POTD: Belgian Artillery Musketoon – Reconverted Flintlock

Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have a Belgian flintlock artillery musketoon manufactured in the early 1800s and reconverted to flintlock. The reconversion indicates this was originally converted to percussion during the 1840s-1850s, then later restored back to flintlock configur...

By Sam.S

Book on Roman Republic Has Insights for Today’s Freedom Advocates

Miguel A. Faria Jr.’s The Roman Republic is not light reading, but it is essential reading for Americans who understand that liberty, civic duty, and historical memory are not optional. Ancient Rome’s fall from republican government offers a warning modern America would be foolish to ignore.

By David Codrea

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

Review: Springfield Armory 1911 Mil-Spec .45

I recently had the chance to test the Springfield Armory Mil-Spec pistol in .45 ACP, positioned in the manufacturer’s line as a very reasonably priced basic service pistol — yet one that still features a rugged forged frame and slide. Except for its taller sights, it shares the silhouette of ...

By Massad Ayoob

USS Hornet (CV-12): Carrier that Stung Japan

The USS Hornet (CV-12) stands as one of the most storied aircraft carriers in United States naval history, playing a decisive role in World War II as part of the Essex-class fleet. From its origins as a replacement for the lost USS Hornet (CV-8) to its participa...

By Peter Suciu

Mikoyan MiG-29: The Reactive Fulcrum?

Military aircraft design of the Cold War era could be described as akin to physics, or, more specifically, to Newton’s Third Law of motion, which states, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” From lessons learned in the Vietnam War, the United States Air Force determi...

By Peter Suciu

The Near-Death Moments That Nearly Finished Two Iconic American Gunmakers

OL's former shooting editor revisits the good times and bad of two legendary gunmakers who shaped the frontier and beyond: Remington and Winchester The post The Near-Death Moments That Nearly Finished Two Iconic American Gunmakers appeared first on Outdoor Life.

By Jack O’Connor

The Polish Westernization of the PKM - The UKM-2000P/UKM-2020S

Poland’s love for the PK series of machine guns cannot be overstated. It continues to serve today, even after the collapse of the Warsaw Pact nations and the USSR, with Western modernizations that may preserve the core reliability that made the original famous. It began when the PK entered ...

By Lynndon Schooler

Luger History: World’s Most Recognizable Pistol

Modularity is the holy gospel in military circles these days. Distilled to its essence, a modular weapon system uses a single basic chassis that can then be customized to perform specific missions. Think of it like Barbie dolls for gun guys. By mixing and matching accessories, you can be ready fo...

By Will Dabbs, MD

Fate of the “Unsinkable” Japanese Battleship Yamato

During the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato was feared due to its immense size and power. She was the most heavily armed battleship ever built, with nine 18.1-inch (460mm) main guns, the largest ever mounted on a warship. Each shell weighed nearly 1.5 tons and had a range i...

By Peter Suciu
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