Holland & Holland: Masters of the Double Rifle
In the annals of “Best” firearms, Holland & Holland holds an unambiguous place: builder of the world’s finest double rifles. For more than a century, dangerous game hunters have prepared for their great unknowns by trekking to Mayfair in London’s West End. Their...
Tested: Benelli’S M2 Field
SPONSORED CONTENT An out-of-the-box waterfowl wrecker that doubles as a do-all shotgun, Benelli's M2 Field hits a pleasing semi-automatic price point, promises flawless function and is a pure joy to shoulder and shoot. Benelli changed the game in 1991 when the...
The Christmas Gift
That year Tony’s mother forgot all about Christmas. None of us was surprised, and nobody blamed her. She had many other things on her mind. Tony and I lived a few houses apart on Long Lake and for years had spent many of our spare hours together, exploring the lakes...
The Legacy of John M. Browning
Never in the history of the world of firearms has one inventor contributed so much—and garnered so much attention and admiration—than John Moses Browning. Today, the Browning firearms and product line, the iconic Buckmark trademark and all things Browning, continue to...
Hunter’s Guide: Classic American Hammer Shotguns
Some of the finest shotguns ever made in America were hammer shotguns produced in the last decades of the 19th century. However, by the end of World War I, most had been retired to gun cabinets to be only admired, not fired. Their barrels had not been designed for the...
Silence is Golden
Whether from the muzzle of a 416 Rigby, the tailpipe of a Harley Davidson, or the mouth of a politician, the abrupt release of a lot of hot air generates a bang. Usually a painfully loud bang. In a historically odd turn of events, politicians have helped quiet...
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...
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...
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...
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...