Most gun guys know that the NRA publishes a monthly magazine called American Rifleman. What you may not know is that NRA also offers a series of American Rifleman videos on YouTube, with recent American Rifleman TV episodes on the Outdoor Channel. For today’s Saturday Showcase we offer seven noteworthy NRA-produced gun videos currently hosted on YouTube.
Highlights from American Rifleman TV Episodes
Currently on YouTube you can access dozens of past episodes of the American Rifle television series, along with many recent gun/gear reviews. Here are seven NRA videos featuring important or interesting rifle types plus a Remington ammunition factory tour.
Remington Model 700 ADL and BDL
After Winchester came out with the Model 70, Remington Arms answered with the Model 700, one of the most recognized bolt-action designs of all time. The design emerged in 1962, as Remington sought to improve on its previous Models 721 and 722. Two versions of the Remington Model 700 existed at launch: ADL and BDL models. “You know, you could have it two ways. You had the ADL and the BDL,” said NRA Publications Editorial Director Mark Keefe. “You had the plainer ADL at a better price point, then you had the BDL and that had fleur-de-lis checkering and white spacers and a gloss finish and, you know, it was shinier.” The commercial market wasn’t the only area where the Model 700 was successful, as it was also adapted into the U.S. Army as the M24 sniper rifle. To this day, the Model 700 continues to be a popular bolt-action rifle platform for both commercial and military use.
CMP M1 Garand Matches
The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) runs matches throughout the country, including the major summertime Camp Perry matches. This American Rifleman video covers the CMP’s M1 Garand Match, one of the most popular matches at Camp Perry every year. The Garand shoots the .30-06 Springfield cartridge. It is a surprisingly accurate semi-auto rifle, when fitted with an aftermarket barrel. The CMP recently started a program where the CMP is producing M1 Garands with completely new actions and barrels.
Model 1903-A3 Springfield — History of Wartime Rifle
While the U.S. Army’s Model 1903 Springfield rifle is one of the most well-recognized small arms of the 20th century, a lesser-known variant served as an important stop-gap rifle in the early years of World War II. Thanks to the efforts of engineers and arms designers at Remington, the U.S. Army eventually adopted an official pattern of the Springfield termed the “Model of 1903A3.” This NRA video covers the interesting history of the Springfield model 1903-A3.
Revival of Remington Ammunition Production by Vista Outdoor
Remington Ammunition filed for bankruptcy in July 2020. Vista Outdoor, owner of Federal, CCI, and Speer, purchased the assets of Remington Ammunition. This video explains how Vista Outdoor revived Remington’s Lonoke, Arkansas plant. “This is one of the largest ammunition manufacturing plants in the world. It was set up in 1969 by DuPont, who owned Remington at the time” notes Mark Keefe, NRA Publications editorial director. Over the first 18 months of Vista’s ownership of Remington Ammunition, the facility added more than 1500 employees and increased centerfire-handgun ammunition production more than 40 percent, while shotshell production increased 15 percent.
Henry U.S. AR-7 Survival Rifle
This is an interesting video of a compact rimfire rifle originally issued to U.S. Air Force crews. In the event a crew was downed in a wilderness area, the rifle could be assembled and used to shoot game for food. Civilian versions of this ultra-lightweight 3.5-lb rifle are also available. In this video, American Rifleman contributor Jeremiah Knupp puts the Henry U.S. AR-7 Survival Rifle to the water test. The civilian version is sold by Henry as the Henry U.S. Survival Rifle. With the action, barrel, and magazines housed INSIDE the stock assembly, this rifle can easily be carried in a pack or stowed in a vehicle.
Springfield M1A — Popular .308 Win (7.62×51) Semi-Auto Rifle
The M1A is one of the most popular rifles sold today by Springfield Armory. The M1A is a semi-auto version of the select-fire military M14 rifle developed in the 1950s. Designers adapted the action of the M1 Garand with a different gas system and dropped the 8-round internal magazine for 20-round detachable box magazines. Chambered for the 7.62×51 NATO cartridge, the M14 was adopted by the military in 1959, replacing the M1 Garand. However, its term as the official U.S. service rifle was short-lived, as Armalite was developing the M16, which evolved into the semi-auto AR15 for civilian use. Despite the M14 having a short-lived career as a service rifle, the semi-auto M1A remains quite popular for CMP rifle matches.
