/): After a grassfire cleared the Little Bighorn battlefield archaeologists ran a massive survey of the site, answer many questions about the guns used in the fight
- [Selling Some Duplicate Books](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/selling-some-duplicate-books/): I am cleaning up the bookshelves, and have a number of duplicates that I don't need. First come first served; flat $10 shipping to any order to cover shipping. Zelle, PayPal, Venmo, or check in the mail accepted. If you are interested in something, please email me at admin@forgottenweapons.com . Thanks! $40 each: $15
- [Hotchkiss Model 1886 3-pounder Quick Firing Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hotchkiss-model-1886-3-pounder-quick-firing-gun/): https://youtu.be/e0cUBFjS-PM Small fast boats with torpedos (or other explosives) have always been a threat to large warships. One of the weapons the British Royal Navy adopted to counter that threat was the Hotchkiss Model 1886 "Quick Fire" gun. This meant that it was a breech-loaded gun that used self-contained cartridge ammunition, instead of separate powder
- [Swedish Kulspruta m/36 Double Browning MGs](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/swedish-kulspruta-m-36-double-browning-mgs/): https://youtu.be/eQz4TZMc1pY Despite being a neutral power during World War Two, Sweden had a variety of very interesting small arms - like their dual-mount Browning m/36 machine guns. These were originally adopted because the Swedes wanted a heavier medium MG cartridge and didn't think their delayed-blowback Schwarzlose guns could handle it. The cartridge was 8x63mm, pushing
- [Prodynamic II: A New High-End Competition Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/prodynamic-ii-a-new-high-end-competition-pistol/): https://youtu.be/IToknIT6fdQ Proarmis is a Slovenian pistol manufacturer that has introduced a new high-end competition pistol (priced at approximately €4000). The first example has arrived in the US, and I had the chance to borrow it for some filming. The gun handles very well, and has a really remarkably adjustable trigger - the user can adjust
- [ASAC Foundation Arms Research Grants & Scholarships](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/asac-foundation-arms-research-grants-scholarships/): https://youtu.be/PDzlocZXPGM ASAC Foundation Grant and Scholarship Applications: https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/grants-and-scholarships/ About the ASAC Foundation: https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/asac-foundation/ ASAC Reference Articles: https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/2020-2029-articles/ ASAC Research Reports: https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.org/research-reports-by-asac-members/
- [Car Park Gunfight & Hostage Escape: Lynx Brutality 2025 Day 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/car-park-gunfight-hostage-escape-lynx-brutality-2025-day-2/): https://youtu.be/X-xtDVTNbqY Polenar Tactical has done it again, setting the bar for Brutality matches with this year's Lynx Brutality. Held at the Lynx Pro Training Center outside Kočevje Slovenia, this year's match was 10 stages over two days. My plan was to shoot the match in a covert sort of rig with a suit from Grayman
- [Trip Mines and Sisyphus' Kettlebell: Lynx Brutality 2025 Day 1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/trip-mines-and-sisyphus-kettlebell-lynx-brutality-2025-day-1/): https://youtu.be/0WWR0hW1cEE Polenar Tactical has done it again, setting the bar for Brutality matches with this year's Lynx Brutality. Held at the Lynx Pro Training Center outside Kočevje Slovenia, this year's match was 10 stages over two days. My plan was to shoot the match in a covert sort of rig with a suit from Grayman
- [YouTube & Guns Q&A Roundtable (Feat. Bloke, Ziga, and PSR)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/youtube-guns-qa-roundtable-feat-bloke-ziga-and-psr/): https://youtu.be/ZLPZb7XROUM This month I am excited to invite three other firearms YouTube channels to join me in the Q&A - Polenar Tactical, Bloke on the Range, and PrintShootRepeat. We all just finished shooting Lynx Brutality (put on by Polenar Tactical) and took the opportunity to address a bunch of questions about firearms and YouTube. If
- [Modern Stocked Pistol: B&T's Universal Service Weapon (USW)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/modern-stocked-pistol-bts-universal-service-weapon-usw/): https://youtu.be/pgLmZyrHAvY The genesis of the B&T USW was a two and a half hour car ride home from a youth hockey game, when Karl Brugger and a friend were thinking about how to improve police effectiveness with handguns. What would make a handgun more accurate in practice? Clearly a red for and a shoulder stock.
- [AR-1 "Parasniper" - The First Armalite](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ar-1-parasniper-the-first-armalite/): https://youtu.be/neyvB5I-5p8 The first rifle produced by Armalite began in 1952 as a project between the brothers-in-law, Charles Dorchester and George Sullivan (no relation to later Armalite engineer L. James Sullivan). Sullivan is the chief patent attorney for the Lockheed aircraft company, and the two have the idea to produce an ultra-light rifle using aircraft industry
- [AK4: Sweden's Beefed-Up Take on the G3](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ak4-swedens-beefed-up-take-on-the-g3/): https://youtu.be/n8C5CzYQgqQ Order your copy of Small Arms of the Cold War: Battle Rifles of NATO today: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle Or if you are in Europe, please order through our European site: https://www.headstampbook.com/cold-war-battle When Sweden decided to replace its bolt action Mausers and Ljungman semiautomatic in the 1960s, it had four main choices to pick from. One was
- [Book Launch! Small Arms of the Cold War: Battle Rifles of NATO](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/book-launch-small-arms-of-the-cold-war-battle-rifles-of-nato/): https://youtu.be/bggAVxAcG0I Order your copy today, right here! https://www.headstamppublishing.com/cold-war-battle Or if you are in Europe, please order through our European site: https://www.headstampbook.com/cold-war-battle I'm excited to announce preorders for my latest book, "Small Arms of the Cold War: Battle Rifles of NATO" today! Following the format of our tremendously popular WWII books, this is a large-format volume
- [Glock 26: Glock's First Sub-Compact Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/glock-26-glocks-first-sub-compact-pistol/): https://youtu.be/0qzY_2i7ejI The Glock 26 was introduced in 1995 alongside the Glock 27. These were sub-compact pistols with 3.43 inch barrels chambered for 9x19mm (the 26) and .40 S&W (the 27). These were Glock's first foray into. the subcompact market, and they offered a compelling package. These were small, lighter than the all-metal options available at
- [Q&A: All About Submachine Guns (May 2025)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-all-about-submachine-guns-may-2025/): https://youtu.be/pbDOauCKvWA Today's Q&A is brought to you by the fine folks at Patreon! Join us to help support Forgotten Weapons, get videos without ads, and to submit your questions for future Q&A videos: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons This month's Q&A theme is submachine guns: 0:00:41 - Do different nationalities have culturally distinctive submachine guns or gun features? 0:04:25
- [Fox .32: Police Prototype of CZ's First Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fox-32-police-prototype-of-czs-first-pistol/): https://youtu.be/u4YURbqwrvg Alois Tomiška, best know for the Little Tom pistol, was one of the original founders of the South Bohemia Armory, which became CZ of Strakonice. The first pistol produced by the company was his "Fox" design a .25 ACP pocket gun. As originally designed, it used a folding trigger without a trigger guard, and
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 12: The Model 1885 Remington-Lee](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-12-the-model-1885-remington-lee/): https://youtu.be/1JVAUlLIFFo Full video with reloading segment and clip solid file available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-12-rem-lee-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so much
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 11: The Snider-Enfield](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-11-the-snider-enfield/): https://youtu.be/b-ZktWu2WDQ Full video with reloading segment and clip solid file available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-11-snider-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so much
- [Beretta Model 1934: Italy's Unassuming Workhorse Service Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/beretta-model-1934-italys-unassuming-workhorse-service-pistol/): https://youtu.be/WvqKVL7cLX8 The Beretta Model 34 was basically the final iteration of a design by Tullio Marengoni that began all the way back in 1915. That pistol was updated in the early 1920s, and that one was updated in 1931. The Model 1931 was converted to .380 ACP (aka 9mm Short) as the Model 1932, which
- [Serbu Super Shorty: Is It Awesome or Just Dumb?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/serbu-super-shorty-is-it-awesome-or-just-dumb/): https://youtu.be/SCVkOiQs4ds The Super Shorty is a pump action shotgun reduced to a 2-round tube capacity and a 6.5" barrel made by Serbu Firearms. The first one was made in 1998 and since then Mark Serbu has made more than 6,000 of them. There have been a bunch of minor variations, including batches made on both
- [Type 79 SMG: China's MP7 At Home](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/type-79-smg-chinas-mp7-at-home/): https://youtu.be/dWIbsLxqBPc The Type 79 is an overly-complex submachine gun that uses a scaled-down AK operating system chambered for 7.62x25mm Tokarev. In many ways, this is akin to the H&K MP7 - it's a miniaturized combat rifle. The locked breech system allows the reciprocating parts to be arather lighter than a simple blowback design would be,
- [Valmet M78 vs FN-D (w/ John Keene)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/valmet-m78-vs-fn-d-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/Jgq7j0XJP2U If you had to pick one, would you take a Valmet M78 (in 7.62mm NATO) or an FN-D (in .30-06)? Both are reliable and well-made machine guns and they use essentially the same caliber. The FN-D weighs twice as much, but has a heavier barrel and barrel quick-change capacity. The Valmet is lighter, but
- [Save the Date! Moons Out 2026: March 6-8](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/save-the-date-moons-out-2026-march-6-8/): https://youtu.be/rRffwkoRDUY Mark your calendars; Moons Out 2026 will be March 6-8 at the Echo Valley Training Center, in WV. Practiscore registration will open December 1: https://practiscore.com/moons-out-26/register
- ["Howth" Mauser 1871: Irish Volunteers Gunrunning into Dublin](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/howth-mauser-1871-irish-volunteers-gunrunning-into-dublin/): https://youtu.be/esK6r5SxUk8 On July 14th, 1914 the 50 foot pleasure yacht “Asgard” sailed into Howth harbor in Dublin with its cabin completely filled with arms. It has 900 Mauser 1871 rifles and 29,000 rounds of ammunition for the Irish Volunteers, and there is a crowd of a thousand people turned out to unload them - just
- [Unique British Crankfire .58 Morse Manual Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/unique-british-crankfire-58-morse-manual-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/r_9guiUNpO0 This is a really interesting piece with a mostly unknown origin. It was manufactured in the UK (the barrel was deemed Enfield-made by former Royal Armouries curator Herb Woodend) and is chambered for the .58 Morse centerfire cartridge. The date of production is unknown. It uses a gravity-feed magazine and fires via hand crank.
- [German Occupation FN High Power Pistols](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/german-occupation-fn-high-power-pistols/): https://youtu.be/NyOOt7XxneI When Germany occupied Belgium in the summer of 1940, the took over the FN factory complex and ordered production of the High Power pistol to continue. It was put into German service as the Pistole 640(b), and nearly 325,000 of them were made between 1940 and 1944. The first ones were simply assembled from
- [P38K: The Real One, not the Nazi Fantasy Piece](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/p38k-the-real-one-not-the-nazi-fantasy-piece/): https://youtu.be/gwQ9vijeEzw The P38K is both a fantasy WWII concept and also a real pistol made in small numbers by Walther in the 1970s. The idea is simple; just cut down the barrel on a P38 to barely in front of the slide (2.8 inches on the real ones). This does make for a shorter gun,
- [Japanese 3-Barrel Palanquin Swivel-Breech Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/japanese-3-barrel-palanquin-swivel-breech-pistol/): https://youtu.be/GZV8Auw78Go This is a very rare style of Japanese matchlock, with three separate barrels on a revolving axis. It has all the design and decorative elements of a tanegashima musket, but built more as a self-defense piece for home or perhaps when traveling by palanquin. Think of it like the Edo-period Japanese equivalent of a
- [Dutch Navy Luger: From World War One to the End of Neutrality](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/dutch-navy-luger-from-world-war-one-to-the-end-of-neutrality/): https://youtu.be/Iv6R29XW7Gs The Dutch Navy first acquired Luger pistols in 1918 specifically for its aviators. They has 12 German P04 Lugers taken from a German submarine stranded in the (neutral) Netherlands, and 28 more were purchased from DWM in 1918 to round out the 40 guns needed to equip the Naval Air Service. The pistol was
- [Military-Issue Colt Model 1839 Paterson Revolving Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/military-issue-colt-model-1839-paterson-revolving-rifle/): https://youtu.be/6zJQ2QIBn40 The first rifle made in Sam Colt’s Paterson NJ factory was the 1837 “ring lever” rifle. These were rather fragile and underpowered and while they were used successfully in the First Seminole War, they needed improvement. Colt set about doing this with his 1839 pattern, which was more robust and more powerful. It had
- [M1922 BAR Cavalry Light Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1922-bar-cavalry-light-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/DMZPBQXpsOA After World War One, there was a lot of tinkering with the BAR by the US military. It was recognized as being a very good platform, but the original M1918 configuration left a lot to be desired. It was deemed to heavy to use effectively form the shoulder, but also not really well suited
- [Fenian Needham Conversion: Just the Thing for Invading Canada](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fenian-needham-conversion-just-the-thing-for-invading-canada/): https://youtu.be/uvZfHkiYHII The Fenian Brotherhood was formed in the US in 1858, a partner organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. The groups were militant organizations looking to procure Irish independence from the British, and they found significant support among the Irish-American immigrant community. In November 1865 they purchased some 7500 1861 and 1863 pattern muskets left
- [Model 1875 Officer's Pattern: The Finest Trapdoor Springfield](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/model-1875-officers-pattern-the-finest-trapdoor-springfield/): https://youtu.be/QUSLfx8G2So As the main national armory, Springfield got a number of requests to make specialty rifles for commissioned officers and important dignitaries each year. These were essentially all custom sporting rifles, and the orders were duly filled. In 1875, however, the decision was made to standardize a formal pattern of Officer's rifle - the Model
- [Herman Brevete: A Pepperbox Hidden in Your Bicycle Handlebars](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/herman-brevete-a-pepperbox-hidden-in-your-bicycle-handlebars/): https://youtu.be/YgsnnQqCf4Q In the 1890s, there was a lot of interest in small caliber, simple revolvers for self-defense by cyclists, primarily against dogs. This led to the creation of a whole category of “velodog” revolvers, and a Belgian designer named Herman patented this extension of the idea. It is a 6-shot, 5mm pinfire revolver that is
- [Voere SAM-180 - Semiautomatic American 180 SMG Made in Austria?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/voere-sam-180-semiautomatic-american-180-smg-made-in-austria/): https://youtu.be/QP9Bzc-QikU The American 180 is a .22LR machine gun that fires at a high rate (1300 rpm more or less) from a super-high-capacity magazine (177 rounds). Conceptually it was designed by Richard Casull in the 1960s, but he only produced about 70 of his original M290 design. He sold the rights to the design, and
- [ASAC Presentation: Bullet Strikes From the First Day of the American Revolution](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/asac-presentation-bullet-strikes-from-the-first-day-of-the-american-revolution/): https://youtu.be/GSYqUPnozuE This lecture was presented at the Spring 2025 meeting of the American Society of Arms Collectors. It was given by Joel Bohy, coauthor of a new book of the same name, published by Mowbray. You can find his book here: https://gunandswordcollector.com/product/bullet-strikes-american-revolution/ or https://amzn.to/43PoaF6 Joel Bohy and Douglas Scott have written three research reports as
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 10: Model 1871/88 Beaumont-Vitali](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-10-model-1871-88-beaumont-vitali/): https://youtu.be/YryN7SR1OTQ Full video with reloading segment and clip solid file available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-10-beaumont-vitali-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so much
- [Haenel's Prototype Simplified Sturmgewehr StG45(H)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/haenels-prototype-simplified-sturmgewehr-stg45h/): https://youtu.be/4YkH24SF_-Q In December 1944, the Haenel company received permission to produce a simplified version of the StG-44 Sturmgewehr. The idea was to keep the mechanical system and controls as similar as possible to the design in use, but simplify the design to reduce the cost and time of production. The design was never completed, and
- [DSA's Unique Titanium FAL Project](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/dsas-unique-titanium-fal-project/): https://youtu.be/u0fK9Hi5SA4 DS Arms got some billet titanium and decided to make a batch of titanium receivers and other parts. This turned out to be a nightmarish amount of work, and two of the receivers had to be scrapped, leaving only 10 completed. They also made a number of other titanium parts, including flash hiders (which
- [Springfield Kuna: Croatia's New Delayed-Blowback PCC/SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/springfield-kuna-croatias-new-delayed-blowback-pcc-smg/): https://youtu.be/W3l0BmYLnsw The Kuna is a delayed-blowback 9mm pistol/PCC/submachine gun developed by HS Produkt in Croatia and marketed int he US by Springfield Armory. Development on it began in 2020 as a commercial project, but probably also with an eye to military and law enforcement sales. The Croatian police are currently using quite old MP5 submachine
- [FK Brno 7.5mm at the BackUp Gun Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fk-brno-7-5mm-at-the-backup-gun-match/): https://youtu.be/6OoacuIVEbI The FK Brno is a take on the classic CZ75 pistol made in the Czech Republic. It was originally released as a boutique steel-framed gun, and then later as a much more affordable polymer-framed model. I have one of those polymer framed ones, with barrels for both 10mm Auto and the unique 7.5mm FK
- [Stamm-Saurer Model 1913 Long-Recoil Prototype Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/stamm-saurer-model-1913-long-recoil-prototype-rifle/): https://youtu.be/TiNctGUk1KI Hans Stamm developed a series of firearms in Switzerland in the early 1900s, and today we are looking at a second-pattern Model 1913 semiauto rifle. This was developed while Stamm was working for the Saurer company, where he headed its small arms division. Stamm's Model 1907 straight pull rifle failed to win military adopted,
- ["Kevin" - A Czech Pocket Pistol With a Weird Delay Trick](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/kevin-a-czech-pocket-pistol-with-a-weird-delay-trick/): https://youtu.be/Sy3R1dVr-nM The "Kevin" (sometimes called a ZP-98) was developed by Czech gunsmith Antonín Zendl and introduced at the IWA show in 2007. It was a micro-compact pocket pistol chambered for either .380 ACP or 9mm Makarov (the Kevin M). It held six rounds in its magazine, and the most notable feature is a pair of
- [H&K MG4: Germany's New 5.56mm Squad Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hk-mg4-germanys-new-5-56mm-squad-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/ITQk35ZyCQQ Full video including range footage is available on the History of Weapons & War streaming app: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/mg4-4k Heckler & Koch released the MG4, a new 5.56mm squad machine gun in 2001. It was adopted by the German army in 2005, and then by the Spanish and Portuguese armies in 2007. Alongside its sister weapon
- [Short Swiss Schmidt Rubins: M1900 Short Rifle & M1905 Cavalry Carbine](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/short-swiss-schmidt-rubins-m1900-short-rifle-m1905-cavalry-carbine/): https://youtu.be/mzDZAj2DBVI When the Swiss military went to make a short version of its M1896 rifle for cavalry, it realized that the early Schmidt-Rubin action had a problem: it was really, really long. With locking lugs all the way to the rear of the receiver, the system was just not an efficient use of space for
- [GHM-9: B&T's 9mm Budget Carbine (Well, Swiss Budget)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ghm-9-bts-9mm-budget-carbine-well-swiss-budget/): https://youtu.be/t1y7nSDmaC8 The GHM-9 is a 9mm PCC from B&T that was developed as an economized alternative to the APC-9. It uses the same grip assembly as the APC-9, but a smaller and simpler upper receiver and a few of the other parts are simplified - like non-captive recoil springs. It has a variety of modular
- [Gerat Potsdam: Mauser Copies the Sten Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/gerat-potsdam-mauser-copies-the-sten-gun/): https://youtu.be/2Ns9Y55NR_g In the fall of 1944, the Mauser company was given a contract to develop drawings of a direct copy of the British Sten gun (code named Gerät Potsdam), and to manufacture 10,000 of them. In fact, they were to make two different sets of drawings; one suitable for large factory use (like their own)
- [Q&A: Competition Firearms and Shooting](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-competition-firearms-and-shooting/): https://youtu.be/coVFITkJrnA Today's Q&A is brought to you by the fine folks at Patreon! Join us to help support Forgotten Weapons and to submit your questions for future Q&A videos: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons This month's Q&A theme is competition shooting... 00:50 - Guns I'd like to shoot in BUG match but haven't 02:39 - Most valuable/expensive historical load
- [North Korea's Huge Type 88 Helical Drum AK Magazine](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/north-koreas-huge-type-88-helical-drum-ak-magazine/): https://youtu.be/WRwBcK5D-oY Everyone who gets a Kim Jong Un patch or t-shirt will also receive -100 social credit points in China: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/forgotten-weapons-best-korea-propaganda-t-shirt/81932 https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/forgotten-weapons-best-korea-propaganda-morale-patch/81954 North Korea has a domestic-production 5.45mm AK, designated the Type 88. Several versions exist (fixed, side-folding, and underfolding stocks) but the most unusual is the one with a unique top-folding stock made to
- [Battlefield Pickup at Moons Out 2025: AR with a PEQ-15A](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/battlefield-pickup-at-moons-out-2025-ar-with-a-peq-15a/): https://youtu.be/9kW185EtyiE 00:00 - Intro; overall match sponsor Q 03:27 - Stage 1: Rambo's Reading Rainbow, sponsored by TNVC 06:31 - Stage 2: Seal Team Extraction, sponsored by Nocturn Industries 08:10 - Stage 3: Mogadishu Marathon, sponsored by Polaris Logistics 10:22 - Stage 4: Home Invasion, sponsored by Refuge Medical and Magpul 13:02 - Stage 5:
- [How Awesome is This? Moons Out 2025 Night 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-awesome-is-this-moons-out-2025-night-2/): https://youtu.be/KTSBU2F15dg Full uncensored video available at HOWW or Patreon: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/moons-out-2025-lage-day-2-uncensored-4k https://www.patreon.com/posts/124738959/ 00:00 - Intro; overall match sponsor Q 00:51 - Stage 6: Bound Forward, sponsored by Aimpoint 03:14 - Stage 7: Double-Wide of Death, sponsored by B&T 04:15 - Stage 8: Bakhmut Night Assault, sponsored by Varusteleka 08:41 - Stage 9: Radio Freq Out, sponsored
- [The Best Night Rifle Match Yet: Moons Out 2025, Night 1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-best-night-rifle-match-yet-moons-out-2025-night-1/): https://youtu.be/BSkafowAefI Full uncensored video available at HOWW or Patreon: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/moons-out-lage-uncensored-day-1-4k https://www.patreon.com/posts/124738375/ 00:00 - Intro; overall match sponsor Q 02:30 - Stage 1: Rambo's Reading Rainbow, sponsored by TNVC 05:57 - Stage 2: Seal Team Extraction, sponsored by Nocturn Industries 08:07 - Stage 3: Mogadishu Marathon, sponsored by Polaris Logistics 10:40 - Stage 4: Home Invasion,
- [Savage 1915 at the BackUp Gun Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/savage-1915-at-the-backup-gun-match/): https://youtu.be/YJH5XNHZKFI Savage launched its model 1907 pistol with a lot of marketing fanfare. It was "10 Shots Quick!" and promoted with testimonials form personalities like Buffalo Bill Cody and Sheriff Bat Masterson. It was intended as a pocket pistol for personal protection and home defense, with a lot made of how it was simple and
- [Virtual Tour: Estonian War Museum](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/virtual-tour-estonian-war-museum/): https://youtu.be/CWyaXL6Ygqo The Estonian War Museum (Eesti Sõjamuuseum) is located at Mõisa tee 1, 74001 Viimsi, Estonia (just outside the capital Tallinn). For opening hours and entry fees, please check their web site: https://esm.ee The museum is housed in what used to be the residence of the Estonian Army commander, converted into a museum after Estonian
- [Rifles on the Danube: Hungarian AK-Pattern Firearms - NOW SHIPPING](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rifles-on-the-danube-hungarian-ak-pattern-firearms-now-shipping/): https://youtu.be/Bf8iZ4_YDlI Now Shipping! Order your copy here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/danube-book At the end of the Second World War, Hungary was occupied by Soviet troops and soon fell into the Soviet sphere of influence, joining the Warsaw Pact in 1955. Like most other socialist countries behind the Iron Curtain, Hungary would soon be producing domestic copies of Mikhail
- [Ice Baths and Skis: Finnish Brutality 2025 Day 1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ice-baths-and-skis-finnish-brutality-2025-day-1/): https://youtu.be/1dmPaz9Pi5Y Varusteleka's Snow Camo Anorak that I was using today is available here: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-l7-camouflage-anorak/58285 Finnish Brutality 2025 took the standard for practical shooting matches and raised it again - by making it a true winter match. Run by Varusteleka, a Finnish military and outdoor good supplier, it was ten stages of shooting over two days
- [Molotovs at the Range: Finnish Brutality 2025 Day 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/molotovs-at-the-range-finnish-brutality-2025-day-2/): https://youtu.be/ZYfbeHa4MPM Varusteleka's Patrol Coverall that I was using today is available here: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/sarma-tst-l5-thermal-patrol-coverall/76574 Finnish Brutality 2025 took the standard for practical shooting matches and raised it again - by making it a true winter match. Run by Varusteleka, a Finnish military and outdoor good supplier, it was ten stages of shooting over two days and
- [Finland's Next Service Rifle (Mostly): Sako ARG S 40](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/finlands-next-service-rifle-mostly-sako-arg-s-40/): https://youtu.be/RyBRziDOmf0 Finland and Sweden are both in the process of adopting AR-pattern rifles, and for the Finns this will be their first service rifle in 5.56mm NATO. It is a transition that has been anticipated for nearly 20 years, but was finally put into high gear by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and Finland's entrance
- [Bloke on the Range Community Strike & SA80 at Finnish Brutality](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bloke-on-the-range-community-strike-sa80-at-finnish-brutality/): https://youtu.be/W6T2ae2-fwI Join Mike, me, and 8 other channels on the History of Weapons & War service: http://weaponsandwar.tv We created History of Weapons & War for two reasons. One was to ensure a home for historical, educational firearms content if and when YouTube stops allowing it. The other was to provide some income for the small
- [Q&A: Finland and Finnish Small Arms (From Berdan to New Sako AR)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-finland-and-finnish-small-arms-from-berdan-to-new-sako-ar/): https://youtu.be/zlQESwADU-U Today's Q&A is brought to you by the fine folks at Patreon! Join us to help support Forgotten Weapons and to submit your questions for future Q&A videos: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons I figured that Finland would be a good subject for this month's Q&A, as I am visiting the country to shoot Finnish Brutality this month.
- [Aimpoint's Only Gun: The PC-80 Symmetrical Action](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoints-only-gun-the-pc-80-symmetrical-action/): https://youtu.be/bSbvNI3ftXw Today we are looking at the entire scope of Aimpoint's firearms development division...which is actually just this one firearm. Aimpoint was founded in 1975 as a partnership between Arne Ekstrand (a Swedish inventor with an idea for a brand new "red dot" type of optic) and Gunnar Sandberg (a wealthy Swedish entrepreneur interested in
- [Department of Energy 633 Clone at a PCSL 2-Gun Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/department-of-energy-633-clone-at-a-pcsl-2-gun-match/): https://youtu.be/qMfJzX-TXX0 The new Colt 633 Department of Energy clone from PSA/H&R was really quite a lot of fun to shoot, so I decided to take it to a PCSL match. This was basically a USPSA pistol match with two sets of targets, one for pistol and one for rifle (in theory PCSL goes out to
- [Military History Visualized Joins History of Weapons & War](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/military-history-visualized-joins-history-of-weapons-war/): https://youtu.be/mWrbQyPlM3Y Subscribe today: http://weaponsandwar.tv Join us on the History of Weapons & War and enjoy knowing that you are supporting ten of the finest historical and educational channels outside the restrictions of YouTube! We are excited to have Bernhard of Military History Visualized joining us! His videos are now part of the 5,000+ video catalog
- [Stoner 63, 63A, & Mk23: History and Mechanics](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/stoner-63-63a-mk23-history-and-mechanics/): https://youtu.be/vCNw9Z2Q3T0 The Stoner 63 is a firearm surrounded by a tremendous amount of mythology. It was Eugene Stoner's big project following on the AR-15, and it was a brilliant piece of engineering - a single modular receiver which could be assembled into a half dozen different configurations: Carbine Rifle Automatic rifle ("Bren") Light machine gun
- [But Does it Take 1911 Mags? Prototype Winchester 1905SL in .45 ACP](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/but-does-it-take-1911-mags-prototype-winchester-1905sl-in-45-acp/): https://youtu.be/UX_SOT71exU 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
- [Interested in Gun Law Issues? Check out FuddBusters](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/interested-in-gun-law-issues-check-out-fuddbusters/): https://youtu.be/PbvlRR58o-4 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
- [What Would Ross Do? The .280 Military Match M10 Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/what-would-ross-do-the-280-military-match-m10-rifle/): https://youtu.be/89wAHMSik9o 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
- [French Air Force Snipers: the FR-G1 and FR-G2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/french-air-force-snipers-the-fr-g1-and-fr-g2/): https://youtu.be/KK6qy7UknqI When St Etienne developed the FR-F1 sniper rifle, all the branches of the French military were given the opportunity to purchase them - and the Army, Navy, and Gendarmerie did. The Air Force, decided that it didn't need any, though. Until about 20 years later, when they decided that they did, in fact, want
- [South African SS77 at the Range... But not on YouTube.](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/south-african-ss77-at-the-range-but-not-on-youtube/): https://youtu.be/ItoqOx-ZTgw https://weaponsandwar.tv Join me at History of Weapons and War along with seven other of the best channels for historical and educational firearms content! We are available for desktop viewing as well as on all the major app platforms, ad-free, and independently hosted beyond the reach of YouTube's busybody fingers. Today's video isn't available here
- [Soviet World War Two Swords? The Cossack M1927 Shashka](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/soviet-world-war-two-swords-the-cossack-m1927-shashka/): https://youtu.be/iHgIVxedEEE Cossack forces have long been a key cavalry element of the Russian military, and this did not change during the Soviet era. The Cossacks had their own rather distinctive style of sword, the shashka, and the Red Army maintained the tradition of issuing them to Cossack cavalry troopers. In 1927, a new pattern was
- [The Rarest 1911: North American Arms Co](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-rarest-1911-north-american-arms-co/): https://youtu.be/dCLrVrYcZBM In the summer of 1918, the US government wanted to increase production of M1911 pistols, but all current manufacturers were working at capacity. So they looked to issue new contracts, and someone realized that the Ross rifle factory was a potential option. Now, the Ross Rifle Company was bankrupt by this time, and its
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 3: The Martini-Henry MkIV](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-3-the-martini-henry-mkiv/): https://youtu.be/4rxrgredLgM The full version with hand loading information is available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/martini-app-cut Sorry about the wind noise! We did our best to deal with it in post-production. Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy
- [Samostril Netsch: Bizarre Prototype Czech Automatic Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/samostril-netsch-bizarre-prototype-czech-automatic-rifle/): https://youtu.be/QYrg92ENvQY When Czechoslovakia began looking for new small arms in the early 1920s, one of the things they were interested in was a "samostřil" - something akin to the automatic rifle in English. A select-fire weapon intended to be fired from the shoulder or hip - heavier than a basic rifle but lighter than a
- [First Gen Walther P99 at the BUG Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/first-gen-walther-p99-at-the-bug-match/): https://youtu.be/Y1AgCeCwk1c Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond is live on Kickstarter now - check it out for lots of super cool exclusive options! Last week Tom and I did a BUG match with 4 different iconic James Bond pistols - but the Walther P99 was conspicuously absent. Personally delivered to Pierce Brosnan on the
- [Estonian M14 TP Sniper "Täitsa Paska"](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/estonian-m14-tp-sniper-taitsa-paska/): https://youtu.be/u7nXaJA6ero Enter to win this awesome Black Hawk Down M14 Clone! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons Deadline to enter is 9/27/2024 @ 11:59 PM PST When Estonia took its independence in 1991, it had to form a new military essentially from scratch. Keeping the structure that existed before Soviet occupation in 1940, two separate forces were reinstituted. One was
- [Primary Arms' HTX-1: A Completely US-Made Red Dot Sight](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/primary-arms-htx-1-a-completely-us-made-red-dot-sight/): https://youtu.be/wvDLrUd2foo Primary Arms just recently announced their HTX-1 red dot, and it sounds pretty cool. From a technical perspective, it has a lot of good points - a clever adapter plate mounting system, two different reticles, and a fully enclosed emitter. However I think the more interesting (and less appreciated) story here is the work
- [Red Dots: How Cheap is too Cheap? (featuring Mike Branson)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/red-dots-how-cheap-is-too-cheap-featuring-mike-branson/): https://youtu.be/0JKs85FG160 I met up with Mike Branson of Gideon Optics at SHOT Show 2025. Today, we are talking about red dot price and quality. It's easy to get a good red dot if you are willing to spend enough, but how cheap can you go and still have a reliable product?
- [Prototype French MAS-49 SMG in .45ACP](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/prototype-french-mas-49-smg-in-45acp/): https://youtu.be/73jl-P66whM In the late 1940s the French developed a new suite of small arms, including a competition to replace the 7.65mm MAS-38 submachine gun with a new 9x19mm SMG. The eventual winner of this program was the MAT-49, which became an iconic part of French Army weaponry in Algeria and elsewhere. The St Etienne arsenal
- [2-Gun: AKM & Arex Delta (Lynx Brutality 2024 Prep)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/2-gun-akm-arex-delta-lynx-brutality-2024-prep/): https://youtu.be/muSrfZubs_g I'm using this month's 2-Gun Action Challenge Match as preparation for Lynx Brutality this spring. Žiga, Bloke, Jari, and I decided to all use AK's at Lynx, and I've got this Romanian kit build that I riveted together myself many years ago. I have a sidereal on it with a Russian PK-A red dot,
- [Enough Nonsense; What is an "Assault Rifle"?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enough-nonsense-what-is-an-assault-rifle/): https://youtu.be/RYWkuV5FbJM Want to see a proper assault rifle in action (a SIG 540)? Check it out right now: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/sig-540-range The technical definition of an "assault rifle" is pretty simple and straightforward. It's a shoulder-fired rifle with three elements: * Capable of fully automatic fire * Uses detachable magazines * Chambered for an intermediate cartridge That's
- [Colt Viper: A Rare Snake and a Great Revolver](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-viper-a-rare-snake-and-a-great-revolver/): https://youtu.be/uecvkx2zSyQ Colt has released seven different revolvers named after snakes, and they have become a popular niche collection for many people. The Python is by far the best known, but several others are very rare. One of these is the Colt Viper, of which only a few thousand were made and only in 1977. The
- [Madsen M50: From the Korean War to Star Trek](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/madsen-m50-from-the-korean-war-to-star-trek/): https://youtu.be/95YPVQR_7yw During World War Two, Madsen (DISA) manufactured a licensed copy of the Finnish Suomi (see: https://youtu.be/hjs1uiAIpNQ). When the war ended, they wanted to replace this with a more modern, inexpensive design of their own. The result was the Model 1946 Madsen, a creative clamshell design of stamped parts. It is a very simple blowback,
- [So Many Ways to Fail at Making a Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/so-many-ways-to-fail-at-making-a-pistol/): https://youtu.be/9DWxn9I9cBg Get Entered to win this very rare Mamba! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 12/20/2024 @ 11:59 PM PST Making a successful and popular new handgun requires doing a whole lot of things right...today we are going to consider what happens when they don't go so well.
- [Praga I-23: Prototype Belt-Fed Predecessor of the ZB26](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/praga-i-23-prototype-belt-fed-predecessor-of-the-zb26/): https://youtu.be/iQ3Iv9wgi2c Vaclav Holek's first machine gun design for the Czech military was the Praga I, built in 1922 and based heavily on the Vickers/Maxim system. However, it became clear that the military wanted something lighter and more portable, and so the next year he heavily updated the design to this, the Praga I-23 (for 1923).
- [India's FAL: The 1A1 Inch/Metric Hybrid](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/indias-fal-the-1a1-inch-metric-hybrid/): https://youtu.be/ce-PDp_6DUA For political reasons, India decided to adopt the 7.62mm NATO cartridge when it needed to replace its No1 MkIII SMLE bolt action rifles with a modern self-loader. They chose the FN FAL as the rifle to adopt, but wanted a license to produce it domestically at the Ishapore rifle factory. FN insisted on the
- [Ljungman Updates: the AG-42 vs AG-42B](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ljungman-updates-the-ag-42-vs-ag-42b/): https://youtu.be/pMrKNbXbtBo In 1953, the Swedish military launched a program to refurbish and refit all of the Ag m/42 rifles in inventory. Aside from replacing broken parts and worn barrels, the program also made a number of improvements to the rifles: * Auxiliary front magazine catch added * Large gripping lugs added to bolt cover *
- [Deckard's Pfläger-Katsumata Series D 5223](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/deckards-pflager-katsumata-series-d-5223/): https://youtu.be/rlrmFRTXG5g In the film Blade Runner, Deckard carries a pistol called a Pfläger-Katsumata Series D 5223 - a name created by the fan community to have the initials "PKD" after Phillip K. Dick, who wrote Blade runner's source material (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep). What we are looking at today is an extremely realistic
- [Cape Esperance and the Japanese Evacuation of Guadalcanal](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/cape-esperance-and-the-japanese-evacuation-of-guadalcanal/): https://youtu.be/zV0zY-LC85g Today we return to Guadalcanal, to the site of the last actuals of the campaign. For the Japanese, the defeat at Edson's Ridge (aka Bloody Ridge) forced a disastrous and uncoordinated retreat into the jungle. With their supply lines destroyed, Japanese troops largely moved west on the island, away from American positions and in
- [Optic and Reticle Choices (featuring Mike Branson)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/optic-and-reticle-choices-featuring-mike-branson/): https://youtu.be/b8Q4rEtmnCg I'm speaking with Mike Branson of Gideon Optics at SHOT Show 2025, and today the topic is scope and reticle choice. What is good, what is bad, and what is best for you?
- [B&T GL-06 Launcher: Reloadable Less-Lethal for Police on a Budget](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bt-gl-06-launcher-reloadable-less-lethal-for-police-on-a-budget/): https://youtu.be/Z6qf9872KLQ The B&T GL06 (Grenade Launcher 2006) was developed in response to a French tender for a riot-control less-lethal weapon in 2006. B&T had actually already been working on a less-lethal projectile system, which they call SIR (Safe Impact Round). It is a rubber projectile with a hard plastic base and driving band, fired from
- [Latvia's Unique Charger-Loading Lee Enfield (CLLE) Cavalry Carbine](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/latvias-unique-charger-loading-lee-enfield-clle-cavalry-carbine/): https://youtu.be/zniAaHuu2A8 During the Latvian War of Independence, the nationalist forces receiver a fair bit of support form the British, including some 20,000 P14 Enfield rifles. These were great for the Latvian infantry, but the Latvian cavalry wanted something shorter. So in the early 1920s, they ordered 2200-2350 (the numbers are unclear) carbines from BSA. These
- [Estonian Snipers: Enfields in 7.62x54R and Arisakas in .303 British](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/estonian-snipers-enfields-in-7-62x54r-and-arisakas-in-303-british/): https://youtu.be/UnsGOr8FT_I In the early 1930s, the Estonian military and Estonia Defense League had a rather eclectic mix of small arms. The Army had three divisions, and split different types of weapons between them to simplify logistics. Thus, there was one division equipped with rifles and machine guns in 7.62x54R, and another with .303 British. For
- [Small Arms History of the Falkland Islands Defense Force](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/small-arms-history-of-the-falkland-islands-defense-force/): https://youtu.be/KC7fLfI9DNU Various militias existed on the Falkland Islands since its earliest settlement, but the Falkland Islands Defense Force of today traces its roots to the 1892 Falkland Islands Volunteer Corps. This force was equipped with Martini Henry rifles. With the outbreak of World War One, the Falklands were a strategically important naval station, and the
- [A Beautiful Factory Semiauto SIG MKPO](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/a-beautiful-factory-semiauto-sig-mkpo/): https://youtu.be/PB91RI3oQOc During the 1930s, SIG Neuhausen made a series of really beautiful submachine guns. They were the MK series, offered in either 500mm / 19.7 inch barrels for military use or 300mm / 11.8 inch for police use. The first pattern was the MK-O, which had a rate-reducing system built into the action (which looks
- [Virtual Tour: Swiss Shooting Museum Bern](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/virtual-tour-swiss-shooting-museum-bern/): https://youtu.be/cN3qNLxP0Vw Today we are taking a virtual tour of the Swiss Shooting Museum (Schweizer Schützenmuseum Bern) in Bern, Switzerland. The museum has been in this building since just before World War Two, and focusses on the history of the Swiss competitive shooting culture and community. At the time of posting, the museum is closed for
- [Beretta Tries a Machine Pistol: the Model 951A](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/beretta-tries-a-machine-pistol-the-model-951a/): https://youtu.be/BqXvLTG-pAY Beretta's first machine pistol was actually a full-auto variant of the Model 1923, complete with shoulder stock - but that did not sell well. They tried again in the 1950s with an automatic model of the new Beretta Model 51 (aka M951). This was a 9x19mm pistol using a P38 style locking wedge, and
- [Våpensmia NM-149S: Norway's Sniper Conversion of the Kar 98k](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/vapensmia-nm-149s-norways-sniper-conversion-of-the-kar-98k/): https://youtu.be/4RtLCuWXJ3M After World War Two, there were a lot of K98k rifles left in Norway. Like, a whole lot of them. So many that even in the 1980s they were still a popular basis for hunting and competition rifles. The Norwegian military contracted with the firm Våpensmia to make a batch of their VS 84S
- [Stamm-Zeller 1902: A Swiss Straight-Pull Converted to Semiauto](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/stamm-zeller-1902-a-swiss-straight-pull-converted-to-semiauto/): https://youtu.be/LFJJBu4a5Lo Today's rifle was designed by a Swiss inventor named Hans Stamm while working for the Zeller et Cie company in Appenzell Switzerland. The company originally made embroidering machinery, but turned to military rifle parts subcontracting to bring in additional revenue in the early 1890s. Stamm had shown a good aptitude and interest for this
- [Glock 18 & 18C Machine Pistols: How Do They Work?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/glock-18-18c-machine-pistols-how-do-they-work/): https://youtu.be/RTVq3CJoXOM After the success of the Glock 17 in Austrian military trials, the company chose two specific markets to target for expansion. One was competition shooters, for whom the Glock 17L was released. The other was the international law enforcement and military market, for whom they decided to make a machine pistol - the Glock
- [ZB37: Czechoslovakia's Super-Heavy Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zb37-czechoslovakias-super-heavy-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/tC3wE--Rm6c The ZB37 began in 1930 as a design by none other than classic Czech arms designer Vaclav Holek. The Czechoslovakian military was still using the Schwarzlose heavy MG, and wanted something to replace it. To fill all the roles intended, there would eventually be three different models of the ZB37 - one for infantry,
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 8: Mauser 71/84](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-8-mauser-71-84/): https://youtu.be/eHi7rvj5d8A For the full episode with the hand loading instructional section, click here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-8-71-84-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so
- [Type 56C: China's Last Military AK (And It's Totally Non-Standard)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/type-56c-chinas-last-military-ak-and-its-totally-non-standard/): https://youtu.be/fVZXx1gSoOE The Type 56C is the final iteration of Chinese Kalashnikov, originally intended for export but primarily used by Chinese police and special forces. It is a short-barreled carbine with a folding stock, and remarkably few standard AK parts. The receiver takes a number of cues from the Type 81 rifle, and is shorter and
- [The Swiss Suomi: MP43/44 (With Bayonet)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-swiss-suomi-mp43-44-with-bayonet/): https://youtu.be/vYYHCG3y-9s During World War Two, the Swiss had adopted Adolf Furrer's toggle-locked MP41 submachine gun, and they found it too fragile, complex, and expensive. Looking for an alternative, one easy choice was the Finnish Suomi. Used and appreciated by the Finns, Danes, and Swedes it was reliable and available. It was adopted into service in
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 9: 1869 Swiss Vetterli](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-9-1869-swiss-vetterli/): https://youtu.be/7WfqFHy98C0 For the full episode with the hand loading instructional section, click here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-9-swiss-vetterli-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so
- [Experimental AG-42B Conversion to 7.62mm NATO](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/experimental-ag-42b-conversion-to-7-62mm-nato/): https://youtu.be/Iy9z8pnLwIA Circa 1954, Sweden was starting to look for a new self-loading rifle to adopt for its infantry. The 6.5x55mm cartridge was a good round, but the idea of having ammunition compatibility with its neighbors was appealing, and NATO was standardizing on the new 7.62x51mm round. This rifle is an experimental conversion of a Ljungman
- [Domestic Burmese G3s: BA64 Rifle and BA-72 Carbine](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/domestic-burmese-g3s-ba64-rifle-and-ba-72-carbine/): https://youtu.be/1ry_hUOdm7c After achieving independence from the British, Burma (now Myanmar) looked to develop a domestic small arms industry to supply its armed forces. The first weapon produced there was the BA-52, a copy of (how they chose this I don't know) the Italian TZ-45 submachine gun. By the late 1950s, talks were underway with Rheinmetall
- [One of a Kind Prototype vz.38 Pistol in .32ACP](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/one-of-a-kind-prototype-vz-38-pistol-in-32acp/): https://youtu.be/kFnMkHtmZgM When CZ developed the vz.38 pistol for the Czechoslovak military, they made a number of attempts to also sell it on the international export market. This involved offering some various changes in configuration for different clients - in this case, scaling it down from .380ACP to .32 ACP. It also has a manual safety,
- [KH-9: B&T Remakes the SITES Spectre Just Because It's Cool](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/kh-9-bt-remakes-the-sites-spectre-just-because-its-cool/): https://youtu.be/XyRj2el9oB4 Karl Brügger, CEO of B&T, is a true gun nerd and avid competitive shooter. When he got his hands on the Spectre SMG with its quad-stack magazine and weird DA/decocker fire control system, he thought it was really neat. So neat that he decided to buy the project from its Italian creators and put
- [Negev 7: Israeli Scales up to a 7.62 NATO Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/negev-7-israeli-scales-up-to-a-7-62-nato-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/k72qs0kRCcA Full video including range footage is available on the History of Weapons & War streaming app: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/negev-7-4k The Israeli Negev machine gun had a rather long development cycle, beginning in 1985 but not seeing final completion and issue until 1997. Once on the market, it proved to be a pretty successful weapon, used by
- [Schmeisser MK-36,II - The Mechanics of the MP40](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/schmeisser-mk-36ii-the-mechanics-of-the-mp40/): https://youtu.be/Ovbma1TwFpA The German military began looking for a new submachine gun design in secret in the mid 1930s. There is basically no surviving documentation, but the main contenders appear to have featured: Hugo Schmeisser's MK-36,II and Erma's EMP-36. Today we are taking a look at the two known example of the Schmeisser design at the
- [Erma EMP36: External Form Factor of the MP40](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/erma-emp36-external-form-factor-of-the-mp40/): https://youtu.be/Xq6z1w-a0ak The German military began looking for a new submachine gun design in secret in the mid 1930s. There is basically no surviving documentation, but the main contenders appear to have featured: Hugo Schmeisser's MK-36,II and Erma's EMP-36. Today we are taking a look at one of two known examples of the Erma design at
- [Stamm-Saurer Model 1907: A New Swiss Straight-Pull Bolt Action Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/stamm-saurer-model-1907-a-new-swiss-straight-pull-bolt-action-rifle/): https://youtu.be/gc8k4uv1gMk After leaving the Zeller company, Hans Stamm went looking for work at major gun manufacturers like WF Bern and SIG. He ended up hired in 1907 by a company caller Saurer. This was an automotive firm looking to open a weapons division, with hopes of winning the upcoming trials for a new Swiss military
- [Influencer Marketing in 1900: Charles Young's Repeating Shotgun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/influencer-marketing-in-1900-charles-youngs-repeating-shotgun/): https://youtu.be/KuX3mJZVzlk Charles Sparrow Young was an extremely talent trap shooter around the turn of the century, sponsored by the Peters ammunition company. He was also a mechanical tinkerer, and developed several patents, including a shotgun release trigger. In 1901/2 he decided to design his own shotgun, and was granted two patents on it. The idea
- [You Can Copy Anything: Chinese Bolt Action M1 Carbine](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/you-can-copy-anything-chinese-bolt-action-m1-carbine/): https://youtu.be/KWa-pYCSZDg This is a copy of the M1 Carbine made in China late in the Chinese civil war - likely between 1945 and 1949. While there was an attempt at factory production of a true M1 Carbine copy in northern China later, this example is actually a bolt action which simply copies the look and
- [Development of the Uzi Family: Standard, Mini, and Micro](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/development-of-the-uzi-family-standard-mini-and-micro/): https://youtu.be/y3EIud0KKCM Full video cut available on the History of Weapons & War app. The Uzi was originally designed in the 1950s, and it was on the technological cutting edge at the time. The stamped receiver, telescoping bolt, and compact magazine-in-grip layout made it an inexpensive and effective weapon. Its sedate 600 round/minute rate of fire
- [Q&A: The Falklands War of 1982](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-the-falklands-war-of-1982/): https://youtu.be/hKjRWvHqT2Q Want a patch or t-shirt with our adorably heavily armed rockhopper penguin? Both are available from Varusteleka: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/search?q=penguin Since I spent a couple weeks hiking across the Falklands and then visiting battlefields (and penguins), it seems reasonable to do a Q&A video about the place and the 1982 war there between Argentina and the
- [Field to Table: Harvesting, Butchering, and Preparing Wild Game w/ Outdoor Solutions](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/field-to-table-harvesting-butchering-and-preparing-wild-game-w-outdoor-solutions/): https://youtu.be/QCAg3qGFkVg You can get Outdoor Solutions' ebook and companion videos along with their whole upcoming class schedule at: https://www.fromfieldtotable.com My freezer is getting low, so it was time to refill it - and I chose to do that this year at one of Outdoor Solutions' "Field to Table" classes. Set up with hunting outfitters around
- [SR-88A: Singapore's Final Evolution of the AR-18](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sr-88a-singapores-final-evolution-of-the-ar-18/): https://youtu.be/KbskX1QX2CE Chartered Industries of Singapore was founded in 1967, and started making M16 rifles under license in 1970. These were sold to the Singaporean military as well as Thailand. To get out of their licensing agreement with Colt, the company purchased the rights to Frank Waters' the SAR-80 rifle, and then iterated that design to
- [Praga I: A Blow-Forward Bullpup Semi-Auto-Selectable Vickers Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/praga-i-a-blow-forward-bullpup-semi-auto-selectable-vickers-gun/): https://youtu.be/ByZvMvBnefo The Praga I was the first machine gun design from noted Czech arms designed Vaclav Holek. Three examples were made for Czech military testing in 1922, but they were not acceptable. Instead, this design served as the first stepping stone to the eventual development of the ZB-26, perhaps the best of the interwar light
- [BSD's VSS Vintorez Reproduction: Beyond the Hype](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bsds-vss-vintorez-reproduction-beyond-the-hype/): https://youtu.be/VBjwTc_vWo0 The reproduction VSS Vintorez announced and shown by BSD Fabrication & Works at SHOT Show 2025 has garnered a tremendous amount of excitement and attention. This is understandable, as the VSS is a very cool rifle, and there are a lot of people who would love to have one. However, I the coverage from
- [Book Review: ERMA Erfurter Maschinenfabrik 1924–2003 (Three Volumes)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/book-review-erma-erfurter-maschinenfabrik-1924-2003-three-volumes/): https://youtu.be/K0om4qFB9TM Available from Schiffer Publishing as three separate volumes: https://www.schiffermilitary.com/collections/military-new-releases/products/erma-erfurter-maschinenfabrik-1924-2003-vol-1 https://www.schiffermilitary.com/collections/military-new-releases/products/erma-erfurter-maschinenfabrik-1924-2003-vol-2 https://www.schiffermilitary.com/collections/military-new-releases/products/erma-erfurter-maschinenfabrik-1924-2003-vol-3 Hot off the presses from Schiffer Publishing, we are looking at Holger Schlemeier's expanded English version of "ERMA: Erfurter Maschinenfabrik, 1924–2003". This is a three volume and thousand-page series covering (as you might have guessed) the Erma company. From its initial origins as
- [Mean Arms' Bearing Delay System](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mean-arms-bearing-delay-system/): https://youtu.be/6mBc2mU75e4 Mean Arms has developed probably the most refined and sophisticated 9mm AR delaying system on the market, what they call Bearing Delay. This began as an exploration into fitting HK-style roller delay into and AR, and ended up with a system using three spherical bearings to redirect chamber pressure to delay opening. The system
- [Q&A: British Small Arms of World War Two](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/qa-british-small-arms-of-world-war-two/): https://youtu.be/XbrSATYGUUg Today's Q&A is brought to you by the fine folks at Patreon, and by Penguin Brutality: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/search?q=penguin http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons 01:11 - Was the Vickers .50 any good, and why did the British use 4 different heavy cartridges instead of consolidating? 07:35 - The Sten and its single-feed magazine design 10:27 - Owen versus Sten, and
- [Dillinger Gang's Winchester 1907 Self-Loader: The Lebman Conversion](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/dillinger-gangs-winchester-1907-self-loader-the-lebman-conversion/): https://youtu.be/7q5JDX0CHag Hyman Lehman was a gunsmith in Texas who made a variant of firearms for some of the most notorious gangsters of the 1930s. One of his specialties was to take the Winchester Model 1907 Self-Loader and cut the barrel down, attach a Cutt's Compensator, and a Thompson gun vertical front grip on a replacement
- [2-Gun: Dillinger Gand Special! Winchester 1907SL and M911](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/2-gun-dillinger-gand-special-winchester-1907sl-and-m911/): https://youtu.be/7e84HVoxpkw Yesterday we took a look at a reproduction of the Winchester 1907 Self Loader made for the Dillinger gang (and others) by Hyman Lebman. Today, I'm taking it out to a 2-gun match, paired with a Tisas M1911A1. Let's see how it'll do! Lebman 1907SL Conversion video: https://youtu.be/7q5JDX0CHag
- [Steyr AUGs of the Falkland Islands Defense Force](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/steyr-augs-of-the-falkland-islands-defense-force/): https://youtu.be/FXtDvLBJp0s The Falkland Islands Defense Force is a small organization independent of the British military, run directly by the Falkland Islands government. When it decided to update its small arms form the L1A1 SLR (aka British FAL) in the early 1990s, the British assumed they would purchase the new L85A1 rifles. However, by that time
- [TOZ-36 and TOZ-49: Soviet Gas-Seal Target Revolvers](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/toz-36-and-toz-49-soviet-gas-seal-target-revolvers/): https://youtu.be/7kg89f3fT1k These two revolvers were developed for competitive sport shooting in the Soviet Union. They are usually described as variants of the Model 1895 Nagant, but they actually work on a different mechanism, despite both being gas-seal designs. The TOZ-36 was designed in 1962, and it was a single action, six-shot revolver in 7.62x38mmR -
- [AG42 Ljungman: Sweden Adopts a Battle Rifle in WWII](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ag42-ljungman-sweden-adopts-a-battle-rifle-in-wwii/): https://youtu.be/70iRJ2IMuTI Sweden developed, adopted, and produced a new self-loading rifle during World War Two. The process began in 1938, with an attempt by the state rifle factory to convert Swedish Mauser bolt actions into semiautomatic; that did not go well. Trials for a ground-up semiauto followed shortly thereafter, with the two finalists being the Pelo
- [Aimpoint's New COA: Clever Optics Advancement](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/aimpoints-new-coa-clever-optics-advancement/): https://youtu.be/EkFQNELaQp0 Let me first mention something that I didn't cover in the video: what does "COA" stand for? Well, nothing. They just wanted a name that they could trademark that wasn't already in use. So go ahead and make up your own acronym. It may be hard to see how a pistol red dot sight
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 7: Beaumont 1871](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-7-beaumont-1871/): https://youtu.be/rGa2tYli028 For the full episode with the hand loading instructional section, click here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/episode-7-beaumont-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so
- [PSA/H&R Clones the Department of Energy Colt 9mm SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/psa-hr-clones-the-department-of-energy-colt-9mm-smg/): https://youtu.be/m3R4JXTnFiA Palmetto State Armory, under their Harrington & Richardson brand, has released a particularly neat model of 9mm AR. They talked about doing this "at some point" at SHOT Show 2024, but lo and behold it's here and available on the cusp of SHOT 2025! Specifically, this is the Colt 633, an extra-short version of
- [BD-44: The New Semiauto Sturmgewehr from D-K Productions](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bd-44-the-new-semiauto-sturmgewehr-from-d-k-productions/): https://youtu.be/Z0ctRKeDTZY D-K Productions is a collaboration between the rGerman company Sport System Dittrich (SSD) and an American partner. SSD has been making reproductions of German World War Two small arms for something like 20 years - including Sturmgewehrs. Their guns are really good recreations of the 1940s originals, but there have long been issues importing
- [Rate of Fire: What Determines it and How to Change It](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rate-of-fire-what-determines-it-and-how-to-change-it/): https://youtu.be/_Vixj9sxTfk What determines the rate of fire of a machine gun, and how can that rate of fire be determined or changed from a design perspective? Let's talk about pressure, mass, and distance...
- [In the Footsteps of 45 Commando: 60 Miles Across the Falklands](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/in-the-footsteps-of-45-commando-60-miles-across-the-falklands/): https://youtu.be/lXcgrwaQTtU Want a patch or t-shirt with our adorably heavily armed rockhopper penguin? Both are available from Varusteleka: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/search?q=penguin I was recently joined my friends Les Winner (Polaris Worldwide Logistics) and Jari Laine (Varusteleka) for an epic trek across Eat Falkland in the footsteps of 45 Commando of the British Royal Marines. In 1982, the
- [Modernizing Le Clairon: the FAMAS Valorise](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/modernizing-le-clairon-the-famas-valorise/): https://youtu.be/xhMfTm2-x04 The FAMAS was the best bullpup rifle of its era, but it was a difficult platform to modernize with optics. In 1995, the "FELIN" (Fantassin à Équipement et Liaisons INtégrés; Integrated Infantry Equipment and Communications) was commissioned to create a next-generation weapons platform for the French soldier. This used a computerized multi-function optic mounted
- [Estonia's Much Better Sniper: the M14 TP2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/estonias-much-better-sniper-the-m14-tp2/): https://youtu.be/VPqPVgXkKvA The first Estonian sniper rifle built on the M14 was the "TP" - a very poorly done model with a lousy scope, worse mount, and unhelpful stock. These were made in 2000, and in 2008 a new iteration came out. This was the TP2, which now used a B&T mount, standard stock (with cheek
- [The End of the Mamba: A Tale of Manufacturing Incompetence](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-end-of-the-mamba-a-tale-of-manufacturing-incompetence/): https://youtu.be/WqGOuB6vYvw This is your last chance to win this very rare Mamba pistol! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 12/20/24 @11:59 PM PST The Mamba was a pistol that had a pretty decent design, but failed because of incompetent manufacturing. Today we are taking a look at a handful of surviving Mambas including the only
- [Moons Out 2025 Launch: Prepare Your NODs!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/moons-out-2025-launch-prepare-your-nods/): https://youtu.be/EMTSletoM5g https://practiscore.com/moons-out-25/register Moons Out 2025 is a Brutality-style night vision rifle match. It consists of 10 stages physically and mentally challenging stages over two nights, all shot in the dark with night vision equipment (Gen 3 highly recommended). For details on the Polenar Tactical events, check their site here: https://polenartactical.com/shop/67-training Dates: March 14-16 (Friday afternoon
- [History of Weapons & War: Now With The Chieftain!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/history-of-weapons-war-now-with-the-chieftain/): https://youtu.be/AIxFU-JaKu4 Join us today, and use code XMAS2024 for a couple bucks off: https://weaponsandwar.tv We are excited to welcome Lt. Col. Nicolas Moran, The Chieftain, to the History of Weapons & War streaming video app! He joins eight of the best historical & educational small arms channels, and is the first of several more creators
- [Soviet Small Arms of WWII: Now Shipping!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/soviet-small-arms-of-wwii-now-shipping/): https://youtu.be/X0XYJlvPaMY Now in stock and shipping! Order your copy here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/ww2-soviet-union Please note: we will do our best to get as many preorders as possible out before Christmas, but we cannot guarantee everyone's arrival date. New orders should not be expected to arrive before Christmas. And if you have a copy of the US volume
- [P320 Flux Legion Raider at the Range](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/p320-flux-legion-raider-at-the-range/): https://youtu.be/l--Im2RKufs Today I am taking the SIG P320 Flux Legion (aka the SIG Legion edition of the Flux Raider) out to the range. I'm a big fan of PDW systems, and the Raider is one of the best - in my opinion it is better than some purpose-built PDWs, much less other pistol chassis conversions.
- [SIG P320 Flux Legion / Flux Raider: The Best Pistol-PDW System Yet](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sig-p320-flux-legion-flux-raider-the-best-pistol-pdw-system-yet/): https://youtu.be/RKEyOZ6ZU20 The Flux Raider is a chassis system designed to turn the SIG P320 into a very compact PDW. The design concept began as a desire to improve the practical accuracy of a handgun by adding a collapsing stock while keeping the weapon holsterable. Flux' first product, circa 2019, was a spring-loaded stock that could
- [Daniel Defense H9: The Hudson Reborn and Completely Reengineered](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/daniel-defense-h9-the-hudson-reborn-and-completely-reengineered/): https://youtu.be/peCXdo3GIUI In 2017, Hudson released a new pistol that was the darling of the firearms industry. It purported to offer a radically low bore axis and 1911-style trigger in a striker-fired system that would be fast and simple to use. In 2019, Hudson went bankrupt, out of money and having started to scavenge parts off
- [ZB47: A Truly Weird Czech SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/zb47-a-truly-weird-czech-smg/): https://youtu.be/TYVSe6s8kGE The ZB47 was developed at Brno as a contender for Czech military submachine gun adoption in the late 1940s. The Czech Army had technically adopted a submachine gun prior to World War Two (the vz.38; video on that is coming a bit later) but production did not begin before the arrival of German troops.
- [Beretta 93R: The Best Machine Pistol?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/beretta-93r-the-best-machine-pistol/): https://youtu.be/BPf5quy8_nM The Beretta 93R ("Raffica") was developed in the 1970s by Beretta engineer Paolo Parola at the request of Italian military special forces. It took the basic Beretta 92 pistol design and added a well-thought-out burst mechanism under the right-side grip panel. It does not have a plain full-auto setting, but only semiauto and 3-round
- [Books Now Shipping From Headstamp Publishing!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/books-now-shipping-from-headstamp-publishing/): https://youtu.be/X5aNiiDl4hI https://www.headstamppublishing.com We have a huge variety of beautiful and informative firearms books available and shipping right now from Headstamp Publishing! From Japanese tobacco to British bullpups to Chinese mystery pistols, there really is something here for anyone who enjoys firearms...
- [Rhodesian Mamba at the Range: Will it Work?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rhodesian-mamba-at-the-range-will-it-work/): https://youtu.be/p3SdYwN-Emo Get Entered to win this very rare Mamba! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 12/20/2024 @ 11:59 PM PST Today we are taking the Mamba out to the range to see just how badly (or how well) it works. This is one of the Mambas that was assembled in the US by Navy Arms -
- [Book Review: The U.S. Model 1917 Rifle - "America's Enfield"](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/book-review-the-u-s-model-1917-rifle-americas-enfield/): https://youtu.be/5SICTRSmO1E Available from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/U-S-Model-Rifle-Americas-Enfield/dp/1931464928 Available from the publisher, Mowbray: https://gunandswordcollector.com/product/us-model-1917-rifle-canfield/ Bruce Canfield is one of the most prolific and prominent authors on American military small arms today, with a bunch of excellent works in print. He has now tackled the Model 1917 Enfield rifle, the most common American rifle of World War One and
- [How Is Ammunition Made? A Tour of Sellier & Bellot's Factory](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-is-ammunition-made-a-tour-of-sellier-bellots-factory/): https://youtu.be/1RN2vDgLIY4 Today I am in Vlašim in the Czech Republic, where Sellier & Bellot has allowed me to film a tour of their ammunition plant. This is one of the largest ammo manufacturers in the world, and they start with basic raw material like lead, copper, and brass and ship out complete case ammunition. The
- [Tunnels and Door Breaching: Czech Combat 2024 Day 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tunnels-and-door-breaching-czech-combat-2024-day-2/): https://youtu.be/0qNW4xAN1JE Czech Combat is a 2-day, 12-stage practical matching using rifle and pistol, sponsored by CZ and Sellier & Bellot. It is not a Brutality match, although it shares a lot of elements with Brutality. There is not as much physical challenge to the stages, instead having a mixture of tactically-oriented stages and IPSC-like stages.
- [Welcome to the Mystery Fun Van: Czech Combat 2024 Day 1](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/welcome-to-the-mystery-fun-van-czech-combat-2024-day-1/): https://youtu.be/QsP1YBg7yL8 Czech Combat is a 2-day, 12-stage practical matching using rifle and pistol, sponsored by CZ and Sellier & Bellot. It is not a Brutality match, although it shares a lot of elements with Brutality. There is not as much physical challenge to the stages, instead having a mixture of tactically-oriented stages and IPSC-like stages.
- [SVD Dragunov: The First Purpose-Built DMR](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/svd-dragunov-the-first-purpose-built-dmr/): https://youtu.be/-FYNd907E6A The development of the Dragunov designated marksman’s rifle was spurred by the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm cartridge. The Red Army had standardized on a new suite of infantry weapons using the intermediate-sized 7.62x39mm round, and feared being out-ranged in open terrain by NATO units. The Soviet squad needed some way to reach out
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 6: Berdan II](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-6-berdan-ii/): https://youtu.be/Md4Ez6uZYwk The full version with hand loading information (not permitted on YouTube) is available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/berdan-2-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although
- [Gear for Carrying DP27 Pan Magazines](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/gear-for-carrying-dp27-pan-magazines/): https://youtu.be/QbYHaDFf4Sg Today we are taking a look at three different pieces of kit developed to carry Degtyarev DP pan magazines. These mags are really inconveniently shaped, and traditional magazine pouches just don't work for them. Instead, the Soviets initially fielded a stamped steel can that held three pans. This was durable, but had to be
- [P99: The Pistol that Rejuvenated Walther](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/p99-the-pistol-that-rejuvenated-walther/): https://youtu.be/mo6duQSFmWc For a couple decades after World War Two, Walther survived on legacy designs - the PP/PPK and P38 (eventually made with an aluminum frame as the P4) primarily. In the 1970s they developed the P5 for German police use, and this was a reasonably successful pistol, but expensive and complex. Something more modern was
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 4: The Mauser Gewehr 1871](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-4-the-mauser-gewehr-1871/): https://youtu.be/HeBJcPsHQ-Q The full version with hand loading information (not permitted on YouTube) is available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/black-powder-ep-4-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although
- [Leaning Westward: Galils for Estonia](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/leaning-westward-galils-for-estonia/): https://youtu.be/qxixMipde64 When Estonia regained its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, it was initially armed with a wide variety of miscellaneous small arms. They clearly needed a primary standardized rifle for the new armed forces. The one definitive criteria for making a selection was than the new rifle must be chambered for the 5.56mm
- [The Unique Challenges of Self-Loading Shotgun Design](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-unique-challenges-of-self-loading-shotgun-design/): https://youtu.be/3iLSCNtogc8 This is your last chance to win this iconic SPAS-12! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 11/22/24 @11:59 PM PST I think a lot of people under appreciate the difficulty of making a reliable self-loading shotgun. Between the rimmed case, wadcutter-type cylindrical shape, varying shell length, and massive variations in loadings, the variability that
- [SPAS-12: Franchi's Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/spas-12-franchis-special-purpose-automatic-shotgun/): https://youtu.be/dIv7k227Vqc Enter to win this iconic SPAS-12! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons Deadline to enter is 11/22/24 @11:59 PM PST Franchi introduced the Special Purpose Automatic Shotgun (SPAS-12) for Italian military and police agencies in 1979 and it quickly because popular worldwide. Based originally on the gas-operated Franchi 500, that SPAS-12 was robust, reliable, and designed as a semiautomatic
- [Franchi SPAS-12 at the Range](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/franchi-spas-12-at-the-range/): https://youtu.be/5kTcclkUT1M Today I'm taking the SPAS-12 out to the range, to try a variety of ammunition and see what runs in it. The SPAS is a gas-operated shotgun that can be switched to manual pump operation for use with underpowered ammunition. This was originally intended as a way to allow things like beanbag and other
- [Legacy of the K5: Daewoo DP51 Through Lionheart Vulcan-9](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/legacy-of-the-k5-daewoo-dp51-through-lionheart-vulcan-9/): https://youtu.be/wCG1CCthQyM The South Korean military was using old Colt M1911A1 pistols in the 1980s, and as they became worn out a new pistol was needed. This would be something designed and built domestically, and chambered for 9x19. The small arms division of the massive Daewoo industrial conglomerate, called Daewoo Precision Industries, spent several years in
- [New Imports: French MAS 49/56 and MAS 36/51 Rifles](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/new-imports-french-mas-49-56-and-mas-36-51-rifles/): https://youtu.be/ADIWFJsal3M Yeah, I'm a sucker for nice French rifles. So when Old Western Scrounger brought in another batch of them, I offered to do a video. These are rifles taken out of French long-term storage, having been rebuilt at French arsenals to like-new condition, and are in beautiful condition. Full video on the MAS 49/56:
- [Semiauto MGs: How Are They Made?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/semiauto-mgs-how-are-they-made/): https://youtu.be/X8JX30dXcag This is your last chance to win this awesome Semiauto DPM! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 10/25/2024 at 11:59 PM PST Semiauto versions of machine guns are a way to have examples of historically significant and mechanically interesting guns without having to wrangle with NFA transfers and the astronomical price of transferrable legal
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 5: The Remington Rolling Block](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-5-the-remington-rolling-block/): https://youtu.be/9PfBmTuJnCs The full version with hand loading information (not permitted on YouTube) is available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/black-powder-ep-5-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although
- [Degtyarev Upgrades: DP27 vs DPM](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/degtyarev-upgrades-dp27-vs-dpm/): https://youtu.be/ZjcN-zDS4xs Enter to win this awesome Semiauto DPM! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 10/25/2024 at 11:59 PM PST The full version of this video, including range footage and no giveaway segments, and in 4K resolution, is available at the History of Weapons & War app: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/dp-vs-dpm-4k The Degtyarev DP (aka DP-27) was the subject of
- [The FAL in Cuba: Left Arm of the Communist World?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-fal-in-cuba-left-arm-of-the-communist-world/): https://youtu.be/paADbwNa7hs In 1958, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista ordered some 35,000 FAL rifles from FN, including both regular infantry rifles have heavy-barreled FALO light machine guns. Before any of them could arrive, however, Batista fled the country and his guns were delivered to Fidel Castro beginning in July 1959. At this time, the FAL was still
- [Sten MkII vs Ingram M10/9 (w/ John Keene)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sten-mkii-vs-ingram-m10-9-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/Po2zPef-WJY If you had to pick one, would you take a Sten MkII or an Ingram M10/9? This applies specifically to the guns in their original factory configurations; no Lage products allowed! It's hard to come up with a mass-production SMG that isn't obviously better than a MkII Sten, but the stock Ingrams might make
- [Beretta M38A vs Suomi kp/31 (w/ John Keene)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/beretta-m38a-vs-suomi-kp-31-w-john-keene/): https://youtu.be/TvyHoud83uA If you had to pick one, would you take an early Beretta 38A (with bayonet), or a Finnish kp/31 Suomi? Both have semiauto selectors, although the Beretta's its easier to use. The Suomi has a higher rate of fire and larger magazine capacity, but is slower to use. Both have roughly equivalent sights and
- [“Grey Ghost” - The French Occupation Production P38 Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/grey-ghost-the-french-occupation-production-p38-pistol/): https://youtu.be/OhQ--R_GTa0 When the French took over control of the Mauser factory complex in May 1945, the plant had some 85 tons of pistol parts on hand - 7.3 million individual components in various stages of production. This was enough to make a whole lot of guns, even if many of them were not completed parts.
- [The Infamous Klobb: Guns of GoldenEye N64](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-infamous-klobb-guns-of-goldeneye-n64/): https://youtu.be/OVVW9Rmzkwo https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/licensed-troubleshooter?ref=e0y2xl We are really close to hitting the stretch goal to add a section on the Guns of GoldenEye N64 to Licensed Troubleshooter! For a lot of people, James Bond was introduced not by Sean Connery, but by a 64-bit rendition of the world's most famous spy in GoldenEye for the Nintendo 64. It
- [The First Sturmgewehr: The MKb42(H)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-first-sturmgewehr-the-mkb42h/): https://youtu.be/66fdmoRarv4 The first iteration of the iconic German Sturmgewehr was developed by Haenel starting in 1938. It was a select-fire rifle chambered for the short 8x33mm cartridge, developed by the Polte company. It used a long-stroke gas piston and a tilting bolt patterned after the Czech ZB-26 light machine gun. What makes the MKb42(H) stand
- [RP-46: The Rarely Seen Belt-Fed Degtyarev](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rp-46-the-rarely-seen-belt-fed-degtyarev/): https://youtu.be/S8u48kE5KCM Enter to win this awesome Semiauto DPM! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 10/25/2024 at 11:59 PM PST After World War Two, the Red Army moved from a full power infantry rifle cartridge to an intermediate one, and the 7.62x39mm RPD became the new squad machine gun. At the same time, the heavy Maxims were
- [G33/40: Special Carbine for the Gebirgsjager](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/g33-40-special-carbine-for-the-gebirgsjager/): https://youtu.be/YZkwJyjmlL4 When the Germans took over control of the Czechoslovakian arms industry, they took some time to work out what out to be mass produced at the Brno factory. In the interim, they decided to restart production of the Czech vz33 Mauser carbine as the Gewehr 33/40 for German mountain troops. This was a truly
- [B&T APC-9: The Swiss Answer to the MP5](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bt-apc-9-the-swiss-answer-to-the-mp5/): https://youtu.be/xHRlR2WrdXU B&T owner Karl Brügger is a big fan of 9mm PCCs and SMGs, and decided that his company ought to offer an alternative to the MP5 and this was the Advanced Police Carbine (APC). In order to compete effectively, it needed to be simple to manufacture, since manufacturing costs in Switzerland are exorbitant compared
- [French 1717 Rampart Musket from the American Revolution](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/french-1717-rampart-musket-from-the-american-revolution/): https://youtu.be/A7GfovF2yGY American forces in the Revolutionary War took in a bunch of different types of surplus small arms, and one of the interesting ones was the French Model 1717 Rampart gun. When the French created the first standardized military rifle pattern in 1717, they made two versions - an infantry musket and a rampart or
- [Best of American and Europe: the Webley No5 Express New Army](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/best-of-american-and-europe-the-webley-no5-express-new-army/): https://youtu.be/uyxdMWJy-q0 Webley introduced their No5 Express New Army model revolver in 1878. This was essentially a ruggedized and scaled up variation on the No5 RIC revolvers that was very popular with police forces. The RIC was chambered for just the .450 Adams cartridge, and its ejection system in particular was not suitable to serious military
- [Berettas With Bayonets: The Very Early Model 38A SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/berettas-with-bayonets-the-very-early-model-38a-smg/): https://youtu.be/7CaA4_afapQ The initial model of the Beretta 38A had a number of features that were dropped rather quickly once wartime production became a priority. Specifically, they included a lockout safety switch for just the rear full-auto trigger. This was in place primarily for police use, in which the guns were intended for semiautomatic use except
- [Enfield MkII: Better Than the MkI, I Guess](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enfield-mkii-better-than-the-mki-i-guess/): https://youtu.be/RhWtegKD7hE The Enfield MkI had only been in service for two years when the MkII was adopted in March 1882 to resolve some of its problems (and reduce its cost). At the same time, a new cartridge was adopted (the MkIII) with a heeled .477” bullet - also in hopes of resolving some o the
- [Portuguese Navy Lugers: Model m/910 from DWM and Mauser](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/portuguese-navy-lugers-model-m-910-from-dwm-and-mauser/): https://youtu.be/acmQALXWbzc Following Portuguese Army adoption in 1908, the Portuguese Navy adopted the Luger in 1909 as the m/910. The pattern they chose was a “new model” Luger in 9x19mm, with a 100mm / 4” barrel. A total of 650 were ordered in late 1909 and delivered between 1910 and 1912. The guns had Portuguese-language safety
- [The Hungarian Alternative: G98/40 Rifles in German Service](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-hungarian-alternative-g98-40-rifles-in-german-service/): https://youtu.be/swSyfuxY4d4 The German Wehrmacht was always hungry for more rifles during World War Two, and adopted substitute designs made in friendly (or subservient) countries when possible. Almost all of these were minor variations on the Mauser 98 system, but the Hungarian G98/40 was an exception. This was a Mannlicher system, with zero parts interchangeability with
- [Steyrs for the Luftwaffe: The G29(ö) aka Gewehr 12/34](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/steyrs-for-the-luftwaffe-the-g29o-aka-gewehr-12-34/): https://youtu.be/hYYFcv6XNOw When the German government bought up the controlling interest in Steyr in 1938, they made use of its production facilities to start making rifles for the Luftwaffe. Steyr had tooling for the Mauser 98, but not in K98k form - they had most recently made a Mauser-pattern carbine for Chile in 1934 (the M12/34).
- [G24(t): Germany’s Take on the Czechoslovakian vz24](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/g24t-germanys-take-on-the-czechoslovakian-vz24/): https://youtu.be/jS_7lxKzdaU When Germany took over Czechoslovakia, one of the things they did was buy out a controlling interest in what became known as Waffenwerke Brunn. Headquartered in Prague, the company had two factories; one in Brno (Czechia) and one in Bystrica (Slovakia). The Bystrica factory was already making vz24 Mauser rifles, and under new German
- [A DAO Service Revolver in the Civil War: the Pettengill Army](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/a-dao-service-revolver-in-the-civil-war-the-pettengill-army/): https://youtu.be/IhOLUWQsfsQ The Pettengill revolver is a 6-shot, muzzleloading double-action-only system designed and patented by C.S. Pettengill in 1856, and improved by Edward Raymond and Charles Robitaille in 1858. In 1859, the Rogers & Spencer company was contracted to put them into production as a .31 caliber pocket model and a .34 caliber Navy model. Shortly
- [Single-Rune bnz43 SS Contract K98k](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/single-rune-bnz43-ss-contract-k98k/): https://youtu.be/fz1CRkaiamc In 1942, the SS devised a plan to rent out concentration camp labor to companies in the German armaments industry. Several different rifle production lines were set up to make use of this source of cheap labor, and the one we are looking at today is Steyr’s plant at the Gusen camp (a subsidiary
- [Colt Boa: Rarest of the Snake Revolvers](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-boa-rarest-of-the-snake-revolvers/): https://youtu.be/hB_6SLuMt50 Of the seven revolvers Colt named after snakes, the rarest is the Colt Boa. Only a single production run of these were made totaling just 1,200 guns. They were made in 1985 as a custom order for the Lew Horton distribution company, which wanted something unique to offer its buyers. The Boa was an
- [Spoils of War: French Occupation-Production Mauser K98k svwMB](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/spoils-of-war-french-occupation-production-mauser-k98k-svwmb/): https://youtu.be/9-mgkAn0I1g Allied troops occupied the Mauser factory complex in Oberndorf in April of 1945, right at the end of the war. The factory was put under French administration and by May that same year production lines were restarted to supply French forces (who needed as many arms as they could get). In total, just under
- [Shooting a WWII German 50mm Light Mortar (L.Gr.W.36)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/shooting-a-wwii-german-50mm-light-mortar-l-gr-w-36/): https://youtu.be/Ds-rlcMM11o The standard German light mortar in World War Two was the model 1936 5cm Leichter Granatwerfer. It was a very precise (Germanic, one might say) machine, and a bubble lever for careful aiming, and it threw a roughly 2 pound projectile out to a maximum range of 550 meters. Today I have the chance
- [Estonia's Domestic Arms Production: Arsenal Tallinn SMG](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/estonias-domestic-arms-production-arsenal-tallinn-smg/): https://youtu.be/6h_H1HeS2QM At the end of Estonia's war of independence in 1920, the new nation's government began working on military infrastructure. One thing it would need was a repair depot to maintain military equipment, everything from barracks furniture to arms and vehicles. A large building was obtained in Tallinn (the capital city) and a number of
- [Gothic Serpent: Shughart M14 Clone & Delta 1911 at the 2-Gun Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/gothic-serpent-shughart-m14-clone-delta-1911-at-the-2-gun-match/): https://youtu.be/2Mat1utw4Zs This is your last chance to win this awesome (if malfunctioning) Shughart M14 Clone! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 09/27/2024 @ 11:59 PM PST Today I decided to do a Gothic Serpent memorial 2-gun match, using my Shughart M14 clone and a surplussed Delta 1911. This was a 5-stage match at the Rio
- [MP9 and TP9: A Complete History From Steyr to B&T](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mp9-and-tp9-a-complete-history-from-steyr-to-bt/): https://youtu.be/UbbSCyRH8Hk Steyr introduced their TMP (Tactical Machine Pistol) and its semiauto SPP counterpart in 1989, but it was never a very popular item. After the company was purchased, the new ownership decided to scrap the TMP (along with other low-performing product lines). At that point, Swiss firm B&T purchased the whole project for a nominal
- [sa81 KRASA: Czechoslovakia's Ultra-Compact Lost PDW](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sa81-krasa-czechoslovakias-ultra-compact-lost-pdw/): https://youtu.be/8fz1mvpqF_I The Krása project (which translates as "beauty", but is also a shortening of "short assault rifle" - "KRÁtký SAmopal") is a fascinating piece of Czech small arms development. In 1976, the Czechoslovakian military requested development of a compact personal weapon for special troops (paratroops, armored vehicle crews, etc) and unit commanders. It was to
- [BUG Match: Guns of James Bond](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/bug-match-guns-of-james-bond/): https://youtu.be/zgl0aCMS5t4 "Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond" is live on Kickstarter now - check it out for lots of super cool exclusive options! Today my friend Tom joins me at the BackUp Gun (BUG) Match for a bunch of James Bond guns. We tried a new match division this month called Wildcard, where you
- [Creating my Shughart Black Hawk Down M14 Clone](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/creating-my-shughart-black-hawk-down-m14-clone/): https://youtu.be/owL7tVFzbHQ Enter to win this awesome Black Hawk Down M14 Clone! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons Deadline to enter is 9/27/2024 @ 11:59 PM PST I figured it might be worthwhile to document the process of putting together my clone of Randy Shughart's M14 from 1993 Mogadishu...so here we go.
- [Boring, Durable, Unsexy Bricks: The Remarkably Successful Ruger P85](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/boring-durable-unsexy-bricks-the-remarkably-successful-ruger-p85/): https://youtu.be/85amwlTI8h4 The Ruger P85 - like so many of Ruger's products - is not particularly attractive or exciting. It introduced no particular mechanical innovation besides the casting-based manufacturing that would actually probably be seen as a detriment if it were advertised. And yet, the gun (and those developed from it including the P89, P90, P91,
- [A Brief History of B&T Silencers - Impuls to Rotex to PrintX](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/a-brief-history-of-bt-silencers-impuls-to-rotex-to-printx/): https://youtu.be/RGCnvX948Lg Today I'm at B&T in Thun, Switzerland taking a look at the whole history of the company's suppressors. They began back in the 90s when founder Karl Brügger was working as a machinist and had spare time available - so he started making silencers for himself and his friends. That grew into a small
- [Romanian 1930s Mosin Carbine Conversion](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/romanian-1930s-mosin-carbine-conversion/): https://youtu.be/REglC64GrjU Romania had more than a million rifles in its inventory after World War One, but they were mused between Mannlicher 88/90, Mannlicher 95, Mosin Nagant, and Berthier patterns - and they were almost all rifles and not carbines. In order to make practical use of all these arms, it was decided to allocate them
- [Steyr-Solothurn S2-200: the Austrian MG30 and Hungarian 31M](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/steyr-solothurn-s2-200-the-austrian-mg30-and-hungarian-31m/): https://youtu.be/ZxQ-9THipHs The S2-200 was developed by Louis Stange at the Rheinmetall company in Germany in the late 1920s. Because Germany was not allowed to be doing this sort of arms development at the time, Rheinmetall bought a controlling stake in the Swiss firm Solothurn AG, to make the product deniably Swiss. The gun itself is
- [James Bond's Shoulder Holsters: Good, Bad, and Ugly](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/james-bonds-shoulder-holsters-good-bad-and-ugly/): https://youtu.be/_c7cfMRwCBY Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond is live on Kickstarter now - check it out for lots of super cool exclusive options! Today Caleb Daniels - author of Licensed Troubleshooter - is back with me, to discuss the wide variety of shoulder holsters that James Bond uses throughout the myriad of Bond books
- [Literary James Bond's Best Pistol: the ASP](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/literary-james-bonds-best-pistol-the-asp/): https://youtu.be/hgZssGDD8KM Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond is live on Kickstarter now - check it out for lots of super cool exclusive options! Today Caleb Daniels, author of "Licensed Troubleshooter", is joining me to talk about one of the best guns used to arm the literary James Bond: the ASP. Designed by one Paris
- [Every Gun in "Dr. No" is Wrong](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/every-gun-in-dr-no-is-wrong/): https://youtu.be/JPMuHJxAs94 Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond is live on Kickstarter now - check it out for lots of super cool exclusive options! Today Caleb Daniels, author of "Licensed Troubleshooter", joins me to talk about the guns shown in Dr. No, the very first James Bond film. Somehow, the film magazines to get
- [Virtual Tour of the Czech Army Museum in Prague](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/virtual-tour-of-the-czech-army-museum-in-prague/): https://youtu.be/BL7HrFW3dNc I spent several days filming some fantastic Czech small arms with the VHU - the Czech Military History Institute. The Army Museum Žižkov is a part of the Institute, and they have a 3-story museum full of cool exhibits open to the public in Prague.If you have a chance to visit, it's definitely worth
- [The Mystery of James Bond's Long-Barrel .45 Car Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-mystery-of-james-bonds-long-barrel-45-car-gun/): https://youtu.be/b6BYsf3tQh0 Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond is live on Kickstarter now - check it out for lots of super cool exclusive options! Today Caleb Daniels joins me again to discuss one of the mysteries of Ian Fleming's James Bond novels. Bond is described as carrying a long-barrel .45 Army Special under the dashboard
- [Announcing "Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond"!](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/announcing-licensed-troubleshooter-the-guns-of-james-bond/): https://youtu.be/5Tuxn8fdyug https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/licensed-troubleshooter?ref=8r616s Now available to preorder on Kickstarter, "Licensed Troubleshooter: The Guns of James Bond" is a celebration of the most fascinating small arms wielded by one of the world’s most acclaimed action heroes, 007. This in-depth analysis spans the entire collection of Bond films and the novels that inspired them, including those authored by
- [Black Hawk Down: Randy Shughart's M14](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/black-hawk-down-randy-shugharts-m14/): https://youtu.be/MNNRJ9l6yAE Enter to win this awesome Black Hawk Down M14 Clone! https://www.fanathem.com/forgottenweapons Deadline to enter is 9/27/2024 @ 11:59 PM PST Sergeant Randy Shughart and Gary Gordon were both awarded posthumous Congressional Medals of Honor for their actions in Mogadishu in October 1993. As portrayed in the film "Black Hawk Down", the two Delta Force
- [The RK 62 M3 Clone I Used for Finnish Brutality 2024](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-rk-62-m3-clone-i-used-for-finnish-brutality-2024/): https://youtu.be/R3grtN7OxbM This year at Finnish Brutality 2024, I was able to use a semiauto clone of a Finnish military RK 62 M3 rifle. This is the latest upgrade to the Finnish issued RK 62 rifle. Starting in 2015, the Finnish Defense Forces began a program to update some of their stock of RK62s. The goal
- [Balloons, Bombs, and Sandbags: Finnish Brutality 2024 Day 2](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/balloons-bombs-and-sandbags-finnish-brutality-2024-day-2/): https://youtu.be/14aBuXCrCYI Finnish Brutality 2024 took the standard for practical shooting matches and raised it again - this was the best match that I have ever had the chance to shoot. Run by Varusteleka, a Finnish military and outdoor good supplier, it was ten stages of shooting over two days and took place a bit north
- [The Best Match Ever: Finnish Brutality 2024 (Day 1)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-best-match-ever-finnish-brutality-2024-day-1/): https://youtu.be/plFSVmWHeoA Finnish Brutality 2024 took the standard for practical shooting matches and raised it again - this was the best match that I have ever had the chance to shoot. Run by Varusteleka, a Finnish military and outdoor good supplier, it was ten stages of shooting over two days and took place a bit north
- [Estonian R20L Designated Marksman's Rifle in 7.62x51mm](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/estonian-r20l-designated-marksmans-rifle-in-7-62x51mm/): https://youtu.be/Hz0wBYQG6-A Alongside their new 5.56mm R20 infantry rifles, Estonia has recently adopted the LMT 7.62x51mm MARS-H as its new designated marksman's rifle; the R20L. These rifles were part of a single rifle contract, with the vast majority of the rifles being the smaller 5.56mm ones. The larger 7.62mm rifles have basically all the same features
- [R20 "Rahe" - Estonia Modernizes its Infantry Rifles](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/r20-rahe-estonia-modernizes-its-infantry-rifles/): https://youtu.be/qY7NhBCbheQ In 2017, the Estonian military began the process of replacing its infantry rifles. At that time, the primary rifle in use was the Galil, which had been purchased from Israel shortly after Russian occupation ended and Estonia regained its independence in 1992. The Galils had made sense at the time, but now something more
- [Estonian R20L DMR Clone at the Range](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/estonian-r20l-dmr-clone-at-the-range/): https://youtu.be/VBVCldMmXA4 Today we are out at the range with a semiauto clone of the Estonian R20L "Rahe" designated marksman's rifle. These rifles are based on the LMT MARS-H platform, with a few tweaks requested by the Estonian Defense Forces (like the bayonet lug). While LMT has a commercial semiauto copy of the 5.56mm R20 (the
- [wz.35: Poland's Remarkably Misunderstood Antitank Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/wz-35/): https://youtu.be/wxhwHgemeBs Polish wz. 35 ATR by Leszek Erenfeicht In 1929 Maj. Tadeusz Felsztyn [TADEUSH FELSHTEEN], Scientific Director of the Central Shooting School in Torun (a chief firearms research and instruction institution in Poland between 1919 and 1932, leading all small arms related R&D as well as army’s small arms instructor training) took interest in the
- [Mini-Ero: The Croatian Hybrid Small Uzi](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/mini-ero-the-croatian-hybrid-small-uzi/): https://youtu.be/9VI24YbBjAg After producing the Ero, a nearly exact copy of the Israeli Uzi, the Croatia firm Arma started making some design changes. With the Mini-Ero, they picked a size in between that of the Mini-Uzi and Micro-Uzi, and also used a stock taken from the vz.61 Skorpion (Model 84 in Croatian service). A big thanks
- [The New CZ Bren 3: What Did They Change?](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-new-cz-bren-3-what-did-they-change/): https://youtu.be/DJRbe-2EgT4 From the Mauser bolt action to the AK and AR, all new military rifles take time to perfect. With the Bren 3, CZ is now on the third iteration of the Bren platform, having gone from the original 805 to the much-improved Bren 2 and now a collection of less obvious changes to create
- [Croatian Improvised Weapons: From Obrez to Single-Shot Yugo M70 Hybrid](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/croatian-improvised-weapons-from-obrez-to-single-shot-yugo-m70-hybrid/): https://youtu.be/zoRFnt0HZiA During the Croatian Homeland War - as in all wars of independence - a wide variety of cobbled-together firearms were used by people who could not access proper factory arms for one reason or another. Today I'm as the Sisak Municipal Museum looking at four different examples from specifically the Sisak area in Croatia.
- [CZ's New P09 Nocturne: DA/SA Polymer Frame Now With Optics](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/czs-new-p09-nocturne-da-sa-polymer-frame-now-with-optics/): https://youtu.be/UPGZ8PUMrNw CZ has just released their new P09 Nocturne pistols, an update to the previous P07/P09 pairing. These guns fundamentally go back to the classic CZ-75. While that was (and still is) a very popular design, military and police tenders more recently have required more modern elements. So in 2007 the P07 Duty was released;
- [RT20: Croatia's Insane Kludged 20mm Anti-Material Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/rt20-croatias-insane-kludged-20mm-anti-material-rifle/): https://youtu.be/lcgLp45-AJU During its Homeland War, Croatia manufactured a wide variety of ad-hoc firearms including a number of anti-material rifles. The RT-20 was the largest of these, and its development began with the discovery of a stash of Yugoslav M55 anti-aircraft cannon barrels chambered for 20mm Hispano in a warehouse. These barrels were cut down, fitted
- [SR3 Vikhr: Russian 9x39mm PDW](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sr3-vikhr-russian-9x39mm-pdw/): https://youtu.be/c8bbdBdm2jc The SR-3 Vikhr is mechanically based on the AS-VAL and VSS Vintorez rifles, but built to be a very compact personal defensive weapon instead of a silenced rifle. Still chambered for 9x39, the Vikhr is intended for roles like executive protection, where the priority is being compact and concealable. With elements like a top-folding
- [OTs-14 Groza: Russia's Over-Hyped 9x39mm Spetznaz Bullpup](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/ots-14-groza-russias-over-hyped-9x39mm-spetznaz-bullpup/): https://youtu.be/BWw7posYab8 The 9x39mm cartridge was introduced in the final days of the Soviet Union as a subsonic round intended specifically for suppressed weapons. The first weapons developed for it were the AS Val and VSS Vintorez. These were followed in the early 1990s by the OTs-14 "Groza", developed by Valery Tells and Yuri Lebedev at
- [History of SAW Use in the US Army](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/history-of-saw-use-in-the-us-army/): https://youtu.be/E_lkOV7WmpM THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE TO WIN! https://go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is TONIGHT 07/26/24 @ 11:59pm (PST). The first squad automatic weapon used by the US Army was the French Mle 1915 Chauchat, which was the primary LMG or automatic rifle for troops in the American Expeditionary Force in World War One. At that
- [Spanish JoLoAr One-Handed Pistol at the BUG Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/spanish-joloar-one-handed-pistol-at-the-bug-match/): https://youtu.be/c9JfodMKlBY Today for the monthly BackUp Gun Match I am using a Spanish JoLoAr pistol in .380 ACP. It's an interesting piece designed with a lever on the side that allows it to be cocked one-handed. It has no trigger guard or safety, a single-action-only firing mechanism, and a tip-up barrel. They were made in
- [FN M249S Semiauto for Military Collectors](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fn-m249s-semiauto-for-military-collectors/): https://youtu.be/kR6EiPh967I Get Entered to WIN this insane FN M249S! https://go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 07/26/24 @ 11:59pm (PST). In 2015, FN USA introduced a Military Collector product line - semiautomatic versions of their military contract small arms. These were the M4, M16, and - most interestingly - the M249 SAW. The SAW is a version
- [History of the Krummlauf Device: Hitler's Folly (One of Many)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/history-of-the-krummlauf-device-hitlers-folly-one-of-many/): Today we are taking a look at the backstory of the famously recognizable Krummlauf device, the curved barrel attachment for the StG-44. It is really a perfect example of how German late-war desperation weapons took shape. It went from an idea nobody actually wanted to an impossible development program in the chaos of the German
- [FN M249S SAW at the Range](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/fn-m249s-saw-at-the-range/): https://youtu.be/MoaidEpNb4Y Get Entered to WIN this insane FN M249S! https://go.getenteredtowin.com/forgottenweapons DEADLINE to ENTER is 07/26/24 @ 11:59pm (PST). We previously looked at the mechanics of FN's semiauto version of the US SAW, the M249S. Today we are taking it out to the range for some shooting...
- [Sig P230JP: A Special Pistol for the Japanese Police](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/sig-p230jp-a-special-pistol-for-the-japanese-police/): https://youtu.be/KFJxSKlycwA The Japanese national police decided to replace their old Model 60 S&W revolvers in 1995. While traditionalist elements liked the use of a non-threatening compact revolver, others advocated for a modern sidearm - essentially a semiautomatic service pistol. Trials took place in 1995, and the SIG P230 in .32ACP was a compromise choice -
- [Nova Modul CTS9: a 9mm AK Upgraded for Competition](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/nova-modul-cts9-a-9mm-ak-upgraded-for-competition/): https://youtu.be/BwNSx0Q4AfM The CTS9 (Competition Tactical Shooting) is a 9x19mm AK variant made by Nova Modul in Romania. Specifically, in Cugir Romania - the same town that houses the massive small arms factory complex that made millions of small arms during the communist era. Nova Modul, despite being in the same city, is a much more
- [Colt Service Model Ace: Carbine Williams Makes a .22 1911](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-service-model-ace-carbine-williams-makes-a-22-1911/): https://youtu.be/35B3jWUFWWI "Carbine Williams", aka David Marshall Williams, has a reputation as the designer of the M1 Carbine, and a very colorful history. He was a moonshiner who pled guilty to second degree murder of a sheriff's deputy and served time in prison. He gained a reputation as a gunsmith in prison, fixing the department's guns
- [Landstad 1900: A True Semiautomatic Revolver](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/landstad-1900-a-true-semiautomatic-revolver/): https://youtu.be/YFtt-g2I0Ws The Landstad Model 1900 is a magazine-fed, semiautomatic revolver designed by Norwegian Halvard Folkestad Landstad, who lived in Kristiana (now called Oslo). He designed the gun on his own dime, and presented it to military trials in 1901, which it failed miserably. The gun has a six-round detachable box magazine of 7.5mm Nagant cartridges,
- [M1911A1: America's Definitive World War Two Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/m1911a1-americas-definitive-world-war-two-pistol/): https://youtu.be/vP8kFUgk1sU The United States adopted the M1911 pistol just in time for the First World War, and between Colt and Springfield Arsenal some 643,000 of these pistols were made by the end of 1918. During that production and the gun's field service in France, a number of potential improvements were recognized. They were put together
- [The GI's Darling: M1911A1 at the BUG Match](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-gis-darling-m1911a1-at-the-bug-match/): https://youtu.be/ga27WCCyDBk What more classic backup gun is there than the M1911A1, beloved by GIs as a backup to their M1 Carbines, M1 Garands, BARs, and tanks? Today I'm running an April 1945 production original military M1911A1 at the match. Note that this gun puts me in the "Big 5" division, so I have to start
- [Handguns in the US Army in World War Two](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/handguns-in-the-us-army-in-world-war-two/): https://youtu.be/yk0Nx_D121A Was the 1911 an emotional support totem or a viable combat weapon? Or both? American soldiers had a bit different take on handguns than soldiers of many other armies, and I think it stems from the American identity with the frontier - the Wild West was well within memory for many people when World
- [Universal AK Optics Rail from KGM Consortium](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/universal-ak-optics-rail-from-kgm-consortium/): https://youtu.be/p0uI8Y8N6FI At the IWA trade show earlier this year, a representative from the Polish KGM Consortium gave me a sample of a new AK optics rail to try out. This idea here was to create a universal optics mount for basically any AK/AKM/AK74 rifle that would be light, not require permanent modification, and not interfere
- [CZ Bren 2 MS: The Civilian Version of a Modern Combat Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/cz-bren-2-ms-the-civilian-version-of-a-modern-combat-rifle/): https://youtu.be/oYWFGRt9klg CZ's Bren 2 is one of the more successful recently developed military service rifles, having been adopted by the Czech Republic and Hungary, as well as entering licensed production in Ukraine. The semiauto Bren 2 MS is a fine rifle on its own merits, but also offers an opportunity to build a near-perfect clone
- [H&K USC: Civilian Version of the UMP Submachine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hk-usc-civilian-version-of-the-ump-submachine-gun/): https://youtu.be/0eKfATGk-X4 Heckler & Koch introduced the UMP submachine gun as a successor to the MP5, with a particular focus on American law enforcement agencies (hence its initial development in .45 ACP). The UMP never has come close to the popularity of the MP5; it is a very basic polymer molded simple blowback SMG, albeit a
- [Pump-Action AK: Romanian PAR-3 (How Not to be an "Assault Weapon")](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/pump-action-ak-romanian-par-3-how-not-to-be-an-assault-weapon/): https://youtu.be/ZB-dt42HmrY Between 1994 and 2004, there was a national "assault weapon" ban in place int he United States, along with some related importation restrictions on military-looking rifles. Most semiauto rifle importation continued by adjusting various cosmetic features to not fall under the provisions of the various rules, but at one point someone realized that hey,
- [Tour of Sport Systems Dittrich: Reproduction WWII German Rifles](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/tour-of-sport-systems-dittrich-reproduction-wwii-german-rifles/): https://youtu.be/XN10HDr3Z_Y I recently had a chance to visit Sport Systeme Dittrich, a firm in Germany that manufactures high quality reproductions of German World War Two small arms. They were the manufacturers of the PTR-44 Sturmgewehr copies about 10 years ago, and they are now working with a US partner (DK Production Group) to import their
- [How Companies Bend US Import Laws (An Example)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/how-companies-bend-us-import-laws-an-example/): https://youtu.be/ny54YJ_t1kU Part of the 1968 Gun Control Act in the US put restrictions on importation of small handguns. These rules intended to protect US manufacturers and prevent people from having access to particularly inexpensive and concealable firearms, and these rules remain in place today. In particular, revolvers with barrels less than 3" long are prohibited
- [The Axe in Viking Age Iceland: Both Weapon and Tool](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-axe-in-viking-age-iceland-both-weapon-and-tool/): https://youtu.be/8tZmOhJjQwQ While I was in Iceland, I had an opportunity to visit the National Museum of Iceland and take a look at a couple of historic axes found on the island. Since these are really outside my area of expertise, two experts generously offered to join me on the video to help explain the history
- [Kalthoff 30-Shot Flintlock: The First Repeating Firearm Used in War (1659)](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/kalthoff-30-shot-flintlock-the-first-repeating-firearm-used-in-war-1659/): https://youtu.be/ghKrbNpqQoY The first repeating rifle used in combat by a military force was a flintlock system developed by the Kalthoff brothers. It was adopted in the 1640s by the Danish Royal Guard, who purchased a bit more than 100 of the guns, and used them successfully in the Siege of Copenhagen in 1659. The Kalthoff
- [WF-54: The Swiss FG-42 Scaled up to 7.5x55](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/wf-54-the-swiss-fg-42-scaled-up-to-7-5x55/): https://youtu.be/OJrcPi5ItKo After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and the other being a derivative of the German FG-42 at Waffenfabrik Bern. Bern, under the direction of Adolph Furrer,
- [Hunting in Communist Romania: Nicolae Ceaușescu's Finnbear 61](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hunting-in-communist-romania-nicolae-ceausescus-finnbear-61/): https://youtu.be/duMBSb6QNkY Nicolae Ceaușescu ruled România through much of its communist period, from 1967 until 1989. Ceaușescu was a passionate hunter, and owned more than 100 firearms, mostly for hunting. These included some gifts from foreign dignitaries, but also plenty of more humble examples. Under his rule, conservation was actually fairly well done in Romania, and
- [Icelandic Swords: Blades of the Viking Frontier](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/icelandic-swords-blades-of-the-viking-frontier/): https://youtu.be/aH2Zijvauu0 (Sorry for the messed-up framing at the beginning of the video!) While I was in Iceland, I had an opportunity to visit the National Museum of Iceland and take a look at a couple of settlement-era swords found on the island. Since these are really outside my area of expertise, two experts generously offered
- [HK21 or Portuguese m/968: The H&K G3 Grows into a Light Machine Gun](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/hk21-or-portuguese-m-968-the-hk-g3-grows-into-a-light-machine-gun/): https://youtu.be/w0rOTsuENSI When Heckler & Koch produced the iconic G3 rifle, it was intended to be a parts of a complete small arms package. The G3 was the infantry rifle, and it was paired with the MP% submachine gun and the HK21 light machine gun for a complete set of weapons with the same manual of
- [Type 63: China Makes an AK/SKS Hybrid](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/type-63-china-makes-an-ak-sks-hybrid/): https://youtu.be/ba7mDVZYpSM Starting in 1960, China ran a program to develop an infantry rifle that would combine the accuracy of the SKS with the firepower of the AK. The result was the Type 63, which used the general layout of the SKS along with its short stroke gas piston and an SKS-like fire control system (with
- [The Experimental SOE Welrod MkI Prototype](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/the-experimental-soe-welrod-mki-prototype/): https://youtu.be/srAN5aMvNGY The Welrod was a program to develop a silent assassination pistol for British SOE (Special Operations Executive) late in 1942. It needed to be chambered in the .32 ACP cartridge, be effective to a range of 15m, and have its firing not recognizable as a firearm at 50m distance. The project was led by
- [Makarov PB: Silenced KGB "Wet Work" Pistol](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/makarov-pb-silenced-kgb-wet-work-pistol/): https://youtu.be/8J8rUpR0oXY In 1967, the Tula arsenal introduced a specialized silenced version of the Makarov for covert use. This was a very effective pistol, and its design was also very heavily changed from that of the regular pistol. With a two-part silencer surrounding the barrel, the recoil spring had to be moved to a location inside
- [Enjoying Black Powder Episode 2: The Modele 1874 Gras](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/enjoying-black-powder-episode-2-the-modele-1874-gras/): https://youtu.be/er0KPd8v-pE For the full episode with the hand loading instructional section, click here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/black-powder-episode-2-gras-app-cut Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and they are actually pretty easy to reload for. The unavailability of factory ammunition (for most, although not so
- [WF-51: A Swiss Intermediate-Cartridge Copy of the FG-42](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/wf-51-a-swiss-intermediate-cartridge-copy-of-the-fg-42/): https://youtu.be/HCXtUQkXlxY After World War Two the Swiss needed a new self-loading military rifle to replace their K-31 bolt actions. Two major design tracks followed; one being a roller-delayed system based on the G3 at SIG and the other being a derivative of the German FG-42 at Waffenfabrik Bern. Bern, under the direction of Adolph Furrer,
- [Colt 608: The AR15 as a Pilot's Survival Rifle](https://www.forgottenweapons.com/colt-608-the-ar15-as-a-pilots-survival-rifle/): https://youtu.be/Tu3cZ3yUEzQ As part of its effort to build out the AR-15 family of small arms, Colt introduced the Model 608 in 1965. This w