Springfield’s Emissary: Shooting Chocolate Cake
Amazon got its start in a garage. Google was started in a dorm room and eventually upgraded to a garage. Today’s Springfield Armory beats them both— it got its start in a corn crib before eventually upgrading to building M1A rifles in a former diner. The original...
Ithaca Doubles: Overlooked Classics
Like many enterprises of the time, its origins were humble. It began in a rough little wooden structure perched precariously on the steep gorge of Fall Creek near Ithaca, New York. The virtue of the location was its abundant water power, and the building had already...
Holland & Holland’s Aim for the Future
Holland & Holland, long respected for producing firearms of the highest quality, was acquired in 2021 by the Beretta Holding Group from the French perfume company, Chanel. For three decades, the French company tried to redefine and reinvent the venerable old gun...
Glass From the Past
Some “old” scopes were dandies! Would the hunters who used them prefer top sellers now? The Henriksen-stocked Mauser and its 6x Pecar scope were both heavy. But I was young and keen to scale the steeps for a bighorn ram. I found one in a nook, 250 yards below my path....
A Rifle to Palm
Power and accuracy make a rifle lethal. A waist that welcomes your hand makes it useful.
What Does Its Third Century Hold for Purdey?
Although there has been some debate about whether the eponymous gunmaking firm of James Purdey began operations in 1814 or 1816, 1814 is the date chosen by Purdey leadership to mark the firm’s beginnings, making 2014 the bicentennial of J. Purdey & Sons, or more...
Elmer Keith: King of Gun Cranks
One doesn’t have to dig deeply into the career of the “little man with the big Stetson,” Elmer Keith, before realizing that he was a fascinating character in a universe—that of hunting and shooting writers—generously populated by highly unusual individuals. Outdoor...
W. W. Greener’s extraordinary Ornamental Guns
Since its 1985 renaissance, every Greener, whether G gun or sidelock, has been special built with an eye for aesthetics and a perfect understanding of balance and handling.
The 45-70 Isn’t Old Yet!
It arrived 150 years ago in a panic. Hickok and Custer had three years to live. It still gets rave reviews!
The Story of the Sporting Gun
Firearms, of a sort, are supposed to have been used before gunpowder was invented; but the history of sporting guns is not concerned with the prototypes of these early weapons, and they need not be specified. Nor do the early cannon devised for military purposes call...