#Knight'sArmament

Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) has produced suppressors since the later 1970s, and they continue to do so. KAC displayed several new models at SHOT 2023 featuring additive manufacturing techniques.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the very capable YHM Turbo K suppressor. Last week we took our first look at the Dead Air Sierra-5 5.56 suppressor. This week we embark on our journey into the world of Knight’s Armament signature reduction devices with a look at the KAC mounts for 5.56 and 7.62 rifles. Let’s take a look.

The US Marine Corps is actioning their order for rifle caliber suppressors from Knight’s Armament Company. We first reported on the USMC’s suppressor Sole Source Notice which was published on the 9th of July. The execution of the contract award confirms the Corps’ plans to procure 25,853, 5.56mm Small Arms Suppressors for issue to its close combat forces. The contract is worth $25.6 million, with just over $6.6 million to be executed initially in the current fiscal year.

The US Marine Corps Systems Command have announced their intention to procure more than 25,000 suppressors from Knight’s Armament Company via a Sole Source contract. The Sole Source notice was published on the 9th of July and confirms plans to procure 25,853, 5.56mm Small Arms Suppressors for issue to the Corps’ close combat forces.

Six Point Five Creedmoor – it’s not new, but expect to hear and read more about this caliber as the “ Department of the Navy Office: Naval Sea Systems Command” is looking to buy MK110K1 uppers from  Knight’s Armament Co.

Today’s Photo Of The Day shows a variety of interesting and (relatively) rare firearms.

This was one of the most interesting Reader’s Choice polls we have conducted thus far! The voting results we received were close, but simultaneously the victor won by a landslide. The diversity of suggestions from you, our beloved readers, was very impressive as well. The thing that was consistent across the board is the caliber: 5.56 NATO/.223 Rem. We did state that you could suggest any caliber you want in an AR-15 platform if you had a good argument to back it, but no one even made an honest attempt. Clearly, the 5.56 NATO is your #1 cartridge and is not going anywhere (which is a surprise to nobody). How about some results though?! Your WINNER for March’s poll of Reader’s Choice BEST AR-15 is the POF P415 Edge 5.56 NATO!!! The full results from the voting can be read below:

Developed by U.S. firearm manufacturer Knight’s Armament Company the M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System (M110 SASS) is an American semi-automatic sniper rifle/designated marksman rifle that is chambered for the 7.62×51mm NATO round.

Last week we looked at the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 in depth while at the Institute of Military Technology in Florida. This week we are comparing the older design to the much more modern Knight’s Armament 5.56x45mm NATO Light Assualt Machine Gun (LAMG) that the company brought to SHOT Show last year and this year. In addition to the 5.56x45mm version, there is also a 7.62x51mm version as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to get an in-depth look at it in the future, but for the time being, we were only able to see the smaller caliber version.

In the world of night vision, a clip on night vision weapon sight is used to see targets at long distances. My friend J.W. Ramp recently acquired a Knight’s Armament Company UNS™ LR LP clip-on Weapon Sight and let me borrow it for this review. The UNSLRP is classified as the AN/PVS30 and features a Gen 3 image intensifier tube.

The Stoner 86/ ARES LMG-1 unfortunately never received much fanfare in the time that it was produced. Originally intended as Eugene Stoner’s concept idea for the SAW trials in what would later become the FN Herstal M249, it never reached full production potential. Truly a shame considering the well thought out features of the weapon system. Essentially Stoner was really updating his Stoner 63 LMG from the Vietnam era, bringing it into the 1980s. Whereas the Stoner 63 was conceived as a modular small arm with the ability to be converted from rifle to carbine, or even to an LMG, the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 was produced with the sole intent of being a lightweight LMG that could either be belt fed or magazine fed.

I will be attending TNVC’s Night Fighter: Armed Professional at the Alliance Police Training Facility. This course is designed to increase the student’s night vision skillsets during real world operations. The course will be a combination of some live fire and some simunition engagements with evolutions covering team movement, communication, movement to target, stealth search and contact, target discrimination, vehicles, and CBRN integration. The course is for armed professionals who already possess a basic understanding of low-light/ no-light operation and is a restricted course for active duty Military, Law Enforcement, Security Personnel, and highly vetted civilians.

Just before SHOT Show, Knight’s Armament announced that they will be bringing out old school products and making them available for the commercial market. They are calling it The Vault. The items in the Vault are not just products that they used to make, but these are products that were not commercially available for civilians. They were originally made for government and defense contracts. And there were some small numbers that leaked out to civilians in the past but now you can own them at normal prices.

On the heels of the re-naming of their Stoner LMG as the Lightweight Assault Machine Gun (LAMG), Knight’s Armament company has introduced a scaled-up version of the same weapon in the 7.62x51mm caliber, with provision for other calibers should they be requested. The new machine gun is patterned after the Stoner LMG/LAMG, and features the same short top cover and fixed receiver rail of its smaller cousin. The other components, such as the barrel, feed tray, etc, are all scaled up to fit the larger caliber, resulting in a heavier unloaded weight of approximately 12.5lbs – still far, far lighter than an M240 or other traditional Western 7.62mm belt fed machine guns. According to KAC representatives, the new weapon does not yet have an official name, but “Medium Assault Machine Gun sounds as good as anything.”

My friend Andrew H. is building a clone of the Knight’s M110 rifle and this is the suppressor that goes with it. Size matters and in this case the Knight’s M110 is rather virile.