The Firearm Blog

DS Arms, not wanting be to outdone by their AR-making counterparts, will be selling a Short Barred Rifle (SRB) and pistol version of the FN FAL. They feature a barrel about 8" long (+/- one inch, I forget the exact length).

SRB (top) and Pistol (bottom)

The pistol is essentially the SBR with the stock replaced with a sling attachment. I forgot to ask, but I think they will have made it hard for a regular stock to be attached (the BATFE can be fussy about this).

SBR with para-style stock in folded position.

The SBR pictured above is actually a full auto model; it is in effect a 7.62x51mm Personal Defense Weapon!

DSA were not able to give me pricing for the pistol or SBR and as of now no pricing is on their website.

The T48 was the designation of the FN FAL entered into the competition to replace the M1 Garand. The T44 (later called the M14) won the competition but the Marines appear to have kept their quote of T48 rifles. These have been meticulously photographed by an Australian who visited Quantico in 2008.

[ Many thanks to jdun1911 for emailing me the link. ]

Jeff and Boge Quinn of GunBlast have reviewed the SCAR 16s and liked what they saw ...

With the MK 16, FN Herstal has set out to build the world’s best 5.56mm fighting rifle, and the SCAR 16s is as close to that rifle as most of us can get, legally. It is a well-built rifle, very reliable, easy to shoot, and match-accurate. The price tag to own such a piece is not cheap. As of this writing, the MSRP is bumping right up against the three thousand dollar mark. However, that is not too far out of line with some of the AR-based piston rifles available, and the SCAR system must be pretty good, as it beat out other designs for the USSOCom contract. FN manufacturers the great majority of our small arms now in use with U.S. troops, and the SCAR seems to be well-accepted by those who handled, fired, and fielded the new rifle. The SCAR 16s comes with one magazine and an owner’s manual, and is available either in black or the Flat Dark Earth finish shown here. You never regret buying the best.

Thanks to Jason for the photo.

Hat Tip: Michael Bane and SaysUncle

This photo, which is purported to be real, shows a Ranger using the 7.62x51mm FN SCAR-H ( MK 17 Mod 0 ).

The photo is said to have been taken by Spc. Walter Reeves.

The semi-automatic civilian model is called the FN SCAR 17S and will be on sale early next year.

SCAR-H on display at Tactical Evolution Expo and Conference '09. Photo by Dominique

Thanks to jdun1911 and SaysUncle for the link.

Hat Tip: AR-15.com

Inevitably, Kel-Tec's new .22 Magnum (WMR) chambered PMR-30 pistol will be compared to the FN Five-seveN pistol which fires the ballistically similar 5.7x28mm cartridge. If people are not saying it now, they will be soon saying that the .22 Magnum is the same as the 5.7x28mm. I used to say the same thing. It turns out that this is far from the truth.

Kel-Tec PMR-30 pistol. Photo by Oleg Volk.

FN Five-seveN USG

Kel-Tec have stated [PDF Link] that a 40 grain .22 WMR round should reach a velocity of 1230 fps from the 4.3" barrel of their PMR-30 pistol. This works out to 134.40 ft/lbs of energy.

This is a significantly less than the FN Five-seveN USG (4.75" barrel), which can push a 40 grain bullet at 2009 fps. This works out to 358.57 ft/lbs! Nearly three times as powerful as the .22 WMR! ¹

This does not mean that the .22 WMR is not a good cartridge. It simply means that the 5.7mm is optimized to be fired from a pistol, rather than the slower burning .22 WMR loads which are designed to be fired from a rifle.

5.7x28mm. Image from Wikipedia.

.22 Magnum / WMR. Image from Wikipedia.

UPDATE: Added correct link to specs on Kel-Tec's website : http://www.kel-tec-cnc.com/downloads/SHOT2010_preview_keltec_PMR-30.pdf [PDF Link]

A strange marketing decision that is sure to lead to some confusion. From the press release ...

The new FNX 9 and FNX 40 pistols offer the key features demanded by today’s serious handgunner. New ergonomic polymer frames have a low bore axis for flat shooting and less felt recoil resulting in improved control. Deep checkered grip panels are comfortable and designed for no-slip shooting. Four interchangeable backstrap inserts quickly offer a custom fit and feel. The profiled stainless steel slide has cocking serrations front and rear, a 4” hammer-forged stainless barrel delivers long life and pinpoint accuracy. Fully ambidextrous operating controls make the FNX perfect for competition and personal defense for both right and left-handed shooters. Each FNX comes with both a decocker and manual safety making it one of the safest hammer guns on the market. Every part is proudly made in the USA.

FNP-9 is now the FNX 9

Hat Tip: Caleb @ Gun Nuts

The FN's FNAR rifle will be available next year in a 16" barreled model.

I love the clean lines on the rifle. Anyone who has read the blog for even a short period of time will know my love of short barreled rifles

Introduced last year, the FNAR is a military style rifle based on the Browning BAR. Unlike the BAR, the FNAR features a pistol grip, detachable box magazines and plenty of picatinny rails.

This nifty gadget, made by FN Herstal, can be installed anywhere on a gun where it can be squeezed in, such as the pistol grip in the above photo. It can record shot count, firing sequences and more.

Read more about it at SayUncle.

The semi-automatic FN SCAR 17S, which chambers 7.62x51mm NATO, was supposed to be on sale this year, but FN-USA have announced that it won't go on sale until 2010 ...

Released for 2010 is the highly anticipated SCAR 17S now available for civilian purchase. Chambered in 7.62x51mm NATO (308 Win.) and slightly heavier than the SCAR 16S, this unique carbine offers long-range accuracy, exceptional reliability and match winning versatility.

Both SCARs have fully ambidextrous operating controls, a free floating, cold hammer-forged Mil-SPEC barrel with hard-chromed bore; a receiver-integrated MIL-STD 1913 optical rail plus three accessory rails for mounting scopes, electronic sights, lights, or lasers. The side-folding polymer stock is fully adjustable for comb height and has six settings for length of pull. The SCAR also features a tactically advantageous reciprocating charging handle for quick ammo and magazine failure response.

SCAR 17S (top) and its smaller brother the 16S.

A matte black finished model of the 5.56mm FN SCAR will be on sale to consumers next year. I think it looks great (... and yes, I know getting excited about a gun being black is pretty sad).

Earlier this year FN gave dealers the chance to pre-order a limited edition black SCAR. One dealer is trying to sell one of these for $9,999!

Now, it appears, that the black SCAR is going into full production and will be offered as a standard model, not a limited edition. I suspect there will be some unhappy customers who pre-ordered a limited edition, only to find it is now a full production model.

Other than the opportunists on Gun Broker, I have seen the black SCAR listed for between $3000 and $4000. When it is actually available, it will probably sell for the same as the tan, aka. Flat Dark Earth, colored model ($2500 - $3000)

Interestingly, early prototypes of the military SCAR had a black finish:

Military prototype.

UDPATE: Replaced top photo with better quality image. Thanks Elaine.

I was very surprised when a reader email me about this new rifle from Winchester. The poor Browning BAR hunting rifle has been through yet another evolution and rebranding.

In early 2008 FN announced a tactical sniper rifle, the FNAR, based on the Browning BAR (FN owns both Browning and Winchester Arms). It added a detachable magazine, pistol grip and top, bottom and side picatinny rails.

The new SX-AR is a heavy barreled FNAR in a Mossy Oak camo finish but without the side rails and full length top rail (interestingly the bottom rail remains). It comes full circle, taking the tactical FNAR improvements back to the hunting market.

Winchester SX-AR

This rifle will have been developed to fight the new AR-10 based hunting rifles that have been coming into the market, for example, the Remington R-25. I suspect the reason it is being rebranded and marketed under Winchester, and not Browning, is so that the risk of the BAR being named in any Assault Weapon Ban (federal or state) is reduced. The Browning BAR can continue to be a "traditional" styled hunting rifle.

For comparison, there are photos of the SX-AR ancestors ...

Browning BAR

FNAR

A big thank you to Reese for emailing me about this new rifle.

Korean firm Dong In Optical specializes in red dot sights for machine guns, miniguns, grenade launchers and auto-cannons.

The Model DCL100 Red Dot Sight (below) is designed specifically for the FN Minimi / M249 and FN MAG / M240 light machine guns. It is seen here mounted on the Minimi Para, FN's short 13.7" barreled, collapsible stocked, machine gun.

DCL100 mounted on the FN Minimi Para.

The larger Model DCL110 designed for .50 heavy machine guns and 20mm cannons

I have an overwhelming desire to mount one of these on a Ruger 10/22

A big thanks to Groot Mamba for the photos.

[ I have done my best to ensure there are no spoilers in this blog post, but read forth at your own risk and DON'T read the comments that are below the blog post. All pictures are from the trailers and promotional material, not the movie itself. ]

Two readers emailed me saying that many of the weapons I mentioned in my 5 Weapons that should’ve been in Transformers 2 post were used in new hit sci-fi movie District 9. I was considering seeing the movie, but after hearing this I decided I had to go. It was fantastic! Despite being a low budget production, they must have hired a very competent weapons consultant. The weapons used were appropriate for the task at hand and were used correctly, something few action, or even historical, movies do right.

Where can I buy this target?

There are three main human factions in the movie. The Multi-National United is organization styled after the UN. The Mercenaries (I can’t remember what they are called in the movie) are private military contractors styled after the likes of Blackwater (Xe). The Gangsters live among the aliens and are involved in the arms trade.

The movie is set in South Africa so it is no surprise that many of the weapons used in the movie are weapons produced by the South African defense industry.

Multi-National United (MNU)

Vektor CR-21 – This is the “white” gun used by the MNU. The 5.56 mm CR-21 is a bullpup version of the Vektor R4. The R4 is the South African licensed-built version of the Israeli Galil (an AK-47 derivative).

CR-21

R1 (FN FAL) – The R1 was the South African licensed-built FN FAL. In the movie it is used by airborne snipers.

R1 / FN FAL

Unknown Pump Action Shotgun – A pump action shotgun is used by a minor character. I could not identify it.

Mercenaries

Vektor R5 – This is the carbine version of the Vektor R4 rifle. The R5 has a 13.1″ barrel.

Vektor R5.

Colt M4 with M203 – Some troops appear to be using the M4 Carbine and M203 grenade launcher.

Colt M4/M203

FN Minimi – Better known as the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW).

FN Minimi

PMP Neopup PAW – I am pretty sure this awesome semi-automatic grenade launcher was used briefly.

Denel NTW-20 – This South African made 20mm rifle was used too good effect.

Unknown Machine Pistol – A machine pistol or submachine gun was used in one scene, but I could not identify it. UPDATE: Commenters point out that it was the BXP.

Unknown Pistol – I could not identify the pistols carried by the mercs. UPDATE: IMFDB says it was a Beretta 92FS.

Gangsters

AK-47 – Not introduction needed.

RPG-7 – Again, no introduction need. Used realistically in the film.

RPG-7

Milkor MGL – I was surprised to see the gangsters packing this. I only saw it in one scene.

M1911 pistol – I am pretty sure a 1911 clone is used by one of the gangsters.

Aliens

Unknown weaponry

Alien Assault Rifle

While watching the movie I tried to keep track of what guns they were using. I probably missed many and I had trouble identifying some. Please post a comment below if noticed any mistakes or omissions I have made or identify any of the unknown weapons listed.

Thanks to Cory and Raymond for their emails regarding the movie weapons.

UPDATE: More info at IMFDB (Spoiler alert).

Until recently you did not have many options if you wanted a bolt gun chambered in 7.62×39mm. In the United States the most readily available gun was the CZ 527 Carbine and Remington Model 799, in Canada it was the Norinco (Chinese) made rifle (I forget the model name).

Then earlier this year Ruger came out with the M77 Hawkeye Compact, chambered in 7.62×39mm, and I applauded their efforts. I just learnt from Michael Bane that FNH USA have a new bolt action rifle called the TSR (Tactical Sport Rifle) and, you guessed it, will be available in 7.62×39mm!

FN TSR USA

FNH owns Winchester Arms and manufactures all the Model 70 rifle actions in its South Carolina plant, so naturally the rifle is based on the famous action. The rifles feature:

* The new Tactical Sport Trigger ( factory set at 3.75 lbs )
* Hogue rubber stock with full aluminum bedding block
* Fluted barrel
* One piece picatinny rail

There are two models, each available in a variety of chamberings. The FN TSR USA has an Ultra Short action ( 5.56×45mm, 7.62×39 ), 20″ barrel and hinged floorplate magazine. The FN TSR XP has Short Magnum action ( 308 Win., 300 WSM), 20″ or 24″ barrel and a floorplate magazine for the .300 WSM rifles and a detachable box magazine for the .308.

It is great to see another company recognize the potential of the 7.62×39mm as a sporting round in bolt rifles. It also allows the owners of SKS and AK type rifles ammunition parity with a bolt gun. It is just a pity they are not offering a detachable magazine model in 7.62×39mm. Hopefully this will be offered in the future, although for hunting this is not that much of a big deal.