The Models 1860 and 1865 Spencer lever-action rifles (and carbines) hold a unique position in the history of firearms. While the original Spencer rimfire cartridges, including the 56-56, 56-52, 56-50 and 56-46, have been long obsolete, Chiappa Firearms is producing a respectable reproduction chambered in 44-40 Winchester, 45 Colt and 56-50 Spencer, which are practical calibers to shoot and enjoy this piece of history. For today’s review, a Cimarron Firearms Model 1865 45 Colt carbine with a 20-inch round barrel was selected. ...Read More >

Each year, SHOT Show starts off with a bang outdoors and outside Las Vegas with Industry Day at the Range for invited media (e.g., yours truly), hosted at the expansive Boulder Rifle and Pistol Club shooting range in Boulder City, Nevada. Two years ago, a new, family-owned company in Charleston, Utah, brought a unique, scaled-down AR-15 chambered in 22 Long Rifle, designed and intended for training youngsters in the safe handling of the modern sporting rifle. The diminutive firearm encored at SHOT 2024, but the company had changed its name and now instead markets the little gun as a survival rifle. ...Read More >

The last column covered the Greener Police Gun, a combination club, single-shot shotgun made on a large Martini action, essentially the Martini-Henry of the 1860s. Unlike the military rifle, the Police Gun had a safety, though it didn’t always work as intended. ...Read More >

There’s no beating German- or Austrian-made optical glass or mechanical systems. All of us are familiar with names like Zeiss, Leica, Swarovski, and more recently, Zero Compromise Optic. The Teutonic influence on optical systems is world-renowned. Blaser Optics was added to that list in 2018, an offshoot of the Blaser Group, which includes Blaser, Mauser, J.P. Sauer, John Rigby & Company firearms, Minox and Liemke optics. ...Read More >