A Timeline Of The American Rifleman: 1923-2023
In 2023, American Rifleman celebrates 100 years of continuous publication. The flagship Official Journal of the National Rifle Association of America, The American Rifleman, as it was originally known in 1923, represented the fourth and final name change for a magazine that had been published since 1885. The original name of the magazine was The Rifle, which changed to Shooting and Fishing in 1888. In 1906, NRA Secretary James Drain re-named the publication to Arms and the Man, and in 1916, he sold it to the NRA, and the publication became the official NRA journal.
In the 1920s, along with the permanent change to The American Rifleman, the magazine began to take shape into a format that many readers would still recognize today. The Dope Bag began publication, and a number of notable authors began contributing to the periodical, among them Maj. Gen. Julian Hatcher, Townsend Whelen, Charles Askins, Jr. and others. Today, the magazine staff still replies to reader correspondence, still publishes the Dope Bag, still answers NRA member questions and still remains "The World's Oldest And Largest Firearm Authority."
