Michael Helms
@FirearmsHistory
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I'm a degreed firearms historian and Smith & Wesson researcher. I also appeared on season 14 of Swamp People! NCSU grad & Phi Beta Kappa.
Baton Rouge, LA
Joined October 2021
🔫✨ Think your iron is cool? Think again. This isn't just ANY revolver—this is BUFFALO BILL CODY level legendary. Meet the @Smith_WessonInc New Model 3 that drips with more swagger than your entire gun collection. Those engravings? Pure eye candy. But here's where it gets WILD:
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For Thanksgiving, I put a few hundred rounds through this @Smith_WessonInc 22X. Anyone that hasn't tried a .22 rimfire pistol with a red dot and a suppressor is in for a delightful surprise, because the 22X makes a superb host for both. As I often joke to new shooters, this
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Let's say it's 1916 and you're in the market for a new pistol. @coltlkl had five choices for you: the full-sized ubiquitous M1911 in .45 ACP, the M1902 Military Model in .38 ACP, the well-known M1903 Pocket Hammerless in .32 ACP, and the tiny M1908 Vest Pocket in .25 ACP. And
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For many decades, Rex Firearms was one of a small group of New York City gun dealers that armed local law enforcement agencies and its citizenry. Rex was particularly well known for stocking high-end firearms, and I've lettered more than a few engraved @Smith_WessonInc revolvers
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Last weekend's range trip got rained out. No worries ... this goodie from @Smith_WessonInc just arrived, upping the stakes for this weekend's trip! #smithwesson #smithandwesson #smithandwessonpartner #22X #22LR #pewpew #rimfire #rangeday
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Unsolicited shout out to @sgammo_official. That was the best packaged ammunition order I've ever received. Not a large order by any stretch, but I still appreciate the time and care that went into making sure the pew pews arrived safely. #sgammo #38longcolt #rangeday #pewpew
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Let's talk about this beautiful disaster from 1877. The @coltlkl "Lightning" was their first attempt at double action, and holy hell did they overcomplicate it. This .38 caliber nightmare had the reliability of a politician's promise - fragile internals that would break if you
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OK shooting friends, my trusty pair of MSA Sordin earmuffs died after 15 years of ruthless and thankless service (translation: they owe me nothing!). I always kept a pair of backup hearing protection in my bag (an inexpensive pair of Walker's), but they too have decided to go to
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After visiting a friend and fellow collector at his antique gun shop near Versailles, France, I decided that I wanted to put a Manurhin MR73 through its paces. What a curious revolver! I spend a lot of my time shooting Smith & Wesson revolvers, and that made everything about the
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I'm not a big 10mm guy, but that's not for lack of interest. Some years ago I picked up a @GLOCKInc 40 and have found it to be entirely capable, and in a moment of weakness a few years ago I succumbed to a @NighthawkCustom Shadow Hawk Long Slide in 10mm that is the embodiment of
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Damned gun influencers. Back in 2014, I wandered into a gun store in Gretna, Louisiana and bought a Colt M1903 Pocket Hammerless. It had a very slight barrel bulge, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. "I'm glad I sold that gun," said no-one ever, but I did foolishly part
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Mmmmm. Look what I'm taking to the range this weekend. #rangetime #rangeday #pewpew #357magnum #38special #revolver #revolvers #frenchguns
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Canadian-born brothers Henry and Louis Hammond were the namesake of this oddity from the Connecticut Arms Company: the Hammond "Bulldog" pistol. Holding a single round of .44 rimfire and loading with this curious swiveling breech (which the Hammond brothers had patented), this
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The Radom P64: When Polish engineers saw the elegant Walther PP and said 'Hold my vodka, we can make this uglier AND weaker.' This 1969 communist brick is about to prove that sometimes the best guns are the ones that look like they were designed by committee. Range day incoming!
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Plot twist: a Norinco Type 54 ChiCom just landed in my hands and I'm not mad about it 👀 Looks like it was finished with a cardboard box budget, but the build quality is solid and that modular FCU? Those crafty Soviets were playing 4D chess decades ago. Now just waiting for Tok
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Found a Remington R51 cheaper than Applebee's for two. Famous last words: "The internet is probably exaggerating." Narrator: The internet was not exaggerating. This thing makes farm equipment look ergonomic. Shoots about as smooth as riding a shopping cart down stairs. 10/10
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Plot twist: in 1989 @Smith_WessonInc said 'let's make guns prettier' and launched LadySmith right as concealed carry laws were popping off across America 📈 This Model 60 got the royal treatment—bead-blasted finish, rosewood grips, butter-smooth trigger. Peak .38 Special vibes
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