#M134

If you’re a firearms enthusiast (as it’s likely that most people reading TFB are), you probably have a list of guns you want. Unless you’re one of the fortunate few to have an arsenal rivaling Heckler and Koch‘s Gray Room, the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, the NRA’s Whittington Center, or this guy that Nick met at a match several years ago, budget and availability are often limiting factors for new gun purchases. Of course, some guns are harder to get than others. Manufacturing runs and timeframes, frustrating legislation, importation challenges, the ravages of time, and a host of other factors can have a significant effect on the availability, accessibility, and price of various guns. The hardest pieces to procure are sometimes referred to as “unobtanium guns”, with the term being a sort of colloquial reference to these firearms’ difficulty (or sometimes impossibility) for us to acquire. Today we’ll explore a handful of the unobtanium weapons on my personal wish list, by no means comprehensive and in no particular order. I’m pretty sure that more than a few of you will find some commonality between my list and yours.

The US Army is in the market for more 7.62x51mm M134 ‘Miniguns’. A Request for Information (or RFI) was posted on the US Government’s new SAM procurement website on 30th January, 2020. The sources sought notice covers not just the M134 weapon system but also the necessary tools, parts and accessories to keep the guns in action. The ‘market survey’ is seeking “to identify sources/vendors capable of supplying M134” and its accessories.

Unfortunately, there are not enough good pictures of Miniguns to keep us going every week, but this Monday we’re back with our very own Photo Of The Day: Minigun Monday where we admire pictures of Miniguns in various places and spaces.

Profense LLC is a defense company that has its origins in the aerospace industry. Their primary interest is trying to introduce a next-generation 7.62x51mm NATO M134 Minigun. The company is doing this through two different strategies. First, they are actually manufacturing their own version of the M134 with several significant design differences from the currently fielded Dillion M134 that is in service all over the world. Second, they are actually offering upgrade kits for the GAU-2, GAU-17, MK44 or M134. These upgrade kits are called the M134 MUK, or Mission Upgrade Kit. If a Government user doesn’t want to purchase a complete fleet of new and improved M134 Miniguns, they can opt for the MUK kit as an upgrade to existing Miniguns.

Color me just slightly jealous of Ian and crew over at Forgotten Weapons. In their latest hands-on, they go fully neck-deep into one of the most revered modern full-power shooters, the M134 Minigun. While yes, I have gotten the chance to see and shoot one, Ian is able to break apart the weapon and show its brilliant and complex construction in detail.

Badger Ordnance has announced the release of its first full rifle system, the M134 Compact Precision Rifle. To reach the “compact” moniker, Badger Ordnance has opted for a shorter barrel (either 14.5″ or 16″ at the customer’s choice) along with a shortened but largely extendable stock system (Badger reports 7 positions).

FullMag, known for destroying all sorts of of high-end objects including smart phones from extended distances with smart-rifles, and shooting their own cameras with rounds nearly the size of the camera has released their latest adventure into ballistic tomfoolery.

Now we’re talking. The M134 fires 7.62x51mm NATO rounds at a variable rate of 2,000-6,000 rounds per minute. It’s gatling-style six barrels are spun using an electric motor designed by General Electric and other brands. It makes a very distinctive “zipping” noise when firing. Here’s an example I randomly found on YouTube:

The Dillon Aero  DGP2300 Gun Pod combines a 7.62mm M134D-H gun with a 3,000 round magazine. How long does it take to shoot 3,000 rounds you ask? Just 1 minute.

When you really need to reach out far and light someone up, the Surefire Hellfighter is what you need. The 10-pound 3,000-lumen light can withstand the recoil of crew served weapons like the M2 Browning, the M134 Minigun and the Mk19 Grenade Launcher. It can be powered by one or two BA-5590 lithium batteries or by a 12v vehicle system. One BA-5590 gives it 1.5 hours of continuous operation on high beam.