
Bushmaster Manufacturing Moving to New York The Freedom Group announced a manufacturing relocation of the Bushmaster Firearms International manufacturing facility located in Windham, Maine, to…

6 November, 2011 – The Mount Merapi volcano was acting up about 450 kilometers from Jakarta, and many of us were stranded at diverse airports…

Pair of OMON (SWAT-type unit) operators prepare for entry exercise, armed with suppressed 9-A91 rifles. By the late 1980s, special operations elements of the Soviet…

Brazilian soldier armed with M964 rifles and a Carl Gustav 84mm Recoilless Rifle. (U.S. DoD) The Brazilian government must rely on a number of crack…

Right side view the Italian FIAT Revelli Model 1914 with top ejection port cover open. Italy was the first country in the world to officially…

A machinegunner of the Polish 16th Air Assault Battalion preparing to open fire at the Wedrzyn Training Ground pop-up target range. Note the obvious outer…

The 40mm grenade launcher has seemingly become ubiquitous in the catalog of modern rifle manufacturers. It seems that no catalog is complete without a 40mm…

A U.S. Marine Corps Marine, Battalion Landing Team, 1st Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment (BLT 1/6), 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, International Security Assistance Force, NATO, looks…

Recently, there has been a lot of press regarding the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practice Act (FCPA). Readers active within the small arms industry will recall…

MGM Targets has announced that they are releasing their new ReCon Target. This is the only pneumatically driven, self contained auto-reset target on the market….

Tilling Corp. is a Tactical Systems and Weapons Design Firm that provides product design and development, 3D scanning and rapid prototyping, for the military, law…

The deFNder™ Medium is the latest addition to the FN family of remote weapon stations. It has been designed to fulfill the force protection mission…

SureFire, LLC, manufacturer of high-end illumination tools and tactical products, is proud to announce the release of its hi-capacity 60- and 100-round (STANAG 4179) aluminum…

Lucid announces the world’s first variable (2x-5x) magnifier for red dot sights. Available soon from Lucid, to shooting enthusiasts, law enforcement personnel and other armed…

For over a decade, Wilson Combat has been testing dozens of the competitor’s suppressors looking for the best match of noise attenuation, portability and hard-use…

US POD BOX, the original U.S. provider of mobile units to transport supplies and capabilities for multiple professional applications, announces more options to the PODBOX…

ISSC-Austria, exclusive importer and distributor of the M22 range pistol, proudly announces the introduction of the ISSC Modern Sporting Rifle: the MK22 in .22 LR….

Impact Weapons Components, LLC line of Mount-N Slot brand of direct attach mounts eliminate the need for 1913 Picatinny rail sections. The quick detach Mont-N-Slot…

Smith & Wesson Smith & Wesson announced that Jeffrey D. Buchanan has been named executive vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer. Buchanan, 55, has…

U.S. Marine Cpl. Ian. E. Peterson, with 1st Marine Logistics Group’s personal security detail (PSD), fires his M4 assault rifles to align their advanced combat…

French soldiers watch U.S. Marines prepare to fire FAMAS F1 rifles at a target during a joint operation exercise with U.S. Sailors and French soldiers…

Daewoo Precision, maker of the USAS12 combat shotgun, K1 and K2 battle rifles, and the K3 LMG, has manufactured well designed and robust weapon systems. …

The fourth bi-annual Partner Serbia show was held over the course of four sunny days in Belgrade, Serbia in June 2009. The show has grown…

Newer model of the AR adapter features a beveled mouth for easier loading. The XVIII International Defense Industry Exhibition MSPO 2010, in Kielce, Poland, September…

Right side of the U.S. Colt Vickers Model of 1915 on the Mark IV tripod shown with the condensing hose and tin lined water box…

The United States Marine Corps put their best foot forward once again for the 30th annual Modern Day Marine (MDM) show at Quantico, Virginia. This…

OMON (Russian Police Spetsnaz) operator with OTs-14 rifle in GL configuration. As discussed in previous articles on the subject, Soviet Army Spetsnaz troops and specialized…

When Small Arms Defense Journal was contacted to see if we were interested in testing the initial batch of Caracal pistols imported into the United…

Test model of the wz.1973 SMG – the Zielonka Glauberyt. In the early 1970s, most submachine guns still in use with the armies of the…

The arms trade is a multi-billion dollar global international market, with arms being traded by both small and large entities. Unfortunately, like any trade, the…

Multicam, the new standard in real-world concealment, is now available from 5.11 Tactical. The 5.11 Multicam Rapid Assault Shirt and 5.11 Tactical Multicam TDU Pant…

Revision, leading developer of protective eyewear for military and law enforcement forces worldwide, introduces the completely redesigned Sawfly Military Eyewear System. The new Sawfly Eyewear…

Adverse conditions in the field place a premium on equipment capable of performing at a high level while withstanding the hard knocks of prolonged daily…

Laser Ammo, Ltd., manufacturer of the patent pending SureStrike dry fire system, provides the world’s safest and most cost-effective laser marksmanship tools that improve skill…

SIG Sauer, the leading manufacturer of military, law enforcement, government agency and commercial firearms, introduces the new SIG Sauer P290 sub-compact 9mm pistol. The latest…

Cyclops, an innovator in personal and field lighting solutions, introduces the Nexus HID (high intensity discharge bulb). The Nexus HID is a rechargeable, eye-blistering 3,200…

The new SAW-MAG from Armatac Industries offers for the first time a reliable and efficient 150-round magazine for the .223/5.56mm rifle. Designed to fit NATO…

U.S. Export Control Reform On December 9, President Obama announced that, as part of the Administration’s effort to reform the export control system, the Departments…

Harrington & Richardson produced inch-system FN FAL (T48). When I answered the phone, I could sense the frustration in his voice. The caller was a…

Defense Services Asia is one of the premier Asian trade shows for defense items and services in Asia. Held biennially in even numbered years, the…

George Kontis and Buddy Howells visit Cave House in 2010. (George Kontis) On April 11, 2010, I traveled to Harrodsburg, KY where I met with…

With the addition of Romania to the European Union in 2007, the EU stretched from the North Sea to the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic…

The 37th annual International Trade Fair for Hunting and Sporting Arms, Outdoor Articles and Accessories, was held in Nürnberg, Germany, from March 12-15, 2010. Formerly…

The Automatic Machine Rifle, Caliber .30, Model of 1909 – also known as the “Benét-Mercié.” Weighing in at about 30 pounds it was considered a…

British Machine Gun Corps ‘trench art’ lighter. Copper and brass in the shape of a book with the collar insignia of the M.G.C. crossed Vickers…

Tony Musa of Glock made sure that attendees did not bypass the Gen4 as just another Glock. The system features a dual recoil spring and…

10 April 2009, Fort A.P. Hill, Virginia. A Riverine Patrol Boat executes a low speed turn in preparation for another pass in support of the…

Each of the students had a chance to test-fire various weapons and suppressors on the range day of the class. Affable, cheerful and humorous, the…

Eurosatory 2010 was held at the Parc du Exposition, located outside of Paris, France on June 14-18, 2010. As one of the largest tradeshows in…

Previous articles regarding UN gun control measures have warned of current and pending actions at the United Nations that threaten to limit, or control an…

Maryland Probation Officer Convicted of Export Violations Emenike Charles Nwankwoala, a 49-year-old resident of Laurel, Maryland, pleaded guilty to charges that he exported shotguns, pistols…

Agencija Alan presented the latest and reportedly final version of the Type VHS assault rifle. This rifle is 5.56x45mm in a bullpup configuration using gas…

23mm gun turret on Chinese made ZFB05 APC. The Defence Aviation and Space Fair (FIDAE) is today one of the most important military events in…

Overall right-hand view of the MG11. Hiram Maxim was born in the United States in 1840. His genius lay in his ability to grasp the…

The phone call from Carl Bertil Johansson in early summer 2009 came out of the blue. The founder of the Swedish company CBJ Tech had…

Tactical attendee live firing the M55A3 triple barreled 20mm anti-aircraft machine gun in the ground anti-material roll. This weapon system is highly portable, and provides…

Note: Part Two of this article is available here. The “Brown Water Navy” is back in force and elements of Captain Kruger’s command have been…

The TR-85 M1 tank from Romania has a crew of four. It’s armed with a rifled 100mm cannon that has a maximum rate of fire…

On Tuesday, January 19, 2010, the U.S. Department of Justice issued a press release announcing the arrest of 22 individuals on allegations of violating the…

New Requirements for Commodity Jurisdiction Requests The U.S. Department of State’s Directorate of Defense Trade Controls (State/DDTC) has posted a message on its website that…

After two and a half years, the U.S. Department of Justice culminated a major bribery investigation by arresting 22 individuals in the small arms industry,…

The Association of the United States Army held its annual meeting on October 5-7, 2009 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC. As…

We received an invitation to come to ST Kinetics in Singapore and view their newest small arms offerings. As quickly as possible, we made the…

Photo postcard showing the rare Puteaux M1905 machine gun. The caption reads “Mailly Camp – Infantry soldiers operating a machine gun in an open field”…

Pressure testing the entrance chamber of a 1.38 inch diameter 5.56mm suppressor on a 10.4 inch barrel. Pressure measurements of 2,998 psi calculated an acceptable…

The term “SHOT Show” while unbeknownst to some, is to anyone involved in the world of firearms and all things outdoors, the show to attend. …

The jewel of their aircraft collection is this flying Handley Page Halifax II (III) “Friday the 13th” that is operated and maintained at the Yorkshire…

The Tri-Service Asian Defense and Internal Security Event for Land, Sea and Air and Security Exhibition was held at the IMPACT Exhibition Center in Bangkok,…

The sale of defense articles worldwide is typically straight forward – the buyer coordinates with the seller, and each party secures the proper government licenses…

ATF Manufacturing and Marking Requirements Eased On November 19, 2009, ATF released Ruling 2009-5 that relieves subcontractors from marking receivers and/or other restricted parts manufactured on…

The Blyskawica (‘Lightning’, pronounced bwiskavitsa, with ‘wi’ to be read like in ‘wisdom’) was designed and manufactured fully clandestine, for the Home Army (Armia Krajowa,…

Historically, the annual AUSA Show is not known for debuts of the latest small arms technology. The big dollar programs like MRAP and Future Combat…

A relatively new product on the U.S. market, the Multi-Purpose Aiming Reflex Sight (MARS) has been on the international market for several years, and is reportedly…

Example of the museum’s diorama section: The Battle of Cibadak – 9 December, 1945. “On 9 December 1945, a British military convoy escorted by several…

The HK M320 40mm grenade launcher. Until recently, the field of 40mm grenade launchers was almost exclusively dominated by the M203. With the recent adoption…

Ramrod Bayonet shown with conventional models. (U.S. Army Rock Island Arsenal Museum) I sat quietly taking notes as the Purchase Description was being reviewed, making sure…

TASER introduced their TASER X12 dedicated less-lethal shotgun done in cooperation with Mossberg but did not have the actual X12 on display. The X12 is…

Over 150 exhibitors from 23 countries gathered in the sunny Singapore Spring for IMDEX 2009. This was the seventh biannual IMDEX, and it was opened…

The Makarov PB suppressed pistol with the secondary suppressor removed. This was easily concealed, and the secondary suppressor could be attached literally in seconds. The…

Andreas Wilhelm Schwarzlose of Charlottenburg, Germany was a well known and respected inventor and arms designer working out of the gun making center of Suhl,…

The 40mm RGP-40 MGL sparked many controversies and we’re certain to hear about it in the future. The exhibited prototype was fitted with a CK-5/Zs-1…

8 July 2009, Afghanistan. First Lieutenant George Saenz, along with two members of the Afghan National Police, provides security during operations in Helmand Province. His…

The strategic placement of elements on the battlefield has been the subject of millions of words, from many sources, both experienced and those who are…

Gun control efforts by the United Nations are well known. The Fredrik Reuterswärd sculpture of a revolver with its barrel tied in a knot is…

Law Enforcement International The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded a contract to Law Enforcement International (LEI) for the supply of a new 7.62mm semiautomatic “sharpshooter”…

Switzerland is well known for its exquisite time pieces, fine chocolate, and its highly professional banking practices. The firearms manufactured by the Swiss are of…

On April 19, 1879 Carl Gustave Swebilius was born in Vingaker, Sweden, one of five children of the town watch maker. He grew up working…

The Colt Defense IAR peers toward the desert during a pause in the firing. The 2009 NDIA Small Arms Systems Symposium, Exhibition, and Firing Demonstration…

Mark Westrom, owner of ArmaLite, Inc. and President of the DSAAC (Defense Small Arms Advisory Council), sat down with Small Arms Defense Journal to discuss…

While the insignia of US Infantry is crossed rifles, its spirit is the spirit of the bayonet. Every American infantryman, indeed every American soldier, learns…

FROM LEFT: LEFT TWO: A regiment in their own right, the cap badge and shoulder patch of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders as worn in…

Karen Davies, VP and General Manager of ATK’s Small Caliber Systems including the U.S. Army’s Lake City Ammunition Plant, happily hammers away with the Garwood…

The Soviet Union and its current iteration, Russia, have long been known for innovative weapon development; only some of which has seen the light of…

Located in the heart of Warsaw, Poland, the Museum of the Polish Army holds some 300,000 historical treasures dating from 966 through World War II. …

Indo Defence is the Indonesian military’s third in a series of bi-annual tri-service expositions. It is a good, solid, Southeast Asian military show with strong…

Faisal Essa Al-Kaabi, Qatar Special Forces Group, stands guard at the Lekhwiya Historical and Current use displays. Note M2HB .50 caliber (12.7x99mm) Browning machine gun…

Milipol Qatar 2008 was officially opened by H.E. Sheikh Abdullah Bin Nasser Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, Minister of Interior of the State of Qatar. He was…

A lot of readers and deployed troops have asked us about the “Potato Masher” type hand thrown grenade that has been used in Iraq more and…

The Soviet era design referred to generically now as the RPG-7 was the fruit of decades of design development in many countries: there were forces…

Shooting suppressed weapons will protect hearing far better than using hearing protection devices, because the sound is attenuated at the source. Hearing damage by bone…

U.S. Navy photo of pirates captured on Feb. 11, 2009 by the USS Vella Gulf, a guided-missile cruiser patrolling the Gulf of Aden to detect…

Marines just returned from front-line combat action in Iraq and Afghanistan provide valuable input to exhibitors who are continually seeking new and better ways to…

An armorer test fires the PSS silent pistol. (Photo by Dan Shea) Little is known in the Western world of the Soviet silent pistols utilizing…

The 5.56mm wz.96 Beryl assault rifle in its original form – still with shrink tubes on the stock tubes, standard bipod, old type muzzle device…

Chambering the Black Rifle in .308 Win. (7.62x51mm NATO) is anything but a new idea. From the early ArmaLites to the current selection of workhorse…

Sliding a Sloboda manufactured M91 Anti-Personnel barrel launched rifle grenade onto the end of Zastava’s M70 AK Variant. We thought it appropriate to focus and…

The US booth with PM Soldier Weapons showcased their new M320 40mm side-opening launcher with FCU and the new underbarrel mounted 12 gauge shotgun that…

Light artillery field pieces from World War I and World War II aligned along the outdoor terrace level. Located in the center of Athens just…

Machine Gun Squad, Company B, Second U.S. Infantry. Note the rare leather strap hanging arrangement for the steam condensing hose. Photo circa 1917. History 2004…

The Association of the United States Army held its annual meeting on October 6-8 in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington DC. As one…

4-foot tall warrior-demon figures from a 16th Century temple off of Bangkok’s main canal. Decorations were made from Chinese dishes that were broken up in…

Exporting defense articles or utilizing defense services from the United States? Like it or not, the U.S. State Department controls the export of all defense…

AAI 5.6x53mm SPIW with 3-shot sliding breech grenade launcher. (Author’s collection) Last August, the Office of the Secretary of the Army announced a 2009 project…

Weighing in at only 7.2 ounces including the recoil device and with a diameter of only 1.25 inches, the Gemtech Tundra more resembles a rimfire…

BAE Systems BAE Systems recently announced the Integrated Warfighter System (IWS). Still in the developmental stages, the IWS is BAE Systems’ first attempt to take…

Dr. Philip H. Dater was born in the latter part of April, 1937 on Manhattan Island in New York City. He has two brothers, Tom and Sheldon, and a sister Emilie. Dr. Dater has two daughters from his first marriage, Diana and Valerie, and one daughter Julie with his wife, Jane, to whom he has been happily married for over thirty years. He is one of the brains behind Gemtech and his private consulting practice with Antares Technologies has done a lot behind the scenes for the modern small arms community….

At the 22nd annual Small Arms and Cannons Symposium held in August 2008 at the Defense Academy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to simply as “Shrivenham” for the small town in England where the event is held, Volker Kurtz, formerly with Heckler & Koch GmbH for nearly two decades, received the coveted NDIA Professional Service Award for his dedication to the small arms end user, to advancing the state-of-the-science of small arms systems, and to the industry as a whole….

There are two small arms conferences in the West that this author considers to be the most important in the world for the serious small arms community to attend: the NDIA Small Arms Symposium held every May in the United States, and the Small Arms and Cannon Symposium at Shrivenham held every August in the UK. While there are many excellent, larger trade shows that have some educational aspects to them, these two conferences stand out as events that encourage the dialogue between the shakers and movers in small arms design and end use….

There has long been a requirement for a personal defence weapon, or PDW, for soldiers whose primary duty does not involve carrying a rifle. They need something much smaller, lighter and handier which does not burden them or distract them from their main task. Originally, the main priority was for officers, who were almost invariably given revolvers or pistols; but handguns also found a place with cavalry and, later on, with soldiers such as gunners who might come under infantry attack or with tank crews whose space was at a minimum….

Skarżysko-Kamienna is a relatively young city receiving its city charter in 1923, yet a settlement has existed in the Kamienna river valley since prehistoric times due to the ore-rich region in which it is located. Steel mills prospered in the region and the State Ammunition Factory, as well as many other defense related industries after World War II, are located in the city. It was here where Polish squads ordered by Józef Piłsudski fought during World War I….

Developed in the aftermath of WWII and fielded in 1957, the light and handy 7.62mm NATO caliber M60 General Purpose Machine Gun (GPMG) has been alternately praised and cursed by GIs who have carried it combat from Vietnam to Iraq and beyond. Inspired by the WWII German MG42, the M60 was intentionally designed for mass production – cheap and fast on a stamped sheet metal receiver that houses a clever gas operated, carrier-cammed bolt mechanism first seen in the Lewis Gun of WWI….

What’s not to like about a real machine gun that’s significantly lighter than a chunky M240, about the same size as a puny SAW, pumps out powerful 7.62mm rounds with reliability and accuracy, and has long been a force multiplier in elite Navy SEAL Teams? GIs who’ve tried ‘em love ‘em, they’re comparable in price to buy and sustain as the FN guns, they’ve been in the logistics and combat doctrine chains for ever, and they’re 100 percent American designed and built. Slam dunk? Sorry….

The War & Peace Show, also called “The Beltring Show” by many, is an incredible experience. SADJ decided to bring the readers a short report on this amazing civilian “Militaria” show, since it is coming again this summer and, without question, is the largest militaria show in the world. War & Peace also provides an opportunity for military historians, end users, and people in the industry to see up close the weapons and kit used in conflicts all over the planet. The displays cover the full 450 acres of the Hop Farm recreational facility which is southeast of London in Paddock Wood, Kent. You read that right, 450 acres of display areas….

Eurosatory 2008 was held at the Parc du Exposition, located outside of Paris, France on June 16 – 20, 2008. As one of the largest tradeshows in the world dedicated to the international arms trade, nearly 1.3 million square feet of exhibition space was filled by 1,180 exhibitors from 51 countries, including 127 exhibitors from the United States. Approximately 50,000 individuals from over 145 countries attended the show. Of note were several new product releases and market trends from well known and lesser known manufacturers….

The sniper and spotter have been lying in their concealed position for hours observing the handful of windows and doors. Luckily they were shaded from the heat by the hide chosen in the rear corner of the room looking thru a hole in the wall caused by earlier combat in the area. Intelligence had indicated that the insurgent commander was in the area and likely using the observed structure as a safe house. The team had inserted by dropping off the back of a patrol sweeping thru the area. Range was not going to be a problem as the spotter and sniper had….

During the 1920s China was embroiled in a civil war between the Chinese Communists led by Mao Tse-tung and the Chinese Nationalist Party (Kuomintang) who were led by Chiang Kai-shek. The fighting briefly subsided after 1937 with the Japanese invasion of China. During World War II, the United States became allied with the Chinese Nationalists and provided massive military and financial aid to help China fight the Japanese. The wartime plan of the U.S. was to assist China in becoming a strong ally and a stabilizing force in Asia after the war….

The conflicts in the Middle East go on, as they have through the ages. The shores of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan look out over the salt-mineral flats towards the West Bank, as they have through the ages as well. There is trouble brewing in that West Bank community, claimed to be the oldest continually occupied city on the planet, and to the East is Iraq, then Iran. Looking north is the Syrian border. Not far away, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. This is the cradle of Western Civilization, the wellspring for the three great religions of the West – Christianity, Judaism, and Islam…

Argentina was an early user of the Maxim and began by ordering 50 Maxims from the Maxim Nordenfelt Guns and Ammunition Company Limited in England in 1895. These first 50 guns were given Argentine Army serial numbers 1-50 and chambered in the 7.65×53 Belgium Mauser caliber. In 1898, a second order of the Model 1895 was placed with Deutsche Waffen und Munitionsfabriken (DWM), a licensed Maxim manufacturer in Germany, for another 150 guns still chambered for the Belgium Mauser 7.65×53 caliber. These guns were serially numbered 51-200.

The 2005 Lion’s Gate film The Lord of War, starring Nicolas Cage, is well known in the international small arms industry. Allegedly based upon the acts of former KGB major Viktor Bout, the movie makes a political statement against the international arms industry and claims that the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Russia and China (the five permanent members of the UN Security Council) are the world’s leading arms suppliers.

Sound is defined as air in motion, which produces pressure variations that the human ear can detect. It is a form of overpressure, and how it is interpreted depends on a variety of factors, including frequency, duration, intensity (amplitude), and variations in the observer’s hearing acuity. The subject of this column is related to firearm sounds.