Guns & Gear

by Robert Ramsour The FP-45 was an unknown and surreptitious pistol developed in WWII to help our captured allies regain control of their country, or province. In order to conceal its real function as a firearm, our government represented this pistol as a flare projector. It was officially called the …

by Austin Lee From the muddy trenches of World War I to the urban battlegrounds of modern conflicts, the 12-gauge combat shotgun has earned a fearsome reputation as America’s close-quarters and door-breaching weapon.  Winchester M97 and M12 trench guns, with accessories. Chambered for the 2.75-inch shell loaded with nine pellets …

Since its development during the First World War, the military gas mask has turned into the modern-day respirator. But what the steps did it take along the way? The advent of chemical warfare saw the German army deploy chlorine gas against British soldiers at Ypres, killing more than 1,000 troops and injuring over …

by Greg Chabot I’m a knife guy and make no bones about it. I’m always looking for unique designs that work in the real world. As a kid, I bought all the cool looking “flea market” special blades. And the woods near my boyhood home is filled with “Rambo” type …

by Austin Lee The word is out, and it’s moving through the ranks like a radio call in the dark. The first annual Comrade Cup is coming; a one-day shooting match celebrating the timeless battle rifles of the Eastern Bloc and their Western counterparts.  On March 28, the rifles of …

The M109A7 Paladin self-propelled howitzer is the latest evolution of a gun that has served the U.S. Army since Vietnam. The 40-ton machine rocked back on its haunches, and launched a 155mm shell through the sky above Fort Bliss, Texas. The round streaked to a target downrange, while the M109A7 …

Designed for close-quarters fighting, the M111 uses blast overpressure instead of fragmentation. Soldier of Fortune For the first time in more than half a century, the U.S. Army has approved a new lethal hand grenade for service. The weapon is the M111 Offensive Hand Grenade (OHG), now cleared for Full …

by Royce de Melo I was sitting in my hotel room in London in early 2016, catching up on business while attending a discreet security and law enforcement event. I was following up on a shipment of US Ordnance M60E6 Light Machine Guns (LMGs) that had gone to Canada. Little …

by Austin Lee The KA-BAR fighting knife has been a steadfast companion to U.S. Marines for more than 80 years, earning its place as one of the most legendary blades in military history. Adopted by the Marine Corps in 1942, the KA-BAR has slashed through jungles, pierced enemy defenses, and …

It reads like an ordinary patent. A citizen of the United States, living in Weber County, Utah, has invented “certain new and useful improvements in firearms.” No fanfare. No grand claims. Just a statement of fact. Yet those lines would lead to a sidearm that rode in the holsters of …