This week and next, Jonathan & Dave look back and reflect on 2024's videogames and how they handle firearms and decide which 5 they loved the most.

In today's episode we showcase two rifle's that participated in 19th century British weapon trials that eventually lead to the adoption of the Martini-Henry.

Sources mentioned:

Burton's life in arms from Logan at High Caliber History
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNGgXVIIncU

'From Under I...

Our first episode of 2025 covers variants from the Ruger P series of pistols featured in films like Desperado and True Lies with our star of the show being the 'laser gun' P94DAOL.

P.S. Someone tell Jonathan to take his Christmas decorations down.

Merry Christmas from us at the Royal Armouries - you don't have to unwrap our present from us to you, as it comes in the form of a special episode with our good friend Dave Jewitt.

Not quite Christmas magic, but definitely full of sparkles. Today on What is this Weapon is a visually astonishing diamond, white gold and platinum Smith and Wesson Revolver as featured in this years Re:Loaded exhibition.

Jonathan has a festive conservation-wrapped box for you all today, with something shiny inside...

Stick around until the end of the video for an announcement - you can take part following the link below:

https://forms.gle/YF8cq4cF3GaH9Uqy5

We're focusing on the macroscale today as Jonathan get's hands-on (mainly for scale) with what could quite possibly be the smallest flintlock... in the world.

The Pattern Book:

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/726774

The DeWitt Article:

https://americansocietyofarmscollectors.o...

Jonathan returns to the range in part 2 of our AN-94 episode to compare it to the AK-74.

We have a very, very special one for you this week.

David Lake of Small Arms Defense Journal describes a firearm that can "fire, eject, reload, fire, eject and reload, with perfect reliability, while almost totally eliminating recoil, in less time than the human eye can blink. Quite literally......

This week to end our two-parter we have all things Kalashnikov as we delve deeper into the Cold War with Ian from @ColdWarConversations .

We have something VERY very exciting next week so stayed tuned for that...

This week and next we have a special guest star of Ian Sanders from @ColdWarConversations to aid Jonathan into examining the firearms involved within the Cold War and the history surrounding them.

Be sure to tune in next week for Part 2 about the infamous Kalashnikov rifle.

Down, down, down in the stores of the NFC, Jonathan get's hands on with a English Civil War era matchlock musket that was made during the time of heightened witch superstition.

Do check out @Novum_YT and eagerly await his video which will feature Jonathan discussing a scene from Robert Egger's...

We have a slightly different one for you all this week, as Jonathan visits the Cody Firearms Museum.

Curator Danny Michael showed us their one of a kind factory fall camo Intervention of Modern Warfare 2 fame. Mountain Dews at the ready!

This episode was created in collaboration with Real Time History exploring Shotguns in Saipan - their episode will air on November 15th so go check it out when it goes live at @realtimehistory .

Meanwhile, join Jonathan as he gives his longer hands-on with one of the trench shotguns of the 20th...

This week Jonathan explores a firearm that bucks the trend... or the curve in this instance. Joining the company of weapons like the Krummlauf, this American prototype utilised the M3 Grease Gun for 90° firing.

Ergonomics are an important and constantly changing aspect of firearms, however, this episode we have a gun that is downright difficult to fire.

Watch Jonathan come to grips with this in this week's episode.

More info and patent available at:

https://littlegun.be/arme%20belge/artisans%20identi...

Filed off markings and serial numbers usually point to one thing: whoever used this gun didn't want you to know who they were. With our records indicating this rare and intriguing example was sent to us by no one other than the CIA, Jonathan has a lot of digging to unpick this covert creation.

The Nazis made a number of confounding decisions in small arms development and procurement during the Second World War, re-directing vital war resources into ill-fated projects. The Sturmpistole is one such example, where an existing flare gun, the Kampfpistole was tweaked to be able to shoot an ...

Known for his notorious litigiousness, Samuel Colt would have likely hit the roof, had he seen this copy of the famous Colt Navy revolver. We don't know if we ever did, but what we do know is that this beautifully crafted weapon was heavily influenced by one of history's most recognisable designs.

The Royal Armouries has a rich history of commissioning weapons from the finest fabricators in the world. Historically, we would have procured and protected the arms of the ruling monarchy. This tradition continued into the 21st century when we commissioned 'The Millennium Gun', a big-game rifle ...

Homemade weapons are often the result of forces of insurrection or rebellion who don't have a ready access to firearms. These ones in particular would not have been particularly accurate or effective on the battlefield but there wide usage hints at a greater value than mere ballistics alone, as J...

The M16 and AR-15 naming debate is one that thrives on the internet, so much so that our Keeper of Firearms and Artillery has decided to weigh in.

The Sturmgewehr is no stranger to WITW, providing Jonathan with a fair amount of 'emotional support' over the years. This week, Jonathan gets to grips with an extremely rare example with a radically different gas system that only made the STG-44's already excellent design a little bit worse.

Made in secrecy in the Enfield's Royal Small Arms Factory, this multi-purpose firearm has a intriguing history and design, making it a suitable addition to What is this Weapon.