Gear Guides
The XM8 Rifle Was Supposed to Replace the M4, Then Its Program Fell Apart
The XM8 looked like the Army’s next standard rifle: lighter, modular, and tied to a bigger vision of infantry modernization. Instead, shifting requirements, procurement trouble, and hard questions about what it really improved turned it into one of the most famous almost-rifles in modern U.S. military history.
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The Turner Light Rifle Lost a Military Trial Over Ammunition It Wasn’t Given a Chance to Test Properly
Russell Turner’s unusual light rifle may have failed for good reasons, but one of the most important complaints was tied to ammunition it reportedly was never properly set up to use. That detail turns a forgotten trial result into a sharp lesson about how military testing can go wrong.
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The Rifle That Was Dropped From Trials Before It Ever Fired a Shot
Some trial rifles failed because they broke, jammed, or shot poorly. This one is more interesting because it appears to have been pulled from formal testing before it ever got the chance to prove itself on the firing line.
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10 Guns That Became Controversial for Reasons Few People Expected
Ten firearms became controversial for surprising reasons, from wartime disputes, recalls, digital files, and new designs.
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7 Firearms That Have Been Banned, Restricted or Phased Out in Parts of the U.S.
Seven firearms and firearm categories show how U.S. laws can ban, restrict, or phase out particular guns.
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11 Guns That Americans Often Misunderstand
11 firearms Americans often misunderstand, explained through their history, mechanics, terminology, and important numbers.
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The Rifle That Was Designed to Lose Its Own Military Competition
Some military rifles fail because they are bad. Others fail because the contest around them was tilted from the start. The XM8 became famous not just for what it was, but for how its own competition was structured against it.
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8 Bullets That Hunters Once Relied on but Rarely See Anymore
Eight once-popular hunting cartridges reveal how rifles, ammo, and changing tastes can quietly erase a round from camps.
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7 Firearms Hunters May Need to Rethink as Lead-Free Ammunition Becomes More Common
Lead-free hunting ammunition is changing how hunters choose, test, and plan around rifles, shotguns, and older firearms.
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Why the Ghost Gun Ruling Could Reshape More Than Just Ghost Guns
The Supreme Court's ghost gun decision was about unfinished parts and build kits on the surface. In practice, it may become a bigger statement about how courts read old statutes in a world of rapidly changing technology.
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The Pistol That Used Rubber Bands Instead of a Traditional Spring
Most pistols rely on steel springs, but a few inventors explored elastic alternatives that sound more like toys than serious mechanisms. This strange corner of gun history shows how far designers would go to simplify parts, cut cost, or rethink recoil.
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The 18th-Century Air Rifle Lewis and Clark Secretly Carried Across America
Long before repeating rifles became common, Meriwether Lewis carried a compressed-air gun that could stun onlookers and project power without smoke or a powder flash. It was one of the expedition’s strangest tools—and one of its smartest psychological advantages.