Category: Real men
In April of 1909, Teddy Roosevelt and his son Kermit headed to Africa for what would be a nearly year-long safari. They took many guns with them, and while TR had a bigger, more powerful .500/450 caliber Holland & Holland double rifle along he called his .405 Winchester model 1895 lever action rifle the “Big Stick!” With the .405’s he and Kermit shot the continent’s most dangerous game.
The 1895 was never as popular as Winchester’s model 94 or model 1886 (which had been a favorite of T.R.). Given the drop of the stock and accompanying heavy load, the .405 was a real “kicker” and hardly a pleasant gun to shoot.
In fact, the Russian Army purchased more of the rifles than were ever sold in the U.S. Nevertheless, Roosevelt liked the gun and used it extensively, along with his model 1903 Springfield in 30.06, with which he killed at least one elephant.
In addition to his rifles, Teddy also took along a 12 gauge Fox side by side, of which he said, “No better gun was made.” There are many nice Foxes on the secondary market, many responsibly priced. If you’d like a new, custom-made one (and have escaped the current economic problems) take a look at the Foxes being made by Connecticut Shotgun Manufacturing Company, but be prepared for some sticker shock.
In 2008, Winchester issued a T.R. Commemorative version of the model 1895, along with special ammunition to celebrate the 150th anniversary of T.R.’s birth.
The 300 grain bullets leave the muzzle at just over 2,200 feet per second, which would prove lethal medicine for all the big critters in North America and many that Teddy and Kermit pursued in Africa.
It’s engraved with a couple of likenesses of the 26th President and sports iron sites. It’s a top ejector and not well suited for use with a scope. But for gun collectors and history buffs the “big stick” is irresistible.
Now there was a ship full of studs! Grumpy
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Some more hard men at war art
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I like this too!
Best political ad ever! pic.twitter.com/ff5j8KQlY9
— Dane (@UltraDane) February 28, 2024
UPDATE: Vote YES on the Bylaw proposal.
The Bylaws require a vote of the membership to create a new officer position, and this is one that needs to happen. — Jeff
Four candidates dedicated to reforming the troubled NRA will be on the ballot for election to the NRA Board this year.
The four reform candidates are Judge Phil Journey, Rocky Marshall, Dennis Fusaro, and me, Jeff Knox.
We are encouraging people to vote for only these four and no one else.
Bullet voting for just the four reform candidates gives your votes more weight and increases the odds of us winning seats.
Ballots are supposed to be in the March issue of NRA magazines for those members eligible to vote.
Only NRA Life Members, and those Annual Members who have been members for at least 5 consecutive years, without interruption, are eligible to vote and will receive ballots.
Each year, the NRA sends out around 2.5 million ballots, but only about 5% of those are ever returned, meaning that almost 2 million ballots are never returned. Finding and activating those un-voted ballots this year could be the key to getting the reform candidates elected, so please talk with your NRA member friends and encourage them to vote for the four reform candidates.
No one knows what will happen with the trial now going on in New York. It’s almost certain that the NRA will lose, and LaPierre and former Treasurer Woody Phillips will be ordered to pay some restitution, but there’s just no telling what the judge will decide regarding the NRA itself. He could just order them to clean up their act and sin no more – which would leave the same people in charge who allowed this mess in the first place – or he could go so far as to dissolve the current board, throw out the current election, and order a new election. He could also appoint a Special Master or overseer to take charge of reorganizing the NRA. He has a lot of leeway and we can only guess at what he might do, and try to position ourselves to be able to participate in the resurrection of the Association.
There’s also a good chance that the NRA will appeal any decision that goes against them, resulting in more delays and more NRA member money poured into the pockets of lawyers.
For the time being, our focus must be on getting our four reform candidates elected.
Please look for the ballot in the March issue of your NRA magazine, which should be delivered in late February. As soon as you receive your ballot, please mark Jeff Knox, Phil Journey, Rocky Marshall, and Dennis Fusaro, sign the back of the envelope, and mail it. Then reach out to all of your NRA friends, members of your gun club, and in any online forums you participate in, and encourage everyone to do the same.
Thanks.