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On December 17, 1944, the German armored spearhead of Kampfgruppe Pieper overran the U.S. 285th Field Artillery Observation Battalion at a crossroads in Belgium during the opening of the Battle of the Bulge. The lightly armed Americans—mostly with M1 carbines—were quickly overwhelmed and forced to surrender. The name of the field they were herded into will live in infamy. It was there, at Malmedy, that 86 American prisoners of war were executed by the Germans. In this American Rifleman Television segment we are at that hallowed ground, and we continue on to the exact spot that Kamfgruppe Pieper was stopped by the men of the U.S. 30th Infantry and the 82nd Airborne Divisions.
The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.
The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?
CZ's 527 action was long a popular option scaled around compact cartridges like the .223 Remington and the 7.62x39 mm. Now, the new CZ 600+ Carbine brings that same concept to the company's new CZ 600 series.
In our latest "I Carry" setup, we're featuring the Smith & Wesson Model 386 Night Guard in an ANR Design holster, and we've got a Streamlight EDC flashlight to round out our kit.