Older, Odd, Offbeat And Forgotten Guns & Ammo

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HK XM-8: What Was it and Why? (With Larry Vickers)
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 20, 2018
Larry Vickers has the closest thing most any of us will ever have to a true XM-8 rifle, and has more than a little trigger time on the original XM-8 rifles. So, I asked him to explain what the rifle was and why it failed to become the new American service rifle. It's a fascinating story that will give you a lot of insight into the state of rifle development over the last 20 years!

 

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Iron Sights at 800 Yards: New Mexico Milsurps Match!
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 21, 2018
While traveling through Albuquerque, I was invited to join the New Mexico Milsurps club for one of their long range rifle matches. This is no typical shooting challenge - the course of fire is 20 rounds (after the spotting shots to figure out your hold) on a 21" x 43" silhouette target at 800 yards. It is open to unmodified military firearms only, with a heavy focus on iron sighted bolt action rifles. I was loaned an Eddystone M1917 rifle in .30-06 to use - one of the best military bolt actions ever made, in my opinion.

The club has a very cool system set up for spotting hits on the target. A bracket on the back of the target holds a piezoelectric accelerometer connects to a bright strobe flash on a tripod about 10 yards off to the side. When a bullet hits the target plate, the accelerometer triggers the strobe to flash, and that light is readily visible from even 800 yards away (as you can see in the video).

The match was a lot of fun - both the shooting challenge and the company of the club members. My thanks for their hospitality and a great time!

http://1886lebel.tripod.com/nmmilsurp...

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Forgotten Weapons Visits South Africa - Teaser Trailer!
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 21, 2018
Thanks to you awesome folks who support me through Patreon, I am currently in South Africa filming some seriously cool stuff for the channel. Everything you see here is from an upcoming video, and I still have half the trip still to go!

So...enjoy this tease of what's coming!

 

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Lahti L-35: Finland's First Domestic Service Automatic Pistol
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 23, 2018
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When Finland decided to replace the Luger as its service handgun, they turned to Finland's most famous arms designer, Aimo Lahti. After a few iterations, Lahti devised a short recoil semiautomatic pistol with a vertically traveling locking block, not too different from a Bergmann 1910 or Type 94 Nambu. It was adopted in 1935, but production did not really begin in earnest until 1939 at the VKT rifle factory. Several variations were made as elements of the gun were simplified to speed up production, and the design was also licensed to the Swedish Husqvarna company, which manufactured nearly 10 times as many of the pistols as VKT eventually did.

In today's video we will look at each of the variations, including one with an original shoulder stock and the early and late military guns as well as the post-war commercial guns marked Valmet instead of VKT.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Polish and German Police Silenced CZ-27 Pistols
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 25, 2018
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Today we are looking at two suppressed CZ-27 pistols, one Polish and one German. The Polish one was issued by the Ministry of Public Security, an agency which only existed from 1945 until 1954. It uses an aluminum suppressor with 5 baffles and 5 rubber wipes, threaded onto an extended barrel. It is clearly not intended for precise shooting, as the sights do not clear the top of the suppressor!

The German pattern is substantially different. It was used by the Gestapo during the Nazi regime, and also by West German security services after World War Two. The suppressor is a non-disassemblable unit with a series of sheet metal baffles, and attached to a belled expended barrel. The rear of the suppressor has a circle of six flexible flanges that snap over the belled muzzle, and a threaded section which screws down over them to lock the unit in place. This suppressor also blocks the pistol's sights, and so it was made with a set of sights on the body of the suppressor tube.

Thanks to the anonymous collector who provided me access to these two pistols!

You can also find Forgotten Weapons on Full30, at: https://www.full30.com/channels/forgo...

 

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Classic Firearms Tour! Surplus Gun Heaven!
sootch00

Published on Apr 24, 2018
Classic Firearms Warehouse Tour! Imported Surplus and New Firearms. A Big Thanks to Ben, Dillon and Robbie in the background.

Sootch00 T-Shirts get 5% Discount Code Sootch5 https://www.forgedfromfreedom.com/col...

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Testing 7.65mm French Long Ammo (Reed's and Buffalo Arms)
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 26, 2018
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I am on the search for suitable ammunition for the Mle 1935A and Mle 1935S French pistols, as well as my MAS-38 submachine gun. They are chambered for the 7.65mm French Long cartridge, aka 7.65x20mm, aka .32 French Long. It has never been produced commercially that I am aware of, and surplus French military ammunition is scarce, corrosive, and very unreliable. So that leaves a couple custom ammunition makers to try from.

I did not try anything from Gad's Ammo, as I have had poor experiences trying to order from him in the past.

I did buy a supply of ammo from Buffalo Arms, made with converted .32 S&W Long brass. I also was given some similar ammunition made by Reed's Custom Ammo by a viewer (thanks!). I also had a selection of steel-case French surplus ammo. My results on a chronograph were:

Buffalo Arms (9 shots):
Average velocity at 3 yards - 979fps
Standard deviation - 41 fps.
Conclusion: Underpowered; usually ejected the case but would not chamber a new one. Not recommended.

Reed's Custom (9 shots):
Average velocity at 3 yards - 815fps
Standard deviation - 82 fps. (!)
Conclusion: Significantly underpowered and extremely inconsistent. Never cycled the pistol, and usually failed to eject the empty case. Definitely not recommended.

French surplus:
10 rounds attempted, only one fired. Velocity of that round was 1085fps. Corrosive. Not recommended.

At SHOT Show in January 2018, the Starline booth rep told me that they were planning to start making proper new production 7.65mm French Long brass within the year. My understanding is that converted .32 S&W brass has a tendency to split case heads when loaded to original spec, so getting new production brass from Starline will be the key to anyone being able to make workable ammo for these pistols (both at home and commercially).

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Swiss MP-41/44: Adolph Furrer and His Toggle Lock Fascination
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 27, 2018
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The Swiss military discovered an urgent need for submachine guns in the early years of World War II, and sent out a very short-notice request for SMG designs. This seemed like the perfect opportunity for the SIG concern, which had been development a very good line of submachine guns through the 1930s. Their only serious competition was the WF Bern factory, which did not have anything of the sort in production. However, the director of the Bern plant (Adolph Furrer) was politically connected and make an energetic effort to promote a gun of his own design. Furrer had been tinkering with toggle locked designs for several decades, and had designed the Swiss LMG-25 machine gun. He claimed that his own submachine gun would be lighter, simpler, cheaper, and just all around better than SIG's...despite the fact that he didn't actually have it in production yet.

Unfortunately for the Swiss, Furrer's arguments worked, and Bern ended up with a contract for what would be designated the MP41. It was a short-recoil, toggle-locked gun using a side-mounted 40 round single-feed magazine and firing at a rate of 850-900 rounds/minute. Predictably, production delays meant that the threat of German invasion was completely gone by the time a substantial number of the guns were actually delivered. The Swiss military would honor his contract, but lost patience in 1943 and obtained a production license for the Suomi SMG from Finland, and would produce more MP43/44 Suomi guns than Furrer guns. The MP41 was slightly updated in 1944, and would remain in Swiss service until the mid 1970s, when they were removed from inventory and almost all scrapped (because no other country was interested in buying them).

Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Feeling the Bern: Shooting the Swiss Furrer MP-41/44 SMG
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 28, 2018
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When I filmed yesterday's video on the MP-41/44, and did not know I would have a chance to actually do some live fire with it. But we snuck off to a little shooting range to have a try (sorry for the poor lighting!). The question going in for me was whether the locking system and the weight of the gun would make for a very nice shooting experience. I knew that it had a fairly high rate of fire, but didn't know how all the elements would come together.

It turned out to be a pretty controllable weapon, not exceptionally bad but also not exceptionally good. For all the complexity that Furrer put into the design, it handled pretty much like any other typical 9mm submachine gun.

Thanks to Kessler Auktionen AG for letting me film some of their guns!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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The Afghan Long Rifle or Traditional Jezail
TFB TV

Published on Apr 25, 2018
The Afghan Long Rifle, or more commonly known in the West as a "Jezail" struck free into General Elphinstone's combined British and Indian Army of 1841 and 1842 as soldiers were shot down from hundreds of meters beyond the effective range of their own smoothbore muskets. The Afghan Long Rifle was unlike many flintlock rifles at the time in that it had an extremely long barrel and a curved stock unlike many European designs. Although it didn't originate in Afghanistan, it quickly became known as uniquely Afghan in the many conflicts with the British in the mid-1800s. Because of the weight, stock, and long barrel, the rifle was not meant to be fired from an offhand position and instead was essentially a benchrest gun. Rather than a detriment, this favored the Afghans who fired upon the British from the advantage of the hills where they could rest the rifle on rocks and other terrain features. Along with this method of employment, the Afghans were able to be sufficiently accurate out to 500 meters as some accounts explain. This put the British infantry with their 100-150 meter effective range smooth bore Brown Bess's at a very distinct disadvantage, especially while in massed columns at the base of a mountain valley. In fact the only arm that the British could effectively fire back at the Afghans were their wheeled field guns. But these were almost useless against an entire hillside of Pashtun tribesmen scattered behind rocks for cover.




GUNS IN THIS VIDEO

Afghan Long Rifle

 

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Vektor CR21: South Africa's Futuristic Bullpup
Forgotten Weapons

Published on Apr 30, 2018
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The CR-21 was a private effort to create a new rifle for the South African military in the 1990s. Bullpup designs were all the rage at the time (Austria has the AUG, France had the FAMAS, the UK had the SA80, etc), and so a company called Lyttelton Engineering Works (now part of Denel Land Systems) created a bullpup conversion design for the South African R4 (Galil). It was given a very fluid, futuristic look, and equipped with a fiber optic optic without any iron sights. The action and magazines remained original R4/Galil, however.

The weapon was promoted to the South African military as an economical upgrade package for the R4 rifles already in service, but was met with little interest. Further efforts to sell the weapon to South African police and international military or security customers similarly met with no success. In total, only 200 complete rifles were made, plus parts for another 200. They achieved some notoriety in fictional media because of their looks, including use in the film "District 9". As often happens, however, becoming popular in film or video games does not equate to commercial success.

Many thanks to the anonymous collector who let me take a look at this piece and bring you a video on it!

 

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Valmet M82 5.56 Bullpup
Military Arms Channel

Published on Apr 30, 2018
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From the 1970's to present, bullpups have been trying to carve a commercial market out for themselves in the US. Valmet started production of the M82 bullpup in the late 70's and by 1986 the Valmet M82 was out of production. The M82 bullpup was Finland's attempt at turning an AK rifle based on their M76 into a bullpup. Sadly, it was a rather poor design that wasn't very popular.

 

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Final Prices: Rock Island April 2018 Auction
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 1, 2018
As usual, I have a recap today of the final prices of the guns I filmed from the most recent RIA auction (April 2018). Probably the most surprising one in this batch was the McCarty prototype turret revolver...

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Dutch Mannlicher Plus Lewis Gun Bolt Equals Semiauto...?
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 2, 2018
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Basically nothing is known about this rifle in terms of who created it or when - but it is a pretty interesting example of an attempt to convert a bolt action rifle to semiautomatic. This rifle began life as a standard Dutch Mannlicher rifle. The conversion was done here be splicing a Lewis Gun gas piston/op rod to the side of the barrel, and then modifying the bolt to work like a Lewis bolt, with a fixed firing pin and rotating cam in the bolt body. To top it off, the gas piston is driven not by a drilled gas port, but rather by a gas trap extension on the muzzle.

The bolt conversion work seems to have been done pretty well, but the receiver extension could hardly be any more crude. It cracked and broke off the original receiver at some point, and has been poorly welded back in place (mostly).

Thanks to the Dutch National Military Museum for allowing me access to film this rifle! Check them out at: https://www.nmm.nl

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Yugoslavia's PPSh Lookalike: The M49/57
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 4, 2018
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Shortly after the end of World War Two, Yugoslavia adopted a submachine gun that looked very much like the Soviet PPSh-41, and was obviously inspired by it. However, the manufacturing methods were completely different, with the Yugoslav gun being of all milled construction and with internal parts far more similar to the Beretta 38 family of SMGs than to the PPSh. In fact, the original Yugoslav M49 used a captive recoil spring like the Beretta 38, which was simplified in the M49/57 variation just as is was simplified by Beretta during WW2.

The controls are similar to the PPSh, particularly the fire selector lever and the magazine release, which are basically identical in both guns. The Yugo uses a push-button safety in place of the PPSh's bolt-mounted safety, and the disassembly procedure is entirely different because of the different construction technique.

The M49 and M49/57 were offered for export sale in both 7.62mm Tokarev and 9mm Parabellum, but I was not able to find evidence of any substantial sales. The gun was ultimately replaced in Yugoslav service by the M56 submachine gun - a gun with an interesting similarity to the German MP40.

Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine their M49/57!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Swiss Schmidt–Rubin 1889 with IV8888
Military Arms Channel

Published on May 4, 2018
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We take out a Schmidt–Rubin 1889 7.5x53.5 caliber straight pull bolt action rifle and do some shooting. First though, we have to make some of the obsolete ammunition using existing GP11 brass. The Schmidt–Rubin 1889 set the stage for future Swiss rifles such as the Model of 1911 and the famous K31. My good friend Iraqveteran8888 hosts us at his range and shows us the ropes on how to recreate the obsolete 7.5x53.5 cartridge.

 

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Swiss K11 With Military Arms Channel
Iraqveteran8888

Published on May 5, 2018
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In this video, Tim from Military Arms Channel joins us at the range for some Swiss rifle fun with a very nice K11 carbine. Stay tuned, much more on the way.

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DISCLAIMER: Our videos are strictly for documentary, educational, and entertainment purposes only. Imitation or the use of any acts depicted in these videos is solely AT YOUR OWN RISK. All work on firearms should be carried out by a licensed individual and all state and federal rules apply to such. We (including YouTube) will not be held liable for any injury to yourself or damage to your firearms resulting from attempting anything shown in any our videos. We do not endorse any specific product and this video is not an attempt to sell you a good or service. We are not a gun store and DO NOT sell or deal in firearms. Such a practice is heavily regulated and subject to applicable laws. We DO NOT sell parts, magazines, or firearms. These videos are free to watch and if anyone attempts to charge for this video notify us immediately. By viewing or flagging this video you are acknowledging the above.

Fair Use: In the rare instance we include someone else’s footage it is covered in Fair Use for Documentary and Educational purposes with intention of driving commentary and allowing freedom of speech.

Copyright 2018, 88 Industries, LLC

 

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Shooting the Yugoslav M49/57 Submachine Gun
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 5, 2018
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The Yugoslav M49/57 submachine gun looks very similar to the Soviet PPSh-41, but it constructed quite differently, and has a much larger recoil spring. The question is, how will it shoot? Will it be fast and controllable like the Papasha or slower like the Sudayev?

Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their M49/57!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Reproduction RP-46 Belt-Feed Conversion
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 7, 2018
Operator's Guide to the RP-46: https://youtu.be/aKj9FuF5-xQ

You can order your own by contacting SMG Guns at [redacted per YouTube rules]. It's very exciting to have these available, as they are extremely difficult to find originals for sale - and these reproductions can be mounted on standard DP/DPM guns (semiauto or full auto) whereas the original require a couple permanent modifications to the host gun.

Full comparison video with an original RP-46 coming soon, I hope!

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Maschinengewehr des Standschützen Hellriegel: A WW1 Phantom
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 8, 2018
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I have gotten quite a lot of questions about this experimental Austrian 1915 machine gun or submachine gun since it was included in the Battlefield One computer game. Unfortunately, the sum total of information we have on this weapon is three photographs found in an Austrian archive. Extrapolating from those photos, we can tell that it was a water-cooled, pistol caliber weapon fed by both stick magazines and drums. To the best of my knowledge, no example survives, as the weapon never went beyond an initial firing trial. For more information, I recommend Matthew Moss's excellent article at HistoricalFirearms.info.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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American Icons: The Lever Action Rifle
Military Arms Channel

Published on May 8, 2018
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Lever action rifles like the 1873 Winchester or even modern lever actions made by companies such as Henry are the embodiment of American history and culture. The helped to define a nation that people around the world still identify with, and that's the era of the American Wild West. The lever action has come to symbolize that era along with the single action pistol (we will get into that later). We head out to the range with our lever guns to have a little informal shooting fun.

 

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Steyr ACR: A Polymer Flechette-Firing Bullpup From the 90s
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 9, 2018
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The US Army ACR (Advanced Combat Rifle) program was an effort to find a new type of infantry rifle which could increase the practical accuracy of the M16 by a whopping 100% in the early 1990s. Building on a legacy of similar programs like SALVO and SPIW, the basic idea being tried were extremely high rates of burst fire, flechette rounds, and duplex cartridges as a way to increase hit probability mechanically. There were four final entries into the rifle trials - rifle from AAI, Colt, H&K (the G11), and this rifle from Steyr.

The Steyr ACR entry is a polymer-bodied weapon taking many basic cues from the AUG. It has a low power optic as its primary sighting device, translucent magazines (capacity only 24 round, though), a roughly 1200 rpm rate of fire, and full-hand trigger guard. Mechanically, uses an annular gas piston and fired from an open bolt, with semiauto and 3-round burst modes. The locking system is a unique vertically sliding chamber, using a similarly unique 10gr flechette cartridge with a polymer case and ring primer. It is quite the interesting an unusual rifle...but it failed meet the accuracy standards of the M16, much less substantially improve upon them. In the end, the ACR program was cancelled with none of the entrants meeting the goal.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Mystery Hungarian LMG
jmantime

Published on May 6, 2018

 

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Smallest Artillery Cannon in History
jmantime

Published on May 9, 2018
Smallest Artillery used in Te Great War
Austrian-Hungarian - Skoda 37mm Infanteriegeschutz M. 15 - https://en.valka.cz/topic/view/43099/...
https://sassik.livejournal.com/47638....

 

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French Rifle Markings Tutorial with Patrick Hernandez
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 10, 2018
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Patrick Hernandez is a noted collector of French rifles here in the US, and a moderator of several French firearm discussion channels - so when it comes to deciphering the markings on a French rifle he is an excellent person to ask. So today, we will go through each of the markings that is found on a typical French military rifle. We will be demonstrating on an 1890 Cuirassier Berthier carbine, but this information is applicable to all variations of the Chassepot, Gras, Berthier, Lebel, and RSC rifles.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Madsen M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær: The Strangest Semiauto
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 11, 2018
Development of the weapon that would eventually become the very successful 1902 Madsen light machine gun began many years earlier, in 1883. Two Danes, Madsen and Rasmussen, began working on a recoil-operated self loading rifle design that year, with Madsen developing the idea and Rasmussen fabricating the actual pieces. The project was made difficult by the black powder cartridges available at that time (black powder fouled intricate mechanics quickly, and also created a relatively poor recoil impulse compared to later smokeless powders), but by 1887 they had a workable gun completed. This rifle, designated the M1888 Forsøgsrekylgevær, was entered into Danish military testing, and went so far as to have 50 rifles field-tested by a battalion of troops. The conclusion was that the design wasn’t good enough for infantry use (although it was considered for fortress use, which would presumably be a cleaner environment that being in the hands of field infantry units), and the Krag-Jørgensen was selected instead for general issue.

Note the very small bayonet, typical of recoil-operated rifles in which too heavy a bayonet will cause the rifle to malfunction by increasing the weight of the reciprocating barrel assembly (the M1941 Johnson rifle was also recoil operated and used a similar style bayonet). As testing progressed, stacking swivels were added to the guns.

Many thanks to the Tøjhusmuseet (Royal Danish Armory Museum) for letting me have access to these very rare rifles! Check them out at: http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-royal...

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GPMG Firing Comparison: PKM vs UK vz.59
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 12, 2018
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Since I had the opportunity to do some shooting with both a Yugoslav PKM and a Czech vz.59 general-purpose machine gun, I thought it would be interesting to compare them side by side. Which is better as a proper machine gun? And, to make things interesting, which is better as a semiauto-only firearm, as they are both available in the US?

Thanks to Marstar for letting me examine and shoot their M84 PKM and UK vz.59!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Walther P38 Failure Day!
InRangeTV

Published on May 12, 2018
Old weapons have their foibles, as do some modern ones, but older designs are particularly suited to being troublesome.

While the P38 was indeed a step forward in terms of combat pistol design and cost of manufacture, it still retains some pretty odd design choices that can be problematic.

It tooks us 4 tries to get Ian through 1 stage on this particular day with this particular P38 and the failures really were an excellent opportunity to display to you viewers some of the things that can go on with these old designs, as well as the match in general.

It is very interesting to note that the post war Walther P4 and P5, both P38 derivatives, were modified in a way that addressed all of the issues we experienced with this original WW2 pistol. Matches and the "real world" aren't always that far apart.

Vickers Tactical has a great video about the P4 and some of those changes here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tsxC...

This event and video truly was a learning experience.

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SMG Guns - DPM & RP46 - The Operator's Guide
InRangeTV

Published on May 5, 2018
Feel free to contact Rick with any questions here:
smgguns@yahoo.com

SMG Guns out of Decatur, Texas is now offering an absolutely superb semi-automatic DPM as well as an RP46 belt fed conversion.

This operator's guide video intends to walk you through everything you need to know to enjoy this piece of history successfully and safely.

The History:
The Dp-28 was used heavily throughout WW2 by a number of belligerents, most prolifically the Soviet Union and Finland.

The DP-28 was a fantastic portable light machine gun, but it had some issues which were mitigated by the improved DPM.

Post war the Soviets realized that while they had a good LMG in their inventory, it could not keep up with the belt fed MG34 and 42s they opposed during the war so they created an ingenious and successful conversion for their currently fielded DPMs - the RP46.

The RP46 still shows up from time to time in battlefields today but it has been replaced by the PK, and then the PKM. The PKM is absolutely the son of the RP46 in concept, role, and application.

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Hungarian KGPF-9: Kalashnikov Genetics in a 9mm SMG
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 14, 2018
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This modern Hungarian submachine gun bears a remarkable similarity to the AKM rifle in many aspects, from the pistol grip to many of the manufacturing practices. In fact, the more we did into the gun, the more Kalashnikov influence we can see in it. This particular example is semiautomatic only, but the weapon is made as both a civilian carbine and as a fully automatic submachine gun for military sales. And no, it's not available in the United States - my thanks to its anonymous owner outside the US for sharing it with us!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Ken Hackathorn on the M1 Carbine: Reputation vs Reality
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 15, 2018
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The M1 Carbine has long been a bit of an enigma to me, because I have never had really good luck with the design, and yet they were extremely popular with American soldiers, German soldiers, Korean soldiers, Vietnamese soldiers, and a great many other countries. So what's the deal? Is it as simple as just that the Carbine was light and thus popular mostly with people who never had to actually fire them? Or is there something more going on?

Today we are speaking to Ken Hackathorn about this question. He has a lot of experience with M1 Carbines himself, as well as discussing them with many first-hand military and law enforcement folks who used them.

You can also find Forgotten Weapons on Full30, at: https://www.full30.com/channels/forgo...

 

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Development of the SIG P220, aka the Swiss P75 Army Pistol
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 16, 2018
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The SIG 210, aka the P49, was a magnificent pistol, but really too expensive for a modern military sidearm. In the 1960s, the Swiss military began looking for a new service sidearm that would be a bit less costly, and SIG developed the 220 in response, which would ultimately be adopted as the P75. The P75 would maintain the basic structure of the P49, but used a folded sheet metal slide design and an alloy frame, significant departures from the all-milled construction of the P49. In today's video, was have a fantastic set of P75 pistols to look at and see the whole developmental process. This includes two iterations of the first prototypes of the design, one of the very first production Army P75s, a standard late production P75 showing the final simplified features, and a Z-series border patrol example with its unique magazine release shield.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Shooting the Swiss M1911 Rifle and Carbine
Military Arms Channel

Published on May 14, 2018
PLEASE SUPPORT MAC ON PATREON (we are viewer supported): http://www.patreon.com/militaryarms

The Model 1911 rifle and carbine is one of the evolutionary changes to the popular Schmidt-Rubin straight pull actions. The 7.5x55 GP11 cartridge is commonly available and is a great shooter. These rifle pop up on the surplus market frequently and can be had for reasonable prices. The rifle was purchased from Classic Firearms.

 

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Q&A 18: Ammunition Adventures (and more)
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 17, 2018
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00:30 - Belts or links, and why?
04:53 - What determines locations of gun manufacturing centers?
06:40 - Why did France not use 7.62 NATO?
09:38 - CMMG Guard, yea or nay?
12:32 - How do/did proof houses actually work?
15:45 - History of the 6mm Lee Navy (to be expanded into a standalone video later)
17:22 - 7.62mm NATO rifles in modern military applications?
19:42 - Why that straight trigger on French rifles?
23:00 - What Old West revolver would I carry?
24:37 - Why not lip-less magazines like the Madsen?
27:13 - Why did Germany not have a semiauto rifle before WWII?
30:33 - Would a modernized M1941 Johnson be a good thing?
32:49 - Is 5.56mm NATO due for replacement?
33:36 - Best gun-related gift I have ever received?
35:39 - Should the US Army have retained the .30-40 cartridge?
37:32 - Next international trip?
39:25 - Cool collectible guns for the Anglophile
43:20 - US intermediate cartridge development before WWII?
45:24 - Where do I get my surplus ammo?
47:42 - Why not more straight pull military rifles?
50:31 - How would I have improved the Mosin in the 20s or 30s?
52:11 - Inertial locking firearms?
53:35 - What about the FX-05 and Type 89 rifles?
54:50 - How to make a legal gun from an open-bolt SMG kit?
58:48 - What was the French problem with the Remington 07/15 rifles?

As always, questions came from Patrons at the $2/month level and above. Thanks to all of you for the support!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Madsen M1896 Flaadens Rekylgevær: The First Military Semiauto
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 18, 2018
After losing out in the 1888 trials, Madsen and Rasmussen continued to refine their rifle. They reduced the overall length and weight, and replaced the feeding clip with a more modern enclosed magazine (although it was still gravity fed, without a spring or follower). The mechanism was refined for more reliable functioning, including changing it to more positively control the position of cartridges as they were fed. The Martini-like rear charging lever was replaced with a more modern rotary handle on the right side of the receiver. Still, the basic mechanism remained the same.

This 1896 Madsen-Rasmussen rifle was again considered by the Danish Military, and deemed reliable enough to limited use. A total of 60 rifles were purchased and issued by the Danish Navy for use in defending coastal fortifications. They were never used in anger, but remained in the Danish inventory until 1932.

With the success of the 1896 model’s sale to the Danish Navy, it was time to expand sales internationally. A company was formed in 1898, which would soon become known as the Danish Recoil Rifle Syndicate, and Madsen and Rasmussen sold their patent rights to it in exchange for royalties on future production. By 1899 the company manager was Lieutenant Jens Schouboe, and it is his name found on the subsequent Madsen LMG patents. For this reason, the Madsen is sometimes referred to as the Schouboe rifle.

In 1903, the US military tested one of the 1896 model rifles (which they identified as a Schouboe) chambered for the new US .30-03 cartridge. This appears to have proved too powerful for the rifle as it was built at the time, although further tests were conducted on the gun in 1905, 1906, 1909, and 1911. The final 1911 report on the rifle listed a number of faults. The arm lacked strenght and durability the report concluded: “It is inferior to our service rifle in accuracy, serviceability, and in rapidity, the competition had become very much keener and each invention showed the results of accumulated experience."

I am looking for the full text of any of the testing reports, but have not yet found them. It appears that the US testing board saw better things being developed (they were quite fond of the Bang design, which was in its first tests in 1911) and lost interest in trying to perfect the Madsen rifle.

Many thanks to the Tøjhusmuseet (Royal Danish Armory Museum) for letting me have access to these very rare rifles! Check them out at: http://en.natmus.dk/museums/the-royal...

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Differences between the Lee-Enfield SMLE and the No.4
TFB TV

Published on May 17, 2018
Mike takes a look at the main differences between the .303 Lee-Enfield SMLE of WW1 fame and the later No.4 rifles. What makes the No.4 better and cheaper than its predecessor?

««« GUNS IN THIS VIDEO »»»
Lee-Enfield SMLE No.1 Mk.3 Mk.III .303
Lee-Enfield No.4 .303
Lee-Enfield No.7 .22

 

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Othais Shows You a Poster, then a 1917 Trench Carbine
C&Rsenal

Published on May 16, 2018
http://candrsenal.com/product/illustr...

Ivan's other work: https://vombavr.artstation.com/


SPAR 5814 - This is one of a number of items the Springfield Armory Museum received in 1920 from Captain J.L. Aney. Captain Aney was stationed in Europe with the Ordnance Department and assigned to the "Captured Material Section" in WWI. Aney was ordered to secure items for the Springfield Armory Museum. This weapon is listed on the Receiving Report as Item No. 155 and is described as: "American Enfield magazine carbine model 1917. This gun is of extreme interest since it has been cut down in the field to fit it for trench warfare."
Received 3/24/20.

 

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M1918 Chauchat: First Shots (Will It Work?)
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 19, 2018
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This M1918 Chauchat is still awaiting NFA transfer, but my dealer was able to bring it out to a public range where I could do some initial testing on it. I was expecting to get extraction problems as soon as it got warm, as that is what the literature suggests will happen. The .30-06 American Chauchats were made with improperly cut chambers. However, I ended up finding no extraction problems at all - although I had lots of feed problems with my original magazines.

People expect that because they don't have the big open cutouts, the American Chauchat magazines are much better than the semicircular French 8mm Lebel Chauchat magazines. This is not the case; the American mags are made of equally flimsy material, and their feed lips are actually worse that the French magazines. They are supposed to hold 16 rounds, but I could not get more than 13 into any of them before I started to get a worrying amount of mag body bulging and feed lip stress.

I have plans for arranging much more reliable magazines, and once I have those (and the gun is out of NFA jail) I am excited to do a lot more shooting with it!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Type 1 Russian AK: The Actual AK-47
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 21, 2018
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The AK-47 rifle was formally adopted in 1947, as the name implies, and went into production in 1948. In this very first form, it used a stamped receiver with front and rear trunnions riveted in place. Unfortunately, while the hand-fitted preproduction guns were quite excellent, the manufacturing processes and quality control left a lot to be desired. The stamped receiver was relatively thin (especially compared to previous stamped Russian small arms like the PPS-43), and was very susceptible to warping during heat treating and other parts of the manufacturing process. The guns that met QC requirements were every bit as good as expected, but the high number of rejects nullified much of the point of having those stamped parts in the first place.

For this reason, AK-47 production ended in 1951, and a milled receiver was developed to allow rifles to continue being made while the engineering and production team worked to improve the receiver design and the manufacturing processes around it.

Today, the first pattern AK47 is an extremely rare weapon, and I am grateful to the private collector who allowed me to video this one for you!

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow

 

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Ribeyrolles 1918 - France's First Assault Rifle or a Failed Prototype?
Forgotten Weapons

Published on May 22, 2018
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Paul Ribeyrolles was the manager of the Gladiator bicycle factory, and by 1918 he had significant experience in small arms design, having been a core member of the team that designed and built the 1915 CSRG Chauchat automatic rifle and the RSC-1917 semiautomatic rifle. These were forward-looking weapons, the first of their types ever to be successfully used in combat. Ribeyrolles continued to pursue the next generation of infantry small arms, and in the summer of 1918 he presented his 1918 automatic rifle for military testing at Versailles.

The model 1918 met most of the requirements to be considered an assault rifle by today's standards - it used an intermediate cartridge, it could fire in both semiautomatic and fully automatic modes, and it was fed by detachable box magazines (with a capacity of 25 rounds). The cartridge it used was a modification of the .351 Winchester WSL cartridge, modified to be semi-rimmed and to use an 8mm Lebel armor-piercing bullet. Unlike modern weapons of this type, however, Ribeyrolles' rifle used a simple blowback action and this required a quite heavy bolt to work properly. Unloaded, the weapon weighed 11.25 pounds (5.1kg), and the long receiver necessary for the bolt to effectively decelerate gave it an overall length of 1.09m (43 inches) - this was long and heavy for its capabilities. Still, it was conceptually pretty advanced for 1918.

The biggest problem which prevented the gun from seeing any military interest was reliability. At the 1918 trials, it was very unreliable - the one source I sound said that 53 malfunctions were had in 75 rounds of semiautomatic fire. That is definitely a sign of a design not ready for adoption!

Ribeyrolle brough the gun back for more testing in the summer of 1921 at Camp de Chalons, but it does not appear that he had fully cured the reliability problems. In addition, the gun's futuristic concept left it out of place in the arms lineup envisioned by the French military. It was too heavy and bulky to fill the role of a personal weapon like a submachine gun (note that the SMG ultimately adopted by the French, the MAS-38, is one of the smallest and lightest such guns ever used by a military power). And because of its intermediate cartridge, with a 400 meter effective range, it was considered too underpowered to fill the role of an infantry rifle. And thus, it was rejected, never to be seen again.

I do not know how many examples of the Ribeyrolles 1918 were actually manufactured, but it was certainly only a few - apparently only 3000 rounds of its ammunition were made for the 1921 testing. To the best of my knowledge, no examples survive today - any that were preserved after the trials were lost or destroyed in the chaos of WWII occupation and liberation.

If you enjoy Forgotten Weapons, check out its sister channel, InRangeTV! http://www.youtube.com/InRangeTVShow