Forgotten Weapons

See Dr. Crawford's video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgyoGS4Niyc Update: Old English specialist Simon Roper has some fascinating insight into the Old English derivation of "atgierr" as well: https://youtu.be/A2OQV4MOOBg "Men of Terror: A Comprehensive Analysis of Viking Combat" by Reynir Óskarson and William Short is available on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3Kexo3A My helmet was generously provided by Grimfrost: https://glnk.io/6q1z/jacksoncrawford I have been privileged to be part of an original research project in collaboration with Dr. Jackson Crawford studying the early medieval origins of firearms in Europe. Studying manuscripts in the National Museum of Iceland, Dr. Crawford unearthed records of events that point to the accidental discovery of gunpowder during the Settlement Period on Iceland. Further study has revealed that the "atgeirr" references in some Icelandic sagas is, in fact, a long-forgotten early firearm. Consider, from Njal's Saga: "Hallgrímr had an atgeirr which he had ordered enchanted with dark magic, so that no weapon could kill him except for it. The enchantment also caused men to know right away when the weapon was used to kill someone, because the weapon would sing before it killed, so that it was heard far away. This was the great magic in the weapon." With the help of two craftsmen I recreated what we believe an atgeirr would have looked like, and took it out to the range. Lo and behold, it worked even better than we could have anticipated! It was truly an honor to be a part of this groundbreaking research. https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com When the French Army adopted the Mle 1892 revolver, it was a huge improvement over the previous standard from 1873. The new sidearm has a swing-out cylinder, simultaneous ejection, was lighter, and used a high-tech new small bore smokeless powder cartridge. With Army adoption came a tremendous interest for the civilian sector. Civilians heading off to live in the French colonies in Africa and Indochina, military officers and reservists, police agencies, and private security firms were all hot to get the fancy new weapon - rather like the civilian interest in the US Army’s new M17/SIG 320 handgun. Civilian manufacture and sale began almost immediately, and in total about 88,000 civilian versions of the Mle 1892 were made (alongside 366,000 military ones). Copies were made in Spain and Belgium as well as within France itself. This example was proofed at the St Etienne proof house and sold by Manufrance - although it may well have been assembled from Belgian-made parts to reduce cost. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

Now in stock and shipping from Headstamp Publishing: https://www.headstamppublishing.com/swords Swords of the Emperor: A Guide to the Identification of Imperial Japanese Swords, 1873 – 1945 is a comprehensive reference work examining a little-studied period in the Japanese swordmaking tradition. Japan is internationally renowned for its traditional swords, but comparatively little has been written about the swords of the Imperial period, which include both traditional, hand-made examples and modern, machine-made types. After Japan was ‘opened’ to the West in the 19th century, a period of rapid modernization saw the adoption of European-style military arms, uniforms, and accoutrements. This was also reflected in changes to military swords, which closely echoed Western designs—albeit with a Japanese twist—until a period of resurgent nationalism in the 1930s that continued through the Second World War. Swords of the Emperor follows the evolution of Japanese military, police, diplomatic, and court swords throughout this fascinating, complex period. At 592 pages, Swords of the Emperor illustrates more than 220 swords with more than 2,000 original photographs, supplemented by archival material and original illustrations. In addition to those swords prescribed by uniform regulations for the armed services and civil service corps, the book also examines little-known examples, such as the 1873 Japanese Marine sword and the Gensuitō (Marshal’s sword) gifted to King George V in 1918. While the book is primarily intended as an identification and reference guide for collectors, curators, and researchers, enthusiasts will find much to enjoy in this beautiful, lavishly illustrated volume. https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Brigadier General Benjamin Stone Roberts designed and patented a fall-block style of breech loading conversion to .58 Rimfire. Over the course of the decade after the Civil War, he was able to sell approximately 23,000 of these conversions. The work was done by the Providence Tool Company, and included two main patterns - the early short frame and the later long frame. This example is a short frame gun, probably from a 5,000-gun contract to Brazil. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com This is a unique and interesting German proofed .22 rimfire target pistol. It uses a simple blowback slide, which locks open after each shot. It is striker fired, with a 12-inch barrel and a quite nice trigger. The top of the receiver is marked “Alk” in a fancy script engraving, and also has a partially legible line that was probably the location of manufacture (only “BURG” is legible now). I don’t know anything about the history of the gun, but it strikes me as probably a one-off creation by a mechanically inclined target shooting enthusiast. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we looked at the mechanics and the history of the Sten Mk4(S), and today we have it out at the range! The very short barrel and its porting reduce the velocity of standard 115gr 9mm ammunition below the speed of sound, and so the gun is very quiet. To my surprise, the complete lack of cheek weld was not really a hindrance in keeping the sights in focus, although I would definitely prefer to have a Mk5 Sten over the Mk4 in combat. That said, the Mk4 is an exceptionally rare item, and it was great to be able to show it to you in use! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Sten Mk4 was developed experimentally in 1943 for use by British paratroops. It used a remarkably awful folding stock along with a shortened receiver and barrel to make a very compact package - albeit one that must have been very uncomfortable to shoot. Several different models were made, with this one being a Mk4a(S) - the suppressed version. The suppressor is essentially the same system as used on the MkII(S), but with the rear endcap and barrel being permanently fixed to the receiver of the gun. Only a small number (allegedly 2000) Mk4 guns were originally made, and they were used for testing only - never for field service. Virtually all were destroyed after the war, with a few remaining examples in British museums. This one was amnesty registered in 1968, and is almost certainly the only one in private hands in the US (and possible the only privately owned one in the world). The Mk4 was dropped in favor of the Mk5, which was a much more effective gun and was used by the British paratroopers in the late days of World War Two. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com We are approaching the end of the interminably long lawsuit between GWACS and KE Arms. A few weeks ago, the judge presiding over the case threw out most of GWACS' complaints, and released all but one of the defendants. So now Brownells, Shawn Nealon, Russell Phagan, and Sinistral Shooting Technologies have all been released from the suit, which is great news. The only remaining defendant is KE Arms, and the only remaining complaints being considered are related to alleged NDA violations. Unfortunately, because there are remaining complaints, there will still be a trial, and KE will continue to rack up legal fees to pay for it. If you would like to help, the best way is via KP15 and KP9 receivers - all revenue coming into the company is going to the legal defense. The trial is scheduled for May 15, and hopefully the next update I have for you will be shortly after that, announcing GWACS' crushing defeat - thanks to everyone for your ongoing support for KE in this! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The FN CAL (Carabine Automatique Legere) was Fabrique Nationale's first attempt at a 5.56mm rifle, and it was not successful. They replaced it with the FNC, which saw much wider success. The CAL is quite scarce today, and it was a very cool opportunity to take one out to the range! It performed rather better than I expected, to be honest... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we took a look at the mechanics and history of Heinrich Vollmer's 1930 pattern VMP, and today we have it out at the range. I'm curious is the mid-point monopod will actually help or hinder accurate shooting...shall we find out? Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In 1925, the German military began a series of secret SMG trials at the Kummersdorf testing grounds. One of the participants was Heinrich Vollmer. He was funded directly by the government for his small arms R&D until 1930, and iteratively developed his design until it went into large-scale production as the Erma EMP. What we are looking at today is the VMP 1930 pattern (a C&R transferrable example). At this stage, the gun had most of its final design elements, including a traditional box magazine, self-contained recoil spring system, and bare barrel. It also had a collapsing monopod in the vertical front grip, which would be later discarded. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In 1865, brothers William and George Miller of Meriden CT patented a system to convert percussion muskets to use the new Rimfire ammunition that was becoming available. Between 1865 and 1867, the local Meridan Manufacturing Company converted 2,000 surplus US Model 1861 muskets (mostly made by Parker & Snow) to the Miller system, using .58 Rimfire ammunition. The US military tested one of these conversions in 1867, and found it to suffer from some gas leakage and about a 3% misfire rate. There was no further Army interest, although the New York and Maryland state militias did both purchase small numbers of the guns. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The town of Dara Adam Khel has became a locus of firearms manufacture in response to the British occupation of Pakistan and Afghanistan in the 19th century, and it has remained dedicated to that industry to the present day. While much of the firearms manufacturing there is done to a much higher standard than most people would expect, some shops are also quite happy to make cheap, poor-quality guns. It is those cheap examples that have become associated with the region for many people, and today we are looking at one such revolver. This is a Khyber Pass copy of a Webley MkIV revolver in .32 caliber. It is in quite poor condition, with misspelled markings and several broken internal parts.It is a perfect representation of the stereotypical Khyber gun… Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday we looked at the history and the mechanics of the Soviet heavy machine guns from World War Two, the DShK-38. Today, we are taking it out to the range! Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In 1925 the USSR began a program to develop a heavy machine gun for antiaircraft use. After some initial experimentation with a converted Dreyse machine gun, they brought in Degtyarev to scale up his recently-adopted light machine gun to the task. Degtyarev’s first design was ready in 1930, and underwent testing until 1933. It was designated the DK, and used a 30-round drum magazine. This contributed to an unacceptably low rate of fire (~360 rpm), and the feed system was replaced by an ingenious development of Georgiy Shpagin to use belts instead. Fitted with the Shpagin feed system, the DShK finished field testing in 1939 and was adopted as the model 1938. Production was slow, and the guns were not used on anything like the scale of American M2 use during World War Two. A total of about 9000 were in use at the end of the war, although the subsequent update to the DshKM (aka DShK 38/46) pattern would see it fitted to many armored vehicles, and total production eventually topped one million. This example is a very early production 1939 example, most likely a Finnish capture piece from the Winter War or Continuation War. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The first production version of the FG42 used a fantastically complex milled receiver and a distinctive sharply swept-back pistol grip. A contract to make 5,000 of them was awarded to Krieghoff in late spring of 1943, but by the fall its replacement was already well into development. The milled receiver used a lot of high-nickel steel which was becoming difficult for Germany to acquire, and it was decided to develop a stamped receiver to ease production obstacles. Ultimately only about 2,000 of the early Type E FG42 rifles were actually made, and only 12 or 15 are registered in the US. They are a remarkably advanced rifle, and extremely interesting. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com This revolver appears to be one of the pre-production prototypes S&W made for the Russian No.3 revolver contract. Its frame has been expertly converted to a birdshead style. It handles very nicely, but was apparently not ultimately desired by the Russian purchasing commission, and the design was not used beyond this prototype sample. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Back in 1975, Beretta introduced a line of mid-size semiauto pistols. The Model 81 was in .32 ACP (intended for the European market) and the Model 84 was chambered for .380 ACP for Americans. These both used double-stack magazines, and single-stack versions followed a few years later (the 82 and 85). Additional models were also available with a variety of safety and control configurations. Well, at SHOT Show this year Beretta introduced its reboot of the Cheetah, now called the Model 80X. It now uses an aluminum frame, slim grips, ambi controls that allow carry either cocked-and-locked or decocked, and an optics mounting cut. It is only available in .380, and uses a 13-round magazine. The DA trigger in particular is fantastically good. I'm joined today by Matt Haught of Symtac Consulting, who has been shooting Model 81 Berettas for a long time, and who is excited to get a chance to try out the new 80X on the clock. Much to his chagrin, I did manage to beat him - but only by a single point. The match was a lot of fun, and it's hard to complain about a pistol that we were able to take 2nd and 3rd place overall with... Disclosure: Beretta did not pay us for this, but did send the gun for free. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com In the aftermath of World War Two, the Austrian Army was basically disarmed and disbanded. When it was allowed to reform in the 1950s, it needed new armaments, and in 1958 it adopted the SSG-98k as a new sniper's rifle. This replaced the leftover German K98k snipers that had been used by the small post-war Austrian police and border guard forces. Essentially, the SSG-98k was a surplus German Kar 98k Mauser with a new 7.62x51mm barrel (Austria was not a NATO member, but used the NATO cartridge), a cut-down stock, commercial Pachmayr recoil pad, and a Kahles 4x31mm ZF-58 scopes. A variety of base rifles were used for these, from very early pre-war German Mausers through post-war French-occupation Mausers. The SSG-98k served for about ten years, being replaced in 1969 by the much more advanced Steyr SSG-69. Some remained in inventory into the 1980s. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Yesterday over on Utreon we took a look at the design choices I made for my P365, and how I put it together ( https://utreon.com/v/VXMSAFffTqK ). Today, I've got it out at the BUG Match for a trial run! Let's see how it handles... Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com From Paul on Patreon: "I’ve always thought there were a lot of older guns that deserve to be reproduced, many of which could be really simple to manufacture. PSA is planning the release of their StG44 repro which is exciting. But why don’t we see this sort of thing more often. I suppose not everyone in the firearms community is going to want this sort of thing, but I think there are a lot of guns that would sell well enough to justify their reproduction." Fundamentally, we don't see more reproduction firearms because they are actually a lot harder and more expensive to make than people would think, and the market for them is small than people would think. Re-engineering old firearms for new production is a really substantial project, and the original data required rarely exists. The guns must be cheap enough and reliable enough to attract modern buyers, which will often require compromises on authenticity - which immediately reduces the already-small pool of potential buyers. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

This video is being reposted, because I deleted it proactively to avoid getting a YouTube strike for showing the attachment of a silencer. ------------ https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Patented in Germany as System Schätzle, the L26 was a departure from the copies of the Russian wipe-based silencer designs. The L26 used a set of six identical cone-shaped metal baffles inside a simple tube. It attached to a rifle by clamping around the front sight, just like the rifle grenade launcher developed for the K98k. The basic design was used for several different models; basically everything in the Wehrmacht arsenal that was 8mm in diameter (although not the antitank rifle...). This example is for rifles, but a model was also made for the MG42, and about 200 of them were actually fielded. Total rifle pattern production was supposed to be 1000 units, but manufacturing problems led to production ending early (we don't know exactly how early). Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Darne company was one of relatively few private arms manufacturers in France, best known for shotguns. During World War One they got into the machine gun trade, making licensed Lewis guns for the French air service. After making a few thousand of those, Regis Darne designed his own belt-fed machine gun in 1917. A large order was placed by the French military, but it was cancelled before production began because of the end of the war. Darne continued to develop this design in the 1920s, while also producing sporting arms to keep the business running. The gun was intended mostly as an aircraft gun, but designed in a rather modular fashion, easily made into both magazine-fed and belt-fed infantry versions as well as downing, wing, and observer aerial models. It was actually bought by the French Air Force, as well as several other countries during the inter-war period. The example we are looking at today is an infantry configuration, with a bipod and light-profile barrel. It is chambered for the French 7.5x54mm cartridge, and is officially the Model 1933 (one of the last iterations made). Many thanks to the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and Military History in Brussels for access to this very rare piece! Check them out here: https://www.klm-mra.be/en/ Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com The Remington Rolling Block was a very popular rifle in the 1860s and 1870s, and probably would have been a better choice than the Trapdoor Springfield for the US military. But among the nations that did adopt is were the Papal States. While Vatican City is a tiny sovereign enclave today in Rome, in the 1800s the Pope directly controlled a much larger area, roughly the size of Switzerland early in the 1800s. Three different models of Rolling Block were adopted by the Papal States in the effort to rebuild their military after a serious defeat in 1860 - rifles, carbines, and musketoons - the latter being what we have today. All three were made by the Nagant Brothers in Liege and can be identified by the Papal crest (the crossed keys of St Peter) on the top of the barrel. Westley Richards in the UK also produced 5,000 rolling block rifles, but these had serious quality problems. The Nagant Brothers rifles began to arrive in the fall of 1868. They saw service for only a few years, as the departure of French forces in the fall of 1870 (to take part in the Franco-Prussian War) allowed the Italian Army to seize Vatican City without much difficulty. A few survived in the hands of the Pope's personal guard, but most of these rolling blocks were taken into Italian Army service. They would serve until being replaced by Vetterli rifles, and were eventually sent to Ethiopia as military aid to Emperor Menelik II in the 1880s. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740

https://utreon.com/c/forgottenweapons/ http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Edward Felk was an Australian who decided to produce semiauto pistols in Australia. In 1994 he patented a couple features of his new design, and set about finding a way to produce it. He ended up subcontracting with Star of Spain to produce barrels and slides, while the polymer frames were produced in Australia. The Star parts were pretty well done, but the frames were fairly poor quality. The original translucent polymer magazines were also a problem; they tended to crack. The first version of the gun was the TF919 in 9mm (also the TF400 in .40S&W), with an open slide reminiscent of the Beretta family, and a manual safety lever that pivots out the back of the trigger itself. A second pattern (the MTF919 and MTF400) came out in the late 1990s and used a more conventional closed slide and a Glock-like conventional trigger safety. All of the patterns are quite scarce today, as the whole project was a commercial failure. Contact: Forgotten Weapons 6281 N. Oracle 36270 Tucson, AZ 85740