Q&A 60: Early Automatic Pistols & More w/ "Fireplace Guy" - Len Antaris

[@themeatpopsicle]

Fireplace Guy has a name! Thanks, Len, for giving Ian access to your collection.

[@svenjonsson9]

So glad we finally got to meet "fireplace guy" and Len is just a treasure to listen to. I hope we get to have him in on some more Q&A's in the future!

[@raifsevrence]

What a genuinely awesome guy. If he hasn't done similar content before, he's a natural at it. Well spoken, knowledgeable, interesting, humorous and again, a genuinely nice person.

[@sniperwolf50]

Fireplace Guy: You know, I'm something of a firearms collector myself

[@tlshortyshorty5810]

he does looks like willem dafoe

[@FiveTwoSevenTHR]

The fact that Len focuses on collecting early semi autos yet can talk about collectible polymer pistols says to me that despite having a focus for his own collection, his knowledge is still well rounded.

[@MultiSycorax]

Len is such a gentleman and his taste in firearms is top notch.

[@TheMCD1989]

OK this guy is one of the best guests you've had yet! He's engaging and easy to understand, 5*!

[@kittycatpilot]

"easy to understand" Sounds like you're doing my boy Max dirty :P

[@TheMCD1989]

@@kittycatpilot 🤣🤣🤣

[@zacharyrollick6169]

Thank you, Len. Your years of support for this channel has brought all of us much pleasure.

[@gaveintothedarkness]

HOLY CRAP! Fireplace guy reveals his secret identity!?

[@Sedan57Chevy]

Len is so well spoken and insightful! I'm very glad to finally put a face with the fireplace! What an amazing collection...

[@robwilkes3351]

"Classic pistols with modern ammunition". I saw a pistol in 9mm Glisenti at my local Cabela's in their Gun Librabry a few months ago. I specifically said, out loud, that it had better go to someone who knows WTH that is because otherwise it's going to Kaboom and hurt someone.

[@olafervin]

What a fun Q&A. It may be a function of my geographic location (northwest Montana) but shooting at a social gathering is still a part of our lifestyle. Thank God. Keep up the good work.

[@earlyriser8998]

same here in texas. We have a 22 cal range set up and young and old love to hang out and shoot

[@magoid]

I would never had guessed that Willem Dafoe was the "Fireplace Guy"...

[@LUKEY_D_FRESH]

he looks more like harvey keitel; the resemblance is actually almost uncanny

[@la-li-lu-le-lo9444]

He looks like Harvey Keitel & William Sadler spliced together

[@Goldchaingarcia]

​@@LUKEY_D_FRESH holy crap, youre right

[@jimmyhoffa2816]

It was a joy hearing mr anteris, cant say ive ever heard him before, but seems a fella that exudes his passions and could talk all day/week about them. Did rather enjoy hearing him talk and surmise a few opinions for us.

[@jonHErickson]

This man is a pleasure to listen to. Great interview.

[@BullittGT40]

Great to finally see and hear the legend himself. Thanks for letting Ian show us some of your awesome collection over the years.

[@janwacawik7432]

A splendid Q&A! After so many years of Ian's videos on Len's collection, it was fascinating to see the Fireplace Guy in person and hear him talk. Very interesting, very informative, one of the best gun-related Q&As on KZbin. Thank you, gentlemen.

[@zacharykrieger4702]

Finally the big reveal! Had anyone guessed it would be him?

[@oktayyildirim2911]

I think I remember reading a comment suggesting the "fireplace guy" might be a dentist or something similar, which isn't too far off.

[@Poolboy001]

@@oktayyildirim2911 This guy certainly ticks all the "doctor" boxes for me. He reminds me exactly of my pediatrician and my current doctor.

[@ohredhk]

Finally! The fire place guy.

[@johnnelson1228]

I've wondered about the fireplace and now my questions have been answered. Len is an interesting guy. Glad he took part. Thanks for showing us some of his cool firearms.

[@michaelathens953]

Very cool guy, great interview thanks for your hard work and thanks to "Fireplace Guy" for participating!

[@act4306]

Thank you for coming on camera! I enjoyed the hell out of this q&a. Be well, do good work, keep in touch.

[@jamescherney5874]

Dr Antaris reminds me of my Dr. A soft spoken guy that is an avid gun collector. My Doc specializes in full automatic weapons. He's got a room full of every size machine gun . I kid him about the value of his collection and he says he acquired many of these autos many years ago for a fraction of what they are worth now.

[@nathanhuxtable5758]

This might be my favorite Q&A. Mr. Adaris thank you Sir for opening up to us over the years. Its truly a pleasure.

[@Enraged-Gecko]

The first generation Glock 17 was only available on the American commercial market for two years before it was replaced by the second generation model, so finding one that isn’t completely clapped out is quite difficult. For anyone who’s interested, Glock recently released a reproduction of the P80; a first generation Glock 17 as adopted by the Austrian military back in 1982. Lipsey’s and Brownells are distributing them.

[@ryanpeck3377]

Yup, just shows the collectibility of Gen 1 glock. The Repro is purely a collectible produced to take advantage of the desire to collect the Gen 1 but the limited availability of them.

[@colindegrow1475]

This might just be the best Q&A in Forgotten weapons history. Loved when the person behind the camera cracked up at the thought of someone wanting to purchase Remington. I lost it too

[@Saltpork305]

I have one of those books. It has helped me immensely in planning out and figuring out what Star pistols I want to collect.

[@its_clean]

What an exceptional guest. Knowledgeable, personable, great presence and effortlessly eloquent. Thank you Len for sharing your thoughts and wisdom and hope Ian can have you back again!

[@TomSalesJr]

Thank you sir for your generosity over the years in allowing access to your collection.

[@TheEdmond30]

Ian, this guy is a gem, so glad to meet the face of an excellent and unusual collection

[@emoryzakin2576]

Can’t tell you enough how much I enjoyed this! Having a face/name to the fire place guy and getting to hear y’all’s thought made my day

[@marvindebot3264]

Finally! Happy to meet you sir, incredible collection and thank you so much for sharing it with us.

[@pterodactylhunter9275]

Thanks Len for sharing your collection with us

[@bigredjeepyj3436]

It was absolutely wonderful listening to two VERY knowledgeable people discuss the finer things. I loved this Q&A! Thanks, Len and Ian.

[@jeromethiel4323]

Hats off to the collectors who open their collections so that the wider populace can be exposed to them. These people are preserving history, and that should always be appreciated. It's so easy for historically relevant things to just fade away, unless people care about them and preserve them. Museums simply do not have the funding to do all that is required to preserve these historical things. So kudos to those who choose to spend their money preserving these historical artifacts.

[@davidh5903]

Lovely interview, thanks Fireplace Guy!

[@shawnr771]

Thank you for allowing use to see your collection through Forgotten weapons. Very interesting.

[@Payne427]

I found this channel about 2 years ago and I was always wondering "where is he? I don't remember Ian's place having a fireplace."

[@adambielen8996]

Really great that we have awesome people like Fireplace Guy who preserve and show off these interesting old guns (and other artifacts).

[@griffn14]

Thank you Mr. Antaris for all the great content that we've seen on this channel. Awesome collection! 👍

[@frankbrowning328]

Len is awesome. Thanks for having him on your channel

[@24kachina]

Wow. SINGLE BEST Q and A on YT, across any subject matter. Informed, substantive, comfortable flow. Absolute treat. Muchas gracias, Len and Ian!

[@ivankrylov6270]

It took over 20 years to agree on where to put the mag in a submachine gun Refinement takes at ton of time when you don't have a baseline Edit: sig p210 is the best feeling handgun I've ever held. It's a a toss up between it and the Shadow except for the single stack mag

[@kaiserruhsam]

and the correct answer was behind the trigger!

[@AsbestosMuffins]

@@kaiserruhsam no the correct answer is to side of the bolt

[@ivankrylov6270]

@@kaiserruhsam yeah somehow nobody came up with that until Israel was a thing

[@chloehennessey6813]

Agreed. Sig make some great feeling hand guns. I have a custom P229 and 226. Tho my favorite pistol to shoot is my Nighthawk Customs Lady Hawk 2.0

[@frajecz]

@@ivankrylov6270 If you're thinking of the UZI, it was actually again us Czechs who came up with the magazine in the grip first in the Sa. 25 SMG, or rather in one of the Brno factory prototypes even before that, the ZK 476. Look it up, both came about 2 years before the UZI.

[@basketcase346]

Thank you for a great conversation and introduction (for me) to the passionate collector behind so much history you have been able to present on your channel.

[@ericsteenbergen9470]

Hey, good to see love for the Nylon 66! I have always loved mine, even looked into how to make jigs to reassemble the many, many piles of parts out there haha. Very under appreciated. Even out on the range it usually gets odd looks and called a toy! But I would take it over a 10/22 any day, and it runs just about any .22 LR from sub to supersonic just fine.

[@maxkronader5225]

Classic gun that can be produced economically - Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless. Not in the same league as a Borchardt or C96, but also not something that would cost $5,000+ to market profitably.

[@Observer31]

that was a great conversation/interview! Thank you Len for sharing your guns with the channel!

[@matthewbrasel2737]

Damn, I missed this one and I'm just getting around to listening to it. Thanks for keeping these up!

[@kennethstaszak9990]

This has got to be my favorite Forgotten Weapons video to date.

[@sleepingbee8997]

The man, the myth, the legend. Many thanks, Len.

[@LtCmdrGordon]

I have been watching for almost ten years and I don't think I have ever clicked on a video so fast. I really enjoyed this Q&A, perfect for unwinding on 'my Friday' night. I really almost felt like I was hanging out with you guys and the 'will cause your gun to friggen explode' line had me laughing on my couch alone at home! Thank you!

[@chriscw3487]

that was fantastic ...please have fireplace guy back again ....informed , informative and witty

[@StrangerOman]

All respects and honor to collectors who opens their doors to Ian. Not only it benefits everyone in weapons community, but also gives recognition to the collector. Before he was just a mystery "fireplace guy". Now we know who to thank. :) It's understandable why collectors want to remain anonymous, but Leonardo Antaris already is a known person.

[@stefanmolnapor910]

Thank you Len! Edit: and as always, Thank you Ian!

[@milcommguy5927]

I could listen to Len talk for hours, thank you for sharing.

[@doogledog1740]

I often wondered about that fireplace :-) Very enjoyable and engaging. Thanks to Len for his insights.

[@Alangon77]

This was fantastic, I could listen to Len talk about any topic.

[@manythingslefttobuild]

Great video, and thank you for sharing your collection with us Len.

[@markyoung2981]

Fascinating presentation with very entertaining and informative content, thank you for your time posting this video.

[@NomadShadow1]

Wait, that’s a real fireplace? 🤯 Due to its frequency i had assumed that it was a generic green screen background to obfuscate the filming location lol

[@jameshealy4594]

I love this channel as much as the next guy but if you think Ian is using green screens regularly I think you're somewhat overestimating his production skills.

[@RichardCasto]

Yes, I remember reading comments in older videos from people who swore it was a green screen and called out reasons as to why it wasn't real. I think it's funny they addressed the "fake fireplace" theory.

[@paulshayter1113]

I've been saying for years now Ian is CGI everything else is real. 😁

[@johnd0e25]

The big mystery is no more! Thanks Ian and Len :)

[@gerry343]

Excellent video! Ian and Len have a really good rapport and a great deal of knowledge between them.

[@neilcook4686]

Thanks to both of you :) Could've listened to you chatting away for hours

[@d.unterreiner161]

Thank you guys so much for writing down your knowledge and sharing it with the rest of us.

[@cheesenoodles8316]

I like Fireplace Guy, great guest. Good to see the Astra be recognized. In the 70s the 600/43 was my introduction....love that pistol.

[@Clipazine]

I can't wait until my now discontinued Springfield XDe becomes a valuable collectible polymer framed firearm, it's value should skyrocket within the next few thousand years or so!

[@CrimeVid]

Keep it out of sunlight !

[@cariboupetepeterson3711]

This is the best Q&A I've seen in years......at least as those I've seen aligned with my interests.

[@brianreddeman951]

Fireplace Guy! A pleasure to meet you sir.

[@fenriswolf3874]

This was so interesting and entertaining thank you Ian and Len!

[@09cjonescj]

I, too, found it hard to learn about Spanish firearms. The most info I’ve gotten is from the Spain chapter of “The Fighting Submachine Gun, Machine Pistol, and Shotgun” by Timothy Mullin. While he doesn’t discuss production numbers, there’s both history and-the info I find most useful and interesting-considerations and notes about the USE of such firearms. I love seeing things in museums but the first question to pop into my head since I was kid: I wonder how the things shoots?

[@desert_jin6281]

I did not know the fireplace guy. This was riveting! Thank you !

[@danika6540]

@43:39 I think the Mauser HSC would be a really nice gun to adapt to modern sensibilities. Although I might be biased, as I love the look of it :)

[@alexmccauley503]

Fireplace Guy has been contributing to Ian's videos for some time now, glad we can now put a name to the fireplace.

[@pegzounet]

The first among His disciples finally revealed ! Thanks for the interwiew !

[@SuperSecretSquirell]

Len was awesome. Great guest!

[@SNOUPS4]

Thanks for having let Ian film for so long, Len Antaris :)

[@matthaught4707]

Well that was about as interesting an answer to my question as I could have hoped for. Fascinating Rube Goldbergian Italian goodness!

[@tombogan03884]

"Maybe I should buy the Remington Company" Hey, It worked for Marcellus Hartley didn't it ? LOL

[@archpriest6]

Seidel and the Volkspistole concepts ending in the HK VP70! YES.

[@JamesLaserpimpWalsh]

Thanks for the insights Ian and Len. Great vid as ever, I really just got the Chinese Warlords book to support Ian's channel and himself personally for years of entertaining vids as well as getting a swell book for my beloved bookshelves. They are starting to look respectable at last lol. Cheers again.

[@barttorbert5031]

Clunky early auto pistols --- I can relate to the issues the inventors had, being a computer programmer. The pressure is to get the basics working, even if the wrapper is rough. Get the thing to work and onto the market, then you can refine the aesthetics.

[@tarmaque]

Windows 2.0 has entered the chat. (I was going to use Windows 2000, but thought that would be especially mean.)

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

@@tarmaque I liked Windows 2000, damn site more reliable than Win 95, Win 98, Win 98SE, Win ME etc, etc.

[@tarmaque]

@@gwtpictgwtpict4214 I've never owned a computer with Windows on it, but I've had to work on a fair number with various flavors of Windows on them. I found Windows 2000 to be the most problematic, although I've never actually seen a computer with Windows 95 on it. (I've been a full-time Linux user now for years, and prior to that ran Macs for decades without trouble. I just don't like the direction Apple is going with their system and software and there's a viable alternative today.)

[@ShootAUT]

Was looking forward to this. Great conversation! 👌 There's a vz. 38 currently up for auction here. I'm definitely going to try my luck. 😁 Regarding reproductions of guns that didn't catch on: I'm definitely with Ian on that one. The Burgess folding shotgun would be awesome. Personally, I'd also see a market for a variation of the the LeMat revolver.

[@jic1]

Pietta make LeMat repros.

[@grumpycato8314]

Glad to finally see the man behind the fireplace legend

[@gameragodzilla]

Honestly, I miss the older days of handgun design when people just threw random shit at the wall to see what sticks. They make a lot of things we look as weird or clunky, but even the revolver, or the autoloading pistol were weird and clunky back then. Meanwhile, nowadays, most of our handgun designs are still just iterations upon the same basic Browning-style short recoil tilting barrel design. There's so little innovation that the 1911, a 100+ year old design, is still a perfectly viable pistol today. And that goes double once you add on a double stack frame and some rails for accessorizing. Can't say that about the flintlock that was standard the same amount of time before 1911 as 1911 is to now.

[@MattAtHazmat]

I don't think any successful firearm was just shit thrown against the wall. All the designs are iterative, and a result of the tools, materials, and chemistry that were available.

[@farmerboy916]

I mean I wouldn’t say the 1911 is _viable…_ come on, at least say hi-power

[@gameragodzilla]

@@farmerboy916 The only major advancement the High Power has over the 1911 is a double stack magazine, which has been backported to the 1911 since Para-Ordnance did it back in the 80's. I have a custom built Para frame 1911 myself which has 15 round flush fit .45ACP magazines and 18 round extended.

[@farmerboy916]

@@gameragodzilla And using 9mm rather than .45acp, which between the two capacity becomes comparable to modern guns, bringing it definitively out of the “early semi auto” category along with all the minor improvements. Can’t count backdated stuff like double stack 1911’s as part of the original design really

[@gameragodzilla]

@@farmerboy916 I would. Trying to say the 1911 is outdated by dismissing any upgrades to the platform is like me saying the AR-15 is outdated and using a Colt SP1 as an example. The Para Ordnance P14-45 frame is very much a 1911, as outside of the parts that make it double stack, like the trigger, mag catch, frame, magazine and grips, everything else is off the shelf 1911 parts. The company even started out selling just frames so people could upgrade their existing 1911s to double stack. At that point, the capacity issue goes away. Given modern 9mm guns tend to hover around 17 rounds, 15 rounds of .45ACP isn't that much behind, and that's with a 50% larger permanent wound cavity each, too.

[@greydonstautzenberger3901]

Seems like a great guy with an awesome Collection

[@SimulatedInformation]

Len is awesome! Hope to see more of him on forgotten weapons!

[@bokachoy]

Really enjoyed this, always cool to here from such a knowledgeable person and he seems like a very interesting character.

[@leonardwei3914]

If a semi-automatic sniper rifle isn't socially acceptable to hang over your fireplace for your guests, I say invite better guests.

[@jeremyh6686]

Hear hear !

[@randomnobodovsky3692]

Maybe they are more into LMGs.

[@desperado8605]

Nylon 66s are already becoming pretty hot items. Saw a rack of 6 or 7 of them at a local store last time I was there and they were priced pretty high. Agree on the gen 1 g17 my dad has one and it's one of my favorite pistols.

[@jjforcebreaker]

Very interesting sitdown!

[@craigbenz4835]

Compared to the other Q&A shows I've seen this one has more questions and answers that I have no clue what is being talked about. I still enjoyed it.

[@billsteele495]

Len is a stand up guy. I have done business with him and he has a first class operation.👍

[@RedHuntsman]

"Do you shoot your collectible firearms?" That's half the fun for me even if might knock the value marginally.

[@harperhellems3648]

Concerning the loss of finesse and finish in modern firearms, I would hold up the Beretta 92 as maybe a counter argument. There'e no doubt that modern firearm makers have cost control at the forethought of design and production. But who knew or foresaw so many of us, average citizens, enjoying so much selection and quality today?

[@neilmccaffery5196]

Excellent episode!

[@86gwrhino]

as spanish pistol collector, i never knew fireplace guy was him!

[@JenniferinIllinois]

When Len said Bergmanns, I want back to a time when Ian brought us Forgotten Bergmanns. Those were the days. ;) I laughed when Ian said the CZ-38 is the ugliest handgun ever made. I'm looking at mine now and saying it's not ugly so it doesn't feel bad. LOL!!!!

[@CrimeVid]

I wish Savage and Webley had kept going with their semi-auto pistol designs.

[@vespid1709]

I’m surprised how under the radar this Q&A is

[@BootedVulture]

I don't usually get into the guest questionees but this was pretty good one.

[@philllax1719]

Interesting he brought up unserialized nylon 66s. I have a sears 2t that is unserialized, which means it's 1st year of production, 1967. It's a cheap bolt action 22, but I love it for that little factoid