Q&A With Jonathan Ferguson of the British Royal Armouries (Ad-free)
Added 2024-03-10 12:00:03 +0000 UTCToday I am joined by Jonathan Ferguson, Keeper of Firearms and Artillery at the British Royal Armouries for a Q&A session, with questions provided by the fine folks who support Forgotten Weapons on Patreon...
1:02 - Would the L85A1 have been better if Enfield wasn't being privatized while it was in production?
3:22 - How does the Armouries obtain modern small arms?
7:22 - Distinction between Pattern Room and Royal Armouries
10:39 - Best water-cooled machine gun?
11:01 - Silent telescoping-piston rounds like 7.62mm SP4
13:50 - How did the L4 Bren fare in the world of GPMGs?
17:21 - Differences between first and last L1A1 rifles?
20:38 - How did you get started with GameSpot, and did video games get you interested in firearms?
23:38 - Thoughts on old guns being used in Ukraine?
27:28 - WHY NO METAL GEAR SOLID?
29:53 - If you were John Wick's sommelier, would you make different recommendations for him?
34:46 - History of breech-loading artillery
38:23 - Information about NATO PDWs?
39:50 - What specific influence has the UK had on firearms development and evolution?
44:17 - What are your responsibilities at the Royal Armouries?
47:20 - If you could have one British cap & ball revolver made as a reproduction, which would it be?
Comments
Hello Ian! Hope this is the right place to ask a question. I have a question regarding the M16 "boxy" handguard they specifically designed for the rifle to mount a M203. What's the deal with the design and all the extra holes compared to the round handguard? We kind of know a lot of individual part development in the M16 history with the US military, but there's scant, if anything, about this M203 handguard. Books on the M203 grenade launchers don't cover it, and you yourself barely touched on the handguard when you did the M203 video. Do we know who developed this handguard, what the design process was, and what made the US Army accept the handguard other than "it works"?
Inceptor57
2024-03-16 21:33:29 +0000 UTCThat’s an understatement!
Christian D. Orr
2024-03-13 01:42:49 +0000 UTCWhat a fantastic episode - listening to these two opine! Thanks
Glenn Miller
2024-03-12 18:57:56 +0000 UTCyou could lock me in there, too. say rather with a certain aschley instead of othais.. , sorry oh bearded one but you get the pont.
Guido Schriewer
2024-03-12 06:54:11 +0000 UTCHey, thanks for using my C&B inquiry for the final Q! I was really excited to hear that there is a Beaumont-Adams on the way, but... (sigh) scouring the web shows it to be most likely vaporware, being a much more difficult item to (re)produce than the company [ARSA] cited currently makes. All I can say is "Don't hold your breath, it'll only make you blue..." but hey, at least I got an answer to my question, and some hopeful (if skeptical) news of a possible product.
Bruce Brodnax
2024-03-12 02:47:39 +0000 UTCOthais would happily be locked in the gun room, but I don't think he's that into the uniform history trivia as Rob of British Muzzleloaders...
Bruce Brodnax
2024-03-12 02:44:04 +0000 UTCWhile all your output is excellent, your Q&A's are always worth looking for, because of some of the random bits that come out of it, plus you seem to bring the other person up a level
Adrian Perry
2024-03-11 19:10:27 +0000 UTCAs a former subcriber to Small Arms Review I always enjoyed the article on the MOD Pattern room. Glad to be able to follow the collection as it moves through time. Cheers Jonathan! And you too Ian. :)
WayneWiiki
2024-03-11 17:09:41 +0000 UTCSir Ian Hogg! Nice. He and Kevin Dockery got me going.
WayneWiiki
2024-03-11 17:07:13 +0000 UTCGood discussion! Movies do tend to escalate into fancier guns as they go along. An exception is 'Uncommon Valor', they get everything confiscated in Bangkok, and finish the movie with scrounged WWII surplus.
Martin Morehouse
2024-03-11 04:41:55 +0000 UTCDangit, Jonathan, you don't just toss out "Brown Bess is iconic vs. Charleville is a better musket" without expanding on that thought.
IguanaDon
2024-03-10 19:52:22 +0000 UTCBearded guy in Carolina should tag along.
Chairman
2024-03-10 19:17:24 +0000 UTCAlexander John Forsyth percussion cap? how about that for a specific UK influence? not a completed weapon but a whole era so...
Guido Schriewer
2024-03-10 18:14:06 +0000 UTCthere is that mustache guy in canada who would likely die to get locked away in that clothing equipment pattern room I could imagine.
Guido Schriewer
2024-03-10 17:40:02 +0000 UTCIt's sad that the history of private arms possession in the UK has been nearly erased.
Rick Notkin
2024-03-10 16:52:50 +0000 UTCGlad my 7.62x42 sp4 question got answered and we can expect a video in the future. I've been thinking to myself what a cool concept for months.
firetower
2024-03-10 13:08:44 +0000 UTCYay! I love when you and Jonathan get together.
Infin1ty
2024-03-10 12:23:01 +0000 UTC
