A strange marketing decision that is sure to lead to some confusion. From the press release ...
The new FNX 9 and FNX 40 pistols offer the key features demanded by today’s serious handgunner. New ergonomic polymer frames have a low bore axis for flat shooting and less felt recoil resulting in improved control. Deep checkered grip panels are comfortable and designed for no-slip shooting. Four interchangeable backstrap inserts quickly offer a custom fit and feel. The profiled stainless steel slide has cocking serrations front and rear, a 4” hammer-forged stainless barrel delivers long life and pinpoint accuracy. Fully ambidextrous operating controls make the FNX perfect for competition and personal defense for both right and left-handed shooters. Each FNX comes with both a decocker and manual safety making it one of the safest hammer guns on the market. Every part is proudly made in the USA.
Hat Tip: Caleb @ Gun Nuts
Designed to be as inexpensive as possible, assembled from mostly stamped sheet-metal parts, the Liberator was a single shot pistol chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge the US military was using for standard handguns and submachine guns. It was so cheap that each one set the US government back only $2.40 in 1942 money. A million were made in less than three months during the darkest days of WWII, to be airdropped to Resistance fighters in enemy occupied territory.
Read about it at Hell in a Handbasket.
The short answer is “absolutely”, and the longer answer is “yes, think of it as a hot 9mm.”
Caleb, whom I sometimes think has more carry guns than I have guns, writes about the suitability of the .38 Super for self defense.
Kel-Tech have developed a new pistol which chambers the .22 Magnum (WMR) rimfire cartridge. The small size of the .22 WMR has allowed Kel-Tec to squeeze 30 rounds into the double-stacked magazine (a new original design), yet maintain a comfortable grip size.
The PMR-30 has a unique hybrid blow back / locked breech recoil system. In order to accommodate a wide range of ammunition, the pistol automatically adjusts between locked breach and blowback based on internal pressure. I look forward to seeing how this system works.
One problem with the .22 Magnum is that because it was designed as a rifle cartridge, the powder load is slow burning. This maintains high pressure in the barrel for a longer period of time. This high pressure can prevent extraction during recoil because the gas pushes out against the brass and presses it into the chamber wall. Shooting Log report that the PMR-30 has a fluted chamber to prevent this type of extraction problem. The gas enters the flutes and counterbalances the pressure against the case wall and also acts as a lubricant.1
The PM-30's frame is aluminum. The slide and barrel are steel. Interestingly, the barrel is fluted.
Regarding the .22 Magnum performance compared to the FN 5.7x28mm round, read this article.
| Specifications |
|
| Caliber |
.22 Magnum (.22WMR) |
| Barrel length |
4.3" |
| Slide and Barrel |
4140 Steel |
| Frame |
7075 Aluminum |
| Magazine capacity |
30 rounds |
| Trigger pull |
3.5 to 5 lbs |
| Weight (no mag) |
13.6 oz. |
| Length |
7.9" |
| Height |
5.8" |
| Grip Width |
1.1" |
| Muzzle Velocity (40 gr) |
1230 fps |
| Expected Availability |
Quarter 2, 2010 |
| MSRP (Price) |
$415 |
Oleg Volk has taken some photos of the pistol...
30 Rounds is a lot of ammo!!!!
UPDATE: Bill pointed out that the Grendel P30, which was manufactured in the early 90s, was designed by George Kellgren, the founder and chief designer at Kel-Tec. I suppose the PMR-30 is an improved P-30.
I decided to compile a list of gun podcasts. If I am missing any please let me know in the comments.
Gun Podcasts
Possibly Inactive Gun Podcasts (no new episodes for at least 6 months)
More politics than guns
I am having some major email problem, especially over the past few days, although I know I have lost some emails during the past few month.
If you have sent me an important email or reply in the past few days, and I have not yet replied, please email it to me again.
If you have emailed me more than a month ago, and I have not replied, please resend your email.
Just indicate in the email that you have resent it.
My email address has been changed, although the old one will still work. See the contact page for my new email. Please use this address in the future.
Sorry about this.
The Army Times reports that Army weapons officials have presented to Congress six proposed upgrades to the M4. They are ...
- Heavy barrel. This will increase the rate of fire and decrease heat problems but at the expense of weight.
- Add gas-piston system so that the carbine will run cleaner.
- Improve trigger pull.
- Adding monolithic full length rail system for added strength. Makes sense, but is expensive.
- Add electronic round counter to pistol grip to track rounds fired. Is this really needed?
- Ambidextrous controls.
A special “integrated product team” will evaluate the pros and cons of each of the proposed improvements and decide which options, if any, will give the service the “biggest bang for the buck,” Tamilio said.
The team will be made up of multiple agencies such as the Infantry Center, Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center and Program Executive Office Soldier. It will also include soldiers with combat experience and members of the small-arms community.
Representatives from the Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force will also get a chance to weigh in on the decision for future improvements to the M4.
What do you think of the proposed changes? Sound off in the comments.
Many thanks to Morten for emailing me the link.
Of all the guns which I have written about this year, few have been as interesting as the Steinkamp SW1. The sleek polymer bullpup stock of the SW1 looks like something out of a Sci-Fi movie, and yet it is a double rifle, a type of firearm that is most associated with hunting in the 1800s and early 1900s.
Many of you are now asking yourselves "Why?". I say to you "Why not?". Double barrels rifles and shotguns are still popular and very useful. It is simply a very short double barreled rifle with modern ergonomics and great balance.
Amazingly, the total length of the rifle is just 2" longer then the barrel length!
At first glance is appears that the rifle has dual triggers, but this is not the case. The lower trigger-like lever unlocks the action. The spring loaded buttplate then opens and the ejectors fling the empty cartridges out of the gun. The reloading process is quick and can be accomplished without the operator having to take their hand off the pistol grip.
Buttpad opens to reveal the chambers.
The trigger guard doubles as a cocking lever. This feature allows it to be safety carried loaded but uncocked in the field, yet be quickly cocked if a shot presents itself.
Firing and reloading the SW1.
Demonstration of how the SW1 works.
Currently the SW1 can be purchased chambered in 8x57IRS, 8x68S, 9.3x74R, 20 gauge and 12 gauge but the company says that other calibers can be requested. The SW1 weighs 7.5 lbs.
The Launch Edition is priced at $4.998. Although it was available for order in 2008, the first rifles only started shipping last month.
Militärgewehre-Enzyklopädie, a German translation of a Dutch book, contains what I believe may be the only reference to the bizarre dual-barrel creations of ITM Tool and Die (Cleveland, OH).
The ITM Model-4 Prototype
Both barrels of the Model-4 are chambered in 9mm Parabellum. The top barrel is 12" and the bottom is about 6". It has a single trigger, and fires at a rate of 800 rounds/minute. It weighs nearly 8 lbs!
The Model-3 gun chambers 7.62x51mm in the 16" top barrel and 9mm Parabellum in the 7.8" lower barrel. This too has a single trigger. I am not sure if pulling the trigger fires both barrel, or there is a selector switch. Like the Model-4 also cycles at 800 rounds/minute. The Model-3 weighs 9.7 lbs, presumably unloaded.
ITM has developed many other 9mm and 7.62x39mm machine gun prototypes, both in single barrel and dual barrel configurations. You will have to purchase Militärgewehre-Enzyklopädie to see photos of these as I do not want to publish the entire chapter of a book. 1
I spoke to the owner of ITM Tool and Die and he confirmed that they are still developing prototypes, although he was not willing to disclose any information about their current projects or the guns featured in Militärgewehre-Enzyklopädie.
Many thanks to Sven (Defense and Freedom) for the tip.
Many thank also to A. E. Hartink, the books' author, for letting me use his photos.
Jim Shepherd writes that Remington is entering the handgun market! From The Shooting Wire (scroll down half way) ...
The Outdoor and Shooting Wires have received- and verified the accuracy of an internal Remington memorandum that effectively answers most of a question that has been making the rounds of the industry: Is Remington getting into the handgun market?
Short answer, yes.
...
A 1911 is in first-production testing, and may be ready for introduction at SHOT Show in January.
This is incredibly interesting news! I have wondered for a long time why Remington did not seem to want a piece of the handgun market. Not wanting to be associated with "evil" handguns was my guess.
I do find the suggestion that they are going with the 1911 platform odd. While the 1911 is a very popular pistol with civilians, police departments are not adopting it. Instead they are dropping the Glock in favor of other polymer pistols like the Springfield XD and Smith & Wesson M&P pistols.
We know Remington loves military and police contracts and that they are willing to delay consumer products in order to make a grab for lucrative military contracts. The constant delays of the Bushmaster ACR are a testament to this.
So is Remington making a 1911 because they know something we do not? Will we soon be hearing about a new military competition for a .45 ACP pistol1 ? Or are they developing a polymer 1911 or some other polymer pistol 2 ?
UPDATE: The pistol has been launched: Remington R1 1911.
