The Firearm Blog

At their SHOT Show booth Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) had an early model Armalite AR-10 with a post-WWII night vision system on display. I do not know which night vision system this is or even if it was a production system. The scope looked similar to the M2 Infrared Sniper Scope Gen 0 and the lamp looked similar to the Active Infrared Gen 0 “20,000v” system (if it helps, the lamp is labeled MODEL X-26A). What is really interesting is that the IR lamp switch is integrated into the rifle pistol grip. To turn it on all the operator needed to do was squeeze his middle finger, not unlike the Crimson Trace laser grips today.

It’s a staple of cinema and video games, it looks cool, but as the image above from comedy action movie ‘Hot Fuzz’ reminds us, it’s mostly nonsense. We’re talking ‘dual wielding’, aka ‘guns akimbo’, or the simultaneous use of two firearms.

Mythbusters and others have experimented with its plausibility as a technique, and some have tried to trace its origins, but I don’t think anyone’s quite nailed just how old this trope is in fiction, nor established the extent to which it was actually done in history. Because it’s patently inaccurate and tends to be seen in fantastical settings, we tend to discount it as a real tactic. Let’s start there.

Pistols traditionally came in pairs, back to at least 1600, when the pistol was no more than a century old. Some

Many new 1-6x rifle scopes were introduced at the SHOT Show 2014 and one of the best among those is the new Meopta MeoStar R2 1-6×24 RD. The new Meopta 1-6×24 features a true 1x magnification, lightweight 30mm tube, daylight visible reticle illumination with great battery life and what I like the most: German Schott glass. Not a bad deal for $1595 MSRP. I always considered the top-end Meoptas are on the same level as the premium German and Austrian optics but with a lot less money.

Many TFB readers may not be familiar with the Meopta name. The company was founded in 1933 and it is one of the best optic producer

Arsenal Firearms (officially: Arsenal Firearms Group of Companies) is expecting approval from the ATF this year, of the AF-1 Strike One pistol. However, this doesn’t mean it will be available on the US market in 2014. The lucky honor will first go to Italy, where Arsenal has one of their companies, with a rough estimated price of $4,000. Sales in Italy are expected in Q4. From the link:

The Ergal Strike One will be available to the world markets from fall 2014 in limited quantities, for the very selective competition shooter and collector alike, at a street price in the 3.000 € class (4.000 USD).

The current version of the firear

Last May TFB reported the Magpul 1911 grips were coming, and thought they are on the market now, I’d yet to handle them. So I took the time to check them out at SHOT Show.

I like the look of them, though not in love with the tiny Magpul logos as texture, but function is more important. The deep cut for the thumb safety is of special importance to me with my shorter fingers. As the top photo illustrates, these accommodate well in that area.

The price of the Magpul MOE Grip Panels has dropped five dollars to $19.95 MSRP, since last I checked. At that price I consider these a great low cost option for an improved grip.

New from Israel is the MSE series of red-dot sights. It was developed by retired Lt Col. Mikey Hartman who founded and was the commander of the IDF marksmanship and sharpshooter school with over 20 years of training experience.

The MSE sight is constructed with a combination of aluminum base and advanced polymer body. Windage and elevation are adjustable without using a tool. Size and weight wise the MSE sight is similar in size to the full-size EOtech 550 series. The sight will co-witness with the iron sights on an AR-15. The battery life is 1875 hours from a CR123 lithium battery.

I got to fondle a Tavor SAR at the SHOT Show with Timney’s new trigger kit installed. The Tavor is one of the hottest new rifles on the market right now, and in my opinion it’s the best bullpup design to date. However it still suffers from one of the major flaws that all bullpups seem to have, a bad trigger pull. While the Tavor’s trigger isn’t horrible, it’s actually decent for a bullpup, it still leaves much to be desired. Timney’s new trigger for the Tavor helps remedy much of the squishiness and play of the trigger. It was a huge improvement over the stock trigger. The Timney kit drops right in and features a crisp 4lb trigger break. They retail at $352.95 and should ship sometime in March 2014.

Down in the lower levels of the SHOT Show is where you’ll usually find newer and smaller companies. While I was browsing I stumbled upon a booth from Flashco who were showing off their new M249 SAW conversion kit for the Ruger 10/22. It’s made of both metal and polymer materials and weights in at 12 pounds, it also comes with a collapsible stock and bipod. The booth rep claimed it took no more than 30 minutes to drop in your 10/22 rifle. It retails at $599.95, a bit more than buying an M249 airsoft donor rifle and custom making one yourself.

Strangely enough, the state of Nebraska has a surprisingly in-depth and comprehensive history of the shotshell hosted on its Game & Parks Commission website.  According to this amusingly well-researched compendium, the inventor of the first shotshell is unknown, but we do know that the C.D. Leet Company of Springfield, Massachusetts, is thought to have made the first paper-hull shotshells in at least 1869.  By the 1880s, shotshells were being machine-loaded, and between 1887 and 1901, shotshell sales increased seven-fold. Over the years, shotshell technology advanced with the addition of centerfire primers, better powders, and hull materials.  A

Who doesn’t love a nice autoloading 12 gauge? They are versatile, fun, affordable to shoot, and are now invaluable tools to three gun shooters around the world. The Remington Versa Max is no exception, and I must say that it was a really pleasure to be able to test one.

I like shotguns as much as the next sportsman. They can be used for hunting migratory birds, fowl, turkey, deer, and even larger game with slugs. You can use them for home defense, and they are still in use by armies and police forces everywhere. And of course they are essential for any three gun competitor. For the latter, the Versa Max really could shine bright. It comes with some great accessories including multiple cheek combs, chokes (including the nifty one pictured), fiber optic sights, an extended charging handle, and a large bolt release button that makes operating the Versa Max Tactical a breeze.

Before I get too far into the review, I would like to state that the first gun I received from Remington had to be sent back. When I tried to mate the receiver and barrel together, there was an excessive amount of play an

DesertTech, formally Desert Tactical Arms, of Utah has released several new rifles as well as a chassis system from the Remington 700.  Most of the buzz was around the MDR, DesertTech’s new modular, bullpup styled rifle design.  They are being released in .308 and .223 to begin with, and will hopefully a .300BLK in the future.  The .308 version is being released with a 16″ barrel, and accepts SR25/DPMS patterned magazines, meaning it will be compatible with the Magpul LR/SR .308 magazines.  Also featured on the rifle is a non-reciprocating charging handle, that is also user movable to be ambidextrous.  The rest of the rifle controls are built into the rifle as ambidextrous without having to move anything.

Handling the .308, the package was build well, even though the rifle in their booth was a prototype.  Having worked in LE, I can see the application of the bullpup design

Tangent Theta is a new optic company from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. The name is new but the company was start by Andy Webber, the founder and former president of Armament Technology, the distributor and service provider of ELCAN sights for the military and civilian market. He’s credited with bring the ELCAN sight to the commercial market, introduced the SpecterDR and the M145 to US military and the ELCAN LDS to the UK Armed Forces.

Tangent Theta acquired all designs and assets from the now defunct Premier Reticles. That included the 3-15x50mm design used in the USMC Scout Sniper Day Scope. The new Tangent Theta 3-15x50mm TT315M model is developed from the same combat proven optical design as the Marine’s sniper scope. The rest of the TT315M is a complet

The Belgian company RDIH was present at SHOT Show with a lightweight polymer stock for the paratrooper variants of the FAL and LAR’s.

While a rifle with the stock installed was not available – we were able to handle the stock itself. The construction appears solid and well constructed. I believe a tube-stock cheek pad would mount securely on this stock, such as the one from ITC.

The folding mechanism lacked the locking tab present on the Para FN LAR variants. I don’t mind it either way, but some may be used to one and not the other.

RDIH has drawings available as a PDF on their site

FLIR, a world leader in infrared technology, has announced the addition of the Thermosight R-Series.  The R-Series is priced just under $3500, which is about half the cost of most other high quality thermal sights.  The R-Series is designed for hunting, as well as for military or law enforcement applications.  The R-Series thermal sight comes in a more compact housing than previous FLIR models, increasing its portability.

The FLIR R-Series thermal sight.

Some of the features of the FLIR Thermosight R-series:

• Multiple resolution and lens options
• 3-inch eye relief
• Up to 16x magni

X Products debuted their new 9mm 50 round drum magazines at the SHOT Show. Known for their .308 and .223/5.56 offerings, X Products have made quite the name for themselves with their top notch drum mags. Their new 9mm mags will be made out of aluminum and will be available for the MP5 and Colt AR-15, and should work with other ARs that use Colt 9mm mags as well. They’re expected to be available around June 2014 with an estimated MSRP of $220 or so, a more definite price should be known closer to launch. A drum mag for the HK94 and Glocks are also in the works and should debut later this year.

Browning has introduced the AB3 to their rifle at the 2014 SHOT Show.  The AB3 is described by Browning as a “value-packaged” rifle.  Despite its lower price point the AB3 is designed to be a contender for accuracy, features, style, and comfort.  This is not what I would consider a “bargain” rifle in the meaning of lower quality parts and materials for the entry level shooter.  Instead, I would place the AB3 in the category of many competitors‘ mid-range rifle selections; such as the Remington 783, the Savage Model 111, or the Mossberg ATR line.

The AB3 will be available in four calibers initially:

• .270 Win.
• .30-06 Sprg.
• 7mm Rem. Mag.
• .300 Win. Mag.

The AB3 barrel is designed with the same methods as the more famous Browning rifles.  Affordability is the result of innovative new technologies that simplify production without sacrificing the top performance expected of Browning.  Using precision button-rifling that is triple checked for finish, straightness and uniformity, the chamber is hand-reamed.  A  free-floating barre

Armament Technology Inc., the distributor of the ELCAN optics, unveiled the switchable ELCAN SpecterTR 1-3-9x gunsight at SHOT Show 2014. With a MSRP of $3100, the new ELCAN SpecterTR completes against the new high-end 1-8x scopes with the traditional scope design.

Like their popular DR 1X/4X model, the new ELCAN SpecterTR is also utilized a prism based optical design. The new TR mode features a switchable 1x-3x-9x magnification. Similar to the DR model, there’s no in-between in each of the three magnification settings.

New from Plinker Tactical are full guns. They have an SBR and a bull barrel currently available. When used with the 25-round mags that come with the guns, they have bolt hold-open on an empty mag, something that not many rimfire ARs have. It’s a better re-creation of full-size AR shooting, particularly when used for training by professionals who need to simulate the real thing. (Though how many professionals are using 25-round AR mags?)

At the SHOT Show 2014, Burris introduced their unique AR-1X sight. It’s a compact prism sight with a true 1x magnification. It’s a red-dot alternative for those that have bad astigmatism, such as myself.

The sight is relatively small and the battery compartment is part of the integral 1913 mount. Burris engineers did great job in designing this optic. Unique to the prism sights, the AR-1X will co-witness with iron sights and magnifier, such as Burris’ own AR-Trippler 3x magnifier, can be with it.

Color seems to be one of the themes at this year’s SHOT Show. With so much polymer in products and various metal finishes available, making a new product out of an old one by changing the color scheme is not only a quick way to expand a manufacturer’s lineup, it also gives buyers an opportunity to personalize their guns and gear. After all, almost no one sticks with the default screen images on their phones or computers. Now we’re seeing that people want a personal touch on their shooting gear, and a lot of them seem to want more than just the basic military colors.

And for those who are just plain sick and tired of their magazine loaders in black, Maglula now has the popular UpLULA available in pink and brown.