#MolonLabe

German hunting arms manufacturer Krieghoff annually releases a “Gun of The Year”, one of their firearms with a custom engraving theme dedicated to a certain person, event or place. In 2019, the Krieghoff Gun Of The Year was a tribute to Abraham Lincoln, the 2020 gun was engraved with Galapagos Islands wildlife. The 2021 Krieghoff Gun Of The Year is an over & under shotgun (likely a K-80) called The Spartan Gun and it’s dedicated to the Battle of Thermopylae (480 BC) and 300 Spartans. The gun is engraved with battle scenes, Greek motifs and the ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ inscription.

Molon Labe (ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ) is ancient Greek and means “come and take them“. According to Plutarch, a Greek philosopher, this is what Leonidas I replied when Xerxes The Great offered to spare the lives of the Spartans if they gave up their arms. Since then the phrase has become an expression of defiance and has also been used during the American Revolution and the Texas Revolution.

Last week, I received a DM from an IG follower asking how he could find employment in the firearm industry. This was a striking question because I’ve never thought about how I ended up working in this business (although I constantly ask myself how I am still employed), and frankly, it took a moment of reflection to provide an answer. After thinking about the advice I could give this young man to set him in the right direction, it made sense for me to put together an article discussing several ways to get into the gun business as this question comes up often enough.

SIG SAUER‘s Spartan models of handguns have been popular since their introduction a few years ago. While the guns are well built, I imagine most people appreciate the styling as much as anything. To match the centerfire handguns, the company is now offering an air gun based on the 1911 Spartan.