The Firearm Blog

Uncle has got the scoop!!!!

I looks like I may have been correct regarding the new texture.

Great to see that the fishscale slide serrations were dropped.

Masterpiece Arms are now selling their MPA (Mac-10 clone) carbines and pistols chambered in the .460 Rowland cartridge.

.460 Rowland 16" barreled carbine.

The .460 Rowland was originally developed a decade ago as a magnum power cartridge suitable for the 1911 pistol. It is about 10% more powerful than the 10mm Auto. I have not seen evidence of the .44 Magnum performance claimed.

This video entertaining video demonstrates the .460 MPA guns. It is worth watching, if only to see the concrete block wall dismantled

.460 Rowland 6" barreled pistol

Prices start at $579 for the pistol and $853 for the carbine.

[Hat Tip: Tactical Life]

Promag is manufacturing 10 and 15 round magazines for the sub-compact Kel-Tec P3AT & Ruger LCP

Ruger LCP 15 rounder

Kel-tec P3AT 15 rounder

The 10 rounders cost about $32 and the 20 rounders are going for $35, although you may be able to find them cheaper at other sources.

And now, before you ask "why?", I say "Why Not? ".

[ Many thanks to the reader who sent this in ]

Argentine gun maker Bersa, best known for their Bersa Thunder 380 pistol, will be entering the lucrative compact-plastic-fantastic pistol market next year with the BP9CC, chambered in 9mm, and the BP40CC, chambered in .40 S&W.

Bersa BP9CC

The inspiration for this pistol was the SIG P250. The external appearance and internal organization of parts resemble the P250, but I don't think it also uses the P250's true double action mechanism.

Unfortunately it includes Bersa's anti-features: the dreaded key-lock and magazine safety.

The pistols are slightly larger and heavier than a true sub-compact, such as the Kel-Tec PF-9, so I am unsure if they should be classed as compact or sub-compact.

Some online stores are listing the pistol but at a much lower price than what Lipseys, a major distributor, says. I think $425 sounds right for a pistol of this class.

Express Police Supply have a win-a-gun-a-month competition. In May the prize is a M&P in .380!

SayUncle also blogged about the competition.

Todd, who blogs at Pistol Training, wrote on the M4Carbine.net forums that he believes that a striker fired version of the SIG P250 will be made available soon. Currently the P250 uses a true double action hammer system¹. From Todd's forum posting (emphasis added) ...

They've selected it. No guns have been delivered or fielded yet.

As others have said, the rank-and-file seem unhappy with the choice. But again, most of them have zero actual experience with the gun and only know what they've heard. The FAM² contract will be a major turning point for the P250. If the gun runs well, meets the agency's durability expectations, and the average FAM feels he can shoot it well, it could turn things around for the P250 after the false starts of the past couple years. If, on the other hand, the FAMs ditch it within the first year or two (even if they just go back to the P229, which has served them very well since 9/11) then it could be the final death knell for the P250 line.

The striker-fired version of the P250 is expected to be released soon, perhaps even at SHOT. While it will solve complaints about the long reset, it might not make a difference for the FAMs. The FAM solicitation specifically disallowed any striker-fired weapons. One manufacturer even filed a formal protest over the issue. So there is no way the FAM Service could adopt a striker-fired version (or modification) to its P250s without incurring a landslide of legal problems from Smith & Glock.

SIG P250

UPDATE: Todd has written about it on his blog.

Taurus USA import many of thier guns from their Brazilian parent company. Because the BATFE has rules regarding size of imported guns, the company imports the Mod 94 .22 LR revolver with 3" barrels and cuts them down to 2". This funky revolver is a fully functional factory error.

It is being sold by Ocala Armory for $500.

Hat Tip: Pistol Training via. SayUncle

Sig Sauer has made two changes to the design of the SIG P250 Compact, 9mm, .40 S&W and .357 SIG models, which affect magazine and holster compatibility.

They have changed the grip so that it is the same as the rest of the P250 product line. The original magazines are not compatible with the new grip, and vice versa.

Original magazines will continue to be manufactured and will be sold for the same price as the new design magazines.

Also changed is the accessory rail which is now a standard picatinny rail. This is a good move by Sig, although owners of existing P250 compacts may not be very happy about the change. The new design may not be compatible with holders that were made with the original design in mind. If you purchase a holster for a P250 Compact in the future, make sure it is compaible with your version of the gun.

More info about these changes here.

[ Please tell me you liked the pun in the title ]

Wilsons Gunshop (aka. Wilson Combat) has just had two patent applications approved. Both attribute Douglas D. Olson as the inventor.

The first, entitled "Bridged extractor spring for firearms" describes a a duel spring designed to prevent extraction problems in short barreled AR-15s.

Jay (jdun1911) pointed out that a $5 spring and o-ring will achieve the same result and does not require a modified bolt.

Does anyone know if Wilson has ever made use of this invention? The patent application dates back to 2007.

The other patent awarded to Wilson is for a new night time pistol sight. I only skim-read the patent, but form what I made out it uses a combination of an angled mirror, tritium insert and fiber optics to provide a supposedly superior night time sight picture.

New and unique improvements of prior known fiber optic sights for firearms with day and night time capabilities are disclosed that comprise (A) a sight base, (B) a fiber optic rod mounted in said base having an angle cut at the distal end which is positioned on the underside of the rod, and (C) an artificial light insert that is positioned in a cavity in the fiber optic rod. The cavity is sealed with a fiber optic rod plug and epoxied using an optically clear epoxy. The sight provides increased light output, co-located day and night sight views with increased illumination during the day, and uses a low power tritium insert for night time use. At night the sight achieves a transition from a bright ring during the day to a small central dot at night while maintaining the same color light for both.

Many thanks to Jay for his help.

The "El Juez"

The "El Juez" (thats "The Judge" in Spanish) is a limited edition of the Taurus Judge revolver. This model features a stainless finish with a gold plated hammer, trigger and cylinder release.

Just 1000 will be manufactured, so talk to your dealer soon if you want one. It will be distributed through Davidsons.

Springfield has introduced a compact version of the XD(m) pistol called the 3.8. Its name refers to the barrel length which is 3.8" long, 0.7" shorter than the standard XD(m). The name is sure to confuse many who will think it refers to the .380 cartridge.

The 3.8 model features non-slip slide serrations which have a kink in them, unlike the standard model which has straight serrations.

XD(m) 4.5 serrations.

UPDATE: Tyler Kris is the first to get his hands on one.

Generally I dislike camo on pistols, but this arctic-style digital pattern looks really sexy. The polar bears will not see you coming!

Other than the frame and slide finish, the specs of this new model are the same as the standard Mosquito

The Sig P250 2SUM¹ is a package made up of a full-sized and a subcompact 9mm Sig P250 pistol. The idea is that the full-sized model will be used for home defense and/or sport, while the compact will be used for concealed carry.

Only one fire control unit is provided and it must be switched between the pistols.

Top Gun Supply is listing it for $759.95.

The MILES training system "god gun".

From Bryan Jones's blog ...

A rifle or sidearm for instance could not disable a tank while conversely heavier weapon systems can do more damage or cause injury to greater numbers of individuals. However, the most powerful weapon in the NTC is a small blue sidearm called the "god gun". This electronic weapon instantaneously "kills" personnel or vehicles and removes them from the fight when participants are within the kill zone or blast radius of virtual explosions delivered from both grenades and IEDs.

Bryan took this photo when he visited Medina Wasl, the fake Iraqi village at Fort Irwin's National Training Center. His blog post about the visit is definitely worth reading.