An M1A. 5 Days. 15K Rounds.

The M1A has an impressive lineage. Based on a design dating back to the 1930s and born from the prodigious mind of John C. Garand, the M1A has many of the hallmarks of his M1 Garand rifle. However, it is even more closely tied to the M14, the rifle developed as the successor to Garand�...

By Mike Humphries •

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 Although outdated by 1943, as the newer and more capable Essex-cla...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 •

Inside the AK-100 Series

The AK-100 series was developed during one of the hardest periods in modern Russian history, in the years after the Soviet Union collapsed and the country was dealing with a deep economic crisis. In that environment in the early 1990s, Izhmash made the ambitious decision to create a new family of...

By Lynndon Schooler •

Lockheed D-21: Cold War Spy Drone

In October 1962, the C.I.A. and the U.S.A.F. requested that Lockheed study a high-speed, high-altitude drone concept for reconnaissance flights over particularly hostile territories to avoid endangering aircrews. Created during the height of the Cold War and following the shootdown of a U-2 spy p...

By Friedrich Seiltgen •

TFB Review: Glock 17 Gen6 - First 1,000 Rounds

When Glock announced the sixth generation of its iconic striker-fired polymer pistol series in December 2025, the firearms community responded with the usual mix of cautious interest and the usual skepticism. For me, the release was really bad timing, as I had just bought another G45 Gen 5. Was t...

By Eric B •

History Shows Pistols Were Common in Revolutionary America

Were pistols common in Revolutionary America? Historical evidence from Cramer and Olson’s Willamette Law Review article shows pistols were privately owned, commercially available, and familiar to Americans at the Founding.

By Dean Weingarten •

Fudd Friday: What Happened To The 16 Gauge?

When I was a kid growing up around marshes in the northeast, I used to pick up empty shotgun shells whenever I found them in the weeds, left there in duck season. 12 gauge was the norm, with the occasional 10 gauge hull spotted. I never found 20 gauge shells back then, but I did find my fair shar...

By Zac K •

Triumph and Tragedy: The USS Indianapolis

No one on board the USS Indianapolis (CA-35) knew anything about the cargo they were carrying. What they did know was that the veteran cruiser (launched in 1931) made the trip from San Francisco to the island of Tinian in the Marianas in just ten days. The crew was proud of the “Indy”, and fo...

By Tom Laemlein •
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