If I had an iPad I would be getting this decal ...
In 1964 MIT professor Dr. Harold Edgererton presented to his students a lecture titled "How to Make Applesauce"to introduce his breakthrough photograph. Using high speed photography and a strobe light effect he captured the iconic photograph of a bullet passing through an apple.
This decal is both gray and matte black, but if you would like different colors let us know.
The Dr Edgerton iPad Decal is selling for $8 at Size Automatic.com.
[ Many thanks to Paul for emailing us the link. ]
While browsing auctions at GunBroker I noticed a fascinating Chinese fortress rifle from the late 1800s. The rifle is 7 feet in length, about height of a modern doorway, and weights 40 pounds! A gun of this size would have been used to snipe from the ramparts of fortresses.
The rifle is about .75 in caliber (about the same caliber as a 10 gauge shotgun). Judging from the photos, I think it fired mini-artillery shells about 6.5" in length (about an inch longer than the modern 14.5×114mm Russian).
It must have been designed by a very careful engineer as it has 16 rear locking lugs on the bolt. The problem with adding a lot of lugs is that it requires precision metalwork to make them all engage the action (or barrel extension) at the same time.
The rifle had a buy-now price of $3,600 and did not sell.
Colt Defense is the latest AR-15 maker to offer a rifle shipped from the factory with Magpul MOE accessories. The LE6920MP is a Colt 6920 with a MOE vertical grip (MVG), MOE hand guard, Magpul MBUS rear sight, MOE-K hand grip, MOE trigger guard, MOE stock and two 30-round Magpul PMAGs.
Colt will offer models with Magpul furniture in black, flat dark earth and olive drab. The LE6920MPG-B features green anodized receivers and Magpul furniture in black.
Thompson/Center Arms (S&W) and TCA (Traditions Sporting Goods) have settled a patent lawsuit. S&W have licensed their muzzleloader rifle patents to TCA and Ardesa Firearms. From the press release ...
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (November 29, 2011) --- Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc. (“TCA”), Traditions Sporting Goods, Inc. (“Traditions”), and Ardesa S.A. d/b/a Ardesa Firearms (“Ardesa”), announced today that they have reached an agreement to settle patent infringement complaints brought by TCA in the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) and U.S. federal court. Under the terms of the agreement, Traditions and Ardesa have agreed to a multi-year license agreement, allowing them to use certain TCA muzzleloader rifle technology. In exchange, TCA has agreed to dismiss all infringement claims asserted in the complaints. Further details and financial terms of the settlement are not being made available.
“We are always looking for ways to protect our innovative designs and technology, which are the cornerstones of our business, and key components of what our brands stand for in the eyes of the consumer,” said James Debney, President and CEO of Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, TCA’s parent company. “We look forward to working with Traditions to bring the highest quality and most advanced muzzleloading rifles to the market.”
“Traditions and Ardesa join with TCA in looking forward to bringing the highest quality muzzleloading rifles to the market,” said Tom Hall, President of Traditions. “We are pleased that the companies were able to work together in a pragmatic way to amicably resolve this litigation. Traditions will continue to sell all products in its existing product line and intends to continue its ongoing efforts to innovate in the field of muzzleloading rifles to meet market demand.”
Dakota Meyer, the USMC veteran Scout Sniper who was awarded the Medal of Honor earlier this year, is suing his former employer BAE Systems OASYS.
According to the lawsuit Meyer quit his job after he learnt about the sale of high-end thermal scopes being sold to Pakistan. Meyer claims that BAE prevented him from getting a job with a former employer by say he was a poor worker with an alcohol problem. The AP Reports ...
According to the lawsuit filed Monday, BAE hired Meyer in March but the relationship quickly soured. Meyer said he became dismayed in April upon learning that BAE had pursued sales of weapons systems to Pakistan, and sent an email to his supervisor expressing his disapproval.
Meyer wrote that it was "disturbing" how U.S. troops were being issued outdated equipment when better, advanced thermal optic scopes were being offered to Pakistan.
"We are simply taking the best gear, the best technology on the market to date and giving to guys that are known to stab us in the back," Meyer wrote in the email, according to the lawsuit.
Roehrkasse, the BAE spokesman, said it is the State Department and not BAE that makes the decision on which defense-related products can be exported.
...
Meyer claims his supervisor began berating and belittling him after sending the email, at one point allegedly taunting him about his Medal of Honor by calling it Meyer's "pending star status." That supervisor, Bobby McCreight, is also named in the lawsuit and is still employed by BAE. Roehrkasse said McCreight is a former decorated Marine sniper.
Meyer resigned from BAE in May. He then tried obtaining a job at a former employer, San Diego-based Ausgar Technologies, but the lawsuit claims the opportunity fell through after McCreight characterized Meyer as a poor employee during a conversation with a manager who had to approve new hires.
[ Many thanks to George for emailing us the link. ]
The next-generation AK rifle, formally referred to as the AK-200, has been named the AK-12. Its name refers to 2012, the year it will go into production. Izhmash is referring to it as the fifth generation Kalashnikov rifle1 .
President Dmitry Medvedev with an early AK-12 prototype
The controls have been modified so that they are more ergonomic and can be operated by an injured solider with only one available hand. Rails have been added to make the gun compatible with modern accessories.
The AK-12 will be made available chambered in 5.45mm, 5.56mm NATO, 7.62x39mm and a new not yet named caliber. It is possible that this new caliber is the 6.5mm Grendel. Wolf Ammunition recently said they were in talks with Izhmash to produce Saiga rifles chambered in 6.5mm.
The company had said that the gas and piston system remains unchanged from the earlier AK models, but it is not clear if they are going to use the older AK-74 gas system or the newer improved AK-108 "balanced recoil" system. The AK-12 will be available in a range of sizes, including a short barreled model for Special Forces.
The AK-12 will be officially unveiled in the near future.
In March I reported that S&W won the contact to supply the Belgian Federal Police with 9mm pistols to replace their aging arsenal of FN/Browning GP-35 (Hi-Power) pistols. Not getting this contract was a big blow to FN Herstal, who have been laying off workers because of poor sales. Smith & Wesson's press release follows ...
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (NASDAQ: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 159-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection, and sport, announced today that it has recently received a contract from the Belgium Federal Police calling for 20,000 Smith & Wesson® Military & Police (M&P) 9mm polymer pistols over a ten-year period. The police agency, a force with 12,500 officers, has received an initial shipment of 2,500 pistols as part of the full department conversion to Smith & Wesson duty firearms.
After an open evaluation process that included numerous competitors, the Smith & Wesson M&P9 was selected for its performance and for the support services provided by the Company. A thorough test and evaluation process by the Belgium Federal Police indicated that the firearm’s reliability, interchangeable grips sizes and low perceived recoil were among the key drivers in the decision. In addition to duty pistols, the Belgium Federal Police also placed orders for simunition and dedicated training firearms based on the M&P platform. The firearms offered by Smith & Wesson were supported with a full range of services, including armorer’s training. The Company also provided the agency with product manuals in multiple languages in order to ease the transition process.
The pistols ordered by the Belgium Federal Police were based upon the well established M&P platform, which has been adopted by hundreds of police agencies and has achieved popularity with consumers as well. The M&P9 pistols were built to meet the exact specifications set forth by the police agency. Enhanced features included luminescent sights, a manual thumb safety with on/off red dot indicator, and a raised loaded chamber indicator on top of the slide that could be felt by hand. The M&P9 pistols retained the original design features and were supplied with two 17-round magazines along with cleaning materials.
Mario Pasantes, Smith & Wesson’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Global Professional Sales, said, “We are pleased to support the long-term needs of the Belgium Federal Police with our M&P pistols, which have become a sidearm of choice for law enforcement agencies in both the United States and around the globe. Our M&P line includes a full range of calibers and is designed to meet the exacting standards and tough test criteria used by professionals, such as the Belgium Federal Police. At the same time, our M&P firearms have become popular with consumers who have come to appreciate the pistol’s professional-grade performance and features.”
The Gun Wire is a nifty new gun news website modeled after The Drudge Report (but earlier on the eye).
An industry insider told me that Kel-Tec has a working SU-16 prototype in .300 AAC BLK and they are likely to bring it into production. The first models will likely be the SU-16C and SU-16CA and will cost $50 - $70 more than the current 5.56mm variants.
The first non-AR-15 production firearm to be chambered in .300 BLK was the Remington Seven. This may be the second.
At the TEDxAmsterdam conference General Peter van Uhm, Chief of the Netherlands Defense Staff, eloquently explains why he chose the gun, instead of the pen or the brush, to make the world a better place.
It should be noted that in 2008 the General lost his son, First Lieutenant Dennis van Uhm, in Afghanistan.
[ Many thanks to Steffen for emailing in the link. ]
