#WwII

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world. Last week we checked out the very rare British-made Birmingham Small Arms “Ralock” 22LR semi-auto rifle. A lot of you who had one or shot one said that they were great rifles while others mentioned that the stocks were quite fragile, or that the rifles were particularly a pain in the ass to service. Either way, I really appreciate you sharing your experiences and thoughts with all of us in the comments, it’s great to have firsthand accounts of how these rare pieces actually operated. This week we’re back again with another quite rare rifle, this time one meant for the US Military, specifically the United States Marine Corps. I’m of course talking about the Harrington and Richardson Model 150 also lovingly known as the “Leatherneck.” Made to mimic the much venerated M1 Garand service rifle, the Leatherneck is the United State’s own rimfire trainer. Today we’ll take a look at the heritage of the Leatherneck, and check out what they had and have to offer in terms of reliability, accuracy, and investment value.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its many different types of guns, ammunition, shooting sports, and history! It’s probably pretty obvious at this point that I’ve had a recent habit of browsing GunBroker.com a bit too much in my free time. Just a few weeks ago we checked out a pretty rare takedown rifle that may have been novel for its time but has since been surpassed by modern versions of the concept. Last week we talked about the really cool H&K P7K3, which all of you really seemed to enjoy. I actually share the sentiment that a lot of you had – H&K should really put the P7K3 back into production, or at least, give us a dedicated 22LR P7 that does away with the hydraulic buffer system altogether but still keeps all the other odd quirks of the P7. It’s probably too much of an ask, but a man can dream. This week we’re back at it again with another GunBroker.com auction that has since ended without being sold – this time the very rare Iver Johnson M1 Carbine 22LR – Iver Johnson’s dedicated 22LR replica of the .30 Carbine M1 Carbine first introduced to the US Armed Forces in WWII.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its various types of guns, gear, ammunition, and history. Last week we talked about the Volquartsen Summit straight-pull rifle. This nifty yet expensive rifle is “near perfect” when described by those who own it but I think what holds a lot of us back from purchasing one is just the sheer upfront cost of one. The Volquartsen Summit is already $600 or more for just a completed receiver. However, I’ve seen people spend way more money on far less refined products within this industry so don’t let me influence your purchasing habits, I’d probably have one too if I had the money! This week, we’re diving back into a bit of both history and affordably priced firearms – the Romanian M69 full-sized 22LR military trainer rifle. Military trainer rifles chambered in 22LR are nothing new but I’ve often heard examples of some of these fairly old and fairly simple rifles outperforming a lot of modern dedicated 22LR designs. While I was out in Finland, I got to talking with my buddy Calvin who runs the YouTube Channel Firepower United. Some of you who’ve been here for a while will remember him from his collaborations with TFBTV’s Alex C in the early days. Calvin and I got to talking about gun collections and it turns out he has a litany of 22LR military trainers and this week he’s graciously allowed me to use one of his as an example for this edition of The Rimfire Report. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and Instagram if you like humourous takes on some of gun culture’s biggest jokes and tropes.

This past July 4th my friend Victor got access to a collection of guns. My friend Kythe and I tagged along to check them out and shoot them of course. I was more interested in filming some machine guns in slow motion so we selected a few guns to shoot and film. We decided to focus on slo-mo WWII machine guns and a Luger pistol. I figured filming the toggle action on the Luger in slow motion would be fun.

Welcome to TFB’s Wheelgun Wednesday, where we explore all sorts of revolvery goodness. This week we’ll take a look at the Lend-Lease Victory model from Smith & Wesson that I acquired from The Mosin Crate. The batch he was able to source came from Israel, which included models issued to the New Zealanders, however, I didn’t pony up the extra money for one so stamped. Let’s take a look at how my new-to-me Lend-Lease S&W Victory revolver fared through World War II and beyond, and take a peek at the oft-forgotten .38S&W cartridge.

There is perhaps no more well-known American domestic battle than the battle of Athens, TN. War-weary veterans returning from the various theatres of WWII came home only to face a machine steeped in corruption and faced yet another battle for liberty – the Battle of Athens. Today, we’ll be going over this famous battle and focusing on the facts, the firearms, and the overarching ramifications of the Battle of Athens, otherwise known as the McMinn County War.

Although they do sell some modern firearms, Royal Tiger Imports‘ bread and butter are historical and surplus guns. From British Lee Enfields and Italian Carcanos to German K98 Mausers and French rifles with unusually fun names, Chassepot Fusil Gras Artilery Muskatoons, if a gun is old and a bit patinated, odds are Royal Tiger has an interest in it. And when it comes to the firearms of the US military’s yesteryear, among the most important would have to be the M1 Carbine.

Last May, TFB reported that Thompson Auto-Ordnance released a commemorative D-Day series. This collection featured intricately-appointed special-edition versions of their 1911, M1 Carbine, and Thompson models. The artistic images emblazoned onto the bodies of each of these firearms paid homage to the valorous warriors who stormed the beaches of Normandy and Point du Hoc during “Operation Neptune” on that fateful June day in 1944. Now they are expanding on this idea by adding a new commemorative series, this time honoring the heroes of Iwo Jima. As with the previous D-Day series, the Iwo Jima collection will also include a 1911, an M1 Carbine, and a Thompson. These models will feature similarly elaborate artwork, this time in reverence to the Marines who encountered some of the fiercest fighting of WWII and overcame a tenacious enemy force in the Pacific theater.

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 production example, part of the Cody Firearms Museum‘s amazing collection. Serial number R-14, Johnson’s military rifles were initially designated the Type R – for rotary magazine, has an extremely rare optional extra that you never see on later production Johnson rifles.

The Moscow Victory Day Parade takes place on Red Square each year on May 9. It is dedicated to commemorating the anniversary of victory in World War II. From the standpoint of small arms enthusiasts like me and you, it is always interesting to watch it because often times you can see new weapons and equipment in the hands of Russian military personnel. In this perspective, the 2019 parade was no exception because some of the newly adopted firearms, namely the AK-12, were shown there.

Welcome everyone to the sixth edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you missed any one of our other articles, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this a sweet deal or does this only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

Auto Ordnance from the Kahr Firearms Group has once again partnered with Outlaw Ordnance to bring us a custom new spin on a classic firearm. For this collaboration effort, they have produced a Custom “Vengeance” WWII M1 Carbine rifle. This rifle is of the same iconic construction that Auto Ordnance has always produced their M1 Carbines with, but now it has history emblazoned directly into the wood stock.

Viewers of TFB TV will be especially aware of a number of episodes that I completed with a local reenactor that represents elements of the 82nd Airborne Division all over the Midwest. To date we’ve filmed episodes about the BAR in the First World War, the M1A1 “Paratrooper” Carbine, 1903 Springfield rifle grenades, and even an introduction on blank rounds for various uses. Indeed, if I hadn’t left the Midwest I would most likely be still interested in producing content for TFB TV with his excellent insight.

This year marks the 75th Anniversary of World War II and to honor those firearms of old Winchester has some new throwback ammunition. With packaging appropriate for the time period as well as correct grain weights, pressures and components they are now proudly announcing their WWII Victory Series.

My friend Brian’s neighbor is a relative of Thurston Shinn. Shinn was in the Navy during WWII and was assigned to a PT boat in the Aleutian Islands. Shinn was in the area when the US discovered the famous Akutan Zero. The Zero pilot tried to land the plane in a field but unbeknownst to him what looked like a nice flat field was really just a thin layer of dried mud. Underneath that layer was thick mud which caused the plane to flip over. The pilot died instantly.