Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its various types of guns, gear, ammunition, and history. Last week we talked about the Volquartsen Summit straight-pull rifle. This nifty yet expensive rifle is “near perfect” when described by those who own it but I think what holds a lot of us back from purchasing one is just the sheer upfront cost of one. The Volquartsen Summit is already $600 or more for just a completed receiver. However, I’ve seen people spend way more money on far less refined products within this industry so don’t let me influence your purchasing habits, I’d probably have one too if I had the money! This week, we’re diving back into a bit of both history and affordably priced firearms – the Romanian M69 full-sized 22LR military trainer rifle. Military trainer rifles chambered in 22LR are nothing new but I’ve often heard examples of some of these fairly old and fairly simple rifles outperforming a lot of modern dedicated 22LR designs. While I was out in Finland, I got to talking with my buddy Calvin who runs the YouTube Channel Firepower United. Some of you who’ve been here for a while will remember him from his collaborations with TFBTV’s Alex C in the early days. Calvin and I got to talking about gun collections and it turns out he has a litany of 22LR military trainers and this week he’s graciously allowed me to use one of his as an example for this edition of The Rimfire Report. Be sure to check out his YouTube channel and Instagram if you like humourous takes on some of gun culture’s biggest jokes and tropes.

Aimpoint has been chosen to deliver mini red dot sights to the Alternative Individual Weapon System, designated L403A1 to the UK’s Ministry Of Defence. Deliveries will be handled by Aimpoint’s exclusive UK distributor Edgar Brothers. The Alternative Individual Weapon System consists of three elements – the rifle itself made by Knight’s Armament Company and designated L403A1, the optic system L900A1, and a training system. As part of the optic system, Aimpoint will supply the ACRO® P-2 red dot sight.

During a video introducing some new products published on 31 August, Bill Geissele announced that Geissele’s submission to US SOCOM’s MRGG-S (Mid-Range Gas Gun) program had been selected. The new rifle appears to have beaten out rival designs from other down-selected companies, including FN and LMT.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program has an absolute unicorn up for auction, a true Mark 13 Mod 3 sniper rifle. This .300 Win Mag looks like it could tell some GWOT war stories if it could talk. It’s not every day that a gun like this is available to the public, so let’s take a look at this rifle.

Back in October 2022, the Australian Defence Force selected the SIG Sauer P320 XCarry Pro as their next sidearm. The P320 XCarry Pro will replace the venerable Browning Hi-Power under Australia’s Lethality System Project LAND 159. The Australian Defence Department have just made their first order for the new pistols worth $20 million (AUD$30 million).

US SOCOM is set to award SIG Sauer another 5 year contract to provide Suppressed Upper Receiver Groups (SURG). SIG Sauer were initially awarded the SURG contract back in July 2018. The SURG kit includes a piston-driven MCX upper receiver with detachable, rather than integral, suppressor. The FDE-coloured SURG kit also reportedly includes an MCX-pattern folding stock.

The British Army has announced the selection of the SmartShooter SMASH Smart Weapon Sight Fire Control System for countering drones/UAVs. An initial order for 225 SMASH Smart Weapon Sights has been placed with the contract valued at $4.6 million or $5.8 million.

In October 2022, the Canadian government  announced that the SIG Sauer P320 will be replacing the iconic Browning HiPower which have been in service for nearly 80 years. The Canadian government will procure an initial batch of 7,000 pistols and holster systems for the Canadian Army.

In part 1 and part 2 of this article, I talked about the history of Romanian AKs and their most unexpected users. Now it is time to talk about the production of those guns and some of the issues I experienced while inspecting and repairing them.

In part 1 of this article, I talked about the first Romanian AKs and the ironic role one Romanian AK had in the dismantling of the Ceausescu dictatorship.

True Velocity, Inc., designers of lightweight composite-cased ammunition, have announced a new partnership with FN America. The partnership will look to test True Velocity’s conversion kit which can chamber the M240 in the proprietary 6.8TVCM composite-cased cartridge with the change of a barrel.

Many people in Africa, the Middle East, and the US would have a hard time finding Romania on the map. But there are at least two products originating from Romania that have worldwide acclaim – the stories about Count Dracula from Transilvania and Romanian AKs.

The Swedish Defense Materiel Works (FMV) has signed a framework agreement with Equipnor AB, for Dillon M134D Miniguns for Sweden’s amphibious battalions. The gun is electrically powered and can fire 3,000 rounds of 7.62mm per minute, providing a higher probability of hitting targets and achieving local fire superiority in a short time. The framework agreement can be used by the entire Swedish Armed Forces. The initial agreement extends to 2026, with an option to extend it two years at a time. The total value amounts to about 28 million USD. FMV’s mission is to modernize the Amphibious Battalion 2030, and a number of different systems are on the way to be procured.

Hello and welcome to TFB Weekly Web Deals 52! One of the more underrated national holidays observed here in the United States is entirely dedicated to merchant mariners – essentially the men and women who operate ships that cross the gigantic oceans across the globe bringing things like food, industrial equipment, and consumer goods in and out of the country during peacetime. However, merchant mariners can also be called upon by the United States government during times of war to deliver military equipment and vehicles to support US military operations abroad. While maybe not quite as glamorous as other military operations, both government-employed and private civilian merchant mariners are a core part of the Nation’s industry and commerce and today is simply a day to acknowledge those men and women who keep the gears turning. Enjoy this week’s selection of deals for TFB weekly web deals 52.

Last year Diemaco/Colt Canada C7A1 rifles began to appear in Ukraine. Initially, these were thought to have originated from Canada. However, after speaking with numerous sources the rifles have been confirmed to have come from the Netherlands. I’ve spoken with Dutch colleagues and members of the Netherlands Armed Forces about the rifles and have been able to interview a source familiar with the Dutch operation to supply the rifles.

In a surprising move, it appears that Singapore’s Army may have selected the Colt IAR as its new squad/section automatic weapon, replacing the ST Kinetics Ultimax 100. The news comes from a 10-minute video shared on the Singapore Army’s ‘OurSingaporeArmy’ YouTube channel, an official social media outlet for Singapore’s Army.

The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will equip its armed forces with the HK416 A7. Luxembourg will replace the Steyr AUGs currently in service with weapons from Heckler & Koch through a contract worth 8.4 million Euros ($9.2 million).

The Estonian Defence Forces have selected their new 8.6mm (.338) precision rifle. Following the recent news of Finland and Sweden’s selection of a raft of Sako firearms, Estonia has signed agreements to procure the M10 as their new precision rifle.

The British Army has selected several Aimpoint optics solutions for various heavy weapons. According to Aimpoint, the FCS13-RE Fire Control System with TH-60 thermal clip-on has been selected to fulfill the SWESS-Heavy Mature Project requirement for optics for support weapons including the M2 Browning and 40mm grenade machine guns. The Aimpoint CompM4 has been selected for use with the new 84mm Carl Gustaf recoilless weapons which the British Army has just procured. The CompM4s with 3X magnifiers will fulfill the SWESS-Light Battlesight Project.

While the People’s Republic of China has one of the biggest firearms industries in the world, you rarely see any small arms of China displayed in their booth. Even at the IDEX exhibition, one of the biggest and perhaps the most diverse in the world, you never had a chance to see the newest Chinese rifles. But the world has changed, the demand in the defense industry is growing rapidly and this year, Chinese companies showcased an impressive selection of rifles at the Norinco booth.

In the last 30 years, we witnessed how easy it is for a country to lose its firearms manufacturing capability: the UK, France, Portugal, and Spain are prime examples. And building such a capability from scratch is extremely difficult, and UAE and “Caracal” seems to be one of the few successful examples. Founded in 2007, “Caracal” develops and manufactures handguns, sniper rifles, and perhaps their most well-known product – CAR 816, a select-fire short-stroke gas piston AR15 variant chambered in 5.56×45.

On 11 April, Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, announced that Canada would provided Ukraine with “21,000 5.56mm assault rifles” and 2.4 million rounds of ammunition. This latest round of security assistance brings the value of Canada’s aid to Ukraine to CAD 8 billion ($6 billion).

Since around September 2022, there have been a small but steady stream of sightings of M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper Systems in use with combatants in Ukraine. The rifles began appearing on the southern Kherson front before the city was recaptured.  While the Ukrainian 7.62x51mm UAR-10 designated marksman rifles are regularly seen intermittent sighting of M110s have continued.

Sako Ltd has signed a collaboration agreement with The National Defence Training Association of Finland (MPK), at the Sako factory in Riihimäki, Finland. Sako will supply semi-automatic firearms to the MPK for training purposes during 2024. The rifles will be chambered in  .223 Wylde so that both 5.56×45 and .223 Remington ammunition can be used. The total value of the procurement is 1.6 million Euros which also includes accessories and spare components.

Back in 1963, the British Army adopted the M2 Carl Gustaf 84mm recoilless rifle. It served with various units right through into the 1990s when it was replaced by lighter, single-use munitions. The British Army replaced the M2 with the LAW 80 which has since been surpassed by the NLAW. Yesterday, it was announced that the British Army would once again be procuring the Carl Gustaf, this time the much improved M4 variant.

At the DSEI Japan 2023 integrated defense event held in Chiba from 15-17 March, drones and counter-UAV systems were at the center of attention. Companies from across Japan and the world presented drones built for every imaginable mission – from large, long-range platforms intended for strategic reconnaissance to tiny quadcopters intended to aid individual squads and platoons.

The Finnish and Swedish Defense Forces will purchase a range of various rifles from Sako Ltd. TFB reported about this almost two years ago, but it’s now official what the framework and the firearms will look like.

Japan’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) showcased the Japan Ground Self Defense Force’s (JGSDF) latest standard-issue rifle, the Type 20 Howa at the DSEI Japan expo held in Chiba from 15 to 17 March. Overt Defense was able to speak with Howa’s Firearms and Ammunitions Department Deputy General Manager Kazuhiro Kimura, JGSDF light weapons instructor Master Sgt. Kentaro Ota, and with Engineer Yuichi Omote from Asahi-Seki’s Ammunition & Precision Engineering Division about the rifle. Asahi-Seiki is the company responsible for the new 5.56x45mm J3 cartridge which is fired by the rifle.

This article is the final chapter of a 4-part series. In Part 1 I talk about how the production of AK began in China, Part 2 was dedicated to the “golden age” of Chinese AKs, and Part 3 was about the gradual decline in quality and the underlying reasons for it. In Part 4, we will take a look at the latest descendants of the Type 56 rifle, including the Chinese AK 103.

On 15 March a report from Russia’s Federal News Agency featured an interesting semi-automatic sniper rifle that hasn’t regularly been seen in use during the conflict – the MTs-566. The report shows a sniper team from Wagner, Russia’s largest private military contractor, in position in Bakhmut. The date the piece was filmed is unclear but the rifle itself is rarely seen and the footage gives us a decent look at the rifle and even of it firing a couple of rounds.