Aimpoint's Only Gun: The PC-80 Symmetrical Action

The Bommarito represents America's first attempt at a toggle-locked battle rifle, tested by Springfield in 1916. It features a 20-round detachable magazine with a lock-open-on-empty function and utilizes a short recoil mechanism where the barrel and receiver travel 1.25 inches. Despite its innovative design, testing revealed significant extraction issues and difficulties clearing jams, hindering its development.

The Little Tom is highlighted as the world's first Double Action Only (DAO) automatic pistol, featuring a unique bi-directional magazine loading system. Its barrel disassembly involves pushing it back to release an oval lug from a dovetail slot. The internal mechanism demonstrates a specific trigger bar and hammer interaction for DAO operation.

This video from Forgotten Weapons details the complex journey of Lithuanian rifles following WWII. Due to successive Soviet and German occupations, these arms were scattered, ending up in various national arsenals, with partisans, and eventually dispersed globally to regions like China, Vietnam, and Africa as part of post-war arms caches. The expert analysis highlights the geopolitical impact on small arms distribution.

This video examines AR-15 serial number 000006, a rare example of an original configuration prototype. Key features include a 25-round straight magazine, a top-mounted charging handle with a protective guard, and a thin pencil barrel profile. The stock is made of woven fiberglass, and the muzzle is plain, reflecting early design considerations before the widespread need for muzzle devices.

The Mendoza Model 1934 LMG is a rare Mexican-designed firearm from the interwar period. Its unique features include an offset magazine to the right, allowing for a centered sight radius, and a distinctive pull-back magazine release. The design incorporates a rotating bolt, reminiscent of the Lewis gun or M60, and offers adjustable gas operation with a three-position fire selector.

This video showcases the rare 14-barrel double Nock volley gun, a unique firearm featuring two clusters of seven rifled barrels each. It highlights the gun's specialized features, including a vertical front grip for handling its significant weight and dual triggers for independent firing of each cluster. The demonstration also covers the specialized seven-chamber powder throw for simultaneous loading and the modular design allowing conversion to a seven-barrel configuration.

This video details the unique 'French Finger Trap' issue with the MAS-36 rifle's bayonet, where two rifles can become unintentionally locked together. A 1951 French arsenal memorandum identified this problem, proposing a simple modification to the bayonet handle. Drilling a small hole allows a tool, like a firing pin, to depress the internal spring, enabling the separation of locked rifles.

The M134 Minigun is a scaled-down 7.62 NATO rotary cannon, requiring 24V DC power and consuming 1.5 kW. Its high rate of fire (3,000+ RPM) is essential for aircraft engagement windows. The complex delinker mechanism is critical for feeding ammunition, and practical hand-held use is impossible due to weight and recoil. Live fire demonstrates rapid ammunition consumption and the need for indirect aiming.

The H&K G11 is a revolutionary prototype assault rifle designed in the late 20th century, notable for its caseless ammunition and unique rotating drum bolt mechanism. Despite advanced features like a 2000 RPM burst fire rate and integrated optics, its development was ultimately halted by geopolitical shifts and cost concerns.

This video demonstrates the assembly and live-fire of the German 1936 pattern light mortar (L.Gr.W.36). It highlights the mortar's leveling mechanism for accuracy and the difficulty in visually tracking its 50mm projectiles after firing. The content showcases historical military hardware and its operational use.