Blog Archives

You are currently browsing the archives of The Firearm Blog .

Taurus have updated the PT22 PT25

Taurus have updated the PT-22 (chambered in .22 LR) and the PT-25 (chambered in .25 ACP). They are now lightweight polymer and are much sleeker that the old steel version.

Taurus-1
The new PT-22 (Photo from G&A).

 Images Imagesmain 22Br
The old model PT-22

The old line has a wide range of models featuring every grip you could imagine. It is not known if they will update the old models or standardize on the the “classic” polymer-type models (two tone and black)

The new model weights in at 10.8 ounces and as you can see in the top photo feature a larger trigger guard.

Hat Tip: Guns and Ammo

Posted by Steve on Jan 18th 2009 | Filed in handguns | Comments (1)

M22 Pistol

Austrian gun designer Wolfram Kriegleder ,who designed the Walther P22, has designed a new pistol in response to what American shooters said they wanted in a target and shooting pistol.

M-22

The M-22 features:

* 3.5″ or 5″ match barrels.
* adjustable rear sight.
* Weaver style rails.
* Multiple safeties (many will call this a bug not a feature).
* All black model or nickel framed two tone model.

The “multiple safeties” probably means a magazine safety like the P22. The pistol will be imported by Austrian Sporting Arms and is said to be available in Spring 2009. MSRP is $400.

Promotional video:

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire

Posted by Steve on Jan 17th 2009 | Filed in handguns, rimfire | Comments (9)

Colt / Umarex M4 Carbine .22 Tactical Rimfire AR-15

Colt and Umarex have teamed up to produce the Colt M4 .22 Tactical Rimfire. The is probably the only real “Colt M4″ you will ever be allowed to own!

I am not 100% sure they are in fact AR-15s. UMAREX USA uses well known brand-names such as Beretta, Ruger and Walther to sell their airguns. This could easily be a AR-15 patterned rifle much like the .22 GSG MP5 or GSG AK.

 Images Colt Colt Umarex 22Lr M4 Carbine 1

There will be four different models.

Colt M4 Carbine

* 16″ Barrel
* M4 collapsible style stock
* A4 flat top upper recoever
* detachable carry handle
* A2 flash hider
* A2 pistol grip
* 30 round magazine
* Weight: 5.95 lbs

Colt M4 OPS (includes the following extras):
* Rear BUIS (Backup iron sight)
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard

Colt M16 (includes the following extras):

* 20″ barrel

Colt M16 SPR (includes the following extras):

* 20″ barrel
* Free floated aluminum picatinny rail handguard
* Flip up read and front sights

 Images Colt Colt Umarex 22Lr M4 Carbine 3

Fake suppressors will also be available as seen in the above photo.

It will be officially announced at SHOT Show 2009.

Hat Tip: OnPointFirearms

Posted by Steve on Jan 13th 2009 | Filed in rifles, rimfire | Comments (182)

Volquartsen’s Forward Blow Stabilization Module

Volquartsen Custom is selling an interesting muzzle break. It is called the Forward Blow Stabilization Module and is designed for Ruger 10/22 rifles and Charger pistols, but will fit any rifle with .905 – .925″ diameter rimfire bull barrel.

Instead of porting the gas that exists the muzzle to the side or backwards toward it ports it forward at an angle.

From the product page:

Conventional wisdom tells us that compensators/muzzle brakes increase noise to the shooter. Our new forward blow stabilization module is designed to offer the best of both worlds – less recoil without the increase in noise.

128 tm Volquartsens Forward Blow Stabilization Module photo

.22 LR rifles do recoil contrary to popular belief and you notice this when shooting competitively. Saying all that, you can call me skeptical on how effective this would be. Still, I am willing to keep an open mind and look forward to some intrepid shooter taking photos of this in action with a high speed camera. The device retails for $109.75.

Posted by Steve on Jan 8th 2009 | Filed in rifles, rimfire | Comments (5)

New Winchester Xpediter .22 LR Hyper Velocity

Winchester announced their second .22 LR “Hyper Velocity” round. The Xpediter round has similar performance to the new non-toxic Winchester SUPER-X .22 Long Rifle. It pushes a 32 grain lead hollow point bullet at 1,640 fps.

0C516F1F70908248Df993457D33Deddb

The original Xpediter

I am not sure if this round is identical to the original that used to be produced by Winchester many years ago.
[No doubt its a shrewd marketing plan of Winchester to dole out individual press releases over a period of time instead of announcing everything at once ... ]

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire

Posted by Steve on Dec 13th 2008 | Filed in ammunition, rimfire | Comments (5)

Winchester announces lead free .22LR and .22 Magnum and .223

It is lead free day here at The Firearm Blog*, this being the second lead-free ammo post!

Winchester has announced a new line of lead-free ammunition.

CCI currently manufactures lead free .22 Magnum called TNT GREEN but as far as I know Winchester are the first US manufacturer to announce lead free .22 LR. It is rumored that more companies will unveil their lead free rimfire at SHOT 2009.

The new Winchester SUPER-X .22 Long Rifle will propel a 30 grain THP (tin hollow point) at 1650 fps. This is a hot “hyper velocity” load which generates 181 foot pounds of energy, only slightly less powerful that the CCI Stinger at the muzzle.

It is likely that the case will be extended in length, like the CCI Stringer. The extended case can prevent the round from chambering in some rifles.

 Wikipedia Commons Thumb 6 61 .22 Lr.Jpg 280Px-.22 Lr
CCI Stinger length compared to standard .22LR (Wikipedia)

The new SUPER-X .22 Win. Mag (.22 Magnum / .22 WMR) pushes a 28 grain JHP at 2200 fps. The under 30 grain bullet means it will won’t perform as well as standard .22 Magnum 30 grain rounds.

SUPER-X .223 Rem lead-free pushes a 55 grain bullet at 3030 fps. Like the .22 Magnum, there is a significant performance hit. The round is being marketed as varmint cartridge..

This new range should be available in Spring 2009.

* That was a joke. I bought 100 rounds of “toxic” ammo today.

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire.

Posted by Steve on Dec 11th 2008 | Filed in ammunition, rifles, rimfire | Comments (27)

Ruger Charger now available in stainless.

Picture 26-4
Ruger Charger Stainless with Black Laminate Stock

AcuSport is the distributor for the new Ruger Charger in stainless steel. The Ruger Charger is a pistol build on the Ruger 10/22 .22LR rifle action.

UPDATE: Brian at AcuSport old me the MSRP is $387.25.

More on the Ruger Charger here.

Hat Tip: Shooting Wire.

Posted by Steve on Dec 9th 2008 | Filed in handguns | Comments (8)

New NAA “The Earl” .22 Magnum revolver

Early next year North American Arms will be selling “The Earl”, a “five shot single action 1860’s-styled mini-revolver chambered in .22 Magnum”. The revolver is named after the gunsmith who developed it.

Picture 16-9
Click to expand.

To complete the mid-1800’s look they have included a fake reloading. It has a 4″ octagonal barrel and weights 8.6 oz. The MSRP for the standard model will be $289. A model with a .22 Long Rifle cylinder will cost $324.

More info at NAA.

Posted by Steve on Dec 5th 2008 | Filed in handguns, rimfire | Comments (6)

New Super Match grade .22 LR from Fiocchi

Fiocchi have announced new Super Match ammunition called Exacta Biathlon Match.

What makes it interesting is that it is Standard Velocity (1,120 fps) which is unlike most match grade target .22LR ammunition which are usually Subsonic.

Bullett
No surprises … looks like a .22 LR round

From the press release:

Fiocchi begins with an exclusive case priming procedure that ensures precise priming mixture weight. Next, only premium, ultra-reliable powders are selected. Precise care is given to ensuring the cases used are of exact and consistent dimension. Finally, the specially-lubricated bullets are loaded using a unique process that prevents the bullets from touching one another during processing to prevent even the slightest deformation from occurring.

Hat Tip: Tactical Life

Posted by Steve on Nov 21st 2008 | Filed in ammunition, rimfire | Comments (3)

GSG-5PK: .22 MP5K patterened pistol (and photos)

ATI have announced the GSG5-PK pistol.

The new GSG-5PK pistol is a .22 Long Rifle HV Caliber with a barrel length of 4.52″, total length of 15.275″ and a total height of 10″. It weighs in at a dainty 5.2 lbs. It has an alloy frame construction and features a magazine safety and click-adjustable target sight. At a MSRP of $549.95, the GSG-5PK pistol is the perfect partner to the original GSG-5 rifle model.

It is basically a GSG5-P (pistol) with a shortened barrel and MP5K style handguard. Some photos (click to expand):

Gsg5Pk1Fh6

Gsg5Pk2Xr2

Hat Tip: SayUncle

Posted by Steve on Oct 16th 2008 | Filed in handguns, news, photos, rimfire | Comments (8)

The ACU’RZR: .22LR bullet reshaping tool

The ACU’RZR is an interesting tool. You put a .22 Long Rifle cartridge into the ACU’RZR and give the “forming rod” a whack with a hammer and then take out your .22 cartridge with a newly shaped bullet.

 Store Images Ph34

The idea behind the tool is threefold. It ensures consistency in bullet shape which will increase accuracy, allows you to select a bullet shape and allows you to choose a bullet diameter that suits your handgun or rifle.

I must admit I would be too scared to hit a a rimfire cartridge with a hammer. I would rather purchase match ammo.

Different models are available and range from $38 – $53 (+ $5 shipping).

Posted by Steve on Sep 24th 2008 | Filed in ammunition, rimfire | Comments (1)

Mounting raised peep sights without any mods

This is a very clever idea. The rifle is a Mossberg 144LSB Target rifle that is currently listed on gunbroker.

 Gb 110807000 110807904 Pix838015125

The advantage of having the sight raised is that when shooting from a offhand/verticle position you can keep you head as close to upright as possible to achieve better balance.

 Gb 110807000 110807904 Pix838014875

Hat Tip: RFC

Posted by Steve on Sep 24th 2008 | Filed in rifles, rimfire | Comments (1)

Ruger 77/22 rifle review

Shooting Times (UK) has reviewed the .22 Ruger 77/22 rifle

Priced towards the upper end of the rimfire scale, the M77/22 still gives excellent value for money. Build quality is good, as is the accuracy and reliability in the test.

With the options of stainless and synthetic designs, this rifle gives a genuinely good choice for any rimfire shooter – it has the feel of a centrefire rifle but the weight of a light sporter. Supplied with 1in dedicated scope mounts, it is a definite winner as is the pre-threaded barrel, essential on a sporting rimfire these days.

I briefly looked at getting the synthetic model. I decided it was not worth the price. In my opinion for the price it should include an adjustable trigger and free floating barrel.

Ruger 77.22-1

Ruger 77/22-R

Posted by Steve on Mar 6th 2008 | Filed in rifles, rimfire | Comments (8)

Akins Accelerator Inventor Sues United States

From GeorgiaPacking.org

The inventor of the Akins Accelerator, the replacement stock for a Ruger 10/22 that allows controlled bump firing, is suing the United States over the BATFE’s ruling that the Accelerator wasn’t a machine gun, but now is. Here’s the complaint.

If you have not been following the saga: the ATF initially approved the sale for the stock, then sometime later declared that it converted a rifle into a machine gun.

Akins Accelerator 1

Akins Accelerator 2

Akins Accelerator 3

Akins Accelerator 4

Hat Tip: SaysUncle.com

Posted by Steve on Mar 5th 2008 | Filed in news, photos, rifles, rimfire | Comments (1)

« Prev - Next »