Guns & Gear

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 …

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 …

by Austin Lee In the pantheon of firearms, few pistols command the reverence of the 1911. Its century-plus legacy, forged in the crucible of conflict, continues to inspire innovation. Enter Military Armament Corporation’s (MAC) latest offering: the JSOC 1911, a .45 ACP masterpiece that channels the gritty, high-stakes modifications of …

During the NSSF SHOT Show this week, Aimpoint announced a significant expansion of its COA pistol red dot sight through a growing network of OEM partners. The COA optic is offered as a factory-installed package, with pistols shipping directly from manufacturers equipped with the optic via Aimpoint’s integrated A-CUT interface. …

by Austin Lee The prototype 6.02×41 isn’t just a cartridge – it’s Russia’s middle finger to NATO’s gear grind. The Russians are at it again. Their new 6.02x41mm prototype is designed to punch through NATO body armor like paper – a modern evolution of the infamous 5.45x39mm “poison bullet” that …

by Austin Lee In the hallowed workshops of Kalashnikov Concern, Russia’s premier firearms manufacturer, the legacy of Mikhail Kalashnikov’s designs, from the AK-47 to its later derivatives, continues to evolve as combat reports stream in from the battlefield. The latest offering, the AK-12K, a short-barreled variant of the AK-12 assault …

In a world where weapons tech evolves fast and companies fold even faster, hitting the half-century mark is proof you’ve built something that lasts. Aimpoint – the originator and undisputed leader of red dot sighting technology – marks 50 years in 2025. With the first prototype optic developed by a …