Week 3 2023

 

This Week in Firearms History:

January 15: In 588 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar II lays siege to Jerusalem, the siege lasts 2 1/2 years; in 1893 Horace Smith (of S&W) dies

January 16: In 1973 Bonanza airs its final episode, in 2006 U.S. Repeating Arms (Winchester) announces the closing of the New Haven factory

January 17: In 1707 Benjamin Franklin is born; in 1988 gun writer Skeeter Skelton dies; in 1990 S&W introduces the 40 S&W cartridge

January 18: In 1944 Leningrad is liberated by Soviet forces after a three-year siege by the German Army

January 19: In 1862 U.S. Civil War, battle of Mill Springs; In 1894 John Browning files for patents for the Winchester model of 1894 rifle.

January 20: In 1936 Winchester produces the 1st model 70 rifle; in 1981 Ronald Reagan is inaugurated as the 40th President of the U.S.

January 21: in 1968, Vietnam War, battle of Khe Sanh begins

Gun of the week: The 44 Automag

The 44 Automag was created in Southern California in the late 60's by Harry Sanford and several of his gunsmiths.

The all-stainless gun fired a proprietary cartridge, manufactured by Norma, but could easily be duplicated by handloaders by cutting down a 308 or 30-06 cartridge.

The gun was produced by a number of different companies, most of them owned by or partially owned by Sanford and none of them very successful. A new company was formed in 2018 to begin making the guns again. You can read more here

Cartridge of the Week: 30 Carbine

The 30 Carbine cartridge was created specifically for the M1 Carbine. Developed by Winchester in the early 1940s by removing the rim from their earlier .32 Winchester Self Loading cartridge and necking it down to .308 caliber.

The cartridge when fired from the carbine produced ballistics somewhere between the best handgun cartridges and a 30-30 Winchester. Which is what the U.S. Army was looking for: a handy short-range weapon capable of suppressing enemy fire.

Gun Quote of the Week:

"Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them." - Thomas Paine

Bubba Gun of the Week:

Here we have a fine example of Polish Army Camouflage, done by Golden Poop contestant Harley David Cashner

Gun Sticker of the Week:

AK 47 sticker, buy them here

Gun T-Shirt of the Week:

This week's T-shirt features a famous mouse