“Tag: spanish”

While there are many military rifles that have seen extensive service, the Italian M1870/87/15 Vetterli-Vitali stands out as one of the longest-serving military rifles in any guise.

The U.S. Krag-Jorgensen was America’s first bolt-action repeater chambered for a smokeless-powder cartridge. In the hands of American troops around the globe, the Krag played a small, but key, role in the rise of the “American Century.”

Developed in the early 1890s, the 7x57 mm Mauser was the high-speed, low-drag cartridge of its day, and it still holds its own more than a century after its adoption.

The surplus Star BM pistol chambered in 9 mm was inspired by the 1911 design and produced in Spain as a service pistol from the 1970s to 1990s.

When it comes to "best" quality guns, names such as Purdey and Holland & Holland come to mind, but most are not aware that Spain's Eibar region has a long history of fine gunmaking. Today, Spanish makers produce some of the finest "best" quality shotguns in the world.

Though little known today, the “Allin Conversions” and the other early “Trapdoor Springfields” represent an important part of the evolution of U.S. military small arms.

Considering the trends in U.S. military firearm technology during the 1890s, the country’s selection of a proprietary straight-pull rifle like the Model 1895 Lee Navy is extraordinary.

The bolt-action Spanish FR-8 was a stopgap firearm, thrown into service by the Spanish when they were already moving toward the 7.62x51 mm NATO-chambered Cetme rifle.

Even though the last cavalry carbine of the U.S. Army was the M1899 Krag-Jorgensen, the U.S. Cavalry didn’t give up on fielding its own gun until the early 1920s.