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In this fifth installment of "The Men and Guns of the Pacific," the ARTV crew heads to Iwo Jima. When U.S. forces sought to capture an advanced airfield where shorter-range American fighters could be based, Iwo Jima was the only island that made sense, and it was only eight square miles long. The Battle of Iwo Jima lasted 36 gruesome days with more than 6,800 Americans paying the ultimate sacrifice. It is also a significant point in Marine Corps history. Now, Americans are only allowed on the island of Iwo Jima one day a year, and ARTV got the chance to be there on that one day. Check out this segmentfrom a recent episode ofAmerican Rifleman TV to learn more about the Battle of Iwo Jima.
Smith & Wesson went back to the drawing board with its Bodyguard .380, and in 2024, the company rolled out the Bodyguard 2.0, which is one of the smallest and lightest defensive pistols in the S&W lineup.
Following Marlin's resurrection, Ruger is now reviving another storied brand, Glenfield Firearms, and the brand's inaugural design, the Model A, borrows design elements from Ruger's Gen 1 American rifle.
Auto-Ordnance has introduced a special-edition, semi-automatic Thompson M1 carbine customized by Altered Arsenal to commemorate the 250th anniversaries of the United States Navy and Marine Corps.
Famous for its semi-automatic shotguns, Italian maker Benelli steps up its game in pump-actions—and forecasts more availability of U.S.-market-ready versions in the future.
Within the pantheon of U.S. Marine Corps small arms, two rifles are indelibly linked with the Corps’ combat experience in the 20th century, and both were designed by Marines: the Model 1941 Johnson Rifle and the M16.