0:58 – Powernap – How do PMCs handle NFA issues and training.
2:46 – Tyler – Thoughts on the influx of MP5 copies?
4:40 – Beef Supreme – Advice for first-time Brutality match competitors
10:25 – Josh – Ketchup on hot dogs?
11:16 – Kurosawa – Do I consider myself a competitive target shooter or just a passive participant?
12:14 – Timothy – If Pedersen had been chosen over Garand, how would the AK design have been different?
13:23 – RGB – Could iteration on the Reising have made it more capable as a field weapon?
15:27 – Adam – Origin of the Forgotten Weapons opening song (the one that used to be at the start of videos)?
17:37 – Eric – Future ocean or coastal brutality matches?
18:58 – Lord Bacon – When do we foresee the arrival of significantly lighter optics?
20:31 – Conner – If the FAL beat the M14, how would the M16 have been effected?
23:21 – Walker – Where do you see the AR and AK platforms in 50 years time?
24:54 – Chris – Why do you think there is a decline in militaries adopting/use of bullpups?
26:19 – Walter – Why didn’t anyone keep extended bolt action rifle magazines after WW1?
28:40 – James – How much effect does a shorter barrel length have on rifle effectiveness at range?
29:48 – Jacob – The FG42 seems like the perfect lmg for WW2. Why didn’t it get further development during and after the war?
34:36 – Not Applicable – Did the Mosin Nagant ever used black power?
35:53 – Joel – Have you ever had your hair caught in the mechanism or other part of a firearm?
36:12 – Nick – Is the Scorpion Evo3 a Gun 2 or Gun 3 SMG?
36:59 – Dragos – Can you please elaborate on scope mounting systems for retaining zero?
38:37 – Leslie – Why bolt actions are used for long range precision shooting post world war 2?
39:35 – Infin1ty – Evolution of holsters
40:54 – Chris – Any updates on the Kabul rifle book that Headstamp has had listed for some time?
41:42 – William – Do you think Laugo will make a Left Handed Alien?
42:37 – Eric – Expanding the channel to cover equipment and gear.
43:40 – Crackmuppet – I know you’re a lover of fine scotch, but how do you feel about the more American whiskey variety, bourbon?
45:36 – Austin – Any reason nobody has used combustible gasses like propane for case less ammunition?
47:14 – Luke – With the Ukraine conflict at the moment, do you think XM-5 is a good platform to be adopted with the new round?
48:19 – Falling Steel – It seems you have all the facts, names, dates, and serial numbers at quick reference in your videos. Is there a sign behind the camera with an outline for the videos?
49:51 – Windwalker57 – Time travel weapons for WW1
54:58 – Luke – MP40 or Owen?
55:43 – Vercingetorix – Magazines for Oregonians to get before their new ban takes effect?
58:19 – Eric – Why is the Johnson LMG magazine designed like it is?
59:43 – GreenRuin – If shooting sports were outlawed and you had to pick another sport, what would you pick?
1:00:13 – Bill – Do people collection parts of modular weapons systems?
1:01:01 – Colin – How is the military hat collecting going?
1:03:14 – Kyle – Have you anything missing from your French firearm collection?
1:05:33 – Ryan – Other mechanisms besides spring pressure for pushing cartridges up in a magazine?
1:06:40 – Matthew – Brutality with a .357?
1:08:15 – Orkevino – Why are bullpup triggers bad?
1:09:30 – Brett – 4.6 vs 5.7
1:10:44 – Andrew – Totally silent firearms?
1:12:53 – Derek – Why were pre-spitzer bullets round nosed or round entirely?
1:13:06 – Fruitbat44 – Guns in Motherland: Fort Salem
1:13:57 – Shrieking Muppet – Why do you think .45 ACP is becoming less popular?
1:15:18 – David C – Why do all early SMGs other than the Thompson have that big gap between grip and the magazine?
1:16:34 – Jan – Civil War firearms technology
1:18:37 – David – Niches for high pressure rounds like 30 Super Carry and 277 Fury?
1:19:26 – Mike – Recommendations for places to visit in France?
1:21:04 – Robert – More collabs with Othias of C&Rsenal?
1:22:15 – Lee – US trying to chase ballistic armor with heavier, faster rounds?
1:22:48 – Chris – Will military adoption of a standard suppressor on the XM5 change perception of suppressors?
1:24:40 – Ryan – Lee Navy in .30-06 what-if?
1:25:20 – Bryce – Do you like the Kel Tec Sub 2000?
1:25:46 – Wayne – What pistol and what rifle were you most nervous to shoot and why?
1:26:45 – BigAlboys – What is the best of all the Mauser rifles in your opinion?
1:27:49 – Cameron – Filming at the Springfield Armory?
1:28:29 – Z – You can bring John Moses Browning back to life and have him employed by any modern gun manufacturer. What manufacturer would you choose?
1:30:03 – Christopher – Which weapon in any of the museums/collections you’ve visited had you asking “how did you get here!!”
1:31:21 – Caboose – Do you like turtles?
1:31:34 – Andrew Cook – Modern stocked pistols? Flux brace or the B&T USW?
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Ketchup okay on regular hot dogs and sometimes by itself. Any kind of sausage dog never ketchup. Brown or coarse ground mustard and/or other toppings. NEVER yellow mustard on anything ever.
“(…)Did the Mosin Nagant ever used black power?(…)”
This depends on how strictly you define Mosin Nagant or to be more precise if you consider Карабин системы Кочетова обр. 1931 года to be subset of Mosin Nagant or entirely positively different thing. This weapon was developed from Mosin Nagant rifle for hunting purposes and used own ammunition which was filled with blackpowder.
For photos of weapon see http://www.maksimov.su/in.php?tnum=1&dvar=http://www.maksimov.su/gallery/&var=narez/nk-8.2/nk-8.2.htm
For photos of cartridges see https://weaponland.ru/board/patron_82kh66_82kh66_m/44-1-0-443
It does launch 9,3 g bullet with velocity 450 m/s. Produced since 1936 to 1962 excluding Second World War period.
Lots of great info here, but the SMG trigger answer made no sense, essentially advocating a position already disproven by David C’s question itself (Thompson).
A blowback SMG only requires a rearward sear and front linkage if one chooses to put the sear notch in the rear of the bolt; in fact, the MP18 uses a stupid linkage in the opposite direction. In cases like that, it resulted from a desire to use a traditional stock; in others, it seems like designers of the time were so averse to raising sights that they were willing to compromise in many other respects to avoid it.
“(…)How much effect does a shorter barrel length have on rifle effectiveness at range?(…)”
I am not sure how do you define effectiveness at range however if you are wondering how bullet does behave in various barrels then you might refer to some interior ballistics text, e.g. archive has following textbook freely available
https://archive.org/details/INTERIORBALLISTICSF.R.HUNT1951MINISTRYOFDEFENSE.
The person asking the question just wanted to know what Ian thinks about the full length rifle vs shorter barrel carbine debate, especially in 5.56mm NATO. That is exactly what Ian answered, although he “pleaded ignorance” and didn’t go into all the specifics of the question, which would certainly be worth a lengthy video by themselves.
It rather depends on which specific cartridge you’re talking about. iIn developing the XM-177, M231 fire port weapon, and finally the M4 carbine, first Colt and then Army Ordnance concluded that the barrel on a 5.56 x 45mm could be shortened to as little as 12.5 inches (32cm) before there was an unacceptable reduction in muzzle velocity (below 3,000 f/s / 914 m/s). Accuracy, however, tended to degrade quickly with barrel lengths below 16 inches (40.6 cm) and of course blast and flash (already notable with 5.56) increased sharply.
The 20 inch (51 cm) barrel of the M16 was a holdover from the AR-10. It probably could have been standardized at 18 inches (46 cm) with no real loss of capability.
Of course, with the AR platform, gas tubes much shorter than 12 inches tend to cause problems due to the gas ducted into the piston inside the bolt still being too hot. 16 inches or so seems to be the best balance between compactness and reliability on an AR for that reason alone.
cheers
eon
“(…)could be shortened to as little as 12.5 inches (32cm) before there was an unacceptable reduction in muzzle velocity (below 3,000 f/s / 914 m/s)(…)”
BBTI did run tested some .223 Rifle cartridges
http://ballisticsbytheinch.com/223rifle.html
“(…)could have been standardized at 18 inches (46 cm) with no real loss of capability(…)”
According to https://hirvikota.wordpress.com/2021/07/30/an-ode-to-the-223-remington/ one of requirements was to penetrate (one side) of steel helmet at distance 500 yards, could this be achieved with shorter barrel?
Army Ordnance demanded that 500 yard figure of merit. The original CONARC specification called for doing it at 300 meters. I think CONARC had a more realistic assessment of what was really necessary.
Keep in mind that Ordnance was deliberately setting standards they were sure the AR-15 and the .223 cartridge could not meet, as an excuse to reject both the Armalite rifle and the entire small caliber high velocity concept in favor of “markmanship tradition” and their own pet T-47 aka M14.
The amazing thing is that the AR-15/5.56 combination succeeded in beating their tests in spite of everything from rigged conditions to deliberate sabotage. The Osprey weapon book (#14) on the M16 by Gordon L. Rottman has the whole reprehensible story.
cheers
eon
The Army certainly PERCEIVED it had a range problem with 5.56mm. Hence the change in the squad organization to having a designated marksman armed with a 7.62mm weapon, the SCAR being available optionally in 5.56mm or 7.62 and the adoption of the 6.8mm caliber.
“(…)Any reason nobody has used combustible gasses like propane for case less ammunition?(…)”
This is false, UTRON did developed artillery piece dubbed combustion light-gas gun
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combustion_light-gas_gun
which used mixture of hydrogenium and oxygenium for propelling projectile.
“Light gas” guns are a perennial in artillery, going back to acetylene mortars in WW1. (Actually used in combat by the Austrian Army to economize on propellant powder.)
But the idea of a “caseless” weapon using gaseous propellant sort of misinterprets what caseless’ means. Put simply, if you are using a liquid or compressed gas propellant you pretty much need either a cartridge case to act as a “bottle” for feeding and firing purposes, or else a very good breech seal so you can inject the propellant into the chamber behind the projectile and then fire it, generally electrically.
This can be made to work fairly well in an artillery piece with something like an interrupted-screw breech. In a small arm, especially a rapid-fire one, it’s a much more difficult proposition.
In his 1958 SF novel The Falling Torch, Algis Budrys postulated an infantry rifle that worked rather like a repeating pre-charged pneumatic (PSP), with a separate magazine for projectiles coupled with a gas bottle that was inserted into the buttstock. Using highly compressed nitrogen for propellant, it had roughly the ballistics of most modern 6.5 to 6.8mm AR-type rounds (very close to 7 x 57 Mauser in other words).
in the story, they demonstrated the “safety” of the compressed gas bottle y launching it from a mortar with no failure on impact. then they demonstrated its power by jamming the bottle under the roots of a fair-sized tree, backing off and pulling a lanyard to pop the valve. The tree went over with a crash; Newton’s Third Law in action.
I sort of consider “caseless” ammunition and “light gas” propellants in small arms to be two beautiful theories that constantly lose out to real-world conditions. we may see “gas-powered” artillery yet, but in small arms the “primitive” cartridge case filled with solid or liquid propellant looks like it’s going to be around for a long time to come.
cheers
eon
I agree with your main points here, but I think the “dieseling airgun” (built on platforms that already have the requirements you describe) deserves more attention. It seems to have been doomed by quirks in the market (airgun manufacturers couldn’t make them once they were deemed firearms, but firearm manufacturers weren’t interested) rather than a lack of merit.
“(…)Totally silent firearms?(…)”
For examples of Soviet capturing-gases weapons see:
Gurevich – revoler https://guns.fandom.com/wiki/Gurevich_silent_revolver
S4M, MSP – 2-barrel derringer-like
PSS – automatic pistol
Device D – standalone grenade-launcher
Tishina – under-barrel grenade-launcher
The reason that the early high velocity smokeless rifles used round nose bullets instead of spitzer bullets, is at that time it was believed that the round nose bullets has less drag than spitzers and that the shape of the point wasn’t important, but the degree of taper was. Metford conducted tests in 1878 where he concluded that the slope of the shoulder of the bullets was what controlled. He apparently tested no bullets faster than 1500fps. Supersonic flow was not understood at the time and at subsonic velocities round nose bullets have less drag than sharp pointed bullets. See “Rifles and Ammunition: And Rifle Shooting” by Ommundsen and Robinson (1915) page 157
Another factor was that the early military rifles of that type inherited the tubular magazines of their immediate forebears, the largebore blackpowder rifles like the Mauser model 71/84 (11.15 x 60R) or the Swiss Vetterli M69/81 (10.4 x 38R).
Tubular magazines and spitzer-point bullets as a rule do not mix, unless you do something clever like the “groove” in the case head of the 8 x 50R Lebel, or the modern Nosler “ballistic tip” bullet nose at the other end, which not only gives better drag coefficient to a hollow-point slug but also won’t indent a primer in a tubular magazine.
Spitzer bullets for military use pretty much had to wait for the tubular magazines to be superseded by box magazines. Mainly to avoid unpleasant incidents on the firing range.
cheers
eon
Bloke on the Range did a lecture on how the Swiss figured it out, if you want to save a trip to the library. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pO5RGfP22U
Well, look at 52 minutes into his presentation. The gentleman calling himself Bloke on the Range clearly shows that the pointed bullet was first adopted by France in 1898, calling it balle D. The other nations followed.
The British are to be congratulated to have the HBSA where presentations of such high quality are given.
As a matter of fact, we do not really know exactly how much better pointed bullets are compared to the round nose type they replaced. We have no reliable drag data about the latter, particularly at subsonic speeds. The old firing tables, being the best available then, are by far not comparable to modern radar-based data.
Regarding extended magazine for bolt action rifles. If I understand BRITISH MUZZLELOADER correctly, English doctrine for the SMLE was to initially load the magazine with 10 rounds before an engagement then reload after every 5 rounds. This would explain the scene in 1917 where the 2 Tommies load a single stripper in their rifles before leaving their trench. You wouldn’t be on the front lines with an unloaded rifle, yet you don’t need a full magazine in the trench until action is expected.
Imfdb page for the 1917 claims that loading only 5 when action was not anticipated was a common practice done in order to prevent wear on the magazine spring. The page gives no source for that information, but it would certainly make sense:
https://www.imfdb.org/wiki/1917_(2019)#Lee-Enfield_No._1_Mk._III
Thank you for the info. I seem to remember reading years ago that the English tested an extended magazine for the SMLE but one reason for rejecting it was user fatigue
when cycling the bolt more than 10 times in a row.
Mispronunciation of Garand. By both of you…
No such thing. It may not agree with how Mr Garand pronounced his name, but he didn’t own the rifle, the US Government did.
And who knows how his ancestors pronounced the name, and who in that line changed its pronunciation from year to year and generation to generation? I dare say that some of his ancestors pronounced it differently 50 years apart.
What is the correct pronunciation of the capital of France?
Trick question: What is the correct pronunciation of the capital of Japan? An American might say Toe Kee Yo. An American might hear a Japanese say Toe Kyo quickly, but Toe oh kee yoh oh slowly. Which is correct?
“Mispronunciation of Garand.(…)”
Was not that issue cleared by former article https://www.forgottenweapons.com/short-how-to-pronounce-garand-and-why/ ?
Yes. It’s pronounced like the philological term “gerund” (JER-und) except with a “hard” G (GARE-und).
Of course, a lot of people think “AR” stands for “Automatic Rifle” , instead of “ARmalite”, too.
cheers
eon
As far as bullpups, I think most armies now understand that a bullpup needs to be designed so it can be fired from either shoulder without having to stop, field-strip it, and turn things around. So far, only Beretta with the M2000 have managed to accomplish that, and you’d better hope nothing gets stuck in its shell-ejector tube.
Then there’s the little problem of a breech failure. In a conventional layout rifle, the chamber is far enough from your nose that it’s mostly your off-hand forearm you have to worry about. In a bullpup, your carotid artery, esophagus, aorta, and etc. stand a good chance of catching fragments and etc. So, no, not really.
Mostly the bullpup was a silly answer to the dumb question “how do we fit infantry into APCS when we’ve jammed too much other crap into same in trying to make them useful light tanks?”. Which was a dumb idea to begin with.
As far as the longevity of the AR and AK types, consider that i the last seven decades pretty much every attempt to come up with something that does their job better, more efficiently, or more simply has managed not to achieve any of the above. The AR is pretty much the most sensibly-designed self-loading rifle in history. The AK is about the simplest, most mule-stupid, and most reliable self-loading rifle design ever. I doubt that either one will be superseded any time soon.
For that matter, consider that even after eight decades, the Winchester M1 carbine is still being manufactured, still being sold, and still being used somewhere every day. To say nothing of the Winchester-type lever action repeating rifle, just passing its 120th birthday.
It’s not so much “timeless design” as “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
cheers
eon
“(…)Winchester-type lever action repeating rifle, just passing its 120th birthday(…)”
This reminded me https://mpopenker.livejournal.com/2752244.html but more seriously why 120, 120 years was 1902, why that was year of Winchester-type lever action repeating rifle?
In France I know at least a nice WW I museum in Meaux (east of Paris 30 miles, train) They have a pristine Meunier Rifle in particulllar.
For families accepting separation it is close to Eurodeisneyland.
Short barrel vs long barrel 5.56 mm distance capability works reasonably well for intermediate ranges- out to 300meters until you replace the 55-grain original bullet with the NQATO specified heavier bullets that were loaded to lower muzzle velocity to maintain safe pressure in the firearm and changed the velocity/accuracy parameters to favor the longer barrels.
Why is the Johnson LMG magazine designed like it is?
Because Melvin Johnson was a dumbass marine who thought he knew how to design military firearms