ForgottenWeapons posts
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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 i...
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-pistolsToday 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 survi...
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 p...
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 pe...
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 i...
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 videosMerry 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 wel...
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 a...
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 th...
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 ...
Book Review: Vickers Guide Heckler & Koch Volume 1 (ad-free)
Only available direct from Vickers Guide:https://www.vickersguide.com/hk-vol1-1The 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, t...
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 i...
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 bot...
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 th...
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...
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=bjbe5tToday I'm again joined by Professor Ben Nicholson, author of the newest Headstam...
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=bjbe5tToday I'm again joined by Professor Ben Nicholson, author of the newest Headstamp...
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 org...
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 i...
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=e9o72qCourtesy of esteemed collector Frank Graves, Professor Ben Nicholson and I are disassem...
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? L...
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 ...
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 collaps...
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 mor...
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 re...
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=1ksr0lMost of the historical recognition of Elisha Collier comes from the 1851 and 1852 paten...
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=1ksr0lMost of the historical recognition of Elisha Collier comes from the 1851 and 1852 paten...
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 t...
