Anyway here is a look back at 2017
January
Thanks to a snowflake reporter and a video from Twang'nBang we were inspired to try out another form of indoor practice ammo
I refinish my neighbors Ruger Single Six
Our Gun Porn segment looks at nickel plated and stainless guns that feature pearl stocks
Just in time for the re-introduction of the Colt Cobra, we look at the Colt revolvers named after snakes.
Our fifth installment of Interesting Firearm Photos including Kalashnikov Vodka, the Assassination Attempt on President Reagan and a mail box disguised as a giant S&W revolver.
Our Guest Post involves bringing an old forgotten cartridge back to life.
The third installment of our theme guns includes DeadPool, The Miami Dolphins and Wile E. Coyote
We investigate the possibility of saving a gun that suffered a catastrophic event
A for sale ad in a local gun forum inspired me to search for other horrible gun ads, hilarity ensues.
We refinish a former law enforcement side arm
A new Installment, gun art, which is art that is inspired by guns or uses guns as the medium
Part two of our refinishing effort, we remove some graffiti from the side plate
In part 6 of this series we gaze upon the prototype GI Joe action figure, possibly the worst gun advertisement ever and a motorcycle seat built for a true cowboy
We complete the refinishing of the Dan Wesson revolver
Our Featured Gun is a bolt action shotgun made by High Standard for Sears & Roebuck
This month's gun porn is all about shotguns
We continue the 10/22 madness again this year, first off is a look at all the factory models available on the 10/22 platform
We introduce another 10/22 project, the Lightweight Tactical Rifle
This month's Interesting Firearm Photos include an AK-47 made from a shovel, Ruger Vaquero wax molds and Dirty Harry's 44 Magnum
More upgrades for your 10/22 rifle
The true story of a gun that equalized a force equation
Tactical (or tacticool) 10/22 rifles is the soup de jour
Our featured gun this month is another High Standard made gun, the Sentinel revolver
Just when you thought we had run out of interesting facts about the 10/22
A compendium of home made or modified stocks for the 10/22 and Charger
April
We started something new this month, we dedicated all or most of the posts to one particular type of firearm, this month it is Lever Action Rifles.
We refinish a Western Field lever action rifle, not once, not twice, but three times
The Interesting Firearm Photos this month include the Million Dollar Luger, a very large Kaboom and a Texas farewell
We finally get back on track with the Marlin 1893 project
Lever gun porn
Part two of the Western Field project
Our Feature Gun is a Marlin 39A tribute to the NRA
Part two of our 10/22 LTR project, we start cutting the stock
Our guest post is a sporterized Rolling Block that was originally built in Sweden
May
The Featured Gun is one you could build at home...
We follow up with a promise to venture into making a gun from scratch, we start with a tribute to the Philippine Guerilla Gun
Number nine in the series features some Civil War mortars, a handgun disguised as a lighter and WWII Snipers of the Soviet Union
Part three of the Guerrilla gun build (we got out of order..)
Part two of the Guerrilla gun build, we re-purpose a broken air gun stock
In part four we finish the gun and test fire it
Part 3 of the LTR project, we build a butt stock from aluminum
June
Part 3 of the Marlin 1893 project, we finish fitting the crescent butt plate to the stock
A chance find at a gun show turns into a Featured Gun post and a new project My Father and I build a pistol from a kit
In this month's Interesting Firearm Photos we have a "last ditch" Arisaka, testing of a bullet proof vest and the Battle of Inchon
Part 4 of the LTR project includes cutting and recrowning the barrel
Ever found a gun on the street? I posed the question and got numerous responses....
Our friend Ironworker build another knife, forged from a piece of steel cable
Gun Porn this month is all about semi-auto pistols
In Gun Art #2 we have some things that cannot be easily explained with words
July is dedicated to the gun of the Cowboy, the single action revolver, but first we have some guns built on the Old Glory theme.
In part 4 of the Marlin 1893 project we build a new magazine tube
Our Interesting Firearm Photos this month include an experimental M1903 bullpup, the ten millionth Remington 870 shotgun and a letter from Bill Ruger to his Patent Attorney
We attempt to find the problem with a Hawes Revolver
I display my collection of Cowboy Guns
We examine the parts of the Ruger Blackhawk and how they function
We celebrate the National Day of the Cowboy by listing every Cowboy related post we have done, and there have been many.
We perform a few cheap tricks on some Vaquero/Blackhawk parts
Our Featured Gun is one of my favorites, the Vaquero!
Gold Plated, Engraved or just plain beautiful.....
Last month was single action revolvers, this month it is double action revolvers, but first an update on our LTR project:
We bring sexy back with a S&W 586 revolver
Our 12th installment of Interesting Firearm Photos include some movie props, a young Whitefeather and cut-away Glock
Part 2 of the S&W 586 refinish
Our Featured Gun is a sexy looking revolver that was all form, no function
We finish up the S&W 586 with some very satisfying results
A Double Action revolver for every style
We make another attempt at a pistol display box, this time for a small frame revolver
The media and the non-gun public do not understand us or our hobby....
September
With hunting season within view, we dedicate September to bolt action rifles, starting with a Featured Gun post that started with a $20 yard sale buy
We take a $20 yard sale gun and turn it into a youth trainer
Part two, we shorten and restore the stock
Bolt Action rifles are perhaps second only to shotguns when it comes to engraved firearms, we have some outstanding examples in this month's gun porn
The Lil' Buckeroo gets his barrel shortened and recrowned
This month's Interesting Photos includes proof of gun violins, the Great Australian Gun Theft and a Dirty Harry action figure
In part 4 of the Lil' Buckeroo project we restore not one, but two bolts...
We finish up the Lil' Buckeroo with a high polish bluing job and a scope
In our third installment of Gun Art we visit Andy Warhol, a chair made from AK-47s and some interesting graffiti
Our last post on bolt action rifles we install Remington 700 sights on a cut down Mosin-Nagant
October
Part 5 of the Marlin 1893 project, we finally get to work on the receiver and fitting the wood to the metal
Our Featured Gun is an inexpensive break open .410 gauge shotgun designed for killing snakes
In part 6 of the LTR project we perform an action job, blue the bolt and begin building the side plates
Zombie Guns, our third installment, just in time for Halloween
We finally finish the LTR project
This months interesting photos include a custom .25ACP Ruger Blackhawk, a gun safe for Goliath and the .30 Badger cartridge
Our guest post this month shows how to powder coat lead bullets for safe indoor shooting.
We build a display gun case that looks like a small coffin
Our Halloween Gun Porn this year includes some interesting guns such as the Devil's Shotgun, The Monster Legacy Colt revolver and the personal monster hunting kit of Dr. Van Helsing.
November
This is the month of Veteran's Day, so we dedicated it to the 1911 pistol. Up first is an overview of some of the more unique versions of this iconic weapon.
A refinishing project of a "Black Army" Colt M1911, a gun that could have seen service in both wars
Some 1911 gun porn, of which there is no shortage
We wind up the War Horse refinishing project
The options for 1911 grip panels is nearly limitless, from blood-wood to ebony, from mammoth to meteorites....
A guest post, a fellow student of gunsmithing shares with us the joys and pains of building a custom 1911
We look at the history of the Detonics company and their Combat Master 1911 variant
After polishing my Ruger SR1911, I found a way to bring back the engravings on the slide
We finish the month with more interesting firearm photos
December
We provide some gift giving ideas for Christmas
Part six of the restoration of a Marlin model 1893
We announce the contenders for the 1st Annual Golden Poop Awards
We display just some of the works from Uncle Pimpy's Axe Palace
Our Feature Gun story is instead a cartridge, a wildcat cartridge
Part five of our continuing coverage of themed guns
2018
So what do we have coming up? More projects including:
- A Winchester model 250 that "survived" a house fire
- Restoring a Remington model 512 Sportmaster
- Rebluing Remington model 511 Scoremaster (unrelated projects)
- A complete make-over/restoration of a Savage/Stevens model 325C bolt action 30-30
- Refinishing a Western Field model 45 (Savage) bolt action .22
- We will revisit the 10/22 in March again with more projects and custom parts/options
- A quick reblue of a Glenfield model 75
- We will give the Marlin model 60 some attention, including a revamp of my Night Prowler project
- We will start on a Swedish Rolling Block Sporter project
- A Ruger Standard pistol from 1966 will get a full restoration
- An FN model 1906 (vest pocket) pistol will get a new blued finish and a set of walnut stocks
- A chromed Colt 1908 (vest pocket) will get an inspection and clean up
- We will finally finish the Marlin 1893 project
- We have a couple of knife projects on deck, including the restoration of a US Navy Mk1 knife.
- If I actually get a break, we will start on our homemade break-open 12 gauge shotgun project and building a knife filing jig.
We will continue with our Featured Gun articles
and in May we will celebrate our 5th anniversary by looking back at all the guns we have restored or refinished.