Semiauto rifles are taken for granted today – every military in the world uses them, they are the mainstay of many types of competition, most police forces, and a great many hunters. And yet, the self-loading rifle in a full size military cartridge only became common a fairly short time ago. When World War II broke out, only the US actually had such a rifle as the standard infantry arm, and many nations didn’t make the switch until the 1950s.

Of course, self-loading rifles were being developed well over a hundred years ago, and I think some of the early ones are very interesting guns. So why don’t we take a look at some of those early designs?

Remington Model 8

Considering his creativity and omnipresence in firearms design, it should come as no surprise that John Moses Browning developed a self-loading rifle very early – he had a patent granted in 1900 that would become the Remington Model 8 rifle. The Model 8 came on the market in 1906, and built itself a reputation as a reliable, durable, and somewhat awkward hunter’s weapon. It was available in four calibers; .25, .30, .32, and .35 Remington, and all of these were respectably powerful rounds, pushing bullets at around 2100 fps and generating up to 2100 ftlb of energy. So far, this sounds like a pretty decent military arm – but we’re getting to the problems. The Model 8 used a long-recoil operating system (same type as the infamous French Chauchat LMG), which was just fine for hunting but prone to overheating and malfunctioning with high volumes of shooting. The Model 8 also used a fixed 5-round single stack magazine, which was not well suited to military use.

Remington Model 8

The Model 8 was fairly front-heavy as it was, and beefing it up for military service would have made the weight unacceptable. The single-stack magazine also was less than ideal for military use – the extended magazines made for police use were much too long to be acceptable to a military. Remington likely saw these issues, and realized that the chances of adapting a successful military version were much too slim to justify the R&D expense that would be involved.

Winchester 1905/07/10

Winchester produced a series of self-loading sporting rifles to compete with the Remington Model 8. Where the Remington was a clever and complex design, the Winchester approach was basically one of brute force. The Winchester rifles were chambered for .32 and .35 caliber straight-walled rounds which developed much less velocity than the Remington line – around 1400fps (although the Winchester 1907 was used the larger .351 Winchester round, and the 1910 model the even larger .401 Winchester round). By using lower powered ammunition, Winchester was able to design the 1905 as a simple blowback action, using a large weight inside the handguard fixed to the bolt.

Winchester Model 1905

The Winchester self-loaders were relatively inexpensive, and effective sporting arms. The blowback mechanism was stretched to its practical limits in the .401 caliber 1910 model, and the rifle could never have been adapted to the military .30-06 cartridge, thus preventing any chance at a military model.

Cei-Rigotti

One of the earliest semiauto rifles developed was the brainchild of an Italian Bersaglieri (light infantry) Major named Amerigo Cei-Rigotti. The rifle that came to be known simply by his name is also one of the more ergonomically practical of the early self-loaders – it is short, light, and comfortable to handle. Although it was made from scratch, the Cei-Rigotti design uses the common bolt action as a starting point. It uses a receiver and bolt design from a Carcano, and uses a short-stroke gas piston under the barrel in conjunction a cam to open and close the bolt. The distinctive tube on the right side of the weapon is actually just a charging handle and recoil spring guide.

Cei-Rigotti

The Cei Rigotti was tested by number of European military forces, and adopted by none. Unfortunately, the only testing report that has come to light is from a British test, which noted major reliability problems. It also noted that the ammunition used for the test was seriously damaged in transit, which leaves us to wonder how the rifle would have fared if tested with proper ammunition. On a larger note, it is surprising how often experimental military arms fail testing because of obviously bad ammunition…

Meunier A6

The French military was on the cutting edge of firearms development at this time, and had a pretty serious R&D program working on self-loading rifles. After a series of trials, the Meunier A6 emerged as a remarkably advanced and effective design. Like the Remington Model 8, the A6 used a long-recoil mechanism and a rotating bolt. It also used an excellent 7mm rimless cartridge instead of the then-standard 8mm Lebel round. The Lebel cartridge was rimmed and heavily tapered – good for its time, but rendered obsolete by new developments and not ideal for self-loading designs.

Meunier A6

The Meunier A6 was actually put into production in 1913, but the impending war led to its abandonment in the name of logistics. It was simply impossible to reequip the army with new modern rifles in a short time, and maintaining two different infantry rifle cartridges would have been a strain on the supply chain. Had World War I not intervened, France likely would have become the first major military power to adopt a self-loading rifle, and it would have been the Meunier A6.

RSC Model 1917/1918

Despite the formal French self-loading rifle trials being dropped as WWI approached, interest in repeating rifles persisted. During the war, a team of French engineers (Ribeyrolles, Sutter, and Chauchat) designed a rifle in 8mm Lebel that they proceeded to pitch to the government as a conversion kit for the standard 1886 Lebel rifle. The idea of way to convert older bolt action rifles into modern self-loaders was of course quite appealing, and since they would use the same ammunition, logistical issues would be (theoretically) much simpler.

RSC Model 1917

However, the “conversion kit” talk was…how shall we say it? Mostly marketing. It truth, the buttstock was pretty much the only part of a Lebel that could be used in an RSC Model 1917 rifle. Still, it was enough to get a foot in the door, so to speak, and more than 85,000 of the guns were made before the end of hostilities (mostly the original 1917 model, but late in the war an improved 1918 model rifle and shortened carbine also went into production). This would prove to be the most-produced self-loading rifle of the First World War, although its performance left a lot to be desired. Ironically, logistics still turned out to be an issue, as the RSC used a 5-round clip that was not interchangeable with the 5-round clips for the M1916 Berthier rifles that were being developed at the same time. After the war, the rifles were mostly sent out to colonial forces, and it would be 1940 before France finally adopted a self-loading rifle (and 1949 before they really perfected it).

Farquhar-Hill

The Farquhar-Hill was a British design initially patented in 1908, although it went through a major revision in 1915. In its final iteration, it used a unique double-piston gas operating system. In a nutshell, gas was tapped form the barrel and then used to push a spring loaded piston. When the front end of that piston was pushed all the way back, it would lock in place and the rear end would be released, which was connected to the bolt and bolt carrier. The rationale for this system was so that in the case of an over-pressure round, the piston would still stop at the same place and the excess gas would just vent out the barrel. Thus the spring pressure operating the bolt would remain consistent, and the gun would be more reliable.

Farquhar-Hill

In practice, however, the whole mechanism proved too delicate for general infantry use. The British Army rejected it, although the Royal Flying Corps (predecessor to the RAF) did make some use of them, as aircraft use was much cleaner than the trenches, and the semiauto action much more of advantage in aerial combat. The Farquhar-Hill’s 19-round drum magazine (using standard .303 British ammunition) was another advantage for aerial use. When shooting the Farquhar-Hill, a slight delay in operation is noticeable, because of the front of the piston has to finish moving before the bolt begins to travel. It is a very pleasant rifle to shoot, although a bit heavy.

Liu

General Liu was a Chinese officer and firearms designer who developed a rifle based on the Danish Bang system for use by the Chinese Army during the 1910s. The Bang system was the design initially seen as most promising by US Ordnance officers as well, and it led to the gas trap system of the early M1 Garand and the German G41 rifles. Basically, a cup was placed just past the muzzle of the rifle, with a bullet-sized hole in it. This cup was connected by a long rod and a lever to the bolt carrier. When the rifle was fired, the muzzle cup would catch the muzzle blast and be pulled forward, and the connecting rod would transfer this inertia to the bolt. Testing of Liu’s design in China was successful enough that he travelled to the US, and contracted with Colt to produce an initial series of rifles and all the tooling necessary to mass produce them in China.

General Liu’s rifle

The contract was fulfilled, but unfortunately Liu died while en route back to China, and the program fell apart without his leadership. The machinery was left on the docks after its arrival, and years later what could be salvaged from neglect was modified to be used building ZB-26 light machine guns instead.

While the Bang system seemed pretty good to Ordnance men in the 1910s, it proved flawed under extended tests. All of the rifles of this basic type ever made have suffered from reliability problems, as the muzzle gasses deposit fouling on the moving parts and eventually gun them up to the point of failure. One should note that the final iteration of the M1 Garand in fact abandoned the system, using a gas port in the barrel instead.

Luger Model 1906

Even before his adaptation of the Borchardt pistol had been adopted by the German Army, Georg Luger had built a couple experimental versions of a military rifle using the same toggle action. Not much is known about the rifle’s performance, as it was never put into production and the reports from any testing are lost. If I was forced to guess, I would wager that the rifle had extraction problems, as the toggle system does not work very well in a shoulder rifle with high-pressure ammunition. The Pedersen rifle developed in the US had this sort of trouble, which was addressed by using wax-coated ammunition (a major factor in its loss to the Garand for US service use).

Luger Model 1906

Madsen-Rasmussen 1896

The Madsen-Rasmussen has the honor of being the first self-loading rifle to be adopted by a formal military force, as the Danish Marines purchased a batch of 60 of them for their harbor fortresses after successful trials in 1896. The design process began in 1883, and the Madsen system is a unique and complex one. It is most easily described as a falling block system, as the bolt is pinned to the receiver at the back, and pivots up and down like a Martini-Henry as it cycles. The system saw real success as the model 1902 Madsen light machine gun (which saw service worldwide and remains in sporadic use even today), and the rifle design was mechanically very similar. It was a short recoil system, and used a top-feeding magazine (the early and unsuccessful 1888 version actually used a gravity-fed exposed stack of cartridges rather like a Gatling gun’s Bruce feed stick).

Madsen-Rasmussen M1896

The Madsen-Rasmussen was testing internationally (including in the US), but not adopted elsewhere as a self-loading rifle. The designers saw the writing on the wall, and are to be commended for making it into a very successful light machine gun. In that form, a much greater overall weight was acceptable, and this allowed them to make larger and more robust parts. Whether the system could ever have been made light enough for a shoulder rifle while retaining military-grade reliability is doubtful.

Mannlicher 1905

Ferdinand von Mannlicher was another prominent firearms designer in Austria at the time, having invented a series of successful automatic pistols. He also made an attempt to win a military contract, with a model 1905 self-loading rifle. As with the Luger self-loader, testing reports are unavailable and only a few of the guns were ever made. The design is a short-recoil action with a tiling locking block – basically his 1901 pistol-caliber carbine scaled up to 8mm Mauser.

Mannlicher 1905 action (photo courtesy NFC, Leeds, UK)

It is possible that this design could have been made into something successful, but von Mannlicher died in 1904 and it wasn’t pursued any further. In fact, the patent on the design was actually issued after his death.

Mauser M1916

As the designers of the wildly popular and successful series of bolt action rifles, the Mauser brothers could be sure that any semi-automatic rifle they designed would be given consideration by military forces worldwide. Paul Mauser spend many years working on self-loading rifles (and lost an eye to an out-of-battery detonation in one of his early prototypes). After experimenting with several different systems, he settled on a delayed blowback system which was adopted by German the German airship corps in 1915 and the German fixed-wing air corps in 1916. Like most of its contemporaries, it was a delicate mechanism that would only function reliably when quite clean. As a result, it was unsuitable for ground infantry use, but the clean aircraft environment and the advantage of rapid fire there gave it a brief window of service use in early WWI.

Mauser M1916

The Mauser was a quite accurate rifle, but it was very expensive to manufacture. It was generally replaced in service by Mondragon rifles purchased from Switzerland, which were less accurate and less reliable, but significantly less expensive. Of course, those Mondragons were subsequently replaced by carious machine guns as aircraft armaments became more sophisticated.

Mondragon 1907

Mexican President Porfirio Diaz was an avid firearms enthusiast, and his administration encouraged development in firearms, including work by an Army officer named Manuel Mondragon. Mondragon worked in Switzerland for some time and developed a number of different firearms, although he is best known for his 1907 model self-loading rifle. This weapon was adopted by the Mexican Army in 1908, chambered for 7x57mm Mauser ammunition. Mechanically, the rifle uses a gas piston and a rotating bolt, along with detachable box magazines. It also includes a feature that was fairly common at the time due to concerns about troops wasting ammunition – a gas cutoff. This allows the gas port to be closed off, effectively making the rifle into a straight-pull bolt action. Doctrine intended that soldiers would only switch to semiautomatic operation in emergency circumstances, and would normally operate the rifle manually to artificially reduce their rate of fire and save ammunition. Needless to say, as semiauto rifles started to see actual combat use, this notion was quickly abandoned.

Mondragon 1907 with drum magazine

Mexico ordered 4000 Mondragon rifles, which were being manufactured by SIG. They ignored SIG’s warning that the system would not work well with low quality ammunition (which described most of what was available in Mexico at the time), and the Mexican government cancelled the order after just one thousand rifles were delivered when they discovered this problem firsthand. The remaining 3000 rifles ended up beign sold to Germany during WWI, where they were used as aircraft armament until aerial machine guns became commonplace.

Bolt Action Conversions

Of course, one thing every military force was interested in was a way to convert existing bolt action rifles into self-loaders. Everyone had large quantities of bolt guns, and being able to reuse them would offer a significant monetary savings over adoption of a wholly new rifle. The opportunity to win a lucrative military contract led inventors and tinkerers worldwide to try their hands at this problem, and many experimental conversions were built. All were ultimately unsuccessful, and information is generally very hard to come by on them as a result.

Charlton conversion

The most common method to make such a conversion was to add a gas port to the front of the rifle, and slap a gas piston onto the side of the stock. The bolt handle would be cut off, and replaced with a camming plate on the end of the gas piston, so that rearward movement of the piston would rotate the bolt to unlock it and then open it. A return spring would around the gas piston would close and lock the bolt by the same path in reverse. The conversion was simplified for the countries (like Austria) which had adopted straight-pull rifles, as the camming system didn’t have to be added. The most successful example of this mechanism was the Charlton LMG built out of Lee Metford rifles in New Zealand early in WWII, but even those were quickly relegated to reserve use and never saw combat.

Others

We have barely scratched the surface here – virtually every country with a firearms industry had inventors working on semiautomatic rifles in the early years of the 20th century. The US alone looked as dozens before finally adopting the Garand rifle. Do you have a favorite one that I didn’t mention? Tell me in the comments!

The modern Enfield Rifle Company officially launched the MERC415 Type I carbine.  Although the company opened in December 2012, the official announcement was held until now due to recent market volatility.

Based in Clayton, Georgia (USA), the company sees itself as “an Old World name combined with New World technology to the American commercial market for the first time.”  The first rifle the company has brought to the market is the MERC415.  MERC stands for “modern Enfield Rifle Company.”

The MERC415 is and M4-style AR-15 with a 16″ 1:7 barrel.  The bore and chamber are both chrome lined.

The MERC415 uses a variety of off-the-shelf finishing items, including a Magpul MOE stock, a Magpul flip up rear sight, a MOE pistol grip and the YHM Aggressive Phantom flash suppressor.  The rifle comes with a single Magpul 30 round magazine and a hard plastic case.  The total weight of the gun is 6.3 pounds.

Enfield Rifle Company developed a new term:  Mil-GRADE.  Mil-GRADE is an effort to describe the features and build quality of the rifle without invoking the frequently mis-used Mil-Spec term.  According to Enfield:

Mil-GRADE stands for Military-Government Requirements And Data Equivalent. It is akin to “Mil-Spec” but without the implications that it is built to the US Government Technical Data Package and that all the associated red tape of lot certifications, testing and Government inspections are taking place. “We don’t think most of what is being called ‘Mil-Spec’ is truly military specification when taking into account what that literally means, so we needed a name to convey what we are doing,” said Nigel Boothe, one of the founding Members and Chairman of the company.

IWI’s Galil ACE rifle, a modern version of the Galil, has been making significant inroads in the South and Central American markets. This video from Vice shows soldiers patrolling with the Galil ACE (00:50 onwards).

The rest of the documentary is also is interesting, although a little contrived (I think they played a sound track of children playing when they were interviewing the artillery officer. We never see children and the artillery in the same scene, something no Vice cameraman would fail to shoot if he could).

Many thanks to Tincankilla for the tip.

[ This review was written by Dr. Jim and Mary Clary ]

For years we pretty much mounted our scopes the old fashioned way, setting our rifle between two sandbags to level it out, placing the scope in the rings and using our eye to “level” the horizontal bar of the reticle and then adjusting the vertical component until it was perpendicular to the axis of the rifle.  While it worked, it was time consuming and not always perfect.  Since that time, several inexpensive reticle leveling systems have come on the market that work well for the average shooter who mounts only one or two scopes a year.

However, for professionals who set up scopes for paying customers, a faster and more accurate system is required. Wheeler Engineering designed their Professional Reticle Leveling System with dealers and gunsmiths in mind (and folks like us who like neat time-saving tools).   What is very nice about this system is that it can be used on any type of firearm:  bolt action, falling block, pump action or semi-automatics, including AR platforms.

We set a new test rifle (CVA Optima V2) into our Tipton Gun Vise.  The Tipton vise is one of the handiest tools you can have on your reloading bench.    It will securely handle any rifle or shotgun made.  OK, you might have trouble with a Barrett M82A1 50 BMG, but for conventional sporting firearms, the Tipton Vise works perfectly.  Mounting a scope, making repairs or cleaning your gun is easy if you have this device.  It is well worth the MSRP of $129.99 USD.  But, we digress, this article is about the Wheeler Engineering Professional Reticle Leveling System.

The instructions for the Professional Reticle Leveling System (PRLS) are so simple that rather than paraphrase them, we decided to simply quote them as follows:  “The system is comprised of two machined aluminum level housings calibrated to their integrated levels. The Barrel Clamp Level is attached to the gun’s barrel while the smaller Reference Level is placed on scope base, bottom half of a ring or other flat surface perpendicular to the vertical axis of the gun. The gun is then rotated until the Reference Level is aligned. The tuning adjustment knob on the Barrel Clamp Level is then turned until its level is centered to match the Reference Level. At this point the Barrel Clamp Level is calibrated to the guns axis. The Scope can be installed loosely and the Reference Level placed on top of the scopes turret cap. The scope is rotated until the Reference Level is aligned with the Barrel Clamp Level and then simply secured in place.”

It took more time to torque the rings down with my F.A.T. wrench than it did to level out the reticle on the new scope.  Given the fact that we change our scopes around a lot during the course of a year, I believe that we will keep the PRLS.  With an MSRP of $64.99, it is not cheap.  However, given its precision, quality and the ease of operation, it is a fair price for the guaranteed accuracy of the results.  After all, what good is a three or four hundred dollar scope if it is not properly mounted?

H&K’s long awaited polymer AR-15 magazines are now shipping. They feature a translucent polymer body, using the same material that has been in use used to make the G36 magazines that have been in use for over 15 years and seen use in a number of conflicts around the world. It is on sale at at the H&K web store for $19.95.

Heckler & Koch reliability and durability in a 30 round 5.56 mm Polymer Magazine at a special price. Designed to provide optimal ammunition feeding for any M16/M4/AR15-type weapon, the HK 30-Round Polymer Magazine can be used in any firearm that uses a NATO-standard 5.56 mm magazine. The HK 30 Round Polymer Magazine is drop, crush, and impact resistant and features an anti-tilt follower as well as HK proprietary geometry and design features for exceptional performance.

• Same high strength, lightweight polymer used on combat proven HK’s G36 and HK417 magazines
• Corrosion resistant
• Low profile base plate
• Fits existing magazine pouches and magazine carriers
• Anti-tilt follower
• Translucent body serves as an immediate loading indication
• Advanced spring
• Reinforcing ribs for added strength
• High quality polymer materials
• Non-reflexive body and low IR signature
• Low maintenance, disassembles without tools
• High and low temperature environmentally tested
• Width: 2.7 inches (69,8 mm)
• Height: 7.5 inches (190 mm)
• Weight (empty): .2 lb. ( 124 g)

A reader emailed us a photo taken in an Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit’s building at an Army base in Afghanistan. This rifle was proudly on display next to a selection of disarmed M18 Claymore clones. At the readers request I cropped the rest of the photo out, to avoid identifying the soldiers in the photo.

The rifle is not nearly as well made as the AK/M4-clone rifle we featured last week on this blog. It is primitive in comparison. The carry handle/rear sight, stock and handguard look like the kind of quality you might expect from a cheap toy gun. I think they were probably made from a photo of a real M4.

The funny thing is that these features at best add nothing to the AK, at worst make it harder to use. I don’t believe the sights are even close to being aligned correctly (see diagram below). It is possible that the front post sight is simply for decoration and that the front sight is actually housed in the carry handle, giving it a sight radius comparable to a handgun, much worse than even the compact AK-74SU.

Don’t think I am complaining … long may the poor quality rifles continue to flow over the Pakistani border

This post was written by Dr. Jim and Mary Clary.

Under most circumstances, shooters don’t have to worry about chambering the wrong cartridge into the wrong rifle. After all, the cartridges are well marked and we all know which rifle we are shooting on any given day. In many cases, incorrect cartridges cannot be chambered–larger cases will not fit in smaller chambers, for example. No problem! That being said, I can tell you that even an experienced, careful and normally safe shooter can make a mistake.

The following is an account of just such a mistake that could have resulted in death or dismemberment. Fortunately, the shooter was not hurt, but the rifle was completely destroyed.

Last year, a friend purchased a Savage Precision right bolt, left port, single shot bolt action in 6mmBR Norma. It was an incredible prairie dog gun and he spent the summer burning powder and busting dogs. In October, he purchased a stainless steel Browning A-Bolt Varmint in .223 WSSM. The weather in the upper Midwest turned sour by the time he got the brass tuned up and he only got to fire it a few times before he was “socked in” for the winter. Thus, he spent his evenings loading ammo for the spring thaw.

During a break in the weather, he grabbed both rifles and a couple of bags of .223 WSSM and 6mmBR cartridges and headed to the range to check out his new loads. In case you are not familiar, the 6mmBR is smaller in diameter and a mite shorter than the .223 WSSM. Because of this, it will chamber in a .223 WSSM, but the .24 caliber bullet is too big for the .22 caliber bore. That is what happened to my friend.

The rest is history; when he squeezed the trigger, all hell broke loose. The entire bottom of the rifle blew out, including the magazine assembly. The explosion actually cut the stock into two pieces. However, the bolt held and amazing as it may seem, the .243 bullet was “swaged” right out of the .223 barrel.

Now, realize that my friend has been shooting all manner of firearms, safely, for over half a century. He is meticulous, thorough and conscientious in his approach to reloading and shooting. However, he made one mistake. He put some loose 6BR cartridges in a baggie as he packed up from a prairie dog hunt last summer, without noticing that the baggie was marked .223 WSSM in black marker. Then, when the break in his winter weather came, he grabbed the bag, believing it to be the WSSM cartridges and didn’t check the head stamp.

Couldn’t happen to you? How many times have we emptied our pockets of cartridges and dropped them into a plastic container on the shooting bench? How many times have we set down to a marathon reloading session, loading several calibers in a row? How many times have we put the wrong bullets, cases or primers into the incorrect container? My point is that even the safest of us can make a mistake. So, look at the picture above and take a bit more time when you reload your ammunition at home or chamber a round in the field. It might save your life.

It is not often we get to peer into the accounts of a gun company. Up until recently there were only two publicly listed firearm makers in the USA, Ruger and Smith & Wesson, but they both produce a huge range of firearms, teasing out the financials from a particular category of firearms is difficult. Earlier this year the public company ATK purchased Savage Arms for a cool $315 million. In the earnings call today Mark W. DeYoung, CEO of ATK, revealed that they expect Savage Arms to have sales in the range of  $180 million to $190 million and will have operating profit in the range of $25 million to $28 million. Not bad for a company that almost exclusively sells bolt action rifles! It looks like ATK purchased Savage for about 10-12x operating profit, which is reasonable.

One analyst asked the CEO what risks there were to being in the firearm market. DeYoung responded that there is little risk because Savage guns are not likely to be banned in any states.

(I have paraphrased some of the questions and answers)

Carter Copeland - Barclays Capital, Research Division

I wondered if you’d comment on the move into the arms market versus ammo and the potential risks there if you continue to move down or move further into that marketplace given how fragmented it is. There’s a lot of providers, lots of different product choices. You made it sound like you want to build on your success you’ve had with the big-box guys and in the ammo market, but how do you think about the risks of venturing out into that marketplace?

Mark W. DeYoung - Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Savage is another step which we’ve now taken, which has added a new set of products to our portfolio. Those products that Savage manufacturers are legal to buy by legal purchases in all 50 states, so they make a great product line with almost 0 exposure to most of the regulatory risk that is in the market today. So we think that’s another reason why they’re very attractive for us. The products they make are largely long guns, sporting arms. It’s a perfect fit for us with very little exposure. And so, I think those are a couple of steps we’ve taken. Just to remind you, this is the 2 steps so far in just the last 3 years with Blackhawk, the first step; Savage, the second. I think the other things that you pointed out in terms of a fragmented market, in terms of a variety of products available in the market and a variety of companies that do business in that side, we think that’s not a risk, but a great advantage. So we think that segmented market made up of a lot of small players who lack some of the capabilities that ATK has is helpful for us from a competitive perspective. We believe that with a full product line portfolio, that we continue to grow and continue to build as we expand our leadership position. We’ve become a one-stop shop, which creates efficiency improvements for our customers. It creates supply chain efficiency improvements. And we’ll continue to look for those opportunities to grow this business and deliver those kinds of efficiencies to the consumer, who’ll get some more competitively priced products through the wholesaler, distributor and retailer, who gets a fully capable supplier. And that’s how we view that space, and that’s what our strategy centers around.

DeYoung also said their ammunition factories (Federal, CCI are ATK brands) and Savage are working multiple shifts 7 days a week  …

William R. Loomis - Stifel, Nicolaus & Co., Inc., Research Division

Just going back to Sporting Group. What would you say the utilization on that is? In other words, if you’re running near 100%, excluding the addition of Savage, will bring incrementally, could we expect sequentially meaningful change, or are you running pretty hard on commercial ammunition?

Mark W. DeYoung - Chief Executive Officer, President and Director

Well, we’ve clearly been running pretty hard, no doubt about that. We’re running our facilities on multiple shifts 7 days a week, for the most part, in our sporting business. Savage also is running multiple shifts continuously as well in their business to meet demand. We did invest capital in excess — and to bring in some excess capacity. We invested that capital about a year ago. That equipment comes online here in a couple of months. In fact, it’s beginning to show up now. That will drive some additional capacity for us in our pistol ammunition line, so we do see upside there. The other opportunity we have, which Jay Tibbets is working on with his team, is to continue to focus on the in-factory efficiency improvement opportunities as we continue to drive lean initiatives into all of our factories. Lean initiatives in our PES system, which we use, our Performance Enterprise System is based on continuous improvement, so we are never through. We are never done. We’ve never achieved the maximum output. We are always looking for opportunities to increase production. An example of that, like Citi increased their production in the quarter year-over-year by 17% on some of the same equipment simply by applying these lean tools in a continuous improvement model. So I believe, and Jay Tibbets and Mike Kahn, who runs our defense business, and Blake Larson, we’re all believers in this system. We all believe we have opportunity to continue to drive efficiency and capacity out of our assets. And in the Sporting Group, I believe there still remains capacity upside, equipment utilization, improvement upside and throughput and output upside. So in addition to the capital we’ve invested and the additional capacity we’re bringing online, we’ll be working closely with ammunition and Savage to get more out of the assets we have, and I’m confident we’ll do that.

Reading between the lines, I think ATK will be looking to purchase additional firearm companies in the future.

TrackingPoint have published this video showing what their rifle/scope system can do at Rifles Only Inc. range in South Texas. They demonstrate using the system to track moving targets and using the rifle to shoot around corners from a concealed position using an external display, much like the Israeli Corner Shot pistol system. Very nifty!

Back in 1892 the U.S. Army held trials for a new service rifle with entrants from around the world.  The ultimate victor was the Krag-Jørgensen but some of the best rifles in the most rapid period of small arms development made an appearance.  One humble entry from a lone inventor was passed over, despite hardly a word of criticism.  This was the Blake Infantry Rifle and it is weird.

The Blake’s most fascinating features are found in its magazine system.  A soldier loading the rifle would open a large hatch that covers nearly the entire underside of the receiver.  He would take a rotary en-bloc clip, which was fitted with seven .30 Blake cartridges (a rimless clone of the .30-40 cartridge we were forced to use for our example here) from his belt.  Noting only that the cartridges are pointed correctly forward, he would then drop the packet into the action and slam the hatch shut.  No more finesse was necessary as the shape of the door and receiver would direct the en-bloc to the center axis.  If the soldier set the magazine cutoff lever on the left side of the receiver to the “Single” position he could then withdraw the bolt and toss a single loose round atop the loaded magazine, and smoothly chamber it.  He would now, in mere seconds, have eight rounds ready to fire from his service rifle.

With the cutoff switch set for “Rapid” the rifle will begin to feed from the magazine.  This is accomplished by a unique mix of classic revolver and bolt action systems.  As the bolt is drawn back, it engages a sear that lifts a pawl to index the revolving clip.  The clip then presents the next loaded cartridge which is feed directly into the chamber by the returning stroke of the bolt. Because the single shot setting disengages the rotation, the shooter may switch modes at will without any disorder.

Despite some strong advantages the Blake was not adopted by the Army, Navy, or even the state of New York’s militia.  Instead it was marketed as a sporting rifle where it enjoyed little success.  Anyone who would like to know more about this odd rifle can learn more about it here.

A reader from Brazil sent us these photos of the 10.5″ barreled H&K416 used by the Brazilian Federal Police Special Forces (C.O.T). It looks like they are using EO Tech holographic sights and a laser/light designator (which I can’t identify).

Thanks for Eduardo for the photos.

Lanco Tactical has developed a simple hand stop that cuts the difference in angle between a vertical foregrip and a grip like the Magpul AFG (Angled Fore Grip). It is selling for  $39.95.

Lanco Tactical LLC is pleased to announce the Grip Stop™.  The Grip Stop™ is the culmination of a brainchild design by a former U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran to fill the void between using a vertical grip and hand stop. The Grip Stop™ allows a variable angle grip to prevent locking the wrist. Use as an assist to the modern “C grip” technique or as a barrier stop.  The Grip Stop™ is made in the USA in South Central Pennsylvania. It is made from solid billet aluminum and then hard coat anodized black. It comes with mounting hardware to fit most applications.

It is designed to fit weapons without a picatinny rail.  The Grip Stop™ fits Magpul Handguards, Geissele Super Mod Rail, JP VTAC Mod, APEX Gatorgrip, Noveske NSR, Troy VTAC & Alpha, Diamondhead VRS, PWS Keymod, LWRC SPR, Midwest Industries Freefloat G2 SS, OEM “Round” or M4/M16 Style Handguards.  It will fit most forearms/handguards with 2 3/8″ spaced holes or slots and modular forearms with 6 o’clock holes/slots & keymod.  With a weight of 2 oz. the Grip Stop™ will not add unwanted weight to a weapon.

It deeply saddens me to write that Izhmash, which was founded over 200 years ago by Tsar Alexander I, has officially been renamed to Kalashnikov. The (Google Translated) press release is below …

Based on the decision of GC “Rostekhnadzor” JSC “NPO” Izhmash “renamed concern” Kalashnikov “. The corresponding entry on the state registration of changes included in the Unified State Register of Legal Entities.

All rights and obligations of the NGO “Izhmash” retain their power to JSC “Concern” Kalashnikov “, payment details, and postal address, TIN, BIN businesses remain unchanged.

Renaming a Izhmash Concern “Kalashnikov” is another step towards building on the basis of Izhevsk arms vertically integrated holding companies of small arms. In the future, the concern “Kalashnikov” will include OAO “IMZ” Vyatsko-Polyansky Machine Works “The Hammer” THREADS “Progress” KBAL them. L.N.Koshkina and other businesses rifle and ammunition industry. Presentation of the group is scheduled for 18-19 September 2013.

“Izhmash” – Russia’s largest producer of military automatic and sniper weapons, guided artillery shells, as well as a wide range of civilian products: shotguns, sporting rifles, machine tools and tool. The company was founded in 1807. Production of “Izhmash” is delivered in 27 countries, including the U.S., UK, Germany, Norway, Italy, Canada, Kazakhstan and Thailand.

State Corporation “Russian Technologies” (Rostekhnadzor) – Russian corporation, established in 2007 to promote the development, production and export of high-tech industrial products for civil and military purposes. It includes 663 organizations, of which at present is formed 8 holding companies in the military-industrial complex, a 5 – to civilian industries. Rostekhnadzor organization are located in 60 regions of the Russian Federation and deliver products to market more than 70 countries worldwide. Net income in 2011 amounted to 45.6 billion rubles, the tax payments to the budgets of all levels reach 100 billion rubles.

We knew it was going to happen, but that does not mean it hurts any less. Still, renaming it after thier most famous gun designer is a good move. The Kalashnikov name must be one of the most well known names throughout the world.

I would argue that Izhmash along with the original Springfield Armory were the two most influential, with regards to the shaping of world history, firearm manufactures ever. Springfield Armory opened in 1777, 31 years before Izhmash, and closed in 1968.

Thanks to Albi for the tip.

Mac from the Military Arms Channel toured the IWI factory earlier this year. He published a number of photographs which indicate that IWI have silently updated the design of the IWI Tavor X-95. The newer model Tavor X-95 rifles features a different handguard and rail  (see above photo). Compared to the older round handguard (see below), the new handguard is much more angular. It looks better in my option, and is probably more ergonomic. The IWI website and brochures still features the old design and I have not received any press releases announcing an updated design. What do you think of the redesign?

Older IWI X-95 Tavor Design

More photos of the newer Tavor X-95 can been seen at the Military Arms Channel website.

Thanks to Arik for the tip.

After the Russia-Georgia War of 2008, which if you recall lasted just over a week, the Russian military proudly displayed the remains of Bushmaster M4 rifles that they captured and destroyed. The M4 rifles has been part of a military aid package from the US Government. Five years on the trophies that were not destroyed are slowly making their way into museums. I am not sure which museum the above photo was taken.

Bushmaster M4 Carbines destroyed by Russian military forces (August, 2008)

Thanks to Vinh for the tip. Photo Copyright (c) by Edwin Le

Introduction:

“Some companies that make milled receivers in the USA bypass the forging process, which can contribute to weak receivers, more prone to stress.  The forging process strengthens the material and shapes uniform grain patterns in the steel.  These forging patterns are engineered and produced to follow certain directions along the contour of the receiver to withstand high stress from the force and the movement of the working components.  The forging process also eliminates any possibility of internal air pockets and cooling deformations that can impact and weaken the integrity of the receiver.  While firing, the forged and milled receiver does not have the same deformation issues that are typical to stamped receiver models.  [...]  The solid platform of the forged and milled receiver ensures superior accuracy.  [...]  It is not by accident that all the critical components on the SAM7SF rifle, including the receiver, the barrel, the bolt head, the bolt carrier and trigger are formed through forging process, to give them the crucial strength, reliability, and longevity to last for generations of use.”

Naturally, with the foregoing specifications, those of you acquainted with AK-style rifles will not be surprised to learn that the fit and finish of this particular rifle was seamless and virtually peerless.  This is not a WASR.  In fact, this may be one of the finest AK-style rifles I have ever handled.  There were no machining marks visible, and the surface of the rifle was parkerized and then painted over in a clean flat black finish.  The bolt carrier also appears to be treated and is a flat black – much nicer than the typical bare-metal bolt carriers that can rust when exposed to the elements.  I will say that the left-side safety and the stock-folding button were both pretty stiff on this new rifle, but they quickly became more manageable after some use, indicating that a tight fit was the probable cause, and that a little break-in would surely lead to smooth use of either.  My test rifle came with a 30 round Circle 10 Bulgarian “waffle” magazine, known as the best magazine available for the AK series, and one ten round magazine that was great for prone shooting.  Also included was a scope mount for use with the side mounting plate, but I did not use optics in my evaluation.

One feature that appears to be under-emphasized in commentary about this rifle is the trigger.  I dedicate a solitary paragraph to the SAM7SF’s trigger, which is the best I have felt on any AK-pattern rifle (although the TAPCO G2 is comparable when installed by a competent gunsmith), and, for that matter, I feel that this trigger is on of the best factory triggers found on any military-grade service rifle.

This is not a single stage GI trigger from your AR.  Rather, the SAM7SF’s pull is smooth from start to finish with zero take-up, and uniform in weight throughout travel until break, after which there is no overtravel. Reset is positive, if not a little pushy: you get some forward pressure to reset the trigger as your finger eases forward from the breaking/firing point.  It is nearly perfect.

The extra features are not just filler: The pistol grip is the one of the best I have felt on an AK-pattern, and much, much nicer than the older generic Bakelite and WASR-style pistol grips that are somewhat diminutive and flimsy where mated to the receiver.  This grip is robust and ergonomic.  A very nice addition that negates a typical weak point in most AKs.

Close-up of Arsenal’s new pistol grip.

A folding stock is a nice addition as well – the ability to have a folding stock on an AK-style rifle is a great advantage over other systems such as the AR.  The stock Arsenal elected to equip this model with is well-built and sturdy at the mounting point.  You can fire this rifle while the stock is folded should you need to, as the stock stays clear of the reciprocating charging handle built into the bolt carrier.

As far as firing this rifle: Unsurprisingly, the SAM7SF had no reliability issues at the range, and, for the most part, fires like any other high-end AK. Recoil impulse was barely distinguishable from my Arsenal SGL-21 (my favorite AK in my stable), which I fired side-by-side with the SAM7SF.  However, novices should note that the AK-style rifle recoils more sharply and with a bit more effect than the average 5.56mm AR-15.  I re-emphasize how great the trigger is on this firearm.  The sights were dead-on out of the box, and feature an 800m rear leaf.  While no groups were shot or measured, this rifle would bang the 12″ gong at 100m every time with little effort.  While Arsenal claims that this rifle produces much greater accuracy than its competitors, my research indicates that users have reported a slightly-better-than-average two to four M.O.A. degree of accuracy with even inexpensive Russian plinking ammo.  While it looks like this rifle produces relatively good accuracy for an AK-pattern, there are other AK-style rifles around and below this price range that produce similar results.

 

 

Negative Observations:

 

If you’ve read this review to this point, you would probably assume that I am as much in love with this rifle as my other Arsenal rifles.  However, I have some concerns with the folding stock.

 

Similar to the more notorious Yugoslavian underfolding AK rifles, or over-folding shotgun wire stocks, the operator may experience some cheek bite due to the stock’s wire-style chassis.  As stated, I did not shoot and measure groups for this rifle simply because the stock was unmanageable for me – the end of that buttery trigger pull was greeted with a shock through my cheek, courtesy of the metal folder.  Note that this was more prevalent in supported or prone shooting, not so much with standing.  As a multiple AK owner and an avid rifle shooter, I don’t believe operator error was the cause of this issue.  For that matter, in is this author’s opinion that the Bulgarian triangle folder is one of the better and more comfortable AK folding stocks made.  To make sure I wasn’t the only one having this problem, I had two of my students I was with at the time test the rifle out.  Both also found the stock to be uncomfortable while shooting.  The only owner I could locate on AK47.net also stated that he felt the stock was “not as comfortable” as the triangle folder.While three or four shooters is still a small sample size, it was reasonable to conclude from this that some shooters may not like the wire stock.  Underfolder stock shooters have typically addressed this issue by wrapping the stock in paracord or buying a cheekpiece.  Fabrication of an ACE-style foam sleeve would be a simple solution as well.  

Before publishing this review, TFB brought this potential issue to Arsenal’s attention.  Arsenal was very concerned and attentive to my concerns with the stock, and discussed it with me at length.  Arsenal was surprised that I had this experience, as Arsenal said they extensively tested the stock in house without issue, and further, that they have not received one similar complaint about the stock.

Our discussion was followed up by an email from an Arsenal representative which read, in pertinent part:

[T]he prone position is the most uncomfortable position to shoot from for a number of reasons including this one.  The only time to use this position is when your life is in danger.  [Arsenal] does not recommend wrapping anything around the stock that would then interfere with the folding stock operation or prevent the bolt carrier pulling back with the stock in the folded position. I looked at a few forum discussions around the web and found several saying you should not have a cheek weld in the prone position. I hope this helps

Webster’s defines “Game Changer” to mean “a newly introduced element or factor that changes an existing situation or activity in a significant way”.  Unique as it may be, the SAM7SF doesn’t solve a salient issue with the conventional AK or offer a significant practical improvement in performance, and thus, might be over-appraised as a “game changer”.  While Arsenal is perfectly right in underscoring the fact that this AK is a cut above the rest and a good value, even at the $1,300-$1,500 price point (as evidenced by the fact that the very first run of these previously sold out at $3,500 apiece), calling it a “game changer” is somewhat of an overstatement, although many could (and will) argue that the overstatement, if any, is only slight.

    

The Taiwanese military have been developing a modern assault rifle since 2008. Four years ago they unveiled their first prototype, named the Type XT97. The latest prototype has just been unveiled and we were lucky enough to have been sent detailed photos of the new rifle. It bears a superficial resemblance to the original prototype but looking closely a lot has changed both externally and internally. The new prototype is a lot more polished and looks production ready.

The upper receiver is a one piece aluminum extrusion. The lower will be polymer but the prototype lower is metal.

The the stock folds and has an adjustable cheek rest. The stock has holes to hold the rifle’s takedown pins during field stripping, like some of the H&K rifles. In fact, the takedown pins themselves look H&K inspired.

The bolt head is based on the AK design, rather than the Stoner design featured in so many of the new assault and semi-automatic rifles on the market. It has a short stroke gas system similar to the FN SCAR. The charging handle is ambidextrous and can be locked forward so that it does not reciprocate when the action cycles. The gas system is not adjustable.

The compensator / flash hider is designed for use with a quick detach suppressor. Multiple barrel lengths were on display.

This rifle looks very promising. It merges many of the features from the AR-15, AK, SCAR and Bushmaster ACR. The current Taiwanese service rifle, the T91, based on the AR-15 and AR-18 designs, has only been in service for a decade so this rifle is probably not intended to replace it. I suspect this rifle will be issued to Special Forces, vehicle crews, airborne and mechanized infantry who require a more compact rifle or a rifle that has more customization options.

Many thanks to Sam Cheng for the photos and information.

The Double Four, or “44″, is the name given to the 7.92x33mm Kurz, the round first developed for the famous Sturmgewehr 44,  manufactured by craftsman in the famous gun workshops of Darra Adam Khel, Pakistan and which are popular in Pakistan’s tribal regions.

Local lore says that the Double Four was introduced during early years of the Soviet war in Afghanistan in order to hide involvement of the CIA and Pakistan Intelligence who were supplying the Afghan Mujahedeen. While there is no way to verify if this story is true, we do know that the CIA went to extreme lengths to hide, or at least be able to plausibly deny, their involvement in shipping ammunition and weapons to Pakistan Intelligence who in turn distributed it to the Mujahedeen.

Post-CIA, I am not sure what the benefit of the slightly shorter round is in a full length rifle. The only benefit I can think of is that it may cost slightly less to manufacture. Most likely it is still popular because many rifles chambered for it are still floating around Pakistan. In the early 90s Colt developed the 5.56x30mm MARS and recently India developed the 5.56x30mm INSAS, but these were for use in compact PDW-style weapons not rifles.

This AK-style rifle above is designed to fire the Double Four. I was told that is can be quickly converted to fire regular 7.62x39mm ammunition if required. It uses standard 7.62x39mm AK magazines.

UPDATE: Turns out

Many thanks to Zain for the information and photos.

For the non-techies amongst us, Google Glass is wearable computer worn like a pair of glasses. It can project images onto the tiny transparent screen that sits in front of your eye and giving you a heads up display of the world around you. The Google Glass can run applications and connects to the internet via. any standard Android smartphone.

Tracking Point just posted an intriguing photo on the Tumblr blog hinting that they are developing a Google Glass application that would allow you to aim their rifle simply by looking at the target. Google Glass also supports voice commands, but I don’t foresee Tracking Point allowing a rifle to be fired by voice … that could only lead to disaster.