Edward Samuel Farrow, (April 20, 1855 – September 8, 1926) born in Worcester County, Maryland, was an author and a commander in the American Indian Wars of the late 19th century. He is particularly known for his service in the Sheepeater Indian War Farrow was a graduate of the West Point Military Academy in 1876, and was a commanding officer of Indian Scouts in the Departments of the Columbia.

American Small Arms - A veritable Encyclopedia of Knowledge for Sportsmen and Military Men, 1904 is, as the title suggests a comprehensive treatise on firearms at the turn of the 20th century. It covers virtually all small arms made in the U.S. along with ammunition, sights and telescopes, reloading, manufacturing machinery, and miscellaneous rules for tournaments, sporting events, trap, target, and game shooting.

Available from Cornell Publications, 411 pages, 8 1/2" x 11", print version or PDF

We do a deep dive into Modern American Pistols and Revolvers by A C Gould. What was a Modern Revolver in 1896? Find out from this podcast. An account of the development of pistols and revolvers in America; description of the varieties manufactured; manner of shooting them; work accomplished with these arms; departments of pistol and revolver shooting; impressions formed by studying these arms; and rules governing pistol and revolver competitions.

Arthur Corbin Gould (1850–1903) was an author, avid shooter and member of the Massachusetts Rifle Association. He published The Rifle in 1885. After Gould's death, The Rifle was acquired as an official publication of the National Rifle Association of America becoming American Rifleman. Mr. Gould authored The Modern American Pistol and Revolver, including a description of modern pistols and revolvers of American make; ammunition used in these arms; results accomplished; and shooting rules followed by American marksmen. The Modern American Pistol and Revolver was the first English-language book devoted to pistol shooting.

A Short Illustrated History of the J. Stevens Arms & Tool Company by Joe Vorisek, Joe worked in insurance and traveled extensively throughout New England for his job. Off hours gave him plenty of time to research many of the old gun companies that flourished along or near the Connecticut Valley region, Hopkins & Allen, H&R, American Arms, Crescent Arms, Savage, Stevens, Iver Johnson and more. He wrote books about all of them and this story is a deep dive into the Stevens company. Related links mentioned in the podcast are: Malcolm Telescopes, Cataract Telescopes, Crescent Arms, Davis Arms, and Pope Barrels.

This is a brief addition to the Bannerman Podcast we did earlier. That episode talked about the Bannerman catalogs and company history. This one is about Jane Bannerman and how she got us started.

The H&R Arms Company was one of the rare gun makers to survive for over a century. In fact, there is a possibility we may see it back for yet another run. Joe Vorisek worked in insurance and traveled extensively throughout New England for his job. Off hours gave him plenty of time to research many of the old gun companies that flourished along or near the Connecticut Valley region, Hopkins & Allen, H&R, American Arms, Crescent Arms, Savage, Stevens, Iver Johnson and more. He wrote books about all of them and this story is a deep dive into H&R, a great company with a winning plan. H&R went out of business in 1986 but was reincarnated, bought and sold several times until 2015 but may be coming back again.

Here is a link to H&R and all Joe’s books.

Rob Mouat for Cornell Publications

We owe the Bannerman Company twice over. It inspired us to start Cornell Publications some 20 years ago, we reprint over 7000 vintage gun catalogs and manuals, and Bannerman gave us so many wonderful catalogs to enjoy. We’ve loved paging through the Bannerman catalogs and their centuries of military and firearms history for more decades than we like to admit and we never tire of learning something new from them.

For over 60 years the Bannerman company built a massive collection of military hardware then spent another 40 years selling it off. But Bannerman’s story is centuries old and is a yarn well worth hearing. His is the archetypical American dream.

This podcast, therefore, is about how Bannerman got us started and then the story of how Bannerman got started, we hope you enjoy our stories.

All the Bannerman catalogs we reprint

The 1927 Bannerman catalog

Buy this book at cornellpubs.com: Recognizing Side by Side Shotguns – Charles Carder

Charles E. Carder was born in 1931 in New York State. He was raised in western Ohio, where he began hunting with his father at the early age of nine years old. Since that time, he has become an ardent hunter in his home state.

His perpetual affection for side-by-side shotguns has captivated many hours of his life. He collects side-by-side shotguns with unusual mechanisms.

He also, has a large file of photos, catalogs, magazine articles, books and sales literature from the various shotgun manufacturers from days gone by to the present. Some of his magazine articles have appeared in the DOUBLE GUN

JOURNAL. THE GUN REPORT and others. He also writes the regular collector columns for THE SINGLE SHOT EXCHANGE and OHIO OUT-OF-DOORS magazines.

The basic features of breech loading side by side shotguns are graphically displayed in these pages. In nearly all of the parts mentioned here there is a variety of different designs. Each inventor and gun maker had his own idea of how a mechanism should look or work. Only the basics are shown here. For more details, there are numerous books describing the variances. This book was prepared for those who have little knowledge about the different side by sides and their names. Reviewing these contents will serve to fill that void.

Summary

This book, "Recognizing Side By Side Shotguns," by Charles E. Carder, is a comprehensive guide for understanding the mechanics and history of side-by-side shotguns. The document outlines the various parts and functions of side-by-side shotguns, from their lock mechanisms and firing mechanisms to their safety features and forearm designs. Carder, a passionate collector of side-by-side shotguns, uses detailed illustrations and sketches to help readers visually identify and understand the different components. The document also provides a brief history of the evolution of side-by-side shotguns, highlighting key innovations and inventors, along with insights into the nuances of barrel types and proof marks.

Buy the book at cornellpubs.com: Machine Guns 1917

In the summer of 1916, the War Department gave authority for the establishment of several Machine Gun Schools of Instruction for troops serving in the Southern Department. The first school to begin operations under this authority was established by Lieut.-Colonel C. C. Williams, Ordnance Department, at Harlingen, Texas. Two of the present authors, Capt. J. S. Hatcher, Ordnance Department, who had previously been engaged in the preliminary machine gun instruction of troops at various points along the border, and 1st Lieut. H. J. Malony, 26th Infantry, who had served for several years in command of various machine gun organizations, were assigned as instructors. 1st Lieut later joined these officers. Glenn P. Wilhelm, 4th Infantry, who was in command of the machine gun company of that organization, and 1st Lieut. W. W. Doe, 26th Infantry. At the writing, the school had been in operation for over six months, and the experience of the authors in the operation of the guns at the school had covered an average expenditure of about 10,000 rounds of ammunition per week during this period. The notes made by the authors during their work at the machine gun school and elsewhere formed the basis for this volume. These notes were rewritten and arranged in their present form by Captain Hatcher.

The Illustrated text focuses on the mechanics and tactical use of machine guns. It covers different models like the Benet-Mercie, Lewis, Colt, Maxim, and Vickers, discussing their construction, operation, and potential malfunctions. The manual provides instructions on cleaning, assembling, and disassembling each weapon, as well as strategies for aiming and firing. The text also examines the strengths and limitations of each machine gun, and explores the role of machine guns in offensive and defensive combat scenarios.

World War One had begun in 1914 and by 1917 had stalemated the armies of Europe and was reduced to a brutal grind of trench warfare made all the worse by machine guns.

Meanwhile, during 1914 and 1915, Mexican revolutionary leader Pancho Villa waged war in Northeastern Mexico against the Carranza government. Prior to the Mexican Revolution, the U.S.-Mexico border had been only lightly policed but that was about to change.

As part of a campaign against U.S. interests in Northern Mexico, Villa's forces had attacked U.S. mining executives in Mexico, provoking public anger in the United States, especially in Texas. Then in March of 1916, Pancho Villa's forces raided the town of Columbus, New Mexico, resulting in the death of sixteen Americans.. This led to an increased U.S. military presence including Black Jack Pershing’s failed incursion into Mexico to capture Villa.

The imbroglio resulted in the establishment of several Machine Gun Schools of Instruction for troops serving in the Southern Department. Authors Hatcher, Wilhelm and Malony were recruited to prepare a comprehensive manual of Machine Gun operations, this is the story of their work.