The Firearm Blog

For the last several year readers have been rather irritated with Sig for not selling the MPX to the public. Well the time has come. I had a meeting with Sig this morning and as usual we talked about new guns and any changes in status of present guns.

I happened to ask about the MPX and the possibility of them being release to the public.Without hesitation he replied they are now open for public sale. There will be several models available. The first is an SBR semi-auto, a semi auto carbine and a rifle version. All versions will be semi-auto.

The muzzle device that many of you like is still temporarily on hold. The ATF blocked that device from being an allowed accessory. Sig is very confident that issue will be resolved shortly. That’s certainly go

Smith & Wesson is famous for its revolver lines, and this year they’ve decided to make a big return into the wheel gun category.  The S&W 686 PLUS comes out of Smith & Wesson’s Performance Center, their custom firearm shop, and is an impressive new version of a venerable legend from the past.

S&W 686 PLUS

Who doesn’t love a sub-gun? Blasting through cases of cheap pistol ammo is my favorite way of turning money into noise, and I imagine with the new Sig MPX series that amount of fun would be amplified.

The MPX is an extremely compact, magazine fed, selective fire SMG that fires from a closed bolt, and is extremely suppressor friendly (which seems to be the selling point). Of course the MPX has been spotted before in the hands of Sig employees and at shows like SHOT, but I figured I would give my impressions of the weapon system.

First, the MPX comes in two flavors: Regular and kurz. Both are very lightweight and I could see myself competing quite well in a sub-gun match with them. Here is the larger gun with a suppressor installed:

For those familiar with the AR platform, you will feel

Accu-Grip AR grip

Although there are now about a million AR manufacturers out there, there is one thing that is the same on all of them. The grip. Sure you have grips with textures and finger grooves, etc. but no one has thought about length of pull. I am not talking about length of pull of the shoulder stock. I am referring to length of pull of your finger to the trigger. I am 6 feet tall and have long fingers. When I grab a rifle with the stock grip on it I tend to overreach the trigger. Introducing Accu-Grip. A grip that can be adjusted backwards or forwards to fit your finger length of pull perfectly. Why was this so difficult to t

Kel Tec is revealing two new bullpups at Shot Show this year with their RDB and M43.

Scaling down from their successful RFB .308 rifle, the RDB and M43 are both .223 bullpup rifles using downward brass ejection system rather than the forward system of the RFB.

The RDB is the modern variant, while the M43 is described as a “cold-war inspired design.” The internals on both rifles are the same, but while the RDB features polymer and picatinny, the M43 is all wood and steel. New rifles in old styles are something I’d like to see more of.

Both rifles feature a 17.4″ barrel and use a short stroke piston system. The bolt travel is quite a bit longer than conventional rifles in order to eject brass out the downward chute behind the magazine well.

The magazine release on these is a metal slider in a similar position to the Tavor’s magaz

Lancer Systems recently debuted their new L7AWM .308/7.62x51mm magazine. It’s designed to be used in multiple rifle platforms such as the SR25, SIG716, DPMS 308 and LM308. Their new hybrid magazine features both a polymer magazine body and steel reinforced lips. It also features a switchable drain on the floor plate lock as well as drain channels for use in sandy or wet environments. It will be available in either opaque or translucent polymer bodies in 5, 10 or 20-round capacities.

FEATURES

- Impact resistant polymer body
- Insert molded stainless front guard, resistant for high volume shooting
- Stainless rear feed lip, provides a durable stable platform for feeding
- Available with translucent or opaque body
- Straight internal geometry with a controlled tilt follower
- Stainless steel spring
- Slide on bottom with a switchable drain
- Aggressive texture to improve gripping and retrieval from pouches
- Designed, tooled, manufactured and asse

EOTech released their new drop-in Laser Battery Cap for their 512 and 552 optics. It’s operated via a on/off toggle switch and also includes an accessory port for use with a remote pressure switch (which is sold separatly). Their Laser Battery Cap (LBC) simply replaces the cap on the 512/552 and is rated at between 36 and 60 hours of continuous use. It will have a starting MSRP of $285 and will be available in four different configurations.

American Tactical Imports (ATI) showed off their sweet looking all metal .22LR version of the German MP-40 submachine gun a few SHOT Shows ago with different shipping dates every year. Well the reps at ATI confirmed today that their MP-40 will be shipping this summer with an MSRP of $539.95 (note the GSG STG-44 retails at $499.95). It will come in a wood crate just like the STG-44 as well.

The BROWE Combat Optic (BCO) is a military-grade 4×32 rifle optic with a machined titanium housing which is stronger than steel and lighter than aluminum. It is short and lightweight, keeping more of the rail free for gear and accessories. The BCO’s Target Light Sensor uses a photocell measure light levels at the target, not at the shooter. This means that the red chevron reticle’s illumination and contrast is appropriate for what’s being targeted through the optic regardless of the environment. For example, a shooter in bright sunlight targeting someone or something inside of a cave or building will get the proper brightness for the best shot. The brightness level is updated continuously as the shooter moves or lighting conditions change without requiring intervention on the part of the shooter.

A single control button is used to switch from OFF/SLEEP to AUTO to MANUAL. The manual mode overrides the automatic Target Light Sensor setting to provide steady reticle illumination. Manual mode has 10 daylight and 3 night vision brightness level settings which are cycled th

If you have read my posts in the past, you know I am a big HK fan, and their booth at shot had me drooling big time. The icing on the cake was a GMG hooked up to a digital interface for training. This allowed us to destroy pixelated trucks with virtual 40mm grenades!

My friend Chris and I had to try it. Here he is engaging enemy jpegs:

And myself:

And of course I took a video to show how neat the interface really is. Of course I think this may be the closes

Glock’s new G42 is on full display here at SHOT 2014. It’s a .380 Auto conceal carry gun with 6+1 capacity.

Holding it in my hand, it feels a bit different than other Glocks, notably that it’s significantly slimmer than the baby Glock 26. The 5.5lb trigger and sights are still signature Glock, and I’ve heard from a colleague that it shoots really nice with low perceived recoil making it easy to control.

I was disappointed last year when an ARX160 or a semiauto variant wasn’t on display. Hype had been that it was coming soon. This year the rifles rested atop a folding table, with the wind blowing the tablecloth over them; ignored wile the crowd was magnetized to the company’s pistols. Assuming I got lucky and didn’t have to wait, I approached the table.

The rep. handed me a loaded magazine. The mags are deceiving, they are the same color as GI aluminum’s, but are steel and made by Beretta. These are the type used by the Italian military, I was told.

The first handling experience was grip, with my torn shoulder I’m not comfortable extending my weak arm out straight and often use a more SMG type hold. The handguard looks as though it would be uncomfortable for this, but gave me little notice. The cheeckweld is thin but petite shooters, following me in line, had more of a problem than I did. The bolt release is manipulated with the trigger finger, and is stiff like the Bushmaster ACR’s similar arrangement, but with a lot less material to push on. I imag

FLIR’s been making thermal sights for as long as people have been using the technology, but historically they have always been for governments, and always exorbitantly priced.

The R-series of thermal weapon sights are the latest offering from FLIR Personal Vision systems, and offer what looks to be an impressive system for an affordable price. As affordable as thermal gets anyway.

Unlike the T60 and T70 series from FLIR Government systems, the RS units are well under $10,000. The entry level unit, the RS-24 has an MSRP of $3499.

Like the ATN Odin or the Armasight Zeus: the Thermosight RS is a stand-alone rifle sight built on FLIR’s Tau core with a variety of palettes and reticles.

But the FLIR unit is much less a “tv screen” and more like a traditional rifle optic with 3 inches of eye relief and an integral Larue mou

The finalized production version of the Trijicon VCOG (Variable Combat Optical Gunsight) 1-6x24mm at the pre-SHOT Show Media Day at the Range Event. The VCOG will available to at Trijicon dealer shortly after SHOT Show 2014.

The VCOG features a non-protruding battery compartment at the center-line 6-O’clock position. Its integral mount is perfect for the AR-15/AR-10 sight-height. I would probably replace the standard ACOG slotted thumb screw base with a LaRue LT681 QD mounting base and flip it around for more forward off-set.

TriStar Arms introduced a new tactical shotgun at the SHOT Show called the Cobra Marine.  The shotgun has an 18.5″ barrel and is finished in brushed nickel.  It has a synthetic stock.  The forearm has a Picatinny rail allowing for the addition of a white light or other accessory.

The Cobra Marine is a pump gun with a return spring.  After being pulled to the rear, the shooter can let go of the forearm and it will slide forward and chamber a shell.  The gun has a 3″ chamber.  MSRP is $369.

Cobra Marine Tactical Pump Features:

• Brushed nickel finish
• Spring-loaded forearm for fast cycling
• Picatinny rail on forearm
• Blade front sight
• 5-round magazine (shot plug included)
• Chrome-lined chamber and barrel
• Swivel studs
• One Beretta® style choke tube (Cyl)

One of the popular booths at Media Day was the Tac-Con booth with their 3MR trigger. While Chris posted his review here, I thought I would throw my opinion out as well.

Now I am a seasoned machine gunner, and have all kinds of experience turning money into noise with them so I knew going into this that the 3MR trigger would have to do a lot to dazzle me.

The Tac-Con booth was very cool, and they had some really tricked out ARs on display:

It was said best here, “Korth: you either know the name or you don’t. And if you do know it, you either dream of one day scraping together the scratch to buy one of the legendary German gunmaker’s custom pistols, or you think it’s silly to shell out untold thousands of dollars for a gun that’s not even made in the USA.”

In my opinion, when it comes to handguns there is no finer choice than a Korth pistol, and I own this monument to excess. The announcement of the new Korth PRS made me weak in the knees too, and this video shows how awesome it really is:

2014 Will mark my first SHOT Show attendance. While I did get an invite last year, unfortunately I was out of the country for an extended period of time and was unable to attend. This year however I have my boots on the ground here in Vegas so far it has been a blast! As a first time SHOT attendee I figured I would gather my impressions and post them here so you guys and gals get a feel for what it is like. The experience starts at the airport too, with banners and signs welcoming SHOT attendees!

At the Media shoot there are dozens of tents, all with manufacturers showcasing their wares.There is a distinct pistol, long rifle, shotgun, and kind of a misc. section. There are also large mobile trucks that the manufacturers use to showcase their wares (they are like rolling showrooms):

I g

During today’s Media Day at the range I stopped by the Winchester booth and had a look at the new ammo lineup.

They have some interesting ammunition coming out this year. As most of you recognize when a new shooter is being trained they will do well with training ammunition but be shooting all over the place with personal protection ammunition. The student also has trouble with the recoil not only as it relates to accuracy but it can also hurt the new shooters hand. This can cause some to give up on the idea of shooting. That person may also go ahead and carry without the needed training.

The new “Train & Defend” ammo is made to solve this problem. What Winchester has done is make training ammunition with a jacketed flatnose as well as a copper jacketed hollowpoint. Sounds pretty normal doesn’t it. Well the difference is both rounds have the same weight bullet with the same powder charge so that whether the shooter fires the training ammo or personal protection ammunition the recoil is the same as is the point of aim point of impact.

As most of you know I attended a Remington tactical products seminar at the world famous Gunsite Academy. That yielded the R51 announcement.

Well we have another product under the DPMS brand. This is an AR15 rifle in .308 caliber that has ben reengineered to a great degree with the purpose of not only upgrading the internals but shrinking the size and weight of the .308 to more closely resemble a 5.56 AR.

After having a chance to go hands on with this new model it is indeed very close to an AR15 in size as well as weight. While a 5.56 rifle weighs in at just over 6 pounds empty a .308 weighs in at a bit over 8 pounds. The new DPMS splits the difference at a little over 7 pounds.

Lets go through the various changes and steps involved in creating this innovative design.

The photo above shows the