The Firearm Blog

Since their formation in 1947, the Canadian Rangers, Canada's Arctic defense/surveillance militia, have been carrying .303 chambered Lee Enfield rifles. Today, more than 60 years later, each Ranger is still issued with a Lee Enfield No. 4 rifle and each year are provided with 200 rounds of .303 ammunition. Because parts are becoming scarce, the Canadian Forces have decided to replace the Rangers' Enfield inventory by 2014 with a rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm. Canada.com reports

Earlier models had been in service with the British army since 1895, according to the Juno Beach Centre, which commemorates the effort made by all Canadians during the Second World War. On its website, the centre noted that during the First World War, Canadian troops threw away their government-issued Ross rifles in favour of Lee-Enfields they picked up on the battlefield.

Thompson said after consulting with the Rangers, it was agreed that the new rifle would be in the 7.62mm/ .308 Winchester calibre, as this was best suited to meet the Rangers' requirements. He noted that ".308 Winchester refers to a specific cartridge that is very similar to the 7.62 x 51 (NATO) cartridge, and is made by several companies."

They were originally issued to the Rangers, along with 200 rounds of ammunition, to ward off incursions into Canadian territory. Today the Rangers are not expected to engage invading armies, but they still carry a rifle for personal protection and survival in the harsh Arctic territory they patrol.

Canadian Rangers practicing with their Enfields.

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

Until now, most discussion concerning firearms and cigarette lighters had been that a cigarette lighter in the shape of a pistol might be mistaken for a real weapon, perhaps by a police officer.

However, a Californian has now proven the opposite to be a definite possibility. According to KESQ News, a 30-year-old woman mistook a small revolver she saw lying on the ground outside her trailer – a North American Arms .22 – for a cigarette lighter, and pulled the trigger in an attempt to light a cigarette. Instead, she ended up shooting her 12-year-old daughter in the upper arm.

I’ll refrain from expressing my personal opinion on the matter.

Revolver shaped lighter. Sells for about $6 on EBay.

The North American Arms .22 Magnum Pug (Photo by David Bagley)

The famous Barrett M82A1 rifle, chambered in .50BMG (12.7x99mm), has been in use by militaries around the world since its introduction in 1982. It is also quite popular with civilian shooters in the United States – those that can afford the $10,000 price tag, that is.

It has since been chambered in .416 Barrett (10.6x83mm), which was developed in 2005 and employed mainly in the Barrett M99 single-shot rifle. Barrett has now introduced a conversion kit which will enable owners of the .50 BMG M82s and M107s to fire .416 Barrett. The price is $3,000.

The kit comes with, according to Barrett, “everything you need to convert your Model 82A1 .50 BMG rifle into a rifle chambered for .416 Barrett: Barrel assembly, battery bumper, muzzle brake, muzzle brake nut, and one 10 round magazine.” However, a complete bolt assembly is also in the photograph. Since .50BMG and .416 Barrett have nearly identical base diameters (.804″ and .797″, respectively), it would not seem necessary to use a different bolt.

Additional magazines are available for $155.

Crosman has entered into a "strategic licensing agreement with the U.S. Marine Corps for the design, manufacture, distribution and marketing of U.S. Marine Corps branded airsoft products." (marketing speak for licensing/endorsement deal). Crosman is no stranger to licensing popular brand names. Remington and Marlin branded air guns are, for example, actually made by Crosman.

Airsoft is a popular sport/game played by potential USMC recruits (teenage boys). It makes perfect sense for the USMC to put their name and insignia on airsoft guns.

EDITOR’S NOTE: This post is part of the tour of Europe the Guns For Sale team did earlier this year in conjunction with the IWA 2011 show. More behind-the-scenes footage from the CZ plant is available here: CZ.

The CZ Collection Room is a very cool place, and although there were many interesting and unique firearms in the room, I was drawn to one in the back corner: a Vz-58. Naturally, this example was select fire, and representative of the Vz-58s used by the Czech military, among other organizations. Variants of this rifle are still produced at the CZ factory, which we were able to see – but, unfortunately, not take video of.

I’ve bought both Czech-made Vz-58s and Russian-made AKs, and while I do like the AK, I prefer the Vz. If you’re considering the purchase of an AK, take a second to look at the Vz-58. I’m sure some of my comments in the video might upset the AK faithful, but I hope that most of them have a soft spot in their hearts for the Vz like I do – and I’m an AR-15 guy.

One thing I didn’t mention in the video is that I have found the finish of the Vz-58 to be more rust resistant and durable than even quality, Russian-made AK finishes.

NOTE: This post is part of the tour of Europe the Guns For Sale team did earlier this year in conjunction with the IWA 2011 show. More behind-the-scenes footage from the Fiocchi plant is available here: Fiocchi.

Fiocchi has been producing ammunition since 1876, and is still owned and run by members of the Fiocchi family. Their Lecco factory has since been joined by an American plant in Springfield, Missouri, but the company’s roots are in Lecco, Italy, just south of the border with Switzerland. We were given a tour of the factory by none other than Pietro Fiocchi, President of Fiocchi USA.

There, we saw just how much is required to produce the staggering amounts of ammunition and components that Fiocchi puts out every year:

- 2 billion primers
- 800 million shotshell hulls
- 320 million centerfire cartridges
- 70 million rimfire cartridges

Fiocchi 12 Gauge Shotgun Hulls

Spools of lead at the Fiocchi plant

Today, there are approximately 420 employees at the Fiocchi plant. Compare this with the 3,500 employees at the plant during World War II, when it was under the control of the German Army – and yet it only produced 50 million rounds per year! Clearly, technology and improvements in manufacturing have benefited this industry.

Fiocchi .380 Auto Brass

Partially Formed Fiocchi .357 Sig Brass

The Lecco plant is set between a lake and a mountain range, the latter of which is used for storing explosives. This mountain range also served to protect the factory from Allied bombing during World War II, as there were 88mm anti-aircraft guns on the lake shore, requiring bomb runs to come over the mountain range – but the geometry involved meant that most bombs fell far beyond the factory.

Fiocchi Plant

Today, the plant is essentially inside the city of Lecco, and many environmental restrictions have been placed on the facility. It’s achieved ISO 14001 (environmental) certification, as well as ISO 9001, and various NATO certifications – it supplies various NATO military and police forces with quite a lot of ammunition.

We were impressed with the efficiency of the plant, as well as the work ethic of the employees we met. This video shows a small part of what goes on every day at Fiocchi.

All of the key-holing problems associated with the Kel-Tec PMR-30 have apparently not been solved by the recent barrel replacements.

Kel-Tec issued a statement regarding ammunition recommendations for the .22 WMR pistol, stating that the handguns are still susceptible to key-holing with the CCI Maxi-Mag with 40 grain bullet.  According to Kel-Tec, this CCI load is the ”…most common and available ammunition” in .22 WMR.

Kel-Tec notes that not all of the CCI Maxi-Mag 40 grain loads will key-hole.  It would seem that enough do, though, for Kel-Tec to issue a formal statement on the matter.

Kel-Tec also states that ammunition made outside of the USA should not be used in the PMR-30 due to “…a higher risk of case-rupturing due to inferior quality.”

From Kel-Tec:

PMR-30 Ammo Recommendations Update 07-11-2011 Hello! We’ve had a lot of questions come in regarding possible new ammunition recommendations in response to the updated barrel design. The overall list of recommended ammunition hasn’t really changed, however there is something we feel is worth noting. After extensive testing with various ammunition we have concluded that all remaining key-holing issues have been isolated to one particular brand and weight of ammunition. Unfortunately this seems to be the most common and available ammunition: CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr. The 30gr and 50gr varieties of CCI shoot flawlessly, as do other brands of 30gr., 40gr., and 50gr. ammunition. For some reason, though, it seems that the 40gr. CCI Maxi-Mag in particular still has sporadic key-holing. At this point in time we have deemed it ammunition specific and recommend trying a different grain or brand of ammunition if your PMR-30 is still continuing to key-hole with an updated barrel. This in no way means that all of your CCI Maxi-Mag 40gr. will key-hole; it just means we have experienced occasional key-holing with that particular ammunition and feel we should make everyone aware of it in the event you experience the same thing we have. We’ll be sure to keep you updated if we find out anything more! As it stands, continue to steer clear of non-USA manufactured .22WMR rounds as they have a higher risk of case-rupturing due to inferior quality. Thank you.

Michael James Gesty, owner of Black Wolf Weapons/Spartan Armory in Tucson, Arizona, has been indicted on 9 counts relating to the illegal manufacture of machine guns, allowing straw purchasers to buy weapons, and possession of firearms and ammunition by a drug user, according to the Arizona Daily Star.

I have met the owner and several employees, but was not impressed, and did not do any business with them.

As regular readers of this blog know, TFB visited the IWA trade show in Germany earlier this year, as well as various factories in Europe: Beretta, Benelli, Fiocchi, Sig, CZ, Steyr, and Chiappa. As it turns out, we missed one very important factory: Ruger! Luckily, they’ve made their own factory tour video.

The Ruger factory looks to be just as high-tech and automated as Benelli – I am reminded of the production of the Vinci shotgun, which is completely automated, from processing of raw materials to final packaging. The amount of thought and care put into Ruger’s product at the Austrian factory, however, at least matches the artisans at Beretta, who create beautifully engraved shotguns. I’m not sure if it’s at the level of the Steyr engraver, also located in Austria, but that level of craftsmanship is truly something to aspire to.

Chiappa’s product line is heavily influenced by history, as are, obviously, the Ruger products. Compared to CZ’s massive factory – the largest small arms factory in the world – the Ruger factory does not look as large. Like the CZ factory, though, the Ruger factory produces goods other than firearms. The Ruger factory is located not far from the Ruger bakery, which is located on a lake – similar to Sig’s Baltic Sea factory, though the lake in Austria is probably a more beautiful setting.

But I’m digressing. The video is very impressive. And I would be very interested in a thorough test and evaluation of their product.

We welcome ATK to the Zombie Invasion.

Champion Traps & Targets, an ATK company, is now making zombie targets for your plinking and practice pleasure.  Unlike the Ansel Adams-style black and white zombie targets before them, Champion has gone for a more modern, vivid look for the undead, really capturing their essence.

Champion claims to have shot for “ultimate realism” when designing these targets.

Using VisiColor technology (rumored to have been a George Lucas technology spin-off from his early years of movie design), the targets shift color when struck by your hot lead.  A shot in the head shows the critical green of radiation leaking from the (former) brains.  Non-kill upper torso shots are a pleasant fluorescent yellow.

This stunning collection of targets really captures the mood of the zombies as they shamble through the world.  Eight different poses typical to zombie life including breaking down your door and the random street attack (what are you doing out on the street at this time of night, anyway?)

The targets are 12″ x 18″ and are available in six packs ($10.95) and full-zombie-horde 50-count bulk packs ($66.95).

For the best in zombie apocalypse stories, make sure you check out the Black Man With A Gun podcast, which features a weekly serial called “Zombie Strike.”  It is quite entertaining.