The lesser-known cousin of the famous PPSh 41, the stamped-steel, 7.62x25 mm-chambered PPSh 43 submachine gun was the real hero of World War II for many Soviet troops. With a slower cyclic rate, and a half-pound lighter thanks to the exchange of a wood stock for a metal one, the PPSh 43 was more portable, controllable and easier produced than its better recognized predecessor. For more on this historic firearm, check out this recent segment of "I Have This Old Gun", from a recent episode of American Rifleman TV.
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On April 19, 1775, 250 years ago, approximately 80 armed militiamen from Lexington gathered on their village green to confront several hundred British infantrymen. The events of that morning began a conflict that would ultimately establish the United States of America.
After the fights at Lexington and Concord's North Bridge, the British column had to return to Boston. On its way, the regulars were set upon by hundreds, then thousands, of armed militiamen hell bent on revenge.
April 2025 marks 250 years since the momentous events at Lexington and Concord—the opening salvos of the American Revolution. Today, exhaustive research of primary accounts and surviving firearms and artifacts give us a clearer picture of what really happened.