Royal Armouries

Royal Armouries

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Royal Armouries
  • The Aluminium Model 1928 Thompson 'Tommy Gun'

    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

  • A Miniature 18th Century Firearm with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson

    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...

  • World's Rarest Production Rifle: The AN-94, Part 2

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

  • World's Rarest Production Rifle: The AN-94, Part 1

    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......

  • Firearms of the Cold War Part 2

    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...

  • Firearms of the Cold War Part 1

    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.

  • Cursed Muskets & Firearms Folklore: WITW Halloween Special

    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...

  • The Call of Duty classic: M200 Intervention

    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!

  • US's Trench Gun: The Winchester Model 12 with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson

    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 gun shoots round corners: M3 Grease Gun 'Deflector'

    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.

  • The gun that doesn't want to be fired: Hermann's Patent Revolver

    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...

  • The CIA's shady suppressed Vietnam-era sub machine gun: The Carl Gustav M/45

    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.

  • Why did the Nazis weaponize flare guns: The Sturmpistole

    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 ...

  • The gun that wanted to get sued: the German Colt copy

    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 ultra-rare 2 bore behemoth: The Millennium Gun

    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 ...

  • These guns were more powerful psychologically than they were physically

    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...

  • Why you're wrong about M16 and AR-15 nomenclature

    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.

  • Why the Nazis spent so much time making a worse STG-44: The MP43/1

    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.

  • The covert, concealable bayonet revolver: Commando 9mm

    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.

  • Cowboy Combination Gun: The LeMat Shotgun Revolver

    Imagine Jonathan's surprise when, fresh after seeing Furiosa: The Mad Max Saga, he spots that the revolver used in the film is not only a LeMat but has some very familiar serial markings...

    Sporting both a revolver and shotgun barrel, this multi-use revolver saw action in the American Civil War ...

  • Why did the suppressed Thompson lose out to the Sten?

    As world war raged in Europe, Britain’s boffins looked to their existing arsenal of small arms for special service weapons to be used by its Commandos and the Special Operations Executive (SOE). Developing a suppressed sub machine gun was high on the priorities list and this ultra rare Thompson w...

  • Improving the AR-15: The HK416 A5

    Following on from our Knight's Armament KS-1 video last month, Jonathan takes a look at another firearm from the Project Hunter trials: the Heckler & Koch HK416 A5.

    Project Hunter was launched by the UK to select a new Alternative Individual Weapon for select branches of the British Army, such a...

  • The Webley 'Kaufmann' Improved Government Revolver

    Inspired by our friends at C&Rsenal, Jonathan has rooted through our expansive collection to find different patterns of the Webley Improved Government Revolver, including it's very first iteration.

  • British Army's latest SA80: The L85A3, with firearms expert Jonathan Ferguson

    The SA80 is, no surprise, not a stranger to this series but this week we get to showcase the latest & greatest iteration of it's hotly-debated legacy: the L85A3.

    Jonathan will reveal all in this week's episode of #WhatisthisWeapon