#Misc

An odd product that has appeared on Republic of Korea (ROK) Army K1A and K2 rifles in recent years is this brass catcher. Outside of a few dedicated reloaders in the United States, brass catchers are very seldom used at all anywhere else in the world. However in the ROK army, spent brass has a much higher importance than in most other militaries. Soldiers are required to turn in every piece of brass that they fired during a training  regime or else face severe consequences. The reasoning behind this is the army’s strict control over ammunition consumption and reloading ammunition. Behind that regulation has to do with serious problems the ROK Army has with hazing, suicide rates, and soldiers making off with rounds for criminal activities. Thus, ROK soldiers have to turn in every single casing fired while on a live fire range, confirming it by also counting every single one. Many of us in the Military or LE are used to long lines of “Police Call”, where we would line up after a training event, sweeping the grounds for brass, collecting it and turning it back in. However the difference was that we didn’t count every single case when we turned them, it was enough to make the range reasonably cleaner than when we arrived at it. 

The reserve component of the U.S. Army will begin receiving the XM153 Common Remotely Operated Weapon System (CROWS) this year in bulk issue. Last year ten Army Reserve units received the remotely controlled mounted weapon system, but due to supply and logistical issues the rest of the Reserve’s vehicle fleet slotted to receive it didn’t get it and will be getting it this year. Beginning with units in Arkansas, New Jersey and South Carolina and then continuing on throughout the Reserves.

Slovenian Youtube Channel and training company Polenar Tactical has finally released their “AK Operator Training” instruction series. The series is available shipped on DVD, USB, or can even be streamed on Vimeo when bought from the company’s website for 36 Euros (including tax). Polenar Tactical first began discussing producing such a series in 2012, and I was very much looking forward to the final product and even contributed towards their public Indie Gogo fundraising campaign. Since 2012 I practically forgot about the DVD, consigning myself to accepting that it wasn’t going to finish completion. But to my welcome surprise, after meeting the Polenar Tactical guys at SHOT 2017, I was overjoyed to hear that production of the DVD was finally out and it was shipping. I would very much like to get a copy of the DVD myself, and hopefully review it for our readers here.

Earlier on TFB we reported that POF had increased their ammunition production in Pakistan three-fold. We speculated that rising security concerns might have been the cause for this but this has turned out to perhaps not be the case at all. This week at IDEX 2017 , POF released a statement that indicated a very dramatic increase in sales to the UAE and MENA region in general (through Abu Dhabi). Essentially POF is forcasting doubling all of their sales to the region for the next year. The article additionally mentions that POF will try to push “affordability and technological upgrades” as a prime company offering. Although the Pakistani state owned weapons company might not be providing DARPA with the latest and greatest, I can see a niche that POF can occupy in catering to militaries that don’t have budgets like the United States and Russia, but still want technological upgrades to keep up with the competition. On top of this projection, POF has signed a letter of understanding with Beretta on importing and selling Beretta products in Pakistan. Beretta’s ARX-200 was in competition for the Pakistani’s next service rifle, but appears to have lost out to CZ. This understanding with Beretta, if not for military and LE needs, might just be for civilians, as the shotgun sporting industry in Pakistan is very relevant. Along with the CZ deal, and POF’s prior agreement with Fiochi, international business has been relatively good at POF.

According to the National Post, the Canadian government will begin supplying elements of the Kurdish Peshmerga in Iraq with small arms and light weapons. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously announced Canadian material support for the Peshmerga a year ago, but only recently made good on the promise this month. Germany has a history of supplying small arms to the Kurds, but recently stopped according to the article, after German rifles were found for sale on the Iraqi black market. Both countries are currently providing much training and support through troops deployed to the region, but this is the first official announcement that Canada would be providing material. From the National Post-

The Feed Ramp is a recently published blog that is essentially trying to replicate The Onion or The Duffel Blog when it comes to the firearms industry. The blog is a light-hearted attempt at poking fun at everything from IDPA, the ATF, to even Pat Macnamara! Some of the titles of the recent posts are “IDPA Patch Propels Man to Championship”, “After Stage Win, Local Shooter Becomes Shooting Instructor”, “Internet Shooter Plays Stupid Games, Wins No Prizes”.

Earlier on TFB we reported on the transition from MILES to DISE within EUCOM. However, it must be noted that the MILES system is still in use, even if sparingly. In fact, during Swift Response ’16, a multi-national airborne training operation, we have seen some of the most recent usages of the updated versions of the MILES gear. Most of the upgrades appear to be in weight reduction, with soldiers carrying less cumbersome and bulky versions of the personally worn vest. However there is another introduction that has the MILES Small Arms Transmitter taking advantage of the picatinny rail installed on most of the U.S. Army’s weapon systems. From a distance the Small Arms Transmitter could easily be mistaken for a black PEQ15 ATPIAL instead of the training device that it is. Since the 1980s MILES has gone through a number of manufacturers throughout its design phases, however most recently Cubic Global Defense is providing the latest iterations of the design, to include the picatinny mounted Small Arms Transmitter. From Cubic Global Defense-

Images from a joint European/ U.S. lead paratrooper training exercise named Swift Response in June of 2016 have shown that the Rheinmetall Defense Light Laser Module Mk.3 is being used on operations with the British Paratroopers, aka “Paras”. Initially the LLM Mk.3 was procured by the Ministry of Defense for the Royal Marines in 2014 under a £53 million purchase of a number of other items. However, it appears that the Marines haven’t been using the picatinny mounted ATPIAL on operations outside of Britain, or at least images and news reports of the branch do not show them being used. Their issue among the Paras could possibly be because the Marines ended up not liking the devices, and transferred them to the Parachute Regiment, or this could possibly be a completely different purchase altogether. We have some reports of the Marines using the device in training with this sketch from a Commando Course blog entry recently-

The Multiple Integrated Laser Engagement System (MILES) has been in service with a number of militaries the world over, beginning in the 1980s. MILES has gone through a number of different design iterations over the years, to include making the system more compact and light weight. For those unfamiliar with the system essentially it is a training simulation Laser Tag Pro, being able to be outfitted to individual soldiers, vehicles, even aircraft. When using blanks in small arms or larger caliber weapons, the system shoots out a laser when the blank is fired. If the laser impacts the MILES gear on an opposing force, the system of that force shuts down, thus registering a “Kill”. The concept for the program is a brilliant one, but it saw a number of issues that retarded its potential. From the gear causing neck problems, to being unreliable at times, and most importantly cost. Throughout my time in the infantry, I never once utilized or even saw MILES gear in use at all.

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Recent social media activity has indicated at least one Chinese 7.62x39mm Type 74 for sale through the online gun markets of Baghdad. At a casual first glance the light machine gun appears to be an RPK. But upon closer inspection one will notice the oddly shaped carry handle, the SKS-like bolt, uncovered upper receiver, and pistol grip. In fact the Type 81 series of small arms is much more of a modern SKS in an assault rifle issued role than a Chinese take on the Kalashnikov. For more information on the Type 81 and other Chinese LMG designs, Small Arms Defense Journal has an excellent article published on the subject.

Previously on TFB we discussed the Lessons Learned from our WW II Squad Live fire which you can read about here, and watch the original episode here. In this episode of TFB TV we have a round table discussion from the actual participants and several subject matter experts who were present at the live fire as to what they experienced and what they went through. For many of us it was our first time extensively handling these WW II small arms in the manner that they were used, and in trying to recreate some of what those soldiers in 1941-1945 went through on an almost daily basis. We discuss smaller matters such as the safety on the M1s, to larger topics when it comes to fire and maneuver with an entire squad. The reenactors played an essential role here because they gave us some of the context of what soldiers then would have encountered.

The U.S. Air Force recently posted solicitation for 150 M4 training rifles coming from Olympic Arms, under the name of Cobolt. This is not at all to be confused with the high end competition AR company similarly named Cobalt. It turns out that the Air Force has been using these trainers for some time now, especially during Air Force basic training. Unlike standard blue trainers made out of plastic, the rifles are essentially a demilitarized version of the M16A2. This is accomplished by turning an actual M16A2 parts kit into a rifle, minus the trigger group and a filled barrel. From what I can gather, either the trigger group has been filled in with some substance, or it just can’t operate if attached to a functioning upper receiver at all. The Trainers can be ordered with either blue or black furniture and are available as a M16A2 or M4 configuration. Olympic Arms made the Trainers, but since the company has gone out of business, this might be an opportunity to provide a similar trainer to the DOD. The need for these don’t seem to be stopping, and they look ridiculously simple to manufacture from existing A2 parts kits.

BNTI Arms is a Jacksonville, FL based company that is releasing a dedicated 7.62x39mm AR15 to the public called the AR/AK 7.62 BA Beast Optics Ready Rifle. The company has previously focused on .308 Win and 5.56x45mm NATO rifles in the past and this will be the first 7.62x39mm rifle released. Interestingly the company appears to have primarily developed the rifle for the Nigerian Military/LE market, possibly through U.S. AFRICOM, or it could have been otherwise contracted and exported. Previously we reported on the presence of 7.62x39mm Polish Beryl AKs in use by the Nigerians, in addition to the AKMs already in service with the country. The U.S. civilian version is of course semi-automatic and has a legal 16″ barrel. It features a Magpul ACS-L stock, Magpul handguard on a carbine length gas tube. It comes with one steel 28 round 7.62x39mm magazine. The upper and lower receivers are both forged 7076 T-6, which is usually not seen on many civilian ARs. From the press release-

The overall point of the WW II Live Fire, apart from creating an episode for our Youtube Channel, was to gain information and knowledge about these small arms that were used in World War II in ways that we couldn’t have gathered from shooting them on a square range or individually. Something that I think we really need to focus more on from a researcher or historians outlook is that these weapon systems weren’t developed and used in isolation. Sure, the M1 is a fantastic rifle for CMP matches but in all honesty that was very far from John Garand’s mind when he worked on the design. These weapons were designed to used by units of men, working very closely with each other, to accomplish an objective of overcoming an enemy force. Reenactments accomplish this well, but they don’t simulate the treatment these firearms would have gone through in combat due to the presence of live ammunition and actually trying to hit an enemy target at a distance. Bear in mind that we didn’t stage a reenactment, we staged a recreation, because we were literally trying to recreate history. If you haven’t seen the episode yet, please give it a look and then continue to read the article because it will make much more sense.