After five decades of faithful service and countless rounds downrange, the Beretta 92 still proves that true legends don’t fade—they just keep firing.
Military History
What Would Alvin York Carry Today? – Modern Marksman Loadout
In the closing weeks of World War I, a former conscientious objector from the hills of Tennessee changed history in a French forest. Armed with nothing but a bolt-action rifle, a .45 Colt, and conviction forged by faith, Sergeant Alvin C. York killed 25 enemy fighters, and captured 132 more, all in one firefight. With […]
Full-Auto Fun — Shooting the full-Auto vz. 61 Škorpion
The Škorpion freakin’ ROCKS (and rolls)!!!Those of y’all dear readers who remember 5 May 2025 article titled “Firing the Full-Auto Steyr AUG” will recall that I kvetched about that rifle having “that frickin’ progressive trigger made the Steyr *THE* most difficult of the bunch to keep my shots on target, even at a measly 7 […]
The Fairbairn-Sykes Fighting Knife: A Commando Blade That Changed Special Forces Forever
Here at LoadOut, we all love talking knives. There’s just so many of them, that have so many different functions. There are knives that hang on belts, some knives that open Amazon boxes, knives that go into the glovebox for an emergency. And then there are knives quite literally born in blood, trained in darkness, […]
Helwan Brigadier 9mm Range Report
Besides being my all-time personal sentimental favorite pistol, the Beretta 92FS, aka M9, is a truly iconic combat handgun. Believe it or not, the Beretta 92/M9 pistol series is celebrating its 50th birthday this year, which by happy happenstance (alliterative wordplay intended) falls the year before the 500th anniversary of its manufacturer, which just so […]
Too Tough to Die: The M14
Some rifles fade into obscurity. Others refuse to go quietly. Then there’s the M14…the Cold War warhorse that refused retirement, kept punching past its prime, and earned a cult following among shooters, soldiers, and salty old marksmen alike. Born in the shadow of the M1 Garand and overshadowed by the M16, the M14 is that […]
Tommy Gun Madness: The Thompson Submachine Gun
How one brutally effective American icon bridged Prohibition and World War – and became one of the loudest symbols of American firepower. Before Delta carried suppressed MP5’s, before Marines stacked bodies in Fallujah with M16’s, there was a time when American warfighters waded into battle with 10 pounds of walnut and steel. Slinging .45 caliber […]
Firing the Full-Auto Steyr AUG
Sprayin’ and prayin’ like Karl from Die Hard, I finally got to rock the Steyr AUG in full-auto—and lemme tell ya, that progressive trigger ain’t for the faint of finger.
M60 Pig: America’s Jungle-Eating, Belt Fed Freedom Machine
It weighed over 20 pounds, jammed when it felt like it, and chewed through belts of 7.62 NATO like a chainsaw on meth…but for the American warfighter in Vietnam, the M60 was more than just a machine gun. It was an iron pig that ate communism for breakfast. Birth of a Beast Born out of […]
KA-BAR: The Knife That Won Wars and Built Legends
Few tools in American history carry the weight of legend, grit, and blood-soaked valor quite like the KA-BAR knife. More than just a hunk of steel, the KA-BAR is a symbol of American resolve; from storming the beaches of Normandy to the dusty hills of Afghanistan. It’s not just a knife. It’s the knife. Forged […]
