#Ares

If you’ve ever trained for (or actually been on) a two-way shooting range, you well understand the value of good body armor. Military and law enforcement work certainly require this lifesaving equipment, but many private citizens also choose to purchase plates in case of emergency. There are many different styles, manufacturers, materials available on the armor market, in widely varying levels of protectiveness and quality. Many shooters prefer NIJ level IV ceramic plates, and Spartan Armor Systems’ new Ares model fits this bill.

The latest ARES report published March 30 examines emergent technologies currently enabling further ease in the production of DIY firearms, including (but not limited to) advances in 3D printing. The 54-page report covers a wide range of production methods and firearm types currently being experimented with in the growing DIY gun sphere.

Last week we looked at the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 in depth while at the Institute of Military Technology in Florida. This week we are comparing the older design to the much more modern Knight’s Armament 5.56x45mm NATO Light Assualt Machine Gun (LAMG) that the company brought to SHOT Show last year and this year. In addition to the 5.56x45mm version, there is also a 7.62x51mm version as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to get an in-depth look at it in the future, but for the time being, we were only able to see the smaller caliber version.

The Stoner 86/ ARES LMG-1 unfortunately never received much fanfare in the time that it was produced. Originally intended as Eugene Stoner’s concept idea for the SAW trials in what would later become the FN Herstal M249, it never reached full production potential. Truly a shame considering the well thought out features of the weapon system. Essentially Stoner was really updating his Stoner 63 LMG from the Vietnam era, bringing it into the 1980s. Whereas the Stoner 63 was conceived as a modular small arm with the ability to be converted from rifle to carbine, or even to an LMG, the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 was produced with the sole intent of being a lightweight LMG that could either be belt fed or magazine fed.

Army Inside have released an interesting video with the APS pistol and the PP90 and PP91 sub-machine guns.

Knight’s Armament Company has announced a new very light weight belt fed light machine gun – which they have appropriately termed the Stoner X-LMG (for “Extra Light Machine Gun). The new weapon is based on the previous Knight’s LMG, itself a development of the ARES, Inc (unrelated to ARES Defense, now called FightLite Industries) Stoner 86 LMG which itself descended from the famous Stoner 63 Light Machine Gun. Like those weapons, the new Stoner X-LMG is a 5.56mm caliber weapon, but unlike those it achieves a virtually unheard of light weight of just 8.6 pounds, unloaded. The release of the X-LMG was announced via IHS Jane’s, as well as – oddly enough – Turkish gear outlet Öztekin. From IHS Jane’s:

One of the more captivating and fascinating designs to come out of Russia in the past several decades, the 5.45x39mm AN-94 has recently been covered in great detail by Ian of Forgotten Weapons, in conjunction with Armament Research Services on The Hoplite Blog. If you have a chance, go over to The Hoplite and read about the development, history, and current usage of the AN-94 written by Jonathan Ferguson of the National Firearms Centre. It is very well written!

We live in a world today that is completely inundated with AR-15 pattern rifles. In 2016, for just five Benjamins – sometimes even less! – you can purchase your very own fantactical black rifle and rely on it to work when you need to and shoot where you mean to. I won’t try to say otherwise: The AR-15 series is a great design, and it deserves its place at the center of the US civilian market.

The KAC Light Machine Gun is a weapon that appears in media often, but has so far existed in the real world as a prototype only. Knight’s Armament Company announced at the 2016 SHOT Show that the thirty-year development of the weapon was nearing its conclusion and the LMG would soon be offered on the military market. Larry Vickers covers the new machine gun via his YouTube Channel:

If you’re a fan of iron sights and in the market for some easily installed sights from a company with a solid presence in the military and law enforcement world, the new ARES SCR Adjustable Sights may be just what you need. ARES new sights come with the tools necessary to install them and are advertised as being quick and easy to install by the user, plus they’re tough, durable, and adjustable. They’re specifically designed to fit on ARES SCR rifles with the front sight fitting over the gas block and the rear sight sitting over the MIL-STD 1913 receiver rail.

Good news for New York City gun enthusiasts, the Ares SCR “conventionalized” AR-15 has been approved for sale in New York City, under their more restrictive set of laws. Guns.com has an article on the approval:

Ares’ GXR kit has been around for ten years now, giving gun owners a competitively-priced and simple way to convert their AR15/M4 carbines. Now they’re releasing an updated version of the popular kit which they say offers even better performance to gun owners than the original. Ten years ago the GXR kit was first used and praised not only by the general public but by service members in Afghanistan, proving its ability to function in a hot, sandy climes. Ares has been in business for nearly two decades and has stated they believe equally in the importance of safety, quality, and performance.

Recently, The Firearm Blog received the opportunity to interview Timothy Michetti from Conflict Armament Research. The organization is a relatively new one, but works overseas in direct collaboration with various governments and rebel groups, to track and record the illicit small arms in conflict zones. Their work isn’t in the news often, but what they are finding is absolutely phenomenal when it comes to on the ground research in these hard to access countries. We’re often looking at Youtube videos of rebels in Syria with STG44s or a picture from one of these countries but CAR is actually going into these conflict zones and finding out more about them first hand.

“With this out, why would anyone now want a Mini-14?” quiried the AAC rep.

I first learnt about the Ares Carbine from GunPundit who spotted it at SHOT Show ’09. It was supposed to go one sale in the first or second quarter but nothing was seen of it since SHOT.