Ian's Customs
Ian’s Customs: WWSD Commando
Having worked with the KP-15 for the WWSD2020 project, I got a hankering to know how a tiny SBR carbine would work using a KP-15 lower. There is no option for using a pistol brace, […]
United States
Forgotten History
The Army’s Labor Union: Winchester 94s for the Loyal Legion of Loggers & Lumbermen
Today we have a rifle from a really neat forgotten corner of American military history. During World War One, the Pacific Northwest was the source of prime lumber, in particular Sitka Spruce that was ideal […]
Conversion
Ians Customs: Tanker M1 Scout
Today we are looking at the Tanker M1 rig I put together about 15 years ago. This is an original WW2 production receiver rebuilt with an 18″ 7.62mm NATO barrel in the 1980s by Arlington […]
Revolver
Deliberately Obsolete: Ottoman S&W New Model No.3 in .44 Henry Rimfire
The S&W No.3 revolver was originally designed for the .44 Henry Rimfire cartridge, but initial US military testing caused it to be changed to a centerfire cartridge, and all serial production would use centerfire ammunition. […]
Antiques
Why The Most Expensive US Martial Pistol Exploded A Lot
The Colt Model 1847 Walker is one of the most valuable of all US military handguns in the collecting community, with examples sometimes breaking seven figures. However, the Walker was in many ways a remarkable […]
Bolt Action Rifles
Winchester Model D: The WW1 Origin of the Famous Model 70
Just as World War One broke out in Europe, TC Johnson was working on a new Mauser-based sporting rifle design for the Winchester company. With the war, Johnson added options for military configurations (handguard, bayonet […]
Crude Copies
Spanish Patent Quirks: Anitua Y Charola’s Copy of the Merwin & Hulbert
The firm of Anitua Y Charola in Eibar, Spain (later renamed Charola Y Anitua) was founded in 1880 or 1881, and their first substantial product was a copy of the American Merwin & Hulbert revolver. […]
Book review
Book Review: The US M3/M3A1 Submachine Gun by Michael Heidler
It is a bit surprising that there has not previously been a significant book written on the M3 “Grease Gun” submachine gun – but Michael Heidler has corrected that empty space in the firearms literature. […]
Prototype
Winchester’s Prototype Model 1911 Was Actually a Browning Auto-5
When John Browning developed the self-loading shotgun that would become the Auto-5, he decided to depart from his existing standard business relationship with the Winchester company. Browning had historically sold his patents to Winchester for […]
Book review
Book Review: The Guns of John Moses Browning, by Nathan Gorenstein
John Moses Browning is, without argument, the greatest firearms designer in history. While we have had many brilliant designers who had their names forever connected to guns (Maxim, Luger, Kalashnikov…), Browning invented whole *categories* of […]