The Firearm Blog

Thank you for your service.

No, you did not read the title incorrectly. My friends at Strike Industries recently got to inspect U.S. Machine Gun Armory's new "Featureless" Cali-legal SAW. They plan on offering semi-automatic SAWs to California residents with either a pistol grip-less rifle stock or a radical Motorcycle based spade grip version designed for vehicle mounting. It will come with a SureFire muzzle brake instead of an evil (banned) flash-hider.

Civilians with links owned prior to the ban in California can use it with belts of any length!

Contact U.S. Machine Gun Armory for pricing.

[ Many thanks to Simon for the photos & Howard Kent for the info. ]

In January the German government banned H&K from exporting any firearms to Mexico after it was alleged that they exported guns to the state police of Chiapas, Chihuahua, Guerrero and Jalisco, all of which are considered criminal organizations by the German government. H&K claimed they only exported firearms to the Mexican Defense Ministry's central firearm purchaser in Mexico City. Yesterday police raided the H&K headquarters as well as several private homes looking to evidence that H&K bribed Mexican officials. The local reports ...

State police officers conducted the Thursday raid at the company’s Oberndorf corporate headquarters in Baden-Württemberg, searching the building and several nearby private homes for information about bribes the company is alleged to have paid to Mexican officials.

Those bribes are said to have resulted in weapons contracts with authorities in Mexico.

...

This summer it emerged that rebels in Libya were using Heckler & Koch weapons, although the company denied selling weapons to anyone in the country. German prosecutors have since launched an investigation.

[ Many thanks to Tom, John & Joel for emailing me the tip. ]

Peat was used by the Vikings to make swords and cannon balls by the American revolutionaries. Today it is used by the Scots to make Whisky, the Irish to heat their homes and the Fins to make electricity. It is well know that peat is an excellent preserver of ancient Europeans bodies, but it turns out it is also a great preserver of firearms. The wreckage of a WWII Splitfire was recovered from a peat bog, along with its six well preserved Browning M1919 machine guns.

The BBC reports ...

This was the place where, in 1941, Roland "Bud" Wolfe, an American pilot flying a British RAF Spitfire, paid for by a wealthy Canadian industrialist, had experienced engine failure while flying over the neutral Republic of Ireland.

After flying a sortie over the Atlantic, Wolfe was on his way back to his base in Northern Ireland when he was forced to bail out. He parachuted safely to the ground - his plane smashed into the boggy hillside.

Fast-forwarding 70 years and local aviation expert Johnny McNee was able to identify the wreck site. The ensuing dig was accompanied by intense anticipation.

...

We had hoped for one in reasonable condition - we got six, in great shape, with belts containing hundreds of gleaming .303 rounds. The Irish soldiers then stepped in. This was a cache of heavy weapons, however historic they might be.

You can watch a video at the BBC News website of the guns being recovered and fired.

[ Many thanks to Blake, Rolf, Eamonn & Alex for emailing me the link. ]

Adcor Defense is now manufacturing a version of their Brown Enhanced Automatic Rifle (B.E.A.R) rifle that uses standard AR-15 direct gas impingement instead of a piston. The B.E.A.R GI is available with the same forward ambidextrous non-reciprocating charging handle as the piston model, or without it. The B.E.A.R GI Elite model comes with Magpul MOE furniture and a FN-manufactured barrel with M249 rifling. We do not have pricing information at this time.

SIG Sauer has a limited number of complete SIG551-A1 lowers, including stock and magazine, which can be used to convert a SIG556 to a SIG551-A1.

Only 250 kits are available and they are only taking phone orders. Call (866) 619-1128 or (603) 418-8102.

[ Many thanks to Matthew for the tip. ]

[ Many thanks to Dr. Jim and Mary Clary for this guest post. ]

A lot of ink has been spilled over the past few years by writers praising or slamming the CVA muzzleloaders. The majority of the negative comments refer to the Apollo rifle manufactured in 1995 and 1996. Those rifles were subject to a voluntary recall by CVA (which is still going on). The new generation of CVA muzzleloaders bears little resemblance to those of the past. All CVA barrels used today are drilled from bar stock and button rifled in the Bergara factory in Spain. The Apex and Accura V2 are equipped with the Bergara branded barrel which is manufactured out of 416 stainless steel. All Bergara barrels have been through a special honing process that simulates hand lapping, except that it is more precise. This process removes any deviation in bore diameter; i.e., no tight or loose spots. The front half of the Accura barrel is fluted to reduce weight and aid in cooling and is very well finished, including the crown. The Rockwell hardness is Rc 17 for the stainless Bergara and Rc 25 for the blued Bergara. The term “soft Spanish steel” does not apply to Bergara barrels or these guns. Continue Reading »

The Firearm Blog's correspondent from the Netherlands, Flying Dutchman, reports ...

The Dutch police has to search again for a new police pistol. The deal with Sig Sauer for the P250 DC based PPNL (Police Pistol Netherlands) has been canceled after a series of negative tests. The minister of Security and Justice decided to call the order off, because of the risk of the security for the cop in the street. The replacement of the old Walther P5 pistol will be delayed by at least 6 months.

The gun manufacturer Sig Sauer won the tender at the beginning of 2011 for the new Dutch police pistol. After signing the contract the P250 DC had to be adapted to the specific Dutch requirements and had to be tested again. After three negative tests the deal was called off. Unfortunately Sig Sauer could not deliver the required quality, wrote the minister to the Parliament.

Police officers have to keep their current Walther P5. Some members of Parliament want to know why this decision was made so late and what the cost is of this failure.

Right now the selection committee is looking at the other contenders of last year. The police have a preference for Heckler & Koch.

SIG PPNL

[ Many thanks to Flying Dutchman for the info. ]

The new Ruger LCP-LM and LC9-LM incorporate LaserMax CenterFire lasers in their trigger guard. The on/off switch, which is forward of the trigger, is ambidextrous. The laser can be adjusted for both windage and elevation.

The MSRP of the LC9-LM (9mm) is $525 and the LCR-LM (.380 ACP) is $443. These prices are ~$80 more expensive than the standard laser-less models.

The US Machine Gun Armory have developed a set of kits to convert the MK46 / M249 SAW into a range of 7.62mm calibers including the 7.62x39mm, 7.62x40mm Wilson Tactical, .300 AAC BLK and 7.62x51mm. All that is required is swapping out the top-cover, barrel and a few other parts.

The 7.62x40mm WT is available to purchase now for $866, with the rest of the kits going on sale after SHOT Show next year.