Forgotten Weapons
| Forgotten Weapons | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Firearms/weapons |
| Created by | Ian McCollum |
| Presented by | Ian McCollum |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 5-30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | YouTube Full30 Floatplane |
| Release | May 13, 2011 – 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
[edit]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 disassembling it.
McCollum often borrows the firearms from auction houses, most commonly the Rock Island Auction[6] and Morphy Auctions. He has also examined and disassembled firearms held in the collections of the Royal Armouries, the French Gendarmerie, Springfield Armory, Heckler & Koch and SAKO among other institutions.[7][8] He is the author of books and articles for Popular Mechanics on the topic of firearms. He has also collaborated with other YouTubers, museums and firearms experts such as C&Rsenal, Polenar Tactica, TFB TV, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery of the Royal Armouries Jonathan Ferguson[9] and the Nationaal Militair Museum.
Platforms
[edit]McCollum avoids political topics in favor of exclusively covering technical topics and history. As of November 2025[update], he has amassed over 3 million subscribers on YouTube.[10] Despite this, McCollum encountered some difficulties with YouTube deleting his videos,[11] 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.[12]
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.[13] Headstamp's second book, Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901–2020, authored by Jonathan Ferguson, raised $579,585 on Kickstarter.[14] McCollum's second book, Pistols of the Warlords, raised $1,541,381 on Kickstarter.[15]
In addition to his work on firearms, McCollum also has a separate scuba-diving channel, Deep Dive with Ian, where he explores diving related topics.[16]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (2018-12-21). "M1916 Fedorov: Russia's First Assault Rifle? - Forgotten Weapons". www.forgottenweapons.com. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (2025-10-13). "GIGN's Unique Bren 2 in 7.62×39: Counterterrorism and Hostage Rescue - Forgotten Weapons". www.forgottenweapons.com. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (2024-03-23). "Presenting Guns in Video Games w/ Jonathan Ferguson - Forgotten Weapons". www.forgottenweapons.com. Retrieved 2025-11-29.
- ^ "Forgotten Weapons - YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-11-23.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "Chassepot to FAMAS: French Military Rifles, 1866 – 2016". Headstamp Publishing. May 22, 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Thorneycroft to SA80: British Bullpup Firearms, 1901–2020". Headstamp Publishing. 8 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 – 1949". Headstamp Publishing. 18 June 2021. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
- ^ "Deep Dive With Ian". YouTube. Retrieved 2025-11-29.