Free Republic

I'm looking for a recommendation for a gun for my son for Christmas. Just to lay out the basics - he just turned 15 and is about 6'3" and weighs 235. Yes, he plays high school football. His mother and I have been divorced for many years, and she absolutely forbids him to have anything to do with guns in or near her home. His cousin recently received a .22 pistol, and my son's mom wouldn't let him hold it. I don't know whether she knows (but I assume she does) that he has shot my HK .40 USP along...

"Ahh, Christmas, that magical time of the year. Nothing beats the joy and pride a parent feels when they pick out that perfect gift and see their offspring open it up on Christmas morning. Their first bicycle, a well-oiled baseball mitt, a … Who the hell am I kidding? The latest edition of “Call of Duty” plus a live internet link for the X-box. Done. However, there’s one old-fashioned present that still rocks – their first rifle! A finely crafted, bolt-action single shot .22 rimfire will be a prized possession for years to come, or until they’re old enough to...

The FBI has released their 2007-2011 “Murder Victims by Weapon” report. The results are contradictory to anti-gun industry claims that relaxing the ban on assault weapons will cause more crime. The report indicates you are more likely to be killed by hands or feet than by a rifle or shotgun. Since 2007 there has been a 16.2% decline in murders committed with personal weapons which are defined as “hands, fists, feet etc.” The number of murders of this type in 2011 totaled 728. While gun ownership has dramatically increased since 2007, murders for both the shotgun and rifle categories have...

What’s even more American than turkey, cranberries and pumpkin pie these days? An Italian gun, that’s what. The only known surviving firearm that crossed the wild Atlantic aboard the good ship Mayflower, settled with the pilgrims at Plymouth Colony and ultimately helped the first colonists not only survive, but prosper. Meet the Mayflower Gun. The GunAffectionately dubbed the Mayflower Gun and thought of as an American icon, the gun is actually an Italian-made wheel-lock carbine. This single-shot musket was originally chambered in .50 caliber rifle, though ages of heavy use have worn away the majority of the rifling. Given...

Long range is, by definition, a relative term. When the earliest European settlers arrived on the east coast of what would become the United States of America they were armed with a collection of match, wheel lock, and snaphaunce actuated firearms that were, occasionally, more dangerous to the user than the intended victim. Among the immigrants were gentlemen adventurers on the prowl for quick riches, families looking to build a new life, and others who sought religious freedom; all who drilled with these firearms under the under the leadership of the likes of Captain John Smith, in the Virginias, and...

Walmart posted their Black Friday sale and they included this Savage 12-Gauge.

NEAR CANTRIL, IOWA -- UPDATE: On Wednesday evening, the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) released more details about Tuesday morning's fatal shooting outside Cantril, Iowa. Investigators said Van Buren County Chief Deputy Brad Hudson and Deputy Jon Tharp responded to the multiple reports of a man with a gun walking along Highway 2. They said the man with a rifle was ordered multiple times to drop his firearm. The man then turned toward the duputies and raised the firearm toward the deputies. Due to the man's actions, Tharp fired one shot at the man, which resulted in his death....

Showing and shooting the classic Swiss K31 in 7.5X55mm. Hope you enjoy seeing this very interesting design that comes to us from a very interesting country when it comes to firearms history.

Open Carry activists in Washington and Oregon are currently debating a five-minute video of a police encounter in Klamath Falls involving a man carrying what appears to be an automatic weapon down the street, and a very cool-headed cop. They’re talking about it on Open Carry.org in the Washington section, and on Police One, a law enforcement forum. The debate got so heated on DefensiveCarry.com that the moderators locked the thread. The chat is still open at SeattleGuns, and The High Road. This is the second high-profile officer-activist video encounter that has gone viral in recent memory, the other one...

American civilians are buying as many AK47s from Russia's top armory as the Russian military and police. The surge in sales of Russian assault rifles and shotguns are fuelled by firearms enthusiasts who are paranoid about the weapons being banned in the United States. The semiautomatic weapons, fitted with high-capacity magazines, are manufactured at Izhevsk Machinebuilding Plant, Russia's primary small arms factory. They are built alongside the fully-automatic military versions that are used by armies, militias and terrorists around the world. In the United States, they have become immensely popular. Among hunters, recreational shooters and survivalists, they are known for...

I was having lunch with some of my students last week and all they wanted to talk about was the coming apocalypse. Not the book of Revelations, exactly – and not exclusively zombies. They were more interested in the all-too-pervasive feeling that *the shit*, as they say, is going to hit the fan. Fecal matter in ventilation systems, sure, but what does that mean? Zombies, they know, are just a metaphor. We have no idea what’s coming. The Zombie is just a mirror of sorts – we make the boogey man look us because we know – even if we...

Fairfax, Virginia - After safely stored away in his grandfather's closet for years, the Springfield rifle above almost found it's way to the scrap heap. Luckily Carl was there to save the day. And lucky for us, he brought it in to the National Firearms Museum's for inspection. "A few of my family members were go through my grandfather's closet and found this stuck inside some plastic wrap," Carl began. "Their first reaction was to give it to the local police department for disposal — to which I exclaimed,'Hold on a minute there.'" That's when Museum Director Jim Supica grabbed...

When disassembled, the pieces fit inside the impact-resistant, waterproof stock, which will float should it take a trip overboard. Assembly is as easy as attaching the receiver to the stock, inserting the barrel and screwing on the barrel nut. In just a few seconds, without the need for any tools, the Henry U.S. Survival AR-7 is ready for action.

Deer hunting has been a Pennsylvania tradition for many years, and each man and woman who goes afield has a favorite deer rifle. Hunting conditions and technology have affected choices, but there are those models and designs that stand head and shoulders over the others. I thought just for fun - and controversy - I would name what I think are the best deer rifles produced since 1900. I decided to concentrate on sporting designs and ignore rifles what were simply military designs used for deer hunting. A good example of those would be the 30-40 Krag. Before and after...

ROCHESTER, NY –-(Ammoland.com)- American Tactical Imports, a worldwide importer of firearms, is proud to introduce the GSG STG-44 to consumers at the Raahauges Shooting Sports Fair June 1-3 2012. The German Sport Guns .22LR STG-44 is the newest addition to the exciting line of GSG firearms. The demo was introduced at SHOT Show 2012, but now consumers will be able to see, handle and shoot the GSG STG-44 from ATI for the first time. The STG 44 (Sturmgewehr 44, literally “Storm Rifle”) was designed in 1944 in Nazi Germany and is considered by many historians to be the first modern...

For more than thirty years the Ordnance Department endeavored to obtain a satisfactory semi-automatic or self-loading rifle to replace the bolt action Springfield. These efforts were not confined to the development within the Department. Invitations were extended periodically to gun designers in this country and abroad to submit weapons for test, and tests were made of those received which showed any promise of meeting the specifications prescribed. During this period of thirty odd years many rifles were received and tested. Mechanisms embodying every known principle of operation were represented in the many types submitted. After many tests of various calibers,...

The California state assembly approved Anthony Portantino's bill that would make it illegal to openly carry unloaded shotguns and rifles on the streets. So, more gun control laws in California. Who here is surprised? Anyone? Anyone? An earlier bill spearheaded by Portantino banned the open carry of handguns. This new bill is just finishing what he started. There will be a few exceptions, of course: hunters and police will be able to carry weapons, and there will be select locations where the ban does not apply. For the most part, though, you won't be able to openly carry a gun...

Carrying unloaded rifles in public would be prohibited under hotly contested legislation that passed the Assembly on Thursday. Assembly Bill 1527 cleared the lower house, 44-28, with no Republican support. Proposed by Assemblyman Anthony Portantino, D-La Cañada Flintridge, the bill stems from the "open carry" movement in which gun-brandishing people protest against gun-control laws. The movement sparked headlines in 2009 for a rally outside an Arizona convention center where President Barack Obama was speaking. California cracked down on carrying unloaded handguns with a new law that took effect Jan. 1. Portantino's bill would expand that prohibition by targeting rifles. "Sooner...

BOTTINEAU It wouldn't be surprising if Jonathan Bartlett bleeds red, white and blue. The Bottineau resident has a deepening appreciation for this nation's founding fathers and early citizens and citizen soldiers. A few years ago, Bartlett was introduced to Project Appleseed, a combination heritage and marksmanship program conducted by the Revolutionary War Veterans Association. He was so captured by the experience that he continues to rise through the ranks of RWVA. "It was inspiring. It motivated me to be involved," said Bartlett. "Something really connected with the shooting aspect and the history of our founding. Our founders inspired our free...

The guys from Knight Rifles "Americas Muzzleloader" head out to the range with Dave Fricke of Millennium Manufacturing to shoot the largest center fire rifle ever made. Only 12 people have ever shot the .950 JDJ as a rifle. Produced by SSK Industries, only 3 were ever made this was the first and the lightest weighing in at 50 lbs.. 2400 grain bullet and 240 grains of powder.