#IWA2016

Background: You may remember NATO’s “Powered Rail Team”, consisting of 10 nations with the common goal of bringing forward a STANAG (NATO standardization document) for a Powered Accessory Rail for small firearms? Think a Picatinny rail, but with power inside for your lamp, laser, sights etc.

For some strange reason this article got delayed in the system, but we hope you’ll enjoy it regardless if you’re afraid of the Dark or not.

The Austria Rifle by Rainer Arms. Ceracoated by Blown Deadline custom.

Switzerland, a country with gun laws that would make a lot of (but far from all) Americans jealous. What a great country to get represented by this Blitz SBR!

Let’s go a bit more into detail with one of the “Country Rifles” made by Rainier Arms for the IWA 2016 exhibition in Germany.

Swiss company B&T is only a small to medium sized company, but with big ears and very short distance from demand to R&D to production and delivery. Don’t ask why Heckler & Koch springs to mind as something being the total opposite.

This is part 3 of the “Country Rifles” by Rainier Arms and Blown Deadline as shown at the IWA exhibition in Germany 2016.

Competition at its best! At last year’s IWA, Ziess presented their V8 model with 8 power zoom, giving the Swarovski Z6i some competition at last. This year it was Swarovski Optik’s turn to show their masterpiece, the Z8i.

This is part 2 of the “Country Rifles” by Rainier Arms and Blown Deadline as shown at the IWA exhibition in Germany 2016.

Rainier Arms had a very colorful stand at the IWA exhibition in Germany.

At the IWA exhibition in Germany, the Italian-based company Tanfoglio presented their new AR-15.

Steyr has introduced a new rimfire pistol to the European shooting market at IWA 2016. The pistol, aptly dubbed the “RFP” (which I imagine stands for Rim Fire Pistol), shares similar styling and its polymer framed construction with Steyr’s M9 and M40 centerfire handgun, but differs in some significant features. Unlike the M9 series, it features a magazine safety which blocks movement of the trigger if the magazine is removed. Also unlike its centerfire stablemates, the RFP is external hammer fired not striker-fired and features an ambidextrous safety-decocker, which may be a hint that US importation of the RFP is imminent.

We love our readers. No really, we do. You send us lots of great stuff from all the tradeshows around the world. One of your eagle-eyed kin spotted the upcoming Astra MG556 5.56 semi-auto rifle. Externally very similar to the M249 SAW or FN MiniMi, the Astra is a closed-bolt weapon that feeds from the magazine port only.

Good news if you live in Germany, and some other European countries. If you live in the US I suppose these will continue to be made in unobtanium, but you’re always welcome to comment below how much you would like them. As I approached the H&K stand at IWA the surprise grew bigger, is that really? Yes it is!