ABOVE: Two combatants sit at rest. The K98k Mauser is above the Springfield M1903A4. Their army’s helmets lie next to them. One definition of a…
One of the most prominent and prolific military bullpup-style rifles in history reaches its 10th anniversary in the field in 2016. SADJ wants to acknowledge…
Truvelo Manufacturing started in the 1960s in South Africa manufacturing various electronic devices. In 1994, the Truvelo Armoury branch was formed and entered into the…
ABOVE: The new Sistema Integrado de Monitoramento de Fronteiras (Sisfron), will transforms all aspects of the Brazilian armed forces. Here a trooper demonstrates the new…
ABOVE: The Caracal CAR816 in the hands of a UAE soldier. This rifle is the basic assault rifle with a 14.5 inch cold hammer forged…
A sniper weapon system is a precision instrument. The basic components of a sniper weapon system is the rifle and the optic. This article will…
ABOVE: Accuracy International AX50 .50BMG rifle was designed with long range accuracy in mind. Accuracy International (AI) has been a well known entity in the…
Many are familiar with industry ammo manufacturers, but who makes and upgrades the machines that produce the ammo? BCN Technical Services, Inc. has been in…
Europe Discovers the Virtues of Personal Self-Defense While European Politicians Seek to Disarm the Continent. Gun control pundits have long extolled the virtues of an…
STI™ INTERNATIONAL INTRODUCES THE NEW GUARDIAN 2011 PISTOL New for 2016, the ever popular STI™ Guardian is now available in a 2011 platform with a…
New Sanctions on North Korea Following the February 7, 2016 missile launch by North Korea, additional sanctions have been imposed by the US Government. The…
ABOVE: M9A3 pistol equipped with a SilencerCo Octane 9mm sound suppressor. In 1985 a legend was retired. The highly regarded M1911A1 pistol was replaced with…
ABOVE: A crude Chinese made copy of the Mauser C96 pistol with detachable buttstock. During World War I, the primary weapon issued was the full-power,…
Photo credit: Sergei Gritts/AP Untrained observers frequently confuse superficially similar small arms and light weapon (SALW) systems, particularly with the pressure of covering a current…
Shows AKM type rifle and PKMT undergoing refurbishment. Libyan workshop refurbishes small arms for ongoing conflict. Photo credit: Hassan Morajea (Armament Research Services) In a…
National Defense Industrial Association’s Small Arms Group: NDIA started out in 1919 as the Army Ordnance Association and through various mergers over the last century,…
Lockheed Martin Receives $528 Million THAAD Missile-Defense Contract The Missile Defense Agency awarded Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) a $528 million contract in December 2015 for production…
MEOPTA INTRODUCES NEW MEOPRO 6.5-20X50 AND 6.5-20X50 HTR RIFLESCOPES MEOPTA INTRODUCES NEW MEOPRO 6.5-20X50 AND 6.5-20X50 HTR RIFLESCOPES Meopta adds to its popular 1-inch MeoPro®…
Defense Distributed – continued. A brief synopsis of the events thus far: January 2013: Defense Distributed, a nonprofit, gun-design digital publisher headquartered in Austin, Texas…
Advancements in optoelectronics is changing the firearms sighting device industry as we know it today and it is likewise changing society’s very perception. It’s no…
Left to Right: SWFA 3-9x42mm, Leupold VXR Patrol 3-9x40mm, Vortex PST 2.5-10x32mm, Burris XTR II 2-10×42, Leupold MK4 LRT 3.5-10x40mm Front Focal, Nightforce NXS 2.5-10x32mm,…
ABOVE: Firing the MGA SAW K in .300 Blackout from an overlook in the badlands of Utah. “Squad Automatic Weapon”- the “SAW.” The phrase has…
Pictures supplied to ARES show a Caracal F semi-automatic pistol, produced by Caracal, a United Arab Emirates-based firearms manufacturer. This particular Model F is the…
The QLZ87 is a direct gas impingement operated, selective fire grenade launcher chambered for the Chinese 35 x 32SR mm cartridge. With an effective range…
In a previous article SADJ covered ISAF armament on Camp Leatherneck from the American and British perspective. In this one SADJ will cover small arms…
From soldiering to civilian life I have had the opportunity to use some of the world’s greatest CQ optics. SADJ was given the chance to…
ABOVE: MG5 A2 (HK121) is the new MMG for the German defense to replace their aging MG3 machine guns. It is being promoted by H&K…
FN 15 Military Collector M4 The FN 15™ Military Collector Series M4 and M16 bring to market military replica rifles made to FN’s exacting specifications….
Images uploaded to Twitter by the Free Syrian Amy’s ‘Division 30’ show combatants with US-made arms. In one image, a Mk 14 EBR (enhanced battle…
ABOVE: Infantry rifle should perform adequately on any possible terrain, but some current battlefields overstretch the capabilities of weapons that were built for total war…
This was the seventh bi-annual PARTNER Exhibition held in Belgrade, Serbia. This regional show is maturing, and gathering some momentum. There were many delegations from…
Dealing with the U.S. Government: U.S. State Department versus the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Dealing with the U.S. Government is not always…
ABOVE: POF’s engineers did not just add some extra parts. They perfected this gun. There’s something better about this rifle. Under sustained full auto fire,…
FOBUS ANNOUNCES NEW HOLSTER FOR SELECT GLOCK MODELS FOBUS ANNOUNCES NEW HOLSTER FOR SELECT GLOCK MODELS First Samco, Inc. (FSI), the exclusive distributor of Fobus…
“Unreasonable” interpretations of the public domain exception The US State Department recently announced proposed regulatory language that would restrict the publication of technical data. Recall…
ABOVE: In a back corner on the lower floor, SADJ found the following gems from TNIITochMash in Russia. We had the opportunity to spend some…
ABOVE: In another part of the Trust International Group’s booth, Jerry had placed the OOW HCAR in 30-06 caliber with suppressor. This rifle system, the…
ABOVE: April 23, 2006, Staff Sgt. Brad Smith from 3-320th Field Artillery, 101st Airborne Division with his 14.5inch barrel M4, sitting in the middle of…
ABOVE: Soldiers of the Waffen-SS equipped with an early PzB 38 during exercises. After the annexation of the Sudetenland and the destruction of Czechoslovakia as…
The Evolution of the 9mm AR Carbine Christopher R. Bartocci Features, History, Volume 7, V7N6 ABOVE: The Colt 9mm-pattern carbines never achieved the success they…
The Kuwait Shooting Sport Federation has its base at an amazing facility on the Sixth Ring Road in Kuwait City, called the Kuwait Shooting Sport…
Law enforcement personnel firing armor-piercing shotgun projectiles during protests in Ukraine. Sergei Grits (AP Photo). In January 2014, various journalists, aid workers, and others have…
ABOVE: 1939 Lahti 20mm anti-tank cannon, converted to .50 BMG, mounted on FN30 tripod. Note in the inset, how the magazine has been shortened to…
ABOVE: Beam weapons in the battlespace. Envisioned in this 2008 illustration promoting the Navy’s Maritime Laser Demonstration feasibility project, a carrier task force fights off…
AES – The Automated Export System As computing systems get more advanced, there are increased opportunities to automate previously mundane or tedious tasks. In automating…
U.S. MACHINE GUN ARMORY ANNOUNCES THE MGA SAW K The U.S. Machine Gun Armory, an international provider of multi-caliber military belt-fed machine guns, often referred…
ABOVE: CZ Engineer Martin Sanda puts rounds downrange and brass in the air during the test of the 5.56x45mm CZ 807 AI assault rifle, using…
ABOVE: Third generation model Colt LE1020 successfully passing a mud test in 2008. Although never put into production, the final production LE6940P/APC is a direct…
Barracuda Signature Management, a SAAB company, held their Customer Conference on 21-22 May 2014 in Sweden. These conferences are held periodically, when management feels they…
ABOVE: The Russian ORSIS T-5000. (Yuri Lyamin) Recent photos to emerge from Iraq show government troops with new Iranian AM50 (sometimes written as ‘AM-50′) anti-materiel…
Have you ever thought about all the tests that must be used during the development of a firearm? A recently introduced test device will change…
ABOVE: Circa 1950, an Air Force officer with his modernized version of the M2 carbine featured an in-line stock, raised sights, muzzle brake and bipod….
ABOVE: A home-made anti-materiel rifle (AMR) made by Syrian rebels. (YouTube video) The Syrian conflict continues to yield interesting expedient small-arm designs. ARES has received…
ABOVE: The Mk12 SPR has seen significant amount of action in the Global War on Terrorism being very popular with the Special Operations operators who…
Images emerged from the Ukraine following fighting in Ukraine’s Donetsk region on the 25th of May, 2014 showing alleged pro-Russian Ukrainian separatist fighters in possession of…
World War II Japanese home front patriotic fan. Made of bamboo and paper it measures 7-1/2 inches long and opens up to be about 10…
ABOVE: Black Hornet is a “flyable robotic video camera” that bears a resemblance to a helicopter if you can see it – it is small…
First Amendment Rights Versus the ITAR On June 3, 2015, the U.S. State Department published a proposed rule on the publication of firearms related information…
During the ongoing civil unrest in Kiev, several images have circulated showing Ukrainian security forces equipped with a range of lethal weapons, including sniper rifles….
Above: The image shows a Galil ACE Model 21 carbine reportedly in the possession of the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) Air Force. The ACE…
Kivaari .338 Lapua Rifle Now Shipping Kivaari .338 Lapua Rifle Now Shipping DRD Tactical is happy to announce that they have started shipping their new…
Fine for Improper Wire Transfer The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced that it had fined the New York branch of the National Bank…
ABOVE: TIGRES operators are trained at Lepaterique, Francisco Morazán, where they attend a 12-week course provided by Colombian police Jungle Commandos, and 7th USSF Group,…
Sphinx SDP Compact Sphinx Systems Limited is a Swiss-based manufacturer that produces an evolved CZ 75 design, and while their previous offerings have been rather…
ABOVE: Markings on a PPZR Grom E2 missile launch tube. (Ukraine Military TV YouTube channel) An interesting video was released by the Ukraine Military TV…
The demand for firearms in Libya has brought to light three handguns so far undocumented, at least in the English-speaking world. At least one of…
ABOVE: The RCE is CMMG’s version of a “Recce” or Recon AR. The driving force behind the Recon was to give sniper/observer teams a support…
DALLAS, Nov. 9, 2015 – Lockheed Martin’s (NYSE: LMT) Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Unitary munitions recently underwent…
Nammo Lapua .338 PS The Nordic Ammunition Company, or Nammo, is a familiar name in the defense industry, and their products are well known to…
“Future Soldier Programs” has become a term for many nations, and now Russia has equipped its armed forces personnel with Ratnik (Warrior) Infantry Combat System…
EDITOR’S NOTE: It has come to our attention that the author of this article submitted photos that misidentified which military the soldiers were from. The…
If you’ve ever used an anemometer, or a wind meter, chances are it was a Kestrel. The anemometer is invaluable to anyone seeking to achieve…
Original silk art painting done immediate post World War I during the occupation of Germany. Entitled, “Neuwied Germany, Co. A, 4th M.G., 2nd Div., With…
ABOVE: Norwegian infantry MG gunner fires the MINIMI 5.56mm. The MG is equipped with an Aimpoint optical sight. An under-mounted polymer ammunition container helps keep…
ABOVE: Explosively bonded aluminum and stainless steel Model 1911 .45ACP by Uselton Arms Manufacturing offers a weight savings of 33% over a conventional steel frame and slide. Militaries of…
Recalls and Warrantees Firearms, like most mechanical items, occasionally break. Parts can fail, and barrels become worn. If the firearm was made in the United…
IWI US, Inc. Introduces Galil Pistol for the U.S. Market IWI US, Inc. Galil Pistol for the U.S. Market IWI US, Inc., a subsidiary of…
ABOVE: As designed at the request of SOCOM, the Lewis Machine and Tool Enhanced Bolt Carrier Group. Note the addition of an additional gas port….
ABOVE: IWI eLog SADJ has always traveled the world in search of the innovators in small arms and weapons. Sometimes we’re able to coordinate visits…
FDIC Head Admits “mistake” in ‘Operation Choke Point.’ Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. Chairman Martin Gruenberg told members of a U.S. House panel that much of…
This was the second biannual Gulf Defense & Aerospace show held in Kuwait City, Kuwait. It’s always difficult starting a new show, and the promoter…
ABOVE: Dave Walls posing with the rifles he brought into the precision rifle community. The L96 (top) was Accuracy International’s first major contract and brought…
ABOVE: Business side of the Full Scale MPIMS Area denial and protection has been a key factor in most combat missions from the beginning. For…
ABOVE: Where the Dror springs were made. ‘Israel,’ the boss, stands in the doorway. (Carl E. Ekdahl) For reasons never made clear, Slavin took his…
ABOVE: US team ready to go for Precision Rifle. “We have to understand that it is called “international” terrorism, however, we as Special Forces, special…
ABOVE: This Marine corporal from the 1st “Sea Dragon” Marine Division is wearing the old uniform. He is cradling a 5.56mm K1A submachine gun. A…
ABOVE: Beretta’s ARX160 5.56x45mm rifle was on display, and has been purchased for testing by Jordanian Armed Forces. Of course, the ARX160 is available in…
As computing power and speed increases, new weapons and technologies are being developed that employ artificial intelligence (A/I). Within the next ten years, the advance…
Steiner Introduces “Intelligent” Combat Sight (ICS) Steiner Introduces “Intelligent” Combat Sight (ICS) Steiner’s new “Intelligent” Combat Sight (ICS) integrates a laser rangefinder and a ballistic…
M855 – What’s the Big Deal? Pay any attention to American politics, and the reader will know that the ATF recently attempted to reclassify and…
ABOVE: Field expedient firing positions were utilized during GII SASS evaluation at Echo Valley Training Center’s “Jungle Walk” range. DPMS offers one of the broadest…
Australian gold gilt and enameled veteran’s pin for the 2/1 Machine Gun Battalion Association’s 50th anniversary. Enameled grey, black and yellow triangle insignia of the…
Crowd control actions executed by Turkish police in 2013 have showcased the employment of several less-lethal launchers. Aside from a range of medium-calibre riot guns…
Vietnam Wants Arms Embargo Lifted Vietnam wants the U.S. to lift fully an embargo on arms sales that was eased last year, but Washington is…
ABOVE: The direct impingement Modern Musket harkens back to our early nation’s history. It is no secret that the Eugene Stoner’s AR platform is the…
The MLE will exceed every intent and expectation of the combat shotgun. By and large the shotgun has been traditionally regarded as something of a…
Weapons captured from rebel forces in South Sudan. (The East African (forum)) Captured From Rebel Forces in South Sudan Seen in the bottom centre of…
ABOVE: Carl Ekdahl shoulders a Johnson LMG outside the factory. (John Ekdahl) Niagara Falls, N.Y., Monday afternoon, February 24, 1947. Parked by the wintry highway,…
For seven years now, exhibitors from all over Israel and numerous other countries from around the world have gathered in Tel Aviv to show their…
ABOVE: Rheinmetall Vario-Ray SWIR Rheinmetall adds a new offering to its line of electro-optical equipment: the Vario-Ray (LLM-VR). It’s designed to be used on small…
For Immediate Release (Cambridge, Md.) July 14, 2015. LWRC International announces the addition of DSG Arms as an authorized law enforcement wholesale distributor representing the…
Armed combatants in the Crimean peninsula. One of the GM-94 grenade launchers pictured is fitted with an EOTech-type holographic weapon sight. (Livejournal, original source unknown)…
ABOVE: The original POF rifle in its Gen 1 configuration. The first rifles were chambered in 5.56mm. The upper receiver is a standard forged upper…
St Petersburg, Russia / 2 July 2015 During the 7th International Maritime Defence Show (IMDS 2015), which is being held in St. Petersburg from 1…
ABOVE: 14 March 2014, Alaska, USA. Soldiers on the range engage targets with M16A2 rifles during the 59th Signal Battalion Soldier of the Year Competition….
ABOVE: Weighing 24 lbs., the GD-OTS Light Weight Medium Machine Gun is a full 5.5 lbs. lighter than the M240B, while the .338NM round has…
ABOVE: PD-100T Black Hornet PRS (Personal Reconnaissance System) is about the size of a dragonfly. The focus of the annual AUSA (Association of the United…
SADJ has known and covered the products from U.S. Ordnance in Reno, Nevada for many years. Their US MK43 Mod 0 (M60E4) machine gun is…
Sterling silver U.S. doughboy dog tag holder and locket. The outside of the holder is engraved “2nd Lieut. H.W. Billman 109 M.G. Bn. 28th Division…
Expodefensa in Bogota, Colombia is a bi-annual show that has strong regional attendance. It is heavily attended by the Colombian military groups, and their buyers…
Shipping Hazardous Materials Shipping ammunition within the United States? Easy. Slap a UPS Ground shipment label and ORM-D sticker on it and off it goes….
ABOVE: Pakistan Ordnance Factories (POF) flagship machine gun, the MG3, is considered to be one of the best made versions of the old high-speed design….
Chinese Arms Appear in South Sudan The (new) civil war in South Sudan is a little more than a year old, but it won’t end…
Aimpoint has had a lot of success in the individual weapon categories, with their military and civilian programs. After years of being asked to address…
ABOVE: Norbert Piechota of FB Radom demonstrates the MSBS-5.56B rifle. Note the steadiness of the weapon in full-auto firing: two cases are already flying, the…
ABOVE: T-5000 with night vision adapter. Until recently, Russian small arms were famous mostly for their ruggedness, durability and reliability, even under the harshest of…
ABOVE: Author firing an MD1A1 at Fábrica de Itajubá; the weapon offering a moderate cyclic rate of fire in the region of 550 rounds per…
ABOVE: Jeff Hoffman adjusting his scope on a Lewis Machine & Tool LM8MWS 7.62x51mm rifle as he engages targets out to 850 yards. Notice the…
ABOVE: The P320 in full business attire. The extra-long Picatinny spec rail allows for a multitude of add-ons. SIG Sauer means quality and performance. Their…
ABOVE: This particular example of a scoped Argentine rifle shown in a publicity photo has the cocking handle on the left side and, barely discernible,…
ABOVE: Mexican soldier atop of a Humvee with a RL-83 Blindicide. This is an obsolete AT weapon, but still applicable to the potential threats faced…
ABOVE: The scope mount had to be canted to the left and the carrying handle to the right to locate the handle at the rifle’s…
ABOVE: From left to right: 20x30B K-11; 20x42B PAW 20; 25x40B XM25; 25x59B LW25; 30x29B VOG-17; 35mm CL DFS10. The VOG-17 is genuine; the others…
ABOVE: ISAF Troops returning fire in Afghanistan. Insurgent forces partially overran COP Kahler in Afghanistan in July 2008 in part due to the failure of…
ABOVE: A useful comparison of similarities between the 7.62 NATO caliber HK121/MG5 in front, with its predecessor, the 5.56mm MG4 in the background. The 22…
Our fighting soldiers – the recon units and scouts and expeditionary fighting forces that carry all of their equipment on their backs in and out…
ABOVE: South Africa’s famous SS77 machine gun from Vektor has a venerable history, replacing the FN MAG as the General Purpose Machine Gun in South…
Combined Systems is excited to announce the expansion of its VENOM Non-Lethal Tube Launched Munitions System product line. In 2014 CSI made the push for…
ABOVE: Steyr STM 556 assault rifle. (Steyr) Eurosatory 2014, the Defence and Security Exhibition was held in Paris Nord Villepinte (near Charles de Gaulle airport)…
American Built Arms Introduces Aluminum Forearm T*Rail American Built Arms Introduces Aluminum Forearm T*Rail American Built Arms Company (A*B Arms), a veteran-owned manufacturer of firearms…
Iran looking to upgrade weapon systems Faced with the arms embargo enforced by the West, China may be Iran’s last hope in upgrading its obsolete…
International Shipping: Why Does Everything Cost So Much? A recent call from a prospective client came in, and went something like this. “I’m in Canada,…
ABOVE: British Machine Gun Corps shoulder patches as adopted for the 101st Machine Gun Company. This rare and unique patch features the image of a…
ABOVE: Police Officer and SWAT Sniper Fabian Rivera firing the H&K USP Tactical. Notice the pistol is in full recoil. His SWAT team carried USP45…
On August 5 and 6, 2014, the F.A.I.R. Trade Group (F.A.I.R.) and the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) held their annual Import/Export Conference at the…
ABOVE: Sniper team from CCG 4-3 INF Reg using an Applied Ballistics Kestrel at the Army Mountain Warfare School in Jericho VT. “The point is…
ABOVE: Col. Michael Manning (L), Marine Corps Systems Command’s program manager for Infantry Weapons Systems, congratulates Salvatore Fanelli (R) on winning the Donald Roebling Award….
ABOVE: Desert Tech of Salt Lake City, Utah, displayed their new bull-pup rifle, the dual-caliber (.308 and .223) modular Micro Dynamic Rifle, premiered at the…
ABOVE: Right side view of the Type 11 LMG In preparing research for this article it was found that there was no consistent consensus on…
ABOVE: The Avtomat Nikonova 94 The war machine of the Soviet Union has always been a source of intrigue to those interested in the development…
ABOVE: Salvadorian soldiers parade with M67 RCL. The U.S. supplied some 379 M67 RCLs to El Salvador between 1981 and 1992 to arm the soldiers,…
ABOVE: Right side of the Colt LE901 with the Smith Enterprise Vortex flash hider and the folding front sight base. Most of the Black Rifle…
Barrett is known for their innovative approaches in designing rifles. Much of this stems from Barrett’s non-typical background for a firearms firm. Their first product the semiautomatic M82 .50 BMG’s typifies this. Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee was founded in 1982 and centered on Ronnie Barrett’s idea of a shoulder-fired .50 BMG rifle. Barrett’s first conventional military success was the sale of about 100 M82A1 rifles to the Swedish Army in 1989. World events then transpired to give Barrett a major impetus towards success in 1990, when the United States armed forces purchased significant numbers of the M82A1 during operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in Kuwait and Iraq. About 125 rifles were initially bought by the United States Marine Corps, and orders from the Army and Air Force soon followed. The success of the Barrett .50 BMG rifles allowed for Barrett to expand its product line to include AR and precision bolt action rifles.
HK Launches New Striker-Fired V9 Pistol Heckler & Koch has just introduced its new striker fired pistol, the 9mm VP9 to the commercial and law…
U.S. Commerce and State Departments Suspend Export Licenses to Russia Effective March 1, 2014, the U.S. Commerce and State Departments have suspended all license applications…
What Is OFAC, the SDN, and Why Can’t Russian Arms Be Imported Into The U.S.? On July 17, 2014, the Obama administration announced additional sanctions…
World War I A.I.F (Australian Imperial Forces) aluminum dog tag. Engraved “92 T. Maxwell, 10 M.G. Coy RC” (Tag #92, T. Maxwell, 10th Machine Gun…
SADJ has been in contact with IDEAS Media Manager Ehtesham Bari for many years, planning to attend the IDEAS show in Karachi. We missed the 2008 show due to some issues with travel restrictions and the 2010 show had been unfortunately canceled due to the flooding tragedy. It was exciting to finally be able to set up at the show, and LMO’s Chief Armorer Instructor Matt Babb, Jason M. Wong from Hurricane Butterfly and I set out for Karachi to man the booth, explore the show, and then travel north to Islamabad and the Pakistan Ordnance Factories at Wah Cannt, and the Khyber Pass region.
TOP: German interwar period paperweight or desk ornament. 6-inch long silver German Maxim MG08 with Z.F. 12 optical sight mounted on a prone sled mount…
The U.S. State Department “Eats Their Own Young:” The Basics of Mens Rea, Specific Intent, and Acting “Knowingly” American criminal legal theory is based upon…
Bullseye Camera System Announce Remote Targeting Viewing The Bullseye Camera System is a unique patent-pending system that allows a shooter to view his downrange target…
ATF Import Permits Officially Changed to 2-Year Period of Validity On February 7, 2014, ATF announced via the Federal Register that it would extend the…
ABOVE: Germans with Maxim MG08. Judging from their cloth-covered spiked helmets, this apparently posed photo was taken early in the war when quantities of their…
SchleTek, a German chemical company operating throughout Europe, has recently offered a line of premium gun care products. Our evaluation of this product was taken on with a degree of enthusiasm – as most things German are expected to be outstanding – and we were not disappointed with the outcome. We only tested four of the nine products offered to get a feel for the performance of these chemicals. We were impressed with the four products we tested and assume that the others we did not test will be equally impressive.
The fourth biannual BRIDEX (pronounced Brih-dex) exhibition was another marked success for this small South East Asian nation on the northern tip of the island of Borneo. While a relatively small regional show, it drew a solid representation of buyers and vendors in the region, reaching all the way to Africa and the Mideast. The U.S. and UK were well represented as were other European nations. In some ways this event was a bit smaller in scale than the last, but the floors were packed with VIPs who engaged with the vendors, and that’s what counts.
Throughout the industry there are numerous combination tools for the AR-15/M16-series rifle. Most of them are not what you would consider to be armorer combination tools. They are mostly combination tools for cleaning such as the eFECT maintenance tool, Multi Tasker and the Samson Field Survivor to name just a few. These will often contain sight adjustment tools, firing pin retainer pin removal tool, carbon cleaning tools, punch, scraper and screw driver for optics. Some also will come with a broken shell extractor as well as cleaning brushes and or cables. None of these were intended for repair but just field cleaning.
The key to reliability with any auto loading firearm is the feeding device whether it is a magazine, clip, belt or whatnot; the buck stops at the feeding mechanism front door. Over the last several years the industry has produced many different magazines for the black rifle. With the popularity of the rifle there simply wasn’t enough to go around as the demand was overwhelming. On the other side, there have been numerous attempts and some successful endeavors to improve greatly upon the standard aluminum GI magazine. Though not the first to produce a polymer AR magazine, Magpul has revolutionized the way we feed the black rifle. Earlier attempts to make a durable polymer magazine met with disaster. Magpul’s introduction of the PMag set a new standard, not only for polymer magazines but for the AR magazine in general.
A large group of friends and family gathered today at the front of the old MOD Pattern Room at Enfield Lock, England, for the dedication of a plaque honoring the life and contributions of Herbert J. “Bertie” Woodend, the former Curator of the famous MOD Pattern Room in England. This is one of the largest collections of military small arms in the world, and starting in 1966 “Herbie” was the driving force at Enfield Lock and later in the 1980s-90s at Royal Ordnance in Nottingham, until the Pattern Room was moved over to the Royal Armouries in Leeds in 2002. The collection is now the core of the National Firearms Centre at the Royal Armouries.
During its history, Romania was occupied by Turks, Austrians, Greeks and Russians. The principality of Moldavia and Walachia were acquired in 1861. Romania was an ally of Russia during its war against Turkey in 1877 and became independent one year later. Allied with Greece and Serbia, Romania fought against Bulgaria in 1913. In 1916, it entered in the Great World War beside the Allies. Between the two world wars, Romania was member of several alliances with other Balkan or Central European countries. The king renounced the throne in 1940, after a coup d’état organised by officers favourable to the Axis. So Romania, allied with Germany, entered the war against the Soviet Union in 1941. In 1944, the situation reversed after an insurrection managed by the communists.
The 18th Worldwide Exhibition of Internal Security was held in Paris from November 19 to 22, 2013. There were 915 exhibitors from all over the…
In January of 1990 a new cartridge hit the market that would pretty much be a game changer as to the cartridge preferred by law enforcement. The product of a joint effort between Smith & Wesson and Winchester would spawn the .40 S&W cartridge. The .40 caliber cartridges roots go back to the 10mm Auto cartridge when it was tested by the FBI as a potential replacement for their 9x19mm caliber pistols and .38 Special/.357 Magnum caliber revolvers. When tested, the FBI found two major problems with the 10mm Auto caliber firearm. First was the heavy recoil and second was that the current pistols did not hold up to the potent round. Due to the power it was difficult if not impossible to make a small compact version of the pistol. What if you could make a 10mm Short? Reduce the powder charge to make recoil manageable and shorten the overall length of the 10mm cartridge so it will fit in a 9x19mm size magazine/mid size pistol frame? Thus, here is the introduction of the .40 S&W. The first defensive cartridges in this new caliber were Winchester 180 grain jacketed hollow points.
The Defence Security Equipment International (DSEI) 2013 exhibition was held in the London Docklands ExCeL Exhibition Centre on September 10-13, 2013. It is a bi-annual event, held in the autumn to avoid conflict with the other major international defence exhibitions such as IDEX in Abu Dhabi held earlier in the year and Eurosatory in Paris traditionally held the following year.
Much has already been written about German military weapons. But still today some real treasures are left to be discovered. Some of them are re-discovered – like the Erma EMP44 of the Erfurter Maschinenfabrik (in short “Erma”)….
Up until the 1960s all machine guns manufactured in China were of foreign design. The first heavy machine gun to be produced in China was the 12.7mm Type 54, a straight-up copy of the Soviet DShKM 1938/46, made on Soviet machinery, using Soviet documentation and assistance. This weapon fired the 12.7x108mm round of Soviet origin, which was roughly similar in performance to the American .50 BMG round….
This event is held annually in the last full working week of August at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom. It remains the focal point for European infantry weapons and small arms developments and complements the National Defense Industrial Association (NDIA) Joint Armaments conference normally held annually in May in the United States…..
Examining and trying to appreciate the latest greatest technology being promoted at the near countless booths at a show the magnitude of AUSA, one underlying question must be answered. What does any particular technology mean to fighting and winning? Small arms technology can be categorized into the following areas – weapon material construction, operating systems, fire control and sighting….
They say that imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. If that is the case, Norinco of China is the Mecca of flattery. Aside from their original designs, Norinco of China has copied many firearms and sold them including the M1911, Remington shotgun, SIG P226 pistol, M14 and also the M16. In the early 1980s, Norinco introduced the CQ M311-1. This was a semiautomatic only version of the M16A1 intended…..
The Emerson Electric Company was founded in 1890 in St. Louis, Missouri as the Emerson Electric Manufacturing Company. The company initially produced electric motors and then went on to produce entire electricity powered machines like fans, sewing machines, and power tools. By the time the Second World War broke out, Emerson turned its already half century of experience with electric power….
ABOVE: These company-level PF98 120mm rocket launchers have just a basic optical sight system. Note the basic tripod dropped to its lowest position. In a…
The Accuracy International AX PSR was developed to compete in USSOCOM’s solicitation H92222-09-PSR2 for a “Precision Sniper Rifle” on 15 January 2009. The essence behind this solicitation and the numerous amendments that followed resulted in a final request for a modular rifle that could be quickly transformed from a 7.62mm to a .300 Winchester Magnum to a .338 Lapua Magnum….
Mesko, Poland’s leading ammunition manufacturer turns 90 this summer. From the beginning it was meant to provide the Polish Army with high-quality ammunition – and within the intervening years that’s what the plant, through its many guises, always did….
A defining moment for a sniper is when he can positively identify a threat within his area of operation and exercise certain actions, from an intelligence report to target neutralization. The ability to identify a target is vital in a stability operation or counterinsurgency (COIN) environment, where precisely aimed fire is at a premium and collateral damage isn’t an option….
One does not often think of shotguns as viable combat weapons and in the law enforcement arena, shotguns have lost traction in favor of the patrol carbine. The destructive power of the 12 gauge shotgun is not disputed; the real issues with the changeover had more to do with the patrol carbine being more versatile with its ability to penetrate body armor and reduce collateral damage from stray pellets. In the military arena, the shotgun still has its place but it’s rather limited. The standard….
At foreign missions in the military area, there is often no infrastructure that will meet the needs of troops. In Afghanistan, the military camps of the “International Assistance Force” (ISAF) form the infrastructural backbone and the logistical hub. It acts as an alarm and withdrawal base for rapid deployment, material depot, area hospital, military control center and also act as a rest and regeneration place for the away from home operating forces. Without this fixed infrastructure….
Almost lost in a sea of plastic-fantastic new-wave “museums of idea, not objects” resplendent in touch-screens and 3D displays, but lacking substance and exhibits, in Germany there is a besieged island of a good, old time museum close to bursting its seams with the most fascinating hardware; a variety and quality of which is getting harder and harder to find….
IDET, which means International Fair of Defence and Security Technology, founded in 1993, now takes place every two years in Brno in Moravia in the eastern part of the Czech Republic. It “is one of the biggest shows of defence technology in Central and Eastern Europe.” No objection to this claim, it’s true. In this region, this fair is consistently a feast of information for every military enthusiast. But for people focusing on small arms, a visit to IDET has always been a sort of gamble….
The AR-15/M16/M4 series rifle is undoubtedly the most popular rifle in the United State for all military, law enforcement and commercial markets. It is the most versatile platform of a rifle on the face of the planet. Another rifle has crept up into that popularity; one that was on the scrap heap of the U.S. Army for nearly 40 years. That would be the one that started it all, the AR-10. “Tomorrow’s Rifle Today” in the late 1950s has turned out to be today’s rifle today. The rifle that Ordnance Corp….
Feedback from Afghanistan was clear – much small-arms combat was taking place at far greater distances than expected, a lot more than the U.S. Army’s standard carbine and light machine gun were designed for. The Army was being outgunned, and had to rush older, more powerful weapons to the dismounted troops. These did the job, at the cost of significantly greater weight and recoil. Mitch Shoffner has come up with a different solution – the 6.5×40, a new cartridge designed to fit….
Up until the 1960s, all machine guns manufactured in China were of foreign design. Earliest of these were well known copies of the German Maxim MG 08, generally known as Type 24 machine guns, chambered for 7.9mm Mauser ammunition of German origin. Lesser known weapons were locally made copies of the Browning M1917 and Schwarzlose M1907/12 machine guns, made between the two World Wars in very limited numbers. Light machine guns included domestic copies of Czechoslovak ZB-26 and ZB-30, as well as the Swiss SIG KE-7 machine guns, also chambered for 7.9mm Mauser ammunition…..
At this year’s 21st International Defence Industry Exhibition (MSPO is an acronym from Polish name of the fair: Międzynarodowy Salon Przemysłu Obronnego), almost 25,000 square metres of exhibition space was the showcase for 400 companies from 23 countries. It is a tradition of the MSPO to designate the Leading Nation, which has a national pavilion to promote its defense industry’s capabilities. This year was Turkey, which signified two important anniversaries in Polish-Turkish….
While military or law enforcement budgets often fixate on high end equipment procurement, it is the unspoken rule that trained personnel are the real commodity in any organization. There are multiple companies involved in producing ballistic protection systems. This business competition has not only spurred R&D, but also lowered the cost making it available to a wider range of clients besides the military; such as law enforcement, private security, and individual citizens. A leading ballistic protection….
With the creation of NATO, several programs were put into place for militaries of these nations to have some sort of compatibility. One part of that would be standardization of small arms ammunition. Throughout the NATO countries numerous calibers and different types of weapons were being used. The United States had great influence in the NATO ammunition trials, or it could be better said, they drove it. Even after World War II and the success of the StG44 Sturmgewehr or assault rifle, NATO countries….
There are many manufacturers making ammunition as well as remanufacturing it. Few have a reputation of being precision ammunition manufacturers let alone manufacturing military grade ammunition. But consider ammunition that is match grade loaded to military specifications? Trying to bridge match grade accuracy and ability to produce military reliability is very difficult. Loading any precision round is difficult in mass production. But there is one company out there that has done it, and that is Black Hills Ammunition owned by Jeff Hoffman and his wife Kristi, who is a co-owner and an integral, indispensable part of….
Under Land 40 Phase 2 (L40/2), the Australian Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) are intending to deliver two new direct fire support weapons to the Army’s infantry battalions and special operations forces, and to the Royal Australian Air Force’s Airfield Defence Guards. The first, the Medium Direct Fire Support Weapon (MDFSW), has already been selected and fielded, with the M3 Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle replacing the M2 variant previously in service. The second system, slated to be a “Light Weight Automatic Grenade Launcher (LWAGL)….
The name Hornady is well known throughout the industry. Hornady is a much diversified company being involved in ammunition production, manufacturing bullets for the reloading community, manufacturing reloading supplies (presses, scales, etc.) and so on. The ammunition business provides advanced projectiles for commercial hunters, target shooters and law enforcement….
The NG7 is a light machine gun (LMG) operated by a gas system called “gas impact.” The firearm starts the shooting cycle with the open bolt to avoid cook-off after prolonged fire. When the trigger is pulled the bolt, that is locked in a full rear position, is released and starts to go forward pushed by two compressed recoil springs. During its travel a cartridge is taken from the belt, chambered and the bolt, thanks to its locking lugs, engages the corresponding lugs in the barrel extension and locks. The bolt carrier, in this phase, keeps going forward….
Speaking at the invitation-only Report to Industry at MDM Expo 2013, Jansen‘s bleak assessment of the harsh realities facing the Marine Corps in light of draconian budget cuts and resulting necessity for sharply cutting manpower, went right to the heart of the matter. “Our Commandant’s priorities are to maintain our forward presence and current readiness,” he said. “To do that, we will have to accept risk in major combat operations….
As Latin America’s largest country and with a population of 200 million souls, Brazil faces massive defense problems. Although it does not have to cope with any imminent threat from overseas or any of the ten bordering nations, properly watching and defending 8.5 million square kilometers of land territory and an unbroken coastline of just about 7,500 kilometers long (corresponding to 3.5 million square kilometers of territorial waters) requires substantial effort from the three independent military services, the Exército Brasileiro (Army)….
n 1968 the Kennedy administration closed the Springfield Armory. For the most part, it ended a long-standing process where the Government designed and produced small arms and medium cannons. The change resulted in private industry competing for contracts to procure weapons on a “best value” basis that ended up saving the taxpayer money. The change also meant that private industry would need to develop sales campaigns in order to get their products in front of military customers. Companies need promotional material, giveaways, and advertisement campaigns….
The B&T AG (Brügger & Thomet) Police Equipment Show took place over the 12-13 of June 2013. The show, which is an invitation only event, is organized by Brügger & Thomet and takes place in their home city of Thun, in Switzerland. The show, as the name implies, is aimed at the law enforcement community and is held at the large spacious Swiss Army range facility of Guntelsey on the outskirts of Thun. There were two indoor exhibition areas, the ground floor and first floor of the range firing points where nearly 40 manufacturers and distributers had more than ample space to display their product lines….
The origin of the company lies in the establishment by the Finnish government in 1923 of a cartridge factory in the town of Lapua in western Finland. The State Cartridge Factory (as it was named in 1927) was the main supplier of ammunition to the Finnish Army during the Winter and Continuation Wars with the USSR between 1939 and 1944. In 1991 it became an independent company under the new name Cartridge Factory Lapua, Ltd. The next year, Lapua acquired the German cartridge factory SK Jagd- und Sportmunitions GmbH. In 1996, Finnish military manufacturers were combined under the banner of Patria Industries; Lapua became Patria Lapua. In 1998 Patria Industries Oyj from Finland….
Law enforcement and military ammunition has come a long way in the last 20 years. Military ammunition, not so much due to the Hague and Geneva convention restrictions but advances in LE ammunition have made calibers known for being poor man stoppers into very effective and efficient man stoppers. Federal has always been one of the top industry leaders in advanced ammunition development – perhaps the first true high performance hollow point with the introduction of the Hydra-Shok round that really saw its popularity peak in the mid to late 1980s. The new HST round has currently in the opinion of many been found to be one of if not the best LE/personal defense projectile on the market….
The only military trade show in Taiwan, the Taiwan Aerospace and Defense Technology Exposition was held from August 15 – 18, 2013 in Taipei, Taiwan. As the premier opportunity for the Taiwanese Ministry of Nation Defense to highlight equipment and capabilities, the show was hosted at the Taiwan World Trade Center, in the shadow of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Although the show was a means to highlight and display of Taiwan’s military might, a number of international exhibitors were present to show off weapons….
The name Barnes is renowned in the firearms industry. It has been since its founding in 1932 by Fred Barnes. In 1965, the company was sold and renamed the Colorado Bullet Company. Then in 1974, Randy and Coni Brooks purchased the company. After getting consult from Fred Barnes, they acquired the right to change the name back to Barnes Bullets. To date, Barnes has been known for producing solid copper projectile for hunting, law enforcement and military applications. They also load cartridges with OTM (Open Tip Match) projectiles….
Steyr Mannlicher is located in the town of Steyr in Austria. Josef Werndl founded the “Josef und Franz Werndl & Comp Waffenfabrik und Sagemuhle in Oberletten” and subsequently the Steyr Werke AG of which Steyr Mannlicher was a division. In 1885 the Austrian Hungarian army accepted a new bolt action rifle designed by Ferdinand Ritter von Mannlicher from whence came the Mannlicher name….
The origin of RUAG Ammotec can be traced back to the Eidgenossische Munitionsfabrik established by the Swiss Confederation in Thun in 1863. In 1995, this was merged with another Swiss firm, Munitionsfabrik Altdorf to form the Schweizerische Munitionsfabrik (SM), following which expansions and reorganization occurred rapidly. In 1999, RUAG Holding was formed to incorporate SM; the name changed to RUAG Munition in 2001. The small arms ammunition sector of Dynamit Nobel was acquired in 2002, leading to the….
Maneuvering with pinpoint accuracy and efficiency at night as well as in daytime requires situational awareness, target classification and target identification capability. Cooled thermal imagers provide superior range performance and large field of view at night and in adverse weather conditions, with a compact design and sensitive detectors with high resolution together with large depth of focus. As part of the Soldier Modernization Program IdZ, the Federal Armed Forces of Germany implemented a cooled thermal sight for infantry weapons….
In the early 1980s a requirement came down from the U.S. Army for a new pistol that would replace the legendary but well aged M1911 pistol. With the new NATO standardization, the new pistol would be chambered in the 9x19mm NATO cartridge: hence the beginning of the XM9 program. This would be entered by several manufacturers including Smith & Wesson, Colt, FN, H&K, Star, Beretta and SIG Sauer. After the testing was done and the reports were in, there were only two left standing: the Beretta 92F and the SIG Sauer P226….
(Left) Pre World War II U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Armored Tank Corps Division with red horse’s head and red stripe on yellow shield designating the…
World War I era U.S. Cavalry officer’s tunic collar insignia. Worn in pairs, these collar insignia represent the Machine Gun Squadron of the cavalry. From…
