Gun Stories

Sometimes, a machine becomes more than the sum of its parts. The Thompson sub machine gun is, indeed, one of those machines. kwshooting

With the adoption of the Model 1911 pistol by the US military, John Browning established the benchmark that all other handguns would be measured against.

While the bloody arc of John Dillinger's life is well known, less time has been spent on the convergence of 2 technologies that made Dillinger possible, cars and guns.

ARMSCOR/ROCK ISLAND can trace its roots back to the early 1900s, beginning as Squires Bingham and Company, a clothing and sporting goods store in the Philippines.

The German World War 2 MG-42 stands as one of the greatest machine guns in history. And the story of the American M-60, affectionately or not, known as the Pig, begins there.

One thing can be said for certain ' a country that is always at war either becomes expert at weapons' design or it perishes. Israel is such a country, and their iconic Galil assault rifle is a classic example of a superior battlefield weapon that was simply overcome by technology.

Sometimes the future arrives slightly ahead of its time, and often, from an unexpected direction. With almost 100 years in production, the lever action Savage Model 99 is unequivocally one of the most successful rifles in the world. But not the way its inventor, Arthur William Savage, envisioned.

The British Webley revolver occupies the same unique space in the world of guns that the English Bulldog does in the world of canines - squat, ugly to the point of beauty and lots and lots of very sharp teeth.

Yet again, John Moses Browning created a main line weapon for the US military; the 1919 Browning machine gun.

In the 1960s and continuing into the 1980s, the Uzi was the most popular sub machine gun with military and law enforcement in history.

The Remington Model 8 was the first mass-produced semi automatic rifle chambered in a round more powerful than the most popular hunting cartridge of the day, the 30-30.

The AK47 has become one of the most iconic firearms in history.

The popularity and fame of the Winchester 73 is pretty self evident. After all, how many firearms have had a major Hollywood movie with their name as the title?

Rick Harrison from Pawn Stars shows us some of his most unique acqusitions as Gun Stories looks at the strangest guns designed throughout history.

Possibly the greatest submachine gun ever manufactured, the MP5 has become essential to military and law enforcement personnel

The Desert Eagle; a handgun that can legitimately lay claim to being a movie star all by itself.

Not only did Mikhail Kalashnikov create what may be the perfect battlefield rifle, his design of the PKM has been in use since 1969 and sets the standard for others to follow.

Artists work in a variety of mediums; canvas, stone, clay and yes, even firearms.

The Swiss have always led the way with precision rifles, owing to their citizen army. From the Schmidt-Rubin through the current 550 series of weapons, these rifles have demanded quality throughout history.