M72 LAW: American Light Anti-Tank Weapons in Vietnam and Beyond The M72 consists of a disposable launcher that fires an unguided 66mm solid-fuel rocket. The basic concept is essentially an arithmetic mean between the American bazooka and the German WWII-vintage Panzerfaust. The light anti-armor weapon saw a great deal of use in the Vietnam War…
Category: Know Your Weapons
Know Your Weapons: The M18A1 Claymore Mine
The M18A1 Claymore Mine: From Vietnam to Today Aimed in the right direction, the U.S. M18A1 Claymore mine is one of the most lethal and devastating anti-infiltration weapons of modern warfare. There’s a reason for the qualifier on that kudo, and more about that in a moment. From its initial employment with U.S….
Know Your WW2 Weapons: The German Panzerfaust
Panzerfaust — The Story of Germany’s “Tank Fist” Panzerfaust literally translates to “tank fist,” and it was one of several desperation weapons fielded by the Germans in the closing months of World War II to blunt the Soviet juggernaut and the increasing threats on the Western Front. First developed in 1942, as Germany’s fortunes…
Know Your Weapons: Remington Model 30
Remington Model 30 Our story begins back in the Boer War of 1899. In their skirmishes with the South African republics, and despite the sizable numeric differences in their fighting forces, the British found the various guerillas and irregulars were shooting their men to pieces. A good part of the cause came down to…
Know Your WW2 Weapons: The Welrod Pistol
Welrod Pistol: Allied Assassination Tool Welrod Technical Specifications Caliber .32ACP and 9mm Parabellum models Weight 48 oz Barrel Length 3.25″ Overall Length 14.5″ Method of Operation Manual bolt action, striker-fired with grip safety Feed System Metal box magazine with Ebonite coating that served as a grip Magazine Capacity 8 rounds (.32 ACP) or 6…
Three Part Synopsis of the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral by Dave Spaulding
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. …
Know Your Weapons: The German Panzerschreck
German Panzerschreck: Allied Tank’s Bane The German Raketenpanzerbüchse 54 or “Rocket Anti-armor Rifle Model 54” was abbreviated to RPzB 54. German troops called it the Panzerschreck. This literally translates to “tank scream,” “tank fright,” or “tank’s bane.” The RPzB 54 was essentially a copy of the American bazooka tweaked in places and scaled up to better…
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.
Shotgun Basics: Buckshot (Part 1)
Shotgun Basics: Buckshot (Part 1) I have been reloading for most of my adult life and have used just about ever flavor of shotgun load there is and for my money a good 00 Low-Recoil and #4 Buckshot are my “GO TO” loads for 2 legged critters.