The Metal Storm MAUL has finally be unveiled and it is awesome. Previously only computer rendered images of the weapon were publicly available. The light 2.75 lbs 12 gauge shotgun has no moving parts and comes in a pistol and a rifle under-barrel configuration. Five rounds can be loaded at a time into the barrel and each is fired electronically.
The official video:
Last year I blogged that the US Navy was funding the MAUL development. The MAUL should not be confused with the Metal Storm multiple grenade launcher, the 3GL, which uses similar technology.
[ Why do all the interesting things happen when I am officially not blogging ]
Remington have announced a new addition to their line of Model 597 semi-automatic .22 rifles. The VTR (Varmint Target Rifle) is styled after the AR-15 and features:
Click to expand.
* 16″ target-style heavy barrels.
* A2 style stock or Pardus M4-style collapsible stock
* A2 Pistol grip
* Free float handguard
* 1913 Picatinny rail for optics.
* Black finish on all parts.
It is not clear if standard AR-15 compatible stocks and pistol grips can be attached. I will try to find out from Remington.
Two models will be available. The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with A2 Stock” model will MSRP for $445 (10 round magazine) and $479 (30 round magazine).
The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with Collapsible Stock” features a Pardus collapsible stock and had an MSRP of $445.
UPDATE: According to John, Product Development manager, different AR stocks should be compatible. AR pistol grip interchange will be limited because of the receiver design.
Thanks to Linda from Remington for her help getting me information.
I know I said I was not going to blog for the next few days but I am very excited to finally see photos of the new Chinese made submachine gun I had heard about.
It looks a lot like what I would expect the child of a Sig 550 rifle and an H&K MP5 submachine gun would look like. I actually think it looks pretty good. Not much is known about this gun. It chambers 9mm less-lethal rubber bullet rounds (effective range of 10-80 meters) and 9mm Parabellum. The intended users are law enforcement.
It features a folding stock, H&K style diopter iron sight and quick detach red dot sight.
Grenade launcher attachment. Probably for less-lethal / crowd control ammunition.
Note MP5 style forward charging handle.
I have loads of work this upcoming week and will be working very late everyday. I will be unable to blog until Tuesday 26 May
After this work is complete I won’t need to take a blogging break for quite a while. I hate taking breaks, I feel so behind everything when I start up again. There is always something going on in the gun industry.
The Coach Gun is the name given to the relatively short double barreled shotguns which were popular for self defense in the Wild West where they were issued to the drivers and security personal of stage coaches. If you have ever seen a Western movie you have probably seen a coach gun.
They were effective and simple to operate self defense tools back in the mid 1800′s and still they are today, although they are almost never mentioned in self defense literature. Hollywood movies reinforcement the perception that autoloader pistols are the only effective self defense option.
Maybe today this attitude will change. Stoeger, a Benelli brand, have unveiled their new tactical shotgun which drags the coach gun, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century
Double Defense 12 gauge. Click to expand image.
Double Defense 20 gauge. Click to expand image.
The Double Defense has a picatinny rail on top for red dot sights, and under the barrel for lights, lasers or pistol grips. Another unique feature for a coach gun is a fiber optic front bead. The photos above show red dot type sights and flashlights – these are not included.
The barrels on both the 20 gauge and 12 gauge models are 20″ long and have a fixed improved choke and can chamber 2.75 and 3″ shells.
It has single trigger which is more convenient than a double trigger in a self defense situation and a tang-mounted safety that is automatically applied when the action is closed. The hardwood stock and metalwork is matte black in color.
I think this gun is a winner for those who are not “gun” people and who are not likely practice at the range. The only problem will be convincing people that it is a better option than a pistol. James, a self defense expert and trainer who blogs at Hell in a Handbasket, often laments that he cannot convince his clients that a shotgun is better than a pistol. A few days ago Jay emailed me a link to this news article where a woman could not shoot a home invader because she did not know how to operate the safety on her semi-automatic pistol. Chances are that a round was not even chambered. From VolunteerTV.com:
“He had that gun pointed and he was hollering ‘sit down, sit down,’ ” Graves told WVLT.
Next came a struggle. Billy went for a gun in the bedroom. That’s when Vickie heard gunfire.
She says she had nothing to lose at that point, so she reached for another gun kept in the living room.
“I kept pulling the trigger and just pulling, pulling, pulling. I couldn’t get the safety. I don’t know. I hate guns.”
If your spouse, grown-up child, parent, girl or boyfriend “hates guns” or simply has no intend to practice but needs one for self defense consider getting them the Double Defense, it is simple, reliable and effective.
There a a couple of things I would change if I had designed the shotgun. I would have preferred a synthetic stock, a 18″ barrel and a butt stock shell carrier for quick reloading. A shell carrier is an essential accessory for a double barreled shotgun that will be used for home defense.
Thanks to Joe from Benelli for emailing me the photos.
Ruger was that attractive girl at high school who you wanted to love but she stabbed you in the back and you just could not trust her again. That was two decades ago. Sturm, Ruger & Company CEO Michael O. Fifer has listened us, the customers, and changed the company culture for the better.
There is no better illustration for this change than the Evil Black Rifle itself which has just joined the Ruger product offering. The slogan for the SR-556 is "a platform redefined". I say it should be "a company redefined". I present to you the Ruger AR-15, the SR-556:
Ruger SR-556
Ok, I will wipe the tear from my eye, be a man and shove my emotional outburst back down where it came from Onto the features ...
The most significant feature is a new short stroke gas piston designed by Ruger. It shares the same benefits as other gas pistons system: a cleaner, cooler bolt carrier as the excess gas it vented out the gas block, far from the upper receiver. The AR-15 was not designed for a piston and retrofit piston systems can cause problems, for example the pressure from the piston operating rob can cause the bolt carrier to bind. It was been suggested that the Ruger bolt carrier is designed to mitigate this particular problem. Time will tell (I am no expert on this topic).
The chrome lined SR-556 bolt carrier.
Disassembly of the gas system.
Another feature is a four position gas regulator. The first position prevents any gas entering the piston system. This turns the rifle into a single shot which requires the bolt to be manually cycled between shots. The next position allows the normal quantity of gas into the piston system to cycle the bolt. The next two position each let in more gas than the previous system which can help when the rifle is dirty or the ammunition is low powered. It is a compelling feature for reloaders because it gives them a greater range of adjustment for thier powder loads.
Chromed gas regulator.
Gas regulator positions.
The rifle also features:
Full length Troy Industries Quad Rail with rail covers.
Hogue Pistol grip.
Ruger branded Troy Industries flip up Backup Iron Sights (BUIS).
Ships with three 30-round Magpul PMAG magazines.
Ruger branded Troy Rear Sight
The Specs:
Caliber: 5.56mm NATO / .223 Remington
Barrel: 16.12"
Barrel Twist: 1:9 Right Hand
Weight: 7.92 lbs
Total Length: 32.75" - 36" (depending on stock position)
Stock: 6 position M4 style
It is nice to see Ruger has explicitly said .223 Remington AND 5.56mm NATO are compatible with the rifle.
The MSRP is $1,995. It is expensive and you could build one your self from parts for less, but if the gas system works flawlessly then I think it will be a good seller. I think it will sell for about $1800 on the street.
Here is the Ruger promotional video. They seem to be keen to promote it to law enforcement and military:
GunBlast.com made this video showing the rifle in action:
This photo is from Snowflakes in Hell. For the high resolution version and many more photos as well as on the ground reporting from the launch visit Snowflakes in Hell:
Colin Stolzer, who owns Stolzer & Son’s Gunsmithing, emailed me photos of a custom 8 Bore Boxlock muzzleloader he was recently build for a client. It is a true work of art.
Click to expand the photos (the small thumbnails do not do it justice):
8 Bore (.835″) 1:104 twist Octagon to wedding band transition then straight tapered round to the muzzle.
Jeff Tanner Ball Mould (.805″).
The finished rifle weighs right at 11 pounds.
The Action is a Pete Allan Boxlock Casting, it is representative of the 1860′s Edwin Wesson Boxlocks. The metal finish is rust blued.
The Ramrod is Rosewood w/ a steel button on one end and a threaded steel tip on the other for accessories.
It has a full length underrib to add a little weight.
The Stock is rock maple, stained with a dark walnut stain and then oil finished and then waxed to a sheen.
The forearms has an ebony tip, all the pipes, underrib, front sight and sight base were custom made in my shop.
The action was also reshaped, and the original triggerguard was removed and replace with the more elegant and classic one in the finished pictures.
The butt plate is a wide English style plate. The checkering is flattop.
I asked Colin to email me some photos to give a sense of scale to large bore size.
8 bore balls. These would weight 875 grains is they were pure lead.
A nickel on the barrel.
Many thanks to Colin for emailing me this photos. If you are wanting a custom muzzleloader designed I am sure Colin could make you one. His contact info is on his website.
About 600 members of the 75th Ranger Regiment will soon take the Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle into battle.
The 600 SCARs are the first of 1,800 that U.S. Special Operations Command began fielding in early April, SOCom spokeswoman Air Force Maj. Denise Boyd told Army Times.
The first photo I saw of the SCAR in the “wild” was when Defense Tech linked to this Navy photo taken last month showing a SEAL with the SCAR replica (see update below) slung over this shoulder.
090415-N-6403R-006 SEAL BEACH NAVAL WEAPONS STATION, Calif. (April 15, 2009) Special warfare combatant-craft crewmen (SWCC) assigned to Special Boat Team (SBT) 12 conduct an equipment check before getting underway for a training exercise at Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua T. Rodriguez (Released)
UPDATE: Turns out that the above photo shows a replica SCAR. From a Wikipedia discussion:
“I received an email from FN confirming that the image appears to show replica weapons (FN mentioned Independent Studio Services, the same company that the earlier editor did). Actual FN SCAR rifle stocks are solid plastic in “Flat dark earth” color – solidly that color throughout, not a paint or coating over a darker black color. The FN employee has some of the ISS replica weapons and confirmed that they are manufactured in a solid black base material then painted the flat dark earth on top of that. He also confirmed that ISS has made replica SCARs for the SBS teams for training, and that SBS and SEALs routinely do use replica weapons in this manner to avoid training wear and tear on actual rifles.”
Thanks to Anon for the link to the Wikipedia discussion.
In a few hours Ruger will redefine a platform (their words, not mine). Some possible contenders are:
* Polymer 1911
* Regular 1911
* Mini-14 in .308 (ie. a M1A / M14)
* SR-9 pistol in .45 or the long awaited SR-10 (.40 S&W).
* Scaled up Ruger LCR polymer revolver in a more powerful cartridge.
* Ruger gas piston AR-15
A 1911 is possible. Wilson Combat will have a polymer 1911 on the market soon. Another variant on this rumor is a compact single stack polymer 1911. Having launched two new autoloader pistol platforms in the past few years I wonder if they want another.
N.U.G.U.N thinks a .308 Mini-14 is possible. Ruger does not have a medium game hunting autoloader so this would fill a hole in their product offering. I think it is unlikely because I don’t think the M14 design is going to appeal to hunters and so far the Mini-14 accuracy has not been all that great.
Ruger SR-9 in .45 or .40 S&W. This would could not be considered “Another platform redefined” but many people are hoping for the long delayed, almost mythical, SR-10.
Ruger Light Compact Revolver in .38 Special
Caleb thinks a scaled-up Ruger LCR polymer revolver in a more powerful cartridge to compete with S&W. I think this would be a good idea and a great seller.
Sebastian found a photo showing a AR-15 bolt carrier with a Ruger logo. I have been harping on about a Ruger AR-15 for a long time. I hate to commit myself to this rumor because I have many times in the past and been wrong again and again.
The below images comes from the Ruger 2008 Annual Meeting report (I added blue arrows):
This year they introduced a compact carry revolver. This following image is from the Annual Meeting report held last month (I added blue arrows):
You can only tell your shareholders you are missing out on a major growth area so many times before they start getting angry! I reckon it will be an AR-15.
A **FAKE** photoshop I made back in 2007.
[ Pretty nifty alliteration in the blog post title ]
UPDATE: As many of you noted in the comments. Ruger unveiled a AR-15. Read my coverage here.
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Chromed gas regulator.
Ruger branded Troy Rear Sight
The Backup Iron Sights.
