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Think Swiss watches are nice? You should see the inside of a Schmidt-Rubin rifle. The Schmidt-Rubin was originally adopted by the Swiss in 1889 with the 1911 version created as a modification and improvement of the original. The rifle is unusual to Americans because it has a straight-pull bolt action, but it is one of the nicest ever made. It was a very successful infantry rifle and saw service from 1889 into the 1950s. These days, the rifle has become quite popular in the military surplus market with the majority of the ones available in the K31 Carbine version. For more on the Schmidt-Rubin 1911 Rifle, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.
In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.
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?