I am back from holiday for a few days. I had a crazy time. I managed to crash my car on a mountain pass after the weather turned foul. I thank the Lord I am alive. I am fine, but my car is not.
Just a heads up - I will be traveling later in the week.
Also, my email is REALLY backed up. Please do not be offended if I do not reply to an email.
The British Army will be receiving AR-10 style rifles to help them engage the Taliban at distances beyond the range of their 5.56mm L85 rifles. The new L129A1 will be used in a designated marksmen role. Janes reports ...
In a USD2.5 million deal the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has contracted Law Enforcement International (LEI) to supply 440 LM7 semi-automatic rifles.
...
To be redesignated the L129A1, the gas-operated weapon carries a 20-round magazine, is 945 mm long and weighs 5 kg. It will be manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool Company in the United States, with deliveries expected to begin in early 2010.
Features of the weapon include a single-piece upper receiver and free-floating, quick-change barrels available in 305 mm, 406 mm and 508 mm. It has four Picatinny rails with a 540 mm top rail for night vision, thermal and image intensifying optics. Stock options include fixed or retractable versions.
I wonder why they did not pull FALs out of storage as an interim solution as US forces have done with the M14.
[Hat Tip: Soldier Systems]
The Brits have gone tacticool and added rails, a light, ACOG and forgrip/bipod to the L85A2 rifle. Photos by kitteh at arfcom.
[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]
A few weeks ago I asked readers to post links to their new gun blogs and gun related websites. Here they are in the order they were posted (All were started, or resumed after long hiatus, after 1 March 2009. ) ...
Bullet Points - Gun stuff
Dove, Dogs, and Shotguns - as the title says.
Kimber 1911 Pistols and Accessories - (50% of posts appear commercial in nature).
ushanka.us - guns and politics.
Every Day No Days Off - all sorts of interesting gun stuff.
Gone Afield. - hunting and fishing in Cali.
HomePlace - Art's Stuff - guns and Texas ranch life.
Fly to Your Dreams - resumed after hiatus.
Greedy Gun Runners - guns and humor.
Military Sniper Insignia - a website about International Military Sniper Insignia.
Weapons Cache - Gun forum.
Extreme Tolerance - gun blog.
1 With A Bullet - guns and politics.
Misfit in New Jersey - politics.
Just Another Missouri Rebel - guns and politics.
Armed & Amphibious - guns and general life stuff.
The Swiss Gun Blog - As the title says
The Sheepdog files - Gun politics
MTek sell an interesting facial armor system called the FAST G3. It is designed to overcome some of the limitations of flip-up riot-style face armor. Thier premium FAST G3A (pictured above) weights 1.5 lbs and provides protection at least as good as the Army Combat Helmet and USMC Light Weight Helmet. The price is $549.99!
[ Many thanks to Paul for emailing me the link. ]
The American Journal of Roentgenology published a fascinating article back in 2001 about an incident at a MRI imaging center in western New York State. An off-duty police entered the MRI scanner room and attempted to place his Colt M1991 A1 pistol on the top of a cabinet. The pistol was wrenched from his grip by the magnetic field. It was pulled towards the machine and then discharged!
The gun likely discharged as a result of the effect of the magnetic field on the firing pin block. The firing pin block was probably drawn into its uppermost position by force of the magnetic field. The firing pin block has to overcome only light pressure from a relatively small spring to release the firing pin. The pistol was likely drawn into the magnetic field so that the muzzle struck the magnet's bore first. With the firing pin allowed to move freely in its channel, the force of the impact on the muzzle end was sufficient to cause the firing pin to overcome its spring pressure and move forward to strike the primer of the chambered round.
This account explains how the weapon discharged when the thumb safety was engaged.
The journal article, unlike most journal articles I have read, is written in plain english and can be understood by a laymen. I recommend reading the full account of the incident.
[ Many thanks to PERRK for emailing me the link. ]
Alabama-based artist Walton Creel creates images, which resemble the print-outs from the old dot-matrix printers, using bullet holes.
“Whatever view a person already holds on guns is the view they project onto me. If they love guns and think gun ownership is a God-given right, then they see my work as reinforcement of that view. If they think guns should be banned, they see my work as an ironic protest.”
Read the article at CoolHunting.
[ Many thanks to Greg for emailing me the link. ]
