#5.56

Dave C. shared this photo of some brass he is processing. His son Cullen is helping him go through the approximate 88k rounds of once fired brass. Do you guys reload? Do you process this much brass?

Dave C. shared this photo of some brass he is processing. His son Cullen is helping him go through the approximate 88k rounds of once fired brass. Do you guys reload? Do you process this much brass?

The redheaded stepchild of the SCAR contract was Robinson Arms’ XCR, an interesting design from a small company in Salt Lake City, UT. A rifle that is part AR-15, part FNC, and part noodle, the XCR represents an attractive looking and interesting might-have been, and now exists as a small player in a big market (although, as Ed knows, it’s big in Canada!).

DRD Tactical previously came out with their break down 7.62x51mm Paratus rifle, and now they have a 5.56x45mm version. We featured the Aptus on TFB TV with Edward O if you want to give that a look. It should be coming to the U.S. civilian market in Spring of this year, with both SBR and full length variants. Although both are just a barrel change away, so if you purchase the 16″ version and like it, you should be able to file your SBR stamp and then receive the 7.5″ SBR variant. In addition to 5.56×45, the company also has a .300 BLK barrel available that can be used in the same platform.

One of the most interesting firearms for me at the 2017 SHOT Show was Hill & Mac’s quasi-reproduction of the WWII-era StG-44 Sturmgewehr. We’ve covered this weapon twice before at trade shows, including SHOT 2016 and the NRA 2016 Annual Meeting, and I am very pleased to say that the progress that HMG has made on this project is very apparent in the examples that were present at this year’s SHOT Show. A year ago, I had been fairly critical of the weapons the company had brought to the show, as they were in a very rough state and not very convincing as reproductions, but this year the weapons HMG brought looked extremely promising.

During SHOT Show 2017 Industry Day at the Range, I dropped by the IWI USA booth to see what they had for attendees to shoot. Besides their highly competitive Galil ACE 308, they had also brought the 5.56mm variant of the ACE, which is just now making it into the country. I got a chance to fire these two rifles side by side to compare them. Sadly, IWI’s reps tactically operate their booths with touchscreen-baffling gloves on, and since I ride solo at shows like this that meant I got no photos of me actually shooting the rifles. Oh well, we’ll have to make do with some glamor shots.

Would you like to know what the future of silencer design looks like? Take a long look at the Brevis II Ultra, a six ounce 5.56mm centerfire rifle suppressor. It represents what we may later regard as one of the biggest breakthroughs firearms development in recent history.

I am not normally a fan of posting press release-type news, but I am a fan of both silencers and value. Yesterday, the team over at Silencer Shop forwarded me the specs on a new rifle suppressor from Yankee Hill Machine. Branded the ‘Turbo’, YHM has created a quiet, lightweight and robust silencer that includes a muzzle brake attachment – all with a sub $500 MSRP.

Recent experience in Afghanistan, coupled with concerns about the effectiveness of the M4 Carbine – and perhaps also just a general long-term swing of the pendulum – has spurred many to advocate for a new configuration of infantry weapon centered around long range fire enabled by compact, efficient ammunition firing low-drag projectiles. I am not one of these advocates, and indeed it’s no secret that I find serious flaws with this approach to infantry small arms weapons systems. Still, this idea of having a long-range sharpshooter-centric force does seem to be gaining ground, and therefore I think it would be worthwhile to take some time to go down that rabbit hole and see where it leads. Our eventual goal in this endeavor is to paint a picture of a future infantry force that lives and works with these weapons, and what compromises they have to make to reap the benefits of such powerful long-range weapons.

The Mk12 has been the SPR of choice for United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for more than a decade. SOF operators rely on the rifle for its precision and reliability, two key attributes that cannot be in question in combat. There are other important features, of course, and all the various components came together one day eleven years ago for one man in particular: Navy SEAL (ret.) Marcus Luttrell. Luttrell vividly recalls the way his rifle somehow managed to stay close at hand during the firefight even though he was quite literally throwing himself off cliffs and tumbling down the shale-strewn Afghanistan mountainside. When he came to a halt his Mk12 would be there, no matter where he landed. Arguing whether it can be attributed to tactical skill, miracles, or a little of each is beside the point. The point is it was a phenomenal rifle, and Marcus has long considered designing and building his own version. Today, with the help of former teammate Garrett Golden, Luttrell has done just that. It’s the Team Never Quit Mk12CF SPR, and it does it all from tactics to precision shooting to hunting.

In a post on AR15.com, a gunsmith going by the screen name “IronBalaclava” recounts being presented with the aftermath of a catastrophic failure. The customer was shooting three rifles that day: two chambered in 5.56 and one in .300BLK. The incident occurred while shooting the 5.56×45 AR15. The owner of The ARmorer’s Wrench LLC in Ann Arbor, Michigan writes:

Information on this round and the weapons designed to fire it is scarce, so the details in this article may be at times incorrect. Just letting you know. -NF

If any of you still had doubts about the HK416’s rumored win of the French AIF (Arme Individuelle du Futur – Future Individual Weapon) contract, doubt no more. The French DGA (Direction Générale de l’Armement, their defense procurement office) has released the final decision for the contract, naming Heckler & Koch as the winner. The press release is replicated in machine-translated form below:

CruxOrd is introducing a new .22 lr to .223/5.56 muzzle brake that looks like it is going to do a wonderful job of not only reducing felt recoil, but also destroying the hearing of anyone you shoot with. I kid well… sort of.

A military group requested a heat shield on the barrels to protect slings, cables and pouches. Since the Micro Gun is so short it would be easy to swing it and have it touch something. Here is what Empty Shell came up with. It looks slick.