H/T Wynn Gunfight On Fremont Street: O.K. Corral Part 1 Dave Spaulding gives a detailed break down of the gunfight, putting aside historical romanticism and getting down to the brass tacks of killing and survival with a firearm in the 19th century Old West. Part Two and Part Three can be found here. …
Category: History of Weapons
Know Your Weapons: The M79 Grenade Launcher
The M79 Grenade Launcher The M79 was a large-bore, single-barrel, single-shot weapon that was breech loaded and fired from the shoulder. It launched a 40mm by 46mm grenade in a round that resembled a huge bullet. The close-support infantry weapon reportedly was nicknamed “Thumper, Blooper, Thump Gun, or Bloop Tube” by some soldiers due…
Know Your WWII History: The True Story that Inspired ‘Fury’
The True Story that Inspired ‘Fury’ Is Fury a true story? Was the Fury tank an actual Sherman? It sure seems to be. In this article, the renowned and redoubtable Red2Alpha73 (Mike Durand) reviews Belton Y. Cooper’s 1998 memoir: Death Traps: The Survival of an American Armored Division in World War II.
Know Your Firearms History: History of the Sound Suppressor
History of the Sound Suppressor Some families just have exceptional genes. The three Manning boys have done fairly well at football. John Moses Browning was the most successful firearms designer in human history, with 128 gun-related patents to his name. His brother Ed was also instrumental in the design of the iconic M1 Carbine….
Know Your American History: The Truth about Wounded Knee
The Truth about Wounded Knee Many historical events have been twisted and distorted over the years in order to convince white Americans that we’re the most hostile and violent people on the planet. One such event is the Wounded Knee Massacre of 1890. The supposed perpetrators were the soldiers of the 7th Cavalry, and the…
Re-Calibrating Your Mentality on Guerilla Arms
When your average American armed civilian hears the term “Guerilla Arms” the majority of them are going to get a mental picture of a group of pissed off citizens armed with a “smorgasbord” of weapons, ranging from AR-15’s to AK-47’s to K98 bolt action rifles to Dad’s .270 Winchester Deer Rifle. The majority of…
Know Your Weapons: The Cap and Ball Revolvers Prior to the Peacemaker
Prior to the Peacemaker The Revolvers that ‘Really’ Won the West Before the Colt Peacemaker? Before the Colt Peacemaker there was a whole boatload of other Colt single action revolvers. And in truth they had a lot more influence in the Old West than did the Peacemaker because the wildest and woolliest times had passed by…
Know Your WW1 Weapon’s History: The Flammenwerfer
Flammenwefer — World War I German Flamethrowers It appears the first flamethrower of modern design was patented in Germany by Richard Fiedler in 1901. During the same year, the German army funded his continued work on flamethrower designs. Fiedler, a private citizen, designed several flamethrowers models and presented a working product to the German…
Know Your Rifles: The “Krag” aka Springfield Model 1892 Infantry Rifle
Story of the Krag: The Springfield Model 1892 Infantry Rifle The formal appellation Springfield Model 1892-1899 describes the several subvariants of the Krag-Jorgensen bolt-action repeating rifle developed in the late 19th century. U.S. troops affectionately referred to the weapon as a “Krag.” The rifle was actually a collaborative effort of Norwegian gun designers Ole Herman…
A Real World Reminder Why Citizens Should Never Give Up Their Semi-Auto Rifles
Myanmar Rebels Battle Government Junta Forces with Homemade Shotguns The Video in the link above shows Myanmar Rebels armed with home made single shot shotguns fighting Govt. Military Forces armed with modern assault rifles. The article does not say but I can almost promise you this fight did not end well for the rebels. Going…