In this episode Matt takes a look at Heckler & Koch's briefcase gun or 'Special Case'. Developed by H&K in the late 1970s, the 'Special Case' was designed as a discreet, clandestine weapon system designed for personal protection details. The 'Special Case' offered the firepower of an MP5K in a co...

In this episode Matt takes a look at a very special rifle, an 18th century breech-loader - the Ferguson Rifle. Developed by Major Patrick Ferguson, a young Scottish light infantry officer, the rifle was heavily influenced by Isaac de la Chaumette's breech loading system. The rifle used a threaded...

Richard Fisher, the director of the Vickers Machine Gun Collection and Research Association, was kind enough to invite us down to take a look at his collection of Vickers guns. Richard is a fantastic source of information on the Vickers, and British small arms more generally, so it was a real ple...

When we think of Winchester we think of lever actions and timeless John Browning designs, we don’t usually think about submachine guns. In this episode Matt brings us the very first look at Winchester’s Experimental Submachine Guns developed during the mid-1950s. Very little is known or written a...

In this live fire episode Matt gets his hands on a French Modèle 1950. The Modèle 1950 replaced the earlier Modèles 1935A & S pistols in 1951. Chambered in 9x19mm it remained in service throughout the Cold War until it was replaced by a licensed copy of the Beretta 92. The Modèle 1950 is a simple...

In this live fire episode Matt gets behind a Hotchkiss ‘Portative’ light machine gun. The Hotchkiss was one of the earliest light machine guns to see general service. It was used in action by a number of countries during the First World War, the example we’re examining today is a British Mk1 Hotc...

This episode see Vic take a look at a Steyr AUG 9x19mm submachine gun conversion. The modular nature of the AUG has enabled it to fulfil both the assault rifle and light machine gun roles but it also allowed for a 9mm carbine variant, introduced in the late 1980s. Vic takes us through the nuances...

In this episode Matt examines an intriguing Colt Paterson No.5 Holster percussion revolver which has been adapted at some point with a loading lever. Developed by Samuel Colt and manufactured at his short-lived Patent Arms Company the Paterson revolvers were Colt's first foray into revolver manuf...

In this episode Matt takes a look at a Volkssturm Carbine designed by Rheinmetall. Developed at the very end of the war, the carbine was part of the Primitive Waffen program which was intended to arm the Volkssturm (a militia unit). Matt discusses the history of the Volkssturm and explains how th...

This TAB Short, takes a concise look at the Dreyse 1907. A pocket pistol thrust into police and military service before, during and after World War one. Matt examines an example of the 1907 and discusses its design, operation and history. The .32 ACP pistol was designed by Louis Schmeisser and pr...

This is the first in what will hopefully become a new series of videos where Vic and I look at some of the books we use to research some of the firearms we cover. We'll give an overview of what the books cover, how they approach subjects and how good a resource they are. In this video I take a lo...

In this episode Vic examines an Israeli Micro UZI submachine gun, chambered in 9x19mm, made by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI). The Micro UZI was the first of the family of Weapons to be developed from a semi auto, not full auto gun. Check out our website https://armourersbench.com/2018/04/23/the-...

In this episode we bring you our first live fire and slow motion footage! Matt had the opportunity to fire a British L2A3 Sterling submachine gun and Vic captured some great video. The Sterling was adopted by the British military in 1954 and standardised as the L2A3 in 1956. The gun featured in t...

In this episode Vic examines an interesting Browning Automatic Rifle, chambered in .303 and built off a Colt M1925 receiver, of a similar pattern to those tested by the British Army during the 1920s.

Check out our website https://armourersbench.com/2018/03/17/british-trials-browning-automati...

**Technical Note** Sadly, while filming Vic's radio mic suffered some interference and the auto for the video was lost. Murphy's law in action. In its place Vic has done his best with an overdub. This week we bring you the last in our series on the US Army's Advanced Combat Rifle Program. Vic tak...

In this episode Vic takes a look at Steyr's entry into the US Army's Advanced Combat Rifle Program. This is part of our series on the ACR rifles, be sure to check out the videos on the others. The Steyr ACR was one of four entries that took part in US military trials during the late 1980s to find...

In this episode Vic takes a look at the AAI Corporation's entry into the US Army's Advanced Combat Rifle Program. This is part of our series on the ACR rifles, be sure to check out the videos on the others. The AAI ACR was one of four entries that took part in US military trials during the late 1...

Last summer Matt had the chance to visit the vast Fortalesa Isabel II, which was built to defend the port of Mahon on the island of Menorca. One of the fort's most impressive sights is its huge 15 inch gun battery. The battery was established in 1932, the massive guns were made by Vickers and cou...

In this episode Vic takes a look at the Singaporean Ultimax 100 Mk3, a magazine-fed light machine gun. Designed by Jim Sullivan, of M16 and Ruger Mini-14 fame, the Ultimax has been in continuous production since the early 1980s. Check out our website https://armourersbench.com/2018/02/03/ultimax-...

In this episode Matt takes a look at an Australia's last general issue submachine gun, the F1. Taking cues from both the Australian Owen Gun and the British Sterling submachine gun, the F1 is a fascinating but relatively unknown Cold War submachine gun. Check out our website https://armourersbenc...

In this episode Matt takes a look at an interesting hybrid Sten gun that takes parts from both the MkII and MkIII. It's origins are uncertain but it seems to have been an interesting project gun. This gun may be related to the T42 Sten prototype, part of the Sten MkIV development program. Check o...

In this episode Matt takes a quick look at a more modern weapon, H&K's 5.56x45mm carbine - the HK53. Featuring the obligatory 'HK slap'. Check out our website https://armourersbench.com/2017/12/13/heckler-koch-hk53/ for an in-depth article on the HK53! If you enjoy our work please consider su...

In this episode Matt takes a look at a rarely seen South American submachine gun, the FAMAE PAF. The PAF was FAMAE's first attempt at submachine gun production, they chose an excellent weapon to copy, basing the PAF on the British Sterling Mk4 (L2A3). Check out our website https://armourersbench....

Vic kicks off his series looking at the US Army's ACR trials rifles with a look at not one but two versions of Heckler & Koch's advanced caseless ammunition assault rifle - the G11. We'll be delving into the G11's insanely intricate and wonderfully complex action in later videos! Check out our we...