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The very first Kalashnikov rifle that received the AK-47 model designation is displayed in the  Military Historical Museum of Artillery, Engineers and Signal Corps which is located in Saint Petersburg, Russia. This rifle has always been somewhat mysterious because its appearance is quite different from the AK-47 that was actually adopted.

Initial production runs of small arms are always objects of great interest and fascination. They represent the tangible beginning, the first of many, a historical landmark. Especially if they are of designs that go on to influence small arms history. Usually when they come off the line they are set aside by the factory, put in a presentation case and locked up for eternity in a reference collection. Subsequent landmark production serial numbers can also be just as historically important. Such as the Millionth M1 Garand to roll off the production line at Springfield Armory that was presented to John C. Garand as a testament to his service as a firearms designer.

Much ado has been made recently about the US Army’s piss-poor performance in completing the evaluations of handguns in the Modular Handgun System contract. While yes, they should have completed the testing, it is fair to say that the Sig is even 3/4 as good as Glock, their $100,000,000 more worth it.

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 degree of recognition: A Browning infantry rifle design, utilizing a totally unique hesitation locked mechanism.

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 German sporting arms firm Becker & Hollander.

I love the G42 and even had a chance to review the pistol earlier this year. In that review, I did bemoan the capacity (but understood why it was designed that way). Fortunately, the aftermarket is stepping in to add capacity to the diminutive 380 handgun.