Legends | The Perfect Gun For A New World

posted on December 5, 2017
17-nrz-013_legends_main_12-1.jpg
Michael Ives

Nearly 400 years ago, 20-year-old John Alden embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Alden was a cooper who made barrels and casks, and he was a crew member on the historic voyage of the Pilgrim ship Mayflower

Photo credit: Michael Ives

As they were traveling to the unknown, the European explorers packed all the firearms they could muster, knowing they would be needed both for protection and for hunting. Alden kept this modified .66-caliber Italian wheellock carbine close by his side. 

After arriving in America in 1620, Alden opted against returning to England and instead became one of the original settlers of the Plymouth Colony. He married Priscilla Mullins in 1622, and they had 10 children. In 1653, Alden built a home in Duxbury, Mass., that remained occupied by members of his family until 1896. The colonial home was one of only a few to escape the ravages of fire, which was a common fate of colonial homes. Today, the home is designated as a National Historic Landmark and is open to the public as a museum. 

It was in 1924, when the house was undergoing a restoration, that Alden’s musket was recovered. Under the barrel and behind the lock plate are markings associated with the Beretta family armorers—meaning that one of the oldest guns in America was likely made by the oldest gun maker in the world. 

This single shot musket, which helped early colonists survive and prosper, is the only known surviving firearm that crossed the Atlantic.

This wheellock carbine was donated to the NRA National Firearms Museum by William Alden, one of John Alden’s descendants. Find more treasures like this at the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Va.

Latest

48651170742_04f298edc4_k.jpg
48651170742_04f298edc4_k.jpg

More Than Half of State Attorneys General Demand Answers from Biden

The group submitted a formal comment letter addressing the ATF’s proposed rulemaking regarding the “Definition of ‘Engaged in Business’ as a Dealer in Firearms.”

Another Armed Californian Saves His Family

Robberies and burglaries are increasingly occurring in the Golden State.

This is What Empowering Women Really Looks Like

With gun ownership on the rise throughout the nation, women are one huge demographic that has seen noticeable growth in this area. Such is why one NRA firearms instructor built a self-defense training company that caters exclusively to women.

What’s Next for Oregon?

When a circuit court judge imposed a permanent injunction against Oregon’s anti-freedom measure last week, it was just the latest skirmish in a year-long, up-and-down battle against the sweeping, poorly conceived law.

The Armed Citizen® December 4, 2023

True stories of the right to keep and bear arms.

NRA 2023 Year In Review

None of this would be possible without the enduring support of NRA members.

Interests



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.