A.M (a blog for all military enthusiast)
Saturday 26 August 2017
Friday 25 August 2017
MILITARY RICH
These ten celebrities are famous, they've gone on to great
things, and they all have one thing in common: they served in the U.S.
military. Some of them made use of military education benefits to
further their careers. Others used their experiences in uniform as the
springboard for a life in the spotlight. Join us now for a countdown of
10 well-known military veterans.
10. George Carlin
"So I do have this ambivalence. Obviously I'm against militaries, because of what militaries do. In many ways though, the Air Force was unmilitary-like. They dropped bombs on people, but...they had a golf course."
Controversial, outspoken and above all funny, George Carlin stands as one of the comedy greats, but given his well-known anti-establishment perspective, it might come as a surprise that he is a also a veteran. After dropping out of high school in 1954, Carlin joined the Air Force to use the GI Bill to cover the costs of broadcasting school. He was trained as a radar technician, and was stationed in Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Looking back on his service, Carlin was proud to have been generally discharged instead of dishonorably discharged. He was deemed an unproductive Airman and court martialed three times. As a more constructive outlet for his biting comedy, he worked as a disc jockey for the KJOE radio station while on active duty. Despite his troubles in the service, his work at KJOE helped him jump to other opportunities in the entertainment industry. After working in broadcast for a short while, he moved to California where he found success in television on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show" and later, enduring fame as a cutting-edge comedian. One of the more memorable bits from his later career concerned PTSD, as he decried how the military had taken a simple, succinct term (shell shock) and over time had sanitized it into its current form (post-traumatic stress disorder).
9. Steve McQueen
"It was all very pleasant just lying in the sun and watching the girls go by, but one day I suddenly felt bored with hanging around and went and joined the Marines."
Steve McQueen's legacy as the "King of Cool" began early -- born to a stunt pilot and an alleged alcoholic prostitute, he had a tumultuous childhood which led him to cultivate his rebel image, which would persist throughout his career. After drifting from job to job, he decided to join the Marines in 1947. He was promoted to Private First Class and served with an armored unit, but he was demoted back to private seven times. His rebellious nature came to a head when he let a weekend pass turn into a two week tryst with his girlfriend. Shore patrol apprehended him, but he resisted and spent 41 days in the brig; the first 21 were spent living off of bread and water.
His time in the brig helped reform him. Later his unit was performing a training exercise in the Arctic which turned disastrous. The ship McQueen, his unit, and their tanks had boarded hit a sandbank, which threw several tanks and their crews into the water. Many drowned immediately, unable to get out of their tanks, but McQueen jumped in and saved the lives of five men.
In recognition of his actions, McQueen was chosen to partake in the Honor Guard protecting Harry S. Truman's yacht. McQueen stayed with the Marines until 1950 when he was honorably discharged. "The Marines gave me discipline I could live with. By the time I got out, I could deal with things on a more realistic level. All in all, despite my problems, I liked my time in the Marines," McQueen said.
After leaving the Marines, McQueen used money earned through the GI Bill to study acting at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse. His career was prolific -- he starred in numerous roles and maintained his star status up until his untimely death in 1980.
8. Ice-T
"When I had my daughter I was like, man, I'm going to go to jail, I got to do something, and I went to an enlistment office. Next thing you know, I'm in the military, four years infantry."
Sometimes people join the military for purely practical or financial reasons -- count actor and musician Ice-T among them. After a rough-and-tumble upbringing in South Los Angeles, Ice-T was struggling to support his girlfriend and daughter, and decided to join the Army for the financial benefits. He served four years in the 25th Infantry Division. Early in his career, he was part of a group that stole an infantry rug and subsequently deserted. After a month, once the rug had been recovered, Ice-T returned and received a non-judicial punishment, which allowed him to complete Advanced Infantry Training.
During his deployment in Hawaii, Ice-T served as a squad leader at Schofield Barracks. According to his memoir, it was here that he purchased stereo equipment, including turntables, a mixer, and speakers. At one point during his career, a sergeant told Ice-T that he was serving in the army because he couldn't survive on his own in the civilian world. Despite the sergeant's claim, Ice-T utilized his time in the army to build financial stability, hone his skills, and launch a career in entertainment.
7. Humphrey Bogart
The man who became a legend playing hard-bitten private eyes and soulful outlaws had a troubled background: born into a successful family, Humphrey Bogart was expected to attend Yale but ended up losing interest in school and dropping out. Instead of attending a different school or looking for a civilian job, Bogart enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1918. It's been recorded that Bogart was a model sailor, and spent most of his career ferrying troops between the U.S. and Europe. In 1919, Bogart transferred from the Leviathan to the USS Santa Olivia. He missed the ship when it sailed for Europe, and he turned himself in to the Navy port authority. Due to his prompt action, Bogart was not listed as a deserter and was recorded as being AWOL for which he was punished with three days of solitary confinement, and allowed nothing but bread and water to eat.
Despite the infraction, he was honorably discharged on June 18th, 1919 with the rank of seaman second class with a 3.0 performance rating in proficiency and 4.0 in sobriety and obedience.When Bogart returned home, he found that his values had grown independently of his family. Although he was still articulate, polite, and hard-working, he he detested pretension and snobbery. He rebelled and worked as a shipper, then bond salesman, and eventually joined the Naval Reserve. Through a childhood friend, he worked his way into show business, and eventually his roles veered towards tough-guy heroes and gangsters, which became a guidepost for the rest of his career. He would go on to star in classics such as "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca," and win an Academy Award for Best Actor in “The African Queen.” He was also able to draw upon his naval experience when he played unstable Captain Queeg in one of his final films, “The Caine Mutiny.”
6. Morgan Freeman
"I joined the Air Force. I took to it immediately when I arrived there. I did three years, eight months, and ten days in all, but it took me a year and a half to get disabused of my romantic notions about it."
Sometimes being in the military helps determine what you want to be in life -- even if it means not being in the military. Talented young Morgan Freeman was so in love with the idea of flying that he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955 instead of accepting a scholarship for drama from Jackson State University. Eventually, he got the chance to train as a fighter pilot, but as soon as he sat in the cockpit of what he thought would be his dream job, he felt like he was "sitting in the nose of a bomb," as he told AARP magazine. "I had this very clear epiphany... You are not in love with this; you are in love with the idea of this." Freeman didn’t hesitate to act on his gut instinct, and left the Air Force in 1959.
It would be a long, hard road to stardom for Freeman, as he acted for over twenty years on stage before gaining fame on television in the soap opera "Another World" and the long-running children's program "The Electric Company." Freeman went on to act in prominent supporting roles, and later as a star in such movies as "The Shawshank Redemption," "Seven," and "Unforgiven."
5. Chuck Norris
McQueen encouraged Norris to go into acting, and after gaining attention as Bruce Lee's opponent in "Way of the Dragon," he starred in such films as "Good Guys Wear Black," "Delta Force" and "Missing in Action." He also starred in the long-running TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger." Norris has used his success to give back to the military community, serving as a spokesman on behalf of the Veterans Administration and hospitalized veterans. On March 28, 2007, Commandant Gen. James T. Conway made Norris an honorary United States Marine.
4. Mr. T
"When you find a really tough guy, he's not a predator. He doesn't have to prove himself. Guys who have to pretend to be tough, they ain't. I'm tough."
Before he nearly pounded Rocky Balboa into submission in Rocky III, and went on to fame as B.A. Baracus on the hit TV show A-Team, Mr. T was a member of the biggest team of them all -- the U.S. Army. Originally known as Laurence Tureaud, Mr. T served in the Army's Military Police Corps in the mid-70s. In November 1975 he was awarded a letter of recommendation by his drill sergeant, and in a cycle of six thousand troops he was elected "Top Trainee of the Cycle" and promoted to Squad Leader. In July 1976 his platoon sergeant punished him by giving him the detail of chopping down trees during training camp at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, but the sergeant did not specify how many trees that were to be cut down -- so Tureaud single-handedly chopped down over 70 trees in the span of three and a half hours before being relieved of the detail.
After his discharge from the Army, Tureaud tried out for the NFL's Green Bay Packers but failed to make the team because of a knee injury. However, his Army police training served him well in his next job, as a bouncer at Chicago nightclubs, where he began cultivating his ultra-tough "Mr. T" persona (the famous gold chains he wears were a result of picking up discarded jewelry from the nightclub every night). Perhaps the first "celebrity bodyguard," and certainly one of the most famous, Mr. T eventually found fame in the movies and TV, and currently lives in L.A.
3. Johnny Cash
"That was the big thing when I was growing up, singing on the radio. The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis. Even when I got out of the Air Force in 1954, I came right back to Memphis and started knocking on doors at the radio station."
The legendary country performer is known as the "Man in Black," but he was also a man in Air Force blues. Fresh out of high school in 1950, Cash joined the Air Force as the Korean War began, and spent most of his four-year enlistment in Germany. Perhaps not surprisingly for a man with music in his veins, Cash was handy when it came to the rhythms of Morse code, and served as an intercept operator with the USAF Security Service.
It could be argued that if weren't for the military, we might never have known who Johnny Cash was -- coming from a poor background, he was only able to scrounge enough money together to buy a guitar once he started receiving military pay. He purchased his first guitar at the Base Exchange while stationed in Germany, and the rest is history, as they say. He also formed his first band while in the Air Force (the Landsberg Barbarians) and upon his discharge he used his GI Bill benefits to attend a radio-announcing course at a broadcasting school in Memphis.
Although Cash's reputation as an outspoken, hard-living rebel has overshadowed his time in service, he never forgot about where he came from, and years later, he met a young Army captain named Kris Kristofferson, who he helped become a country superstar in his own right.
2. Clint Eastwood
"I was drafted during the Korean War. None of us wanted to go... It was only a couple of years after World War II had ended. We said, 'Wait a second? Didn't we just get through with that?'"
Long before Eastwood dared anyone to make his day as Dirty Harry, he served in the Army as a swimming instructor at Ft. Ord. As fate (and luck) would have it, his swimming skills would come in handy: one time when he was hitching a ride aboard a Navy torpedo bomber, the plane developed engine trouble and was forced to ditch in San Francisco Bay. Eastwood swam over a mile through the tide to shore, foreshadowing his own character's watery trials in "Escape from Alcatraz."
After his discharge in 1953, Eastwood attended L.A. City College and studied drama under the GI Bill. From humble origins in the movie business (he started on a $75-a-week contract with Universal Studios), he eventually found international fame in "spaghetti" westerns, the Dirty Harry series, and as an Oscar-winning director.
1. Elvis Presley
"The Army teaches boys to think like men."
It seems only fair that the man known as "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" should be the king of this list. Drafted by the U.S. Army just as he was experiencing a rise to stardom seldom seen before or since in popular music, Presley didn't shirk from his duty and found himself trading in his leather jacket for combat fatigues. He entered the Army as a regular GI at Ft. Chaffee on March 24, 1958. As his famously tousled hair was shaved down to regulation length, he cracked, "Hair today, gone tomorrow." His induction was a major event, with hundreds of overlookers and media there to witness it.
Elvis was stationed at Ft. Hood for Basic Training and was assigned to the Second Armored Division's 'Hell On Wheels' unit. Later he was assigned to the Third Armored 'Spearhead' Division, and stationed in Friedberg, Germany -- it was here that he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who would eventually become his wife. During his time in Texas and Germany, Elvis kept a low profile, although he was already wealthy enough to bring his father and grandmother to live with him off-base.
By the time he fi
10. George Carlin
"So I do have this ambivalence. Obviously I'm against militaries, because of what militaries do. In many ways though, the Air Force was unmilitary-like. They dropped bombs on people, but...they had a golf course."
Controversial, outspoken and above all funny, George Carlin stands as one of the comedy greats, but given his well-known anti-establishment perspective, it might come as a surprise that he is a also a veteran. After dropping out of high school in 1954, Carlin joined the Air Force to use the GI Bill to cover the costs of broadcasting school. He was trained as a radar technician, and was stationed in Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana.
Looking back on his service, Carlin was proud to have been generally discharged instead of dishonorably discharged. He was deemed an unproductive Airman and court martialed three times. As a more constructive outlet for his biting comedy, he worked as a disc jockey for the KJOE radio station while on active duty. Despite his troubles in the service, his work at KJOE helped him jump to other opportunities in the entertainment industry. After working in broadcast for a short while, he moved to California where he found success in television on "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "The Tonight Show" and later, enduring fame as a cutting-edge comedian. One of the more memorable bits from his later career concerned PTSD, as he decried how the military had taken a simple, succinct term (shell shock) and over time had sanitized it into its current form (post-traumatic stress disorder).
9. Steve McQueen
"It was all very pleasant just lying in the sun and watching the girls go by, but one day I suddenly felt bored with hanging around and went and joined the Marines."
Steve McQueen's legacy as the "King of Cool" began early -- born to a stunt pilot and an alleged alcoholic prostitute, he had a tumultuous childhood which led him to cultivate his rebel image, which would persist throughout his career. After drifting from job to job, he decided to join the Marines in 1947. He was promoted to Private First Class and served with an armored unit, but he was demoted back to private seven times. His rebellious nature came to a head when he let a weekend pass turn into a two week tryst with his girlfriend. Shore patrol apprehended him, but he resisted and spent 41 days in the brig; the first 21 were spent living off of bread and water.
His time in the brig helped reform him. Later his unit was performing a training exercise in the Arctic which turned disastrous. The ship McQueen, his unit, and their tanks had boarded hit a sandbank, which threw several tanks and their crews into the water. Many drowned immediately, unable to get out of their tanks, but McQueen jumped in and saved the lives of five men.
In recognition of his actions, McQueen was chosen to partake in the Honor Guard protecting Harry S. Truman's yacht. McQueen stayed with the Marines until 1950 when he was honorably discharged. "The Marines gave me discipline I could live with. By the time I got out, I could deal with things on a more realistic level. All in all, despite my problems, I liked my time in the Marines," McQueen said.
After leaving the Marines, McQueen used money earned through the GI Bill to study acting at Sanford Meisner's Neighborhood Playhouse. His career was prolific -- he starred in numerous roles and maintained his star status up until his untimely death in 1980.
8. Ice-T
"When I had my daughter I was like, man, I'm going to go to jail, I got to do something, and I went to an enlistment office. Next thing you know, I'm in the military, four years infantry."
Sometimes people join the military for purely practical or financial reasons -- count actor and musician Ice-T among them. After a rough-and-tumble upbringing in South Los Angeles, Ice-T was struggling to support his girlfriend and daughter, and decided to join the Army for the financial benefits. He served four years in the 25th Infantry Division. Early in his career, he was part of a group that stole an infantry rug and subsequently deserted. After a month, once the rug had been recovered, Ice-T returned and received a non-judicial punishment, which allowed him to complete Advanced Infantry Training.
During his deployment in Hawaii, Ice-T served as a squad leader at Schofield Barracks. According to his memoir, it was here that he purchased stereo equipment, including turntables, a mixer, and speakers. At one point during his career, a sergeant told Ice-T that he was serving in the army because he couldn't survive on his own in the civilian world. Despite the sergeant's claim, Ice-T utilized his time in the army to build financial stability, hone his skills, and launch a career in entertainment.
7. Humphrey Bogart
The man who became a legend playing hard-bitten private eyes and soulful outlaws had a troubled background: born into a successful family, Humphrey Bogart was expected to attend Yale but ended up losing interest in school and dropping out. Instead of attending a different school or looking for a civilian job, Bogart enlisted in the U.S. Navy in 1918. It's been recorded that Bogart was a model sailor, and spent most of his career ferrying troops between the U.S. and Europe. In 1919, Bogart transferred from the Leviathan to the USS Santa Olivia. He missed the ship when it sailed for Europe, and he turned himself in to the Navy port authority. Due to his prompt action, Bogart was not listed as a deserter and was recorded as being AWOL for which he was punished with three days of solitary confinement, and allowed nothing but bread and water to eat.
Despite the infraction, he was honorably discharged on June 18th, 1919 with the rank of seaman second class with a 3.0 performance rating in proficiency and 4.0 in sobriety and obedience.When Bogart returned home, he found that his values had grown independently of his family. Although he was still articulate, polite, and hard-working, he he detested pretension and snobbery. He rebelled and worked as a shipper, then bond salesman, and eventually joined the Naval Reserve. Through a childhood friend, he worked his way into show business, and eventually his roles veered towards tough-guy heroes and gangsters, which became a guidepost for the rest of his career. He would go on to star in classics such as "The Maltese Falcon" and "Casablanca," and win an Academy Award for Best Actor in “The African Queen.” He was also able to draw upon his naval experience when he played unstable Captain Queeg in one of his final films, “The Caine Mutiny.”
6. Morgan Freeman
"I joined the Air Force. I took to it immediately when I arrived there. I did three years, eight months, and ten days in all, but it took me a year and a half to get disabused of my romantic notions about it."
Sometimes being in the military helps determine what you want to be in life -- even if it means not being in the military. Talented young Morgan Freeman was so in love with the idea of flying that he joined the U.S. Air Force in 1955 instead of accepting a scholarship for drama from Jackson State University. Eventually, he got the chance to train as a fighter pilot, but as soon as he sat in the cockpit of what he thought would be his dream job, he felt like he was "sitting in the nose of a bomb," as he told AARP magazine. "I had this very clear epiphany... You are not in love with this; you are in love with the idea of this." Freeman didn’t hesitate to act on his gut instinct, and left the Air Force in 1959.
It would be a long, hard road to stardom for Freeman, as he acted for over twenty years on stage before gaining fame on television in the soap opera "Another World" and the long-running children's program "The Electric Company." Freeman went on to act in prominent supporting roles, and later as a star in such movies as "The Shawshank Redemption," "Seven," and "Unforgiven."
5. Chuck Norris
"Before the President of the United States can declare war, Congress must have permission from Chuck Norris."
The world-champion martial artist is a movie and television star, and
has spawned a whole industry around "Chuck Norris facts" (for example:
"Chuck Norris doesn't breathe, he holds the air hostage"). Yet it might
not have come about had he not decided to join the Air Force after high
school. Aiming for a career in law enforcement, he joined the USAF
security police, and while stationed in Korea, he realized one night on
duty that he couldn't arrest a rowdy drunk without pulling his weapon.
As a result, he started studying some of the local Korean martial arts,
including Tang Soo Do and Tae Kwan Do, and became the first Westerner to
be awarded an eighth-degree Black Belt in Tae Kwan Do. He held the
world middleweight karate champion title for six years, and was named Black Belt magazine's
"Fighter of the Year" in 1969. He founded 32 martial arts schools, and
was actor and fellow veteran Steve McQueen's karate teacher.McQueen encouraged Norris to go into acting, and after gaining attention as Bruce Lee's opponent in "Way of the Dragon," he starred in such films as "Good Guys Wear Black," "Delta Force" and "Missing in Action." He also starred in the long-running TV series "Walker, Texas Ranger." Norris has used his success to give back to the military community, serving as a spokesman on behalf of the Veterans Administration and hospitalized veterans. On March 28, 2007, Commandant Gen. James T. Conway made Norris an honorary United States Marine.
4. Mr. T
"When you find a really tough guy, he's not a predator. He doesn't have to prove himself. Guys who have to pretend to be tough, they ain't. I'm tough."
Before he nearly pounded Rocky Balboa into submission in Rocky III, and went on to fame as B.A. Baracus on the hit TV show A-Team, Mr. T was a member of the biggest team of them all -- the U.S. Army. Originally known as Laurence Tureaud, Mr. T served in the Army's Military Police Corps in the mid-70s. In November 1975 he was awarded a letter of recommendation by his drill sergeant, and in a cycle of six thousand troops he was elected "Top Trainee of the Cycle" and promoted to Squad Leader. In July 1976 his platoon sergeant punished him by giving him the detail of chopping down trees during training camp at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin, but the sergeant did not specify how many trees that were to be cut down -- so Tureaud single-handedly chopped down over 70 trees in the span of three and a half hours before being relieved of the detail.
After his discharge from the Army, Tureaud tried out for the NFL's Green Bay Packers but failed to make the team because of a knee injury. However, his Army police training served him well in his next job, as a bouncer at Chicago nightclubs, where he began cultivating his ultra-tough "Mr. T" persona (the famous gold chains he wears were a result of picking up discarded jewelry from the nightclub every night). Perhaps the first "celebrity bodyguard," and certainly one of the most famous, Mr. T eventually found fame in the movies and TV, and currently lives in L.A.
3. Johnny Cash
"That was the big thing when I was growing up, singing on the radio. The extent of my dream was to sing on the radio station in Memphis. Even when I got out of the Air Force in 1954, I came right back to Memphis and started knocking on doors at the radio station."
The legendary country performer is known as the "Man in Black," but he was also a man in Air Force blues. Fresh out of high school in 1950, Cash joined the Air Force as the Korean War began, and spent most of his four-year enlistment in Germany. Perhaps not surprisingly for a man with music in his veins, Cash was handy when it came to the rhythms of Morse code, and served as an intercept operator with the USAF Security Service.
It could be argued that if weren't for the military, we might never have known who Johnny Cash was -- coming from a poor background, he was only able to scrounge enough money together to buy a guitar once he started receiving military pay. He purchased his first guitar at the Base Exchange while stationed in Germany, and the rest is history, as they say. He also formed his first band while in the Air Force (the Landsberg Barbarians) and upon his discharge he used his GI Bill benefits to attend a radio-announcing course at a broadcasting school in Memphis.
Although Cash's reputation as an outspoken, hard-living rebel has overshadowed his time in service, he never forgot about where he came from, and years later, he met a young Army captain named Kris Kristofferson, who he helped become a country superstar in his own right.
2. Clint Eastwood
"I was drafted during the Korean War. None of us wanted to go... It was only a couple of years after World War II had ended. We said, 'Wait a second? Didn't we just get through with that?'"
Long before Eastwood dared anyone to make his day as Dirty Harry, he served in the Army as a swimming instructor at Ft. Ord. As fate (and luck) would have it, his swimming skills would come in handy: one time when he was hitching a ride aboard a Navy torpedo bomber, the plane developed engine trouble and was forced to ditch in San Francisco Bay. Eastwood swam over a mile through the tide to shore, foreshadowing his own character's watery trials in "Escape from Alcatraz."
After his discharge in 1953, Eastwood attended L.A. City College and studied drama under the GI Bill. From humble origins in the movie business (he started on a $75-a-week contract with Universal Studios), he eventually found international fame in "spaghetti" westerns, the Dirty Harry series, and as an Oscar-winning director.
1. Elvis Presley
"The Army teaches boys to think like men."
It seems only fair that the man known as "the King of Rock 'n' Roll" should be the king of this list. Drafted by the U.S. Army just as he was experiencing a rise to stardom seldom seen before or since in popular music, Presley didn't shirk from his duty and found himself trading in his leather jacket for combat fatigues. He entered the Army as a regular GI at Ft. Chaffee on March 24, 1958. As his famously tousled hair was shaved down to regulation length, he cracked, "Hair today, gone tomorrow." His induction was a major event, with hundreds of overlookers and media there to witness it.
Elvis was stationed at Ft. Hood for Basic Training and was assigned to the Second Armored Division's 'Hell On Wheels' unit. Later he was assigned to the Third Armored 'Spearhead' Division, and stationed in Friedberg, Germany -- it was here that he met Priscilla Beaulieu, who would eventually become his wife. During his time in Texas and Germany, Elvis kept a low profile, although he was already wealthy enough to bring his father and grandmother to live with him off-base.
By the time he fi
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As October rolled to an end this year, the National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers ()
held its 43rd annual meeting and expo in Kansas City, Mo. This show
allows distributors (and a few gun writers) to get an early gander at
the products gun companies are planning to launch soon. With the
presidential election still days away, there were several manufacturers
in attendance that chose to hold off announcing any new products until
the 2017 SHOT Show. But other companies pulled back the curtains to show
off what they have in mind for the New Year. We also had a chance to
take a look at a few products before the SHOT Show, some of which are
included here.
American Tactical ShotgunsAfter a two-year wait, American Tactical says its AR-pattern semi-automatic Omni MAXX .410 shotgun is finally ready to ship. The shotgun uses a gas-operated, short-stroke, balance piston system designed to fire a variety of 2.5" .410 shotgun shells including birdshot, buckshot and mixed payload options. The 18.5" smooth-bore barrel is threaded to accept Remington-style removable chokes. Built around a set of the company's Omni Hybrid aluminum reinforced polymer AR-15 receivers, the lower receiver assembly is fully compatible with AR uppers chambered in other calibers such as 5.56 NATO and .300 BLK. These shotguns ship with one removable 5-round magazine, while 15-round magazines will be sold separately. MSRP: $649.95
I also got a good look at the new Road Agent side-by-side 12-gauge coach gun. With its 18.5" fixed-choke barrel, Turkish walnut stock, exposed hammers and double triggers, this shotgun looks like other replicas intended for cowboy action shooting events. What sets it apart from the crowd are the unusual changes to the controls. When the break-action is closed, it automatically cocks the external hammers. A left-side, 3-position lever can be set to the Safe position when the hammers are cocked and used as a decocker to safely drop the hammers for reloading or emptying the shotgun. It’s a fast system that's easy to use. MSRP: $499
Avidity Arms PD10 9 mm Pistol
Avidity Arms, a new division of Eagle Imports, is preparing to launch a new 9 mm pistol called the PD10, which has been designed by Rob Pincus, founder of the I.C.E training system and the Personal Defense Network. Intended for use as a concealed-carry pistol, this slim, polymer-framed single-stack 9 mm offers a practical sight system, a smooth trigger pull, a short accessory rail and a comfortable grip. It accepts readily available Colt-style 1911 10-round magazines and will safely fire +P ammunition. MSRP: TBA
Bond Arms PistolsBond Arms of Granbury, Texas, is offering two new engraved models with finely carved and polished laminated grips. The new PT2A double-barrel pistol (top) has a polished stainless steel 4.25" .45 Colt/.410 barrel and frame with phrases from the 2nd Amendment engraved on the barrel. The extended rosewood grip is deeply textured with a rippling American flag motif. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the PT2A will go to support 2nd Amendment organizations. The Dragon Slayer (bottom) is a new TALO exclusive model which will only be available from TALO distributors. The 3.5" .45 Colt/.410 barrel is engraved with dragon scales and the extended grip features an artistically carved dragon's head. Both models ship with the company's improved trigger and removable trigger guard. These models are slated to start shipping by the end of this year. MSRP: TBA
Century Arms TP9 SF Elite and Elite-S PistolsCentury Arms continues to grow its Canik defensive pistol offerings with the new TP9 SF Elite and Elite-S polymer frame striker fired 9 mm semi-automatics. In addition to the trigger safety lever of the Elite model, the Elite-S has a manual safety that swings up to block the trigger from cycling. Both models have slides with Tungsten Grey Cerakote applied over phosphate for a handsome two-tone finish. The Warren Tactical fiber optic sights are mounted using industry standard dovetail cuts that are compatible with a variety of aftermarket sights. Features include an improved single-action trigger, match-grade barrel, reversible magazine catch, loaded chamber indicator and striker status indicator. These pistols ship with a complete shooting kit that includes two 15-round magazines, a polymer holster with a paddle and belt mount, interchangeable grip backstraps and a cleaning brush. MSRP: TBA
Crimson Trace Laser SightsEarlier this year, I spent some quality time with the Crimson Trace team to learn more about the company's new wireless LinQ laser sight and light system. The LinQs we tested used replacement grips designed for AR-pattern rifles. The photo shows the next version, which has a grip designed for the AK-47. Other than the shape of the grip, all of the features of the AK LinQ will be the same. Crimson Trace will also be adding new green laser options to the Master Series 1911 grip line up. MSRP: TBA
European American Armory Corp. (EAA) Witness PistolsAmerican shooters have enjoyed the Tanfoglio Witness series of CZ-75 pattern pistols for some time, thanks to European American Armory (EAA) importing them from Italy. In 2017 the lineup will be extended to include new Limited Custom (left) and P Match (right) options. The Limited Custom is a steel-frame competition gun with a blue Tancoat finish. The slide is skeletonized, drilled and tapped for optics, fitted with fully adjustable sights and the polygonally rifled match grade barrel is ported. The frame features a full-length dust cover, removable grip panels, and will accept 18-round magazines (depending on the caliber). MSRP: TBA
The P Match competition model features a new polymer frame that comes with two interchangeable grips; one has a magazine well and the other does not. The slide is topped with adjustable Super Sights. The controls included a single-action trigger with an over-travel stop, an extended magazine release, an extended ambidextrous safety, an integral accessory rail and a Hart shaped hammer. MSRP: TBA
Inland Manufacturing PistolsInland Manufacturing is best known for its fully functional replicas of World War II era firearms including the M1A1 Paratrooper Carbine and M37 Trench Shotgun. For 2017, Inland will continue to travel back in time with its new pre-70 series of 1911 pistols. Shown here is the 1911 A1 Government Model with features found on the original G.I. pistols. Features include vertical slide serrations, fixed combat sights, a lanyard loop, GI-style wood grip panels and Ithaca markings. MSRP: TBA
Inland will also be offering the new Liberator 45. Produced for Inland by Bond Arms, this stainless steel .45 ACP over-under double-barrel pistol features a 3" barrel, removable trigger guard, a non-reflective matte finish and an Inland logo extended grip. Rumor has it that the Liberator will also be available chambered in .30 Carbine. MSRP: TBA
Italian Firearms Group (IFG) Howdah .45 Colt/.410 PistolThe Italian Firearms Group (IFG) is preparing to ship the unique Davide Pedersoli Howdah .45 Colt/.410. Inspired by the Depression Era Ithaca Auto & Burglar double-barreled pistol, the Howdah is a side-by-side break action with 10" barrels, a case-colored receiver, bead front sight, a folding rear sight and beautiful hardwood stocks. Unlike the smoothbore Ithaca pistols, which are restricted under BAFTA regulations today, the Howda's barrels are rifled and chambered to fire .45 Colt revolver cartridges. This makes the pistol legal to sell over the counter just like semi-automatic pistols and revolvers. The chambers will also accept 2-1/2" and 3" .410 shotgun shells filled with bird or buckshot. MSRP: TBA
Legacy Sports International Bolt-Action RiflesLegacy Sports International is ready to expand the options available to fans of extreme long-range shooting sports with the new series of HCR Howa Chassis Rifles. The chassis is precisely crafted from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum to free float the customer’s choice of 20", 22" and 24" Standard or Heavy contour barrels. The open fore-end accepts MLOK accessories and attachments. Other features include a Howa HACT 2-stage trigger, Ergo MSR grip, 6-position buffer tube, Luth-AR MBA-3 shoulder stock and a 10-round ACCURATE-MAG AI-style magazine. Caliber options include .204 Ruger, .223 Rem., .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, 7 mm-08 Rem. and .308 Win. MSRP: $1,239 - $1,479
Webley & Scott will be offering a new lightweight German-made bolt-action .22 LR rimfire rifle. Available with either a 19” Carbon/Kevlar composite bull barrel or a standard profile carbon steel barrel, the muzzle is threaded and shipped with a knurled thread protector. This rifle’s features include a black synthetic stock, 10-round removable box magazine, an interchangeable Picatinny Rail or 3/8” dovetail scope mount and sling swivel studs. MSRP: $362- $463
LWRC International AR RiflesAfter winning a coveted NRA Golden Bullseye award for its IC-A5 rifle this year, LWRC International is ready to trot out several new models for 2017 including the 16" barrel IC-DI in 300 BLK and the 8.5" barrel SIX8-PSD chambered in 6.8 SPC II . Shown here is the 7.62 NATO REPR MKII 20. The NiCorr cold hammer forged 20" heavy barrel features full length spiraling flutes and a 20-postion adjustable gas block for sub MOA accuracy. The LWRCI advanced trigger guard protects a Geissele SSA 2-stage precision trigger. This platform also sports a Surefire SFMB sound suppressor adapter, Skirmish back-up iron sights, an UBR Gen2 Adjustable stock and a Magpul MOE+ grip. MSRP: TBA
Magnum Research HandgunsMagnum Research, Inc. is shaking things up with its Biggest Finest Revolver (BFR) line up by offering several models with the new option of a Bisley-style grip frame (left). This style of grip frame helps to manage felt recoil which makes it a great fit for the BFR big bore. The model on display was fitted with faux ivory grip panels. Magnum Research recently updated the BFR hammer and trigger as well making the 2017 BFRs something to get excited about. MSRP: TBA
2016 heralded the arrival of the 6L Desert Eagle pistol (right) in .50 AE. For 2017 the 6L will be available in .44 Mag. and .357 Mag. Like the .50-cal. version, the new 6Ls will have 6" barrels and ported stainless steel slides. The lightweight aluminum frame has a matte black finish for a two-tone look and the top of the slide sports an integral Picatinny rail. MSRP: TBA
Remington Semi-Automatic PistolsFor the first time in the company's long and illustrious history, Remington will be offering polymer-framed striker-fired semi-automatic pistols. The product line will be launched with the release of the RP9, a duty-size 9 mm that accepts an 18-round flush fit double-stack magazine and a 4.5" barrel rated for +P ammunition. This new Remington has a host of features designed to satisfy the needs of law enforcement personnel and home defenders. A set of small, medium and large interchangeable back straps paired with one of the smallest full-size grip circumferences makes for a grip frame that will fit a variety of hand shapes. Other features include 3-dot sights, a PVD finished slide, front and rear slide serrations and an accessory rail. The RP45 chambered in .45 ACP with 15-round magazines will be available later in the year. MSRP: TBA
Handgun hunters can look forward to the new R1 Hunter 1911 10 mm pistol. These long-slide 1911s feature a match grade 6" barrel with an extended slide and recoil assembly to match. The sight system consists of a fiber optic in front with a fully adjustable target sight at the rear. Enjoy the added features of an extended beavertail grip safety, skeletonized trigger, accessory rail and VZ premium G10 grip panels. MSRP: Starting at $1,310
Savage Arms A22LR RifleSavage Arms is preparing several new offerings for 2017, one of which I was able to test fire a few weeks before NASGW. The new A22LR chambered in .22 Long Rifle is the third caliber to be offered in the “A” series of semi-automatic rimfire rifles. The first was the A17, which was also the first semi-automatic to successfully fire the 17 HMR rimfire cartridge, earning a Golden Bullseye award. The second was the A22 chambered in .22 Mag. which landed on the market earlier in 2016. Now customers will be able to enjoy the A series features while saving money on ammunition. The A22LRs features include an excellent AccuTrigger, steel receiver, adjustable sights, polymer stock and a removable 10-round magazine. MSRP: $281
Traditions Performance Firearms PA Pellet Ultralight FlintlockFor hunters who are looking for a muzzleloader that combines the best of modern firearm manufacturing techniques with a traditional flintlock action, the new Traditions Performance Firearms PA Pellet Ultralight is just the ticket. Based on the company's popular PA Pellet flintlock, this new model is fitted with a premium-grade chrome-moly steel fluted barrel that is light, strong and accurate. With its 1:28" rifling hunters can use saboted bullets and modern muzzleloader projectiles. Other features include an Accelerator breech plug, an improved hardened frizzen, metallic fiber optic sights, a solid aluminum ram rod and three different stock finishes (black shown). MSRP: TBA
Troy Defense AR RiflesTroy Defense will be adding two new budget-friendly gas-impingement operated models to its extensive selection of AR-pattern rifles. The A3-LW (top) has a flat-top upper receiver paired with an 11" Troy M-Lok BattleRail handguard. The muzzle of the 16" long 1:7" RH rifled barrel is fitted with the company's Medieval flash suppressor. Other features include an enhanced trigger guard, mil-spec safety selector and an M4 style 6-position shoulder stock. MSRP: $849
The GUU-5P (bottom) features a forged upper receiver with a carry handle rear sight, M4 feed ramps and no forward assist. The furniture is typical of M4 carbines, including the A2 flash hider, A2 grip, ribbed handguard and an A1 Drum front sight with sling mount and bayonet lug. MSRP: $999
UM Tactical R.A.G.E. TCS BarrelsAR-15 enthusiasts and home builders will be glad to hear that UM Tactical will be offering barrels that have the company's R.A.G.E. TCS incorporated into them. The Rapid Adjustable Gas Expulsion Total Compensation System is the first re-configurable recoil management device. Placement of the port washers allows the operator to tune the gas flow for a just-right level of recoil reduction for the load being fired. Instead of lengthening the barrel of a rifle by attaching the R.A.G.E. TCS, customers will have the option of using a 16" barrel that is already compensated. MSRP: TBA
Walther Arms Creed 9 mm PistolWith a long-standing reputation for high-quality firearms, Walther Arms will be adding a new option to the budget priced 9 mm polymer-frame pistol market this year with the release of the Creed semi-automatic. With a suggested retail under $400, the pistol is well-balanced, has a comfortable non-slip grip and tips the scales at 26.6 oz. The duty size 4" barrel and other metallic components are treated with a proven matte black Tenifer coating to protect against corrosion and wear. Other features include a Picatinny accessory rail, metallic low-profile 3-dot sights, front and back slide serrations and a listed pre-cocked double-action trigger pull of 6.5 lbs. MSRP: $399
Winchester Repeating ArmsWinchester Repeating Arms always has interesting products to talk about at NASGW. For 2017, the legendary brass receiver "Yellow Boy" tubular magazine 1866 Short Rifle (top) will be available chambered in .44-40 Win. and .38 Spl. The brightly polished brass receiver, crescent buttplate and fore-end cap enjoy the company of Grade 1 American walnut furniture with a straight grip for the shoulder stock. The sight system includes a Marble Arms folding-ladder rear sight and a gold-bead front sight. MSRP: $1,299.99
The SX4 semi-automatic 12-gauge shotguns (center) will be available in several configurations, including the Waterfowl Hunter shown here. The Waterfowl is available with either a 3" or 3-½" chamber and synthetic stocks with textured griping surfaces and enhanced ergonomics for a smoother swing. The full coverage Mossy Oak Shadow Grass camo blends into any marsh or grassland. The self-adjusting Active Valve gas system is reliable with a variety of loads. Additional features include a shock absorbing recoil pad, a hard-chromed bore and chamber, an enlarged bolt handle and bolt release button for easier operation. MSRP: Starting at $939.99
For small-framed shooters, the XPR Compact (bottom) provides an advanced lightweight synthetic stock with a 13" length-of-pull (LOP) and textured grip panels. The 20" free-float button rifled barrel has a recessed target crown and is thermally stress relieved for greater accuracy. The bolt has a Nickel Teflon coating for smooth cycling. Caliber options include .243 Win., 7 mm-08 Rem., .308 Win. and .270 WSM. MSRP: $549.99
American Tactical ShotgunsAfter a two-year wait, American Tactical says its AR-pattern semi-automatic Omni MAXX .410 shotgun is finally ready to ship. The shotgun uses a gas-operated, short-stroke, balance piston system designed to fire a variety of 2.5" .410 shotgun shells including birdshot, buckshot and mixed payload options. The 18.5" smooth-bore barrel is threaded to accept Remington-style removable chokes. Built around a set of the company's Omni Hybrid aluminum reinforced polymer AR-15 receivers, the lower receiver assembly is fully compatible with AR uppers chambered in other calibers such as 5.56 NATO and .300 BLK. These shotguns ship with one removable 5-round magazine, while 15-round magazines will be sold separately. MSRP: $649.95
I also got a good look at the new Road Agent side-by-side 12-gauge coach gun. With its 18.5" fixed-choke barrel, Turkish walnut stock, exposed hammers and double triggers, this shotgun looks like other replicas intended for cowboy action shooting events. What sets it apart from the crowd are the unusual changes to the controls. When the break-action is closed, it automatically cocks the external hammers. A left-side, 3-position lever can be set to the Safe position when the hammers are cocked and used as a decocker to safely drop the hammers for reloading or emptying the shotgun. It’s a fast system that's easy to use. MSRP: $499
Avidity Arms PD10 9 mm Pistol
Avidity Arms, a new division of Eagle Imports, is preparing to launch a new 9 mm pistol called the PD10, which has been designed by Rob Pincus, founder of the I.C.E training system and the Personal Defense Network. Intended for use as a concealed-carry pistol, this slim, polymer-framed single-stack 9 mm offers a practical sight system, a smooth trigger pull, a short accessory rail and a comfortable grip. It accepts readily available Colt-style 1911 10-round magazines and will safely fire +P ammunition. MSRP: TBA
Bond Arms PistolsBond Arms of Granbury, Texas, is offering two new engraved models with finely carved and polished laminated grips. The new PT2A double-barrel pistol (top) has a polished stainless steel 4.25" .45 Colt/.410 barrel and frame with phrases from the 2nd Amendment engraved on the barrel. The extended rosewood grip is deeply textured with a rippling American flag motif. A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the PT2A will go to support 2nd Amendment organizations. The Dragon Slayer (bottom) is a new TALO exclusive model which will only be available from TALO distributors. The 3.5" .45 Colt/.410 barrel is engraved with dragon scales and the extended grip features an artistically carved dragon's head. Both models ship with the company's improved trigger and removable trigger guard. These models are slated to start shipping by the end of this year. MSRP: TBA
Century Arms TP9 SF Elite and Elite-S PistolsCentury Arms continues to grow its Canik defensive pistol offerings with the new TP9 SF Elite and Elite-S polymer frame striker fired 9 mm semi-automatics. In addition to the trigger safety lever of the Elite model, the Elite-S has a manual safety that swings up to block the trigger from cycling. Both models have slides with Tungsten Grey Cerakote applied over phosphate for a handsome two-tone finish. The Warren Tactical fiber optic sights are mounted using industry standard dovetail cuts that are compatible with a variety of aftermarket sights. Features include an improved single-action trigger, match-grade barrel, reversible magazine catch, loaded chamber indicator and striker status indicator. These pistols ship with a complete shooting kit that includes two 15-round magazines, a polymer holster with a paddle and belt mount, interchangeable grip backstraps and a cleaning brush. MSRP: TBA
Crimson Trace Laser SightsEarlier this year, I spent some quality time with the Crimson Trace team to learn more about the company's new wireless LinQ laser sight and light system. The LinQs we tested used replacement grips designed for AR-pattern rifles. The photo shows the next version, which has a grip designed for the AK-47. Other than the shape of the grip, all of the features of the AK LinQ will be the same. Crimson Trace will also be adding new green laser options to the Master Series 1911 grip line up. MSRP: TBA
European American Armory Corp. (EAA) Witness PistolsAmerican shooters have enjoyed the Tanfoglio Witness series of CZ-75 pattern pistols for some time, thanks to European American Armory (EAA) importing them from Italy. In 2017 the lineup will be extended to include new Limited Custom (left) and P Match (right) options. The Limited Custom is a steel-frame competition gun with a blue Tancoat finish. The slide is skeletonized, drilled and tapped for optics, fitted with fully adjustable sights and the polygonally rifled match grade barrel is ported. The frame features a full-length dust cover, removable grip panels, and will accept 18-round magazines (depending on the caliber). MSRP: TBA
The P Match competition model features a new polymer frame that comes with two interchangeable grips; one has a magazine well and the other does not. The slide is topped with adjustable Super Sights. The controls included a single-action trigger with an over-travel stop, an extended magazine release, an extended ambidextrous safety, an integral accessory rail and a Hart shaped hammer. MSRP: TBA
Inland Manufacturing PistolsInland Manufacturing is best known for its fully functional replicas of World War II era firearms including the M1A1 Paratrooper Carbine and M37 Trench Shotgun. For 2017, Inland will continue to travel back in time with its new pre-70 series of 1911 pistols. Shown here is the 1911 A1 Government Model with features found on the original G.I. pistols. Features include vertical slide serrations, fixed combat sights, a lanyard loop, GI-style wood grip panels and Ithaca markings. MSRP: TBA
Inland will also be offering the new Liberator 45. Produced for Inland by Bond Arms, this stainless steel .45 ACP over-under double-barrel pistol features a 3" barrel, removable trigger guard, a non-reflective matte finish and an Inland logo extended grip. Rumor has it that the Liberator will also be available chambered in .30 Carbine. MSRP: TBA
Italian Firearms Group (IFG) Howdah .45 Colt/.410 PistolThe Italian Firearms Group (IFG) is preparing to ship the unique Davide Pedersoli Howdah .45 Colt/.410. Inspired by the Depression Era Ithaca Auto & Burglar double-barreled pistol, the Howdah is a side-by-side break action with 10" barrels, a case-colored receiver, bead front sight, a folding rear sight and beautiful hardwood stocks. Unlike the smoothbore Ithaca pistols, which are restricted under BAFTA regulations today, the Howda's barrels are rifled and chambered to fire .45 Colt revolver cartridges. This makes the pistol legal to sell over the counter just like semi-automatic pistols and revolvers. The chambers will also accept 2-1/2" and 3" .410 shotgun shells filled with bird or buckshot. MSRP: TBA
Legacy Sports International Bolt-Action RiflesLegacy Sports International is ready to expand the options available to fans of extreme long-range shooting sports with the new series of HCR Howa Chassis Rifles. The chassis is precisely crafted from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum to free float the customer’s choice of 20", 22" and 24" Standard or Heavy contour barrels. The open fore-end accepts MLOK accessories and attachments. Other features include a Howa HACT 2-stage trigger, Ergo MSR grip, 6-position buffer tube, Luth-AR MBA-3 shoulder stock and a 10-round ACCURATE-MAG AI-style magazine. Caliber options include .204 Ruger, .223 Rem., .243 Win., 6.5 Creedmoor, 7 mm-08 Rem. and .308 Win. MSRP: $1,239 - $1,479
Webley & Scott will be offering a new lightweight German-made bolt-action .22 LR rimfire rifle. Available with either a 19” Carbon/Kevlar composite bull barrel or a standard profile carbon steel barrel, the muzzle is threaded and shipped with a knurled thread protector. This rifle’s features include a black synthetic stock, 10-round removable box magazine, an interchangeable Picatinny Rail or 3/8” dovetail scope mount and sling swivel studs. MSRP: $362- $463
LWRC International AR RiflesAfter winning a coveted NRA Golden Bullseye award for its IC-A5 rifle this year, LWRC International is ready to trot out several new models for 2017 including the 16" barrel IC-DI in 300 BLK and the 8.5" barrel SIX8-PSD chambered in 6.8 SPC II . Shown here is the 7.62 NATO REPR MKII 20. The NiCorr cold hammer forged 20" heavy barrel features full length spiraling flutes and a 20-postion adjustable gas block for sub MOA accuracy. The LWRCI advanced trigger guard protects a Geissele SSA 2-stage precision trigger. This platform also sports a Surefire SFMB sound suppressor adapter, Skirmish back-up iron sights, an UBR Gen2 Adjustable stock and a Magpul MOE+ grip. MSRP: TBA
Magnum Research HandgunsMagnum Research, Inc. is shaking things up with its Biggest Finest Revolver (BFR) line up by offering several models with the new option of a Bisley-style grip frame (left). This style of grip frame helps to manage felt recoil which makes it a great fit for the BFR big bore. The model on display was fitted with faux ivory grip panels. Magnum Research recently updated the BFR hammer and trigger as well making the 2017 BFRs something to get excited about. MSRP: TBA
2016 heralded the arrival of the 6L Desert Eagle pistol (right) in .50 AE. For 2017 the 6L will be available in .44 Mag. and .357 Mag. Like the .50-cal. version, the new 6Ls will have 6" barrels and ported stainless steel slides. The lightweight aluminum frame has a matte black finish for a two-tone look and the top of the slide sports an integral Picatinny rail. MSRP: TBA
Remington Semi-Automatic PistolsFor the first time in the company's long and illustrious history, Remington will be offering polymer-framed striker-fired semi-automatic pistols. The product line will be launched with the release of the RP9, a duty-size 9 mm that accepts an 18-round flush fit double-stack magazine and a 4.5" barrel rated for +P ammunition. This new Remington has a host of features designed to satisfy the needs of law enforcement personnel and home defenders. A set of small, medium and large interchangeable back straps paired with one of the smallest full-size grip circumferences makes for a grip frame that will fit a variety of hand shapes. Other features include 3-dot sights, a PVD finished slide, front and rear slide serrations and an accessory rail. The RP45 chambered in .45 ACP with 15-round magazines will be available later in the year. MSRP: TBA
Handgun hunters can look forward to the new R1 Hunter 1911 10 mm pistol. These long-slide 1911s feature a match grade 6" barrel with an extended slide and recoil assembly to match. The sight system consists of a fiber optic in front with a fully adjustable target sight at the rear. Enjoy the added features of an extended beavertail grip safety, skeletonized trigger, accessory rail and VZ premium G10 grip panels. MSRP: Starting at $1,310
Savage Arms A22LR RifleSavage Arms is preparing several new offerings for 2017, one of which I was able to test fire a few weeks before NASGW. The new A22LR chambered in .22 Long Rifle is the third caliber to be offered in the “A” series of semi-automatic rimfire rifles. The first was the A17, which was also the first semi-automatic to successfully fire the 17 HMR rimfire cartridge, earning a Golden Bullseye award. The second was the A22 chambered in .22 Mag. which landed on the market earlier in 2016. Now customers will be able to enjoy the A series features while saving money on ammunition. The A22LRs features include an excellent AccuTrigger, steel receiver, adjustable sights, polymer stock and a removable 10-round magazine. MSRP: $281
Traditions Performance Firearms PA Pellet Ultralight FlintlockFor hunters who are looking for a muzzleloader that combines the best of modern firearm manufacturing techniques with a traditional flintlock action, the new Traditions Performance Firearms PA Pellet Ultralight is just the ticket. Based on the company's popular PA Pellet flintlock, this new model is fitted with a premium-grade chrome-moly steel fluted barrel that is light, strong and accurate. With its 1:28" rifling hunters can use saboted bullets and modern muzzleloader projectiles. Other features include an Accelerator breech plug, an improved hardened frizzen, metallic fiber optic sights, a solid aluminum ram rod and three different stock finishes (black shown). MSRP: TBA
Troy Defense AR RiflesTroy Defense will be adding two new budget-friendly gas-impingement operated models to its extensive selection of AR-pattern rifles. The A3-LW (top) has a flat-top upper receiver paired with an 11" Troy M-Lok BattleRail handguard. The muzzle of the 16" long 1:7" RH rifled barrel is fitted with the company's Medieval flash suppressor. Other features include an enhanced trigger guard, mil-spec safety selector and an M4 style 6-position shoulder stock. MSRP: $849
The GUU-5P (bottom) features a forged upper receiver with a carry handle rear sight, M4 feed ramps and no forward assist. The furniture is typical of M4 carbines, including the A2 flash hider, A2 grip, ribbed handguard and an A1 Drum front sight with sling mount and bayonet lug. MSRP: $999
UM Tactical R.A.G.E. TCS BarrelsAR-15 enthusiasts and home builders will be glad to hear that UM Tactical will be offering barrels that have the company's R.A.G.E. TCS incorporated into them. The Rapid Adjustable Gas Expulsion Total Compensation System is the first re-configurable recoil management device. Placement of the port washers allows the operator to tune the gas flow for a just-right level of recoil reduction for the load being fired. Instead of lengthening the barrel of a rifle by attaching the R.A.G.E. TCS, customers will have the option of using a 16" barrel that is already compensated. MSRP: TBA
Walther Arms Creed 9 mm PistolWith a long-standing reputation for high-quality firearms, Walther Arms will be adding a new option to the budget priced 9 mm polymer-frame pistol market this year with the release of the Creed semi-automatic. With a suggested retail under $400, the pistol is well-balanced, has a comfortable non-slip grip and tips the scales at 26.6 oz. The duty size 4" barrel and other metallic components are treated with a proven matte black Tenifer coating to protect against corrosion and wear. Other features include a Picatinny accessory rail, metallic low-profile 3-dot sights, front and back slide serrations and a listed pre-cocked double-action trigger pull of 6.5 lbs. MSRP: $399
Winchester Repeating ArmsWinchester Repeating Arms always has interesting products to talk about at NASGW. For 2017, the legendary brass receiver "Yellow Boy" tubular magazine 1866 Short Rifle (top) will be available chambered in .44-40 Win. and .38 Spl. The brightly polished brass receiver, crescent buttplate and fore-end cap enjoy the company of Grade 1 American walnut furniture with a straight grip for the shoulder stock. The sight system includes a Marble Arms folding-ladder rear sight and a gold-bead front sight. MSRP: $1,299.99
The SX4 semi-automatic 12-gauge shotguns (center) will be available in several configurations, including the Waterfowl Hunter shown here. The Waterfowl is available with either a 3" or 3-½" chamber and synthetic stocks with textured griping surfaces and enhanced ergonomics for a smoother swing. The full coverage Mossy Oak Shadow Grass camo blends into any marsh or grassland. The self-adjusting Active Valve gas system is reliable with a variety of loads. Additional features include a shock absorbing recoil pad, a hard-chromed bore and chamber, an enlarged bolt handle and bolt release button for easier operation. MSRP: Starting at $939.99
For small-framed shooters, the XPR Compact (bottom) provides an advanced lightweight synthetic stock with a 13" length-of-pull (LOP) and textured grip panels. The 20" free-float button rifled barrel has a recessed target crown and is thermally stress relieved for greater accuracy. The bolt has a Nickel Teflon coating for smooth cycling. Caliber options include .243 Win., 7 mm-08 Rem., .308 Win. and .270 WSM. MSRP: $549.99
Saturday 19 August 2017
GREATEST SOLDIER I HAVE EVER SEEN
THE SOLDIERS WHO PROVE ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE
10. Brian Chontosh
Brian Chontosh, currently serving in the Marines, got the Navy Cross in 2003, which is hardcore, but not quite hardcore enough to make a top 10 list.
Now, being ambushed and driving your Humvee directly at the enemy's entrenched position, after which you leap into the trench, shoot terrorists until you run out of bullets for your Marine-issue guns, then take two AK-47s and kill some more terrorists, and then you find a rocket-propelled grenade and blow the hell out of even more terrorists? That's hardcore enough to make this list and then some. Chontosh killed twenty terrorists and seriously wounded several others, and probably ate three steaks and drank a keg of beer after, because he's ridiculously manly enough for that to be his lunch.
9. Craig Harrison
Source:
It's very rare to set a world record in your field. And it's even rarer to break that record immediately after you set it. Unfortunately for two members of the Taliban, they were volunteered to secure Craig Harrison a place in the history books.
Harrison was a British sniper assigned to Afghanistan, and on this particular day, he had a Taliban fighter in his sights. One problem: they were almost two miles away. But it was perfect sniping weather, the air pressure was just right, and Craig was feeling lucky.
After nine shots to gauge the distance, he got his bearings, placed the target precisely on the Taliban fighter, and made him go away. Then Harrison noticed the friend of the guy he just wasted a little further back, and drilled him too. Two world record shots, and the record is currently set at 2707 yards. Modern Warfare players across the world are jealous.
8. Dirk Vlug
It takes a lot of balls to go up against a tank, even if you happen to have a rocket launcher. Dirk Vlug probably had three of them.
In 1944, Dirk Vlug and his balls were in the Philippines, helping General Douglas MacArthur settle a small disagreement over whether the Japanese were allowed to stay or be removed forcibly with dynamite. He had a fairly boring guard job, and just had a pistol and a rocket launcher with six rounds.
Then he saw two Japanese tanks coming up the road. Vlug, being a sane, rational man, quickly figured out that he had enough rockets to really ruin the Japanese's day, which he proceeded to do by marching out under machine gun and artillery fire, and blowing up one of those tanks one-handed with his rocket launcher. The second tank crew decided they were going to beat the crap out of him, something he promptly explained was a bad idea by shooting one of them in the face with his other weapon, a pistol. So they get back in the tank, which he promptly blew up before they could even get started.
Three more tanks show up, and make the serious mistake of irritating Dirk Vlug. By the time he's done, two are burning wrecks, one has been knocked off the road, and Vlug has earned the Medal of Honor...and the eternal fear of the Japanese.
7. Alvin York
Alvin York was a man who'd put violence behind him. After years of drinking and fights, his best friend had been beaten to death, and Alvin had sobered up and was flying right as a pacifist. Unfortunately, they don't really let you be a pacifist when you're drafted into the Army, so Alvin was packed off to World War I, given a gun, and told to kick some ass. So he kicked the absolute minimum needed.
Unfortunately for Germany, the minimum was pretty high.
York and his unit were trapped by German machine guns, and thanks to everybody else in charge being dead or wounded, York was running the unit. So York, not particularly enjoying the situation, began sniping the Germans out of their nest with his standard-issue rifle while politely asking them to surrender, kind of like a cross between Mr. Rogers and Dirty Harry. Instead they sent eight men with fixed bayonets to kill him, so he drew his pistol and drilled all eight.
Keep in mind, he was being shot at the entire time. With machine guns. From some increasingly scared and angry Germans. Finally, after the commander had emptied his pistol trying to kill York and realizing he was rapidly running out of men, volunteered to surrender. So York and the seven guys he had left wound up escorting 132 Germans back behind American lines, much to the shock of the Germans.
Then York went home and founded a high school. Seriously. Something to think about the next time you want to make fun of your principal.
6. Charles Upham
Source: Kurt Hutton/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Charles Upham is one of the few men who won the Victoria Cross, and then promptly found it so nice he did it twice.
The first time he was granted the highest award England can give a soldier because he took on a machine gun nest with a pistol and won, and then decided he really should rescue all those wounded. Keep in mind he did this while surrounded by Germans trying to kill him, and in the process put quite a few Germans into the ground.
For the second time, obviously the bar was raised higher. They don't just hand these things out in Crackerjack boxes. So he'd have to go really over the top to land a second VC, which he did handily by wasting a truck full of Germans with some grenades, getting wounded twice in the process. Deciding that medical attention was for wusses, and that he really liked what these grenades could do, he decided to lead the charge into battle, and managed to destroy a tank with grenades. Did we mention one of his injuries was a broken arm?
Later he was captured, and sent to Colditz, where he proceeded to bring new meaning to the term “pain in the ass” by repeatedly trying to escape. One of his escape attempts involved him jumping from a moving truck and getting 400 yards away on a freshly broken ankle.
5. Audie Murphy
Source: Horace Abrahams/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
If you want proof that being a short guy isn't going to stop somebody from being a powerful soldier, look no further than the most decorated soldier in World War II, Audie Murphy, who got every medal the Army could give him (literally) and a few from foreign countries as well.
Murphy, 5'5” and skinny to boot, first went into battle in 1943, where he gunned down two Italian officers. He then proceeded to pretty much tear the Axis powers new and spacious orifices wherever he went, consistently getting promoted after creatively handing some Germans or Italians what was left of their heads. But his greatest moment probably came at Holtzwihr.
Murphy's unit was down to 19 men out of 128. They couldn't fight, they needed to rearm, and they needed somebody to hold the line. So Murphy stayed behind, shooting Germans until he ran out of ammo. Then, deciding he wasn't done killing Germans, he jumped onto a burning tank and starting using its .50 caliber machine gun. He even killed an entire squad of Germans trying to sneak up on him. Oh, and he did this for almost an hour, while wounded in the leg. And then his men showed up, and Murphy led them on a forward action. Translation: after spending an hour in the freezing cold on a burning tank spraying Germans with machine gun fire, he decided that wasn't enough and decided to get close and personal.
That was enough to land him the Medal of Honor, and a movie career. By the way, the movie of his life, starring the man himself, might make him seem like a bit less of a badass than he was. This is because it was toned down at the request of one Audie Murphy: he thought nobody would believe he'd actually done all that.
4. Peter Francisco
Peter Francisco grew up an orphan under the care of the uncle of Patrick Henry, so it was logical he'd join the American militia in the Revolutionary War. What made it especially logical was his being six-foot-six and 260 pounds of sheer muscle. He was so big, in fact, that he got the nickname “The Virginia Hercules” and needed a broadsword specially forged to suit his height. The guy was so strong he could, and often did, pull around half-ton cannons to get just the right aim.
Francisco is widely considered one of the greatest American soldiers ever, seeing action all up and down the Colonies, including Monmouth, Stony Point, Brandywine, and Guildford Courthouse, where he pretty much killed eleven enemy soldiers with his bare hands and a broadsword. At Guildford, he was severely wounded and sent home...which didn't stop him from coming across a British raiding party of eleven men.
Francisco was severely wounded by highly trained elite soldiers, but needless to say, they didn't stand a chance: Francisco killed one, wounded eight, and just to rub it in, stole all their horses and delivered them to the American army. Reports differ on whether he also gave them wedgies before he left, but we think it's pretty likely.
3. Tlahuicole
Before Cortez showed up and started slapping them around, there was nobody scarier on the North or South American continents than the Aztecs. This was mostly because the Aztecs' idea of Super Bowl Sunday were mass sacrifices to the gods, and they weren't shy about going out, beating other tribes senseless, and then wiping them out.
So to impress these guys, you have to kick an awful lot of ass. Which is what Tlahuicole proceeded to do, so much so that when he was captured, the Aztecs decided they couldn't sacrifice him. So instead they gave him honors and freed him.
Tlahuicole had other ideas. He was going to be sacrificed, but it was going to be by a guy who could take him in single combat, no doubt a cunning plan to kill every single Aztec warrior with his bare hands. The Aztecs looked nervously at each other, shoved one guy in front of him, and it was on. It took twenty-eight fights, eight of which were fatal to the other guy, before he was killed, and we're pretty sure they had to cheat to make that happen. Otherwise, Cortez would have shown up and there'd just be Tlahuicole, hanging out, asking “'Sup?”
2. Saito Musashibo Benkei
Source:
In feudal Japan, if you were tall, ugly, and strong as an ox, there weren't a lot of decent jobs available. One of them, fortunately, was Buddhist monk, which Saito Musashibo Benkei took up with great skill. Another thing he took up with great skill was the naginata, a spear as tall as he was with what amounted to a katana on the end. You see, monks were expected to have military skill, which is pretty weird for men of peace until you realize that feudal Japan was basically a hellhole, so it was either know how to kick ass or get your ass kicked repeatedly. Still, give a guy like Benkei that and it's like arming the Hulk. It's just not going to end well for whoever makes him angry.
Benkei posted himself at a bridge and started collecting swords, forcibly, possibly out of boredom. On the thousandth sword, he met the one guy who could beat him up, Minamoto Yoshitsune, who he followed for the rest of his life.
Which ended with Benkei, on a bridge, holding off soldiers while his boss committed seppuku. Benkei killed so many people, and withstood so much damage, that after he died standing up, it still took the soldiers hours to get up the testicular fortitude to get close enough to realize he was dead. That's respect, right there.
1. Baba Deep Singh
"Baba," despite the Western connotations of baby talk, is actually an honorific among the Sikhs, roughly “Respected Elder,” and from this you might assume Baba Deep Singh was a religious man, which he was, and a man of peace, which he was. But you don't get to be a martyr by being a wuss, and Baba Deep Singh was going to earn the title.
He'd earned the right to retire, having served with distinction as a soldier. Unfortunately, he'd managed to offend Ahmad Shah Durrani, mostly by going in and inconsiderately freeing all those people he'd enslaved and raiding his treasury. In retaliation, Durrani, not really one for half measures, found the sacred shrine Harimandir Sahib, descrated it, and blew it up.
Singh, no believer in half measures himself, swore to rebuild the shrine and prayed that his head would fall at the Sahib (this is important to remember). So he went with a few guys, and on his way managed to raise an army of five thousand, setting the stage for the Battle of Amritsar, a truly epic fight, in the course of which, Singh was nearly decapitated.
Not that this actually killed him right there, mind you. No, Baba Deep Singh actually supported his head to keep the wound closed until he could kick enough ass to reach the shrine and die there. The dude actually put his head back on because he wasn't done beating up the guys who destroyed his shrine. And that's how you get number one, kids....deciding instant death can just wait a minute because you're not finished.
10. Brian Chontosh
Brian Chontosh, currently serving in the Marines, got the Navy Cross in 2003, which is hardcore, but not quite hardcore enough to make a top 10 list.
Now, being ambushed and driving your Humvee directly at the enemy's entrenched position, after which you leap into the trench, shoot terrorists until you run out of bullets for your Marine-issue guns, then take two AK-47s and kill some more terrorists, and then you find a rocket-propelled grenade and blow the hell out of even more terrorists? That's hardcore enough to make this list and then some. Chontosh killed twenty terrorists and seriously wounded several others, and probably ate three steaks and drank a keg of beer after, because he's ridiculously manly enough for that to be his lunch.
9. Craig Harrison
Source:
It's very rare to set a world record in your field. And it's even rarer to break that record immediately after you set it. Unfortunately for two members of the Taliban, they were volunteered to secure Craig Harrison a place in the history books.
Harrison was a British sniper assigned to Afghanistan, and on this particular day, he had a Taliban fighter in his sights. One problem: they were almost two miles away. But it was perfect sniping weather, the air pressure was just right, and Craig was feeling lucky.
After nine shots to gauge the distance, he got his bearings, placed the target precisely on the Taliban fighter, and made him go away. Then Harrison noticed the friend of the guy he just wasted a little further back, and drilled him too. Two world record shots, and the record is currently set at 2707 yards. Modern Warfare players across the world are jealous.
8. Dirk Vlug
It takes a lot of balls to go up against a tank, even if you happen to have a rocket launcher. Dirk Vlug probably had three of them.
In 1944, Dirk Vlug and his balls were in the Philippines, helping General Douglas MacArthur settle a small disagreement over whether the Japanese were allowed to stay or be removed forcibly with dynamite. He had a fairly boring guard job, and just had a pistol and a rocket launcher with six rounds.
Then he saw two Japanese tanks coming up the road. Vlug, being a sane, rational man, quickly figured out that he had enough rockets to really ruin the Japanese's day, which he proceeded to do by marching out under machine gun and artillery fire, and blowing up one of those tanks one-handed with his rocket launcher. The second tank crew decided they were going to beat the crap out of him, something he promptly explained was a bad idea by shooting one of them in the face with his other weapon, a pistol. So they get back in the tank, which he promptly blew up before they could even get started.
Three more tanks show up, and make the serious mistake of irritating Dirk Vlug. By the time he's done, two are burning wrecks, one has been knocked off the road, and Vlug has earned the Medal of Honor...and the eternal fear of the Japanese.
7. Alvin York
Alvin York was a man who'd put violence behind him. After years of drinking and fights, his best friend had been beaten to death, and Alvin had sobered up and was flying right as a pacifist. Unfortunately, they don't really let you be a pacifist when you're drafted into the Army, so Alvin was packed off to World War I, given a gun, and told to kick some ass. So he kicked the absolute minimum needed.
Unfortunately for Germany, the minimum was pretty high.
York and his unit were trapped by German machine guns, and thanks to everybody else in charge being dead or wounded, York was running the unit. So York, not particularly enjoying the situation, began sniping the Germans out of their nest with his standard-issue rifle while politely asking them to surrender, kind of like a cross between Mr. Rogers and Dirty Harry. Instead they sent eight men with fixed bayonets to kill him, so he drew his pistol and drilled all eight.
Keep in mind, he was being shot at the entire time. With machine guns. From some increasingly scared and angry Germans. Finally, after the commander had emptied his pistol trying to kill York and realizing he was rapidly running out of men, volunteered to surrender. So York and the seven guys he had left wound up escorting 132 Germans back behind American lines, much to the shock of the Germans.
Then York went home and founded a high school. Seriously. Something to think about the next time you want to make fun of your principal.
6. Charles Upham
Source: Kurt Hutton/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Charles Upham is one of the few men who won the Victoria Cross, and then promptly found it so nice he did it twice.
The first time he was granted the highest award England can give a soldier because he took on a machine gun nest with a pistol and won, and then decided he really should rescue all those wounded. Keep in mind he did this while surrounded by Germans trying to kill him, and in the process put quite a few Germans into the ground.
For the second time, obviously the bar was raised higher. They don't just hand these things out in Crackerjack boxes. So he'd have to go really over the top to land a second VC, which he did handily by wasting a truck full of Germans with some grenades, getting wounded twice in the process. Deciding that medical attention was for wusses, and that he really liked what these grenades could do, he decided to lead the charge into battle, and managed to destroy a tank with grenades. Did we mention one of his injuries was a broken arm?
Later he was captured, and sent to Colditz, where he proceeded to bring new meaning to the term “pain in the ass” by repeatedly trying to escape. One of his escape attempts involved him jumping from a moving truck and getting 400 yards away on a freshly broken ankle.
5. Audie Murphy
Source: Horace Abrahams/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
If you want proof that being a short guy isn't going to stop somebody from being a powerful soldier, look no further than the most decorated soldier in World War II, Audie Murphy, who got every medal the Army could give him (literally) and a few from foreign countries as well.
Murphy, 5'5” and skinny to boot, first went into battle in 1943, where he gunned down two Italian officers. He then proceeded to pretty much tear the Axis powers new and spacious orifices wherever he went, consistently getting promoted after creatively handing some Germans or Italians what was left of their heads. But his greatest moment probably came at Holtzwihr.
Murphy's unit was down to 19 men out of 128. They couldn't fight, they needed to rearm, and they needed somebody to hold the line. So Murphy stayed behind, shooting Germans until he ran out of ammo. Then, deciding he wasn't done killing Germans, he jumped onto a burning tank and starting using its .50 caliber machine gun. He even killed an entire squad of Germans trying to sneak up on him. Oh, and he did this for almost an hour, while wounded in the leg. And then his men showed up, and Murphy led them on a forward action. Translation: after spending an hour in the freezing cold on a burning tank spraying Germans with machine gun fire, he decided that wasn't enough and decided to get close and personal.
That was enough to land him the Medal of Honor, and a movie career. By the way, the movie of his life, starring the man himself, might make him seem like a bit less of a badass than he was. This is because it was toned down at the request of one Audie Murphy: he thought nobody would believe he'd actually done all that.
4. Peter Francisco
Peter Francisco grew up an orphan under the care of the uncle of Patrick Henry, so it was logical he'd join the American militia in the Revolutionary War. What made it especially logical was his being six-foot-six and 260 pounds of sheer muscle. He was so big, in fact, that he got the nickname “The Virginia Hercules” and needed a broadsword specially forged to suit his height. The guy was so strong he could, and often did, pull around half-ton cannons to get just the right aim.
Francisco is widely considered one of the greatest American soldiers ever, seeing action all up and down the Colonies, including Monmouth, Stony Point, Brandywine, and Guildford Courthouse, where he pretty much killed eleven enemy soldiers with his bare hands and a broadsword. At Guildford, he was severely wounded and sent home...which didn't stop him from coming across a British raiding party of eleven men.
Francisco was severely wounded by highly trained elite soldiers, but needless to say, they didn't stand a chance: Francisco killed one, wounded eight, and just to rub it in, stole all their horses and delivered them to the American army. Reports differ on whether he also gave them wedgies before he left, but we think it's pretty likely.
3. Tlahuicole
Before Cortez showed up and started slapping them around, there was nobody scarier on the North or South American continents than the Aztecs. This was mostly because the Aztecs' idea of Super Bowl Sunday were mass sacrifices to the gods, and they weren't shy about going out, beating other tribes senseless, and then wiping them out.
So to impress these guys, you have to kick an awful lot of ass. Which is what Tlahuicole proceeded to do, so much so that when he was captured, the Aztecs decided they couldn't sacrifice him. So instead they gave him honors and freed him.
Tlahuicole had other ideas. He was going to be sacrificed, but it was going to be by a guy who could take him in single combat, no doubt a cunning plan to kill every single Aztec warrior with his bare hands. The Aztecs looked nervously at each other, shoved one guy in front of him, and it was on. It took twenty-eight fights, eight of which were fatal to the other guy, before he was killed, and we're pretty sure they had to cheat to make that happen. Otherwise, Cortez would have shown up and there'd just be Tlahuicole, hanging out, asking “'Sup?”
2. Saito Musashibo Benkei
Source:
In feudal Japan, if you were tall, ugly, and strong as an ox, there weren't a lot of decent jobs available. One of them, fortunately, was Buddhist monk, which Saito Musashibo Benkei took up with great skill. Another thing he took up with great skill was the naginata, a spear as tall as he was with what amounted to a katana on the end. You see, monks were expected to have military skill, which is pretty weird for men of peace until you realize that feudal Japan was basically a hellhole, so it was either know how to kick ass or get your ass kicked repeatedly. Still, give a guy like Benkei that and it's like arming the Hulk. It's just not going to end well for whoever makes him angry.
Benkei posted himself at a bridge and started collecting swords, forcibly, possibly out of boredom. On the thousandth sword, he met the one guy who could beat him up, Minamoto Yoshitsune, who he followed for the rest of his life.
Which ended with Benkei, on a bridge, holding off soldiers while his boss committed seppuku. Benkei killed so many people, and withstood so much damage, that after he died standing up, it still took the soldiers hours to get up the testicular fortitude to get close enough to realize he was dead. That's respect, right there.
1. Baba Deep Singh
"Baba," despite the Western connotations of baby talk, is actually an honorific among the Sikhs, roughly “Respected Elder,” and from this you might assume Baba Deep Singh was a religious man, which he was, and a man of peace, which he was. But you don't get to be a martyr by being a wuss, and Baba Deep Singh was going to earn the title.
He'd earned the right to retire, having served with distinction as a soldier. Unfortunately, he'd managed to offend Ahmad Shah Durrani, mostly by going in and inconsiderately freeing all those people he'd enslaved and raiding his treasury. In retaliation, Durrani, not really one for half measures, found the sacred shrine Harimandir Sahib, descrated it, and blew it up.
Singh, no believer in half measures himself, swore to rebuild the shrine and prayed that his head would fall at the Sahib (this is important to remember). So he went with a few guys, and on his way managed to raise an army of five thousand, setting the stage for the Battle of Amritsar, a truly epic fight, in the course of which, Singh was nearly decapitated.
Not that this actually killed him right there, mind you. No, Baba Deep Singh actually supported his head to keep the wound closed until he could kick enough ass to reach the shrine and die there. The dude actually put his head back on because he wasn't done beating up the guys who destroyed his shrine. And that's how you get number one, kids....deciding instant death can just wait a minute because you're not finished.
In an anarchical system like international relations, military power is the ultimate form of currency. A state may have all the culture, art, philosophy, and glitter and glory in the world, but it’s all for naught if the country doesn’t have a powerful military to defend itself. Mao Zedong put bluntly when he stated: “power grows out of the barrel of a gun.”
Of all the types of military power, armies are arguably the most important for the simple fact that people live on land, and are likely to continue doing so in the future. As the famous political scientist John J. Mearsheimer said: “Armies, along with their supporting air and naval forces, are the paramount form of military power in the modern world.”
In fact, according to Mearsheimer, the Pacific War against Japan was the “only great-power war in modern history in which land power alone was not principally responsible for determining the outcome, and in which one of the coercive instruments— airpower or sea power—played more than an auxiliary power.” Nevertheless, Mearsheimer maintains, “land power [still] played a critical role in defeating Japan.”
Thus, armies are the most important factor in assessing the relative power of a nation. But how do we judge which armies were the most powerful in their time? By their ability to win battles decisively and consistently and the extent to which they allowed their countries to dominate other states—a function of land power, as only armies could achieve this type of control and conquest. Here are some of the most powerful armies in history.
The Roman Army
The Roman Army famously conquered the Western world over a period of a few hundred years. The Roman Army’s advantage was tenacity, its ability to come back and fight again and again even in the face of utter defeat. The Romans displayed this during the Punic Wars when despite a lack of knowledge and resources, they were able to defeat the Carthaginians first by waiting them out and then by using the tactics of surprise (by landing an army at Carthage itself).
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The Roman Army gave its soldiers many initiatives to fight for the army with vigor and determination. For poor soldiers, victory in war meant grants of land. For landholders, it meant protecting what they held dear and also gaining additional riches. For the Roman state as a whole, victory meant securing Rome’s security.
All of these initiatives spurred Roman soldiers to fight harder, and morale is a very important ingredient in the performance of armies. Just as important in this was its use of multi-line formations which, among its many advantages, helped the Roman Army replenish front-line troops during battle, where fresh Roman soldiers would square off against exhausted enemies. The Roman Army, often led by brilliant generals, also used mobility to generate offensive advantages, especially against their often defensive-minded enemies.
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As a result, in a span of about three hundred years, Rome expanded from a regional Italian power to the master of the entire Mediterranean Sea and the lands surrounding it. The Roman legion—divisions of the Roman Army which contained professional soldiers who served for 25 years—were well trained and well-armed with iron and were placed all over the empire in strategic locations, both holding the empire together and its enemies at bay. The Roman Army, despite some setbacks, really had no competitors of equal strength anywhere in its neighborhood.
The Mongol Army
The Mongols, who numbered at most 1 million when they started their conquests in 1206, managed to conquer and subjugate most of Eurasia in a hundred years, defeating armies and nations that had tens or even hundreds of times the manpower of the Mongols. The Mongols were basically an unstoppable force that emerged seemingly out of nowhere to dominate the Middle East, China, and Russia.
Mongol success boiled down to the many strategies and tactics employed by Genghis Khan, who founded the Mongol Empire. Most important was the mobility of the Mongols and their endurance. To begin with, the nomadic Mongol way of life enabled them to move large armies across amazing distances in short times, as the Mongols could live off of their herds or the blood of their horses.
The YORUBA ARMY
The yoruba empire have a strong army with strong rites that warlords dare not loose battle because of the penalties which may include sucide or death of the warlord family member.The yorubas can boast well of
their juju charm as they place emphasis on spiritual warfare than physical warfare.Thus the soldiers were like sword powered by the gods.this factor during 15th century made the empirer enlarged.
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