ForgottenWeapons

Ask Ian: Civil War Small Arms Technology (ad-free)

From Jan on Patreon:

"What often baffles me is the transition period of various stages of development of gun technology - in particular around the Civil War. What were the types of guns used during civil war and why weren't more modern mechanisms used, if they were available? Was it similar in wars that took place at the same time, but in other areas of world?"

The US Army was well equipped at the start of the Civil War with a pretty good, modern design: the Model 1855 rifle-muske...

Tsingtao Ironworks C96 Carbine - A Fancy Carbine for a Wealthy Client (ad-free)

Interested in Warlord-Era Chinese handguns? I have a whole book on them! Check it out here:

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

Today we are looking at a high-end C96 Mauser pattern sporting carbine made by the Tsingtao Ironworks. Only a few dozen of these were made, and this one survives in excellent condition. It is a good example of how some guns in Warlord China were mad...

Ask Ian: Going Broke Making Guns During War (Audio Only)

From Jubs on Patreon: "They say that 'no one's gone bankrupt making guns during a war,' but is that actually true?"  

It's usually true, but not always. Even during a war, you can make enough bad choices that you can go bankrupt as a gun manufacturer, and Hopkins & Allen is a perfect example of how. During World War One they were wrangled into a contract to make SMLEs for the British which they could not possibly meet. Having already started the tooling process when that deal f...

Ask Ian: Going Broke Making Guns During War (ad-free)

From Jubs on Patreon: 

"They say that 'no one's gone bankrupt making guns during a war,' but is that actually true?"  

It's usually true, but not always. Even during a war, you can make enough bad choices that you can go bankrupt as a gun manufacturer, and Hopkins & Allen is a perfect example of how. During World War One they were wrangled into a contract to make SMLEs for the British which they could not possibly meet. Having already started the tooling process when...

RWGŁ-3: Poland's Riot Squad AK-Based Tear Gas Launcher

When Polish workers held massive protests in Poznań against the communist Polish government in 1956, the Army was sent in to quell the unrest. In the aftermath of these events, the government decided to create a riot police squad to handle any future such situations. When this unit was put to use in the 1968 Student March, they found that hand-thrown tear gas could be thrown back into police ranks - and development began of tear gas launchers that would have a much longer range.

The fi...

Merry Christmas from Apocrypha! BTS at FW for December 25th...

This week:

 - Angry Glencairn lawyers (oops!)

 - I get fired by my merch company

 - Starting to run Guadalcanal videos

Merry Christmas!

Guadalcanal's Red Beach Landing: America's First Offensive in WW2 (ad-free)

After joining (formally) World War Two in the wake of Pearl Harbor, the United States endured a series of defeats at the hands of the Japanese. The Philippines garrison fell, Wake Island fell, Guam fell. British possessions in Southeast Asia teetered and fell as well - the campaign was not going well for the Allies.   

The first American offensive of the war would come on August 7th, 1942 with the landing of the 1st and 5th Marines at Red Beach on Guadalcanal. Part of a multi-...

Błyskawica: The Polish Home Army's Clandestine SMG (ad-free)

The Blyskawica ("LIghtning") is an SMG developed in occupied Poland to be issued out to Home Army units during Operation Tempest; the liberation uprisings planned for the advance of the Red Army into Poland.

The gun was developed starting in September 1942 by two engineers, Wacław Zawrotny and Seweryn Wielanier. Both were smart and talented, but neither had previous experience in arms design. The design they created is both innovative in some areas and inferior in others as a result, w...

Ask Ian: .223 vs 5.56 and "Military Grade Ammo" (ad-free)

From Michal on Patreon:

"Can you talk about difference between .223 Remington and 5.56 NATO? Or in more general terms about possibility of using military grade ammo in civilian rifles. I heard everything from 'it will explode' to 'it will work normally'."

The short answer is that the difference between .223 Remington and 5.56mm NATO is immaterial to most people. It's better the use .223 in .223 chambers in the long run, but really not a big deal. There is an excellent article on t...

From Aircraft to Improvised Infantry: the Vickers MkI No2 (ad-free)

The Vickers MkI No2 was an improvisation of the British Royal Air Force. They needed arms for airbase defense, without unduly impacting the production of weapons for the infantry. Wheat they had a good supply of were Vickers Gas-Operated (aka Vickers K-class) guns that had been used in now-obsolete aircraft with flexible observers' guns. And so, the MkI No2 was a Vickers Gas-Operated outfitted with a buttstock, pistol grip, and bipod. Voila! An infantry MG! 

I have found no account...

Book Review: Vickers Guide Heckler & Koch Volume 1 (ad-free)

Only available direct from Vickers Guide:

https://www.vickersguide.com/hk-vol1-1

The Vickers Guide series of books by Larry Vickers and James Rupley began as beautifully photographed firearms art books - and that's all they claim to be today. However, with the release of Heckler & Koch Volume 1, the series is doing something really cool: it's leaning into the reference/research realm without comprom...

RWGŁ-2: An AK/Mosin Hybrid Gas Launcher (ad-free)

When Polish workers held massive protests in Poznań against the communist Polish government in 1956, the Army was sent in to quell the unrest. In the aftermath of these events, the government decided to create a riot police squad to handle any future such situations. When this unit was put to use in the 1968 Student March, they found that hand-thrown tear gas could be thrown back into police ranks - and development began of tear gas launchers that would have a much longer range.

The se...

Apocrypha December 18, 2022: Behind the Scenes at FW

This week:  

- The Collier Kickstarter ends  

- I work on Maxim Silencers for an upcoming book  

- First range trip with PGM Ultima Ratio 

- Filming a G1 pattern FAL

Bonus: MSBS Grot at the Range (Standard, Bullpup, & 7.62mm) (ad-free)

After touring the Fabryka Broni factory in Radom and filming the history of the MSBS "Grot" development, I had the chance to try out the rifle in several different configurations. We didn't have time to film a full-length video, but I did get some footage of running the standard MSBS both left- and right-hand ejecting, the bullpup configuration, and the larger 7.62x51mm version. Enjoy!

The History of Drop-In Auto Sears

When Colt decided to sell a semiauto-only civilian version of its AR-15 rifle, it had to make a number of changes to the design of the lower receiver to prevent full-auto fire control parts from being used. These changes would make a semiauto AR receiver legally distinct form a full-auto one, and thus not a machine gun in the eyes of the law. Among the changes Colt made was to remove the auto sear, along with its pin and mounting holes.

Now, at this time (and still today) the possession...

Ask Ian: What is Headspace? (And Why It Matters) (ad-free)

From LongBeef on Patreon: "What exactly is headspace? And how important is headspace in old milsurp guns vs. more modern guns?"  

Headspace is basically the amount of play a cartridge has in a chamber. There has to be some to account for manufacturing variations in guns and ammunition, but too much or too little can cause problems. Too little can cause extraction problems and poor accuracy. Too much can cause poor accuracy as well, and also shoulder separations, case head separatio...

Collier Reproductions and Fakes - Who and Why? (ad-free)

"Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier and Artemas Wheeler" is available right now for preorder on Kickstarter:  

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/clockwork-basilisk?ref=bjbe5t 

Today I'm again joined by Professor Ben Nicholson, author of the newest Headstamp Publishing book, Clockwork Basilisk. We are discussing the diffe...

Collier Reproductions and Fakes - Who and Why? (Audio Only)

"Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier and Artemas Wheeler" is available right now for preorder on Kickstarter: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/clockwork-basilisk?ref=bjbe5t 

Today I'm again joined by Professor Ben Nicholson, author of the newest Headstamp Publishing book, Clockwork Basilisk. We are discussing the differ...

Type 94 Japanese 37mm AT Gun

Scheduled for December 30.

PTRS 41: The Soviet Semiauto Antitank Rifle (aka an SKS on Steroids) (ad-free)

Prior to World War Two, the Soviet Union had a rather lackluster interest in antitank rifles - a series of guns were developed, but slowly and without all that much success. The Barbarossa invasion gave a very immediate need for just this sort of weapon, however, to give Soviet infantry units an organic anti-armor capability. Two star Soviet designers were tasked with designing AT rifles, Degtyarev and Simonov. The cartridge they were to use was the new 14.5x114mm, a high-velocity monster usi...

RWGL-1: A Hybrid PM63/Mosin Gas Launcher (ad-free)

When Polish workers held massive protests in Poznań against the communist Polish government in 1956, the Army was sent in to quell the unrest. In the aftermath of these events, the government decided to create a riot police squad to handle any future such situations. When this unit was put to use in the 1968 Student March, they found that hand-thrown tear gas could be thrown back into police ranks - and development began of tear gas launchers that would have a much longer range.

The fi...

Art and Engineering: Field Stripping a Second Model Collier (ad-free)

“Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier and Artemas Wheeler" is available right now for preorder on Kickstarter: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/clockwork-basilisk?ref=e9o72q

Courtesy of esteemed collector Frank Graves, Professor Ben Nicholson and I are disassembling a gorgeous example of a second model Collier revolver toda...

Apocrypha Dec 11, 2022: Behind the Scenes at FW

I need to get back into the habit of doing Apocrypha videos for you guys, and I figured that a weekly update on what is going on behind the scenes would be a good way to do it. Something to keep you abreast of ongoing projects and anything else of interest that's going on. Like it? Dislike it? Let me know!

Japan's Weaponized WW2 Opium Cigarettes (ad-free)

Pre-order your copy of Tobacco of the Emperor today! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/clockwork-basilisk?ref=c7ftho  

Patrick Phillips is back with me today to discuss the very real Japanese tactic of smuggling opium-laced cigarettes into China in an effort to undermine Chinese military resistance to Japanese invasion...

CZ Bren 2 "PDW" at the Range (ad-free)

After a lot of requests from law enforcement and military organizations, CZ developed a collapsing buttstock for the Bren 2 rifle. It requires a different upper receiver than the standard Bren 2, although that upper will become standard in future production. Combined with a short barrel, the collapsing stock makes for a pretty short package!

What should I use in the next 2-Gun match?

What would you be most interested in seeing? The options are:

Something to show that you can be competitive with cheap gear. A generic Romanian AK I built years ago and a $300 HS-2000.

Something more classic, and more difficult. A No5 Lee Enfield carbine and a .455 Webley revolver.

Something little more modern. A Beretta AR70/90 semiauto and an obscure but sleek Bernardelli P018 DA/SA 9mm pistol.

Vektor Mini-SS: South Africa's Answer to the FN Minimi (ad-free)

While under international embargo and at war in the late 1970s, South Africa needed a new 7.62mm GPMG. The answer was Vektor's SS77, a design which would replace the FN MAG in South African service in the 1980s. The gun had really substantial problems for many years, and took a lot of work to revise and improve until it was finally fit for service. However, that work did result in a really excellent gun. With the US adoption of the FN Minimi as a Squad Automatic Weapon, interest developed in ...

Colt vs Collier: Patents Lawsuits and Lawyers Oh My! (ad-free)

“Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier and Artemas Wheeler" is available right now for preorder on Kickstarter: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/clockwork-basilisk?ref=1ksr0l

Most of the historical recognition of Elisha Collier comes from the 1851 and 1852 patent infringement lawsuits Colt files against Wesson & Leavitt ...

Colt vs Collier: Patents Lawsuits and Lawyers Oh My! (Audio Only)

“Clockwork Basilisk: The Early Revolvers of Elisha Collier and Artemas Wheeler" is available right now for preorder on Kickstarter: 

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/headstamp/clockwork-basilisk?ref=1ksr0l

Most of the historical recognition of Elisha Collier comes from the 1851 and 1852 patent infringement lawsuits Colt files against Wesson & Leavitt ...

MSBS Grot: The Complete History of Poland's New Army Rifle (ad-free)

The MSBS Grot is Poland's current military service rifle, and has gone through several iterations in the many years of its development that led to its current 2nd generation form. It is best known in the US as a rifle designed to be interchangeable between standard and bullpup layout, although that capability was dropped when the Polish Army opted not to adopt it. Fundamentally, the Grot ("Arrow" or "Spear") is a short-stroke gas operated, rotating bolt, 5.56mm system derived from the AR-18 s...