The Johnson rifle has one of the most recognisable profiles of any World War Two rifle. It’s undoubtedly one of the 20th century’s most interesting military rifles, in terms of both design and history. I recently had the chance to take a look at an early [Read More…]
Occasionally I’ll sit down in a restaurant with family or good buddies and strike up gun related conversations. A few years ago my dad jokingly said he would love to give me a million dollars to buy whatever gun parts I wanted, but the catch would be I only had an [Read More…]
My good friend John Lyons is a big fan of American Old West history and a collector of percussion firearms. I remember when his collection started several years ago with an acquisition of a Uberti replica of Colt Model 1851 Navy revolver. Fast forward a couple of years [Read More…]
Olin Winchester have been awarded the contract to run the US Army’s premier ammunition manufacturing plant. Lake City Ammunition Plant in Independence, Missouri has produced small arms ammunition since the beginning of World War Two. The plant was established and [Read More…]
The April 2019 Morphy Extraordinary, Sporting, & Collector Firearms auction has ended and the list of prices realized has been published by the auction house. As always, we examined the list and found the five most expensive firearms sold during this auction. Our [Read More…]
Today’s POTD depicts a pair of beautifully engraved Colt Thuer derringers found in the catalog of the upcoming May 2019 Rock Island Premiere Firearm Auction. These derringers are chambered in .41 RF and feature checkered ivory grips and nickel plated finish. Here [Read More…]
It’s broken, it’s completely covered in rust, it’s non-restorable – would be only useful as a paperweight if not the history behind this 7mm pinfire revolver. Attributed to Vincent van Gogh, this is probably the gun that the great artist used to [Read More…]
There is a lot of internet chatter about whether or not it is safe to shoot a “low number” Springfield M1903 bolt-action rifle. When I say “a lot,” I mean a whole lot: a Google search of the phrase “1903 safe to shoot” brings back 20.2 million hits, [Read More…]
Today’s installment of TFB’s Concealed Carry Corner series is a historical one telling about one of the most interesting early attempts of adapting a full-size handgun for concealed carry use. Particularly, in this article, we’ll take a look at the [Read More…]
Armamentos was another gem hiding amongst the rubbish typically found in the lower basement of the Sands Convention Center here at SHOW SHOW. Their banner caught my attention. They advertised a .22LR AK47 conversion kit for a stamped receiver AK. There has only been a [Read More…]
The Philippine Department of National Defense has announced that they have signed a contract to manufacture 50,000 ‘.45 caliber high-capacity pistols’ with ARMSCOR for the use by the Philippine armed forces (AFP). Part of a push by the Philippine government [Read More…]
During one of the recently ended Rock Island online auctions, there was a rather unique consigned firearm which RIAC also published a video about. This unusual Remington rifle was designed to be used in slaughterhouses. Such guns are known to exist in many variations, [Read More…]
Rock Island Auctions’ latest Premiere Auction, running from the 30th November to the 2nd December, has some extremely interesting and unusual firearms. Ranging from 18th century air guns to 20th century military prototypes lets take a look at some of the most [Read More…]
Images appearing on Burmese media networks have revealed that the Burmese state-run Defense Industries corporation has prototyped at least three different anti-materiel rifles (AMR), putting at least on of them into production and getting them into Tatmadaw service. [Read More…]
When your company is in a trouble and struggles to survive, you have to come up with unique solutions and make non-standard decisions if you want to save it from bankruptcy. And gun companies are no exception. History knows many examples of gun companies having to make [Read More…]
Initial production runs of small arms are always objects of great interest and fascination. They represent the tangible beginning, the first of many, a historical landmark. Especially if they are of designs that go on to influence small arms history. Usually when they [Read More…]
Defence Services Asia is one of the top five defence shows in the world. First held in 1988 and takes place once every two years, it has since grown over the past three decades. 2018 saw its 16th edition taking place in the newly built Malaysia International Trade and [Read More…]
On May 22nd the NRA Museum, in Fairfax, Virginia, received a very special donation, a Vietnam War-era CIA Deer Gun. The pistol was donated to the museum by Thomas Ring, a former Master Armorer. Mr Ring donated both an original condition Deer pistol and a tool room [Read More…]
At the Institute of Military Technology, Museum Curator Corey Wardrop discusses the Durs Egg Flintlock Breech Loading Carbine. We begin by comparing the Durs Egg with the Jenks Breech Loading Musketoon. We discuss the history of development from the Crespi system, other firearms by Durs Egg, use and [Read More…]
The Fiscal Year 2019 Department of Defense Budget Proposal has been submitted to Congress and will take some time before we find out if it is approved or denied. But within it there is a specific budget document titled “Counter-Islamic State of Iraq and Syria [Read More…]
Arms of the 80’s, a blog that focuses on firearms advertising from the 1980s, has uploaded and shared a fascinating documentary made in the 1990s. The Stoner Machine Gun: A Navy Seal Remembers, features an interview with retired SEAL Lt. Cmdr. Michael J. Walsh. [Read More…]
James D. Julia Auction has become a division of another auction house called Morphy Auctions effective of December 14th, 2017. The merger was announced on December 21st by Dan Morphy, the president and founder of Morphy Auction Company. As claimed in the press [Read More…]
The late 1800s and early 1900s are undoubtedly a period of American firearms design dominated by one man, John Moses Browning. But many of Browning’s contemporaries were no less able and men like Andrew Burgess, William Mason, John Pedersen, Frank Burton and T.C. [Read More…]
When you look at these pictures it’s easy to focus on the 1911 .45 ACP pistol first, then its strange attachment. That’s what I did anyway, but people and collectors into sabres, US Cavalry and historical things look at the “attachment” instead. [Read More…]
Rock Island Auction Company has released a video where they shoot some of the largest non-military cartridges and rifles ever produced. The three calibers include the .700 Nitro Express, 4 bore and .950 JDJ. And if you are going to shoot this kind of hand cannons, [Read More…]
Long before the MHS, the M1911, and even before the Colt Single Action Army the U.S. adopted its first sidearm. After the Revolutionary War Connecticut gunmaker Simeon North won a contract to manufacture the fledgling nation’s first officially adopted pistol. The [Read More…]
In recent days, Glock’s reveal of their MHS submission has caused quite a bit of hand-wringing in comments sections across the internet – specifically regarding the uncharacteristic safety. This particular case falls outside my knowledge or experience (or [Read More…]
Aklys Defense is owned by Joe Meaux. You may recognize the name and face from the Sons of Guns show. Well at the NRA Annual Meeting, the brought out a new suppressed gun just in time for the show. Their latest product is a modified Ruger 22/45. It uses their Kopis .22LR [Read More…]
While walking the NRA Show floor, we had a once in a lifetime opportunity to talk with Rock Island Auctions about the Elvis guns that will be offered for sale at the next Premier Auction. Being offered for sale is a Smith Model 19-2 and a Colt Python. We also got a chance to take […] Read [Read More…]
Check out this beauty that a Redditor recently posted on r/guns. It’s a pretty rough looking clone of a MAC-11 (M11) submachine gun called the X9 that’s chambered in 9mm. At first I thought it was just another Philippine made backyard special, but apparently [Read More…]