Historical – Page 6 – Scattered Shots

Notes on the History of Custom Competition and Carry Pistols (Pre-WW2)

Part One of a Four-Part Series

The M16 as First Standardized

By Kevin O’Brien From the very beginning of M16 production, according to the preponderance of records, the Army version was the M-1 A1 with the forward assist. But the MIL-STD that included the nascent M16 for the first time, MIL-STD 635B: Military Standard, Weapons, Shoulder (Rifles, Carbines, Shotguns and Submachine Guns), covered only the M16 version. MIL-STD-635B wasContinue reading “The M16 as First Standardized”

The Belated Commercial Acceptance of the .223 Remington Cartridge

Gunwriters established the conventional wisdom that although the 5.56mm was the US military standard, the .223 Remington couldn’t possibly be as accurate as the .222 Remington, nor offer any ballistic advantages over the .222 Remington Magnum.

Weaponsman Throw Back Thursday : Quick Kill – Useful Skill

The Quick Kill instinctive shooting method that was once taught in the US Army remains a useful combat skill. It has been supplanted in the training world by improved sights and a focus on extremely rapid use of sights, but we believe it still has a place in the training and combat world. It’s faster toContinue reading “Weaponsman Throw Back Thursday : Quick Kill – Useful Skill”

Blast(er) From the Past – The Göncz High-Tech

Ah, the 1980s! Remember that innocent age when some designers thought that a three pound semi-auto pistol could be useful? Hungarian-émigré designer Lajos John Göncz developed his “High-Tech” pistol in 1984. Göncz originally envisioned a select-fire submachinegun that would be suitable for carry like a standard pistol. Göncz wanted to submit his design to theContinue reading “Blast(er) From the Past – The Göncz High-Tech”

John Wesley Hardin’s Guns

John Wesley Hardin was one of the most famous gunfighters of the old west. He claimed he’d killed over 40 men in his days but it was more like 27. That’s still a pretty damn high number. He was certainly a bit of an exaggerator when it came to his confirmed kills but one thingContinue reading “John Wesley Hardin’s Guns”

More Retro Colt M16/AR15 Stuff

Over the last few weeks I have been snatching up some rare photos from the history of the AR15/M16 here and there. I was waiting until I had enough to share into a group. All or most of these will come up again in some future articles. This first photo is from the ex-owner ofContinue reading “More Retro Colt M16/AR15 Stuff”

SPACE WEAPONS ! The Future

A few knives and firearms from the space age. Taken from a Gizmodo article not really worth reading. A few more pictures and some other items unrelated to weapons. https://gizmodo.com/the-ultimate-list-of-weapons-astronauts-have-carried-in-1768199454 Model 17 “Astro” hand-wrought survival knives created by Randall Made Knives were carried by Mercury astronauts. The fixed blade knives with a large guard andContinue reading “SPACE WEAPONS ! The Future”

Ron Power PPC Revolvers – Early and Late Pattern

Since I showed a Jim Clark “Grand Master” yesterday, I thought that I’d show the evolution of Ron Power’s PPC revolvers … pre- and post- Grand Master. The blued revolver is a typical 1970s-era PPC conversion in .38 Special. It wears a plain Bo-Mar rib. The stainless revolver is a late-1980s (or later) “Grand MasterContinue reading “Ron Power PPC Revolvers – Early and Late Pattern”

Vintage Colt Demonstration Photos

Over at BARFCOM member aeyoung, shared some really cool photos of some of the demonstrations Colt did to sell weapons. Doing things like throwing them around, burying them, putting them in water, before shooting them. I really wish photos and videos of demos like this were more readily available. So many people forget that militaryContinue reading “Vintage Colt Demonstration Photos”