Tag Archives: canada

You know the C20, eh?

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The Colt Canada-produced C20 semi-automatic Intermediate Sniper Weapon is being acquired for the Canadian Army in small numbers.

Produced domestically by Colt Canada in Kitchener, Ontario, the semi-automatic C20 has an 18-inch barrel with a 1-in-10 twist and is reportedly pretty friggen accurate. Testing showed the rifle to fire 8,000 rounds with no stopping and deliver an average of .66 MOA over 144 five-round groups using 175-grain Federal Gold Medal Match.

The overall length on the C20 is 38-inches while weight is 9.1-pounds. It has a 46-slot continuous MIL-STD-1913 top rail and a handguard with M-LOK accessory slots in the 3-, 6-, and 9-o’clock positions. (Photo: Colt Canada)

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Still clocking in wherever needed

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The Browning Hi-Power was a first (and has remained a constant) love. I mean all the good parts of John Moses Browning’s 1911– single action/light trigger, all-steel construction, the simplicity of maintenance, long sight radius contributing to accuracy– while ditching the goofy barrel bushing, thinning the profile, and nearly doubling the capacity from 7+1 to 13+1.

Like my circa-1943 FN Browning Pistole 640 Hi-Power circa-1943 FN Browning Pistole 640 Hi-Power. It like lots of Winchester White Box 124 grain FMJ.

At one time or another, more than 50 countries had adopted the BHP during WWII and the Cold War. However, as lighter (polymer) and more modern (accessory rails, night sights, modular ergonomics) combat handguns have come to market since the 1980s, the old warhorse has been increasingly put to pasture.

Except in Commonwealth countries like India, Australia, and Canada, where they are still seeing regular use, even if they are a bit long in the tooth.

Canadian Browning Inglis Task Force Mali conducted small arms training near Gao, Mali Feb 2019

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Not your average catch of the day

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crate-of-british-enfields-were-dragged-off-newfoundland-in-2011

The archaeology department at Memorial University in St. John’s Newfoundland has been working since 2011 to save a crate of 20 Pattern 1853 Enfield rifled muskets that were delivered to Canada via fishing trawler after an extended period on the bottom of the Atlantic.

The rifles, still in the crate they have been in since around the 1850s-60s, are housed in a large container filled with a chemical solution that includes a bulking agent and corrosion inhibitor designed to stabilize the relics.

“This soaking process will take many years and is done to prevent the wood from collapsing, cracking, or warping once dry and also to prevent any remaining iron from staining the wood surface,” Memorial’s Archaeological Conservator, Donna Teasdale, told me.

And they are now starting to find inspector’s marks on very well preserved brass and walnut.

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More in my column at Guns.com