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Semi-automatics, like all firearms other than machine guns, fire one shot when the trigger is pulled, and they reload themselves after each shot. They were introduced in the 1880s and account for about 15 percent of the 250+ million firearms in the United States. Of new firearms sold in the United States during the last 20 years, semi-automatics account for about 75 percent of handguns, and a significant share of rifles and shotguns. In the mid-1980s, anti-gun groups invented the term “assault weapon” and applied it to semi-automatic firearms that look like modern, fully-automatic military rifles, hoping to trick the...

One Vietnam veteran, an old retired colonel, once said this to me: “Most of the people in our society are sheep. They are kind, gentle, productive creatures who can only hurt one another by accident.” This is true. Remember, the murder rate is six per 100,000 per year, and the aggravated assault rate is four per 1,000 per year. What this means is that the vast majority of Americans are not inclined to hurt one another. Some estimates say that two million Americans are victims of violent crimes every year, a tragic, staggering number, perhaps an all-time record rate of...

Since we posted some great looking firearms, I thought it would be fun to post some of the ugliest guns in history. That's my opinion, of course. Post some of the ones you think just didn't make the grade in the looks department.

So, I'm surfing around tonight and I found this page which will be of interest to all shooters. The bio of Ad Topperwein, who in 1907, set a record for shooting that stands to this day. Enjoy this snippet from a VERY LONG article. I would strongly suggest reading the whole article at the link. ..... snip ..... Finally in San Antonio, on December 13, 1907, at 9:00 o'clock in the morning, Topps was ready to make good the boast he had made nearly fifteen years earlier. His preparations were painstaking. He had hired three young husky  boys to toss...

Free Republic Gun Club – Tuesday – RIMFIRES!!!! We all have at least one, and in some cases more than three or four. My better half enjoys a lot of her 22’s when we go to the range and each has it’s own favorite ammo for accuracy. Her latest acquisition, is a J. Stevens Favorite with a factory tang mounted peep-sight with nail driving accuracy using standard velocity ammo. This is representative of the rifle.We also have the highly popular Ruger 10/22, and I am sure we will hear about that one from some of you.For handgunning and as a...

As promised, movie guns and I might as well add television firearms. From Quigley, Down Under to Romeo and Juliet[!]. Who had the most recognizable firearm in the media? Who bought a gun just because it was in a movie? Which gun outshined the stars?

I was going to have another topic today but since Palin is McCain's running mate, I thought we would be too busy discussing that.

Free Republic Gun Club – Tuesday – Pocket Pistols!!!!!! Morning. Today’s FRGC article is about those misunderstood, mouse guns. The smallish pocket 22’s, 25’s, 32’s, 380’s. I will limit the discussion around these calibers and to the revolver/autos available, simply because once you get outside this range you get into larger, holster-necessary type of firearms. I am also not dismissing the derringer type of weapons, but that is another category entirely. The mouse guns have a good/bad history. Generally, of the smaller calibers, they have the drawback of effectiveness or lack thereof. I carry a pocket pistol in a variety...

My favorite firearms quotes are brief and to the point. Clint Smith had a good one when he said,"Some people need to be shot." But Thomas Jefferson expressed himself perfectly to me. He said, "One loves to possess arms . . ." What are your favorite Second Amendment or self defense quotes?

In 1934, the federal government began its foray into the world of civilian firearms control with the National Firearms Act. This law taxed the transfer of automatic weapons, silencers, rifles and shotguns with short barrels or short overall lengths, and a few other types of guns. Most people think that this and the 1968 Gun Control Act are the pillars of federal gun legislation. In 1937, congress passed another bill called the Federal Firearms Act. This is the law that created the Federal Firearms License; the FFL. It existed for decades before the 1968 Gun Control Act. During hearings for...

It was adopted in 1911 and is probably the longest serving military weapon ever devised. Although the English Webley revolver lasted a few more years of continous service, the Colt 1911A1 was shelved, then returned to service. Some folks just like the caliber, others love the pistol. It was adopted because.38 caliber revolvers failed to stop the Mauro Tribesmen in the Phillippine Insurrection. .30 caliber Krag - Jorgenson rifles also failed to stop the Mauros, most likely because they ate opium, but the United States decided to standardize a larger caliber. They first took up the Colt Model 1911 designed...

When most of us think of a house gun, we think of a gun that sits in the house. I like the ones that cost as much as a house. So far, the best collection I've seen is at DeWing's in West Palm Beach, Florida. I was driving around the city and I saw a sign that said, "Gun Store." Well, I've got to go in there.DeWing's Here's a nice Boss 28/410 gauge set. Only $370,000.00. This David Brown 28 gauge is only $85,000.00, if you prefer a condo gun. Beretta has a gallery in New York City, and another...

Single Action Shooting Society I keep meeting shooters who haven't heard of this organization. SASS is the Single Action Shooting Society. Although I'm not a member, of all the organized shooting events I've attended, these guys had the most fun.The Single Action Shooting Society is an international organization created to preserve and promote the sport of Cowboy Action Shooting™. SASS endorses regional matches conducted by affiliated clubs, stages END of TRAIL The World Championship of Cowboy Action Shooting, promulgates rules and procedures to ensure safety and consistency in Cowboy Action Shooting matches, and seeks to protect its members' 2nd Amendment...

Here's a little retro firearms prognostication for Monday. Click Guns of the Future under the Military bookmark to get to the page. The author, Lt. Colonel Robert B. Rigg, got a lot of it right. He wrote about sound guns, ray guns, and baby missile launchers. Okay, no ray guns as yet, and the baby missile launcher existed in World War II, but he also predicted individual night vision. He included the Armalite AR-10, which, of course, morphed into the M-16 rifle and M-4 carbine. The AR-10 in the illustration is a flat top, A-3 type. The M1 Carbine in...

What are you packing today? Let's see them.Today, I am carrying a Kahr PM9 in 9mm in a Galco Summer Special with a 6 round reload.This set up is light, wholly concealable and easy to wear all day. The caliber is more than adequate for defensive purposes. Using the 124 gr Hyda-Shoks it is accurate and reliable. JOIN THE FR GUN CLUB PING LIST HERE!!!

Before the invention of the ubiquitous Ruger 10/22, pretty much everyone who knew how to shoot was familiar with the bolt action .22 Long Rifle. They were single shots with peep sights and they were stupid accurate. A bored rangemaster told each gang of mini GI Joes about the features of the rifles we were going to use. As he described each part of the action, we thought, ‘Well, duh . . .” Something that simple wasn’t simple to invent. The modern bolt action began in 1827, with a patent for a breech loading "needle gun" by Johann Dreyse. A...

Posted on Tuesday, May 24, 2005 12:09:16 PM by Jack Black Among the many excellent handguns available perhaps none is so beloved by so many as the classic Smith & Wesson N-Frame. The N-Frame is the biggest traditional frame size available in a Smith & Wesson handgun. It dates back to early in the last century when it was offered as a military and police pistol in various guises, including the legendary Triple Lock. Originally offered in .38 Special and other old-school calibers it began its rise to flagship and icon with the introduction of the .357 magnum. One can...

A friend sent me a link to this site and I liked what I saw. The site is dedicated primarily to female shooters, but the articles are well written and worthy of anyone's time. Kathy Jackson deals primarily with new shooters and people new to the idea that they might one day have to use deadly force to protect themself or their family. Although I've been around this stuff for a long time, I read many of the articles and even found a couple of things I didn't know on some of the n00b pages. It's definitely worth your time....

Free Republic Gun Club – Thursday Edition – Sturmgewehr They are called “Black Guns”. They have been maligned since they have become a mainstay of the gun culture. They have had bans, parts restrictions, and some of the most advanced have been forbidden from import into this country. They have been given the name to make them sound evil, to make them sound more deadly than other weapons.They are called ‘Assault Rifles’The very first, the MP44, named Sturmgewehr by Hitler, fired an intermediate cartridge based on the 8mm Mauser. Some say the AK and Kalishnikov used the MP44 as it’s...

Wednesday Edition By Manly Warrior; NRA certified Rifle and Pistol Instructor, MO CCW Instructor, Avid NRA HP Competitor, Army Combat Infantryman and Engineer officer (retired). While many of us use firearms frequently and have learned (sometimes the hard way) to deliberately review our weapons safety/handling procedures each and every time we handle firearms, many firearms owners and particularly handgun owners, do not live so close to their weapons. In this article, I will attempt to review the basic rules of firearms safety, using the NRA rules as a basis as well as reviewing the basic steps in gun handling. For...