Firearms development is filled with scarcely produced designs, rare prototypes, experimental arms, and an assortment of fascinating curiosa. When it comes to finding the most unique guns in the collecting pursuit, Rock Island Auction Company’s December 8 10 Premier Firearms Auction features some of the rarest and most desirable firearms models ever assembled under one roof. The largest grouping of machine guns in RIAC history is up for auction this December, including exceptional rarities like the FG42, Stoner 63, and a crown jewel of the genre, the M240B. Evolutionary Arms Often a famous firearm model overshadows its evolutionary predecessors, but in the collecting world these important cornerstones can be as rare as they are valuable. The Jennings repeater, based on Walter Hunt’s Rocket Ball cartridge patent in 1848 and Lewis Jenning’s movable ammunition carrier patent in 1849, is a seldom-seen model today and one of the most unique guns […]

Hold the Line! Oppose Kearney City Council’s Unconstitutional Edicts! As you might be aware, Lincoln and Omaha are firmly on the road to serfdom by recently voting in favor of egregious infringements upon the citizens right to keep and bear arms. Now, Nebraskans can add Kearney to that list of infamy. Earlier this month, Kearney passed an ordinance (Resolution 2023-149, pages 6-8) that stripped citizens of their God-given right to preserve life, liberty, and property with commonly held arms on taxpayer owned property. Within the edict these public servants explicitly forbid citizens from “the carrying of weapons and handguns concealed or open, with or without a permit” and describes city-owned properties or premises as “…any premises under the care and control of the City of Kearney to include but is not limited to owned or leased property or property contracted to be managed by the City of Kearney and common areas including […]

John Mahlon Marlin started with single shot pistols before jumping into lever action rifles that have proved to be some of the most popular ever. Marlin, who worked for a time at the Colt factory in Connecticut, set out on his own in 1870 after getting his first two patents. He made single shot pistols, single action revolvers, and single shot rifles before settling into lever action rifles with the Model 1881. At its Dec. 8-10 Premier Auction in Bedford, Texas, Rock Island Auction Company will offer some of the finest conditioned Marlin long guns bearing bright, dazzling finishes and brilliant engraving and inlays, making them the envy of collectors. John Marlin and His Guns Born in 1836, Marlin was apprenticed to a machine shop before moving on to gun making. When Marlin set out on his own, he started with single shot Derringers in a range of calibers and […]

“Assault Weapon” Ban Bills Introduced Call Gov. Glenn Youngkin at (804) 786-2211 and urge him to veto any and all gun control — including HB 2/SB 2 — that may come across his desk. Dear friend, Last week, anti-gun Democrats in the Old Doion introduced HB 2 and SB 2; bills to ban so-called “assault weapons” and “high capacity” magazines. Notably, these bills will prohibit the “import, sell, manufacture, purchase, possess[ion], transport, or transfer” of practically all semi-automatic rifles, pistols, and shotguns. These bills also ban magazines that hold more than 10 rounds. Further, the bill expands the prohibitors for concealed carry qualifications. Gun owners may remember the “assault weapon” ban battle from a few years ago, where a similar bill failed to become law. That victory took a tremendous effort from gun owners, and it will take another impressive effort to stop this new attack. While GOA will fight […]

Choosing a suppressor is a big decision. There are material considerations and design specifications that will help you find the right options—but then there are some decisions that can be harder to sort out. One of these is how to mount the silencer to your rifle. Today we’re discussing two options: direct th vs. ASR mount. The first suppressors I owned were direct th. Lately I’ve been doing more hands-on work with the SilencerCo ASR mounts, and I […]

Norman R. Blank had a taste for and appreciation of the finer things, whether it was Italian sports cars, fine wine or antiquarian books. That appreciation is made clear through his collection of fine firearms, particularly high art European arms. Blank’s collection, populated with museum-quality antique firearms, had gone unseen and nearly forgotten for many years despite its fine examples from European craftsmen of the day, like Nicolas-Noël Boutet, Gastinne Renette, Durs Egg, Henry Nock, and Joseph and John Manton. Rock Island Auction Company is proud to premiere numerous selections from the Norman R. Blank Collection in the company’s inaugural Bedford, Texas Premier Auction, Dec. 8-10. This amazing collection ranges from magnificent double rifles and cased flintlock shotguns to splendid double barrel pistols. Many of these museum-worthy arms feature brilliant embellishments and engraving and some with the provenance of royalty or aristocracy. Fine Firearms: Gastinne-Renette Exhibition Pistols Perhaps the pinnacle […]

The Girardoni repeating air rifle stands as the most famous type of antique air gun platform thanks to its close association with the Lewis and Clark Expedition. After decades of research, Dr. Robert David Beeman, author, arms collector, and America’s father of modern airgunning, discovered what many historians consider the very gun carried by Captain Meriwether Lewis, a Model 1780 Girardoni air rifle. A near-identical twin to the Lewis and Clark Girardoni air rifle, also hailing from The Robert Beeman Collection, is offered in Rock Island Auction Company’s December 8 10 Premier Firearms Auction. An extremely rare 18th century Austrian Military Model 1780 Girardoni air rifle like the kind that was likely carried on the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Available this December. The scarce few surviving examples of the Girardoni air rifle are highly desirable today, with most being institutionalized. December’s auction includes several unique examples of the Girardoni […]

The epic journey of Napoleon Bonaparte as he ruled France and attempted to conquer Europe comes to the silver screen this week with Joaquin Phoenix as the French Emperor. “Napoleon,” directed by Ridley Scott, tells of the rise and fall and rise and fall of Napoleon and his wife, Empress Josephine. Untold amidst Napoleon’s saga, but a yarn worth unraveling is the impetuous love affair of Napoleon’s youngest brother, Jerome, and Elizabeth Patterson, a Baltimore socialite in 1803, and the fallout within the young Bonaparte’s family. It’s a story that is almost worthy of a movie of its own — and actually has been told twice before in the films “Glorious Betsy,” in 1928, and “Hearts Divided,” in 1936. Jerome, born in 1784 and 15 years younger than Napoleon, was left to his own devices as their mother tried to make ends meet. Napoleon took it upon himself to get […]

Judge Extends Protection for GOA Members Possessing Pistol Braced Firearms! Great news! The federal district judge who is handling the Texas/GOA v. ATF case has recently extended the injunction against the ATF—thus protecting ALL current GOA members. The original injunction from five months ago was scheduled to expire last month. So Judge Drew Tipton extended the injunction on October 27. The extension means the agency is prevented from enforcing the pistol brace ban against current GOA members and their families for as long as it takes to decide the case on the merits. Ammoland analyzed Judge Tipton’s ruling and concluded: “The judge kept the scope of the ruling just to GOA members. This decision means that all GOA members will be protected from ATF enforcement actions over braced pistols for the foreseeable future.” Just recently, another Texas judge issued a nationwide injunction against the braces rulemaking—and that ruling protects every […]

GOC goes where the action is and these days, the action is solidly in the courts. Given the political makeup at the Capitol in Sacramento, the courts have proven to be a more vibrant and “target rich” environment for 2A victories, so that’s where GOC is choosing to spend a lot of our time and resources. This past week, Gun Owners of California joined with the Second Amendment Law Center, California Rifle & Pistol Association, Gun Owners of America, the Hawaii Rifle Association, and Gun Owners Foundation in filing an amicus brief in Wolford v. Lopez, which is currently before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. This case challenges Hawaii’s “sensitive places” law which is hugely important because it is strikingly similar to California’s SB 2, which restricts the carrying of a legally-licensed firearm in the majority of the state. But why file a case in another state? For […]

Hunting with a suppressor offers plenty of benefits. First and foremost, it’s a great way to protect your hearing and the hearing of anyone near you. The benefits don’t just stop there, though. With a suppressor, you can pay more attention to the soft sounds of nature and notice what’s going on around you. And, of course, maintaining the ability to communicate with fellow hunters is an important benefit too. If you’re hunting with a young or new […]

Matthew Quigley continues to make an impression with Western fans around the world, and his custom Shiloh Sharps Model 1874 Long Range rifle has become one of the most celebrated guns in cinema. This iconic onscreen “Quigley Down Under” rifle, created for and carried by Tom Selleck in the film, is up for sale in Rock Island Auction Company’s December 8 10 Premier Firearms Auction. One of Tom Selleck’s three onscreen Sharps Rifles from the “Quigley Down Under” film, and one of only two designed for the shooting scenes. Available this December. Like John Wayne’s Colt and Han Solo’s iconic blaster, Quigley’s rifle is an icon of the silver screen. The gun has often been called the co-star of the movie alongside Tom Selleck, and the history of Quigley’s legendary Sharps is as intriguing as the film it starred in. Released in 1990, “Quigley Down Under” was a welcome […]