After WWII, Germany was forced to close all of its firearms manufacturing plants and the company moved from the newly Russian occupied territory to Dachau, Germany, where the company was reestablished in 1949. When the occupation forces gave permission to resume the manufacture of weapons, Erma began to research, develop and produce weapons again. Erma continued to manufacture various weapons, including a .22LR version of the M1 carbine. Unfortunately Erma went bankrupt in 1997, but there are still many of their firearms available to purchase in the used market.

Erma La 22 Parts To Rebuild Your FireArm

In the 1960s, the Luger pistol was still a popular design, so Erma began to produce the EP 22 and the La 22 pistols. The La 22 was made of a light alloy and was the cheaper version of the two pistol designs. The La 22 is a blowback operated pistol and has the look and feel of the original Luger P-08 9mm parabellum pistol, including the toggle action. Though this pistol doesn’t really have much collector’s value at this time, it sure is fun to shoot and .22LR ammunition is cheap! My father purchased this particular La 22 at a flea market when I was a kid. Though we shot it on occasion, it was mostly a “wall hanger”. I have considered rebluing the gun, but since it has looked like it does since I was small, I think that I will preserve it in its present condition for memories’ sake.

When this pistol was passed on to me, I had no idea of how to field strip it for cleaning, but after taking it to the range one day, it was time to find out! Before I began my first disassembly of this pistol, I made the wise choice to put on a pair of safety glasses, as I have sent parts into orbit even when I knew that they were spring loaded.

Sure enough, after taking out the locking bolt and removing the toggle pin, I slowly and curiously began to lift up the toggle to extract the goodies within. With another small upward movement, the firing pin guide rod, the recoil spring and guide rod assembly shot out of the back of the gun and ricocheted off of the center of my safety glasses. I took a brief pause to thank my gunsmithing mentors for the safety wisdom they had instilled in me before executing a linen change and doing the “gunsmith crawl” to find the now missing parts!

I was also thankful that I had both of my eyes to look for the parts. I was only confident that I had found everything that flew out of the gun when I reassembled it and everything was actually working properly. The blue book value of the Erma La 22 ranges from $395 to about $140, so one day I will probably pick another one up for parts or a template for making new parts. Maybe I will be able to afford to buy the original P-08 at some point, but until then I like having a pistol that looks and feels like a real Luger.

That said, here’s what’s going on: I have been practicing at shooting my .45 ACP, my .357 Mag and a little 4” barreled .22LR revolver at 100 yards, using iron sights, nothing special (true enough!) Ask anyone, particularly really experienced shooters and the so-called experts, they’ll tell you that most any handgun is about a 5 to MAYBE a 15 yard proposition. C’mon, handguns are defensive tools only…and I mostly agree.

In truth, I have not used Black Hills ammo exclusively; I have used any .22 ammo that was at hand and usually very cheap stuff. I did have a batch of super-trick .22LR ammo left over from the Olympic Shooting team but it was VERY waxy and I didn’t like it, nor did my guns. It was sub-sonic and crudded up both my 10/22 and my S&W revolver. Besides, I didn’t shoot noticeably better, so I gave most of it away. By the way, Black Hills does NOT make .22LR ammo.

Getting’ back to the Black Hills Ammunition for a minute…I like it and shoot it about as much as I can. The BHA folks must have a smaller advertising budget than the others because until recently (2 years ago) I had never heard of it (Oregon, in Dennis’ neck of the world, must be very remote. Ed.). Since then I have shot a bunch of BHA because it was at hand. I have never met anyone from BHA, but I think I’d like to just to shake their hand! They make the best ammo on the planet, period. At least that is true in the calibers I have tried. I first heard about Black Hills Ammo through a Spec Ops guy. THEY know all about it and use it to great effect when they can get their hands on it.

Consistent Hornady Ammo

In a “previous lifetime”, I was involved in Law Enforcement. I did the Viet Nam thing a coupla’ times too. All told, I have been shootin’ one thing or another for over 50 years and, yeah, I guess that makes me a geezer. My Father was a Gunnery Officer in the Navy during WWII. He didn’t know much about small arms but he spoke fluent “cannon”. What he imparted was attitude and a strong desire to hit what I aim at. I’ll use any “cheat” or unfair advantage I can. Hyper consistent ammo seems to matter. I learned by running a bunch over my Oehler #35P chronograph. Any ammo will deviate some varying number of feet per second (FPS), but Black Hills varies less than most. The good news is that if I am missing to the right, I am CONSISTENTLY to the right and adjustment is easy.

As I write, I have 5 of my grandsons swirling and chasing about the house. Early this morning I promised Grandson #4 (Isaac, age 5) that I would build him a gun for when he’s old enough. I asked him what sort of a gun he’d most like. He thought for a moment and allowed as how he’d like a pistol. “Whatcha’ gonna’ shoot with it?” I asked. He didn’t know. All day long he inquired if I was building his pistol yet. Each time I again asked “Whatcha’ gonna’ shoot with it?” He was nearly exasperated (as 5 year–olds tend to get) and I could tell, he wanted to talk about it, so I explained that I needed to know what he intended to use it for before I could begin building…satisfied that he had a solid answer, he returned to play with his brothers. About 1/2 hour later he returned to my office (in mid-article) and allowed as though he had an answer. He wanted his pistol to shoot FISH! “Big or small ones?” I queried. “BIG ones!”, he immediately fired back So, now I put it to you readers . . . what to do, what to do… This is worrisome as I’m sure you understand. The gravity of a correct answer is weighing on me. What is the correct handgun, caliber, barrel length, and all of the particulars needed? I may be a gunsmith and a builder but I don’t yet have a good answer, so I openly solicit your thoughts. Please send comments, thoughts and ideas to: custom_1911@yahoo.com

In the meantime, I’m going to Joe’s Sporting Goods and look through their ammo pile. I don’t know if I’ll find any Black Hills Ammo there, although I suspect they carry all the bigger name fodder in a dizzying array of calibers. They do a truly superior job of catering to most hunter’s needs but then I like to think my extreme form of target practice calls for extreme quality. The folks at Joe’s are really nice and I have shopped there often. I have overheard their salespeople give advice. I love to eavesdrop on such conversations; you might not believe the “bilge” I have heard salesclerks spew forth, but not at Joe’s. I like the place because they often know more than I do.

My Daughter-in-Law worked there once when she was working on her Masters Degree. Even now that the job at Joe’s is long in the past, she still speaks highly of their in both ethics and knowledge. Ask almost anyone who knows me and they’ll tell you I’m never the most fashionably dressed guy in camp. They know my knives are always sharp and my guns are well oiled but I rarely wear the politically correct rags. I do sometimes salivate when walking down Joe’s isles. They have some appropriately warm duds. Warm and dry has proven to be a big deal this winter. We had record snow.

Speaking of snow, I’m reminded of target practice down at the range. We shoot rain or shine…and when it snows. Shooting pistols in the snow is challenging because when it’s very cold accuracy can suffer with an advanced case of the shivers. If you shoot through bifocals like I do, snowflakes also sometimes obscure the target and ya cain’t shoot between ’em (I’ve tried). More to the truth, I tried to shoot through them, and it was equally ineffective. The secret to success is a large amount of practice using VERY consistent ammunition. Who knows, maybe you do shoot better than I sometimes do. If that’s so, get yourself a gallon jug, and gimme’ a call. I always welcome any thin, flimsy or transparent excuse to get to the range.

Over the past two years or so I have been shooting a lot of handguns at 100 yards. Yeah, I know, I know, but I seem able to hit 3” square targets with ‘em and I taught my assistant to do it as well. She can hit a 3” cardboard milk carton with stunning regularity with her Charles Daly, Model 1911 and Black Hills Ammunition.

One of those tough questions showed up the other day in the form of a Remington Model 11 12 gauge. A neat old gun, but not especially rare or overly valuable, you see them quite often at gun shows and auction sites in good shape for $200.00-$300.00, at least you do around north Louisiana.

This particular example had seen a hard life. The metal was not only well worn, but a bit rusted and pitted. The stock was pretty well beat up also, many good sized dents, checkering worn or scarred, and a set of initials cut into the right side of the forearm.

The owner didn’t know if it worked or not, it had not been shot in years. It was his father’s gun, and since the owner was in his mid 50’s his father had to have been a bit older to match the gun I would guess. What he wanted me to do was to restore the gun as close to original as possible. Can do, but it ain’t going to be cheap, and there’s the rub.

I was certain that you could get a Model 11 in considerably better shape than this one for a lot less than it would take to restore it. My wife saw one with an extra barrel at a garage sale for $275.00 just a couple of weeks ago. It would cost more than that to restore his. That was assuming that there was not anything seriously wrong mechanically.

I explained to the guy that it was very likely that at the very least the recoil buffer was bad or gone and a relief cut would be needed in the back of the receiver to make it safe, thus adding to the cost without even taking the gun apart.

After explaining all that, the owner said he did not care if it worked or not, it would never be shot again. He further explained that it was his father’s, and believed that his grandfather had given it to his father sometime in the forties. Ok, I get the sentimental thing, but still? Does it really have that kind of value? It turns out that it does.

Where To Find Gun Values Online

His father is Boatswains Mate 2nd Class James M. Vise and he served in the Navy between 1950 and 1954. For those of you who remember the “Forgotten War”, that is the time period that our country was involved in one of those “police actions”, which by the way has never officially ended. The Korean War started on June 25th, 1950 and an armistice was eventually signed on July 27th, 1953.

Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Vise went to war in 1951 and did not come back until 1953. As his son Randy explained it to me, servicemen back then were permitted to take along personal firearms. Good thing, since the US was not very prepared to go to war in 1950, and the military could probably have used all the weapons they could get hold of. What I did not understand was what did a bosun’s mate need with a shotgun? Well, it seems that a BAR gunner might have a use for a shotgun to be used as a trenchgun. Makes sense, except for now what is a bosun’s mate doing with a BAR and a Remington Model 11?

Well, according to Randy, it seems that there was a little known stop gap effort to beef up the military ASAP. There were serious shortages in men and material in the standing military. Pretty sad, and if you know the history of our armed forces in that time period, military preparedness was not in the national lexicon.

This particular program available to Navy men was called the Navy Marines. Yes, I know the Marines are part of the Navy, but in this case the Navy was acting like the Marines. Volunteers from the Navy were put through six weeks of Marine training to teach the swabbies to fight on land. These men kept their Navy designations and rank, and were sent to reinforce the ground forces. Thus Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Vise became a BAR gunner, and for a little extra measure of personal defense, carried a Remington Model 11 strapped across his back.

The Korean War was a nasty little war in nasty weather, on nasty terrain, against a particularly nasty and determined enemy. The war deteriorated into a WW I kind of trench warfare by the close of it. Night attacks were common, fighting to gain the next rocky hill, retake the one you just lost, or defend the one you were on. If there were no trenches to occupy on the hill you were on, then dig one. You would need it, because the next swarm of Chinese infantry was not any further away than nighttime. Fighting could be unbelievably fierce once the artillery barrage lifted.

Automatic fire from .50’s,and BAR’s, along with riflemen next to you armed with the venerable M1 Garand, M1 carbines and grenades was all there was to keep you alive and stem the tide. Sometimes the tide got to be a flood and combat got to be close quarters in those dark trenches. Colt 1911’s, bayonets, and an assortment of close quarter weapons, such as a Model 11 with five rounds of military buckshot/slugs then came into play. Boatswains Mate 2nd Class Vise admits to shooting more than a few rounds of that military grade 12 gauge ammo.

Gun values are one thing and have a certain definable market, however, the value of a gun is something else. The value of a Remington Model 11 on a cold winter night with a horde of screaming Chinese soldiers running at you, is, I assure you, considerably greater than market value. This particular Model 11 earned all of its nicks and dents, the worn out metal, the less than “good market value”. Randy wanted the gun to be restored to present to his father on Father’s Day. Randy served in the Navy also, son to father, navyman to navyman recognition of probably a good many things. “It didn’t need to work”, Randy told me, he just wanted it to look respectable. I took the gun in.

It took some effort, but the old soldier is in class A condition. Mechanically it was not in too bad a shape, the recoil buffer was gone as suspected. I could not bring myself to neuter this veteran by removing the firing pin to make it safe. I put it in the mill and cut the relief slot, no charge. I added the Korean service medal inletted into the buttstock in honor of a service recognized and appreciated, at least by some. It is a nice looking piece at this point, I don’t know what it is worth, but I do know that its value is priceless. It stands proudly on display, but make no mistake, it is ready if needed.

My wife and I decided to go to the Winchester Mystery House and Firearms Museum for our 19th year wedding anniversary. This was a good choice because there was something there that both of us would really enjoy. The estate is located in San Jose, California and was designed and built by Sarah Winchester, the heiress to the Winchester Repeating Arms Company, in 1884. The construction lasted for 38 years, until her death. This is a bizarre house, to say the least. There are doors, windows and staircases that lead to dead ends. Sarah was obsessed with the number thirteen, evidenced by the number showing up in many designs found throughout the house. There are 160 rooms, 47 fireplaces, three elevators, two basements and 10,000 windowpanes. After taking a two hour guided tour, I was finally let loose to go explore the firearms museum!

I would recommend this museum to any firearms enthusiast. There are three rooms filled with various models of rifles and handguns that we would all want in our collections. There is also a Winchester Antique Products Museum.

I am a big fan of tools as well as firearms and there are some nice old tools to see that were manufactured by the Winchester Company. During the early part of the twentieth century, Winchester had the largest hardware store chain in the world, with 6,300 Winchester stores that sold their products.

The Best Gun Museum In The World

In the Firearms Museum, you can see the Henry rifle, which preceded the other famous Winchester rifles like the Model 1866 “Yellow Boy” rifle. The famous 1873 rifle, “The gun that won the West,” is in the collection, as well as the many rifle models designed by John M. Browning. There are also many commemorative rifles to be seen, like the Theodore Roosevelt Centennial ’66 and the John Wayne. There is a display called the “Evolution of Firearms” that displays a Matchlock, a Wheel Lock, a Flintlock, a Percussion System firearm, an example of a gun that shoots Metallic Cartridges, a Pinfire Gun and a Repeating Rifle.

There is a wealth of lever action rifles and the famous framed Winchester cartridge display, which can be seen up close. The collection also includes a lot of memorabilia from Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show as well as other plaques and letters from the history of the Winchester Company. There are bolt-action rifles, various repeaters, British Enfield rifles manufactured by Winchester, a Low Wall single shot rifle, a 12 gauge 1897 Trench gun (complete with bayonet), and a Model 39 M1 Rifle – and those are just a few of the beautiful firearms on display.

Long guns are not the only type of firearm in this wonderful collection, as there is also a long display case of various handguns. There are tiny percussion pistols, a Remington- Beal .44 caliber revolver, and a Swedish Nagant Model of 1887 revolver. Various Smith and Wesson, Remington and Hopkins and Allen revolvers can also be studied in detail.

After walking through the Winchester Firearms Museum, you get a true sense of our American heritage. I wonder how other Americans could dispute our Second Amendment Rights as I look at the fine craftsmanship and ingenious designs of our ancestors. These firearms represent the pride and tenacity it has taken to maintain our freedom. These guns are the tools that enabled us to have a United States of America.

The knowledge and memories that I acquired at the Winchester House will be with me forever.

I will retire from commercial gunsmithing this December since I will be 72 years old and I am getting tired of fighting the bureaucratic and political BS since the mid sixties. I will still be an active gunsmith, but just for myself and my family. I do want to pass along some things I have learned the hard way since there was not an AGI there to help. I found most of my help and advice from Hatcher, Pope, Howe, and many others as soon as I could afford the books. The vise insert I will show you here is what has worked for me for these many years. I hope it can work for you and be beneficial to the younger entry level smiths.

Back In the 60’s It Was Tough to Own A Gunsmith Business

I worked as an electronic engineering technician for a business that had a machine shop in their back room. I spent most of my overtime hours there working as a machinist. I worked 95 hours one week and did not come in to work until noon on one day. I made $300.00 that week and had to pay $295.00 to ransom my wife and new son out of the hospital! Only a few people had hospital insurance then and I felt lucky to have $5.00 left. It was still a very satisfied feeling to be able to take care of my family.

The first no mar vise jaws I had were two pieces of pine or what ever I could dig up for my small cheap vise. Sometimes a rag wrapped around the part trying to be held was all I had to work with. Times were lean in the 60’s and a suitable vise was usually not to be had. My father saw what I had to work with so he gave me some thin copper plates in 3 inch by 8 inch strips. I could form them into vise jaw covers that came in handy for many years. I still have a couple of them left and still use them on some parts.

In that shop I managed to find some 1 1/2 inch by 1 1/2 inch aluminum angle scrap which worked very well as non-mar vise jaws. There was one problem with the aluminum angle that I tried to ignore for a long time but I finally just got tired of fooling with it and I finally did something about it. That was the curved inside corner of the aluminum angle that did not fit the vise very well. I had to pull the angle up in the vise far enough to clear the inside radius. Sometimes that distance from the vise jaws to the top of the angle caused some instability with smaller parts but that was all I had to use.

I knew there had to be a better way but I didn’t have the internet as a resource then and the word of mouth grapevine was not as good as it could have been either, for gunsmiths were few and far between. I tried thin, bent aluminum sheet but, due to the poorly defined corners, that was not satisfactory for holding small parts. It was OK for general use but almost any thing non-mar and handy (even pine) was good for general use. Aluminum angle seemed to be what was needed even if I had to spend some rare available machine time to get it done.

The non-mar qualities of the aluminum angle were excellent when used with higher torque requirements. What I needed was the use of a milling machine to take out the curved area on the inside corner of the angle. There were no cheap Chinese machines in those days, and I certainly could not afford American or European machines. I found that I could use an old wood chisel to square away the inside radius on a pair of aluminum angles short enough to work reasonably well with my small vise. I think the angle jaws were 2 1/2 inches long which wasn’t too much work for an old wood chisel.

A milling machine was available in the shop but it was a horizontal Arno made in Italy which usually ended the day with a setup still on it that could not be removed. The mill became available late one Friday night so I stayed late and milled the inside corner out to make a very nice set of non-mar jaws. Since that day two or three pairs of aluminum jaws are always near my bench vise. I managed to acquire a Johnson horizontal bench mill mounted on a cast iron base which had been modified to use some unidentified collets. This has worked well for me the last 25 years, and I have made square corner angles out of round ones several times since I got it.

In the 1960’s there were not a lot of aluminum shapes available to the general public and what there was had to be purchased in 10 to 20 ft lengths. Most average people could not afford to make a purchase of that magnitude. Scrap metals from a machine shop or salvage yard was about the only chance there was. Most shops did like ours, saved their scrap metal and sold it for cash to fund the Christmas party. What parties those could be! Since then there have been many more options available.

The aluminum angle available today and what I use is angle with square corners. That way there is no milling or machining except cutting to length and drilling a hole to keep the pairs wired or chained together. The aluminum can be ordered in a different alloy. Soft or hard alloys can be ordered to suit different applications or even custom jobs when a little machine work is unavoidable to do fine work.

Angle Corner Type
from McMaster-Carr

There is another supply for several types of aluminum angles that work very well but the alloy may a bit hard for some jobs. That supplier will be more convenient for most gunsmiths today. It is most hardware stores and building material stores. They have a rack with aluminum shapes that include some very useable small square corner angles for holding small parts in small vises.

My vise is a heavy duty device that requires a heavy duty non-mar jaw insert. The inserts in the photos show how the work can be held without harm in a large heavy vise using the square corner angles. The setup has been used by me for many years with very satisfactory results. I do hope these ideas will be helpful to new smiths or hobbyists for as many years as it has for me.

I am a left-handed shooter and left eye dominant. As a left handed person, I am part of a mere 10% of the human race. Of course, the other 90% of the population, being right-handed, have a great choice of shooting products engineered for their right-handedness. Let’s face it; lefties live in a right handed world . . . for the most part. Stag Arms, a company located in New Britain, Connecticut, has given us Southpaws an alternative to watching the hot brass fly across our face when we want to shoot an M16 style weapon.

The Stag Model 1L is just one of the models of AR-15 style rifles that the company manufactures. Mark Malkowski, the founder of Stag Arms LLC, chose to focus on the 10% of consumers that are left-handed. The great thing is that all of their rifles and accessories are available in right-handed versions as well. I have had the Stag 15L on my wish list for quite some time. This firearm is all I hoped that it would be. It is reliable, sturdy and fun to shoot!

Over the years, I have watched the Stag Arms name grow in popularity, and gain the confidence of the civilian and law enforcement markets. It is no surprise that the quality of their products are high, as Stag’s parent company, Continental Machine Tool Company, has been making quality parts for this weapons platform for over three decades.

This rifle is truly engineered for the left-handed shooter. The ejection port and cover, the forward assist, the brass deflector (for you right-handers!) and the extractor are all found on the left side of the gun. A left-handed bolt, bolt carrier and barrel extension are also used in this firearm. The Model 1L comes with an ambisafety selector and the magazine release can be ambidextrous as well. Like many of the rifles in the AR-15 platform, the Model 1L is a gas operated semi-automatic weapon, chambered for the 5.56 NATO cartridge (or .223 Remington).

Stag Arms Reviews For A Rifle With A Pistol Grip

The Stag accepts all 10, 20 and 30 round magazines for M16 type rifles. Its 16-inch barrel has a 1/9 twist and is chrome lined. The muzzle end of the firearm has an A2 flash suppressor. The Tactical Buttstock is a 6 position collapsible stock that contains a sling swivel. There are also two sling swivels up by the front sight.

As you might suspect, the Stag rifle also comes with a standard pistol grip. This model is equipped with a removable carry handle that houses a dual aperture rear sight, which is adjustable for both windage and elevation. The standard M16 front post sight is adjustable for elevation. The upper and lower receivers are made of A3 Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum. The carbine’s black finish is only fitting for an “assault rifle”.

The ejection port cover (dust cover) on the left-handed version is designed to flip up to avoid hitting the bolt catch, unlike the right-handed model that flips down. The trigger guard can flip down and out of the way to accommodate gloves that may be worn during the winter seasons. The firearm field strips just like any other from the M16/AR-15 family. The takedown pin and pivot pin pop out smoothly, yet retain the upper receiver to the lower receiver securely.

Like most things in life, when money allows, I would like to get a right-handed upper receiver (Model 2HT) with a free floating forend with picatinny rails for accessories like: optics, lasers, a vertical grip, and a tactical flashlight. This would also allow me to hang with the post apocalyptic crowd who say that, “When you need to rummage for spare parts, you won’t be able find that newfangled lefty stuff!” Until we are in a post apocalyptic era, I think that a complete spare left-handed bolt carrier assembly will do just fine for taking a tactical carbine class or spending a weekend in the field.

Since all of the major components of the rifle are manufactured in-house and all parts are made in the U.S.A., quality control can be met at a high standard. Whether you’re buying a right-handed or left-handed AR-15, Stag Arms makes a quality rifle for a great price. For more information about other models and parts/accessories contact Stag Arms at: www.stagarms.com or call 860-229-9994.

Winchester Model 69A
Single Shot .22

I have to smile when I see the scaled down .22 rifles for teaching kids to shoot. I actually have a problem with cute little rifles for cute little people. I think they send the wrong message. Besides that, pink rifle stocks are just wrong, but that’s me.

There was nothing exotic or glamorous, and certainly not cute, about the old .22 rifle I learned to shoot with. I had to hold the stock under my arm to use the sights at first. Working the bolt on the Winchester 69A ejected the spent round, but the knob on the rear of the bolt had to be pulled back to cock it. In the beginning my Dad had to cock it for me. With only one shot I had to make it count. That slow, cumbersome, .22 really trained marksmen.

Like millions of other folks we shot tin cans. Cans are great reactive targets. They make a satisfying “thunk” when hit and fall down at the very least. Sometimes they can be knocked back a couple of feet or thrown into the air if hit just right. At the end of the day I would proudly haul three or four examples of my better shooting home to show my mother. Funny thing, no matter where I put my trophies they still got “accidentally” thrown away.

The cardboard ammo boxes held 50 rounds just like today. The object of the exercise was to hit the targets with all 50 rounds in the box. The prize for doing so was a second 50 round box my Dad would have sitting on the pickup tailgate. If I missed just once, what was left of the second box was saved for next time.

I got to try my Dad’s lever action .22 (I have no idea what kind, it was stolen from his truck one night). It took a while before I got a hold of the lever action and for a long time I didn’t do nearly as well with it.

“If you slow down and take your time you can do it,” Dad would tell me. I finally realized that just because I had another round waiting in the tube didn’t mean I shouldn’t make the one in the chamber count. Learning to shoot was easy. That’s when I had learned what marksmanship was all about.

There’s one other reason I prefer the old Winchester 69A over the new wave of “kid .22’s”. It took a while to grow into it, but I can take it down from the rack and go shooting with it for the rest of my life, and remember some of the best times with my Dad.

Winchester Model 1901
10 Gage

For Christmas some years back Helene, my wonderful wife, got me a Winchester 1901 shotgun. For those not in the know, it’s a version of the Winchester 1887 that started production in 1901. I believe the primary difference was the 1901 had some stamped parts and was only available in 10 Gauge. The big lever action shotgun never fails to draw interest when we are displaying Western Firearms, or lecturing on the subject. I have always treasured it, not just because it is such a wonderful addition to my collection, but because it brought back a shadow from the past.

I had no idea what kind of shotgun the old man had for a long time. Dad had seen a notice posted at a little general store on the road between Winnemucca and Battle Mountain, Nevada: SHOTGUN FOR SALE – $50.00. Dad wasn’t really looking for a shotgun but he was never not looking for a shotgun either! A trait I inherited from him with interest.

We followed what claimed to be a road to a shack in the desert. The owner heard us coming and was waiting in the door as we pulled up. When Dad told him why we had come the little old man looked my Father up and down then said, “Well, you might be able to handle my shotgun,” and disappeared inside the shack. This galled my Dad; he was over six feet and had done hard physical labor every day of his life.

The man reappeared in the door with a huge lever action shotgun and a handful of BIG brass shotgun shells. He showed Dad how to load it through the open breach and indicated a gas can several yards away that had outlived its usefulness. Dad thumbed back the hammer and took the first shot.

I’m guessing these must have been black powder shells, based on the roar, smoke and fire that erupted from the weapon. I had never heard anything like it. Dad rocked back from the unexpected recoil.

“Had enough?” the Desert Rat asked from his doorway.

With a grim set to his jaw Dad cycled the action and fired off the next three rounds. After the second shot there really wasn’t much left of what had been the old gas can!

He handed the shotgun back to the old man saying he didn’t really think he was interested. He seemed to favor his right shoulder for the next couple of days. For the rest of his too short life Dad told the story about the lever action shotgun that kicked like a mule.

Today I know the old man’s shotgun was probably a Winchester 1887, definitely a 10 Gauge. When I see them at gun shows I want to sit down in the aisle and bawl when I remember Dad could have gotten one for $50.00.

Winchester Model 94 .30-30

When Dad talked about his rifle, he meant the .30-30. Family legend has it that he found it on sale just before Christmas. Mom took it, wrapped it and put it under the tree! She said if he was going to spend that kind of money on himself that time of year it was going to be his present. I don’t think he ever complained.

My first few introductions to the .30-30 weren’t pleasant. I was about eight at the time and the recoil was a bit much for me. Still and all, it seemed important to Dad that I learned to shoot this weapon, so I stayed with it. It was in those days that shooting cans took on a twist. In the early 60’s it wasn’t unusual to discover canned food that had started to bloat. If you have never shot such a target with something like a .30- 30, try it! Spec-tacular!

When I was about 10 we were living part of the year on a ranch in a remote part of Nevada. It was there Dad and I had a talk I will never forget. This one took on a serious tone that made me feel like I was in trouble at first. Dad confirmed I knew where the .30-30 was kept. I did, this was before gun safes and trigger locks. I knew where all the guns were, that they were loaded, and that the fastest way I would ever meet Jesus was to be caught playing with one. He told me to go get the .30-30 and meet him by the barn.

When I got there he had a number of targets set up at different ranges. He asked “Can you hit that old oil can?” I said I could, and did.

“How about the two bottles on the fence?” he asked next.

Yes. When I had run through the targets Dad handed me cartridges to reload. “Never shoot up all the ammunition you have” was one of his first lessons. Then we sat down on an old bench to talk.

“I’m not always here . . . ” Dad started out. For the first time in my life I was being lectured about the use of firearms for home defense. There was a good reason for it. When I say remote part of Nevada, we were a good ten miles from the nearest neighbor and fifty miles from the nearest phone. Had there been problems, we had no way to call anyone. If Dad was gone, I was it! That’s just the way it was. I’m relieved to say I was never put to the test. A little more than a year later a late night car accident took Dad away forever.

Arisaka Type 38
6.5 Arisaka

My Uncle Thurman brought the Arisaka home with him from the Pacific. When we got old enough to “play war” he pulled the bolt out of it and we dragged it all over his farm for years. One day several of us decided to take it apart. There were lots of extra pieces when we put it back together and they disappeared almost at once. It was a prop in my Cousin Eddie’s senior play. Those days are gone forever!

I rediscovered Arisakas in my early twenties mainly because they were dirt cheap. I once bought a nice Type 99, with monopod and aircraft sights, without a bolt for $10.00. A gunsmith I knew in Amarillo dug through his box of goodies and found a bolt for another $5.00. Those days are also gone forever!

My favorites were the Type 38s in 6.5 Arisaka. I learned, when eavesdropping on Uncle Thurman and some of his friend’s one evening, that the 6.5 Arisaka had one of the flattest trajectories of any rifle he had ever shot. This made them extremely accurate. I tested this theory and found it to be true. Once I had made friends with the 6.5 Arisaka, I was able to outshoot many of my friends with more expensive weapons. Note to reader, that isn’t how to get popular!

On a trip back to the Panhandle a few years ago I asked Uncle Thurman about the old Arisaka. It was still around, and he had an unexpected surprise. He still had the bolt for it.

The old rifle was a sad sight. The wood was scarred from years of unintended abuse. Most of the parts in the trigger guard / wrist area were gone. This was the rifle that introduced me to Arisakas and it hurt to see it this way.

I asked if he would let me take it back to Houston & fix it up.

He said he would like that, and asked that I give it to his son Eddie when I finished. It was like he knew he wouldn’t be here when I came back.

In time I found all the missing pieces. I guess I have been psyching myself up for the project. We are now settled on a small ranch in Central Texas, my workshop is set up, and I’m about out of excuses. It’s just, there can be no mistakes. If there is ever a firearm I have to fix right, this is it. Beyond that there are two more stages of the project.

First, based on some of the things Uncle Thurman said over the years, this rifle has probably never been fired since it was surrendered or captured. I know he never fired it. Once the restoration is complete I want to be the first person to fire the old Arisaka since it left the Japanese Army in World War Two.

Second, I will hand carry it to my Cousin Eddie. I might not always have been the best nephew, but I intend to carry out the last request Uncle Thurman made of me.

Shooting Album With Your First .38 Special

Smith & Wesson Model 10
.38 Special

When I turned 21 I wasn’t so much interested in buying beer. It was in the icebox at home if I wanted it, so the forbidden fruit aspect was not a factor for me. I was counting the days until I could buy my first handgun. My Step-Dad, Bill, asked what I wanted to get and for what purpose. He was a good person to discuss this with. He had been a Marine in Korea, a Police Officer, then Detective, and a member of the Border Patrol. He had left Law Enforcement some years earlier but took a lifetime of practical firearms knowledge with him.

I told him general shooting and self defense. I had in mind a .22 auto. We had one of our “it’s like this young man” talks. “A .22 automatic is great for shooting snakes, starting races and making noise at parties. In a self defense situation they will get you killed.”

One of the first cases he worked as a police officer involved a woman who had killed her husband with a .22 automatic. After she emptied the clip into him, he had taken the weapon away from her and beaten her to death with it. He, in turn, bled to death driving himself to the hospital! She got him, but too late to do her any good.

His recommendation was a .38 revolver. A .38 because it had enough power behind it that if I hit someone with it I would at least knock them down, giving me a chance to run, failing all else. He recommended a revolver because, in his words, “I have never had one jam.” I took his advice to heart.

I never regretted the choice. For over 30 years now my Smith and Wesson Model 10 has served me well. I have carried it more miles, both on the road and cross country on foot, than I can count. I have used it to help new shooters step up from .22 hand guns to larger calibers. When I have had to be away from home it has stayed with my wife, Helene, because she is comfortable handling it.

The Model 10 has fallen to secondary use in the last few years. With all due respect to Bill, I am more comfortable with the 1911 and its 45 ACP cartridge. There have been lots of other handguns over the years, but the Model 10 was the first, and it is still special.

Besides, as Bill said “It will also kill snakes, start races and make noise at parties!”

Colt 1860 Army
.44 Caliber

I had always had a place in my heart for the Old West and the firearms that dotted its landscape. My first western revolver was a steel framed Italian knockoff of a Colt 1860 I found in a pawnshop for less than $100.00, including powder flask, caps, balls and a screw driver for taking it apart for cleaning.

Shooting it was a joy. I loved the rear sight cut into the nose of the hammer. In my experience it was easy to shoot and very accurate. I was soon comfortable with it. When I got into Cowboy Action Shooting I started studying the Old West in earnest. The 1860 fell into occasional use as the sport favors cartridge weapons but I would still take it out from time to time to stay sharp with it.

I knew from family stories that my maternal great-grandfather had been a ranch foreman and trail boss. Ma Moo, my grandmother, and her sister would sometimes talk about their father’s six gun. I became obsessed with discovering what kind he carried.

On a trip back to the Panhandle I took an assortment of single action handguns to show them. In addition to Colt SAA clones, I had a Scofield, Remington and even a S&W Russian. In the honeyed tones of little old ladies who have changed your diapers, they assured me that they were all very pretty guns, and they could see why I liked them, “But that wasn’t what Daddy had”.

I hadn’t even intended to show them the 1860 but they saw it in the handgun box when I started to pack the others away. They weren’t sure what it was called, but they knew how to load it and clean it (soap and hot water) and I suspect how to shoot it. My great-grandfather had the money for any handgun he wanted, but chose to carry an 1860 until he retired in the late 1940’s.

When I thought about it I wasn’t really surprised. With all due respect to Hollywood, cap and ball revolvers weren’t tossed on the trash heap the day after the Colt Peacemaker appeared. Cap and ball revolvers were common well into the 1900s. Most general stores carried caps, lead balls and black powder until sometime after World War Two.

The 1860 is a focal point of talks I give on Old West firearms. After a lifetime of watching Westerns I finally had a chance to ride a horse in a movie. The 1860 went with me. My friend, Hangman, lent me his so I would have a pair. Some time back a wonderful old man from New Zealand fell in love with it while living his own Old West fantasy.

“True collectors” would turn their noses up at many of the firearms in my collection. Nothing is untouched or out of the box fresh. Many have mixed parts from several weapons of their kind. Re-blued doesn’t bother me. I have had revolvers with un-ringed cylinders, but they didn’t stay that way long!

I throw no stones at the purist, and could not care less if they throw them at me. I love looking at pristine guns, but mine is a teaching and shooting collection. Scarred wood, scratches and holster wear mean a firearm has a history. All the blemishes and wounds tell a story, if you want to hear it.

Like my first build, I started my second with only an Imbel kit. It came with everything but a receiver. So I asked myself, “Self, whose receiver do I want to build this rifle on.”? I looked at my kit and decided on a DSA receiver.

Now I had to choose which type of receiver to use. I went with a SA58 FAL Metric Type I Receiver, .308 Cal., No Carry Handle Cut, machined from a 4140 steel drop forging. I also ordered one of their scope mounts with a brass catcher. It didn’t take nearly as long to get here as the first receiver I had ordered, which I got from Enterprise. That one took six months, this one took just less than two. While waiting, I reviewed my AGI video on “Building the FAL”, I couldn’t have gotten through the first one without it!

I needed a few more “Born in the USA” parts to make the rifle legal. I didn’t go with DSA for the hammer, sear, and muzzle brake. I went back to Enterprise for the internal hardware. For the muzzle brake I choose US Made by Entreprise Arms.

Zero Climb Muzzle Brake, CNC from solid billet, Thread on to existing STG58 barrel (reverse thread), 3 ports along each side and 2 ports on top eliminated 40% of the felt recoil and 100% of the muzzle rise, BATF approved. For the hammer and sear I choose Entreprise again.

I ordered some furniture from DSA, SA58 style, but they told me it was on back order and to call back in about four weeks. I called, they said “It will be another four weeks”. I called again and learned that their supplier is running behind and that all the furniture sets go to their guns first. Hmmmm.

Well, I built my rifle anyway, I did my own trigger job (10 lb pull to 4.5 lb), polished the feed ramps, and started to search the internet for some furniture for my newly built FN-FAL.

AGI Gunsmithing Video’s and DVD’s

This (above) isn’t what I had in mind. I started looking at a Tapco set and found a bargain from www.buymilsurp.com. They sell FN-FAL Tapco sets for $113.00, plus free shipping. I saved around $30.00 dollars buying from them with no shipping cost. I would suggest you all check out www.buymilsurp.com. They’ve have a little bit of everything for us “Gun Nuts”.

While I was searching for a set of SA58 furniture, I ran across “Duracoat”, www.lauerweaponry.com. Now, most of us who have done rebuilds know the “as is” finish isn’t going to be very good. Everything out there has been through the field a time or two. I did some research on Duracoat and I was impressed with it. I had never coated anything before, except for painting an old truck of mine with 10 cans of “Dollar Store” spray paint. Lauer’s has a starter kit, and I certainly qualify as a “Starter”.

I took a chance and bought the kit. I naturally went with FNGreen to match my rifle. The instructions included are VERY complete. There is quite a bit of preparation work before you start coating. You need to rough up ALL surfaces for it to work correctly. I think it’s worth it, not only because it looks great, but it’s also great protection for any firearm.

I had enough left over to do my Ruger P89. (Good thing the dog didn’t lay down! Ed. I’m going to be working on the camo patterns, so hopefully I’ll get to send out some updated pictures. Until then you can see some of my work on my website, http://markhillardgunsmith.bravehost.com/.

Thanks All, Mark
By Mark Hillard
AGI Pro Course Student & Inner Circle Member

Trigger Release Cushion:

When I need to test the trigger release on handguns, and I do not have the correct snap caps or dummy rounds to help cushion the hammer against the frame, I use a pencil eraser. I take a large eraser and I cut it down to size to fit against the frame and firing pin. When I squeeze the trigger and the hammer falls, it will stop against the eraser. Cut the eraser that is needed to fit up against the firing pin, so that it will absorb the hammer fall. I can test a revolver’s cylinder rotation, trigger job, etc. I have used it in my shop for years.

Gun Refinishing Without Scratches Or Marks

Tip #2

Magazine Spring/Follower Tester:

To test the magazine cartridge follower and/or the magazine spring while they are inside the magazine tube, I made a plunger out of hardwood. Size: Approx: 11″ long, 1/2″ wide, 1/4″ thick. Both ends were left square. Bevel all corners and sand the wood smooth. I stained mine. I can place one end of the wooden plunger onto the cartridge follower and push it in. You can apply as much pressure as needed. It helps me to determine if the follower is sticking in the tube or/ if the spring is weak or out of alignment. It works great. It leaves no scratches or marks inside of the magazine tube.

Tip #3

Blacking Brass Screws:

In the Inner Circle Member Magazine Volume 22 – 2/2008, there is an article on how to repair a cracked stock. When you use a narrow brass screw that is inserted into the stock it will leave the end of the brass screw showing. It is very noticeable on the stock. You can use Birchwood Casey Brass Blacking or Brownell’s Oxpho Blue. It darkens the brass to a black color. You can blend it into the wood to make it look like a wood grain spot.

“C” & “E” Clip Tool – Not finding an adequate clip tool for tight installations, I have found a way to make my own. Most tools are somewhat bulky and won’t fit into a really small place. Get a small screwdriver that has a tip width about or slightly larger and slightly thicker than the clip. Grind a crescent notch in the center of the tip that matches the curvature of the clip. Rubbing a large magnet along the tip of the screwdriver in one direction only will magnetize the tip to hold the clip in place. Depending on the type of steel in the screwdriver, 20 – 50 strokes may be required. You may now insert the clip into the target groove.

Shooting Experience Without Static Electricity

Tip #2

Shocking Experience – If you are tired of static electricity zapping you at the belt sander or buffing wheel, use an electronic technicians trick. While their purpose is to protect the circuit components from damage, this will eliminate your being zapped. At an electronic supply store, you will find an anti-static bracelet. This attaches to the wrist with a Velcro wrap. It has carbon fibers woven into the band. A snap attaches a coiled wire with an alligator clip that you may affix to any metal part of the grinder/sander/buffer you are using to drain off any static charge that would otherwise build up for a shocking experience.

Tip #3

Keeping Recoil Springs Un-kinked – Some small arms have extremely long recoil springs with relatively short guide rods at the back of the bolt. Keeping the spring from getting kinked while trying to push the guide rod and spring assembly into the back of a bolt often results in the spring getting kinked before the assembly is safely enclosed in the bolt. A simple solution is to insert the spring into the bolt, then encase the remainder of the spring in a length of metal tubing, a piece of magazine tube would be ideal, with the rod in place inside the spring. Using a length of dowel, finish pushing the spring and guide rod into place in the bolt. While holding it in position with the dowel, retract the tube enough to get a grip on the spring/rod assembly to keep it in the bolt for placement in the receiver.