#Ar-10

While Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is best known for their .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles they also produce a series of AR-based designs, the REC7, offering both piston and direct gas impingement systems. While the REC7 is chambered in 5.56×45 or 6.8 SPC, Barrett has unveiled the new REC10 which chambers larger rounds including 7.62x51mm, .260 Remington, and 6.5 Creedmoor.

The Armalite AR-10 is the original lightweight 7.62mm combat rifle – a space-age amalgam of aluminum, steel, and advanced plastics capable of a rate of fire of 800 rounds per minute and weighing just a hair over 7 pounds, unloaded. Its younger, 5.56mm caliber brother, the AR-15, is today perhaps the dominant rifle design in the West, but the .30 caliber AR-10 is the one the started it all, the progeny of Eugene Stoner’s brilliant design and Fairchild’s advanced manufacturing.

Phoenix Weaponry has announced the launch of their new AR-10 pattern rifle chambered in a new cartridge called .45-70 Auto. The new cartridge duplicates the .45-70 Government performance in an AR-10 platform.

The day many tactical optic enthusiasts have been whispering about over the past year is finally here: Nightforce has just announced their long-rumored 1-8 power tactical scope, called the NX8. Nighforce describes the NX8 1-8×24 F1 as “a class leading, compact and lightweight riflescope optimized for short to mid-range shooting“. The company also released a full spec sheet, replicated below:

The US Army’s embattled CSASS program has moved forward slightly with a sources sought notice posted to the Fed Biz Opps website, seeking manufacturers who can make many of the accessories that equip the M110A1 rifle. The notice isn’t itself for a contract, but will help determine which manufacturers are able to provide a second source production capability for CSASS accessories.

Wilson Combat has announced that they are now offering the  Tactical Hunter AR-10 style rifles chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. The rifles are offered with 20″ stainless steel (416R) button rifled and fluted barrels with 1:8 twist rate. They come in two color options: black or green.

At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting, Oberndorf gunmaker Heckler & Koch had on display the latest configuration of their CSASS winning rifle, the G28E-based M110A1. The rifle is similar to the M110A1 displayed at the 2017 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, but sports a RAL8000 bronze finish (similar to the CSASS prototypes), and folding Troy back up iron sights. The CSASS has also benefited from the latest round of upgrades made to the HK416A5/A7, including a right-side bolt catch and ambidextrous magazine release. Interestingly, compared to the previous CSASS displayed at SHOT, this newest model lacks a forward assist.

During a routine traffic stop, a man from Tennessee was caught transporting two illegal homemade fully automatic assault rifles. While that sounds like the leader for a poorly written article about perfectly boring semiautomatic assault rifles, in this case it is accurate! Among other (apparently legal) weapons, two rifles, complete with three-position selectors and auto sears, were seized from the vehicle of one Scott Edmisten, who was stopped after driving 25 miles an hour over the speed limit on a suspended license.

Polish arms maker Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT) has released a new large-caliber semiautomatic sniper rifle system. The 100 year old company, formerly known for their bolt-action sniper rifles and autocannons, introduced the new advanced rifles at the 2017 International Defence Industry Exhibition (Międzynarodowy Salon Przemysłu Obronnego, MSPO) earlier this month. The new rifle system will come in two sizes, one designed for magnum-length rounds like .338 Lapua Magnum, and the other designed for short-action cartridges like .308 Winchester. Called SKW308 and SKW338 after the calibers in which they will be chambered, the rifles stem from a program begun in 2010.

F&D Defense has recently announced that the first rifle utilizing their folding technology is now available for purchase. It is called XAR Invicta and is chambered in 5.56x45mm / .223 Remington. This folding mechanism was announced earlier this year and was initially shown on an AR-10 pattern rifle.

HM Defense out of Ohio is announcing the release of their all new HM10 Monobloc rifle dubbed the AVENGER M308 … Yes, in all caps. For dramatic effect.

There are several companies in the industry offering carbon fiber wrapped barrels. What makes BSF different is that their barrels are not carbon fiber wrapped, but they are carbon fiber sleeved or jacketed. Also, the carbon fiber sleeves of BSF barrels are perforated to aid cooling.

In January, just before the 2017 SHOT Show, I got the opportunity to travel to Cody Wyoming to visit the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, to see some of their rare firearms and bring photos of them to our readers.

Stag Arms introduced a number of new products at the recent SHOT Show including a new rifle called the Stag-10. If you were to guess that the Stag-10 is a AR-10 like gun chambered in .308, you would be correct.

The 6.5 Creedmoor seems to be getting a lot of love going into 2017 with a variety of guns and ammunition products being introduced for the caliber (such as this and this.) One of the latest is the XLR-20 rifle from 2A Armament.