I recently gushed on what I consider one of the best YouTube channels out there *that is not guns-only, but is highly correlated. The Great War is a fantastic project documenting World War 1 week by week exactly as it happened 100 years later.

We’re about two years into the series and the show’s Patreon campaign is starting to bear some fruits for those of us with real interest in the weapons of the war. Recently, special episodes have been posted in conjunction with C&RArsenal (another great channel for firearms history buffs).

The most recent episode features the service rifles of the Austro-Hungarian Empire used throughout the war. Interestingly, and not like the other major powers of the war, The Austro-Hungarians used a straight-pull bolt-action. The rifles were well balanced, slim, and had some great sights (if a little ambitious 2,000+ meter sighting gradients).

The history behind the design is fascinating, especially on how the rifles went from black powder to a hybrid charge, and finally to full smokeless powder and how this evolution affected the action itself, which limited the loadings to avoid breaking the single lug used for locking.

I strongly recommend one checks out both channels here for weekly updates on World War 1 and old weapons, some of which even Ian from Forgotten Weapons has not yet published on:

The Great War

C&R Arsenal