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The best named gun in the world? The Bang B1
Experts at the time called it: 'Clumsy ill-balanced and altogether unpleasant to handle.' Charming.
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The 30-shot Lefaucheux pinfire revolver
This crazy looking pistol produced by Parisian gunmakers Lefaucheux in 1925 has 2 barrels and could fire a remarkable 30-shots.
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The Crimean War's forgotten rifle: the Minié
Few weapons, if any have had a greater impact on history in a shorter space of time than the Minié rifle. Introduced in a limited capacity in British service during the Crimean War (1853-56). The Minié with its revolutionary ammunition had a devastating impact against Russian troops during the co...
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The riot gun with the most 80s promo video ever? The Enfield ARWEN 37
This is very much an anti-riot gun that's had two lives. That of which it was intended from it's development in the late 70s, and then it's popular culture life as a wholly different weapon altogether. Join Jonathan as he examines both of these stories as well as some incredible promotional foota...
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The revolver rival: The double-barelled Lancaster Howdah Pistol
The unreliability and issues with reload associated with new pistols in British service like the Enfield Marks I & II meant many officers preferred the large calibre Lancaster for a sidearm.
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Our most mysterious gun ever? The mystery gun with no name
When Jonathan first joined the museum 13 years ago, we came across a weapon of unknown design, maker and origin sat on one of the many racks of the Royal Armouries' stores. Having always wanted to know more about it, he believes to finally have some answers.
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When Britain stole the Dreyse Needle Rifle
Soon after Prussia revealed it's ground-breaking, bolt-action Dreyse 'needle rifle', RSAF Enfield were hard at work making their own variant. This super rare weapon was the first official bolt-action rifle used by the British military.
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Sterling's assault rifle story comes to a close: the SAR 87
The Sterling Story draws to a close with its final production rifle, the SAR 87. Building on the more commercially successful SAR 80, the later variant came too late to ultimately save the Sterling Armament Company from going out of business.
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A Mauser inspired Lee Enfield improvement? The Enfield Pattern 1913.
In 1908, Britain sought to improve its venerable .303 cartridge by making the bullet lighter and faster. That combined with the 1910 trial for a new rifle which led to the Enfield Pattern 1913.
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Why was this the last Webley? The Webley Jurek
Post-war Britain was looking for a new service pistol and turned to the tried and test German Walther P38 for inspiration. However, this new weapon's designer, Marion Karol Jurek decided to make a few changes. Jonathan Ferguson explains.
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Was the Hammond revolver better than its Colt rivals?
The mid-nineteenth century saw an explosion in small arms technologies. At a time when Samuel Colt was selling his now famous revolvers, the Hammond was developed as a higher calibre alternative. The marketing materials of the Hammond Patent made out that this pistol was the best in the world at ...
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Is this the the whackiest weapon we've ever featured? The Kretz Rifle
A true unicorn of a weapon this week as Jonathan attempts to make sense of one of the strangest weapons we've featured on this channel so far. Overcomplicated and fundamentally flawed, the Kretz rifle was almost immediately obsoleted by superior designs.
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The pocket-sized French palm pistol: Le Protector
Designed to keep you safe from Victorian pick-pockets, Jacques Edmond Turbiaux's 'Le Protector' offered portability while still packing a punch.
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A smoothbore rifle? The French 1853/67 Tabatière
While French military planners debated which pattern of rifling they wanted to adopt in the mid-19th century, they released the 1853/67 Tabatière as a smooth bore, percussion cap weapon with the intention of adding in the rifling at a later date.
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The Belgian Sten replacement: The Vigneron M1 & M2
Designed to replace the somewhat last-ditch Sten gun imn the Belgian Army has a troubled history with extensive by the infamous para-commandos to suppress uprising in the Belgian Congo and were famously used in the assassination of President Patrice Lumumba.
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Fix *both* bayonets? The Sterling S-11
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.
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Why don't revolvers revolve the other way?
A quintessential What is this Weapon, the Turret Pistol is a dead end of firearms design, developed under the misapprehension that conventional revolvers were all doing it wrong. Join Jonathan as he investigates why you would want to revolve on a whole other plane of movement.
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Russia's pump-action grenade launcher: the GM-94
While most nations opt for a modular grenade launcher on the underside of a rifle barrel, Russia is one of a select few nations that opted for a standalone design. The GM-94 used both in a civil and military context has seen extensive use over the last 30 years, including most recently during the...
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Britain's Second World War pump-action sniper: The SREM-1
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...
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The Victorian revolvers fit for a revolutionary: The Pryse Cashmore
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...
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Rifling on the *outside* of the barrel? The SR-11
An Antipodean entry with some extremely extremely rare features, but like so many weapons of this series, this week's entry was destined to be a footnote in the annals of firearms history. Created by Australian, Russell Robinson, inventor of other extremely odd looking firearms, the SR-11 had an ...
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Jonathan Ferguson dispels the myth of the duelling pistols
For hundreds of years, pairs of boxed pistols have been described as 'duelling' weapons. But, how much truth is there to this label? Jonathan examines a recent article which puts into doubt the fact that such a label has ever been accurate.
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Old pistols, modern grips: The Viallon pistols
This week's obscure firearm stems from the French city of Marseille in the mid-19th century. Made by the Viallon family, these weapons catch the eye as a result of their modern looking grip. Jonathan Ferguson explains why they look so different compared to other percussion pistols at the time.
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Why does this gun have a backwards trigger? The Werder rifle
Another link up with our friends at Real Time History with this curious Bavarian gun with a backwards trigger on the Centrefire breech-loading military carbine - Werder Model 1869.