Colt has reintroduced the .380 Mustang Pocketlite. The original Mustang used cast parts and was all steel. This new model is CNC-machined and has an aluminum frame with a light tan finish.
The gun measures 5.5" in length, has a 2.75" barrel, weighs 12 ounces. Colt has not published pricing, but one forum user said he purchased his for $609. Read his range report (and the problems he faced) here.
ThinkGeek is selling these nifty gun mugs ...
I love the ThinkGeek humor: "Gun mug safety is no joke. Keep your gun mug properly maintained and clean at all times" 
[ Many thanks to Rolf for emailing me the link. ]
Chris Costa, Founder / President & Director of Training, is leaving Magpul Dynamics. Gear scout published a statement from Magpul ...
“The future of Magpul Dynamics is not in question,” said Magpul Industries VP of sales and marketing, Robert Vidrine “but we are evaluating how we will go forward with the carbine training model. Replacing Chris is not plug and play.”
...
Chris will be moving on in early 2012 to pursue new projects within the industry, including his own training company. Magpul will continue to explore future opportunities to work with Chris, and looks forward to these projects. It has been a privilege to work with Chris for the last five years, and Magpul wishes him the best of luck in the future. The fundamentals of Reality, Consistency, and Efficiency that Chris helped instill are central to the entire Magpul Dynamics instructor cadre, and will continue to drive their training philosophy and mindset.
In the same year that the Magpul owners cash-out the Magpul Dynamics CEO (Haley) and President (Costa) both leave. I wonder what is going on that we don't know about.
Turkish firm Derya Arms Industry have developed a nifty magazine fed semi-automatic shotgun called the Anakon.
The Anakon is a conversion of their conventional tube-fed semi-automatic shotgun and operates in almost the exact same way, feeding from a magazine forward of the bolt and ejecting downwards. It looks pretty bad-ass, but because it is supplied with just a 4 round magazine, it does not offer many advantages over a tube fed design.
This 12 gauge 3" magnum chambered gun features a full length top picatinny rail and short under-rail, flash hider, M16-style carry handle, forward post sight and either a M16-style fixed stock or M4-style adjustable stock. The barrel is 19.6" in length and the gun weighs 6.3 - 6.8 lbs depending on configuration.
If an American company imports this gun, replaces enough parts to make it 922r-compliment and offers a 7-round box magazine and a 20 round drum magazine, I think it would sell really well and make an excellent home defense shotgun.
In the four years I have been blogging I don't think I have come across a more obscure gun than the Parker Hale Rogun. I don't know when the below prototype was made, if it was ever in production or even precisely how it functioned.
What I do know is that this pump action gun has a unique action. Its bold head is fixed to the back of the receiver. When it is pumped forward (it is operated by a forward then back motion, the opposite of most conventional pump actions today) the barrel is pushed forward (using, I would guess, a cylindrical cam/screw system so that the barrel is moved a shorter distance than the forend). While the barrel is moving forward, a feeding device is rotated and scoops up a cartridge from the magazine. When the forend is pumped back, the barrel is moved back toward the bolt head, scooping up and chambering the cartridge. I can only imagine how dreadful this gun must have been to operate. Instead of moving the bolt mass around like in a conventional gun, the entire mass of the barrel had to be cammed back and forward.
The stock on this gun is also interesting. It is clearly a copy of the British L1A1 SLR stock. Parker Hale did in fact supply parts for the L1A1 so this stock could simply be a modified L1A1 SLR stock. Because it is using a synthetic L1A1-style stock, this gun probably had to be made somewhere between the late 1950s and early 1980s.
The patents for the successful Winchester Model 1897 and 1912 pump action shotguns would have expired long before this gun was conceived. I can't imagine why they did not utilize the proven pump action concepts invented by Mr Browning so many decades earlier. Then again, it was not the strangest shotgun invented by the British post-WWII. At the risk of offending my British colleagues, I think at that time the British arms industry was desperate to regain the prominence they enjoyed in days long past and so had a touch of Not Invented Here syndrome.
[Hat Tip: Mick Shepherd & Small Arms Illustrated]
Army.mil reports that Eighth Army law enforcement officials recently made use of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency laser pistol range. I like the steampunk/sci-fi of those laser revolvers. I can easily imagine Harrison Ford wiping one of those out to fry an alien.
[ Many thanks to Lance for emailing me the link. ]
Smith & Wesson is recalling the Thompson Center Venture Rifle after discovering that sears were not manufactured to specifications. The recall notice is below ...
IMPORTANT SAFETY RECALL NOTICE
PRODUCT: Thompson Center Venture Rifle.
DESCRIPTION OF THE HAZARD: During an internal technical review, Smith & Wesson determined that some of the sears used on Venture rifles produced from August 1, 2011 to October 28, 2011, may not have been manufactured to specification. Because the sear is an important part of the firing mechanism, we are asking that all of the rifles produced during this time period be returned to Smith & Wesson so that the firearm can be inspected by our technicians to ensure that the rifle operates in a safe and appropriate manner.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT INVOLVED: This recall applies only to Venture rifles manufactured from August 1, 2011 to October 28, 2011. To determine if your rifle is affected, please reference the serial number list located at www.smith-wesson.com/venturerecall or by calling Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-713-0356. If your serial number does not fall within the list of affected serial numbers, your rifle is not part of this recall.
REMEDY/ACTION TO BE TAKEN: STOP USING YOUR RIFLE. Any unintended discharge of a firearm has the potential to cause injury, and we ask that you stop using your rifle until we have an opportunity to inspect the sear to make certain that there is no condition which will allow the rifle to fire without the trigger being pulled. To facilitate the inspection and repair, if necessary, of your rifle sear, please contact Smith & Wesson’s customer service department to receive instructions and a prepaid return label for the return of your rifle to Smith & Wesson. When you return your rifle to Smith & Wesson, be sure to attach the completed information card received from Smith & Wesson, so that your sear can be inspected and repaired, and returned to you as quickly and efficiently as possible.
VERIFICATION OF CORRECTIVE ACTION: When your rifle sear is returned, you should note a punch dot on the trigger assembly. This punch dot is confirmation that your sear has been inspected and the hazard has not been found or has been corrected.
CONSUMER CONTACT: Please contact Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-713-0356, or at venturerecall@smith-wesson.com to arrange for the inspection and repair, if necessary, of your rifle.
There are not a lot of photos of Brazil's new service on the internet, so I was pleased when a reader emailed me a photo in a photo of the IMBEL IA2. The rifle is based on the FN FAL, but uses a rotating bolt rather than a tilting bolt. It looks like they have modified the stock slightly since I last blogged about the gun.
[ Many thanks to Marcelo for emailing me the link. ]
In 2012 Hornady will be selling a line of .300 Whisper (compatible with .300 BLK AAC) ammunition. The subsonic load is a 208 gr A-MAX bullet that will achieve 1020 fps (480 ft/lbs, about the equivalent of a 9mm Luger+P load) at the muzzle of a 16" barreled carbine. The supersonic load is a 110 gr V-MAX that achieves 2375 fps (1377 ft/lbs, about the same as a 5.56mm 62 gr SS109 load) at the muzzle. The ballistic gel comparison (below) of the two loads is interesting ...
Both loads have a MSRP of $33 / 20 round box.
Last week the Brevard County, FL Sheriff's Office raided Jonathan Arthur Ciener, Inc and arrested the owner Jonathan Arthur Ciener on charges of schemes to defraud less than $20,000 (third degree felony). JAC is best known for his .22 LR AR-15 conversion kits.
Ciener has an awful reputation. He has had almost 70 complaints filed against his company with the BBB. A disgruntled customer even developed a website dedicated to warning people not to do business with him.
[ Many thanks to Claes for the tip. ]
