The Fort Discovery Expedition rifle is as much an experience as a firearm. Built from top-quality components and presented as a package that is part defensive rifle and part history lesson, the Expedition is a viable utility gun that comes with some nifty accessories, all in an exceptionally cool wooden box. In a sea of otherwise unremarkable AR rifles, the Expedition rifle has a story.
The Fort’s History
In 1792, Captain George Vancouver, commanding the HMS Discovery, established Fort Discovery near modern-day Sequim, Washington. The 210-man crew of the Discovery included 50 Royal Marines, and they made good use of the naturally protected harbor at this location to make repairs to their ship and dry their black powder. At the east end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, this location was soon recognized for its strategic importance in a wild and untamed world.
Captain Charles Wilkes further explored the area for the U.S. Navy 50 years later with a fleet of six tall ships. In 1866, President Andrew Johnson established the area as a military reservation. In 1987, Joe D’Amico established Fort Discovery as a training facility at the same location where Captain Vancouver first made land 195 years prior.
Today’s Fort Discovery includes 3,500 acres of private timberland running along the western coast of Discovery Bay. Spanning elevations from sea level to 2,200 feet, Fort Discovery offers a wide variety of training environments suitable for a comparably wide variety of military training iterations. These include airborne and waterborne insertions and extractions, reconnaissance, maritime operations, survival training, land navigation and all manner of live-fire shooting opportunities.
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*Photo courtesy of Sarah Dabbs
