This old lever gun is something special — the most expensive rifle ever sold at auction, according to the Rock Island Auction Company (RIAC), the world’s leading firearms auction house. This rifle sold in 2016 for $1,265,000.00 — the highest auction price ever recorded for a single rifle (and twice what RIAC expected). The rifle went for such a high price because it was Serial Number 1 and because of its special connection to the Wild West and Indian Wars. SEE: RIAC Most Expensive Guns.
From Rock Island Auctions: “This 1886 Winchester set what was at that time the world record for the most expensive single firearm ever sold at auction… this particular model 1886 happened to be serial number one! If that weren’t enough, the gun was presented by firearms designer Lieut. George E. Albee to his friend and fellow Medal of Honor Recipient Capt. Henry W. Lawton, upon Lawton’s accepted surrender of Apache leader Geronimo.”
This historic Winchester Model 1886, Serial Number 1, was given to then Captain Henry W. Lawton as a gift to honor Lawton’s successful raid to capture the renegade Apache leader Geronimo. The rifle was gifted by his friend, Lt. George E. Albee, who worked with Winchester. Both Army officers were Medal of Honor winners. This rifle “represents the 25 years of bloodshed between the U.S. Army and the Apache Indians in the Southwest, and the end of the Indian Wars. Being serial number one and possessing such outstanding condition would alone be enough to draw six figures at auction. When you add one of the most famous names in the history of the Old West you have a huge crossover appeal”, said RIAC President Kevin Hogan.
Click the links below for the full, illustrated history of Geronimo’s capture by Captain Henry W. Lawton.
Lawton was a “soldier’s soldier” who fought in the Civil War, Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, and Philippine-American War, finishing his career with the rank of Major General. He lead an Army contingent that traveled 1300 miles to capture Geronimo in the summer of 1886. He was killed in combat in 1899 at the battle of San Mateo, in the Philippines. Ironically, the leader of the Philippine Revolutionary troops he faced was named Gen. Licerio Geronimo. Strange but true.
Rock Island sells over 25,000 firearms every year, but “never before had Rock Island offered Serial Number 1 of a production grade, investment-quality firearm” said RIAC. Given the rifle’s unique history and well-established provenance, “this truly is a prized national treasure”. This is the first production Winchester model 1886, with the single digit ONE stamped on the lower tang. The barrel is also inscribed “Albee to Lawton 45-70″.
“The rifle’s story begins with two brothers-in-arms during the Civil War who went their different ways after that conflict, one electing to continue a lifelong military career while the other pursued firearms and their development,” stated RIAC. “When the former, Captain Henry Ware Lawton, captured Geronimo in 1886, the latter, Lieutenant George E. Albee, was working for Winchester and able to secure serial number one of their newest rifle design. He presented it to his old war buddy and lifelong friend to commemorate Lawton’s remarkable achievement.”
Prices Continue to Rise for Rare, Collectible Firearms RIAC reports: “In recent years, high-value collectibles like fine art, classic cars, and vintage timepieces have been outperforming traditional investments and show no sign of losing momentum. Rare firearms have experienced similar uptrends, and that’s no surprise given how the most desirable firearm classes share many of the same traits as other investment-grade collectibles. Scarcity, tangibility, artistry, historical significance, popular appeal, and strong market demand have all contributed to substantial appreciation across the fine arms genre.”
RIAC has seen its average annual sales double since 2015 and break the $100 million barrier for the second year in a row in 2022. In the last two years more than 120 lots achieved six-figure price tags or higher, with four of those items surpassing the million-dollar mark.
President Donald J. Trump will address NRA Members at the 2024 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum.
Former U.S. President Donald J. Trump appears today at the 2024 NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits in Dallas, Texas. Mr. Trump will be the keynote speaker at the 2024 NRA-ILA Leadership Forum this Saturday, May 18th. The Forum starts at 2:00 pm CDT today. This marks President Trump’s ninth NRA appearance, reaffirming his strong commitment to the NRA, the Second Amendment, and American firearm ownership.
Event Starts at 2:00 PM – Doors Open at 12:00 PM. Admission is free and will be first come, first served. Tickets are not required but you must be an NRA Member to attend. You may start lining up at 11:00 AM.
President Trump, an NRA Life Member, first addressed the NRA in Nashville in 2015. Since then, he has been a steadfast advocate for the NRA, the Second Amendment, and self-defense rights. In 2016 he promised to never let NRA members down.
As President, Trump made good on that promise by appointing federal judges who respect the Second Amendment, including three Supreme Court justices who played a pivotal role in landmark Second Amendment rulings such as NYSRPA v. Bruen.
The 2024 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits includes three days of free seminars and special events. Hundreds of companies will showcase guns and gear in the 14-acre Exhibit Hall. The event takes place at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, 650 South Griffin Street, Dallas, TX 75202.
The First Shot, the CMP’s archived Online magazine, has an article by Spc. Tyrel Cooper of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU). In his article, Straight to the Rear, Spc. Cooper describes proper trigger hand and finger positions and how to best “break the shot”. This well-written article will help anyone who shoots off-hand, or who uses an AR or Spacegun-type rifle with a vertical pistol grip.
Cooper explains: “Trigger control is one of the two main principles of shooting that we teach. You can have the best position in the world with perfect sight alignment, but if you have bad trigger control, you have wasted all that effort that you put into your position and sight alignment.”
Photo Credit: CMP image from 2019 CMP 1000 Aggregate at Camp Perry.
Firing Hand Position and Finger Placement
“Good trigger control begins with a good firing hand position. Place your firing hand high on the pistol grip, with a good firm grip. Grip tension should be like giving someone a hand shake or holding a child’s hand while walking across a street. A good firm grip [helps you] move your trigger finger without moving your other fingers. Try this, hold out your firing hand with fingers extended; now try moving your trigger finger to the rear as if you were pulling the trigger. Unless you concentrate very hard on moving just your trigger finger, other fingers will move. Now make a fist as if you were grabbing a pistol grip, now you can move your trigger finger freely without introducing movement in the other fingers.”
“I’m sure you have heard advice to place the tip or the pad of your finger on the trigger. This is true if you have short stubby fingers and that’s where the index finger naturally rests, but if you have long fingers like myself you want more of your finger around the trigger…. By placing your finger where it naturally rests on the trigger you are ensuring that you are pulling the trigger straight to the rear, and this also allows you to get more leverage on the trigger.”
Rapid-Fire Trigger Technique
“Trigger control for the rapid-fire stage is different than it is for standing. You can actually take a little bit more time to break your shots in rapid fire because of the steadiness of a supported position. A good rapid fire shot process is: 1) drop down into position, 2) get your natural point of aim, 3) take up the first stage on your first shot, 4) break that shot smoothly and hold the trigger all the way to the rear through recoil, 4) once recoil has ceased, let the trigger out only far enough to reset the trigger (you should hear a metallic click of the trigger resetting) and continue by firing your second and succeeding shots.
By doing this, you already have most of the weight of the trigger taken up so the next shot is ready to go without having to take up all the weight of the trigger every single shot.”
Slow-Fire Prone Technique
“During the slow fire prone stage, you have even more time to break your shots, so you would use the slow–smooth method. You should have little or no hold movement at all, thus allowing you to acquire good sight alignment, a good sight picture and break the shot using slow and smooth trigger control. Again you want to hold that trigger all the way to the rear until recoil has ceased so you do not disturb the rifle, no matter what position you are shooting.”
Standing Trigger Technique
“When you are shooting standing have you noticed that the rifle never really stops moving? Well, this is where you would want fast and smooth trigger control. When I come down and start settling on the target, I take up the first stage of the trigger. Once I’m getting to the end of my firing process and the movement has slowed down, I manipulate the trigger fast, but smooth, to the rear when I see what I want to see in my sight picture. Over time, this will become a subconscious act; when your brain sees the sight picture, it will automatically tell your trigger finger to move instead of you having to tell yourself there it is, take it. Lots and lots of dry firing will help this process. To repeat, you want to be fast and smooth!”
Left to Right, Sherri Jo Gallagher, Mother Nancy Tompkins, and Michelle Gallagher — All Champions.
Happy Mother’s Day
Today we want to wish Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms around the world. All of us must remember that we literally owe our lives and our well-being to our mothers, who brought us into the world. Without the love, support, caring, and nurturing of our mothers, none of us would be here. So to mothers everywhere, we say:
“Thank you. Bless you. May your lives be filled with happiness today and everyday.”
At the top is a cherished photograph of the one of the greatest moms in the shooting community, Nancy Tompkins, along with her two little girls (who both turned into pretty darn good shooters themselves). On Nancy’s right is Michelle Gallagher, multi-time National Long-Range Championship. On the left is Sherri Jo Gallagher, who was the second woman in history to capture the NRA National High Power Championship at Camp Perry. Who was the first woman ever to accomplish that feat? You guessed it — Nancy Tompkins, Sherri’s mom, was the first-ever female High Power Champion. Nancy is married to another great shooter, Mid Tompkins. This is truly America’s “First Family of shooting”.
Nancy Tompkins is one of the greatest long-range shooters in American history. She has won the National Long Range Championship 5 times (1986, 1997, 1999, 2003, and 2015), the across-the-course National High Power Championship (1998), the Metric Smallbore Nationals (2012), and the Fullbore Nationals (2012). She has also been the Wimbledon Cup winner (1993) and a 7-time Leech Cup winner (1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2011 and 2012). She has won both team and individual medals in the World Championships and has been on 8 Palma Teams (as both a shooter and a coach).
Tompkins’ treatise, Prone and Long Range Rifle Shooting, is a must-read for serious Palma, F-Class, and High Power shooters. The revised Second Edition includes F-Class equipment and techniques, and newly updated information. Topics include Mental and Physical training, Reading Wind and Mirage Shooting Fundamentals, International Competition, and Loading for Long Range.
Team Smith & Wesson shooter Julie Golob has a message for Mother’s Day (Sunday, May 12th). Julie writes: “While some are using Mother’s Day week to push a gun control agenda, I’d like to encourage moms to ‘Take a Moment’. Talk to your kids about firearms safety. Help them learn what to do around firearms and have an open, honest discussion about guns and gun safety.
I truly believe that, no matter if you are pro-gun or anti-gun, everyone should know and understand the basic rules of firearm safety. It is equally important for parents to have the discussion about guns and what to do if your child finds one. Both the NSSF’s Project ChildSafe and the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program are excellent. They offer resources for parents, educators, and child care providers to help ensure kids stay safe.
In this video, Julie encourages parents to have “the talk” about firearm safety with their kids sooner rather than later, and provides tips for how to have a helpful discussion. Sherra Scott, a mom and a certified NRA instructor, agrees with Julie: “Whether you have firearms in your home or not, if you have children in your life, please watch this video and talk WITH them about firearm safety and what to do if they come into contact with a firearm.”
A few years back, Our friend Grant Guess had a “close encounter” with a bad primer. An apparently defective primer caused part of the casehead on one of his rounds to blow out. This, in turn, allowed high pressure gas to vent through the damaged primer pocket. Take a good look, boys and girls. This is yet another very good reason to wear safety glasses … EVERY time you shoot. The cartridge was a 6.5-06, handloaded in necked-down Winchester-headstamp .270 Win brass. Grant reports:
“I had a blow-through between the primer and the primer pocket today. The action was really smoking and I got a face full of gas. This was a reasonably light charge. Thank God for safety glasses.
I should also mention that it appears there is a 3/64 hole that is halfway between the primer and the primer pocket. Like it burned a small jet hole through both of them.”
Could this happen to you? It just might. On seeing this damaged case, one of Grant’s Facebook friends, Chris D., observed: “Search the internet, you will see a lot of these pin hole ‘in the corner’ failures. Obviously Winchester has some issues with the LR primers.”
Careful Examination Reveals Apparent Primer Defect
After this incident, Grant examined the damaged case: “I [measured] the flash hole and it is not over-sized or under-sized. The primer clearly has an area where it had a defect. At [50,000 CUP], it doesn’t take much of a defect to cause issues. There was a slight bit of pucker-factor on the next shot….”
The shooting season is now in full swing. When you head to the range you’ll want to be prepared. That means collecting all the gear you’ll need at the range. It’s easy to forget small, critical items, so we’ve provided a checklist of the small “extras” you should pack before you head out to the range. In addition to rifle, rests, ammo, targets, and cleaning gear, here are a dozen essentials you should include in your range bag.
• Shell-Holder — If you don’t have calipers, you can use a shell-holder to check for excessive case expansion from hot loads. If a fired case doesn’t slip into the shell-holder easily, your load is definitely TOO HOT.
• Extra Earplugs — Always use ear protection when shooting. We bring a 35mm film canister with extra sets of foam earplugs.
• Hex Wrench or Screwdriver for action screws — Action screws can work loose with time. Always bring the appropriate hex wrench or screwdriver whenever you go to the range.
• Small Wrench for Scope Rings — Check the tension of your scope base and ring fasteners before you go. Bring along a small Torx wrench for the ring screws (or other tool that fits your fasteners).
• Normal and Under-sized Jags — It is often wise to use one-caliber undersize jags when applying solvent with cotton patches. You should have a couple sizes in your range kit.
• Extra Batteries — Bring extra batteries for all your electronic gear — which can include chronograph, windmeter, digital camera, GPS etc.
• Small Notebook and Pen or Pencil — Use the notebook to record chron data, log group sizes, and make notes about wind and weather conditions.
• Adhesive dots — Bring a few sheets of adhesive dots (sold at office supply stores). Use small white or black dots as target pasters. Use larger red or orange dots as aiming points (target centers).
• Folding Chair or Camp Stool — This comes in handy if you’re spotting for another shooter, or if you reload away from the firing line.
• Water Bottle — You can’t shoot well if you’re dehydrated. Bring at least two quarts of water with you and keep a bottle at the bench.
• Surveyors’ Tape and Wood Stakes — You can make inexpensive wind indicators using surveyors’ tape attached to the top of wood stakes.
• Small Plastic Ruler — Use this to measure your group sizes. A transparent (see-through) ruler works best. Rulers are also useful for drawing lines on targets.
This list is not intended to be exclusive. There are many other items you may wish to include. Obviously bring safety glasses, and Sharpie-type pens are always handy to mark targets. We invite our readers to add other “essentials” to the list. The important thing is to plan ahead, packing your key items before you drive to the range.
Detail from Doan Trevor rimfire prone stock (Fiddleback Walnut) with Stiller 2500 X Action.
New Mexico Gunsmith Doan Trever is a true wizard with wood. At Doan Trevor Custom Rifle Building, he crafts stunning figured wood stocks, and also builds complete wood-stocked and fiberglass-stocked rifles that shoot as good as they look. Doan is a true master, with a mind for function and an eye for beauty. The ability to hand-craft wood is becoming a lost art. For this Sunday, we celebrate four projects crafted by Doan: two complete rifle, a special F-Class stock built for multiple actions, and an F-TR stock for a Sako action. Visit DoanTrevor.com to view find dozens of other stunning stocks and complete rifles.
Mausingfield America Rifle with English Walnut Stock
Doan told us: “This is a highly figured piece of English Walnut with burls and flowers. Along the bottom of the stock there’s a burl/flower that looks like an owl and one side looks like the Sandia Mountains. This rifle is in 30 PCR. Doan adds: “The owner is enjoying this rifle immensely.”
Walther KK500 (Twin Trigger), English Walnut Laminate Stock with Fiddleback Accents
About this unique rig Doan notes: “This left-handed rifle has two triggers. It has an electronic trigger AND a mechanical trigger. With the wood stock option, the charging cable needs to be modified modify in order to clear the trigger extension to be able to charge. Also, keeping with aesthetics, I made it able to remove the trigger guard in order to charge more easily. Removing the trigger guard does not change the bedding.”
American Walnut F-Class Stock with Figured English/Claro Walnut Fore-End Inlay
Doan explains: “The owner has three actions with the same barrel block mounting system. He wanted to be able to use one stock. I built a bedding system that would accomplish this task. The two pieces of Claro Walnut on the fore-end are mirror copies.”
F-TR Stock for Sako 85 with Johnny Byer Stock Blank
Here’s a handsome F-TR rig. Doan reports: “The pistol grip cap is a piece of Screw Bean Mesquite Wood from my old front yard in Albuquerque. (I live in Rio Rancho, NM now.) Take a look at the bottom photo with the blue background, the rifle doesn’t have any stippling yet. Sometimes, you have stippling as the last step. There’s no room for error when this order of events is necessary.”
Doan Trevor is a master gunsmith and stock-maker who works in the old style. He still hand-crafts stocks from start to finish, and does all the metal-work on the custom rifles he builds. Starting with highly-figured woods, Doan carves and shapes his stocks largely by hand, with meticulous attention to detail. Each rifle he builds is optimized for its intended discipline, and custom-fitted for the customer.
With photography by Doan’s talented wife Sue, Doan has created a website, DoanTrevor.com, that is a feast for the eyes. You can see beautiful wood-stocked rifles being hand-crafted. Doan also illustrates how he creates custom metal parts, and how he beds barreled actions into the finished stocks.
Definitely visit Doan’s website. Be sure to click on the site’s secondary pages: Rifle Building, Woodworking, and Metalworking. There you’ll find info on wood-working plus hundreds of high-quality photos.
Contact Doan Trevor
Doan Trevor Custom Rifle Building
Website: DoanTrevor.com
Email: doantrevor@gmail.com
Phone: 714-457-5566
Products and Services: Custom rifle building for High Power, F-Class, Long Range, and Smallbore shooters. Fancy Wood and Fiberglass Rifle Stocks, Custom Grips for Rifles, and Offset Sights.
There is a good article on gun safes in SHOT Business, a publication for the NSSF SHOT Show audience. Written by Christopher Cogley, this Safe Spaces Article offers some very important things to consider when purchasing a gun safe. Here are key points from that article:
Safe Security — The security of a gun safe comes down to two main factors: the thickness of the steel and the construction of the safe. When it comes to construction, look for a safe that has continuous welded construction instead of bolts or spot-welding, which are easier for trained gun thieves to cut through with torches or high-power saws.
Lock Options — Traditional combination locks are arguably the simplest choice. The downside, though, is they don’t provide quick access to firearms in an emergency. Electronic and biometric keypads provide quicker access — but be sure to replace the batteries every year.
Fireproof Rating — Aside from theft, the biggest threat to your firearms is fire. Unfortunately, the fireproof rating on gun safes can be confusing because there is no single, “standard” fireproof rating. As a general rule, the fireproof rating states how long a safe can be exposed to a fire of a particular temperature and maintain a temperature inside the safe of no more than 350 degrees F. To put this in context, the average house fire creates temperatures between 800 and 1,200 degrees F.
Where to Place a Gun Safe in Your Home
The Safe Spaces article includes advice from Stephen Hall, CEO of Lock It Up Safes. Hall addressed the question: “Where should I put my safe?”
Hall states: “Ease of installation should NOT be the foremost consideration when making this decision. Putting a safe in the garage has both pros and cons. We see some retailers recommend the garage solely because they don’t have the right team on board to install safes in other locations, and wheeling one into the garage is the easy way out.
Putting a safe in the garage is fine if that is the only place you an put it, but most want the safe in the home, where they can get to it quickly. Temperature and humidity are important considerations as well, and both are more easily controlled in a house rather than in the garage.
One advantage to garage installation is the concrete floor provides a solid base for safe installation. Houses built on concrete slabs also offer a solid anchor on the first level. If the safe needs to go to an upper floor, the weight of the safe and its contents need to be factored in.”
Place Safe Against Outside Wall
Hall recommends placing your gun safe against an outside wall: “In case of fire, the safe will typically last longer as there is not a lot that can burn on one side of the safe, thus keeping it cooler.”
Don’t Make the Mistake of Buying an Undersized Safe
The most common mistake people make when buying a gun safe is getting a safe that’s too small. This video explains why you should probably invest in a bigger safe. First, the rated gun capacity is exaggerated — rifles with mounted optics, long barrels, wide forearms and/or pistol grips take up considerably more space than a small rimfire rifle or a lever gun with iron sights. Second, your gun collection will likely grow in years to come. Third, you may want to store other valuables in the safe — such as vital documents, jewelry, watches, and pricey electronics. In this video the host notes: “Get a much larger safe than you think you’ll need at first. This will guarantee that you will have enough room for future purchases and all the guns and equipment you currently have.”
Recommended Safe Features for Long-Gun Storage
Editor’s Recommendation:
Budget $1200-1500 for a safe from a major maker, with external hinges, and an interior at least 58″ high. That gives you room for 30″-barreled rifles with a top shelf for handguns and other valuables. A rotary rack and slide-out drawers are great additions.
Keypad or Dial? We favor rotary dial locks. With minimal maintenance they will function flawlessly for decades. But the digital locks offer quick-access and convenience. If you go digital, get a commercial-grade unit.
Fire-lining is worth getting, but a thin layer of sheet-rock doesn’t make a safe truly “fire-proof”.
Interior at least 58″ High and 30″ wide Overall Weight 750+ Pounds 8 Gauge or Heavier Wall Thickness Double-Wall, Composite Door with Relockers Minimum UL RSC Rated. TL-15 or TL-30 Rating is Desirable External Hinges
Mechanical UL Group II (or better) Lock with Standard Dial Or UL Type 1 Commercial-Grade Electronic Lock
Custom Interior Suitable for Scoped Guns with Long Barrels On-Door Storage System for Non-scoped Long Guns OR Rotary Gun Rack for Scoped Rifles and ARs
Internal (sandwiched) Insulator, Reinforced if Sheet-rock Palusol? Heat-Activated Expanding Door Seals
Slide-out Drawers for Handguns Fire-lined Inner Safe for Paper and Media
Low Gloss, Rust-resistant External Finish Pre-Drilled holes for Lag Bolts and in Rear for Electric Cord Overhead Fluorescent Lamp and/or LED Mini-lights on Strings
Retro is back — at least in the CMP’s Standard Modern Military Rifle AR class. Though Service Rifle competition has evolved to allow optics and heavy barrel profiles, the Standard Modern Military Rifle (AR category) is truly a “blast from the past”. Overall weight is limited to 7.5 pounds, and the rifle must be equipped with iron sights (Rule 5.2.3). In addition, the rifle must “be based on the M-16 rifle or be based on an AR design” with “exterior configuration similar [to] the original military or military-type rifle”. See Rules.
With this in mind our friend Dennis Santiago has put together his own AR-platform Standard Modern Military Rifle for matches run under CMP Games Competition Rules. This is not quite a classic AR, as it has a metal free-float handguard (vs. plastic handguards), but it IS light (7.3 pounds), and it does have iron sights — a key requirement for Standard Modern Military class rifles. CMP Rulebooks — All Classes.
Here is Santiago’s CMP Modern Military Rifle (Standard Class) with an ultralight free float tube that has a titanium barrel nut, and mechanical, center-able front sight. The barrel is an AR-Stoner brand 20″-long 1:7″ Government contour chambered in 5.56×45 NATO. Dennis says: “This makes the 7.5-lb weight limit with a few ounces to spare. We’ll see how well it drives soon enough.”
Dennis explains: “The Standard Modern Military (AR) is a category of military-style rifle that shoots the 200-yard, 30- or 50-shot courses alongside the M1 Garands, Springfields, Vintage, and M1 Carbines. This one boasts a Midwest Industries (MI) ultralight Free-float Handguard and a Yankee Hill folding front sight. Any Government contour or thinner profile rifle-length gas tube barrel with a 0.750″ gas block will work.” Colt makes a suitable Government Contour 20″-long, 1:7″-twist barrel, sold by MidwayUSA.
To test the accuracy of his rifle, Dennis fitted a Mantis-X unit on the top of the float tube. The Mantis-X records the movement of the rifle to interpolate shot placements. Dennis reports: “I spent some extra time at the range grabbing a decent zero for my Modern Military rifle. I stuck a Mantis-X on it to record a few shots shooting offhand at the plates at 200 yards. It drives very easily even with no shooting coat or glove.” The Mantis-X is attached just forward of the carry handle, on top of the MI free-float handguard. The Mantis-X works with live fire as well as dry fire. It communicates via BlueTooth to a smartphone App.
Rifle Shoots Well with 77gr Sierra MatchKings
The gun is presently zeroed with 77gr Sierra MatchKing ammunition. Dennis reports his rifle “can easily hold the X-Ring on an SR target for both 100-yard and 200-yard CMP Modern Military Games matches. And it’s fun to shoot!”
CMP Standard Modern Military Rifle (AR Class)
This rifle is built from carefully selected and fitted parts to conform to the CMP’s 7.5-pound weight limit iron-sighted rifle rule. Officially, this is a CMP Standard Modern Military Rifle, Class “A” (AR type).
1. S&W M&P lower receiver
2. White Oak Armament match upper receiver with 1/4×1/4-MOA pinned rear sights
3. AR-Stoner 20″ 1:7″-twist 5.56x45mm NATO Government contour barrel from MidwayUSA*
4. MidWest Industries ultralight free-float handguard with a Titanium barrel nut
5. Yankee Hill Machine folding front sight with a 0.072″ square front pin
6. RRA 2-stage trigger
7. A2 length buttstock
Easy Rifle Build Using Mostly Existing AR Parts, Plus New Barrel and Free-Float Handguard
Dennis was able to put his Modern Military AR together using components he had collected over the years: “Most of these parts were already in my bin of old AR parts available to be recycled. The barrel and free-float handguard were the only new acquisitions.” And with the AR’s modular format, this was an easy build: “Assembly time was about 30 minutes. I’ve done these parts swaps so many times now.”
Key Rules for Standard Modern Military Rifle (AR Type)
Dennis Santiago’s new AR rifle was built as a “Standard U.S. Modern Military Rifle”, Class A (AR Type), as specified in the CMP Games Competition Rules.
5.2.3 Standard U.S. Modern Military Rifles, Class A
Category A Standard Modern Military Rifles must comply with these requirements:
a) Rifles must be based on the M-16 rifle or be based on an AR design;
b) Rifles must be manufactured by a USA manufacturer;
c) Rifles must be equipped with issue-type metallic front and rear sights; rear sights with adjustments finer than one minute of angle are permitted;
d) Total rifle weight, with sights and without sling, may not exceed 7.5 pounds;
e) Rifles may be fitted with a float tube or free-floating handguard. A nonadjustable sling swivel may be attached to the forward end of the handguard; and…
f) The rifle must be chambered for the 5.56x45mm or .223 Remington cartridge.
Also, from Rule 5.2.2:
a) The exterior configuration of the rifle must be the similar to that of the
original military or military-type rifle;
b) The trigger pull may not be less than 4.5 lbs.;
Comments from other Modern Military Rifle Shooters:
“I built a Modern Military [Standard]. It was tough getting below the 7.5-lb [limit]. I had to carve off a bunch of the 20″ barrel diameter but wanted to stay with it for sight radius (over a 16″). I would just as soon shoot that little iron-sighted rifle at 200 yards as my 15-lb Nightforce-scoped Service Rifle. I love that little rifle.” — Kenneth S.
“I’m building one of these that will make 7.5-lb [Standard Modern Military] weight limit, with the long barrel and long sight radius. This has been on my list this winter.” — Tom K.
“We found that turning down a National Match barrel and taking a few inches off of it made a very accurate rifle.” — Jack A.
“My old (complete) A2 upper has been sitting forlorn on a shelf for a couple of years now. Perhaps I need to do a [Standard Modern Military] build of my own.” — Derek D.
Dennis Santiago replied: “Derek — that’s the reason I was attracted to this. I had bought a brand new WOA A2 pin upper receiver to make a new upper then the scope rule was adopted and it was all flat tops. This gives new purpose to the old parts.”
CMP Rules Defining Modern Military Rifles
Standard vs. Unlimited, Class A vs. Class B
There are actually two different classes of Standard Modern Military Rifles, Class A for AR-type rifles and Class B for other military-style rifles, such as the M1A and FN-FAL. Ok, got that? Now, in addition, there is also a second division for UNLIMITED Modern Military Rifles, again with two classes (Class A — AR-type and Class B — other military rifles). These unlimited rifles can have optics, heavier weights, modern-design adjustable-length stocks, and other upgrades. Here is Rule 5.2.2 from the current CMP Games Rifle and Pistol Competition Rules:
Happy Mother’s Day
Nancy Tompkins is one of the greatest long-range shooters in American history. She has won the National Long Range Championship 5 times (1986, 1997, 1999, 2003, and 2015), the across-the-course National High Power Championship (1998), the Metric Smallbore Nationals (2012), and the Fullbore Nationals (2012). She has also been the Wimbledon Cup winner (1993) and a 7-time Leech Cup winner (1995, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2005, 2011 and 2012). She has won both team and individual medals in the World Championships and has been on 8 Palma Teams (as both a shooter and a coach).
Team Smith & Wesson shooter 
The shooting season is now in full swing. When you head to the range you’ll want to be prepared. That means collecting all the gear you’ll need at the range. It’s easy to forget small, critical items, so we’ve provided a checklist of the small “extras” you should pack before you head out to the range. In addition to rifle, rests, ammo, targets, and cleaning gear, here are a dozen essentials you should include in your range bag.
• Shell-Holder — If you don’t have calipers, you can use a shell-holder to check for excessive case expansion from hot loads. If a fired case doesn’t slip into the shell-holder easily, your load is definitely TOO HOT.
• Hex Wrench or Screwdriver for action screws — Action screws can work loose with time. Always bring the appropriate hex wrench or screwdriver whenever you go to the range.
• Extra Batteries — Bring extra batteries for all your electronic gear — which can include chronograph, windmeter, digital camera, GPS etc.
• Folding Chair or Camp Stool — This comes in handy if you’re spotting for another shooter, or if you reload away from the firing line.
• Small Plastic Ruler — Use this to measure your group sizes. A transparent (see-through) ruler works best. Rulers are also useful for drawing lines on targets.
Detail from Doan Trevor rimfire prone stock (Fiddleback Walnut) with Stiller 2500 X Action.
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