The Return of 1895 Chucky Part II
This morning, a collection of bullets was pulled for this project. And hour or two later they were returned to stock and another pull, a different pull, was made. The first selection included machine turned copper and hybrid lead/copper bullets that cost approximately $2.25 to $2.75 per and do not […] [Read More]
The Return of 1895 Chucky Part I
Living in a rural environment brings firearms into part of a routine; hunting, ridding property of varmints, self defense, and work assignments in my case. Still, my current preoccupations are fixing a well, pulling water and soil samples, harvesting and generating a new plan for Maine’s Tree Growth program, and […] [Read More]
The 10.75x68 Mauser
In the early 1920’s, Germany’s Waffenfabrik Mauser AG, introduced the 10.75×68 Mauser cartridge. The round was chambered initially in Oberndorf Mauser Sporters and French Brevex and Rival rifles. Post WW II the round was also offered by Belgium’s Browning Arms Company and France’s Dumoulin for European customers. The 10,75×68, including […] [Read More]
Getting an Angle on Grips
Whenever I hear someone refer to revolver and autoloader handgun grips as “handles” I want to beat them with the stick end of a broom. I am fairly convinced that the “handle” reference is the work of an arrogant little boy, who has intruded into a world he doesn’t understand, […] [Read More]
Browning's Semi-Auto .22 Rimfire
I’ve always been a fan of Dante. For those unfamiliar, basically he wrote an epic poem in three sections: the Inferno, Purgatorio and Paradiso that described the current U.S. House of Representatives, the U.S. Senate and the Executive Branch under Harry Truman. What does this have to do with the […] [Read More]
Henry's Big Boy Steel Carbine Part II
The combination of short barrel, lever action carbine and the 45 Colt cartridge suggests the use of metallic sights; limited woodland visibility, 102 yard point blank range, the trajectory of a softball, and a relatively soft landing beyond a hundred yards. So why the Leupold scope? 225 grain Standard Pressure […] [Read More]
Henry's Big Boy Steel Carbine
There are a number of firearm companies that play on the reputation of historical firearms when there is no association of substance; Springfield Armory with its reference to a long defunct government facility, Kahr Arms with the use of the Thompson and Auto Ordinance names, and the manufacturer of the […] [Read More]
S&W's Model 57 Classic 41 Magnum Part 2
The S&W Model 57 41 Magnum is a soft shooting revolver. A hand filling N frame, it weighs 48 ounces, but its good balance causes it not to feel heavy. Even with hefty hunting loads, recoil and muzzle rise are about the same as a light/ medium frame 357 Magnum… […] [Read More]
S&W's Model 57 Classic 41 Magnum Part 1
Firearm selection for Real Guns pages is predicated on what gets or holds my personal attention; firearm, cartridge, handloading, shop projects, etc. Why not? I have no idea what you folks like and after 20 some odd years of writing, if there is nothing to pique my curiosity or contribute […] [Read More]
Smith & Wesson's Model 69 Part II
After writing Part I, some time was spent handling and shooting the S&W Model 69 44 Magnum until its applications became obvious. In the end, I decided it was much like the compact Ruger GP 100 357 Magnum revolver I carry with frequency, but with significantly more power. Drafting load […] [Read More]