Fresh from the National Firearms Museum's (NFM) studio we have another segment of Curator's Corner Goes to the Movies. This week, Senior Curator Phil Schreier and NRANews Executive Producer John Popp take at look at the guns used by Denzel Washington in 2009's The Book of Eli.

In Phil's hands you see a Remington 870 Shotgun. To coincide with the movie's timeline, the pump-action 12 gauge was sawed off on both ends, distressed, and taped at the butt.

John is holding a Heckler & Koch HK45. Also distressed and taped for a weathered look, the HK is a .45 caliber semi-auto with an ergonomic grip and a convertible backstrap. It also happens to be the first gun made at HK's new facility in Newington, New Hampshire.

For the rest of the story on these beauties from the soon to be revealed Hollywood Guns exhibit, you'll have to tune in tonight for the second in a six part serial presentation as Curator's Corner Goes to the Movies at 10:20 p.m. on NRANews.com or on Sirius Patriot channel 144.

When they aren't on the road or giving tours at the National Firearms Museum (NFM), how does the staff spend their time? The other day, Senior Curator Phil Schreier spent it in the Gun Vault working on the latest donations to NFM's "Hollywood Guns" collection. To the right, you see him working on two belt fed machine guns.

Heavy machine guns like the M240G or M60 receive their cartridges by way of an ammunition belt and are also referred to as belt feds. While the original belts were usually made of canvas, today's belts consist of individual rounds held together with metal clips. In addition to the advantage of providing continuous fire, belt feeders decreases the weight of the firearm and allows for greater mobility. The one in Phil's grasp is a Browning designed, Marlin manufactured M1895.

Also known as a Potato Digger, this M1895 was brought to shore by a group of sailors mounting an attack on Tangiers in the film The Wind and The Lion. And, as Phil likes to point out, Teddy Roosevelt brought two Potato Diggers with him during his charge up San Juan Hill. Just over his right shoulder is the Browning M1917 machine gun fired by various members of The Wild Bunch and their opposition. Each of these belt feeders are part of the much anticipated "Hollywood Guns" collection that goes on display later this year.

The National Congress of Old West Shootists aims to promote "safe Western Action Shooting including the re-enactment and promotion of the historical Old West heritage of the United States in all its ethnic, social and occupational diversity."

The Shootists are gathering in Kansas City, Kansas, beginning March 19 for their National Convention and Victorian Sale. Doug Wicklund, a Senior Curator here at the NRA National Firearms Museum, is a featured guest.

At 11 am on Saturday, Wicklund will present a seminar titled "The Right Arm of the West – Handguns on the Frontier."

At 11 am on Sunday, Wicklund will present a seminar titled "Long Range Gun Slinging – Single Shots that Won the West."

Stay tuned for a recap from Doug! 

The National Firearms Museum (NFM) hosted their second "Night at the Museum" for 2010 on Friday. As luck would have it, Senior Curator Phil Schreier was on hand to report:

Boy Scout Troop 2010 from South Riding, Virginia visited the NRA National Firearms Museum Friday night for A Night at the Museum. Some of you might recognize Troop 2010 Committee member Mark A. Keefe IV as the Editor in Chief of NRA's own American Rifleman magazine. Mark and his son Duncan brought the troop out for a tour of the museum before everyone found a spot in the auditorium to watch "The Wind & the Lion", a classic film by NRA Board member John Milius.

After the movie, the troop was granted a VIP tour of the museum vault where guns from the upcoming "Hollywood Guns" exhibit were being staged. Firearms like the Remington 11-87 from "No Country for Old Men," Obi-Wan Kenobi's light saber from "Star Wars" (pictured at right), and a Colt 1895 Potato Digger from "The Wind & The Lion" were available for the guys to examine.

NFM hosts a variety of events throughout the year. A Night at the Museum is an opportunity for Boy Scouts and other NRA cooperative youth organizations to experience a behind the scenes look at the many treasures held here at headquarters. For more information or to become an affiliated club, contact the NRA Clubs and Associations Department at (800) NRA-CLUB.

As NRAblog told you yesterday, tonight marks the first in a new six-part series of our weekly feature "Curator's Corner."  This section is all about movies. Last year you saw as Curator's Corner went Film Noir -- now watch as Curator's Corner Goes to the Movies.

As luck would have it, first up to the plate is February's fill in -- the shotgun from "No Country for Old Men."

The "No Country" shotgun is a Remington 11-87 semi-auto fitted with a faux suppressor and will surely be a highlight in the National Firearms Museum's new "Hollywood Guns" exhibit. Shown here in the hands of NRANews Executive Producer John Popp, it was used in the movie when Javier Bardem was violently collecting stolen drug money from a rival gang.

But for all the details on Javier's Remington, you'll have to tune in tonight at 10:20 p.m. for this week's edition of Curator's Corner on NRANews.com or Sirius Patriot channel 144.

Always there to lend a hand promoting the National Firearms Museum's (NFM) latest efforts, NRANews stopped by to film the next few segments of Curator's Corner. And what theme did they go with this time? Why the museum's new Hollywood Guns exhibit due to come online later next month of course.

Hollywood Guns is a collection of firearms seen in some of the more popular movies over the last eighty years. Everyone from NFM's Director Jim Supica to Assistant Curator Amber Lammers have been scrambling over the last six months to gather guns from movies like 1934's The Thin Man to 2010's The Pacific. In true 'at the movies' style, we shot the series in our headquarter's conference center for a more balcony-like effect.

Just make sure to tune in tomorrow night for the first in a six part serial presentation of Curator's Corner Goes to the Movies at 10:20 p.m. on NRANews.com or on Sirius Patriot channel 144. Until then, the balcony is closed.

In less than a month, Senior Curator Phil Schreier and his  Assistant Curator Matt Sharpe will be on the road again. Headed to Baltimore's Antique Arms Show, which calls itself the "Crown Jewel" of Collectors’ Shows, the duo will bring some of the Museum's newest old guns. 

The Hollywood Guns exhibit, scheduled for a release in the Ruger Gallery soon, has not been seen by the public. Don't miss your chance for a sneak peak! 

• WHAT: The "Original Baltimore" Antique Arms Show
• WHEN: March 20-21, 2010 
• Saturday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm
• Sunday 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
• WHERE: Maryland State Fairgrounds, 2200 York Road, Timonium, MD 21093
• ADMISSION: Saturday $10.00 Sunday $5.00

"It's the largest antique arms show on the east coast," Schreier told us. "The museum has been displaying guns at this show for 20 years, and I have been going to the show since I was 21."

Schreier and Sharpe will be placed somewhere in the exhibit hall among 1,000 other tables, offering Swords, Militaria items, and, of course, antique firearms for both exhibit and sale. Stay tuned for a full report!

Last year, local Boy Scout Troop 1995 enjoyed an exclusive opportunity -- a supervised overnight lock-in at the NRA's National Firearms Museum, complete with a guided tour of the galleries. 

This year, the scouts returned, even after January's blizzard forced organizers to reschedule. "The boys enjoyed their 2nd annual visit to the National Firearms Museum immensely," NRA's Bill Poole told NRAblog. Poole, the Director of NRA's Education and Training division, serves in several capacities for this troop, but the most important is Scout Dad.

"We had 14 scouts and 5 dads take the tour, participate in the hands-on demonstration, and spend the night on the atrium floor," Poole continued. "Make that 'the hard atrium floor.'"

Senior Curator Doug Wicklund, pictured above on the far right, led the Scouts on the tour. To arrange a tour of the NRA National Firearms Museum for your organization or group, call 703-267-1600.

Phil Schreier, Senior Curator of the NRA National Firearms Museum, makes quite a few radio appearances. NRAblog recently learned Schreier will be a featured guest on the weekly podcast over at AR15.com. His first appearance happened last night and was all about the latest gallery to open at the Museum.

"Of all the temporary exhibits we’ve held in the William B. Ruger Gallery, the movie gun exhibit was the biggest exhibit we ever had," Schreier said, pointing out the Museum's Guns West! exhibit resulted in a 40% increase in visitors. The Museum's newest exhibit is titled "Hollywood Guns." The exhibit is "all about firearms we have borrowed from various friends of the NRA in Hollywood, and private collections around the country," Schreier said.

Schreier was on the show to talk about one gun in particular -- the Barrett M107, used in the recently released film "The Hurt Locker."

“It was just released on DVD a few weeks ago and is really a fantastic film," Schreier said, noting the movie is nominated for 9 Academy Awards. 

"Anthony Mackey (in the role of Sgt Sandbourne) uses the Barrett 50 cal to take out some insurgents during the film," Schreier said of the movie. "This piece is a fully operational M107 that comes from Cinema Weaponry out in Glendale, CA."

So unlike the props used in some films, this firearm really works? "It actually goes bang," Schreier confirms.

“We love Ronnie Barrett," the show's host said of the firearms manufacturer. "Everyone loves Ronnie Barrett." NRAblog would have to agree. Read our exclusive interview of the NRA Board Member here. 

This exhibit of special guns won't be at the Museum for too long --"We’re going to run this exhibit for about a year and keep it until early next spring," Schreier tells us. If at all possible, make a stop by NRA HQ here in Fairfax and check out some of these guns, and stay tuned to NRAblog for more about each piece of the exhibit as we learn it from Schreier. 

We're thrilled to excerpt one of NRA National Firearms Museum Jim Supica's articles. Originally published in The Blue Book of Gun Values (17th edition), Supica outlined the piece in a presentation to the Ohio Gun Collector's Association:

Pieces of History

A gun with a known historical association is a tangible connection to our collective past, and such connections are rare and precious things.

Precious implies value, value implies price, and the question always arises for a collector – exactly how much is history worth? In 1993 we saw the S&W New Model Number Three, which was reportedly used by Bob Ford to kill Jesse James knocked down for $163,000 on a British auction block. Late in 1994, Theodore Roosevelt’s famous Holland and Holland double rifle brought a cool half million at Butterfield & Butterfield (and that was before the 10% buyers premium)! Obviously the buyers of these pieces were paying for something more than condition.

What exactly were they buying? How does one assess the “history” of a gun? An old gun accompanied by a pile of newspaper clippings, documents, and photographs can make a very impressive package. However, more than one collector has paid a handsome premium for such a package, only to discover, sometimes years later, that there is nothing that really ties that particular gun to the individual or event so heavily documented in the paperwork.

Collectors have more or less agreed on a couple quantifiable systems for evaluating the “condition” of a gun. I’d like to suggest that a similar system for evaluating the historical claims of a gun might be a useful mental tool for the collector or enthusiast.

Continue reading here. 

Read more from the Ohio Gun Collector's Association wonderful Collector's Corner collection. 

Tonight's Curator's Corner again features a live to tape segment from the floor of NRA's first annual Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show in Westminster, Maryland. Sitting in for this session is Senior Curator Doug Wicklund with one of the three guns the National Firearms Museum put on display at the three-day show. Following last week's firearm, owned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Wicklund will present Teddy Roosevelt's Double Rifle.  

"This gun was one of his favorite hunting arms," Wicklund tells NRAblog. The .450 caliber Fred Adolph double rifle, an arm he used on several safaris and later presented to one of his American hunting guides, was presented it to the NRA National Firearms Museum by Roosevelt's family.

Fitted with the finest Krupp steel barrels, this double rifle was once featured on the cover of Adolph’s business catalogs and a photograph of it proudly resided in the front window of Adolph’s gunshop in Rochester, New York for many years.

Even ore details will be shared by Doug tonight at 10:20 p.m. EST as Curator's Corner hits the airwaves on NRANews.com and Sirius Patriot channel 144.

The snow here in Washington DC hasn't gone away -- and another 10" could fall before tomorrow morning.

As such, NRA Headquarters is closing its doors tomorrow. Both the NRA National Firearms Museum and the NRA HQ Range, both in Fairfax, VA, will be closed Wednesday, February 10.

Stay tuned to NRAblog for an update; we'll post information as we receive it.  

Tonight's Curator's Corner takes a twist as we bring you a live to tape segment from the floor of NRA's first annual Great American Hunting & Outdoor Show in Westminster, Maryland. Sitting in for this session is Senior Curator Doug Wicklund with one of the three guns the National Firearms Museum put on display. First off the boat is a firearm owned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.

This particular shotgun is a Winchester Model 21. A side-by-side 20 gauge, Ike's Winchester is adorned with a variety of gold inlays. There are five stars representing his rank in the military, DDE for his initials, and what looks to be a prairie chicken.

Also pressed in gold is a seal which reads:

The friend? Coca Cola President Robert Woodruff.

Including custom orders, about 30,000 Winchester Model 21s were produced between 1931 and 1992.

More details will be shared by Doug tonight and every Thursday night at 10:20 p.m. EST as Curator's Corner hits the airwaves on NRANews.com and Sirius Patriot channel 144.

The staff of the NRA National Firearms Museum would love to spend Valentine's Day with you – and a few thousand of northern Virginia's other gun nuts, of course. The Nation's Gun Show kicks off on Friday, February 12 and lasts through the weekend. As usual, if you join NRA or renew your membership at the door, you enter the show free of charge!

The Museum will be represented by Senior Curator Doug Wicklund, who will have several Rugers on display. Thanks to Wicklund for the following:

The Beginning of the Ruger Legend

Responsible for manufacturing millions of rifles, pistols, revolvers, and shotguns; William B. Ruger's American arms empire began with just one gun.In 1942, as the United States began to gear up its industrial might for the Second World War, a young Bill Ruger knocked on the door of Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. In one hand, he held a modified rifle that he hoped would show his engineering skills, perhaps enough to land a position with the work force.

The rifle had been a Savage Model 99 lever-action rifle, chambered for the .250-3000 cartridge, but Bill Ruger had made some changes. Instead of remaining a manually operated lever-action, the rifle was converted to semi-automatic operation. The conversion utilized the original receiver and barrel assemblies, and the few modified components were easily installed. Ruger noted that the review committee felt the rifle design was the best portfolio he could have brought, although he personally felt the design lacked elegance. Ruger was immediately hired as an arms designer for the US Army, a job that transformed the young engineer. In the postwar years, this experience gave Ruger the foundation to design an innovative line of handguns, and later rifles that launched one of the largest American arms corporations today.

The NRA's National Firearms Museum, in recognition of Bill Ruger's beginnings, will be bringing this prototype rifle and other associated arms to the Nation's Gunshow at Chantilly, VA on February 12, 13 , and 14, 2010. Other notable arms, including the one millionth Savage 1899 rifle, a special presentation to NRA, as well as other Ruger arms that directly derived from his original prototype autoloading design will be featured.

The National Firearms Museum is open daily at no charge. For more information on the museum's educational programs, email nfmstaff@nrahq.org or call (703) 267-1600.