#Handgun

Released to much excitement, the US Army’s new Modular Handgun system is, in my opinion, a train-wreck going full-bore in a screwup of massive proportions.

After many months of waiting, finally the US Army has released the formal solicitation for the XM17 MHS handgun competition. Guns.com reports:

Lasermax has come out with a new laser line called Spartan. I would link to it, but I can’t find the exact product on their website. They’ll be coming out for shipping in the next several months, Natchez Shooters Supply even has them up for order as soon as they get them in stock. Lasermax had a great thing going when they introduced their guide rod lasers in 1988 before picatinny rails came into the form that we know them as today, but since then they seem to have taken their time in introducing a full line of laser platforms for the picatinny rail, they must be ready to hit it full force with the Spartan. I think some of that comes from the idea of why put a laser on something where you could fit a much more useful light, and even a light/laser combination. Before picatinny rails of course, the guide rod laser was truly innovative, but now we see the market has surpassed the accessory phase to the rail. Regardless, their guide rod lasers are still selling.

One of the instructors out of a training company called Oregon Trail Defense LLC has come up with a modification for the Safariland ALS series of holsters. It’s called the “Nub Mod”, because essentially that is what it is, a small plastic piece that replaces the stock retention button on the existing holsters, in order to allow for a quicker and more natural flow of withdraw while keeping the advantages of handgun retention. It goes for 32 dollars, and they also have them in aluminum. This is what they have to say about it-

Pistols based on rifles or submachine guns are nothing new to the shooting world. They occupy a niche market, generally where collectors cross over with those who want something more compact than a rifle but without the paperwork of an SBR. Because these pistols make sacrifices to meet legal requirements, many see them as “neither fish nor fowl”, but equally they have their defenders as well, who argue that they’re more effective than traditional handguns, but smaller than rifles.

Lovers of the MAC handgun system rejoice! MasterPiece Arms has announced the release of the MPA M11-9SA, a “throwback to more of a traditional MAC design.” The model number stems from the handgun itself. M11 refers to the frame, 9 for the 9mm caliber, and SA for semi-auto only (sorry, NFA lovers).

With the upcoming planned replacement of the M9 handgun with the as-yet-undetermined XM17 MHS, Rifleshooter reminisces about his 20 years serving with the military Beretta, a story that takes the reader through everything from the bad rap the pistol has gotten for reliability, through its advanced age and obsolescence:

The .600 Nitro Express is the one of the largest of the Nitro Express rounds ever developed, second only to the .700 Holland & Holland Nitro Express. Originally meant for big-game hunting, its a round so powerful, it dents common handgun steel targets. As such, someone decided to build a handgun for it.

These news items are always so interesting when they come up, as if to say “Dear god, a working firearm!” Anyways, in Sydney, Australia apparently some criminals were stashing a modified No.4 Lee Enfield and an MP40 in an abandoned house, intending to do criminal deeds with them. And a 1911A1 with aftermarket grips, but that isn’t as interesting as the MP40. Personally I think they must have been some pretty low rate criminals if all they could get their hands on were World War Two small arms. Nonetheless, the interesting thing about the MP40 is the flash hider had somehow been added, either as a modification to the muzzle parts that disassemble, or simply welded/jammed on somehow. There was also no mention of ammunition in the article. I tried to find even experimental MP40 muzzle devices on the internet, but to no avail. Try not to read into the article too deeply, the terminology errors are somewhat strong with this one. From the news report over at Nine News–

The US Army released its second draft of the request for proposal (RFP) for its Modular Handgun System earlier this week. The draft gives the designation for whichever handgun is selected as “XM17”. From the draft RFP:

Kalashnikov Concern has introduced a new pistol for the Russian Army, called the PL-14 “Lebedev” at the recent Army-2015 Expo. Guns.com has more on the new handgun:

To quote the presentation from the US Concealed Carry Association, I “hope you are never in the unenviable position” of dealing with a threat in extreme close quarters. For those who may perhaps be in the subway or similar extremely tight situations, USCCA has a great little video on drawing and shooting with no sights.

Springfield Armory has just announced that their M1A Loaded precision adjustable stocks and XD-S 3.3″ 9mm  are now being offered in Flat Dark Earth as a stock option. The XD-S retained the black back straps, while the M1A stocks retain some of the moving pieces in black. Springfield Armory offered FDE in their traditional polymer stocks, but this is a first for their Precision Adjustable ones. Also the XD-S option seems to only be for the 3.3″ barrel, nothing yet on any other XD models.

Wilson Combat seems to have just came out with a fiance program for those interested in buying high end 1911s (most likely their rifles as well, but it doesn’t explicitly say) and having a monthly payment would make things alot easier budget wise. This is an excerpt from the page-

Controversial “smart gun” manufacturer Armatix has filed the German equivalent of Chapter 11 restructuring. From Fortune: