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The Skorpion Machine Pistol was invented by Miroslav Rybář as his graduate thesis for the Czech Military Training Institute, and it has changed very little from its original design. The gun was adopted by Czech security forces in 1961 and saw service until 1979. Also known as the Vz 61, it is chambered in .32 ACP and feeds from detachable box magazines, is equipped with a folding buttstock and could be fired semi-automatic or fully-automatic. The Vz 61 Skorpion is not legal in the United States due to the National Firearms Act and import bans, however, they are gaining popularity in the U.S. with a version on the market that is a fully-legal semi-automatic-only pistol. For more on the Czech Skorpion Pistol, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
American troops took a healthy interest in Axis small arms during World War II. Sometimes they were simply looking to collect a war trophy. On other occasions, GIs and Marines looked to use those firearms against their former owners.
Politics is something most of us only step into because we must. We’d rather smile in the warm autumn sun as we help a son or daughter, or grandson or granddaughter, break their first clay or plink steel with their first .22 rifle.
The DOJ Office of Legal Counsel recently released an opinion concluding that the federal ban on licensed firearms dealers selling handguns to 18-20-year-old U.S. citizens is unconstitutional.
Following World War I, Czechoslovakia needed to equip its new army, and one of its priorities was to select a service sidearm, which ultimately became the vz.27.
Italian manufacturer Chiappa is not afraid to take an original design and give it a modern twist. New for 2026, the company is taking its rimfire M1 carbine design one step further with the Bushranger.
Established in 1996 by the father-and-son team of Gus and Ryan Bader, TriStar Arms has grown into one of the firearm industry’s most respected names in value-driven products.