The Firearm Blog

Grant Imahara posted this photo on twitter of Mythbusters co-host Kari Byron.

Looking hot (in both meanings of the word)

I really hope this means the mythbusters are going to prove that .50 BMG rifles cannot shoot down a Boeing 747 cruising at 35,000 feet at a speed of 555 mph

Can anyone identify the bullpup, possibly single action and probably .50 BMG rifle? The first thing that popped into my mind was "Steyr" but the only similar looking gun that Steyr ever made was the Steyr AMR / IWS 2000 prototype. Maybe it is a custom stock?

UPDATE: Daniel points out that Kari's rifle seems to be a Maadi-Griffin single shot - I agree.

Hat Tip: Crunchgear

Thanks to mrsatyre for the link.

UPDATE: More pics from the show. Thanks to James for the links.

From Left: Sako TRG-48 in .338 Laupa Magnum, Maadi-Griffin .50 BMG, Barrett 99

Myth: Are phone books good for vehicle armor??!?! Seriously?

UPDATE: As HeartlessLibertarian pointed out that the rifle in the second picture is a Barrett 99, chambered in .416 Barrett.

REMOV let me know that H&K have redesigned their version of the FN MAG 7.62mm machine gun (designated the L7A2 in the British Army). The new models have been completely redrawn from imperial to metric and also feature a lengthly picatinny rail (what self-respecting military firearm does not these days?).

There are two models, one being slightly shorter than the other.

Manroy Engineering have also redesigned their ME 7.62 GPMG, which is a mix of features from the L7A2 and MAG 58.

A big thank you to REMOV for the photos and information.

There is an interesting video at WorldRadio.ch about the famous unique gun culture of Switzerland. At the start of the video a Swiss guy shows the rifle he used in military service, his fathers service rifle and says that his grandfather's service rifle is hanging in his office. How cool is that?

This was my father’s military rifle and of course he got to keep it when he was finished. I have my grandfather’s military rifle hanging on the office wall. This was mine when I did service. It’s quite an old one it was introduced in 1957 and used until 1990. And this is my son’s. It’s the current model. That’s what’s being used today. That’s what we’ll be using the shoot the Feldschiessen today.

The Feldschessen, or Tiro Federale in Campagna as it’s known in these parts is an annual Swiss event and the largest shooting festival in the world. Roughly 200 thousand people come out to target practice all across the country. ammunition is provided by the government.

A shooting content with 200,000 people! Crazy!

And for your viewing benefit, here are some swiss made Sig 550 rifles from CS's collection.

Many thanks to CS for the photos and the link.

This photo, taken at a German Army artillery range, is not a fake.

The side expansion chambers will be to accommodate the blast of the cannon's muzzle brake.

I know what you are thinking: "WTF!".It was build to reduce noise to communities nearby. The vehicle pictured is the M109G 155mm self-propelled howitzer.

Many thanks to Sven for emailing it to me.

UPDATE: Thanks to Mark for these images of another German tank suppressor.

UPDATE: Daniel found a US patent that German defense firm Rheinmetall GmbH has on the design of cannon silencers.

Anything this ugly should be illegal

From Xavier's Ugly Gun Sunday Series.

I recently blogged about boot pistols, a type of early CCW gun carried during the Civil War and postbellum era. The feminine equivalent of the boot pistol was the muff gun. (the name refers to the original definition¹ , not the modern day slang). They were the same sort of concept just smaller and would have probably fired a smaller load (please correct me if I am wrong).

This matched set was recently up for auction at GunBroker. The reserve price of $1525 was not met.

Photos by "zocalo"

Many thanks to Fred for the info.

Backyard Safari has scanned in a collection of tacti-cool AK-type rifles from a Russian gun magazine.

Chauss513 is an artist whose unusual medium is guns that have been destroyed by the U.S. Attorney's Office. He turns the firearm pieces he receives into furniture and steampunk-esque replica guns. His latest batch of raw material come from a local gun buy-back program.

Chauss513 creations are for sale and he can be contacted through Flickr. His Flickr account has over a hundred photos of his many creations. I highly recommend checking it out.

Thanks to Todd for putting me in contact with his friend Chauss513.

Jennifer's father is an avid rifle, shotgun and bow hunter so she made this appropriately themed cake for his 60th birthday.

The brown blobs : deer droppings Tasty.

Num num.

Happy Birthday Jen's dad!

Many thanks to Rolf for sending me the photo.

I love this photo.

20mm Lahti rifle vs. PKM machine gun

Photo by rondog @ The High Road.

Many thanks to Sven for sending me the link.

Like Jim, who emailed me these photos, it makes me want to cry to see these magazines abused in this way. I would pay top dollar to buy them by the ton!

Used to "pave" the garden path.

An innovative way to fix pot holes.

See more of these photos at English Russia.

Thanks to Jim for sending me the link.

This Egyptian Steyr Maadi AKM, which is being auctioned on Gun Broker, was one of the prop AKs from Red Dawn.

Bona Fide Credentials

Last year Ed Friedman got the opportunity to get his photo taken in the legendary WOLVERINES!!! pose with one of the Red Dawn guns. The benefits of working at the NRA!

Hat Tip: Xavier

English Russia has posted many photos of the firearms displayed at the Russian Arms Museum.

Igor Stetchkin’s creations.

Thanks to Richard for the link.

Being the complete and certified gun nut that I am, few thing excite me more than coming across unique and exotic firearms, the more unique, exotic and arcane the better!

Sucang, a resident of Xinhua, Taiwan, sent me these photos of his antique shotgun. He was hoping some readers of the blog could identify it. I was very excited when I opened the attached photos, I had never seen a rifle or shotgun with an action like it.

The shotgun is 170 cm (67″) in length and weighs 4.5 kg (10 lbs).

The action.

I presume a percussion cap is inserted into the removable breech block (see below), then the striker is pull back to cock the action. Click the photos to expand them.

Load information was been engraved onto the gun in English. Not necessarily when it was first made.

Markings.

I don’t know what that cartridge-esque thing is.

One striker cocked.

Breech Blocks removed.

Sucang thought it could be from the 1600’s when the Dutch, who were fond of hunting, occupied Taiwan. This is not likely as the 17th century would place it squarely in matchlock territory and the striker design is quite advanced. I suggested mid 19th century. My buddy Mehul, who knows far more about classic firearms that I do, suggested early 20th.

Has anyone seen anything like it before?