…until the 2013 SHOT Show.
Yeah, I am already planning next year’s trip. Sad, but true.
Here are a few new guns and other gear I have stumbled across recently.
ARES SHRIKE 5.56 Upper
ARES Defense is now selling an AR upper that allows the user to swap between magazine fed and belt fed. This upper is chambered in 5.56 NATO and is compatible with all M4/M16 magazines and M27 linked SAW ammo. No word on pricing.
Nautilus Rotating Rail
I’m really not clear on what I would ever use this for, but I’m sure some serious engineering went into the development of this kit. Made by Ballista Tactical, the Nautilus Rotating Rail gives the shooter a “shift on the fly” capability to rotate rail accessories in 45 degree increments.
LMT Pig Package
Lewis Machine and Tool Company is making a Pig Man .308 rifle as part of an endorsement deal with Brian Quaca’s television show. The show is called “Pig Man: The Series.”
In 2005, Smith & Wesson filed a patent application for a “high velocity ammunition system and firearm.” The abstract stated the bullets fired from this handgun would achieve muzzle velocities in excess of 25,000 fps!
Let’s put 25,000 fps into context…
- 25,000 fps is more than 17,000 miles per hour.
- This is more than 22 times the speed of sound.
- The .221 Fireball shot from a single shot pistol is the fastest SAAMI-spec handgun cartridge at about 2700 fps.
- Federal’s 220 Swift load only manages 4250 fps at the muzzle from a rifle.
When I started reading the patent application, I expected that the 25,000 fps was a typo. It just seemed so far outside the realm of possibility to achieve those speeds from any conventional firearm, much less a handgun.
Categories : Ammunition
The latest internet news about a double barrel AR15 isn’t nearly as exciting to me since I have seen the Winchester Salvo rifle.
The Salvo rifle was a US military design project from the 1950′s. Essentially, it used two barrels to launch 5.56 caliber projectiles to get as much lead down range as possible.
The rounds were based on the 7.62×51 cartridge that was then necked down to take a lightweight duplex load. So, with each pull of the trigger, four projectiles launched. Click the above link to get the details on the double barrel Salvo rifle.
Feel free to send me feedback if you have additional information on this rifle.
Categories : Military Firearms, Rifles
“The stench was overwhelming.”
Using an M16 with a broken stock, a starlight scope and an M14, Ed Eaton fought off an unknown number of enemy in the middle of an unknown rice patty in an unheralded little part of the Vietnam War. In the process, he save the lives of his commanding officer and comrades after their helicopter went down from enemy fire.
Unwilling to leave others behind, Eaton repeatedly put accurate fire downrange, holding off a significantly larger force. Eaton himself was injured: multiple gunshot wounds and a broken back. Yet, he was the last to leave the field, and because of his willingness to risk his own life for his brothers, others now live.
Thank you for your service Sergeant Eaton.
You can see this full video, plus others like it at the NRA’s Life of Duty.
I hope the third edition of the Firearms Guide is better than the second edition.
I’m sorry, let me start over…
The third edition of the Firearms Guide was recently released. The DVD claims to be the “world’s most extensive firearms, ammo and air guns reference guide,” with thousands of color photos, schematics and more. It may be all of that. If so, the guide may be worth the asking price.
What is the asking price? Oddly, I could not find the price on the site until I clicked the “buy now” button and got whisked off to PayPal. The price is $39.95.
However, based on my prior Firearms Guide review (second edition), I found some things that would make me hesitate before buying the updated edition.
Categories : Misc Gear
Tags : Firearms Guide, reference
A few days ago, Richard Venola, a former Guns & Ammo magazine editor, was charged with second degree murder after he alledgedly shot a man at hit residence. According to news reports, the man was known to Venola and alcohol may have played a role in the incident.
There aren’t a lot of facts, but Frank W. James does a pretty good job of running down some of the information on his blog. Most of the news articles I read on the incident were rehashes of the same inane blathering that passes for journalism nowadays. However, this article from the Mohave Daily News seemed to have the best account of the incident.
Categories : news
I just posted a Kahr CM9 review on the site. However, it is in the system a little differently, as I am trying to restructure a few things on the site so reviews will be much easier to find. For now, you can click the link in the first sentence or the menu button displaying “Kahr CM9 Review”.
In case you are wondering, the CM9 is a great pistol and I really like it a lot!
Remington has joined forces with Bill Rogers, the founder of the Squeeg-E gun cleaning system to produce the Remington Squeeg-E cleaning kit. Not only designed to be a one-stop cleaning kit, the Rem Squeeg-E package is a move towards patch-less cleaning of your favorite firearms. Dean DeLoe and Kevin Graff of Remington were great guys, and walked me through the features of this new cleaning kit.
For those not familiar with the Squeeg-E concept, it involves pulling a rubberized plug through the barrel to remove debris. The plugs are attached to a wire cable by inserting a metal end into the Squeeg-E’s open end. On the other end there is a T- handle, that also attaches to the cable by pressing the other end of the cord into the handle. The cables are encased in a rubber tube to prevent damaging the barrel.
Prior to attaching the Squeeg-E plug the user will guide the cable through the barrel from muzzle to breach with the handle already attached. Then attach the Squeeg-E plug for the appropriate chamber and pull on the handle, dragging the plug the length of the barrel and in the direction the bullet travels.
Categories : Misc Gear
[Ed. note: The information on the current generation of Knoxx Stock, the Blackhawk! Gen II SpecOps, was previously submitted during the 2012 SHOT Show. For whatever reason, I failed to get it posted properly. Better late than never, right?]
The Blackhawk booth at SHOT Show this year was a little more subdued than in previous years. In the last couple of years the booth has been full of clothing, duty gear, breaching equipment, and weapons accessories. And there always seemed to be a steady stream of people moving through the booths.
This was the first full year after ATK bought Blackhawk back in mid 2010. The booth was combined into one large area instead of two areas, as in previous years. However, it seemed that the amount of items on display seemed greatly reduced. Perhaps the idea was to focus on the most current offerings, as past years had a mixture of old and new. Whatever the marketing strategy was, it didn’t stop Blackhawk from marketing some really nice products. One of those products was the redesigned and improved Gen II SpecOps Knoxx Stock that came out last year.
THE GEN I SPECOPS STOCK
The first generation SpecOps Knoxx stock was well received as a very versatile accessory option for shotgun shooters. Traditionally shotguns have either had a fixed stock, a fixed pistol grip stock, or no stock at all. The concept Blackhawk brought to shotgunners was to provide the best of all those features in one stock.
Categories : 2012 SHOT Show, Shotguns
Guns Holsters and Gear
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2012 All Rights Reserved