Photos by Muneki Samejina Getting lost in the mall as a kid was a traumatic experience. It wasn’t the getting lost part; it was what my mom was going to do to me when she found me. Child abuse, by today’s standards. I learned later in life that this was not normal. Other parents were so happy to see their kids. I had accepted the premise that getting lost was a punishable offense. I remember thinking it might be better to just remain lost and start a new life at 10 years old. We have beliefs thrust upon us at…

We sat down with Griffin Armament’s Marketing Director, Benjamin Kubek, to talk about the company, the industry and suppressors.LH: It’s obvious that Griffin Armament is more than just another manufacturer trying to hop on the suppressor and AR bandwagon. How do you differentiate your brand in the marketplace?BK: Griffin Armament is the manifestation of the American Dream, and we’ve been in business for more than 20 years. Our focus has always been suppressors, but we have been manufacturing our MK1 Rifles in-house for over 10 years, and our full-ambi line of MK2s for around 3 years. In short, we are…

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A wide range of really well-known aircraft types were used in World War II, by both sides. But for every Mustang, British Spitfire, Bf109, Zero, Flying Fortress, Corsair or Mitchell bomber, there were many other hard-working planes that received little to no attention. Quite often their operations provided ample opportunity for danger, but little chance for glory. A Zeke meets its end: Lt. Gandy’s Kingfisher was close behind the Zeke, and after several long bursts of .30-caliber fire, the Japanese aircraft burst into flames and crashed. Image: NARA One of these lesser-known, lunch-bucket types was the U.S. Navy’s Vought OS2U Kingfisher…

It would be hard to find two more complementary market sectors than firearms and tactical knives. As a case in point, I imagine you’re likely reading this article simply because you’re the kind of person who appreciates a quality tool in whatever form it takes. Similar to what drives the engineering teams at Springfield Armory, there’s no shortage of knifemakers who go to bed and wake up thinking about how to create a product people can stake their lives on. According to the author, there isn’t a bad choice in Cold Steel’s knife catalog. Just about everything the company manufactures…

The Tiger II tank, officially designated as Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B and introduced in 1944, was Germany’s most advanced heavy tank of World War II. Known as the Königstiger (King Tiger) by the Germans and often referred to as the Royal Tiger by Allied forces, it was designed to dominate the battlefield with unmatched firepower and armor. Tiger II tanks in formation for a wartime propaganda newsreel at the armor-training ground in Sennelager, Germany. Image: Bundesarchiv/CC-BY-SA 3.0 While the Tiger II boasted many superior specifications, its operational impact was limited by mechanical issues, fuel shortages and Germany’s deteriorating war position. Design…

When you are faced with a deadly threat, you may only have fractions of a second to respond. Are you prepared? Do you have the right gear and training to respond when you must? Let’s say that you do. What if that response does not work? The most basic of self-defense training is the center-mass shot. Making sure that you can effectively hit in the upper, central portion of a silhouette target is one of the most basic skills you should master. But what if those hits prove ineffective? Shooting an attacker in the high center area of their torso…

Let’s get this out of the way up front. I believe the 1911 pistol is just about the finest handgun ever made. A well-built, custom 1911 represents mechanical elegance, history and performance all rolled into one. In my opinion, a pistol of that caliber deserves to be carried in nothing less than a high-quality leather holster. According to the author, when you invest in quality materials and skilled craftsmanship, you receive an investment that can last a lifetime. The Galco Masterbilt line follows that same philosophy. For years, I’ve been a fan of Galco leather holsters. Two long-time favorites of…

Editor’s Note: The author received a Springfield XD Mod.4 pistol on loan from the company for the purposes of writing this review. I’ve always appreciated the Springfield Armory XD series for what it is: a simple, reliable and accurate 9mm pistol. While the original may have more than two decades under its belt, I appreciate a gun with a solid reputation for performance. That’s what the XD handgun is known for: being a dependable, no-nonsense striker-fired pistol. The Springfield XD Mod.4 continues the legacy of a dependable striker-fired 9mm, blending familiar ergonomics with updated features for modern shooters. Image: Carson McDaniel…

During the Second World War, the Imperial Japanese Navy’s Yamato was feared due to its immense size and power. She was the most heavily armed battleship ever built, with nine 18.1-inch (460mm) main guns, the largest ever mounted on a warship. Each shell weighed nearly 1.5 tons and had a range in excess of 26 miles. Yamato was also the heaviest warship ever constructed and the most heavily armored, leading to a belief she might be “unsinkable.” The super-battleship Yamato carrying out sea trials in October 1941. Image: Mr. Kazutoshi Hando/U.S. Navy Still, today, she lies at the bottom of the…

Maximizing accuracy and performance seems to be a white whale we all chase. We want the shortest package with a minimal footprint to reach out to 500 and beyond with ease. But we still want to run the rifle fast at closer targets. For this scenario, the low power variable optic (LPVO) has been a go to for military, law enforcement and competitive end users alike. But there have been none that do everything extremely well like clarity, usable reticle and a daylight-bright red dot. Well, Vortex took on the challenge. With a new contract optic on the table, the…