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Some days, however, you see a unique combination of design features, such as those found on this older Springfield Armory XD-S.

But, why I really love shotguns is because they are so versatile. Seriously, if you can find me any other gun that you can shoot a quail with at 15 yards and also shoot a whitetail with at 150, I will be very impressed. Not to mention all the different gauges, styles and brands.

This particular class is the Advanced Machine Shop class. As the name implies, it has some pre-requisites. The class is basically geared towards chambering barrels, but other projects are also permitted. I wanted to build a precision bolt action rifle. So, I spent the week blueprinting the action and doing the related barrel work. Obviously, this is not going to be an absolute guide to chambering and fitting a barrel. But I wanted to give you an idea of what it does entail.

In 1952 the Czech military adopted a radically strange new pistol designed by two brothers, Jan and Jaroslav Kratochvil. The vz52 (not to be confused with the vz52 rifle of the same designation that entered Czech service the same year) represented a unique application of the roller-locked action pioneered by the German MG42 machine gun. While HK dabbled in the same thing with their short-lived P9S handgun, the vz52 pistol was otherwise unique.

The Walther PPS M2 fits into the category known as “slim nines,” meaning it is a small, thin, easily concealed 9mm pistol. Its German roots are readily apparent in its design and manufacture.

The TriStar KRX Tactical Shotgun is a serious player. With AR ergonomics and a box magazine, it is easy to load and simple to shoot. No matter what your sport, the KRX is ready to play. The advanced self-adjusting gas system feeds any shotgun ammo reliably and the removable choke system (Beretta/Benelli Mobile Threads) lets you pick your pattern, including extended tactical chokes.

Georg Luger left an indelible mark on the firearms world that persists to this very day. His extraordinary eponymous handgun was not an altogether original design, however. His mentor, a German engineer named Hugo Borchardt, was actually the first to realize the human knee would translate into a serviceable firearm.

On its face, the idea shows promise. Everyone has contemplated or committed actions in times of crisis that they later regret when cooler heads prevail. But does the real-world data back up the feel-good policy?

Even if you are not in a last-ditch moment, a neck knife can serve other purposes, namely by just providing an extra blade to be available for whatever you need.