Ecia Model 1930 Family: Lost Competitors to the Astra

This review of the Spanish Astra 400, presented by Mae, highlights its physical specifications, including a weight of 2.31 lbs and an 8.9-inch length. The pistol uses a stiff-to-rack slide, an 8-round magazine in 9mm Largo, and features both a grip safety and a manual lever. The presenter notes substantial recoil and a heavy trigger break, concluding that the Astra 400 illustrates the advantages of locked-breech designs over heavy blowback pistols.

This review delves into the rare French Union automatic pistol, distinguishing it from Spanish variants and highlighting its high-quality construction from around 1925. The video focuses on unique configurations, including selective-fire models and the exceptionally rare 35-round horseshoe magazine patented in 1930, with very few believed to exist. Technical details, markings, and ergonomic considerations of this unusual firearm are thoroughly examined.

The Campo-Giro M1913 was Spain's first domestically produced self-loading service pistol, designed by Venancio Lopez de Ceballos y Aguirre and adopted in 1912. Despite its historical significance, it was complex to operate and maintain, featuring a unique half-cock safety and a difficult disassembly process. Production was limited, and it was soon replaced by the Astra 400, making the early 1913 pattern a rare find.

This review details the rare Alkar Cartridge Counter pistol, a .25 ACP vest pocket pistol produced by Alkartasuna SA. It highlights the unique mechanical cartridge counter visible through grip windows and an unusual grip safety that requires manual resetting. The pistol's history is tied to former Astra employees and its production period around 1919-1920.

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.