The Quad rail makes it look much more AR like.

Model 597 VTR Quad Rail

The Model 597 VTR Quad Rail features a free floating quad rail. MSRP is $590.

597 VTR A-TACS

The Model 597 VTR A-TACS is a standard VTR but with a A-TACS camo finish. MSRP is also $590.

Not pictured is the Model 597 VTR A2 model which, as the name suggests, features a standard AR-15 A2-style fixed stock. This has an MSRP os $445.

Model 93 BRJ (.22 Magnum)

Specifications
Caliber	.22 LR, .22 WMR (Magnum)
Capacity	5+1
Barrel	21" Heavy Blued Fluted
Finish	Blued
Stock	Wood Laminate
Twist	16:1
Total Length	40"
Weight	7 lbs
MSRP (Price)	$456 (Mark II .22 LR), $464 (Model 93 .22 WMR)

Read more about the trick here.

Kelly Jr., 49, of Navarre, admitted shooting his daughter's boyfriend in the groin with "The Judge," his silver Taurus .45-caliber revolver.

"The Judge" was loaded -- three chambers were filled with bird-shot and the fourth with lead. But only one chamber had been fired.

“I shot him in the nuts with bird-shot because he was beating my daughter,” Kelly said.

[ Many thanks to Abraham for emailing me the link. ]

It turns out H&K had initially sued them over a long list of complaints. Most of these, the trade dress infringement being the sole exception, were thrown out of court. By simply making some design changes to avoid the GSG-5 being confused with the H&K MP5, ATI has been able to bring the gun back into the market under the GSG-522 name. The GSG-522 design was signed off by H&K and no royalties are required to be paid.

The GSG-522 has many subtle design changes. The biggest changes are ...

• Textured pistol grip
• Redesigned selector switch
• Picatinny rail on top
• Square "open" front sight rather than the classic H&K ring front sight.
• Integrated sling bracket (on trigger guard ... looks a bit flimsy to me)

New GSG-522 Pistol (bottom) compared to original GSG-5 PK Pistol

Close up of the new sight.

It still retains the MP5 style but is much less likely to mistaken for a real MP5 (although in reality the original GSG-5 would also not have been confused with the real deal).

The joke is that ATI will offer "upgrade" kits that will allow you to retrofit a GSG-522 to look like the original GSG-5.

GSG-522 Pistol and SD Carbine (with 110 round drum!!!)

The GSG-522 will be available in many configurations:

• GSG-522 Carbine with 16.25" barrel
• GSG-522 SD Carbine with 16.25" barrel (MP5-SD style)
• GSG-522 Pistol with 9" barrel
• GSG-522PK Pistol (MP5K style) with 4.25" barrel

The carbines will be available in black, nickel and camo finish. Each model will ship with either a 10 round or 22 round magazine.

One of the coolest features of the new GSG-522 line is the 110 round drum magazine.

The drum does not need to be wound. This is a plus, although I imagine after 75 rounds your fingers are going to be very tired (a mag loader is not yet available). An adapter will be offered at a later time which will allow the magazine to be used with the ATI GSG Kalashnikov.

As soon as this drum goes on sale you can be sure that in no time Youtube will be filled with videos of people dumping 100 rounds as quickly as possible

I do not yet have pricing info for the drum or GSG-5 firearms.

GSG-522PK

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!

What is in the box

Rachael showing off the Black Dog Machine 50 rounder. Photo © Gregory

Black Dog Machine's 3rd Generation AR 22LR magazine. Photo © Gregory

The improvements in the new gen-3 mag are: steel feed lips, no need for magazine loader (follower can be manually pulled down) and 30-round capacity (old mags were 26-round capacity.)

[ Many thanks to Gregory for the info. ]

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

Split case neck. A common problem with .17 HMR Model 597 rifles.

For those of you not familiar with the buy back, I will summarize. Back in August Remington finally acknowledged that their .17 HMR semi-automatics had serious issues. They offered a $250 coupon, which could be used towards the purchase of another Remington firearm, for each 597 that was returned to them. A $10 coupon was also offered for each box of ammunition returned. Since then there has been a lot of anger and confusion.

The confusion regarding the .17 HMR cartridge.

This buy back does not mean that the .17 HMR is unsafe in your bolt action, single shot or lever action rifles. The problems occur in semi-automatic rifles. Matt Groom explained in the comments ...

With any bottle necked round, the pressure generated in the body of the case has to be compressed slightly to flow through the smaller diameter of the case neck. This is why the shoulder usually moves forward a tiny bit on rifle cartridges. The gases also accellerate as they travel through the neck area, which can cause the neck to soften and split. This all happens very fast, and is one reason why nearly everything with a bottle neck is fired from a locked breech. The PPSh and other Soviet SMGs are the only things I can think of that use a bottle neck in a blowback action before the modern .17 caliber rimfires came out, and I think those used steel cases.

This was likely the reason that Ruger never launched their once advertised, but never seen, 10/17 rifles.

Hornady .17 HMR V-Max

In September Hornady, who originally developed the cartridge, posted this noticed on their website ...

Recently there have been notices placed on several web sites warning about the use of 17HMR ammunition in semi-automatic firearms. Statements are to the effect of do not use 17HMR ammunition in semi-auto firearms or serious injury may result and do not use unless or until you have contacted the manufacturer of your firearm. Every ammunition manufacturer determines the warning it believes is appropriate for its product.

First and foremost, the safety of our customers is our primary concern, and the same is true for all other SAAMI member companies. We are making this statement to hopefully reduce confusion, answer questions and clarify issues.

We believe 17HMR ammunition is manufactured to the highest standard of care and quality and performs within the specifications established for 17HMR ammunition and is consistent with SAAMI standards for ALL ammunition.

We are not firearms manufacturers and we believe the firearms manufacturers are solely the ones responsible for determining if and how they should market and sell a model or type of firearm. WE STRONGLY URGE YOU TO CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER OF YOUR FIREARM TO DETERMINE IF IT IS SAFE TO USE 17HMR AMMUNITION IN YOUR SPECIFIC TYPE AND MODEL OF FIREARM.

So there you have it. It is safe, but be wary of using the round in a semi-automatic.

The controversy regarding the buy back.

Many owners of recently purchased .17 597 rifles are understandably unhappy about the buy back. Some have paid hundreds of dollars more for the rifle than what Remington is offering in the buy back scheme.

In the comments Rand said ...

A few points, then: 1) Remington’s buy-back offer represents $10 less than what a gun dealer who is unaware that the thing has been recalled will offer for a gun that has blown out its magazine. So you could say it’s a pretty lousy buy-back offer, but you could also say that it’s about right, since you wouldn’t be able to get much more for the gun by selling to someone else. Either way, Remington is not doing anybody any favors.

2) If you read Remington’s recall notice (which I also found when I Googled the thing), you’ll see that it does not admit that there is anything inherently wrong with the round OR the rifle. It says Remington has been “notified” by its “supplier” of 17 HMR ammo that the ammo is unsafe for use in semi-automatic rifles. So Remington offers to buy back its ammo. Then it says, essentially, that because it’s recalling its .17 HMR ammo, it’s also recalling its Model 597 rifles in .17 HMR. But why recall the rifles when the problem is the ammo? This is classic CYA legal language, pure and simple. I was in fact shooting Hornady ammo in my son’s rifle when it blew out the magazine.

Overseas customers are worse off as they have to pay much higher prices for their rifles, but are being offered the same buy back. Pat Gallagher said ...

I live in Ireland were we are screwed cost wise for just about everything, I bought a Remy 597 in .17hmr about 12 months ago.I paid 700.00 euro for it, approx 1040.00us dollars and am being offered the same deal as you guys recall value, and you guys are pissed!.

Shooters affected by the buy back have been emailing and snail-mailing Remington, complaining to the BBB, organizing an online petition and threatening legal action.

In the comments Joe argued that, on the whole, Remington are being fair ...

Having worked at Remington for over 40 years and retired I know that the company does everything possible to produce a quality product. As with any other industry sometimes new products don’t live up to expectations for one reason or another,the 597 .17 being a good example.I am also aware that no matter what reconciliation is offered it won’t satisfy everybody. many of the issues raised in the forum are justified and I think the company will be fair in their response.The thing that bothers me is the talk of lawyers and lawsuits. With Washington filled with antigun politicians we as gun owners should not be so quick to hobble a company that is in the forefront of protecting the 2nd Ammendment. You may say that I am biased but I would feel the same if it was Winchester,Mossberg or any other American gun maker.

What can Remington do to make this right?

I am going to write an email to my contact at the Freedom Group's Public Relations department and propose that Remington offer to replace any 597 purchased in the past X years with the closest equivalent .22 LR model. Customers could choose to have their 597 replaced or to take the $250 coupon. Sure this is not a perfect solution but I think it is more fair than the current situation.

Do you think Remington is being fair or not?

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

Specifications
Caliber	.22LR
Action Type	DA/SA
Barrel Length	3.9 in
Mag Capacity	10 Rounds
Weight w/Mag	24.6 oz
Overall Length	7.2 in
Overall Height	5.3 in
Sights	Adjustable Rear
CA Compliant	Yes
MA Compliant	Yes
MSRP (Price)	SIG are not listing a price.

• Metal revievers.
• Compensators
• NAVY style pistol grip.
• Retractable stocks.
• H&K style diopter iron sights. Adjustable for elevation or windage.

MP5 A5

MP5SD

The A5 model features a standard MP5 forend and a faux suppressor. The MP5SD foreend is modeled on the original SD forend although the suppressor is also just for the look and is non-funcationing. Standard fixed stocks will be able for purchase.

Both these guns will be able to be purchased with either a 10 round or 25 round magazine.

Hat Tip: On Point Supply

Umarex is manufacturing this .22 LR rifle patterned on the HK416¹ . It features ...

• Metal receivers.
• Functional dust cover.
• Full length picatinny rail.
• Adjustable stock.
• H&K style diopter iron sights. Adjustable for elevation or windage.
• 16" barrel.
• Pistol grip with compartment (for spare batteries, tools, etc.)

The rifle will be sold with either a 10 or 20 round magazine but 30 round mags will be available for purchase.

The previous Umarex .22 rifle, the Colt M4, had some serious problems. Justin Biddle, Umarex's Marketing Manager, assured me that they have been made changes to the Umarex action and sorted out the issues experienced by the M4 owners.

Hat Tip: On Point Supply

"bronco" developed a conversion kit which allows a standard AR-15 pistol grip and stock to be attached to the AR-7 receiver. A forum posting over at the Predator Wild forum seems to suggest he may be willing to sell these kits.

The stock / pistol grip kit.

Next Chapter has written a review of the Henry AR-7.

Many thanks to Heath for sending me the link.

Gold Plating on reciver.

The seals of the United States Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard

Specifications
Action type	Lever action repeater
Caliber	.22 Short, Long and Long Rifle
Capacity	16 rounds of .22LR
Barrel length	20"
Overall length	38 1/2"
Weight	6.75 lbs.
Stock	American Walnut
Sights	Adjustable Buckhorn rear, beaded front

I am not sure what the retail price will be.

Heckler and Koch is suing German Sports Guns and American Tactical Imports over trade dress infringements. Seems they don’t like GSG making a 22LR version of their MP5.

These cases, like when Colt sued H&K over the 416, are counter productive to the industry in general. It seems bizarre that a firm, which is a subsidiary of a German company, is suing the importers of a German made gun. They must not be able to sue for it in Germany court.

I know nothing about "trade dress infringement", but I do know that those fanciful concepts of "common sense" and "justice" have long been forgotten in intellectual property court, thanks to the efforts of Disney Corp's hard working lawyers and lobbyists.

I recently reported that H&K has licensed the production of .22 rifles patterned after the MP5, MP7 and other H&K firearms to Umarex. No doubt this is the reason they have taken legal action against ATI.

UPDATE: H&K and ATI settled. GSG-5 sales will cease.

UPDATE:

How long till the Wii MP5 controller gets banned! (Thanks David for the link)

Ruger 10/22 VLEH Target Tactical Rifle

The 10/22 VLEH¹ features a Hogue OverMolded stock, in my opinion the best for the Ruger 10/22. The barrel is 16" heavy .920" profile match-grade barrel with target crown. It has the same trigger group as the Ruger 10/22T, which is much superior to the standard factory trigger. To top it all off, a bipod is included.

The VLEH configuration is almost identical to my favorite 10/22 configuration. It makes perfect sense for hunting and general plinking. My only complaint would be the lack of iron sights, although few people will miss them.

Specifications
Caliber	.22 LR
Capacity	10 Rounds (with factory magazines)
Finish	Black Matte
Stock	Black Hogue OverMolded
Barrel Length	16.12"
Groove	6
Twist	1:16" RH
Overall Length	34.5"
Weight	6.88 lbs
Front / Rear Sight(s)	None
Suggested Retail Price	$ 555.00

Hat Tip: Down Range TV

Specifications
Caliber	.22 Long Rifle
Capacity	10 rounds
Grip	Wood
Barrel	5" / 6 grooves
Twist	1:16"
Total Length	9"
Weight	32 ounces
Price	$265+ depending on model
Availability	Now

The market for this pistol, and its not-yet-on-sale competitors the GSG 1911, are 1911 shooters who want to practice with cheap ammunition but would rather have a dedicated gun than purchasing a .22 conversion kit and having to swap it in and out of their .45 1911.

The F88T Austeyr

Note the subcaliber magazine insert - the only giveaway that it is chambered in .22 LR

Almost no information about this rifle is available online. This is very surprising because the rifle is currently in service with a major defense force.

The F88T Austeyr was developed by ADI Limited (now known as Thales Australia). It is, as far as I know, the only variant of the Steyr AUG chambered in .22 Long rifle. A page on the, now offline, ADI website described the weapon as:

ADI has developed a .22 calibre training rifle for use by the Australian Army. The weapon provides an economical training alternative, with very low ammunition cost, which can be used in environmentally sensitive training areas and indoor areas for special force training with reduced risk to trainees and instructors.

This paragraph sums up just about all the information available online! Because of the lack of information I was convinced that very few of these had ever been built, but I stumbled across the minutes of a meeting from an Australian Air Force conference where they discussed an order of 200 F88T's which were going to be used for cadet training. Presumably there are more than 200 in existence.

Australian cadets also train with .22 single shot bolt actions rifles.

I do not have any technical information about the gun. Most .22 semi-automatics share similar features. The gas system will be non-functional because a .22 LR cannot generate enough case to cycle an action. The action will be a standard blowback system. The barrel is probably the same as the regular Austeyr. While this is not optimal for accuracy I can't imagine it would have been worth the cost of producing dedicated .22 Long Rifle barrels.

I am sure that the owners of the civilian Steyr AUG SA, which went on sale this year, would love to have a .22LR conversion kit. Realistically, a third-party American firm is much more likely to develop a conversion kit than Steyr is too either develop their own or license the design from Thales Australia.

Many thanks to Jon for the photos.

Ruger SR-22

Jeff Quinn holds a tricked out SR-22

You are probably thinking that the action in the above rifle does not look much like a Ruger 10/22. This is because a standard Ruger 10/22 action and trigger group sits inside a Nordic Components designed conversion chassis / enclosure.

Nordic Components Stock Kit - very similar to the SR-22 rifle.

The chassis allows a standard AR-15 stock and pistol grip to be used on the rifle. It also allows a standard Ruger 10/22 barrel, which attaches to a v-Block, to be used with a the AR-15 style handguard. This breakdown photo illustrates how it all fits together:

The mid length handguard is drilled and tapped to allow picatinny rails to be installed on the 3,6,9 and 12 o' clock positions, if desired. These rails allow all standard AR-15 accessories to be used with the rifle.

Ruger 3" SR-22 TR 3 Picatinny Rail ($14.95)

SR-22 Full Length Picatinny Rail ($39.95)

Another benefit of the SR-22 over a standard 10/22 is that the barrel is factory threaded and a Ruger SR-556 / Mini-14 flash suppressor is installed.

Specifications
Receiver	Ruger 10/22
Trigger Group	Ruger 10/22
Caliber	.22 LR
Pistol Grip	Hogue Monogrip pistol grip
Capacity	10 Rounds
Finish	Black, Hard Coat Anodized
Stock	6-Position M4-Style (on a Mil-spec diameter tube).
Barrel Length	16.12"
Groove	6
Twist	1:16" RH
Overall Length	32.35" - 35.25"
Weight	6.5 lbs
Flash Suppressor	Mini-14 / SR-556 with 1/2”-28 thread
California Approved	No1
Massachusetts Approved	No
Front Sight(s)	None
Rear Sight(s)	None
Other Features	Cross Bolt Safety
Suggested Retail Price (MSRP)	$625.00

The Ruger press release:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) announces the introduction of the Ruger® SR-22™ Rifle, an autoloading, rimfire rifle that combines the legendary reliability of the Ruger® 10/22® with the ergonomics and configurability of the new AR-style Ruger SR-556™. The new SR-22 Rifle allows shooters to use economical .22 LR ammunition, while still enjoying the look and feel of an "AR" and experiencing the reliability they have come to appreciate from Ruger.

Because it utilizes the unique rotary magazine supplied with the Ruger 10/22, the SR-22 Rifle offers the same gold standard for reliability in autoloading rimfire rifles. Like the 10/22, the AR-style SR-22 Rifle also has an extensive array of accessories available, allowing shooters to select a custom configuration that best suits their tastes and needs.

The SR-22 Rifle uses a standard 10/22 action inside a top-quality, all-aluminum chassis that faithfully replicates the AR-platform dimensions between the sighting plane, buttstock height, and grip. The SR-22 Rifle provides a Picatinny rail optic mount, and includes a six-position, telescoping M4-style buttstock (on a Mil-Spec diameter tube), plus a Hogue® Monogrip® pistol grip. Buttstocks and grips may be swapped out for any AR-style compatible option.

The SR-22 Rifle also features a round, mid-length handguard mounted on a standard-thread AR-style barrel nut. Picatinny rails, specifically designed for this handguard, are available from Ruger, allowing the handguard to be configured to accept any number of rail-mounted sights or accessories. A barrel support block is installed in the handguard, ensuring accuracy and allowing the standard 10/22 V-block barrel attachment system to be used.

The SR-22 Rifle is equipped with a precision-rifled, cold hammer-forged alloy steel barrel. The 16-1/8" barrel is capped with an SR-556/Mini-14 flash suppressor mounted with a 1/2"-28 thread.

More photos:

Ruger advertisement for SR-22:

Michael Bane has also created a video review over at the Down Range TV Blog. Michael hinted at the rifle earlier this week, but I must admit I did not imagine a tactical Ruger 10/22 was what Ruger had in store for us!

Cracked Remington 597 magazine


Blown out case head.


Split Case

Thanks to Joe for the photos.

If you have a semi-automatic firearm chambered for 17 HMR ammunition, immediately discontinue use of Remington 17 HMR ammunition. If you have any Remington 17 HMR ammunition that you wish to return to Remington contact the Remington Consumer Service number below. Do not return the ammunition to the dealer. Remington will provide you with a $10.00 coupon for each complete box of 50 rounds of Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition you return to Remington. This coupon will be good for the purchase of any Remington ammunition at your local dealer.

In light of the ammunition manufacturer’s notice, it is very important that you immediately stop using your Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle. If you own a Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle and wish to return it to Remington please contact the below Remington Consumer Service Number. In return for your Remington Model 597 17 HMR synthetic stock semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $200.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. If you have a laminate stock Remington Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle, Remington will provide you a coupon valued at $250.00 good for the purchase of a replacement Remington firearm. Remington will also reimburse you for the actual postage to return your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle to Remington.

Please allow up to 6 weeks after Remington receives your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition for the appropriate coupons to arrive. Instructions for redemption of the coupons will be contained on the coupon.

For any consumer questions or instructions on how to return of your Model 597 17 HMR semi-automatic rifle or your Remington branded 17 HMR ammunition, please contact the Remington Consumer Service Department at 1-800-243-9700, Prompt #3.

Problem with the Model 597 and .17 HMR is not uncommon. Gun manufacturers seem to have a very hard time in trying to convert .22 blow back actions to the more powerful .22 Magnum and it’s child cartridge the .17 HMR.

A reader of TFB recently had the exploding-597 problem (darn … I lost he photos he emailed me) and Remington said they would refund the purchase price, instead of fixing it. I did not read too much into their response at the time, but in hindsight I can see now that they were considering this action a couple of months ago.

I think Remington have taken the right action. I hope they let this offer stand for sometime so that all potentially dangerous guns can be returned.

Looks like a lot of fun!

A parts list and computer code to build a similar system can be found at Waterloo Labs.

Many thanks to Antonio for the link.

UPDATE: Nookyon points out in the comments that the game appears to be a flash based “remake” of Half Life, not the original.

When they release more information I will be sure to publish it on the blog.

The device has three vertical “barrels” which are loaded with blackpowder. A shotgun primer is inserted into the side of the barrel. The shooter aims at a hole in the front steel plating. Through the hole is a steel plunger that ignites the primer. The result is a big bang and lots of smoke.

It looks like a lot of fun and only costs 25c per target (according to the manufactures website. I do not reload. ). That even cheaper than the poor-mans-reactive-target (pool chalk).

More info at Target Cannon.

The new Hyper Speed HP load is a very hot load that matches the ballistic characteristics of the CCI Velocitor round. The Hyper Speed HP, like the Velocitor, features a copper plated 40 grain hollow point bullet. The bullet has a published velocity of 1435 fps at the muzzle, which works out to be 183 ft-lbs of muzzle energy.

A significant difference between the CCI load is that is will be sold in a 100 round box, rather than the CCI 50-round box. This suggests it may be quite a lot cheaper that the Velocitor. If it is, I will defiantly consider switching to this for my hyper velocity needs.

Winchester are also introducing a 555 round bulk pack, giving it a slight edge quantity wise over the Federal 525 and 550 bulk packs.

The bulk pack features high velocity (36 grain / 1280 fps) rounds with copper plated hollow point bullets. Nothing fancy.

Overall I am quite impressed with the new offerings from Winchester. I don’t think there is much else they can do as far as rimfire ammunition is concerned.

Click to expand.

* 16″ target-style heavy barrels.
* A2 style stock or Pardus M4-style collapsible stock
* A2 Pistol grip
* Free float handguard
* 1913 Picatinny rail for optics.
* Black finish on all parts.

It is not clear if standard AR-15 compatible stocks and pistol grips can be attached. I will try to find out from Remington.

Two models will be available. The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with A2 Stock” model will MSRP for $445 (10 round magazine) and $479 (30 round magazine).

The “Model 597 VTR 22LR with Collapsible Stock” features a Pardus collapsible stock and had an MSRP of $445.

UPDATE: According to John, Product Development manager, different AR stocks should be compatible. AR pistol grip interchange will be limited because of the receiver design.

Thanks to Linda from Remington for her help getting me information.

Read it here.

I have emailed my contact at TALO asking what the MSRP. I will update the page when he replies.

UPDATE: The MSRP is $419

Taken down and packed for transport.

More photos and information at The Next Chapter.

What is really cool is how the gun came into existence. Chris from ATI told me that last year after the original GSG-5 was introduced they noticed many people on the ar15.com GSG forum voiding their warranty to achieve the SD look. Late last year they flew to the GSG HQ in Germany to discuss these modifications. They worked out a plan.

This is a fantastic example of a company listening to it’s customers. I wish more gun companies would do this.

MP5SD3. Photo from Wikipedia.

.22 Short rounds and one standard (subsonic) .22 Long Rifle

My memory is pretty bad but I think it was 6 months ago when the Italian police captured one of those cell phone guns from another mobster.

SFGate reports:

A Carabinieri paramilitary officer holds a .22-caliber pen gun that was confiscated from a man in Naples. According to reports, Carabinieri were investigating if the weapon has been used in crimes or “acts of intimidation.”

Hat Tip: Zeon @ MP.net

“In designing the new M&P15-22, our engineers pulled out all of the stops to develop the ultimate .22LR platform,” said Tom Kelly, Vice President of Marketing for Smith & Wesson. “The rifle’s operating features, functionality and durability are exactly what you would expect from any of Smith & Wesson’s tactical rifles. By remaining true to the standard AR-15 design while offering all of the preferred features found on the M&P Rifle Series, the M&P15-22 is well suited for a variety of recreational shooting applications while also being an extremely viable training firearm for law enforcement and military personnel. Shooters will find the M&P15-22 to be a great firearm for multiple uses with the reduced recoil and economical .22LR caliber ammunition.”

The rifle features:

* A3 style flat top upper receiver
* A2 front post sight
* A2 rear sight
* M4 style collapsible stock
* Quad rail handguard

Specs:

Barrel length: 16″
Magazine capacity: 25 rounds
Barrel twist: 1:15
Upper Receiver: A3
Weight: 5 lbs (unloaded)
Length: 31″ (stock collapsed)

UPDATE: The MSRP is $499 (Matt from S&W PR confirms this),

S&W M&P15-22. Click to expand.

Murdoc has a photo of the rifle posted at GunPundit.

From Sig:

The Look and Feel of the Classic SIG556 ™ in Affordable .22 Rifle SIG SAUER, Inc., the leading manufacturer of commercial, law enforcement, and military firearms fuels the demand for the legendary SIG556 performance but in an affordable .22 LR caliber with the new SIG522 semi-automatic rifle. Featuring SIG556 parts including a Swiss type folding stock and polymer forend on a durable metal receiver with integral Picatinny rail, and a Mini Red Dot sight. The SIG522 provides the avid sport shooter plenty of action on a classic military style platform that give the look, feel and dependability of our full size SIG556.

Specs:
Overall Length: 29.8 in
length w/Stock Collapsed: 29.1
Barrel Length: 17 in
Rifling: 1 in 7 in
Sight Radius: 14.4 in

The MSRP is $515.

The M-22 features:

* 3.5″ or 5″ match barrels.
* adjustable rear sight.
* Weaver style rails.
* Multiple safeties (many will call this a bug not a feature).
* All black model or nickel framed two tone model.

The “multiple safeties” probably means a magazine safety like the P22. The pistol will be imported by Austrian Sporting Arms and is said to be available in Spring 2009. MSRP is $400.

Promotional video:

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire

I am not 100% sure they are in fact AR-15s. UMAREX USA uses well known brand-names such as Beretta, Ruger and Walther to sell their airguns. This could easily be a AR-15 patterned rifle much like the .22 GSG MP5 or GSG AK.

There will be four different models.

Colt M4 Carbine

* 16″ Barrel
* M4 collapsible style stock
* A4 flat top upper recoever
* detachable carry handle
* A2 flash hider
* A2 pistol grip
* 30 round magazine
* Weight: 5.95 lbs

Colt M4 OPS (includes the following extras):
* Rear BUIS (Backup iron sight)
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard

Colt M16 (includes the following extras):

* 20″ barrel

Colt M16 SPR (includes the following extras):

* 20″ barrel
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard
* Flip up read and front sights

Fake suppressors will also be available as seen in the above photo.

It will be officially announced at SHOT Show 2009.

Hat Tip: OnPointFirearms

Instead of porting the gas that exists the muzzle to the side or backwards toward it ports it forward at an angle.

From the product page:

Conventional wisdom tells us that compensators/muzzle brakes increase noise to the shooter. Our new forward blow stabilization module is designed to offer the best of both worlds – less recoil without the increase in noise.

.22 LR rifles do recoil contrary to popular belief and you notice this when shooting competitively. Saying all that, you can call me skeptical on how effective this would be. Still, I am willing to keep an open mind and look forward to some intrepid shooter taking photos of this in action with a high speed camera. The device retails for $109.75.

The original Xpediter

I am not sure if this round is identical to the original that used to be produced by Winchester many years ago.
[No doubt its a shrewd marketing plan of Winchester to dole out individual press releases over a period of time instead of announcing everything at once ... ]

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire

Winchester has announced a new line of lead-free ammunition.

CCI currently manufactures lead free .22 Magnum called TNT GREEN but as far as I know Winchester are the first US manufacturer to announce lead free .22 LR. It is rumored that more companies will unveil their lead free rimfire at SHOT 2009.

The new Winchester SUPER-X .22 Long Rifle will propel a 30 grain THP (tin hollow point) at 1650 fps. This is a hot “hyper velocity” load which generates 181 foot pounds of energy, only slightly less powerful that the CCI Stinger at the muzzle.

It is likely that the case will be extended in length, like the CCI Stringer. The extended case can prevent the round from chambering in some rifles.

CCI Stinger length compared to standard .22LR (Wikipedia)

The new SUPER-X .22 Win. Mag (.22 Magnum / .22 WMR) pushes a 28 grain JHP at 2200 fps. The under 30 grain bullet means it will won’t perform as well as standard .22 Magnum 30 grain rounds.

SUPER-X .223 Rem lead-free pushes a 55 grain bullet at 3030 fps. Like the .22 Magnum, there is a significant performance hit. The round is being marketed as varmint cartridge..

This new range should be available in Spring 2009.

* That was a joke. I bought 100 rounds of “toxic” ammo today.

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire.

Click to expand.

To complete the mid-1800’s look they have included a fake reloading. It has a 4″ octagonal barrel and weights 8.6 oz. The MSRP for the standard model will be $289. A model with a .22 Long Rifle cylinder will cost $324.

More info at NAA.

What makes it interesting is that it is Standard Velocity (1,120 fps) which is unlike most match grade target .22LR ammunition which are usually Subsonic.

No surprises … looks like a .22 LR round

From the press release:

Fiocchi begins with an exclusive case priming procedure that ensures precise priming mixture weight. Next, only premium, ultra-reliable powders are selected. Precise care is given to ensuring the cases used are of exact and consistent dimension. Finally, the specially-lubricated bullets are loaded using a unique process that prevents the bullets from touching one another during processing to prevent even the slightest deformation from occurring.

Hat Tip: Tactical Life

The new GSG-5PK pistol is a .22 Long Rifle HV Caliber with a barrel length of 4.52″, total length of 15.275″ and a total height of 10″. It weighs in at a dainty 5.2 lbs. It has an alloy frame construction and features a magazine safety and click-adjustable target sight. At a MSRP of $549.95, the GSG-5PK pistol is the perfect partner to the original GSG-5 rifle model.

It is basically a GSG5-P (pistol) with a shortened barrel and MP5K style handguard. Some photos (click to expand):

Hat Tip: SayUncle

Click to expand the image

I assume the bigger balls are for the 2-bore
and the smaller for another gun

The guy in the photo is apparently a big guy (so you get the sense of scale)

The rest in the above photo came with the gun.

A big thanks to Bill for the photos.

More 2 bore goodness:

- S&H 2 Bore Blackpowder Express
- Cost of big bore ammunition
- 2 bore rifle photos

The idea behind the tool is threefold. It ensures consistency in bullet shape which will increase accuracy, allows you to select a bullet shape and allows you to choose a bullet diameter that suits your handgun or rifle.

I must admit I would be too scared to hit a a rimfire cartridge with a hammer. I would rather purchase match ammo.

Different models are available and range from $38 – $53 (+ $5 shipping).

The advantage of having the sight raised is that when shooting from a offhand/verticle position you can keep you head as close to upright as possible to achieve better balance.

Hat Tip: RFC