Collector Corner

This old Smith Model 30 is made on the J frame and is marked 30-1 on the crane. It dates from about 1970 and shows a bit of wear here and there from its 45 year or so life. This Smith belongs to Jon Hodoway and was his grandmothers revolver. He said she kept it in the towel drawer in her kitchen for defense against 2, 4 and no legged varmints.

1873 was a big year in the firearms world. Colt’s new single action was adopted by the Army and Winchester came out with their best lever action to date. Originally chambered in .44 W.C.F., aka 44-40, the 1873 Winchester was the most powerful of the lever guns when it was introduced. This was a huge step forward from the rimfire .44 caliber used in the Henry and earlier Winchester rifles.

The final design of the 1911 really came about from a series of trials that the US Government put it and other pistols through. These tests let Colt and John Browning see how the pistol held up. There were also requirements that the design had to meet. A lot of the credit for how the 1911 came out can be attributed to the trials and specifications required for the new pistol.

Legend has it that John Moses made the first prototype of the Vest Pocket to carry in his, you guested it, vest pocket while walking around on this land in Utah. He supposedly wanted a tiny pistol for defense against coyotes. True or not, Browning did design a great little pistol that will fit in a vest pocket.

Shooting History. This is the name of a new series that we will be running here at Guns America. We will take some historic guns, shoot them and review them not too much unlike our new gun reviews. It was seeing the new production Colt 1903 Pocket Hammerless at SHOT Show this year that got me to thinking, so, it makes sense to kick it off with an antique 1903.

Colt has teamed with U.S. Armament Corp., the guys that made the Gatling gun a few years back, to remake the old John Browning classis. Now they are making the 1903 in the General Officers Pistol version. Could this be the start of a whole new line of Retro-Classic-Colts?

In the middle of the crowded and hectic SHOT Show there is a small quite museum. The NRA Museum to be exact. They have brought a few historic and iconic firearms to display for the show and to promote the NRA Museums.

James H Cohen and Sons have been in the antique firearms business since 1898. If you are a collector and lover of rare guns you owe it to yourself to visit the Cohen’s shop. The store is on Royal Street in the heart of the French Quarter, and filled with the sort of guns you’d typically expect to find in a museum.