DESERT MARKSMEN RIFLE & PISTOL CLUB ANTELOPE VALLEY, CA 2020 WINTER/SPRING EDITION

*WHAT’S HAPPENING AT DMRPC?*

WINTER WEATHER CLOSURES

Recently the DMRPC complex has been temporarily closed in periods of winter weather such as heavy rain or snow. Because the access road into the complex can become quite treacherous and at times impassible, members are reminded to check the DMRPC road status on the club web page prior to making the drive.

The image at left was taken on 4 December 2019 by John, DMRPC’s head of Range Safety.

This heavy snow covered the ground for over a whole week, and concealed many deep ruts that drivers likely wont see before they become stuck.

For more information on the DMRPC road closure policy, look back to the 2018 winter edition of this newsletter.

Do you have any photos to share with the DMRPC community?…If so. contact the editor in the reply field on the web page, and we can get them into a future edition. (Continued from previous page)

DMRPC BRUSH CLEARANCE PROJECT

Recently the DMRPC complex was closed for some much needed brush clearance work. After considerable discussion by the EXCOM and discipline leaders, it was decided to hire Mark, DMRPC member and skilled equipment operator, who did a remarkable job of this monumental task. Images courtesy of Ray Coronado.

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Continued next page A special note from John: It is recommended that you NOT drive up directly BEHIND the 100 yard target berm, as there are still remnants of steel embedded into the ground that could pose a hazard to vehicle tires. It is better to drive in FRONT of the berm to place proper targets. As always, watch your step, and where you walk. As we approach spring time, be on the lookout for our native rattlesnakes. ————————————————————————————————————— COWBOY ACTION

From our DMRPC Cowboy Action leader Doc Silverhawks comes the fourth installment of “The Gun That Won The West” (see the last newsletter for part 3).

Hello again, and welcome back to the fourth part of our discussion about the gun that won the west. It is so good to get together with friends and talk about our favorite subject, and that’s GUNS! Seeing as the Summer has long since lost its grip, and much cooler temperatures now prevail, why don’t we just take a seat here, in front of the fireplace, have ourselves a shot of some fine Whiskey to warm our old bones, and let’s commence with our conversation. When we last met, we had a great discussion that led us through the invention of the self contained, metallic cartridge and some of the key players involved with that development. We found ourselves standing on the timeline of history, right about 1861- 1862, and the American Civil War was in full swing. That conversation found us finishing off with the suggestion that one excellent possibility for the title of “The Gun That Won The West” just might be a rimfire repeater! I certainly appreciate your allowing me a cliffhanger as it really adds a sense of the dramatic, don’t you think?

(Continued next page) I wonder, were you able to solve the mystery of which gun and cartridge it was that I was referring to? Well, it certainly wasn’t the Ruger 10-22, now was it? As many of you already know, it was the now famous Henry Repeating Rifle and the cartridge developed specifically for it, the .44 Henry rimfire. Oliver Winchester saw the potential in the development of the repeating rifle design. Even in the late 1850’s, most all shoulder fired arms were single shot and of the muzzle loading, percussion type, which were very slow in follow-up shots. He could see the inherent merits in the Volcanic Repeater’s lever action design, so much so that he purchased the Volcanic Repeating Arms Company, saving it from insolvency, in late 1856 . Being a wise individual, Winchester hired Volcanic’s superintendent, an inventor named Benjamin Tyler Henry. Winchester clearly understood that the Volcanic repeater’s shortcoming was the sorely underpowered Rocket Ball ammunition, which also had a nasty habit of chain firing in the magazine tube. Winchester put Henry in charge of ammunition development, and in 1858, Henry patented a .44 caliber rimfire cartridge. This new cartridge utilized a copper case with its priming compound in the hollow area of a folded rim, much like a .22 Long Rifle is constructed today. Over that priming compound was 26 grains of Black Powder that was covered with a 216 grain conical bullet, which was a healed design, also much like our modern .22 Long Rifle. Winchester paired this cartridge with a modified version of the Volcanic rifle, and in 1860 the Henry Repeating Rifle was born. The new Henry Repeating Rifle held an amazing 15 cartridges in the magazine tube plus one more in the chamber, and with its more than twenty four inch barrel length, each bullet left the muzzle with a velocity of 1100 to 1150 feet per second. I know that this doesn’t sound like much by today’s standard but consider that during the Ordinance Board trials in 1862, where Winchester tried, mostly in vain, to solicit Military sales, the Henry’s bullets penetrated five inches into a wooden target at 400 yards. While a muzzle loading rifle can be successfully fired several times a minute, the Henry Repeating Rifle was capable of firing an aimed shot each second! Winchester used this fact in his advertising, claiming that the Henry was the most effective weapon in the world. He also said: “A resolute man, armed with one of these rifles, particularly on horseback, can not be captured!”. Total production by the end of 1862 was only a couple of thousand units, and because of its one piece machined barrel and magazine tube, the Henry was incredibly expensive. At $42 to $45, the Henry Repeater was a King’s ransom at that time. I’m sure this fact must have played a large role in its rejection by the Ordinance Board, who were much more concerned with controlling spending than saving lives or shortening the war. While not officially accepted by the Board for general issue, 1731 Henrys were ordered for some special units. Less than 1000 of these were delivered before the end of the war. Most of the nearly 11,000 Henry rifles that saw use in the Civil War were privately purchased by soldiers, many of whom were using the money received in the form of re-enlistment bonuses, to purchase them.

(Continued next page) By 1862’s end, the letters of successes using the “Sixteen Shooter” were rolling in, and it was becoming more and more difficult to ignore the powerful influence that a group of soldiers armed with these “Damned Yankee Rifles That You Load On Sunday And Shoot All Week” could bring to bear on an enemy. The world’s first Assault Rifle was here! Out west is where the Henry really became a household word. Because they were mostly privately owned by former soldiers, restless to journey west to find their fortune and glory, it wasn’t long before the Henry became a key part of the legendary “Wild West”. The Hayfield Fight of August 1, 1867, and the Battle for Beecher’s Island, September 17-22, 1868 are but two of many stories to be told about how the fire power of the Henry Repeater took the day. In all, the Henry rifle’s well deserved reputation spans a period from about 1861 to 1880. Some important figures from history carried the Henry. Sitting Bull and High Back Wolf carried Henrys. High Back Wolf’s mummified remains were recovered in archaeological excavations in South Dakota during 1921. His Henry rifle was found beneath his body. Wells Fargo Detective, James B. Hume used his Henry to capture the infamous Black Bart, and prospector Ed Shieffelin, founder of Tombstone Arizona was frequently seen with his Henry.

There can be no doubt whatsoever that the Henry Rifle was, and shall always be, a top contender for the title of “The Gun That Won The West”. Once combined with the .44 Rimfire cartridge, it surely brought real firepower and swiftness to the battle, making ten men seem like a hundred. As we may possibly learn however, it might be nearly impossible to narrow that title to just one firearm. Make sure to check in next time for part five of “The Gun Tat Won The West”.

All My Best Doc Silverhawks SASS Regulator #24427 —————————————————————————————————————

SAFE GUN HANDLING

ALL GUNS ARE ALWAYS LOADED.

NEVER POINT A FIREARM AT ANYTHING YOU DON’T WANT TO DESTROY.

KEEP YOUR FINGER OFF THE TRIGGER UNTIL YOUR SIGHTS ARE ON THE TARGET.

KNOW YOUR TARGET, AND WHAT IS BEYOND.