The men of the 1st Battalion, 9th Marines had encountered heavy resistance on the road north. Deafening artillery fire erupted from the Navy ships beyond the beaches, leaving plumes of smoke and displaced earth where Japanese defenses once stood. Episodic bursts of machine gun and small arms fire sounded out over the tropical terrain from both sides of the battle. The enemy lobbed mortar rounds in the direction of the advancing Americans, and the rattle of Japanese armor could be heard harassing Marines.

The Marines continued their slow progress toward the town of Finegayan on the Island of Guam. The village, which sat sandwiched between Tumon Bay to the west and Mount Barrigada to the east, had become a focal point for the seizure of the entire island by American forces on their way through the Pacific.

The taking of the Marianas Island chain would be a strategic power play, and it started with the recapture of the American military base on Guam that had been overrun by the Japanese shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Private First Class Frank Witek was a Browning automatic rifleman with the 3rd Marine Division during the invasion of Guam. While there, he served as a scout behind enemy lines in addition to carrying the 1918 BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle) for his platoon.

While advancing on Finegayan, PFC Witek and his platoon were surprised by a well-camouflaged enemy machine gun position. It was a deadly ambush that sent PFC Witek’s platoon scrambling for cover amidst an air of hot lead and temporary confusion.

Where most men would shrink away from the action, run for cover and live to fight another day- there was Frank Witek and his BAR. Witek was a veteran of at least three major battles while serving at
Bougainville, and was no stranger to the dangers of combat. He stood tall, fearlessly exposing his body to deadly enemy fire, and emptied a full magazine from his BAR into the enemy stronghold. While his BAR hammered out rounds, a platoon of his comrades rushed for cover.

The platoon began to regroup and consolidate lines while Witek covered the retreat of a severely wounded fellow soldier. While returning fire, PFC Witek killed eight Japanese.

Shortly after, when his platoon was again pinned down by enemy fire, it was PFC Witek that showed the courage to act boldly.

He advanced on the enemy position by his own initiative, past his own platoon and tank emplacements.

Alternately throwing hand grenades and firing his BAR, he came within ten yards of the enemy when he destroyed the machine gun position and killed an additional eight troops.

It was during this daring assault on the Japanese positions that PFC Witek was struck down by enemy rifle fire and killed.

His actions saved many American lives and depleted the enemy firepower enough for his platoon to take Finegayan and eventually seize control of the island.

On August 10, 1944, one week after the battle for Finegayan, General Roy S. Geiger declared that all organized resistance on Guam had ended. The American forces had liberated the Guamanian people and reclaimed the military base that had been taken over by the Japanese. The strategic hold on Guam would give American forces a presence in the Pacific that would enable them to take the fight to Japan.

For his bravery, initiative and selfless work, PFC Witek was posthumously awarded the Medal Of Honor.

On Sunday, May 20, 1945, Frank Witek was honored at Soldier Field in Chicago in front of a crowd of 50,000 people. His mother, as well as General Alexander A. Vandegrift, Commandant of the Marine Corps, were in attendance.

His body was initially buried in the military cemetery in Guam, but was later moved to Illinois to Rock Island Cemetery, where it rests today. Frank Witek was 23 years old.

Stories like that of PFC Frank Witek exemplify the best in the United States Armed Forces. Remarkable men performing courageous acts above and beyond the call of duty are one of the reasons that the BAR remains a sentimental favorite amongst collectors, veterans and enthusiasts.

You may have seen a certain star before in movies, television shows and video games without ever knowing the name of the character.

When the cameras aren’t rolling and real work needs to be done, there isn’t a day off to be had. No name in the credits, no star on Hollywood Boulevard and hardly any fanfare.

What is this character’s name?

The Barrett .50 Caliber Sniper Rifle.

This baby has been blowing away bad guys, good guys (and audiences) alike since it became available in 1982.

It was produced by Barrett Firearms Manufacturing gun guru Ronnie Barrett, who personally designed each part of the weapon and fronted his own cash for its mass production.

The M82 Barrett .50 Cal, or “Light Fifty”, saw its first conventional military success when an order was purchased by the Swedish Army in ’89. Shortly afterward, it was used by the United States Military in Kuwait and Iraq during Operations Desert Storm and Desert Shield.

A worldwide star wasn’t just born, it was built.

The obvious success of the weapon system led to the .50 caliber Special Application Scoped Rifle (SASR) and its variants being widely adopted by military organizations around the world.

The M82, M82A1 and others in this series are effective weapons against personnel while also seeing frequent action in anti-materiel roles.

Developments in ammunition have increased the capacity for the rifles to be used against armored targets, vehicles and structures. Their popularity has staying power because, frankly, there hasn’t been armor developed yet that can withstand them.

Yeah, but… are they legal?

They sure are- .50 caliber rifles are legal in 49 states, with the exception being California.

Whether it makes a cameo appearance or takes a lead role, this is one rifle that is formidable on the battlefield and glorified on the “big screen”. Of all the rifles for sale out there, the M82 family exemplifies getting the job done. It is durable, versatile and deadly… and perhaps the biggest action star that never uttered a line.

-Sean

Check out this video – it features an OOW manufacture M2… Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

We get a bunch of AK style firearms in for repair here at OOW. Most of them have a common issue revolving around the initial receiver build. Specifically, there’s usually excessive spacing for the topcover that results in problems when the firearm is fully assembled.

Chris, our lead armorer, has a simple solution to this problem that we’ve outlined below. But before we get to that, I need to discuss a fact that you may or may not already know.

Our AK receivers are manufactured intentionally long. About 0.100” too long to be more precise.

Why?

It lets you custom fit many different parts sets by trimming the receiver to fit.

Here’s where some people get into problems.

You see, Chris tells me that most people merely build up the receiver as is, without trimming it to fit their set. The result is that they end up with that excess around the topcover that bedevils their efforts at final assembly.

Here’s how to avoid that mistake from the get-go:

First, Install the trigger guard – trust Chris, he says to do this first, so unless you want him fixin’ your gun, just follow along.

Next, fit up the trunion to the receiver and insert a magazine to ensure all the parts are in the correct location.

Then, drill and rivet the trunion.

Finally, fit the rear stock mount. You need to confirm it’s correctly located by affixing the topcover and then moving the rear stock mount in or out of the receiver for a correct fit.

So there you have it. Simple steps to keep your AK build project going smooth. Remember, be patient, always check fit and function of your parts before assembling them, and have fun.

You’ll reap the rewards and satisfaction of building your own AK style firearm as long as you’re armed with a little bit of caution and patience. Enjoy.

Leave a comment below and let us know if this is helpful or not!

- Bob

Lately we have been doing some poking and prodding in our market to determine just what the people are looking for.

We have begun the process of R&D on some old favorites that hit pretty close to home, and we are trying to guage interest from the market.

The first idea, and one being researched independently by our master armourer, is getting together the legendary yet rare Colt R80 Monitor. Yes, the same Colt Monitor that the FBI armed themselves with back in the days of Bonnie and Clyde when the Thompson just wouldn’t do the trick.

We would be talking a semi-auto version of the historic piece, not full auto. Since it is similar to our already awesome semi-auto BAR in a few ways- it becomes a realistic possibility.

The second idea, inspired by some initial feedback, is producing a FN-D BAR in semi-auto. Maybe just the receiver, maybe the entire thing.

We would love to continue to bring you the same quality with these potential new projects that we have delivered on our other products- at a realistic price point.

Leave us a comment, give us a call or send us some smoke signals. We don’t care how you do it, but we want to know what you think about these possibilities.

-Sean

With the dawn of semi-automatic handguns and the many improvements that have come with magazine-fed pistols, I was left wondering why revolvers still hold a significant share of today’s market.

After all, there must be some reason legendary detectives like Colombo, Frank Drebin and Lenny Briscoe rolled with six-shooters. The answer, I found, goes a little deeper than them being from the “old school”.

Despite some of the obvious advantages of semi-automatic pistols such as faster reloading time and the capacity to hold more rounds, they don’t outstrip their revolving counterparts in every facet.

Besides being simpler to operate, revolvers can arguably be more reliable. For example, when a semi-auto pistol misfires, the user must manually cycle the action to extract the round; The cycling action of a semi-auto pistol is reliant on the energy produced by the actual firing of the cartridge itself. If a revolver misfires, the user can squeeze the trigger (or cock the hammer) again and its on to the next round.

Revolvers can hold an advantage over magazine-fed, semi-auto pistols in the ergonomics department as well. No mag in the handle means it can be smaller, giving the revolver the ability to fit smaller hands. This size factor can also be advantageous in terms of concealment.

Without the need for delicate springs constantly exerting pressure in key areas, revolvers can sit around and stay loaded for longer periods of time without maintenance. Eventually the need for maintenance is necessary, but they aren’t as reliant as semi-autos on lubrication and continuous care. This is ideal for home defense situations, where the owner isn’t constantly using or firing the gun.

While these comparisons deal in generalities (not all guns are the same), the basic principles are what keeps the revolvers relevant in today’s market. Unless someone invents some kind of laser-beam death ray, I don’t see the “old school” revolvers being retired completely from duty anytime soon.

Check out our stock of pistols and revolvers.

-Sean

The gurus in our repair department stress certain points above all others when chatting about how to keep your gun looking good and functioning right. You’d be surprised at how much “common sense” stuff escapes being common… or how many attempts at maintenance escape being sensical. Our armorers are surprised too sometimes- so here are some “do’s and don’ts” that will prevent you from being one of “those guys”:

-Don’t use pliers instead of a wrench. This can strip the head of whatever it is you are attempting to tighten or remove, and only succeed in creating a headache later.

-Use screwdrivers that fit the slot of the screw you are working on. Using the wrong size screwdriver can create a burr in the slot and things will get messy.

-Use properly sized punches to remove pins. Too big and it won’t work… too small and you are just asking for “Tim-the-toolman-Taylor” type trouble.

-Know the torque specifications on the screws you are tightening. Over or under-tightening isn’t going to do you or your gun any favors.

Following these easy tips WOULD keep many of the firearms that pass through our shop from ever reaching the need for repair… don’t fall into that same trap by taking shortcuts. If you are like most of us here at OOW, your gun is your baby… treat it that way.

Sean

So many firearms come through our repair department that it’s worth talking about the biggest “trouble spots.” I sat down with our Head Armorer, Chris, to find out what he sees on the front lines of our shop floor. He said most problems boil down to 3 common mistakes.

Here they are (in no particular order), followed by tips from Chris on how to avoid them:

Mistake #1: Not having a quality or complete firearms cleaning kit.

You wouldn’t pound a nail with a screwdriver, so using anything other than a complete cleaning kit with the proper tools for the job ain’t gonna get it done. Bottom line: Come off the dough for a good kit that’ll serve you for years to come. Your gun will thank you.

Mistake #2: Properly clean your firearm, especially right after you’ve used it.

Look, cleaning your gun sucks, we all know that. But it’s important to take the time and to do it thoroughly. It’s easy to overlook some of the details of the cleaning process. Don’t. Glossing over the small stuff can cost you big-time down the road.

Mistake #3: Using low-quality ammunition.

Countless people spend thousands on high quality rifles and machine guns, just to turn around and use cheap, crappy ammo. The immediate savings you pocket by using the less-expensive ammunition is likely to catch up with you later. Low-end ammo can be corrosive to your firearm, or even explosive. To avoid ending up with a peeled back blunderbuss ala’ Elmer Fudd, spend the money for good ammunition now and preserve the integrity of your firearm during its lifespan.

Following these easy steps can make all the difference- both in the performance and long term health of your firearm and wallet.

-Sean

http://www.ohioordnanceworks.com

Hello everyone…if you haven’t seen this already, we have a monthly specials page on our website. You can view this month’s specials here:

CLICK FOR SPECIALS

Enjoy!