Rifles - Forgotten Weapons

ZK 381: Czech Pre-War Prototype Battle Rifle

July 28, 2025 Ian McCollum 5

The ZK-381 was designed by Josef Koucký, his first design of 1938 (hence 381). This is one of the last of the Czech pre-war self-loading rifle projects, of which there were quite a lot. It […]

Krieghoff’s Bizarre Prototype FG42 Proposal

July 23, 2025 Ian McCollum 36

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten When the Luftwaffe was looking for its new universal paratrooper rifle, six different German arms companies were asked to submit proposals. Only two actually did; […]

.50 BMG and the Geneva Convention

July 22, 2025 Ian McCollum 36

Adorable Penguin Brutality shirt available from Varusteleka: https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/forgotten-weapons-penguin-brutality-t-shirt/81986?option=81709 I’m sure you’ve heard the one about how targeting an enemy soldier with a .50 BMG is a war crime, but targeting his belt buckle is okay […]

G150: Swiss Silenced Guerrilla Anti-Material Rifle

July 21, 2025 Ian McCollum 35

The G150 is a rifle specifically assembled by and for the Swiss P-26 organization: a very secretive stay-behind group intended to fight foreign occupiers of Switzerland. It was one of a series of such organizations […]

Roller Delay in France: The H&K 33F (Trials & Export Models)

July 14, 2025 Ian McCollum 14

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten When France was looking to replace the MAS 49/56 rifle for military service in the 1970s, it tested all of the major rifle options available. […]

AK fm/54: Prototype Swedish Paratrooper Rifle

July 9, 2025 Ian McCollum 15

Check out Headstamp Publishing’s extensive catalog of excellent books: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/home-forgotten As Sweden experimented with updating the AG42 Ljungman in the 1950s, one of the intermediate patterns was the fm/54. This took the 7.62mm NATO short […]

AK4 TP: Estonia’s Modernized G3 DMR / Sniper

June 30, 2025 Ian McCollum 13

When Estonia received a large influx of small arms from Sweden they got both regular AK4 rifles (Sweden’s version of the G3) and scoped DMR models. The standard Estonian infantry squad had nine riflemen and […]

Enjoying Black Powder Episode 12: The Model 1885 Remington-Lee

June 28, 2025 Ian McCollum 22

Full video with reloading segment and clip solid file available here: https://forgottenweapons.vhx.tv/videos/ep-12-rem-lee-app Black powder military rifles of the 1860s-1880s are a really enjoyable group of guns. A lot of them are relatively reasonably priced, and […]

One-Gun Action Match: Stuff & Things “Stizon” Kit

June 20, 2025 Ian McCollum 25

The PP-19 Bizon is a Russian 9mm AK model using helical drum magazines, made in several calibers. It was taken into service in 1996, and has been making Western AKphiles drool ever since, because who […]

AR-1 “Parasniper” – The First Armalite

June 11, 2025 Ian McCollum 19

The first rifle produced by Armalite began in 1952 as a project between the brothers-in-law, Charles Dorchester and George Sullivan (no relation to later Armalite engineer L. James Sullivan). Sullivan is the chief patent attorney […]