Older, Odd, Offbeat and Forgotten Guns & Ammo

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The Sigs of Jack Carr: The Devil's Hand​

May 2, 2025

THE DEVIL’S HAND asks a simple but chilling question: What has the enemy learned by watching us?
I started writing this one in early 2020—right as COVID hit. Then came the chaos: lockdowns, civil unrest, a contentious election cycle. The nation was on edge, and you can bet our adversaries were watching closely. Studying. Taking notes.
In this novel, Reece is up against an enemy who’s been learning from our every move. His weapon of choice this time around? The P365XL, outfitted with a red dot optic—compact, and capable.
THE SIGs of Jack Carr P365 Collection: https://www.sigsauer.com/firearms/pis...
  • P365XL with Red Dot Optic
  • P365, P365X-Macro, P365 Custom with True Precision
  • P365 Legion.

3:39
 

"Howth" Mauser 1871: Irish Volunteers Gunrunning into Dublin​

On July 14th, 1914 the 50 foot pleasure yacht “Asgard” sailed into Howth harbor in Dublin with its cabin completely filled with arms. It has 900 Mauser 1871 rifles and 29,000 rounds of ammunition for the Irish Volunteers, and there is a crowd of a thousand people turned out to unload them - just daring the British authorities to try a crackdown. These rifles would ultimately become some of the most iconic weapons used in the 1916 Easter Rising.

Video on Ulster gunrunning: • UVF Gewehr 88: Gun Running Into Irela...


17:57
 
 

Jennings 5-Shot Repeating Flintlock Pistol​

May 9, 2025

Isaiah Jennings patented an improvement to the Belton repeating flintlock system in 1821 - but we don’t know exactly what his idea was because the Patent Office lost his patent (and many others) in a large 1836 fire. Jennings' system was used by several gunsmiths, though. In 1828/9 the State of New York contracted to convert 521 of their muskets to Jennings'-pattern repeaters. We also have a few examples like this custom 5-shot pistol made by John Caswell of upstate New York.

Jennings' system uses superposed charges loaded in the barrel along with a movable lock. Each charge has its own touch hole, and the cover plates for them act as stops for movement of the lock, to ensure proper alignment. The trigger will fire the lock in any position, and it is also fitted with an automatic magazine frizzen - so cocking the hammer automatically charges priming powder into the pan and closes the frizzen. These were very advanced arms for the early 1800s, and expensive to produce.


10:10

Belton Repeating Flintlock: • Belton Repeating Flintlock: A Semiaut...
 
Forgotten Weapons

DSA's Unique Titanium FAL Project​

DS Arms got some billet titanium and decided to make a batch of titanium receivers and other parts. This turned out to be a nightmarish amount of work, and two of the receivers had to be scrapped, leaving only 10 completed. They also made a number of other titanium parts, including flash hiders (which this rifle has) and gas blocks (which this one does not). Between the titanium and aluminum parts and the choice of a lightweight configuration, this FAL tips the scale at just UNDER 7.5 pounds (3.4kg). That is a very remarkable achievement, and does so without making sacrifices in durability or features. It is slightly sharper recoiling than a standard 50.00 FAL (which weighs almost 10 pounds / 4.5kg), but not uncomfortable at all - the recoil is less than I had expected.

DSA's Unique Titanium FAL Project
 

American Tankettes ( 1917 - 1969 )​

Feb 21, 2021 #WWII #Vietnam #WWI
Ford 3-ton Tank - Light Tank from 1917 -1918 http://aviarmor.net/tww2/tanks/usa/li...
Holt HA-36 One-Man Tank - Technology testing / parade vehicle -
Cunningham T-1 - Tank Development Chassis T-1 Prototype Tankette from 1928 - design and built by James Cunningham, Son and Company in 1927 - 1928.
Christie Airborne Combat Car M1933 -
Marmon-Herrington CTL-1 ( CTL-2 ) - for Poland ( rejected it ) and later to Iran
CTL-4 to 6 Series - Exports to Dutch East Indies ( Java ) , Australia , Mexico and Marmon-Herrington CTVL - Exports to Mexico
M50 Ontos - used in Vietnam war - carried by CH-53 Sea Stallion utility / transport helicopters. it was mostly used by the US Marines for direct fire support of infantry support vehicle in combat as the NVA didn't really deploy tanks in large numbers.
also used in the Dominican Civil War in 1965, destroying serveral swedish made L/60L light tanks, and french AMX-13 light tank. the Ontos was removed from service in 1969


18:10
 

Inside the Secret Italian Factory Making $150,000 Shotguns by Hand | "Beretta Two"​

Jun 10, 2025
Almost exactly three years ago, I got rare access to Beretta Due—the private custom gun workshop where Beretta builds its most exclusive firearms by hand. These shotguns start around $8,000 and climb to over $250,000, depending on the level of engraving, wood, and customization. From Olympic-grade competition shotguns to museum-quality masterpieces, Beretta Due is where old-world craftsmanship meets cutting-edge performance. In this video, I tour the facility with Beretta’s own team to see every step of the process: engraving, wood selection, custom cases, and fitting. This isn’t just a gun factory—it’s a temple of craftsmanship.


17:16
 

SAP TAAKMAG R1 PARA - DSA KOMMANDO​

Jun 1, 2025
Taking a look at my TAAKMAG R1 PARA clone, built as a tribute to the elite South African Police unit fighting crime and terrorism within South Africa since the mid 80ies. This build is based on a DSA Kommando rifle sporting a 16.25" pin and welded barrel.


8:31

Initial Review DSA Kommando • DSARMS @ KALASHBASH24 - KOMMANDO FAL
RecoilWeb DSA Kommandohttps://www.recoilweb.com/dsa-kommand...
 

AR-1 "Parasniper" - The First Armalite​

Jun 11, 2025
The first rifle produced by Armalite began in 1952 as a project between the brothers-in-law, Charles Dorchester and George Sullivan (no relation to later Armalite engineer L. James Sullivan). Sullivan is the chief patent attorney for the Lockheed aircraft company, and the two have the idea to produce an ultra-light rifle using aircraft industry materials like fiberglass and aluminum. They create a company called SF Projects and get to work using Remington actions. They fit aluminum (and then later aluminum/steel composite) barrels and foam-filled stocks and the result is a rifle that weighs less than 6 pounds with a 4x scope fitted. The first ones are chambered in .257 Roberts, but this shortly gives way to the new .308 Winchester cartridge.
Read more below the vid on youtube.

AR-1 "Parasniper" - The First Armalite
 
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