By the mid-1950s, Gerald Gustafson and William Davis had taken up as champions of the little .22 cartridge. They were involved in D.L. Hall’s earlier work, and now they wanted to continue proving to the Army that this research path was a worthy contender for an infantry rifle.

The battle belt is a sort of modern iteration of the classic ALICE gear that served the US military from the 70s through late 90s. But there are some significant differences, particularly in the type and amount of load that the belt handles.

If you are very particular about the way you clean your rifles, then you probably take great care not to damage the crown or chamber of your gun. A cleaning rod guide, or bore guide as they’re often called, is a very effective way to prevent that kind of damage.

This post continues what I started in my introduction to load carriage. In that article, I talked about the ongoing battle between weight and capability. It turns out that up until very recently, the average weight carried by soldiers remained shockingly stable. When it comes time to fight, the recommendation is to stay less than 30% of your lean body mass or about 50 lbs for the average person.

In 1950, Donald Hall sought to explore alternatives to the full-sized battle rifle cartridge. He built upon R.H. Kent’s work decades earlier, and found similar conclusions that challenged Army thought.

It’s time to start talking about how we carry our stuff. This series of articles is not focused on competition or marksmanship. Instead, we’re going to talk about showing up for a fight.

Communications is yet another skill that I think people should add to their toolbox. It’s just such a fundamental part of modern society, that I don’t think most people could even begin to imagine what it would look like without it.

Daniel Morgan and his famed riflemen were key figures during the American Revolution. They were among the first units to employ precision rifle fire and guerilla tactics to harass the British and interdict logistic chains.

The Hitchman report from 1952 is one of my favorite bits of Army research. Like the 1930 Kent report before it, the findings eventually led to the adoption of the M-16 rifle and 5.56 NATO cartridge.

Rifle weight is one of those things that always seems to be shifting, and that has a huge effect on balance. A lot of people put too much emphasis on the former, but forget the latter.