Revolver
Enfield MkII: Better Than the MkI, I Guess
The Enfield MkI had only been in service for two years when the MkII was adopted in March 1882 to resolve some of its problems (and reduce its cost). At the same time, a new […]
United Kingdom
Manual Repeater
Welrod .32 at the Range: British SOE’s Silent Assassin’s Pistol
I had the chance to take a .32ACP Welrod MkII out to the range for a bit of shooting. These use a combination of baffles and rubber wipes, and the suppressor’s effectiveness quickly drops from […]
Manual Repeater
The Experimental SOE Welrod MkI Prototype
The Welrod was a program to develop a silent assassination pistol for British SOE (Special Operations Executive) late in 1942. It needed to be chambered in the .32 ACP cartridge, be effective to a range […]
Antiques
Belton Repeating Flintlock: A Semiautomatic Rifle in 1785
In 1785, Joseph Belton (an American inventor) and William Jover (an English gunmaker) sold 560 repeating flintlock rifles to the British East India Company. The guns were a very remarkable design which used a detachable […]
Submachine Guns
Sten Mk5: The Cadillac of the Sten Family
The Sten Mk5 (sometimes written Sten MkV) was really the Cadillac of the Sten series. It was designed in 1943, and featured a full wooden buttstock patterned after the No4 Enfield rifle, as well as […]
Ammunition
Shooting Shaved Webley Revolvers (w/ Steinel Ammo)
Steinel Ammunition has started making a rather niche new product, but one that I think is quite convenient: .45 ACP downloaded to .455 Webley pressure. This is for use in Webley revolvers that were shaved […]
Submachine Guns
Sten MkIII: A Children’s Toy Company Makes SMGs
Lines Brothers was a company in the UK that made sheet metal childrens’ toys prior to the war. When production of the Sten guns began, Lines Bros was a parts subcontractor. Their engineers analyzed the […]
Submachine Guns
Sten MkII: Just When You Thought It Couldn’t Get Simpler
The Sten MkI had barely been approved for production when the Sten MkII was born. Initially requested to produce a version of the gun suitable for paratroopers, in March 1941 Harold Turpin redesigned the front […]
Submachine Guns
Sten MkI & MkI*: The Original Plumber’s Nightmare
The Sten gun was designed by RSAF Senior Draftsman (sorry, Draughtsman) Harold Turpin in December, 1940. He sketched out a simple trigger mechanism on December 2, showed it to Major Reginald Shepherd the next day, […]
Q&A
Q&A With Jonathan Ferguson of the British Royal Armouries
Today I am joined by Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the British Royal Armouries for a Q&A session, with questions provided by the fine folks who support Forgotten Weapons on Patreon… 1:02 […]