Forgotten Weapons

Last updated
Forgotten Weapons
GenreFirearms/weapons
Created byIan McCollum
Presented byIan McCollum
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time5-30 minutes
Release
Original network YouTube
Full30
Original releaseMay 13, 2011 (2011-05-13) 
present

Forgotten Weapons is a website and channel appearing on YouTube, Utreon, Full30 and Floatplane, created and presented by Ian McCollum. Forgotten Weapons covers the history of antique, obscure, and historically important firearms. [1]

Contents

Videos

Forgotten Weapons frequently features unusual, [2] rare, odd, experimental, [3] or one-off firearms, such as the paratroop versions of the Empire of Japan's Arisaka Type 99 rifle featuring a folding stock attached to a cabinet hinge. [4] McCollum covers the history of such firearms in detail, and often explains how important certain firearms were to the development of weapon technologies and the history of warfare. [5] He also usually explains the functioning and parts of the gun by dissassembling it.

McCollum often borrows the firearms from auction houses, most commonly the Rock Island Auction [6] and Morphy Auctions. He has also written books and articles for Popular Mechanics on the topic of firearms.

Platforms

McCollum avoids political topics in favor of exclusively covering technical topics and history. He has amassed over 2 million subscribers on YouTube. [7] Despite this, McCollum encountered some difficulties with YouTube deleting his videos, [8] which is why he began uploading his videos to Full30 and Floatplane.

In 2014, McCollum improved the quality of his videos by means of an IndieGogo campaign, the proceeds of which were used to purchase high-quality camera equipment. [9]

In 2018, McCollum co-founded Headstamp Publishing with colleagues N.R. Jenzen-Jones (of Armament Research Services) and James Rupley, through which he wrote and published his book Chassepot to FAMAS. The book was crowdfunded on Kickstarter, and raised $800,256. [10] Headstamp's second book, Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901–2020, authored by Jonathan Ferguson, raised $579,585 on Kickstarter. [11] McCollum's second book, Pistols of the Warlords, raised $1,541,381 on Kickstarter. [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SA80</span> Current British assault rifle, bullpup

The SA80 is a British family of 5.56×45mm NATO service weapons used by the British Army. The L85 Rifle variant has been the standard issue service rifle of the British Armed Forces since 1987, replacing the L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle. The first prototypes were created in 1976, with production of the A1 variant starting in 1985 and ending in 1994. The A2 variant came to be as the result of a significant upgrade in the early 2000s by Heckler & Koch and remains in service as of 2020. The A3 variant was first issued in 2018 with several new improvements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bullpup</span> Firearm

A bullpup firearm is one with its firing grip located in front of the breech of the weapon, instead of behind it. This creates a weapon with a shorter overall length for a given barrel length, and one that is often lighter, more compact, concealable and more maneuverable than a conventionally configured firearm. Where it is desirable for troops to be issued a more compact weapon, the use of a bullpup configuration allows for barrel length to be retained, thus preserving muzzle velocity, range and ballistic effectiveness.

The Pancor Corporation Jackhammer is a 12-gauge, blow-forward gas-operated bullpup automatic shotgun designed in 1984 and patented in 1987. Only three working prototypes of the Jackhammer were built. Nonetheless, its distinctive aesthetics and futuristic design have made it a prop in action films, television programs, and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sedgley OSS .38</span> Assassination pistol, last resort weapon

The Sedgley OSS .38 glove pistol or Sedgley Fist Gun is a World War II firearm. It was designed by Stanley M. Haight and manufactured by Sedgley Co. of Philadelphia for the U.S. Marines and the U.S. Navy. Its official designation by the US Navy was Hand Firing Mechanism, Mk 2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">EM-2 rifle</span> British bullpup assault rifle

The EM-2, also known as Rifle, No.9, Mk.1 or Janson rifle, was a British assault rifle. It was briefly adopted by British forces in 1951, but the decision was overturned very shortly thereafter by Winston Churchill's incoming government in an effort to secure NATO standardisation of small arms and ammunition. It was an innovative weapon with the compact bullpup layout, built-in carrying handle and an optical sight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">L64/65</span> Bullpup assault rifle

The L64 was an intermediate calibre British bullpup layout prototype assault rifle developed in the 1970s. At one time it was known as the 4.85 Individual Weapon, a reference to the calibre of the bullet it fired.

The belt buckle pistol was an experimental German World War II firearm consisting of four .32 ACP or .22 Short barrels and lockwork concealed within a SS belt buckle. The barrels were 5 cm (2.0 in) long and smoothbore. A lever was pressed which allowed the spring-loaded buckle to pivot downwards, exposing the barrel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FN M1900</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The FN Browning M1900 is a single action semi-automatic pistol designed c. 1896 by John Browning for Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN) and produced in Belgium at the turn of the 20th century. It was the first production handgun to use a slide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serbu Firearms</span> American firearms manufacturer

Serbu Firearms is an American manufacturer of firearms based in Tampa, Florida, founded by mechanical engineer Mark Serbu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bushmaster M17S</span> Bullpup semi-automatic rifle

The Bushmaster M17S is a semi-automatic bullpup rifle that was manufactured by Bushmaster Firearms International from 1992 until 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Squeeze bore</span> Weapon type

A squeeze bore, alternatively taper-bore, cone barrel or conical barrel, is a weapon where the internal barrel diameter progressively decreases towards the muzzle resulting in a reduced final internal diameter. These weapons are used in conjunction with special sub-caliber ammunition where the projectile is fitted with soft-metal flanges which fills out the caliber. As the projectile travels through the squeeze bore the flanges fold inwards, resulting in a reduced caliber round with an increased velocity compared to a traditional full-caliber round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thorneycroft carbine</span> Bullpup bolt-action rifle

The Thorneycroft carbine was one of the earliest bullpup rifles, developed by an English gunsmith in 1901 as patent No. 14,622 of July 18, 1901. This bolt-action rifle featured a bullpup action in which the retracted bolt slid back through the stock nearly to the shooter's shoulder, maximising the space available in the body of the firearm. The rifle was chambered in the contemporary .303 British (7.7 mm) service cartridge, and held five rounds in an internal magazine.

Magpul Industries Corporation is an American designer and manufacturer of high-tech polymer and composite firearms accessories like M-LOK. Magpul Industries takes its name from its first product, the MagPul, an accessory for the STANAG magazines used by NATO armed forces, which aids users in pulling magazines from pouches.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arsenal Firearms AF2011A1</span> Semi-automatic pistol

The Arsenal Firearms AF2011-A1 is a double-barreled, semi-automatic pistol of Italian origin. The weapon is a derivative of the M1911 pistol and the majority of internal parts including the firing pins, firing pin plates, sear groups, springs, recoil rods, and mainspring housings are interchangeable with standard M1911 replacement parts. The purpose of the AF2011A1 pistol is to increase the ballistic capability of .45 ACP without the need to develop a more powerful round. The AF2011A1 has its roots in the Grieco pistol that also came with double barrels for the same purpose.

The EM-4 rifle was an experimental bullpup rifle of British origin designed by Sir Dennis Burney of the Broadway Trust Company.

Flapper locking is a type of locking mechanism used in self-loading firearms. It involves a pair of flappers on the sides of the bolt that each lock into an outwards recess in the receiver as the bolt is in battery. As the bolt is forced backwards after the firing of a cartridge, the flappers recede back into the bolt, therefore unlocking and sending the bolt backwards to cycle the gun. The design was patented in 1870 by Lieutenant Friberg of the Swedish Army, but the first actual example of a firearm that used this was made by another Swedish man named Kjellman in 1907. Most use of flapper locking came from the designs of the Soviet Union's Vasily Degtyaryov in the years surrounding World War II.

Jonathan Steven Ferguson is a British firearm historian and author who is currently the Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds, England. He is also a technical specialist with Armament Research Services, a consultancy firm.

<i>Chassepot to FAMAS</i> 2019 firearms history book by Ian McCollum

Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866–2016 is a 2019 book by Ian McCollum about the history of French military rifles. Chassepot to FAMAS was funded through Kickstarter, and it was the first book by Headstamp Publishing, which McCollum co-founded with N.R. Jenzen-Jones of Armament Research Services and James Rupley. The photography for the book was provided by Rupley and the book was edited by Jenzen-Jones. Yann Carcaillon and Jonathan Ferguson are listed as contributors.

C&Rsenal is a YouTube channel that covers the history of antique historical firearms.

References

  1. McCollum, Ian. "Forgotten Weapons: The Vickers Gun Is One of the Best Firearms Ever Made". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  2. Xu, Daniel (November 6, 2015). "Video: The Pistol with a 35-Round Horseshoe Magazine". OutdoorHub. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  3. "Forgotten weapons: Shooting the Early Dutch AR-10". Policeone.com. July 13, 2015. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. McCollum, Ian. "Forgotten Weapons: Japan's WWII Paratrooping Rifle Was Not the Best Idea". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  5. Gault, Matthew (October 15, 2015). "How this pre-World War One weapon changed the world". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. Stakes, Justin (July 6, 2015). "Bids in Surprising Places". Ammoland Shooting Sports News. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  7. Suciu, Peter. "How Videos About Old Firearms Became A Hit YouTube Channel". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  8. Turton, William. "Gun vloggers are flipping out at YouTube's crackdown on their videos". Vice News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. Slowik, Max (June 19, 2014). "Let's help Forgotten Weapons crowdfund new cameras". Guns.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  10. "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016". Headstamp Publishing. May 22, 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  11. "Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901–2020". Headstamp Publishing. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. "Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949". Headstamp Publishing. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.