Shooting History

More than 140 years after the Colt SAA was invented, Uberti decided it was high time to change the rules and engineered a solution to the historic problem of having to “safely” carry a Single Action with the hammer resting on an empty chamber.

Obviously, these are success stories the likes of which have changed firearms history. However, for every success story, there are dozens of ideas that didn’t make it. Even the vaunted Smith & Wesson was not immune from the pitfalls of 19th Century firearms design. Case in point: the Model 320 revolving rifle.

The world’s most expensive rifle–setting the record at auction for $1.265 million–is a lever-action Winchester, with a blued and case-hardened finish, engraved only with “Albee to Lawton.”

The Thompson. This is an epic and storied gun. So how does it handle on the range? Exceptionally well. In a world of high-speed black rifles, it is a privileged to take a Thompson to the range. And Auto-Ordnance, celebrating the 100th year of the Thompson, is giving this one away (along with a matched 1911A1). Read our review and enter to win.

With news that American Tactical Imports is bringing in a new 9mm MP40, we thought we’d step back and look at the original. This German submachine gun is more than the weapon of our enemy–it is the building block for much of what we shoot today. Read our live-fire review of the 70 year old icon.

GunsAmerica Shooting History takes a look at the classic FN made Baby Browning. This is a very well made little mouse gun that was an update of the Colt Vest Pocket. How well does this .25 stack up, and is it a viable gun for concealed carry?

Like most Colt Automatic Pistols, John Browning had a hand in the design of the Woodsman. I say he had a hand in it because this one was not designed by him alone. Still, nothing runs like an old Colt.

Yep, Winchester made a 1911. But it is not the 1911 you are looking for. This is the 1911 SL. The SL stands for self loading. This 1911 is a shotgun. Unlike the other 1911, this one was not designed by John Browning but he influenced the design in an interesting way.

So this gun is not exactly old. But Ruger stopped making them in 1973 and they have become more and more collectable and valuable. The name 3 Screw is in reference to the 3 Screws on the side of the frame. The new models have 2 pins. If you are fan of the single action revolver and have never shot one of these you owe it to yourself to do so. In my opinion, they are just about the best production single action revolvers ever made. Bear with me while I attempt to back that statement up!