One of the criticisms levied at the Bushmaster ACR by the internet gun community was that it was only available with a 1:9 barrel twist. Bushmaster has quietly updated their website and added a 1:7 twist rate barrel as an option alongside the 1:9.
The 1:7 twist helps stabilize the heavy 75 grain bullets.
Prexis plans on selling a US made kit version of the Enfield L85 / SA80. The PL85 kit contains all the parts needed to build the rifle. The catch? The lower receiver which will require bending into shape.
I have no word on pricing or when this kit will be on sale.
Refer to state law before building your own rifle and don't even think about building with the intention of selling unless you want the BATFE knocking down your door!
[ Many thanks to Kenneth for emailing me the info. ]
UPDATE: Preorder price is $1800. Final list price will be $2400.
The last gun Garand worked on before retirement was the T-31 Bullpup. From the Springfield Armory website ...
U.S. RIFLE GARAND T31 "BULLPUP" .30 (T65E1) SN# 2 Manufactured by Springfield Armory, Springfield, Ma. - Limited prototype experimental select-fire weapon shoulder weapon; never went into production. Lightweight, selective full and semiautomatic rifle with an in-line stock in an attempt to reduce recoil. Cyclic rate of fire 600 rpm. Weapon weighs approximately 8.7 lbs. without accessories. Handguard cooled by circulating fresh air. German FG42 rear sight. Rubber stock and handguard. This was the last model worked on by John Garand.
What is especially interesting about this gun is the recoil system. The tube that surrounds the barrel is not a handguard but gas tube (I use the term lightly). A small around of gas deflected by the muzzle brake would enter the tube causing a shockwave to ripple down the tube towards the receiver end where it would actuate a piston. The system did not work very well because the tube would accumulate 3 grains of dirt for every shot fired!
Garand retired before the second version of the rifle was complete and so the project was terminated. The legacy of this rifle can be seen in the magazine design which was adopted for the M14 rifle.
[ Many thanks to Sven (Defense and Freedom) for emailing me the the info. ]
Two years after burying his Glock 21, this guy digs it up, washes it off with water and, without any lube, fires 500 rounds of .45 ACP through it. Not bad.
[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]
Back in August (2009) the Department of Justice published their intention to purchase AR-15 carbines chambered in .40 S&W from Rock River Arms.
Their reasons for choosing the RRA LAR-40 carbine is that, because they already use AR-15s, training and maintenance will be minimized. From the solicitation notice ...
BASED ON THE MARKET RESEARCH AND FBI REQUIRMENTS, , USE OF A COLT PATTERN .40 S&W CALIBER CARBINE, WILL RESOLVE THE MAINTENANCE ISSUE, ENSURING A RELIABLE SOURCE OF PISTOL CALIBER CARBINES. FURTHER, THE ROCK RIVER ARMS LAR40 PISTOL CALIBER CARBINE WILL ALLOW THE FBI TO MAXIMIZE TRAINING, SINCE THE OPERATIN SYSTEM AND CONTROLS ARE VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL TO THE COLT PATTERN 5.56 X 45 ADDITION, BY USE OF A COMMON WEAPON PLATFORM, THERE IS A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF PARTS INTERCHANGEABILITY BETWEEN EXISTIN FBI 5.56 X 45 MM LAR15 ROCK RIVER ARMS CARBINES AND THE LAR40, FURTHER ENHANCING THE COST EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS ACQUISITION. THE FBI REQUIRES AN INTEGRAL MAGAZINE WELL (AS OPPOSED TO A PINNED MAGAZINE WELL ADAPTOR) AND A CALIBER DEDICATED MAGAZINE, DEVELOPED SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS WEAPON SYSTEM AND CALIBER, WHICH ENSURES THE LEVEL OF RELIABILITY REQUIRED BY FBI SPECIAL AGENTS DURING HIGH RISK SITUATIONS. THE FBI REQUIRES THIS CARBINE TO BE MANUFACTURED IN .40 S&W CALIBER, WHICH WILL PROVIDE GREATER OPERATIONAL EFFECIENTCY, SINCE BOTH THE ISSUED SERVICE PISTOL AND THE PISTOL CALIBERCOLT PATTERN CARBINE WILL BE CHAMBERED FOR THE SAME AMMUNITION (I.E., .40 S&W CALIBER). ROCK RIVER ARMS IS THE ONLY MANUFACTURER KNOWN TO MEET THESE CRITICAL REQUIREMENTS.
You have got to hand it to the FBI, first 20mm rifles and now AR-15 carbines chambered in .40 S&W, they do think outside the box.
[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]
Introduced in Italy in 2004, the Beretta U22 Neos Carbine Kit has finally made its way stateside.
The kit includes a 16" barrel (1:16 twist), forend, stock (which replaces pistol grip), weaver rail, adjustable aperture rear sight and TruGlo front sight. No gunsmithing is needed to install it.
The Kit will retail for about $280. Not cheap!
The forward assist on the AR-15 has always been controversial. Stoner did not want to add it but was made to by the military. Many say that if a round cannot be chambered, and especially if it cannot be pushed in using the bolt carrier thumb groove, it should be ejected and not jammed into the gun.
There is an interesting discussion at ARFCOM discussing the use of a forward assist if low temperatures freeze the gun's lubricant.
I was upstate this weekend, temp was 0-6 in the am when I was shooting. My colt 6400 was lightly lubed and I used the fa about 4 times in the process of shooting 120 rounds. I was using federal 55gr ammo. The stops occured after shooting a mag going to check out the target. The lube was a little clumpy, kind of grainy. I know if I used rem oil this problem would of never happened but I didn't and the fa helped. The lube froze up in the upper, combined with the possible metal contraction caused the bolt not to fully close.
For the record, I tried pushing the bolt forward using my thumb and it worked but the fa was so much easier.
( and on a side note: Alternative Small Arms Lubricants : Using Motor Oil in Extreme Temperature )
[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]
This Bushmaster ACR was on display at Magpul's SHOT Show booth. Bushmaster will almost certainly introduce an ACR finished in the A-TACS Camo scheme, although they have not announced anything yet.
This graph shows the price (MSRP) of 5.56mm rifles that were launched over the past year (and the HK556 which has not yet been launched). Looking at this chart, it seems unlikely that the ACR would have ever been launched at under $2000.
Prepare to be disappointed ... the MSRP of the HK416 / MR556 / HK556 / MR556-A5 is $2995. This price is similar to the FN SCAR 16S and the Bushmaster ACR. This price is for the 16" barreled model.
[ Many thanks to ST for emailing me the link. ]
Rihanna's music video for the song Hard features lot of guns. Plenty of M4's (being fired in a very careless manner) and XM-8s can be seen. Seems that while Hollywood has figured out that the XM8 is no longer cool, the music industry has not.
[Hat Tip: Everyday no day off via. Rey]
Knights Armament had their 1 millionth RAS rail gold plated and on display at SHOT.
It looks like it is on the wrong side of the border 
The SIG 716 is the new piston operated 7.62x51mm / .308 Win. rifle from Sig Sauer.
The rifle will be offered in four configurations:
Every model is equipped with free-floating quad rail and chrome-lined barrels. The Marksmen models feature heavy match barrels. The non-marksmen models come with backup iron sights. The 517 makes use of Armalite's AR-10 Gen II magazine.
According to pizzigr1 at AR15.com, Sig are using Armalite AR-10 Bolt Carrier Groups (BCG).
No word on pricing or availability.
The NYTimes.com has published two videos recorded by Colt Defense. They compare the M4 and the M4A1.
The NYTimes reports ...
That video shows the same test with an M-4 equipped with a thicker, heavier barrel, which is used on a specialized carbine, known as the M-4A1. This variant is carried by some Special Operations users.
...
Colt Defense and the Army have been discussing making the change to a heavier barrel for several months and appear likely to begin requiring standard-issue rifles to have the barrel previously manufactured for the M-4A1.
Sounds like Colt is going on the PR offensive.
[ Many thanks to all the readers who emailed in these videos. ]
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!
