Handgun - Forgotten Weapons

Iver Johnson Prototype .25ACP Blow Forward Pocket Pistol

May 13, 2026 Ian McCollum 8

This is a one-of-a-kind prototype of a .25ACP blow forward pistol made by Iver Johnson. It was patented in 1916 (patent applied for in 1912) by William O. Barnes of Massachusetts, and assigned to Iver […]

Custom-Order Walthers: Model HP and P38 in 7.65mm Parabellum

May 8, 2026 Ian McCollum 22

Available from Morphys here: 7.65 P38 – https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__RARE_EARLY_WALTHER_P38_7_65_SEMI_AUTOMATIC_PIS-LOT658919.aspx 7.65 Walther HP – https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__WALTHER_HP__30_LUGER_SEMI_AUTOMATIC_PISTOL_-LOT658893.aspx When Walther first developed the P38, it was designated the Heerespistole – “Army Pistol”. Only after getting official Wehrmacht adoption did it […]

Singer M1911A1: The Rarest WW2 1911

May 6, 2026 Ian McCollum 19

Available from Morphys here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__OUTSTANDING_SINGER_MODEL_1911A1__45_ACP_SEMI_A-LOT660708.aspx The Singer Manufacturing Company, best known for its iconic sewing machines, received an Educational Contract to product 500 M1911A1 pistols on April 17, 1940. They set up production for the […]

The First Military Luger: Swiss Model 1900 s/n 01

April 27, 2026 Ian McCollum 3

Available from Morphy’s here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_C__IMPORTANT_FIRST_EVER_PRODUCED_DWM_1900_SWISS_L-LOT658702.aspx The first nation to adopt the Luger was Switzerland, which began testing in late 1898 and formally accepted the Luger in May 1900. Their guns were the first Lugers to […]

Henry Deringer’s Remarkable Percussion Pocket Pistols

April 15, 2026 Ian McCollum 26

Henry Deringer Jr was born in Easton PA in 1786 to German parents. As a young man he apprenticed to a gunsmith, then spent 1808 working in the Virginia Manufactory making guns, and then open […]

Carlstrom / Juhasz Concealed Sleeve Gun

April 6, 2026 Ian McCollum 27

Available at Morphy’s here: https://auctions.morphyauctions.com/_N__E__CARLSTROM_SLEEVE_PISTOL__ANY_OTHER_WEAPON__-LOT665729.aspx In 1929 Elek B. Juhasz of Lebanon PA patented this sleeve gun. It is a single-shot, manually cocked firing mechanism with a screw-on barrel and is worn on the inside […]

Mauser M90 DA: Not Mauser and Not a High Power

February 25, 2026 Ian McCollum 10

Our book on Hungarian AKs, “Rifles on the Danube”, is available here: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/danube-book In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Mauser firm was not in good shape. It had no new products, and its […]

Colombia’s Cowboy Revolvers: Cassidy, Marshall, and Scorpio

February 20, 2026 Ian McCollum 19

Indumil in Colombia was originally founded as a state workshop to repair military small arms. Its first complete production gun was the Cassidy, a licensed copy of Llama’s copy of the Smith & Wesson Model […]

ZKP-524: A Prototype Czech 7.62x25mm 1911 Copy

February 18, 2026 Ian McCollum 84

The Czechoslovak military knew when they adopted it that the vz.52 pistol was not very good, and they initiated a replacement program as the same time as its adoption. Two pistols were developed to be […]

Cordova Estandar: Colombia’s Domestic Service Pistol

February 2, 2026 Ian McCollum 18

Javier Traba Pistolas: https://www.youtube.com/@TrabaPistolas/videos When the Colombian government wanted a locally produced service pistol for its military and security services, it turned to Indumil – the government-owned small arms factory. Indumil already had a license […]