One of the most improbable alliances in World War II history was a covert partnership between the United States government and organized crime. Known as Operation Underworld, this clandestine initiative was born out of wartime desperation. With America’s eastern seaboard vulnerable to Axis sabotage and German U-boats decimating Allied shipping, federal authorities turned to an unlikely source for help — mobsters like Charles “Lucky” Luciano and Meyer Lansky. The USS Lafayette fire sparked immediate fears of Nazi sabotage right in America’s backyard. Image: NARA These figures, once hunted by law enforcement, were now enlisted to safeguard ports, suppress labor unrest, and gather intelligence. What…

Alpha Foxtrot Attila Compact 1911DS pistol with extended magazine.Alpha Foxtrot is now shipping the Attila Compact, a double-stack 9mm 1911 that’s small enough to carry.Double-stack 9mm 1911s are incredibly popular these days, but most are too big and heavy to comfortably carry concealed. Alpha Foxtrot is helping to remedy that with its Attila Compact 1911DS.Featuring a 3.5-inch barrel with an integrated compensator, it should be supremely shootable despite its small size. Thanks to its slim-profile aluminum frame, it should be pretty light on the belt and easy to conceal, too. It feeds from Glock 43X/48-pattern magazines, and each pistol ships…

Editor’s Note: In this article, Yamil Sued takes a look at night sights for the Springfield SA-35 pistol. Made by XS Sights, this sight set offers distinct advantages for self-defense in low-light shooting. The tritium sights were provided to the author for this article. OK, I admit it. I’m a boomer. Why? Because I love the P-35 pistol platform. Ever since I picked up my first example of one of these amazing 9mm pistols back in the mid 1980s, I found it to be one of the most comfortable and easy-to-shoot handguns on the market. It’s been almost 40 years…

For some, the Vought F7U Cutlass was an innovative jet fighter set to propel the U.S. Navy into air dominance during the Cold War. For many others, the F7U “Gutless” lacked the power to make it a formidable weapon. In fact, some pilots observed that the aircraft’s poor safety record virtually guaranteed the plane was as much a danger to the U.S. Navy as it was to the enemy. A Vought F7U-1 Cutlass in flight during testing at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Image: U.S. Navy What made the Cutlass a unique design? And what went so wrong that the…

You can pick out the right gun. You can select the best holster in the world. You can practice your draw thousands of times and be able to put hits on target consistently. But, what can you do to take your self-defense skills to the next level? Are your self-defense skills refined as much as they can be? Can you make the shot you need to, when you need to? The question is, can you teach an old or young dog new tricks? The simple answer is “yes.” After thousands of draws and rounds with iron sights, is moving to a…

Working in the firearms industry and reviewing shooting gear offers a front-row seat to the cutting edge of gun-related tech and trends. And while some categories, such as optics, chronographs and suppressors seem to advance in leaps and bounds, other products progress through an unassuming procession of modest refinement. New materials, enhanced ergonomics, and original combinations of pre-existing features and components denote new generations of long-trusted designs. For proof of my supposition, look no than the ubiquitous bolt-action rifle. The Model 2020 Waypoint in 7mm PRC offers hunters an all-around bolt-action rifle capable of handling a wide range of North…