The Fedorov Avtomat is an important milestone in the history of modern small arms. With the Federov, for the first time, an individual soldier could possess automatic firepower in a package small enough to move and fight with, while at the same time [Read More…]
The title of this article is an Anglicized version of the title of the article linked below. The search for a successful selfloading weapon that could be issued en masse to troops was closely related to the development of early weapons that were predecessors to the [Read More…]
Some of John Browning’s contributions to the effort of the First World War – like the M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle and the M1917 Browning Machine Gun – are well-known, but there’s one that never made it to production, or even any substantial [Read More…]
During World War I, manufacturers on both sides, including sporting arms manufacturers, lent their material support for the war effort. One of the more mysterious instances of this has come to be known simply as the “Beholla”, after its primary producer, the [Read More…]
The truly high capacity magazine has been a dream that firearms inventors throughout the world and time have endlessly pursued. One of the crazier attempts to improve the capacity of the Steyr-Hahn 1912 handgun was a system designed by Arthur Kottas. Over at Historical [Read More…]
The Editor Writes: This week’s Friday Field Strip Video/Article combo is on the fascinating 1907 Roth-Steyr. Watch Alex’s video above then read Nathaniel’s article below … Austrian cavalrymen in World War I each went into battle with three handguns, all identical Steyr-made [Read More…]
The Mauser 1914 is not a well-known firearm today, but during the First World War, it became one of the most important small semiautomatic handguns of the early 20th Century. The Mauser pocket pistol family’s story begins with Josef Nickl of Austria. He envisioned [Read More…]
I am partnering with C&Rsenal’s Othais to bring you companion articles to his Primer series of videos looking at some of the most important firearms in history. First, Othais tackles the iconic Mauser C96 pistol, used by diverse characters from Chinese [Read More…]
A week ago, Alex C. and Miles Vining pitted the Russian Mosin-Nagant against the German Mauser Gewehr 98 in a battle royale shootout to see which was the best rifle. Unsurprising to some, and outrageous to others, Paul Mauser’s masterpiece took home the gold and [Read More…]
It appears that TFB might have momentarily forgotten it has some exclusive access to my creative process, often being years ahead of the rest. But that’s OK, because I’m here now to share the next version of the POV project. Here we’ve taken the time [Read More…]
The National Firearms Museum in Fairfax Virginia is one of the most important collections of small arms in the world, but their representatives also leave the museum and travel to places where they can find firearms that they don’t have in their collection. As [Read More…]
WWI was a time of runaway technology that in many ways outstripped the tactical and strategic thinking of the era. Older concepts of the dominance of technologies like the bayonet, and long-range rifle fire, and of the preeminence of the elan or morale of soldiers died [Read More…]
YouTube user JManTime posted up a video on a very unique firearm from WW1 that I would contend that our own Ian from Forgotten Weapons would not know its provenance. The design is a mechanical marvel, if only for the complexity and sheer number of parts that go into the [Read More…]
Over at NitroExpressForums is a series of photos of the rare 1918 improved Mauser rifle prototype. Some are embedded below, but be sure to click through to see them all:
Prior to seeing the beautiful photo expose on MessyNezzyChic, I had no idea this place existed in the world (especially surprising, considering the 30+ times I’ve been to France on business). The “Zone Rouge” is “forsaken territory” from [Read More…]
Reddit can often point me to the most interesting of things. Latest is an old patent form Charles John Cooke, who formally patented (though arguably did not actually make the first one), a repeating firearm for trench warfare. Of principal interest to me is the extended [Read More…]
Rock Island Auction time means we get to look at a bunch of really neat guns, thanks to Forgotten Weapons’ Ian. Today he examines one of the most important early selfloading rifles, the model 1908 Mondragon: The Mondragon is widely recognized as the first [Read More…]
This camera was built to resemble a Lewis gun. It allowed instructors to see if students were accurately aiming their guns. More info @ Gizmodo. [ Many thanks to Gregor for emailing me the link. ]
Click to enlarge This Enfield would fire when enough water dripped (along the wire, I think) from the top can into the bottom can. It was used by the ANZAC forces at Gallipoli (WWI) to make the Turkish forces think they were still in the trenches while they were [Read More…]
New Jovian Thunderbolt has written about his past love for the BAR (M1918 Browning Automatic Rifle) The BAR was always my dream gun. Or it was. Back when I knew nothing and only looked at capabilities on paper, and then not looking TOO closely. I have loved the look of [Read More…]
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