Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Forgotten Weapons

Forgotten Weapons is a firearms history platform comprising a website and YouTube channel, founded and hosted by American enthusiast Ian McCollum, that specializes in detailed examinations of rare, experimental, prototype, and historically obscure small arms. Content typically involves McCollum disassembling, explaining the mechanics of, and often firing these weapons, drawing from museum collections, private archives, and international collaborations to highlight designs overlooked in mainstream narratives. Launched in the early , the channel has grown to over 3 million subscribers by 2025, establishing itself as a leading resource for enthusiasts and historians interested in technical evolution and developmental dead ends in weapons design. McCollum's approach emphasizes empirical function over aesthetics or combat efficacy, often revealing innovations or failures through hands-on demonstration, which has earned praise for its rigorous, apolitical focus on preservation and . Notable achievements include collaborations with institutions like the arms industry and publications such as Chassepot to the Maxim, a detailing rifles from the , alongside McCollum's role in Headstamp Publishing for titles on Cold War-era battle rifles. While the platform avoids modern political debates, it has occasionally faced criticism from online communities for hosting or publishing content related to controversial historical figures, though such instances remain peripheral to its core mission of archival recovery. Forgotten Weapons contributes to causal understanding of by prioritizing primary artifacts and first-hand testing, countering simplified accounts in secondary sources and fostering appreciation for the iterative, often inefficient processes behind influential designs.

History

Founding and Early Years

Forgotten Weapons originated as a personal endeavor by firearms collector Ian McCollum, who launched the project's website and blog at forgottenweapons.com in 2011 alongside a YouTube channel on May 9 of that year. The initiative stemmed from McCollum's desire to highlight experimental, prototype, and commercially unsuccessful firearms that mainstream publications and collections often ignored, drawing from historical records and physical specimens to provide in-depth mechanical analysis. Early content emphasized practical examinations of obscure weapons sourced primarily from McCollum's own acquisitions and private collections, including disassemblies and range tests of items like early automatic pistols and failed military trials. These initial videos and blog posts functioned as extensions of one another, with footage serving to illustrate textual descriptions of designs that deviated from standard production models, such as innovative but impractical loading mechanisms or rejected calibers. The project's formative phase involved solo production with basic equipment, limiting output to sporadic uploads as McCollum balanced content creation with acquiring specimens through auctions and contacts in the community. Audience growth occurred organically within niche history circles, though early efforts faced hurdles in visibility on , where algorithmic promotion of specialized historical content competed against more popular tactical reviews.

Expansion and Milestones

Following its establishment in , Forgotten Weapons underwent rapid subscriber expansion on , fueled by in-depth examinations of historical firearms that resonated with niche enthusiasts and broader audiences interested in mechanical and . By March 2020, the channel had amassed over 1.5 million subscribers. This growth accelerated amid increasing online interest in specialized content, culminating in approximately 3.07 million subscribers by October 2025. Key milestones in the mid-to-late 2010s included on-site visits to U.S. institutions like , where McCollum filmed detailed explorations of its collections and historical significance. These efforts expanded access to rare prototypes and archival pieces otherwise unavailable to the public. Concurrently, international travel to regions with concentrated firearms heritage, such as , enabled firsthand handling and documentation of obscure specimens, enhancing the channel's reputation for authentic, hands-on analysis. Facing YouTube's policy shifts targeting firearm videos— including widespread demonetization starting in 2018—the channel pivoted to alternative revenue streams to sustain operations. By 2020, integration with provided an ad-free viewing platform for supporters, while memberships offered exclusive content and direct funding, mitigating reliance on platform ads. These adaptations ensured continuity amid broader crackdowns on gun-related media, preserving the channel's independence and output.

Creator

Ian McCollum's Background

Ian McCollum earned a degree in from between 2001 and 2004. This technical foundation provided him with an understanding of mechanical design principles relevant to firearms, though he pursued no formal academic study in history or military affairs. McCollum's interest in firearms originated in childhood, shaped by exposure to his father Duncan McCollum's extensive collection of World War II-era rifles, including models. Duncan McCollum, a firearms enthusiast, authored Japanese Rifles of World War II, a reference on incremental variations in small arms production during the conflict. This environment fostered McCollum's early appreciation for the historical and technical details of obsolete weapons, leading him to self-directed research and acquisition of pieces through private channels. Prior to launching Forgotten Weapons in 2011, McCollum engaged in personal collecting, amassing examples of rare and firearms through auctions and dealer networks, while sharing insights informally within enthusiast communities. Lacking , his expertise derived from empirical examination of artifacts rather than operational experience. He relocated to the Tucson area of , where permissive regulations and ample space supported maintenance of a large private collection comprising thousands of items, stored in dedicated facilities for detailed study. This setup enabled hands-on disassembly and , forming the basis of his practical knowledge in mechanics and development history.

Expertise and Collecting

Ian McCollum demonstrates specialized expertise in firearms mechanics and historical development through meticulous disassembly and functional evaluation of rare specimens, prioritizing empirical testing to elucidate design principles and operational shortcomings. His approach involves field-stripping to internal components, followed by live-fire testing where feasible, which reveals causal factors such as feeding malfunctions or extraction failures inherent in prototypes—issues often undocumented in archival records but critical to understanding adoption decisions. For instance, evaluations of experimental semiautomatic pistols highlight toggle-lock instabilities under sustained fire, attributing reliability gaps to material tolerances and dynamics rather than theoretical blueprints. McCollum's personal collection encompasses thousands of firearms, with a core emphasis on global prototypes and trials models spanning through the era, including developmental variants from European, American, and Asian manufacturers that failed military trials due to mechanical deficiencies. Acquisition occurs primarily through competitive bidding at specialized auctions, such as those hosted by Morphy Auctions and Rock Island Auction Company, where preview inspections enable verification of and prior to purchase. Supplementary sourcing involves estate sales and networks cultivated via international travel, yielding artifacts like pre-production submachine guns and hybrid rifle designs sourced from private European s. This methodical accumulation supports hands-on analysis, contrasting with static museum displays by permitting to quantify factors like barrel fouling's impact on accuracy degradation. His technical acumen positions McCollum as a referenced among firearms historians, evidenced by collaborative examinations at institutions including the Royal Armouries, where he conducted on-site dissections of preserved artifacts to corroborate historical function claims. Such engagements underscore his role in authenticating obscure pieces through comparative mechanics, as opposed to superficial provenance checks, fostering verifiable insights into evolutionary dead-ends like underpowered intermediate cartridges in interwar prototypes.

Content Focus

Obscure and Prototype Firearms

Forgotten Weapons prioritizes firearms classified as "forgotten" due to their experimental nature, limited production runs typically under 100 units, or outright rejection in military trials, distinguishing them from mass-produced service weapons. These include designs that tested novel operating systems, such as gas-delayed blowback or roller-locking mechanisms, often prototyped in small numbers—frequently one to a dozen examples—before abandonment. Selection criteria emphasize historical obscurity over ubiquity, excluding widely fielded modern designs like the M16 in favor of those revealing dead-end innovations, such as early 20th-century slide-action rifles that attempted non-traditional manual operations but suffered from mechanical fragility and poor ergonomics. Coverage spans interwar prototypes from the –1930s, which sought to bridge bolt-action reliability with semiautomatic speed amid post-World War I rearmament; wartime oddities developed under duress, like Germany's proposal for the FG42 rifle in 1944, featuring a gas-operated system but rejected for excessive complexity and production costs exceeding 500 Reichsmarks per unit; and post-war adaptations in , such as Czechoslovakia's ZK-466 folding prototyped in the late for use, with fewer than 10 examples built before dismissal due to jamming rates over 20% in muddy conditions. Failure rates in trials often exceeded 30% for reliability metrics, driven by factors like inconsistent yielding high rejection in scaling attempts. Despite rejection, these hold causal significance in , as mechanics from early auto-loaders—such as Hiram Maxim's 1884 recoil-operated , tested with initial cyclic rates of 600 rounds per minute—influenced subsequent designs by validating self-sustaining fire cycles later refined in rifles like the Browning Automatic Rifle. Abandoned innovations underscore practical constraints: ergonomic flaws, including awkward selector placements requiring grip shifts, led to operator errors in 40% of simulated combat tests for some interwar rifles; cost inefficiencies, with per-unit prototyping expenses 5–10 times higher than stamped-steel alternatives; and material failures, like barrel warping under sustained fire, prompting militaries to favor simpler, cheaper evolutions over radical departures. This focus reveals how trial rejections, grounded in empirical performance data rather than doctrinal bias, propelled incremental advancements in reliability and manufacturability.

Video Format and Analysis

Forgotten Weapons videos typically follow a structured centered on detailed and functional demonstration of obscure firearms. Each begins with an overview of the weapon's historical development, including specific designers, production dates, and adoption contexts—for instance, detailing the Pedersen rifle's trials as a Garand precursor or the Schnellfeuer's full-auto adaptation of the C96 pistol. This is followed by field stripping to expose internal components, highlighting design innovations or flaws through close-up disassembly sequences. When safety permits, McCollum conducts live-fire testing at the to evaluate reliability, accuracy, and ballistic performance, as seen in demonstrations of the Bren gun's positional or the Zip .22's operational shortcomings. Videos conclude with objective evaluations of the firearm's practical viability, grounded in empirical observations from testing rather than speculation, often addressing why prototypes failed or succeeded in their era. Visual presentation emphasizes mechanical transparency via high-definition close-ups of and extensive slow-motion footage captured with specialized cameras like the Edgertronic, revealing cycle-of-action such as extractor behavior in the Schwarzlose 1898 or malfunction dynamics in exotic arms. This approach allows viewers to observe subtle engineering aspects, like gas system interactions or feed mechanism tolerances, which are frequently glossed over in less technical media treatments. Slow-motion segments, often compiled standalone for complex firearms, underscore causal factors in function or failure, such as the Pedersen rifle's clip ejection or the LMG 08/15's air-cooled lightening adaptations from onward. Since October 2015, monthly Q&A sessions have integrated viewer-submitted empirical inquiries, drawing from supporters to explore topics like ballistic comparisons, metallurgical durability, or hypothetical redesigns based on first-hand . These segments, evolving from initial 2015 episodes on subjects including the H&K G11's caseless mechanics, maintain a focus on verifiable testing outcomes over opinion, with ongoing releases addressing queries on surplus gun collectibility or historical decision-making errors. This format fosters data-driven myth debunking, such as clarifying turret limitations or knee firing myths through replicated demonstrations.

Platforms and Media

YouTube Channel

The YouTube channel of Forgotten Weapons serves as the primary platform for disseminating video content focused on obscure and historical firearms, with over 4,100 videos uploaded as of October 2025. This volume reflects a sustained operational commitment, including weekly uploads that accommodate creator Ian McCollum's extensive travel for sourcing rare prototypes and artifacts from auctions and collections worldwide. Production involves on-location disassembly, historical contextualization, and range testing where feasible, often requiring coordination around international acquisitions that can span multiple continents. YouTube's evolving algorithms and content policies have posed visibility challenges for firearm-centric channels, including age-restrictions on videos depicting automatic fire or modifications since policy updates in 2018 and further tightenings in the 2020s targeting youth access to potentially sensitive material. Forgotten Weapons counters these by optimizing titles and descriptions with specific historical and technical keywords—such as model designations, calibers, and developmental contexts—prioritizing factual specificity over clickbait to align with search intent and mitigate demonetization risks associated with "dangerous" content classifications. This approach leverages YouTube's emphasis on viewer retention through educational depth, sustaining algorithmic recommendations amid broader platform scrutiny of gun-related uploads. The channel's comment sections facilitate robust community interaction, where viewers contribute engineering insights, historical corrections, and queries on mechanics, often prompting follow-up Q&A videos released monthly. Subscriber numbers have stabilized at around 3.08 million by late , reflecting resilience against policy-induced fluctuations in discoverability for niche arms content. These features underscore the channel's adaptation to YouTube's , prioritizing long-form analysis to foster sustained over viral .

Blog and Membership Services

The Forgotten Weapons website, forgottenweapons.com, has hosted a since 2011, featuring written articles that expand on video content with detailed historical analyses, technical breakdowns, and reproductions of materials such as scanned patents, manuals, and archival documents. These posts provide in-depth textual references for enthusiasts seeking non-video formats, often including high-resolution images of rare firearms components or engineering drawings not fully explorable in short-form videos. To sustain operations amid YouTube's frequent demonetization of firearms-related content, Forgotten Weapons introduced membership services via in 2015, initially replacing an earlier premium program, and later expanded to around 2020. tiers offer ad-free video access, early releases, behind-the-scenes footage of firearm disassembly and range testing, and exclusive podcasts, with over 3,600 posts documented as of recent records. provides similar benefits, including $3 monthly subscriptions for immediate video uploads and additional creator-driven content, serving as an alternative platform less reliant on advertiser policies. These services generate primary revenue, enabling acquisition of rare prototypes and travel for on-location shoots without dependence on inconsistent ad income. The website integrates a merchandise at shop.forgottenweapons.com, offering apparel and accessories themed around specific firearms or historical motifs, such as t-shirts depicting obscure prototypes or polos with technical schematics. Items include jackets, hats, and drinkware, with periodic limited-edition releases tied to video series, like range shirts for testing sessions, supporting funding through direct sales. Collaborations, such as with Varusteleka for expanded lines, further diversify product offerings while maintaining thematic consistency with the 's focus on forgotten armaments.

Publications

Headstamp Publishing Venture

Headstamp Publishing was established in March 2019 by Ian McCollum of , N.R. Jenzen-Jones of Armament Research Services, and photographer James Rupley, with the aim of creating a specialized imprint for firearms history and literature. The venture emerged from collaborative efforts among experts in small arms research and visual documentation, focusing on producing print volumes that prioritize archival accuracy over interpretive narrative. The publishing arm's core mission centers on documenting the technical evolution of through meticulously curated volumes featuring high-resolution empirical , detailed schematics, and data-driven historical analysis. This approach targets serious collectors, historians, and researchers seeking reference materials unencumbered by anecdotal embellishment, with an emphasis on limited-edition runs to ensure and exclusivity. Collaborations, particularly with Rupley's expertise in firearms imaging derived from projects like Vickers Guide, enable the production of visually intensive works that capture prototypes and variants in unprecedented detail. By the early 2020s, expanded its operations to include distribution and co-publishing of the Vickers Guide series, integrating large-format references on topics such as small arms and battle rifles into its catalog. This growth reflected a strategic pivot toward scalable yet specialized output, maintaining a focus on authoritative, image-heavy tomes while leveraging McCollum's curatorial oversight for content vetting. Operations remain centered on direct sales through the company's platform, with print runs designed to meet demand from niche audiences without compromising production standards.

Key Books and Contributions

Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866–2016, published in 2019, chronicles the evolution of French military rifles over 150 years, incorporating production statistics, technical specifications, and documentation of prototypes such as early needle-gun derivatives and post-World War II bullpup designs. The volume draws on archival data to trace design influences from the rifle through Lebel, Berthier, and MAS series to the , emphasizing mechanical innovations and manufacturing scales during conflicts like the and World Wars. Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, , released in , details over 100 variants of handguns produced in amid warlord fragmentation, including copies of , , and indigenous improvisations adapted for local arsenals. It provides serial number ranges, specifics, and markings to illustrate how these firearms supported factional armies in the Republican era's civil strife, prioritizing disassembly views and metallurgical notes over narrative accounts. The Small Arms of World War II series includes the volume from 2023, covering rifles like the , submachine guns such as the , and prototypes with documented trial reports and output figures exceeding millions for standard issue arms. The edition, published in 2024, similarly examines production runs surpassing 6 million units, Tokarev pistols, and experimental designs, using verifiable blueprints and yield data to map adaptations under wartime constraints. McCollum contributed technical sections to the Vickers Guide: Kalashnikov volumes (2018–2019), supplying precise dimensional specs and variant chronologies for early AK prototypes versus production models, countering anecdotal claims with comparative firing data.

Reception and Impact

Popularity and Metrics

The Forgotten Weapons YouTube channel, established in May 2011, began with a modest audience in the low thousands of subscribers and has since expanded to 3.08 million subscribers as of October 23, 2025. By March 2020, it had reached 1.5 million subscribers, reflecting steady growth fueled by consistent uploads of archival and analytical firearm content. The channel has amassed over 1.66 billion total views, with monthly views averaging 127,174 in recent periods, sustained by the long-term relevance of videos on obscure historical designs. Engagement metrics demonstrate above-average performance relative to comparable firearms channels, with an October 2025 rate of 5.36% classified as "very good" by platforms evaluating interaction per view. This exceeds typical benchmarks for the , correlating with the channel's emphasis on detailed technical dissections rather than transient trends. Recent daily subscriber gains hover between 0 and 10,000, alongside video view increments of hundreds of thousands, indicating persistent draw from core enthusiasts. Viewership extends internationally, with cumulative data pointing to broad geographic distribution beyond U.S.-centric audiences, though specific regional breakdowns remain undocumented in public analytics. The channel's focus on globally sourced prototypes contributes to this reach, evidenced by sustained view volumes independent of localized events.

Educational and Cultural Influence

Forgotten Weapons disseminates accurate firearms knowledge through detailed dissections, functional demonstrations, and historical contextualization of obscure prototypes and historical designs, addressing deficiencies in conventional academic resources that often overlook experimental weapons. Ian McCollum employs hands-on testing, including live-fire sequences captured with high-speed cameras, to reveal operational mechanics and design rationales, enabling viewers to verify claims empirically rather than relying on descriptions. This methodology has influenced collector communities by promoting active engagement with artifacts, such as routine maintenance and firing to assess longevity, over static display, with McCollum arguing that private hands foster superior preservation and scholarly access compared to institutional storage. His content has informed curatorial practices indirectly, as evidenced by suggestions to consult him for artifact identification and museum tours featuring analyzed pieces. By prioritizing engineering ingenuity and empirical function over politicized narratives, the channel cultivates a cultural appreciation for firearms as products of iterative , countering media-driven simplifications through myth-debunking analyses of surplus and historical arms. It inspires amateur preservation by archiving trials data and encouraging community contributions to historical documentation, evidenced by viewer-inspired research and shared obscure specimens.

Controversies

Headstamp Publishing Dispute

In February 2022, Headstamp Publishing announced plans to publish The Foreigner Group: Our War in , 2014–2015, a by Carolus Löfroos recounting his service as a foreign volunteer with the Ukrainian National Guard during the Donbas conflict following Russia's annexation of . The book was positioned as a account of experiences at the edge of great-power rivalry, with pre-orders opened via to gauge interest, targeting delivery in 2023 after translation and editing. Public backlash quickly emerged, centered on Löfroos's participation in the Azov Battalion—a unit with documented far-right and neo-Nazi affiliations in its early formation—and allegations of the author's personal views aligning with white supremacist or sexist ideologies, based on his online activity and statements. Critics argued that publishing the work without thorough vetting of the author's background constituted mismanagement, potentially platforming extremist perspectives under the guise of historical documentation. Ian McCollum, Headstamp's co-founder and Forgotten Weapons host, initially defended the project in a YouTube video as an apolitical examination of frontline realities, emphasizing that the publisher did not endorse the author's politics and aimed to preserve primary accounts akin to other conflict memoirs. Following the outcry, conducted additional research into Löfroos's background and announced on February 5, 2022, that it would not proceed with publication, citing the need for more comprehensive . platform Backerkit terminated the campaign, effectively ending the project without refunds processed for minimal pledges received. McCollum issued a follow-up acknowledging the initial oversight, reiterating the intent to focus on tactical and experiential details rather than , while expressing regret over the distraction from Headstamp's core mission of firearms . No internal partnership fractures were publicly disclosed, with co-founders N.R. Jenzen-Jones and James Rupley remaining associated; allegations of broader ideological tensions appeared confined to external debates over content boundaries. The incident resolved without legal proceedings or lasting operational disruption, as continued releasing titles thereafter, including Licensed Troubleshooter in late 2022 and the Small Arms of the series starting in 2023, demonstrating sustained viability under McCollum's oversight.

Criticisms of Political Neutrality

Ian McCollum's commitment to an apolitical approach in Forgotten Weapons, emphasizing , , and developmental details over contemporary policy debates, has faced scrutiny from some left-leaning observers who contend that this omission equates to tacit endorsement of expansive Second Amendment interpretations. During 2021 and 2022, amid renewed pushes for restrictions following high-profile incidents like the on May 24, 2022, critics argued that channels avoiding explicit support for measures such as enhanced background checks or assault weapon bans normalize firearm enthusiasm without addressing associated public safety risks, potentially appealing disproportionately to pro-gun audiences. This perspective framed neutrality not as impartiality but as a selective silence that overlooks "social costs," including the over 40,000 annual U.S. gun deaths reported by the CDC in 2021. Defenders of McCollum's stance counter that prioritizing technical and historical analysis over fosters genuine education, untainted by ideological agendas, and counters causal misconceptions prevalent in narratives—such as equating obscure historical prototypes with everyday criminal tools. For instance, FBI Uniform Reporting data consistently shows handguns comprising approximately 70-80% of firearms used in murders, with rifles (including rare or modified variants rarely featured in modern reviews) accounting for just 2-4% from 2015-2019. This empirical disparity underscores that Forgotten Weapons' content on "forgotten" arms—often prototypes or obsolete designs—bears negligible relation to prevalent crime patterns dominated by illegal or unmodified handguns sourced through straw purchases or theft, not collector markets. McCollum has articulated this rationale, noting audience appreciation for eschewing to maintain broad accessibility and factual integrity. Proponents of neutrality argue it enables rigorous debunking of policy-driven fallacies, such as overstated links between niche weaponry and , thereby promoting informed over emotive appeals; critics persist in viewing this as right-leaning evasion, insisting comprehensive coverage demands contextualizing mechanics within , where over 50% of 2022 suicides involved firearms per CDC provisional data. Such debates highlight tensions between educational focus and calls for integrated , with McCollum's model defended as preserving amid institutionalized biases in and toward restrictive narratives.

References

  1. [1]
    Forgotten Weapons - YouTube
    At Forgotten Weapons I think the most interesting guns out there are the most obscure ones. I try to search out experimental and prototype weapons and show you ...
  2. [2]
    Forgotten Weapons
    Your destination for rare, exotic, and prototype firearms.Shotguns · Rifles · Handguns · Machine Guns
  3. [3]
    How Videos About Old Firearms Became A Hit YouTube Channel
    Mar 10, 2020 · With more than a million and half subscribers, Forgotten Weapons has become one of the most popular firearms-related channels on YouTube.
  4. [4]
    Forgotten Weapons's YouTube Statistics - Social Blade
    Daily Channel Metrics ; Tue2025-10-07, --, 3.06M ; Wed2025-10-08, 10K, 3.07M ; Thu2025-10-09, --, 3.07M ; Fri2025-10-10, --, 3.07M ...
  5. [5]
    Ian McCollum Profile | thefirearmblog.com
    Ian McCollum lives in Arizona, where he spends his time searching out rare, unusual, and experimental firearms for his daily blog at ForgottenWeapons.com.
  6. [6]
    Ian McCollum (Author of Chassepot to FAMAS) - Goodreads
    Ian McCollum is the founder, editor and presenter of Forgotten Weapons, a web site and video archive founded in 2010 and dedicated to preserving firearms ...
  7. [7]
    Top 5 Czech Guns ft. Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons - YouTube
    Aug 21, 2024 · Join ‪@JamesReeves‬ of TFBTV and Ian McCollum of ‪@ForgottenWeapons‬ as they come together in Prague to discuss the top 5 Czech guns of all ...
  8. [8]
    Popular Youtuber Forgotten Weapons aka Gun Jesus misfires on an ...
    Feb 5, 2022 · Popular Youtuber Forgotten Weapons aka Gun Jesus misfires on an announcement about publishing a war memoir written by a fascist Swedish ...
  9. [9]
    What makes Ian McCollum's 'Forgotten weapons' a good ... - Quora
    May 1, 2025 · Forgotten Weapons is a fantastic channel, Ian McCollum is amazingly knowledgeable, experienced and after years of hard work and dedication is well connected to ...
  10. [10]
    Who is Springfield Armory? A Tale of Two Entities - YouTube
    Feb 20, 2018 · http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons ... HISTORY OF THE SPRINGFIELD ARMORY ...Missing: collaborations museums
  11. [11]
    YouTube Cracks Down: All Gun Content Is Now Fair Game For ...
    Aug 23, 2018 · YouTube has been on the warpath this month, removing gun content at record pace. On the bright side, they haven't been issuing “community ...
  12. [12]
    Floatplane: An Alternative to YouTube and Patreon
    Jan 6, 2020 · You can now subscribe to Forgotten Weapons on Floatplane: https://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons/home Floatplane is a new ...Missing: demonetization | Show results with:demonetization
  13. [13]
    Forgotten Weapons | Creating Videos, Articles, Photos ... - Patreon
    Creating Videos, Articles, Photos, and Documents. 3,658 posts. Join for free. See membership options. See membership options. Home · Podcasts · About ...Missing: YouTube demonetization Floatplane
  14. [14]
    C&Rsenal Demonetized : r/ForgottenWeapons - Reddit
    Jan 7, 2020 · C&Rsenal has been demonetized by YouTube. As their Patreon subscribers have been losing steam, the YouTube $$$ have been increasing, keeping things moving.Youtube's updated community guidelines will now channel strike ...According to Hickok45, YouTube has banned all content sponsored ...More results from www.reddit.com
  15. [15]
    About - Headstamp Publishing
    Subject Matter Expert. Ian McCollum is the founder, editor, and presenter of Forgotten Weapons, a decade-old web site and video archive dedicated to preserving ...
  16. [16]
    ian mccollum | The Survival Podcast
    Podcast: Play in new window | Download (15.6MB). Ian McCollum grew up around his father's extensive collection of WWII Japanese rifles, ...<|separator|>
  17. [17]
    Book Review: Japanese Rifles of World War II, by Duncan McCollum
    Jan 11, 2012 · If you need a resource on the incremental changes to the major Japanese rifles over the course of WWII, Japanese Rifles of World War II is ...Missing: Ian father's
  18. [18]
    Forgotten Weapons (Web Video) - TV Tropes
    Forgotten Weapons is a blog and YouTube channel started in 2011 by firearms specialist Ian McCollum. The show focuses on rare and forgotten firearms throughout ...
  19. [19]
    What sort of education does Ian have that makes him so ... - Reddit
    Jun 13, 2015 · All self taught. At least, not taught by a formal education anywhere. It's a combination of reading a lot and listening to a lot of people ...
  20. [20]
    Ian McCollum - Foundation for European Societies of Arms Collectors
    Tucson, AZ. Education. Purdue University Graphic. Purdue University. -. 2001 - 2004. -. Websites. Personal Website: http://www.forgottenweapons.com.
  21. [21]
    Webley 1913 Semiauto Pistol: History and Disassembly
    May 25, 2017 · Webley 1913 Semiauto Pistol: History and Disassembly. May 25, 2017 Ian McCollum Semiauto pistol, Video 60.
  22. [22]
    Ian McCollum Reviews and Disassembles a M1916 Federov Rifle!
    Dec 24, 2018 · He recently visited the Royal Armouries in Leeds and had a chance to produce a video segment on the history and disassembly of a Federov rifle.Missing: function testing
  23. [23]
    Bergman 1920s Trials Prototype Pistol - Forgotten Weapons
    Jan 20, 2017 · The final iteration of the Bergmann pistols, developed by AEP in Liege for potential military contracts. It retains the locking system of the 1910 pattern ...
  24. [24]
    Ian McCollum is at Morphy Auctions! Exclusive Interview & Collector ...
    May 14, 2025 · Join us for an exclusive behind-the-scenes experience as Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons visits Morphy Auctions, one of the premier ...Missing: prototypes sources estates
  25. [25]
    How the Gun Auction Process Works: Ian Buys a Kar98a!
    Jun 1, 2020 · I will take you through the whole process here, from auction registration to scouring through the guns on Preview Day to bidding and finally to unpacking the ...Missing: prototypes sources estates
  26. [26]
    About the Forgotten Weapons team
    - **Ian McCollum's Background**: Not explicitly detailed; part of the Forgotten Weapons team, a group of firearm enthusiasts.
  27. [27]
    5 Tips for Gun Collecting with Ian McCollum (Forgotten Weapons ...
    Aug 6, 2019 · Collecting old guns can be awesome, or it can be tragic as Othais and Ian discuss in this latest episode of TFB TV. Both of them break down ...Missing: pre- 2011
  28. [28]
    Prototype vz.52 Machine Pistol - Forgotten Weapons
    Jul 19, 2013 · This prototype machine pistol based on the Czech vz.52 pistol was commissioned by Henk Visser but never put into production.
  29. [29]
    Weird Slide Action Prototype Rifles - Forgotten Weapons
    Nov 28, 2018 · These two slide action rifles came form the same collection, and are pretty clearly related – one is a toolroom type of early prototype and the ...
  30. [30]
    Prototype - Forgotten Weapons
    ZK-466: CZ Makes a Folding Submachine Gun​​ The ZK-466 was one of the post-war submachine guns developed in Czechoslovakia as part of the competition for a new ...
  31. [31]
    Krieghoff's Bizarre Prototype FG42 Proposal - YouTube
    Jul 23, 2025 · ... ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons ... Britain's Forgotten Silencer Rifle: The Suppressed Lee ...Missing: obscure | Show results with:obscure
  32. [32]
    Why Guns Take Years to Get Into Production - Forgotten Weapons
    May 27, 2021 · You could probably make the things, sure–In small quantities with huge rejection and failure rates. Large-scale manufacture, churning out a ...
  33. [33]
    Maxim "Prototype": The First Practical Machine Gun - YouTube
    Jul 31, 2019 · http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com Hiram Maxim was the first person to ...
  34. [34]
    The Prototype .280 FAL from 1950s NATO Trials - Forgotten Weapons
    Feb 24, 2020 · After World War Two, the new NATO defense alliance held a series of trials to adopt a standard cartridge and infantry rifle.
  35. [35]
    Forgotten Weapons/InRange TV General (Special Scoop
    Nov 30, 2015 · The selector lever was not convenient to use from a firing grip, the buttstock was not attached securely enough, and the magazine release didn't ...
  36. [36]
    Slow Motion: .276 Pedersen Rifle (Video) - Forgotten Weapons
    Oct 15, 2015 · I have assembled all the slow motion footage from my Pedersen shooting session into its own standalone video, for the folks who are interested.
  37. [37]
    Slow Motion: Mauser Schnellfeuer (Video) - Forgotten Weapons
    Jul 9, 2015 · Today's slow motion video is a Mauser Schnellfeuer; the full-auto version of the C96 pistol made in the 1930s. Just over 100,000 of these were ...Missing: definition | Show results with:definition
  38. [38]
    Bren Gun at the Range - YouTube
    Aug 23, 2011 · We take a 1940 Bren gun to the range to demonstrate function, disassembly, and shooting from a variety of positions.
  39. [39]
    Zip 22: Shooting the Worst Gun Ever - YouTube
    Sep 15, 2018 · http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Today, may the good lord help me, I am taking the Zip 22 out to the range for some shooting.Missing: typical field stripping
  40. [40]
    Slow Motion: Interesting Extractor Failure (Schwarzlose 1898)
    May 7, 2015 · ... high-speed footage ... Slow Motion: Interesting Extractor Failure (Schwarzlose 1898). 26K views · 10 years ago ...more. Forgotten Weapons.<|control11|><|separator|>
  41. [41]
    Slow Motion Malfunctions of Exotic Firearms - YouTube
    Jun 25, 2019 · ... ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch ... "The manufacturer advised us not to use Bazer ammunition, so naturally we used Blazer ammunition ...
  42. [42]
    Slow Motion: Maxim lMG 08/15 - YouTube
    Dec 10, 2014 · http://www.forgottenweapons.com Today we're looking at a luftgekühltes maschinengewehr 08/15 in slow motion - a lightened and air-cooled ...Missing: high definition videos
  43. [43]
    Q&A #1: October 2015 - YouTube
    Oct 8, 2015 · Today is our first Q&A video using questions from my awesome Patreon supporters (http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons).Missing: sessions monthly
  44. [44]
    Q&A Video #1: H&K G11, Owen, F1, Worst Gun Ever, and More!
    Oct 8, 2015 · This month I am addressing: H&K G11 (and caseless rifles in general); Origins of clips and magazines; Firing a Japanese Knee Mortar; Union ...
  45. [45]
    Forgotten Weapons Q&A November 2015 - YouTube
    Nov 6, 2015 · ... in more questions that I could get to for another month! I took on a whole bunch of them, on subjects including: * Browning lock vs others in ...Missing: sessions | Show results with:sessions
  46. [46]
    Remote Brutality 2025: Burpees For Everyone! - YouTube
    Oct 6, 2025 · Go to channel · BUG Match: Serbu Super Shorty vs MIL Thunder 5. Forgotten Weapons•98K views · 20:58. Go to channel · Hollywood Weapons: Fact or ...
  47. [47]
  48. [48]
    Podcast: YouTube Further Restricts Gun Videos (Ft. Active Self ...
    Jun 9, 2024 · The new rules primarily target creates who build their own firearms or use automatic fire in video. But they also affect anyone who uses “high ...
  49. [49]
    Video Censorship: Why I Re-Uploaded a Video From 2011 Today
    Apr 13, 2025 · This content isn't available. Video Censorship: Why I Re-Uploaded a Video From 2011 Today. 124K views · 6 months ago ...more. Forgotten Weapons.Missing: restrictions 2010s
  50. [50]
    September 2025 Q&A: All About Battle Rifles - YouTube
    Sep 20, 2025 · ... ForgottenWeapons http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons Cool Forgotten Weapons merch! http://shop.forgottenweapons.com.
  51. [51]
    Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel Stats - vidIQ
    Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel Stats ; 2025-10-20, 3.07M · 1,661,761,706 ; 2025-10-19, 3.07M · 1,660,977,528 ; 2025-10-18, 3.07M · 1,660,121,524 ; 2025-10-17, 3.07M ...
  52. [52]
    SA80 History: L22A2 and Experimental L85 Carbines
    May 24, 2017 · We take a look at a couple early prototypes of these carbines which did not go into production. We also examine an L22A2 carbine, which did become standard ...
  53. [53]
    Patreon is Replacing the Premium Membership Program
    Sep 12, 2015 · Patreon is Replacing the Premium Membership Program ... Patreon is a central hub for crowdfunding creative projects like Forgotten Weapons ...
  54. [54]
    Forgotten Weapons - Floatplane
    As a Subscriber at this level, you will be able to watch each video when it is complete and uploaded - typically a week before it publishes and sometimes a ...
  55. [55]
    Completely Ad-Free Forgotten Weapons now on Patreon - YouTube
    May 31, 2022 · ... forgottenweapons/ http://www.floatplane.com/channel/ForgottenWeapons. ... Completely Ad-Free Forgotten Weapons now on Patreon. 36K views · 3 ...Missing: demonetization | Show results with:demonetization
  56. [56]
    Online Shop - Forgotten Weapons
    Forgotten Weapons Merch! ... Shirts, jackets, hats, and much more! Sites we enjoy reading. British Royal Armouries · GunLab · Historical ...
  57. [57]
    New FW Merch! What is Ian's Least Favorite Item? - YouTube
    Jun 16, 2022 · https://shop.forgottenweapons.com All the new merch is available now for preorder! Even the one I don't like so much.
  58. [58]
    Forgotten Weapons Merchandise - Varusteleka.com
    Forgotten Weapons Merchandise · Baseball Caps · Beanies · Bucket Hats · Camping Utensils · Canteens · Cargo Pants · Clothing Accessories · Fabric
  59. [59]
    TFB Exclusive: Ian McCollum, Nic Jenzen-Jones & James Rupley ...
    Mar 26, 2019 · The first book from Headstamp will be Ian McCollum's book on French rifles, Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866-2016, Ian told us ...
  60. [60]
    ARES Director Jenzen-Jones co-founds Headstamp Publishing
    Mar 26, 2019 · ARES Director NR Jenzen-Jones and two well-respected colleagues from the firearms research industry have formed a new publishing concern, Headstamp Publishing.
  61. [61]
    Headstamp Publishing
    Author Ian McCollum (of Forgotten Weapons) and photographer James Rupley (of Vickers Guide) have teamed up to create a book series that is simultaneously ...WW2-USAAboutFrench Rifle Book
  62. [62]
    Publications - Headstamp Publishing
    Author Ian McCollum (of Forgotten Weapons) and photographer James Rupley (of Vickers Guide) have teamed up to create a book series that is simultaneously ...Missing: collaborations | Show results with:collaborations
  63. [63]
    Authors - Headstamp Publishing
    Ian McCollum is the founder, editor, and presenter of Forgotten Weapons, a decade-old online web site and video archive dedicated to preserving firearms history ...
  64. [64]
    Vickers Guide - Headstamp Publishing
    Vickers Guide is a high-end coffee table style reference book which presents highly curated collections of firearms in never before seen detail.
  65. [65]
    Headstamp Publishing Announces New Cold War Battle Rifles Book
    May 15, 2025 · Written by Ian McCollum and James Rupley the book will cover all of the major rifles developed and issued during the period, including: the FN ...Missing: collaborations | Show results with:collaborations
  66. [66]
    Purchase - Headstamp Publishing
    Vickers Guide: Heckler & Koch, Volume 2 (SIGNED Slipcase Edition). $203.00 ... Vickers Guide: Heckler & Koch, Volume 3 (SIGNED Slipcase Edition). $200.00.Small Arms of the Cold War · Licensed Troubleshooter... · Rifles on the Danube
  67. [67]
    French Rifle Book — Headstamp Publishing
    by Ian McCollum ... Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016 is a reference guide for historians, shooters, and arms collectors alike, detailing ...
  68. [68]
    Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016 - Goodreads
    Mar 1, 2020 · Ian McCollum's Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016 is a reference guide for historians, researchers, enthusiasts, and ...
  69. [69]
    Chinese Pistols Book - Headstamp Publishing
    Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949 is an exploration of the fascinating world of handgun production during the Chinese Warlord Era.
  70. [70]
    Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 - 1949
    Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 - 1949. Author, Ian McCollum. Photographs by, James Rupley. Publisher, Headstamp Publishing, 2021.
  71. [71]
    WW2-USA - Headstamp Publishing
    Author Ian McCollum (of Forgotten Weapons) and photographer James Rupley (of Vickers Guide) have teamed up to create a book series that is simultaneously ...
  72. [72]
    Announcing my Newest Book! Small Arms of WW2: Soviet Union
    Apr 3, 2024 · It's approximately 500 pages of gorgeous photography and insightful history on all the small arms of the USSR during the Great Patriotic War (as ...
  73. [73]
    AK-Vol-1 — Vickers Guide
    Vickers Guide: Kalashnikov gives the firearms enthusiast an extraordinarily detailed view of this historic category of firearms. · 360 pages · 13" wide by 11" ...<|control11|><|separator|>
  74. [74]
    Forgotten Weapons (@forgottenweapons) YouTube Stats, Analytics ...
    @forgottenweapons's subscriber count shifted from 3,061,025 in 22 Sep'25 to 3,075,879 in 21 Oct'25, with a net growth rate of +0.49% for this period. Average ...Missing: milestones | Show results with:milestones
  75. [75]
    Forgotten Weapons YouTube Channel Statistics / Analytics - speakrj
    Forgotten Weapons YouTube Subscribers Growth ; 2025-07-11, Fri, 2,990,000 ; 2025-06-25, Wed, 2,980,000 ; 2025-06-02, Mon, 2,970,000 ; 2025-05-08, Thu, 2,950,000 ...
  76. [76]
    It Belongs in a Museum! Or, “Ian Offends Curators”
    Dec 31, 2020 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site provides a sterling example of the shift in focus from a museum to a tourist point of interest. I ...Missing: collaborations | Show results with:collaborations
  77. [77]
    Virtual Tour: Austrian Museum of Military History - Forgotten Weapons
    Virtual Tour: Austrian Museum of Military History. May 20, 2022 Ian McCollum Museum Review, Tour, Video 19. Tap to unmute ... Forgotten Weapons.Missing: exhibit | Show results with:exhibit
  78. [78]
  79. [79]
    Four Annoying Gun Myths - with Bloke on the Range - YouTube
    Oct 31, 2017 · BotR Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/BlokeOnTheRange Forgotten Weapons Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons I had a chance to ...
  80. [80]
    An Ambitious New Project for Forgotten Weapons - YouTube
    Jul 4, 2019 · http://www.patreon.com/ForgottenWeapons Forgotten Weapons began as an archive for historical firearms data - photos, manual, trials reports, ...Missing: preservation | Show results with:preservation
  81. [81]
    The Foreigner Group — Headstamp Publishing
    ### Summary of "Foreigner Group" Content
  82. [82]
    Is Headstamp Publishing Releasing a Neo-Nazi War Memoir?
    Feb 4, 2022 · UPDATE: Headstamp has announced that after researching the author a bit more that they will not be going ahead with the book.Missing: 2022 | Show results with:2022
  83. [83]
    Forgotten Weapons/Headstamp Controversy Summary and ... - Reddit
    Feb 6, 2022 · This post is intended as a summary of the current controversy surrounding Ian McCollum and Headstamp Publishing.
  84. [84]
    FBI — Expanded Homicide Data Table 8
    Weapons, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019. Total, 13,847, 15,355, 15,206, 14,446, 13,927. Total firearms: 9,143, 10,398, 11,014, 10,445, 10,258. Handguns, 6,194 ...