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Top 10 Infantry Rifles of All Time by AMERICAN RIFLEMAN STAFF

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Because soldiers in general and infantrymen in particular operate as part of a combined-arms army, where armor, artillery and aircraft contribute so much to the outcome of a battle, it would be hyperbole to say that a rifle won a war or changed the outcome of a battle. And while effective small arms of all types are essential, their effect on the battlefield is hard to quantify. They are, nonetheless, essential to victory primarily because combat is, above all, a test of wills, and ineffective small arms spread defeatism like rats spread the plague.

How can you close with the enemy if you are afraid your rifle will not work at the critical moment? Better to just stay in your hole. Why shoot at the attacking enemy when you know you can’t hit anything with your rifle? Better to just run away. Soldiers that are confident in the performance of their rifles are more energetic on the attack and more resilient in defense.

Given that, the effectiveness of infantry rifles is a slippery question and rating one against the other is certainly a subjective one. Our choices are based on a number of factors; innovation, effectiveness, service life, impact on history and small-arms development. These are the choices of our editors, no doubt you have your own, perhaps better choices. We don’t expect it to be definitive and hope only to spark debate and interest among our readers.

Omissions from the list will no doubt provoke the most questions, so I will try to explain the absence of some of your, and our, favorites. Some innovative wonder guns like the Stoner 63 and the FG42 were dropped because of their limited service history.

One of our personal favorites, the M14, was dropped because we decided that when two comparable contemporary guns were on the list, like the M14 and the FN FAL, the tie had to go to the gun with the greater historical impact and longer service life, rather than the gun we liked best. Even if, when all is said and done, some of us would rather go into harm’s way with the M14.

The M1 carbine and the Brown Bess were dropped from consideration because they were not rifles. The M1 carbine is more of a personal defense weapon or sidearm and not a proper rifle. If you don’t like that answer, take it up with Gen. James Gavin. The Brown Bess was an even tougher call. It is historically significant—a tool of empire and an infantry shoulder arm of transformation as well. Armies dropped swords, pikes and other pole arms as primary weapons only after development of the flintlock. But we were hemmed in by our own criteria. It is not a rifle, but rather a smoothbore musket.

Among the top 10 infantry rifles, the top five choices were clear: The only debate was about the order in which they were placed. Votes for the bottom five were all over the place, and I fear that they reflect our prejudices more than anything else.

Had we opened up the list to other shoulder-fired small arms, the voting might have become even more chaotic. How do you compare a BAR to an MP40 or a trench shotgun? As far as I am concerned, when that debate starts, it’s time to put cotton in your ears and go to bed.

No. 10: The Henry Rifle

The lever-action Henry rifle, by all measures, was a commercial failure. During its seven-year production run only 14,000 were made, and the U.S. Government purchased only 1,700 Henrys during the Civil War. This is hardly a ringing endorsement when tens of thousands of other rifles saw far greater service in the hands of the infantry. Yet it is on this list and for good reason.

This 9-pound repeating rifle changed history in many ways during its short but storied lifespan. It was the invention of Benjamin Tyler Henry and patented in October 1860 and was the first “successful” breechloading, repeating rifle that fired a self-contained metallic cartridge. Most importantly—and a reason it is on this list—is that it is considered the first Winchester and it is responsible for all those that followed bearing that venerable name to this very day.

This 16-round “horizontal shot tower” was also known as the rifle “you can load on Sunday and shoot all week.” It introduced the self-contained metallic .44 rimfire cartridge to the world and provided the owner of the New Haven Repeating Arms Company, Oliver Winchester, with a basis to build his manufacturing empire.

Of all the guns in the collection of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., (more than 7,000) only one has had the honor of receiving a solid gold National Treasure medal from the NRA’s Gun Collectors Committee, and that is Henry Repeating rifle serial number 6, a presentation piece to President Abraham Lincoln.

Of the rifles examined here, each possesses numerous qualities that earned it a spot on this list. It is not enough for a rifle to have graceful lines and a positive locking lug system, each of these rifles was not only found to be superior at the time it was made, but also served to inspire innovation and further development in the field of technology.—Philip Schreier


No. 9: Dreyse Model 1841 “Needle Gun”

Invented by Johann Nikolaus Von Dreyse in an era when many nations still relied on muzzleloading smoothbores, the “needle rifle” made several technological leaps at once when it was adopted by Prussia as the Zundnadel Infantrie Gewehr Modell 1841.

It was the first widely adopted rifled, breechloading, military turn-bolt long arm chambered for a self-contained cartridge. The bullet, with its priming compound and blackpowder charge behind it, was encased in a paper cylinder called a Treibspeigel. The rifle fired a .608-inch bullet, and the Treibspeigel measured .638 inches and acted as a paper patch over the .535-inch conical bullet.

When the trigger was pulled, the firing “needle”—a long thin pin or striker—pieced the back of the paper and drove through the powder charge to set off the priming compound. Before the bolt could be opened, its thumb piece had to be moved rearward. The bolt was then rotated up and drawn to the rear, the cartridge inserted and the bolt closed. The needle still needed to be manually cocked by pressing the thumb piece forward before the rifle could fire. Like all early breechloaders, there were issues with gas leakage.

The Dreyse gave the Prussians a decided technological and tactical superiority during the Second Schleswig War against Denmark in 1864 and the Seven Weeks War against Austria, and it played a crucial battlefield role in German unification. The Dreyse—although by then inferior to the French Chassepot Modele 1866—was used during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-1871.—Mark A. Keefe, IV


No. 8: FN FAL

The Belgian battle rifle designed by Fabrique Nationale’s Dieudonne Saive and Ernst Vervier, the Fusil Automatique Leger (Light Automatic Rifle), came to dominate the non-communist world in the opening decades of the Cold War. It employed 20- or 30-round detachable box magazines and was initially designed around the .280 cartridge adopted by the British for the bullpup EM-2 rifle.

With NATO’s adoption of the American-designed T65 cartridge, it was then redesigned for the then-brand new 7.62 NATO cartridge. The FAL had excellent ergonomics for a full-size “battle rifle” and a rear-locking tilting bolt and carrier system. The gas-operated FAL employed a robust piston, had an adjustable gas regulator and was capable of selective fire.

Adopted by 66 counties ranging from Abu Dhabi to Venezuela and produced by Fabrique Nationale in Belgium and under license in seven other countries, the FAL came to be called the “free world’s right arm.”

Firearm historian, author and publisher R. Blake Stevens, said it was “The right gun at the right time, and it had to work well. And it did.” More so than other rifles on this list, the FN FAL was a creature of its time. “It was a good gun to start with and available to ministries of defense when they needed a new rifle,” said Stevens, “so it built up a head of steam.”

More than 1.5 million FN FAL rifles, carbines and light machine guns were produced between 1953 and 1980 in both “metric” and “inch” patterns. Thankfully, it never served in a world war but acquitted itself well on both sides in the Falklands and in innumerable smaller conflicts.—Mark A. Keefe, IV


No. 7: StG44

MP43, MP44 and StG44 were different names for what was essentially the same rifle, albeit with minor changes. The gun’s numerous names were the result of the German army’s need to keep the guns a secret from Hitler who was opposed it development.

While the StG44 had less range and power than the more powerful infantry rifles of the day, exposure to masses of Soviet troops armed with PPsh 41 submachine guns forced German commanders to reconsider the adequacy of the standard Kar 98k rifle and begin development of a fully automatic service carbine.

Pre-war studies had shown that most combat engagements occurred at less than 300 meters with the majority within 200 meters, but most of the full-power rifle cartridges were developed prior to the Great War when military theorists expected masses of infantrymen to engage each other in long-range volley fire.

Consequently these rounds had more power than most soldiers could use and far more recoil than necessary. German military researchers proposed the adoption of an intermediate cartridge that would provide the controllable firepower of a submachine gun at close quarters with the accuracy and power of a Karabiner 98k bolt-action rifle at intermediate ranges.

In 1943, 10,000 of the selective-fire rifles chambered for the new 7.92 mm Kurtz round were quickly shipped to the Eastern Front, where their tactical potential was immediately evident. More than once that winter, German troops fought their way out of encirclement with the aid of the new rifle.

The guns were surprisingly accurate, even on full-automatic. The StG44 was made for rapid production, and 500,000 were made in the last year of the war. It was the first arm of its class, and the concept had a major impact on modern infantry small arms development.—Glenn M. Gilbert


No. 6: Lee-Enfield

Based on a bolt and magazine system designed by American inventor James Paris Lee, the Lee-Enfield family of rifles began in 1888 with the .303 “Magazine Lee-Metford Rifle Mk I.” Seven year later, sharper five-groove Enfield rifling was substituted for Metford rifling, thus the “Lee-Enfield.”

In 1903, a 25.2-inch barreled “Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield” was adopted for both cavalry and infantry. In its variations or marks, the Mk III and Mk III* being the most common, and total SMLE (renamed the No. 1 rifle in 1926) production is estimated at more than 5 million rifles.

The Lee-Enfield has dual-opposed locking lugs toward the rear center of the bolt body and a separate, detachable bolt head. The action cocks on closing, has a short length of bolt travel and a 60-degree bolt throw.

It is one of the smoothest bolt-action rifles ever made, and proved utterly reliable in even the most horrible combat conditions. Fed by five-round stripper clips, the SMLE had a detachable, double-column, 10-round-capacity box magazine. During World War I, highly trained British riflemen fired their Lee-Enfields so rapidly the Germans believed they were facing machine guns.

A new rifle with manufacturing improvements and an aperture rear sight was developed in 1931 but not adopted as the “Rifle No. 4, Mk I” until 1939. Changes were made to the receiver, bolt, stock, sights, barrel, nose cap and bayonet.

The No. 4s were produced in Great Britain, the United States and Canada. In sum, more than 4 million No. 4s were made. Lee-Enfields in 7.62×51 mm served well into the 1980s, and more than 9 million guns were produced in total. —Mark A. Keefe, IV


No. 5: British Pattern 1853 Enfield Rifle-Musket

The Pattern of 1853 rifle-musket stands clearly above all others during its period of use. During its heyday, 1854-1865, it was considered by most of the Western world to be the superior rifle of its day. It was .577-cal. firing a 530-grain bullet and weighed just slightly under 9 pounds. As a rifle-musket, it combined the speed of loading of a smoothbore musket with the accuracy of a rifle.

In British hands it saw its greatest use during the Crimean War (1854-1856), but it is better known to Americans as the “Confederate Springfield.” More than 300,000 were imported by the Confederate States of America during Civil War (1861-1865), and an additional 400,000 were imported by the Union during the same period.

It became a favorite of both sides. Its rugged reliability and accuracy helped it account for more than its share of the 650,000 casualties suffered during the war. It was the last and best of the percussion muzzleloaders to become a standard service arm for a major military force. The era of the breechloading, self-contained cartridge dawned and rendered it obsolete some scant 11 years after its adoption.

Many might argue that the Springfield Model of 1855 or 1861 was as good—if not better than the Pattern 1853, But the Enfield makes this list because it introduced the American Method of Manufacturing to Europe.

During the Crimean War, the Robbins & Lawrence Company of Windsor, Vt., accepted a contract to supply Pattern 1853 rifles to the British. The machinery produced the Pattern 1853 with completely identical parts. When it arrived in the England in 1856, Enfield Lock became the first factory in Europe to produce anything on the interchangeable parts method of manufacturing, fueling the industrial revolution. —Philip Schreier


No. 4: U.S. M16

The M16 was the product of an effort to bring features and capabilities of the infantry rifle in line with the realities of modern combat. Chambered in 5.56 NATO, the M16 is a small-caliber, select-fire rifle fed from a detachable box magazine.

Its rotating bolt and cylindrical bolt carrier were derived from the M1941 Johnson rifle, while its system of gas operation was inspired by the Swedish M42 Ljungmann rifle. The M16’s aluminum receiver, composite plastic stock and handguards, and direct impingement gas system made the gun very light.—just 6.5 pounds.

In 1964, the U.S. Army adopted the M16 for overseas service. Shortly afterward, the U.S. Army and Marine Corps fielded large numbers of XM16E1 rifles in Vietnam. Standardized as the M16A1 in 1967, it remained the primary infantry rifle of the U.S. military until the early 1980s, when it was gradually withdrawn in favor of the M16A2.

By the middle of the 1970s, other NATO armies were also looking at 5.56 mm service rifles and light machine guns. Starting in 1977, NATO conducted a number of performance tests on a variety of small-caliber projectiles and cartridges.

In 1982, the U.S. Marine Corps adopted the heavier 62-grain NATO along with the longer-range M16A2 rifle. The M16 is ubiquitous, it is the most commonly manufactured 5.56 NATO rifle in the world.—Glenn M. Gilbert


No. 3: Mauser 98

Germany’s Paul Mauser struggled for years to develop a bolt-action repeater, working his way through several earlier variants, and was even rejected by the German Rifle Testing Commission.

Mauser didn’t miss a beat, and he continued to make improvements on his Model 1871. He secured several patents in 1889 that were incorporated into a Belgian military rifle. It was his first successful smokeless-powder gun and his first with dual, horizontally opposed front locking lugs.

In the half-dozen years that followed, Mauser improved the 1889 with his famous non-rotating claw extractor, a staggered-column magazine, a three-position safety and a bolt sleeve gas flange. The German army adopted his design with all the above improvements on April 5, 1898.

The Model 98 has proven to be so sound in design that nearly every major military or sporting bolt-action since that time has been largely an improved version of it. Even the U.S. Springfield Armory, when tasked with developing our country’s own combat bolt-action, the Model of 1903, chose to improve the Mauser 98.

The Model 98’s gas handling in the event of a ruptured case head or pierced primer, it simplicity of design, its comparatively massive and nearly jam-proof, non-rotating claw extractor, its rather inelegant yet simple and effective safety, and its absolute soldier-proof qualities all combine to make it the best firearm of its type.

And the Model 98 was made with only the best technology of the day. Its receiver was milled from a single drop forging as was its bolt/handle. Many military Mausers and virtually all of the sporters were impeccably finished. Only when the exigencies of wartime demanded did Model 98s begin to leave the Mauserwerks and other German factories in a roughly finished condition.

All of the Model 98’s inherent strengths combined to see it through stellar service in two world wars and later make it the prime candidate for several generations of home gunsmiths and custom gunmakers. Even today, many experts claim there is no better bolt-action rifle than a true Mauser 98.—Brian C. Sheetz


No. 2: The AK-47

Both rudimentary and revolutionary, Mikhail Kalashnikov’s AK-47 is one of the most enduring and ever-present firearm designs today, roughly six decades from its introduction in the late 1940s.

Kalashnikov, having already tinkered with firearm design, took his experience from World War II and developed what would become the most prolific military firearm design in the world, with estimated world-wide production numbers hovering in the 80- to 100-million mark.

It was developed for the 7.62×39 mm, a .30-cal. intermediate cartridge that combined the power of a conventional rifle cartridge with the rate of fire and controllability of a submachine gun.

The gas-operated, detachable box magazine-fed AK-47 is simple, straightforward and basic—almost to the point of fault from a Western mindset. The AK is extremely easy to learn to operate as well as exceedingly reliable under adverse conditions.

This simplicity also extends to its design and manufacture, with the first version and subsequent AKM variants featuring a lightweight, stamped steel receiver that made the rifle both cheaper and easier to manufacture—no doubt contributing to the rifle’s nearly inexhaustible availability in the world today.—Michael O. Humphries


No. 1: The M1 Garand

Designed by Canadian-born John C. Garand, an employee of the U.S. Armory at Springfield, Mass., the M1 Garand is a gas-operated, semi-automatic rifle fed from an eight-round en-bloc clip. At the time of its adoption in 1936, the M1 was truly the most advanced weapon system ever fielded.

It was the first successful design capable of firing a full-power rifle cartridge via semi-automatic operation. As such, it can be argued that the M1 represented the first time America sent its boys to war with the best infantry rifle in the world, as the United States was the only nation to fully arm its troops with a self-loading design. Simply stated, the M1 was without equal on the battlefields of World War II.

By the time Germany and Japan had surrendered in 1945, more than 4 million M1 rifles had been produced by Springfield Armory and the Winchester Repeating Arms Co., and with good reason, for the M1 represented a quantum leap forward in engineering from the venerable old ’03 Springfield.

The semi-automatic design reduced the effects of felt recoil on the shooter, making it possible to train soldiers in less time than ever before. The sights were the best ever put on an American rifle up to that time. The rifle could be disassembled for cleaning and maintenance easily while in the field, a huge advantage over the Springfield.

But most importantly, the M1 had a much higher rate of fire, delivering 50 to 60 shots per minute by the average rifleman, which amounted to three times as much firepower than was possible with the Springfield. While our enemies fielded bolt-action rifles, the M1’s increased firepower simply enabled American soldiers to bring more to the fight.

By the end of the M1’s service life, another 2 million rifles would be produced, a testament to Garand’s genius in creating a rifle that lent itself to a complex, time-consuming manufacturing process. In that regard, the M1 is a shining example of America’s war effort, representing the very best of American manufacturing at its height.

Forged in blood, coveted by friend and foe alike, the M1 won its admiration on many fronts. No less than Gen. Douglas MacArthur said, “The Garand rifle … is one of the greatest contributions to our Armed Forces,” while Gen. George S. Patton boldly declared, “In my opinion, the M1 rifle is the greatest battle implement ever devised.”

To an entire generation of fighting men, John Garand is a hero. Garand, the man who shaped wood and forged steel into their sword; and they, the courageous souls who charged into enemy fire from Normandy to Iwo Jima—their lives in his hands.

It’s John Browning who is most often recognized, deservedly so, as the greatest firearm designer of all time. But in this case, it was John Garand who caught lightning in a bottle and harnessed into an earthbound version of the hammer of Thor, the M1. And it was this, the greatest infantry rifle of all time, that helped change the course of human history.—Chad Adams

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This is the closest I have ever been to a Legendary, Extremely Rare i.e. $$$$$$$$$$ Gun – The Colt Boa!

Colt Set Of Two Boa Revolvers 4 .357 Magnum For Sale at GunAuction.com - 14875903

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Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 Rifle: Accurate, Reliable Classic By Joseph von Benedikt

This classic pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 bolt-action hunting rifle chambered for perhaps the model’s most classic cartridge – .270 Winchester – is a real keeper.

Pre-'64 Winchester Model 70 Rifle: Accurate, Reliable Classic

Joseph’s .270 Winchester Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 was his primary hunting rifle for many years. He restocked it and fitted it with an aftermarket Timney trigger. (Shooting Times photo)

As a teenager, my second foray into the wonderful world of “modern” centerfire rifles was a 1952 Winchester Model 70 in .270 Winchester. It was a simple, standard Sporter version.

During my teens, I trained horses for an old doctor and his wife, and I admired several of the fine vintage guns they owned. When “Doc” passed away, his wife called me and stated firmly, “I don’t believe in giving anything to anybody. Folks never appreciate things they don’t have to pay for, but I’ll sell you a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol for five bucks each.”

That .270 Win. Model 70 became my primary hunting rifle. Over the next several years I took some significant big-game animals with it, including my first branch-antlered bull elk and a bona fide 33-inch main-frame mule deer buck.

Introduced in 1936, Winchester’s Model 70 was—according to enthusiasts—the ultimate refinement of Mauser’s controlled-feed action design. For 27 years it ruled American bolt-action hunting rifle markets and was dubbed the “Rifleman’s Rifle.” Jack O’Connor adopted it as his favorite and helped make it legendary through his articles and books.

In 1964 a massive cost-cutting redesign knocked the Model 70 from its best-of-the-best pedestal and drove it into budget-rifle territory. Push-feed “Model 70s” are better than many allege, but I don’t think they deserve the Model 70 moniker.

Although primarily sporting rifles, the Model 70 was also sometimes built to order for serious long-range competition and won many championships at the National Matches at Camp Perry. It served in limited capacity in the hands of the Marine Corps in World War II and the Vietnam War. Probably the most famous Model 70 in wartime history was Carlos Hathcock’s .30-06 sniper variant. As readers may know, Hathcock was perhaps our greatest sniper of the Vietnam era.

A tremendous selection of chamberings was offered at one time or another, including some pretty obscure cartridges. Size-wise, the Model 70 was adapted for cartridges ranging from the .22 Hornet all the way up to the .470 Capstick. Three action sizes served all: short, standard, and magnum. In general, the rarer the cartridge, the more collectors value the Pre-’64 Model 70.

Configurations ranged from the light Featherweight (with a 22-inch barrel and a sleek, Schnabel-type fore-end) to the heavy, long-barreled Bull Guns designed for the National Matches. Most common were the standard Sporters, with well-proportioned stocks and 24-inch barrels. That’s what my rifle is, except mine now wears a non-original stock.

Many special-order Model 70s were made, and a line of high-end “Super Grade” rifles was offered. These had premium barrels and a nicer grade of wood, and they had “SUPER GRADE” engraved on the floorplate. A small “S” stamped on the barrel’s shank, inside the stock, confirmed that the barreled action was original.

Mechanicals

The Pre-’64 Model 70 has two forward, opposing locking lugs; a massive claw extractor (for controlled-round feed); a mechanical blade-type ejector; and a wing-type three-position safety located on the bolt shroud. Original Model 70 triggers are legendary for reliability, and their open design enables them to shrug off dust and detritus that could jam up most triggers. As good as the original triggers are, I installed an aftermarket Timney trigger with a clean, crisp 2.5-pound pull. It is a very nice trigger indeed.

In all, the Pre-’64 Model 70 is a superbly durable, reliable, smooth action. The currently manufactured “Classic” version of the Model 70 offers most of the same design features as the original Pre-’64s.

Provenance

After purchasing the 1952-vintage Model 70 from Doc’s wife, I shot it for a while with the original 6X Redfield scope. It worked great, and over the years I shot a number of deer with it. Friends borrowed it when they needed to make a difficult shot because it was so accurate.

While working in a gunshop years ago, I happened upon a lovely walnut stock morticed for a Pre-’64 Model 70 action. I inletted it for my rifle, shaped it, stained it, and gave it a handrubbed oil finish. I even checkered it with the best 22 LPI checkering I’ve ever done. Of course, I kept the original stock.

Now, many years later, I’m conflicted. The high-grade walnut stock is beautiful and some of the best woodworking I’ve done, but I’ve become a real stickler for originality. I almost installed the rifle back in its original stock for this report, but I concluded the aftermarket walnut stock is a big part of my history with the rifle, so I kept it on.

Rangetime

Decades ago, when I got really serious about hunting with the Model 70, I replaced its old 6X scope with a new Leupold Vari-X III 3.5-10X 40mm scope with adjustable objective and went to work developing good handloads with 140-grain and 150-grain bullets.

The rifle reliably shot every handload into 1.5 inches or a bit less. I gradually worked up the charge weight, and to my great satisfaction, three-shot groups averaged 0.6 inch. Velocity was nearly 2,940 fps.

With a surprising amount of anticipation, I recently took the rifle to my personal shooting range and ran five factory loads through it, shooting three, three-shot groups for average with each load. As you can see from the chart, my old Winchester Model 70 still shoots well enough for bagging big game.

pre-64-winchester-model-70

Pre-’64 Winchester Model 70 Specs

MANUFACTURER: Winchester Repeating Arms
TYPE: Bolt-action repeater
CALIBER: .270 Winchester
MAGAZINE CAPACITY: 5 rounds
BARREL: 24 in.
OVERALL LENGTH: 44.8 in.
WEIGHT, EMPTY: 9.5 lbs.
STOCK: Walnut
FINISH: Blued barrel and action, oil-finished stock
LENGTH OF PULL: 13.8 in.
SIGHTS: Folding rear, bead front
TRIGGER: Timney, 2.5-lb. pull (as tested)
SAFETY: Three-position wing type

 

 

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HOW THE WINCHESTER MODEL 70 NEARLY MADE LEVER-ACTIONS OBSOLETE By Kurt Martonik

M70Lead5-scaled

The Winchester Model 70 is a legendary rifle. Tough as nails, extremely accurate, and just plain sexy, it kicked off a monumental shift in American hunting culture. As the Model 70 garnered accolades from similarly legendary gunwriters of the day like Jack O’Connor and Elmer Keith, many hunters started leaving their lever guns in the cabinet and hitting the woods with their new bolt guns.

In 1922, Winchester, a company built on lever-actions, realized the time had come to produce a centerfire bolt-action rifle or be left behind. The gunmaker had flirted with centerfire bolt guns in the late 1800s with the Hotchkiss bolt-action rifle chambered in .45-70; it had a tubular magazine in its stock. Winchester also made the Lee Straight-Pull bolt gun for the US Navy chambered in a special .236 caliber round, along with a civilian version.

Winchester produced the centerfire bolt-action Pattern 14 Enfield rifle for the Brits during WWI.

Both proved unpopular and were discontinued by 1900. That same year, Winchester produced its first .22 caliber, single-shot, bolt gun: the Model 1900. More rimfire models followed. The company didn’t make another centerfire bolt-action until it began producing Pattern 14 Lee Enfield Rifles for the British in 1914 during WWI.

Winchester knew bolt guns were about to boom in the civilian market, evidenced by how many battlefield rifles were sporterized after the war, and the gunmaker wasn’t about to be left behind.

The Winchester Model 54

The Model 54 hit the market in 1925, borrowing heavily from the Mauser 98 and Springfield 1903 that American Doughboys became so familiar with in the First World War, and not the British Enfield. With the new rifle design came the classic .270 Winchester cartridge. This became one of the first successful bolt-action rifles built and marketed to civilian hunters.

The Model 54 wasn’t a failure, but it wasn’t an overwhelming success either. A combination of outdated design features and the Great Depression caused a period of slow sales. It did, however, become the testbed for the Winchester Model 70. Innovations and new stock designs intended for the Model 70 were introduced for the 54 first to gauge consumer interest and gather feedback before they were incorporated into the new Model 70 design.

The Model 70 Changed Production Rifle Expectations

The Model 70 was an instant success when it was released in 1936. Although it was very much built around a redesigned Model 54 action, Winchester listened to its customers and made key adjustments accordingly.

One of the most outstanding features of this new rifle was its trigger. It was safe, light, and short, and it had a crisp let-off. But most important, it was adjustable. The Winchester design team had a goal of creating a production match-level rifle, and they succeeded. The company redefined the accuracy people could expect from a relatively affordable hunting rifle.

Many of the big names in the outdoor industry of the day praised the Model 70, like the previously mentioned Jack O’Connor, who claimed it was the best production rifle ever made. Elmer Keith, who was instrumental in developing the rifle, was impressed with its accuracy.

In his famous book Hell, I Was There, Keith writes of the M70: “I put sixteen consecutive shots at 200 measured yards in 1 9/16 inches, center-to-center, for the widest bullet holes.” That’s an impressive grouping, even today.

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Advantages of the Winchester Model 70 Over Hunting Lever Guns in the 1930s

For proper context, we have to consider what the average hunter was shooting when the Model 70 was introduced to fully understand how much the rifle impacted the American hunting rifle scene.

Most hunters carried lever-actions afield, like the Marlin 1893, Savage 99, and Winchester 1894. They did the job and did it well, but they had their limitations. For many hunters, those limitations were eclipsed by the affordability of lever guns. In 1941, a Winchester 94 cost about $35 compared with the Model 70, which retailed at just over $60. (That’s $664 versus $1,138 in 2022 dollars.) This, no doubt, played into the continued popularity of the lever-action rifle among hunters for some time.

The greatest limitation classic lever-actions had was the narrow range of chamberings in which they were offered. Their design restricted them to the lower pressure cartridges like the .32-20, .30-30, and .45-70. It is no secret that these calibers are deadly in the right scenarios, but there was a lot of room for improvement, and their range and velocity are limited.

Another problem with lever guns: They were limited to flat- or round-nosed bullets. Most lever-action designs have tubular magazines, even today.

winchester model 70An example of a Winchester Model 1895 lever-action rifle designed by John M. Browning. Adobe

In such a design, when the gun is loaded, the ammunition is held end to end under spring tension in a metal tube with the tip of one cartridge touching the primer of the cartridge in front of it while the gun is being carried and fired. If the ballistically efficient pointed bullets used by bolt guns were used, just the force of recoil could set off all the ammo in the mag tube in what’s called a chain fire, destroying the gun and possibly parts of the user. This is still a concern today with modern tube-mag lever guns.

The first lever gun to get around this limitation was the John Browning-designed Winchester Model 1895, which utilized an internal box magazine instead of a tube magazine. The action was strong enough for modern ammunition, and the gun could run pointed bullets. It was offered in .30-06 and .30-40 Krag, as well as other calibers, but it was a fairly complex firearm that was expensive to produce.

The rifle was sold in significant quantities to Russia as a battle rifle, but it didn’t really catch on with the US military once the Springfield 1903 bolt gun came along, and it didn’t do much better on the civilian market as a sporting rifle either.

The M1895’s descendant, the Savage Model 99, was released in 1899 and was the first popular lever gun that solved most of the platform’s chambering limitations by using a rotary magazine that accommodated bullets with any shape. Later iterations of the rifle used a detachable box magazine. It remained hugely favored by hunters and was in production until 1998.

Lastly, when the Model 70 was introduced, there were few options for mounting an optic on a lever gun; many of the most popular models were top ejecting. This, in my opinion, is the biggest reason the bolt-action became the most popular hunting rifle platform in America.

Due to these factors, the Model 70 soon became the bolt-action hunting rifle that everyone wanted, including Remington. Before World War II, Remington had two failed attempts at a commercial bolt-action: the Model 30 (a sporting rifle based on the Enfield action) and the Model 720. It wasn’t until 1948, with the introduction of the Model 721 in 1948, that Remington became a serious competitor in the bolt-action rifle market. There is a lot of speculation that Remington saw the success of the Model 70 and decided to use the “7” in its bolt-action model numbers as a way to compete.

RELATED – Where Have All the Side-By-Side Shotguns Gone?

What the Hell Happened in 1964?

If you spend any amount of time looking at Winchester rifles, you will find a definitive line between pre-’64 and post-’64 production models. Both the Winchester M94 and M70 rifles are delineated this way, and the difference for collectors is night and day. So what the hell happened in 1964?

Rising costs of both labor and materials caused Winchester’s management to look for ways to save money in the early 1960s. The company began taking production shortcuts, and a lot of the features that made the Model 70 famous were removed. More than 50 changes were made to the gun’s metalwork alone, making it a completely different rifle but marketed under the same Model 70 label.

Gunwriters who originally made the gun so famous immediately attacked the redesign, and sales plummeted.

The post-’64 Model 70 gets a bad rap from some, but all in all, it’s not a bad rifle. In fact, a lot of parallels can be drawn between it and the Remington Model 700. In my opinion, it would have been much better received if it had been given a new model designation. Many consumers saw this as Winchester trying to keep sales up by riding on the reputation of the old model.

It is not all bad news, though. FN purchased Winchester in 1992 and brought back the pre-’64 style Model 70. The new Winchester Model 70s are every bit as good as the old ones and are widely available.

But the bolt gun didn’t kill the lever gun. Saying the lever-action is obsolete is by no means accurate, as companies like Rossi, Henry, the revived Marlin, and other gunmakers sell a whole lot of them every year. As for its role in modern hunting, it is still a viable and popular option for North American hunters. It is an icon of the American West and a classic in the Eastern deer woods. But there’s simply no arguing that a bolt-action is more versatile in most hunting scenarios.

Categories
California Cops

3 LAPD officers have negligent discharges within days By Tom Knighton (Color me surprised! Grumpy)

ajuprasetyo / Pixabay
I don’t like the phrase “accidental discharge” in most instances. After all, they’re not accidents. They’re generally the result of someone screwing up, which means their negligent discharges, not accidents.

There are exceptions, but they’re not that common.

Then there are those who think that the police are the only ones who really can be trusted with guns, in part because of those negligent discharges, because they’re the only ones with the proper training.

That’s just freaking hilarious.

At least three Los Angeles Police Department officers inadvertently fired their weapons during just one week in late April, the police chief said on Tuesday, May 3.

Two shootings occurred when the officers were inside their apartments, each accidently firing the weapon and sending a round into the unit next door.

The third shooting was at LAPD’s Wilshire Division station on Venice Boulevard. The officer who fired it was handling a coworker’s gun.

“A round was fired in the detective’s squad room,” Chief Michel Moore told the Los Angeles Police Commission. “The round was discharged directly into the floor.”

No one was injured in any of the shootings.

The sudden flurry of unintended shootings drew Moore’s attention and caused concern for some on the commission.

Moore said Deputy Chief Michael Rimkunas of LAPD’s Professional Standards Bureau was conducting an investigation into all three incidents.

Now, understand that even though I don’t believe police walk on water nor are super-trained badasses incapable of screwing up with a firearm, I will acknowledge that this is an anomaly. While officers do have negligent discharges from time to time, the fact that there were three in a single department isn’t common.

It suggests there is a training issue within the LAPD.

However, that’s not necessarily the problem. The officers could have gotten the proper training and still managed to screw it up. A lot of mistakes aren’t the result of insufficient training, but people figuring they know better than their training.

Plus, the LAPD isn’t exactly a small department. At any given time, there are thousands of officers doing something that may potentially cause a negligent discharge. If you look at each occurrence as essentially being random from a statistical point of view, then it stands to reason that sooner or later, you’d see bunches. This might just be one of those bunches.

However, I can’t help but remember things like this when someone tries to tell me I don’t have enough training to carry a firearm with me every day. That may or may not be true, but I do have enough training to keep my snot-slinger away from the bang switch, which seems to put me ahead of at least three LAPD officers right about now.

If they’re not just trusted to carry a weapon, but paid to do so, and are unable to match my own level of training, then I should be free and clear to carry a weapon.

Luckily, I live in a constitutional carry state, so no one can tell me no anyway, which is such a beautiful thing.

Categories
All About Guns Dear Grumpy Advice on Teaching in Today's Classroom

Closeup Look at the Kennedy “Assassination Rifle”

https://youtu.be/KMyzNc62bzk

Categories
All About Guns

The Staccato 2011 Line Of Handguns — Complete Performance

Categories
All About Guns Anti Civil Rights ideas & "Friends" Born again Cynic! Cops

ATF: Gun Shop License Revocations Up a Staggering 500%!? by Lee Williams

Gun Shop Closed

U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- Before the Biden-Harris administration took over the White House, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives usually revoked an average of 40 Federal Firearm Licenses (FFLs) per year. But, in the 11 months since Joe Biden declared war on “rogue gun dealers,” the ATF has revoked 273 FFLs – an increase of more than 500%. However, rather than targeting the true rogues, Biden’s ATF is revoking FFLs for the most minor of paperwork errors, which were never a concern for the ATF until Biden weaponized the agency.

“This has nothing to do with the ATF and everything to do with the DOJ,” said John Clark of FFL Consultants. Clark is a firearm industry expert who said the ATF announced the number of revocations at a recent Firearm Industry Conference.

“The vast majority of the ATF don’t like this any more than the industry does,” he said. “It’s Biden.”

Clark and business partner John Bocker crisscross the country to help gun dealers fight back against Biden’s overreach – a service that is free to all members of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Their mantra is: “Get it right the first time.”

“Our goal is to prevent an incident from occurring,” Bocker has said. “Our goal is prevention – get it right the first time. We are the proactive and preventative arm of the NSSF.”

Nowadays, they’re extremely busy. “I had three revocation hearings last week,” Clark said.

Key to the massive increase in revocations is Biden’s zero-tolerance for willful violations policy, which Clark said relies upon a new definition of willful. If a dealer makes a simple mistake, they can now lose their license, because the new definition of willful states that the dealer knew the law, but willfully chose to violate it anyway – regardless of whether it was an oversight, an error by an employee or a simple paperwork mistake.

“They have twisted negligence into willful,” Clark said. “These are not uncommon errors that we’re seeing. Things happen.”

On paper, Biden’s new policy seems clear:

Absent extraordinary circumstances that would need to be justified to the Director, ATF will seek to revoke the licenses of dealers the first time that they violate federal law by willfully.

  1. Transferring a firearm to a prohibited person
  2. Failing to run a required background check
  3. Falsifying records, such as a firearms transaction form
  4. Failing to respond to an ATF tracing request
  5. Refusing to permit ATF to conduct an inspection in violation of the law

However, Clark and Bocker are seeing these rules pushed far beyond the realm of common sense or fairness, and local gun dealers are paying the price.

For example, the transaction number for a NICS background check requires nine digits. If a gun dealer mistakenly omits a number, their license can be revoked for failing to run a background check. Under the Biden-Harris administration, there is no longer any room for human error.

Similarly, the ATF has started contracting out its trace requests, Clark said. He and Bocker have talked to a dealer whom the ATF accused of not complying with a trace request. They fault, they found, actually belonged to the ATF, which hadn’t updated its records from the contractors. Until this was clarified, the dealer was at risk of losing everything.

Their firm offers a free webinar for gun dealers, which addresses Biden’s policy.

ATF Breaking Federal Law

Biden first announced his zero-tolerance policy for “rogue gun dealers” in June of last year. He claimed these dealers were responsible for skyrocketing violent crime rates in major cities historically controlled by Democrats.

The violence wasn’t caused by weak prosecutors who refuse to hold criminals accountable, or gangs or underfunded police departments or by any combination thereof, he said. It was all the fault of “rogue gun dealers,” who Biden claimed willfully transfer firearms to prohibited persons, and/or refuse to cooperate with a tracing request from the ATF.

To vet Biden’s rogue gun dealer theory, the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project immediately sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the ATF, seeking the following:

Copies of documents that show the number of Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) and their state of residence, who have been prosecuted for willfully transferring a firearm to a prohibited person over the past three years (from June 23, 2018 to June 23, 2021.)

Copies of documents that show the number of Federal Firearms Licensees (FFLs) and their state of residence, who have been prosecuted for ignoring and/or refusing to cooperate with a tracing request from the BATFE, over the past three years (from June 23, 2018 to June 23, 2021.)

(Note: We did not seek the names or other identifiers of any FFL.)

We’re still waiting for a response.

In the 11 months since the FOIA request was filed, the ATF has not complied with the law. The ATF is in a trick-bag of sorts. They can comply with federal law and provide the documents, which will likely reveal that Biden’s rogue gun dealer policy is just a ruse, or they can continue to deny and delay the FOIA request even though their actions violate federal law.

Takeaways

If there is a dealer who transfers firearms to prohibited persons, fails to conduct background checks and ignores requests from the ATF to help trace firearms used in a crime, they should lose their FFL. I don’t know anyone who disagrees with that. However, these are not the type of dealers the ATF is targeting at Biden’s behest. The Biden-Harris administration has ordered the ATF to revoke FFLs for even the most minor of paperwork errors, solely to support its rogue-dealer myth.

There is no doubt Biden will soon hold a press conference touting the effectiveness of his zero-tolerance policy and the hundreds of “rogue gun dealers” whose licenses were revoked as a result. What he won’t mention is that none of the dealers who lost their livelihoods contributed to the skyrocketing violent crime rates of major metros. They were simply law-abiding men and women who made a minor paperwork error, which Biden has now criminalized as part of his ongoing war on our guns.

This story is presented by the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project and wouldn’t be possible without you. Please click here to make a tax-deductible donation to support more pro-gun stories like this.

About Lee Williams

Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer,” is the chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Journalism Project. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.

Lee Williams

Categories
War Well I thought it was funny!

Probably closer to the truth than we think!

Duffel Blog obtains top secret Russian military files

Russia’s military is apparently as leaky as SCOTUS

 

By Task Force Football Bat

Duffel Blog’s team of investigative journalists has obtained a trove of sensitive Russian military documents that contain everything from Russian battle plans to LOL emojis shared between now-deceased generals. These documents shed light on inside conversations at the highest levels of leadership in the country’s military over the course of the past few months.

Our team of translators has analyzed what appears to be the Russian military’s detailed pre-invasion battle plan — briefed to President Putin as he clung for life to a table. Both the original and our translation are below.

 

Our team also obtained more granular orders, apparently issued at the outset of the country’s latest incursion into a sovereign neighbor. One such order, translated below, gives insight into the Russians’ tactical prowess, which the world has feared for decades.

 

Of course, these early plans did not materialize as successfully as Putin and his team of generals had envisioned. Leaked text messages from a few days into the full-scale invasion begin to tell the tale, while also giving an idea of the deep empathy Russian officers have for the troops they lead.

Messages from the same chat roughly six weeks later give a sense of how the conflict has evolved.

With the conflict persisting longer than hoped, Putin and his team are turning to the country’s robust information operations capability, looking to highlight what they see as key threats in Ukraine to both justify their actions and call on the West to halt its support of the Ukrainians as they defend themselves.

An undated press release cuts to the chase in classic Russian fashion.

Duffel Blog is continuing to analyze and giggle at the large number of documents obtained.

Categories
Ammo

Behind the Bullet: .300 Winchester Magnum by PHILIP MASSARO

btb_300_win_mag_f.jpg

In 1963, after Winchester had released its initial trio of belted magnums—the .264, .338 and .458 Magnums, all based on a shortened .375 H&H case—they announced the coming of the .30 caliber version. Most folks anticipated a case of similar dimension and datum line (the distance from base to shoulder) to the .338 Win. Mag. and .264 Win. Mag., just necked to hold a .308” diameter bullet. However, Norma had filled that void a few years prior with their .308 Norma Mag., which is very similar to the .30-338 wildcat. Winchester thought outside the box, and developed a case completely different from the prior three.

The .300 Win. Mag. represented (until the advent of the .30 Nosler) the most potent .30 caliber cartridge one could get, at the standard “long”, or .30-06-length action. Winchester took the .338 case, at 2.500” in length, and extended it 0.12” to 2.620”, while reducing the neck dimension to 0.264”, in order to maximize case capacity. The resulting cartridge was, and is, what I consider to be the finest .30 caliber cartridge ever made.

Yes, the .30-06 Sprg. is an undeniable classic, and probably holds the honor of being the single most popular cartridge among modern hunters. Likewise, the .308 Win. has proven itself as a viable and extremely accurate hunting cartridge, and the .30-30 WCF remains an undeniable player despite its age and a changing market. But, for me, when I think about a .30-caliber cartridge that can do it all and do it well, I think .300 Win. Mag. Being a .30-caliber cartridge is a good thing; there are an unprecedented number of bullet weights and choices, and there really is something for just about any hunting situation shy of Cape buffalo and elephant.

The .300 Win. Mag. will drive a 180-grain bullet to an average of 2,960 fps—sometimes faster—and delivers a trajectory that will make shots within sane hunting ranges completely feasible. It is faster than the benchmark .30-06—generally offering a 150 fps velocity gain—yet it has a recoil level that is manageable by most shooters; definitely less than the larger-cased .30 caliber magnums. Personally, I’ve used bullets weighing between 140 and 220 grains in a number of varying game fields, worldwide.

Dimensionally, some have criticized the .300 Win. for having that short neck—less than one caliber in length—but it has never posed a problem for me. Like the .30-06, you can tailor the bullet for the game at hand, whether it’s a pronghorn antelope or Dall sheep at quite a distance, or a bear at relatively short distances. The .300 Win. may be the optimal elk cartridge, and will cleanly handle moose.

The 180-grain loads are among the most popular for larger game, and most .300 Win. loads will show a preference for bullets of this weight, or very close to it. Most ammunition manufacturers offer good .300 Win. loads, from the Federal Premium loads, to Norma’s fantastic ammo to the Winchester, Hornady and Remington offerings. Many of these loads take full advantage of the premium bullets, and that will only enhance the already great performance of the .300 Win. Bonded-core, monometal, polymer tipped spitzers, round nosed cup-and-core; all are present in the factory loads for the .300 Win.

Personally, I’ve used the .300 Win. Mag. as much, if not more, than any other caliber. I’ve used it for pronghorn antelope on the plains of Wyoming, for caribou in the taiga of Quebec, and for whitetails and black bear in the hardwoods and evergreen forests of the Northeast. I’ve also used the .300 Win. for gemsbok, waterbuck, kudu and other plains game across Africa.

For the reloader, the .300 Win. offers a very versatile cartridge, which is easy to load for. The belt—which was carried over from the Holland & Holland design—really serves no purpose, as the .300 Winchester will headspace off the steep shoulder. You may see some stretching just in front of the belt, and that’s a consideration for any belted magnum case. Use a good Large Rifle Magnum primer and a healthy load of slow burning powder and you’ll see good results. Handloaders can take full advantage of the big .300 case, as you can safely load it down to .308 Winchester velocities, or load it to full-house velocities if you choose.

You’ll see the .300 Win. Mag. in the hands of military snipers and big game hunters alike, with good reason: it is a very accurate cartridge. The case can easily handle the long, sleek bullets that possess the best Ballistic Coefficient for the long range game, and equally handle the heavy, round nose slugs that those who hunt at closer ranges prefer.

The .300 Win. was, undoubtedly, the cartridge that knocked the .300 H&H off the stage, and while I have a special place for the .300 H&H, the .300 Winchester just makes more sense. My own pet .300 Win. is a Model 70 Classic Stainless that has been all over with me; I know it well, it’s very accurate, and I have all kinds of faith in it. The .300 Win. has been the cartridge I’ve reached for most throughout my career, and I don’t think that’s about to change any time soon. The .300 Win. Mag. just plain works.