James asked some hard questions about the settlement, and this is a good video to help you understand what happened.
On the one hand, I understand the position taken by Lawrence. If you’ve invested millions of dollars in R&D, and then lost many more millions in legal costs, it matters to you and your employees what happens. You must ensure that you recoup costs.
On the other hand, they are just taking an awful beating in the comments. I mean, they are getting spanked to the point of blisters that they left Hoffman Super Safety behind. I know there have been some legal wranglings between then, but I also believe that the super safety is a much different design and was around long before RBT.
In any case, suffice it to say that this issue is probably not dead, especially as it pertains to a new administration that may not be as friendly.
Here’s a YT short on the Marlin .444, although I have to say that my .444 doesn’t have problematic feeding like his seems to. Maybe it’s a “Remlin,” although I don’t know if they ever made one after Remington took over.
The Marlin .444 is an absolutely awesome cartridge.
I’m just wondering for the hundredth time if y’all are going to come out with a lever gun in 460 or 500 S&W magnum? I would be happy to do a review of it without any cost to you (I would purchase the gun outright).
This is the first time I have ever gotten a response to my many notes.
Thank you for contacting Smith & Wesson.
I would be glad to relay your interest to our Marketing & Product Development department for review.
If you have any other questions please feel free to contact us at 1-800-331-0852
Thank you and Have a Great Day!
Regards,
Daniel
Back to Daniel (and I tried to locate the email for the S&W CEO, perhaps I got it right), I responded this.
Daniel,
Thank you for the offer to forward my request. This is the first time in all of my inquiries that I have actually gotten a response.
I would love to talk to your folks about a walnut lever action rifle in 500 S&W magnum. I’m certain that the S&W engineers can handle the development, and I’m also certain that the Performance Center would take an interest in such a project.
As I said, I would be happy not only to buy the rifle outright, but also do a review of it.
Your engineers might say that the cartridge I am requesting (500 S&W magnum) is a high pressure cartridge and as such might have “sticky extraction” issues, but Rossi has proven that they can handle the .454 Casull and Big Horn Armory can certainly make rifles chambered in 500 S&W magnum. They do so every day.
Frankly, it should bother you more than a little that Big Horn Armory is the only manufacturer that makes a rifle chambered in your very own cartridge (500 S&W magnum). Shouldn’t S&W make a rifle chambered in that round too?
Herschel Smith, PE
We’ll see if this becomes a chance to get a lever gun in S&W 500 magnum. I have my doubts.
Tim Sundles covers the .454 Casull. Honestly, the .44 magnum is so stout to shoot I’m not sure I want a .454 Casull handgun. But really, I do.
I’d absolutely love to have that Rossi lever action gun in .454 Casull, but that caliber in a lever action rifle is literally unobtanium. It simply can’t be gotten anywhere for any price.
I don’t think Rossi does a very good job of keeping stocks high. They’d do better if they knew how much folks would want one of these rifles in .454 Casull.
This American Rifleman article goes into some depth on the progression of the fight, more so than any history I have seen. I found this rundown on the use of fowling pieces interesting.
In 1770s New England, the dominant civilian arm used for hunting and militia service was the fowler, so named because such arms could be loaded with shot and used for hunting fowl or other small game. Additionally, fowlers could also be loaded and fired with larger round balls when hunting medium-size game or being used for militia service. To facilitate the use of both shot and ball, fowlers had smooth bores instead of rifled bores, a configuration that not only allowed for various kinds of ammunition but was also significantly easier, and therefore less expensive, to produce. Civilian fowling pieces, due to their commercial and personal nature, varied widely in terms of their configuration, barrel length and bore size. Guns being used for militia service were required to have a certain barrel length (noted in some records as being at least 36”) to account for the fact that soldiers firing in a rear rank would require a gun long enough to reach past the men in the front rank without endangering them. Many New England fowlers of the period had extraordinarily long barrels, too, with some of them reaching 55” or more in length. Bore sizes varied, too, with guns ranging from below .50 caliber and exceeding .80 caliber, in some cases. Generally speaking, most New England fowlers had bore sizes around .62 caliber, and many recovered musket balls fired on April 19 are of a size that suggest they were fired from .62-cal. muzzleloaders.
Shotguns have always been a part of warfare ever since the invention of fowlers.
We were all expecting a new release from S&W after they committed to the lever gun market. The .45-70 is a good choice, but I still want my 500 S&W Magnum.
Also, I would like to see this in walnut furniture. Release that model and I may consider buying it.
Of course, Federal didn’t name this cartridge the “Competition LaserBeam.” They named it the “Backcountry,” and their current offerings all feature hunting bullets rather than match-grade pills. It’s obviously meant for hunting applications, and in that context, barrel life matters far less. Hunters may never shoot 2,000 rounds with a rifle, even if they use it every season for their entire lives. There are better options for competition shooters, but the Backcountry is meant for the field.
Okay, but wait a minute.
Many guys still have their father’s or even grandfather’s Marlin 30-30, mild recoiling and medium muzzle velocity, that has shot way more rounds than that through their barrels, and because of the mild velocity the rifle still works like a charm. It can be used today for deer hunting, and if kept in good condition, can be turned over to their sons for use with the same type of hunting.
Gun lifetime matters. And that’s one reason I will probably avoid something like the 7mm Backcountry. The chamber pressure and muzzle velocity are a bit too high for my tastes.
1 week, 5 days ago
