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.