This is a work in progress/living document. If you find an error or something that should be added send me an email (include your source).
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| circa 225 | The Chinese developed an early form of gunpowder. The people living in what is now India were also using it.1 2 3 |
| 700s4 | Marcus Gaæcus (Graecus), in Liber Ignium ad Comburendos Hostes5, described an explosive compound (gunpowder) composed of saltpeter (potassium nitrate), charcoal and sulfur in a ratio of 6:2:2.6 7 |
| by 1000 | The Chinese were using explosive grenades and bombs.8 gunpowder |
| 1150 | The Chinese develop rockets.9 gunpowder |
| between 1249 & 129210 | Roger Bacon obtained his knowledge of gunpowder from a treatise on the subject. The treatise, now in the Escurial collection11, was supposedly written in 1249. Bacon’s description of this information appeared in his De nullitate, etc., published posthumously, but most likely written in 1269.12 |
| 1300s | The English made or bought gunpowder.13 |
| 1308 | Castle of Heyer destroyed, a cannon was found in the ruins of the castle in 1560.14 |
| circa 1320 | Berthold Schwartz, announced the existence of gunpowder to Central Europe.15 |
| circa 1350 | The NRA Firearms Museum ⇒ collection includes a circa 1350 (year of manufacture) hand-forged hand cannon. ⇒ Hand cannons are the earliest known hand-held firearms.16 |
| late 1300s | Firearms used shipboard.17 |
| 1400s | Gunmakers in Nuremberg, Germany developed rifling.18 |
| circa 1450 | The matchlock gun, the first firearm to use an ignition system, appeared. It was also the first gun to have a trigger, true lock, stock, and barrel.19 |
| 1490 | Bartolomeo Beretta, the head of the company (in 1526) we now know as Beretta ⇒, was born.20 |
| by end of the 1400s | Most trading ships carried two or more bombards.21 |
| circa 1500 | Firearms manufacture began in Liege region of Belgium.22 |
| 1500s | Gunpowder became granulated, prior to this it resembled dust.23 |
| early 1500s | Gunmaking became a distinct craft, separate from blacksmithing.24 |
| as early as 1513 | The Venetian Ambassador reported to the Doge that Henry VIII had “cannon enough to conquer hell.”25 |
| 1515 | A visitor to the Tower of London stated that there were ~400 cannon stored there, most of them on wheels.26 |
| 1515 | Someone in Nuremberg, Germany invented the wheel lock. This provided the technological advancement needed to use the gun for sport (hunting game).27 |
| 1519 | The Spanish conquered Mexico with the use of a simple arquebus having a trigger matchlock.28 |
| 1520 to 1525 | Jacopo Beretta, the who took over as head of the company (began between 1565 & 1568) we now know as Beretta ⇒ when his father Bartolomeo Beretta died, was born. We do not know when Jacopo died.29 |
| 1525 | Peter Bawde, a Frenchman, cast brass cannon in Houndsditch, England; this is the first cannon cast in the British realm.30 |
| 3 Oct 1526 | The House of the Arsenal for the Doge of Venice paid Bartolomeo Beretta 296 ducats for 185 arquebus barrels.31 32 The company we now know as Beretta ⇒ was born. The Beretta website states that the company has been in production since the early 1500s. I speculate that this sale is the earliest transaction that they can prove historically. Also, a military contract is more impressive than selling a duck gun to a local farmer. Nevertheless, Beretta is easily the world's oldest continuously operating gun manufacturer. |
| by 1543 | Cast cannon trade thrived in Uckfield, Sussex.33 |
| 1547 | A French author penned, [translation] “No use has yet been made in France, in 1547, of that terrible weapon against men. The French used it against some castles in 1338, but they would blush to employ it against their fellow-creatures. ...” To my knowledge, this is the first anti-gun rhetoric.34 |
| 1565 to 1568 | Bartolomeo Beretta, the head of the company (in 1526) we now know as Beretta ⇒, died.35 |
| 1570 | Someone made the first revolving gun with sliding lids covering the touchholes and flash pans.36 |
| 1585 | Even after many improvements had been made, Montaigne penned that “the effect of fire-arms, apart from the shock caused by the report, to which one does not easily get accustomed,” was so insignificant that he hoped they were discarded.37 38 |
| 1550 | Giovannino Beretta, the who took over as head of the company (date not known) we now know as Beretta ⇒ when his father Jacopo Beretta died, was born.39 |
| 1577 | Giovan Antonio Beretta, the who took over as head of the company (date not known) we now know as Beretta ⇒ when his father Giovannino Beretta died, was born.40 |
| after 1577 | Giovannino Beretta, the who took over as head of the company (date not known) we now know as Beretta ⇒ when his father Jacopo Beretta died, died.41 |
| 1600s | Stronger cannon, etc. and grained gunpowder illustrated that it was impossible to prevent gas leak in breech-loading devices. At this point, muzzleloading devices overtook all breech-loading devices for the purpose of ordnance.42 |
| first years of the 1600s at the earliest | The first magazine gun manufactured.43 |
| early 1600s, before 1630 | Reliable accounts place the invention of the flintlock in the Spanish Pyrenees and credit it to a regiment of marauders (Miquelitos). The initial device was named Lock à la Miquelet for the regiment.44 Some credit the invention of the flintlock to the Dutch poultry stealers (snaaphans) who studied the wheel lock for inspiration and for whom the snaphaunce is named.45 Immediately after the introduction of firearms equipped with the flintlock, they were colloquially dubbed fusils due to the flints (fucile) they carried.46 |
| 14 May 1607 | Virginia Company explorers arrived at Jamestown Island, Virginia; thus establishing the first permanent English colony in what would later become these United States of America. The first firearms brought to the Colony of Virginia were muskets equipped with matchlocks, snaphances or wheel locks.47 48 |
| 1608 | Peter Keffer, the first known gunsmith in the colony, arrived in the Colony of Virginia (with the first supply).49 |
| 1609 | The Colony of Virginia possessed twenty-four “peeces of Ordnance” and “three hundred Muskets Snaphances and firelocks: Shot, Powder and Match sufficient, Curats, Pikes, Swords and Morrions, more than men. ...”50 51 |
| drawn up between 1609 and 1612 | The Lawes Divine, Morall and Martiall cautioned each sentinel in the Colony of Virginia to be ready two hours before dawn “...with piece charged and provided, and a match alight at both ends and bullets in mouth...”52 53 |
| 1610 | Two gunmakers and two armorers arrived in the Colony of Virginia (with Sir Thomas Gates).54 |
| as early as 1618 | Governor Argall, of the Colony of Virginia, exempted craftsmen (including gunsmiths) who follow their trade from the requirement that every man will raise two acres of corn. Laws incenting tradesmen to work at their trades will continue from time to time through the 1600s.55 |
| 1619 | Charles Coyfe, a gunsmith, arrived in the Colony of Virginia.56 |
| Sep 1622 | Because the items were considered unfit for any modern military service in Europe, the king of England presented the Colony of Virginia with “1000 browne bills, 400 bowes, and bowestaves, 800 shefs of Arrowes, 700 Callivers, 300 short pistols with fire locks, and 300 harquibussues ... 2000 skulls of iron, 100 brigandines, 40 plate Coats and 400 shirts, and Coats of Maile.”57 58 |
| 1622 or after | John Jackson, shop owner in Jamestown, Colony of Virginia, purchased an indentured gunsmith from the merchant John Gill.59 |
| 1623 | George Clarke, of James City, Colony of Virginia, mentioned as a gunsmith.60 |
| 1633 | The English Government standardized measurements for all firearms used by their military: (barrel/overall length/bore) Musket 4 ft./5 ft. 2 in./12, Caliver 3 ft. 3 in./4 ft. 6 in./17, Harquebus 2 ft. 6 in./3 ft./17, Carbine/2 ft. 6 in./3 ft./24, Petronel 2 ft. 6 in./3 ft./24.61 |
| 1636 | George Fort is described as a gunsmith on the Eastern Shore of the Colony of Virginia.62 |
| 1636 | Early firearms were so slow to load that the slowest soldiers only fired seven shots during the battle of Kuisyingen. The battle lasted eight hours.63 |
| before 1640 | A rifle barrel, discarded at Mathew’s Manor, near the mouth of the Warwick river in the Colony of Virginia, is the earliest known evidence of a rifle found in the Colony of Virginia, if not the whole of North America.64 |
| after 1649 | Giovan Antonio Beretta, the who took over as head of the company (date not known) we now know as Beretta ⇒ when his father Giovannino Beretta died, died.65 |
| before 1650 | An armorer’s shop was abandoned at Mathew’s Manor, near the mouth of the Warwick River in the Colony of Virginia. There is no information as to the name/s of the craftsman/en who worked there.66 |
| mid 1600s | Artisans of Paris reached their peak in terms of firearms production.67 |
| 1653 | Due to objections regarding the reliability of the weapon by France’s Generals, an ordinance of Louis XIV forbid any soldier of the country to use flintlock guns. Later the same year, the punishment for breaking this prohibition became death. The objections stemmed from the fact that the sparks created by the meeting of the hammer (steel) and flint were not always able to fire the weapon. The sparks would stream to either side of the pan but not enter it. The development of guns possessing both a flint- and a matchlock addressed the shortcoming.68 |
| 1675 | Charles Parkes, Sr. mentioned as a gunsmith in Northampton County, Colony of Virginia.69 |
| 1677 | William Hunt, Charles City County, Colony of Virginia, had an indentured gunsmith who was a “...very good workman...” as well as a smith’s shop “...well furnished...”70 |
| 1683 | The estate of Robert Spring, of the Colony of Virginia, included “1 Screw Gun.”71 |
| between 1689 and 1702 | Flintlock weapons introduced into England during the reign of William III, gradually increasing over time.72 73 |
| 1693 | First reference (that I know of) to a gun made by a Colony of Virginia gunsmith; Charles Parkes, Jr. inherits a “... new Gunn of his fathers making ...”74 |
| 1696 | In the Colony of Virginia, the Estate of Edmund Bebbs included “...one Gunn Stockt by Charles Parkes.”75 |
| 1697 | Brothers Henry & Peter Byrome left Lancaster County, England and came to the Colony of Virginia as indentured gunsmiths. After their four-year term of service was completed they established a shop in Essex County.76 |
| 1702 | The estate of Ralph Wormeley, of Middlesex County, Colony of Virginia, included 21 guns; among them was a “Rifile Gun.”77 |
| 1702 | A report on the state of the Colony of Virginia’s defense reported that the militia exceeded 8,000 men who were “...in such great want of Arms and Ammunition proper and fit for action, that not one fourth of the Militia is fit to oppose the Enemy.”78 |
| 1703 | Arms and equipment to supply 1,400men, provided by the English Government, arrived in the Colony of Virginia. This supply was stored in the Magazine at Jamestown under the care of gunner Edward Ross. These arms and ammunition were to be sold to any militiaman at 12 ½ percent over cost; they didn’t sell well.79 |
| 1707 | In the Colony of Virginia, Anthony North was apprenticed to Henry Byrome who agreed to give the boy two-years of schooling and teach him “the art and trade of a gunn smith.”80 |
| 1727 | In the Colony of Virginia, David James, a “...free negro...” was indentured to James Isdel who was to “...teach him to read the Bible distinctly also the trade of a gunsmith...”81 |
| 1742 | New Principles of Gunnery originally published.82 |
| 1751 | A Williamsburg, Colony of Virginia advertisement stated that David & William Geddy could rifle gun barrels.83 |
| 1753 | In Frederick parish, Colony of Virginia, William Bowen was apprenticed to Stephen Emry to learn “the art of a Black Smith and Gun Smith.” Illustrating that it was commonplace for a trained gunsmith to also learn the craft of a blacksmith, silversmith or whitesmith.84 |
| by 1753 | The lighter and longer rifles of American design began to be used for military purposes in the Colony of Virginia.85 |
| 1757 | Joshua Baker, a gunsmith in Frederick County, Colony of Virginia, fixed a rifle for George Washington that he purchased earlier in the year.86 |
| 1764 | In the Colony of Virginia, Adam Haymaker took the son of Henry Brinker as a gunsmith’s apprentice.87 |
| invoiced Oct 1767 | George Washington ordered a gun for John Parke Curtis from a London gunsmith named John Brazier. It is described as “1 Handsome fowling piece 3 feet 2 inches in the Barl ¾ inch bore, fine silver Mountg, with water pan lock, Walnut Stock, barrel blewed within a Silver Sight, a false britch and sliding bolts, worm to the Rammer & list Case.” It cost eight pounds and eight shillings.88 In comparison, that would be £628.24 GBP ($995.64 USD) in today’s money (16 Jan 2011). 89 90 91 92 93 |
| 1769 | Joshua Baker, a gunsmith in Frederick County, Colony of Virginia, died. He owned a complete set of gunsmith’s tools, including “1 rifling Rod.”94 |
| invoiced 1771 | Goods shipped to Garland Anderson, Hanover County, Colony of Virginia by Dobson, Daltera and Walker, merchants in Liverpool, included: 12 guns ½ inch bore & 3 feet 9 inches barrel @15/, 1 Ditto ¾ inch bore 4 ½ feet barrel @30/, 1 Ditto 5/8 inch barrel 4 feet barrel @40/.95 |
| dawn 19 Apr 1775 | British and local militia fought in the Battle of Lexington, Massachusetts Bay Colony. Thus began the military action of the American Revolution.96 |
| 1776 | John Draper, a farrier in Williamsburg, Colony of Virginia, was repairing pistols for the colony.97 |
| 1777 | George Washington ordered the creation of the Springfield Armory to store revolutionary war ammunition and gun carriages.98 |
| 21 Jun 1788 | The State of New Hampshire ratifies the Constitution of the United States. As it was the ninth State to do so, the Constitution of the United States goes into effect.99 |
| 1794 | Springfield Armory (US Government) began to manufacture muskets.100 |
| circa 1810 | E. H. Collier manufactured a revolving carbine in England.101 The lock was placed in the center of the stock, the flash pan and hammer on of and the touchhole passing through the top strap. Its breech is formed as a cap to the chamber ends. The breech ‘caps’ rotate with the chambers so as to not allow any powder escape. the chambers are rotated by hand. This is done by drawing them back 1/8 inch before turning; this is required because the chambers and barrel are form fitted together. When aligned they are held together by a spring acting upon the entire pivot.102 |
| 31 Jul 1811 | King Frederick I (Württemberg) signed a decree establishing the Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory in the former Augustine monastery in Oberndorf am Neckar (in modern-day Germany).103 |
| 1829 | The Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory (Oberndorf) began redesigning and eventually manufacturing, existing flintlocks into percussion rifles.104 |
| 1834 | William Wellington Greener born.105 |
| 2 May 1834 | Wilhelm Mauser was born. He is the eleventh child of Fraz Andreas & Agathe Mauser.106 |
| 25 Feb 1836 | Samuel Colt received United States patent X9430 I1 ⇒ for his “improvement in fire-arms,” otherwise known as the original Colt revolver.107 |
| 1836 | Samuel Colt built his first manufacturing plant in Paterson, NJ. It was known as the Patent Arms Manufacturing Company.108 |
| 27 Jun 1838 | Peter Paul Mauser was born. He is the thirteenth child of Fraz Andreas & Agathe Mauser. For the rest of this timeline, Peter Paul Mauser will be referred to as Paul Mauser.109 |
| Aug 1838 | Due to poor financial performance, the Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory (Oberndorf) was taken over by the Württemberg Ministry of Finance. 110 |
| until 1840 | The British Army used flintlock weapons.111 |
| as late as 1842 | Gun manufacturers in Birmingham made flint guns for the English Government.112 |
| 1842 | Patent Arms Manufacturing Company closed, auctioned much of its equipment, and entered bankruptcy proceedings.113 |
| 1846 | The Science of Gunnery by William Greener was published by E. Churton, London.114 115 |
| mid 1847 | US Ordnance Department ordered 1,000 Colt "Walker" revolvers. Samuel Colt had firearms orders and no factory. The order was manufactured and shipped from the Connecticut based factory of Eli Whitney, Jr., son of the inventor of the cotton gin.116 |
| 1848 | Wilhelm Mauser began working at the Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory (Oberndorf).117 |
| 27 Oct 1848 | Samuel Colt receives patent reissue number 124 for the “Improvement[s] in Revolving Fire-Arms” made to his 25 Feb 1836 patented Colt revolver.118 |
| 1851 | Samuel Colt opens a manufacturing plant in England.119 |
| 1852 | Horace Smith and Daniel Baird Wesson partner to form a firearms manufacturing company. They plan to produce a firearm that can fire a fully self-contained cartridge.120 |
| end of Jun 1852 | Paul Mauser began working at the Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory (Oberndorf).121 |
| 1853 | Franz Mauser, an older brother of Wilhelm & Paul Mauser, emigrated to the United States where he worked as a gunsmith for the Remington Arms Co.122 |
| 1854 | Volcanic repeating handguns introduced.123 |
| 23 Jan 1855 | John Moses Browning born in Ogden, Utah Territory.124 |
| 1855 | Samuel Colt opens a manufacturing plant in Hartford, CT. It produced five thousand finished handguns its first year.125 |
| 1855 | Samuel Colt incorporated his business in Connecticut as the “Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co.”126 |
| 1855 | Volcanic Repeating Arms Company formed.127 |
| 1855 | Oliver Winchester purchased stock in Volcanic Repeating Arms Company.128 |
| 1855 | Volcanic carbine introduced.129 |
| 1856 | Volcanic Repeating Arms Company moved to New Haven, Connecticut and changed its name to New Haven Arms Company.130 |
| 3 Mar 1857 | Samuel Colt received patent 16716 ⇒ for his “Improvement in the Mode of Lubricating Firearms.”131 |
| 19 May 1857 | Lamont du Pont receives patent number 17,321 ⇒ for an “improvement in gunpowder.”132 |
| summer 1858 | Paul Mauser, while attending a choral festival held in Hohenzollern Castle, saw his first needle gun. About that event he later wrote in his journal, "... the soldier showed his rifle to me. Up to that time I had never seen a needle gun. On that very day I thought already, that something better could be designed. That thought has never left me."133 |
| 18 Jan 1859 | Samuel Colt received patent 22,627 ⇒ for his “canteen gun-stock.”134 |
| spring 1859 | Paul Mauser was recruited to the Arsenal in Ludwigsburg (in modern day Germany). In the Arsenal's model room, he could study the newest breech-loading rifle test models. This is when the ideas for his own breech-loading design began. He was sent back to the Royal Württemberg Rifle Factory (Oberndorf) six months later.135 |
| 1860 | Henry rifle is patented.136 |
| 1861 | Due to the outbreak of the American Civil War, with more than one-thousand employees and annual profits exceeding $250,000, the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co.’s Armory was running at full capacity by the end of 1861.137 |
| 1861 to 1865 | Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co. stopped shipping to southern states and would only sell weapons to the Union forces during the American Civil War.138 |
| 12 Apr 1861 | Confederate artillery fired at federally held Fort Sumter in Charleston, SC; thus beginning the military action of the American Civil War.139 |
| 0900 hrs, 10 Jan 1862 | Samuel Colt died; he was only forty-seven years old at the time. Control of the Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co. passed to Mrs. Elizabeth Colt and her family.140 141 |
| 1862 | First Henry rifles are sold.142 |
| mid 1862 | The Union Army started to receive Henry rifles.143 |
| 1-3 Jul 1863 | The Battle of Gettysburg (Pennsylvania) was fought. It is generally considered the most famous battle and the turning point of the American Civil War.144 |
| btwn 0800 & 1000 hrs, 5 Feb 1864 | Colt's Patent Fire Arms Mfg Co.’s pistol and revolving rifle factory and adjacent offices completely destroyed by fire. The cause of the fire a mystery, but believed to have broken out in the drying room in the attic. At least one person killed, nearly nine hundred people lost their job and the total financial loss estimated at two million dollars. The US Military rifle factory was saved from the fire.145 |
| 14-15 Apr 1865 | John Wilkes Booth shot President Abraham Lincoln in the back of the head (14 Apr); Lincoln died from his injury early the next morning (15 Apr).146 |
| 26 Apr 1865 | Sherman received Johnston's surrender at Durham Station, NC, effectively ending the American Civil War.147 |
| 1866 | Oliver Winchester purchased control of New Haven Arms Company and changed its name to Winchester Repeating Arms Company.148 |
| 1866 | Winchester Model 1866 "Yellow Boy” lever action introduced. It is the first gun to bear the Winchester name.149 |
| 1868 | Winchester Repeating Arms Company purchased the assets of Spencer Company.150 |
| Oct 1869 | For his brother’s birthday, John Moses Browning assembled a slide rifle out of spare parts.151 |
| 1869 | William Greener died.152 |
| 1870 | Modern Breech-Loaders: Sporting and Military ⇒ by W. W. Greener originally published.153 |
| 17 Nov 1871 | The National Rifle Association of America (NRA) founded.154 |
| 3 Dec 1872 | Lamont du Pont & Eugene du Pont receive patent number 133,522 for an “improvement in the manufacture of gunpowder.” |
| 1875 | Winchester Repeating Arms Company buys rights to Hotchkiss bolt-action centerfire.155 |
| 1876 | Choke-Bore Guns, and How to Load for All Kinds of Game originally published. |
| 1876 | Winchester Model 1876 lever action introduced.156 |
| spring 1878 | John Moses Browning begins work on his first single shot rifle.157 |
| 10 Apr 1879 | John Moses Browning married Rachel Teresa Child.158 |
| 12 May 1879 | John Moses Browning filed the application for a patent on his single shot rifle.159 |
| 7 Oct 1879 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 220,271 for an “improvement in breech-loading fire-arms,” otherwise known as his single-shot rifle.160 161 162 |
| 1880 | John Moses Browning, with the aid of his brothers, opened his arms factory.163 |
| 1880 | Oliver Winchester died.164 |
| 4 Oct 1881 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 247,881 for a “cartridge loading implement.” |
| 1881 | The Gun and Its Development by W. W. Greener was originally published. |
| 20 Mar 1887 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning apply for a patent for a bolt-action repeating rifle with a tubular magazine.165 |
| 25 Jul 1882 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 261,667 for a “magazine fire-arm.”166 167 |
| spring 1883 | John Moses Browning sold the rights to his single shot rifle (patent # 220,271 - 7 Oct 1879 168) to T. G. Bennett, Vice-President and General Manager of Winchester Repeating Arms Company. The single shot becomes the Winchester Model 1885. This began a partnership between the Browning and Winchester that would last nineteen years. As part of the transaction, Mr. Bennett is assured of first rights on a new repeater.169 170 |
| 1883 | Winchester Model 1883 Hotchkiss Magazine Gun introduced. This is the first Winchester bolt action.171 |
| 26 May 1884 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning apply for a patent for a lever action repeating rifle that employed sliding vertical locks. 172 |
| 14 Oct 1884 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 306,577 for a “magazine fire-arm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue.173 174 |
| Oct 1884 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning traveled to New Haven to deliver what was to become the famous Winchester Model 1886.175 |
| 11 Aug 1885 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 324,297 for a “magazine fire-arm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 1885 | The Rifle was published for the first time. |
| 16 Feb 1886 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 336,287 for a “magazine fire-arm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. This became the Winchester Model 1887; it was the first successful repeating shotgun.176 177 |
| 20 Jul 1886 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 345,881 for a “magazine fire-arm.” |
| 28 Mar 1887 | John Moses Browning left (this author assumes he left from the Ogden, Utah Territory; the source was not specific) for Georgia to spend two years as a Mormon missionary.178 |
| 13 Dec 1887 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning apply for a patent for a .22 caliber pump action repeating rifle.179 |
| 26 Jun 1888 | Julian Somerville Hatcher was born in Winchester, VA.180 |
| 26 Jun 1888 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 385,238 for a “magazine fire-arm.” This became the Winchester Model 1890; it has been called "the most popular 22 caliber pump action rifle ever made."181 182 183 |
| 1888 | The Rifle changed its name to Shooting and Fishing. |
| 1888 | Modern Shotguns originally published. |
| 1889 | Gunsmiths in Belgium’s Liege region form Fabrique Nationale, to fill an order from the Belgian military for 150,000 Mauser-licensed rifles. |
| Fall 1889 | John Moses Browning began development of the first of his gas-operated firearms.184 |
| 6 Jan 1890 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning apply for their first patent dealing with gas operation. This becomes patent # 471,782 – 29 Mar 1892.185 186 |
| 23 Sep 1890 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 436,965 for a “breech-loading gun.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 25 Nov 1890 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 441,390 for a “magazine gun.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 1890 | T. G. Bennett becomes president of Winchester Repeating Arms Co.187 |
| late summer 1881 | Theodore Roosevelt ordered his first Winchester rifles, a pair of consecutively numbered Model 1876s. They were to be "stocked and sighted to suit me." This meant that the guns were to have half-round & half octagonal barrels, pistol grips, deluxe-checkered stocks, case hardened receivers, plain triggers, half magazines, shotgun butts & special sights. |
| 15 Dec 1891 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 465,339 for a “magazine gun.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 15 Dec 1891 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 465,340 for a “magazine fire-arm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 29 Mar 1892 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 471,782 for an “automatic magazine gun.” |
| 29 Mar 1892 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 471,783 for a “machine gun.” |
| 29 Mar 1892 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 471,784 for a “machine gun.” |
| 6 Dec 1892 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 487,659 for a “magazine-firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 6 Dec 1892 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 487,660 for a “holder for cartridge packs.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 15 Nov 1892 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 486,274 for a “magazine-gun.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 1892 | A Breech-Loader, and How to Use It originally published. |
| 28 Feb 1893 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 492,459 for a “magazine-firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 6 Jun 1893 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 499,005 for a “magazine-firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 6 Jun 1893 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 499,006 for a “magazine catch for magazine-firearms.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 6 Jun 1893 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 499,007 for a “magazine-firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 21 Aug 1894 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 524,702 for a “magazine-gun.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 1894 | The US Army Ordinance Department comparatively tested Krnka–Hebler tubular bullets for air resistance. The study found that “contrary to the claims for the tubular bullet, it suffers greater retardation from the air than the service bullet, the velocity falling off more rapidly in all forms of tubular bullets employed.” |
| 30 Jul 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 543,567 for a “means for automatically removing unconsumed products from gun-barrels.” |
| 20 Aug 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 544,658 for a “gas-operated machine-gun.” |
| 20 Aug 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 544,659 for a “gas-operated machine-gun.” |
| 20 Aug 1895 | John Moses Browning and Matthew S. Browning receive patent number 544,660 for a “gas-operated breech-loading gun.” |
| 20 Aug 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 544,661 for a “gas-operated firearm.” |
| 3 Sep 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 545,672 for a “box-magazine bolt-gun.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 15 Oct 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 547,986 for a “cartridge-holding pack for magazine-guns.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 22 Oct 1895 | William W. Wetmore receives patent number 548,410 for a “magazine-firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 5 Nov 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 549,345 for a “box magazine firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 3 Dec 1895 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 550,778 for a “magazine-firearm.” This patent was assigned to the Winchester Repeating Arms Co. at its issue. |
| 7 Jan 1886 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 552,864 for a “magazine-firearm.” |
| 1896 | A Bibliography of Guns and Shooting originally published. |
| 1897 | Fabrique Nationale begins a partnership with John Moses Browning. |
| 13 Apr 1897 | William H. Davenport received patent number 580,679 for a “magazine-gun.” |
| 20 Apr 1897 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 580,923 for a “firearm.” |
| 2140 hrs 15 Feb 1898 | The battleship USS Maine, while in Havana harbor, Cuba, exploded and sank killing 266 US Servicemen – most of them enlisted sailors. Although the exact cause of the explosion is still debated among academics and technical experts, this event worsened the already tense situation that led the Spanish declaration of war against the United States of America 67 days later. |
| 23 Apr 1898 | Spain declares war on the United States of America |
| 1899 | Fabrique Nationale introduces the 32 caliber Browning Automatic Pistol. |
| 1900 | Sharpshooting for Sport and War originally published. |
| 25 Aug 1900 | The pilot model of what would become the Springfield US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 was sent to the War Department for examination. It had a 30-inch barrel and a rod bayonet.188 |
| as early as 1901 | The bullpup configuration was employed in rifles and carbines for the first time. |
| 1902-01-01 | According to Browning (company), John Moses Browning and T. G. Bennett, of Winchester, severed their nineteen-year relationship due to a disagreement about the public acceptability of the autoloading shotgun.189 Bruce Bybee, a historian at the John M. Browning Firearms Museum in Ogden, UT says that the relationship soured because John wanted royalties from the autoloading shotgun but Winchester, wanting to just buy the patent again, refused. Since Browning wanted the autoloading shotgun actually produced and sold, the relationship was terminated.190 |
| 8 Jan 1902 | John Moses Browning made an appointment with Mr. Marcellus Hartley of Remington so he could show him the new autoloading shotgun. This meeting never took place due to Mr. Hartley's death the same day the appointment had been made.191 |
| 1902-02-01 | John Moses Browning embarked on his first ocean voyage. He planned to offer his new autoloading shotgun to Fabrique Nationale.192 |
| 24 Mar 1902 | John Moses Browning licensed Fabrique Nationale with exclusive worldwide rights to produce and sell his new autoloading shotgun.193 |
| 7 Apr 1902 | The US War Department appropriated 100 experimental rifles, of what would become the Springfield US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903, at the cost of $1,700. They were ordered with 26 inch barrels.194 |
| 1903 | Fabrique Nationale begins production of the Browning Auto-5 shotgun. |
| 16 Feb 1903 | The US War Department convened a board at the Springfield Armory to test the experimental rifles, of what would become the Springfield US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903. The board recommended that the rifle be made with a 24-inch barrel, the rod bayonet be shortened 6 inches, and the bolt (which was straight on the experimental rifles) be bent down to make use in the saddle scabbard of mounted troops possible.195 |
| 19 Jun 1903 | The US War Department approved as standard the US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903. |
| 20 Jun 1903 | The US War Department ordered that the fixtures, dies, tools, gauges, etc. required to manufacture the US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 be made in order the produce 225 rifles per 8 hour day at the Springfield Armory and 125 rifles per 8 hour day at the Rock Island Arsenal. |
| 1903-07-01 | The US War Department increased the order that the fixtures, dies, tools, gauges, etc. required to manufacture the US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 be made in order the produce 400 rifles per 8 hour day at the Springfield Armory. |
| 1904 | The US War Department’s Thompson–Lagarde Tests took place. Although they have been judged primitive and flawed by today’s standards, they were the most comprehensive ammunition stopping power trials held to date. |
| 1904-11-01 | The Springfield Armory and/or the Rock Island Arsenal began production of the US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903. Production continued uninterrupted until after the end of World War I. |
| US FY 1904 | 30,503 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1905 | General Ammon B. Critchfield, while duck hunting, finds an ideal site for what will become the Camp Perry Military Reservation in the marshes along Lake Erie. The range sites offered a location where all firing could be done from a common line directed toward the shoreline and maximum natural light conditions. |
| US FY 1905 | 43,905 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1906 | The Ohio Legislature appropriated $25,000 to purchase over 300 acres of land for the state rifle range and camp for what is now known as the Camp Perry Military Reservation. |
| 1906 | Shooting & Fishing magazine changed its name to Arms and the Man. |
| US FY 1906 | 97,603 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1907 | Fabrique Nationale begins official use of the Browning name. |
| 1907 | The Causes of Decay in a British Industry originally published. |
| summer 1907 | At what is now known as the Camp Perry Military Reservation, the 200-, 600- & 800-yard ranges are ready. |
| US FY 1907 | 102,116 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1 Sep 1907 | The National Rifle Matches were first held at what is now known as the Camp Perry Military Reservation. |
| 1908 | The British Miniature Rifle originally published. |
| 1 May 1908 | The Ohio Legislature officially named what is now known as the Camp Perry Military Reservation, near Port Clinton, in honor of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, the Commander who defeated the British in the Battle of Lake Erie. |
| US FY 1908 | 62,565 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1909 | Julian Somerville Hatcher graduates from the US Naval Academy with honors. |
| US FY 1909 | 25,662 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1910-10-01 | Julian Somerville Hatcher left the US Navy and joined the US Army. |
| US FY 1910 | 46,797 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1911 | Federal Court of the Southern District of New York found that Savage Arms Co. did not violate John M. Browning patents 580,924 and 747,585 when manufacturing the Savage Automatic Pistol under E. H. Searle patents 804,985 and 936,369. Judge Platt said that Colt’s Patent Fire Arms Mfg. Co. failed to show that the Savage Arms Co.’s pistol operates in the same way that the patent in the suit teaches and dismissed the suits for want of equity. |
| 1911 | Winchester Model 1911 semi-auto shotgun introduced. This is the first Winchester semi-automatic shotgun.196 |
| 29 Mar 1911 | The US Army adopted the "Model 1911” semiautomatic pistol. |
| US FY 1911 | 49,697 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1912 | Stevens began production of the No. 12 Marksman rifle. |
| Aug 1912 | Winchester Model 1912 introduced; available in 20 gauge only. |
| US FY 1912 | 35,179 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 8 Oct 1912 | Benjamin Frank Case receives patent number 1,040,881 for a “firearm.” |
| 1913 | The US Navy and US Marine Corps adopted the "Model 1911” semiautomatic pistol. |
| 1913 | Winchester Model 1912 12 & 16 gauges introduced. |
| US FY 1913 | 38,070 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| circa 1914 | Stevens began production of the Model 101 Shotgun. |
| 1914 | Sharpshooting for War and Defence originally published. |
| 1914 | Fabrique Nationale produces their one millionth Browning Automatic Pistol. |
| 1914 | WWI: Fabrique Nationale arms factory is seized and occupied by the German military. It is used as a hospital and vehicle repair facility. |
| US FY 1914 | 26,545 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| US FY 1915 | 25,977 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| US FY 1916 | 13,631 US Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1903 were manufactured. |
| 1 Jul 1916 | The NRA purchases the Arms and the Man magazine for $1. |
| 1917 | The US Army’s Aberdeen Proving Ground is established in Maryland by presidential proclamation. |
| 1917 | The US military adopted the Model 1917 Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR). It remained in service for more than 50 years. |
| circa 1918 | The bullpup configuration was employed in semi-automatics for the first time. |
| 12 Sep 1918 | John Moses Browning personally test fires the Browning Heavy Machine Gun prototype. The 50 caliber Browning design was developed at the request of US General John J. ‘Black Jack’ Pershing. It remains in active service with the US military (as of Mar 2011). |
| 1919 | Fabrique Nationale resumes firearms manufacture (after WWI). |
| 1919 | Fabrique Nationale begins production of the Browning Automatic Rifle (BAR), the Browning Model 1917 Machine Gun, and the Browning Heavy Machine Gun. |
| 1919 | Mikhail Kalashnikov is the seventeenth child born to a peasant family in the village of Kurya in the Altai region of Russia.197 198 199 |
| 1919 | The model name of the Winchester Model 1912 changed to the Model 12. |
| 1920 | Stevens discontinued production of the Model 101 Shotgun. |
| 25 Jul 1921 | William Wellington Greener died. |
| 1923 | John Moses Browning begins working on the first prototypes of what would become the Hi Power Automatic Pistol. |
| 1923-06-01 | The NRA changes the name of the Arms and the Man magazine to American Rifleman. |
| 1924 | John Alden’s ‘Mayflower Gun’ was discovered during renovation of his family home in Duxbury, MA (built 1653). Mr. Alden was a cooper (barrel maker) who arrived in Plymouth Bay Colony aboard the Mayflower. He had this gun in his possession when he crossed the Atlantic. This modified single shot Italian wheelock carbine could have been "one of the guns responsible for the first Thanksgiving," according to National Firearms Museum Senior Curator Doug Wicklund. The barrel and lockplate markings indicate that the gun was either made or repaired by the Beretta Family of Italy. The stock is primarily European walnut. At some point early in its history, a front portion stock was replaced by North American walnut. Although originally 50 caliber, through use the barrel has been hollowed out nearly eliminating the rifling; the bore is now roughly 66 caliber. This gun is now in the National Firearms Museum. |
| 4 Aug 1925 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 1,548,709 for a “magazine firearm.” |
| 30 Mar 1926 | John Moses Browning receives patent number 1,578,639 for a “firearm.” |
| 1926 | Fabrique Nationale contracts to build the BAR for Polish military. |
| 1926 | John Moses Browning suffers a fatal heart attack at the Fabrique Nationale factory in Liege, Belgium. |
| 1926 | Dieudonne Saive, John Moses Browning’s assistant, continues designing firearms for Fabrique Nationale. |
| 24 May 1927 | Posthumously, John Moses Browning receives patent number 1,625,651 for a “firing mechanism for automatic firearms.” |
| 1928 | American Rifleman circulation now over 30,000. |
| 1928 | Pacific Tool Co. invents the ‘C’ type ammunition reloading press. |
| 19 Jul 1929 | Gaston Glock, the founder of GLOCK GesmbH, is born in Vienna, Austria.200 |
| 1930s | American Rifleman circulation now over 56,000; it also ran its first full-color advertisement (Packard Car Company). |
| 8 Apr 1930 | Julian S. Hatcher receives patent number 1,753413 for a “cartridge case.” |
| 1931 | Olin Corporation purchases Winchester Repeating Arms Company and combines it with the Western Cartridge Company.201 |
| 1932 | Fabrique Nationale adapts Browning machine gun designs to be deployed on aircraft. |
| 1933 | Stevens discontinued production of the No. 12 Marksman rifle. |
| 1934 | Winchester Model 12 28 gauge introduced. |
| 1934 | The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officially issues handguns to its agents for the first time. As a number of different models were issued, there did not appear to be a standard issue handgun at this time.202 |
| 26 Jun 1934 | The National Firearms Act of 1934 was enacted.203 |
| 1935 | General George S. Patton obtained his iconic .357 N-Frame (factory registered magnum) from Smith & Wesson (registration # 506 & serial # 47022). He added the famous ivory grips aftermarket. This revolver is now part of the General George S. Patton Museum, Fort Knox, Louisville, KY. |
| 1935 | Yankee Arms Maker: the Incredible Career of Samuel Colt originally published. |
| 1935 | Fabrique Nationale introduces the Model 1935 Browning Hi Power. |
| 1936 | NRA College All-American Shooting Program began. |
| 1936 | Winchester Model 70 centerfire bolt-action rifle introduced. This is the first centerfire bolt action designed by Winchester specifically for sporting use.204 |
| 9 Jan 1936 | The US Army adopted the "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30 M1" as its new battle rifle. The Marine Corps followed suit in November 1941, based at least in part on the rifle's favorable performance on Guadalcanal. |
| Mar 1939 | Brownells founded |
| 24 Jun 1939 | Frank Royce Brownell III born. |
| between 1 Sep 1939 and 2 Sep 1945 | Bill Shadel, editor of American Rifleman magazine, received press credentials from CBS and was overseas while he covered the European Theater of WWII. |
| between 1 Sep 1939 and 2 Sep 1945 | The physical size of American Rifleman magazine was cut in half due to WWII wartime paper shortages. |
| 1940 | WWII: Fabrique Nationale arms factory is seized, occupied and integrated into the German war production effort. |
| 1940 | WWII: Fabrique Nationale engineers, including Dieudonne Saive, flee to England, taking weapon blueprints with them. This prevented their capture by the Germans. |
| 1 Nov 1941 | Based at least in part on the rifle's favorable performance on Guadalcanal, the US Marine Corps adopted the "U.S. Rifle, Caliber .30 M1" as its new battle rifle. |
| Sep 1943 issue | Brownells places its first advertisement in American Rifleman magazine. |
| 1944 | WWII: Fabrique Nationale arms factory is liberated. |
| Aug 1944 issue | Brownells places first advertisement for bluing salts in American Rifleman magazine. |
| 1945 | Weatherby's Sporting Goods opens in California.205 |
| 1945 | Fabrique Nationale refurbishes more than 2,000,000 US military small arms prior to their return to reserves. |
| 1945 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .257 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. It delivers an 80 grain bullet traveling at 3,870 fps.206 |
| 1945 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .270 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. It is a turbo-charged version of the .270 Winchester cartridge.207 |
| 1945 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .300 Weatherby Magnum cartridge.208 |
| 1946 | The History of the Birmingham Gun-Barrel House; With Notes on the Birmingham Gun Trade originally published. |
| 1946 | Major General Julian Somerville Hatcher retired from the US Army because of disability. |
| 1947 | Hatcher’s Notebook: A Standard Reference Book for Shooters, Gunsmiths, Ballisticians, Historians, Hunters and Collectors by Major General Julian S. Hatcher originally published. |
| 1947 | Roy Weatherby introduced the 7mm Weatherby Magnum cartridge.209 |
| 1947 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .375 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. It is a turbo-charged version of the .375 Holland & Holland Magnum cartridge.210 |
| Aug 1947 | Brownells Catalog #1 is published. |
| 1949 | Joyce W. Hornady closed his sporting goods store and founded the Hornady Manufacturing Co. to manufacture bullets. |
| 1 Feb 1949 | The Pennsylvania Gunsmith School was founded in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. |
| 13 Jan 1950 | The Rivanna Rifle and Pistol Club founded in Albemarle County, Virginia. |
| 1951 | Weatherby's Sporting Goods moves to Firestone Avenue.211 |
| Jan 1951 | Bob Brownell closes his gunsmith shop to focus on the supply side of his business. |
| 1953 | The Story of Colt's Revolver: the Biography of Col. Samuel Colt originally published. |
| 1953 | Fabrique Nationale assists in development of the 7.62 x 51mm cartridge. |
| 1953 | Fabrique Nationale introduces the FAL Light Automatic Rifle. |
| 1954 | Weatherby introduced the Imperial rifle scope212 |
| 1954 | Jack First opened a gun shop in Lancaster, California. |
| Aug 1955 | Brownells introduces Acraglas. |
| 1 Mar 1956 | President Dwight D. Eisenhower directs the creation of the United States Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) to raise the standards of marksmanship throughout the US Army. |
| Feb 1957 issue | Frank Brownell pictured on the cover of American Rifleman magazine. |
| Mar 1957 | Bob Brownell becomes gunsmithing column editor for The Sporting Goods Dealer Magazine |
| 1958 | Weatherby introduced the Mark V Bolt Action.213 |
| 1958 | Fabrique Nationale introduces MAG 58 Medium Machine Gun chambered for the 7.62 x 51mm NATO cartridge. |
| 1959 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. This cartridge was designed to replace the .375 Weatherby Magnum.214 215 |
| 1959 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .460 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. This cartridge delivers 7,507 foot pounds of muzzle energy by shooting a 500 grain bullet at 2,600 fps.216 217 |
| Oct 1959 | Bob Brownell publishes The Encyclopedia of Modern Firearms |
| Feb 1963 issue | American Rifleman magazine ran an advertisement for Klein's Sporting Goods. It was from this ad that Lee Harvey Oswald purchased the rifle that he used to kill President John F. Kennedy. |
| 1963 | Gaston Glock, a chemical engineer specializing in plastics and thermal modeling, founded GLOCK KG (an Austrian company).218 219 220 221 |
| 1963 | Original Winchester Model 70 rifle discontinued. Model 70s made before this became known as Pre-'64s.222 |
| 1963 | Major General Julian Somerville Hatcher died. |
| 1963 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .340 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. This cartridge was developed as a response to the 338 Winchester Magnum. It takes advantage of the longer case to pack in more powder in an effort to achieve greater velocity.223 |
| 1964 | Mass production of the Winchester Model 12 discontinued. |
| 1964 | Weatherby introduced the Mark XXII .22 rifle.224 |
| 1964 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .224 Weatherby Magnum cartridge.225 |
| Aug 1964 | Frank Brownell begins working full time at Brownells. |
| 1965 | Hornady introduced the ‘Innergrove’ bullet. The manufacturing process added scoring inside of the jacket tips to insure consistent mushrooming in all tip styles offered. |
| 26 Jan 1968 | The Supreme Court of the United States, in Miles Edward Haynes v. United States, held that the registration requirement of the National Firearms Act of 1934 (NFA) violated the protection from self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. This case made the NFA virtually unenforceable.226 |
| 1968 | Citing budgetary concerns, the US Government closed the Springfield Armory (government).227 |
| 1968 | Fabrique Nationale begins production of the LAC Light Automatic Carbine chambered for the 5.56 x 45mm NATO cartridge. |
| 1968 | Roy Weatherby introduced the .240 Weatherby Magnum cartridge.228 |
| 22 Oct 1968 | The Gun Control Act of 1968 (GCA) was enacted. GCA Title II amended the NFA to fix the constitutional issue raised in Haynes. Title II also amended the NFA definitions of “firearm” by adding “destructive devices” and expanding the definition of “machinegun.”229 |
| Jan 1969 | Pete Brownell is born. |
| May 1969 | Gunsmith Kinks originally published. |
| 1970s | GLOCK KG produced their first military products. They include field knives, training hand grenades, and machine gun belt links.230 |
| 1970 | Steve Hornady joined Hornady Manufacturing Co. |
| 1970 | Weatherby introduced the Vanguard rifle.231 |
| 1971 | American Rifleman published a special 168 page centennial issue. This was by far the largest issue in the magazine's history; it included the first full-sized, full-color photographs of firearms ever printed in the magazine. |
| 1972 | Weatherby introduced the SightMaster spotting scope.232 |
| 1973 | The NRA Whittington Center was founded. It hosts many competitive, educational and recreational activities in all shooting disciplines. |
| 1973 | American Hunter magazine spins off from American Rifleman, taking with it the hunting stories, reviews and tips. |
| 1973 | Weatherby introduced the Premier rifle scope.233 |
| 1971 | Hornady Manufacturing Co. acquires Pacific Tool Co. |
| 1971 | Hornady Manufacturing Co. acquires Western Gun and Supply Co. |
| 1971 | Bolt Action Rifles originally published. This work is considered the “gold standard” about the subject of bolt action rifles. |
| 1972 | Marval Hornady joined Hornady Manufacturing Co. full time. |
| Aug 1973 | F. Brownell and Son publish Art of Engraving by James B. Meek. |
| 1974 | Mark Borinsky founded the gun control organization the National Council to Control Handguns. This is the beginning of what will become today’s Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence. |
| 1976 | The Austrian Army began their search for a new service pistol.234 |
| Jun 1976 | F. Brownell and Son publish Mauser Bolt Action Rifles (3rd ed.) by Ludwig Olson. |
| 1977 | Hornady introduced bullet products with the ‘Interlock’ feature. The manufacturing process used to make these bullets “locks” the jack and core together, minimizing separation. |
| 1977 | US military adopts the Fabrique Nationale MAG 58. It is designated the M240. |
| Aug 1977 | Brownells introduces Acraglas Gel. |
| 1978 | US Congress directed the Department of Defense to find a 9 mm handgun to replace the M1911A1. |
| 1978 | Housing the world’s largest collection of historic American military firearms, the site of the closed US Government Springfield Armory reopened as the Springfield Armory National Historic Site. |
| 1978 | Pete Shields became Chairman of the National Council to Control Handguns, a gun control group. |
| 1978 | Fabrique Nationale develops the Quick Change Barrel (QCB) modification for the .50 M2HB Browning Heavy Machine Gun. |
| 1978 | Weatherby introduced the roof-prism binoculars.235 |
| 1979 | 1979 NSSF SHOT Show (1st) took take place in St. Louis. The show was attended by 5,600 people.236 |
| 1979 | John Bianchi, of Bianchi International, created the Bianchi Cup to be awarded to the winner of the Bianchi Cup International Pistol Tournament. The match conditions for the tournament are an aggregate of 192 shots fired in four (the practical, barricade, falling plate, and moving target (modified) events) 48 shot matches with a possible score of 1920-192X. Ron Lerch won the first year with a score of 1816-62X.237 |
| 1980 | 1980 NSSF SHOT Show (2nd) took take place in San Francisco, California. The show was attended by 8,500 people.238 |
| 1980 | Gaston Glock starts developing a gun. |
| 1980 | National Council to Control Handguns is renamed Handgun Control, Inc (HCI). |
| 1980 | Mickey Fowler wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1889-85X.239 |
| 1980 | Fabrique Nationale begins production of FNC 5.56 x 45mm NATO Selective Fire Carbine. |
| 1981 | 1981 NSSF SHOT Show (3rd) took take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show was attended by 17,800 people.240 |
| 1981 | Mickey Fowler wins his second Bianchi Cup with a score of 1890-88X.241 |
| 1981 | Fabrique Nationale introduces SS109 Ball and L110 Tracer 5.56 x 45mm ammunition. Both NATO and the US military adopt both. They are designated M855 and M856. |
| 1981 | Weatherby introduced thier silouette pistols. With only 200 of them ever made, they are a hard to find collectors item.242 |
| 1982 | 1982 NSSF SHOT Show (4th) took take place in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was attended by 17,850 people.243 |
| 1982 | Guns and Shooting: A Selected Chronological Bibliography originally published. |
| 1982 | Mickey Fowler wins his third Bianchi Cup with a score of 1903-145X.244 |
| 1982 | The US military adopts the FN MINIMI 5.56 x 45mm NATO Squad Automatic Weapon. It is designated it the M249 SAW. |
| 1982 | Fabrique Nationale opens a plant in Columbia, SC to build firearms for the US military. |
| 1982 | Ronnie Barrett invented the first shoulder-fired 50 caliber rifle.245 |
| 1983 | 1983 NSSF SHOT Show (5th) took take place in Dallas, Texas. The show was attended by 20,000 people.246 |
| 1983 | Brian Enos wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1903-612X.247 |
| 1983 | The gun control group Handgun Control, Inc (HCI) creates the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV) as an “education outreach organization dedicated to reducing gun violence”. |
| 1983 | Roy Weatherby's son, Ed, took over the leadership of the company.248 |
| Jun 1983 | Frank Brownell becomes president of Brownells. |
| Nov 1983 | F. Brownell & Son publish Gunsmith Kinks II. |
| 1984 | 1984 NSSF SHOT Show (6th) took take place in Dallas, Texas. The show was attended by 22,000 people.249 |
| 1984 | The NRA designated the Bianchi Cup as the national action pistol championship. Brian Enos wins his second Bianchi Cup with a score of 1910-257X.250 |
| 1984 | Purdey’s: The Guns and the Family originally published. |
| 1984 | Weatherby introduced the Supreme rifle scope.251 |
| 1985 | 1985 NSSF SHOT Show (7th) took take place in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was attended by 19,200 people.252 |
| 1985 | Double Shotgun originally published. |
| 1985 | The NRA assumed operational control of the Bianchi Cup Tournament. Bianchi International presented the Bianchi Cup to the NRA; the Cup is now awarded annually to the national action pistol champion. The match conditions for the Bianchi Cup tournament were changed to an aggregate of 204 shots fired in three (the barricade, falling plate, and moving target (modified) events) 48 shot matches plus a 60 shot international rapid fire event with a possible score of 2040-204X. Rob Leatham wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 2034-155X.253 |
| 14 Jan 1985 | The US Department of Defense formally recognized the Beretta Model 92SB-F is by as ‘Pistol Semiautomatic, 9 mm, M9.’ The initial order, to supply all US military Service branches, was for 315,930 units. |
| 11 Apr 1986 | During a shootout in Miami, Florida with two armed robbers, two FBI Special Agents were killed (SA Benjamin Grogan & SA Gerald Dove), three were permanently crippled, and two more were injured. This event, the bloodiest day in FBI history, is the point when many US Law Enforcement Agencies seemed to accept that they were outgunned by the criminals they chased and started looking for a gun to replace the ones they currently carried.254 |
| 19 May 1986 | Firearms Owners’ Protection Act passed. This Act amended the NFA definition of “silencer,” amended the GCA to prohibit the transfer or possession of machineguns except by, government agencies, and those lawfully possessed before 19 May 1986.255 |
| 1986 | 1986 NSSF SHOT Show (8th) took take place in Houston, Texas. The show was attended by 20,950 people.256 |
| 1986 | GLOCK, Inc. established in Smyrna, GA. |
| 1986 | Trijicon Founder, Glyn Bindon had the idea for the ACOG.257 |
| 1986 | The match conditions for the Bianchi Cup tournament return to the standard set in 1979. W. Riley Gilmore wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1916-144X.258 |
| 1987 | 1987 NSSF SHOT Show (9th) took take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show was attended by 19,500 people.259 |
| 1987 | The Trijicon ACOG 4x32 TA01 was introduced. The reticles on the first models were not illuminated during the day. They had black crosshairs during the day and were illuminated by tritium at night.260 |
| 1987 | John Pride wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1912-151X.261 |
| 1988 | 1988 NSSF SHOT Show (10th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 19,800 people.262 |
| 1988 | John Pride wins his second Bianchi Cup with a score of 1918-163X.263 |
| 1988 | Fabrique Nationale becomes sole owner of Browning USA. |
| 1989 | 1989 NSSF SHOT Show (11th) took take place in Dallas, Texas. The show was attended by 23,500 people.264 |
| 21 Feb 1989 | The Trijicon ACOG received its United States Patent (US4806007A ⇒).265 |
| 1989 | The US military contracts with Fabrique Nationale to produce M16 rifles at their plant in Columbia, SC. |
| 1989 | Lemoine Wright wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1914-152X.266 |
| 1989 | Best Guns originally published. |
| 1989 | The anti-gun Center to Prevent Handgun Violence (CPHV) establishes the Legal Action Project to “take the fight against gun violence to the courts”. |
| 1989 | The Swedish Army orders 100 Barrett Firearms Model 82A1 Rifle Systems.267 |
| 1989 | Three of the manufacturers that submitted rifles to the US Army Combat Rifle Program contract competition chose the Trijicon ACOG 4x32 TA01 as their scope of choice. Although, no rifle was selected, the ACOG was now on the US Military's radar.268 |
| 1989 | Weatherby introduced the .416 Weatherby Magnum cartridge.269 |
| 20 Dec 1989 - 31 Jan 1990 | A few Trijicon ACOGs were used by United States Military Personell during Operation Just Cause in Panama.270 |
| 1990 | 1990 NSSF SHOT Show (12th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 23,523 people.271 |
| 1990 | Doug Koenig wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-157X. This is the first time that a competitor scored 100% of the possible points.272 |
| 1990 | Fabrique Nationale introduces the P90 Personal Defense Weapon. |
| 1990 | Fabrique Nationale introduces 5.7 x 28mm ammunition. |
| 1990 | The US Army purchased a large number of Barrett Firearms Model 82A1 Rifle Systems.273 |
| early 1991 | Trijicon received an order for 36 ACOGs from the US Military. This was the largest single military order to date. They were purchased to support Operation Desert Storm.274 |
| 1991 | 1991 NSSF SHOT Show (13th) took take place in Dallas, Texas. The show was attended by 25,525 people.275 |
| 1991 | The Trijicon 3.5x35 ACOG is released. It has a red fiber optic illuminated aiming point which supports the Bindon Aiming Concept (BAC).276 |
| 1991 | The Trijicon ACOG received a Japanese Patent (2632976).277 |
| 1991 | Fabrique Nationale purchases the US Repeating Arms Company. |
| 1991 | W. Riley Gilmore wins his second Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-166X.278 |
| 1991 | A Bookman’s Guide to hunting, Shooting, Angling and Related Subjects originally published. |
| 1991 | Sporting Firearms originally published. |
| 4 Jul 2002 | America’s Army is released to the public as an Internet downloadable game. It was originally developed to give future soldiers, and their parents, a way to experience all aspects of Army life before joining. |
| Jul 1991 | Frank Royce "Bob" Brownell II, founder of Brownells, died. |
| 1992 | 1992 NSSF SHOT Show (14th) took take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show was attended by 23,262 people.279 |
| 1992 | New management at U.S. Repeating Arms, under license from Olin Corporation, planed for new production facility in New Haven, Connecticut.280 |
| 1992 | Doug Koenig wins his second Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-169X.281 |
| 1992 to 1995 | The US Navy SEALs bought several hundred Trijicon 3.5x35 ACOGs.282 |
| 1993 | 1993 NSSF SHOT Show (15th) took take place in Houston, Texas. The show was attended by 25,030 people.283 |
| 1993 | Bruce Piatt wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-170X.284 |
| 1993 | Point of Impact (fiction) originally published. |
| Jun 1993 | F. Brownell & Son publish Gunsmith Kinks III. |
| 1994 | 1994 NSSF SHOT Show (16th) took take place in Dallas, Texas. The show was attended by 27,800 people.285 |
| 1994 | Winchester returned the Pre-'64 Model 70 type action design with claw extraction, controlled round feed, fixed-type ejection and other features.286 |
| 1994 | John Pride wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-174X.287 |
| 1994 | Jack First moved his gun shop and parts business to Rapid City, SD. |
| 1 Jun 1994 | Crimson Trace sells its first laser; a factory-installed GLOCK system. |
| 1995 | 1995 NSSF SHOT Show (17th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 29,600 people.288 |
| 1995 | John Pride wins the Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-179X.289 |
| 1995 | NRA began fighting United Nations gun ban schemes. |
| 1995 | Barrett Firearms introduced the Model 95.290 |
| 1996 | 1996 NSSF SHOT Show (18th) took take place in Dallas, Texas. The show was attended by 28,500 people.291 |
| 1996 | Mickey Fowler wins his fourth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1918-184X.292 |
| 1996 | Weatherby introduced the .30-378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. The 30-378 was designed & tested in late 1959 - early 1960 at the request of the United States Army for the Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama. Loads were to be developed that exceed 4,000 fps. When it was commercially introduced, it was billed as the world’s fastest 30 caliber cartridge. The commercial round will push a 30 caliber bullet 3,500 fps.293 294 295 296 297 |
| 1 Jan 1996 | Crimson Trace unveils their newly patented, user-installed lasergrips at the SHOT Show. |
| 1 Jun 1996 | The Longboat Key (Florida) Police Department became the first agency to issue Crimson Trace lasergrips department-wide. |
| 1997 | 1997 NSSF SHOT Show (19th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 35,102 people.298 |
| 1997 | Bruce Piatt wins his second Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-181X.299 |
| Aug 1997 | Pete Brownell starts working full time at Brownells. |
| 1998 | 1998 NSSF SHOT Show (20th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 32,759 people.300 |
| 1998 | Doug Koenig wins his third Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-180X.301 |
| 1998 | More Guns, Less Crime originally published. |
| 1998 | The Violence Policy Center condemned John Lott`s research on right-to-carry laws without having read any of his study. |
| 1998 | Fabrique Nationale establishes FNH USA as their US sales office. |
| 1998 | Weatherby introduced the .338-378 Weatherby Magnum cartridge. This is another wildcat cartridge that was originally developed in the 1960s.302 |
| 1999 | 1999 NSSF SHOT Show (21st) took take place in Atlanta, Georgia. The show was attended by 25,814 people.303 |
| 1999 | Bruce Piatt wins his third Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-185X. This is the highest score ever recorded in the tournament.304 |
| 1999 | Barrett Firearms introduced the Model 99. This is the first firearm designed by Chris Barrett.305 |
| Feb 1999 | Brownells.com went online. |
| 2000 | 2000 NSSF SHOT Show (22nd) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 29,607 people.306 |
| 2000 | Doug Koenig wins his fourth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-185X. This is tied as the highest score ever recorded in the tournament.307 |
| 2000 | Fabrique Nationale introduces the bullpup F2000 Selective Fire Rifle. |
| 2000 | Constitution of Virginia amended to guarantee "the right of the people to hunt, fish and harvest game." |
| 2001 | 2001 NSSF SHOT Show (23rd) took take place in New Orleans, Louisiana. The show was attended by 25,496 people.308 |
| Feb 2001 | F. Brownell & Son publish Gunsmith Kinks IV. |
| 2001 | Doug Koenig wins his fifth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-184X.309 |
| 25 Sep 2001 | Randy E. Luth, president of DPMS Firearms, is granted US patent number 6,732,467 for an “interchangeable weapon receiver for alternate ammunition,” otherwise known as M-37 Flare Launcher for the AR-15. |
| 2001 | The gun control group Handgun Control, Inc (HCI) renamed the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the anti-gun Center to Prevent Handgun Violence CPHV was renamed Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence in “honor of Jim and Sarah Brady for their commitment and courage to make America safer”. |
| 2002 | The US Army adopted the Barrett Firearms Model 82A1 Rifle System as the Long Range Sniper Rifle, Caliber .50, M107.310 |
| 2002 | 2002 NSSF SHOT Show (24th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 31,342 people.311 |
| 2002 | Hornady Mfg. Co. announces the 17 Hornady Magnum Rimfire (HMR). It employs a 17-gr. polymer-tipped Varmint Express bullet with a muzzle velocity of 2550 ft/s. |
| 2002 | Doug Koenig wins his sixth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-184X.312 |
| 24 Jan 2003 | Due to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) was moved from the US Department of the Treasury to the US Department of Justice. |
| 2003 | 2003 NSSF SHOT Show (25th) took take place in Orlando, Florida. The show was attended by 27,494 people.313 |
| 2003 | Don Allen died. |
| 2003 | Doug Koenig wins his seventh Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-183X.314 |
| 1 Aug 2003 | The US government lists Crimson Trace lasergrips as “vital to national defense.” |
| 2004 | 2004 NSSF SHOT Show (26th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 33,264 people.315 |
| 2004 | Doug Koenig wins his eighth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-177X.316 |
| 1 Apr 2004 | 133rd NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in Pittsburgh, PA. |
| 11 May 2004 | Randy E. Luth, president of DPMS Firearms, is granted US patent number 6,732,467 for a “flip up gun sight,” otherwise known as Mangonel Front and Rear Flip-Up Sights for the AR-15. |
| 13 Jul 2004 | Randy E. Luth, president of DPMS Firearms, is granted US patent number 6,761,101 for a “firearms receiver block and method of using same,” otherwise known as Panther Claw for the AR-15. |
| 13 Sep 2004 | Clinton Gun Ban expired. |
| 1 Dec 2004 | Crimson Trace introduces the first ever lasergrips for long-rifles (LG-525 series for M16/AR15). |
| 2005 | 2005 NSSF SHOT Show (27th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 37,730 people.317 |
| 15-17 Apr 2005 | 134th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, TX. |
| 20 Sep 2005 | Randy E. Luth, president of DPMS Firearms, is granted US patent number 6,945,154 for a “finned carbine handguard assembly,” otherwise known as Glacier Guards for the AR-15. |
| 26 Oct 2005 | Protection of Lawful Commerce in Firearms Act passes. |
| 2005 | Doug Koenig wins his ninth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-185X. This is tied as the highest score ever recorded in the tournament.318 |
| 2005 | The United States Army's list of "Top Ten Greatest Inventions" for the soldiers in performing their mission includes Long Range Sniper Rifle, Caliber .50, M107 (the Barrett Firearms Model 82A1 Rifle System). This distinction, chosen by the soldiers, is the first time a small arm received the honor.319 |
| May 2005 | Brownells publishes its first Military / Law Enforcement (MIL/LE) catalog. |
| 2006 | 2006 NSSF SHOT Show (28th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 40,892 people.320 |
| 2006 | Bruce Piatt wins his fourth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-177X.321 |
| May 2006 | Brownells hold first annual Gunsmith’s Career Fair. |
| May 2006 | Brownells introduces its 30-Round AR-15/M16 magazine. |
| 19-21 May 2006 | 135th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in Milwaukee, WI. |
| mid Jul 2006 | The anti-gun zealot Paul Helmke became President the gun control group Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the anti-gun Center to Prevent Handgun Violence CPHV was renamed Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. |
| early 2007 | NYC Mayor Bloomberg initiated a number of "simulated straw purchases" at Virginia gun shows. The Virginia Attorney General (Bob McDonnell) informed the Mayor that he and his agents could face legal action, including felony charges, if they did not cease their sting operations in Virginia. |
| 2007 | 2007 NSSF SHOT Show (29th) took take place in Orlando, Florida. The show was attended by 42,216 people.322 |
| 2007 | US Special Operations Command (USSCOM) adopts the Fabrique Nationale SCAR as their next generation assault rifle system. |
| 2007 | Doug Koenig wins his tenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-185X. This is tied as the highest score ever recorded in the tournament.323 |
| 2007 | Magpul releases the PMAG 30. |
| 23 Mar 2007 | The theatrical release of the motion picture Shooter. |
| 13-15 Apr 2007 | 136th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in St. Louis, MO. |
| Jun 2007 | Brownells acquired Sinclair International. |
| Jun 2007 | Brownells published its first 1911 Catalog. |
| Aug 2007 | Brownells published its first AR15/M16 & AR Type .308 Catalog. |
| Dec 2007 | Pete Brownell became President of Brownells. |
| 2008 | 2008 NSSF SHOT Show (30th) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 58,796 people.324 |
| 2008 | Doug Koenig wins his eleventh Bianchi Cup with a score of 1918-185X .325 |
| 2008 | Magpul sells its 1,000,000th PMAG. |
| 2008 | Magpul releases the PMAG 20. |
| 2008 | PMAG color variants, M REV PMAG 30, and PMAG 40 are in development. |
| 2008 | The US Military makes inquiries into PMAG compatibility with the HK416. A small quantity of PMAGs were modified as a proof of concept. |
| 16-18 May 2008 | 137th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in Louisville, KY. |
| 2009 | 2009 NSSF SHOT Show (31st) took take place in Orlando, Florida. The show was attended by 48,907 people.326 |
| 2009 | US Government ordered up to 450,000 more M9 handguns from Beretta. This is the largest military handgun contract since World War II. |
| 2009 | Bruce Piatt wins his fifth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-181X.327 |
| 2009 | Barrett Firearms introduced the Model 98B. This is a Chris Barrett design.328 |
| 2009 | Magpul releases the Export Magazine (EMAG). The contemporary EMAG is a lightweight 30 round polymer magazine optimized for the HK 416 and the British SA-80 while maintaining full compatibility with the AR-15 platform. The smooth outer shell permits easy removal from multiple magazine pouches. The MagLevel indicator provides fast and accurate identification of the ammunition status and the included dust cover (which stores on the bottom of the magazine when not in use) protects the feed lips from damage and fatigue. |
| 2009 | The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group (NSWDG), more commonly known as DEVGRU or SEAL Team Six, adopts the EMAG. |
| 2009 | Magpul releases Gen2 PMAGs. Gen2 PMAGs have four ribs/crossbars vs the Gen1s five. Gen2 PMAGs have a larger round count window then the Gen1s. The round count windows on the Gen2 PMAGs are numbered; round count windows on the Gen1 PMAGs are not. The Gen2 dust covers do not say, "REMOVE BEFORE USE" like the Gen1 dust covers do. |
| 2009 | PMAG 20 LR is released. This is the first caliber and platform expantion of the PMAG line. |
| 15-17 May 2009 | 138th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in Phoenix, AZ. |
| Dec 2009 | Brownells.com added a mobile version of the website. |
| 15 Dec 2009 | Pennsylvania Gunsmith School graduate Dino C. Longueira receives patent number 7,631,453 for a “interchangeable caliber semi-automatic rifle.” This weapons system is commercially known as the MA 4 M.A.R.R.S. (Majestic Arms Rimfire Rifle System). |
| 2010 | 2010 NSSF SHOT Show (32nd) took take place in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 58,444 people.329 |
| 2010 | Doug Koenig wins his twelfth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-179X.330 |
| 2010 | www.AmericanRifleman.org won the Eddie Award for editorial excellence in the “Association/Non-Profit Circulation of 6 or more times a year, website” category. |
| 2010 | American Rifleman names the Barrett Model 98B Rifle of the Year. |
| 29-31 Jan 2010 | 1st NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show took place at Carroll County Agriculture Center (Shipley Arena) in Westminster, MD. |
| reported 12 Apr 2010 | UN requested firearms trace data directly from Heckler & Koch USA. The request was declined and the UN was directed to US BATFE. This is reportedly the first time that the UN requested firearm trace data directly from a US firearms manufacturer. |
| 8 Apr 2010 | John (Jack) Agnew, WWII soldier whose unit inspired The Dirty Dozen, died (88). |
| 12 Apr 2010 | The Virginia 2nd Amendment March held in Richmond, Virginia. |
| 19 Apr 2010 | The National 2nd Amendment March held in at the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia. |
| 14-16 May 2010 | 139th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in Charlotte, NC. |
| 21 Dec 2010 | Larry Kelly, founder of Mag-na-port International, Inc., died. |
| 2011 | 2011 NSSF SHOT Show (33rd) took take place inLas Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 57,390 people.331 |
| 2011 | Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. moved Thompson/Center Arms production from the Rochester, New Hampshire plant to Springfield, Massachusetts, home of the parent company’s corporate headquarters and production factories. The T/C foundry operation in Rochester was sold to an unidentified party. |
| 2011 | Barrett Firearms introduced the MRAD.332 |
| 2011 | Barrett Firearms introduced the M107A1.333 |
| 1 Jan 2011 | Iowa became a “shall issue” concealed carry permit state (SF 2379).334 |
| 18-21 Jan 2011 | 2011 NSSF SHOT Show (33rd) took place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.335 |
| 18 Jan 2011 | NRA Secretary Edward J. “Jim” Land receives the Taurus Defender of Freedom award.336 |
| 28-30 Jan 2011 | 2nd NRA Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show took place at Carroll County Agriculture Center (Shipley Arena) in Westminster, MD.337 |
| 2 Feb 2011 | Fresno County Superior Court ruled that California law AB 962 (would have banned mail order ammunition sales and imposed additional recordkeeping requirements on gun dealers) is unconstitutional.338 |
| 5-13 Feb 2011 | Eastern Sports & Outdoor Show took place at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.339 |
| 31 Mar 2011 | Freedom Group closes the Bushmaster Firearms International manufacturing facility in Windham, Maine.340 |
| Apr 2011 | The 32nd Edition of the Blue Book of Gun Values by S.P. Fjestad is published. Frank Brownell, CEO of Brownells, is pictured on the cover.341 |
| 29 Apr-1 May 2011 | 140th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits took place at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, PA.342 |
| 26 Jun 2011 | Collector William Koch, of Florida, paid $2.3 million USD for the only known photograph (a "tintype," a photo literally created on a piece of tin through photographic emulsion) of Henry McCarty, a.k.a. 'Billy the Kid'. The purchase is the highest price ever paid for a non-artistic photographic image of a person.343 |
| 2011 | Doug Koenig wins his thirteenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-187X. This is the highest score ever recordered at a Bianchi Cup (perfect score with 97.4% of the possible X ring hits).344 |
| 10 Jan 2012 | Crown Publishers published GLOCK: The Rise of America's Gun by Paul M. Barrett.345 |
| 17-20 Jan 2012 | 2012 NSSF SHOT Show (34th) took take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The show was attended by 61,017 people.346 |
| Jan 2012 | Pete Brownell became CEO of Brownells ⇒.347 |
| 2012 | Doug Koenig wins his fourteenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-182X.348 |
| Nov 2012 | Matt Buckingham became President of Brownells ⇒.349 |
| 15-18 Jan 2013 | 2013 NSSF SHOT Show (35th) took take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in St. Louis.350 |
| 2013 | Doug Koenig wins his fifteenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-183X.351 |
| 14-17 Jan 2014 | 2014 NSSF SHOT Show (36th) took place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
| 14 Aug 2014 | Classic American Gunsmith opens in Albemarle County Virginia. |
| 2014 | Kevin Angstadt wins his first Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-171X.352 |
| 2014 | The 10/22 Companion: How to Operate, Troubleshoot, Maintain, and Improve Your Ruger 10/22 by Bob Newton originally published. |
| 2015 | Chris Barrett is named President of Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc.353 |
| 2 Jan 2015 | Classic American Gunsmith, in Albemarle County, Virginia, begins accepting walk in customers. |
| 20-23 Jan 2015 | 2015 NSSF SHOT Show (37th) took place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
| 10-12 Apr 2015 | 144th NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits took place in Nashville, TN. |
| 2015 | Doug Koenig wins his sixteenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 1920-180X.354 355 |
| 2016 | The Barrett Firearms Model 82 Rifle System is named the Official State Rifle by the Tennessee Legislature.356 |
| 19-22 Jan 2016 | 2016 NSSF SHOT Show (38th) took place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
| 2016 | The match conditions for the Bianchi Cup Tournament changed. The first day everyone competes in an aggregate of 192 shots fired in four (the practical, barricade, falling plate, and moving target (modified) events) 48 shot matches with a possible score of 1920-192X. The second day the first day's finalists compete again in an aggregate of 192 shots fired in four (the practical, barricade, falling plate, and moving target (modified) events) 48 shot matches with a possible score of 1920-192X. The two individual day totals are added together for a possible score of 3840-384X.Doug Koenig wins his seventeenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 3840-361X. While this is technically the highest score ever recorded in the tournament, this author does not count it as such. Yes, it is a perfect score but it is only 94% of the possible X ring hits. In 2011, Doug Koenig won with a perfect score and 97.4% of the possible X ring hits.357 |
| 2016 | Weatherby introduced the Vanguard Camillia rifle.358 |
| 2016 | Weatherby introduced the 6.5-300 Weatherby Magnum cartridge.359 |
| 2017 | Doug Koenig wins his eighteenth Bianchi Cup with a score of 3838-359X.360 |
| 17-20 Jan 2017 | 2017 NSSF SHOT Show (39th) took take place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
| 31 Jan 2017 | President Trump nominated Judge Neil M. Gorsuch to take the seat vacated by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia on the United States Supreme Court. Pro gun rights advocates celebrate this nomination.361 |
| 14 Feb 2017 | Magpul Industries Corp announced Magpul Founder & CEO Richard Fitzpatrick's retirement.362 |
| 10 Apr 2017 | Judge Neil M. Gorsuch was sworn in as 113th Justice of the United States Supreme Court.363 |
| 27-30 Apr 2017 | 146th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits took take place at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia. |
| 1 May 2017 | Pete Brownell, Chief Executive Officer of Brownells ⇒, is elected President of the National Rifle Association of America (NRA).364 |
| 1 Jul 2017 | The Inaugural GLOCK GSSF Camp Perry National Challenge ⇒ hosted by the CMP ⇒ and the GSSF ⇒ was held at Camp Perry ⇒.365 |
| 2 Jan 2018 | GLOCK ⇒ introduced the 19X pistol. ⇒ The 19X introduces first-ever factory-colored slide (Cyote). 366 |
| 8 Jan 2018 | SIG SAUER ⇒ introduced the P365 pistol.367 |
| 22 Jan 2018 | The GLOCK ⇒ 19X pistol ⇒ is available for purchase.368 |
| 23-26 Jan 2018 | 2018 NSSF SHOT Show (40th) ⇒ took place at the Sands Expo and Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. |
| 6 Feb 2018 | The folks at TheFirearmBlog.com ⇒ noticed that the Hi-Power page ⇒ on the Browning website ⇒ now says that the pistol is “no longer in production.” Over one million of the iconic pistols have been produced since 1935.369 370 |
| 28 Feb 2018 | DICK’S Sporting Goods announces that it will no longer sell "assault-style" rifles, firearms to anyone under 21 years of age, high capacity magazines, or bump stocks. This announcement applies to DICK'S Sporting Goods stores and Field & Stream stores.371 |
| 28 Feb 2018 | Walmart announces that it will no longer sell firearms to anyone under 21 years of age. The statement goes on to state that they have already stopped selling modern sporting rifles, including the AR-15, handguns (except in Alaska), bump stocks, high-capacity magazines, and similar accessories.372 |
| 16 Nov 2018 | Classic American Gunsmith becomes the area's only Factory Certified Cerakote Applicator. |
| 3-6 May 2018 | 147th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits ⇒ will take place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas. |
| 2019 | 148th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will take place in Indianapolis, Indiana. |
| 2020 | 149th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will take place in Nashville, Tennessee. |
| 2021 | 150th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits will take place in Houston, Texas. |