I Have This Old Gun

The Montenegrin Gasser shown here is a classic 1870/74 style and is the real article, actually produced by Gasser in Vienna. It has typical Montenegrin aftermarket silver stocks embellished with turquoise, coral and pearls.

Colt's "New Lightning Magazine Rifle," so called to distinguish it from the company's previous double-action revolver of the same name, was the first slide-action rifle to be sold in the United States.

In between the famous British Baker rifle and the Pattern 1853 Enfield, there was a little-known design that's rarely seen today. This is the story of the British Brunswick rifle.

The Tabatière is one of several breechloading conversions of existing military muskets, but unlike many others, this one continued to see use in the civilian world.

One of the most important military arms ever invented is the Model 1886 Lebel rifle, the first military rifle designed to use smokeless powder ammunition.

Though Switzerland broke the ice by choosing the semi-automatic German Parabellum as its official sidearm as early as 1900, the accolade for the first major military power to adopt a self-loading handgun goes to Austria-Hungary and the Roth-Steyr Model 1907.

For tiger hunters in 19th-century India, there was a very real need for a backup handgun for self-defense, and the Howdah pistol was the answer.

Often unrecognized and underappreciated, the Mauser Model 1914/34 was one of the most popular German handguns of the 20th century.

On the eve of the American Civil War, there were a number of breechloading carbine designs available on the commercial market. One such design was the Maynard carbine, developed by Maryland dentist Dr. Edward Maynard.