These photos of Marine snipers were taken earlier this month during Operation Moshtarak (Helmand province, Afghanistan).
Kit Up has published a post discussing the photos.
VaderSpade posted a very nifty tutorial on how to machine a AR-15 lower receiver.
You won't save money making your own. You need a mill machine, which second hand will cost about $900, and Tactical Machining's 80% Master Kit jig which sells for $410.
[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]
I just discovered Guy Sagi's Flickr account. He has a lot of beautiful gun photos.
Guy is the Editor in Chief of the NRA's Shooting Illustrated and blogs at Fear And Loading.
In the Mumbai terrorist attack aftermath, the Mumbai police blamed their poor performance on being out gunned by the terrorists who were using MP5s while they were using Lee-Enfield rifles. The Indian National Security Guard (NSG) adopted the same PR strategy and claimed that the terrorists' MP5s were far superior to the AKs which they were using.
To prevent another "out gunned" scenario MetalTech, along with Indian special forces, have developed a $45,000 armored golf cart!
The MetalTech Anti-Terrorist Assault Cart (ATAC) can resist grenade blasts and gun fire. An interesting solution to the wrong problem (training the police to use their Enfields would, I my my humble opinion, be better money spent).
[ Many thanks to Paulo for emailing me the link. ]
Just admit it, I am not the only one here who fantasies about carrying an AR-15 around in my briefcase 
The good news is that the TAC2 AR15 Discreet Carry Kit allows just that.
The kit contains ...
The TAC2 system is available as a kit starting at $225 (without briefcase, as a complete upper starting at $750 (with leather briefcase) or as a complete rifle for $1175 (with leather briefcase).
[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]
Remington's hunting AR-15, the R-15, is now available chambered in .450 Bushmaster. The gun features an 18" free-floading and fluted barrel and Mossy Oak Break-Up camo finish. The magazine can hold four rounds of the large .450 Bushmaster.
The rifle is pretty much the modern version of the classic .45-70 lever action carbine. A .450 Bushy packs about as much punch as a standard pressure (smokeless) .45-70 round. More than enough power for any North American game.
[ Many thanks to Heath for the info. ]
UPDATE: There is more to this story than meet the eye.
There have been a lot of recently publicized KBs. I was emailed these photos of a Savage Model 10ML II "Smokeless" Muzzleloader. The accident happened last October.
The Model 10ML II is designed so that it can be used with smokeless powder, which generates much higher pressure than blackpowder.
The shooters hand, which was holding the fore end of the stock, suffered a lot of damage. I decided not to publish photos of his hand because they are far too graphic, but can be seen here (YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!).
The North American Muzzleloader Hunting Association published the shooters account of the incident ..
"On October 24th, 2009, I went to Broad Valley, Manitoba where I had purchased a hunting cabin with a couple of friends, to do some work on the cabin. And we thought we would get in a hunt that afternoon and the next morning. I had not sighted my muzzleloader this year, so went to a pit south of town to do so. I loaded the gun with 42.5 grains of IMR 4759 powder, using a 250 grain Barnes bullet. One of my buddies suggested I shoot over the hood of his truck, but I did not have ear protection, so decided to shoot off of a canvas duffle bag full of clothes. First shot was my last shot - as there was a large explosion...with my hand under the barrel on the forestock. The barrel and forestock blew apart (per pictures), and some part of the gun blew off and dented the door of the truck. My buddies took me to Hodgson General Hospital 20 minutes away. From there, I was transported by ambulance to Winnipeg Health Science Center 2 hours away, where I underwent 6 hours of surgery. Doctors expect 2-3 more surgeries, and I will be off work for 6 months to a year.
[ Many thanks to Frank for emailing me the photo. ]
The Marine Times reports that the USMC have adopted the new SOST (Special Operations Science and Technology) 5.56mm ammunition ...
The open-tipped rounds until now have been available only to Special Operations Command troops. The first 200,000 5.56mm Special Operations Science and Technology rounds are already downrange with Marine Expeditionary Brigade-Afghanistan, said Brig. Gen. Michael Brogan, commander of Marine Corps Systems Command. Commonly known as “SOST” rounds, they were legally cleared for Marine use by the Pentagon in late January, according to Navy Department documents obtained by Marine Corps Times.
SOCom developed the new rounds for use with the Special Operations Force Combat Assault Rifle, or SCAR, which needed a more accurate bullet because its short barrel, at 13.8 inches, is less than an inch shorter than the M4 carbine’s. Using an open-tip match round design common with some sniper ammunition, SOST rounds are designed to be “barrier blind,” meaning they stay on target better than existing M855 rounds after penetrating windshields, car doors and other objects.
The full name and designation of the round is the MK 318 MOD 0 "Cartridge, Caliber 5.56mm Ball, Carbine, Barrier". The 62 grain bullet was designed by Federal / ATK. It features an open tip with lead at the front and a thick copper base. The lead is designed to defeat barriers and the copper to penetrate the barrier.
Many have said that it closely resembles the Federal Trophy Bonded Bearclaw bullet. Personally I think the similarities are superficial.
It should be noted that the bullet is open tip, not hollow point. Bartholomew Roberts explains ...
It isn't a hollow point. It is an Open-Tip Match round much like the M118LR. The jacket is drawn from the base (instead of the cheaper method of jacket drawn from the nose and an exposed lead base) to the tip of the bullet. The tiny little hole there is just a remnant from jacketing the bullet that way. It isn't designed for expansion or calculated to cause unnecessary suffering, so it doesn't violate the Hague conventions
The load has been optimized for ballistic performance and reduced muzzle flash from short barrels. From a 14" barrel is achieves 2925 fps.
A 7.62mm version of this round, the MK 319 MOD 0, has also been developed. It also has been optimized for short barrels (16") but also for reduced recoil. I have not heard of any adoption outside the special forces.
[ Many thanks to Matt Groom and Stu C. for the info. ]
UPDATE: The Marines are not dumping the standard M855 round, but will be the SOST alongside it in situations where the SOST will be more effective.
This is not going to make customers happy ...
If you purchased a GSG 5 SD model with a barrel shroud (Fake Suppressor) ATF has now determined that this is regulated by the NFA and must be replaced. To all retail customers:
On January 2010 American Tactical Imports Inc received official notification from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives that the original barrel shroud (aka: fake suppressor) supplied with your GSG 5 SD model must be replaced. It has been determined that this shroud is regulated under the National Firearms Act. American Tactical will provide a replacement shroud at no charge for each GSG 5 SD model sold or currently in inventory.
More info at Gun Trust Lawyer.
Cavalry Arms, a manufacturer polymer AR-15 lowers and furniture, have quit the firearm business. From the press release ...
Dear Friends and Loyal Customers:
As you may be aware, we have been engaged in an ongoing dispute with the ATF for the past two years. While Cavalry Arms has at all times tried its best to run a lawful and honest shop, unfortunately, some regulatory compliance mistakes were made. We have now come to the point where we feel it is in our best interest to close our FFL and to cease all firearms operations. The owner of Cavalry Arms, Shawn Nealon, has elected to leave the firearms business and concentrate on firearms accessories instead. We are currently in negotiations with another company for that company to purchase the CAV-15 product line. Rest assured that any resulting purchase agreement will address the issue of providing service and support with regard to existing CAV-15 firearm products. We will continue to manufacture quality plastic components, grow our Medical products line, and work to bring new innovations to the relevant markets. Over the next several weeks we will be conducting a wind-down of our firearms manufacturing and FFL operations. Accordingly, please do not send us any firearms for repair or replacement. Instead, such issues should be addressed to the ultimate purchaser of our assets. Due to our limited personnel resources, during this transition/operation wind-down period, the final processing and shipping of firearm receivers already in our inventory will be our first priority.
We deeply appreciate your patience and understanding and anticipate that the relevant asset purchaser will begin operations in March of 2010. We sincerely thank you for your prior and ongoing support during these troubled times and look forward to better years ahead.
Thank you, Cavalry Arms
Very sad news.
[Hat Tip: SaysUncle]
An interesting piece of intel I picked up at SHOT was that C-MORE are considering civilian sales of their M26 Modular Accessory Shotgun System.
The pistol and underslung version would have NFA requirements (destructive devices AOW or Short Barreled Shotgun) but the standalone "carbine" would be civilian legal without any paperwork if the barrel was extended to 18".
The M26 is a breaching tool and not designed as an anti-personnel weapon. It was chosen by the US military over the KAC Masterkey and Remington MCS Accessory Weapon, both of which use the Remington Model 870 shotgun as a base. The M26 distributes its weight further back compared with the 870 and so it feels lighter.
MrSteve has posted unboxing photos of his new Bison 6.8 SPC AR-15 upper. Worth taking a look.
Bison Armory is partly owned by blogger extraordinaire SayUncle.
UltiMAK has developed a forward optics mount for Arsenal's AK-74U clones, the SLR-107UR, and SLR-106UR. It is not listed on their website but OneSourceTactical are selling it for $114.99.
Very cool. Now I wish they would develop a mount for the SKS (I hate gas tube mounts).
Hi, welcome to The Firearm Blog! This blog is dedicated to all things firearm related. If you are into AR-15 and AK carbines, skeet shotguns, self defense pistols or hunting rifles then there will be something here for you. I hope you enjoy it.
I want this blog to appeal to a worldwide audience and so I will focus on firearms and shooting rather than country specific politics. There are already many great blogs defending your rights!
