Archive for the 'Firearms' Category



Ruger Introduces Three New Rifles Chambered in .350 Legend

BY Herschel Smith
6 years ago

Ammoland:

Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) proudly introduces three rifles chambered in Winchester’s all-new .350 Legend cartridge: two Ruger American Ranch rifles and one AR-556 MPR. These new rifles give hunters and shooters a variety of options to use this exciting new cartridge in both traditional bolt-action and modern sporting rifle configurations.

[ … ]

The AR-556 MPR has proven to be an excellent hunting platform, and the .350 Legend chambering expands that role. The nitrided 16.38” barrel is capped with a ½”-28 radial port muzzle brake. The rifle’s appeal is enhanced by the combination of a Ruger® Elite 452® AR-Trigger, Magpul® furniture and a 15” free-float handguard. Magpul M-LOK® accessory attachment slots make the addition of a sling or bipod easy. With less recoil, and weighing almost a pound less than its .450 Bushmaster counterpart, the MPR chambered in .350 Legend is a fantastic hunting option.

From the Ruger website:

There are also two ranch rifles.

Lower receiver is fitted with Magpul® MOE® grip and MOE SL® collapsible buttstock on a Mil-Spec buffer tube.

  • Handguard is free-floated for accuracy and the slim, 15″ length provides enhanced ergonomics.
  • Bolt is mil-spec 9310 and is machined and shot peened for strength and durability.
  • The Ruger® Elite 452® AR-Trigger is a two-stage trigger that offers a smooth, crisp, 4.5 pound trigger pull. It features a full-strength hammer spring for consistent primer ignition and a lightweight hammer that enables a faster lock time for improved accuracy.
  • Magpul® M-LOK® accessory attachment slots along the 3:00, 6:00 and 9:00 positions with additional slots on the angled faces near the muzzle.
  • Ruger® muzzle brake is a radial port design that significantly reduces felt recoil and muzzle movement. The threaded barrel allows for standard muzzle accessories to be installed.
  • Cold hammer-forged 4140 chrome-moly steel barrel with ultra-precise rifling provides exceptional accuracy, longevity and easy cleaning. Optimized feed ramp provides improved reliability, and the matte black nitrided finish provides corrosion resistance.
  • Made from aerospace-grade 7075-T6 aluminum forging, the flat top upper receiver includes a forward assist, dust cover and brass deflector, and is Type III hard coat anodized for maximum durability.
  • Bolt carrier and gas key have chrome-plated inside diameters to provide exceptional resistance to hot gases. The gas key is staked so that it will not loosen after extensive firing.
  • Pistol-length gas system provides smoother operation and reduces felt recoil.
  • Also includes: one magazine.

 

I was a bit surprised to see the pistol-length gas system, but I guess they’ve found that it contributes to the most reliable feed.  I’ll also comment that the price-point is right ($1099 MSRP).

Now.  I’d like to see a little better ammunition availability.

Military Arms Channel Does Big Bore Wheel Guns

BY Herschel Smith
6 years ago

To be fair, he does some pistols as well as revolvers.  Reader ‘The Alaskan” will like this. BTW, the look of the flames coming out between the cylinder and the forcing cone is cool.

Lightweight AR Parts

BY Herschel Smith
6 years ago

Shooting Illustrated:

Modern Sporting Rifles also have the largest volume of light components suitable for retrofitting existing guns. Most makers of steel barrels and AR bolt carriers offer lightweight options alongside their regular products. Skeletonized, extruded-aluminum or carbon-fiber freefloat fore-ends further drop weight at the front of the rifle, while trimmed-down polymer furniture shaves weight at the tail. DS Arms, V-Seven2A Armament and Brownells offer lightweight aluminum and titanium small parts that replace original AR steel. Small pins, grip screws and even muzzle devices can be had in materials that shave a tangible amount of weight after a full retrofit. A small number of titanium parts and accessories specifically designed for SCAR, M1A and FAL rifles are also available in the aftermarket.

While the author didn’t go to the trouble to give you links to actual parts rather than the company URL, I’ve tried to do better.  Here they are: 2A-Arms, VSeven, Brownells, and Daniel Defense.  Those links will get you to rails/handguards, or thereabouts.  Of course, those aren’t the only lightweight AR parts being manufactured.

I’m sure there are many others.  I welcome reader feedback in the comments.  I’m actually interested in strong, lightweight AR-15 rails and lightweight AR-10 rails (longer, about 17″).

Will Holding The Forward Assist On An AR-15 Closed While Shooting Blow It Up?

BY Herschel Smith
6 years ago

I confess I had never thought of something like that.  Tim Harmsen of The Military Arms Channel answers the question, as well as one more.

Tim Harmsen Of Military Arms Channel Begins An Interesting Run-To-Failure Test Of AR-15

BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago

Like me, Tim is a champion and fan of the AR-15 design.  He begins an interesting test with a BCM rifle.

He shot 1000 rounds in 35 minutes.  We’ll see how far this goes before it gives up as he tracks this over time without cleaning or maintenance.

The guys at Wanat claimed that their Colts gave up after shooting 800 rounds in 30 minutes.  My bet is that they were firing in 3-round bursts.  Although I still can’t see how they managed to put more rounds downrange than Tim.

When Tim posted this a few minutes ago, I heard that Bob Scales puked in his cream of wheat.  His contract with H&K stipulates that no one can perform any more run-to-failure tests proving that no one really needs a piston system.

“Rifle is fine.”

Why Ballistics Gel Works And Caliber Arguments Are Dumb

BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago

Via BRVTVS, this is an interesting video.

I have to say that I do have one problem with it.  Mr. Johann Boden speaks as if the only important factor in the high velocity from rifle ammunition (and here he’s speaking of the 5.56mm AR, which is an important distinction in the conversation) is the hydrostatic shock from velocities greater than 2200 FPS.

That simply isn’t so.  We’ve learned over the years that the tendency to tumble and yaw (even in flight, but especially in tissue) and break apart into multiple pieces is one of the defining characteristics of the lethality of the ammunition, in no small part yielding its massive success on the battlefield.

As we’ve discussed before, see Small Caliber Lethality: 5.56 Performance in Close Quarters Battle.

Former Bag Handler At PDX Pleads Guilty To Stealing Six Guns From Checked Luggage

BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago

News from the Northwest:

A baggage handler who worked at Portland International Airport admitted Wednesday in federal court to stealing six guns from checked bags over several weeks last year.

Deshawn Antonio Kelly, 27, pleaded guilty to five counts of possession of a stolen gun before U.S. District Judge Michael H. Simon. The fifth count covered taking two guns on one day.

Kelly acknowledged he stole the guns from five people who checked their bags at the Portland airport last August and September. All of them reported their handguns missing after getting their luggage back at their final destinations.

The guns were stolen on Aug. 19, Aug. 29, Sept. 9, Sept. 11 and Sept. 17: three 9mm pistols, two .40-caliber pistols and one .45-caliber pistol, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney Hannah Horsley.

Had the case gone to trial, prosecutors would have presented the court with surveillance tapes and witness statements to support the charges.

Following reports of stolen guns from airport baggage, a Portland police detective placed replica guns in bags twice — on Sept. 11 and six days later — as bait to determine who was swiping them and narrowed it to Kelly, according to a probable cause affidavit initially filed in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

The second time, Kelly was seen taking a bait bag and a passenger’s bag with a gun and later putting them back. The police bag had damaged locks, the affidavit said, and looked as if someone tried to pry the locks off the gun case.

Investigators searched Kelly’s home and found five of the six guns reported missing, and Kelly admitted taking them, the affidavit said.

Kelly previously had been convicted of attempted possession of a rented or leased motor vehicle, a felony that barred him from having or handling guns.

I don’t lie to y’all.  It’s like I’ve said before.

“Let’s face it, folks.  Since we are dropping off the luggage and we are picking it up, the only necessity for the luggage to be locked up is what happens behind the wall.  The only good of locking up the gun is theft by airport employees.  We know it, the TSA knows it, and the airlines know it.  It’s the truth.  None of this has anything to do with security.  It’s all about airport theft by airline or airport employees.”

Prior: Baggage Handler Steals Firearms In Austin Airport

Getting Ready For Competition With Jerry Miculek

BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago

Army Picks 9mm Subgun

BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago

Army Times:

The Army has selected the sub compact weapon it will arm its security soldiers with and it wasn’t one of the big companies that have grabbed other recent weapons contracts.

Brugger and Thomet, USA won the competition over Sig Sauer and four other companies that had been vying for the job. Their APC9K was the winner, according to an update on fbo.gov, a government business website.

The small submachine gun is chambered in 9mm and variants of the weapon are in use with police units such as Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT teams.

The gun can fire in both semi- and full-automatic modes, has a collapsible stock and rail system for accessories such as aiming lights and lasers.

I don’t shoot 9mm, I shoot .45ACP.  But if I did shoot 9mm it isn’t clear to me why you wouldn’t choose the Sig MPX.  I’m sure they had their reasons, but those reasons may not translate to civilian ownership (e.g., cost).  Also, for civilian ownership of that weapon above you’d have to drop the forend grip and the stock, or register it as an SBR.

Professional Shooter Uses ‘Gun Therapy’ To Lessen Symptoms Of Parkinson’s Disease

BY Herschel Smith
6 years, 1 month ago

Fox News:

David Smith had long been a competitive shooter, and he wasn’t going to allow a diagnosis of Parkinson’s disease to end his hobby.

The 46-year-old, now considered by Guns.com a “powerhouse on the competitive circuit,” and who just scored a spot at the 2019 World Rifle Shoot in Sweden, was first diagnosed with the crippling nervous system disorder eight years ago.

But rather than shrinking away, Smith confronted Parkinson’s head-on and developed what he calls “gun therapy” as a means to control the tremors that come with the illness.

And when he lifts his firearm to the ready, those debilitating shakes disperse. In the gun world, he is the “Parkinson’s Shooter.”

“The disease had taken away everything from me in terms of my ability to eat and drink or do anything without help. Shooting was all I had left, it was all I could do,” Smith told Fox News Thursday. “It made me feel normal.”

At the time of the diagnosis, Smith considered himself to have a strong “body-builder type” physique and good health – but that twitch in his finger wasn’t going away. For some time, the feeling of doom was debilitating and he ended up in a wheelchair. Although those around him kept cautioning him to “take it easy” and enjoy not working, Smith wasn’t willing to stop pushing boundaries.

Before Parkinson’s surfaced, Smith – who worked in the scrap metal business – had been going to the range a few times a month for most of his life, but stepping it up changed his life.

“I now shoot 5000 to 6000 rounds a day, treating it as an eight-hour workday,” he explained.

Smith’s “gun therapy” is focused on neuroplasticity, where he can shoot repetitiously using intense focus, hand movement, control, and agility training, which entails running with his firearm and fast firing. His preference is shooting rifles rather than handguns, but he says both come with the benefits of steadying his hand.

According to New York-based psychologist Dr. Norman Fried, while the label “gun therapy” may leave some Americans uncomfortable, a movement called “competitive shooting” may be implicated in healing some side effects for patients with Parkinson’s disease.

“Through extreme dedication and long hours of practice, David Smith may have found a way to help his brain rebuild neural pathways – or reroute cortical connections – that were impacted by his disease. The dopamine rush that comes from this exercise may indeed be at the core of a movement to help some sufferers of brain injury to heal,” he said.

And folks, this man is good.  Make sure to watch the video at Guns.com.  I’m not embedding the video because it’s a Facebook video.  This is a heartwarming story.  God bless him, and I hope he keeps it up.  He is an inspiration.


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