The Ontos

Named for the Greek word for 'thing', the Ontos was an eight-tubed recoilless rifle carrier used extensively in Vietnam.

The Jeep

The ubiquitous Jeep from World War Two.

The M-16

The M-16 rifle is the current US issue infantry rifle, manufactured in several variants (as shown). The M16 rifle family including the M16/A1/A2/A3/A4 has been the primary infantry rifle of the United States military since the 1960s, entering Army service in 1964.

The M-1 Garand

The Garand served the United States well throughout WW2 and on into early Vietnam. General George S. Patton called it "the greatest implement of battle ever devised."

The MRAP

The MRAP (Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected) vehicle, in use in Iraq and Afghanistan. (An acronym only the military could love.)

The MG-42

In a case of equal-opportunity ugly, the Germans had a great light machine gun, the MG-42, which dominated many battlefields in World War Two.

The BAR

The only weapon stump-uglier than the Thompson, and therefore dear to Rico's heart, the Browning Automatic Rifle was the light machine gun of the Second World War in the Allied arsenal.

The Thompson

As beautifully ugly as they come, the Thompson M1 was the 'trench broom' of the First World War, the 'tommygun' of the '30s, and the 'Thompson' of the Second World War. Still in use in many brushfire wars around the world, it remains one of Rico's favorites.

The Colt .45

The Colt Model of 1911 is the definitive sidearm. This particular one was made in mid-1945 by Remington Rand, re-built by the Anniston Army Depot in October 1972, confiscated in early 2004 near Al-Qurna in Iraq, and destroyed shortly after. They get around, these warhorses.

The AK-47

This is the official site for Kalashnikov, the designer and manufacturer of the famed original assault rifle, along with its variants. Ugly and strong as a mud fence, it is the benchmark for all such weapons.