Add
Private Notes
We had the opportunity to disassemble and reassemble a Russian Fedorov rifle. The footage is a bit on the dull side, but I don't know when we'll have a chance to recreate it, so I edited this video together for the time being.
The Czech ZH29 was among the first modern battle rifles. It is a very well made semiauto design in 8x57 caliber. Unfortunately, they were too expensive to attract many buyers - the only sales were to China, Ethiopia, and Siam (this particular rifle came back from China).
We interviewed Duncan McCollum, author of "Japanese Rifles of WWII". He showed us some interesting aspects of a Japanese Type 2 paratrooper takedown rifle. These guns are like regular Type 99 Arisakas, but can be quickly disassembled into two piece for carrying in a leg bag when parachuting.
The Gerat 03 was the first prototype roller-locked rifle developed by the Germans during WWII. Only a few were made, and the rifle was never put into mass production. This is the direct ancestor of the HK91 family of roller-delayed firearms.
The ZH-420S was a semiauto 8mm rifle designed in Czechoslovakia late in World War II. It was marketed to many countries after the war, but found no buyers. It is a very slick rifle to shoot, despite the occasional failures to eject that we experienced.
The Mannlicher was one of the early automatic pistol designs. Like most such guns, a small number were made as carbine variants. This particular one is the first prototype 1901 carbine (you can see the number '1' stamped on the bolt).
A general look at a couple of early automatic pistol designs, and what they have in common. We have a Bergmann-Bayard M1910/21, a C96 "Broomhandle" Mauser, and an Astra M900.
Forgotten Weapons is joined by author Bin Shih, an expert on Chinese firearms of the second Sino-Japanese War (aka World War 2). We discuss the state of Chinese weapons manufacture in the 1930s and 40s, as well as several specific weapins including Mauser-type bolt action rifles, grenade launchers, and the Broomhandle Mauser pistol. Bin's new book is available for purchase at http://www.chinesefirearms.com/ .
When we spoke to Bin Shih about his recent book and Chinese firearms in general, he brought several interesting guns along to show us. By far the rarest was a General Liu rifle, and we decided to devote a complete episode to it. It's definitely a forgotten weapon, and we appreciated having the chance to take a closer look at one and learn some of its history from Mr Shih.
We have another interview segment with Bin Shih today, this time discussing the commonly used bolt action rifles that were the backbone of the Chinese infantry during the war with Japan. Specifically, Hanyang rifle, the Manchurian Mauser, and the Chiang Kai-Shek rifle (aka Type 24).
We take a 1940 Bren gun to the range to demonstrate function, disassembly, and shooting from a variety of positions. For more information, check out http://www.ForgottenWeapons.com .
Today we have a video from a range session with a 1914 Lewis Gun in .303 British. We disassemble the gun and do some shooting. The Lewis was a staple light machine gun for the British Army in the First World War, and a pretty nice gun to shoot.
We have a Danish Bergmann-Bayard M1910/21 out at the range today (and I apologize for the wind noise). For more information on the Bergmann, go to:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/lorem-ipsum/early-automatic-pistols/bergmann-bayard-191021
Today we're looking at the mechanics of the Bergmann-Bayard M1910/21 self-loading pistol. This particular one is a very nice example of the Danish-made late variant of the design.
The Leader Dynamics T2 was produced in Australia with the intent of getting a military contract to replace the Australian military's FAL rifles. It did well in testing, but not well enough to be adopted. The rifles were available on the civilian market in both Australia and the US for a short time. After Leader Dynamics went under, production was briefly continued by Australian Automatic Arms out of Tasmania as the SAC.
The Sig AMT was the commercial version of the PE57 military rifle. They were built in 7.62 NATO and used a roller-delayed blowback system very similar to that developed by Germany during WWII and used in the StG45 and HK91 series of rifles. The AMT is built to typical Swiss standards of quality, and is an impressive rifle to handle despite its ungainly appearance.
The FN FNC carbine was developed for military trials in the 70s and 80s, and saw some limited success.
Today we have a British Hotchkiss Portative machine gun in ,303 caliber to look at. These were used by everyone on the Allied side in WWI, and were a reliable and effective gun, if not the simplest design.
This Hotchkiss Portative is fully transferrable and currently for sale by Spotted Dog Firearms in Cave Creek AZ. If you are interested in owning it yourself, please contact Steve Hill at 602-538-2769.
Welcome to Forgotten Weapons! Today we have an LGM 08/15 to look at - the aerial version of the German Maxim 08/15 infantry machine gun. This example was made at Spandau in 1916.
This aircraft Maxim is fully transferrable and currently for sale by Spotted Dog Firearms in Cave Creek AZ. If you are interested in owning it yourself, please contact Steve Hill at 602-538-2769.
We have another video to post today - this time about the Steyr 1912 handgun, aka the Stayr-Hahn.
Today we take a look at Iain McCallum's "Blood Brothers: Hiram and Hudson Maxim: Pioneers of Modern Warfare" - a book deserving a place in everyone's firearms library. Most people don't realize that Hiram Maxim was a creative and technical genius, and the machine gun was one one of his many notable accomplishments. He was also a character in every sense of the word, and both his brother Hudson and son Hiram Percy made their own significant contributions to firearms technology.
Hop on over to Amazon and pick up a copy today: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1861760965/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=forgoweapo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=217145&creative=399373&creativeASIN=1861760965
I was at a gun show recently and found some unusual Mosin Nagant rifles, but didn't know enough to identify them and gauge their value. So I bought them just in case, and then I picked up a copy of Terence Lapin's The Mosin-Nagant Rifle. It was a pretty useful book to me (and my Civil Guard marked Finnish M/91), and I think it is a good addition to any gun library.
Pick up a copy at Amazon, and get learn the details you'll need to pick the really valuable Finnish cavalry carbine out of the sea of 91/30s at your next show!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1882391217/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=forgoweapo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1882391217
Everyone knows that a Webley with a bayonet is way classier than a Glock with a bayonet.
For more details on this bayonet, check out Forgotten Weapons:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/forgotten-weapons-on-home-defense
Today we have some video of a British 1918 Farquhar-Hill rifle at the range. This rifle was an early semiauto design that was accepted by the British army too late to see service in World War I, but was used as an observer's weapon in two-seater British aircraft. It is chambered for .303 British caliber, and feeds from a 19-round drum magazine. For more photos and history of the Farquhar-Hill, check out the Forgotten Weapons Vault page on it:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/lorem-ipsum/early-semiauto-rifles/farquhar-hill
Frank Iannamico's recently published AK47 - The Grim Reaper is an excellent resource for AK collectors and enthusiasts. It covers all the production AK variants from about a dozen countries, which include virtually every type of AK that will be encountered in the US. Definitely a reference book worth having. Find it at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0982391803/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=forgoweapo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0982391803
I borrowed this book from a friend to take a look through, and not I really don't want to give it back. I always buy myself a book or two after Christmas, and this is definitely what I'm getting myself this year. It's expensive, but worth every penny. Everything in here is excellent - the depth of coverage, the photography, and the technical written material. It's a great coffee table book to browse through and show off, and it'll help you pick out what you need to find to add to your rifle collection. You can pick up a copy through sellers on Amazon ($69.99 is the cover price, not an artificial inflation):
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1931464391/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=forgoweapo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1931464391
I've been promising this range video for a while now, and here it is. We took all three configurations of the C96 Broomhandle Mauser - a pistol, a carbine, and a machine pistol - out to the range for some comparisons. For more information, check out Forgotten Weapons:
http://www.forgottenweapons.com/mauser-showdown-at-the-range-c96-carbine-and-schnellfeuer
Every pile of dusty old books you find at a gun show has a zillion reprints of Cartridges of the World and how-to pamphlets on stock refinishing from 1960. But occasionally you'll find a real gem in those piles - and this book is one of the gems. Written by R.K. Wilson and published in 1943, the Textbook of Automatic Pistols gives a deeply technical explanation of all the very early automatic pistol designs, including a bunch of very unusual ones virtually never seen these days. It also covers the design and ballistics of the cartridges used by these guns - cartridges like the .45 Mars, .35 S&W (yeah, the .35), and 5mm Clement. It's an absolute wealth of information that you can't find anywhere else.
If you would like a copy, you have three options. One is to keep a lookout for one at gun shows - you may find it sooner or later. Two is to go online and find a copy of the original printing and pay $100 or so. Three is to go to Amazon and get a copy of the 1990 leather-bound reprint by Wolfe Publishing for a paltry 25 or 30 bucks (see link below). You'll have to go through a 3rd party dealer to find it (Amazon doesn't stock it themselves), but for that price I think it's a screaming deal and worth the extra effort.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013K8T2M/ref=as_li_tf_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=forgoweapo-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0013K8T2M
