Free Republic

Desperate times calls for desperate measures, sounds like a cliche but when its the final option. High risk commandos and warriors were conceived with best laid plans to execute. However, not all were successful but the skills and valor of these operators (warriors of the past) involved were unbelievable. Here are some of the most daring commando raids in history: Assault on Eben-Emael The first modern military to embrace the concept of special operations, the German army of World War II conducted one of the first commando raids of the 20th Century in the opening days of the invasion of...

The Christmas season is in full swing, and if you're looking for that special piece of hunting gear to get for the outdoor enthusiast in your life, the clock is ticking. That said, here are some items worth considering, gear I’ve personally used. I know they work, I’d suggest them to anyone, and, most importantly, I use them and plan on using them for years to come, thus stand behind them. RIFLE SCOPES HAVE A wide range of purposes and price points, but one of the best bangs for the buck I’ve ever seen is Leupold’s VX-Freedom 3-9×40 CDS rifle...

CMMG puts out some of the lightest-recoiling pistol carbines and turning heads at the range! AR pistol has that “cool” factor over your standard handguns which makes it intriguing to collectors and gun enthusiasts. CMMG offers numerous line of AR pistols and short-barreled rifles chambered in 9mm, .45 ACP, 300 BLK, FN 5.7x28mm and .22 Long Rifle. Boy does it look fun to play with. CMMG utilized their patent-pending “Radial Delayed Blowback” operating system to most of their line, even on the brand new Mk57 Guard line which is fed by 5.7x28mm pistol magazines. These models are available in the...

When I worked at a gun store I was frequently asked what caliber was best for any given situation. It would have been nice if there had been some sort of magic death ray that I could have suggested, but there isn't, and most people have a pretty flawed understanding of what actually happens when a bullet interacts with a human target. For starters let's examine a couple of concepts that don’t actually exist in the scientific world but everyone talks about anyway. I'm going to regurgitate the work from those better than myself, and the information is worth paying...

We all like to see things go kaboom and like shooting a shotgun. So, did you know theres an exploding shotgun round that can satisfy this passion? Well I introduce to you the Frag12 T17 12 GAUGE High Explosive (HE) round. The concept is the same as the 40mm HE round thats fired from the military M-203 grenade launcher. In this case the shotgun slug Frag12 projectile is embedded into the slug. Once the primer is hit the projectile is launched and the warhead arms itself at 3 meters while in flight and detonates upon impact. There are three different...

Some of the world's finest side-by-sides are made in England and Scotland. The British are a nation of shotgunners, so it is no surprise that the shotgun reached its highest level of perfection there under the patronage of its wealthy aristocrats. The classic game gun is a 12-bore side-by-side double weighing between 6 and 7 pounds with a straight stock, splinter fore-end, and a whopping-big price tag that puts off the uninformed. Americans question the high price and insist that they can kill just as many birds with a cheap gun. Well, they can't kill as many birds with a...

Chambered in .223 Rem./5.56 NATO, the Snake SBR was created by Armos Gulan from Israel. The reason for such an extreme design lies in the challenge that the Israeli tactical team had face while encountered in their missions. That is the “window of opportunity” to lay down more lead towards a target within that milisecond. For instances some scenario such as spotting a target crossing a path or goes through a window. So how do you deliver the maximum amount of fire power at that instances? Use the “Snake”, this was the main reason for its creation. Theres also the...

Speer's Grand Slam expands well, is available for cartridges from .243 to .375 for midsized, arge game. It was the last day of the New York firearm deer season, and I had been having a rough go of it. To be honest, it was one of the worst seasons I'd ever had; I began to believe that all the antlered deer had been rounded up and shipped to a different part of the world. The morning had been spent watching the gray squirrels doing squirrelly things, and I sat rather melancholy after lunch, wondering if one more hunt was even...

Clandestine weapons like the World War II FP-45 pistol, later dubbed the Liberator by the Office of Strategic Services in 1944, have always intrigued me. It remains the rarest of American martial handguns from the conflict, with original examples usually starting in the $1,500 range for rusty, damaged pieces and the best examples, with their impossibly rare waxed shipping boxes, bringing over $7,000. Myths and misinformation hide the pistol's real story; they weren't wildly inaccurate junk guns that exploded after a few shots, and they were never tossed out of airplanes over occupied Europe en masse. THE FP-45 PISTOL was...

The "Ruby" pistol is the result of France's desperate need for arms in the early days of the Great War. By 1915, much of the French industrial heartland was under German control, and what remained under allied control was producing critically needed material such as rifles, machine guns, and artillery. As the conflict grew beyond even the most pessimistic expectations, the sheer volume of troops sent into battle literally exhausted the meager stores of small arms. To meet this rising demand for pistols for the trenches, the French contracted with the Spanish firm of Gabilondo y Urresti-Eibar for their Ruby...

Predator hunting has been on the rise for the past decade. This may be due to the increase population of of coyotes and now are endangering our bambi groups. Which obviously has opened opportunity for manufactures to come up with toys to tinker with. One possible combination to consider for predator base hunt is the use of a light, accurate and effective system. First thing that comes to mind is the CMMg Mk4 S 22 Nosler topped with an affordable quality Leupold VX-Freedom scope. The Mk4 S is the perfect rifle for hunting or punching paper targets. It’s the lightest...

How an American, an Italian and a Turkish-made triple-barrel shotgun revived America’s premier sporting arms brand. Over the past 142 years, the name Charles Daly has earned its place as one of the most recognizable and respected brands in imported firearms. Mr. Charles Daly and his partners got started in the firearms business in New York City in 1875. By 1889 they renamed the company Charles Daly and a great American shotgun brand was born. Charles Daly didn’t design or manufacture shotguns. Why should he when he knew the best ones were made in Europe by craftsmen with generational experience?...

THE GERMAN MAUSER KARABINER 98 KURZ, or K98k, is a true phoenix from the ashes of WWI, and despite the challenges faced by its creators, it fulfilled its purpose during WWII, is respected by gun enthusiasts around the world and has served as a stable platform for the development of modern rifles for almost 100 years. After the Great War, nations around the world realized the need to improve standard military rifles. American military planners studied the effectiveness of bolt-action repeating rifles, and concluded there was a need to develop a semiautomatic infantry rifle. The Germans, on the other hand,...

Hours pass, and in the fading light you glass across the sage into the glare of the sun. Catching some movement your eyes focus on an ear flick; low and behold it’s a shooter buck. He’s far, but your heart is soaring with the hopes of success as you range him before he feeds out of view into the dark timber just a couple dozen yards away. At 460 yards, your .300 WSM is more than capable, but you can't lay down in the high sage, and the only shooting support you have is your pack and a set of...

For The Quiet Shooter I believe that Browning had the traits of all great inventors. First, they are brilliant in that they can conceive an idea, then picture it and finally have the tenacity to stay with the concept until the job is done. Whether it’s Eli Whitney working on the cotton gin – was also involved in mass producing firearms for the government, by the way – or Thomas Edison, who fooled around with that light bulb. Let’s talk about L.P. Brezny. Brezny is one of those guys who is hard to put a handle on. He hails from...

Like many of you, I am much better at just doing stuff than getting ready for it. I guess it's all about being prepared, and I was never the sharpest Boy Scout in the troop, or something like that. But some things are too important to not prepare for. Depending on what and where you hunt with your scattergun, your season is either coming up fast, or is already here. September is often the last call for getting shotguns and other paraphernalia ready, so let's talk about what you need to do to get out there and sling some...

Pedersoli calls this side-by-side their "Bohemienne," or Bohemian. Comparing it to the standards of today, this shotgun is definitely nonconformist, and it is good enough that we can refer to it as being somewhat irregular. It is a cut above many others, and for me it is delightful in many ways, especially with its double outside hammers. THE PEDERSOLI LA BOHEMIENNE is a striking piece, to say the least. It is a classically styled, double-barreled 12-gauge shotgun with double outside hammers. The 28-inch browned barrels have 3-inch chambers, and are equipped with interchangeable chokes at the muzzles. The pistol grip...

The stylish Henry Octagon in .45-70 Government is a hardworking short-range rifle with a quick and smooth action. For a cartridge introduced in 1873, the .45-70 Government has enjoyed some serious staying power. The same may be said of lever-action rifles that date back a decade further. The combination of the two, first made in 1881, logically joined two good things into something perennially popular. Today, several companies make such rifles. Henry offers three models, with the Octagon being the most visually striking of the lot. The fit of the metal and wood is tight, and the finish is even...

Testing the new .50-95 1876 Winchester manufactured by Uberti. One big difference between the old and new .50-95-caliber rifles is that the original Winchesters from 1879 had a rate of twist in their barrels of one turn in 60 inches. That was for the very short 300- or 312-grain .50-caliber bullets. Today's copies of those guns, namely the Uberti version of the old Winchester Model 1876, have barrels with one turn in 48 inches. That simply means the new .50-95s will perform with slightly heavier bullets. When it was introduced, the .50-95 Winchester was the largest member in the line-up...

There is something about a stately old shotgun that lures us in and tempts us to pick it up, shoulder it and dream of where it's been. Worn bluing and scarred walnut gives a hint of the days in a duck blind, grouse woods or a trap and skeet field. Most of those venerable shotguns started out in factories and on gun shop racks, and hunters and shooters across America chose the ones they thought were best. Eventually, the greatest guns stood out. Here are 10 shotguns that I believe must be considered among the classics. BROWNING AUTO FIVE Many...