Firearm Guides by Family

History, markings and how each firearm works, grouped by family. For model pages, see Browse by Model.

K98k and German Mausers

See also: K98k model page.

• 1934 Kriegsmarine K98k: Reading an S/42K Mauser
  Navy-marked 98ks are some of the most faked rifles out there. How we read the S/42K code, the eagle over M and the 2089 numbers on our 1934 K98k.
• G33/40 Mountain Carbine: History and Markings
  Why the G33/40 has a steel plate on its stock, why the short German mountain carbine is called a Gewehr, and how to read the 945 and dot codes.

Luger P.08

See also: Luger model page.

• Black Widow Luger: The byf 41 Mauser P.08
  What makes a Black Widow Luger: black plastic grips and black-based magazines on 1941–42 Mauser byf P.08s. Where the name came from and what to check.
• Engraved Krieghoff Luger: A Platinum P.08 Dated 1939
  Krieghoff engraved only about ten P.08 Lugers as presentation pieces, and Göring owned one. How to read ours: the HK anchor, the 15.8.39 date, a star.
• DWM 1902 Cartridge Counter Luger: The Army's 50
  The U.S. Army had only 50 Model 1902 Lugers made with a round-count window in the grip. How the counter works and what happened at the Fort Riley trials.

Mauser C96 Broomhandle

• Mauser C96 Cutaway: Inside a Broomhandle in Motion
  A Mauser C96 Broomhandle with windows cut into its side. Watch it load from a clip, chamber a round and drop its hammer. No holding pins.
• Mauser C96 vs Astra 900: The Spanish Broomhandle
  The Astra 900 copied the Mauser C96 Broomhandle for China. Same 7.63 round, same stripper clip, same safety. Turn them over and the Astra shows its pins.
• Mauser M712 Schnellfeuer: History and Markings
  The Mauser M712 Schnellfeuer is the select-fire broomhandle with a detachable magazine. Where it came from, what N and R mean, and how to read the markings.

Browning Hi Power

• Panama Hi Power: A 1987 FN Made for Noriega's Army
  Made by FN in 1987 for Noriega's Panama Defense Forces, two years before the U.S. invasion. How to read its PR date code and Fuerzas de Defensa crest.
• Iraqi Hi Power: A 1982 FN With the Eagle of Saladin
  Built for Iraq in 1982, nine years before Desert Storm. How to read the PY date code, the pre-1991 Eagle of Saladin and the pi mark on an Iraqi Hi Power.

Makarov

• Type 59 Makarov: China's Copy of the Soviet PM
  The Type 59 Makarov is China's 1959 copy of the Soviet PM. How to read a Norinco export slide, how the blowback works, and why 9×18 is not 9mm Luger.
• Makarov Drum Magazine: A PPSh Drum on a Makarov
  People online claim Russia's FSB used an 80-round Makarov drum magazine. We built our own from a PPSh drum. It holds over 70 rounds and it is dead heavy.
• East German Makarov: A Garage Tactical Upgrade
  A 1961 East German Makarov got a garage upgrade: a hand-lettered LED bulb, one AA battery, rubber bands. It has never lit. Plus how to read the DDR markings.

Heckler & Koch

• HK P7M13: How the Squeeze-Cocker Pistol Works
  The HK P7M13 cocks when you squeeze the grip and uses barrel gas to slow its slide. How it works, how to read the markings, and its link to Die Hard.
• HK P9: The Single-Action Original of the P9S
  Before the P9S there was the HK P9: same roller-delayed action, single action only, made in tiny numbers. How it differs and how to read its markings.
• HK P9S .45 ACP: Roller-Delayed Pistol Guide
  The HK P9S runs the MP5's roller-delayed action in a pistol, and the U.S. Navy used 9mm ones suppressed. How it works, what its lever does, its proofs.
• HK MR556 A4 vs Romanian md.63: The Shop Defense Gun
  An HK MR556 A4 with a 1x/4x optic, laser, light and suppressor, then the stickered Romanian md.63 we actually use. What the kit is and how to spot an md.63.

Korth

• Engraved Korth Revolver: Wall Street in Steel and Gold
  A one-of-one Korth .44 Magnum hand-engraved with Wall Street's story, from Stuyvesant's 1653 wall to the gold bull, with grips made of U.S. currency.
• The Bitcoin by Korth: A .357 Revolver in a Cryptex
  The Bitcoin by Korth is a .357 Magnum with 24-karat gold circuit lines, limited to 210 for 21 million bitcoin, locked in a cryptex coded to its serial.

Engraved Walther PDP

• Engraved Walther PDP: The Boston Tea Party in Steel
  A steel-frame Walther PDP from the Meister Manufaktur, hand-engraved by Jürgen Göser with the Boston Tea Party, from the Mohawk disguises to the tea.
• Walther PDP Meister Manufaktur: The Buffalo Hunt
  A Walther PDP from the Meister Manufaktur, hand-engraved in relief by Jürgen Göser with a buffalo hunt, wild horses and two portrait magazine baseplates.

General Schwarzkopf’s Pistols

• General Schwarzkopf's Desert Eagle .50 AE
  The Schwarzkopf Desert Eagle: a .50 AE engraved with the general's name, presented in 1993 in honor of Desert Storm. The plaque, stars and gold work.
• Schwarzkopf's M9: General Officer Pistol GO-00698
  The Schwarzkopf M9: Beretta General Officer pistol GO-00698, his signed 1989 hand receipt, his daughter's letter, and a left-handed magazine release.

Other Handguns

• SIG P210 Danish m/49: History and Markings
  Denmark chose the SIG P210 in 1948, before Switzerland, and carried it as the m/49 for about 70 years. How to read the crown and FKF marks and date one.
• Kongsberg M/1914: Norway's 1911 Under Occupation
  A 1942 Kongsberg M/1914, Norway's licensed 1911, built under German occupation with no German eagle. How to read its marks and its factory letter.
• Himmler Sauer 38H: The Sniper Award Pistol
  The Sauer 38H engraved Dem Scharfschützen with Himmler's signature was reportedly a prize for German snipers. Ours has a GI's 1946 bring-back paper.
• KAC Snap-On Suppressor and the Slide-Lock Beretta 92F
  The Vietnam SEALs' Hush Puppy locked its slide to cut action noise. This Beretta 92F does the same with a KAC Snap-On suppressor, sights and wipes.
• TEC-DC9: The CS2 Tec-9 Titanium Bit, Made Real
  The TEC-DC9 was Intratec's California-era Tec-9. We painted one to match the CS2 Titanium Bit skin. Its history, its markings and the 1994 ban.
• Colt Python Red Dot Build: The Halloween Werewolf
  A modern Colt Python .357 with a Holosun red dot and an Empire KAGE comp: what the build changes, how to read the marks, and where silver-vs-werewolf came from.
• FK BRNO Field Pistol: The 7.5 FK Story
  The 7.5 FK was built for a Middle East security contractor whose contract ended first. The FK BRNO Field Pistol, its Butterfly sight and the PSD.

Long Guns and Machine Guns

• North Korean Type 63 SKS: Markings and a Doubling
  The North Korean Type 63 SKS is a rare copy of the Soviet SKS. Ours fired twice on one pull: how to identify one, and why a stuck firing pin can slamfire.
• Chinese Type 56-1 LMG: China's RPD, Explained
  The Type 56-1 is China's copy of the Soviet RPD squad machine gun. How its belts and drum work, how to read its marks, and what a post-May sample is.
• Benelli M4 TRIARC Custom Builds and the M1014
  Two Benelli M4s customized by TRIARC Systems: camo Cerakote, M-LOK handguard, +2 tube, bigger loading port. Plus how the M4 became the M1014.
• Marlin 1895 SBL .45-70, Suppressed and Subsonic
  Our Ruger-made Marlin 1895 SBL in .45-70 runs a suppressor and subsonic rounds. How the lever action and side ejection work, and why the tips are soft.
• Remington Rolling Block .45-70: How It Works
  The Remington rolling block locks with two main moving parts, a breechblock and a hammer. How it works, who adopted it, and our Pedersoli copy in .45-70.
• Leader T2 MK5: Australia's Homegrown 5.56 Rifle
  The Leader T2 MK5 is an Australian 5.56 rifle built from square steel tube and fed by M16 magazines. Its history, how to identify one, and how ours shoots.
• Hotchkiss Type Universal: The Folding French SMG
  The Hotchkiss Type Universal is a post-war French 9mm submachine gun that folds up with a loaded magazine in place. Its history, and how the fold works.
• DARPA XM3 Sniper Rifle: The Marines' Short .308
  The DARPA XM3 sniper rifle: an 18.5-inch .308 built by Iron Brigade Armory for Marine snipers in Iraq. By 2012 the Marines had 52. History and markings.
• Transferable Machine Guns: What the Term Means
  What transferable machine guns are under federal law, and the history of four standouts in our collection: an M240, an FG42, an StG 44 and a Stoner 63A.
• Shanxi Thompson: China's 1927 Taiyuan Tommy Gun
  A Shanxi Thompson from Taiyuan Arsenal, dated 1927, serial 9300, with a 1952 letter that puts it in a burned-out bunker. How to read it, what is unproven.