#Propellant
Triple Seven FireStar: New Muzzleloading Propellant from Hodgdon
Ahead of the annual industry trade show, Hodgdon Powder Company announced a new propellant for muzzleloaders. Called the Triple Seven FireStar, the pelletized powder promises higher velocity and less residue.
The Original Piston AR-15: 1969's Colt 703
After the Ichord report of 1967 identified the early failures of the M16 rifle in combat, particularly failures to extract, solutions to the problem of fouling were investigated by Colt, as well as Rock Island Arsenal (a government entity), and Olin/Winchester. Colt’s effort was the 703, which they somewhat presumptuously offered to the Army as the “M16A2” in 1969. The 703 was not only one of the first – if not the first op-rod AR-15s, it was also the first “hybrid” AK/AR-15 design, utilizing a very AK-esque gas block and fixed flexible piston:
