Got Winchester?

How and Why America Switched to 9mm

For 70 plus years the M1911 .45 ACP pistol was the primary sidearm for the US Armed Forces. Most of the rest of the world had been using 9mm for quite a long time, and it was NATO's number one choice. However, after over 70 years of faithful service, the issue of replacing the .45 ACP with 9mm raised quite a controversy. During 1947 to 1949 ground testing was being done on the .45 ACP vs smaller calibers. The result of the testing was a new requirements document was drawn up, demanding caliber between .30 and 9mm. What tipped the scales against the M1911-A1 .45 ACP in the end was because of excessive weight and limited magazine capacity.

The leaning towards 9mm started with the United States House of Representatives. In 1978, the Surveys and Investigations Staff of the House Appropriations Committee examined defense handgun and ammunition requirements, reporting over 25 different makes, models and types of handguns in the defense inventory with 140 different cartridge types catalogued to feed them. Much of this problem came from ammunition left over from previous wars, including WWII and the Korean War. Congress declared that it was inefficient to have so diverse a selection of handguns, because it would cause problems in the areas of supply, maintenance, repair and ammunition stocking problems.

The House Appropriations Committee sought economies and efficiencies from handgun standardization, encouraging a defense transition plan "to achieve a standard handgun". By 1980 Army Armament Research and Development Command was conducting handgun and ammunition studies. It was immediately evident that there was far to many types of ammunition and they were reduced to only 30 (discontinuing 110 types). The handgun studies objective was to determine the minimum number of types of handguns needed for essential service. Another factor, the 9mm worked out well because there was a growing need for a smaller round, with less recoil, a lighter frame and more shots, because of all the women entering the armed forces. The women's small hands were a problem because they were being issued .38 Special revolvers to fit their hands and to lower the recoil. And so, for all of the above reasons, the faithful old M1911 .45 ACP was flung out the door, some of the frames having seen 40 years of service! In its place came the Beretta m9, military version of the Model 92 and the Sig Arms M11, the military version of the Sig P228.

M1911

Beretta m9Sig Sauer P228

Trench Warfare & The 12 Ga. Winchester 1897 Trench Gun

Because of the unique nature of trench warfare during WWI, new and innovative firearms were developed to meet the needs of the troops in the trench. Thus the "Trench Gun" was born. As everyone knows, a shotgun at close range loaded with buckshot is a devastating weapon. It was proved during the Philippine campaigns, the US Army purchased several hundred John Browning designed Winchester 1897 riot shotguns to use VS the Moro Tribesman. General Pershing and other high ranking officers having witnessed the effectiveness of the Winchester 1897 shotgun in the Philippines, they selected the Winchester 1897 was their first pick.
The Winchester 1897 was slightly Re-designed to accommodate trench warfare, Including a bayonet mount, and a barrel shroud.
This new use of shotguns in trench warfare had the Germans so riled and shook up the issued a protest against the US Government, saying they would execute any soldier found carrying a shotgun or shotshells (rather stupid since they were using poison gas). The US responded by strongly refusing to stop using the shotguns, and that there would be serious consequences if the Germans carried out their threat of executing Allied soldiers.

Interested in finding one of these collectible shotguns? Check Gunbroker.com

The Sadly Underestimated .22 LR

The .22 LR sidearm. Claimed by American Rifleman NRA Magazine April 1969 edition, to be one of the most useful or adaptable tool on a big game hunt. Great for signaling, dispatching snakes, and coup-de-grace shots on trophies where a bigger bullet would harm the head mount or waste the meat. They are also great fun for informal, inexpensive plinking after the hunt is over. Revolvers are the most popular choice.
Of course that was written in 1969, if caught shooting a deer with a .22 LR now days you would be fined and your privileges taken away. People today who are thinking about spending the big bucks on magnum caliber revolvers for a secondary weapon should take into account the light weight of the smaller framed .22 revolvers, how inexpensive the ammo and the gun are, and the general practicality of the .22 handgun

Smith & Wesson Model K22 .22 LR

Smith & Wesson Model 617 .22 LR (10 shots)Colt Diamondback .22 LRRuger Single Six .22 LR (comes with .22 magnum cylinder)

Any of these revolvers can be found for sale on Gunbroker.com

Fordyce Beals & Remington 24 Shot Revolver

Revolving cylinder percussion pistol. 24 shot cylinder has 2 banks of chambers. A double loading rammer is located beneath the barrel. The barrel pivots to fire either the outside or the inside bank of chambers. Design attributed to Fordyce Beals and possibly manufactured by Remington.

Owen Jones Two Barrel Revolver

Patented by Owen Jones, shoots either .22 Rimfire or .32 Rimfire. Extra cylinder stores inside of the handle. The barrel on this extremely unique pistol actually rotates rather than the cylinder! The second and third models were improved to tip up, then rotate. It's unknown where they were manufactured at, but the educated guesser's say that it was probably made by Deringer Rifle and Pistol Works of Philadelphia around 1875.

Unknown Deringer Style "Phild" Pistols

Deringer style percussion pistols in .40 caliber. Probably manufactured at about 1840. There are no markings on the guns except "Phild". Indicating that the maker was from Philadelphia and he didn't mark his work intentionally, to avoid trouble with the Deringer Company. Cap storage is in the butt.

M. Tidd Percussion Target Rifle

Target rifle by M. Tidd of Woburn MA made in the period of 1855-1858. 11 lb Rifle in .35/.36 caliber with adjustable sights. German silver "furniture" inlet and mother of pearl gambling chip on the cheekpiece.

John Derr Flintlock Kentucky Pistols

Flintlock Pistols by John Derr, fine examples of hand crafted pistols from around 1820. They are both .52 caliber

Dan B. Wesson Percussion Target Pistols "American Duelers"

Long barreled Target Pistols manufacture by Dan B. Wesson (founder of Smith & Wesson) in the shop of Ed Wesson during the time period of 1840-1845. These guns are affectionately named "American Duelers"

Henry Harrington Volley Pistol

Volley Pistol patented by Henry Harrington of Southbridge MA during the mid 1800's. Seven barrels fire simultaneously from a common powder chamber. It has two triggers and two hammers, but the purpose of the set on the left is unknown.

Kunz Air Rifle & Shotgun

Kunz of Philadelphia cased combination shotgun and air rifle. The shotgun has an external percussion hammer and the air rifle has an internal mechanism. Made during the early 1800's. The threaded rod is used as a brace to pump up the air reservoir.

Rodgers Brothers & Company Kentucky Pistol

Flintlock Rodgers Brothers & Company brass barrel Kentucky Pistol. Stock is made of maple, stained to resemble cherry. Circa 1810 in .46 caliber. Brass mounted with steel lock

Artemus Wheeler Revolving Carbine

Made by Artemus Wheeler, the Artemus Wheeler Carbine was the first patented revolving firearm (1818) to receive Government trials (1820), and the first to be accepted by the Government. The Navy bought two carbines and two muskets. It's a seven shot, .45 caliber flintlock with automatic priming.

Mershon and Hollingsworth Revolving Automatic Rifle

Mershon and Hollingsworth revolving cylinder automatic rifle. Patented in 1855. A spring mechanisim automatically fired and rotated the cylinder. The trigger could be locked in back position for full automatic fire. To wind up the spring, a ratchet lever is located just behind the receiver. Six shot percussion .40 caliber.

Smith and Percival Repeating Pistol

Smith and Percival Patent magazine loaded repeating pistol. Three magazines rotate 180 Degrees as a unit to feed powder, ball and primer automatically. Manufactured in .30 caliber by H. Smith, Norwich CT.

Waters 1836 Flint lock & Ames 1843 Percussion

Top Pistol is a Waters Millbury Model 1836 Flintlock Pistol made for the US Army.

Bottom Pistol is an Ames 1843 Percussion Box Lock pattern made for the US Navy.

Savage Model 99

It's a big bore lever action rifle with a box clip, and probably what makes it look so strange is the absence of a visible hammer. Made for hunting big game in the Northwest, comes in 6 calibers. The big promotion on this rifle was "A classic lever action should handle today's big game loads" I'm not sure the word classic should have been used. The whole idea behind the magazine was so that the Model 99 could use modern bullets. As everyone knows, before Hornady's Lever Revolution ammo came out, a classic tube load could not take any bullets with pointed heads.

These are slowly becoming more collectible, the price has increased by about 300% on a like new Savage Model 99. You can find Savage Model 99's for sale on Gunbroker.com

The Savage 110

Comes in 9 different calibers, the Savage 110 is an alternative choice for a very inexpensive hunting rifle. The main reason I'm posting on it is because I like their promotional picture.

You can find the Savage Model 110 on Gunbroker.com

Hornady Lever Revolution Amunition

Hornady LeveRevolution ammo is the best single invention for lever action rifle's in 100 years. This new and innovative amunition has increased the range of the ordinary 30-30 Lever Action Rifle by 100 Yards! Take a look at these Features!

• Up to 250 feet per second faster muzzle velocity than conventional lever gun loads.
• Exceptional accuracy and overwhelming downrange terminal performance.
• Patent Pending EvolutionTM bullet featuring Flex TipTM Technology.
• Up to 40% more energy than traditional flat point loads.

Watch the promotional video for Hornady's LeveRevolution Ammunition.

Cold Steel SRK

SRK stands for Survival Rescue Knife, and that's exactly what Cold Steel has made when they designed the SRK. Survival knives must to have the ability to withstand extreme hardship and abuse. With this in mind Cold Steel made the SRK. The Cold Steel SRK is heralded by all as one of the worlds toughest knives. The blade on the SRK has a coating of Teflon giving the AUS8A steel a protection from the elements. The tip of a knife is usually the most vulnerable part, not so with the SRK, it has an extremely tough point and the Cold Steel product testing team has taken the SRK and pounded it through a petrol barrel, and no damage was taken to the point, there is a lot of cutting power behind this knife. The Cold Steel SRK has a blade thickness of 3/16ths of an inch thick. The handle on the SRK has a single finger handle guard with a checkered Kraton slip proof grip. The only flaw I can think of is weight, it's a pretty heavy knife, but that's a small concession for what it is.

• SRK specifications:
• Blade length: 6"
• Handle length: 4 ¾"
• Overall length: 10 ¾"
• Blade Thickness: 3/16"
• Blade Steel: AUS8A steel
• Knife Weight: 8.2 oz
• Tang: Full
• Sheath: Molded Tactical sheath

Stoner 63 Rifle Series

Made by Cadillac Gage Co. during the 1960's designed by Eugene M. Stoner. The Stoner 63 is a family of small arms that used the same "system", which essentially means they use one design, using the same components to make a full range of weapons. The Stoner 63 series comprised of 7 different models which all fire 5.56 mm,

• Stoner 63 Carbine
• Stoner 63 Rifle
• Belt Fed Stoner 63 Light Machine Gun
• Magazine Fed 63 Light Machine Gun
• Belt Fed Stoner 63 Medium Machine Gun
• Magazine Fed 63 Medium Machine Gun
• Stoner 63 Fixed Machine Gun

The Stoner 63 series used a conventional gas system. For the rifle and carbine the gas system is assembled above the barrel, which lowers the recoil line. for the machine guns the gas system is below the barrel. The first barrels were all 20" except for the carbine which was 15.7" but as they continued production, several more lengths, and styles were made. The barrels for all models of the Stoner 63 were "quick change" designed. Both the Rifle and the carbine shoot from an closed bolt, the machine guns are assembled in an open bolt style, an ingenious way to fire ammunition from plastic belts. One belt holds 150 rounds, and as the gun would fire the plastic holding the bullets would virtually disintegrate.
The only disadvantage to the Stoner 63 Rifle and Carbine is weight. They weighed almost as much as a 7.62 mm rifle of the day, because all the guns used the same components and machine guns need heavier, stronger components, the rifle and carbine were necessarily heavier than need be, but extremely strong. Beacause of the uniform design of the stoner 63 series, you could transform a standard stoner rifle into a heavy machine gun, or any of about 15 different models of the Stoner 63 if you needed to.

A civilian model similar to the Stoner 63 is made by Robinson Armament, called the M96.

mucht of the information on the Stoner 63 was taken out of NRA Rifleman magazine Feb 1968

Ruger No. 1 and Ruger No. 3

A question people usually ask about Ruger's No. 1 and Ruger N0. 3 is, "why buy a single shot rifle in todays age of repeaters?"

1. The Ruger No. 1 and Ruger No. 3 have an extremely strong built frame. Both of these single shot guns can handle outsized cartridges with ease, and can shoot way heavier loads than a repeater can handle, especially when we are talking about really hot handloads!


2. Being a single shot rifle you can write off that extra 4 1/2" extra length that a bolt action rifle has, making the Ruger No. 1 and Ruger No. 3 shorter in overall length. This means you can have a longer barrel and the same overall length of a repeater, adding to your projectiles velocity.


3. Then you have style, the beautiful lines and short action of the Ruger No. 1 and Ruger No. 3 a great choice for your single shot hunting rifle.

Comparing the Ruger No. 1 and Ruger No. 2 to modern repeaters is like comparing a Hemi Cuda to a Lotus Elise. Modern repeaters have a lot of great features, but the single shot Ruger can and does handle the raw power.

You can find the Ruger No. 1 & Ruger N0. 3 on Gunbroker.com

Custom Knives

I've been given the opportunity to sell some custom knives for a friend that I met at the Custer Gun Club, gun show. He's a knife vender that has been going to gun and knife shows all over the US for over 20 years. Some of these custom knives are simply incredible.

This is a beautiful knife made by Bob Lay. Bob is a well known custom knife maker from Canada, he makes about 260 knives a year and likes to use 440c steel The handle on this knife is stabilized maple burl with a sheep horn spacer.

This knife was made out of a file, you might think that is a bit unique, but not really, a lot of people use files to learn how to grind a knife properly, and don't think badly of this knife for it's humble beginnings, files are made out of super hard metal. So this knife is a real cutter. The handle is made out of Osage Orange Wood.

I really like this one! It's a sweet looking knife. the best part about this knife is the blade design. It's made out of Stainless, but the Damascus doesn't come all the way down to the cutting edge. This creates a knife with incredible styling without the worries of ruining your Damascus blade cutting something.

This Knife is definitely the most well put together than the rest of the knives I got from him. The metal pieces on the sides with the engraving look like they are part of the tang, that is how detailed Russ Kommer gets with his knives.