Interview: Tony Neophytou (Neostead, Inkunzi PAW, NTW-20, NeoStrike)

Becoming a professional gun designer requires more than just assembly skills; it demands deep mechanical knowledge. Pursuing generalized machining education is recommended over specialized gunsmithing for broader career prospects. For many, gun design is best kept as a passion project funded by a stable, unrelated career.

This comprehensive book review by Ian McCollum of Forgotten Weapons details 'Firearms Developed and Manufactured in Southern Africa 1949-2000'. The 530-page encyclopedia, a result of an 8.5-year research project, covers numerous manufacturers and firearms from South Africa and Rhodesia. It highlights how UN arms embargoes spurred domestic innovation, covering a wide range of arms from sporting rifles to anti-materiel rifles. The book offers unique documentation on obscure firearms, making it an invaluable resource for collectors and historians.

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.