Category: Gun Schtuff

‘Close Combat Force‘ is an Army euphemism for MOSs 11B Infantry Rifleman, 12B Combat Engineer (they go out and find mines) and 19D Cavalry Scout, and there are a whole lot more than 17,052 of them, so it looks like this is – maybe – a preliminary roll out for the Ranger Regiment’s, 82nd and 101st division’s combat troops.

The US Army Program Acquisition Costs FY2023 handout notes that FY2023 sees the start of:

…funding for the procurement and fielding of 1,704 NGSW-AR, which is the planned replacement for the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (SAW) within the Close Combat Force; Procurement and fielding of 15,348 NGSW-R which is the planned replacement for the M4A1 Carbine within the Close Combat Force.US Army Set To Procure 30,000 Next Generation Squad Weapons in 2023

The whole presentation: Continue reading “”

Hillsdale College Action Shooting Team Dominates Competition At 2022 SASP College Nationals
Led by top shooter Greg Clement, Hillsdale College’s Varsity Action Pistol team was a force to be reckoned with at the 2022 SASP National Championship

Hillsdalesasp2022 1

Hillsdale College’s Varsity Action Pistol Team performed well at its first competition of the year, securing first place in the 1911 division with a team score of 210.64 and also earning runner-up in the stock service pistol division scoring 227.50 at the 2022 Scholastic Action Shooting Program College National Championships, held March 11-13 at the CMP Talladega Marksmanship Park in Talladega, Alabama.

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“I WILL NOT COMPLY”
WASHINGTON LAWMAKERS PASS MAG CAPACITY LIMITS AS CLICHES FLY

Nothing makes less sense than politicians who know zip about firearms, to say nothing of personal protection, passing laws that put restrictions on guns used by armed citizens to defend themselves, their families and in an emergency, their neighbors.

Not only does a magazine ban affect rifles, it also will create problems
for people who own pistols such as this Sig Sauer P229 Elite with its greater capacity.

Washington lawmakers recently passed such a law, and to suggest it stinks would be excessively civil. According to the affected gun owners whose remarks I’ve read on social media, the Evergreen State is taking on a shade of brown, and it’s got nothing to do with fall colors.

Long story short, the legislation prohibits the import, sale, trade or manufacture of a “large capacity magazine,” which is defined as an “ammunition-feeding device with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition…” As one might guess, this set off a buying frenzy, because—and here’s the puzzling part—any such magazines owned prior to the July 1 effective date will be “grandfathered in.” That is, the owners can keep them.

I can hear you all wondering, “How are they going to enforce this?” Magazines don’t have serial numbers, and if somebody has a garage full of them, how would anyone prove that individual didn’t have all of those magazines six months ago?

I happen to own a trio of 25-round magazines for my Ruger 10/22, which—believe it or not—falls within the initiative-adopted definition of a “semi-automatic assault rifle.”

It is imperative for you folks in other states to remember Washington is considered something of a “test tube” state by the gun prohibition lobby. It used to be California, but the Pacific Northwest has become the new petri dish for all manner of gun control nonsense to see what can be passed, and what can’t. What is tried in Washington this year might be coming to a state legislature near you next year.

Outbreak of Clichés

As noted earlier, nothing makes less sense … except perhaps for how some people react on social media to a gun restriction anywhere in the United States.

It’s the same all over, whether in New Jersey, Oregon, California, and Massachusetts; pick a state with a new gun control law and I guarantee you will hear or see the following:

“I will not comply!” pops up first, frequently followed by “I had this tragic boating accident.” What may have been amusing a dozen years ago has lost its oomph. Besides, trying to be clever to get around a dumb gun law can end badly, and such claims are juvenile at best.

At this writing, plaintiffs in a federal case challenging California’s “high capacity” magazine ban had filed an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for review of their case, known as Duncan v. Bonta. They won twice, at trial and then on appeal to a three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco, but then the court held an en banc re-hearing with 11 judges, and they reversed.

So, since Washington is also in the Ninth Circuit, we’ll all probably see authorities in that state pushing hard to prevent the high court from reviewing the Duncan case. It is time for the Supremes to take such a case to further define the parameters of the Second Amendment. Let’s hope they are very broad.

Just for edification, the 10-round limit applies to pistol magazines as well as those for rifles. Suddenly, owners of striker- fired Glocks,  Springfields,  Smith & Wessons, SIG SAUERs and other popular pistol brands and models are paying attention. It’s not just guys with rifles who are being targeted. Handgunners are in the crosshairs as well.

I inquired with a couple of pals at the National Shooting Sports Foundation about the origin of the “magic” 10-round limit. Whose idea was that? Neither of my contacts was certain, but it appears to have originated with someone in the gun control lobby, once again demonstrating a lack of firearms understanding evidently rampant among that bunch.

All those first time gun buyers are now buying rifles because of Ukraine.

War in Ukraine helps boost gun sales in some U.S. cities

TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — Gun shops say sales of guns and ammunition are going up.

At Diamondback Shooting Sports, Ben Anderson says there’s no single explanation for the jump.

He says the war in Ukraine has boosted sales of the ammunition AK-47 rifles use because those rifles and similar models are being used in the war. That makes people who own AK style rifles in the U.S. worried the ammunition they use could become scarce.

High demand and supply chain shortages have led to shortages of some other types of ammunition too.

Anderson says the pandemic prompted some people to buy guns and they may be adding additional weapons now.

“A lot of times now where we had the big rush of first time gun owners during the COVID times, and now what we’re seeing is those individuals that purchased a pistol or a rifle or a shotgun are now coming back in for that alternate firearm,” Anderson said. “So if they purchased a pistol, they’re here for a shotgun, if they purchased a rifle, they’re here for a pistol etc.”

Anderson says gun sales tend to rise when the President’s a Democrat because gun owners worry gun controls will be tightened and gun sales tend to fall when a Republican is in office.

He says Diamondback offers firearms training and self defense training that does not involve guns and demand for that training’s been steady for about three years.

ooookay.

It would be an easy conversion, you don’t have to ask how I know.

US Army Seeks a M240 6.8mm Conversion Kit

US Army Seeks a M240 6.8mm Conversion Kit

The US Army has released a sources sought notice for a 6.8mm conversion kit for the M240B and M240L machine guns. The kit will convert the weapons from 7.62x51mm to the 6.8mm round which wins the Next Generation Squad Weapon program. The move is essentially market research to find vendors who might be capable of providing kits that include all necessary parts to convert the 7.62x51mm M240s to the new round. This might include barrels, gas systems, action springs and bolt assembly parts.

The US Army’s Army Contracting Command, based at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey is conducting the  sources sought notice on behalf of the Project Manager Soldier Lethality (PMSL). The short description of the capability sought states that “the durability, reliability, and function of the M240 weapon platform cannot be significantly compromised with a change in ammunition.” There is no mention of the type of ammunition be it SIG Sauer’s hybrid metal cased round or True Velocity’s polymer cased round. The notice states, in capitals: “A TECHNICAL DATA PACKAGE (TDP) WILL NOT BE PROVIDED IN SUPPORT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.”

US Army Contracting Command state that:

The conversion kit should include all hardware and instructions needed to modify a standard M240B and/or M240L to fire the 6.8mm ammunition. This will include a new barrel assembly and may include changes to the weapon powering through updates to the gas regulator, drive spring, or other means. The barrel assembly may be either of the standard barrel length (M240B) or short barrel (M240L). Information on 6.8mm ammunition type, specifications, and availability should be provided.

US Army Seeks a M240 6.8mm Conversion Kit

M240B in TV 6.8mm (True Velocity)

We do know that True Velocity have demonstrated a capability to convert legacy weapon systems to chamber their 6.8mm TV round. Back in June 2021, they announced that they had successfully converted M40s, M134 Miniguns and the M110 and Knights Armament LAMG to chamber the 6.8mm round.

The notice was launched on 15 March and runs through until the end of the month. Vendors submitting to the notice have been asked to provide information on their ability to scale up manufacturing and production of kits to higher quantities but the notice shouldn’t be considered a request for proposal.

DON’T BELIEVE THE HYPE. SMART GUN TECH STILL NOT READY FOR PRIMETIME

By Larry Keane

There is a media blitz afoot, pitched by developers of authorized user recognition technology equipped firearms; what the media refers to as so-called, “smart guns.” Several of these companies herald that this is the year when they will finally bring their product to market. It might be a little premature to start popping corks, though.

Despite reports praising companies preparing to launch options for consumers, and polling showing Americans may be open to considering this concept, one critical question remains: Are buyers willing to risk their life on authorized user recognition technology?

So long as the answer from firearm purchasers remains “No,” retailers will not sacrifice shelf space for an unreliable product consumers don’t want to buy.
Prove It
Morning Consult released polling of Americans’ relative “acceptance” of “smart guns” and pitches a rather optimistic outlook.

“After decades of delays and controversy over smart guns, 2022 could be the year that the new weaponry is brought to market.”

The article reports Americans are “interested” in “smart” gun technology and “support the development” of the firearms. Less than half, 43 percent, of those surveyed say they are “very interested” or “somewhat interested” in personalized guns equipped with authorized-user technology, while more than half, 54 percent, aren’t. NSSF’s polling in 2019 showed that just five percent said they were inclined to purchase a so-called “smart gun” with 70 percent saying they still had concerns about reliability.

Firearms equipped with authorized-user technology involves adding electronics that in theory only allows a gun to be fired by a verified, authorized user after unlocked by using either a fingerprint, a pin code or through embedded field communication (RFID) connected to a smartphone or other Bluetooth device. Firearm owners know that guns must work as designed each and every time. There’s no room for failure. Adding in electronics to guns adds points of failure and could have horrific consequences for those who rely on them for self-defense.

LodeStar Works Inc., is one developer working to hit the market this year. President and CEO Gareth Glaser is hopeful. Glaser said, “It’s been around a long time now. Everybody uses one form or another of authentication technology on their smartphone.”

The problem for developers lies in the fact that support for “technology development” does not equate to, “I will buy a smart gun.” Not to mention a firearm is incomparable to an iPhone or Bluetooth speaker. Phones and guns are completely different products and equivocating them is beyond tone-deaf to the firearm market that has seen elevated sales largely driven by concerns for personal safety. If the facial or fingerprint recognition on your iPhone doesn’t recognize you, you’re inconvenienced. If your firearm doesn’t unlock in a time of need, you could be dead.

Failing Track Record

The hype for “The Year of the Smart Gun” began early. Leading up to SHOT Show® 2022 in Las Vegas, these new companies were pitching their products as the “hot” new thing.

“Exclusive: Smart guns finally arriving in U.S., seeking to shake up firearms market,” read a Reuters headline. “‘Smart Gun’ Companies Aim For 2022 Commercial Release,” said another. “Are ‘smart guns’ finally arriving in the U.S.? Here is what we know,” was the headline from The Deseret News. The article began, stating as fact, that “Smart guns…will finally become available to American consumers after decades of questions regarding reliability.”

The Reload was the most measured and accurate. “‘Smart Guns’ Come to the Industry’s Trade Show Amid Hype and Skepticism.”

The history of this technology is not one of success, including hacked and failing test runs. A demonstration by LodeStar prior to SHOT Show® 2022 failed too. A demonstration to show off the technology to shareholders shows an individual loading, chambering and clicking the fingerprint keypad on the side of the 9 mm handgun equipped with the authorized-user technology.

“Alright, ready? Everybody got ears? Alright. Two rounds coming,” he says before firing. Only one round successfully fired while the demonstrator is visibly seen and heard pulling the trigger multiple times for the remaining round before the video abruptly ends. That’s during a controlled test under ideal conditions and in front of the media.

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Olight Ecommerce Technology Recalls Flashlights Due to Burn Hazard

Dear Olight M2R Pro & Warrior Mini Customers,

Although the M2R Pro and Warrior Mini have always been well loved, these models may be turned on inadvertently and overheat while stored in a holster or a consumer’s pocket, posing a burn hazard. Olight is now voluntarily recalling these products in the United States in cooperation with CPSC.

Hereby, we are calling you:

If you own one of these recalled flashlights, please immediately stop using it and contact Olight for store credit, or a replacement flashlight, or a full refund.

Olight will cover all shipping costs.

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FYI; All data pulled from massshootingtracker.site which freely and openly admit their definition of ‘mass shooting’ isn’t what the FBI uses for its Uniform Crime Report (and which just happens to increases the number of incidents)

Here are a few tidbits according to the data provided for 2021:

California has the 3rd highest number of mass shootings (54 by their definition).

New York was 5th with 41.

Both have had magazines and AR bans for 28 and 9 years respectively.

Inversely Alaska, Idaho, New Hampshire, and South Dakota have had only 1 mass shooting with no such gun control laws.

Hrmmm. I think I see the possibility of a pattern emerging. It’s like gun control doesn’t just not work, it makes the problem worse!

I think 25,000,000+ AR ‘style’ rifles can be termed  “in ‘common use™’”
Now where have I read ‘common use’ before…Oh! Oh! Oh! Mistah Cahtahr!
I’ll take Caetano V Massachusetts for $500, Alex
So, guns in ‘common use’ are especially protected by 2nd amendment restrictions on goobermint?
Who Da Thunk It!

Common Use: Academic Survey Shows Over 30% Of Gun Owners Have Owned AR Style Rifles

Wake Forest sociology professor David Yamane is an active analyst of America’s gun culture and runs the Gun Curious blog. He also teaches a course in the sociology of guns. In his latest Light Over Heat video, Dr. Yamane calls attention to a survey done last year by Georgetown Professor William English.

From the survey’s abstract . . .

This report summarizes the findings of a national survey of firearms ownership and use conducted between February 17th and March 23rd, 2021 by the professional survey firm Centiment. This survey, which is part of a larger book project, aims to provide the most comprehensive assessment of firearms ownership and use patterns in America to date. This online survey was administered to a representative sample of approximately fifty-four thousand U.S. residents aged 18 and over, and it identified 16,708 gun owners who were, in turn, asked in-depth questions about their ownership and their use of firearms, including defensive uses of firearms.

English is also the author of a paper last year titled The Right to Carry Has Not Increased Crime: Improving an Old Debate Through Better Data on Permit Growth Over Time.

In the 2021 national survey, English set out to, among other things, determine exactly how prevalent AR-pattern rifle and “high capacity” magazine ownership really is among America’s gun owners. That’s not merely an academic question as the Heller decision established the “common use” standard for firearms that can’t be regulated out of existence by hoplophobic politicians.

What exactly constitutes “common use” is, of course, an angels-on-the-head-of-a-pin, you-know-it-when-you-see-it style subjective legal question. But as Professor Yamane notes, Professor English’s survey found that just over 30% of gun owners report ownership (past or present) of an AR-15 style rifle. He also found almost half of gun owners surveyed report owning “high capacity” magazines, those that hold over 10 rounds of ammunition.

Yamane isn’t an attorney and neither are we. But English’s survey has turned up AR ownership by roughly 25 million (higher than the number usually quoted) and “high capacity” magazine ownership by close to 50 million gun owners (which seems low to us).

As Yamane puts it . . .

If we look at one-third to half of gun owners, I would say that ownership of AR-15-style rifles and high or standard capacity magazines is fairly common empirically.

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. Whether you’re a fan of the “common use” standard or not, that’s the law of the land right now. And data such as these demonstrate — quite clearly — that any efforts to limit magazine capacity and ban scary-looking firearms are, by any measure, unconstitutional. That’s hopefully something that the Supreme Court’s pending decision in the New York case and others will help to further clarify.

See Professor English’s full 2021 National Firearms Survey results here.

Unless you’ve had a grounding in how the Stoner system really works, a good set of tools and Technical manuals, and a certain amount of experience working on ARs (like say having been a military and/or civil service small arms repairer as I was) you may wind up better off buying either a whole factory built rifle, or factory built uppers to go with factory built lower. From my experience, the manufacturers, especially those that have or have had military contracts, don’t just meet the standards of the Technical Data Package, but purposefully exceed it.

Is It Better to Go Factory or Build a One-Off AR-15?

The Hard Truth About Costs Associated with an AR

You can build your own AR! You could probably also buy a better AR with included liability protection (in the form of headspacing and specification pairing) and a brand name cohesive look for less than the build price.

Sure, price isn’t always everything, but it matters, especially when you can get factory integrated high end rifles with desirable third party accessories or brand collaborations, and it costs less than the parts total for your buildout.

Is it always the truth that factory builds are cheaper or offer more bang for the buck? No. In fact, for large swaths of time in the past 15 years there were periods where builders enjoyed a parts glut on the market and the manufacturers were more expensive for the same thing as what you could build for a couple hours (or less) of assembly time.

Right now, it’s pretty close to even, with a slight advantage on the low end side of the market for the factories over a parts build.

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Tiger shooters take state title

The Ozark High School JROTC battalion rifle team earned a clean sweep of the championship trophies at the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) State Championship on Jan. 15.

The Tigers came in first place in both the precision and sporter rifle divisions of the team competition that was held in Washington, Missouri.

“We continue to work hard day in and day out and I’m very proud to see this team rewarded for all of their hard work,” said 1st Sgt. William Crawford, Ozark High School JROTC instructor and rifle team coach. “There were roughly 15 schools with over 25 teams, which made for a highly-competitive field. Consistency is accuracy and accuracy is consistency.”

Ozark’s triumphs also extended to the individual competition, as the Tigers claimed the top three spots in both the precision and sporter divisions.

“As a team, we have worked very diligently and put in many long hours to better ourselves as shooters, competitors and fellow teammates,” said Ozark rifle team captain Elijah Glenn. “Our performance at the state championship was a reflection of our dedication to each other and our commitment to representing Ozark JROTC to the best of our abilities.”

The state meet marked the first competition of the new calendar year for the Ozark rifle team. The shooting Tigers are headed into the home stretch of their 2021-22 season, and will compete next at the CMP Army Service National Championship in Anniston, Alabama, Feb. 2-6.

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‘Proprietary magazines’ *cough* stupid *cough*
Now, I understand the business model concept, but if I were going to introduce something this close to the AR pattern 9mm ‘pistol’, it would either take the modified Uzi mags that Colt developed for their 9mm AR, or it would take Glock magazines. It’s like all the different versions of 1911s or HiPowers.
One magazine to rule them all

Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF-USA) was at SHOT Show 2022 showing off their brand-new 9x19mm pistol called the Phoenix.

pof-usa phoenix 9mm subgun pistol shot show 2022

The gun has been in development for a while. At SHOT Show 2015, we got our first glimpse of it. Frank DeSomma, who tragically lost his life in an automobile accident in 2020, showed it to Guns.com. Back then, it was called the PSG, which stood for Patriot Sub Gun.

Despite DeSomma’s passing, POF-USA has continued to produce high-quality and innovative firearms. The Phoenix is no exception. It was officially released at this year’s SHOT Show. POF-USA engineer John Capps was there to show it to us.

DIRECT WEIGHTED BLOWBACK
It features a direct-weighted blowback system making it very easy to control according to Capps. “It is a monolithic upper. Billet lower. Has all AR-15 fire controls and ambidextrous buttons like our AR does. Bolt release, mag release button is ambi like our other rifles are. It’s going to ship with a MIL-SPEC trigger. It’s 4.6 pounds, so it’s fairly light and small for its size. It has a very small handguard compared to its competitors,” said Capps.

SMALL, LIGHT PACKAGE
It is 17.5 inches long and is compatible with a brace or stock that has a 1913 Picatinny rail on the back. It has a forward non-reciprocating charging handle that can be moved to the left or right side. It also hosts a new 9mm 1/2×28-threaded dual-port compensator.

PROPRIETARY MAGAZINES
The Phoenix will ship with a single proprietary 35-round magazine. The reason POF decided to do this was for reliability and to make the gun as much like an AR platform as possible. Twenty and 10-round mags will also be available. The price point for additional mags will be around $30 according to Capps.