History of the Trapdoor Rifle

My passion has been collecting and acquiring representative United States Service rifles. That includes items like the 1898 Krag-Jorgensen, 1903 Springfield (and its variants), the M1 Garand and the M1 Carbine. However, one of my favorites in that collection is the Spring...

By Cory Ross •

USS Saratoga: WWII Carrier Sunk by an Atom Bomb

The USS Saratoga (CV-3) was one of just three United States Navy aircraft carriers—along with USS Ranger (CV-4) and USS Enterprise (CV-6)—to survive the entirety of the Second World War. Although outdated by 1943, as the newer and more capable Essex-cla...

By Peter Suciu •

Shifty Powers: The Gun Guy from “Band of Brothers”

Editor’s Note: Today’s article is about Sgt. Darrell Powers, a World War II hero who served with the 101st Airborne Division. Nicknamed “Shifty”, Powers saw action in the American airborne landings in Normandy, Operation Market Garden and the Battle of the Bulge. Powers was more than “j...

By Massad Ayoob •

What Was the Best Sniper Rifle of WWII?

Editor’s Note: Especially adapted for The Armory Life from The Matchless Enfield .303 No. 4 Mk I (T) Sniper and Britain’s Elite Scout/Snipers Who Dominated WWII Battlefields Book No. 2 Mk II revised and expanded by Jeff John. Available at Amazon.com. I’ve long believed the En...

By Jeff John •

Cop-Killer Bullets: Gun Control Lie or Actual Threat?

Cop-killer bullets. That’s a pretty inflammatory phrase that is thrown around a lot. It seems to have been invented by hoplophobes and then used by politicians to attack your Second Amendment rights. As a former law enforcement officer myself, I believe the overly emotional descriptor for what ...

By Richard Johnson •

America’s Flaming Bayonet in World War I

In early 1918, as the American Expeditionary Force prepared to face battle-hardened German troops in France, the bayonet was a vital component of the Doughboys’ combat equipment. It is difficult for many people today to understand the importance the U.S. military placed on “cold steel” duri...

By Tom Laemlein •
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