as an American I really appreciate that this video about guns from Europe isn't condescending or judgmental like so many others are. thank you

@Bizz4r2m0ke

7 ай бұрын

I came here hoping for a roast but then i remembered this isnt Brain Blaze (Business Blaze for those O.G.B.B.s out there) or decoding the unknown.

@soggycracker5934

7 ай бұрын

Yeah. Europe provided most of the innovations in military firearms, while the US focused more on innovations in consumer firearms. There was certainly some crossover, but the US govt was the most hidebound until after WW1.

@MinnesotaHomesteading

7 ай бұрын

Agreed. This was a well done, objective historical video.

@jonmiller3153

7 ай бұрын

I had to check comments before l would watch this video for that reason.

@Sirmellowman

7 ай бұрын

Well said sir

For more history on any of the firearms, Forgotten Weapons is a awesome resource.

@bubbarwnb7534

7 ай бұрын

Also C&Rsenal an amazing channel if you are a firearms history buff.

@ericthimot

7 ай бұрын

All hail Gun Jesus

@timblack6422

7 ай бұрын

@@bubbarwnb7534 I support that channel!!

@justindunlap1235

7 ай бұрын

There's a forgotten weapons video about a 17th century German wheellock that is a breach loading cartridge musket, it is the most amazing example of the gunsmithing arts ive ever seen. Both form and function. kzread.info/dash/bejne/lJmDyc98qMjOZ6Q.htmlsi=PscbRb9IhJLR8APS

@craponlycomesoutadogsarse1731

7 ай бұрын

Lost respect for GJ (Forgotten Weapons) when he started killing defenceless, purpose reared animals in the name of fun. Hunting for food out of necessity ( and having respect for your prey while getting some satisfaction and pleasure in the process) is one thing but killing purely for the sake of it and solely for your own need to use the gun for its intended purpose without having to go to war or go to jail is another thing altogether.

As a Gunsmith this was a very well collected history. Each of these tidbits I knew but it was great to have it all laied out in one video. Theres still so much more to guns, like Simon said, dig deeper. There are some very fascinating stories to learn. Well done, Sir!

@ethanboyd7843

3 ай бұрын

Agreed! He did really well. These youtube gun videos can be pretty cringy coming from undedicated channels but I'm really impressed.

Well done sir, i am what many consider to be a gun nut, been fascinated with them my entire life and even touted it as a desired career choice when i was a kid and everyone wanted to be an astronaut… i wanted to design and repair firearms. I learned a good deal from this in a subject matter I consider myself to be more competent than most. Being an American i also appreciate you not craping on us about it. I enjoy you shows, thank you for your efforts.

@raidoung4100

5 ай бұрын

why would he crap on you ?:d

@coconutsmarties

4 ай бұрын

​@@raidoung4100Maybe cos some people enjoy that kinda thing? Not me but y'know.. some

@fuknrowdy

2 ай бұрын

​@@raidoung4100because Americans having guns hasn't worked out to well for Europeans historically 😂

Petition for all megaprojects videos to be 1-2 hours long

@uzaiyaro

7 ай бұрын

You know he has like 40 other channels?

@personzorz

7 ай бұрын

​@@uzaiyaroALL VIDEOS ON ALL HIS CHANNELS

@alexs5744

7 ай бұрын

I’m honestly surprised Simon has the time to do videos like this and do videos for his other channel’s and I have no idea of just how many channels he has.

@andrewlenfest7548

7 ай бұрын

Give the man a break he has like 50 different channels lol

@jfriend2001

7 ай бұрын

Occasionally long videos - if it's a treat - hopefully - it'll get more full watch viewing

The brass case is also a disposable heat sink. When you are fireing a large volume of ammunition, having a way of dumping some of the heat you are generating is useful. The brass caes dose this well.

@seanmccarty1176

7 ай бұрын

Yeah it's really fun when sometimes a brass casing lands on you and burns you at the range.

@xanafein8453

7 ай бұрын

My ex caught a few, lets go with extra spicy, 308 casings down her shirt. She was VERY upset.

@panther-nk2hn

7 ай бұрын

One of the reasons the G11 failed. Because it used caseless ammunition instead of the conventional brass cased ammo, overheating was a problem that wasn't solved until after the Bundeswehr dropped the project. Then when it was competing in the ACR program, it failed because it wasn't good enough to be declared adequate to replace the M16.

@seanmccarty1176

7 ай бұрын

@@panther-nk2hn the M16/AR platform is probably the best rifle ever made. It's simple, adaptable, accurate, and easy to maintain. I should know, I have an AR15. The only downside is that the AR DI system is kinda dirty. It does need thorough cleaning and that star chamber can be a bitch. Keep it clean & oiled and an AR15 will never let you down.

@justinhorn2864

7 ай бұрын

@@seanmccarty1176 lolol just because you have one everyone does it's the best affordable rifle

From what I’ve heard the G11’s caseless ammo was also prone to splitting and moisture absorption. Also the rotating bolt mechanism made it impossible for field repairs, thing looks like a clock inside lol. And I don’t know if this was a factor, but the 3 round burst made it so you only felt the recoil once, which means all 3 rounds of recoil even with a buffer are hitting you at once. Probably kicked like a mule😂

@WindowLickingDeer

15 күн бұрын

Yeah you can see the recoil in demonstration videos. It looks a bit, what's that trash bag company called again? Hefty.

I would have added some mention about Browning's tilting-barrel handgun design. It's not as flashy as magazine and action developments, but it truly revolutionized handguns, with nearly all modern designs utilizing it. It vastly improved the reliability of handguns over the blowback-operated designs that were being made when the tilting barrel was invented. Of the early, Great War-era, self-loading pistol designs, the 1911 was at the top of the heap. I think you've also overstated the reliability of many of these design elements, too. A lot of resistance to self-loading designs (and other designs, for that matter) was rooted in pragmatism, not just tradition. Early cartridges, particularly the primers, were not very reliable. This made self-loading designs, which relied upon the cartridges actually firing, also less reliable. Firearms with manually-operated actions, however, didn't suffer from this problem, as dud rounds could just be cycled out through standard operation of the action. This is most noticeable in handguns, and is the chief reason why revolvers remained (and still remain) popular after the advent of self-loading handguns. Great video, overall. I nitpick out of love.

Turns out the megaproject was creating this video. This is a BEAST of an episode

@Mygg_Jeager

7 ай бұрын

????

@WhiteDwarfVR4

7 ай бұрын

Yes, moar like this! 😁

@ninjabiatch101

7 ай бұрын

I thought the same thing.

Credit for briefly mentioning the M4 survival rifle. Not a common firearm that people know about.

@atomic_wait

7 ай бұрын

Survival rifles are really interesting. My friend took youth marksman classes with an AR-7 collapsible rifle, and I really like my barebones Chiappa Little Badger single shot rifle in 22lr. It looks hilarious with a scope nearly as large as it on top.

@itsapittie

7 ай бұрын

The term “survival rifle” came about in a time before the current conception of “survival” as something that occurs after the breakdown of society. The original conception was more along the lines of being stranded in the wilderness. With modern technology, the probability of being lost in the wilderness for a long time has significantly decreased so traditional “survival rifles” have decreased in popularity. A small-caliber, lightweight, durable firearm is still tremendously useful, though, and I wouldn’t be without one. It’s perfectly suitable for feeding yourself or for dispatching venomous snakes. Not to mention, they’re incredibly fun on the range.

Excellent video. No politics, just facts and it is well researched. You and the team did a great job. I felt I learned a lot about a subject I have studied most of my life.

You did it! When I started into shooting for more than hunting I thought that no one could know all there is to firearms. There are just so many years of development to back up everything that has happened and is still happening. Your ability to dodge the number of rabbit holes that would bog down every comprehensive examination of individual actions or models but You did that! In my 50 years of shooting I noticed large gaps in what it took to get it done is admirable. Yours is the best. Thank You very much Sir!

I'm a gun nerd but I watched this video to listen to Simon mispronouncing non-english names... I don't know why but I find it entertaining haha Very well done breakdown of a big topic. This video could've been 4 hours long and I probably still would've watched it

@Ntmoffi

7 ай бұрын

Yeah I chuckled quite a few times but I had to pause it when he came to the Chauchat.

@chriss377

7 ай бұрын

I laugh when he mispronounces American names in his videos. In another video on the Civil War he hand me rolling, likely Marry land instead of merilind for the state of Maryland....

@Eiensakura

7 ай бұрын

I was waiting for him to butcher the Chinese names (which is understandable as he doesn't speak it), and Simon delivered in spades.

@Lexicologist1971

6 ай бұрын

Koch!

Ian from Forgotten Weapons has entered the chat

@andrewlenfest7548

7 ай бұрын

If only that were true. Thst man could turn this video into a series lol. Oh wait, he made this video a series before simon even touched it

@christopherdolan7330

7 ай бұрын

Is he here to tell us about how the thumbnail is AI generated?

I love this. The history of missiles would be wonderful. Also ballistic body armor/plates would be interesting. Thank you for this great content!

I love the long format! Makes me miss the old Discovery and History channel docs from the 90s that I grew up on. Your channel has replaced those in my life, so this was great! Well done

@flinchfu

3 ай бұрын

Back when those channels actually taught us stuff lol... Now it's all 3rd grade level dribble with cheeky narration... or "reality" television.

Considering the (admittedly surface level) detail gone into about bullet expansion and rifling, I'm surprised there was no mention about the brass cases, their benefits, and why that's largely what is still used all these years later. Eg the fact that when fired the brass is able to stretch outwards slightly to the walls of the chamber giving you a perfect seal, preventing gases coming backwards even if there's some varience in chamber sizes between firearms. They've experimented with ceramic cases recently, though I remember seeing a video of someone trying some out and they couldn't get a single one to extract in one piece after firing and not break in half, presumably because his rifle while being the same caliber had a slightly different size chamber and they couldn't expand enough.

@BillyWitchDoctorDotCom

7 ай бұрын

Ceramic doesn't have *any* of the qualities that make good shell casings.. lol

Brilliant presentation. A historical synopsis that encompasses the entire history of firearms without political commentary or controversial leanings. Another extremely well done episode.

I hope this didn’t get demonetized. This is awesome.

As a gunsmith, history nerd, and gun history nerd, I can say that this video was quite excellent and didn't have too many errors, and the ones made were too minor to really complain about. Here is a few that I couldn't ignore though When you first mentioned breach loaded rifles, and talked about the Ferguson, I found it funny that you had shown one of the other early breach loading designs prior, known as the M1819 Hall rifle, when mentioning the invention of the cap lock. This was around 18:08. It came out well after the Ferguson, but was still one of the earliest attempts at a breach loaded rifle. The Dreyse Needle Rifle used paper cartridges, that had a percussion cap inside, which would be struck by a needle (thus the name). The needle of the Dreyse was known to be fragile, and easily broken, and would have to be replaced after so many shots, so every rifleman had to carry spare needles. It was quite inferior to the firing pin found on other designs that would come later down the line, but served its purpose in revolutionizing firearm design history. A minor gripe, but you really missed out on mentioning the Luger or Colt 1911. The Luger was invented by George Luger, who was the apprentice to Hugo Borchardt, the inventor of the C-93 Borchardt. The reason was simple, Luger saw how the Borchardt could be vastly improved, and suggested said improvements to Hugo. Said improvements would have removed that tumorous looking rear section that housed the spring for the toggle lock to function by moving the spring into the grip. Hugo was almost as ignorant and set in his ways as the typical military officer of the time, and claimed his C93 was the pinnacle of pistol design and could not be improved what so ever, and was perfect. Luger went out on his own, developed the Luger pistol, and the Borchardt became a distant memory as now pretty much all the countries that once considered the Borchardt, forgot about it and went with the Luger. Even the US was very close to adopting a Luger, purchasing various numbers of lugers chambered in 7.65x21mm and 9x19mm parabellum that it was offered in originally. During the Spanish American War, The US began looking to a more powerful yet compact caliber that could properly stop the drugged up Tribesmen they were facing, and found that .45 colt was sufficient. They put out the contract for companies to design a .45 caliber round that could be fed in a semiautomatic handgun, and thus, Luger, Savage, and Colt all stepped up, with Colt's .45 ACP being the winner. Next was the handgun, and again, all 3 stepped up and while the luger performed, adequately, the Colt 1911 was the most reliable, and won. I did shorten that up a bit, as there were more companies than those 3, but the 3 mentioned were the main competitors. BTW, the Colt 1911 was designed by John Moses Browning, the designer of the Browning Hi-Power, Browning M2 .50 cal, Browning Auto 5, M1917 and 1919 machine guns, and many more. Browning Hi Power is probably the most revolutionary handgun designs since the Borchardt, as it's features were far advanced compared to it's predecessors. It was chambered in 9x19mm with a (initially) 13 round double stack detachable magazine with the same recoil system, a tilting barrel locking breach, as the 1911 though slightly modified. It is the basis for nearly all handguns today, even the Glock. The tilting breach recoil system is the most common on handguns today, and nearly every company uses it like Glock, Sig, Walther, Colt, HK, FN, etc. The Hi Power was so futuristic for it's time, it became favored among many soldiers during WWII, and was the only firearm during the war to be actively field and manufactured by both the Allied and Axis forces. It was first mass manufactured in Belgium, which sold many to the US, British, and French. After being occupied by Germany, many German officers loved the design and took them over the Luger or Walther P38. Many US and British commandos would use the Hi Power was well, and so did the French resistance. Unfortunately, many top brass of the allied forces were too hesitant to switch to the Hi power in mass, and left it for the special forces, despite its overwhelming advantage over the Webley or Colt 1911. Even the German top brass were the same, and kept issuing P38s, leaving the Hi Power a item soldiers had to buy with their own money, with a small number being issued. I will point out that the G11 was also very complex, and the internal firing mechanism was quite literally as complex, if not more so, than a watch mechanism. Its far more complex than the AN 94, and that is what caused the G11 to be so drastically expensive, and was a large part of why it failed.

@WindowLickingDeer

15 күн бұрын

As said by a KZreadr I watch "this thing was designed by Germans left unsupervised with no budget...when you go to take it apart a fucking grandfather clock slides out of it."

I love the idea of a deep dive like this and would absolutely encourage you to continue to make them. Your topics are always of interest to me, so whatever you'd like to do I'll be watching. But an hour and half deep dive is a big thumbs up from me! 👍

Love the deep dive. Looking forward to others!

When I saw the length of this video in my recommended, I expected it to just be a compilation like some of Simon's other channels do, but I was pleasantly surprised when I watched it that it was not a compilation but a new video. I'd definitely like to see more long videos like this, but not at the cost of the regular short videos. Huge congrats George on writing such a long script whilst maintaining Megaprojects' usual research quality.

Excellent work Simon. Every nitpick I could've given was ameliorated by the end of the video! Great work and AMAZING summation on the subject which really could've been a 6 or 3 hour video; astoundingly phenomenal!

The bow and arrow would be a fascinating topic to look at in a special like this, although you may need to split that video into two or even three parts with how long it's been in use, also like 3 days for recording and a week for editing.

@Shiny_Dragonite

7 ай бұрын

Agreed. I'd love to see the bow and arrow as well.

@Ass_of_Amalek

7 ай бұрын

or you couls just not make it that long, because you really really do not need to. long history of use does not mean that there's much to say about it.

@NellDAce

7 ай бұрын

​@@Ass_of_Amalekthere were many iterations of the Bow & Arrow. From the Original Bow, to the Long/Recurve Bow, can't forget the modern Compact/Compound & the ultimate killing machine in the Composite Bow, to even the First Commoner War Tool the Repeating Cross Bow!! Every culture designed their bow differently & each had it's own strengths & drawbacks. Saying this all to show that it'll actually be quite a bit to talk about.

@Ass_of_Amalek

7 ай бұрын

@@NellDAce I know all that. you'd struggle to fill more than 10 minutes with explaining technical innovations in bow design at an appropriate level of detail for a general audience. you could add 30 minutes more by talking about historic military successes or prehistoric hunting successes at least loosely associated with particular bow designs (the standard examples being horse archers of asian steppe peoples like the mongols being very reliant on horn and sinew composite bows, and english longbowmen contrastingly very effectively making do with simple one-piece recurveless wooden bows for war by making giant super heavy-drawing yew bows, and using up all the yew trees across northern europe). but that's it, you're not going to fill hours with talking about bows to a general audience. you can't fill nearly as much time with the topic of bows as with the topic of guns, as guns are much more varied in defined ways, and their entire development happened in well-documented historical times, whereas the importance of bows to humanity was focused mostly on prehistoric and earlier and less documented historic times - until around the renaissance, and the latest historically relevant innovations are much older. compound bows don't count, as while they are a revolutionary design improvement, they have not managed to make bows regain their status as an important weapon for hunting and war. in fact, much older bow designs are still more important because some people still genuinely rely on those as hunting and fighting weapons because they have no access to guns (or to industrially made bows such as compound bows).

@mazdamaniac4643

7 ай бұрын

Agreed, but given that the archery community has easily more than it's share of opinionated blowhards, it'd be something of a can of worms that'll never be 'correct' in some eyes. I've been an archer for many years, instructor for a few, and the sheer amount of vitriol and opinions, from the elitist to the downright insane, made me leave those forums for good. You can never do anything _right_ or if you do one style, say for instance _field archery_ then you earn the instant hatred of the lot that think that Olympic recurve is the only one that's _proper._ God help you if you shoot Crossbow, or anything that isn't £thousands worth of kit that's tuned to exactly their way of thinking. I'm sick of the elitist hatred. I shoot for fun these days and I feel better off for it, away from that bunch.

The gun is one of my favorite inventions. Collecting them is interesting and entertaining at the same time.

@alexwalker2582

7 ай бұрын

Agreed. So far my collection is basically just what I need for home defense and personal protection, but I am hoping to expand it to 'range toys' in the near future.

@adenkyramud5005

7 ай бұрын

I wish i could collect them as well but our laws here make it incredibly hard to do that, and collecting deactivated examples feels heretical...

@diggernash1

7 ай бұрын

@@adenkyramud5005 That is no good; I am sorry for your predicament. May the gun grabbers in the US never succeed.

@peterroach3377

7 ай бұрын

oh yes - wouldn't want to stop the gun violence in the US would we@@diggernash1

@rock2k14

7 ай бұрын

@@adenkyramud5005 Yea, I hate that generations that came before me allowed the government to take our guns, the last thing you should do is trust your government with your protection, they don't care about you at the end of the day and they will abuse the power if you have no means to resist them

May be the best Megaprojects episode to date! You've done so well with this channel Simon and crew, thanks so much for the in-depth history of the firearm. It's late now but I will watch this (finish it) tomorrow.

For those looking for more contemporary examples of attempts at innovation of firearms design, I would direct you to the following: 1) The Textron Industries submission for the US Army Next Generation Squad Weapons (NGSW) trials. This thing is straight up cool, and I wish it had been adopted, if for no other reason than to drive firearms innovation forward. "Caseless" polymer-enclosed ammunition, a chamber that moves to promote airflow and can be fully removed for cleaning (presumably without introducing headspacing issues), and a monolithic top rail with built-in electrical contacts that would allow for optics, lasers, lights, thermals, rangefinders, and ballistic computers to communicate with each other, as well as share a backup power source via a battery placed into the buttstock. 2) Sig Sauer's submissions for the NGSW, now adopted and currently designated the XM7 (assault rifle) and XM250 (Squad Automatic Weapon). While the weapons themselves are not anything new, the XM7 action being based on modern iterations of the "M16" platform combined with the time-tested "AR-18" piston action found in SCARs, XCRs, Remington ACRs, CZ Brens, B&T APCs, and Sig's own MCXs, the ammunition is what's new here. 6.8x51mm ammo for these two weapons features a bi-metal casing, with the rim, primer pocket, and the base of the cartridge being made of steel, and the rest of traditional brass. This allows for the ammo to be loaded considerably "hot" without worrying about overpressure, while retaining the advantageous features of brass (notably, malleability) in less-stressed areas. It is worth noting that current civilian loadings for 6.8x51 are not loaded to such extreme pressures, and as such feature a traditional full-brass case. These are referred to as .277 Sig Fury. 3) PCP Ammunition. Another blending of two materials in order to change the characteristics of cased ammunition, PCP ammo uses polymer in their construction, which allows for each round to be considerably (~40%) lighter. For riflemen carrying 7-10lbs of ammo, this isn't a huge deal, but for SAW or GPMG gunners, the weight savings can be close to 30lbs. 4) Vortex Optics NGSW-FC platform-agnostic fire control system (XM157). This is perhaps the most advanced riflescope ever made, and certainly the most advanced one fielded by any military. This scope features an integral laser rangefinder and programmable ballistic calculator. With the press of a button, the optic will use the laser rangefinder to identify the distance to a target, use the ballistic data in its computer to calculate bullet drop, and then adjust the placement of the red dot aiming point automatically, in order for the operator to make reliable first-round hits on target without any math or guesswork involved. This makes engagements at long and unknown distances incredibly easy, and all that the marksman need to is ensure stability when ranging the target, and pulling the trigger. 5) "Flow-through" suppressor designs and the integration of "3D metal printing" (DMLS). Additive manufacturing ("3D printing") has led to innovations in the silencer industry which allow for more intricate designs to be manufactured at a lower cost, without sacrificing structural integrity via multi-piece designs that would otherwise be required. The technology is proving promising at making otherwise near-impossible designs be market-viable, and reshaping the way that the industry conceptualizes products going forward. Some designs are very effective at reducing backpressure, while others are exceedingly quiet. The major players in this space right now are HuxWrx and CGS Group, but defense companies such as Sig Sauer, Daniel Defense, Knights Armament, and SureFire are looking to get involved as well. 6) Solid copper projectiles. Whether the goal is a balance of adequate penetration with effective wounding capacity, fragmentation, or maximum expansion, machined solid copper bullets are quickly becoming the way forward, as their copper-jacketed competition struggles to keep up. Underwood Ammo is arguably the industry leader in this space, with their Xtreme Defender line of handgun ammunition proving that it has similar if not markedly better wounding capacity than it's jacketed hollow-point competitors, while retaining an exceptional degree of penetration and weight retention, and not being subject to the whims of JHP expansion when variables such as barriers, heavy clothing, and picky optimal velocity ranges come into play. We have also seen recent advances in "firearm peripherals," such as night vision devices, laser aiming devices, optics in a general sense (battery life on red dots is often measured in years at this point), and most drastically, flashlights. But those are outside the scope of this comment.

Easily one of your best videos, Simon. Ever thought about one for internal combustion engines?

Love the long forn format Simon. Im a huge fan , well researched, eloquent and great presence... Suggestions: -The development of the Ejector Seat -The bicycle - Machine Tools. Im a designer and engineer and would love to know more about how processes were developed for Die Casting, Forging,high pressure forging, casting, 3D Cad and modern auto car manufacturing. Most people have no idea how something is designed...idea, concept, sketches, engineering drawings, tool making, model making and prototypes etc - development of drawing conventions: 3rd , first, ortographic projection, the greek development of perspective drawing and the rennaissance, Pattern making in the old days to modern 3D CAD! - Ship building - Welding, Brazing, Lathes, Milling machines - sky scrapers - Development of the Gym:early treadmills, exercise bikes, dumbells, kettlebells and everything in between - Martial Arts history (probably belongs on Today i found out?🤔😁) Keep up the amazing work!!

@ZachBurns-gu9zk

7 ай бұрын

He covers ejection seats in a video titled. Who was Murphey in murpheys law. And the legend who coined the term dr John stapp

@liamwinter4512

7 ай бұрын

Thank you GPT

I love this long form content. The time and attention to detail of this sort of content is perfect. This would be amazing in podcast form. I love listening to decoding the unknown at work.

So happy and surprised to see you do deep dive on this! Love the channel❤

Great video. One problem with the script, is that one of the most famous handguns wasn't included. The 1911.

@_Ben___

7 ай бұрын

What year was that one made?

@JohnSnow-eq2ji

7 ай бұрын

@@_Ben___ The M1911 pistol originated in the late 1890s. It went into production and was adopted by the US military in 1911. People back then were very creative with their model names. 🤣

@perniciouspete4986

7 ай бұрын

​@@JohnSnow-eq2ji He was pulling your leg about the date.

@JohnSnow-eq2ji

7 ай бұрын

@@perniciouspete4986 I'm well aware

@thenefyncat6970

7 ай бұрын

Have a look for "Sideprojects" from around a year ago, Simon did a stand-alone video on the 1911.

Long form videos are always welcome. I often crochet or sketch while I listen, and it's nice having something on a single topic to listen to.

Great video. I wish you mentioned the 1911 in the pistol portion of the video. I think it’s adoption is an integral part of firearms history

@patgray5402

5 ай бұрын

Yea 75 years before the military adopted the 1911 they were using flintlock pistols. 75 years after they dopted the 1911 THEY WERE STILL USING THE 1911

@thomashayhurst6547

4 ай бұрын

He did a whole dedicated video on it a few years ago

Simon, when shit was hitting the fan and it seemed hell was breaking loose around me, your voice helped me get some much needed relaxation and rest. Thank you, Simon. You have made people's lives better all around the world and your hard work has done some good and given us education, logic and reasoning.

I was so excited to see a longer episode. I would certainly like more like these.

Excellent video! I didn't think I would watch it all at once, but it held my fascination the entire time. As a slight gun buff, I was also happy with the details and highlighted designs.

Excellent history of firearms! Thank you Simon and Megaprojects team!

this was a truly wonderful video! i was always amazed by how precise and delicate gun designs must be and how much time and effort and trial and error it takes for a new idea to actually take shape, and here i feel all that was perfectly captured ^-^

I'd like to see a full video on the M-16/AR platform. Also Fact Boy missed the 1911 entirely, and that gun is THE pistol

@AldrickExGladius

7 ай бұрын

My great-grandfather handed down the Colt 1911 he brought back home with him after the war. My father gave me the same gun after I bought my first house, like his father did him. I liked them so much I bought a couple more. One for my father, to "replace" the one he gave me. One for my son when he got his own place(My son will get the "family 1911" before I die, or when/if I do suddenly). My daughter got one when she got married. And I bought me 2 newer models.

@joshuaradick5679

7 ай бұрын

@@AldrickExGladius that’s sweet, I bought a relatively cheap one (Rock Island) a few years ago, and despite its anachronisity, it was the pistol I shot best with. Unfortunately for my brother’s wedding I decided that I would give him whichever of my handguns he shot best with, so now I no longer have a 1911. It’s also worth noting that while I shoot pretty darn good with that 1911, I shoot far better with my dad’s Dan Wesson 1911 in 10mm.

@alexwalker2582

7 ай бұрын

@@joshuaradick5679 I own an RIA 1911 myself for home defense, the double stack .45 offering they have. Amazingly easy to shoot.

@charmingmander331

7 ай бұрын

There's literal gun channels that have done this...

@joshuaradick5679

7 ай бұрын

@@charmingmander331 I know, but a Mega Projects video on the topic would be fun too.

I Love the long form videos. By all means…please keep this happening. 😎👍

Love the long form factor of this video, and all great info, good job Simon! 👏

ABSOLUTELY LOVE this deep dive. Hopefully there are more, for other channels as well!

I absolutely LOVE these in depth looks at the history of world changing technologies THanks so much for the effort.

@SL4PSH0CK

7 ай бұрын

same here! its a brief timeline how innovation has progress

Reminds me of the Futurama episode with their version of the Twilight zone.. "I have combined every single one of the best and most evils of monsters into one and now I shall release it!" And a man pops out and says "it is I man!"

@thefloop2813

7 ай бұрын

" *you've just opened...* *The Scary Door* "

@foracal5608

7 ай бұрын

@@thefloop2813 yes thats the one thank you very much!

@benjamingamache6441

7 ай бұрын

@@thefloop2813 aww, you beat me to it!

@beans9974

7 ай бұрын

He says, "Turns out it's man." I crack up every time. kzread.info/dash/bejne/imiG16Rsl7eepJM.htmlsi=Y3ncuUEo0h3zqdtQ

@beefstorm914

7 ай бұрын

Idk why you say cars are only a positive thing, but guns are negative. It makes no sense because cars kill more people than guns do. Also, compasses have always been used in war, too, so it's in the same category then. This video started with propaganda lies...

Longform videos like this just elevated this whole channel to another level, amazing stuff!

Guys, this is one of the best ones!!! I can only thank you for the amazing job!!!

Absolutely a fan of longer-form content!

Since you asked, although this was another excellent video from you, I do prefer your usual shorter videos, but a long form, deep dive video every once in a while would be a good thing. Also, although I know that there was a limit to what you could include in this video I am amazed that you ommitted the Colt M1911 and the Luger.

awesome video guys, you really captured my fascination with guns in the conclusion, and the entire thing outlined the history and development so well, which also feeds into that appreciation, Im a gun collector because I love the history and engineering, outside the obvious self protection, it means a lot to have such a well developed overview without the politics about it. Absolutely educational, and without bios, BRAVO!!

My favorite early repeating weapon was the Kalthoff Repeater from 1630, a lever action flintlock with a magazine of between 5 and *30* rounds, with a fire rate of between 30 and 60 rounds per minute! Several hundred were made and they were used by the Scanian Guard in the Siege of Copenhagen and the Scanian War!

OUTSTANDING! I love this LONG format, deep dive. Fills in alot of areas.

I would love to see more of these deep dives. Don't care about topics, I just wanna see more longer videos and deep dives.

An outstanding video. You had my undivided attention for every minute. Thank-you Simon ! 😊

A great deep dive. I really enjoyed this one.

Not sure if it's the right niche but for anyone brutally interested in hard-core military stuff I strongly recommend Schwerpunkt's videos series

This is my favorite of your videos by far... love the deep dive and long form!

Love this channel - please don’t give it up Simon !

This was a pretty good overview of the history of firearms. I found it funny that Simon would use the word "bullet" when speaking of a cartridge or round.

Finally someone besides people who are heavily involved in firearms that gave a proper definition of an assault rifle. Given the time constraints, this is actually a very thorough job of going over firearms history

Thank you, Simon. I absolutely love your "Deep Dives" into this and other subjects. Keep them coming

Fantastic deep dive! Well done. Please bring more of them on. They are great consumption material for my frequent business flights. ✈️

Outstanding content and enjoy the depth of information; along with the length of this episode.

I'm sure it's a ton of work but more like this please

Very cool new format. More of these types of videos would be great.

Great episode. Thank you!

Great video length and very well done! Love it! 👌

I'm totally in for more such deep dives ! Thanx for this one !

Great video. But you forgot the Colt .45 1911.

I wasn't able to cover any of this in my High School Tech Class main project back in 2003. Thank you for all of the research you and the team have done.

Incredible work. I really enjoyed this, and learned a lot about a subject Ive wanted to learn about, but havent had the time. Thank you!

Excellent show. I will be recommending this to others for watching, particularly those less familiar with firearms. Keep the long form, if you can.

I loved this! I would love more long form videos like this Simon! Keep up the great work

@tucker8594

7 ай бұрын

Not sure if I'm going to make it to the end with a single viewing, but I'll give it a go

@jordanbrown7677

7 ай бұрын

@@tucker8594 I definitely recommend watching the whole thing

You should do a similar deep dive into less-than-lethal weaponry. From a metal hook on the end of a long stick (Japan), to beanbag launchers, to pepperballs and mace, to handheld launchers (think Byrna or similar), to long-range microwave dishes, to sonic dispersals, to tasers... there's a lot of invention to discover!

First off as the commenters above said thank you for a nonjudgmental review of the arc of history of firearms. I am a huge firearms enthusiast and was expecting to come away disappointed by bias after the video but love your content and was determined to watch even if it meant 90 minutes of roasting something I enjoy. The long format deep dive is my favorite type of content. It is much more entertaining than the typical surface scratch that is endlessly recycled amongst content creators. Thank you for all your hard work.

I would be interested in this being a series where you examine the history of various models of guns

@michaelmcclure3812

7 ай бұрын

That's pretty much what the Forgotten Weapons channel is. He has a huge catalog of videos and has published a couple books. While Mega Projects could do some very good work here, they aren't such a narrowly specialized channel.

@ZazuYen

7 ай бұрын

If you want really, REALLY deep dives into the history of WWI and pre-WWI firearms there's the C&Rsenal channel. They do a ton of research, obtain examples of the weapons they are talking about, disassemble them, produce computer graphics showing how the internals of the weapons work, fire them (with slow motion examples) and, having fired them, compare their feel, reliability and practicality when compared to other similar weapons of the same time period. Each episode (of which there are nearly 200) is over an hour, on a single gun, or a single variant of that gun.

@kaneo1

7 ай бұрын

Beat me to posting C&Rsenal.

Excellent job and I appreciate the long form content. Intriguing video for any engineer or enthusiastic gun owner. More long form content is appreciated and bring back the EPIC BLAZE!!! 😅

This is an amazing documentary 👏👏 loved every second of it ❤️

This was an extremely well made video. Keep them coming

Excellent video. I would love to see more like it.

Hey look it's the History Channel's Tales of the Gun! Also I heard my dad shout, "It's aught six, not O six damnit!" Great video, thanks Factboi!

Wow! Excellent job Simon and Team.

We love these deep dives! Ive been wanting some epic blazes too!

When I started this video I never expected it to feel like it was moving at breakneck pace 😂 but yeah as he said that was barely scratching the surface. Of course it was still very interesting and well done 👏

Simon and his writers did a superior job of this brief yet informative discussion on firearms. It is a tough topic to discuss without the political tirades involved. I am very impressed with the objective way that the script was written. Cheers to you both. I will be sharing with my local gun club.

@SEAZNDragon

7 ай бұрын

Yep the comments on his ghost guns video was a doozy.

love these long specials!

This whole video is fantastic! Your explanations are as usual, on point. I wanted to say specifically With all the politics surrounding the term assault rifle the definition you chose was perfect because it denotes a good general definition and not a more specific possibly politically driven one way or another definition. Love you guys keep it up.

Great video. I love such deep dives. Only thing that was missing in my opinion were sniper rifles. Maybe worth a short addendum video?

@alexlongfur2515

7 ай бұрын

Ooh yes! And DMR’s too!

Love this, you could do a full history of every category on the channel! Keep up the good work 💪

Great video Simon. Thank you for the long one. I enjoyed it.

really long and really good, i know long videos are hard work but they are really worth it , brilliant thank you.

I want 1 of these on the internal combustion engine and all it's forms.

Im a collector and firearms enthusiast and consider myself pretty knowledgeable on the topic but i learned a lot from this vid. Good job Fact Boy!

This was an excellent presentation! Well done!

I concur, love the deep dive!

This video was fantastic. Simon, please, make more of these long formats. Turn it also into a podcast maybe ?

Super cool video. As an American this kind of stuff is ingrained into our culture. Keep up the good work 💪 although I do miss when you'd do more work on your geographics and biographic channels as well!

@adenkyramud5005

7 ай бұрын

Those channels were never his. He was the host, yes, but he did not own them and he is also no longer working for the owner of these channels (who also owns the top tenz channel). The current host of those channels is Karl smallwood (yes, that's his name) of the channel fact fiend who used to write for today i found out and is also a really good presenter in my opinion.

@benrockefeller6334

7 ай бұрын

​@@adenkyramud5005Actually he did initially co-own them (and may still have a stake in them), but gave them up as he expanded his own channels like Megaprojects, Sideprojects, Xplrd, Casual Criminalist, etc.

This was really well done. Thanks Simon!

Wow finally a video that gives a brief overview of gun history without throwing mud everywhere like a lot others like to do. Not only that, but it was well-researched and from a unexpected source! Blazey boi out here doing the Lord's work