US Test Trials .45 Caliber Knoble Pistol

This prototype .45 caliber Roth-Krnka pistol, developed for US and UK military trials, represents an intermediary design between earlier and later models. It features a hammer-fired action with a decocker and an internal magazine fed by stripper clips. Despite its unique design, including an offset sight theory to counter recoil, it failed US trials due to poor performance, making it a rare historical artifact.

The Barnekov Greene Prototype 1870 carbine represents a unique open-bolt, toggle-locked single-shot rifle design that competed in the 1872 US Army trials. Despite its innovative mechanism, the design suffered from accuracy issues due to the open-bolt operation and potential safety concerns, leading to its withdrawal. This rare prototype, patented by K.L. Barnekov, ultimately did not see adoption, remaining a historical curiosity.

The Lindsay 'Young American' Martial Two-Shot Pistol is a rare percussion firearm designed for two superposed shots from a single barrel. It features a unique dual-hammer and dual-flash-hole system, with the front charge intended to fire first. Despite its innovative concept, likely stemming from a marketing myth about self-defense, the design presented significant safety concerns and was prone to catastrophic failure, making it a historical curiosity rather than a practical firearm.

The Colt 1902 Philippine Model, a modified Colt 1878, was developed to address ignition issues encountered during the Philippine Insurrection. It features a significantly strengthened hammer spring and an oversized trigger guard to accommodate a lengthened trigger for better leverage, resulting in a heavy but authoritative double-action pull. This historically significant revolver bridges the gap between Old West firearms and early modern military handguns.

This video explores the Schouboe Prototype .45 Pistols, notably those that competed in the 1907 US Army pistol trials. Designed by Jens Schouboe, also known for the Madsen machine gun, these pistols featured a simple blowback design chambered in .45 caliber. They utilized a unique, lightweight, high-velocity cartridge (63 grains at 1600fps) which led to their rejection by the Army, who favored the .45 ACP cartridge. The video highlights the pistols' remarkably simple disassembly. Two examples are shown: a standard version with metal grips and a fancy gold-inlaid model intended for the President of Uruguay.

The Bullard Large-Frame Sporter, produced from 1886-1891, was a high-quality, expensive lever-action rifle known for its strength and smoothness, often exceeding Winchester's. It featured a unique bottom-loading mechanism and a distinctive automatic dust cover. Despite its quality, high production costs led to the company's demise in 1891.

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.