Gun Stories

We’re taking a look back at the rich history of John Browning’s model 1911. We have a big line up of gun experts for Gun Stories. In this episode, we are featuring Alex Rose, Ken Hackathorn, Stephen Hunter, Gary Paul Johnston, Dr. Jack Atwater, Frank James, Philip Schreier, Ted Nugent, Bill Laughridge, Jim Supica, Buz Mills, Gene “Evil Roy” Pearcey, Larry Potterfield, Dwight Van Brunt, Lance Olson, Ross Seyfried, Dick Williams and Roger Smith.

When smokeless powder were introduced in the late 19th century, we experienced a new era in the manufacturing of firearms. Paul Mauser’s bolt action design has been copied ever since and are still used in modern rifles. Gun experts you’ll meet in this episode: Philip Shreier, Dr. Jack Atwater, Larry Potterfield, Gary Paul Johnston, Lance Olson, Stephen Hunter, Jason Schubert, Ross Seyfried and Ted Nugent.

Samuel Colt and his invention of the revolver changed the world. The ability to fire five or six rounds without reloading made a huge difference in the history of firearms. Sam Colt set a standard, but his 1873 Single Action Army was a model he wasn’t even around to see. Gun experts you’ll meet in this episode: Alex Rose, Gene “Evil Roy” Pearcey, Dick Williams, George Harris, Ken Hackathorn, Bill Laughridge, Jim Supica, Philip Shreier, Dr. Jack Atwater, Larry Potterfield, Gary Paul Johnston, Stephen Hunter, Jason Schubert, Ross Seyfried and Ted Nugent.

Gunsite Academy’s Cory Trapp is the armorer on Gun Stories and you have seen him in all the high speed videography scenes in season 1. Cory is back for season 2 and this time, you can also watch him weekly in our online exclusive where he and Michael Bane talk about the featured guns in each episode. This week, the topic is the S&W Model 29.

General George S. Patton declared the M1 Garand the greatest battle implement ever devised. Canadian inventor John Garand’s semi auto rifle with its 8 round end block clip provided the firepower superiority that helped turn the tide for American soldiers in World War II.

What was the gun that won the west? Was it the Winchester 73, the Colt Single Action Army or the Springfield Trapdoor? No, it was the one gun that any person could hunt with and use for self defense. It was the Double Barrel Shotgun.

His friends called him Uzi, but Major Uziel Gal never wanted that name attached to the firearm he designed. The Israelis simply ignored his request and the Uzi submachine gun, one of the most iconic firearm in history came into being. Hosted by Joe Mantegna.

In America, some times bigger really is better. At least it seems that way when dealing with handguns. And they don’t come any bigger than the Ruger Redhawk and its Super Redhawk brother, both that have come to define the phrase “big bore”. Hosted by Joe Mantegna. See below for more information and reference links to this episode.

A Winchester 1873 rifle was ubiquitous during America’s westward expansion. Whether in the hands of Buffalo Bill Cody,The Texas Rangers or Billy the Kid, it left an indelible mark on the Western Frontier.

Some times fame comes calling from the oddest directions. For the Walther PPK, fame arrived in the form of a letter to the author Iain Fleming. Host Joe Mantegna and numerous experts explore the history of James Bond’s famous firearm.

The Browning Auto-5 was the first mass-produced semi-automatic shotgun. It was designed by John Browning in 1898 and patented in 1900. It was produced continually for almost 100 years by several manufacturers with production ending in 1998. It features a distinctive high rear end, earning it the nickname “Humpback”. The top of the action goes straight back on a level with the barrel before cutting down sharply towards the buttstock. This distinctive feature makes it easy to identify A-5s from a distance. The shotgun was also used in military service worldwide between World War I and the Vietnam War.

The Lee-Enfield bolt-action, magazine-fed, repeating rifle was the main firearm used by the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century. It was the British Army’s standard rifle from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957.

Sam Colt — genius, huckster, snake oil salesman and one of the inventors of the modern world. His revolving pistols changed firearms and warfare forever, and his percussion revolvers remain with us, ageless beauty matched with relentless killing efficiency.

Maybe it was the movie DR. NO or THE LONGEST DAY, but what first catches your eye about the Bren Gun, the iconic British light machine gun of World War 2, is that it is upside down, with the curved magazine sticking out the top instead of the bottom. But whichever way you looked at it, the Bren is one of the most successful machine guns in the history of warfare. Ask any “Brenner,” as its operators were called.

Maybe the most famous gun advertisement in the world, “Do Or Die,” has a huge grizzly bearing down on a cowboy armed not with a lever action carbine, but a semiauto rifle; the Remington Model 8 was ushering in a new era in hunting rifle technology.

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

Armscor/Rock Island Armory can trace its roots back to the early 1900s, beginning as Squires Bingham and Company, a clothing and sporting goods store in Republic of the Philippines.

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

Joe Mantegna travels to Krebs, Oklahoma to visit the land his grandfather purchased in 1905 and fire the 1897 Winchester that belonged to his grandfather.

Joe Mantegna explores Nazi Germany's historic assault rifle.

Joe Mantegna discusses one of the most famous 9mm handguns ever produced.

Host Joe Mantena visits Sig Sauer whose very name immediately brings to mind a set of standards that are unmatched in the firearms world.

Sig acquired J.P. Sauer and Sohn in 1975, positioning themselves as a leader in firearms capabilities, creating industry standards such as the P220, the SG550 and many others. Hosted by Joe Mantegna.

Sig Sauer hires a new CEO, and the company never looked back. Hosted by Joe Mantegna.

Joe Mantegna examines the U.S. Army's first new subgun in over 70 years.

Joe Mantena examines the mass-produced sidearm for Nazi German during WWII.

Joe Mantegna takes a look at some of the most famous semi-automatic pistols ever produced.

Joe Mantegna explores the famed machine gun that fires 3000 rounds per minute.

Joe Mantegna investigates the 10mm created by Col. Jeff Cooper and made famous by Sonny Crockett.

Joe Mantegna revisits some of his favorite firearms from previous episodes.

Rock Island Armory is using its new facility in Utah to make their latest firearms including the VRF14 and the RIA 5.0

Joe Mantegna revisits the futuristic pistol born during the Space Race of the 1950s.

Joe Mantegna investigates the lesser-known but significantly important .36 caliber revolver from the American Civil War.

Merwin & Hulbert Revolvers, renowned for their exceptional craftsmanship and precision machining during their time.

The origins of Sig Sauer from Thuringia, Germany, to Newton, New Hampshire.

On this episode of Gun Stories, host Joe Mantegna explores the mystery behind a Winchester rifle found in the Great Basin National Park. Was it a hunter who intended to return and retrieve it later? Was it an outlaw on the run abandoning it when he ran out of ammo? This model 1873 has been shrouded by a mystery that so far, no one has been able to unravel.

The largest growing market for handguns today is concealed carry. Now legal and allowed in all 50 states, over half require no special permit. Join host Joe Mantegna as he takes a closer look at some of the most popular choices in conceal carry today.

Host Joe Mantegna looks back at one of the most unique and odd pistols in firearms history. Join us as we discover this extraordinary evolution in gun manufacturing with the Dardick pistol.