American Rifleman TV

The South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts of America holds an annual sporting clays invitational to raise money for Scouting programs in the region, as well as to rebuild Camp Seminole, which was destroyed by a hurricane. Join host Mark Keefe as he heads to Florida’s Quail Creek to show how shooting benefits the Boy Scouts. Keefe also reviews the semi-automatic-only belt-fed 7.62 Ohio Ordnance Model 230B SLR. The Star Model A and B pistols look like M1911s, but these Spanish guns have a rich history all their own.

Taurus’ main manufacturing plants are in the firm’s home country of Brazil, but Taurus also builds guns in Miami, Fla, including the popular TCP pistol in .380 ACP. Join host Mark Keefe as he takes you through Taurus’ American manufacturing plant. Next, Keefe reviews the Uberti replica of an American classic cowboy gun, the Model 1876 Centennial in .50-95. Mauser bolt-action rifles were sold all over the world, and when the Model 1893 Chilean Mauser was introduced, it was state of the art.

Taurus’ Judge revolver created an entirely new category of firearm—a .45 Colt revolver that can also shoot .410-bore shotshells. The Judge family has grown to include carbines, compacts and even a polymer-framed version. It turns out the judge is pretty fun on the skeet field, too. Smith & Wesson has expanded its rifle line to include the Military & Police 22, a rifle that looks like an AR, but shoots economical .22 Long Rifle. The adoption of the Colt M1911 wasn’t a sure thing, as the gun the Browning designed pistol had to beat in the U.S. Army’s trials was a .45 ACP made by Savage Arms.

Robert Petersen, the founder of Petersen Publishing, started with mimeographed newsletters and turned them into a massive publishing empire, including Motor Trend, Guns & Ammo and Petersen’s Hunting. An avid hunter and gun collector, Petersen also served as commissioner for the shooting sports during the Los Angeles Olympics. Thanks to a gift from his late wife, Margie Petersen, the National Firearms Museum has a new wing called the Petersen Gallery housing hundreds of the world's most exquisite firearms. The straight-pull R8 is the latest beefed-up rendition of the innovative Blaser rifle, and Shooting Editor Glenn Gilbert evaluates the transformative Blaser. The rare wooden-stocked German MP41 is unusual in that its old school design was outdated by the MP40—which was adopted before the MP41 was even on the drawing board.

We continue our look at the Robert B. Petersen Gallery at the NRA National Firearms Museum, including Herman Goering’s’ Merkel over-under that was given to General of the Army "Blackjack" Pershing by Gen. Dwight David Eisenhower and “The Devil’s Shotgun.” Assistant Editor Angus McClellan tests a new muzzleloader from hompson/Center Arms, the Impact. When Auto-Ordnance got its start, it didn’t have its own factory, so Colt’s Mfg. in Hartford, Conn., built the first Thompson submachine guns, including the Model 1928s sold to the U.S. Navy.

More than a billion rounds—that’s right, billion with a “B”—of .22 Long Rifle ammunition are made every year. One of the factories that produces a large percentage of those .22 LR cartridges is Winchester Ammunitions’ plant in Oxford, Miss. This week, we show you how Winchester makes America’s favorite cartridge. Shooting Editor Glenn Gilbert tests the Kimber Super Pro Carry .45 from the company’s custom shop. We take a look at a rifle that was obsolete before it even fully fielded—the Krag-Jorgensen—which was the U.S. military’s first smokeless powder smallbore rifle.

The Thompson submachine gun is an American icon. A group of collectors from the American Thompson Association gather every year to celebrate the history and heritage of the classic gun at its annual Thompson “Show and Shoot.” More velocity and energy without an increase in pressure seems too good to be true, but Managing Editor Aaron Carter demonstrates it in his review of Hornady Superformance Ammunition. When the United States entered World War I, the “doughboys” were woefully short of small arms--in particular M1911 pistols. In “I Have This Old Gun,” we cover the .45s made by Remington-UMC.

With more than three miles of ranges, the Amateur Trapshooting Association’s Grand American is the biggest competitive shotgunning event in the country. Senior Executive Editor Brian Sheetz heads to Sparta, Ill., to cover it. Century Arms, best known for its imports, now offers an entirely American-made version of the semi-automatic AK-47, the Century Centurion. Until the .44 Magnum came along, the .44 Colt Walker revolver was the world’s most powerful repeating handgun. Built by Colt at the suggestion of Capt. Sam Walker, it was the gun that changed the fortunes of Sam Colt’s company for the better. Without the Walker, odds are there would be no Colt Mfg. today.

For more than a century, the Amateur Trapshooting Association has provided American shooters with the opportunity to hone their clay target skills. This week we head to Sparta, Ill., for an in-depth look at the ATA. Umarex in Germany makes a licensed .22 version of the Heckler & Koch 416, and Assistant Editor Angus K. McClellan tests it in this week’s “Rifleman Review.” Used by Marine Parachutists and the First Special Service Force, the Johnson Model of 1941 is one of the most unusual light machine guns of World War II.

Dr. Sidney Phillips, Jr., an NRA Life member, was a teenaged marine on Guadalcanal, and he was featured in the documentary “The War” and the HBO miniseries “The Pacific.” This week Field Editor Martin K.A. Morgan interviews Dr. Phillips, and they head to the range. The Les Baer Tactical Recon is the most accurate factory bolt-action .308 Win. rifle we’ve ever tested. During World War II, Remington-Rand—no relation to Remington Arms Co.—made M911A1 .45 pistols for American troops.

Want an M1 Garand? The Civilian Marksmanship Program’s mission to promote marksmanship and the national defense includes selling M1 Garand rifle to qualified citizens, including those who participate in marksmanship activity and veterans. Field Editor Martin K.A. Morgan takes you through the CMP’s Alabama facility. DS Arms has turned the classic FN FAL into a folding-stocked, shortened model called the Para Tactical, and it is tested by host Mark Keefe. The Lewis Light Machine Gun was the most successful gun of its type during World War I and was used the British, Belgians and Americans in the trenches of France.

The Gatling Gun was the first successful manually operated, rapid-fire gun, and we look at Dr. Richard Gatling’s multi-barreled invention, including guns used during the Spanish American war. Cheaper than Dirt offers DRT Ammunition, and Managing Editor Aaron Carter tested this innovative new ammunition that doesn’t expand until it hits soft tissue. During World War II the Germans created and fielded the word’s first “assault rifle,” the Stg44 Sturmgewehr in 7.92 Kurtz.

The Gatling Gun, weighing as much as piece of 19th century artillery, is clumsy and bulky, but it is a marvel of engineering. This week, we shoot Gatlings and show how they are made today by U.S. Armament Co. SIG Sauer makes the 522 rifle, which looks just like it’s 5.56 NATO big brother the 556, but the affordable 522 is chambered in .22 Long Rifle. The M1911 might be a century old, but Colt came up with the Officer’s ACP in the 1970s, a shorter, lighter, more concealable version of John Moses Browning’s classic design.