Forgotten Weapons

Forgotten Weapons
GenreFirearms/weapons
Created byIan McCollum
Presented byIan McCollum
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time5-30 minutes
Original release
NetworkYouTube
Full30
ReleaseMay 13, 2011 (2011-05-13) –
present

Forgotten Weapons is a website and channel appearing on YouTube, Utreon, Full30 and Floatplane, created and presented by Ian McCollum. Forgotten Weapons covers the history of antique, obscure, and historically important firearms.[1]

Videos

Forgotten Weapons frequently features unusual,[2] rare, odd, experimental,[3] or one-off firearms, such as the paratroop versions of the Empire of Japan's Arisaka Type 99 rifle featuring a folding stock attached to a cabinet hinge.[4] McCollum covers the history of such firearms in detail, and often explains how important certain firearms were to the development of weapon technologies and the history of warfare.[5] He also usually explains the functioning and parts of the gun by dissassembling it.

McCollum often borrows the firearms from auction houses, most commonly the Rock Island Auction[6] and Morphy Auctions. He has also written books and articles for Popular Mechanics on the topic of firearms. He has also collaborated with other YouTubers and firearms experts such as C&Rsenal, Polenar Tactical and TFB TV.

Platforms

McCollum avoids political topics in favor of exclusively covering technical topics and history. He has amassed over 2 million subscribers on YouTube.[7] Despite this, McCollum encountered some difficulties with YouTube deleting his videos,[8] which is why he began uploading his videos to Full30 and Floatplane.

In 2014, McCollum improved the quality of his videos by means of an IndieGogo campaign, the proceeds of which were used to purchase high-quality camera equipment.[9]

In 2018, McCollum co-founded Headstamp Publishing with colleagues N.R. Jenzen-Jones (of Armament Research Services) and James Rupley, through which he wrote and published his book Chassepot to FAMAS. The book was crowdfunded on Kickstarter, and raised $800,256.[10] Headstamp's second book, Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901–2020, authored by Jonathan Ferguson, raised $579,585 on Kickstarter.[11] McCollum's second book, Pistols of the Warlords, raised $1,541,381 on Kickstarter.[12]

See also

References

  1. ^ McCollum, Ian. "Forgotten Weapons: The Vickers Gun Is One of the Best Firearms Ever Made". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on April 18, 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  2. ^ Xu, Daniel (November 6, 2015). "Video: The Pistol with a 35-Round Horseshoe Magazine". OutdoorHub. Archived from the original on July 24, 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  3. ^ "Forgotten weapons: Shooting the Early Dutch AR-10". Policeone.com. July 13, 2015. Archived from the original on July 25, 2021. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  4. ^ McCollum, Ian. "Forgotten Weapons: Japan's WWII Paratrooping Rifle Was Not the Best Idea". Popular Mechanics. Archived from the original on May 21, 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  5. ^ Gault, Matthew (October 15, 2015). "How this pre-World War One weapon changed the world". Reuters. Archived from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  6. ^ Stakes, Justin (July 6, 2015). "Bids in Surprising Places". Ammoland Shooting Sports News. Archived from the original on October 1, 2022. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  7. ^ Suciu, Peter. "How Videos About Old Firearms Became A Hit YouTube Channel". Forbes. Archived from the original on February 6, 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  8. ^ Turton, William. "Gun vloggers are flipping out at YouTube's crackdown on their videos". Vice News. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  9. ^ Slowik, Max (June 19, 2014). "Let's help Forgotten Weapons crowdfund new cameras". Guns.com. Archived from the original on May 19, 2015. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  10. ^ "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016". Headstamp Publishing. May 22, 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  11. ^ "Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901–2020". Headstamp Publishing. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949". Headstamp Publishing. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.