The Firearm Blog

Matthew Cox reports that the USMC like the XM-25 semi-automatic air burst grenade concept but would prefer it in 40mm instead of 25mm.

"I have not seen a detailed analysis on the [XM25's] lethality," Clark said. "We think we can get more lethality out of a 40mm round."

...

In addition to concerns over lethality, the Marines say that the current price tag of roughly $30,000 to hand build one XM25 is just too expensive, Clark said.

Right now there are only five prototypes being tested by soldiers in Afghanistan. Congress has approved an additional $24.7 million to pay for 36 new prototype XM25s and the ammunition and spare parts to go with them.

If they cannot pay $30,000 for a prototype, I don't think their budget will extend to the R&D needed to take it from 25mm to 40mm.

Compared to the 14-pound XM25, the MPRS optic/computer, ambidextrous touch pad and connection cable adds about one pound to a rifle equipped with a 40mm grenade launcher, IMI officials said.

The Israeli Defense Force could field the MPRS in early 2012, said Dan Peretz, corporate vice president for R&D and Business Development at IMI.

IWI MPRS

THe MPRS is basically a picatinny range finder, scope, power source and ballistic computer coupled with a modified M203 launcher. It uses special programmable 40mm grenades.

MPRS launcher.

MPRS Fire Control System

I knew before I wrote the list of potential contenders for the next French rifle I would take a lot of flak for it (some of it more than justified), but I do appreciate the comments and discussion. My response to many of your questions is below ...

@Tinkerer and others who emailed me, I stated that the action of the FAMAS was blowback. It is a delayed blowback action not a conventional blowback action and you are correct in saying there is a big difference and I should have been explicit. I have updated the post.

@Cesame Rifle grenades can be made to work with any rifle system. The Israelis have a very nifty rocket powered rifle grenade system that they use with M16 rifles.

IWI Rifle Grenade (non-lethal model fitted with wireless camera)

@Denny there are plenty of national arms industries. Countries with state-owned firearm manufacturers include Russia, China, Turkey, Pakistan, India and Turkey.

@Pete Yes, I think the French would be looking at manufacturing the rifle inside the country. This is standard operating procedure. @Aurelien pointed out that MAS has manufactured HK G3 rifles and Beretta 92s.

@tradecraft & Spiff, I had mean't to include the Steyr AUG in the list but it slipped my mind. The positives are that it is a bullpup and has seen combat. I have added to the list.

Austeyr F88

@Other Steve I knew that comment that the SIG 516 is "Not an HK416" would be controversial

I was partly a joke but also partly truth. SIG 516s retail for almost half the price of the HK416 (H&K MR556). H&K positions their rifle as an ultra-premium match-grade weapon. SIG position their gun as a quality AR-15. SIG is not trying to make a HK416 and H&K is not trying to make a SIG.

I have begged and pleaded with SIG to send me a rifle to review, before it was even announced to the public (I broke the story), but they just tell me that they are to busy to do so. So to answer your question, no, I have not shot a SIG 516.

I am planning on buying SIG 516 Patrol or S&W M&P15 in the near future. I think both great weapon with most of the features I want.

My next rifle (SIG 516 Patrol)

@shooter I considered including the SAR-21 but decided it was such a long shot. Outside of the tiny Singapore city-state, it has only been adopted by the miniscule Singapore Brunei.

SAR-21

To many of you who asked why I did not mention that rifle X had feature Y or was used by Z: My pros and cons list was not mean't to be a comprehensive.

I also want to mention that a French journalist emailed me to say that the SCAR is also used by the French Special Forces and special Police teams. He also stated he had never heard of French ammunition being imported from China.

I first reported rumors that the French would be replacing the FAMAS rifle back in 2009. During a recent meeting with the Commission of Defense, the French CEMAT (Chef d'Etat Major de l'Armée de Terre / Chief of Staff of the Army), General Ract Madoux, confirmed that the French Army would issue a RFP (Request For Proposals) in 2013 for a replacement service rifle for the French Army.

FAMAS G2

The French FAMAS rifle has been a disaster. Its delayed blowback action is powerful enough to rip apart regular NATO brass-cased 5.56x45mm cases and its rifling does not stabilize the modern 5.56mm NATO bullets. The French Army is forced to use steel cased 5.56mm ammunition, thus eliminating the advantages of using the same cartridge as their NATO and EU allies. It that was not bad enough, the ammunition is no longer made in France and has ben to imported. A French journalist told me that China manufactures steel-cased 5.56mm for French military (I will say that another French journalist I spoke to disputes that ammunition is imported from China).

The manufacturer of the FAMAS, the state-owned Manufacture d'Armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS), has been developing firearms since 1777 and is well known for developing the first smokeless power military rifle, the Lebel Model 1886. Sadly this organization no longer has the technical capability to develop a new rifle, which is why France is looking beyond her borders for a new rifle.

I have compiled a list of potential contenders for a new French service rifle, along with their pros and cons.

Rifles from Neighboring Countries

H&K 416 (Germany)

+ The H&K416 has good reputation, the AR-15 is well known system, Used by Norway, Turkey, USMC and French Army Special Forces. Also available in 7.62x51mm (H&K417).

- Expensive(?).

FN SCAR Mk.16 (Belgium)

+ Modern rifle. Used by French Special Forces and Special Police Teams (including those responsible for protection of the President). Available in a PDW configuration and a 7.62mx51mm configuration (Mk. 17).

- New unproven rifle. Dropped by USSOCOM.

FN2000 (Belgium)

+ Bullpup (like the FAMAS).

- Adoption has not been widespread. Used by Libya (really bad PR).

SIG 550 (Switzerland)

+ Long service history and has aged well. Many variants. Used by Switzerland, German GSG and French Special Forces.

- Non-standard polymer magazine (although there are variants that use AR-15 magazines).

SIG 516 (Switzerland)

+ Proven AR-15 design. PDW and 7.62mm variants available.

- Not (yet) adopted by a military or paramilitary organization. Not an HK416.

Beretta ARX (Italy)

+ Modern modular design. Has been adopted by the Italian Army.

- A new and not yet proven weapon.

Rifles From Other European Countries

CZ 805 BREN A2 (Czech Republic)

+ Modern design. To become the next service rifle of the Czech Army.

- Unproven. Proprietary magazine.

HS VHS (Croatia)

+ Bullpup.

- Unproven. Not a lot of space for mounting FÉLIN (French Future Solider) accessories. Looks to similar to the ill-fated FAMAS.

Steyr AUG A3

+ Bullpup. Seen combat. Adopted by a number of countries and police forces.

- The Australians seem to be spending more time developing this gun than Steyr are. Propriety magazine (although a NATO model with an AR-15 magazine is available, although I do not know if anyone has adopted it).

Rifle From Non European Countries

Remington ACR (USA)

+ The latest magnesium-alloy model is an excellent modern rifle.

- Unproven. Not adopted by any military or para-military organizations. Non-European design (So is the AR-15, but that is now made and used all over the world).

Colt Canada C7 (Canada)

+ A proven battle tested design. Used by Royal Netherlands Army, British SAS and New Zealand SAS.

- Not a very exciting rifle compared to the above models. Not European.

Tavor (Israel)

+ Bullpup (like FAMAS). Limited use in combat.

- Not a lot of space for mounting FÉLIN accessories. France is unlikely buy rifles from Israel for political reasons.

UPDATE: I have posted a followup here.

[ Many thanks to Clairon for information. ]

This video shows an impressive homemade CO2 powered fully automatic air gun. The magazine holds 23 AA batteries and it can fire them at a rate of 600 / minute. It is impressive how well it cycles.

The inventor wrote on YouTube ...

When the gun is fired, the bolt blows forward and clears a plug allowing air to flow though it in to the barrel.

Cost to build the bolt & barrel (excluding tools): $10 and i still have enough pipe to make 3 more.

Estimated cost to build the rest of the gun: $30 (would be cheaper if i used all PVC)

Estimated cost to build the magazine: $10 + scrap sheets of 80 mil high-density polyethylene geomembrane

The PVC i am using is rated at more than 2x the pressures i am using it for.

I do have a smaller full metal tank that i will be testing with shortly - a smaller tank will increase the ROF but will decrease its power.

[Hat Tip: Hack A Day]

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

NOTE: To get up-to-date pricing & to purchase this pistol & ammunition, please click this link to visit Guns For Sale: 45 acp ammo

When I think of all the brands of firearms available today and which brand has the highest quality throughout the product line I immediately think of Sig Sauer. No matter which criteria you consider, fit, finish, reliability, durability and accuracy there is certainly no other brand that produces more desirable models in my experience. They produce models for casual shooting, military, law enforcement and CCW. It seems there’s a Sig to fit any need.

My experience with Sig pistols began in 1979 with the Browning BDA in 45 acp. Of course it was a Sig but the Browning name meant more to me at that time. The only downside to this model was the magazine release on the heel of the grip rather than the American push button release behind the trigger guard. This was the first Sig I had seen. Heck I never had shot one. I bought it anyway and was glad I did.

I used that pistol for some time until the actual Sig pistols came out with the American magazine release. Most semi autos of the time had reliability problems but not the Sig. It feed and worked with anything I loaded into it. Even the old Lawman “Flying Ashtray” which was notorious for jamming any gun that hadn’t been worked over by a gunsmith who knew what he was doing. I was also carrying Colt 1911’s at the time. I hadn’t yet learned to carry one type of gun rather than changing guns daily depending on my mood.

Skip forward to 2003 with the release of the Sig 1911. After all these years I could have a Sig and a 1911! My relationship with Sig 1911’s has continued to this day. When I learned Sig was making a departure from it’s unique 1911 design and offering a “Traditional” model I requested one for review. There are several of these offered, from the full size match version to the compact. I chose the compact for review. I had to wait a bit to get this one because of it’s increasing popularity.

From years ago until today these are one of the most if not the most reliable pistols you can buy. The Sig 1911’s are no exception.

When I got this pistol home I took a good look at it giving some of the design features some thought. There are a few changes that Sig has made to areas of the pistol that do make it more user friendly. For instance the beavertail has a larger lower pad with a slightly increased angle for a more positive release of the grip safety without using as much grip pressure. The upper part of the beavertail is scalloped out on both sides allowing that part of the thumb to ride in that notch making it easier for the shooter to use a high thumb hold. I’ve always used the high hold, which is resting your thumb on top of the thumb safety while shooting. Even though this model doesn’t come with an ambidextrous thumb safety both sides of the beavertail are rounded out should the new owner want to add an ambidextrous safety. The front of the grip has a very pronounced cutout under the rear of the trigger guard allowing the shooters hand to maintain a firm grip. Of course the checkering helps the most but this cutout helps a great deal and just feels good when manipulating the pistol.

The barrel is slightly over four inches in length and does use a barrel bushing unlike many that use a bushingless barrel with this barrel length. The grip is an officers model rather than a full size. This allows each magazine to hold seven rounds plus one round chambered. When you consider what really makes a pistol concealable this setup makes perfect sense. The grip is the most difficult part to conceal and keep from printing through clothing. The barrel length, up to a point, makes no difference in concealment especially with an IWB holster.

Standard Sig 1911 features are a skeletonized trigger that breaks crisp right at four pounds. The trigger also has an adjustment screw for overtravel. A new trend with thumb safeties is a smaller profile. The Sig uses an example of this having reduced length while maintaining extra width. This works just as well since the first knuckle of the thumb manipulates the safety. Sig also uses the external extractor. They got this extractor right the first time and will remain a standard feature I’m sure.

All models of the Traditional have Novak low profile night sights. The magwell is also beveled for easy magazine insertion. The magazine release button is slightly extended but not enough to be activated by holstering or drawing. All Sig 1911’s use the series 80 safety system as well. I much prefer a series 70 type but Sig did a good job on the trigger in spite of the series 80 safety. There is a way to remove the series 80 parts. However, for legal reasons I would advise against it on a carry pistol.

Statistics

Item Number 1911TCO-45-SSS
Caliber .45ACP
Action Type SAO
Trigger Pull DA N/A
Trigger Pull SA 4 lbs
Overall Length 7.7 in
Overall Height 4.8 in
Overall Width 1.4 in
Barrel Length 4.2 in
Sight Radius 5.7 in
Weight w/Mag 36.5 oz
Mag Capacity 7 Rounds
Sights Low-profile Night Sights
Grips Custom blackwood grips
Frame Finish Natural Stainless
Slide Finish Natural Stainless
Accessory Rail No
Features Custom Blackwood grips,round top traditional slide, beavertail frame
MSRP $1,099.00

Range Time

I took an assortment of ammunition from Guns For Sale.com including Remington 230 grain ball, PMC 230 grain ball and two bulk packs of Winchester white box 230 grain ball. I also had on hand 50 rounds of assorted hollowpoints ranging from 185 grain to 230 grains.

I did lube the Sig prior to heading to the range. During this extended range session I did not clean or add additional lube to the pistol. All total 400 rounds were fired. I used Wilson, Sig and McCormick mags. When firing the hollowpoints I mixed the various brands and bullet weights. I used a combination of aimed slow fire as well as rapid fire. There were NO malfunctions of any type throughout the entire shooting session. Overall this pistol was flawless in performance.

I really was a bit surprised that I didn’t have any problems at all. I thought since I mixed the hollowpoints and shot those last when the pistol was very dirty I would have at least one failure but it just ran perfectly.

Accuracy was what I expected with the group pictured below fired from 10 yards. A total of 28 rounds are in this group. I did throw two rounds low which was entirely my fault. The gusting 35 MPH winds didn’t help any however☺

Conclusion

There were no surprises during this review. The perfect performance during the range session was somewhat surprising. As I mentioned I expected to have something go haywire when mixing hollowpoints in a brand new dirty pistol.

Since that session I’ve been to the range a couple of times and fired another 200 rounds, again with no malfunctions whatsoever. I just couldn’t find any fault with this Sig 1911. People can say what they want about it being an antique design but this is one pistol I would take into harms way without hesitation.

Update 11/23/2011

Just for the readers information I took this Sig to the range again today and fired an additional 175 rounds with no malfunctions:-) That brings the total to 575 rounds.

Meopta USA has developed an adapter that allows an iPhone to be attached to their scopes and binoculars. Users can use the standard iPhone camera app to record video or take photos.

They are not the first company to make lenes for the iPhone. A number of companies have produced low quality macro and zoom lenses and hobbits have cobbled together adapters, but I have never seem an ultra-zoom spotting scope used with an iPhone.

What someone now needs to develop is a rangefinder that connects to the iPhone via the 3.5mm headphone socket. A rangefinder, along with the iPhone's built-in gyroscope and spotting scope, would make it almost trivial to write an app that watches your target and uses image recognition, along with the range and gyroscope sensors, to calculate the optimum click adjustments you need for sighing in your rifle.

The MeoPix will be on display at SHOT Show.

The new Del-Ton DTI TRX16 packs a lot of features into a package with an MSRP of $1250.

• 7075 T6 Aluminum hard coat, anodized MIL-SPEC upper and lower receivers
• Troy Battle Ax buttstock of reinforced fiber and Troy 13” Extreme Hand Guard
• 1X9 twist chrome-moly vanadium barrel has a threaded muzzle and mid-length gas system
• Chambered in 5.56 X 45 mm with a chrome-lined chamber and bore
• Troy Industries low profile gas block and A2 flash hider
• Troy DOA/STD rear folding and M4/HK front folding sights
• Phosphated 8620 steel carrier assembly with HPT/MPI tested Carpenter 158 bolt
• Chrome lined carrier interior

It is available with a black or Flat Dark Earth finish.

Not yet having become a parent I am frequently amused by how competitive parents can be. If you put a few parents of toddlers in a room together the conversation inevitably turns to a discussion about which of the genius offspring walked first, talked first, ate carrots first, composed poetry first and so on.

Gun nuts are no exception. Instead of training their child with Baby Einstein DVDs and Sesame Street they are exposing them to the sagely advice of Chris Costa and Travis Haley and competing to see who is the youngest prodigy to learn to field strip an AR-15.

I can't even be sure if I had seen a gun by the time I turned two, let alone learnt how to maintain one.

[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]

Since I last wrote about it last year, the GMG (Gas Machine Gun) has come a long way. It no longer resembles a pistol carbine, but instead a large bullpup rifle.

The 50-round drum magazine is loaded with reusable shell casings. The gun can fire anything that fits into these shell casing. At the muzzle, it will push a 16gr lead ball at a speed of 600 fps (12.8 ft/lbs).

The receiver is made from steel. It has a 24 inch barrel and quad picatinny rails. Unloaded is weighs 7 lbs. It requires an external paintball-compatible tank filled with Nitrogen or HPA. The inventors are selling each of the 15 prototypes for $1,000. Not cheap!

The idea of practical air guns for self-defense and offense go back a long time. The most famous military-style air gun was the Girandoni rifle as used by Lewis and Clark. One notable advocate of air guns for self-defense was the late activist/inventor Philip Luty. Luty designed and published the blueprints for an air submachine gun although I have never seen evidence that anyone ever successfully built it.

The Honduran Armed Forces have announced plans to purchase Tavor TAR-21 assault rifles from Israel Weapon Industries.

Guatemalan Navy Special Forces with Tavor TAR-21 (Marksman configuration).

The IWI sales team are superstars. They sell Tavors like Saudi Arabia sells oil.

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