Old School Guns Episode 227
May 24, 2026 · 54 min · 9 segments
Mike Belivue, @ more assassination attempts, Polish Repro Firearms, Facebook, Winchester instead of Trapdoor, ACOG obsolete? Soviet Cosmonaut's Guns
May 24, 2026 · 54 min · 9 segments
Mike Belivue, @ more assassination attempts, Polish Repro Firearms, Facebook, Winchester instead of Trapdoor, ACOG obsolete? Soviet Cosmonaut's Guns
So anyway, got some bad, bad news to share, and that news is probably one of the last great firearms journalists, um, a Mr. Mike Bellevue, who's on, uh, YouTube as Duelist1954, the former black powder editor for Guns of the Old West magazine, a, uh, firearms journalist for 30, probably 35 years, um, has announced that he has a terminal cancer diagnosis, which is just terrible news because he's putting out a YouTube video a week that were very interesting.
Mostly black powder oriented, but if you, but occasionally going into some more modern things.
But he, he really contributed to the, to the mass of information that we can just get at a click, and his information was very, very sound.
He's a very good researcher, a, uh, a very good practical, um, mind when it comes to these, especially the reproduction black powder revolvers.
He, he had some gunsmith training, so he could correct some of the minor flaws that may come out of the factory.
Uh, he's enough of a researcher and a historian to know how these were used, what types of, of bullets were used, and all these other, all these other things that we see as very important, uh, and, and are really helpful to try to get, to try to maximize the potential that these, these guns have.
Um, he also looks at some of the more modern aspects of them, like the different powders, the different, the different, uh, cartridge conversion cylinders, and, you know, just a, a, an incredible body of, of, uh, of work, which even extends down into medieval swords, and, you know, flintlock firearms, and, and all kinds of things like that, and it's a real shame.
I have exchanged emails with him when I had questions, and I can tell you he was a very much a gentleman.
His, although he doesn't have the, you know, the steely-eyed background of law enforcement or military that, that, you know, that Jeff Cooper and Charles Askins and Skeeter Skelton and some of these guys had, his knowledge is, you know, on par or superior.
So it's a very sad note that we have to acknowledge his current status and, and what the, you know, future of that is, is going to be.
And he also has a Patreon, uh, account, and you can, you can go there and, for minimal charge, have access to even more.
So wish him the best in his, uh, in his journey because that's, that's a very difficult road to be on.
So anyway, got some bad, bad news to share, and that news is probably one of the last great firearms journalists, um, a Mr. Mike Bellevue, who's on, uh, YouTube as Duelist1954, the former black powder editor for Guns of the Old West magazine, a, uh, firearms journalist for 30, probably 35 years, um, has announced that he has a terminal cancer diagnosis, which is just terrible news because he's putting out a YouTube video a week that were very interesting.
Mostly black powder oriented, but if you, but occasionally going into some more modern things.
But he, he really contributed to the, to the mass of information that we can just get at a click, and his information was very, very sound.
He's a very good researcher, a, uh, a very good practical, um, mind when it comes to these, especially the reproduction black powder revolvers.
He, he had some gunsmith training, so he could correct some of the minor flaws that may come out of the factory.
Uh, he's enough of a researcher and a historian to know how these were used, what types of, of bullets were used, and all these other, all these other things that we see as very important, uh, and, and are really helpful to try to get, to try to maximize the potential that these, these guns have.
Um, he also looks at some of the more modern aspects of them, like the different powders, the different, the different, uh, cartridge conversion cylinders, and, you know, just a, a, an incredible body of, of, uh, of work, which even extends down into medieval swords, and, you know, flintlock firearms, and, and all kinds of things like that, and it's a real shame.
I have exchanged emails with him when I had questions, and I can tell you he was a very much a gentleman.
His, although he doesn't have the, you know, the steely-eyed background of law enforcement or military that, that, you know, that Jeff Cooper and Charles Askins and Skeeter Skelton and some of these guys had, his knowledge is, you know, on par or superior.
So it's a very sad note that we have to acknowledge his current status and, and what the, you know, future of that is, is going to be.
And he also has a Patreon, uh, account, and you can, you can go there and, for minimal charge, have access to even more.
So wish him the best in his, uh, in his journey because that's, that's a very difficult road to be on.
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