Revolvers are sometimes revered as being really simple self-defense tools compared to semi-automatic pistols, although, if you’ve ever seen the inside of one, you’d quickly notice that the operation is far from simple. I’ve enjoyed all sorts of wheelguns for [Read More…]
A couple of months ago I had the chance to field strip a Heckler & Koch G11, the caseless ammunition-firing assault rifle. There are few experimental weapons that have cultivated myth and reputation like Heckler & Koch’s G11 and it was a privilege to take a [Read More…]
The Russian PKM: Arguably the best general purpose machine gun in the world, it combines a robust reliability with best-in-class light weight. Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons recently released two video overviews of the weapon, giving us a good enough excuse as any to [Read More…]
The following is an article that was originally written in Russian by TFB contributor Maxim Popenker, and Andrey Ulanov, and translated to English by Peter Samsonov. With their permission, I have replicated the text here, and edited it, for the enrichment of you, our [Read More…]
The recent controversy regarding the drop safety characteristics of SIG’s P320 handgun has some taking a closer look at their handguns. Drop safety is something that – in theory – is so mature in modern handguns that it should be a non-issue, but with [Read More…]
Prior to taking the Glock Armorers course, I didn’t pay much attention to how a Glock functioned. I knew it worked and that was enough for me, but to understand how to diagnose the rare issues that might pop up with Glocks you need to understand how they work. [Read More…]
Today we know the Kalashnikov family of rifles as one of the most successful and reliable weapon families ever designed. Even as the rifle’s legend has begun to be peeled back, the weapon’s reputation for reliability is still largely unquestioned, and many [Read More…]
Locking systems we have previously covered include tilting barrel locking, the most common pistol locking mechanism, and rotary bolt locking, the most common rifle locking mechanism. However, at one time another locking mechanism was widely believed to be optimum for [Read More…]
Previously on Operating Systems 101, we discussed the straight blowback method of firearms operation; today we’ll be talking about its close cousin, API blowback. “API” stands for advance primer ignition, which refers to the chief way that the [Read More…]
In this 201-level post on the devices and mechanisms that automatic firearms use to do their work, we’ll be discussing a distinction between two very similar types of gas systems. These are what’s commonly known as the “Ljungmann-type” gas system [Read More…]
We introduced you to the concept of locking in a previous one of our 201-level posts on how firearms work, and today we’re going to talk about what has become the most common locking mechanism for rifles: Rotary locking. If to lock an action, you need to create [Read More…]
What makes an automatic (or semiautomatic) weapon work? How do these weapons accomplish being able to fire round after round through a single barrel with no interference from the operator? That’s what I aim to explain in this series, which hopefully will give my [Read More…]
We posted up earlier on C&Rsenal’s awesome video on how the German Gewehr 1891 functioned. Turns out that C&Rsenal has been busy putting together similar information on the myriad of small arms that were used in The Great War. Popular Mechanics worked to [Read More…]
Arguably one of the most simplistic handguns, Glocks are lauded for their ease of use and servicing, even for the individual. While most firearms enthusiasts can see how the handgun works by taking it apart (as I did), Glock does produce factory cut-away models, which [Read More…]
Most military members take the arcane workings of their rifle for granted. Even an avid shooter myself, I was NEVER allowed to do maintenance on my M-16 fire control group while I was in the Corps. While some might argue this is a good thing considering that many [Read More…]
How exactly does a 1911 work? To fully answer that question, one used to have to get a set of punches, a hammer, a set of gunsmithing screwdrivers, a parts list, a 1911 of course, and a couple of hours of time. However, animation takes this one step further, and Jacob [Read More…]
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