The Importance of Offhand Shooting
Back when this country was first being settled, the pioneers were shooting their long-barreled Kentucky rifles offhand at game, in shooting matches, and in the ... Read more.
True to Form: The Tisas 1911A1 ASF
Upon picking up the Tisas 1911A1 ASF U.S. Army 45, I learned the guys at the gun counter at Reeves Ace Hardware gave it a good inspection with an eye towards pi... Read more.
The Birth of the Modern PDW? The C96 Mauser Military Pistol
In 1893, Paul Mauser tasked the three brothers, Fidel, Fritz, and Josef Federle, with designing a semi-auto pistol for the military. The gun was patented in 189... Read more.
Why Some Cartridges Seem to Last Forever and Some Are Duds in 10 years or Less
The problem of ammunition deteriorating and failing to fire seems to have become bigger in recent years with relatively new ammo failing to fire in some instanc... Read more.
The Return of the M1907 U.S. Army Test Trials .45 Luger
Many have complained that the Luger pistol is not a .45 caliber. That was first addressed by Georg Luger in 1907 when he first made the Luger in .45 caliber for... Read more.
The Indomitable Maxim Machine Gun: On the Ukrainian Front Lines Today at 100 Years Old
Incredibly, right now, both sides in the Russia-Ukraine war are reportedly using 100-year-old M1910 Maxim machine guns in large numbers. As the battle lines bec... Read more.
The History and Use of Flechettes in Ammunition
The word “flechette” is French for “small arrow.” These little projectiles were first used in modern times in World War I when the ancestors of the WWII... Read more.
Heirloom Quality Backup: The American Derringer Corporation Model 1 in 45 Colt
By Jim Dickson Robert Saunders was a Texan who appreciated the value of a back-up pistol, but he also realized the only ones small enough to end up being carrie... Read more.
Melvin Johnson’s M1941 and M1944: America’s Best Light Machine Guns that the Army Failed to Adopt
By Jim Dickson After designing the M1941 semi-automatic rifle, Melvin Johnson set his sights on a light machine gun version of his design. While making it accep... Read more.
The Sordid Tale of of World War I’s Burnt M1903 Springfield Receivers
By W. Jim Dickson In World War I, the U.S. discovered that some of the low numbered M1903 Springfield receivers had burst because the metal had been burned by o... Read more.
