#Mcx

At the second SCAR Owner’s Group Shoot down in North Carolina, Jarod of Parker Mountain Machine was there showing off many of his products. In the SCAR Owner’s Group he is well known for his barrel re-threading services as well as his SCAR upgrade accessories. His upgraded Ruger PCC caught my attention as it was sporting the PMM MLOK handguard prototype.

Almost a year ago,  back in March 2017, US SOCOM posted a request for information (RFI) seeking proposals for conversion kits for M4A1 Carbine receivers. SOCOM sought a kit that would turn M4A1s into Personal Defence Weapons weighing less than 6lb, measuring less than 26 inches and chambered in .300 Blackout.

DefenceWeb recently released a video overview of the new Steyr / Rheinmetall RS-556 assault rifle. The rifle, a sort of hybrid between an AR-15 and a Steyr AUG, was submitted to the Bundeswehr’s System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr trials, competing against both Heckler & Koch’s HK416 and the new HK433 assault rifles. The RS-556, mechanically, is substantially different from a basic AR-15, and therefore occupies an interesting spot in-between being an AR-15 variant and a completely different weapon. The upper receiver is a single piece forged unit, with an AUG-style fixed extension/trunnion and quick change barrel. An AUG-style short stroke tappet gas system and connecting operating rod replace the AR-15’s direct impingement system. In the upper, a steel insert, rather than the aluminum receiver itself, guides the bolt carrier group. This feature is supposed to increase upper receiver life, and improve its maintenance characteristics, although it does make the rifle significantly heavier.

Manufacturer SIG Sauer brought along their brand new MCX Rattler ultra compact 5.56mm and .300 Blackout assault rifle/carbine to the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting. The Rattler is an ambitious design intended to bring a reliable extremely short barreled AR-type rifle to the military and civilian market. Historically, designing very short barreled gas operated rifles that function well has been a serious challenge, so the Rattler’s designers had a tall order to fill.

Representatives of the German gun manufacturing company Heckler & Koch confirmed today that the company has submitted both the HK416 assault rifle and the new HK433 modular assault rifle to the Bundeswehr’s System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr (SSB) rifle trials,  which are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting, Heckler & Koch brought out a weapon much talked-about but not seen on a US show floor until now: The HK433 rifle. Designed on the heels of the G36 controversy and intended to add a modern, inexpensive modular rifle to the Heckler & Koch lineup, the HK433 melds the features of the HK416 and G36 together into a single platform. From the G36, it takes its basic operating mechanism, polymer lower receiver, and basic disassembly procedure, while from the HK416, it takes the AR-15-compatible magwell, barrel design, aluminum receiver construction, and AR-15 fire control group.

The G36’s replacement is now known to be one of five guns – or at least that’s the report coming from reputable defense outlet IHS Jane’s. Competing in Germany’s System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr (Bundeswehr Assault Rifle System) will be the Rheinmetall RS556, Heckler & Koch HK433, Haenel Defence MK556, SIG MCX, and FNH SCAR. For four contestants, no known 7.62mm variants exist; only the FN SCAR has a 7.62mm variant – the SCAR-H – that is known publicly. This means the Bundeswehr will likely not be going back to .30 caliber infantry rifles any time soon.

The timeline for the replacement of the troubled G36 rifle with a new yet-to-be-selected weapon has been announced by the Bundeswehr. The German System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr (SSB)program was announced on February 3rd, 2016, with the solicitation itself being released on April 19th, 2017. According to Polish gun magazine MilMag, the testing and evaluation segment of the program was begun in July of this year, and is expected to be completed by November 2018. Between December of 2018 and April of 2019, the Bundeswehr will deliberate on the winner of the contract, which is expected to be awarded the following month in May. Final testing and troop trials will be conducted over the course of the next year, and fielding is expected to occur starting in September of 2020. Notably, it seems the new weapon is certainly not considered an “interim” item, as it is expected to serve through 2046.

Earlier this year US SOCOM submitted an RFI for a new PDW. Nathaniel F. wrote an article about it back in March.

Geissele has made a trigger for the Sig Sauer MCX. In their Facebook post they claim that an MPX trigger is coming soon. That will be most interesting to see. For those who do not follow MPX accessory development, after market triggers are a ticking time bomb in the MPX.

If you are looking to buy a rifle that isn’t an AR, there are few alternatives. The SIG Sauer MCX is one of the most attractive options in the non-AR market currently. In this episode of TFBTV, Patrick takes a look at Sig’s entry into the piston operated modern sporting rifle segment. The MCX has some rather attractive features like a folding stock, short stroke gas piston, and AR based controls.

Aeroknox released on their Facebook page some images of a new product which is still in development and isn’t yet available on their website. They are developing a rear trunnion for AK-47 type rifles, which provides a Picatinny rail section as shown in the picture below. That feature allows attaching SIG MPX/MCX stocks to AK rifles.

Lancer Systems brought out some particularly relevant products for the Industry Range Day this year, most notably components for the Sig Sauer MPX and MCX. Since Lancer already manufactures MPX magazines, the company answered an RFI from a European Law Enforcement agency to produce magazine couplers that lock into the rear portion of the MPX magazines, forming a sort of “X” shape when viewed from the front/back. Next up is the MCX carbon fiber handguard, with lengths accommodating suppressors, standard 16 inch rifle barrels, and SBR length barrels in the MCX platform.

SIG has issued a press release that outlines an issue with the MCX rifles. They claim that the issue has only been seen in the .300 Blackout versions, but is extended to ALL MCX RIFLES with serial numbers between 63C000044 and 63C003702. Any MCX with a serial ending in 25000 or higher is exempt from this recall.

Typically, firearms companies tend to shy away from air rifles and likewise, air rifle companies don’t take up explosive projectiles. The reasoning varies from completely different markets, legal implications, to the actual significant technical differences between the two propellant modes. Regardless, seeing cross-over is rare.