Here’s to those shirt-tail men and their cursed twisted guns…
Hawken Horse has dropped the first single from his new project marking the 250th anniversary of American independence. Fringes of Freedom: Frontier Tales of the American Revolution sings the story of the backcountry war that is often overlooked in conventional studies of the Revolution. This first one recounts a decisive battle in the Southern Campaign conducted entirely by backcountry Frontier Partisans fighting on their own hook, armed with long rifles — their “cursed twisted guns.”
Hawken Horse says:
In this anthem I borrowed a popular phrase about Morgan’s riflemen (an advantage displayed throughout the American Revolution where American long rifle were up against traditional smoothbores) to tell the story of Kings Mountain.
The patriot Victory at Kings Mountain. Art by Richard Luce.
Rick Schwertfeger wrote an excellent series on Kings Mountain for Frontier Partisans. Well worth revisiting.
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Word is that Netflix has abandoned The Abandons. The show, set in the Oregon Territory in 1854, has been cancelled after one season due to the viewership cratering after the first two episodes. My interest cratered within 10 minutes — and that was indulgent.
My preference with Frontier Partisans is to celebrate what I think is good, rather than going after what’s bad, but I can’t help saying good-riddance to this travesty. It was insultingly bad on multiple levels, a waste of two outstanding actresses, and the waste of a premise that held promise.
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The Gunpowder Muses keep whispering to me that I need to fill the gap in my battery where a pistol-caliber carbine ought to be. Henry Rifles has announced a new line of lever guns:
Henry is launching two new product families with its Protector Carbines, which are compact and suppressor-ready for everyday utility and peace of mind, and its Provider Rifles, which are dedicated hunting rifles focused on putting meat in the freezer, season after season.
I am drawn to the Protector in .357 Magnum. Handy & dandy with a 16.5-inch threaded barrel. Yeah, I know…
- H12 Protector Carbine in .357 Magnum/.38 Spl and .44 Magnum/.44 Spl
Both Protectors and Providers feature a matte blued steel receiver finish, checkered genuine American walnut pistol-grip stocks, ventilated, pre-installed sling swivel studs, fully adjustable sights, and receivers drilled and tapped for optics mounting.
Quixotic Mainer says
If I were to spurn my 92 clone for a classier broad, Taylors has a ’73 in 9mm. For a guy that really likes to shoot it would pay for itself in a few years. Finding match legal non jacketed ammo for 9mm on the hand, would be the proverbial bear.
Henry makes really nice rifles though, I wouldn’t turn my nose up! A PC levergun is never a bad idea.
J.F. Bell says
Cowboy Choice has a lead roundnose 9×19, at least the last time I wandered over. Not as cheap as white box or Remington’s range ammo, but they do sell in bulk.
I’ve used their stuff to feed a couple of single actions and the Spencer; haven’t dragged the Trapdoor out to see how their .45-70 works out. No issues so far.
Quixotic Mainer says
Thanks for the tip! I haven’t heard of that outfit but I will get them a look. I’ve been toying with the idea of 9mm match guns to practice more.
I would love to run a Spencer again someday. I shot a borrowed one on a gong match, and it was an experience.
Hammer says
My 16,5″ Henry Big Boy Steel in 38/357 is a right handy carbine. Perfect HD/truck option with a Skinner Peep on it.
JimC says
Seems like it.
Greg Walker says
Some years back I visited Gunsite and while there handled their custom lever action police rifle. One agency which used it was the Beverly Hills PD as visually it wasn’t a “scary” firearm –
The Henry Protector in .357 using CorBon ammunition offers the following ballistics.
“.357 Cor-Bon ammunition (specifically 110gr or 125gr JHP) fired from a 16-inch barrel achieves muzzle velocities of approximately (1,700–1,800+) feet per second (fps). This creates high-velocity performance (roughly (1,790) fps for 110gr) with significant,, or “foot-pounds (ft.-lbs.)”” energy, often exceeding (700+) ft-lbs, which is ideal for carbine-length, light-recoil, and high-impact scenarios.”
That will kill a rabbit.
“Back in the day, when Ted Yost was running the smithy at Gunsite, they offered their version of the model 94 “practical rifle”. It came with a fixed blade type front sight, the Wickert Precision rear sight, action work matte blue finish, etc. It was of course based on Col. Cooper’s teachings. Anyone know of a smith doing that type of work anymore? Yost isn’t, Grizzly has about a year backorder, and others doing lever work are into the whole railed forend / suppressor mounted tacticool stuff. Anyone know of someone doing the simple, basic mods?”
“Modern lever-action patrol rifles, often termed “tactical lever actions,” bridge traditional design with modern law enforcement needs, featuring threaded barrels for suppressors, Picatinny rails for optics, and durable, weather-resistant finishes. Key models include the Marlin 1895/1894 Dark Series, Smith & Wesson 1854, Henry X Model/SPD, and POF Tombstone, typically chambered in .357 Mag/.38 Spl, .44 Mag, or .45-70. These rifles offer rapid, reliable firing suitable for close- to medium-range engagements.
“Key Features and Top Models:
Tactical Upgrades: Many feature M-LOK handguards, synthetic or wrapped stocks, and threaded barrels for suppressors, making them suitable for duty use.
“Top Models:
Marlin 1895/1894 Dark Series: Known for blacked-out, tactical aesthetics.
Smith & Wesson 1854 Series: Offers modern, high-performance lever actions in .45 Colt and .44 Mag.
Henry Big Boy X Model & SPD: Features synthetic stocks and M-LOK rails.
POF Tombstone: A 9mm pistol-caliber, magazine-fed lever-action rifle.
“Popular Calibers: .357 Magnum/.38 Special, .44 Magnum, and .45-70 Government are common for stopping power.
“Usage: They provide a compact, fast-handling alternative for patrol,, often used with red dot sights and lights.
“These rifles are favored for their ability to run suppressors, providing a stealthier, yet high-firepower option for specialized patrol roles.”
And of course there is this true story about MACV SOG legend Jerry “Mad Dog” Shriver and his Marlin .444 “bunker buster”. Shriver, credited with over 100 individual kills and thousands more by air and artillery strikes, preferred his Marlin to the more conventional M16 and CAR-15 service rifles for the kind of work he di (93 missions with SOG – by far the highest record of any SOG operator during the war).
https://majorjohnplaster.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-Untold-True-Story-of-Mad-Dog-Shriver.pdf
JimC says
This is great stuff. Thank you.
Hammer says
Gunsite continues to offer a lever action training course – I think it would be great fun.
The annual Pat Rogers Memorial Revolver Round-Up is also an excellent event, and I’d say the best wheelgun training event currently offered.
John M. says
Just watch out for the fact that over-driving those .357 slugs might cause under-performance using expanding bullets. You’ll want to make sure the bullet you’re using has an expansion window that stretches to those kinds of velocities.
If I were making the call, if a police agency were worried about scary guns, I’d probably get them shotguns. You’re really not giving up a whole lot of range to the .357 lever gun when you stoke it with slugs, but you’re gaining a ton of versatility. Keep a few SWAT snipers around if you really need a true long shot, and tell the rest of the cops to keep it to 15-20 yards with buckshot and 80 yards with slugs.
deuce says
Robert E. Howard had kin/ancestors at King’s Mountain. My ancestors were up North, but one of them settled in North Carolina after the war.