The Firearm Blog

B.B. has written an interesting article on early target shooting with the Zimmerstutzen rifles.

The Zimmerstutzen was the ancestor of the 10-meter target [air] rifle and extends back to at least 1840. Zimmerstutzen is the rough translation of “parlor rifle” in German. The first zimmer was powered by a percussion cap that propelled a small lead ball through a short rifled barrel.

What I found fascinating was that there were 25 different Zimmerstutzen calibers!

A Zimmerstutzen comes in the nominal caliber 4mm, but in fact there are over 25 discrete calibers that range from 4mm to 5.55mm, in half-milimeter increments.

Zimmerstutzen vs .22LR

Read the article here.

Sako has launched a new 1/2 MOA guaranteed bolt action rifle, the A7.

It will come in two models. The A7 and A7 stainless. Both models are chambered for .243, .22-250, 7mm-8, .270 WSM, .300 WSM, .25-06, .270, 7mm Rem Mag and .300 Win Mag.

Prices:

UPDATE:

The press release:

ACCOKEEK, MD (January 28, 2008) — When it comes to buying a new hunting rifle, nothing is more important to a rifle shooter than accuracy and reliability. But equally important in today’s economy is value. The new Sako A7 meets all of these criteria straight out of the box. Available in 2008 as the new benchmark for the perfect American hunting rifle, mixing the world’s finest out-of-the-box accuracy rating with superior value, the new Sako A7 offers the rare combination of unprecedented accuracy and ultimate reliability at an affordable price.

The Sako A7 improves upon the world famous Sako 75 design, featuring a machined forged-steel bolt, match-grade hammer-forged barrel, adjustable single-stage trigger (adjustable between 2.2 and 4.9 pounds), detachable magazine and synthetic stock. The A7 also integrates the new “Total Control” Magazine Latch introduced on the Sako 85, eliminating any chance that the box magazine can come loose during operation. This new rifle is available in two finishes: blued and Sako’s no-glare Stainless Steel. The A7’s bolt offers a silky-smooth movement with a 70-degree throw. Together with Sako’s super-crisp trigger, the A7 provides an incredibly fast total lock time of less than 1.3 milliseconds.

Since 1921, Sako has led the industry in accuracy by setting the standard by which all other rifles are compared. Each rifle must place five shots within one inch at 100 yards or they don’t ship. Serious shooters know that in order to obtain consistent sub-inch groups one must start with a high-quality firearm and move forward from there. The new A7 not only holds the same level of accuracy as its brother the Sako 85, but it offers a price that makes the A7 the hands down best value in the American market.

The new Sako A7 rifle series is a superbly executed medley of tradition, technology, out-of-the-box accuracy and unprecedented value.

Established in 1921, Sako was originally created to build and service firearms for the Civil Guard in Finland. Since that time, the company has been dedicated to providing innovative solutions to shooters’ emerging needs for precision firearms. For decades now, Sako has developed world-class military, target and hunting rifles. The Sako brand offers the shooter uncompromising accuracy and reliability in a variety of calibers. Along side Beretta and its unique firearms traditions that reach all the way to the year 1526, Sako proudly carries on the precision rifle craftsmanship that has led to the success of the Sako products. Today, Sako manufactures, distributes and markets a complete line of rifles. Beretta USA is the exclusive distributor in North America for Sako products. For additional information visit: www.berettausa.com.

Hat Tip: AccurateShooter.com

Iran is one of those countries who are not happy when they are not copying weapons designed by other countries. The irony is that they have copied an Israeli weapon.

These grainy photos were taken from a video (see below).

There are a few parts that look different to the CornerShot such as the bottom of the front and the hinge. A lot of it looks the same. Compare with the original:

More Photos of the original at israeli-weapons.com.

This youtube video is very bad quality. The original, in WMV format, is here.

The chinese also developed a corner shot type weapon, the HD66, but it looks very different to the Israeli and Iranian weapon. It is really a QSZ92 pistol mounted on the end of a submachine gun.

There is an interesting discussion over at rec.guns about the best way to deal with a squirrel chewing on the roof. It is worth a read.

“Pumper Hinkle” sums up the options:

Hmmm. I understand your problem better now. For the squirrel to be
chewing on your roof, though, he must be sitting still for at least a
little bit.

I believe that if it were happening to me, I’d get a night vision scope for
the bolt-action .22 and sight it in using BB caps. I’d then set up a
sniper position and be patient. Once it stands still, bang.

Or, well, you could get a .410 shotgun and some light loads, and figguring
on patching the roof maybe.

Or, I believe you can fire .45 colt cartridges in a .410 shotgun, and I
believe you can get .45 snake loads.

As you’ve observed, the .22 snakeloads don’t cycle in autos, and the rifling
disperses the shot too much. I believe I once heard of a smoothbore .22,
which would give better range.

But I assume you don’t want to buy another gun, especially some sort of
specialty gun. So, back to first suggestion, night vision scope on the
.22.

Free Market Fairy Tales has a post with a long list of complaints with harris bipods. Harris is the benchmark other bipods are compared to.

1) The attachment to the rifle is insecure and insufficient.

2) The bipod is difficult and extremely time consuming to attach to the rifle.

3) The bipod is extremely difficult and fiddly to detach from the rifle.

4) The bipod is noisy to deploy

….

Many more complaints here.

A Soldier displays an M-1 rifle discovered in a suspected insurgent’s home

From MilitaryPhotos.net

Surprisingly, not very much! HS Arms tested their .45 HS-45 pistol by firing a under-loaded round that did not exit the barrel then firing a factory round.

“precisely measuring of the pistol parts showed only a small up bulging of the barrel, resulting from the extremely high pressure loads.”.

Bullets getting stuck in barrels is not uncommon when shooting .22 Long and .22 Short rounds in a rifle due to their very low velocity and energy. I did think that in a pistol the pressure would cause more than marginal bulging.

Read the article here.

DPMS/Panther introduced this big game AR this year. Chambered in .338 Federal it packs quite a punch.

With the LR-308’s growing popularity among hunters and competitive shooters, DPMS opened the LR Series up into several other popular calibers to increase versatility.

The LR-338L was designed with one thing in mind…

HUNTING.

The main focus of the rifle is lightweight, fast handling, and single round precision. The 18” lightweight barrel with custom compensator, carbon fiber hand-guard, skeletonized stock, and lightweight upper receiver, allows this rifle to weigh in under 8 lbs.

The new .338 Federal is a cartridge that provides the energy of a 7mm Remington Mag in a necked-up .308 case. It’s the ultimate big game caliber with 200fps more velocity than a standard .308 round.

The LR-338L is the large game hunting rifle.

It sells for about $1500, depending on how you customize it.

Specs:

Barrel: 18″ Fluted Barrel. 6 grooves, right-hand 1×9 twist, button rifled.
Weight: 7.9 lbs.
Sights: None
Magazine capacity: 19

I wrote a post last year about Orange County Sheriff’s Office has purchasing 14 Alexander Arms .50 Beowulf AR-15 rifles so that they would be equipped to deal with big game escaping from theme parks. A rifle in this caliber would be more appropriate to take on marauding elephants and provide much longer range.

CCI have renamed Quik-Shot as SHP (Segmented Hollow Point) and are now offering it as a subsonic round!

It will drive a 40 gr bullet at 1050 ft/s with 98 ft/lbs of energy! This is great news for me. I have been using Quik-Shot but since I use a suppressor subsonic is preferable.

CCI’s unique Segmented Hollow-Point (SHP) bullet is now available in 22 Win Mag and a 22 Long Rifle subsonic load. This offering is ideal for bigger targets that require a larger wound area and makes perfect sense in the 22 WMR. The flat-shooting SHP is designed to break up into three sections on impact for even more stopping power. These three segments diverge from the main path for unique terminal performance on game. The subsonic 22 LR offering is great when hunting around a populated area and a quiet, effective round is needed.

More here.

From komotv.com

SOUTHWORTH, Wash. (AP) - A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, Kitsap County sheriff’s deputies said.

The 66-year-old man had been repairing a Lincoln Continental for two weeks at his home northwest of Southworth and east of Port Orchard and had gotten all but one of the lug nuts off the right rear wheel before getting frustrated Saturday afternoon, Deputy Scott Wilson said.

More here

The 5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum is back!

The 5mm Rem Magnum was originally produced from 1970 to 1974. Only a few firearms where chambered in it. The bolt action Remington Model 591 and Model 592 where chambered in it and Thompson Center Arms offered it for a brief period of time.

In comparison the 30 gr .22 Magnum (WMR) traveling at 2,200 ft/s generates 322 ft/lb of energy.

More about the Centurion 5mm Remington Rimfire Magnum @ varminter.com

For those who held onto their Remington 5mm Rimfire rifles in hopes that someone, someday, would revive this fine cartridge, their prayers have been answered in the Centurion made 5mm Remington. For those of you who wished for a new generation of 5mm rifles and handguns, your day is at hand. There can be little doubt that the reintroduction of this cartridge will produce a new line of firearms to augment the original Remington rifles that might be in a shooter’s rack. And with current powder technology, better bullets and a better understanding of internal ballistics, there is yet, more to come! Future development of newer, higher performance Centurion 5mm Remington ammunition is already underway! The future indeed looks bright for this old veteran cartridge…

UPDATE:

THe ammo should be available after SHOT Show. According to an bayouboy @ RFC Aguila said:

OUR WEB SITE IS DOWN FOR UPDATING, THE AMMUNITION IS BEING SHIPPED THIS WEEK
AND WILL BE AVAILABLE AFTER THE SHOT SHOW, PLEASE CHECK BACK WITH US, THANKS
FOR YOUR INTEREST.

UPDATE: More info at GunPundit

Sabre Defence introduces the M5 Tactical rifle available in 5.56mm, 6.5 Grendel and 7.62×39. The M5 has a 14.5″ chrome-moly-vanadium barrel with a 1:7 twist, and comes with an A2 flash hider, mid-length gas system and railed hand guard. The stock is adjustable for length-of-pull. The rifle features an Ergo Grip and 552 EOTech Holographic weapon sight.

More info expected at SHOT SHOW.

An interesting device. Although I cannot see why officers would want it. More likely to get them into trouble, than exonerate them I would think.

PistolCam®, with it’s patented AUTO-ON technology records 60 minutes of video documentation. Using MPEG4 imaging technology, PistolCam ? automatically records 60 minutes of DVD quality video with sound when an officer’s handgun is removed from the holster. PistolCam?is integrated with an Ultra-High Intensity Tactical Illuminator and Targeting Laser.

Front and profile:

More here.

MilitaryPhotos.net has some interesting photos of the Chinese International Criminal Police Organization.

Some interesting suppressed AKs, they look like AK-103’s but could be something else, and what is probably a Norinco CQ (M16A1 clone) or CQ-M4 (you guessed it, an M4 clone).

Although, I wouldn’t be surprised if these were airsofters (btw, I have nothing against airsoft).