Firearms research reported

Research requests made last week to the Sweetwater County Historical Museum’s new Vintage Firearms Research program reaffirmed a fact about the history of early 20th century firearms in the west - the widespread use of .22 rimfire pump-action rifles.

Many of the initial research requests made to the Museum involved .22 rifles owned for generations by local families, particularly the 1890 Winchester, 1906 Winchester, and Model 12 Remington, all pump-actions.

The .22 rimfire cartridge has a long history. In fact, the first .22, which would become known as the .22 Short, was introduced in 1857 fo...