We all know that Magpul PMAGs are one of the best options for AR-15 mags, but sadly it took literally forever for the US Military to figure out just that. Not terribly long ago the United States Marine Corps selected the new Medium Coyote Tan PMAGs in the Gen 3 flavor [Read More…]
Note- This article is the second portion of an earlier article that contiues the discussion of the dynamics of being a member of a Marine Scout Sniper platoon. To read that article, please click here. The training, weapons, and gear that takes place in Sniper platoons [Read More…]
Earlier I covered the topic of the failure rates at the Marine Corps Scout Sniper Basic Course and what the Marines wanted to do to mitigate the failures. I disagreed with the solution to the problem for a number of reasons. In this article I would like to provide some [Read More…]
Note-This post is a continuation of the earlier post that began, talking about some of the issues that are inherent with chopping the current Scout Sniper Basic Course in two. To read part one, please click here. Back to the supply and demand. Who are you going to send? [Read More…]
The Marine Corps Times (not associated with the Marines) has highlighted an issue that hasn’t entered the public domain in firearms news as of yet, but has really been smoldering at the surface for many years now. The basic premise of the issue is this: The [Read More…]
Today, a variant of the Heckler & Koch HK416 rifle is the standard squad infantry automatic rifle (IAR) of the United States Marine Corps, as the M27. At one time in the mid-2000s, though, companies from Colt to LWRC competed against each other in a competition to [Read More…]
It is amazing the things you discover meeting people. Previously I had posted about Keith Biddle and his machine shop. While talking about guns with him, he showed me this rifle that belonged to his Uncle. The rifle is a 6mm bolt gun and it even bears his [Read More…]
Earlier today, the United States Marine Corps Systems Command released a request for information (RFI) to manufacturers regarding the industry’s capability to fill an order for 11,000 new IAR-type rifles. You can read the RFI over at this link at FedBizOpps. [Read More…]
An update from the USMC has been released today authorizing the purchase of Gen M3 PMags with unit funds for Marine Corps combat units. The update reads: GENTEXT/RMKS/1. PURPOSE. THIS MESSAGE PROVIDES UPDATED GUIDANCE REGARDING THE USE OF MAGAZINES FOR THE M4/M16 SERIES [Read More…]
The running joke in the Marine Corps is that one tends to get their common sense and intelligence back with their DD-214. Having been in and living it for years, there is certainly some credence to the joke which often gets nods of understanding when told. However, its [Read More…]
Will Heckler & Koch’s HK416 rifle become the most successful assault rifle model of the early 21st Century? It’s starting to look that way. After the French adoption of the HK416F as their standard issue weapon to replace the FAMAS, and a likely [Read More…]
We reported on the M40A6 back in November last year. Remington won the competition for the M40A6, which is the Marine Corps’s standard issue sniper rifle within the Fleet Marine Force and Reserve Forces Scout Sniper Platoons.The new rifle is essentially the same [Read More…]
It would seem, at least according to Colt Canada, that the United States Marine Corps is a partner (with Canadian & British militaries) in the development of C7 and C8 rifle upgrades. The announcement came from Colt Canada’s General Manager Jeff Macleod at the [Read More…]
According to the Marine Corps Times (which is not formally affiliated with the United States Marine Corps), the USMC is starting to phase out the OTIS soft cleaning kits in favor of an old-time favorite – the three rod cleaning kits originally issued with the [Read More…]
While the (at least one would hope) “normal” saber rattling from North Korea continues unabated, the United States and South Korea are conducting their yearly Operation Foal Eagle, a yearly exercise of US and Korean military personnel. This year, the [Read More…]
Two articles recently came out in the Marine Corps Times (which has absolutely no affiliation or endorsement by the USMC) concerning a variety of small arms related topics. The first one is a sort of M27 qualification that some Twenty Nine Palms battalions participated [Read More…]
On this episode of TFBTV, Miles Vining takes a look at how the U.S. Marine Corps goes about the annual rifle qualification process that every Marine undertakes every year. Qualification is not only important for keeping up the fundamentals of marksmanship, but also plays into a Marine’s [Read More…]
I am proud to look fondly upon my time in my beloved Corps. There, I learned new things (including my passion for firearms) and was forged into the upstanding citizen that I am today. For this and many other reasons, I am proud of my time in the service and thank all [Read More…]
In the Marine Corps, every man is a rifleman, but it seems the days of the full-length rifle with the USMC may be coming to a close. The M4 Carbine, pending approval by the commandant, will likely become the general issue weapon of the Corps, replacing the M16A4 for the [Read More…]
A while back, I received an email asking for my input on the M855A1 issue. It was from Will, a reader of mine who was working on an article trying to cut through a lot of the myths (on both sides) about the round. I assisted him as best I could, and now the product [Read More…]
When you travel abroad, there’s no telling what you might find. Tim of the Military Arms Channel was visiting the MKE factory in Turkey, when he stumbled upon an extremely rare original Stoner 63 rifle sitting in an arms locker. The very short video he made to [Read More…]
MARSOC has won a small victory in attaining authorization to use Glock 19 handguns in qualifications. Soldier Systems has the story: In a Marine Corps MARADMIN message issued last week, MARSOC is authorized to use GLOCK 19 pistols, but as USSOCOM assets. This weapon has [Read More…]
MarineTimes reports of a new set of upgrades and enhancements slated to hit USMC M16A4 rifles and M4 carbines over the next few years. The final decision as to exactly what enhancements will be made has not occurred, but a general outline of the improvements desired has [Read More…]
In my ongoing research effort on the 20th Century infantry rifle, I found an interesting training film from the 1960s. The USMC video is not quite 22 minutes in length, and covers marksmanship instruction on the M14 rifle: The film teaches very traditional techniques [Read More…]
The author recently had the privilege and opportunity to qualify with 40mm Low Velocity Less Lethal rounds. As a Marine infantryman in Afghanistan, these rounds are usually not part of our tool kit. They would be much more commonplace among Military Police, Marine [Read More…]
In a detailed Imgr thread, a recon marine has gone into glorious detail on the weapon systems them employed during his tours overseas. To add a cherry, the same Marine spent some time answering questions on a Reddit thread. Titled “The weapons of Marine Recon: [Read More…]
Last Fall, I was invited by Trijicon to their writer event at their training facility just south of the Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia. The morning session was mostly product presentation with a focus on the Trijicon ACOG family, the new battery powered reflex [Read More…]
Originally pitched on KickStarter, the MS Clean (Magazine Shaped Cleaning Kit) is the first product for MS Clean, LLC. Billing itself as an “Improved cleaning kit case for sportsman and professional use,” the MS Clean is a patented STANAG shaped hard case [Read More…]
The Army Times is reporting the United States Marine Corps placed an order for more than 3800 new helmets capable of stopping rifle rounds at point blank range. The new helmet is called the Enhanced Combat Helmet or ECH. According to Military.com, the new helmets use [Read More…]
Marine Times reports that the USMC ban on all non GI magazines is now official … Polymer rifle magazines, preferred by many combat troops for their durability, have been banned by the Marine Corps, according to a new administrative message published Monday. [Read More…]
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