Civil War Cannon - Will Hayden and Kris Ford help the Confederate reenactor gun crew roll the 150-year-old 12-pdr bronze Napoleon into firing position. Will brought in a sonogram team to go over the cannon from muzzle to breech, looking for cracks or obstructions. Although there were casting imperfections typical of Civil War-era cannon it was deemed fit for live fire.
Image Credit: DCL
Civil War Cannon - Historic weapons expert Glenn Harrison, the gun's owner Mike, and Will Hayden (l. to r.) pose with the beautifully preserved artillery piece valued at $250,000 or more.
Image Credit: DCL
Civil War Cannon - Will Hayden keeps his eye downrange on the target as Kris Ford pulls the lanyard to fire the first round.
Image Credit: DCL
Suppressed Shotgun - Will Hayden sights down the barrel of the new custom designed Suppressed Shotgun during a test with the customer who first put in the special order. The innovative design — now in production as the RTS-ZK-S/S-12 — successfully reduces the sound of the shotgun's blast to a level safe enough for repeated firing without the need for full noise protection.
Image Credit: DCL
Master Key - Will and Kris work on the components for the custom door breaching gun ordered by a local sheriff department's SWAT unit. This special weapon combines a 12-gauge shotgun and an M-16 rifle with a requirement that the user must be able to quickly transition between the two during high threat operations.
Image Credit: DCL
Master Key - Will tests the performance of a conventional assault rifle on a tactical test range. The new build must demonstrate that the unified Master Key system is a faster and more efficient solution and thus offers enhanced safety for law enforcement personnel.
Image Credit: DCL
Master Key - Will and Kris hook up with a local SWAT unit to give the new Master Key a realistic field test.
Image Credit: DCL
Master Key - Kris holds a door lock blown apart during a breach exercise using the new Master Key dual weapons system.
Image Credit: DCL
World War II Flame Thrower - Decorated Marine veteran Woody Williams (center) gets ready to try out his newly refurbished World War II flamethrower. Will and the Red Jacket team offered to rebuild the historic weapon as a way of honoring Woody who won the Congressional Medal of Honor during the Battle of Iwo Jima in 1945.
Image Credit: DCL
World War II Flame Thrower - As part of the test, Will and his crew built a simulated Japanese pillbox with barbed wire obstacles. In 1945, Woody almost single-handedly used six flamethrowers to take out seven enemy pillboxes and clear the way for the advance.
Image Credit: DCL
World War II Flame Thrower - Eighty-seven-year-old Woody Williams gets to try out the flamethrower that hadn't seen action for over 65 years. Forensics firearm expert Charlie Watson and gunsmith Joe Meaux used skilled craftsmanship and extensive research to transform Woody's beat-up World War II flamethrower into a functional weapon.
Image Credit: DCL
