Closely associated with ‘juvenile delinquency’ of the 1950s, ‘zip guns’ were often fabricated by youngsters who could not afford to purchase or were forbidden from owning the genuine article. A mechanically inclined youngster might upon obtaining ammunition, [Read More…]
The Small Arms Survey have published a new report looking at the use of improvised weapons around the world, examining the proliferation of various types and the driving forces behind their manufacture and use. Written by G Hays & N.R. Jenzen-Jones, both of [Read More…]
Even in relatively isolated developing nations criminals find ways to arm themselves. Below are a number of crude improvised firearms made from regular household stapler guns recently seized by police in Papua New Guinea which are fast becoming a trend. The example [Read More…]
Several improvised / homemade weapons were employed in an attempted mass shooting attack on a synagogue in Halle, Germany on Wednesday during Yom Kippur. The whole event was live-streamed via a GoPro to the video game streaming website Twitch. Luckily the [Read More…]
Wooden handguards fitted for an M16/AR15-patterned rifle are nothing new in the United States among the boutique custom build community. Some folks prefer the older, more nostalgic look of the solid wood grips that used to be so common on firearms of all types prior to [Read More…]
A local TV channel of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic has published a video telling about two domestically made firearms: an anti-materiel rifle and a twin-barreled machine gun. They adapted or used the parts of standard-issue guns to build weapon [Read More…]
An improvised shotgun utilizing a revolving cylinder that appears to hold six 12 gauge shotgun shells was captured in a Nigerian Army operation in May of this year, capturing several alleged kidnappers on their way to committing a crime. Along with the improvised [Read More…]
Creating improvised firearms is one thing, but a recent propaganda video released by the Yemeni rebel and terrorist group Ansar Allah (better known as the Houthis) threw the spotlight on some weapons that take this to the next level. 20mm, 23mm, and even 30mm caliber [Read More…]
In 1991 the Croatian parliament voted to seceded from what was formerly the ‘Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia’, leading to armed conflict between Croatian and Serbian government forces as well as various paramilitary groups formed along ethnic lines. [Read More…]
If you’re into illegal production of firearms you take what you have, and a bolt is a bolt – literally – on this sub-machine gun from Brazil. It looks like it’s been made completely out or recycled materials (at least something positive) and the [Read More…]
Apologies for the long silence, its been a bit of a tough year. With increased work pressures, and even MORE restrictions related to firearms in my country, I have not been able to write much. Mea Maxima Culpa! I have been thinking of the wide parallels between my [Read More…]
A recent ‘gun turn in’ sponsored by Newport Police Department spurred on local gun collectors to make a small profit by turning in unwanted junk firearms and also grabbing up a few bargains themselves. Merely 22 minutes into the four hour event the [Read More…]
IDFblog reports that during an operation about a month ago, IDF forces raided a Palestinian weapons cache in Judea and Samaria, finding several improvised weapons and what appears to be a shop dedicated to constructing them. While not an arsenal by the standards of most [Read More…]
The new boss of the Firearms and Organized Crime Squad has revealed that at least 10% of firearms seized by police in NSW are homemade. “Supt Plotecki said there was anecdotal evidence that outlaw motorcycle gangs were targeting people who have the skills to make [Read More…]
Two homebuilt pistols were seized among other firearms on Tuesday by police in Sydney. They appear to have plastic (or perhaps aluminum) lower receivers with angular magazine wells. Both examples appear very well made. VIDEO – Illegal firearms seized by Sydney [Read More…]
Pictured is an interesting display at The Israel Defense Forces History Museum in Tel Aviv, featuring crude Sten gun copies among many other improvised firearms used around the time of the 1948 Arab–Israeli war. Also featured are some 12 gauge revolving drum shotguns [Read More…]
The recent and hasty withdrawal of the United States Armed Forces from the country of Afghanistan has been somewhat of a controversy. Many say that the withdrawal of US forces was irresponsible while others are lauding the decision as a step towards a more peaceful [Read More…]
Welcome back to the Underground Arms Watch. The first week of June saw a number of seizures of the FGC-9, the widely reported on 3D printable 9mm carbine released by Deterrence Dispensed last year. The example below was one of two seized from a ‘factory’ [Read More…]
Underground Arms Watch returns with a brief glance at recently seized craft-produced arms by law enforcement around the globe. Spanish police have released details of a raid on an illegal manufacturing operation in Tenerife which was conducted last September. It appears [Read More…]
Welcome back to Underground Arms Watch. Catching up into the new year, we continue our look at some of the black market bootleg weapons seized worldwide within the last few months. First up is an interesting pistol seized in Liverpool, UK by Merseyside Police. It [Read More…]
In my last article, I spoke about leaving the castle in a scenario of complete social break down. I was pretty surprised by the overwhelming amount of positive feedback from our readers. (Thank you, BTW). If you are interested you can check it out here. I figured it [Read More…]
Welcome to another installment of Underground Arms Watch series where we take a look at criminally made and modified firearms seized throughout the world. Modified suppressed rifle seized by Italian police Pictured is a modified ‘Contender’ type single-shot [Read More…]
Every once in a while, TFB has been showing images of the huge variety of firearms used by criminals in Brazil, seized by authorities or otherwise. Unlike the country’s law abiding and tax paying citizens, to whom firearms of even in the “permitted” calibers are [Read More…]
A police officer in Beong-dong, northern Seoul was shot and killed Wednesday during a standoff with a man (Seong Byung-dae, 45) who was also kitted up with body armor and had previously attacked a neighbor with a hammer. The firearm or multiple firearms used by the [Read More…]
What is the simplest gun you can possibly make? When you hear this question, the kind of gun that comes to mind is probably a simple zip gun, like the one below, which has a forward-moving mass, a trigger, a barrel, and not much else: Given modern ammunition, [Read More…]
Dear Non-Gun Owner, I am writing you today to discuss firearm ownership in America. Fear not – I will not talk down to you, belittle you or call you names. For instance, I could have used the term “anti-gun” instead of “non-gun” in the [Read More…]
Earlier this month two gunmen burst into a restaurant in Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market, killing four people and wounding six more. The death count could have been much higher had one of the attacker’s weapons not reportedly jammed, CCTV footage appearing to show [Read More…]
3D printed firearms have faced much stigma since designers and engineers have began dabbling with different design concepts, and halfway 3D firearms in the case of 3D printed AR15 lowers. However from various conversations with law enforcement, it seems that the general [Read More…]
Whatever one thinks of the proliferation of firearms, it’s a fact that the technology needed to make reliable, effective weapons is well in hand. Even at the lowest levels of industrial capability firearms are practical, manufacturable items, and this includes [Read More…]
Ares Armament have produced an excellent report, published by the Small Arms Survey, on 3D Printed Gun Technology. The report is extensively researched and a very balanced report. It correctly points out that while 3D Printers can do amazing things today, and are [Read More…]
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