No, it’s not a 10/22. It’s a 44 Carbine, the design that fathered not only the 10/22, but Ruger’s entire line of rifles. Sturm, Ruger & Co. got its start making handguns, and was close behind Smith & Wesson when it added a .44 Magnum revolver to its lineup in 1956. A fan of the big magnum, founder Bill Ruger was among the first to see the cartridge’s potential as a rifle round. Read More

This year marks the 100th anniversary of America’s entry into “The War To End All Wars,” as it was dramatically called. But rather than end wars, it changed them—armored vehicles were employed and aerial warfare literally took battle tactics to new heights. The Great War also transformed one of the most popular shotguns in America from a sporting arm into a formidable force... Read More

In 1871, Gilbert Henderson Harrington and his uncle, Frank Wesson, formed a firearm manufacturing company that resulted in Harrington taking on a new partner, William Augustus Richardson. The resulting firm of Harrington & Richardson Arms Co. went on to produce a number of utilitarian and relatively inexpensive firearms for more than a century. Read More

When the U.S. became involved in the Korean War, the M1 Garand went back into mass production. The "Korean Garand," as it is sometimes referred, had undergone improvements since its World War II days, and once again proved why Gen. George S. Patton called the Garand "the finest battle implement ever devised." Watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV to learn more. Read More

One of the most popular subcategories of collecting pre-’64 Winchester lever-actions is the “trapper,” or “baby carbine” as it was originally called, a model with a barrel shorter than the standard length of 20". Trappers encompass Model 1873s, 1892s and 1894s, with verified extra-cost barrel lengths of 19", 18", 17", 16", 15", 14" and even 12", with 14" and 15" barrels being most often encountered. Read More

During the latter part of the 19th century, Marlin was giving Winchester a run for its money. Not only was Marlin first with a lever gun that could chamber the popular .45-70 Gov’t cartridge (the Model 1881), but the Model 1889 introduced Marlin’s side-ejecting, solid-topped receiver. The latter was stamped “Marlin Safety,” implying it was safer than Winchester’s open, top-ejecting system. Read More

German Reichmarschall Hermann Göring, as well as being Reichminister of Aviation, also possessed a bevy of other titles and honorariums—one of which was Reichminister of Forestry. He was also an avid hunter and firearm enthusiast, and this may explain why he provided selected aircrews in his beloved Luftwaffe with a “survival arm” that would have been the envy of the most sophisticated Teutonic sportsman. Read More

Sarajevo, Bosnia, June 28, 1914: Following a botched assassination attempt earlier in the day, the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franz Ferdinand, insisted on continuing with his official visit. After leaving the town hall, he decided to visit the hospital where the men wounded in the earlier grenade attack were being treated. Leaving the hospital, the archduke’s driver lost his way and drove down a wrong street, unfortunately where one of the attempted assassins... Read More

During the first part of the 20th century, when the United States was transitioning from an agricultural to a more urban nation, inexpensive shotguns were the first choice for farmers and city dwellers who needed, respectively, a tool for keeping the fox from the henhouse and the means for an affordable and enjoyable weekend afield. Thus, the single-shot, smoothbore shotgun reigned supreme, as it was less expensive than a double... Read More

Join American Rifleman TV for a look at the history of the M2 Browning Machine Gun. Covering everything from the original water-cooled, ground-mounted and even aircraft-mounted designs, all the way up to those now mounted on Strykers, this is a must see for anyone interested in the history of the "Ma Deuce." For more, check out this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV. Read More

Don't know what a Winchester Model 50 is? That's too bad because this semi-automatic shotgun introduced in 1954 was one of the most advanced guns of its day. With just under 200,000 made by 1961, all this gun lacked was tail fins. Seriously, it was one of the first shotguns made with an aluminum receiver and it is this week's "I Have This Old Gun." Read More

“Modern Sporting Rifles” have caused semi-automatics to gain wider acceptance within hunting circles, but self-loading hunting rifles have been around for more than a century. Pictured is one of the first—John Browning’s design as manufactured by Remington. Winchester beat Remington to the market by one year with a center-fire, semi-automatic rifle, but its Model 1905 was a blowback design that fired what amounted to an oversized pistol cartridge. Read More