The Firearm Blog

Real Guns has published a tutorial on a AR-10 style lower receiver.

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

I think Bushmaster is on to a real winner with their new AR-10 style carbine. Priced at just $1395 it is a fantastic entry-level rifle.

It features a A3-style receiver and premium 16" heavy profile chrome lined barrel, mid length gas system, A2-style flashhider, heavy oval hand guards

Like its 5.56mm ORC cousin, it does not ship with iron sights, and is designed for use with optics (scope, hologram, etc.) although iron sights can easily be added to the rear A3-style picatinny rail and Bushmaster’s BMAS Front Flip-up Sight for V Match Rifles can be mounted on the milled gas block. It ships with two 1/2" risers which can be used to raise up a scope if needed.

I really want one of these!

The SIG 716 is the new piston operated 7.62x51mm / .308 Win. rifle from Sig Sauer.

SIG716 Precision Sniper (non-standard desert finish) Photo © Bryan Jones

SIG517 Patrol . Photo by pizzigr1

The rifle will be offered in four configurations:

• Tactical Patrol (12.5" barrel, almost certainly only on offer to law enforcement and military)
• Patrol (16" barrel)
• Precision Marksman (16" barrel)
• Precision Sniper (20" barrel)

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.

Close up of receiver. Photo by pizzigr1

According to pizzigr1 at AR15.com, Sig are using Armalite AR-10 Bolt Carrier Groups (BCG).

No word on pricing or availability.

It was announced earlier this year that Lewis Machine & Tool's 7.62mm AR-10 style rifle was selected by the British Army as their new marksmen weapon. They had the L129A1 on display at SHOT.

Mary Jo, a LMT employee

The version sold in the United States. The new LMT .308

I have to admit that I have long fantasied about going hunting with high vision goggles and scopes. The idea probably fills most hunters with disgust, and rightly so. There cannot be even be a pretense of fair chase. AR Guns & Hunting has published a brief article about their nigh-time hunting experience with a crew called Tactical Hog Control. The feral pig population is out of control and they do much damage to landowners properties and the use of nigh-vision gear allows quicker culling.

From THC's website ...

Since we began hunting together in April 2008, our talley on hogs is just over 260 as of December 1, 2009. Of these hogs, only 3 were not processed and made use of by ourselves, our guests, or someone in need. Well over 90% are neck/head shots so loss of use due to less than perfect bullet placement is minimal. We work to maintain this record by getting in close for the kill and by being patient while waiting for the right shot presentation. The typical shot is at 3o to 40 yards standing off of shooting sticks. We are a one shot-one kill style of hunting.

...

Hunts can be booked by calling Randy at 210-884-7311 or Gerald at 210-884-7462 or by email at nighthogs@gmail.com. We are located in Seguin, Texas which is 35 miles east of San Antonio on IH10 and 160 miles west of Houston. Hunting locations are within a 30 minute drive of Seguin. We have reduced our price for 2009 to $300 per person for up to 4 people. There is no trophy fee and no cleaning fee. If you book for two consecutive nights it is $550 per person. We are so confident in getting you a shot at a hog, we will offer this guarantee. If we can’t put you within 75 yards of a hog with a shot opportunity, we will invite you back for a free hunt.

Click on calendar under “links” for available hunting dates.

I wonder if cavemen spent nights around the camp fire discussing whether or not the newly invented spear was fair on the wooly mammoths and saber toothed tigers that they hunted In all seriousness, when it comes to culling animals, anything humane goes. Night vision probably gives less of advantage than the helicopters do in the parts of the world where they are used for hunting.

[ Just a warning: any anti-hunting comments, "these guys are idiots" comments and other unhelpful comments will be deleted ]

Guy Sagi, the Editor in Chief of Shooting Illustrated, has written about his experience hunting antelope with an AR-10.

It is great to see semi-automatic rifle hunting going mainstream.

During the Iraq War the Marines urgently ordered 180 of the Mk11 Mod 0 Sniper Weapon System's, but with the Army M110 Rifle Upper Receiver. This Mk11 / M110 hybrid was known as the Mk11 Mod 1. Later, the Marines began ordering the Mk11 Mod 2, a SOCOM / Navy developed variant of the SR-25 that is very similar to the M110.

Knight's Armament are now selling the last 50 of the Mk11 Mod 1 rifles that will ever be produced to civilians.

The suggested retail price ... $8508! Most of these 50 rifles are already spoken for with only a few left for sale. It is more than I would spend on a rifle of this class, but I suppose it is also a piece of military history.

Big thanks to Jesse for sending me the info.

LaRue OSR 7.62mm

The LaRue Tactical OSR has been a long time coming but LaRue are nearing shipping the rifles that are currently on order.

The OSR is an AR-10 type rifle styled after the Knight's Armament SR-25 and M110. It is built from high quality components and shoots sub-MOA groups at 100 yards. THe price reflects this, and it starts at $2,485.

From the above video. I love how the the SureFire suppressor heats up on night vision! I guess suppressors are not a good choice in night time combat operations.

Federal have produced two new loads, under the American Eagle brand, for the M1A (M14) and M1 Garand rifles. The cartridges have staked primers and the powders used were chosen with the rifle’s specific gas system design in mind.

The M1 (.30-06) load pushes a 150 grain FMJ bullet at 2740 fps fps and the M1A (7.62×51mm NATO) load a 168 grain Open Tip Match (OTM) bullet at 2650 fps.

Also from Federal is a Power-Shok hunting load optimized for AR-10 style rifles chambered in .338 Federal. The loads pushes a 200 grain soft point at 2700 fps.

CMMG are taking pre-orders for their new stripped lower reliever that is compatible with DPMS Panther Arms .308 AR-10 style upper receivers. The lower uses H&K G3 magazine which can be bought for under $5!

G3 lower (top)

Some minor modifications are needed to the upper to accommodate the larger magazine. The price is $449.95 and it can be ordered online.

Many thanks to Tom for the info.

The captain held in a lifeboat by pirates off the coast of Somalia has been rescued by the US Navy after snipers took out his captors. CNN reports:

U.S. Navy snipers fatally shot three pirates holding an American cargo-ship captain hostage after seeing that one of the pirates “had an AK-47 leveled at the captain’s back,” a military official said Sunday.

…

The three pirates, who were armed with AK-47 rifles, were killed by shooters who were aboard the Bainbridge, Gortney said.

The on-scene commander gave the shooters approval to open fire after seeing that “one of the pirates had an AK-47 leveled at the captain’s back,” Gortney said.

That is some incredible shooting!

Earlier this year a team of Marine Scout Snipers were deployed to the region for counter piracy work. They are armed with the SR-25 (Mk 11) 7.62×51mm semi-automatic, an AR-10 style rifle. They may well have been the men that were deployed to take out the pirates.

A scout sniper fires an MK-11 rifle from a HH-60H Sea Hawk helicopter

Hat Tip: Snow Flakes in Hell

We have seen some cool iPhone applications come out for shooting sports. But nothing comes close to the sheer awesomeness of the Knights Armaments M110 iPod Touch mount and accompanying ballistics software.

The M110 is the 7.62×51mm semi-automatic sniper system which won the Army’s competition to replace the aging M24 bolt action sniper system. While it will not replace the M24 in the near future, the system is seeing action in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The rifle is based on the SR-25, which in turn is based on the Stoners’ AR-10 design.

Knights Armaments have developed a mounting system for the iPod Touch that attaches to a side mounted picatinny rail. The mount attaches to an Otterbox protective case.

Click to expand. Photo ⓒ Chen “SMGLee” Lee. Used with permission.


Click to expand. Photo ⓒ Chen “SMGLee” Lee. Used with permission.

KAC contracted Runaway technologies to build an external ballistics calculator for the iPod Touch / iPhone named Bullet Flight. It is your standard ballistics application. You can set firearm / ammunition profiles, then call up the saved profile and enter your environment information, for example, distance, wind direction, elevation and temperature.

The application is available from the iTunes store for $11.99. It is a lot more expensive than the $4.99 iSnipe application.

We may yet see an iPhone on the battlefield

LMT (Lewis Machine & Tool) have developed an AR-10 version of their AR-15 CQB MRP rifle called the MTP MRP 308.

Click to expand. Photo Copyright Ken Lunde. Used with permission.

It uses the LMT Monolithic Rail Platform which is a one piece upper receiver and free floating handguard that is machined from sold aluminum.

The AR-15 MRP upper. Click to expand.

The name suggests it can handle the higher pressure .308 Winchester round as well as 7.62×51mm NATO (no, they are not the same).

I don’t have anymore info on the rifle and do not know if it uses the LMT gas piston system.

ArmaLite has their new AR-10T chambering 7mm-08, a very popular hunting round. Interestingly they are also offering it in the the relatively obscure .260 Remington. The .260 is now 11 years olds and gaining popularity as a flat shooting and low recoil 6.5mm cartridge.

AR-10T. Click to expand. Photo Copyright Ken Lunde. Used with permission.