Week 44 2023

 

This Week in Firearms History:

October 29: in 1919 The Volsted Act passes Congress outlawing the production, transportation and consumption of alcohol; in 1929 Black Tuesday, the stock market crashes, in 2003 the 1st Call of Duty game is released.

October 30: In 1735 President John Adams is born; in 1938 Orson Wells panics nation with War of the Worlds broadcast; in 1954 the US Armed Forces end segregation.

October 31: Halloween; in 1873 PT Barnum's "Greatest Show on Earth" debuts; in 1984 Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is assassinated.

November 1: All Saints Day; in 1864 Nevada is admitted as the 36th state; in 1928 Jack Weaver is born; in 1952 the US explodes the World's first hydrogen bomb. 

November 2: In 1734 Daniel Boone is born; in 1800 John Adams moves into the White House (the 1st to occupy); in 1920 the Ocee Massacre takes place, Democrats kill at least 56 black people to prevent them from voting Republican.

November 3: In 1921 Charles Bronson is born, in 1926 Annie Oakley dies; in 1953 Dennis Miller is born.

November 4: In 1862 a patent for the Gatling Gun is issued; in 1919 John C. Garand starts work at the Springfield Armory; in 1963 the purchase of 85,000 M-16 rifles is approved; in 1979 US Embassy in Iran is overrun.

Gun of the Week: Winchester model 94

The Winchester model 94 started out as the model of 1894, named for the year it was introduced.

In 1912 Winchester changed their model #s to two digits and no longer tied the year of introduction to the model #. Originally offered in .32-40 & .38-55, both black powder cartridges.

The rifles most popular cartridge was the .30 WCF aka the .30-30 Winchester. The combo of the model 94 and 30-30 cartridge was the most popular deer hunting outfit in North America for generations. We should not fail to mention that the gun was also used in numerous wars, civil defense and law enforcement actions.

More than 7.5 Million model 94s in 15 calibers had been built between 1894 and 2006 when the Winchester New Haven factory was shuttered.

The rifle was reintroduced in 2011 by the new owners of the brand and is still being produced today.

Cartridge of the Week:  .40 Smith & Wesson

The 40 S&W cartridge owes its existence to an FBI shootout, a Gun writer and not so tough FBI agents.

After a failed shootout in Miami in 1986, in which two FBI agents lost their lives, the bureau decided to adopt the new 10mm cartridge and S&W pistol as their new duty weapon. The adoption didn't go well, as many of the agents complained about the recoil of the 10mm cartridge. As a result, the .40 S&W was created by Smith & Wesson in 1990. Smith & Wesson shortened the 10mm case from 25.2mm to 21.6mm and reduced the powder charge, which gave the cartridge its alternate nickname of the .40 Short & Weak.

Smith & Wesson introduced the cartridge in their 9mm sized model 4006. Just as with the introduction of the .44 Magnum a competitor (this time Glock) beat S&W to market with their model 22 & 23 pistols. The 40 S&W gained favor with many law enforcement agencies as it seemed to fit the gap between the sometimes "marginal" 9mm and lower capacity of the 45 ACP.

Gun Quote of the Week:

"The obedient always think of themselves as virtuous, rather than cowardly." - Robert Anton Wilson

Bubba Gun of the Week:

This weeks Bubba Gun comes to us from Compton, California. Felonious Davis-Watson committed several crimes against society for this build including but not limited to larceny, possession of a stolen weapon, felon in possession of a weapon, several NFA violations and at least one offense against good taste. He said the risk of Federal Prison time for a Golden Poop Award would be worth it for the street cred both the award and prison time he would garner.

Gun Sticker of the Week:

This gun sticker, designed to fit on the magwell of an AR rifle, sends a message to those wanting to take the gun. Buy them here.

Gun T-Shirt of the Week:

This weeks gun t-shirt is from Magpul

Halloween 2023

 As if the last few years weren't scary enough......

Melbourne Australia's John Wood went out in style this past January when he was buried in a custom shot shell shaped coffin. See the rest of the story here.

Great and easy costume idea looks like they are from the set of one of the Purge movies.

Some more coffin shaped gun cases, this first picture is from the 1959 movie House on Haunted Hill.

This one was found on Reddit, a wood worker created this for a customer.

here is one for a shotgun

There have been several copies of the Vampire Hunter Colt. They all used a Detective Special (like the original) here is one using a Colt Python. This work was performed by Michael Gouse, see his work here.

Links to my past Halloween posts:

2013

2014

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

Week 43 2023

 This Week in Firearms History:

October 22: Ruger Day, in 1934 Pretty Boy Floyd is shot down in a corn field by a posse of LEOs; in 1941 the M1 Carbine is adopted by the US Military; 1962 Pres Kennedy announced a naval blockade of Cuba during the "Cuban Missile Crisis"; in 1968 the unconstitutional Gun Control Act of 1968 is signed into law by Democrat President Johnson.

October 23: In 1960 The Magnificent Seven is released in theaters; in 1983 an Islamic suicide bomber attacks the US Embassy in Bierut killing 241 Americans.

October 24: In 1881 Levi P Morton drives the 1st rivet into the Statue of Liberty, in 1935 the "Chophouse Massacre" takes place in Newark, NJ.

October 25: In 1861 West Virginia secedes from Virginia and rejoins the Union; in 1944 the Battle of Leyte Gulf (WWII) begins.

October 26: In 1786 gun maker Henry Deringer is born; in 1881 the Shootout at the OK Corral takes place in Tombstone AZ; in 2004 gun maker Doug McClannahan dies

October 27: In 1787 the "Federalist Papers" begin appearing in newspapers; in 1858 Theodore Roosevelt is born; in 1964 Ronald Reagan gave his "A Time for Choosing" speech.

October 28: In 1783 Eliphalet Remington is born, in 1808 Horace Smith (of Smith & Wesson) is born; in 1886 the Statue of Liberty is commissioned.

Gun of the Week: Ruger 10-22

The Ruger 10/22 is one of the longest manufactured and most popular semi-auto 22 rifle in history. 

It is not often a gun maker reaches perfection on their first try, The Ruger 10/22 is one of those rare exceptions. Introduced in March of 1964 after a couple of years of design and testing, the rifle was inspired by the Ruger 44 Magnum Carbine, which in turn was inspired by the U.S. M1 Carbine.

The blow back, semi-operated rifle has a flush fit 10 round rotary magazine.

A 22 Magnum version was available for a short time. 

After more than 50 years, more than 6 million rifles and dozens of special edition models, the 10/22 has changed very little and has never had a recall. Read more here.

Cartridge of the Week:  .351 Winchester Self Loading

The story of the Winchester .351 WSL cartridge includes WWII and Gangsters.

The Winchester .351 Self-Loading was developed for the Winchester Model of 1907 rifle and was an improvement on the earlier .32 & .35 Winchester Self-Loading cartridge which were introduced with the Winchester model of 1905 rifle.

The cartridge and rifle caught the attention of Depression Era gangsters as it was accurate, fired rapidly, had a detachable magazine and was easy to acquire.

The cartridge caught the attention of the US Ordnance Department, and the US M1 30 Carbine cartridge was based on the round.

Today all three cartridges are obsolete, but some select small manufacturers still produce the ammo. Brass, bullets and dies are available for those interested.

Gun Quote of the Week:

Bubba Gun of the Week:

This weeks Bubba Gun was submitted by Armando Chacharro of Nothing, Arizona. His Taurus revolver needed a grip, so he broke out the green epoxy glue and adapted the plastic grip frame from his little brother's toy 1911 pistol and just like that he is a contender for a Golden Poop Award for excellence in Gunsmithing.

Gun Sticker of the Week:

A twist on the revolutionary flag, this one is in regard to an AR-15 assembly, buy them here

Gun T-Shirt of the Week:

This weeks t-shirt comes from Grunt Style

Firearm Factory of the Month: Intratec

 Today we visit the company made famous by criminals and authoritarians bent on ruling over others.

Our story begins in Sweden in 1943 when Goran Lars Magnus Kjellgren aka George Kellgren was born.

After a stint in the Swedish Navy, George started his career in the gun industry at Husqvarna, many may be surprised to hear that the maker of chain saws and motorcycles also makes guns, but it is true.

When Husqvarna quit making guns (probably due to a government contract expiration), George moved to South Africa for a short time.

Later he was hired to work at Interdynamic AB (the AB denotes the company as being investor owned) in Stockholm.

George, along with his staff designed a small 9mm sub-machine gun based on the Carl Gustav M45. They called it the MP9. The design needed some work, for starters it was too small, fired too fast and was difficult to control.

Interdynamic had to find buyers for their pistol. Their original intended market was military and law enforcement, which in Europe is limited and saturated with competitors who make quality, proven firearms.

So, in 1979 George moved to the U.S. and opened Interdynamic USA, he partnered with Carlos Garcia.

There were issues with the MP9 being sold in America, for starters it would have to be sold as a NFA item, fully automatic or not, the gun had features (like a short barrel combined with a shoulder stock) that made the gun a restricted item. That doesn't mean the gun could not be manufactured and sold, but it did mean that the market for such a weapon would be very limited.

When redesigned into a semi-automatic pistol the KG-9 (KG for Kellgren & Garcia) the gun still fired from an open bolt, which the BATF poo pooed, so the gun would have to be reworked yet again.

The gun was reworked into a semi-automatic pistol, fired from a closed bolt.

In 1983 the prototype was finished and was dubbed the KG-99, this gun would eventually become the Tec-9/AB-10.

Later that year George decided to split ways and sold his interest in Interdynamic USA to Garcia, who renamed the company Intratec.

Kellgren went on to found Grendel and Kel-Tec the latter of which is still in business.

The mid-late 80s saw a serious rise in drug trafficking and the violent crime that went with it. Intratecs two signature guns the Tec-9 and the Tec-22 were inexpensive and had higher magazine capacities than the typical pistols available then.

Tec-9

Tec-22

This made them popular with the criminal gangs. This combined with several high-profile mass shootings involving the Tec-9 led to lawsuits. Then there was the "Assault Weapons Ban" of 1994.

The Tec-9 was redesigned to comply with the 1994 AWB, but sales were slow, and the lawsuits kept piling up. By 2001 the company was filing for bankruptcy.

Carlos Garcia had started a new company to receive the assets for Intratec, but nothing ever came of it.

What Remains:

The guns have a hot and cold relationship with collectors, many want one just because of its infamous role in crime, some want one for kicks, others are interested in the history of George Kellgren and these types of pistols.

The guns were used in quite a few movies including Beverly Hills Cop II, Robo Cop I & II and Big Trouble in Little China.

The gun was also a staple on shows like Miami Vice and the A-Team. The gun (a pair of them actually) was also the chosen sidearm for super spy Lana Kane in the adult cartoon Archer.

The guns were manufactured in a building on SW 130th Street in south Miami near the Kendall neighborhood. The building still stands.

Week 42 2023

 This Week in Firearms History:

October 15: In 1834 Democrats in Philidelphia attempt to take over an election to prevent the anti-slavery Whigs from maintaining control; in 1917 Mati Hari is executed for espionage in France. 

October 16: In 1859 abolitionist John Brown leads a raid on Harpers Ferry Arsenal; in 1860 the patent for the Henry Rifle is issued; in 1964 China detonates its 1st atomic bomb.

October 17: In 1835 The Texas Rangers law enforcement division is formed; in 1931 Mobster Al Capone is sentenced to 11 years for income tax evasion.

October 18: In 1855 the Beesemer steel making process is patented; in 1871 Pres. Grant suspends Habeas Corpus during prosecutions of the Ku Klux Klan; in 1948 gun maker Carl Swebilius dies.

October 19: In 1453 the Hundred Years War ends; in 1867 the U.S. takes formal possession of Alaska; in 1926 John C. Garand issued patent for the M1 Rifle.

October 20: In 1803 the U.S. Senate ratifies the Louisiana Purchase; in 1818 the 49th parallel is drawn as the boundary between the U.S. and Canada; in 1874 Ed McGivern is born; in 1944 U.S. Forces under Gen. MacArthur return to the Philippines.

October 21: In 1797 The USS Constitution ("Old Ironsides") was launched in Boston Harbor; in 1805 Admiral Horatio Nelson beats the combined navy of the Spanish and French at the battle of Trafalgar, he is mortally wounded during the battle and dies at 4:30pm.

Gun of the Week: Dan Wesson Arms 44 Magnum

The story of the Dan Wesson Arms 44 Magnum has many beginnings. We could discuss the introduction of the .44 Magnum in 1956, the design of the Dan Wesson 44 in the late 70's or the start of Dan Wesson Arms in 1968.

Dan Wesson Arms was founded by Daniel B. Wesson II, the great grandson of the co-founder of Smith & Wesson. 

DWII worked at S&W until the company was sold to Bangor Punta in 1963. DWII had already been thinking about venturing out on his own and when he met Karl Lewis and saw his revolver design, the ball started rolling.

Dan Wesson Arms created their 1st gun, a 357 revolver in 1968 based on Lewis' designs. In 1980 they introduced a much larger framed 44 Magnum. Originally only available in blue, the stainless model came along soon after.

The gun was unique in that the barrels were easily interchangeable and adjustable; this gave the guns very good accuracy/precision as the proper barrel to cylinder gap could be easily maintained. It also meant that the guns could be sold (and were often sold) with extra barrels, ranging from 2" to 15" long.

Dan Wesson revolvers are also part of a small group of guns to be given a separate page in reloading manuals as they can be loaded to higher pressures than most of their competitors, a testament to their strength. Read more here.

Cartridge of the Week: 460 S&W Magnum

The 460 Smith & Wesson Magnum is one of two cartridges developed for the S&W X-frame revolver.

The story of the cartridge goes back to 1873 when the 45 Colt was created. The 460 & 45 Colt share the same bullet diameter and 45 Colt as well as 454 Casull ammo can be safely fired in a gun chambered for the 460 S&W Mag.

Developed in 2005 by lengthening the 454 Casull case, the cartridge can send a 300 grain bullet at more than 2000 fps. The cartridge is capable of taking any game in North America and is chambered in a few long guns including the Ruger No.1, the Thompson Contender Encor and the Big Horn Armory rifle.

Gun Quote of the Week:

Bubba Gun of the Week:

Another contender from our 1st Annual Golden Poop Awards for Excellence in Gunsmithing is this Glock 17, submitted by Nacho Caliente of El Infierno Mexico, he calls it his "Stove Top M17".

Gun Sticker of the Week:

This week's gun sticker was found on ebay.....I think it needs to explanation.... 

Gun T-Shirt of the Week:

This weeks t-shirt is from triggered prints