All Episodes 2011 - 2022

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When we talk about the modern 1911, we see the tremendous influence of Colonel Jeff Cooper. Here is a full and unedited interview with Colonel Cooper from early 2006. He talks about the Leather Slap matches in California. He talks about the mindset, Gunsite Academy and the story behind El Presidente. He talks about the bodyguard business, the war on terror, 1911s, the Bren Ten and the CZ75. He talks about the Scout Rifle and general thoughts about bolt action and semi auto rifles. He also shares some thoughts about the M16 in .223. Finally, he talks about The Modern Technique of the Pistol, the ability to defend yourself, democracy and freedom.

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.

The Winchester Model 94 are written in large letters across American history. This rifle redefines the meaning of success. Gun experts you’ll meet in this episode: Alex Rose, Gene “Evil Roy” Pearcey, Dick Williams, Buz Mills, George Harris, Ken Hackathorn, Bill Laughridge, Philip Shreier, Dr. Jack Atwater, Larry Potterfield, Gary Paul Johnston, Frank James, Jason Schubert and Ted Nugent.

Faced with trench warfare, WWI troops needed a portable weapon with enough firepower to change to course of a battle. John Browning stepped up and came up with what was then the perfect answer – the Browning Automatic Rifle. Gun experts you’ll meet in this episode: Stephen Hunter, Lance Olson, Alex Rose, Gene “Evil Roy” Pearcey, Bill Laughridge, Philip Shreier, Dr. Jack Atwater, Larry Potterfield, Gary Paul Johnston, Frank James, Jason Schubert and Ted Nugent.

How did the perfect revolver for its time end up in second place? We look at the Smith & Wesson Top Break, a classic American revolver used by Frank and Jesse James, Annie Oakley, Bill Tilghman and Buffalo Bill . Gun experts you’ll meet in this episode: Larry Potterfield, Jim Supica, Jason Schubert, Dr. Jack Atwater, Dick Williams, Bill Laughridge, Lance Olson and Stephen Hunter.

It is arguably the most recognized firearm in the world, and the longest serving US infantry rifle ever fielded. It has been copied by numerous countries, and its civilian counterpart is produced by virtually every firearms manufacturer out there. Yet, when it was first introduced, many people immediately began writing its obituary because of the problems it encountered. Some claimed it was adopted more through political pressure rather than performance. And the design was a polar opposite of what a United States military rifle’s virtues were supposed to be. But many of its early problems were brought about by factors that its designer had never intended the rifle to operate with.

There are many images that come to mind when you mention the Cold War. Nuclear arms race, The Soviet Union, the Berlin Wall… East and West, divided. For many, it is the image of the AK 47. Thousands of Soviet troops, marching in-step with a rifle that literally defined communism on the battlefield. But, if the AK defined communism, then the FN FAL was the definitive symbol of Western freedom, and the soldiers who guarded it. So much so that it was called, and is still remembered as “The right arm of the free world.”

How does the oldest family owned corporation in the world teach itself new tricks? If the name is “Beretta,” founded in 1526, about the time Pope Clement VII was creating the Inquisition, the answer is “very well.” And since 1985, when Beretta’s flagship 9mm beat out the legendary 1911 .45ACP, the M9 9mm pistol has been the issue handgun of the U.S. military. But the M9′s tenure has been marked by both praise and controversy…

How many times in history has one man’s vision changed the course of warfare? As short as that list may be, there is no more unlikely story than Ronnie Barrett…a photographer, with no background in building firearms…who dreamed of a shoulder-fired rifle that could handle the awesome .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun cartridge. The Barrett M82 semi auto .50 BMG rifle did indeed change the battlefield, but its birth was anything but easy.

It can be said that the first shotguns — simple iron tubes filled with gunpowder, rocks and pieces of scrap iron — used on a 15th Century battlefield in northern Italy put an end to the Age of Chivalry. Since that time the shotgun has been a companion in both war and peace. But of all the shotguns down through history, none stand as tall as the Remington 870 pump, favored by law enforcement, military and game hunters around the world and, quite simply, the best selling shotgun in history.

Over this first season of Gun Stories, we’ve covered the history, design and even the future of twelve firearms that have been influential not just in gun design, but society itself. Today, we want to take you through somewhat of a crash course in the guns we’ve covered.

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.

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.

Once in a blue moon, a machine becomes more than the sum of its parts. It is even more rare when that machine is a tool of war. in 1919, John Taliaferro Thompson, a career army officer, created the firearm that would make his name immortal.

The Pistole Parabellum 1908 or more simply the Luger, is as emblematic of the German empire as the slab sided 1911 is of America. Although it was not the first semi automatic pistol, the Luger’s early successes proved that as the 19th century gave way to the 20th, the semi auto pistol was a wave of the future.

As World War I began, the American dough boys needed a new machine gun. John Browning responded with his water cooled model 1917. When the war ended, Browning made a few changes to his signature design. What emerged was the air cooled Model 1919.

When we think of those things that are quintessential American, certainly apple pie comes to mind. Not far behind that delicious vision is a different image – one of long summer afternoons spent plinking with a beloved .22 rifle. And the rifle that embodies that image is the Ruger 10/22, a gun that has earned the name America’s Rifle.

It’s been said that the history of weapons is indeed the history of the world. Maybe a bit of an overstatement, but certainly true in the case of the Avtomat Kalashnikova 1947, the AK-47. I’s a rifle that has quite literary reshaped the world.

If ever a firearms could be said to have a inferiority complex, it would be the Remington Rolling Block rifle. Perhaps the most common rifle used by pioneers in America’s westward expansion, it lost out first to the Sharps and later the Winchesters and the critical arena of publicity. But the Rolling Block wrote its name in large letters across our western frontier.

Gunsite Academy’s Cory Trapp and Michael Bane talk about the Modern 1911 featured in episode #10 of Gun Stories season 2 on Outdoor Channel.

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.

The Vickers machine gun was based on the successful Maxim gun of the late 19th century. After purchasing the Maxim company in 1896, Vickers took the design of the Maxim gun and improved it. It changed the world, some times in terrifying and horrific ways.

Perhaps not surprisingly, few firearms have been designed by murderers serving prison sentences. Of those few, fewer still are adopted by the U.S. Military as a major war fighting tool. David M. Williams, a convicted murderer and former moonshiner redesigned a prototype from Winchester which became the M1 Carbine.

The year was 1825 and the man who made his name with fine dueling pistols and superb sporting rifles, was getting ready to see his name become a household word. Philadelphia gun maker Henry Deringer looked at the huge flintlock pistol of the day and had an idea of a different sort of gun – small, lightweight and concealable. He called his new gun The Derringer Pistol.

Some times the ugly duckling wins. Who would have thought that the homely Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle would rise from its imperial roots in Russia and to become one of the successful firearms in history. It also captured the hearts of American gun buyers used to the best in everything. Indeed, the Mosin-Nagant story is unique.

The shotgun may be man’s oldest firearm, but that doesn’t make it any less lethal for modern military applications. In fact, today’s battlefields has spawned a state of the art fighting shotgun from one of the industry’s most revered names….. Benelli and the M4. Hosted by Joe Mantegna.

We think of pocket pistols as a modern invention and part of our expanded concealed carry rights. But maybe the finest pocket pistol ever made dates all the way back to 1903. Not surprisingly, John Browning’s fingerprints are all over it.

Few handguns have ever achieved the status of the SIG Sauer 226 family. The SIGs are the issue pistols for the FBI, Navy SEALS, the British SAS, the Secret Service and literally hundreds of special forces and police teams around the world. It is as accurate as many targets pistols and as reliable as…. well…. a SIG.

The AR-15 has been one of the most successful military and now civilian rifle in the history. The hottest AR trends today is moving towards bigger calibers with 30 caliber variants. You might say that the AR platform has gone full circle. It all started with the 7.62 mm AR-10.

In this episode, we look at some of the highlights from the third season of Gun Stories. Hosted by actor and gun enthusiast Joe Mantegna, Gun Stories takes viewers through a firearm’s history, from the heart of the design through its use on the range.

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.

The Bullpup rifle design with the magazine and action behind the pistol grip seems like an excellent solution to the constant military demands of shorter and lighter. But after decades of service, the verdict is still out on the bullpups.

Think of it as the Lamborghini of revolvers. The Colt Python in .357 Magnum with its sleek lines and credible finish, superb accuracy and flawless trigger pull , is described as the finest production revolver ever made.

Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle that, when fully assembled, creates one of the most recognizable gun profiles of all time. The C-96 Mauser, as its more commonly known, the Broomhandle Mauser, is not only a machine of warfare, but the finest expression of Victorian Era gun-making, maybe the ultimate “Steampunk” pistol.

If there was ever a gun perfectly suited to its time, it’s the Ruger Standard .22 semiauto pistol, Bill Ruger’s enduring triumph of modern manufacturing, the relentless pursuit of a vision and, and this is important, an uncanny sense of what the American public wanted.

The date was May 9, 1864, and Union General James Sedgwick had just admonished his troops in the Battle of Spotsylvania Court House to stop flinching from Confederate fire almost 1000 yards away. “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this distance,” he shouted. Within seconds, the Confederate sniper’s bullet hit the General just below his left eye, and the Union troops learned the battlefield-controlling power of the sniper.

Host Joe Mantegna and numerous experts take a look at the firearms used by the Seventh Cavalry during the Battle of Little Big Horn. Was Custer’s last stand due to the choice of arms during the battle, or were his tactics and bravado the root cause of his defeat during the most studied battle in American History.

For over a hundred years, experts and historians have claimed the Native Americans under Sitting Bull’s command had a superiority of firepower over George Custer’s Seventh Cavalry at the Little Big Horn. But recent excavations of the battle site, combined with historical interviews of the time, paint a different picture of the quality and number of arms they were able to bring to bear against the US Military.

In the mid-1800s, as the height of the British Empire, explorer Sir. Richard Francis Burton returned from Darkest Africa with amazing stories and a new word, safari, the Swahili word for “long journey.” Then the rush was on as young gentlemen explorers and hunters headed to Africa and India in search of game and adventure. And with them they brought perhaps the finest firearms ever made, the magnificent English double rifles.

Few firearms have had such a profound effect on warfare as John Browning’s massive .50 caliber M2 heavy machine gun, the most successful machine gun ever made. Affectionally called the “Ma Deuce” by American soldiers through 5 wars and numerous smaller actions around the world,and still is the go-to gun for the U.S. military.

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.

They buck and they roar and they twist in your hands like fire-breathing dragon. You can feel the recoil all the way up to your shoulders. Big bore handguns are probably the greatest challenge in all the shooting sports. But today’s generation of handgun hunters have not just tamed those fire-breathing dragon,but brought them to heel.

One of the most amazing things about the history of warfare is how many of the most fearsome weapons were created by men who felt their inventions would end war.Alfred Nobel and his work with gunpowder and explosives, Hiram Maxim’s machine gun, and before them all, Richard Jordan Gatling and his “terrible marvel,” the gun that bore his name.

A little more than 150 years ago, the guns of the Union and Confederate forces finally fell silent after five years of what would be described by both sides as hell on earth. The Civil War fundamentally changed America, and the arms of the Civil War fundamentally changed warfare.

When Confederate canons opened fire on Ft. Sumter near Charleston, neither the North nor the South were prepared for war. Indeed, neither side understood the great bloodletting they were entering. The Civil War changed not only America, but warfare itself. And for the largely agricultural South, they started from behind when it came to firearms.

Imagine an inexpensive and well tested device than can make shooting any gun safer, reduce recoil by as much as a third and eliminate the single the biggest problem in all of shooting, the flinch. Now imagine that you can’t buy this amazing device without the permission of the federal government. In this episode we’re talking, very quietly, about silencers.

There is something quintessentially American about the Sharps rifle, a direct line back to the Civil War and the opening of the West. More importantly, Christian Sharps’ invention is quite simply a better mousetrap, and the world did indeed beat a path to his door.

As shooters and hunters, we’re very familiar with the modern centerfire cartridge. The cartridge seems to be a study in simplicity; a metallic case that holds the powder and the bullet fired by primer in the base of the case. Simple…but getting to that simplicity is nothing short of one of the most fascinating stories in history.

After the ingenuity of the matchlock and wheellock, the next steps in ignition systems seem to solve all of the short comings earlier designs faced. The flintlock and percussion cap were on the horizon, ending with what would become the modern cartridge.

“It’s always fun until someone puts out an eye”. If you say the word air gun, that’s probably the first thing to cross your mind. But air guns have always been tools more than toys. Tools for hunting. Tools for target shooting. Tools for war. In fact, air guns may be the most unique gun story of all.

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

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.

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

The Browning Auto 5 has its own special place in history. John Browning called the A5, the first semi auto shotgun, his greatest achievement.

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.

Joe Mantegna explores the rag-tag cavalry that stormed San Juan Hill.

How does the oldest family owned corporation in the world teach itself new tricks? If the name is “Beretta,” founded in 1526, about the time Pope Clement VII was creating the Inquisition, the answer is “very well.” And since 1985, when Beretta’s flagship 9mm beat out the legendary 1911 .45ACP, the M9 9mm pistol has been the issue handgun of the U.S. military. But the M9’s tenure has been marked by both praise and controversy…

Joe Mantegna explores the surge of pistols based on the AR and AK platforms.

Joe Mantegna discusses the various battle rifles that were created in the aftermath of WWII.

Joe Mantegna visits the vault where the FBI stores its most famous confiscated weapons.

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 explores the various weapons issued to G-men through the years.

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

Joe Mantegna explores the rag-tag cavalry that stormed San Juan Hill.

Joe Mantegna examines the classic American long rifle.

Joe Mantegna explores the surge of pistols based on the AR and AK platforms.

Joe Mantegna discusses the various battle rifles that were created in the aftermath of WWII.

Joe Mantegna visits Quantico and examines the ballistics lab responsible for testing firearms and armor for all FBI agents.

Joe Mantegna visits the vault where the FBI stores its most famous confiscated weapons.

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 explores the lineage of the combat shotgun; one of the most effective combat weapons in history.

Joe Mantegna sweeps the trenches to discuss the history of the submachine gun.

Joe Mantegna visits Cabot Arms to get a first hand look at their 1911 made out of a meteorite...yes, meteorite.

Joe Mantegna explores the guns designed to stop the unstoppable tank of the first World War.

Beneath the sequined Las Vegas figure was a southern boy who grew up in the world of firearms. Hosted by Joe Mantegna.

Host Joe Mantegna visits Larry Potterfield who has created, what he calls, the perfect safari rifle. Well…almost perfect.

Host Joe Mantegna visits Larry Potterfield and discusses his beautifully matched pair of James Purdey and Sons 12-gauge shotguns.

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 continues to revisit classic semiautomatic pistols from the last 100 years.

Joe Mantegna discusses the Civil War repeater that President Lincoln made famous.

Joe Mantegna investigates the pistol that Browning designed to compete with his own 1911

Joe Mantegna explores Jim Supica's extensive collection of guns bearing the illustrious number one.

Joe Mantegna takes a look at the lineage of the rifles armed by our troops over the last 150 years.

Joe Mantegna discuses the history of rifles made famous by the German manufacturer.

Joe Mantegna examines Colt's famed family of revolvers including their reintroduction to the public.

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.