#Ar

Good news for bullpup fanatics: The Lithgow F90, Australia’s improved version of the AUG, is in production in the USA right now under the name “Atrax”. Representatives of Dasan USA, the stateside manufacturer/importer, said that major components of the Atrax, including the barrel, were already being produced in their facilities within the country, to allow production weapons to comply with US import laws. Dasan Representatives said that the technical data package for the US-made components was transferred to the US from Australia, so each component made in the States adheres exactly to Lithgow’s methods and standards for that component.

At the 2018 SHOT Show, Kinetic Research Group – known for their high quality chassis for Remington 700 and Tikka T3 rifles – displayed something totally new: A complete precision bolt action rifle they called the “SOTIC”, after the Special Operations Target Interdiction Course, which is now called the Special Forces Sniper Course. The rifle is based partially on the TRG series, but comes equipped with a KRG stock and forend, and which can be upgraded with a larger forend that sports M-LOK slots and other mounting points.

At the 2018 Industry Day at the Range, innovative premium AR manufacturer Cobalt Kinetics brought out several new rifles which they will be selling for the new year. Chief among these was their new .308 pattern AR, which can be produced in calibers like .308 Winchester and 6.5mm Creedmoor. Called the BAMF-XL, the new weapon is, like its smaller brother, a billet aluminum machined receiver set that uses SR-25 magazines. Like all Cobalt Kinetics weapons, the receivers sports attractive, stylized lines that give the BAMF-XL a unique look while still being identifiably “AR”. In addition to the BAMF-XL, Cobalt Kinetics brought along their new RECON PDW, an ultra-compact AR-15 using an MVB ARC PDW stock, 13.5″ barrel, and a pinned and welded Cobalt Kinetics Pro Muzzle Brake. Thanks to its compact stock and pinned and welded configuration, the RECON PDW is just 29 inches in overall length.

GİRSAN, known better for the Turkish handguns and shotguns that get imported into the United States, has appeared to step foot into the commercial AR15 market. Several online Turkish news organizations ( VIDEO7 and KG) have published articles detailing what appears to be a GİRSAN press conference that shows a GİRSAN employee demonstrating the company’s entry into the AR field. The articles specifically mention that the rifle is an “Infantry Rifle”, intended for law enforcement customers. However, one of their plans is to try and compete for serial MPT76 production, already underway at MKE, Sarsılmaz, and Kalekalip. The Turkish Armed Forces number some 500,000 plus troops, and the current MPT76 production plans only call for around 45,000. If there is an operational requirement to produce more, the government will probably come looking for other private sector small arms manufacturers.

The Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test’s first batch of 6 rounds is through, but there’s more to come. In the last post, we reflected on the test methodology, and some possible solutions. In this post, we’ll talk about what you can expect in the future.

We’ve seen how the 6 different .223 Remington and 5.56mm loads have fared in the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test, but we still have more to talk about. Specifically, we need to discuss what I did wrong (or what I am not satisfied with), and what I plan to do next. This post will concern the former, and a second installment will cover the latter.

Stopping by VLTOR’s booth, they showed me a cool new development of theirs.  On the exterior, it looked to be just another pistol caliber AR.  VLTOR explained to me however, that their PCC MUR upper receiver has the capability to accommodate either gas operated or blowback bolts, depending on what the customer wants (even if it’s both!). The uppers feature a cam path cut that can be used when in DI mode.  The brass deflector on the outside is also attached via hex screw, and does not interfere at all with accessories mounted on the upper rail.    The example guns they had these on were configured as a 9mm PCC and an extremely compact 9mm “Truck Gun” pistol with brace.  Lowers and bolts were from Quarter Circle 10.

At the 2018 SHOT Show, Geissele Automatics made fans very happy by bringing out 3 new and much-asked for products. First, the company released its new Remington 700 trigger line, which consists of a single SKU adjusted from the factory to two models: Single stage and two stage. The Geissele R700 trigger is three-way adjustable for pull, overtravel, and number of stages. As configured in the two stage mode at Industry Day at the Range, the R700 trigger is virtually identical to the Geissele SSA-E AR-15 trigger. In single stage mode, it is most similar to Geissele’s SSP single-stage version of the SSA-E, revealed at last year’s SHOT Show.

If you’re one of those people who think the Thompson submachine gun never should have gone away, then Kahr Arms (Auto Ordnance) has the gun for you. Displayed at their booth at the 2018 SHOT Show is a Thompson different than any of the other semiauto Thompson recreations in their catalog. Decked out in black tactical furniture, and featuring a unique railed receiver, this weapon is a Thompson updated for the 21st Century.

At the 2018 SHOT Show, Nightforce brought along their brand new 1-8 power scopes, including the much-anticipated NX8 1-8 power compact carbine optic. Alongside it, the company also debuted the ATACR 1-8×24, a larger, more capable one-to-eight that is better suited to distance shots.

What did we see at Range Day? Valkyries, Valkyries everywhere. Federal’s pint-sized long distance runner has already outstripped the market purchase of its direct competitors in the high performance AR-15 market, testified to by the sheer number of .224 Valkyrie rifles peppered across the booths and stalls of Range Day ’18.

At an AUSA breakfast conference yesterday, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley gave us a hint at exactly what the US Army’s next rifle could look like, and the focus was on extended range capability. The rifle, Milley said, will give a 10x improvement in capability through the type of ammunition, optics, and degree of chamber pressure specific to it, with the aim of providing the soldier a weapon with much more accuracy and range than the current M4 Carbine. Milley also clarified that the term “10x” was not intended to be a precise measurement of the capability growth, but rather a term indicating significant improvement. The new rifle will come as part of an effort that also includes new artillery, tanks, aircraft, and virtual reality training facilities, Milley said.

The Army Marksmanship Unit’s .264 USA – a medium-sized 6.5mm round in-between the 6.5mm Grendel and 6.5mm Creedmoor in size – is not yet dead, it seems. The round, about which little had been heard in official channels for a couple of years, is the subject-in-part of a new solicitation released by the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office’s Technical Support Working Group (CTTSO TSWG). The Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) describes a need for a Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge (LICC) and an “Individual Weapon System (IWS), designed to “overmatch” targets out to 800 meters. The specifications for the new weapon are quire ambitious, with a threshold velocity requirement of 2,650 ft/s with a 108gr bullet, and an objective requirement of 2,750 ft/s with the same, both from an 11.5″ barrel!

Next up for  the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is RUAG Ammotec’s version of the NATO-standard SS109 round (equivalent to US M855). I believe the ammunition I tested may have been made in RUAG’s facility in Thun, Switzerland, although I have not confirmed that.

Next up for  the Big Freakin’ Cartridge Test is RUAG Ammotec’s version of the NATO-standard SS109 round (equivalent to US M855). I believe the ammunition I tested may have been made in RUAG’s facility in Thun, Switzerland, although I have not confirmed that. The test procedure was as follows: