“Tag: Garry James”

Designed by Paul Mauser, the Modelo 1893, adopted by the Spanish on Dec. 7, 1893, was a superb arm—the first of its breed to have a box magazine entirely enclosed within the stock.

Q: This firearm came from a vendor that said it was picked up off of a battlefield in North Carolina. The wooden stock and the metal look very old. A small “US” is stamped on top of the buttplate.

J.P. Sauer & Sohn of Suhl is the oldest firearm manufacturer in Germany, having been founded in 1751, has produced all manner of firearms, including self-loading pistols such as the Selbstlade-Pistole Modell 1913.

Because of timing, improvements in technology and no lack of inventive spirit, the American Civil War saw an array of armaments the variety and novelty of which were unsurpassed in earlier conflicts.

Beginning in 1867, the Swedish military started fielding versions of the single-shot Remington Rolling Block rifle and carbine. In 1887, rifles—originally chambered in 12.7x42 mm R—were converted to the more modern, smallbore 8x58 mm R cartridge. The carbines, however, remained in 12 mm.

The RSC Modele 1917 developed by France in World War I represented a huge technological leap for battle rifles and saw heavy use on the Western Front.

Armed with its Model 1866 Chassepot, one of the earliest bolt-action designs, the French military under Napoleon III was reckoned to be unbeatable.

Before the Walther PP and PPK became iconic handguns, there was another highly regarded pistol from Walther: the Model 4.

This innovative 8 mm bolt-action repeater, which performed extraordinary service during World War I, was also one of the most important military arms in history.