Emerson knives have long made professional-grade sharp things for professional-grade people. The original CQC 6 by Ernest Emerson is a sacred treasure in the SEAL Teams, and Emerson knives have long served with military members. I carried a CQC 7 during my time as a Marine and now own and love numerous Emerson knives. They […]
About Travis Pike
Russia’s answer to the M4: Breaking down the new AK-12
GearIn a globally connected world, gun nuts of all types can ogle the latest and greatest firearms from anywhere in the world. Oddly, the world of Russian firearms seems to be one of the more mysterious. Beyond the cultural limitations created by the language barrier, the Russians seem to adopt and create new rifles all […]
5 USMC facts that even Marines don’t know
Marine CorpsThe Marine Corps is a small fighting force deep in lore, history, culture, and intricacies that can be tough to navigate. Marines can serve for years and not find their way to the bottom of Marine Corps knowledge. As such, I’ve come to learn a few things as both a Marine, and now a civilian […]
The rifle setup Force Recon Marines carry into the fight
GearWhen we talk about underappreciated Special Ops troops, we can’t ignore the Marines serving in Force Recon (although they’re technically considered “special operations capable,” rather than a part of SOCOM). They never get the glory or budget they deserve. Force Recon has long been an elite force within the Marine Corps dedicated to deep reconnaissance […]
Ditch the Serpa: The world’s most dangerous duty holster
GearThe Blackhawk Serpa holster has been kicking around since the Global War on Terror began. For its time, it was a rather revolutionary design that provided the military and police forces a dedicated duty holster, made from polymer, with active retention, a modular design, and an affordable price tag. Before the Serpa, the Bianchi M12′ […]
B&T’s APC9K: The Army’s new Submachine gun is a tiny terror
GearThe fact the Army was looking for an SMG, or submachine gun, was big news a couple of years ago. They hadn’t adopted a submachine gun platform for “big Army” since the M3 Grease gun from World War 2. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Army put out a request for samples for modern submachine […]
PT-R Weight Kit – Deployment Ready Fitness
Gear5.11 Tactical is well known for their clothing, tools, tactical gear, and now they’ve dived into the tactical fitness aspect with a line of PT gear. They call it the PT-R line, and it encapsulates shorts, shirts, and their latest PT-R Weight kits. When you hear the words weight kit, you might be picturing hefty […]
Fire from within: America’s Insurgency Weapon concept
GearThe United States military and creativity go together rather well. Supposedly, a Soviet Officer once said, “A serious problem in planning against American doctrine is that the Americans do not read their manuals, nor do they feel any obligation to follow their doctrine.” I take that as a compliment; a testament to the creativity and […]
The brutality of trench weapons in World War I
GearWorld War 1, or the Great War, was a 20th-century war fought with 19th-century tactics. The result led to the advent of war machines the world had never seen. The fearsome weapons employed sent men to the trenches and created a meat grinder of a conflict. We saw the rise of nerve gas, machine guns, […]
The strangest covert weapons American spies carried in WWII
GearThe Office of Strategic Services was a joint intelligence and operations agency founded by the Americans during World War 2. It served as a precursor to the CIA and was ran by a man who went by Wild Bill Donovan. The OSS did fascinating work and was invaluable to the war effort. They honed and […]
