{"id":311,"date":"2005-06-18T21:56:39","date_gmt":"2005-06-18T20:56:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/?p=311"},"modified":"2015-05-22T23:16:28","modified_gmt":"2015-05-22T22:16:28","slug":"the-royal-armouries","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/?p=311","title":{"rendered":"The Royal Armouries"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The <a href=\"http:\/\/www.armouries.org.uk\/\">Royal Armouries<\/a> in Leeds are probably the premier firearms museum in the United Kingdom.\u00a0 It is a big place, and the following pictures only cover a fraction of it.\u00a0 I took a lot of pictures so each one has a shortcut unlike the other features on the site.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/007.JPG\">A tribute to 007<\/a> &#8211; a bit naff but it draws <span lang=\"en-gb\">in <\/span>the punters, I suppose.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/1911andSteyr.JPG\">A Colt 1911 and a Steyr-Hahn<\/a> &#8211; the Steyr incorporates the intriguing rotary barrel locking principle, the Colt, hmm, well, I don&#8217;t think anyone knows much about the Colt .45&lt;G&gt;.\u00a0 Both of these models saw action in WW1.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/4bore.JPG\">A 4-bore shotgun<\/a> &#8211; for those around the turn of the century who considered wandering around in Africa and suffering serious pain in the shoulder was an enjoyable activity!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Adams.JPG\">Adams revolver<\/a> &#8211; a very nicely kept Adams percussion revolver ca. 1870<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/armour.JPG\">French armour<\/a> &#8211; sorry, I didn&#8217;t make any notes, I think it was 15th century.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Artillery.JPG\">Artillery Luger<\/a> &#8211; a mint condition example, ca. 1917 with buttstock.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/BoerBroom.JPG\">Broomhandle Mauser<\/a> &#8211; very nice example, from the Boer war with engraved buttstock, worth a few quid I suspect!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Borchardt.JPG\">Borchardt Pistol<\/a> &#8211; the first semi-automatic pistol, once again, a mint example, drool.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/bullpup.JPG\">Bullpup Rigby Rifle<\/a> &#8211; made for someone who lost an arm in WW1, no doubt worth a small fortune as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Dolnegun.JPG\">Dolne thingymebob<\/a> &#8211; Why have one weapon when you can have three?\u00a0 A vicious looking piece of equipment, ca. 1890.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/earlyguns.JPG\">The first firearms<\/a> &#8211; very early handguns, surprisingly considered an advancement on the bow and arrow, due largely to their ease of use.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Elephant.JPG\">Armoured Elephant<\/a> &#8211; an elephant with armour, just the thing for the Indian warrior.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Enfields.JPG\">World War 1 Enfields<\/a> &#8211; A selection of Enfield rifles, note the one in the middle with the extremely rare barbed wire cutter.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/fancywebley.JPG\">Engraved Webley<\/a> &#8211; This revolver set someone back a lot of money!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Fosbrey.JPG\">Webley-Fosbrey<\/a> &#8211; The only semi-automatic revolver<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Gatlings.JPG\">Gatling guns<\/a> &#8211; A couple of mint condition Gatlings.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Greener.JPG\">Greener Prison Shotgun<\/a> &#8211; Another very rare gun, chambered for a special shotgun round so that it was useless to a thief.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/hallsteel.JPG\">The Hall of Steel<\/a> &#8211; A large collection of guns and armour arranged up the middle of the main staircase in the Armoury.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/hallsteel3.JPG\">The Hall of Steel, again<\/a> &#8211; Another view of the Hall of Steel, from the ground floor.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Howell.JPG\">Enfield with Howell self-loading conversion<\/a> &#8211; the most interesting Enfield in the Armoury, unfortunately the picture is a bit dim.\u00a0 Essentially a hole drilled in the barrel, with a tube alongside the barrel, with a gas-operated rod attached to the bolt handle.\u00a0 The gun has had a pistol grip fitted with a handguard to prevent the bolt handle from hitting the hand during cycling.\u00a0 It worked, but was too impractical.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/JapLMG.JPG\">Japanese LMG<\/a> &#8211; I know little about Japanese machineguns so I will not embarrass myself, although this one is interesting due to it&#8217;s method of hydraulic operation.\u00a0 No wonder the Japanese lost!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Kolibri.JPG\">Kolibri 2.7mm pistol<\/a> &#8211; the smallest calibre semi-auto pistol ever made, check out the size of the ammunition!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Kucerguns.JPG\">The guns of David Kucer<\/a> &#8211; min<span lang=\"en-gb\">i<\/span>ature replicas made by Mr Kucer, worth visiting the museum just to see this exhibit, in my opinion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Liberator.JPG\">Guidelamp Liberator Pistol<\/a> &#8211; A single shot .45 stamped steel pistol, made to be dropped to the French resistance although none ever were, they were dropped in the Phillippines and India though.\u00a0 Perhaps the only pistol ever made that could be manufactured faster than it could be reloaded!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Marlin.JPG\">Marlin rifle<\/a> &#8211; a mint original from the late 19th century.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Mars.JPG\">Mars pistol<\/a> &#8211; very rare, very big, one of the first attempts at a practical semi-auto pistol design in the UK.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/miniBorchardt.JPG\">Minature Borchardt pistol<\/a> &#8211; one of David Kucer&#8217;s guns, up close.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/modern.JPG\">Modern military weapons<\/a> &#8211; a selection of cast-offs from the Pattern Room.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/policeguns.JPG\">Modern police guns<\/a> &#8211; I say &#8220;modern&#8221;, but no-one uses the Sterling anymore and the Mini-14 is only a reserve weapon now as well.\u00a0 For some reason they do not have an MP5 on display which has replaced both guns.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/revolvers.JPG\">Revolvers of the Old West<\/a> &#8211; A selection of mint condition guns from the days of the old west.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/samuri.JPG\">Samuri<\/a> &#8211; not a very good picture I&#8217;m afraid, the Royal Armoury puts on shows every day to show you some aspect of military history.\u00a0 This one was the dressing of the Samuri.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Schmeisser.JPG\">Schmeisser MP18 submachinegun<\/a> &#8211; the first successful SMG design, from WW1, this is the Schmeisser, not the MP40!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/semiautos.JPG\">Semi-auto hunting rifles<\/a> &#8211; not sure how many people use AR-15s to hunt, but I&#8217;m not going to argue!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Sniper.JPG\">Sniper rifles<\/a> &#8211; a display of sniper rifles.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Stgw44.JPG\">Stgw 44<\/a> &#8211; the first true assault rifle, deployed by the Germans towards the end of WW2, many of the general features were copied in the AK-47 (Kalashnikov denies this, but I find it hard to believe).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Tent.JPG\">A big tent<\/a> &#8211; from the era of jousting.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Thompson.JPG\">Thompson SMG<\/a> &#8211; a good example of a M1928 Thompson, for some reason they also have a commercial 1927 semi-auto on display.\u00a0 Also note the early Colt rifle underneath it.\u00a0 Worth a bit, I suspect!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/tigerhunt.JPG\">Tiger attacking hunting party<\/a> &#8211; a set piece depicting an Army officer on an African hunt with unforseen problems!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/UKkit.JPG\">Soldier&#8217;s kit<\/a> &#8211; what a soldier wears in the British Army nowadays.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/uniform.JPG\">Soldier<\/a> &#8211; And another one, this time with a mannequin.\u00a0 Note the AGS-17 grenade launcher in the foreground, captured in Iraq.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Vickersdigger.JPG\">Vickers and Browning machineguns<\/a> &#8211; as used during WW1, the Browning was known as the &#8220;Digger&#8221; because of the reciprocating bolt component which whacked back and forth under the receiver.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Webley.JPG\">Webley revolver with bayonet<\/a> &#8211; what this was intended for I don&#8217;t know!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Webleysemi.JPG\">.455 Webley self-loading pistol<\/a> &#8211; as bought by and issued to the RAF.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/WW1pistols.JPG\">Pistols of the Great War<\/a> &#8211; a selection of handguns issued during World War 1, note that most of them were revolvers!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/Royal%20Armoury\/Zuluguns.JPG\">Guns of the Zulu War<\/a> &#8211; A bit more effective than a spear, as the Zulus found out after the British Army adopted more effective tactics.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The Royal Armouries in Leeds are probably the premier firearms museum in the United Kingdom.\u00a0 It is a big place, and the following pictures only cover a fraction of it.\u00a0 I took a lot of pictures so each one has a shortcut unlike the other features on the site.\u00a0 Enjoy! A tribute to 007 [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-311","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-collecting","category-military"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=311"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":513,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311\/revisions\/513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=311"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=311"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cybershooters.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=311"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}