I first learnt about the Ares Carbine from GunPundit who spotted it at SHOT Show '09. It was supposed to go one sale in the first or second quarter but nothing was seen of it since SHOT.

Tyler Kreis, the NRA's Firearms Inventory Manager, is the first to have gotten his hands on the Ares Defense Systems Ares-22 RCU and has shot a video of it in action. It looks like a very fun system.

Earlier this month there was a huge military parade celebrating the 60th anniversary of People's Republic of China. I was astounded to see a photo from the event of what appears to be a sub-carbine version of the QBZ-95 being carried by Chinese sailors.

Photo originally from O.cn via. MP.net

To the best of my knowledge the existence of this weapon has never been reported. The barrel is definetly shorter than the 14.5" of the QBZ-95B (Carbine) that was developed for use in the Navy. I suspect the sub-carbine / PDW has a 10" or 11" barrel.

QBZ-95B Carbine. Photo from Wikipedia.

Has anyone here heard of a QBZ-95 PDW?

Thanks to Caleb for sending me the link to the Chinese parade photos.

Washington has approved South Korea's plan to sell about 86,000 M1 and 22,000 carbines together valued at 130 billion won (108 million dollars), the ministry said.

The rifles used during the Korean and Vietnam wars have been kept at military warehouses, it said.

"The US government recently approved our plan to sell old M1 and carbine rifles, which were given to our soldiers as part of a US aid programme," a ministry spokesman told AFP.

The rifles are occasionally used by reserve forces for drills, he said without giving details.

The military will dispose of all its M1s but will keep about 640,000 carbines for reserve forces, the Chosun Ilbo newspaper said.

That means 640,000 more are patiently waiting in cosmoline to be shipped over stateside

Many thanks to REMOV for the link.

New H&K Sub-Carbine

It has a much shortened buffer tube and a collapsible stock in the H&K G3 / MP5 style.

A regular HK416 carbine

This firearm appears to be positioned in direct competition to the Sub-Compact Weapon (SCW) that Colt is developing. The SCW features a similarly shortened buffer tube.

Colt SCW. Photo by SMGLee.

I think the H&K design is much more elegant. The H&K stock pull straight out, while the Colt stock must be unfolded out and then down before it can be adjusted for length.

A close-up of the H&K Stock.

Now if H&K would just stop hating us and start selling this nifty upper to us civilians!

Big thank you to Lusaka for the information and photo.

UPDATE:

REMOV has kindly provided me with these photos that he took of the new H&K. The gun has a 9.3" barrel.

Many thanks REMOV!

The fact that carbines are larger than handguns, and that they are fired while braced against the shoulder, means that the perceived recoil is almost unnoticeable even if you are using Magnum ammunition. A few of my students who were suffering from disabilities painful enough to keep them from using handguns, rifles, or shotguns for their defense had great success when they used carbines. Accurate, light, relatively inexpensive, easy to use. They were literally the answer to a few prayers.

I had not considered before the benefits they would offer to a person with certain disabilities.

Modern Submachine Carbine

The firearm chambers a round developed in India called the 5.56×30mm. This round is sometimes referred to as the “5.56×30mm INSAS” after the first gun to chambered the round, the INSAS Carbine.

5.56×30mm MARS

Those of you who follow the industry closely may recall that Colt developed a round named the 5.56×30mm MARS during the 90’s as part of their now defunct Mini Assault Rifle project. I imagine the INSAS cartridge is very similar. The Colt patent describes the MARS cartridge:

The MARS cartridge is designed as part of the weapon system and exploits the high energy densities of modern ball powders. It for the first time uses magnum pistol type powders burned at rifle pressures to achieve high rifle velocities in a short rifle barrel. It uses a fast ball powder to achieve 2600 ft/sec with a 55 gr full metal jacket projectile in only an 11 inch barrel.

The MARS cartridge/rifle was able to achieve similar ballistics as a ultra-short barreled 5.56×45mm NATO rifle (I use the term rifle loosely, sub-carbine is more correct), but with less muzzle flash, noise and weight. The Indians went with the 5.56×30mm over the 5.56×45mm for these exact same reasons as Colt.

Out of a 11″ barrel, the MARS Rifle was able to push a 55 grain bullet at 2600 fps, generating 825 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. For comparison, according to Wikipedia, the original Colt Commando (11″ barreled sub-carbine) could push a bullet (presumably a 55 grain M193 Ball) at 2750 fps.

Colt M4 Commando (current model)

While the 5.56×30mm has advantages over a pistol cartridge such as the 9mm NATO, to wit, less weight and kevlar vest penetration, it has in my opinion one fatal flaw. 5.56mm bullets were never designed to operate at such low velocities. While 2650 fp/s may seem fast, that is at the muzzle, not 200 meters downrange where the target is situated.

A graph I generated. Numbers are estimates for illustration only.

Col. Martin L. Fackler, MD famously did a study which determined that a 5.56mm bullet (M193 and M855) would fragment only slightly ,or not at all, when hitting flesh below the speed of 2500 fps. Low fragmentation results in a .22″ sized hole in the target – less damaging that a .38″ (9mm) or .45″ hole.

Col. Martin L. Fackler, MD results

It will be interesting to see how this new sub-carbine and perform in real life, and what official nickname the cartridge is given. I think 5.56mm India or 5.56mm Short should are much better named than 5.56×30mm INSAS.

Hat Tip: 8-AK Defense News and Ammoland

Tag: 5.56×30

Benelli MR1 Carbine

The MR1 Carbine is the civilian version of the Beretta Rx4 Storm (which never took off). Benelli, a subsidiary of Beretta, designed the ARGO gas system used by the MR1/Rx4 and manufactured both the MR1 and the Rx4 Storm.

Beretta RX4 Storm with accessories. The collapsible stock is not available currently on the RX4.

What differentiates the MR1 from other 5.56mm rifles is the gas system it uses. Originally the Auto-Regulating Gas System (ARGO) was designed for the Benelli M4 Super 90, better known by its US Military designation, the M1014 Joint Service Combat Shotgun. Benelli then adapted the system for their ARGO line of hunting rifles (branded the R1 in the United States). In 2005 the Beretta Rx4 Storm, a tactical version of the ARGO rifle, was introduced and marketed to law enforcement. As far as I know the Rx4 has never been available in a select fire variant but they decided to market it to civilians as the Benelli MR1.

Benelli M4 Super 90 / M1014

Benelli ARGO EL

The ARGO gas system has an interesting short stroke piston design. Gas is trapped very close to the chamber. The high pressure gas ensures reliable cycling regardless of ammunition. This means that it can cycle any shotgun shells, regardless of the load. For a rifle it means the barrel can be very short and a suppressor could be fitted without any cycling issues. This gun is just asking to be converted into a Short Barreled Rifle!

The gas is then fed into an expansion chamber. The pressure in the chamber drives the piston assembly, which has dual rods. The high pressure is regulated by a release value. These diagrams should illustrate how the system works.

The receiver is made of aluminum, it is fully compatible with AR-15 magazines (including the 100 round drums) and, like all Benelli shotguns and rifles, the main spring is placed inside the butt stock - meaning a folding stock is not an option, although hopefully an M1014 folding stock will be made available.

MR1 Specifications:

Caliber: 5.56mm NATO / .223 Rem. Barrel: 16". Hard chrome lined. 1:9 twist. Rear Sights: Military-style Aperture Weight: 7.9 lbs.

The MSRP is $1299. I think they have priced it right. Although not cheap, and they can do better than the one five round magazine they ship with it, I doubt they could sell it much cheaper.

MR1 with 5 round magazine.

There is no better illustration for this change than the Evil Black Rifle itself which has just joined the Ruger product offering. The slogan for the SR-556 is "a platform redefined". I say it should be "a company redefined". I present to you the Ruger AR-15, the SR-556:

Ruger SR-556

Ok, I will wipe the tear from my eye, be a man and shove my emotional outburst back down where it came from Onto the features ...

The most significant feature is a new short stroke gas piston designed by Ruger. It shares the same benefits as other gas pistons system: a cleaner, cooler bolt carrier as the excess gas it vented out the gas block, far from the upper receiver. The AR-15 was not designed for a piston and retrofit piston systems can cause problems, for example the pressure from the piston operating rob can cause the bolt carrier to bind. It was been suggested that the Ruger bolt carrier is designed to mitigate this particular problem. Time will tell (I am no expert on this topic).

The chrome lined SR-556 bolt carrier.

Disassembly of the gas system.

Another feature is a four position gas regulator. The first position prevents any gas entering the piston system. This turns the rifle into a single shot which requires the bolt to be manually cycled between shots. The next position allows the normal quantity of gas into the piston system to cycle the bolt. The next two position each let in more gas than the previous system which can help when the rifle is dirty or the ammunition is low powered. It is a compelling feature for reloaders because it gives them a greater range of adjustment for thier powder loads.

Chromed gas regulator.

Gas regulator positions.

The rifle also features:

• Full length Troy Industries Quad Rail with rail covers.
• Hogue Pistol grip.
• Ruger branded Troy Industries flip up Backup Iron Sights (BUIS).
• Ships with three 30-round Magpul PMAG magazines.

Ruger branded Troy Rear Sight

The Specs:

Caliber: 5.56mm NATO / .223 Remington Barrel: 16.12" Barrel Twist: 1:9 Right Hand Weight: 7.92 lbs Total Length: 32.75" - 36" (depending on stock position) Stock: 6 position M4 style

It is nice to see Ruger has explicitly said .223 Remington AND 5.56mm NATO are compatible with the rifle.

The MSRP is $1,995. It is expensive and you could build one your self from parts for less, but if the gas system works flawlessly then I think it will be a good seller. I think it will sell for about $1800 on the street.

Here is the Ruger promotional video. They seem to be keen to promote it to law enforcement and military:

GunBlast.com made this video showing the rifle in action:

This photo is from Snowflakes in Hell. For the high resolution version and many more photos as well as on the ground reporting from the launch visit Snowflakes in Hell:

This photo Adam's Incoming blog. For many more photos check out the Guns and Hunting Incoming blog.

More information about the rifle is at Caleb's Gun Nuts Media blog.

Thanks to y'all who emailed me about the SR-556. I appreciate it. Contrary to popular belief I am not dead just slow and overworked.

UPDATE: Many thanks to Brian for sending me these photos of his new Ruger SR-556.

Fore-end and gas regulator. The Backup Iron Sights. Nice touch with the buttstock Ruger logo.

A Soldier from Al Anbar’s 9th Battalion, Iraqi Special Operations Forces, storms an entryway during close-quarter combat training on April 4 in Al Asad, Iraq. The ISOF Soldiers are being trained and advised by U.S. Special Operations Forces. “The training will make them better and we are happy to be included,” said the 9th BN commander. “We are capable to make the area safe.”

(Photo by Sgt. Brandon Pomrenke : Combined Joint Special Operations Task Force – Arabian Peninsula)

The Iraqi Army are slowing migrating from AK-47s to M16s and it looks like their Special Forces are getting M4 carbines for good measure. I am pleased to see they are getting the equipment they need.

Click to expand the photos.

SD model. Photo ⓒ Remigiusz Wilk (REMOV). Used with permission

Standard Model.

Other Glock carbine kits include the CAA Glock Carbine kit and the Stellar Rigs Carbine Kit.

Dr. StrangeGun’s 1911 based Space Gun (MechTech CCU 1911 carbine)

Read it here.

Photos Copyright Remigiusz Wilk (REMOV). Used with permission.

It is not quite the carbine glock fanboys have been waiting for

Click to expand. Photo Copyright Remigiusz Wilk (REMOV). Used with permission.

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

Murdoc has more photos here and here.

Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact 6.8mm SPC.

They feature a shorter stock and proportionately shortened forends and buttstocks. This shortened forend makes the rifle look longer than it is in the above photo. The intermediate caliber rifles weight 5 3/4 lbs.

I think these will be big sellers, especially the models chambered in intermediate cartridge where the short barrel will not have a significant impact on performance.

From the press release:

These 16-1/2 inch barreled rifles have an overall length of 35-1/2 inches, making them ideal hunting rifles for rugged terrain and heavy brush. The Hawkeye Compact rifles are available in a Hawkeye Matte Blued with an American walnut stock or the Hawkeye Matte Stainless model with a black laminate stock. The slim American walnut stock offers wrap-around cut checkering on the forearm and more rounded contours on the bottom of the stock and top of the pistol grips.

The Ruger M77 Hawkeye Compact rifles are offered in eight short action calibers, including .300 RCM, 7.62X39 and 6.8SPC. The walnut and blued models weigh approximately 5.75 pounds, while their laminate and stainless counterparts average 6.25 pounds each. Magazine capacity is 4 rounds.

The M77 Hawkeye Compact rifles feature the smooth and crisp Ruger LC6™ trigger, Mauser-type controlled feeding and a powerful claw extractor. A 3-position safety, hammer forged steel barrels and Ruger patented scope rings (provided at no charge) that install on the integral mounts and never shoot loose are also standard fare on all Ruger M77 Hawkeye rifles. The steel floorplate, bearing the distinctive Ruger logo, provides easy unloading and eliminates accidental “dumping” of ammunition.

Vanguard Predator (Click to expand)

The Vanguard Predator features a hydrographic dip of Natural Gear’s Natural pattern over the entire rifle. Other than that it is a standard Vanguard with 22″ barrel and a 1.5 MOA accuracy guarantee. It will be available in .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem. and .308 Win. The MSRP is $789.

Vanguard Carbine (Click to expand)

I am a bit disappointed by the Vanguard Carbine. When I first saw the press release I expected to see a rifle with an 18″ or even 16″ barrel to compete with the Ruger M77 Frontier. Instead the Carbine features a 20″ barrel and weights 0.75 lbs less than a standard Vanguard (6.75 vs. 7.6 lbs).

The length of a firearm designated a carbine has differed over the past 200 years but these days I think 18″ is the maximum “carbine” barrel length in a non-bullpup firearm.

The Carbine will be available chambered in .223 Rem, .22-250 Rem., .243 Win., 7mm-08 Rem. and .308 Win. I am not sure about the .22-250 (I don’t know enough about the cartridge) but with other cartridges the shorter barrel should have very little impact on performance. MSRP is $499 and it also has the Weatherby 1.5 MOA guarantee.

For comparison the regular Vanguard has an MSRP of $399.

Weatherby have said these rifles were the result of input from members of the official Weatherby forum

“Thanks to all the Weatherby Nation members who expressed their opinions,” said Brad Ruddell, Weatherby’s vice president of sales and marketing. “These new rifles are a direct result of their input.”

It is always good to see a gun manufactures listening to their customers.

It is a pointless comparison. Obviously Stoner did not design the AR-15 platform to be fired waterlogged. If he had it would be piston driven. Still, it is interesting to see what happens.

H/T: MP.net

The H&K G3 battle rifle has been phased out in many countries and replaced with assault rifles chambered in intermediate cartridges. Along with the H&K G3, MKEK also produces the a variety of H&K MP5 models so the move to another H&K rifle is not surprising. Norway is also replacing the G3 with the HK416.

An important Turkish guy holding the Mehmetçik-1.Photo from worldaffairsboard.com

The pistol grip and stock look different to most of the HK416 photos on the internet. The wikipedia page has a photo with “HK416N” markings and the same configuration. The photo is marked for deletion from Wikipedia and there are few other references to the “HK416N” on google.

HK416N markings. Photo from Wikipedia.

Mehmetçik-1 markings

I cannot see any other differences between the Mehmetçik-1 and the HK416N other than the MKEK markings. The only different I have read about on a couple of forums is that MKEK are using different manufacturing techniques and different metals than H&K, which I take to mean a slightly different aluminum and steel alloys, which is not surprising.

The scope pictured above is the Elcan SpecterOS34x scope which well known for its use on the Canadian Diemaco C7/C8. The grenade launcher is the H&K AG416.

The Turkish Wikipedia page says the rifle will be manufactured in four different models. A Sub-carbine (10.5″ barrel), Carbine (14.5″ barrel), Rifle (16.5″ barrel) and “Distance” (Sniper/Marksmen, 20″ barrel).

Below is a video of a press conference with that important Turkish guy showing off the weapons and looking out of his depth:

By all accounts the HK416 is a great rifle combining the best of the AR-15 platform with the benefits of a gas piston system.

Turkey has also adopted a new sniper rifle that I cannot identify. Anyone know what it is? See the below photo.

UPDATE: Alcibiades, correctly identified it as the 7.62×51mm JNG 90, also made by MKEK.

Mehmetçik-1 and JNG 90 sniper rifle. Photo from worldaffairsboard.com

Hat Tip: GunPundit

I have update the blog post. Ed has more info about this rifle/carbine at Tell Me Why.

M16 magazine, folding iron sights

Folding stock

UPDATE:

Originally I called this rifle the NRX after misreading the logo. It is in the ARX-160. Below is a photo (from MP.net) of the ARX-160 carbine (left) and the rifle version (right). Both have the new Beretta grenade launcher attached.

A big thanks to Ed who was kind enough to let me know about my mistake after he spoke to Beretta. He and has more info on the rifle/carbine.

Apparently the Italian Special Forces will be adopting it in 2009.

In order to keep the costs down the rifle will not include sights, although it will include a Picatinny rail, and “will ship in an in-expensive box”.

RFB Carbine Features:

- 18” Chrome lined 7.62 NATO chambered barrel
- Birdcage flash hider included
- Front ejection of cases
- Top Picatinny rail for mounting sights (no sights included)
- Gunsmith replaceable barrel with adjustable headspace
- Click adjustable gas system for various power ammo, or suppressor use
- Accepts FAL metric magazines with straight-in/drop-free magazine well (one magazine included)
- Nylon sling and hardware included
- In-grip storage capability

More info on the rifle here.

Now that optics have come of age on fighting rifles, one of the most compelling reasons to have a longer barrel has been removed. With iron sights such as those on the M16A2, practical accuracy depends on sight radius; it is easier to shoot accurately with more distance between the front and rear sight. Optical sights have no sight radius; barrel or weapon length is now separated from the ability to obtain a precise sight picture. This change allows a 14.5-inch M4 to have the same sighting precision as a 20-inch M16A2 or even sniper rifle.

M4 with Trijicon ACOG 4x

Read it here.

Daniel Fraser Miniature Double Rifle .22 Hornet


Franchi Model 1962 Semi-Auto Carbine 9mm


Smith & Wesson Mark I Light Rifle 9mm

Custom Martz Luger Carbine

Colt Model 1900 .38 ACP

Black polymer folding stock, metal handguard

The Auto-Ordnance M1 .30 Caliber carbine is produced in Kahr’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Worcester, MA. The Auto-Ordnance carbines are produced using newly manufactured parts on high precision computerized machinery.

Markings include the following: Auto-Ordnance, Worcester, MA behind the rear sight; U.S. Carbine, Cal. 30 ML on the receiver in front of the bolt and the serial number is engraved on the left side of the receiver.

Specs:

Barrel 18″
Length 36 1/2″ overall, 27 1/2″ (Folded)
Weight 5 lbs 13 ounces
Finish Parkerized
Sight Post front sight, flip style rear sight
Stock Polymer
Magazine One 15 Shot stick
Price $792.00

Hat Tip: Cryptic Subterranean

A couple of video demostrations:

Some photos from GlockTalk.com:

It looks very cool!

Compare with other FMG type firearms

The original Ares FMG which was designed by Eugene Stoner:

the PP-90, designed by the KBP design bureau in Tula:

the Ukrainian Goblin

And although very different the Kel-Tec SUB-2000 (this folds for storage, not rapid deployment).

I will update this page as more information becomes available.

UDPATE:

According to this thread, it is called the FMG9 and Magpul do not have plans to put it into production, at this point it is just a prototype… although I am sure James Bond will get his hands on one for his next movie!

UPDATE

Another video demo

UPDATE: From ar15.com:

The advantage to the FMG9 over previous versions are…

1. One button, spring loaded action.
2. Light weight, color coded plastic (can be molded as a non gun color)
3. Closed bolt, safe action (others were open bolt SMGs, ours can be carried with a round in the chamber).
4. Proven Glock action with stock Glock factory magazines and laser systems.

Hat Tip for the update: Cryptic

Details are sparse. There are two models, one with a push button detachable stock, one with a normal stock.

All the classic details of the time honored original are reproduced in today’s semi-auto Thompson. The frame and receiver are machined from solid steel. The wood is genuine American walnut. This .45 caliber carbine features a 16 1/2″ finned barrel, compensator and is available with a blued steel receiver. This configuration is our most popular.

They are apparently “coming soon” and no price is listed.

SIG 556 rifles/carbines at SHOT Show 2006 (photos accompanying this article), and found them interesting. We’ve always been fans of the SIG 550-series weapons, particularly after we test-fired a Gemtech-supressed (sound-suppressed) SIG 552 SBR/Subcarbine at SWAT Round-Up 2002. The SIG 550-series assault rifles / tactical rifles utilize an AKM / Kalashnikov-type gas-piston/op-rod system for operation, and you can’t really go wrong with that with regard to weapon reliability.

While the SIG 556 series weapons are currently only availale in 5.56mm NATO, 6.8×43mm SPC (a.k.a. 6.8mm SPC a.k.a. 6.8 SPC), 7.62×39mm, and possibly even 7.62×39mm NATO (7.62mm NATO)/.308 Win. (unconfirmed/unverified) versions are on the way. DefenseReview doesn’t know at present whether the select-fire variant of the SIG 556 SWAT is available in true semi-auto/full-auto configuration, or only in semi-auto/three-round burst config, or semi-auto/3-round burst/full-auto config. Unfortunately, Mr. Poole’s article does not make that clear. Defense Review prefers a straight semi-auto/full-auto selector switch. We like our trigger finger to determine how many rounds we put down range on full-auto, not an artificial limiter. In any case, the SIG 556’s trigger action in the 3-round-burst-capable variant appears from what Mr. Poole wrote to be superior to the Colt M4 Carbine trigger with regard to smoothness and consistency.

I like their caliber offering. It looks like they will be competing with the Magpul Masada.

More here.

Weapons officials at the Army Test and Evaluation Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., exposed Colt Defense LLC’s M4, along with the Heckler & Koch XM8, FNH USA’s Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle and the H&K 416 to sandstorm conditions from late September to late November, firing 6,000 rounds through each test weapon.

When the test was completed, ATEC officials found that the M4 performed “significantly worse” than the other three weapons, sources told Army Times.

Officials tested 10 each of the four carbine models, firing a total of 60,000 rounds per model. Here’s how they ranked, according to the total number of times each model stopped firing:

* XM8: 127 stoppages.
* MK16 SCAR Light: 226 stoppages.
* 416: 233 stoppages.
* M4: 882 stoppages.

The results of the test were “a wake-up call,” but Army officials continue to stand by the current carbine, said Brig. Gen. Mark Brown, commander of Program Executive Office Soldier, the command that is responsible for equipping soldiers.

You can bet H&K, FN and Magpul are happy about these results!

Hat Tip: Murdoc Online

The website is out of date and I do not know if the kits are still sold. I do know that in most Western countries converting a pistol into a rifle is not allowed. UPDATE: I was wrong. See comments below.

UPDATE:

Some more photos from gunbroker