D.E. Watters

Early History of the Match/Competition AR-15 and M16

The M16/AR-15 rifle’s introduction to formal competition started at the Small Arms Firing School (SAFS) at Camp Perry in 1967. While the previous year’s SAFS allowed for merely familiarization fire, the 1967 SAFS actually provided two training matches. At the time, the rifle was considered more of a novelty than a serious competitor. However, theContinue reading “Early History of the Match/Competition AR-15 and M16”

Bull! – A Taurus Timeline

Given the amount of BS out there concerning Taurus’ history, I thought that it was time to take the bull by the horns and gore some sacred cows.

Shooting for the Moon – Full Moon, Half-Moon, and Other Schemes for Rimless Revolver Cartridges

Smith & Wesson had full-moon clip patents years before the half-moon clip was patented. Given some of the schemes tried, I suspect that they were worried about how the loaded clips could be carried without damaging them. The most cynical part of my brain wonders if some insisted on them being able to be carriedContinue reading “Shooting for the Moon – Full Moon, Half-Moon, and Other Schemes for Rimless Revolver Cartridges”

Mythbusting – The .45 Colt Cartridge in US Military Service

Most folks don’t realize that the US Army rarely issued the .45 Colt cartridge, and when they did, it was often not a full-power load. Mike Venturino has a January 1874 vintage box of Frankford Arsenal .45 Colt ammunition. The box label clearly indicates that it was only loaded with 30gr of blackpowder, not theContinue reading “Mythbusting – The .45 Colt Cartridge in US Military Service”

OttoComp S&W Model 745 Racegun

I’ve long been fascinated by this custom Smith & Wesson Model 745 rebuilt by Otto Matyska (OttoComp.) You’ll note the “710” designation added to the slide, so one presumes it was also converted to 10mm Norma. One can only imagine the number of hours put into the welding, reshaping, and checkering. Matyska says that heContinue reading “OttoComp S&W Model 745 Racegun”

Winchester Black Talon Family Data Dump

After the FBI’s deadly Miami, FL shootout in 1986, the 9mm Silvertip bullet was scapegoated. Winchester’s answer was to create a more robust version of the Silvertip.

Totally Tubular! – The GEA “Cyclone” and the PMC Ultramag

We have another pair of projectiles today: one AP and another looking for a purpose. The story starts with US Army ordnance engineer Abraham Flatau. One of his earliest experiments with tubular projectiles came about when he was trying to develop an improved grenade launcher projectile. The issue 40x46mm grenades had a high trajectory andContinue reading “Totally Tubular! – The GEA “Cyclone” and the PMC Ultramag”

Kaswer Pin Grabber Family Data Dump

Keeping with the hardware store theme of the last couple of posts, today we’ll be covering a hole-saw projectile design. The difference is this one was originally meant to cut into wood. Stanley W. “Bill” Kaswer was a gunsmith and avid bowling pin shooter. His goal was to design a projectile to cleanly knock pinsContinue reading “Kaswer Pin Grabber Family Data Dump”

Rise of the Red Dot in Competition Handguns

Folks had been playing with handgun-mounted optics in competition since the late 1960s, if not earlier. The trick was finding a way to keep an optic securely mounted to a centerfire pistol, all while hoping that the optic didn’t self-destruct first. The first major success came in 1980 when Joe Pascarella used red-dot optics toContinue reading “Rise of the Red Dot in Competition Handguns”

Ultra Shock and Omni Shock Data Dump

In the past couple of days I’ve discussed projectiles that look like screwdriver bits and one that looks like a slotted screw. Today, we’re going to discuss some projectiles that literally incorporated screws! The first to appear was the “Ultra Shock”, designed by Alex Goodrich. It was meant to give hard cover penetration, while alsoContinue reading “Ultra Shock and Omni Shock Data Dump”