Lessons from the Past: 3 Reasons to Carry Backup To some, notorious Old West gunfighter John Wesley Hardin was a psychopathic murderer and racist. To others, Hardin was a genuine American hero. Whether Hardin was a terrorist or a freedom fighter was a question that dogged him throughout his lifetime. Now, 150 years after…
Category: History of Weapons
Know Your WW2 Naval History: Hunting the Bismarck – Part I
Hunting the Bismarck – Part I Without doubt, the Bismarck is the single best-known German warship of World War II. Large, fast, hard to sink and equipped with the latest in German radar and optics technology, it quickly earned notoriety after it sank the HMS Hood, the pride of the Royal Navy. The panicked British response eventually brought low the German monster, but only after…
Know Your WW2 History: The M8 Greyhound
The M8 Greyhound Armored cars tend to be overlooked by World War II history buffs. Nimble fighter planes, deadly bombers, hulking tanks and stealthy submarines are “sexier” than a car that can’t fight like a tank, can’t race a plane, and can’t use terrain to its advantage like infantry. Nevertheless, armored cars were a vital part…
Revolver Corner: The McCulloch Colts
Rebel Yankees: The McCulloch Colts When we think of Confederate revolvers we generally envision six guns like Leech & Rigdon, Spiller & Burr or the revolvers of the Dance Brothers. Of course, almost any handgun of the period of the War Between the States certainly could qualify, since so many rebel soldiers used whatever…
AK Corner: AK’s from Finland
AKs from Finland. Part 1: Development History The small European country of Finland always had a great reputation when it comes to arms production. For collectors, Finnish-made Mosin-Nagants are some of the most desirable Mosin rifles, but there is another rifle design that the Finnish took to a whole other level. It is called RK…
What’s the Story on the Glock Switch?
WHAT’S THE STORY ON THE GLOCK SWITCH? The so-called “Glock switch” is an attachment which fits on the rear of the slide of a Glock semi-automatic pistol and makes it capable of fully automatic fire. It essentially turns it into an approximation of a Glock 18, a selective-fire machine pistol developed at the request…
“A Genuine Hawken!”
The Hawken Rifle Turns 200 Just as the Colt revolver and the Winchester rifle are icons of the post-Civil War West, one gun symbolizes the era of the fur trade. The rifle was the primary weapon for sustenance and defense with the early trappers and explorers in the American West. Although specific firearms makers…
Firearm Conundrums
Firearm Conundrums A few questions puzzle nimrods and veteran shooters alike: Single Action, Double Action? One of the many enigmas to newcomers in the Western gun world is the description of operating a “single action” (SA) versus a “double action” (DA). Why are two actions required of the shooter to fire a single-action…
Last of the Cold War Gunfighters: Vought F-8 Crusader
Vought F-8 Crusader: Last of the Gunfighters The Vought F-8 Crusader was a single-engine, supersonic, carrier-based, high-performance jet fighter that first flew in 1955, a mere decade after the end of World War II. The Crusader was the first American fighter to break 1,000 miles per hour. The F-8 earned its testosterone-besotted moniker because…
Guerilla Warfare History: Commercial and Artisanal Hand Grenades of the Spanish Civil War
Commercial and Artisanal Hand Grenades of the Spanish Civil War Hermit Notes: There are only a handful of Substack Subscriptions I would recommend and Karl Dahl’s is at the top of the list. I also Highly recommend his Fiction. WARNING! Don’t get any silly ideas – the information contained herein is for historic…