Firearms
The History of the American Long Rifle
by James K. SwisherThe battle at Kings Mountain in October 1780 was the only clash of the American Revolution in which the entire colonial force was armed with American long rifles. Read more
Firearms
The AK-47 vs. the M16 Rifle During the Vietnam War
By Michael HaskewDuring the Vietnam War, two of the most famous firearms of modern times emerged as icons of the latter half of the turbulent 20th century. Read more
Firearms
What Made The Bren Gun One of the Most Iconic British WWII Weapons
By Arnold BlumbergWhile all the combatant nations engaged in World War I fielded machine guns during the conflict, the British Army’s Vickers was arguably the best medium machine gun of the war, while their Lewis gun—an American design but perfected by the English—was the most effective light machine gun. Read more
Firearms
The Modern Grenade: A Brief History
By William McPeakWhen did humanity begin throwing explosive devices? What are the origins of the modern grenade, and how did explosives evolve? Read more
Firearms
The Weapons at Sannahs Post
By William WelshIn the aftermath of the failed attempt by Dr. Leander Starr Jameson and his 600 horseman to overthrow the Traansvaal Republic’s government in January 1896, the Boers in both republics embarked on a spending spree to arm all able-bodied burghers with state-of-the-art rifles. Read more
Firearms
WWII Weapons Systems: The German Sturmgewehr
By Brandt HeatheringtonWith the conflict in Iraq, combat photography is once again prevalent in the media, and it would be impossible to miss images of U.S. Read more
Firearms
The Short-range Shotgun
By Christopher MiskimonComing upon the enemy’s rear guard outside the western Kentucky village of Sacramento, four days after Christmas 1861, Confederate Colonel Nathan Bedford Forrest ordered his cavalry to advance. Read more
Firearms
Luxembourg’s Hoffman Museum
by Raymond E. Bell, Jr.You won’t find the familiar little triangular signs, “Warnung Minen!” hanging on barbed wire today in Western Europe, with one exception. Read more
Firearms
Revolutionary War Weapons: The American Long Rifle
By David Alan JohnsonBy the mid-1700’s, the American long rifle had acquired an almost supernatural reputation. To the British troops who were unfortunate enough to come up against it in combat during the Revolutionary War, the rifle was more an affliction than a weapon. Read more
Firearms
America’s trusty M1 Garand rifle was “Woven into the fabric of the nation.”
By David J. Little
After the Great War, in which American troops were sent into combat with either the bolt-action M1903 Springfield rifle or the bolt-action British Enfield, planners in the War Department realized that, if the United States were ever drawn in combat again, they would need a far superior weapon. Read more
Firearms
The Controversial M3 Grease Gun
By Patrick J. Chaisson
No one ever used the words “graceful” or “elegant” to describe the M3 submachine gun. Instead, those soldiers, sailors and Marines who carried it called the M3 a “plumber’s nightmare” or “the cake decorator.” Read more
