Col. Arthur B. Alphin (A-Sq) - RIP!

In America, the $pon$or$ of a website pay for its existence. NOT the users. It's quite backwards, the way you suggest. "Just Sayin'!" lol I'm guessing the sponsors aren't living up to their promises!? Can you imagine the Hollywood types not being able to make bank these days (as they're over-extended in this market!) LOL "You Opened the Box..." -Pinhead O' Clive Barker

Art's having a good laugh at all of this! LOL But, he was akin to the Dodge Bros. getting accepted to the UAW (SAAMI), eventually, after being subdued in contracts to make Fords for H. Ford! As a rifle/ammo maker, he'd sponsor AH if not for the timing!

In the words of a great American philosopher-- Rodney King-- why can't we all just get along?

I in no way said if you paid it would make it better. I suggested to refrain from criticism because of the fact that you use the site but don’t support it so you’re just running your mouth like usual. I swear every time I see you post something I have to check it out purely out of curiosity thinking “what has this guy posted now.” I don’t actually use the term “guy” but I want to keep this rated G.

May God/Allah grant him an eternity in heaven/Jannatul Ferdous.

Colonel Art Alphin was absolutely revolutionary in the development of sporting firearms & ammunition.

His company A Square did so much for the sportsman of the 1980s & 1990s. He designed the Hannibal rifle on the Enfield Model 1917 action. And also many interesting cartridges such as the .460 A Square Short, .495 A Square, .500 A Square and .577 Tyrannosaur.

He designed the first monolithic solid bullets for sporting rifle use out of naval bronze (by using the French 8mm Lebel “Ball D” service cartridge as inspiration).

He was the first gun writer to really do extensive research into why .458 Winchester Magnum ammunition was performing erratically. For this, he collaborated with the Department Of National Parks in Zimbabwe… who had sanctioned the elephant & Cape buffalo culling programs at the time (and their parks staff were experiencing serious reliability issues with .458 Winchester Magnum ammunition in the field).

He provided two batches of .458 Winchester Magnum ammunition to the National Parks for their use. The first batch was a prototype in 1987, using 500Gr Hornady round nosed steel jacketed FMJ solids and Remington brass. The second batch was in 1991; A Square commercial factory loads using 465Gr round nosed monolithic naval bronze solids.

He helped PAC (Problem Animal Control) Officer Mike LaGrange trial several of his proprietary calibers & rifles out in the field in the 1980s on elephant & Cape buffalo.

The .500 A Square in particular, is a favorite cartridge of mine.

Rest in peace, Colonel. We will never forget your immense contributions to our field.

Art Alphin died. I'm NOT a supporter, other than to offer sage advice when I can. 'Still working and many bills to be paid (at 1.5-2x the cost now, plus investments for grandkids that I'll introduce to hunting when the libs kill it all.) Keep it on topic and I'll not provide a (necessary for the rest of us retort!) A Psych would say this isn't about You or Me.

To my way of thinking, Ruark should've named his book "Any Shot You Want" and Alphin: "Use More Gun (and Take Any Shot You Want!)" But, then again, Ruark was a just a paid hack NYT Writer and Alphin a True, Master Gunsmith/Ballistician!!!

Ruark's/Alphin's books-same price. The knowledge you'd gain from Art: (Infinite); Ruark: (next to nothing.) Colorful tales and free hunts/drinks to advance an industry. Sound familiar (they came with free guns/ammo later on.) Capstick was sitting the fence (he just moved there and wrote!) and Hemmingway was so G-D enteraining that it didn't matter. lol I don't want to be entertained, I want to learn something! IF i wish to be "entertained," I'll play more music (sometimes myself, with family.) Teach your children well...Life IS finite. Art Alphin was "Just the Facts!" His mindset probably couldn't deal all that well with sales & marketing types-and i know it well from my corporate past! (Tell lies and let Art hold the bag of actual, real world delivery.) Art's superior products were never featured on TV or in a newspaper, et. al. You had to dig deeper...and he was a real pioneer between the great (writers) then the Fred Bears, Wally Johnsons and all of his pioneer predecessors (boots on the ground-Doers) and then the magazines and the mass-produced (lesser quality) guns...RIP Col. Art B. Alphin. TY for ALL that you did! Your wisdom will live on! And your various .338s are still shooting mickey mouse groups after all that time and many a PH loves his .500 A-sq stopping gun too!

All that said, I do believe he learned something from Weatherby...they make semi-custom, mass produced guns that shoot and perform well in hunting! He touted their great inventions, too (and even did tests/writeups for them!) Once upon a time-fully custom if a Roy ordered that way, but this is a different age to compete in today with all that black plastic sub-$500 junk out there. Again, Art IS smiling down! *Ok, I will spring for a Hyrax breeding farm to run more DC power wheel-240 AC inverters. PM me!

Does anyone besides me have trouble understanding what CW Richter is saying (or more accurately what is he trying to say?). WTF????? He's all over the place-- one minute it's about Dodge motor cars and the next it's about Weatherby rifles then on to criticism of AH and different outdoor authors and on and on and on. Hang it up, CW. Go to bed! Try to sleep it off!!

Getting back to the original subject matter: When I was in my late teens or early twenties and going to Africa was only a dream, I remember getting one of A-Square’s pamphlet / catalogs. In it, he had a saying: “Put a good bullet in the right place, with the most power practical.” That has stuck with me for about half a century.
His book, Any Shot You Want is a treasure. In fact I was reading a couple of cartridge descriptions in it over the weekend. One was by Boddington and another by Terry Weiland.
Thank you for your service and contributions to the shooting and hunting community Col. Alphin. R.I.P.
Prayers for your family.

C.W. Richter said:

He was just laid to rest in MT a week ago.

Click to expand...

I was one of the two who attended his service rip my friend .

I have all of Arts africa mounts and more if anyone is interested he wants me to sell them all proceeds go to mayo clinics children's research. Also I have the last of his books if anyone is interested. [redacted]

Wow, Tony! Great Stuff.

Tony Snycerski said:

I have all of Arts africa mounts and more if anyone is interested he wants me to sell them all proceeds go to mayo clinics children's research. Also I have the last of his books if anyone is interested. [redacted]oo.com

Click to expand...

R.i.P.
He had an great live, full of honour and adventures. My deepest respekt.

"Any shot you want"
I want to buy his famous book.
Please: Where did I get one?

I have his three boards with bullets explaining the triad and expansion that he used when he went to gun shows and conventions. I also have buckets of his lion load and dead tough projectiles for a 404 Jeffrey cartridge. .423 400gn

Bullhunter said:

R.i.P.
He had an great live, full of honour and adventures. My deepest respekt.

"Any shot you want"
I want to buy his famous book.
Please: Where did I get one?

Click to expand...

I have some brand new in wrapper

Tony and I were just discussing that yesterday...selling online from $300 USeD to $900 new!

The three boards that he used to sell his bullets when he went to a convention or gun show.

RIP, I adore my 500 A-Square & have some A square stamped 416 rigby & 500 ammo

lol you remind me...when i got the .338 A-Sq years back, 'came with two different vintage ammo wallets: The older were A-Sq headstamped and the newer Wby cases ink stamped A-Sq on the bodies. The A-Sq headstamps worked fine, but in same loads necks would split in the Wby (likely Norma-harder brass.) I've had the same experience with hot handloads in (more-resistant, harder Norma brass) vs. other cheaper stuff that seems to stretch and act as a bit of a (pressure) shock absorber!

Aiden204 said:

RIP, I adore my 500 A-Square & have some A square stamped 416 rigby & 500 ammo

Click to expand...