#Commemorative

Henry Repeating Arms has a new series of commemorative rifles for the 100th anniversary of the US Border Patrol. Both the centerfire Big Boy and rimfire Golden Boy are available, but only for current or prior Border Patrol agents or Customs and Border Protection employees. A portion of the sale of each gun will go to support the Border Patrol Museum.

On this date in history, September 28, 1821, the future first president of Mexico signed the Mexican Declaration of Independence. To celebrate the 200th anniversary of Mexico’s Independence, SK Customs, a division of SK Arms VA just announced that they will be releasing The Emperor 1911 pistol which will be the first of their commemorative series dedicated to the Mexican War of Independence. The Emperor 1911 is chambered in .38 Super, and will be a limited edition run of only 200. SK Customs’ full press release can be read below.

If you read the headline for this article and immediately checked your calendar to discern whether it’s April Fools’ Day, and/or began wondering if you’re losing your mind, neither is the case. There genuinely exists such a thing as the Conway Twitty Tribute Pistol, and it’s presented here for your likely incredulity, amazement, and entertainment (or possibly just your disgust) in all its gold-plated glory. You might think it more appropriate to commemorate a deceased career musician with something… perhaps, musical? Maybe a guitar, a microphone, or a framed record? This would be understandable, but the good folks over at “ America Remembers” are individuals possessive of, shall we say… innovative vision. Their product catalogue spans a staggering amount of commemorative firearms, nearly 150 models deep, and gaudy gilded embellishments adorn almost all of them.

The Henry brand has been synonymous with fine lever-action rifles since the days of the Wild West. As cartridges developed into a viable upgrade from older powder-and-ball ammunition during the middle of the 19th century, the need for quality firearms able to use these new rounds was obvious. Benjamin Tyler Henry patented his lever-action repeating rifle in 1860, and some of his first guns saw service during the American Civil War, where they were lauded as game-changing force multipliers. The latter part of the 19th century saw a massive proliferation of lever guns across the American landscape, sweeping from sporting uses in the East to some of the best defensive weapons of the frontier, and much more.

Wooden stocks on AKs are nothing new, neither are side folding stocks. However, the combination of both is something that simply doesn’t exist (not counting the custom made ones). Well, didn’t exist: Kalashnikov Concern has released a limited edition commemorative TG2 rifle with a side folding wooden stock.

Ed Brown has released limited edition custom 1911 pistols in the memory of legendary Colonel Jeff Cooper. These pistols are designed in collaboration with the family and close friends of late Colonel. The pistols combine all the features that Jeff Cooper would consider must-have for a defensive 1911.

In celebration of the company’s 140th anniversary, Lyman has introduced a commemorative Sharps rifle replica. This rifle is made for Lyman by Pedersoli. It is the lighter version of Pedersoli’s rifle and comes chambered in .30-30 Winchester.

In celebration of the company’s 60th anniversary, Chiappa has released two engraved versions of their Winchester Model 1892 lever action rifles. The company was established in 1958 by  Ezechiele (Oscar) Chiappa and it is still a completely family-owned business.

Earlier, Brandon Herrera, also known as “ The AK Guy“, announced that he had established a company to start offering AK products and to introduce the AK-50. The company is called AKG Industries. Several days ago, Brandon announced the launch of the first product of the AKG Industries. It is a limited edition of “The AK Guy” commemorative AK-47 rifles.

Colt has launched an initiative offering groups (such as law enforcement offices) the ability to make orders for commemorative custom firearms. From the press release:

This is an ongoing product review series that the I’m writing about my commemorative 1911 project, the custom grips were covered in an earlier TFB post and the frame and process of completing the 1911 will be in ensuing posts. This one will cover the custom Kydex holster.