Got a very nice note from Joel Engesser at Rock Island Auction Co. Seems some of the historians at this premier auction house for historic firearms have taken to reading Frontier Partisans and listening to the podcast, since we share a love for storied frontier firearms. He passed along a recent post that hits right in the intersection of three … [Read more...] about Big Iron

I love dioramas. Ever since I was a little kid, there was something magical about an artistic, three-dimensional depiction of some historic event or battle. A diorama has the power to mesmerize. Imagine my delight when Craig Rullman walked through the doors of The Nugget bearing a Christmas present he had crafted over many hours. He named his … [Read more...] about The River Marauders

My friend Craig Rullman and I share a great deal in common, including aesthetic taste. Recently, I ran across a photo of an Afghan hunter from the 1970s that brought up an important point of appreciation that often goes overlooked: the manly fashion statement that is the Field Blazer. Craig’s commentary was: “Huge fan of the field blazer in … [Read more...] about The Field Blazer — Who Wore it Best?

The question as to what degree rifles were in use during the French & Indian War (1755-63) is a perennial point of discussion around the campfires of frontier history buffs. Reenactors are especially interested. Some figure that if someone somewhere used a rifle, they’re justified in carrying one as part of their historical persona. Others … [Read more...] about Firearms of the Frontier Partisans — Rifles In the French & Indian War

Note: I’ve edited this piece from its original version. My tone was too snarky and harsh and I was a bit unfair to Holton. I think he over-egged the cake in his assertion about native use of rifles at Braddock’s Defeat because he’s trying to foreground the native peoples, but it’s not a willful distortion, which is the impression I gave.  Woody … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — Fusil de Chasse

This story just broke on NPR: Thomas Gavin may be one of the most prolific artifact thieves in U.S. history... Gavin's crime spree was so under the radar, no one caught on until 2018, when he tried to unload a rare, Revolutionary-era rifle to a local antiques dealer...It wasn't just any old gun, but one of the few surviving rifles made by master … [Read more...] about Taken Down By Long Rifle

Lynda Sanchez scouted up a remarkable photographic odyssey undertaken by Pacific Northwest photographer Matika Wilbur, whose 562 Project seeks to photograph members of every federally recognized Native tribe in North America. From her website: Photographs are captured on traditional black and white film and shot in the zone system. Once … [Read more...] about Working The Trapline — Photographs, Amusettes, and Captain N.

  Over the past couple of years, the Tactical Lever Action trend has heated up. It’s not just a matter of “blacking out” traditional lever guns; riflemen are indulging in race-gun builds — free-floating M-LOK handguards, picatinny rails for mounting optics including reflex sights.   It’s not clear what exactly has made this a … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — The Tactical Lever Action

The venerable Czech firearms legend CZ has taken a page from of the buccaneering book of the likes of Sir Henry Morgan, as Matt Foster notes in Outdoor Life Magazine:  “..[W]ith the CZ 600, the company is burning its boats on the beach, so to speak, and isn’t looking back.” The CZ 600 Series, introduced this week and available in 2022, is a … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — CZ 600 Series

“...[F]owlers originated among Europe’s aristocracy as a sporting weapon, but became a necessary tool for survival in the American wilderness.” — Tom Grinslade Eighteenth Century American Fowlers—The First Guns Made In America  “I like big butts and I cannot lie...” — Sir Mix-A-Lot The most significant firearm on the early Colonial … [Read more...] about Firearms Of The Frontier Partisans — Big Butts