Nishikawa Historical Armaments Museum

Preserving History for Future Generations. All Photos and Writing are My Own. (Absolutely No Sales)

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"Trench Monster"

1917 Webley Mark VI (Great Britain) .455 Mk.II

Produced by Webley & Scott from 1915 to 1923, the Webley Mark VI was the apex predator of a dying breed in an era of rapid small-arms development which would quickly render revolvers obsolete. The famous .455 caliber revolver cartridge had been in service with the British Empire since 1887, but it wasn't until the revolutionary introduction of smokeless powder/cordite that the full potential of the cartridge was fully realized. Introduced in 1891 as the .455 Mk.II, this monstrous 265 grain, 11.5mm bullet quickly earned a reputation for immense stopping power during its combat debut at the start of the Boer War in 1899.

By World War One, the newly developed Mark VI was the culmination of 30 years worth of improvements based on combat observations from colonial theaters of operation. When it first saw combat in the trenches and shell-scarred quagmire of no-man's-land in 1915, the Mark VI quickly became a favorite of British officers and enlisted alike who used it to great effect in close quarter combat.

Though it would remain in service up until the mid 1970's, the gargantuan Webley Mark VI would be largely supplanted by the smaller and lighter-recoiling Mark IV, introduced in 1932. The change remains the subject of much controversy, as many soldiers weren't happy to see the .455 replaced with a much smaller .38 caliber round under the auspices of slightly better accuracy in training. Despite ceasing production over 100 years ago, the Webley Mark VI remains an icon as the trusted sidearm of British and Commonwealth forces through two World Wars.

This particular revolver is an exceptional rarity as it has an unmodified, unshaven cylinder. Because of its lack of import marks, this Mark VI almost certainly found its way home in the backpack of a returning American serviceman. Thankfully, this allowed it to be spared mutilation by short-sighted importers who would grind the cylinders down to fire the more ubiquitous .45 ACP.

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" Taiwan Panther" The Type 91 Carbine

(T-91A2 Modernized Prototype)

Parts, Specifications, and Purpose

Wolf A1 14.5" Complete Short-Stroke Piston Upper

BCM A2X Extended Flash-Hider (Pinned and Welded)

Troy Defense Folding Rear Iron Sight (Dual Aperture)

Magpul "MOE+" Pistol Grip

Damage Industries H2 Buffer/Heavy Spring Kit

Sig Sauer Romeo 7 Red Dot Sight

Argent Wolvz T-91 Aluminum Tri-Rail

Streamlight 88071 ProTac Weapon Light

Osprey Global 0.5" 4-Slot Picatinny Riser

B5 Systems Enhanced SOPMOD Stock

EZ Shoot 550 Paracord Sling

Rifle Specifications:

Weight: 10.4lbs (Loaded) 9.35lbs (Empty)

Barrel Length: 14.5" (Pinned and Welded to 16")

Overall Length: 35" (Extended) 31.75" (Collapsed)

Supporting Kit:

USMC TAP Chest Rig (6-8 Rifle Mags and 2 Pistol Mags)

1990 Beretta 92FS (Primary Sidearm)

Extra Flashlight Batteries (2)

Extra Optic Batteries (2)

With its 1/7 twist 14.5" barrel, the party doesn't stop whether you're using standard 55 grain FMJ, 62 grain SCP, or 77 grain OTM. No matter what you choose to load up, simply place the red dot on the bad guy and triple tap to ensure the threat has been neutralized via swift cranial and abdominal ventilation whether the threat stands as close as 25 yards or beyond 400.

This weapon is a blank canvas, and while its form may evolve over time, its purpose remains the same: ensuring survival by all means necessary.

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"Taiwan Panther" The Type 91 Carbine

(T-91A2 Modernized Prototype)

While many contemporary military rifles can trace their lineage back to the AR-18, a pioneering firearm of significant obscurity is the 1969 Colt Model 703, an experimental external piston rifle which sought to replace the M-16A1. While it inevitably failed to secure any military contracts and saw only two prototypes ever built, the 703 would serve as the design basis for the Taiwanese Type 65 in 1976. Though an obscure footnote in the pages of small-arms history today, the T-65 bears the unique distinction of being the first external piston AR platform rifle ever adopted as the standard military arm of any country. A monumental achievement decades before weapons like the HK-416 would make external piston AR's mainstream.

Produced by Taiwan's 205th National Defense Arsenal, the T-65 and its carbine offspring, the T-86 and T-91, both introduced in the early 2000's, remain in service with over 12 countries. In Yemeni military trials, T-91's outperformed the famously reliable AKM in sand burial tests thanks to its short-stroke piston system being entirely enclosed within a steel sleeve, preventing ingress of sand. The T-91 also exhibited many then-futuristic characteristics for a fighting rifle, with quick-adjust illuminated iron sights, a picatinny railed upper, a semi/auto/burst fire control group, and the retention of the AR-15 buffer system, allowing the gas system to be managed simply with a heavy buffer and spring rather than a fragile adjustable piston.

With the United States Army and Marine Corps only recently moving to fully standardize external pistons with the SIG Spear and M-27 IAR, it's amusing to see the United States take such a long path away from direct-impingement and back to external pistons the likes of which had been in service with other countries for decades. While the T-91 isn't a rifle of any particular fame, it remains a fascinating example of an alternate timeline in the evolution of the AR-15. A fantastic rifle that combines the reliability of an external piston with the precision and modularity of the AR-15.

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"Italian Thoroughbred"

1990 Beretta 92FS (Italy) 9x19mm

As the 1970's drew to a close and a disastrous war in Vietnam slowly vanished in the rear-view mirror, the United States military sought to replace the aging .45ACP cartridge they had been using since the First World War. As other nations began to adopt and standardize high-capacity double-stack 9mm pistols, the US military organized the Joint Service Small Arms Program in 1979 to hold trials for a new standard sidearm in tests that would eventually become the "XM9 Program" between 1979 and 1985.

The requirements would be daunting, as all submitted pistols would be subject to a level of torture and testing the likes of which had never been seen before in military pistol trials. Phase one testing to narrow down the top competitors involved a 12,000 round endurance test, which only two of the pistols survived. Of the eight pistols submitted, one alone would rise to the top during phase-two testing with a seemingly impossible level of accuracy, reliability, and durability the likes of which had never been seen in a military sidearm.

The Beretta Model 92's rugged frame and ingenious split firing-pin safety allowed it to survive a litany of drop-tests, its 180° ejection port allowed it to beat all mud and debris tests, and its solid construction allowed it to go an average of 35,000 rounds between parts failures; far exceeding the original requirement of 6,000 rounds. The Beretta 92 would be officially adopted by the US military as the M9 in 1985. In a hilarious example of companies behaving like sore losers, there was enough of an uproar and demand for a rematch that the tests were conducted a second time in 1988 as the "XM10 Program." Much to the chagrin of the challengers, the Beretta 92 came out on top again.

Adopted formally under the designation "M9", the Beretta would go on to serve all branches of the US military favorably from 1985 to the present day. Though it is in the process of being phased out for a more modern "modular" handgun, those who carried one into combat (like my father) swear by its accuracy and reliability in harsh combat environments.

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Which Will You Choose?

Romania's PM md.63 AKM (WASR 10/63)

America's M-16A2 (AR-15A2 HBAR)

Debating between the AR and AK platform is pointless. Just get both and be happy.

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"Classic Rimfires"

1963 Remington Nylon 66 (United States) .22LR

1934 H&R Sportsman Model 999 (United States) .22LR

.22 long rifle occupies a strange place in the collective consciousness of American gun owners. A cartridge which is reviled, but beloved. Routinely underestimated, yet completely overrated at the same time. While other caliber debates like 5.56 NATO vs 7.62x39mm tend to revolve around ballistics charts and observable history, discussions surrounding the .22LR by contrast often devolve into unintelligible blatherskite, as both sides of the argument trade blows with the stupidest points you've ever heard.

Those espousing the supposed dominance of .22LR will serenade you with the same trite list of debunked myths we've all heard. Wacky stories about it supposedly being the "deadliest caliber in the world" or some nonsense about the round's supposed propensity to "bounce around" inside of a human skull or zip through soft body armor.

Those seeking to disparage the .22LR will often regale you with some bullshit about .22LR being unable to penetrate dense fog, much less a winter jacket. Or erroneously allege rimfire ammunition is so unreliable you'd be lucky to get two rounds to go off in a magazine of ten.

You'll find idiots on BOTH sides of this argument.

Silly myths and internet lore aside, .22LR is a spectacular little round. Despite being introduced all the way back in 1887, this little rimfire cartridge consistently staves off obsolescence. While some may waste time arguing minutiae about its ballistic capabilities, there is certainly no argument that .22LR is a ton of fun. While definitely not my first choice for self-defense, a hail of 40 grain bullets zipping through the air at 1200 feet per second will make just about anyone break contact and scram while you get to safety. As the old adage goes: the .22 in your hand is always better than the .45 you left at home.

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"Cannon Fodder"

1938 Mosin-Nagant 91/30 (Soviet Union) 7.62x54mmR

1941 Nagant Model 1895 (Soviet Union) 7.62x38mmR

In many ways, the Mosin-Nagant is the epitome of the infantry fighting rifle: rugged, simple, reliable, and deadly. With over 37 million examples produced since its inception in 1891, it's hard to name a 20th century conflict that didn't involve the Mosin-Nagant in some capacity. Despite being markedly outclassed and obsolete since the mid 1920's, necessity and abundance alone continually postpones this weapon's retirement as it continues to see front line combat a stunning 130+ years after its introduction.

No matter how advanced modern weaponry becomes, this rifle always meets the bare minimum requirement: the ability to launch a heavy 7.62 caliber round through an enemy combatant at extreme range. From the jungles of Vietnam in the 1960's to the Qalats of Afghanistan in the 2010's, this archaic rifle continues to be a deadly nuisance for modern armies wherever wars are fought. A total anachronism in the 21st century, this rifle somehow fights alongside the very weapons meant to replace and relegate it to museum status.

Generations of conscripted cannon-fodder have had this rifle shoved into their trembling hands with minimal training, being one of the simplest weapons to operate second only to a sharp stick. The Mosin-Nagant's sales pitch remains the same over a century later: a disposable rifle for disposable fighters.

While definitely not my choice for any armed conflict, its kill-count dwarfs those of modern infantry rifles, and commands a haunting reverence based solely on the number of graves its filled over a century of conflict, with its macabre tally increasing slowly with each passing day.

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"Wartime England"

1913 Lee Enfield No.1 Mk.III (British Empire) .303 British

1943 Webley Mark IV (British Empire) .38 S&W - .38/200

In an era when most militaries fielded modern, magazine-fed, auto-loading pistols, British and Commonwealth Forces of World War Two took a more conventional approach. Introduced in 1932, the Webley Mark IV was a welcome improvement over the aging, large-frame .455 caliber revolvers that had served the British Empire since 1887. Chambered in the specially developed .38/200 (.38 caliber/200 grain projectile) the Mark IV offered comparable stopping-power to its predecessors in a lighter frame, all while retaining the distinctive top-break action and crisp auto-ejection system which made the Webley series an icon. These revolvers would remain in active service with the British military for many years after the war before being replaced by the Browning Hi-Power in 1963.

This particular Mark IV is marked "War Finish". A hilarious example of the Webley & Scott company attempting to save face, worried that the slightest dip in quality associated with rushed wartime production would tarnish their reputation as manufacturers of high-quality firearms. It doesn't get much more British than that.

The militaries of the Allied and Axis powers all fielded new and improved infantry rifles to replace the aging weapons of the previous world war. Germany's Kar98K, Imperial Japan's Type 99, the United States' M1 Garand, and Italy's Carcano M-38 all made their combat debuts in WW2. While Britain was certainly no exception, the previous war had crippled their economy to such an extent that development of a new rifle was delayed. While most of us associate the Enfield No.4 Mk.I as being the main British Commonwealth rifle of WW2, it didn't actually see widespread use until late in the war during the latter half of 1943. For the majority of the conflict, the same rifle that served the British during WW1 continued to fight in WW2, as the venerable No.1 Mk.III rose to the occasion to defend its homeland once more.

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Webley Revolvers of WW1 and WW2

1917 Webley Mark VI (Great Britain) .455 Mk.II

1943 Webley Mark IV (Great Britain) .38/200 - .38S&W

The iconic fighting revolvers of the British Officer class.

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"The Death of a Working Class Icon."

1988 WASR 10/63 GP AKM

The Avtomat Kalashnikova: a universal symbol of utilitarianism, revolution, and terror alike. A simple, rugged amalgamation of stamped steel and minimal moving parts that continues to fight almost 80 years after its introduction. Its ubiquitous nature owed not just to its affordability, but to its unmatched reliability in every environment it's ever been called upon to fight in.

In every other country, the AK is the bottom-rung of affordable armament. In the US, the story is quite different. Here, the AK is faced with a unique set of challenges, handicapped by 30 years worth of import restrictions, overpriced ammunition, inept domestic manufacturing, and a shifting civilian gun culture that has all but rendered it obsolete.

The AK was the last gasp of WW2 era firearm technology. Its manufacturing tolerances are loose, with canted front-sights, crooked rear sight blocks, and misaligned barrels being the norm even on examples approved for military service. The AK made sense when it was a cheap alternative to arm those who couldn't afford an AR-15, but with its affordability and availability a thing of the past, it has become an overpriced historical novelty unable to justify its glaring deficiencies.

A drastic culture shift has seen the AR and AK abruptly switch sides, with the AR-15 taking center-stage as the affordable weapon for the masses and the AK becoming a symbol of decadence. A weapon once sneered at by highfalutin collector types has now become their darling, as cringeworthy AK owners compete in vulgar spending contests, overpaying for rotting surplus parts while foolishly clout-chasing who's got the most expensive brand of receiver from the most expensive builder with the most convincing fake "battle-worn" finish.

The AK as a fighting rifle will never be obsolete, but its heyday as a working class icon is a thing of the past. The future of working class armament belongs unquestionably to the AR-15 and its superior performance, modularity, and support infrastructure.

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"The Invasion"

At the start of the Iraq war, my father was an old man by Marine standards. An aging Gunnery Sergeant at the end of his 20 year career who "celebrated" his 38th birthday in the combat zone during his six month deployment. The lead-up to the war had been shrouded in secrecy, my father being one of the select few NCO's briefed on the upcoming invasion as early as April of 2002. On March 20th, 2003, he and the other men of CSSB-12 of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force out of Camp Pendleton, California, were amongst the first American servicemen to cross from Kuwait into Iraq as the US launched a lightning campaign to decapitate the Ba'athist regime. The invasion moved with such speed and ferocity that my father was awake for three days straight at the start of the war.

My father would first encounter enemy fire during the Battle of Nasiriyah. He vividly remembers driving passed the burnt, mangled remains of the Marine AAV destroyed in the now infamous friendly-fire incident by USAF A-10's. He crossed paths with another Marine detachment, MWSS-372, exiting the city, whom he described as "all shot to hell." It was here where the highly-mobile CSSB-12 would link up with LAV's and additional infantry as they began the grueling, weeks-long journey out of Nasariyah through Al-Shatrah, An-Nu'mānīyah, and Al-Kut as their unit pushed further into Iraq, encountering armed resistance from both the Iraqi Army and Fedayeen Saddam units along the way. Luckily, most Iraqi units they encountered were heavily demoralized, and wisely chose to surrender without a fight.

It was at Al-Shatrah where my father would see intense combat and lead Marines under fire when a mix of Fedayeen and civilian irregulars ambushed them at close-range, close enough where his M9 service pistol was deployed, and several magazines emptied. My father doesn't like to go into detail, but he does say this: "They had every chance to give up, but they didn't. Those guys that tried to whack us? None of them are still breathing." It took him over 18 years to tell me the story behind his combat action ribbon.

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"The Sportsman"

1934 H&R Sportsman Model 999 (United States) .22LR

Harrington & Richardson's top-of-the-line Top-Break, Double-Action, Adjustable Sight, Nine Round revolver produced from 1932 to 1986. Examples like this, with the single piece walnut grip, were only made until 1952.

A masterfully crafted revolver from a bygone era of American commercial small-arms that paid no mind to the concept of "self-defense" and focused entirely on you and your buddies heading out for an afternoon of good old-fashioned backyard plinking and terrorizing the local squirrel population.

For decades, humble "sporting" rimfire handguns like the H&R Sportsman, Colt Woodsman, Ruger Mark 1, and High-Standard HD series dominated a segment of the American pistol market that was more focused on blasting tin cans off fence posts rather than being kept on the nightstand to blast holes in errant home-invaders.

H&R's Model 999 never fought in any wars, and never served with any military, but its top-break design and sturdy wood and steel construction takes you back to a fascinating era where auto-loading pistols were still seen as untrustworthy and unreliable novelties when compared to the tried and tested double-action revolvers of yesteryear.

Even at 91 years old with most of its original finish and bluing long-gone, this revolver still functions like it's the summer of 1934. When the same sun shined upon a completely different world.