ForgottenWeapons

Apocrypha: SHOT Show 2023 Roundup

I spend all of the past week at SHOT Show 2023, and had a thoroughly exhausting time. I got a whole lot done though, including locking in about $60,000 in sponsorships for the Midnight Brutality prize table - we are going to have an amazing experience for our competitors! Anyway, a few of the highlights of the other things I found around the show are:

- SIG Romeo M17

- Carbon Research suppressors

- Speed Tac bolt carrier

- New version of the Laugo Alien

- HMG (no...

Field to Table: Elk Hunt (with a $10,000 muzzleloader) (ad-free)

https://fromfieldtotable.com

When I decided that I wanted to try out hunting as a way to source my own meat and enjoy the outdoors in a new way, I really didn't know where to start. I didn't have any family who hunted when I was growing up, and I don't live in an area where hunting is a common activity. Through some friends, I found out about the Field to Table classes run by Greg at Outdoor Solutions, and signed up f...

Inkunzi Strike 20mm Grenade Machine Gun (ad-free)

Tony Neophytou developed this for Denel Land Systems, which has completely fallen apart as a company and left it now as his own independent design, with no manufacturer. I filmed this video in 2018, to show the prototype version of the Strike, which has since been improved and further developed. Perhaps some day it can find a manufacturer?

PHP MV-9: The First Croatian Pistol (Both Models) (ad-free)

Croatian engineer Marko Vukovic first developed his P38-based pistol in the late 1980s for the Yugoslav Peoples' Army. It was left unadopted at that time, but when Croatia declared independence in 1991 the gun found a new life. The newly formed Croatian armed forces needed quite a lot of small arms. Vukovic brought his pistol design back off the shelf and presented it to the Croatian authorities. They were enthusiastic, and it was adopted as the PHP ("Prvi Hrvatski Pistolj" - First Croatian P...

Parabellum 1914/17: Germany's Ultimate Aircraft Maxim (ad-free)

The DWM company in Germany had a license on the Maxim gun design prior to World War One. They produced the rather old-fashioned MG08 for the German army, but also wanted to have a modernized type of gun for commercial sales. This was the Model 1913 Parabellum, with the design improved by Karl Heinemann. Like the Vickers, Heinemann's improvement included inverting the lock to reduce the size of the receiver box. He also moved the mainspring inside the receiver and simplified the lock.

Th...

Apocrypha: Behind the Scenes Jan 15, 2023 - SHOT Show!

From my Las Vegas hotel room, it's time for SHOT Show 2023! Hopefully I will find a couple neat guns and not come home with more than one or two infectious diseases.

Why Are Short Barreled Rifles Actually Regulated in the US? (ad-free)

The simple truth is that short rifles and short shotguns were never a problem, and continue to not be a problem today. The 1934 National Firearms Act originally wanted to restrict handgun ownership, and the clauses relating to SBRs and SBSs were simply to close the loophole of a person cutting down a rifle or shotgun to get around a handgun prohibition. That handgun (effective) prohibition was removed before the legislation was passed, but the SBR/SBS parts were left in. And thus for 89 years...

Ian Ruins the Elbonian Sniper Corps (Audio Only)

Today's Q&A is from Tim on Patreon:

"The great nation of Elbonia is looking to spin up a sniper program. But they know better than to adopt ZF41 scopes. What rifles do you attempt to sell them?"

After some consideration, I would try to sabotage the Elbonian Sniper Corps by supplying them with equipment that would allow their training to take as many shortcuts as possible. True long range shooting proficiency requires a lot of experience and deep understanding of lots of variab...

Ian Ruins the Elbonian Sniper Corps

Today's Q&A is from Tim on Patreon:

"The great nation of Elbonia is looking to spin up a sniper program. But they know better than to adopt ZF41 scopes. What rifles do you attempt to sell them?"

After some consideration, I would try to sabotage the Elbonian Sniper Corps by supplying them with equipment that would allow their training to take as many shortcuts as possible. True long range shooting proficiency requires a lot of experience and deep understanding of lots of variab...

Copy of a Knockoff: Chinese Warlord Version of a Bestigui Model H (ad-free)

Interested in Chinese Warlord-Era pistols? My new book on the subject is now available at: 

https://www.headstamppublishing.com/chinese-pistols 

It was no secret in the international arms market that Mauser was doing a tremendous business selling C96 pistols into Warlord-era China in the 1920s. The C96 was an imposing and powerful handgun that was highly regarded in China. Spanish...

Marko Vukovik's Prototype Machine Pistol: the V.M.18 (ad-free)

Today we continue our series on the development of Croatian pistols towards the XD line. Last week we saw Marko Vukovic's first design, and today we are looking at his second. This was the V.M.18, a step towards a more proven system instead of the really unusual flapper locking of the Kordun. The VM18 was heavily based on the Walther P38, but with a double-stack, double-feed magazine that held 18 rounds (of 9mm Parabellum). It also had a selective-fire switch, interestingly. This example is o...

Apocrypha: Behind the Scenes January 10, 2023

Sorry for the late video here...I had a long medical class ending Sunday that made me forget to film this. Anyway...   

- Working on sponsor companies for Midnight Brutality; very happy to have The Night Vision Company on board already.  

- Finnish M28/76 original scope acquired!  

- Lots of prep work for SHOT Show...  

- First livestream Q&A; did you enjoy it? Suggestions?  

- Sale on everything at shop.forgottenweapons.com; 35%...

January 2023 Livestream Q&A (Audio Only)

January 2023 Supporter Exclusive Q&A (Published)

Recorded live January 9th.

If you have critiques or suggestions for next month's live Q&A, please let me know!

Livestream Q&A starts in 30 minutes!

https://youtu.be/kvmKulMCEcs

Livestream Q&A: 6pm Mountain / 8pm Eastern

Here's the link for tonight's livestream - we are doing this on YouTube this month so people on all three supporter platforms can tune in. This is specifically for you folks who support than channel (thank you!). I will be posting the video after we are finished, but only for you, and not the general public.

I am going to be answering a bunch of questions from the recent Q&A question request, and also taking some live from you. It will run approximately one hour.

Germany's L26 Silencer for the K98k, G43, and StG44 (ad-free)

Patented in Germany as System Schätzle, the L26 was a departure from the copies of the Russian wipe-based silencer designs. The L26 used a set of six identical cone-shaped metal baffles inside a simple tube. It attached to a rifle by clamping around the front sight, just like the rifle grenade launcher developed for the K98k.  

The basic design was used for several different models; basically everything in the Wehrmacht arsenal that was 8mm in diameter (although not the antitank r...

Alligator Creek: America Learns to Fight the Japanese (ad-free)

The Battle of Alligator Creek (aka Battle of the Tenaru) was a formative moment in the American World War Two psyche. After making an unopposed landing on Guadalcanal and taking its mostly-completed airfield at minimal cost, the US Marines had to defend their permitter on the night of August 21st, 1942.

Colonel Kiyonoa Ichiki was sent from the Japanese base at Truk with about 900 tough veteran soldiers to push the Marines off the airfield. These men had originally been slated to assault...

Scrome J4

Scheduled for January 28. What do you think of some additional dynamic, fun sort of footage instead of just sitting at a table for the occasional video?

Inkunzi Strike

Scheduled for January 20. Been waiting 5 years to post this video!

Livestream Q&A: Monday the 9th at 6pm Mountain / 8pm Eastern

I'll post the link on Monday when we are closer to the start time, but if you want to join the Q&A live, mark it on your calendar! We will probably go about an hour, answering questions from the recent batch you guys gave me plus some from the audience live.

Finland's High Power Rig

Finland used a variety of FN pistols prior to WW2, and had already evaluated the High Power when Russian invaded and the Winter War began. With an urgent need for more arms, Finland ordered a batch of High Power pistols, which FN was happy to include with the other arms orders already being delivered to Finland. In total, the Finns bought 2,400 of them, with 900 delivered in February 1940 and 1,500 in March 1940. All of them were bought as rigs with leather holsters riveted to flat board shou...

SHOT Show Meetup: Monday, 7pm, Electra

I'm going to be at SHOT Show all week wandering the floor, and what better place to do a Patreon meetup? I figure Monday night is least likely to interfere with other events, so I will be at the Electra Bar in the Venetian from 7pm to about 9pm. Stop by and say hello!

If you are going to be at SHOT but can't make the meetup, please do introduce yourself if you see me around the show - I appreciate your support!

Midnight Brutality Further Explained (Competitor Spaces Still Available)

https://practiscore.com/inrangetv-s-midnight-brutality-2023/register

What is Midnight Brutality? Basically, it's a brutality match being held completely in the dark, designed for NVGs and thermal optics - and also open to white-light setups. It's a rifle/PCC-only match, six stages, held at the Echo Valley Training Center in West Virginia on the nights of March 10/11 and 11/12, 20...

Kordun 7.62: A Double-Stack Tokarev Pistol from Yugoslavia (ad-free)

The “Kordun” (named after a region in Croatia) was the first pistol design from Marko Vukovic, lead designer for IM Metal and later HS Produkt. It was made in 1985 for the Yugoslav Peoples’ Army, with the goal of being a softer-shooting and higher capacity sidearm than the then-standard M57 Tokarev. The Cordon is unusual in being a short recoil, flapper-locked pistol. It is chambered for the 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge, with (I believe) a 10-round double stack, single feed magazine. It ...

Q&A for January 2023

What questions would you like me to answer? I will be covering a couple as full-length videos on the public channel, and others in shorter format in a livestream Q&A next week open only to you folks (detail to be announced).

State of the Channel: 2023 (A Few Changes Coming) (ad-free)

Want to help support Forgotten Weapons? Benefits include:

- Ad-free videos (all levels)

- Behind-the-scenes weekly updates ($3)

- Monthly livestream Q&As ($5)

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Subscribe to any of these platforms:

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/

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Apocrypha: Behind the Scenes January 1, 2023

Happy New Year - I hope you all have an auspicious start to 2023! A couple highlights for the past week here:   

- Picked up a surplus Yugo M57 Tokarev and original trigger  

- Finished the first draft of the Maxim chapter for the upcoming book on silencers  

- Found a lot of state legal prohibitions on silencers well before 1934   

- Working on preparing a .300 Blackout video series with a Honey Badger, a SIG Rattler, and a Perun X16 &nbs...

Desert Brutality 2022: Finland Edition (Valmet & Valmet) (ad-free)

For my main run through Desert Brutality this year, I decided to have fun with a full historical load out - or at least a mostly-historical load out. I used a Valmet M62/S (the semiauto version of the Finnish Rk62 military rifle) and a Lahti L-35 (Finland's domestic military pistol). To go along with this, I had a set of Finnish M91 camouflage generously gifted to me by one of the Finnish Brutality 2022 competitors, and a set of Finnish M62 web gear. I dropped one of the magazine pouches and ...

Type 94 Japanese 37mm Antitank Gun on Guadalcanal (ad-free)

The Type 94 was the standard infantry antitank gun of the Japanese Army during World Ware Two. It was developed in the early 1930s as tensions with the Soviet Union rose; there had not been much need for Japanese antitank weapons in China. However, high explosive ammunition was also made for the gun, and it was used in an infantry support role with HE in China as well as in the Pacific.

The Type 94 was small and light, and could be disassembled for transportation without vehicles - a ve...