2016 - Forgotten Weapons

RIA: Beretta Model 1931 (Video)

September 4, 2016 Ian McCollum 12

With the development of the Model 1931, Beretta had nearly arrived at the first really popular pistol (the 1934/5). The 1931 was the result of taking the exposed-hammer 1923 design, shrinking the frame down to […]

RIA: Experimental Semiauto Springfield 1903 Primer-Actuated Rifle (Video)

September 3, 2016 Ian McCollum 74

During the 1920s, a lot of experimental rifle development work was being done in the US. The military was interested in finding a semiautomatic rifle, and plenty of inventors were eager to get that valuable […]

RIA: Luger 1902 Carbine (Video)

September 2, 2016 Ian McCollum 26

With the advent of successful self-loading pistols, one of the additional markets that many companies tried to appeal to was the compact carbine. Self-loading rifles in proper rifle cartridges would not be developed as quickly […]

RIA: Walther Model 6 (Video)

September 1, 2016 Ian McCollum 53

Wather introduced its first pistol in 1908, creatively named the Model 1. With the outbreak of World War One, the company was offering the Model 4 pistol for military use. This was a .32 ACP […]

RIA: Müller 1895 Curved Recoil Pistol (Video)

August 31, 2016 Ian McCollum 13

The model 1895 Müller automatic pistol is an interesting and unusual design, despite being a simple blowback action. Where most pistols have a bolt or slide that moved directly rearward, the Müller pushes the bolt […]

RIA: Mauser 1913 Selbstladegewehr Sporter (Video)

August 30, 2016 Ian McCollum 50

Paul Mauser spent nearly 20 years attempting to perfect a self-loading rifle for military service. He came closest with this, his 1913 patent model, which was used by German balloon and aircraft fliers as the […]

RIA: Prototype CZ-38 Trials Rifle (Video)

August 29, 2016 Ian McCollum 31

Like most other nations with modern military forces. Czechoslovakia was interested in developing a semiautomatic infantry rifle in the 1920s and 1930s. The most successful such rifle to come out of Czech factory during this […]

RIA: Beretta Model 1923

August 28, 2016 Ian McCollum 33

Beretta offered its first semiautomatic pistols during World War One, with the Model 1915 chambered in 9mm Glisenti. This was quickly supplemented by the 1915/17 scaled down to the .32ACP cartridge, which was both handier […]

RIA: M1944E1/M1945 Johnson Light Machine Gun

August 27, 2016 Ian McCollum 54

After getting his Model 1941 machine gun purchased in small numbers by the US military, Melvin Johnson continued to press for more sales and a general adoption. Following testing results and recommendations from soldiers in […]

RIA: London-Made Lorenzonis Repeating Flintlocks

August 26, 2016 Ian McCollum 24

A 7-shot repeating handgun before cartridges had been invented? Yep, long before. These two pistols are London-made examples of the Lorenzoni system, in which a gun was made with internal magazines of powder and projectiles […]