China Lake 40mm Pump Action Grenade Launcher

This video explores the IM Metal VHS-1 prototype, a Tavor-influenced Croatian bullpup rifle designed with an integrated 40mm grenade launcher. Despite its innovative features like a Tavor-like pistol grip and AR-180 inspired internals, the prototype proved overly complex. IM Metal later shifted focus, leading to the production VHS-1 and VHS-2 (Springfield Hellion).

This review delves into the exceptionally rare Standard Arms 'Camp' Gun, a .50 caliber smoothbore pump-action firearm produced between 1909-1914. It highlights the company's brief history and commercial failure compared to giants like Winchester and Remington. The Camp Gun's unique design, intended for both round ball and shot, and its ornate bronze furniture are discussed, emphasizing its status as an ambitious but unsuccessful early 20th-century American firearm.

The VHS-2 bullpup rifle, tested by Forgotten Weapons, features full ambidextrous controls and a reversible ejection port. Its design, particularly the barrel's position, offers excellent controllability and minimal muzzle climb during semi-auto and burst fire. The rifle also demonstrated modularity with the attachment of a 40mm grenade launcher.

This review details Airtronic's modernized China Lake 40mm grenade launcher prototype, originally developed for Vietnam-era Navy SEALs. It highlights the modernization efforts, including Picatinny rails and an AR-15 style stock interface, intended to meet US Marine Corps needs after Fallujah. The project ultimately stalled due to legal disputes and the adoption of the Milkor M32A1.

The Crossfire MkI is a unique combination firearm featuring a 12-gauge shotgun barrel over a 5.56mm rifle barrel, designed to circumvent the 1994 Assault Weapons Ban. Despite its innovative concept, it suffered from poor ergonomics, a high MSRP of $1,895, and a complex design, including a unique buttstock magazine and muzzle-mounted slide release. The firearm's manual explicitly warned against user disassembly, highlighting its significant mechanical and practical flaws, ultimately deeming it a historical curiosity rather than a functional weapon.

The Standard Arms Model G was an early 20th-century semi-automatic rifle featuring a unique dual-operation system, capable of functioning as both a gas-piston operated semi-auto and a manual pump-action. Despite its innovative design, patented by Morris Smith in 1906, it suffered from a critical reliability issue with a weak linkage pin that often sheared, leading to difficult repairs and limited popularity. Approximately 12,000 were produced over a decade, chambered in various Remington calibers.

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.