S4 E1 • Walther PPK

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.

Première diffusion : 2 juillet 2014

S4 E4 • Bullpups

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.

Première diffusion : 23 juillet 2014

S4 E5 • Colt Python

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.

Première diffusion : 30 juillet 2014

S4 E6 • The C96 Broomhandle Mauser

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.

Première diffusion : 6 août 2014

S4 E7 • Roosevelt’s Africa Guns

Was there ever a more enthusiastic President than Theodore Roosevelt? Teddy Roosevelt lived life largely, a character perfectly suited to the Gilded Age of American History. Cowboy, soldier, politician and first and foremost, a hunter.

Première diffusion : 13 août 2014

S4 E8 • Ruger Standard .22 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.

Première diffusion : 20 août 2014

S4 E9 • Sniper Rifles

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.

Première diffusion : 27 août 2014

S4 E10 • Guns of Little Big Horn – Part 1

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.

Première diffusion : 3 septembre 2014

S4 E11 • Guns of Little Big Horn – Part 2

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.

Première diffusion : 10 septembre 2014

S4 E12 • English Double Rifles

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.

Première diffusion : 17 septembre 2014

S4 E13 • Browning M2 HB

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.

Première diffusion : 24 septembre 2014