Tag Archives: Xp-100

Guns of the Air Force at 75

Posted on by Leave a comment

While Ben Franklin theorized using airships to deliver troops to battle behind enemy lines as early as 1783 and the Union Army fielded a balloon service in the Civil War, today’s Air Force traces its origin to the heavier-than-air machines of the U.S. Army’s Aeronautical Division, founded in 1907– just four years after the Wright brothers first flew. After service in Army green during both World Wars, the Air Force became an independent branch of the military in 1947 with the first Secretary of the Air Force named on Sept. 18 and its first Chief of Staff named on Sept. 26. 

To salute the 75th birthday of the USAF this week, I took a deep dive into the small arms of the organization over the years, including some rares.

Cold War-era Colt survival gun prototype
A Cold War-era Colt survival gun prototype on display at the USAF Armament Museum (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Remington XP-100 survival gun
The Remington XP-100 survival gun concept. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Bushmaster Arm Pistol in 5.56mm
The Bushmaster Arm Pistol in 5.56mm was another planned Air Force survival gun that made it about as high as a lead balloon. Bushmaster did, however, put it in limited commercial production. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

More in my column at Guns.com.

 

Remington XP100 Bolt-action Pistols: The godfather of hunting handguns?

Posted on by Leave a comment

What would you do if you are a venerated rifle and shotgun maker and your customers keep asking about hunting pistols? Simple. Take your proven bolt-action rifle, chop it down, and give the world the Remington XP100. When you look at the Remington XP100, at first you may think it’s a sawn off rifle, similar to the Russian Obrez—and in concept you wouldn’t be too far off. Remington, instead of trying to make an accurate pistol, took the action of an already accurate rifle, and set it into a dedicated handgun-sized frame.

dogleg bolt action white diamonds and zytel stock mark this xp100 as a nice early gun
Read more in my column at Guns.com