"Possibly the finest revolver ever made, the Colt Python fires an extremely powerful .357 Magnum round, a round that was considered so massive that the weapon was ultimately banned by several of the upper-echelon agencies. Still, a masterpiece of the gunsmith's art. It belongs in MOMA, but don't look for one there."

"This is the updated Ruger Mark III, not the Ruger Mark II mentioned in The Echelon Vendetta, but the weapon is virtually identical. A suppressed (silenced) version firing sub-sonic .22 caliber rounds in a ten-shot magazine, this was the assassination weapon of choice for Vietnam-era Special Forces, as well as for most of the American agencies operating against the Soviet Union during the Cold War. Great hand-feel and simply a really lovely weapon. In the hands of a skilled shooter, two rounds in the right spot and your work here is through."

"This massive weapon, first used by the American military in the First Iraq War, is what Thor was thinking of when he asked for The Hammer of God; far too powerful to be used - and wasted - on human targets, this weapon is primarily deployed against lightly-armored vehicles, helicopters, personnel carriers. The Barrett Fifty - known in the Army as the M82 A1 along with other more colorful nicknames - is a semi-automatic ten-round .50 caliber scoped sniper system used to great effect against unsuspecting targets in Afghanistan and Iraq. Too huge to hump in the field, this thirty-five-pound weapon is best carried by 'anybody else' until you get to the firing zone. Take two rounds and call me in the ... oh, never mind. You're dead."

"Referred to in The Echelon Vendetta as 'a Remington .308', the official title for this superb sniper system is the Remington M24; Based on the classic Model 700, this military version fires either the 7.62 Nato or the .300 Winchester Magnum from a five-round magazine. Usually fitted with a Leupold ten-power scope, this bolt-action rifle has an effective range of around 800 yards and , in the hands of a skilled shooter, this rifle is one of the most-effective anti-personnel weapons in existence. Ask your mom for one today."

"In the fact sheet shown, the Army (God bless it) describes the mission of this 5.56 caliber machine gun as follows: " deter, and if necessary, compel adversaries ...". In this case, with the SAW, also known, for reasons that escape me as the "Minimi", the 'compel' part would include lighting the poor bastards up with a 750-round rate of fire. The weapon is what is known as a 'base of fire- weapon', and two of these are issued to each infantry squad. The SAW gunner provides what the Army calls a 'force multiplier effect' equal to ten extra riflemen. This 17 pound hog is tremendously satisfying to fire, although it tends to climb like a frenzied squirrel if you are using it in the hand-held mode. Most sensible gunners keep it to three-round bursts, which usually does the trick. But when in doubt, smoke 'em if you got 'em. I wanted one of these for Christmas but my wife said no."

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