The Firearm Blog

Strike Industries make a cool iPhone case that features a quick pull loop (for those quick reloads) and an optional kevlar insert (for fun, not function) It retails for just under $12.

The Milipol '11 expo is on now in Paris. If machine guns, machine guns mounted on police cars and machine guns mounted on robots if your thing, watch this video from the expo by STBesancon ...

In a Russian AK manufacturer Molot, who are a subsidiary of AK-74/AK-1xx maker Izhmash and who make the VEPR AK-style rifles, announced at the Moscow ARMS & Hunting '11 expo that they would be producing an AR-15 style rifle called the HPE-140 (впо-140). The rifle is in a M4 configuration and includes a quad rail, ergonomic pistol grip and muzzle brake. It weighs ~7 lbs.

I never thought I would see the day that a subsidiary of Izhmash would produce an AR-15. It is a pity Eugene Stoner did not live to the worldwide popularity of his invention.

[ Many thanks to Russian Surt for emailing me the photos. ]

[ Steve says: This review was brought to you by the letters G, F and S. To get up-to-date pricing & to purchase this pistol & ammunition, please click this link to visit The Firearm Blog's benevolent corporate overlord Guns For Sale.com / 9MM. We now return to Phil's review ... ]

Several times I’ve started a review off with some history of the company making the gun being reviewed. This time however that story would be an article unto itself! Kimber’s history is really interesting. It’s actually a good read. Just Google Kimber’s history and enjoy the story.

One thing I can say about Kimber is they make a very impressive looking 1911. There are many configurations, calibers and finishes to choose from not to mention the limited edition guns as well as the custom shop pistols. I have two 1911’s I carry everyday. One is the full size Kimber Aegis II in 9MM and an American Classic Commander in 45 ACP which is available from Guns For Sale.com. The Aegis is one of the best looking 1911’s I’ve owned. It’s been a very good performer as well.

The Kimber I purchased and used for this review is the base model Kimber Pro Carry II in 9MM. This model has a steel slide and aluminum frame making it a very light pistol to carry all day. It’s by far the most affordable Kimber available as well. There’s nothing fancy about this pistol it’s strictly a working gun. About the only options for this 1911 are night sights and choice of caliber.

Kimber Pro Carry II with Surefire flashlight

I purchased this particular model for a concealed carry 1911 to use during the summer months. This Kimber has a four inch barrel with plain sights. I never purchase a 1911 with a barrel shorter than this because of reliability concerns. A 1911 with a three or three and a half inch barrel is a difficult tool to balance all the variables ensuring a reliable 1911 you can count on in a defensive situation.

SPECIFICATIONS
Caliber: .45 ACP
Height (inches) 90° to barrel: 5.25
Weight (ounces) with empty magazine: 28
Length (inches): 7.7
Magazine capacity: 7
Recoil spring (pounds): 22.0
Full-length guide rod
Also available: 9 mm Stats for the 9MM aren’t available–sorry! The weight is 2 ounces more.

FRAME
Material: Aluminum
Finish: Matte black
Width (inches): 1.28

SLIDE
Material: Steel
Finish: Matte black

BARREL
Length (inches): 4
Material: Steel, match grade
Twist rate (left hand): 16

SIGHTS
Fixed low profile
Radius (inches): 5.7

GRIPS
Black synthetic
Double diamond

TRIGGER
Aluminum, match grade
Factory setting (approximate pounds): 4.0 – 5.0

After getting my new Kimber home I spent some time dry firing and practicing presentations from the holster. The best way to practice dry firing is to purchase plastic bullets with a spring inside to absorb the energy of the hammer dropping. You won’t damage the pistol practicing this way. Now you might say what has this got to do with anything? After a hundred or so presentations from a fairly new holster the matte finish started to wear at the front left side of the slide. The wear wasn’t real obvious but it was there. After a week or so there was also finish wear on the thumb safety where it rubs against the holster. Whether this is an isolated case or something you can expect I can’t say but it does cause some concern. I wasn’t really upset about it since a little Birchwood Casey bluing blended in well enough to cover the wear. This is the first time I’ve had any problems with a Kimber finish. It’s also the first one I’ve owned with the matte finish. In some of the pictures you can see the wear on the thumb safety.

Kimber with Mil-Tac G-10 Grips

Range Time

After a couple of days I was able to head to the range and look forward to sending some rounds downrange. I took a bag of 115 grain handloads as well as Gold Dot JHP in 124 grain, Cor-Bon JHP’s in 125 grain and Remington UMC ball ammo in 115 grain.

I loaded up three mags and set my standard police B27 target up at ten yards. The mags hold nine rounds in 9MM. After firing the ninth round the slide failed to lock back. The fired case was still in the chamber. I hand cycled it which did eject it. I set this magazine to the side and went on to my second magazine. On round number eight I had a stovepipe which I swiped off and racked the slide ejecting the unfired ninth round. These malfunctions were with the Remington UMC ammo. I emptied the mags and loaded them with my handloads. After I resumed firing I still averaged one malfunction out of every three mags or twenty seven rounds fired.

I’m starting to get concerned of course so I disassembled the pistol and looked it over for any obvious problems. Nothing obvious was broken or loose etc. Generally a 1911 that has problems like this has an extractor problem. Then there was that occasional failure to lock the slide back after the last round fired in the magazine. That problem usually can be attributed to the slide release.

I stopped shooting for the day went home and stripped the pistol down to the last pin. I found a small burr on the MIM slide release (at least I believe it’s MIM) which I replaced with a Wilson slide release I had on hand. While I was at it I also replaced the extractor with a Wilson Bullet Proof. I normally have extra parts around since I do light customizing on some 1911’s.

The next day I went back to the range. After firing a few rounds and adjusting the extractor the Kimber starting working as it should. There were no more failures during this range session. I did shoot all of my handloads then loaded some of the other brands mentioned to see how it would function with hollowpoints. Again, no problems and it fed everything I ran through it.

The target pictured below is a B27 police target. A total of thirty six rounds were fired into this target.

10 Yard Target

Conclusion

This is the first time I’ve experienced a problem with a Kimber even though I’ve heard of QC issues at times over the years. Why this pistol was allowed out of the building I’ll never know. I know these guns are supposed to be test fired prior to shipping and yes mine had a spent round in the case.

No matter the reason this should not have happened. Yes I fixed it but only because I’m very familiar with 1911’s. Otherwise it would have gone back to the factory for a couple of weeks.

Over the years I’ve owned half a dozen or so Kimbers and tested several more and have never been disappointed. Granted any company can let a gun with a defect slip through the door. It’s happens but the buyer goes through the aggravation of sending the gun off and just maybe have a nagging doubt about that gun as long as they own it.

I still like Kimber pistols and will probably buy another at some point but I understand why those who have had problems are a bit gun shy about the brand. Yes pun intended☺

Trijicon's newest red dot / reflex sight is the Trijicon SRS (Sealed Reflex Sight). It has a short tube (giving a greater field of vision) and has a solar panel that is used for power when in direct sunlight. Gear Scout has reviewed the sight.

Trijicon SRS (Sealed Reflex Sight) at Milipol '11

Gear Report say it will go on sale next year at SHOT Show for under $1,000.

I was very skeptical when I first heard that Leupold was selected to supply the USMC with their Mark 8 1.1-8x24mm CQBSS scope for use on .50 BMG M2 and 40mm Mk19. machine guns. The CQBSS is an impressive scope but was designed for sniper or DM rifles, not heavy machine guns.

As it turns out, the scope is only half the story. They developed a sophisticated mount that holds the CQBSS as well as an EOTech holographic sight side by side, and still allows the use of iron sights. Also, it looks like the entire mount can be adjusted for range by the operator. Genius!

This mount also solves the problem many of your pointed out a few weeks ago when I blogged about Raytheon ELCAN SpecterHR and SpecterDR. Because the SpecterDR is mounted on top of the SpecterHR, the operator needs to put his head up high to use it, putting himself at greater risk of being shot. Mounting the holographic scope and optical scope side by side solves this problem.

[ Many thanks to TenPoundMonkey for photos and info. ]

The photo below is of Colt's entry in the Marine Corps competition to find the next M45 MEU(SOC) pistol used by Force Recon. It is based on the Colt Rail Gun 1911 (O1980RG) with a custom desert-colored finish and Novak night sights. A very nice looking gun.

Photo © Lionel

[ Many thanks to Lionel for emailing me the image. ]

Army.mil reports ...

It all began during an intense 2 1/2-hour firefight with the enemy earlier this year in Afghanistan.

As members of the 1st Battalion, 133rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division, Iowa National Guard, sat around later at Forward Operating Base Mehtar Lam and discussed the engagement, they talked about how three-man teams manning crew-served weapons struggled to stay together over difficult terrain in fluid battles.

Someone mentioned actor Jesse Ventura in the movie "Predator." His character brandished an M-134 Mini-gun fed by an ammo box on his back. After the Soldiers had a good laugh over that thought, Staff Sgt. Vincent Winkowski asked why a gunner couldn't carry a combat load of ammo. He decided to pursue the idea.

"When we first arrived in theater in late October (2010), we were issued the Mk 48 7.62 mm machine guns," Winkowski said. "This was a new piece of equipment for us, and we struggled to come up with a solution for carrying and employing ammunition for it due to our small size and the inability to have a designated ammo bearer, as is common doctrine with the M240B.

Read the rest of the article here.

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

The Advanced Armament Corporation had their new Honey Badger on display at the AUSA expo. The PDW style AR-15 is chambered in .300 BLK AAC and features an ultra-short 6" barrel and retractable stock. It is designed to be a quieter and more versatile substitute for the H&K MP5SD. It was designed with the subsonic .300 BLK loads in mind, but is a compatible with the more powerful supersonic loads.

[ Many thanks to TenPoundMonkey for photos and info. ]

FN Herstal is officially debuting the 7.62x51mm FN SCAR-H PR (Precision Rifle) at the MILIPOL Paris expo this week.

The production version of this rifle looks slightly different from the prototype we saw last year. FN has replaced the awkward looking, but weight saving, angled forend for a standard forend with longer side and 6 o'clock rails. Other minor changes include replacing the pistol grip for a standard M16A2 grip and using a slightly different front sight. It retains the 20" heavy barrel and two stage match trigger.

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