The Beauty of the Single-Shot
My very first shotgun was a single-shot break-open Springfield 20-gauge. I have no recollection whatsoever about its choke or even its barrel length. For a long time, it was the only gun that I had, and I shot everything available with it. I honestly don’t remember...
Rigby for Rifles
From its Dublin origins, London base and forays to California, plus a traditional client base in Africa, John Rigby & Co. represent an important component of the ever-deepening connectivity that defines the modern world.
Dump the Slump
Ralph Waldo Emerson once pronounced, “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” It was, and is, true in the context that he meant it. It’s important to not allow yourself to be confined to “the box.” In this day and time, you’ve got to be able to look...
Rifle Cartridges: All in the Family
The old, plodding 30-’06 Springfield, for instance, is not just yesterday’s news; it’s moldy, too, and so is anyone who hunts with one, according to millennials or whatever they call the most recent come-of-age generation. In contrast, the 6.5 RPM from Weatherby is a...
Twin Tubes: Side-by-Side or Over/Under
The double shotgun took its form when Joseph Manton (1766 – 1835) put two shotgun barrels side by side with their independent flint locks. Manton spent lots of his time working on explosive ordinance for the British Army, but we fondly remember him for establishing...
Robert Churchill: Ballistics Expert & Bespoke Gunmaker
Think of the name Churchill and Churchill Downs might come to mind with mint juleps, outlandish women’s hats and sleek Arabian steeds or perhaps Winston Spencer Churchill who guided Britain through some of the darkest days of World War II. His quotes are many, but...
Legacy Gifts
It was nearing midnight that Thanksgiving evening many years ago. The fire had waned to pulsing orange embers, the room captive to darkness beyond its failing glow, but for the single, small table lamp by Daddy’s chair. The night was mellow as moonlight on a meadow,...
Parkwest Arms SD-10 Falling Block
Sleek, trim, light, strong, yet elegant, this U.S.-made iteration of the old dropping breech block action captures all of the falling block’s potential.
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...