The .300 Holland & Holland Magnum
Introduction: The Dawn of the Belted Cartridge Case The story of the .300 Holland & Holland Magnum traces all the way back to 1905 when British rifle-maker Holland & Holland wanted to make .375″ caliber magazine…
Valmet Model 412 Combination Gun and Double Rifle
Introduction: The All in One Gun A double rifle can be a very flexible hunting arm, especially if it comes with additional shotgun barrels and/or combination rifle/shotgun barrels: and the Valmet 412 series were one of…
Stutz Model BB Four-Passenger Speedster
The Car That Made Good in a Day: Stutz Beginnings Harry Clayton Stutz had a business called Stutz Auto Parts Co. but, like so many young men, he wanted to move from making auto parts for…
Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing Coupé
Background: A Nation in Recovery In the wake of the Second World War, following on as it did from the Great Depression and the First World War, ordinary people were still trying to build a new…
Chapelon’s 242A1: France’s Greatest Steam Locomotive
Introduction: Science or Politics? In the rush to “modernize” their rail system the French, like most governments in the world, were not just interested in obtaining more efficiency or more speed for their rail network. Appearances…
Australian Smith & Wesson No.3 Revolver
Introduction The Smith & Wesson No. 3 revolver became one of the most well traveled revolvers to spring from the United States. These revolvers were among the first cartridge revolvers made, Smith & Wesson having patented…
Guncrafter Industries and the .50GI
A Tale of a Practical King Once upon a time, in a land far far away, a land called Montenegro, there lived a wise king who ordered that all the men of his nation must be…
The Falling Block Double Rifle
Introduction: The Break-Action Double Rifle The double barrel action has long been established as a shotgun action, ideal for providing an effortless second shot, and able to be made as an elegant looking, and instinctive handling…
The Tea and Sugar: the Nullarbor Plain Supply Train
The “Land of Oz” and a Plethora of Rail Gauges There’s a song that says the “Land of Oz is a very funny place…” and some people like to call Australia the “Land of Oz”. Its…
Gar Wood 22′ Triple Cockpit Runabout
Introduction: An Odd Beginning The story of the Gar Wood mahogany runabout speed boats begins, oddly enough, with ferry boat racing on Lake Osakis in Minnesota and coal dump trucks. Born in 1880 Garfield Arthur Wood…