Q&A 24: Pistols, Puppies, and Procurement

[@jordanvraptor]

Chris asked the effect of Enfields and Mosin Nagants on Soviet or US Army operations and whether or not we reconsidered going to a full powered cartridge. I was US Army Infantry in Afghanistan 2006-7. While it may not have been Enfields or Mosins, the Taliban did use long range weapons and tactics. Most likely Dragunov or PKM machine guns in 7.62x54, but it was to the extent where the Army did increase the use of Designated Marksman Rifles. In fact, when I was there, I was issued an M14 as a Designated Marksman equipped with a Leupold Mark 4 4.5x14 power scope. We used M118LR match ammunition that , quite ironically, said "not for field use" on the box. The M14's had been in our armory for funeral details and nostalgia. Truly, a Forgotten Weapon. Before Afghanistan, the MOS of Designated Marksman did not even really exist. We had Scout Snipers but they wouldn't be deployed down at the Infantry squad level as they are in different units. Long range engagements in Afghanistan did affect and change US Army operations. When I was there, I even got looks and questioned by 82nd Airborne soldiers while in the chow hall because I was carrying my M4 carbine and my M14 rifle. At the time, the M14 was very rare since the Clinton administration had either given them away or melted them down. Our National Guard units had kept them. These were not even the M21 heavy barrel sniper configuration. They were standard M14 battle rifles with wood and fiberglass stocks. It was kind of funny that these 82nd guys were kind of jealous of the National Guard. In any case, the desire by the Infantry for longer range has led to the M110 SASS rifle and the .338 Norma Magnum Lightweight Medium Machine Gun as well as research into 6.5 mm caliber rifles and carbines. Had to throw in my two cents worth because I had to lug the thing around with me everywhere. One of the reasons I was gifted an M14 was because I had owned a Federal Ordnance M14 and also an M1 Garand so I actually knew how to take care of it and mount a scope on it. With the the M118LR ammo, my M14 would hold about 2-3 MOA. Not bad for a rifle about the same age as I am. By the way, the M14 is definitely less reliable than the M4 carbine in dusty conditions. Especially when the Army just expected us to use CLP to oil the rifle. I very quickly sourced some grease from a Humvee mechanic for the roller bearing. I personally own an M1A but your In Range vids are spot on about its vulnerability to dust and mud. Keep up the good work here and on In Range as well.

[@ChrisHodgsonCorben-Dallas]

jordanvraptor Thanks this is kind of what I was looking for in the question, and why I mentioned Nagants as well as Enfields. I didn’t think they would keep hold of ancient bolt actions out of nostalgia, I thought I read somewhere that that Taliban where exploiting the lack of range with intermediate level cartridges in open terrain like Afghanistan with older rifles. Ian’s answer is good though, I can see the Mujahideen struggling with that tactic against soviet troops with dedicated sniper training and kit.

[@GunFunZS]

Great Comment . I really appreciate your input on the topic.

[@jordanvraptor]

@@ChrisHodgsonCorben-Dallas I do remember our First Sergeant showing me a DPM 7.62x54 machine gun from WW2. Its the one with the pie plate circular magazine which I saw quite a few of those magazines laying around on the ground. The Taliban would use anything and everything. Our S-2 intel guys gave us a briefing one day on this new type of 7.62x54 armor piercing ammo that was being found. It was specifically designed to penetrate the 1/4 inch steel armor on the gun turrets of our Humvees and 5 ton trucks. As someone who spent a lot time in the turret I was a bit annoyed at their "oh, by the way" attitude... :) A lot of this of the Taliban exploiting long range engagements is due to the rules of engagement. Classic big Army doctrine would be to use mortars or artillery when engaged by long range harassment fire. Restrictive ROE would not allow this due to fears of collateral damage. The same goes for just spraying an area with machine gun fire. Hence the need for the Infantry squad to have its own long range precision fire weapon. As Ian said, the Soviets never gave this up and always had the Dragunov rifles endemic to thier front line Infantry units. US Army lost that capability with the adoption of the M16 and then had to rediscover it.

[@john-paulsilke893]

I think the Canadians were issued Rem 700 hunting rifles in 300 Win Mag. They literally bought a bushel of guns meant for sales shelves and a butt load of scopes, (don’t know what kind as I was already out then and only got my info second or third hand and avoided newspapers because I still had/have friends in service and didn’t want to stress).

[@kdmag88]

Isn't M118LR a HP round? That's probably why it says not for field use. It's their way to cover their ass with, "we told him not to field it, that was for training only"

[@HerrPolden]

Concerning lead levels; ironically, Norwegian armed forces we had a health and safety issues when we introduced the Hk 416 due to the environment friendly steel core ammo. It turned out that since the steel core did not compress to take the rifling, it would be cut rather than pressed into the jacket. As a result, the fumes would contain enough copper dust to cause nausea and fever in some cases, and rifle training was severely limited until the issue was fixed. We literally wore industrial dust masks on the range, and the number of shooters was limited.

[@BD.1996]

Interesting! I’ve heard some of the “green” Ammos also have problems with the non lead propellants containing even worse toxins. How was the problem fixed?

[@HerrPolden]

Ben Evenson yes. It was not the propellant that was the problem. It is the same as any other round. The issue was a freak combination circumstances that caused microparticles of from the bullet’s copper jacket to be ground of during firing. The issue was fixed, probably by altering the alloy of the jacket to a softer one. It works just fine now.

[@marcppparis]

Funny about engineering experience. Early in my career as a chemical engineer I needed to calculate the optimal size of a drying tower. I came up with a value like 14.8 ft. My boss reviews my work and says “great... 13ft ... any wider and it won’t fit under overpasses and we’ll need to build on site and that will be too expensive “ They didn’t teach you that in school

[@jonc3519]

Dang that’s a big towel

[@jonathanhoup9988]

Ahh yes. Design constraints

[@stardust_2339]

Ian as you said you read all the comments so I just wanted to say a few kind words here. Thank you for all your work here and at InRangeTV too. You might find this surprising but your videos are not only a good source of learning history but for some of us it is a good for practicing English too. Cheers from Hungary! If you ever have the opportunity to try out Pálinka (short drink) do not hesitate. You might dislike it a lot...or just a little. :)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Thanks!

[@nathanboulton2066]

im from the uk and have just spent a week shooting in hungary!! i was not a fan of palinka, or unicum for that matter!!

[@mexanik9]

Agree, i improved my english a lot to watch Forgotten Weapons

[@dhananjaychafale6545]

Same here, I also start listening him, because I like guns, his crisp Pronounsation, generosity ,it's helpful.love from Indian.

[@alanfhall6450]

As a serial visitor to Budapest, Pálinka is something I greatly appreciate

[@mrdarthbob4926]

Bergman debacle? DEBACLE?! I loved that series of videos. Seeing the many iterations back to back was super cool. Love this channel and InRange. Thank you Ian for all your hard work.

[@derekp2674]

I also enjoyed that series :-D It was great to see Ian explaining the evolution of the designs and to hear about whether or not they became commercially successful.

[@josiahgibson6373]

Early semi-auto pistols are my favorite firearms, so I absolutely loved the Bergman series.

[@toolthoughts]

That was a good series. I just went back to it again last week for reference. Great stuff.

[@Primarch359]

Bergmann debacle? Nooooo. I LOVED your series following a line of development. like the bergmann, french rifle, 1911 video. I kinda wish you would do such a series on the line of mannlicher straightpulls and the contemporary licensed mauser they were making at the same time.

[@ravener96]

the "this is ian from forgotten bergmans dot com" joke still lives on in my family

[@john-paulsilke893]

Agreed this is an excellent subject for a video or series.

[@JenniferinIllinois]

@@ravener96 Ahhhh, the days of the Forgotten Bergmanns. I miss those days. 😁😁😁

[@b.hagedash7973]

Handguns in the military are like shirts in soccer, something nice for the opposition to take home to remember you by.

[@davidgoodnow269]

It's how truck drivers (transportation specialist MOS) prevent carjacking. Ever try to shoot someone off your running board with an M-16A2 while driving a five-ton? Of course, just try getting supply to issue you a handgun! Bring/buy your own, if you're not an officer; ditto ammo.

[@fien111]

@@davidgoodnow269 Meanwhile Chiefton's telling tales of his time in the Gulf in an Abrams getting issued fucking bayonets and shotguns "Bayonet? I'M IN A BLOODY TANK!"

[@ZGryphon]

@@fien111 And body armor with a back plate. "Who's gonna shoot me in the back in a tank?"

[@fien111]

@@ZGryphon You never know when the loader's gonna try for a klingon promotion

[@ZGryphon]

@@fien111 Fair point.

[@conradkolo]

"You should never, ever read the comments on KZbin videos. Because they're one lowest forms of discourse in human social existence." - Gun Jesus, 11:08 That's a commandment I can get behind.

[@Gordon_Shumwai]

because his word is my command, so i did not read your comment :)

[@shawnr771]

Then why did you write one? J/k

[@sailingmaster]

While I love Snarky Ian, I'm really not sure how I feel about Condescending Ian. That's how that comment came across to me.

[@fredherring4403]

@@sailingmaster INFIDEL!

[@Veldtian1]

@@marionette5968 Yeah when your couched behind a desktop PC things are more formalized for sure.

[@PlayerSalt]

Please never turn off comments, for many reasons, feel free to ignore the comments but never turn them offf

[@caffeinatedinsanity2324]

While most comments are random, I remember on the slide action rifle video that a guy provided valuable info about its origins.

[@jjarechiga]

This comment has been successfully ignored

[@ጭስዋሪማና]

Yeah but why care what all the idiots who dont pay you have to say

[@benshemony101]

On the bipod issue, my father served with the IDF in the mid 80’s, and saw a few tours of combat in Lebanon. When he first was conscripted, he was issued a Galil ARM, which obviously had the attached bipod. From what he told me, it was universally and passionately hated, soldiers even went as far as to “accidentally” snap or break them off the rifles. They were never even used in training, apart from using the wire cutter portion, which was rare at best. The soldiers saw the bipod as flimsy, heavy, and always getting in the way and catching on gear. Interestingly enough, some of them even used them as a psuedo vertical grip. Once my dad really got into combat operations, he was issued a bipod-less Galil SAR, which despite its weight, is his favorite rifle until today. As per the LMG/MMG debate, the IDF didn’t really have an LMG doctrine back in the 80s, my father says the FN MAG was pressed into that role (at the peril of the user). Hope this provides some perspective Ian, love the videos!

[@yashkolhai]

as idf soldier in 95-98, who got long galil with bipods, absolutly agree. bipod doesnt add to urban combat, also.

[@bofoenss8393]

"When you're an officer, you're supposed to be a big boy..." This should be hammered into every newly commissioned junior officer straight out of academy.

[@TheOsfania]

Let's do away with "the academy" and depend solely on ROTC. It would save about 60% on officer training, most of which takes place after graduation anyway.

[@davidgoodnow269]

@@TheOsfania I'm am Iraq vet, enlisted, but first I was a student of archaeology and history. I cannot tell you how many ROTC grads failed to recognize patterns in enemy behavior that are literally ancient that were obvious to me. The education I received listening to family and friends of family talking with each other about fighting in WW I, WW II, Korea, and Vietnam saved my life and the lives of others literally hundreds of times! When my little brother was offered Green to Gold, they gave him a choice of ROTC or West Point; only the service academies and the Citadel offer significant military history education.

[@TheArmourersBench]

They did indeed make a tool room prototype of Browning's gas-lever pistol.

[@meansartin]

Have you done a video on it? I'm curious to see the internals

[@TheArmourersBench]

@@meansartin I have video of it but I haven't gotten the green light from the collection that has it to publish it sadly.

[@meansartin]

That's a bummer. By the way, I love what you do as well on your channel. Especially the G11!

[@TheArmourersBench]

@@meansartin I know. Thank you!! Really appreciate it, glad you enjoyed it. I'm looking forward to seeing the model Ian took at look at the Grey Room.

[@randomakerfilm]

@@TheArmourersBench is it something that you will eventually have the opportunity to publish or is it something that is dependant on someone else's go-ahead?

[@nolefaninil]

"Yes...That's why I have a therapist." This is now my go-to answer for most questions!😀

[@otm646]

On the subject of KZbin comments, as a student of your content the early comments often add a bit of flavor, context and highlight parts of longer videos (like your Q&As) that I may have missed otherwise. If it came down to it I'd personally rather you not interact with the comments but keep them enabled rather than disabling them all together.

[@ShiceSquad]

I actually haven't seen that many really stupid ones here. Maybe they just get voted down.

[@ChaosPootato]

I loved your dog's adoption story

[@milamber319]

Except Dharma is DEFINITELY not a red heeler. She is a Koolie (or some cross of Koopie or kelpie). I understand the confusion as australian dogs don't seem to be well understood outside Australia. They are related but Red and blue heelers are stumpy, stocky dogs with shorter snouts to deal with cattle. Darma is a sheep dog. Taller and much sleeker and more athletic with a longer snout and the white/merl is common in koolies.

[@skoopsro7656]

Its only the audio thats really that important in q&a vids anyways

[@andrigorosetti8176]

I still want an "i survived bergmann week" T-shirt

[@michagebicki5714]

Now I want one too

[@thisiseliot]

+1

[@Chayonray]

Handguns of the World available in Hardcover for $13.49 from Amazon. Just ordered it and it will be delivered Jan 2nd or 3rd via Amazon Prime. Thanks for the recommendation Ian - it will be a valuable addition to my book collection. I remember your book review and it was excellent as was this Q&A session. Keep up the outstanding work sir!

[@S3BAST1AN696]

While I totally understand Ian stand on comments on the videos taking into consideration that he works the channel in a more educational way, I personally find the light hearted humor that makes up most of the comments in the videos to be an example of some of the least cancerous communities. Therefore I find the idea of shutting down the comments over a couple jokes on how a 20mm anti tank rifle is the best conceal carry weapon or self defense weapon you could buy totally overkill. If anything Ian should be proud his content has cultivated such a non cancerous, light hearted and interactive community naturally. That's quite a feat and talks to the quality of the content.

[@coling1258]

AvE has similarly managed to cultivate a reasonably civil culture in his comments section, and it's always refreshing to see.

[@ericdeer5887]

Colin Gooding Essential Craftsman also as an excellent comments section

[@derekp2674]

I very much agree, that both here and on Facebook, Ian has fostered a very well behaved community.

[@dksdg]

100%, comments on some of the FW videos are epic and I enjoy them almost as much as the videos.

[@jackshikikunt3042]

Agreed, the jokes are pretty entertaining and it’s fun to find like minded people (who made jokes referencing games or shows I also know) but unfortunately there are still kids who like to start keyboard war based on inaccurate historical knowledge or shallow political opinions which I’m sure were pretty annoying to him

[@peterconnan5631]

Another great video, thank you. Regarding your question on bipods on service rifles: I was in the SADF, conscript for a year and then part-time for a decade. Never saw active combat though. For most of it my issue rifle was the R4. The bipod was extremely handy when we were not using the rifle. It was basically used like stacking hooks on older bolt-actions. We never shot off the bipod. Ever. Even in entrenched defence training. I got to take mine home for most of my part-time service as I was a member of a shooting team, and tried shooting off the bipod a few times. It was more accurate monopoding the bottom of the magazine on my forearm than shooting off the bipod. But it made it a lot easier living with the rifle. You could easily put tye rifle down without worrying about dirt and it made a very useful seat for taking a dump (that bipod is stronger than it looks). Talking about the R4, if you can, get yourself a few of the plastic mags. They are (conversely to my own expectations) much tougher and more reliable than the steel ones. On the steel mag, if you insert it slightly incorrectly it is easy to bend the front hook back a little, and then the rounds jam at the top of the mag. This doesn't happen with the plastic mags. It is also far more comfortable resting on your forearm and has less friction when dusty.

[@derekp2674]

As a former researcher of railguns and coilguns, I agree with what Ian said about any practical uses being contingent on vast improvements in energy storage technology. When I was still active in the field, I remember one of the first small cannon calibre experiments at a US Air Force lab opted to use 15,000 ordinary car batteries as its primary energy store. I believe the latest "large experimental railgun" that is undergoing trials for the US Navy uses about three or four trailers (or ISO freights, as we call them in Europe) to house its storage batteries and the capacitors, switches and other components of its pulsed power supply. If the energy storage problem were solved, then I think the trade off between railguns and coilguns becomes a fight between the challenges of getting long enough barrel life in a railgun, i.e. over coming all the problems of rail wear and cooling, and having an adequately sophisticated power supply in a coilgun, i.e. one with the ability to accurate time the delivery of power to a series of interacting launcher coils. In concept, I think coilguns tend to be more sophisticated designs, while railguns are potentially "crude but effective".

[@derekp2674]

Hi Mari - I'm sure I've seen references to storage batteries being used - and I cannot see anything that looks like a large diesel or gas turbine generator in video clips of their installation, e.g. this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2mwnoKmiNJngrs I think the five white trailers shown there contain a lot of the pulsed power supply. Given that they can now fire five shot bursts with a 32MJ shot about every 12 seconds, they will need a prime power of at least (32/12) = 2.7MW to do that - or more if their system is less than 100% efficient, which it will be. Back when Ronald Reagan was President of the USA, we thought that an advanced land transportable large railgun would need at least one trailer for its prime power supply - we chose a gas turbine power generator and another trailer for its pulsed power supply (e.g. energy storage capacitors, plus pulse shaping inductors and high current closing switches). It looks as though present day technology is getting closer to being that compact, but still has away to go... For the sci-fi dream of railguns as small arms, I'm sure that batteries would be a good way to go, but I'd worry about the electrical safety issue of insulating the shooters from the high voltages needed by high velocity shots.

[@ChrisHodgsonCorben-Dallas]

Is a coil gun the same as a gauss gun? - with the rail curved around the inside of the barrel to create a rifling effect?

[@derekp2674]

Chris - a coil gun is usually defined as any electromagnetic gun that uses one or more cylindrically wound electromagnets to accelerate a projectile. Many configurations are possible and the term "gauss gun" has also been used for such arrangements. I guess some configurations might lend themselves to the use of helical conducting rails, but spin stabilisation of projects is not usually a major design aim. As potential successors to modern smooth bore tank cannons, electromagnetic gun designs usually assume the projectiles will use fin stabilisation - or other methods that don't require spinning projectiles. In general, a major drawback of railguns is there need for sliding contacts between the launcher rails and the projectile armature. Many coilgun designs can eliminate that requirement, by using electromagnetic induction to establish current in the projectile. In essence, they use the same principle as an induction phone charger, but much higher powers.

[@Moondog66602]

Ian, it's just a retro forgotten weapons filter, that's all

[@TheChloeRed]

Some of us wear glasses and are bad at cleaning them.. I didn't notice a thing despite the message! ;)

[@TheWolfsnack]

I just thought Ian was a bit fuzzy from last night's beer....

[@StrangerOman]

144p filter would be better in my taste.

[@erikjgreen]

He does look a bit better in soft focus. A little casual and relaxed.

[@dj1NM3]

It looks almost exactly like standard analogue broadcast resloution, it's just missing the interlacing artefacts that usually show up when it's digitised.

[@SWEmanque]

I would love for Ian to make a video about the 8x63mm Bofors cartridge designed as an anti-aircraft round but able to use 6.5x55 Swedish bolt faces. Not only does it seem to be very hard to get info on it without connections but the cartridge itself is very odd.

[@minuteman4199]

Lead in ammo - I think Lead styphnate is still the most common primer compound, so when you are shooting indoors you will be inhaling lead compounds from burnt primers.

[@iainstrachan5692]

Its just "Soft focus" Like Cybil Shepard in Moonlighting.

[@stoneblue1795]

At least the audio is synced. ...

[@daveshrum1749]

Lol nice

[@wierdalien1]

Star Trek

[@keilancalderon1685]

I already ate

[@alexandermole3260]

U.S. marines used those grip pods on rifles. I felt they were great. Then a bit out of context, the 240 bipod works great also.

[@davidgcalderone]

I am an Mechanical Engineer, my father was a Tool and Die Maker, as to he question about designing firearms, from designing other items I can tell you that even when all the math works, things still sometimes blow up. The real art is turning a prototype into something that can be mass produced, and making all the fixtures, jigs, etc, for the mass production process, and still make it affordable for the consumer

[@Skenderbeuismyhero]

To the lead exposure question I would add that the real problem comes from the primers not from the bullets themselves. Modern primers almost all have lead in the mixture and you can't help but breath vaporized lead when shooting. Obviously being outside is better than outside for that as well.

[@phillipsullivan3400]

John Browning said of his relationship with Winchester that many of the patents they bought were "fence posts", building a fence around Winchester to protect it from competition. Every patent they bought from him was a patent their competitors no longer had access to.

[@VideoHawkeye]

I appreciate every response I get from you on my KZbin questions....as a middle of the road gun collector I love any info I can glean . ; )

[@VideoHawkeye]

Ok...cool

[@kurtbergh]

The eventual shift to more in-depth content sounds great. l love your current format, but the more inrangey stuff would be great as well.

[@KingdomOfDimensions]

I watched the entire Bergmann series as it aired and had no idea it was a "debacle". I love being able to follow the evolution of a firearm closely without having to refresh my memory in-between every video. It's similar to why I binge watch TV shows or movie series.

[@jcorbett9620]

"Something only...cough...'Unfavourable people' do" Ian trying to search out a YT appropriate phrase to refer to the kind of scum who would leave puppies to die in the desert, rather than his immediate preferred NSFW term :-). That photo of the puppy on your wifes foot, would melt just about anyones heart. After seeing that, the phrase "So we now have a dog" was hardly unexpected, even though I've seen her in your videos:-)

[@spearspearspear]

Timestamp?

[@windwalker5765]

Oh, man, you could hear the fury lurking in the background...

[@jcorbett9620]

@@spearspearspear 1.16.47 How I got Dharma, my dog :-)

[@micahelhobbs8192]

Ian thank you for being a beacon of knowledge is a world so full of secrets. Your contribution to the body of knowledge of firearms-mechanics and implementation is an invaluable resource and has been a source of inspiration for many more years to come.

[@forcea1454]

Both General-Electric and Philco-Ford designed competing guns with the GAU-7 designation firing 25mm Caseless ammunition for what became the F-15 in the late 60s and early 70s.

[@matt291]

I absolutely love listening to these Ian. It makes my drive home from Utah easier. The miles just fly right by.

[@RTJsims]

@forgotten weapons, very cool! Awesome Q/A as always. I didn’t know there was another charger loaded rifle besides the k31. IIRC, the Swiss chargers are a hold over from their first generation of Swiss smokeless powder. The first iteration of their 7.5mm cartridge was still paper patched, and the charger design was built around protecting the paper patching around the projectile, again IIRC.

[@Zdrajev]

So this video is a little bit old, but I like listening to your QnAs while I'm doing stuff around the house. Regarding the usefullness of bipods on guns ( 12:28 ) I have some experience to share. I served both in the Romaian Army and the French Foreign Legion, so I have first hand experince in the field with the AKM and the FAMAS. The built in bipod is a benefit when you're on the range, also keep in mind that built-in bipods on rifles usually don't have the adjustability of their LMG counterparts. I remember that on marches on difficult terrain and in forests some of the guys detached and carried their bipods in their packs in order to keep them from snaggning on vegetation and opening up spontaniously. Not to mention that you also had the chance (and I've seen it happen to guys) to lose one of the legs (i.e.: taking a fall on a night march, rushing through thick vegetation). As a conclusion: my opinion is that bipods on a rifle should be a choice. I dislike the built-in bipod idea because it offers way less than it provides. Hope this helps. Keep up the great work and keep hitting hard on matches! Greetings from Transylvania!

[@35Cypher]

Oh this has made my day. I absolutely love this channel and especially love the Q&As. Thank you for focusing the discussions to the history and machinery instead of going down the dark rabbithole of politics like so many other channels. Just fantastic work.

[@duachim]

With that content question, With the vast amount of firearms out there, Ian will never run out of content to talk about, its been great seeing this chanel evolve and will always support this content. Cant wait to see the french rifle book.

[@212Strat]

I have recently used a bullpup conversion kit for the sks for my cousin. It's not a bad kit as the trigger bar is adjustable to the point I got it to match the feel of the stock trigger. Then agian having the action so close to my cheek, and using a modified sks tapco mag made it operate a little less then desirable. If they had made a purposed built magazine for the kit I am sure that would have helped improve its reliability as a bullpup.

[@CarMad97ci]

The guy is a convergence of a bunch of skills and attributes, which make him a tremendously valuable resource for me. Thank you Ian.

[@HillbillyHades]

I always see memes as a sign of a really good community. Yes they're not informative or productive, but people are entertained by memes. People that are entertained tend to be easily informed.

[@Halinspark]

I get that the Gun Jesus thing can get old, but that and the 8 month period where every gun was "totally meant to be mounted on aircraft, Othias just didnt share again" shows that we are invested in the show. Its a good sign that a lot of the memes are from the community.

[@jjtomecek1623]

I hope Ian never decides to shut off KZbin comments. While I understand he wants to keep his channel academic, I find that while Ian does an amazing job presenting the information, the funny and non serious comments on his videos help keep information stuck in my head, whether it's all the jokes about Mauser losing an eye, how complicated the AN94 is, the history of the Puckle gun, etc. It's because of a lot of those jokes that I can remember the information in those videos and also really enjoy learning those facts in the first place. Honestly, the forgotten weapons community is one of my absolute favorites to be a part of, and the channel just wouldn't be the same if the interactions between members wasn't possible. But still, a special thanks to Ian for continuing deal with our shit and letting us continue to interact with each other!

[@NPS69]

At least you don't have Garand Thumb's comment section?

[@GunFunZS]

Those Guys are creepy.

[@NPS69]

They're... Special...

[@alexvogel610]

@@NPS69 well the crayons don't help...

[@MarikHavair]

*"Man they really need to redesign urinales. They are so uncomfortable to sit in."* *"I was very disappointed in my fleshlight purchase. At first I thought I had bought something I thought would be the ultimate weapon light, but there was no light in it at all, just this weird looking pink hole."* *"Airsoft videos. That will scare any girl away and keep your virginity secure"*

[@djy0tub3r]

Just wanted to say thank you for reading through the comments. I'm sure that it's a laborious process, but I appreciate it. Your channel is one of the highlights of my free time!

[@regimes]

As an avid daily viewer, I'd definitely want to see some old videos redone with your current views and better equipment. Thanks for being awesome

[@Breakfast_and_Bullets]

To the Parker at 35:23 - you got me real excited for a moment until I remembered that I didn't ask a question. But you did ask a question that I happen to wonder about myself, so thanks for being ME!

[@Mossy500A]

Would we ever see a mud test on combat shotguns? I own an 1897 Winchester and I always enjoy seeing videos on its history and capabilities. Thanks for the work that you do!

[@johnm3907]

Mossy500A you should do one !

[@Mossy500A]

@@johnm3907 You know what, why not?

[@johnm3907]

@@Mossy500A yeah i mean it wont damage it, id say it would do well

[@Chidderationss]

You making videos on guns inspired me to apply for armourer, I thank you for inspiring me on the inner workings of firearms from past and present

[@joshuabrown7815]

I would love to see a forgotten weapons trip to Russia

[@EdgarInventor]

In Soviet Russia, guns forget you! (just a joke, no real political meaning)

[@ringowunderlich2241]

Ha! Ian and Karl would never return in a lifetime. No, not what you think. There is so much stuff to tell about handgun development and stories to tell in vignettes about WWI, Revolution, WWII and Cold War.

[@alexvogel610]

If Ian could get the museum and industry contacts lined up, I'm pretty sure he could pass around a hat that said "Russia" and have the entire trip funded in a day or two! I wonder if Larry Vickers could help with the contacts at Kalashnikov or any of the museums? Or if Tim (MAC) could provide contacts for CZ or MKE? There have to be some pretty cool items in the Czech and Ottoman museums

[@Halinspark]

@@alexvogel610 He's done some artillery and vehicle mounted weaponry before. If he covers some of the machine guns mounted in armored vehicles or ships and how they work from a user standpoint(or maybe working with armor from the infantryman's view) maybe he could collaborate with Chieftan and get WarGaming to sponser some travel and videos. Hell, they did a thing with Demolitian Ranch and a tour of USS Texas, so it's entirely possible.

[@Skald_of_Odin]

I'm one of those people suprised and impressed that you read comments on old videos. Keep up the good work Ian.

[@fredrickgustafsson4795]

Always nice with dogs in video, more cameos from Dharma. Also thank you for all the videos and the work you do.

[@Roborob12345]

I know I'm super late but I wanted to say something about caseless ammo in aircraft weapons. In internal guns in fighter/attack aircraft (A-10) the ammo actually makes a significant impact on the trim of the plane. These planes retain their empty casings for safety and for balance/trim. Caseless .50 cal or 30×113mmB for helicopters is under active development but 20mm vulcan and 30x173mm ammo is not.

[@illegalclown]

Haha, I didn't realize the "Bergmann debacle" was a thing. I get it. I was so bored looking at the same gun every day, I figured I was the only one. On the other hand, I found your Winchester lever gun and semi auto very interesting even though I never had any interest in those before. Then there's the other extreme when you were doing the French rifle series and I was so frustrated when you paused before getting to one I was waiting for. Of course that was another niche series that not everyone would like. Also, thanks for the shoutout to my hometown. I'm sure I was exposed to more lead in the water than handling guns and ammo every day.

[@illegalclown]

@ You are 100% correct on that, which is why I didn't worry about the format. I'm sure someone was totally geeked out about that series, just like I geeked out at the Lebel variants. I could appreciate it on that level. Doing a break between episodes in a series is a good compromise.

[@jimanderson953]

Ian, As a fairly new subscriber to your patreon and youtube channel, I have been viewing a number of videos that are not new. I was just viewing this one and your comments about the knowledge that you gain by writing a book struck a note. As a former US marine and a firefighter for 40 years, I was thrown into situations like this quite often when I was told to teach a class on a weapon, radio, tactic, or technique that I had a working knowledge of, but suddenly discovered that I didn't know enough about for a class. I found this to be one of the best methods of motivation for getting a well grounded knowledge of the subject. I was also often in the position of requiring this of students in my classes. Either by asking the students, (always assume that someone in the class probably knows as much or more than you do about the subject) or requiring a student to research the subject for presentation later. Great videos and I wish that I had you as my instructor on oh so many subjects. The way you present and explain is much better than the majority of college instructors I have had. Jim

[@thegoldencaulk2742]

Bloke on the Range has a great video in which he and The Chap discuss how the French ended up with the Lebel. They also explain how many wrongly describe the Lebel as the first rifle of the _new_ generation of rifles, when it more accurately is the last rifle of the _old_ generation, what with basically being a hopped up version of an 1885 Kropatschek.

[@minuteman4199]

Bipods - Canadian army used a version of the FAL - C1A1 and the C2A1 which came with a bipod and 30 rd magazines, and a heavier barrel. I think in theory the C2 was a replacement for the BREN. We used one or two per infantry section, and used them as an LMG group, so at the section level we used them a fire base, while the rest of the section could act as a maneuver force.. They were a lot lighter than the BREN, but they didn't have a quick change barrel and they heated up so fast in sustained fire they became uncontrollable due to cook off. Whether the BREN was better than the C2 is anyones guess, (firepower/weight trade off) but the C2 was replaced by the FN Minimi when we went to 5.56mm weapons. The Minimi is probably a similar weight to a BREN, but given it's belt fed "magazine" it is a far superior weapon.

[@andersmaidment]

I'm going to post this, and I know I'll take flak for it. I know Karl hates the grip-pod but I was issued one for my deployment to Iraq. Thankfully, the closest I came to combat was getting mortared on occasion (not a total Fobbit, just lucky that way). However, in training and just for general purposes, the grip-pod worked very well for me. Given a choice between a grip-pod and no grip nor bi-pod, I will take a grip-pod. It really didn't get in the way and made my prone and over obstacle shooting much more accurate. It was also convenient for setting up the rifle when I wasn't using it to keep it out of the dirt. No leaning it against something and someone else comes along and knocks it over (a better sling would have helped me keep it on me). It is somewhat cumbersome to shoot out the window of a HMMWV but I can accept that. A QD mount would have made it brilliant.

[@johnchristopherrobert1839]

Thank you for reading our comments. It’s that extra touch you put into you work that makes the content extraordinary.

[@oldesertguy9616]

I disagree about "the Bergmann Debacle." I really LIKE those early pistols. They are what got me watching you in the first place.

[@kohinarec6580]

The design-question and the answer to that was very interesting! I once met a boatmaker here in Finland. He had made many of hise special tools himself. They were simple but efficient. He used a German aeroplane design table fro drawing his boats and had a sizeable archive on his boats. He had built his boat shed (a barn, really) himself. The doors opened 180° and had textile hinges. Lots of expertise, the guy was just the type who does things based much on accumulated skill and rules of thumb. A real artisan. He was a nice, intelligent, well-read man who did not have much formal training but had seen, heard and learned a lot.

[@harperdr1]

I actually REALLY liked the Bergmann series! That series put getting one of those on my "get list".

[@danielwatters1203]

1:07:37 - Browning did make a prototype of the gas-lever pistol. I believe it is in the Browning museum collection in Utah. His rotating barrel short recoil pistol designs never went beyond the toolroom prototypes. The same could said of the "hammerless" .45 semi-auto pistols, and the reverse-rail, striker-fired forerunners to what became the BHP. In long guns, Browning prototyped "pull-apart" pump action shotguns and rifles.

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Very cool - I have been wanting to get to the museum in Ogden; I will add this to my list...

[@cycadaacolyte6349]

It's not out of focus, the camera is simply incapable of capturing Gun Jesus's greatness.

[@alespice50]

Good morning Ian , In reference to firearms museums. Claremore Oklahoma has the J.M. Davis firearms museum. I have spent many hours there simply wandering..thousands of beautiful firearms... thanks for all your work.

[@timdinch5598]

I don't think the Bergmann series was a debacle. Like the Winchester series, very informative.

[@jameswood7349]

Hello Ian, I'm a long time viewer, but this is my first time posting in the comments section. I value your work so much that I leave the computer hooked up to my TV streaming your channel 24/7, in hope it boosts your revenue. I hope your are living your dream, and thanks for the hours of informing and entertaining firearms subject matter. Kind Regards, James S. Wood

[@mrtlsimon]

The NRA Firearms Museum is in Fairfax VA. Great place to visit, plan to spend time there. Lots of time.

[@Goonygoon84]

Yep, right off I66 on Waples Mill rd. Nice range in the basement, as well. Great place. Some of the collection in the museum is really interesting. Catalog ranges from present day to the 1500-1600 (maybe a little farther back).

[@leonardwei3914]

And it's free to everyone (at least when I went there several years ago).

[@Goonygoon84]

@@leonardwei3914 Yep, museum is still free. Range has a fee (of course, haha.)

[@mrtlsimon]

@@leonardwei3914 Still free admission. I was there a couple of times this year.

[@nichevo1]

What about the Remington museum in Ilion, NY? Great stuff!

[@ecrogue4496]

Thank you for all your videos Ian. I really appreciate your content and frequency of posting. I always look forward to your new videos.

[@derekmcmanus1423]

Regarding bipods when I served in the British Army in the early 90's many of the men who had used the Slr preferred the Lsw to the SA 80 because of the longer strengthened barrel and bipod but of course this was l not using the weapon in its intended role.

[@Grim821]

Ian, I really loved what you did with the H9 Hudson. it is really interesting to see your level of detail and insight applied to a modern firearm, especially one that is as novel as the Hudson. I want to see more weapons that have yet to be forgotten.

[@pastorclay82]

Your show ideas sound like the TV show from the 90s called connections. That was a cool show.

[@1TruNub]

Keep up the good work ian, love your Videos on Historical weapons. You've helped me get into firearms and the first video I watched was your Colt Walker video, and consequently turned out to be my first old west style revolver.

[@wierdalien1]

I loved the Bergmann week. Miserable.

[@dracoranger559]

I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your content, and its gotten me much deeper into weapons history. Thanks for all you do, both the practical side on InRange and the historical side here.

[@EdgarInventor]

You, and Lindybeige, talking about Historic whatever... An History geek can dream.

[@GunFunZS]

Except for Ian actually trust documentation for multiple countries , and looks for what did happen versus " stands to reason that...." I like them both the more often Lloyd talks about subject matters I'm knowledgeable about , the less I am able to trust his opinion on areas I am not knowledgeable.

[@americanmade4791]

Watch Lindybeige's video on pike warfare. Lloyd is a chauvinist amateur who can't tell the difference between 21st century playacting and the organized mayhem called war.

[@StrangerOman]

Let Ian know that we love and appreciate what he is doing in comment section. Ian, I'm glad that you doing what you are doing and I hope you having fun with it. Love from all over the world. Thank you.

[@kyleclark4449]

Hey Ian, I just thought about this, and I'll bring it up in your next Q&A solicitation. Keeping on mind your excellent videos on the history of the Springfield Armory and Colt, have you ever thought of doing an in-depth video on, say, Mauser or H&K? In my humble opinion, Mauser and H&K are both perfect examples of privately owned 'state armories', for lack of a better term, arms companies that are so large that they can cater to both their domestic military and the civilian market, while also exporting to third world countries. Throughout the last century, these two titans of industry have left such a stamp in history that I feel they should get a separate video. Thank God I didn't post this on Patreon, amiright?

[@glenlivett78]

On bipods, I served in OIF 2004-2005 in Ramadi with the 503rd INF 2nd ID. the early 2000s was the genesis of modular adaptations to our m4 carbines. In the year I was there I think I saw just about everything that could be bolted onto a 1913 rail. I had bought my own Harris bipod and adapter mount as did several others in my company. I was also issued a Crazy Horse® M14SE SDM MK14 that I took on specific missions which I also bought a Harris mount for. I will say that most of the guys that started the deployment with a bipod chose to take them off at some point during the tour and I saw many of them simply being passed on to the unit that relieved us. As you said, when you are static providing overwatch, a bipod is a nice piece of gear, however, more often they were just another thing to get caught or snagged on something when you were trying to dismount a humvee in a hurry or the man sitting next to you in the truck sling would somehow wrap around one of the legs. I soon followed suit and abandoned the Harris on my M4 I found that if I needed a hasty firing support I would unsling my assault pack and rest my rifle on that. But permanently mounted on my M14 DM rifle, it was a heavy rifle to begin with and I really didn't count on a bunch of dynamic john wick style shooting.

[@randomfaca]

If you were to outfit an army from literally nothing I think the modular concept could work. At least for the basic army units, why not. I don't think we'll see a country pop out of nowhere anytime soon though.

[@davehopkin9502]

Bipods on Battle Rifles - We were issued with the L1A1 British version of the FN FAL, semi auto only with no bipod - For suppressive fire the section gun group was used, whilst the rifle group closed is (using skirmishing if required) a bipod would just slow you down having to seat the thing during skirmishing, the idea being to run three of four paces whilst your buddy fired, then you hit the ground ad fire while he runs so you cover the group with some fire always being laid down - a bipod would have been no use at all (even if the SLR had full auto)

[@meansartin]

So what you're trying to say is that many ammo suppliers have forsaken Gun Jesus and committed........heresy.

[@ANonymous-bh1un]

*Kurosawa* Railguns will give a more efficient transfer of energy to the projectile (or projectile armature) but basically have a very short barrel life compared to current rifle barrels (possibly down to hundreds of shots). You're putting a great deal of strain on the two rails (the effect wants to push the two away from each other) and you're creating a plasma on the surface of the rails during firing. Coilguns will last much longer (and potentially be significantly cheaper to manufacture) but require more energy to reach the same projectile velocity - likely cutting down on total shots per "power pack" (whatever that happens to be) change. Basically, a military force has to decide between the two: more shots/higher velocity shots but having to supply spare barrel components/assemblies to men in the field and all the logistical headaches that involves - OR a more durable/cheaper weapon that you need to carry more "ammo" for to match an enemy with the opposite configuration and all the logistical headaches involved in that. If nobody is using a Railgun and you can get an acceptable number of shots out of whatever storage technology you're tooling around with - coilguns all the way. If your energy storage technology is just barely over the line to allow a railgun to work - railguns all the way. REGARDLESS, whichever system is adopted by a particular military bureaucracy, the soldiers receiving that supply will be completely convinced that the OPPOSITE way was the correct one... -Even if there is a threatening country that has taken that opposite tack and their soldiers are utterly convinced *you've* got the right one.

[@moosemaimer]

In a book I read, the commander of Seal Team 6 said his guys had to start wearing respirators during training because they were shooting so much their lead levels were becoming dangerously high.

[@freedomvigilant1234]

I think you are referring to Rogue Warrior, by Richard Marcinko. During the early training cycles, Commander Marcinko stated that they used a Navy Base Pistol Range. They had to stop frequently to air the range out.

[@BD.1996]

Spörde Spyrdenstein to quote massad Ayoob (pardon the spelling l) “I’d rather forage for food in a toxic waste dump than spend time on an indoor range” (quoted like third hand so could be off)

[@hoofed]

As dashingly dressed as you tend to be in crisp focus I tend to put the Q&A videos on in the background. Great content, as always. Thank you. ^_^

[@com.grenate]

hoofed me too, they’re perfect for listening to whilst driving to work :)

[@tjanda2024]

For the record; I didn't mind the Bergman series at all. It was great to get all that video and info into my head. Clearly I was in the minority ;)

[@ForgottenWeapons]

To be clear, the only thing I would do differently in retrospect is break up the Bergmann videos a little bit with other material in between.

[@Regulareverydaynormalguy1]

Ian, I understand your feelings about the comments section of videos. Please allow me to offer some encouragement. This might sound crazy but your videos over the years have given me a much needed distraction during some of the darkest times of my life. Your dedication to your work is truly inspirational. Please keep up the good work and know that you are very much appreciated!

[@ForgottenWeapons]

Thanks!

[@Regulareverydaynormalguy1]

Hey cool! Ian read my comment!

[@simplymadness8849]

You mean to tell me that Ian gets tired of the nonstop spamming of the played out “Gun Jesus” meme in the comments of his videos? No way.

[@TheBeardedWorker]

Hey Ian just wanted to think you for posting videos everyday. On of the best parts of my day is waking up and watching your videos. You are by far one of my favorite KZbinrs.

[@brasstard7.627]

I really liked the Bergman series even though I dont have one.

[@SpyGeorgilis]

A quick thought on bipods... well, the HK G3 bipod, anyway: I too was issued a G3 in the Greek Army. At the time I wasn't aware of it, but in Greek service, all G3s have the thicker, bipod-specific handguard. However, not everyone (actually, hardly anyone) was/is actually issued a bipod! We saw them in rifles set in shooting ranges (where we went prone to use the rifles, already set up, not actually getting a chance to handle them), and of course our rifles all had the fittings for one, but we didn't get to handle them much, if at all. At a later date, I got to handle a reservist's G3, hardly used and in pristine condition... and featuring a bipod. This was an eye-opening experience. I immediately decided I HATED the bipod. Weight wasn't a problem, whatever it weighed isn't much (not in such a heavy gun anyway). The problem was that it significantly altered the handling of the gun. Maybe it's because we spent a lot of time doing drills, because that thing would definitely change the way we'd carry the darned rifle -- I know drills are (or at least should be) a minor point, but another, more serious point would be noise. The rifle I tried was nearly pristine, the only bit of visible wear was a thin line under the selector switch... and still, that bipod, when folded, moved enough to be noisy. A platoon of soldiers armed with bipod-equipped, somewhat-worn G3s, trying to go unnoticed in the bushes, would probably have some choice words to say about their bipods! That said, maybe I'm making too much of what wear could do to make the guns loose enough to be noisy in this respect, since the HK G3 plastics actually seemed to hold up quite well. I saw some pretty worn-out G3s, but cracked plastics were almost unheard of.

[@SurajGrewal]

normal people often, are unable to see how much an engineer struggled on an idea. stoner rifles turn engineering enthusiasts on. Someone designed that without computers, with such perfection with love for his country in mind. this is also why I watch only this gun channel. Meanwhile,As a circuit designer, I can't imagine working without cad.

[@ramjb]

"...and so now we have a dog" Ok, I'm still with the video stopped and laughing my lungs out. The delivery was just perfect, LOL.

[@LOUDcarBOMB]

4:04 Since you're talking about time and are a Francophile for guns, why not adopt the French concept of time using Decimal Time? :D

[@andreaslaroi8956]

That was my first thought as well :-). You need nine days a week? How about ten: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Republican_calendar

[@bryanwoodruff8264]

Thanks for making such awesome content... how cool to be living in a time where you can host your own show be in complete control of it and make it with very high production quality. You do a great job wearing all your hats and making your show function flawlessly. Keep up the good work and I'll keep watching

[@JonesyMcDanes]

You've been shooting regularly enough that the lead in your system has probably reached equilibrium but the big issue is that lead will get into your bones and takes a very significant period of time to be removed. I don't remember if organic lead can be created by your body but I'd get one more check up just to make sure that your body hasn't been hoarding lead like a preper's basement.

[@tommyspringer6119]

Hey I just wanted to say that I really love the work you do. Not just because I'm fascinated by firearms but history. I'm not sure what you did or do in life professionally (besides youtube) but I would not be surprised to find out that your a historian. I feel that if you took the same passion you have here and applied it to general history in any subject then you would do the world of education a true service. I know I'd love to listen to historical discussions from you on other subjects and your passion would make you a great teacher. Keep it up. Love it.

[@mattr2036]

Your answer to the question about trigger discipline and the modern emphasis on safety was excellent. I am the president of Students for Firearms Safety, a student organization at San Jose State University, and our mission is to counter the fear mongering and false information that dominates the firearms discussion on college campuses especially in California. Through comprehensive education including a wide variety of firearms topics with an emphasis on safe and responsible use, we're making a huge impact on the perception of firearms among Bay Area college students. If anyone here feels like supporting our cause and helping us spread a positive view of firearms we would really appreciate if you follow us on our Facebook page, and spread the word! Thank you everyone and keep up the fantastic work Ian! facebook.com/StudentsforFirearmsSafetySJSU/

[@pipss2669]

As a serving member of the Swiss Armed Forces, I have ample experiance with the SIG-550 and it's Bi-pod. I'm not a "combat" soldier, thus I never got full infantry training. We mostly used the Bi-pod on the shooting range (300m/30m), when we were securing a position etc. I found the folding bi-pod very usefull. Not only is it easy to deploy, it also never was in the way (weight was no concern). The bi-pod has many usefull functions appart from combat situations. Like setting it on the ground during a brake, the rifle standing by itself and out of the dirt.