Prototype
StG-45 Horn Prototypes
Herr Horn (I have seen his name given as both N.V. Horn and V.G. Horn; not sure which is correct) was an engineer working in the R&D department of Mauser at the end of WWII, and […]
Rifles
Gunsmithing
Sturmgewehrs: The Original and the HMG Reproduction
While I was busy posting RIA videos last month, my friend Karl and I traveled down to Atlanta to visit Hill & Mac Gunworks. They are making a reproduction StG-44 rifle with a number of […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Vintage Saturday: Sniper
Springfield 1903 sniper w/ Warner & Swasey M1913 scope, photo taken in 1918. Note the camouflage pain on the stock, and the distinctive cruciform grasping knob on the range adjustment of the scope.
Semiauto Rifles
H&K SL-6 and SL-7 Rifles at RIA
The German firm Heckler & Koch spent several decades building firearms all based on the same basic operating system: roller-delayed blowback (often called roller-locked, although they are not technically locked breech actions). The two best […]
Bolt Action Rifles
M1903 Sniper Rifle with Warner & Swasey M1913 Musket Sight at RIA
When the United States entered World War One, there was no formal sniper school or training in place. However, the US Army had adopted a sniper optic for the M1903 Springfield rifle. It was the […]
Conversion
First Pattern 1865 Allin Conversion – Trapdoor Springfield at RIA
As the US Civil War drew to a close, it was quite apparent to everyone that muzzleloading rifles were obsolete, and any military force wishing to remain relevant would need to adopt cartridge-firing weapons. However, […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Swiss ZfK-55 Sniper at RIA
The Swiss military began experimenting with scoped sniper rifle during WWII, with the K31/42 and K31/43. These use periscopic optics permanently mounted to the side of the receiver, and were both found less than ideal. […]
Semiauto Rifles
Two VG1-5 Gustloff Last Ditch Rifles at RIA
The Volksstrumgewehr Gustloff, more commonly (albeit incorrectly) known as the VG1-5, was one of the few semiautomatic Volkssturm weapons produced at the end of WWII. I have discussed these rifles before, but wanted to take […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Gewehr 71 with Experimental Magazine at RIA
The Model 1871 Mauser was adopted as the newly united Germany’s first standard rifle, and it was a good design. However, it was a single shot rifle and soon it became apparent that the additional […]
Semiauto Rifles
RSC 1917: France’s WW1 Semiauto Rifle at RIA
Did you know that the French Army issued more than 80,000 semiautomatic rifles during WWI? They had been experimenting with a great many semiauto designs before the war, and in 1916 finalized a design for […]