Walther Olympia Pistol
Introduction and Background Back when I was involved in education I came to the opinion that all secondary school students should learn and practice the Olympic Modern Pentathlon: not the one that is currently performed at…
Prinz No. 1 Single Shot Rifle
Introduction: Naval Guns Were Single-Shots I wonder if you’ve ever considered that the artillery and naval guns of the First and Second World Wars were single shots? Most artillery guns probably still are. My own father…
Nash-Healey Le Mans Coupé
British sports car designer Donald Healey was active in motor sport and working to build up his small specialist business with a view to becoming a major sports car maker. As it turned out his sports…
The Mauser M98 Current Production
Introduction Back in 2009, when Mauser announced that they were going to put the classic Model of 1898 back into production, you could hear sporting rifle aficionados all over the globe singing “Halleluyah”. Not the miserable…
Bentley 4¼-Litre ‘Woodie’ Shooting Brake
I’m a bit of a wood aficionado, there’s nothing quite like a genuine wood dashboard in a car, or a walnut stock on a rifle or shotgun, or a “mahogany runabout” boat. Good wood typically has…
No. 1 Engraved Winchester Model 1886 Express Rifle
Introduction Its not often you get to handle a rifle that is worth as much as a house, it happened to me exactly once, and the rifle concerned once belonged to a royal family. The rifle’s…
The Winchester Model 70, Pre-64 to Current Production
Introduction: The Winchester Model 70, an American Icon The Winchester Model 70 was, and still is, a different rifle for different people. For some it represents one of, if not the greatest American rifles ever created…
United Defense M42 Sub-Machine Gun
The United Defense M42 sub-machine gun has a moderately complicated history, a history rather more convoluted than its original creators, High Standard, had intended. The M42 was originally created as a replacement for the Thompson sub-machine…
Verney-Carron Speedline “Stop & Go” Rifle
Introduction: So What Kind of Rifle Is This? Verney-Carron are famous for their superb double rifles which feature an innovative double under-locking system that obviates the need for a top extension, and thus leaves the breech…
Holland & Holland 500/465 Nitro Express Double Rifle
The British have a bit of a long and unhappy history of banning things to “solve” problems and the 500/465 Nitro Express was the result of just such a ban. In 1905 the British Government banned…