The Firearm Blog

From Popular Science ...

It consists of a wireless video camera mounted to the rail of an M4 or .308 SOCOM carbine, a small computer worn on a military vest, and a thumbnail-size color head-up display affixed to a pair of protective glasses. In effect, SmartSight turns the muzzle of an assault rifle into a third eye—a soldier can crouch behind a blockade, stick his weapon over his head, and shoot his target with the same accuracy as if he were taking aim normally. “No other weapons sight can do that,” Hagerty says. “What you see is what you get.”

Hmmm ... I am skeptical.

[ Many thanks to Mik for emailing me the link. ]

I am still pretty excited by the new budget Savage Edge rifle. Chris (Simple Musings From A Guy With Guns) took this photo at the NRA Show ...

More NRA Show pics from Chris here.

Springfield has finally published the specs of the new XD(m) .45. Its frame is slightly bigger than the 9mm and .40 S&W XD(m) but slightly smaller than the XD .45. Springfield has said that it is the smallest frame polymer .45 on the market.

Posted by Mike Lewis at LMS Defense Forum ...

I was conducting a Concealed Carry Handgun class on 1 May 2010. There was a student training with a Ruger LCR that she stated had less than 100 rounds previously fired through it. She was using CCI Blazer 158 grain TMJ +P ammunition, and had fired approximately 25 rounds so far in the course without any cause for concern.

The student was in the middle of firing a two round engagement drill under my supervision; she fired one round then informed me that she thought her trigger was “stuck”. I took the firearm from her, assuming that she had possibly taken the cylinder out of battery, and attempted to put the cylinder back into battery. Upon looking, I noticed that part of the frame subassembly (the barrel sheath portion) was blown off, and the barrel split. I checked to see if the cylinder was stable, and the cylinder turned slightly in my hand before apparently being bound by the split barrel. I was able to clear the weapon, at which point we removed it from the firing line and inspected shooters for injuries. As there were no injuries resulting from this failure, we examined the firearm and replaced it on the firing line with one of my revolvers a S&W J Frame that performed flawlessly), so she could continue training.

In my opinion, this was most likely not a shooter or ammunition-induced failure. I checked the owner’s manual to ensure that this firearm was rated for +P ammunition, which it is. The cylinder and topstrap show no visible damage; neither does the right side of the firearm.

It appears that the chamber was not properly aligned with the bore when the round fired, and that the bullet struck the forcing cone out of alignment. The bullet most likely took the path of least resistance, leading to the catastrophic failure of the barrel and frame subassembly.

I have spoken with the VP of Ruger, as well as sending a letter to him concerning this failure; he seemed to be very interested and understanding of our concerns.

[ Many thanks to Mik for emailing me the link. ]

Tam on Dry Firing (emphasis added) ...

As a matter of fact, my daily routine over a period of several years was to dry-fire my pocket J-frame, at first a 442 and then a 432, fifty times as rapidly as possible with each hand and then, while my fingers were good and worn out, try to hold the dot from the laser steady on the backstop through the normal double action pull. Now, both these guns had the newer frame-mounted firing pin, but still... Call that 150 dry snaps a night, pretty much every night, for a five year stretch, and you have a wheelgun that has been dry-fired well over a hundred thousand times.

I dry fire every gun I own and won't buy a gun I cannot dry fire.

An observant reader noticed that the new S&W website no longer lists the S&W Model 910 pistol. It is also not listed in the latest catalog.

S&W Model 910. Photo from gunbroker auction.

[ Many thanks to Vak for emailing me the info. ]

PEO Solider has published a document [PDF link] called "Weapons Painting 101". If you are planning on stray painting your rifle, especially an AR-15, then it is worth reading.

[ Many thanks to Lance for emailing me the link. ]

This nifty infographic-style gun safety poster was designed by David Seah.

A link to the fullsize PDF is here.

[Hat Tip: The Real Edwin]

... and it is in Germany. If you don't do anything else today, just make sure you watch this video.

The range shown in the video is the MÜLLER SCHIESS ZENTRUM ULM range.

How awesome is that 3D hunting simulator?

[ Many thanks to Vaar for emailing me the info. ]

The Freedom Group has started the process of going public.

The SEC filing has their address is listed as

870 Remington Drive P.O. Box 1776

Somebody has a good sense of humor

[Hat Tip: SayUncle]