The Firearm Blog

John Deere's Armored A tractors were armed with two M1919 machine guns. Nifty.

Crunch Gear is reporting on a company that is making RAM heatsinks shaped like guns.

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

The Truth About Guns tests the myth that a ported barrel on a revolver will blind the operator at night ...

The scenario RF had in mind is a typical home defense situation. You’re in bed asleep when something goes bump in the night. You grab your bedside pistol, bad guys rush in, and you fire. What RF wanted to know was whether a top-ported barrel would vent the exhaust from the round into your line of sight and blind you, possibly slowing down follow-up shots.

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

Fiocchi's new line of Canned Heat ammunition has been designed for long term storage. The ammunition is sealed in metal cans that are nitrogen gas hermetically sealed and are packed with desiccants to prevent rust, deterioration, and moisture.

The Canned Heat line will include rimfire, rifle, pistol and shotgun ammunition.

.22 LR (100 or 300 round can in 40 gr. Copper Plated Solid Point) is the only rimfire cartridge offered in a can.

The rifle ammunition line currently consists of .223 Remington (30 round can in both the 55 gr FMJBT and 62 gr FMJBT) and .308 Win (20 round can in 150 gr FMJBT).

The pistol line includes 9mm (100 round can in 115 gr FMJ, 124 gr FMJBT, and 147 gr FMJ), .40 S&W (100 round can in 170 gr FMJTC and 180 gr FMJFN) and .45 ACP (50 round can in 230 gr FMJ).

The Canned Heat Cyalume shotgun ammunition is something special. These 12 Gauge 3/4 oz #8 shot loads include a chemical tracer made by Cyalume. Cyalume manufactures chemical light sticks. The tracer is simply a short light stick that is activated when the round is fired. Unlike conventional tracers it poses no fire hazard. The technology was jointly developed by Cyalume, Fiocchi, General Dynamics and Rheinmetall Defence.

Unlike the rifle, pistol and rimfire Canned Heat ammunition, the Cyalume shotgun tracers are not in a can for long term storage, but because the glow stick tracers are light sensitive.

Each can contains 10 rounds of tracers.

MilPictures.com created this photo of the single shot Steyr HS .50 rifle.

Placing cartridges between the knuckles is a technique popular among single shot rifle shooters. You can see a photo of blogger Albert Rasch using the technique with his .416 Rigby chambered Ruger No. 1 at the top of his blog's homepage.

[Hat Tip: Max Popenker]

Swedish police discovered a double barrel shotgun disguised as a guitar when they raided the home of a man suspected of dealing in stolen weapons.

The Local reports ...

Aside from the six more conventional weapons found in the apartment and a quantity of ammunition, police discovered that a wall-mounted guitar was not quite as it first appeared.

The neck of the guitar has been hollowed out and equipped with two shotgun barrels, while the body of the string instrument contained the beginnings of trigger mechanism.

They also discovered a homemade submachine gun and a walking stick rifle.

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

Reuters reports ...

Utah has become the first U.S. state to name an official firearm, placing an automatic pistol on a list of designated symbols, right along with the honeybee and the cutthroat trout.

Utah Governor Gary Herbert signed the bill into law this week, designating the Browning model M1911 automatic pistol as the official state firearm.

Remington 1911 R1 Enhanced

[ Many thanks to rootman, MichaelD & Mr Fahrenheit. for emailing me the info. ]

Libyan rebel and his nifty Mauser stock.

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

When Winchester/USRAC disappeared several years ago, so too did several iconic firearms such as the Model 70 and the Model 94. Consumer demand for renewed production has led Browning/FN to produce the Model 70 at FN’s manufacturing plant in South Carolina, and now the Model 94 at Miroku in Japan. In addition, the same plant is now producing a takedown 1892 Winchester.

I had a chance to examine both of these models at IWA, and the quality of manufacturing was far higher than my late-90s vintage Model 94 in 30-30 (with a corresponding price increase). The action of the 92 in particular was especially slick, to a degree one might not even expect from this well-regarded design. I explain more features in the video.

The rifle has an MSRP of $1,549. Winchester’s website lists only the .357 Mag version, but there was a .44 Mag takedown on display at IWA.

Safariland is manufacturing SPEEDFEED I and SPEEDFEED III shotgun stocks in A-TACS camo for Mossberg and Remington shotguns.

They are available for the Remington 870, Remington 1100, Remington 1187 and Mossberg 500/590. The MSRP is $149.95.