The Firearm Blog

An interesting holster made by Stellar Rigs:

These were announced by the manufacturer on rec.guns recently:

Our Kel-Tec neck chain concealment rigs were developed originally for
LEOs to carry the back up gun under their vests. Over time a number of
“civilian requests” had us make a vertical version for better
concealment. Now comes the “Extreme Duty” evolution. The most popular
question by phone or email is “how well does it hold?” Our standard
answer is “fine for cruising around in you car or walking but not well
enough to jump out of helicopters or off fences - is that what you want
to do?” The answer is usually no - but just in case.
We are now making “Extreme Duty” versions in Black and the sexy carbon
fiber laminate and they hang on almost as well as the NAA mini-revolver
models. In fact, You nearly have to “force load” them. Yeah, they hang
on good !

Personally I think the chain looks too thin and I could not carry a gun pointed to my chin, holster or not.

You may say that is superstition, and maybe it is, but I know of many cases of people shooting themselves in the foot while practicing for IPSC when drawing from holsters. I just would not feel comfortable.

UPDATE: I posted this in a hurry. Links to the manufacturer and rec.guns discussion are added.

Gunner’s Journal has a very in depth post about the Hi Power pistol. Highly recommended.

Browning Hi Power Mk III

As much I as I like these handsome pistols for informal target work, small game hunting, or just knocking around in the woods, their original purpose was for “serious” matters in one area of the self-defense arena, military service. Like its Browning-born predecessor, the 1911, the single-action Hi Power’s initial reason for existence was as a military sidearm and not individual civilian self-protection. It is nice that both readily lend themselves to this, however.

Read it here.

NCIS contract calls for over 2,000 pistols to replace the aging fleet of refurbished M11 (SIG P228) pistols purchased more than 15 years ago. The contract represents the first “new” pistol procurement for NCIS agents since the agency’s inception. The new P229 and P239 models will be chambered in .40S&W and fitted with SIG SAUER’S exclusive DAK™ trigger system.

SIG SAUER P239 (photo from wikipedia)

The press release is after the jump:

Continue Reading »

I was emailed this. It apparently was made in New Zealand but I do not have any other information. It uses a conventional zip gun design: a bolt in a tube with a threaded barrel.

What makes it interesting is that it looks like both barrels can be fired at once by pressing on or pulling down the rod (on the left side of the photo).

Click to expand the photo

Reader Joe kindly sent through photos of his .45 cal Philadelphia derringer made from a kit I blogged about some time ago.

It looks great!

Here are four pics of the derringer I built in 1978 at age 19. I colored the wood by staining with a Minwax walnut and then handrubbing linseed oil over it. I did not cold blue the barrel. For some reason I inlaid the side brass pieces where the pin comes through the barrel and stock.

Thanks Joe.

If anyone else has unique, custom, interesting or a firearm with a good story. Please send pictures through!

Ruger will be supplying 1750 9mm Ruger KP95 pistols to the Federal Bureau Of Prisons.

Ruger P95

The press release is here.

Guncrafter Industries are selling a .50 GI conversion kit for the the Glock 20/21.

Click to expand the image

The .50 GI round should not be compared to the Desert Eagle’s .50 Action Express or the .500 S&W. It is slightly more powerful than the .45 ACP.

Wikipedia information on the .50 GI:

.50 GI
Type	Handgun
Place of origin	 United States
Production history
Designer	Vic Tibbets / Alex Zimmermann
Designed	2004
Manufacturer	Guncrafter Industries
Specifications
Case type	Rebated, straight
Bullet diameter	.515 in (13.1 mm)
Neck diameter	.526 in (13.4 mm)
Base diameter	.526 in (13.4 mm)
Rim diameter	.480 in (12.2 mm)
Case length	.899 in (22.8 mm)
Overall length	1.221 in (31.0 mm)
Ballistic performance
Bullet weight/type	Velocity	Energy
275 gr (17.8 g) JHP	900 ft/s (270 m/s)	492 ft·lbf (667 J)
300 gr (19 g) JHP	860 ft/s (260 m/s)	493 ft·lbf (668 J)

The kit will retail for $595.

Hat Tip: Foodpounds

This year Auto Ordnance started selling a Thompson 1927A-1 “Lightweight Deluxe Pistol”, complete with 50 round drum magazine!

It has a 10.5″ barrel and aluminum receiver. A total length of 23.3″ and weight 5 lbs. 14.5 oz. Not exactly light weight, and that is before you load up 50 rounds of .45 ACP!

Model TA5

MSRP is $1,117.00.

More here.

Hat Tip: A Keyboard and a .45

This amazing 3D animation shows a 1911 being assembled. Made with the free open source Blender software, it is the best video I have seen on the internet in a long time.

The description:

This is an animation i made in blender of a colt 1911. all of the parts are modeled to blueprint specifications

it took me about 100 … all hours to model all of the pieces and about 10 to get the animation done. rendering was a multipass process, using yafray for a high quality GI render, then using blender for a post process DOF blur total rendering time was around 500 hours on a core 2 quad

I have a friend who can make some amazing models using blender. I have tried but I am not very skilled. I have always wanted to model one of those cut away animations of a rifle or pistol.

Hat Tip: Freedom Sight

Th Box O’ Truth have published a two part article on the building and shooting of a 1970’s blackpowder .45 cal Philadelphia Derringer kit.

The Building

The Shooting

According to gunsholstersandgear.com:

The .22LR Rimfire Conversion Kit is available for the SIG SAUER P220, P226, and P229 models and feature a black hard coat anodized slide, machined from solid aluminum billet. Offered as a complete replacement assembly, the Rimfire Conversion Kit installs as easily as field stripping the pistol. Simply remove the standard slide assembly, install the “new” .22 slide and barrel assembly, and add the included .22LR magazine and you’re ready for the range.

I thought the pistol was out in January, but they issued this press release yesterday. Either way, it is now available.

UPDATE: Tim, in the comments below, let us know that the pistol is due to be released in may-june 08.

From the press release:

Beretta USA is pleased to announce the introduction of the most advanced Sub-Compact sidearm of its kind – the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact pistol. Built around Beretta’s latest Px4 Storm modular technology, the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact delivers concealed carry handling with large frame firepower.

Available in two calibers, 9mm with 13 round magazine capacity and .40 S&W with 10 round magazine capacity, the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact will be available in all the traditional configurations (F, G, C, D actions) that have made its Px4 Storm full size counterpart a preferred choice of Law Enforcement agencies and civilians across the United States. This new pistol uses a very reliable locked breech, providing a more compact and lighter weight system. Additionally, the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact utilizes a stainless steel barrel which requires less maintenance and is corrosion resistant, making it perfectly suited for concealment close to active perspiring bodies.

“With the launch of our new Sub-Compact model, the Storm family of polymer pistols and carbines is now the ideal suite of firearm platforms available on the market” said Gabriele DePlano, Vice President of Product Development at Beretta USA. “Whether it is used for concealed or open carry, on or off duty, as a patrol rifle or for home protection, the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact family is poised to offer our operators the ultimate in Beretta’s reliability, durability and accuracy in its smallest package yet.”

Hailed by some as the most accurate Sub-Compact pistol on the market, the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact offers absolute reliability and consistent accuracy in a small package. Featuring a Picatinny rail to fit light and laser accessories, the Px4 Storm Sub-Compact also adapts to different hand sizes easily with interchangeable backstraps that are included with each firearm. The magazineÂ’s patented “Snap-Grip” allows for maximum concealability when the firearm is holstered, while providing a comfortable and secure grip when the pistol is being fired. An ambidextrous manual safety, ideally positioned on both sides of the slide for easy access by all shooters, and a low-profile slide catch complete this small yet powerful package. Additionally, a reversible magazine release button, in small or large size, can be mounted on either side for the convenience of the operator. The Px4 Storm Sub-Compact was designed by Beretta USA and will be manufactured in the United States at Beretta USAÂ’s Accokeek, MD facility.

PX4 Storm Sub-Compact

More info here.

I recently wrote about the new Boberg XR9 pistol which features the magazine beneath the chamber. Dr. StrangeGun discovered that the Gabbett-Fairfax Mars pistol was the first pistol to feature this configuration.

High tech and ugly (Photo from Horst Held)

From wikipedia:

The Mars Automatic Pistol was a semi-automatic pistol developed in 1900 by the Englishman Hugh Gabbet-Fairfax. It was manufactured by Webley & Scott and distributed by the Mars Automatic Pistol Syndicate. The Mars Automatic Pistol is famous for being available in a variety of 8.5 mm, 9 mm and .45 calibres. These were all bottle shaped cartridges with a heavy powder loading, making the .45 version the most powerful handgun in the world for a time. It used a unique long recoil rotating bolt action which ejected spent cartridges straight to the rear.

The Mars Automatic Pistol was rejected by the British War Office as a possible replacement for the Webley & Scott Revolver, then in service with the British Army, because of the unacceptable large recoil, muzzle-flash, and mechanical complexity. It has since become a collectors item because of its rarity and as an example of the earliest developments in semi-automatic pistols.

I dug up the pistols’ patent. The patent drawings show how the rear ward feeding works.

Although the pistol was not practical back in 1900 it was an ingenious design.

According to Marshal Halloway Ruger have had orders for 87,000 Ruger LCPs. Thats within 5 days of the launch.

Very impressive!