TINCANBANDIT's Gunsmithing : Week 6 2023

This week in Firearms History

February 5: In 1840 Sir Hiram Stevens Maxim (of machine gun fame) is born; in 1864 Colt's Hartford factory burns to the ground.

February 6: In 1911, President Ronald Wilson Reagan is born

February 7: In 1855 old west lawman Charlie Siringo is born; in 1962 the U.S. begins a trade embargo with Cuba

February 8: in 1910 The Boy Scouts are formed; in 1942 trick shooter Bob Munden is born

February 9: in 1737 Patriot Thomas Paine is born, in 1965 the first U.S. combat troops are sent to Vietnam

February 10: in 1934 Frank Hamer begins his manhunt for Bonnie & Clyde; in 1967 Marine Sniper Carlos Hathcock uses a M-2 50 BMG to kill an NVA soldier at 2,500 yards (1.42 miles)

February 11: In 1768 Samuel Adams circulates a letter criticizing the taxes under the Townshend Act

Gun of the Week: Walther P38

This weeks gun of the week is the Walther P38. Developed by Karl Walther and adopted by the German military in 1938 (P38 stands for Pistol 1938).

Chambered in 9mm Luger, the P38 was designed to replace the P08 Luger. The Walther's design was that of a double action/single action with an exposed hammer and partially exposed slide. These design features would find their way into other designs. One important development of the P38 was the slide mounted decocker. After WWII the P38 was produced for West German police forces, the frames were then made of aluminum and a redesigned model was designated the P1 which was produced until the year 2000 and is still being used by some German LE agencies.

Cartridge of the Week: 22 Winchester Magnum Rimfire

Designed in 1959 by Winchester, the 22 Magnum was an improvement over the .22 LR for varmint hunting. While the bullet weights are generally close to that of the .22 LR (30-50 grain) there are some additional differences.

Where the .22 WMR differs from the .22 Long Rifle is in the way the bullet is seated. The .22 WMR uses a standard bullet seat, which is to say the bullet is not healed like that of the .22 LR, thus the WMR case is wider as well as longer.

Bubba Gun of the Week:

A potential winner from our 1st Annual Golden Poop Awards for Gunsmithing was this customized Ruger P series pistol, submitted by Beau Wazoski of Keester Hollar West Virginia