Semiauto pistol
RIA: Walther Model 6 (Video)
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 […]
Video
Prototype
RIA: Müller 1895 Curved Recoil Pistol (Video)
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 […]
Semiauto Rifles
RIA: Mauser 1913 Selbstladegewehr Sporter (Video)
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 […]
Prototype
RIA: Prototype CZ-38 Trials Rifle (Video)
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 […]
Semiauto pistol
RIA: Beretta Model 1923
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 […]
Light MGs
RIA: M1944E1/M1945 Johnson Light Machine Gun
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 […]
Flintlock
RIA: London-Made Lorenzonis Repeating Flintlocks
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 […]
Revolver
RIA: Mauser Model 1878 “Zig-Zag” Revolvers (Video)
After making their big break with the adoption of the Model 1871 Mauser rifle by the newly unified German government, the Mauser brothers, took a shot at getting the handgun contract for the military as […]
Prototype
RIA: Prototype Mauser HSv Pistols (Video)
When the German military finally could no longer tolerate the expense of the P.08 Luger in the late 1930s, they held a trial of possible replacements. The three main entrants were BSW with a gas-operated […]
Prototype
RIA: Ethiopian ZH29 and Czech Experimental Z37
The ZH-29 was an influential early semiautomatic military rifle, although not one that saw any significant adoption. As best I can tell, only two countries purchased them in any quantity: China and Ethiopia. This ZH-29 […]