GUNSPEC Blog

"That punk pulled a Glock 7 on me. You know what that is? It's a porcelain gun made in Germany. Doesn't show up on your airport X-ray machines, here, and it cost more than you make in a month." -John McClane in Die Hard 2.

Yes, it's the line that makes gun owners, firearm buffs, policemen, and military people cringe. It's what you hear from know-it-all convenience store clerks when they ring you up for buying the latest gunzine with a Glock on the cover. It suffers from that weak "sequel syndrome" that infects just about every movie with a number after the title. However, the original movie from the franchise, 1988's Die Hard, is a classic and favorite of most gun owners. It was based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which was previously made into a 1968 film starring Frank Sinatra.

Die Hard debuted at a time when most Action film stars were either proficient martial artists or bodybuilders and Bruce Willis was only known for his TV career on Moonlighting. Part of the success of the film is that Willis as John McClane comes across as an ordinary man caught up in extraordinary circumstances and gives gun owners a surrealistic sense of how "one good man with a gun" could save the day if he was in the "wrong place at the wrong time". Particularly realistic to me, was Willis' reaction to the first terrorist he encounters up close and personal. Arnold, Chuck, Sly or Jean-Claude would have simply decked him or shot him up first, but Willis personifies the reality of a normal person coming face-to-face with a machine gun wielding terrorist intent on killing him.

The movie takes place mostly in the elevator shafts and air vents as Willis scrambles to rescue his wife who is among the hostages of terrorists turned robbers in a deadly game of cat and mouse inside the building. Aside from the special effects, pithy dialogue, non-stop action, and well-timed comedy that does not come across as corny, the best thing about Die Hard has to be the guns.

The movie's protagonist, John McClane is armed with a Beretta M9 9mm semiautomatic pistol. Technical inaccuracies aside (in 1988 Berettas were not issued to NYPD and policemen could not carry on commercial airlines), the Beretta performs well in the movie. The Beretta had recently become the standard issue sidearm to the US military as the M9 and was one of the fabulous "Wondernines" of the 80%u2032s that gave birth to generations of pistols holding more than 6 or 7 rounds as this Beretta holds 15 rounds. Moviegoers of the Action genre had previously been introduced to the Beretta via Mel Gibson's character, Martin Riggs, in Lethal Weapon the Summer Blockbuster from 1987.

The terrorist/robbers in the film are perhaps the best armed villains to appear on screen to that point in time. There's no AK-47's, Uzis, or MAC-10's to be seen. No, sir, Hans Gruber's contingent takes over the Nakatomi building using the legendary HK MP5A2, the prop guns were actually converted HK 94's. A lightweight, air-cooled, selective fire delayed blowback operated 9x19mm submachine gun with a roller-delayed bolt. I remember seeing the movie while on weekend liberty as a young Marine and thinking how the MP5 would be ideal in a MOUT situation, primarily because of an instructor at Infantry Training School who drilled into me, "Never lead an ambush with an open-bolt weapon" as a misfire will be extremely loud as the bolt slams on an empty chamber. The MP5 fires from a closed bolt. MP5%u2032s were used in earlier films, but in Die Hard, movie goers got to see the gun close-up.

Although the bad guys use Walter PPK's and Walther P5's as side arms, another memorable handgun from the movie is Hans Gruber's satin nickel HK P7M13. Urban legend persists that they wanted a nickel Walther PPK to distinguish Gruber from his Henchmen, but the armorer had none available, but thought the P7 looked close enough. Whether it was meant to be there or a last minute substitution, it was a perfect choice. The P7 family of guns has always had a high price tag and a different manual of arms than the typical semi auto pistol. The gun is cocked by squeezing a lever in front of the grip. This coupled with the barrel being fixed in the frame gives the gun incredible accuracy.
The most exotic looking weapon used in the film would be the Steyr AUG used by Gruber's right-hand man, Karl. A bull pup rifle designed in the early 1970s by Steyr Mannlicher GmbH & Co KG, it still has the most futuristic space-age look among all semi auto rifles now as it did in 1988. The rifle features a two-stage trigger: on the true military version pulling the trigger halfway produces semi-automatic fire, pulling the trigger all the way to the rear produces full automatic fire. The rifle is fed from translucent, double-column box magazines and integrated with the receiver casting is a fixed carry handle that contains a 1.5x telescopic sight made by Swarovski.

Die Hard contains all these guns and more. The SWAT team and FBI agents turn out with M16/AR15's, an M60, a Steyr Sniper Rifle, even hockey puck grenades. The bad guys use rockets from some military system I've never seen, but despite all of this firepower, the one gun that saves the day hearkens back to the fact that essentially, Die Hard is a Western of sorts and America was a nation raised on the revolver. With the terrorists dead or in custody, the hostages released, McClane reunited with his family, Karl rises from the dead and converges on McClane and his wife with his AUG. A shot rings out and the uber villain drops to the ground lifelessly.

The single shot is fired by LAPD desk sergeant Al Powell played by Reginald Vel Johnson. Again, not a muscle-bound super cop or a martial artist in uniform, Powell is a middle-aged overweight desk jockey or what my cop friends refer to as a "House cat". He hasn't fired his weapon since his accident during the line of duty. Does he use an MP5 or an FN P90 or a Sniper Rifle? No. Die Hard is at its core a Western.

Ironically as Gruber taunts McClane calling him "Mr. Cowboy" and McClane responds by referring to himself as "Roy" (from Roy Rogers), the film embodies the traditional elements of a good Western. The lawman from back East takes on superiorly armed bad guys single-handedly with little hope for help from the cavalry and in the end he gets the girl and he's saved by his sidekick who uses a 6 shot Smith & Wesson Model 15 revolver.

About Mike Searson
Mike Searson has worked around firearms his entire adult life starting as a Marine Rifleman at 17 and continuing as a gunsmith, ballistician, instructor, and consultant. He is an avid shooter and collector who has written articles for magazines such as Gun Digest, Tactical Gear, Blade, and SWAT. He is the coordinator of the firearms and knives projects on Wikipedia, Admin on the Usual Suspects Network, has a blog on sixguns.com and is author of 4 columns for Examiner.com dedicated to guns, gun rights, MMA, and boxing.

General George S. Patton was known for his outspoken ways as well as his heroic leadership abilities. He was also known for his attachment to two particular handguns, which became his trademark. In the beginning, he carried twin Colt Single Action Army .45 revolvers. General Patton did relinquish one of his .45 revolvers to a Hollywood star he admired who had unselfishly entertained his troops at the front line. He replaced the .45 revolver with 3 1/2 -inch barreled Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum. It was thought that the revolvers that contained ivory-handles strapped to General Patton were to show professionalism. General Patton understand the importance of inspiring his troops and let us face it, military members are inspired by actions more so than words.

According to a biography published in 2002 by Stanley P. Hirson, General Patton carried two handguns at all times because of an incident that once happened in his previous life while serving under General Pershing's "Punitive Expedition" in Mexico while on the hunt for Pancho Villa.The first time that Patton experienced direct fire was on May 14, 1914. He along with other troops traveled into town to purchase food for their fellow troops when he came across what is called "Villistas". The Villistas attempted to get away on horseback and a serious gunfight ensued between the Mexicans and the Americans. Patton was armed with his own Colt SAA .45 revolver while carrying it with the hammer down on an empty chamber. During this encounter, it is said that Patton emptied the weapon during the firefight. Unbelievably, the firefight occurred within a radius of twenty-yards. It is stated that one of the Villistas challenged Patton with approaching him during the fighting and getting as close as ten paces which is when Patton purposely shot the horse.

This very incident is why Patton carried a back-up revolver. Patton gained a fear of having nothing to shoot back with which is why he was viewed continually in history always toting a back-up revolver. This is when Patton's attachment to two ivory-handled revolvers came into play in history. During what he deemed dangerous times, his weapons of choice were two Colt Frontier-models .45-caliber revolvers. At various times in General Patton's military career, he also carried a Remington Model 51 .380 during War World II and a Colt Pocket hammerless Model. It was the Remington that he emptied at a German fighter plane that was flying around his military camp. Patton stood defiantly in the gun sights of the fighter plane. He was also viewed carrying on occasion a Colt Detective Special .38 revolvers. All of Patton's side arms were inlaid with the stars of a U.S. general officer along with his signature ivory grips.

The press continually titled his weapons as "pearl-handled" which angered Patton. Patton once corrected a reported who asked why he was carrying "pearl-handled" weapons. Patton's reply to the reporter was as follows, "Only a New Orleans pimp would carry a pearl-handled gun".

Forgottenweapons.com has dug up a classic reading for all of those interested in the historic Luger. It includes a 1970, 33 page historical overview written by Gun Facts Magazine's Jan Stevenson. Mr. Stevenson traveled to Europe to investigate the historical and manufacturing impact of the beloved Luger Pistole Parabellum. Not only does he explore the manufacturing complexities involved, he also discovers how manufacturers had to accommodate about 1000 production operations required to create a single Luger. Click the photo to access.

During your search for good naughty firearm photos on the Internet, at one point or another you've probably come across images by the legendary Stickman. Don't feel guilty. He's the man the industry goes to when they need to make weapon ads look sexy without airbrushing.

So what do you get when you mix aesthetic photographic talent with years of intensive LEO/Military weapons training? A gorgeous volley of photographs ranging from the AR-15 to Glocks with a few hot H&K G36's thrown in. Moving forward, GUNSPEC will post additional photography compliments of Stickman. Also, a very special thanks to the folks at Weapon Evolution.
Thank you Stickman and welcome to GUNSPEC! Click Photo to visit Blog.

An American gunsmith by the name of Benjamin Tyler Henry invented the first Henry Rifle. He patented his rifle in 1860, which proved its worth on the battlefield during the Civil War. The original Henry rifle was in fact an American .44 calibers, lever-action, rim fire, loading rifle that was the design of Benjamin Tyler Henry in the late 1850s. The rifle was a definite improvement of the earlier model, the Volcanic Repeating rifle. The Henry rifle utilized copper and later on brass cartridges that contained twenty-five grains of gunpowder within a 216-grain bullet. There were approximately nine-hundred of these rifles that were produced by the year 1864. The production of the Henry rifles was as many as 290 monthly. When production ended, there were 14,000 units created by the company.

Originally, the rifle was listed at a sale price of forty-two dollars. Now, an original Henry rifle costs on average $14,000 and as high as $60,000 which greatly depends on the condition and wear and tear.

The Army never adopted the Henry rifle as an official weapon. The pride of owning one of these rifles was so great that numerous Union soldiers purchased the rifles with their own money. The rifles were popular due to various factors. Some of these factors included brass-framed carbines that could fire twenty-eight rounds in one minute. Raiding parties, recon-scouts and infantrymen utilized the rifle.

The Henry rifle was manufactured by a company called "New Haven Arms Company". This rifle did eventually evolve into the famous Winchester Model 1866 action rifle. When the new model was introduced in 1866, the company changed their name to Winchester Repeating Arms Company.

The rifle utilized .44 caliber cartridges with 26 or 28 grain of black gunpowder. This is why it contained less muzzle velocity with awesome stopping power in comparison to other rifles during that particular era. The action of the lever on the down stroke ejected spent cartridges from the chambers while cocking the hammer. The magazine engaged by a spring, forced the next round into the chamber while locking the level back into firing position. The design of the rifle did not prove safe. The Henry rifle has no safety and always remained in the firing position. Any type of impact on the back exposed the hammer that could cause a round to be fired.

The Henry did not experience many changes during its production years. The butt plate was slightly changed with some of the rifles not having a lever-latch. Most Henrys contained brass frames however; a minority was produced that had iron frames. The typical length of the gun barrel was twenty-four inches. Gun enthusiasts have found Henry's that have shorter barrels. The ammo never changed with a 216 bullet and 26 to 28 grains of black gunpowder.

In our modern times, the Henry rifle is high commodities with collectors demanding high prices. No ammo for these rifles has been produced for many years and if you are lucky enough to find some, they are highly collectable while proving far too expensive to shoot. If you want to shoot a Henry rifle, there are great reproductions available on the market. The reproductions manufactured by Aldo Uberti of Italy look and feel like an original Henry rifle.

The knife is mankind's oldest tool. From chipped flint and obsidian through bronze and iron daggers to the super steel tactical folders of today, the knife reflects the time we live in: whether it's the Roman pugio or the Old West Bowie.

One of the most iconic knives of the past 15 years has been the chisel-ground tanto made by Ernest Emerson of Emerson Knives, Inc. Ground on one side with a single bevel, its cutting ability is unsurpassed, eliminating various points of parasitic drag on the blade. Emerson first offered this knife as a custom model known as the CQC-6, which soon found favor by certain US Navy SEAL Teams.

The CQC-6 is widely credited with jumpstarting the "Tactical Folder Trend" of the 1990%u2032s. Wishing to keep this penultimate model as a custom piece, only, Emerson submitted a slightly different version to Benchmade Knives when asked to collaborate on the knife back in 1996. With a turned down handle to prevent slippage when used in wet conditions; this new model became known as the CQC-7. Benchmade's original offering included automatic versions of the knife, unfortunately, when Emerson parted ways with Benchmade to open his own factory in Torrance, California; fans of the CQC-7 have had to be content with manually opening versions. Until now, that is.

Pro-Tech Knives has begun manufacture of an automatic version of the CQC-7. According to Dave Wattenberg, CEO of Pro-Tech Knives, "The first production run will be very small - only about 200 units. We made it a short run so we could get them done quickly to make the introduction at the USN Gathering. Our finished knife is very true to the Original CQC-7 design and it's true to our Pro-Tech line It is 100% Emerson Design, 100% Pro-Tech hard hitting Auto!". Wattenberg expects it to be a very solid model in Pro-Tech's lineup. He is hoping that the next production run will be over 500 units.

According to Ernest Emerson, of Emerson Knives, "I talked with Dave at Pro-Tech about making an automatic Emerson. They were very receptive so we went forward. I decided to go with the CQC-7 model for several reasons. The most obvious is that it is an extremely popular knife known all over the world and, we have always had customers asking about an auto-7 over the years so that was a logical choice. In choosing the CQC-7 we didn't have to educate anyone that a new (other) model was a good knife and a good auto. They already know the CQC-7 is a good knife with a proven battle record, now that iconic design is available as an auto".

When asked, "Why Pro-Tech?". Emerson had the following to say. "I had looked at Pro-Tech over the years and have always been impressed with their sturdiness and quality of construction. Although they make fine high-dress knives, their working knives are a lot like mine: Strong, no frills, workhorse products that open the way an automatic should open. That's what sells an automatic. An auto knife with a weak spring is like wet toast".

The Pro-Tech version fires so strongly because the coil spring that Pro-Tech is using is the newest evolution of the Flat Wire coil spring design. The flat wire allows for a 6 and 1/2 times around wind and more surface area for the spring wire means more power and longer spring life.

The author purchased a prototype at the Usual Suspect Network's Second Annual Gathering in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino. The model had the iconic shape of the CQC-7, from the chisel ground tanto blade to the saber type handle. When placed alongside other custom and production models of the CQC-7, the dimensions were identical. The aluminum handles felt as sturdy as the traditional G-10 micarta handles of the Emerson offering and the knife indexes well in both the forward and reverse grip, right down to the placement of the pocket clip and lanyard holes.

In performing basic knife drills, the knife was a testament to Emerson's reputation for an ergonomic knife, coupled with Pro-Tech's rock solid strength and lock-up. The blade is made from the same steel that Emerson uses: premium 154-CM Stainless. The blade measures 4 5/8%u2033 closed and the knife is 7 7/8%u2033 overall when opened. The Stainless steel pocket clip is adjustable for tip up or tip down carry.

As mentioned previously, the blade is chisel ground meaning that the blade is flat on one side, and the other side is beveled and sharpened. This chisel grind edge eliminates drag on the blade and allows for exceptional cutting ability against anything the user needs to cut: cloth, twine, cardboard, flesh, etc. The armor piercing point works well against virtually any material it is put up against, too.

Automatic knives were ironically invented for women to use, without breaking a fingernail when opening the blade. The one-handed opening ability soon found favor in Police and Military use when the other hand may be holding a flashlight, service weapon, or a victim in an accident in need of rescue. The user can safely and consistently open the knife using the other hand. As pointed out in my earlier article on the Emerson Karambit in Tactical Gear Magazine (Fall 2010), an automatic opening knife carried on the off-side, can aid an officer in stopping an attempted gun-grab.

According to Wattenberg, "This will be an ongoing line for sure. As we go forward I'm sure we'll make the spear point blade version as well as some other Emerson/Pro-Tech models. In the second production run in 2010 we will have some very exciting custom pieces coming through: small numbers of Damascus blades, steel frames with different inlays, as well as Emerson Hand Ground custom blades! There will be a "more tactical version in the E7T07 and E7T08, a superb choice for police and military use with full knurling for an extra secure grip and a secondary safety".

"The response to the knife has been overwhelmingly positive so far. The design is truly a tactical knife classic - and thankfully a lot of people who are fans of Emerson Designs also like a well made automatic. It is still a little too early to tell where the largest market share will be - my guess is that the knife is an excellent candidate for Military Sales, so we'll probably see our largest numbers there."

"It's an honor to work with Emerson. His standards are very high and we understand the compliment it is to our company that he is collaborating with us. The process for getting the knife out was somewhat grueling, as Mr. Emerson likes every detail to be just so; we had a lot of back and forth to get the final approval from him. What can I say? The end result is worth it, the knife came out fantastic!"

For users looking for a hard-use, hard-firing tactical automatic knife, the search may be over.

Mike Searson has worked around firearms his entire adult life starting as a Marine Rifleman at 17 and continuing as a gunsmith, ballistician, instructor, and consultant. He is an avid shooter and collector who has written articles for magazines such as Gun Digest, Tactical Gear, Blade, and SWAT. He is the coordinator of the firearms and knives projects on Wikipedia, Admin on the Usual Suspects Network, has a blog on sixguns.com and is author of 4 columns for Examiner.com dedicated to guns, gun rights, MMA, and boxing.