The Colt 1911 is one of the most recognisable weapons firearms, featuring in two World Wars as well as being a regular on the big screen and across the biggest video game titles. What you may not have known about this famous pistol is that the British army seriously considered adopting the 1911's...

In the 1920s, the British Army examined a number of options to replace the bolt-action Lee Enfield rifle. Several self-loading rifle systems were examined at a time when the US Army was looking at adopting the M1 Garand. One such weapon proposed in the trials was the 'Bang' rifle as covered in a ...

In the late 1940s Britain were searching for an Automatic Rifle to match the German Sturmgewehr. This design did not pass the trials. Watch Jonathan describe why.

It was clear to British weapon procurement in the mid-thirties that war in Europe was fast approaching. Britain, in its haste to adopt an aircooled machine gun for its tanks and AFVs turned to the Czech ZB-53. However, with the time constraints of a rapidly approaching conflict, this .303 variant...

A compact take on the highly recognisable FAL this week. Join Jonathan Ferguson as he takes a look at a DIY shortened version of the Belgian-made battle rifle.

In an attempt to minimise barrel wear, Britain looked at the possibility of a reversible Bren barrel. Jonathan examines whether this was feasible and why you haven't heard more about this novel concept?

The streets of Victorian Britain could be mean and dangerous and there was a real fear of being garotted from behind by criminal gangs. Jonathan investigates an ingenious solution.

While at first appearing as a standard Greener Shotgun, this weapon features some major differences. It features an SMLE-style bayonet lug, and is chambered in the much smaller .476 calibre. Jonathan suspects it could be a nerfed version for Indian Police, highlighting the distrust between the Br...

This week Jonathan's joined by the dinky little brother of the Webley Mark IV family, the 'pocket model. Designed for ease of concealment and personal defence, this compact design is seeing a new lease of life as the Webley brand is reborn in the 21st century.

The early 20s saw a dramatic reduction in spending from from the European powers who believed the Treaty of Versailles had put pay to any future conflict on the scale of the First World War. This slashing of military expenditure explains this weeks hand-cranked rattle attachment for the British L...

Parisian gunmaker, Nicholas Bouillet is the designer behind this ornate weapon, featuring two steel box covers to literally 'keep your powder dry' and avoid misfired in wet conditions.

This week Jonathan examines a beautifully crafted carbine with an early example of an adjustable butt plate. Set up for use on horseback, this weapon also has a unique family story behind it.

Masterminded by Swedish admiral, Erik Carlsson Sjöblad, this fascinating early 18th-century combination naval weapon meets firepower with brutal blunt force.

The C96 'Broomhandle' Mauser already had the capability of using it's holster as a stock for improved accuracy, so why did German service personnel need a version with a permanently longer butt and barrel? The answer, as is often the case with this series was to solve issues brought on by the rap...

This week's mystery weapon was sent to Jonathan Ferguson by a fan who had screenshotted an image from the Channel 4 TV show, Utopia. The weapon appeared to be a version of the recognisable Browning Hi-Power. However, Jonathan noticed some subtle differences that led to the rediscovery of a little...

A novelty or tool for crowd control? Jonathan examines a pistol likely used for it's ability to deter rather than actually hit anything or anyone.

Jonathan Ferguson answers a fan's question as to a quirk of timing and happenstance why there are two different Webley revolvers with the designation 'Mark IV'.

Pretty much impossible to aim, this meaty pistol is a truly curious contraption from the mid 18th century.

The first British sharpshooters on the Western Front relied solely on their iron sights, with tubular scopes not coming to prominence in the British Army until the penultimate year of the war. But, inroads were made towards giving sharpshooters magnified optics to improve marksmanship. The Lattey...

Followers may be familiar with the shoulder stock on the No.1 Mark I Signal Pistol but we would be seriously impressed if you've seen the same stock mounted on the classic British early 20th-century sidearm, the Webley Mark.VI. Jonathan investigates whether this was a unique experiment or intende...

Jonathan gets hands on with one of the wackier combination weapons seen in this series. The object is one of a number of patented combination weapons by Parisian gunmaker, Dumonthier & Chartron, that exist in the museum's collection.

Designed as long range shotguns, the Nock volley gun, popularised from UK tv's Sharpe series was adopted by the Royal Navy for its sharpshooters in the fighting tops.

As the war began to turn against Mussollini's Italy in the Second World War, they turned to the cheap, easy to produce TZ45.

One of the first 'General Purpose Machine Guns' (GPMG), this Swiss designed weapon was actually a crafty workaround by Nazi weapons designers to circumvent weapons limitations and would eventually lay the ground work for the MG 34.