The Firearm Blog

This costume is amazing It makes me want to go buy a can of green spray paint and a airsoft M14.

[ Many thanks to Jesse for emailing me the photo. ]

[Hat Tip: Inspire Me Now]

Military Times has a very interesting article about the use of multi-gun competition-style training being used at the USMC base at Quantico.

Experts from Weapons Training Battalion at Marine Corps Base Quantico believe a new trend in shooting competition, termed multi-gun, could be key to better prepping Marines for combat. The battalion is looking to push this training far and wide across the Corps, to a base near you.

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

Vanity Fair has published an article about the experiences of "Russ Crane", a Texas Guardsman sniper deployed in Afghanistan. It is a long but interesting read.

During World War II, snipers were seen as a spooky, merciless “Murder Inc.” by other soldiers—the brutal intimacy of their kills made them a breed apart. But in Afghanistan, where avoiding civilian deaths is a top priority, U.S. military sharpshooters may have found the war that needs them most. Going inside the world of Texas Army National Guardsman “Russ Crane,” who has dropped a Taliban fighter at 806 meters ...

This video, probably filmed by a police officer, shows police officers in Rio clearing a favela (slum). There are many shots of a officer using a Madsen machine gun.

At 20 lbs (unloaded, I think) it is heavy gun for a magazine fed weapon. On the other hand the weight helps counter the recoil and, lets face it, it looks really badass!

On a related note, I highly recommend the movie Cidade de Deus (City of God) (2002). It is about the life of two boys who grow up in a favela. The DVD also features a documentary about the police who, in theory, police the favelas.

[ Many thanks to Tarkan for posting the link. ]

Fox News reports that the Navy's experimental Rail Gun has tripled its projectile energy output ...

An electromagnetic railgun offers a velocity previously unattainable in a conventional weapon, speeds that are incredibly powerful on their own. In fact, since the projectile doesn't have any explosives itself, it relies upon that kinetic energy to do damage. And at 11 a.m. today, the Navy produced a 33-megajoule firing -- more than three times the previous record set by the Navy in 2008.

"It bursts radially, but it's hard to quantify," said Roger Ellis, electromagnetic railgun program manager with the Office of Naval Research. To convey a sense of just how much damage, Ellis told FoxNews.com that the big guns on the deck of a warship are measured by their muzzle energy in megajoules. A single megajoule is roughly equivalent to a 1-ton car traveling at 100 mph. Multiple that by 33 and you get a picture of what would happen when such a weapon hits a target.

Smith & Wesson is closing the Thompson/Center Arms factory in Rochester, NH and moving operations to the S&W plant in Springfield, Mass. Fosters.com reports ...

Pluff said there will be meetings with employees to discuss severance issues and the possible relocation of some local workers to Springfield. Employees have also been told the company was continuing to look for a buyer for the foundry at the Rochester facility.

The relocation is scheduled to commence in January 2011 and conclude by November 2011.

"We needed to streamline in order to make our company more efficient and profitable," Pluff said, noting the size of the Springfield facility as part of the reason for relocation. "We are not going to bring the foundry operation to Springfield. We'll try to sell that to another company."

"We continue to be 100 percent behind the Thompson/Center brand," said Mark Smith, Smith & Wesson's vice president of operations.

I feel very sad for the Thompson/Center Arms employees.

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

The Bushmaster factory in Windham, Maine will close at the end of March next year. The Freedom Group is consolidating production.

The full press release ...

Freedom Group, Inc. (“The Company”), the world’s leading innovator, designer, manufacturer, and marketer of firearms, ammunition, and related products for the hunting, shooting sports, law enforcement, and military markets announced today that it will close its Bushmaster Firearms International manufacturing facility located in Windham, Maine, effective March 31, 2011.

The Bushmaster brand and products remain key strategic assets within the Freedom Group portfolio. The Company will relocate manufacturing of all Bushmaster products currently produced at Windham to other, existing Freedom Group Facilities. The move will have no impact on customers or the existing supply base. The Company noted that all affected employees will be offered a comprehensive severance package, including outplacement services.

John B. Blystone, Chairman of the Board of Directors, commented, “We are continuing to adjust our operations in order to remain competitive and to continue to grow. Given increasing costs and pricing pressures affecting the entire firearms industry, this action is clearly necessary and responsible.”

This is a sad day for Windham's Bushmaster employees and their families.

Jeremiah Cottle, President of Slide Fire Solutions, told me that there are no mechanical devices in the SSAR-15 bumpfire stock. As many of you suspected, the operator must supply forward muscular force on the rifle to fire on "auto".

I think This is why the BATFE approved it despite banning the Akins Accelerator which only required the operator to pull back on the trigger.

From the press release ...

The 100th Anniversary Edition is a .45 caliber classic style WWII Parkerized 1911 pistol with a 5” barrel. A special engraving on the slide will read “1911 .45 ACP, 1911-2011, 100 Years”. This military style 1911A1 celebrates the original design of a gun that changed the industry and became an American firearm legend.

Featuring the military style rollstamp, vertical slide serrations and a lanyard loop, this 1911 weighs 39 oz. and has an overall length of 8.5”. The slide is CNC machined from solid 4140 barstock, the barrel is a one-piece design and the frame is also from 4140 steel. It has a thumb safety, grip safety and firing pin block. The sights are blade front and rear drift adjustable for windage. It has brown checkered grips and comes with one 7-round magazine.

The 100th Anniversary Edition 1911PKZ is made entirely in the USA. MSRP is $658. Gun comes with a one-year warranty. Available in January 2011. Come by booth #15951 at SHOT Show for a first hand look!

The Crimson Trace Laserguard is now available for the Springfield XD and XDM pistols.

MSRP is $209.