The Firearm Blog

I had heard no news about the Army search for a "subcompact"¹ for quite a long time and thought that the idea had been dropped. Apparently this is not so. The Military Times reports:

Despite initial industry suspicion that the Army would let the effort die a slow death, the service is moving forward with the development of a compact weapon that shoots like a rifle but slings like a sub gun.

According to the Army official in charge of fielding new weapons for the service, the search for a so-called "subcompact individual weapon system" is moving ahead in earnest. In May, the Army sponsored a user evaluation where Soldiers put subcompact weapons through their paces to see if the idea would stick.

...

"To some people [the issues] are fundamental, to other people they're on the margins - it depends on who you talk to," he added, declining to be more specific.

The service is also waiting for the final version of the fiscal 2010 Pentagon budget to be signed by the president, releasing nearly $10 million to start the program.

...

Army officials have said that if all the benchmarks are met, Joes could potentially see a new rifle or redesigned M-4 by 2012.

The more important question is if they are willing to adopt a new cartridge. I don't think anyone would argue that the 5.56mm NATO performs well out of a sub-carbine (11" or shorter) barrel.

11" Barreled Colt M4 Commando. Another example is the HK416 sub-carbine.

My 2c: develop a 9mm +P+ round that is compatible with the M9 pistol (lets call it the 9mm Steve), then develop a short barrel, foldable stocked, sub-carbine which chambered the 9mm Steve. Deploy it. [ Army officials : contact me for the address to which you can send my hefty consultant's fee ]

Discuss in the comments ...

Robarms will be making a PDW (personal defense weapon) version of their XCR rifle. The PDW has a shortened stock and a 9″ barrel. From the videos it looks like it will be available with either a fully automatic trigger group, for those who can buy such things legally, and a semi-automatic trigger group for the rest of us.

So far they have a 5.56mm NATO and 7.62×39mm model.

5.56mm NATO model


7.62×39mm model

Compare the sound and recoil of the 5.56 and 7.62 models in these videos:

5.56mm NATO model


7.62×39mm model

A very sexy firearm that will be available in July. This video shows a 5.56mm semi-automatic model being shot:

Also from Robarms is a new two stage trigger for the XCR called the Enhanced Trigger.

This trigger is two-stage with a 3.5 pound pull. We’re calling it an “Enhanced Trigger” rather than a match trigger for several reasons. First, match triggers usually have very small tight control surfaces and/or small screws or springs that cannot hold up under tough use. Our Enhanced Trigger is a very light two-stage trigger that is very controllable whether shooting paper at a distance or at moving targets. We are taking orders for the Enhanced Trigger now. The parts consist of a a new trigger, hammer, and disconnect. They can be added to existing XCRs without modification to the rifle.

UPDATE: 6.8 SPC is now also offered. Two models are available: the Mini (9″ barrel) and Micro (7.5″ barrel). The basic models cost $1500.

Freedom Arms are producing reloading equipment for what is probably the first new cartridge of 2009.

The 224-32 FA is a .327 Federal Magnum necked down to .224. The result is a high velocity rimmed revolver cartridge suitable for varminting. It is was not rimmed it would probably be classified as what are now called PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) cartridges (small and fast pistol cartridges).

The max load is a 40 gr. Blitz King or V-Max bullet pushed out the barrel at 2270 fps, generating 457 ft/lbs of energy.

The parent cartridge, the .327 Federal Magnum, was launched last year in January.

The first gun to chamber this round is a Freedom Arms Model 97. It can hold 6 rounds and is available in 4 1/4″, 5 1/2″, 7 1/2″ and 10″ barrel lengths. Retail price: $1840.