A Very Rare Confederate Columbus Armory Carbine

This review details the SC Robinson copy of the Sharps carbine, a crucial firearm for Confederate cavalry. It highlights the Confederacy's industrial limitations, leading to simplified designs lacking features like the Maynard tape primer. The carbine's falling block action and .52 caliber are discussed, along with its mechanical issues like poor gas seals and potential forend powder accumulation.

This review details the Joslyn M1862 and M1864 Civil War carbines, highlighting their breech-loading mechanisms and evolution. The M1862 featured a proprietary .54 caliber rimfire and a unique extractor, while the M1864 adopted the .56-52 Spencer caliber and an improved latch. Springfield Armory also utilized Joslyn breech assemblies for infantry rifles.

The Terry Breechloading Carbine, patented in 1856, was a bolt-action capping breechloader adopted by the British 18th Hussars and used by Confederate figures like J.E.B. Stuart. It utilized paper cartridges with a felt wad for obturation. While around 20,000 were produced, its design proved difficult to adapt to metallic cartridges, leading to obsolescence.

This expert-level entry details the Lamson & Ball Carbine, a Civil War-era repeating carbine designed by Albert Ball and manufactured by E.G. Lamson. It covers the carbine's design, historical context including government contracts and delayed delivery, operational mechanics, and its place in firearms history. The entry highlights the carbine's unique features, such as its lever action, under-barrel tube magazine, and an aftermarket magazine cutoff, while comparing it to contemporary firearms like the Henry rifle.

This video provides an expert-level overview of the Civil War Spencer Model 1860 Carbine, highlighting its historical significance as the first mass-produced metallic cartridge firearm. The presenters, Steve and Caleb from Brownells, detail its cavalry-oriented features like the saddle ring and its unique tubular magazine loaded from the stock. They explain the lever action, manual hammer cocking, and the adjustable ladder sight, emphasizing its .56-56 Spencer caliber and 7-round capacity.

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.