Our collection often treads a thin line between being a deadly weapon or piece of art. These 19th century self-defence pistols play on this very notion, attempting to disguise their deadly purpose in the shape of a typical jewellery case of the period. What practical use would something so seemin...

The mid-nineteenth century saw huge strides in the development of repeater pistol mechanisms, with the introduction of the Colt Paterson revolver in 1836. Other excellent designs would follow in the ensuing decades. But, as we'll discover with the Jones, weapons designers continued to deviate fro...

The introduction of bolt action, magazine rifles saw Britain's vast arsenal of relatively new Martini-Henry's quickly obsoleted. An ex-army officer, Charles Greville Harston took it upon himself to come up with a cheap, simple solution. The solution was expensive, complicated and quickly surpasse...

Instantly recognisable to weaponry enthusiasts, the Luger is a mainstay of war movies and video games alike. This suppressed example is an extremely rare variant, as it was designed for covert operations by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) during the Second World War. Join Jonathan ...

In the 1930s, Britain sought to replace the ageing Vickers and Lewis guns in its aircraft arsenal. The trials winner was the Browning .303 but the War Office wanted a number of changes to the off-the-shelf weapon, including a substantial increase in the rate of fire. Famously mounted in the Hurri...

This week's weapon tells two juxtaposing stories. The first is one born out of the troubles in Northern Ireland, while the second deals with an intergalactic lizard assassin. Join Jonathan Ferguson as he reveals both stories behind this fascinating firearm.

Join Keeper of Firearms and Artillery, Jonathan Ferguson as he examines two of the treasures from our collection. Created by master gunsmith, Ezekiel Baker, these opulently finished target pistols tell the story of a firearm-loving monarch who had a taste for the finer things in life.

Join Jonathan Ferguson as he brings you a quintessential What is this Weapon. This 'almost' bullpup design was created against the background of the looming war in Europe, drawing heavily on Italian sub machine gun designs. But, it also features some unique features which range from the inventive...

One of the most remarkable combination weapons in the Royal Armouries collection, this 19th century musket-come-grenade launcher can be fired in both directions.

In search of replacing their 'absolutely useless' percussion cap pistols, the British Lancers put in place a sequence of events that would lead to the development of the Enfield Revolver. A strange looking design, Jonathan examines why this pistol failed to impress its buyers and users alike.

Can you make a gun without a lock? Mr Riviere certainly thought so. Mr Ferguson isn't quite so sure. Join Jonathan as he looks at an exquisite pair of pistols featuring a beautifully crafted sea monster hammer.

Military aviation was still in its infancy at the outset of the First World War. Pilots and navigators took to the skies wielding a host of handheld small arms including pistols, rifles and even shotguns alongside larger fixed machine guns. The Webley self-loading pistol in .455 calibre with its ...

This week Jonathan Ferguson examines one of several prominent female gun manufacturers present in Britain in the 19th century. Ann Patrick was known for high quality firearms, with this pair featuring a fascinating lock system that was ultimately made obsolete by the percussion cap.

Heavily influenced by Germany's revolutionary assault rifles of the latter half of the Second World War, Britain sought a replacement for its reliable yet ageing Lee-Enfield series of rifles. The EM1, one of the contenders to fit this bill never quite lived up to expectations. Keeper of Firearms ...

Many of our followers will be familiar with the Welrod suppressed SOE pistol. But far less is known about it's minimalist cousin, the 'Sleeve Gun'. Made by BSA, the gun was introduced towards the Second World War's end as a single-shot, assassination weapon.

This week Jonathan examines two rifles instrumental in the early development of the concept which would eventually become the famous Lee Enfield. Despite both weapons not progressing past the experimental stage, their early adoption of a bolt-action firing mechanism coupled with a fixed magazine ...

Catch Jonathan in his element as he discusses one of his much favourite and most researched weapons, the EM-2. These are no ordinary variants however, with both weapons being shipped out for 'in-country' testing in the 1950s.

As with many of the weapons we've featured in this series, this week's firearm is a conversion of vast stocks of obsoleted percussion cap Adams Revolvers in order to give them a new lease of life into the second half of the 19th century.

Two pistols. Eight shots. It's an awful lot of firepower for just one individual, but that's what Thomas B van Horn, high ranking officer of the US militia and later Army ordered from British gunmaker, Robert Wheeler. There's a lot to unpack from these so strap yourselves in and let Jonathan guid...

Jonathan strips the Accuracy International AS50 to see how this lesser-known anti-materiel rifle sought to find it's niche with the British armed forces and beyond

The AR-18, seen as a cheaper alternative to the more commercially successful the AR-15 (M16), was the inspiration behind the Sterling LAR. However, with several patents preventing a more direct copy, Sterling had to find some inventive ways to do things a little differently, leading to this somew...

Jonathan finds himself at home with a pair of Victorian British pistols, one percussion and the other converted to fire cartridges. The Daw, who was in fact only the marketer and vendor of the weapons, is a superb example of period craftmanship but failed to capture enough traction to make it a m...

Britain entered the Second World War with the Lee Enfield as its core sniper rifle. While it was an effective, accurate weapon, its very nature as a bolt-action rifle meant that users had to readjust their aim after reloading. The SREM-1 originated from a 1944 requirement from the War Office to t...

The S-11 was Sterling's Chief Weapons Designer, Frank Waters attempt at competing with the huge commerical successes of the MP-5 and the Uzi.