|
|
This is the view through the “American Rifleman Television” remote camera as we fired the most impressive gun of the season for the third quarter of 2012. Thanks to Jim Supica, Phil Schreier, Doug Wicklund and Matt Sharpe of the National Firearms Museum, I can now say I have shot what I regard as undoubtedly the coolest 18th century gun extant. The Nock Volley Gun is one of the most unusual service firearms of the Napoleonic era. It was a flintlock with seven barrels, one central barrel with six more surrounding the latter, sort of like a pepperbox. The difference, of course, is that all seven barrels fire at once with the Nock—it only happens to the extremely unlucky (or careless) with a Pepperbox. Think of a Nock as a deliberate chain fire waiting to happen.
May 02, 2012
|
|
|
This is the view through the “American Rifleman Television” remote camera as we fired the most impressive gun of the season for the third quarter of 2012. Thanks to Jim Supica, Phil Schreier, Doug Wicklund and Matt Sharpe of the National Firearms Museum, I can now say I have shot what I regard as undoubtedly the coolest 18th century gun extant. The Nock Volley Gun is one of the most unusual service firearms of the Napoleonic era. It was a flintlock with seven barrels, one central barrel with six more surrounding the latter, sort of like a pepperbox. The difference, of course, is that all seven barrels fire at once with the Nock—it only happens to the extremely unlucky (or careless) with a Pepperbox. Think of a Nock as a deliberate chain fire waiting to happen.
May 02, 2012
|
|
|
What's Going On with Gun Sales?
April 03, 2012
|
|
|
Late last year I was fortunate enough to visit Ruger’s factory in Newport, N.H., and get a preview of what the American gunmaker had in the pipeline for 2012. Ruger doesn’t like to release information on its new firearms until the guns are already in production and ready to ship to distributors. That way, if you hear about a new Ruger and want one, it is not like trying to order a unicorn from your local gun shop.
March 28, 2012
|
|
|
In 2010 Donald Trump, Jr., and his brother Eric Trump went on safari in Zimbabwe. Photos from the safari were obtained without permission and posted online. The hunt included elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and crocodile. The images drew the expected vitriol from anti-hunting extremists, such as PETA and other organizations that want to ban all hunting, regardless of where it is or who is doing it. In response to those attacks Don tweeted, “I’m a hunter, for that I make no apologies.”
March 27, 2012
|
|
|
Sometimes you are the go-to guy or girl. You are the one in your peer group or social network that appears to know the most about firearms. This is a more weighty responsibility than one might think. In our office, I imagine more so than some places of employment, we talk about guns … a lot. Were we to have an actual water cooler (denied yet again in the fiscal 2012 budget), it would no doubt compare to the Fountain of Knowledge (or in Col. Potter’s parlance, perhaps, a “Fountain of Horse Hockey”) for most things regarding firearms. But we assume certain knowledge, a certain level of experience and a certain physiognomy that affect how we discuss firearms.
March 26, 2012
|
|
|
Q. I watch “American Rifleman Television” and hear Mark Keefe and Michael Parker pronounce the name “Garand” like “Ger-und” and in the same show someone else will pronounce it like I do, which is “Guh-rand.” What’s the deal? Are those two misspeaking every week?
March 05, 2012
|
|
|
American Rifleman Field Editor Bruce N. Canfield is one of the nation’s leading authorities and authors on American military arms. You may not know his name, but if you read a story about guns ranging from the 1861 Springfield to the Garand or M1 Carbine in American Rifleman over the past two decades, you know his work. A genteel, soft-spoken Southerner, Bruce seems an unlikely choice for reality television, but he is a part of the History Channel’s hottest new show. Bruce told me that for executive producers, two things are hot right now on television: guns and Louisiana (I’m sure Will Hayden from “Sons of Guns” would agree). Both are combined in “Cajun Pawn Stars,” which airs Monday nights on History, and is filmed at Jimmy “Big Daddy” DeRamus’ Silver Dollar Pawn & Jewelry in Alexandra, La.
February 21, 2012
|
|
|
After determining there would be little in the way of actual survival skills portrayed and absolutely no cannibalism on “Survivor,” I had little interest in reality television. But while I am still unlikely to voluntarily watch the “Real Housewives of Anywhere,” and could not give a whit about Snooky’s angst or what a Kardasian does or does not wear, I have changed my mind. And that’s because reality television has changed to include things that interest me and those like me.
February 10, 2012
|
|
|
Two trends were apparent in the new firearm models at the recent 2012 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show: One was increased interest in .22 Long Rifle chambered guns reflected by a host of new variants; the other was a renewed surge of small (or smallish) guns that can be concealed on one’s person (not a new concept, obviously). I have addressed the former and it is now time to look at what some of the handguns covered elsewhere in the 2012 SHOT Blog really mean.
February 01, 2012
|
|
|
This year, 2012, promises to be the year of the .22. Why? Because $20 for 550 rounds of .22 Long Rifle is much better than $20 for 20 rounds of something else if you are just shooting for fun. When I referred to “affordable” in my recent post about the Ruger LCR in .22 Long Rifle, I was referring more to the ammunition cost than the gun itself. But the next Ruger handgun I just received (literally, I have only checked the serial number to log it in) retails for less than the LCR .22 and is still chambered in .22 Long Rifle. It is the Ruger SR22, and it is on the way to your dealer now.
January 02, 2012
|
|
|
“Pretty bold to call your rifle the American, Mike,” I told Ruger President and CEO Mike Fifer. He just grinned at me. Product Manager Mark Gurney and the engineers at Ruger’s Newport, N.H. factory, had given me a full briefing on the design, features and construction of the company’s latest model. Finally I am able to talk about the newest all-American-made bolt-action rifle. In case you haven’t put the puzzle pieces together, it is called the Ruger American Rifle, and it reflects the growing trend toward the economical bolt-action hunting rifles that are dominating the firearm industry. Ironically, it started in 1963 with the Savage Model 110, and has been dog piled on by Remington, Marlin and others. Last year, the hottest selling rifle in this class was the Savage Axis.
January 02, 2012
|
|
|
My blog on the Ruger Lightweight Carry Revolver (LCR) chambered for .22 Long Rifle has brought up a groundswell of requests for the gun to be chambered in .22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire (WMR), better known as .22 Mag. It looks to be especially attractive with the introduction of new loads, such as Hornady’s Critical Defense with a .45-grain FTX bullet, which according to factory data leaves a short 1 7/8-inch barrel at 1,000 fps, delivering a muzzle energy of 100 ft.-lbs. So why can’t you buy a .22 WMR LCR right now? The .22 Long Rifle seems to work fine, why not the .22 WMR?
December 20, 2011
|
|
|
The “From The Editor” I wrote for the February issue (if you missed it don’t worry; it won’t be in your mailbox until mid-January) was based on two trends I have seen developing for 2012: Manufacturing guns to be affordable and the introduction of a host of new .22 Long Rifle rifles and handguns that are actually affordable to shoot.
December 16, 2011
|
|
|
Alright, I need all of you to take out your red pen and cross out the “0” in the cover line “Taurus 990: 2 guns in 1” on the this month’s American Rifleman cover and write in a “2” (as illustrated below). This seems like a better solution than trying to get each and every of the 1.7 million issues of the magazine back out of your mailboxes and attempting to fix them all myself.
October 25, 2011
|
|
|
|
|
