Gun archaeologists Max Popenker and Anthony Williams uncovered a previously unknown prototype machine gun that dates back to WWII. Max blogged the below photos, but is tight lipped about the details. The gun will be featured in their upcoming book Sub-Machine Gun.
This gun has some interesting features for a gun of its antiquity. The receiver is stamped steel, the magazine is used as the pistol grip and the bolt extends nearly all the way to the end of the barrel. I look forward to reading about this gun when the book is published.
Solider Systems reports that Malaysia is seeking permission to federate the production of M4 rifles, which they produce under license from Colt Defense, across Southeast Asia. An M4 clone, the CQ 5.56, is already produced by China and exported all over the world.
One of the most compelling points of the plan to federate the production of the rifles across partner countries is that 85% of the parts will be locally produced. Defence Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi explained “Only the main technology and equipment come from United States. Colt also gave us the right to sell M4 to ASEAN countries. “Asean partners will be given the opportunity to share production. Although M4 will be made in Malaysia, its components will be produced by ASEAN countries.”
I think by now the AR-15 and M4 Carbine are being produced by more countries than the AK-47 / AK-74 / AK-1xx.
Canadian firm Lamperd Less Lethal Inc. manufactures AR-15 rifles chambered in a less lethal load of the .500 S&W called the Less Lethal WASP 500.
The new "shortie" 12" barreled carbine.
The standard 16" barreled model.
Magazines are available in a variety of capacities ranging from five rounds right up to 40 rounds.
.50 Less Lethal WASP 500 demonstration with .500 S&W revolver.
The company also manufactures the Defender, a less-lethal five shot revolver chambered in 20 gauge. It can be seen below being fired by a Chinese official who visited the Lamperd factory last week.
People’s Republic of China Ministry of Public Security test the 20 gauge Defender revolver.
Taurus are going to have to up their game.
Degtyaryov's infantry machine gun, aka. DP / DP-27 / DPM (modernized), with its large pan magazine, is one of the most distinctive weapons of WWII.
DP light machine gun. Photo © Polish Ministry of National Defense
The pan magazine proved not to be the best idea and after the war the Soviets developed the RP-46, an ingenious device that converted the gun from magazine fed to belt fed.
Because the RP-46 is a collectable item in the US, and expensive, the crew at Forgotten Weapons have embarked on a project to reverse engineer and manufacture the device for sale. In the video below they explain how the RP-46 works and how they are going about cloning it.
Crystal Pistols manufacture replica guns using lead crystal. The 1911 pistol, pictured below, sells for $275.
More photos of the Crystal Pistols can be seen at N.U.G.U.N's blog.
The US Army may have abandoned the bayonet, but the art of the bayonet is alive and well elsewhere. Earlier this month, at the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting 2011, Australians, New Zealanders and US Marines participated in a joint bayonet exercise.
Marines.mil reports ...
U.S. Marines with Marine Shooting Detachment Australia, Australian Army soldiers and New Zealand Army soldiers executed a bayonet course here May 15 under the watchful eye of Australian Army Maj. Gen. David Morrison, commanding general, Forces Command.
The bayonet course was one of more than 100 events held during the Australian Army Skill at Arms Meeting 2011 (AASAM), an annual, international meeting dedicated to combat marksmanship.
“The bayonet course had you sprint up and stab the target and shoot five rounds at the 100 meter line within 20 seconds, and then advance to the 50 (meter line) to shoot five more rounds,” said Sgt. Brandan Jansan, competitor, Combat Shooting Team, Weapons Training Battalion, Marine Corps Base Quantico.
For a “gun guy,” few things are cooler than being able to visit the factory where some of your very own firearms were made. While in Europe, I had the opportunity to visit a number of different factories, including Sig Sauer’s plant in Eckernförde, Germany. The trip took many hours, and easily could have taken many more, for there was much to see and do. I learned a great deal about Sig and its employees, and even met the man who did all the hand-fitting on my Sig X-Five Tactical.
One of my goals on this trip was to gather useful or interesting facts and information about how the manufacturers we visited made their products. To this end, while at Sig, I attempted to take photographs or video of the P226 being manufactured from start to finish. This didn’t turn out to be entirely possible to do, because not every single part was being manufactured when we visited. If you have a sharp eye, you might notice P220, P229 or SigPro components being manufactured instead of P226 components.
However, I think you’ll still like – and learn from – this video. It’s about as short as I could make it while still describing the major processes. Enjoy!
How Sig Sauer Pistols are Made
Addendum: After the video was published, Sig Sauer informed us that the German-manufactured SIG 516 rifles are in fact made in Eckernförde.
Richard at Guns, Holsters & Gear reports on the FN SCAR PDW ...
The SCAR PDW is a select fire weapon, allowing for single shots or fully automatic fire. The cyclic rate is 650 rounds per minute.
The compact size of the PDW lends it self to troops normally confined to aircraft, trucks or other confined spaces who go into harms way. While a full size SCAR rifle has distinct advantages over a PDW, the PDW allows for ease of carry in restrictive spaces and rapid deployment.
I really like the design. It reminds me of the H&K HK416 Sub-Carbine / PDW.
If you are, please be sure to pass on interesting product infomation & photos.
The Leader 50 is an interesting weapon designed by veteran gun designer Charles St. George.
It is in the same class as the Gepard GM6 Lynx .50 Caliber Rifle, hard hitting, fast rate of fire and light enough to be used off hand as a primary weapon. Unlike the GM6 Lynx (and Barret M82) the Leader 50 is gas operated rather than recoil operated. Having a fixed barrel should, in theory, help accuracy at the expensive of recoil. Oleg Volk says that the recoil is similar to a .30-06 M1 Garand.
It was to be manufactured by the now defunct Sabre Defence, but is now slated to be manufactured by Micor Industries.
Shooting Illustrated shot this video of the Leader 50 at SHOT ....
More information is available at Defense Review and Oleg Volk's blog.
