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During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Special Forces needed a 9 mm machine gun capable of rapid fire, and thus took a liking to the Carl Gustav M45 Swedish K Submachine Gun. But when Sweden placed an export ban on its submachine gun in 1967 due to U.S. involvement in Vietnam, the Army went to the powers that be at Smith & Wesson for a solution, who produced a copy of the Carl Gustav Submachine Gun which became the Model 76 SMG. For more on the Smith & Wesson Model 76 SMG, watch this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
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.