In this episode Matt takes a look at an interesting hybrid Sten gun that takes parts from both the MkII and MkIII. It's origins are uncertain but it seems to have been an interesting project gun. This gun may be related to the T42 Sten prototype, part of the Sten MkIV development program. Check o...

In this episode we bring you our first live fire and slow motion footage! Matt had the opportunity to fire a British L2A3 Sterling submachine gun and Vic captured some great video. The Sterling was adopted by the British military in 1954 and standardised as the L2A3 in 1956. The gun featured in t...

In this episode Matt takes a look at a very special rifle, an 18th century breech-loader - the Ferguson Rifle. Developed by Major Patrick Ferguson, a young Scottish light infantry officer, the rifle was heavily influenced by Isaac de la Chaumette's breech loading system. The rifle used a threaded...

In 1855 Frederic Prince patented an interesting breechloading action which used a forward sliding barrel that allowed it to be loaded from the breech. In this episode Matt takes a look at a beautiful example of Prince's rifle. The British Army tested the rifle in 1855 and performed well and was r...

The British Army tested the Sterling SMG all over the world, one of the most hostile environments it was tested in was the Malayan jungle. Troops there fitted several trials guns with a shotgun-style rib sight. It was hoped this would improve fast snap shooting during jungle patrols when contact ...

In this TAB Short Matt discusses how historically accurate COD:WWII's Sterling model is and whether early Sterling SMG prototypes saw action during World War Two. This is something a little different to our normal content, Matt decided to discuss it as he's just written a book about the Sterling ...

This short video is a bonus, filmed while we were opening one of the cases at the Cody Firearms Museum to examine another firearm (that video is coming soon) I noticed a sectioned British Pattern 14 rifle, made by Winchester for the British government during the First World War. It was too good a...

In this very special episode Matt examines what is probably the first repeating bullpup rifle - the Curtis. Designed by a British inventor, William Joseph Curtis, in 1866 it predates all other known bullpups. The design never left prototype stage but gain notoriety in 1895 when it was used by the...

Introduced just before the beginning of WW2 the 2pdr AT Gun was more than capable of dealing with Axis tanks at the beginning of the war but as tank armour got thicker it became outgunned. Despite this the 2pdr remained in service and equipped a plethora of tanks and armoured cars including the V...

The British Army entered the First World War with no light mortars. As the stalemate of trench warfare set in and the effectiveness of German Minenwerfers became clear it was decided that trench mortars of various sizes would be needed. Nicknamed ‘plum pudding’ or ‘toffee apple’ mortars after the...

Adopted by the British Army around the outbreak of the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1899, the Webley MkIV saw action through to the Great War. The last of the 4-inch barrel Webley's the MkIV proved to be a decent sidearm for both officers and enlisted specialists like gunners, NCOs and trumpeters. Ch...

The British QF 6-pounder AT Gun was introduced in 1942, joining the lighter 2pdr, the new gun was more capable of dealing with the increasing thickness of Axis armour. The 6pdr first saw action in North Africa and was used throughout the war in Europe and Asia. It also armed a series of British a...

We've covered a few factory and instructional cutways in the past and I personally love nothing more than a good cutaway so I always try and film any I get the chance to look at. This episode we're taking a look at a cutaway Lee-Enfield Rifle No.4. Check out the accompanying blog for this video h...

The myths surrounding the use of cut down Lee-Enfield during WW1 are fascinating. I recently had the chance to take a look at an example of a cut down SMLE, which differed slightly in that it still had its stock - which I think makes it a more practical weapon than a truly cut down rifle. In this...

The Vickers Gun is an iconic weapon, developed from the Maxim and adopted by the British in 1912. It served for over 50 years in conflicts all around the world. In this video, Richard Fisher of the Vickers Machine Gun Collection and Research Association shows us how to disassemble a Vickers. Big ...

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to visit the National Army Museum in London and check out their current exhibition, The Art of Persuasion, a look at the wartime work of graphic designer Abram Games. While you may not recognise the name you will probably recognise some of his impressive and ...

In 1779, James Wilson approached the Board of Ordnance with a formidable weapon - a 7-barrelled volley gun. Wilson's design would be manufactured by London gunmaker Henry Nock, whose name the gun subsequently took. The Nock Volley Gun saw service with the Royal Navy for around 20 years, although ...

We begin our in-depth series on the Sten Gun by looking at the men behind the design and examining just how it got its unusual name. Does the 'EN' of Sten really stand for 'Enfield'? Perhaps not. Check out our accompanying article for this video here - http://armourersbench.com/2020/05/17/the-ste...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

During the Second World War Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE) developed a whole series of sabotage devices for use behind enemy lines. Using unique archival footage this series of short videos examines some of the weapons developed for use by SOE agents in occupied Europe. In this epis...

Bring Up The PIAT!' the iconic line from the classic 1977 war movie 'A Bridge Too Far' heralds the beginning of a really interesting scene. One in which the PIAT (Projector, Infantry, Anti-Tank) takes on a German Panther. In this video we break down the iconic scene and explore just how realistic...