Some of the development update articles from that era (1962-1963) written by both Elmer Keith in Guns & Ammo and Duke Roberts in Gun World give the distinct impression that the early development of the .41 Magnum originally centered on a .40 caliber cartridge, and not .41 caliber. Why did they change from .40 toContinue reading “Colt & the .400 Winchester Magnum”
Category Archives: Historical
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”
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”
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”
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”
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”
Cirillo SafeStop Data Dump
The late Jim Cirillo was one of the better known gunfighters of the late 20th Century. While assigned to the New York Police Department’s infamous Stake Out Unit (SOU) from 1968 to 1973, Cirillo was involved in 17 shootouts. After retiring from the NYPD in 1976, Cirillo became a firearms instructor for the US CustomsContinue reading “Cirillo SafeStop Data Dump”
History: Rigby
As we know, the Irish rifle team that traveled to America in 1874, and later, used rifles made by John Rigby of Dublin (for more information on those matches see The Story of Creedmoor and in the Historic Shooting Books article, select Irish Riflemen in America by Leech). Subsequent to that time, Mr. Rigby moved toContinue reading “History: Rigby”
Scattered Shots 