(Almost) 500,000 Subscribers? Time for a Pattern Room Teaser!

Forgotten Weapons outlines ambitious 2017 plans, including international travel to France and the Pattern Room, funded by Patreon success. The channel will continue documenting rare firearms from museums and auctions, with a focus on historical significance and mechanical details. New content will feature deep dives into personal Japanese and French rifle collections, alongside demonstrations of specific models like the Winchester Hotchkiss 1883 and FN-49.

This video features an interview with Jonathan Ferguson, Curator of Firearms at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds, England. The centre, formerly the Pattern Room, has a historical collection dating back to 1631, initially established to standardize British military equipment. The collection, which moved locations several times before settling in Leeds, houses thousands of military firearms of British and international design, including numerous prototypes and rare variants. Ferguson highlights an early self-indexing revolver as a notable item. The video emphasizes the collection's significance as a publicly accessible resource and an exceptional experience for visitors interested in firearms history.

Jonathan Ferguson of the Royal Armouries discusses the L85A1's inherent design flaws, predating manufacturing issues. He also touches upon how strict UK gun laws paradoxically aid the Royal Armouries in acquiring modern firearms for its reference collection. The historical 'Pattern Room' is highlighted as a crucial resource for military weapon standards.

This video covers a firearms symposium held at the Cody Firearms Museum, where curators from various prominent institutions like the National Firearms Centre, Springfield Armory, NRA Firearms Museum, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art gathered. The discussion focused on the unique challenges of curating firearms in museums, including navigating political climates, handling unregistered NFA items, researcher access, and the ethics of restoration. The content is highly relevant for researchers who frequent these collections and provides insights into the complexities of preserving and managing historical small arms.

This video features a firearms expert from the National Firearms Centre at the Royal Armouries demonstrating and testing a Model 1917 'Enfield' Rifle. The content includes slow-motion footage highlighting the weapon's capabilities, emphasizing its historical significance and use during World War I. The description also provides a link to the Royal Armouries' extensive collection of arms and armour.

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.