Since it first opened its doors last summer, the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World in Springfield, MO., has attracted more than 227,000 guests with its impressive collection of sporting arms artifacts. This destination is the result of nearly a decade of work by the NRA and Bass Pro Shops.
The museum is home to such specialty items as the guns owned by Annie Oakley, Teddy Roosevelt, Jesse James, Napoleon plus themed exhibits such as handguns of the Civil War – and that’s just scratching the surface. In total, the museum has more than 1,000 sporting artifacts from the 1600s to modern day on display.
While all the artifacts at the museum are incredible, there are certainly some standout favorites among visitors. Below, you’ll find a ranking of the best of the best artifacts based on popularity, according to the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum’s docents:
TOP LARGE-EXHIBIT CASES:
1. U.S. Martial Pistols
2. Timeline of American Sporting Arms
3. 21 Gun Salute to the American Armed Forces (2nd Amendment Gallery flag case)
4. Pachmayr Foundation Collection of Exceptional Custom Arms
5. Remington Factory Collection
TOP INDIVIDUAL GUNS:
1. Girardoni Air Rifle, as used by Lewis & Clark
2. Holland & Holland .700 Nitro Express
3. Napoleon’s Flintlock Fowler
4. Tom Selleck’s Quigley Sharps
5. John Wayne’s Colt
TOP JEWEL CASE* EXHIBITS:
1. Napoleon’s Flintlock Fowler
2. .700 Holland & Holland Nitro Express
3. & 4. (Tie) Lawmen & Outlaws of the Old West; .600 Holland & Holland Nitro Express
5. Annie Oakley firearms
See these artifacts for yourself at the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum, located at 1935 S. Campbell in Springfield, MO. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and admission is free!
*Jewel cases are small cases highlighting very significant guns.
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