Week 37 2023

 

This Week in Firearms History:

September 10: In 1776 Nathan Hale volunteers to be a spy for the U.S. after being asked by George Washington; in 1926 Robert E. Peterson is born; in 1972 the movie Jerimiah Johnson is released in theaters.

September 11: Patriot's Day, in 2001 the U.S. is attacked by airline hi-jackers.

September 12: In 1818 Dr. Richard Gatling is born; in 1848 Christian Sharps is awarded patent for his rifle; in 1959 Bonanza airs its 1st episode

September 13: Uncle Sam Day;  in 1860 Gen John J Pershing is born, in 1881 Senator, General and Gunmaker AE Ambrose dies; in 2004 the 1994 "Assualt Weapons Ban" expires.

September 14: In 1814 Francis Scott Key writes what becomes the Star Spangled Banner; in 1895 John Browning files a patent for his 1st semi-auto pistol.

September 15: In 1949 Ruger ships his 1st batch of pistols.

September 16: In 1620 the Mayflower departs Plymouth England for the new world; in 1940 the U.S. enacts a peace time draft.

Gun of the Week: Ruger Security Six

Ruger's first double action revolver was born in the early 1970s and introduced in 1972.

The double action revolver was the next logical step for Ruger. By 1970 Ruger had a semi-auto pistol, three single action revolvers, two semi-auto rifles, a single shot rifle and a bolt action rifle in their catalog, about the only thing missing was a double action revolver.

Designed by Harry Sefried & Henry Into, the Security Six was actually one of three revolvers built on the same platform. The Security Six (shown above) had a square butt and adjustable sights.

The Service Six (also called the "Police Service Six") was a fixed sight version of the Security Six and as the name implies, they designed for law enforcement.

The Speed Six was a Service Six with fixed sights and a round butt, designed for concealed carry.

The guns were chambered in 38 Special, 357 Magnum, 38 S&W and 9mm Luger and held six rounds (thus the name). Originally only offered in blued steel finish, the stainless version came along in 1975.

One unique feature, carried over to subsequent Ruger double action revolvers, was the ability to disassemble the gun without any tools.

The guns were adopted by many law enforcement agencies at home and abroad. More than 1.25 million of the revolvers were built before being discontinued in 1988. Read more here.

Cartridge of the Week: 357 Sig

The 357 Sig is a rimless pistol cartridge designed to produce 357 Magnum results in a semi-auto pistol.

Designed in 1994 in a joint effort between Sig Sauer and Federal Premium Ammunition, the cartridge is simply a 10mm Auto case necked down to 9mm. The name 357 is a bit of a misnomer as the 9mm bullet used is actually .355", but it is a nod to the goal of the cartridge as stated above.

Bullet weights range from 90 grain to 147 grain, and in the case of the 125 grain loading the 357 Sig has nearly identical ballistics to the 125 grain 357 Magnum, call this one mission accomplished.

The Sig P229 was the first pistol chambered in 357 Sig, that was in 1994, shortly after Glock introduced their model 31 followed by the models 32 & 33.

Gun Quote of the Week:

"When you tear out a man's tongue, you are not proving him a liar, you're only telling the World that YOU fear what he might say" - George R.R. Martin

Bubba Gun of the Week:

This week we have another entry from our second round of Golden Poop Awards for Gunsmithing.

Submitted by Damian Swalwell from San Francisco, he says he and his husband Eric built it, they call it the Anal Buster 5000 (although they almost named it "Fabulous!") it features a can-cannon barrel and a custom grip that Damian molded himself.

He says it will "launch a potato soaked in Astroglide at 320 feet per second, plenty of speed for deep penetration".

Gun Sticker of the Week:

This weeks gun sticker is Kokopelli holding an AR-15, get them from this ebay seller.

Gun T-Shirt of the Week:

This weeks t-shirt comes from 9-Line apparel, buy it here