Emergent Small-Caliber Cartridge Technologies: Current and Horizon Technology Trends
By N.R. Jenzen-Jones

Overview

Emergent ammunition technologies are likely to prove key in future firearms designs, with many also applying to legacy weapons. Polymer-cased ammunition, the rise of the so-called “intermediate” caliber and other technologies, will affect the way in which firearms are produced, issued, employed, maintained and resupplied. Many of these technologies are focused on reducing the logistics burden on militaries and reducing the carrying load of the individual soldier. While these technologies also apply to medium and large caliber ammunition, this report will restrict its focus to small caliber ammunition—cartridges of up to 14.5x114mm in caliber, commonly fired from small arms and some light weapons.

Polymer cartridge cases have the potential to significantly reduce the cost and weight of conventional ammunition. Several militaries and commercial groups have shown interest, and the technologies are rapidly advancing. Caseless ammunition seeks to obviate the need for cartridge cases entirely, instead embedding the projectile in a “block” of propellant. Caseless ammunition would also reduce weight, even more significantly, but presents several significant technological hurdles. Telescoping ammunition is another method of saving weight, while also reducing the overall volume of a round. This technology is being applied to both caseless and polymer-cased ammunition.

A ruptured 4.92x34mm caseless cartridge. Note fragmentary nature of the propellant block and missing pieces of propellant. HK USA/Jim Schatz

While the majority of current and horizon technologies relate to the cartridge case and/or cartridge configuration, the introduction of a ballistically superior general-purpose caliber—generally acknowledged to be in the 6.0 to 6.9mm range—has the potential to bridge the gap between 5.56×45 and 7.62x51mm cartridges in many modern militaries. Small caliber ammunition in this range would be applicable to a range of small arms. If such a caliber were to replace two or more in-service calibers, there exists the potential for significant savings in cost, a simplification of production and sustainment and advantages for interoperability of weapons systems and training.

Many of these emergent technologies are, or will be, compatible with one another, offering advanced synergies for the ammunition of tomorrow. An intermediate caliber could readily be made compatible with other emergent ammunition technologies, perhaps heralding the introduction, for example, of a polymer-cased, telescoping, intermediate caliber cartridge, marked using emergent marking technologies. Other emergent ammunition technologies, including advanced marking practices leveraging new technologies such as laser cartridge case marking and ballistic imprinting (“microstamping”), guided small caliber ammunition, and other ammunition advancements are not covered in this report.

Following are some of the most important aims and requirements of modern cartridge case design, in descending order of priority. Depending on the end user and intended use, some of these requirements may prove more or less important.

Reduce ammunition weight;
Reduce ammunition volume;
Increase the number of rounds that can be carried;
Improve hit probability;
Enable special applications;
Allow for the enhancement of legacy weapon systems and/or the development of new weapon systems;
Reduce ammunition cost (production & procurement);
Reduce ammunition transport costs; and
Improve general performance and function.

Emergent Cartridge Case Technologies

Polymer Cartridge Cases

Polymer cartridge cases face a number of design challenges. The material selected must be able to withstand the various mechanical, thermal and chemical stresses which cartridge cases are subjected to. The cases must be low-friction, feeding and loading in a weapon as a finished brass case would. Polymer cartridge cases used in existing weapon designs must be produced from a material with elastic properties matching that of brass, so as to allow for consistent obturation and extraction. Some manufacturers have claimed that their polymer materials obturate better than brass cases (Western Shooter, 2011). Consistency in manufacturing is essential, ensuring not only accuracy but also safety.

The primary advantage to polymer-cased ammunition is a reduction in overall cartridge weight. According to one manufacturer, pistol cartridges see typical weight reduction of 11.5% to 20%, while rifle caliber cartridges are 23% to 60% lighter (PolyCase, n.d.). Polymer cartridge cases typically require a thicker case wall when compared to brass, resulting in a slightly reduced cartridge case capacity. As a result, the amount or type of propellant used may vary from their brass counterparts.

Polymer-cased conventional ammunition is currently available from a small number of manufacturers. Other manufacturers have previously offered similar products or are intending to do so in future. Commercially successful designs, or those seeking widespread military acceptance, will need to function correctly in existing firearms designs. There have been issues with some currently-available ammunition using polymer cases, including reports of catastrophic failures (C., 2014). Some manufacturers of polymer cartridges have indicated that their ammunition should not be used in firearms with fluted chambers, such as the Heckler & Koch G3 series of rifles (PCP, n.d.).

The most successful designs of polymer cartridge case ammunition used with unmodified self-loading firearms employ metallic cartridge case heads. This is to provide sufficient strength to the thin rim of the case for the relatively violent extraction and ejection forces commonplace in the regular functioning of a firearm. Rim and base strength is critical when ensuring safe, reliable operation in firearms. This importance is even more pronounced with aged or fouled weapons. At least one manufacturer intends to offer cartridges with a metallic case rim only (PolyCase, 2015).

Graphical representation of a conventional configuration lightweight 5.56x45mm cartridge from MAC LLC (2015) shows the metallic cartridge head (base) at left and the moulded polymer cartridge case “caselet” with projectile at right. Note the join towards the base of the caselet. MAC LLC

Cased telescoped ammunition

Emergent cased telescoped (CT) ammunition (sometimes referred to as “cased telescoped ammunition” or “cased telescoping ammunition,” and by the acronym “CTA”) offers a significant reduction in both weight and volume of the cartridge. In telescoped cases, the projectile is seated fully within the length of the cartridge case, reducing a cartridge’s overall length (see Image 4). This configuration also obviates the need for metal cartridge case heads while maintaining a functional level of case strength and integrity. A rim or extractor groove is typically not required, because the mechanism of the weapon forces the fired case forward using a rammer, rather than extracting it towards the rear as with most conventional firearms. The weapon mechanism must be purpose-built to allow for the use of cased telescoped ammunition, making it incompatible with conventional firearms and thus costly, requiring a complete replacement of both ammunition and weapons system.

Telescoped cartridge designs have been under development since the 1950s, using various materials including light metals, polymer and even some employing fully combustible caseless technology. Early iterations of telescoped ammunition were designed around medium caliber projectiles, including examples in 20, 30, 40 and 75mm configurations. Technological limitations meant that early CT cartridges were typically heavier and occupied more volume than their conventionally-configured counterparts, as well as suffering from ballistic inefficiencies (DoD, 1996).

Some successful employments of telescoped cased cartridge technology were developmental weapons, including the Heckler & Koch G11 caseless self-loading rifle and the Steyr candidate for the US Army’s Advanced Combat Rifle (ACR) program. (Both of these designs used telescoped fléchette ammunition.) (Johnston & Nelson, 2010).
Some specific technical challenges with telescoped case designs include controlling the “jump” of the projectile into the barrel, ensuring the correct orientation of ammunition when filling magazines and the proper sealing of the chamber in order to achieve correct function. The most significant effort examining CTA to date is the US Army’s Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) programme (Shipley & Spiegel, 2005).

MK 323 Mod 0 polymer-cased .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) cartridge. NSWC Crane

Caseless Ammunition

Currently, the greatest reduction in cartridge weight and volume can be achieved by the use of caseless (CL) ammunition. In this configuration, the cartridge body is comprised of the propellant, leaving no case to be discarded once fired. Certain iterations of this technology, using a 5.56mm projectile, have achieved a reduction in weight of nearly 50% as well as a 40% reduction in overall cartridge volume (Phillips, 2010). This can only be achieved with a significant increase in the complexity of the weapon system used to employ the ammunition, which imposes additional reliability challenges. As a result, there are no small arms in military service which use caseless ammunition, despite attempts to perfect these systems for more than seven decades (Schatz, 2015).

Caseless ammunition technology presents unique and significant technical challenges which need to be overcome before such ammunition would be viable for military use. The author assesses such adoption, under current and near-future technological constraints, to be highly unlikely.

Synergies of Emergent Ammunition Technologies

The likelihood of large-scale adoption of emergent ammunition technologies

Plans for a general-purpose caliber between the current 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm standards are most often challenged on the drawbacks of weight. That is, on average, the overall weight of ammunition would increase if the same number of rounds were to be carried by a unit or squad. While the adoption of a general-purpose caliber would no doubt provide the infantryman with a ballistically superior cartridge, the success of the concept hinges on whether or not this increase in capability is necessary and, more importantly, whether it is worth the trade-off in terms of weight. The weight reduction from advanced case technologies may neutralise this disadvantage and allow for greater performance to be built into smaller caliber cartridges, which could prove a key enabler for the adoption of a general-purpose caliber. As such, the viability of a widely-issued general-purpose caliber may well be tied to the success of programmes examining other emergent ammunition technologies, including polymer cartridge cases, advanced propellants and telescoped cartridge configurations.

The adoption of polymer-cased conventional ammunition, while likely to have a lesser economic and logistical impact than the introduction of either a general-purpose caliber or more radical changes in cartridge case technology, such as caseless or telescoped rounds, would still pose a significant economic and logistical challenge. Manufacturing plant and techniques would need to be replaced or adjusted at major manufacturing centres in order to produce such ammunition on a large scale. Existing polymer ammunition for army testing has been produced on a comparatively small scale and by alternative manufacturers to those traditionally producing cartridges and cartridge cases for military service (Hunt & Stoll, 2012). Given the significant impacts to the manufacturing process required by the introduction of any of the emergent ammunition technologies discussed herein, it is likely to prove substantially more cost-efficient to adopt a combination of technologies at the same time, if desired.

2015b CTA cartridges compared to conventional brass-cased cartridges. L-R: 5.56mm LSAT, 5.56x45mm M855, 7.62mm LSAT, 7.62x51mm M80.

A new cartridge which requires a significant adjustment to production infrastructure or weapon systems will not be acquired and fielded unless it offers a substantial advantage over the current caliber mix, or unless such an acquisition is conducted in conjunction with the adoption of other new technology which requires the replacement of existing ammunition. Given past acquisition trends, it is highly improbable that NATO would adopt a new cartridge unless the US armed forces, and the US Army in particular, intends to field it in significant quantities (both the 5.56x45mm and the 7.62x51mm cartridge were developed for the US Army, before being adopted by NATO). As a result, US Army requirements are the most critical factor in determining whether a general-purpose caliber is likely to be adopted by major western militaries.

Any new family of small arms would not be anticipated to enter US service prior to 2025 (Williams, 2015b). As such, requirements for these systems are still being developed and are likely to draw on a number of programmes and studies, including those previously concluded, currently underway and yet to be undertaken.

(The horizon for emergent cartridge case technologies is outlined in Table 2 of ARES’ original paper, available at: www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/reports.html.)
Polymer cartridge cases in a conventional configuration for the .50 BMG (12.7x99mm) caliber are expected to enter service in 2015, with other calibers to follow. Polymer cartridge cases in both CT and conventional configurations will be further developed over the next two to three years, with a general-purpose caliber CT cartridge expected in three to five years. Caseless ammunition technology, while remaining fraught with technical risk, should be viable for fielding in three to five years too, according to some analysts (Schatz, 2015b).

Conclusion

Perhaps the primary advantage of emergent cartridge case technologies are the weight and volume savings they offer. The most common perceived advantage of lighter weight cartridges is in reducing the immense combat loads regularly carried by the modern soldier. The direct, tactically-desirable result of this is increased mobility. This weight reduction, which ranges from some 15% to nearly 50% depending on the technology, could instead allow for soldiers to carry a significant amount of additional ammunition beyond their current-day standards, allowing for overall increased unit “firepower” (Phillips, 2012; Shipley, 2015).

With a polymer case, a soldier would be able to carry approximately 170 rounds of .264 USA (a conventional cartridge configuration) at the same weight as 210 rounds of brass cased 5.56x45mm M855A1. The .264 USA projectile loaded into a CT configuration is likely to be even lighter still and would confer notable overall length and volume reductions as well. Textron Systems’ belt-fed machine gun chambered for a CT cartridge with a .264 caliber projectile offers a 10% weight reduction over the existing US Army M249/M855 5.56x45mm combination and a 43% weight reduction over the M240B/M80 7.62x51mm combination.

Developments in cartridge technology over the past decade have been significant and have built on technologies developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Decades of unsuccessful and frequently costly attempts have led to emergent small caliber ammunition technologies which are ready, or nearing readiness, for large-scale adoption and field use. These significant technical advancements have been enabled by advanced polymer materials, combined with modern projectile and case modelling and design tools and assembly methods.

The next five to 10 years will prove critical for emergent ammunition technologies. Many of these have reached technological maturity already, while many others are expected to hit this milestone in the next two to five years. If a radical change from conventionally configured, brass cased ammunition is to occur on a large scale, it is likely to be led by the US Army and would be expected to occur in 2025 or beyond. It remains to be seen whether the advent of emergent small caliber ammunition technologies will result in a significant or sudden shift towards polymer cases or a general-purpose caliber or whether such advances will simply continue to drive the design and development of weapon systems incrementally forwards.

For references and bibliography, please see the original paper as presented in The Small Arms Survey. Available at: www.smallarmssurvey.org/publications/by-type/reports.html

The author is indebted to the late Jim Schatz, who was one of several key contributors to the original paper. His knowledge, wisdom and support will be missed. Special thanks are also due to Tony Williams, Sam Baartz, Jonathan Ferguson and Michael Smallwood, Federico Graziano, Nicolas Marsh, Beat Vogelsanger and several confidential sources.

A ceremony was scheduled for August 21, 1943, at the John Inglis Company. The first of the morning shift arrived in darkness, announced by the steel-on-steel screech of streetcar brakes. When the accordion doors opened onto Toronto’s Canadian National Exhibition grounds, a group of workers stepped down. Inglis was running two 10-hour shifts a day, reserving the remaining four hours for maintenance and cleaning. Most of the almost 18,000 workers entered from King Street to the north of the plant, but these were early for a reason.

Cradling infants, holding children’s hands, and draping sleeping toddlers across their shoulders, the parents entered the Coliseum and gave over the national treasure to the young women of the crèche. The “girls” were all volunteers, including the daughter of the John Inglis Company’s owner and several of her former schoolmates (my mother among them). The men and women, an even split on the production line, then hiked across the railyard to three dozen red brick buildings and the 5,000 machines that were Inglis.

The ceremony began before lunchtime. They were celebrating the building of 100,000 Bren guns at Inglis. The band of Number Two Depot played. Speeches were made. Miss John Inglis gave a corsage to the new Mrs. Bradley to celebrate her recent marriage. Finally, Bren gun number 100,000, complete with a small silver plaque on its butt, was presented to Dr. Liu Shih Shun, the Chinese Minister to Canada. Maj. Gen. Pia Kiang then posed with Miss John Inglis and the gun. Watching proudly were Maj. James Emanuel Hahn, DSO, OBE and MC, the owner of John Inglis Company, and Harry John Carmichael, Joint Director General of Munitions Procurement and Canada’s top munitions engineer.

The 100,000th Canadian Automatic Pistol made by John Inglis Co. Toronto, Ontario.

Gen. Kiang had been there before. He had established the purchasing team from China in Washington, D.C., and came to tour Inglis in June of 1941. The Nationalist Chinese were fighting the Japanese and needed 8mm Bren guns. Inglis was ready to oblige. While he was there, Gen. Kiang had his High Power and passed it to Hahn. He asked if Inglis could make them. Hahn was no slouch as an engineer, but he deferred to the tall man beside him. There was no one better qualified to answer the question than Harry J. Carmichael.

Carmichael, the second of four brothers, was born in 1891 in New Haven, Conn. His Scottish-born father, William, was an engineer and his mother, Mary, was from Ireland.

By his mid-teens, Harry was making exceptionally good money in the New Haven offices of hardware maker, Sargent and Company. But money wasn’t everything. He left the swivel chair and took a substantial pay cut to work as a machinist on the plant floor. There he educated himself in engineering and by age 21 knew his profession thoroughly. He was also a really good baseball player. Across the border in Canada, the McKinnon Co. of St. Catherine’s, Ontario, noticed him and recruited him to work as a pattern maker … and to captain the company baseball team. At the time, the Canadian-American border was trivial, and, as his parents were both born British subjects, Carmichael’s Canadian citizenship was automatic. Five years after arriving in the McKinnon factory, he was assistant manager.

General Motors Canada bought McKinnon in 1929 and took on now-president and general manager Carmichael. In 1936, GMC lured him to Oshawa as a vice-president and general manager of General Motors Canada.

WWII began for Canada three years later, in 1939, and General Motors was soon devoted to munitions production. In 1941, GMC loaned Carmichael to the Government of Canada as assistant chairman of the Wartime Requirements Board. A month later, he was promoted to director of the munitions production branch and director general of gun and tank production.

He’d barely found his office when, he became joint director general of munitions procurement. There was no higher unelected office. He answered only to the cabinet Minister, C.D. Howe. Carmichael could walk into any munitions factory in the nation, order any changes and hire and fire at will. He made a dollar a year.

Inglis workers celebrate 100,000 Bren guns.

He reputedly “annoyed a lot of people that stood in his way” … until production soared. He arrived at GM with a hard-nosed anti-union and anti-labor reputation. The war reversed his attitude. He was soon giving the munitions workers praise for their war effort. He went on the national Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s radio network to say so… and chided Canada’s industrial owners and management to match them.

“Yes,” he nodded to Kiang and Hahn, Inglis could make the guns. Carmichael’s ground-up education enabled him to visualize every operation required to create any machine. But there was the sticky matter of drawings. There were none: The originals were trapped in occupied Belgium. Gen. Kiang offered to leave his personal gun and promised to round up several others for “reverse engineering.” The summer of 1941 was a desperate time.

Two years later, in August 1943, the Inglis workers at the Bren gun ceremony had earned the short celebration. Lunch was served. Hands were shaken, backs were slapped, and Harry Carmichael reiterated his praise of the workers. By now, the John Inglis Company was making Bren guns, .303 Browning machine guns, Boys .55 caliber anti-tank rifles, Polsten anti-aircraft guns, and was now tooled up and poised to make the 180,000 Browning High Powers requested by the Chinese.

The history of the High Power has already been admirably covered in SAR. The Fabrique Nationale Grande Puissance, the High Power, is a basic Browning design, refined and updated by Dieudonne Saive of FN. It fires the 9mm Parabellum cartridge and remains in production and use. Ironically, the high-capacity magazine that vaulted the High Power above its competition was not something Browning cared for and was added by Saive.

The early FN-made High Powers were sold to several countries, China among them. The Chinese had been fighting the invading Japanese since 1937. They bought 5,000 FN-made High Powers, and would have bought more if Belgium weren’t overrun by Japan’s ally, Germany.

The John Inglis Company offered China a solution. Inglis was an old name, started by John Inglis and partners in 1859 to make farm equipment in rural Guelph, Ontario, Canada. John Inglis died in 1898 and the following year his sons moved the factory to Toronto to make engines for ships and factory power plants. The company survived the death of John Inglis’ sons, but it didn’t survive the depression.

James. E. Hahn, CEO of WWII Inglis.

Enter Maj. Hahn. In the mid-1930s, Hahn was an able and well-connected middle-aged businessman and like Carmichael, American-born.

He was born in New York City in 1892, the son of Alfred and Eugenie Hahn, who had arrived from Germany just two years before. In 1898, they moved to Ontario, Canada. Hahn joined the Canadian militia and was a Captain by twenty-two. Within days of WWI beginning in 1914, he enlisted in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. To add a veneer of maturity, he added four years to his age when he joined, claiming to be born in 1888. He ended the war a Major, decorated with the Military Cross and the scars of three wounds. His time in Intelligence wired him into the old-boy network of bureaucrats who ran governments in Canada and Britain. In the late 1930s, they quietly assured him Britain and Canada would soon adopt the Bren gun, and someone could make a lot of money making those guns.

A factory would be needed and the John Inglis complex was in receivership and populated by three caretakers. Promising thousands of jobs, Hahn first drummed up political support. He leveraged this to line up financing, and bought the John Inglis Company in 1937. In March 1938, Hahn secured his first contract to make 5,000 Brens for Britain and another 7,000 for Canada.

The looming war justified skipping the formalities of competitive bidding … it was hoped. But memories of rotting boots and dead Canadians clutching jammed Ross rifles had been followed by years of depression, union-busting and exploitation. The average Canadian distrusted businessmen and high-handed government schemers.

The Inglis sign was dismantled in 2014.

The Canadian government dusted off the script from WWI and loudly declared there would be no tolerance for profiteering. A Royal Commission was formed to scrutinize the Bren contracts. “The Bren Gun Scandal” exploded, then deflated as the shooting war began. The Commission found no hard evidence of corruption, but the initial cost-plus pricing was rewritten to a management fee per gun to assuage critics. By the time the Bren production line started up in 1940, orders ballooned.

High Power production was more difficult than first thought. Reverse-engineering a gun is complex, and having original drawings of the High Power would shave many months off the schedule. Wisely, Saive and a handful of engineers had escaped the oncoming Nazis and fled to Britain. The British put them to work recreating the High Power drawings from memory, but Saive’s attention was divided: He was also working on what would become the SAFN 49.

Work was slow. The FN engineers believed the British intended to make the High Powers without compensating FN. This would not only rob FN of their share of profit at the time, it would flood the post-war market and destroy it for the future. The bad blood thickened when Inglis asked for the loan of the engineers and Britain refused. A plot was hatched to smuggle a set of original drawings out of FN. While the engineering dragged in Britain, the smuggled plans travelled seemingly by tortoise toward Spain. Both sets would be too late to be of use to Inglis.

By September 1943, Inglis’ tooling and production plans for the High Power were nearing completion. And, besides China’s order, the British Special Operations Executive was asking for samples.

The SOE was created by Winston Churchill to coordinate operations against the Nazis in occupied Europe. They wanted weapons to supply the underground. A quick fix was the provision of Lugers and Ballester-Rigauds in 9mm Parabellum. The High Power used the same ammunition and the SOE placed an order for 50,000 guns with Inglis.

Final check and assembly of High Power pistols for issuance.

This didn’t escape the notice of the Canadian Army and, on the strength of passing around Gen. Kiang’s personal gun, the leadership of the Canadian Army Overseas requested Inglis-made High Powers.

The SOE and the Canadian army did not want the shoulder stock and long range tangent sight beloved by the Chinese, so a second model of the Inglis High Power, the No. 2, was created. Except for the absence of a cut in the frame to take the stock, and the substitution of a fixed rear sight, the No. 2 was the same gun as the No. 1.

Duplication of serial numbers throughout the British Commonwealth was a problem avoided by the London War Office by assigning various gun factories blocks of numbers. This soon required constant monitoring and checking as more and more factories requested new blocks of numbers. The process was simplified by assigning letter codes to each factory. Normally, these were single letters, but the Chinese contract was an exception and assigned the code CH. This was followed by a four-digit serial number running from 1 to 9999. At that point, an additional numeral was added before the letter code, so the 10,000th gun of the Chinese contract would be marked 1CH0000 and so on. When the No. 2 assembly line began, the guns were assigned a T code, for Toronto, and the numbers counted up the same way.

In addition to the serial number on the frame, the same number appeared on the slide and the portion of the barrel visible through the ejection port. Thus most Inglis High Powers display their matching numbers in a stack of three.

There is no marking of No. 1 or No. 2 on any gun. The No. 1 is recognized by its tangent sight and shoulder stock, and the No. 2 by their absence. The large Chinese Mandarin markings on the left side of slide identifying the gun as “National Property of the Republic of China” were dropped from the No. 1 in May 1944.

Inglis by night after WWII.

Iron ore came by ship from north of Lake Superior. The mills near the harbor at Hamilton, Ontario, smelted it into steel. If you stood on the roof of one of the Inglis buildings at night, and looked southwest when the foundry doors were open, the red flare from 35 miles across Lake Ontario announced the eruptions of hot steel from the rollers. Hammered and rolled, the steel sparked and crackled and pinged to surly dark red, blues and purples. The rolls and plates then travelled, sometimes still warm, by rail to Toronto.

At Inglis, the High Power frames were rough cut from slabs of steel, eight at a time, by multiple cutting torches on “flame pantograph.” The slides were sawn from slabs and the barrels were machined from outsourced forgings. Then followed the grinding, milling, drilling, cutting, polishing, marking, fitting, finishing, assembly and testing.

As Inglis reverse-engineered the guns, they agreed to pay a royalty to Fabrique Nationale after the war. Out-maneuvered by their own greed, Britain let the Belgian engineers sail to Canada.

Inglis High Power production began in February 1944, with the first 500 guns slated for China. In March, 2,000 guns followed, and most went to the SOE. By September 1944, production leveled off at 20,000 a month.

There were some glitches. The Chinese FN-made guns copied by the Inglis engineers incorporated an outmoded barrel cam. This is the angled slot milled into the projecting piece of barrel below the chamber. As the slide moves back, a cross pin rides in this slot to pull the barrel downwards and unlock it from the slide. The slides then recoils and the world unfolds as it should. However, the squarish design of the early cut made the piece prone to cracking. A later, rounded design had cured this, a detail the Saive team reengineered in Toronto. Then, in tests of early production guns, it was found the ejector was too low and ejection erratic.

The new cam cut in the barrel was adopted and new barrels were issued for older guns as needed. The ejector was not so easy. The frame-mounted ejector slid through a machined slot in the slide, and the older slides were not cut deeply enough to accommodate the new higher ejector. It was necessary to mate the old and new ejectors correctly to the old and new slides. The taller ejector was designated the Mk 2 and marked with a 2 or II on one side. The slide with a deeper cut for the ejector was called the Mk 2 slide, but, it wasn’t stamped Mk 2. Instead, a gun incorporating both of these changes was marked as an Mk 1* on the slide. The Mk 1* modifications appear in both No. 1 and No. 2 models. Several minor changes that didn’t affect interchangeability were incorporated without identification.

Mutual Aid Decal.

The first 4,000 guns destined for China offloaded in Karachi, now in Pakistan, but part of India at the time. All war materials for China had to be flown north, at great cost in money and lives, over “the hump,” as the Himalayan barrier was called. Personal defense handguns were low on the priority list and, in the years since the 1941 Inglis order, America had equipped the Chinese with Colts in .45 ACP and the ammunition to go with them. The U.S. was less than eager to introduce a new caliber to the complex logistics system. Consequently, the first 4,000 High Powers sat in Karachi while thousands more piled up in Canadian warehouses from Quebec to Vancouver. To further confound matters, the Chinese Nationalist and Communist factions were both hoarding resources to fight one another. Fighting the Japanese was being left to the western allies and the Chinese order was being reconsidered by Ottawa.
The resulting rumors of cancellation made new orders paramount to Inglis. In wartime, mothballing a production line for possible reactivation was unheard of. If Inglis pistol production shut down, the machinery, tooling and floor space would be scavenged and devoured overnight and restarting production would be impossible.

But the Chinese contract was indeed cancelled. The large numbers of unassembled Chinese marked, and unmarked, frames and slides still in the production line were sent across the floor to build No. 2 pistols. The neat serial-numbering system went out the window.

Luckily, the Canadian Army Overseas did order the High Power just as the Chinese contract was cancelled. But, like the SOE, Canada wanted No. 2 Mk1*s. The No. 1’s stock didn’t improve accuracy, and worse, could tempt a careless user to put his eye directly in the path of the recoiling slide.

The No. 2 Mk1* was officially adopted by Canada in the summer of 1944. Britain followed with an order just before Christmas. Thousands of unshipped Chinese guns and parts, orphaned guns and mongrels filled out the orders. Soon, Canadian soldiers in Europe puzzled over their curious new guns firing German ammunition and decorated with large Mandarin characters.

The Inglis-made guns carried a variety of markings. All were marked “Browning FN 9mm HP Inglis Canada” and those accepted by Canada received a crossed-flag proof-mark stamp as well. Because the proof markings, and the Mandarin characters, were applied before the guns were finished and assembled, those marks are Parkerized. But, the serial numbers were cut later into the frame, slide and barrel after finishing and assembly to expose bright, raw steel. Many smaller parts, including the magazines, are stamped “JI” for John Inglis.

Marking 100,000 Inglis Brens.

There are variations. Some guns earmarked for other than the Chinese sale or the various “T” numbered clients, were not marked as proofed or accepted. A dozen or so presentation models were chromed, gold-plated or Parkerized. Some guns were marked with serial numbers that did not include the “CH” or “T” letters and a number of completely unmarked guns went home with workers. Near the end of production, some were marked with Inglis’ diamond-shaped trademark. Just over 150,000 Inglis High Powers were finally produced.

At some time, likely in November 1944, the 100,000th slide made at Inglis was taken from the assembly line. The milestone No. 2 Mk1* slide was matched to a completely unmarked slotted frame originally made for a No. 1. Number 100,000 bears no acceptance or proof marks or serial numbers. Instead, the right side of the slide was somewhat unevenly roll-stamped before Parkerizing.

The 100,000TH
Canadian Automatic Pistol
Made By John Inglis Co. Limited
Toronto, Canada

The left side was marked later in different type, cut through the finish.

“PRESENTED TO H. J. CARMICHAEL”

The gun bears the Mk1* designation and a light Browning FN 9mm HP Inglis Canada. The tri-language “Canada” decals of the Mutual Aid Board affixed to most Inglis guns were fragile and soon worn away. It is unlikely 100,000 ever had one. There is no record of a ceremony like the one marking the assembly of Bren 100,000.

By the time 100,000 left the production line, Carmichael was planning the conversion of industry to peacetime requirements. At the end of 1945, he left Ottawa. C. D. Howe, the Minister of Munitions, commended Carmichael for performing “a truly outstanding war service to Canada.” He added that Carmichael even paid his own expenses.

High Power assembly line.

Harry Carmichael didn’t smoke or drink, but he had one weakness … he loved horses. It’s said the only impulsive move of his life was to buy his first thoroughbreds over lunch. With those 14 horses, he opened his Garden City stable in St. Catherine’s, where he had begun his career in Canada.

Gen. Pia Kiang finally got his pistol back after it was hunted down and retrieved from a colonel who had quietly kept it as a memento.

Maj. Hahn continued to run Inglis. In 1954, he published his autobiography, For Action; the Autobiography of a Canadian Industrialist.

The Toronto Inglis plant is gone, the soot-blackened red bricks ground to dust and recycled. There is no Inglis Avenue, Bren Boulevard or High Power Lane. Today, any ghosts of Inglis drift through the tony condos, shops and parks of Liberty Village, the name being the only cryptic tribute to what happened there. It’s not really a bad trade; the working conditions in the drafty caverns would have been familiar to Dickens and Inglis survives today in such sleek modern plants as Whirlpool.

The Canadian government retains most of the Inglis pistols, and they remain the standard handgun of the Canadian Armed Forces. Canada is now shopping for a replacement. The Inglis High Powers will not enjoy an honorable retirement. When profane hands melt down the last High Power, a new Canada will have finally buried the Greatest Generation.

My mother, and her schoolmate, Maj. Hahn’s daughter Marion, remained lifelong friends. They have both passed on, but they visited frequently over the years, sipping tea and wine and the odd jug of Canadian rye whiskey. Marion brought her attractive niece along one afternoon. I was 15 or so when I showed Maj. Hahn’s granddaughter of the same age my bedroom.

For fear of litigation, and a black eye, I won’t mention her name. Like any good Canadian boy, I showed her my hockey stick and my guns. Maj. Hahn’s “force” was strong in that one. She was transfixed by my Sten Mk III gun and spent much of the visit cross-legged on my bed stripping and polishing it.

About $20,000,000 of Brens on the U.S. collectors’ market.

Lube? I croaked, offering a bottle of whale oil. Her smooth hands spread the emulsion over the bolt before she guided the steely cylinder into the receiver. Deftly snapping in the cocking piece, she fingered the trigger to let the bolt slam home to battery. About then, Mrs. Hahn and mom came to see how the kids were doing.

After bidding the guests goodbye, I returned to my room. My last pilfered cigarette was gone. The Sten was still smoking.

The author is indebted to R. Blake Stevens; the first Canadian writer to extensively document the FN and Inglis Hi Powers for Collector Grade Publications. Clive Law expertly expanded the study in The Inglis Diamond, also published by Collector Grade. Special thanks to Theo G. von Denta and Movie Armaments Group for editorial assistance. Photos from Libraries and Archives Canada, the Toronto Public Library and the late Lt. Geoff Winnington-Ball. The author has written numerous articles for Soldier of Fortune and Small Arms Review. His earlier books are available on Kindle. His upcoming book, The Right Gun, is a firearms guide for media professionals and will soon be available on Kindle.

Inglis in the 1980s.

With the recent rise in popularity in Precision Rifle Series (PRS) matches, these shooters are always looking for the best scope mount for their rifles. In my humble opinion, the scope mount is just as important as the scope itself. For example, you can have the most expensive $4,000 rifle scope but with a set of cheap rings, it’s almost a guarantee that your rifle will not hold zero. The scope mount has to be lightweight yet very strong, and offer additional features such as a bubble leveler or optional Angle Cosine Indicator (ACI). The three-gun competitors also want to have the best cantilever mount for the latest 1-6x or 1-8x rifle scopes on their AR rifles.

Spuhr Aimpoint M4 quick-detach mount with elevation knob with integrated magnifier twist mount.

The Idea

In 2009, a Swedish man named Hakan Spuhr came up with the idea to make a rifle scope mount where the rings are cut diagonally instead of horizontally. The idea first came when he noticed army snipers had to modify their rear A.R.M.S. ring by cutting a corner off as the ring itself blocked the view of the windage turret. He looked at it and thought, why not turn the scope ring 45-degrees, so the screws are not blocking the elevation and windage turrets? This may sound like a fairly simple idea; however, nobody had attempted to make scope rings that way before. He patented the design but, in addition, he wanted to make it into a modular system and with the ability to add accessories such as Picatinny rails, red dots, laser aiming or night-vision devices. He shared his scope mount design in a popular online precision rifle forum called Sniper’s Hide; allowing potential customers to provide input and suggestions as a way to have open development. One of the more useful suggestions was that he add lines inside the scope rings for the ability to glue the rings to the scope for extreme conditions. In addition, he heard from his friends in the Swedish army that they were in the process of switching to the new Accuracy International Arctic Warfare precision rifles and new scope mounts would be needed. This created the perfect business opportunity. In 2010, the first batch of scope mounts were made and they immediately sold out. But who is Hakan Spuhr? And, what was his background in scope-mount design and manufacturing?

Spuhr knew he wanted to be a gunsmith at the age of 10. To become a qualified gunsmith, he was told, he had to become a tool maker—so he spent the early part of his career working for a tool and die shop. There he learned how to use the mill and lathe as well as worked with plastics. Later, he worked for Voere, an Austrian firearms company, for six months. When he returned to Sweden, he worked for a gunsmith shop, building 1911 and other custom pistols. And in early 2000, he did some design work in Malmo, Sweden, for Aimpoint AB, the world-renowned manufacturer of red dot sights. There, he helped with designing scope mounts. He designed the quick-detach, twist-mount for the 3x magnifier. The magnifier can be installed or removed simply by twisting it 90-degrees by pressing the locking lever. The operation can be done all with one hand. He also designed the mount for Aimpoint MPS, a red dot sight designed primarily for .50 caliber machine guns, which has a side-mounted knob with three settings for 200, 800 and 1,200 meters for quick elevation adjustments.

Machining in progress.

Spuhr’s latest product is the full co-witness mount for the Trijicon MRO; it says it is the strongest MRO mount in the market that features a recoil lug. It’s offered in both black and flat dark earth. The company is also expanding the quick-detach scope mount model offerings, which were introduced last year, to include additional levels of build-in inclinations and various ring sizes. The company currently has approximately 180 products and that number continues to increase.

The Spuhr NVG (Night Vision Goggle) Head Mount/Helmet Mount was actually the first product made under the Spuhr name. Hakan Spuhr designed it under the request of an army unit that was using night-vision goggles with another mount; they found there was too much play on the mounts themselves. His mount allows either one or two monocular units to be attached and removed quickly. It features multiple adjustment settings for tilt, eye width and/or eye relief. The setup looks very slick, and all the levers and knobs are easily accessible, even when using gloves. It took four years to develop and was first available in 2010.

Spuhr ISMS (Ideal Scope Mount System) is one of the most flexible scope-mounting system in the market today. The mounts feature the Spuhr Interface, which unlike Picatinny rails, creates negative space for mounting accessories and offers return to zero capability for night vision or thermal attachments. Unlike other mounting interfaces available today such as KeyMod or M-Lok, it’s primarily designed for mounting optics.

One of the first Spuhr ISMS prototypes with early design of the Spuhr Interface.

Factory Tour

Over the years, I met Hakan Spuhr at the annual industry trade show, SHOT Show, in Las Vegas. He knew I was at Heckler & Koch in Oberndorf, Germany, working on a factory tour article (published in the SAR issue Vol. 21, No. 9) and he asked if I would be interested in coming to Sweden to visit the new facility, which the company recently moved to just a few months ago. Spuhr AB is located about 20 minutes north of Malmo, Sweden, in an industrial area where a lot of other manufacturing companies are located. Upon my arrival, I was doubtful if I had arrived at the correct address, as there were zero signs of the company name or logo anywhere in the building. I was relieved as soon as the staff that opened the door knew who Hakan Spuhr was, and the lobby had several display cases and stands showing the product line.

We started the tour in the receiving area at the back of the building. When the raw materials arrived, a unique batch number marked each of the boxes. This is done so they can be tracked if there is ever a chance of defective materials. If a container of raw material arrives without the batch number label, it gets sent back to the supplier.

Several feet away from receiving, six large CNC machines are housed, with five set up and running. The machines each integrate a robotic arm that feeds raw aluminum blocks into the machine as well as putting the finished product back on the tray. When the aluminum blocks are first inserted into the machine by the robotic arm, the machine quickly switches from its drill tip to a probe and it checks the block’s dimensions by touching it in several spots.

Spuhr Heckler & Koch MP5 Handguard with The Spuhr Interface.

In the morning when the machine operators come in, they check the drill bits for wear, in addition, the machine checks itself on a regular basis. Each CNC machine can cut two mounts at the same time.

Once the parts are perfectly machined, they are then put into a giant rock tumbler to clean all of the sharp edges. After that is completed, they are stored in the warehouse in preparation for sending them to external contractors for hard coat anodizing or Cerakote coating. Spuhr mentioned that, lately, a lot of his customers prefer Cerakote, mainly due to its low infrared-reflection properties but also to the flexibility of Cerakote, in that it comes in colors such as RAL8000, which is a standardized shade of tan used by many reputable small-arms manufacturers such as Heckler & Koch.

Since the machines are fully automated, Spuhr runs a lean company of 12 staff that includes the sales staff. Spuhr himself travels frequently to various law enforcement and military trade shows across Europe as well as the SHOT Show in the U.S. The company produced 13,000 mounts last year alone and are on track to at least double their output this year, to fulfill increasing demands worldwide.

The size of the new building is 18,000 square feet, which is more than three times bigger than the old 5,500 square-foot building. There is certainly a lot of space in the production area for expansion, and I was told their old facility was fairly cramped.

Robotic arm ready to move the partially machined mount to the second position.

Spuhr sales are split evenly between military contracts and commercial sales. Most recently, the company supplied approximately 5,000 collapsible polymer stocks for the Heckler & Koch G3 rifle for the Swedish military; that allows the cheek to sit higher for use with optics. In addition, the company also supplied a few hundred of the slimmer, more lightweight aluminum handguards for the Swedish G3 Dedicated Marksman Rifle (DMR).

The new stock, as Spuhr explained, has a shorter length of pull when retracted but offers the exact same length of pull when fully extended. The new shooting doctrine is facing your target square on with your weak hand fully extended, grabbing the front of the handguard. This way, you have much more control over the rifle, especially during full-auto fire. Spuhr demonstrated this in one of his videos on the company’s Instagram. His stock seems to resolve one of the biggest complaints of the G3, that it is difficult to control in full-auto or even in controlled bursts. It’s simply great to see rifles other than AR15 getting modernized to today’s standards.

It’s interesting to note that with the exception of the U.S. market, Spuhr’s website ships direct worldwide. Unlike the U.S., scope mounts are not considered to be restricted items for export in Sweden. There’s zero export paperwork required; however, the buyer may have to pay extra duties and taxes upon receiving the order, depending on his country.

Spuhr is an avid collector of pre-WWII German binoculars and scopes from the likes of Carl Zeiss. He also collects vintage small arms from various prototypes to the classic Stg 44. He believes that in order to predict the future, one must study the past, as a lot of new ideas are improvements over old firearm designs. He is as passionate about firearms and the history of firearms, as he is in designing new accessories for them.

Laser probe checking the aluminum block’s dimensions and alignment.

Conclusion

I am curious as to what will the future will bring for Spuhr AB. Hakan Spuhr is the man behind his own successful company, and he is a man with many ideas. Not only does he have the ideas but he actually executes them and turns them into marketable products. He is a man that “leaves no stone unturned” when it comes to design, and he is always in search for lighter weight, better strength and improved efficiency. What will he come out with next? That’s something only he himself knows.

40mm grenade launcher sight mount.

Large tumbler removing all sharp edges.

Spuhr Accuracy International AX forend with Spuhr Interface and QD mounting points.

Fully machined pieces, put in place by the robotic arm.

ARMS next to a Spuhr mount.

Patriot Ordnance Factory is not another company cookie cutting MIL-SPEC AR-15s; rather, the manufacturer has taken Eugene Stoner’s basic design and engineered it for the 21st Century with original innovations such as the piston gas system, E2 chambers that gas-assist extraction, frictionless roller cam pins, ultra-efficient barrel nut heat sinks, ambidextrous controls and upper/lower receiver tightening. In repeated, independent full-auto-until-failure torture testing, no firearm–not even the venerated AK-47–can keep up with the Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) platforms for staying in the fight.

“If you want to know where the weak link is in your design, run guns ‘til they break,” POF owner Frank DeSomma said. “We build guns to be used.”

More than 200 people attended the POF Saturday night celebration of the company’s new facility in Phoenix, held, appropriately enough, on Veteran’s Day 2017. “Getting a new building is huge for us,” POF Sales Manager Tony Tarantino said. “And it’s kind of the American dream, isn’t it?”

POF’s genuine patriotism and relentless passion for excellence comes through in owner Frank DeSomma’s personality.

Bigger Digs

On the evening of POF’s grand opening, employees turned into tour guides for groups of partygoers, and their pride was evident in their voices as they explained the machinery and operations. POF had the building constructed from the ground up specifically for their needs; one end is a dedicated indoor range for testing firearms. A rooftop solar panel array converts Arizona sunshine into about 60 percent of the building’s standard electrical power needs, and LED lighting provides cool, cost-efficient illumination. The 29,000 square feet triples the size of POF’s old digs and comfortably accommodates the many computer-controlled mills, laser cutters, broaching machine and assembly and shipping areas, with room for more expansion.

Lots of expansion. POF’s horizontal CNC mill, for example, has four “tombstones” at present, each capable of holding a handful of aluminum billets for transforming into lower receivers. “We’ll eventually add more tombstones, and we’ll be capable of making 96 receivers at one time,” Tarantino said.

About 99 percent of materials come from local sources, Tarantino said, and nearly every part except barrels are made in-house. Outsourcing nitride, Cerakote and heat treatments aids in readily complying with environmental pollution standards that keep POF’s manufacturing point clean. Parts that go out for treatments first get a Quality Control check, and they get them again when they return.

Quality appears to be uppermost at POF. As a process engineer, DeSomma recognizes the value in tracking every part throughout manufacture and shipping. “We place date codes on everything we build,” he said. “We know which employee made which part, who inspected it, who assembled it, who packed it for shipping. If a retailer says he didn’t get a magazine with a rifle, we can pinpoint where along the way it last turned up.”

Open house attendee Brandy Frazier examines a partially machined rifle receiver.

Why Not MIL-SPEC?

A well-known satirical remark in the military is that government-issued weapons and equipment are always made by the lowest bidder. Though essentially true, that doesn’t necessarily mean equipment is inferior, but capitalism being what it is, manufacturers do have a bottom line.

“MIL-SPEC uses the cheapest materials–we don’t,” Tarantino said.

Beyond simple cost, a great many commercial AR-15 clone and parts manufacturers go “MIL-SPEC” to make guns and parts to US military specifications to ensure complete interchangeability of parts among their own products as well as others’. Yet “MIL-SPEC” is not just a matter of physical dimensions, it’s also a minimum standard of performance and endurance, and it is here where the bottom-line needs of the military and the needs the individual (and elite users) separate.

While an efficient army requires and purchases large numbers of battle rifles with parts that can be rapidly replaced in the field, the individual may buy only one AR-15 with the expectation that it should operate almost indefinitely. Should it eventually need parts, the individual can get them from the factory via customer support (or if MIL-SPEC, just about anywhere, which is the MIL-SPEC advantage).

Armies also require battle rifles of utmost simplicity, and though about one out of six individuals is left-handed, ambidextrous designs incur additional complexity and cost, so there are very few such small arms in issue among the world’s armies.

Patriot Ordnance Factory elected to veer away from the MIL-SPEC crowd to incorporate engineering improvements that essentially make Stoner’s design into an altogether new beast. Like Isaac Newton who said, “If I have seen further, it is because I have stood on the shoulders of giants,” DeSomma assumes no undeserved credit for many of these improvements, instead acknowledging Stoner and others as sources of inspired, original thought, as well.

POF employee William Milazzo guided tour groups at POF’s open house.

Relentless Endurance

Some of POF’s patented innovations, like their roller cam pin, are “Aha!” moments of insight. In a standard AR-15 and M-16, this pin that retains the bolt in the bolt carrier group (BCG) has a flat, squared steel surface that can drag against and wear into the aluminum upper receiver as the BCG cycles. POF replaced the flat surface with a roller, which introduces no wear; obviously, it contributes significantly to full-auto, rapid cycling and lessening of friction-induced heat, as well as to no-wear endurance. Standard on their own rifles, POF also offers drop-in kits for other gas piston and direct impingement ARs.

Another major factor in endurance is the POF aluminum heat sink barrel nut, which conducts heat away from the hottest part of the barrel, the throat area, with an array of “fins” that present a great deal of surface area. “Our design dissipates heat better than any other design,” DeSomma said.

DeSomma tips a hat to the H&K fluted chamber for inspiring POF’s proprietary E2 chamber, which features straight channels that tap off expanding gases to thrust backward on the case neck/shoulder to assist extraction. That takes a lot of work off the extractor, he said, and adds extra reliability for endurance.

Standard stainless and chrome-moly barrels are typically in the 28-30 Rockwell range; POF barrels receive a nitride treatment that ups their hardness to about 70 on the Rockwell scale, DeSomma said. Result: endurance.

When the San Bernardino County, CA, Sheriff’s Department first considered purchasing POF P308 full-auto 14.5-inch barreled rifles, they asked whether the rifles would last 20 years. “I said, ‘How should I know–I’ve only been in business 10 years,’” DeSomma said. So DeSomma had the Department put 67,000 rounds through a test gun in 26 months of semi-auto and full-auto fire, far more than any police department might expect in the lifetime of a rifle.

“You can see that on our website under the ‘Torture Test’ tab,” he said. There, readers will also find the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department comment after firing 68,580 rounds through the P308, “[We] decided to continue testing the rifle to complete failure. To date we have not been able to complete this task…”

You’ll also note in the video that the 7.62 NATO P308 is easily controllable in full-auto, with an essentially straight, back recoil and no muzzle climb. In another remarkable website video, an independent tester runs 2,500 rounds of full-auto through a POF P416 5.56 NATO rifle, stopping only long enough to change magazines; though intense heat expanding metals at the gas port eventually caused intermittent feeding failures (an inset simultaneous IR video tells an interesting story), the P416 never stopped functioning in semi-auto mode.
That kind of dogged performance, DeSomma said, is the basis of POF’s tagline, “Relentless endurance.”

With an optional captive mag installed at the factory, POF says the bolt-action ReVolt is legal, “… even where the Tories live.”

Full-Power, Full-Auto

Other POF rifles worthy of note here also point to POF’s emphasis on engineering and quality. The POF ReVolt rifle is unique in being a straight-pull bolt action AR, with all the patented features of their semi-auto and full-auto guns. With the addition of a factory-provided captive magazine option, the ReVolt can be legally owned in states that restrict ownership of the AR-15.

“Look at our 7.62 NATO Revolution rifle,” DeSomma said. “It’s not an AR-10 or a trimmed-down AR-10–it’s a true 7.62 AR-15.” Sure enough, the only parts that differentiate the 7.62 Revolution from a 5.56 AR-15 are the barrel, bolt and firing pin. Both calibers even utilize the same barrel extension, and it takes a second look at the 7.62 bolt face, machined out to accept the 7.62 case, to note it isn’t for 5.56. DeSomma said it’s the advanced engineering and the choice of metals that make possible POF’s compact 7.62 AR-15.

The game-changing potential of the Revolution concept escapes even many experts. The 7.3-pound, full-auto POF P308 sporting an SBR-length barrel can provide US soldiers weapon overmatch in an urban environment, perhaps even changing CQB tactics. And consider entries into large buildings such as warehouses, gymnasiums or aircraft hangars where shooting distance may be at arm’s length or stretch out to hundreds of feet. In this same firearm law enforcement has a full-power, barrier-penetrating 7.62 caliber for building entries without compromising full auto controllability for a comparatively weak pistol-power cartridge like the 9mm.

DeSomma is confident that no other AR platform matches POF rifles in engineering, endurance and reliability, and he scoffs at the low expectations most organizations have of their firearms. “Have you seen how the Secret Service tests guns?” he asked. “They shoot 150 rounds and let it cool off 15 minutes, then shoot one round per second and do three- to four-round bursts with one mag. Are you kidding me? And this is for protecting the President,” DeSomma said. “You want to man up? Shoot 2,300 rounds of steel case ammo in 30 minutes. My product speaks on its own merits.”

Patriot Philosophy

In a shallow commercial culture that markets to the images individuals want to create for themselves, DeSomma is deeply serious about the “patriot” in Patriot Ordnance Factory. The company’s juxtaposition of the determined American Revolution patriot armed with a modern POF AR rifle is a genuine reflection of the founder’s own values and motivation–and the success they bring. “The whole reason [POF] can exist is freedom and the opportunity for the right of individual choice,” DeSomma said. “And if you’re passionate about what you do, the end result is food on the table.”

To DeSomma, whose company sources virtually 100 percent of its materials and workmanship in the USA, there is no separation between business, politics and patriotism. “We’ve achieved better engineering to make the ultimate fighting machine to fight against terrorists and tyrants. Period. I want to see who else in the industry will say that,” he said.

In the final analysis, the partygoers came away from POF’s grand opening with a sense that these guys are for real. In an industry that markets kitschy MIL-SPEC ARs etched with skulls and spiders and seems interested mostly in capitalizing upon the self-image of video game warrior wannabes, DeSomma’s other motto is, “Innovate and create, don’t imitate.”

View the torture test videos and POF products at https://pof-usa.com/.

Rifle of the Year

Not your daddy’s AR-10–in fact, not an AR-10 at all, but a true AR-15 size 7.62 NATO modern sporting rifle–Patriot Ordnance Factory’s Revolution Gen 4 earned the Industry Choice Rifle of the Year Award for 2017.

POF didn’t chop and channel an AR-10 like a 1930s jalopy to trim it to size; it’s truly a purpose-built AR-15 that shoots .308. Weighing in a couple pounds lighter than an M14 at 7.3 pounds, the Revolution utilizes a 5.56-NATO-size bolt carrier to make an overall receiver length shorter than standard .308 size; the BCG has a high phosphate nickel coating for inherent lubricity and of course has POF’s roller cam pin. The 14.5-inch Edge M-LOK MRR handguard features four integral QD mounts and surrounds a 16.5-inch barrel with a 1:10 twist and a triple port muzzle brake that effectively reduces recoil. The adjustable gas piston has five selectable positions to work with any suppressor and subsonic ammo.

POF mates this piece of engineering to their billet Gen 4 lower receiver with all-ambidextrous controls—bolt release, bolt hold-open, mag release and safety selector. Upper/lower receiver tensioning screws are integral, and the Revolution comes with a standard drop-in, 4.5-pound trigger. Collapsed overall length is 34 inches. MSRP is $2669.

The three-day Symposium opened for registration at 0900 hours on the first day. On the second day delegates were transported to the nearby COTEC Range at West Lavington for a manufacturers’ range day, where delegates had the opportunity to fire a number of different small arms types and view associated supporting equipment. The final day’s presentations, again at the Defence Academy, concluded in the late afternoon.

The program format consisted of short presentations on various aspects of mounted and dismounted close combat together with coverage of infantry weapons and ammunition and allowed maximum coverage of a diverse subject matter area to cater to the varied interests of those attending. Over the three days the program offered 26 presentations. The wide-ranging spectrum of the presentations, which included Panel Discussions after each segment, covered the following areas:

Qioptiq, the leading UK-based manufacturer of optical and night vision equipment booth, showing their rangjones - e of products.

DAY ONE:

Session 1
The Future Role of Light Forces

• The Vision for the Light Force – Head of Combat, Capability Directorate: UK MoD
• The HQ (UK) Army Prospective – Assistant Head, Close Combat – UK MoD
• A Corps View–Infantry Colonel Commandant – Lt Gen A Graham OBE
• A Personal View of the Future Requirements – Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl)
• Light Forces Tactical Mobility Platform – Pardus Defence & Security Ltd
• Tactical Decision Making–Human Defensive Behavior – University of Liverpool

Session 2
Light Force Capability Development

• Session Introduction–SO1 HoC, Close Combat Directorate
• Modern Trends, Threats & Developments in Global Ordnance – Dan Shea, Phoenix Defence and Editor-in-Chief Small Arms Defence Journal
• Optimizing Ground Close-Combat Capability Delivery – Systems Engineering & Assessment (SEA) Ltd and Arke Ltd
• Small Arms & Ammunition–Where are We Heading – Editor – Jane’s Weapons: Ammunition – yearbook
• Developments in Lethality and Survivability – Cranfield Defence & Security
• JAVELIN Overview – Raytheon
• A Less-Wrong Theory of Small Arms Suppressive Fire – Wapentakes
• Workshop Discussion Groups: included – “Survivability,” Small Arms & Support Weapons’ and Tactical Mobility
  Panel Discussion

GMK Tactical Products stand showing the wide range of equipment and accessories offered by the company for law enforcement and military users.

DAY TWO:
Range Day

Cranfield Ordnance Test & Evaluation Centre (COTEC), West Lavington, located in rural Wiltshire. The range day this year provided delegates with the opportunity to view and fire selected infantry small arms and included a firing demonstration of early machine guns provided by Bapty 2000 Ltd, the leading UK supplier of firearms and accessories to the film and television industry. A BBQ lunch was provided for all attending.

The Range Day was followed that evening by a Formal Dinner held at the Swindon STEAM Museum of the Great Western Railway. Delegates were able to view historic steam locomotives at leisure while informally networking, the dinner being held within the precincts of the museum.

Shown is the .45 Gatling caliber Gatling gun on wheeled carriage, which was live-fired for audience experience more than a few decades after its manufacture!

DAY THREE:
Session 3
Situational Awareness

• Introduction by the S02 – Infantry Trials & Development Unit (UK)
• How Can Mounted & Dismounted Situational Awareness Be Merged to Support a Digital Picture that Will Enhance Combat Effectiveness? – Ultra Electronics
• Dismounted Situational Awareness (DSA) Assessments from Army Warfighting Experiment (AWE) 2017 – Commanding Officer ITDU
• Soldier Systems Programs, Vision and Perspectives – Rheinmetall (Canada)
• A Combat Robust Imaging Lidar System (CRILS) – Defence Vision Systems
• Disruptive and Incremental Innovation in Man-Portable Sighting Systems – Raytheon Elcan

Session 4
Alternative Scenarios–Assistance to Civil Powers

• Military Support to the Civil Powers for CT and Resilience – DACOS HQ SJC (UK)
• OP TEMPERER Case Study – DACOS HQ SJC (UK)
• OP SENTINELLE Case Study – French LO to (UK) Army HQ
• Non-lethal and Less than Lethal Approaches – United Tactical Systems LLC
• Psychology of Armed Confrontations – University of Liverpool
• Utility of Light Forces 2030 and Beyond – AH Concepts, Directorate of Strategy, Army HQ

Panel Discussion and Closing Remarks

UK-based, Law Enforcement International (LEI) Ltd were present to display a range of weapons and propriety design sound suppressors. Both weapons and sound suppressors were made available on the Range Day for delegates to fire and assess sound suppression qualities.

Single barrel .45-inch caliber Gardner gun mounted on brass tripod.

Part 1 in a Series About the British Submachine Gun

The humble Sten gun was borne of desperation in a troubled time, as England was standing alone against the unrelenting German Army. World War II started when Germany invaded Poland on 1 September 1939. On 17 September Russia joined Germany and invaded Poland from the east. By 6 October the last pockets of Polish defenders were silenced. In April 1940, Germany invaded Denmark and Norway. Denmark capitulated after a few hours; Norway was conquered within two months. On 10 May 1940, Germany launched an offensive against France and attacked the neutral nations of Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. By 25 June they all had been overrun. The well-prepared German army was rolling over countries in weeks. England was next on Hitler’s agenda.

England, first shunning the concept of the submachine gun, but facing an imminent cross-channel invasion by the Germans, soon changed her mind. Desperate, England began purchasing expensive Thompson submachine guns from the U.S. Unfortunately, many ships crossing the Atlantic Ocean, transporting the Thompsons and ammunition, became victims of German U-boat attacks.

The first British submachine gun was the Lanchester, which was copied from a captured German MP28 II. The Lanchester proved to be far too labor intensive to make; a less complicated design was needed. The country was quickly running out of cash and needed cheap indigenous submachine guns and lots of them. Enter Reginald Shepard and Harold Turpin, credited with designing the Sten gun.

The first prototypes were designated as the T-40, quickly followed by the Carbine, Machine and Sten MkI. The MkI had a few features, like the handguard, folding foregrip and a flash eliminator that were considered unnecessary. This soon resulted in the MkI* Sten. However, even the MkI* still required too much time to make; an even simpler weapon was needed. The Sten prototypes were made by the Philco Radio Works in England. Production MkI and MkI* Stens were manufactured by the Singer Manufacturing Company in Scotland.

From the top: T/40 number 1 prototype with folding pistol grip and flash hider made by the Philco Radio Works in England; production MkI; and the MkI* simplified the Sten design by elimination of the foregrip and flash hider. British Small Arms School Weapons Collection, Warminster, England

The Sten MkII

The Design and Development Department RSAF Enfield was engaged to simplify the MkI* design to further to reduce the time required to produce them. The basic function remained the same, but the Sten MkII featured an easily detachable barrel and buttstock, making the weapon both compact and concealable—two features that would make the Sten suitable for paratroopers and for air-dropping to various resistance groups. Approximately 2,600,000 Sten MkII submachine guns would be produced by the British during the war. The Sten is perhaps the most copied and used submachine gun, seeing service many years after World War II ended. The British MkII Stens were manufactured-assembled by ROF (4) Theale, ROF (6) Fazakerley, BSA and RSAF Enfield.

The Wrapped Receiver MkII

The wrapped receiver concept was another idea to expedite production by making the receiver and trigger housing out of a single piece of formed sheet metal; however, after the “wrapped” receiver Stens were in service, difficulties arose. Most of the problems were associated with the trigger housing. The top and bottom of the housing were open, resulting in a lack of support. In addition, the top opening of the housing exposed the trigger group to debris and dirt. An attempt was made to recall all of the “wrapped” Stens for destruction, but a few escaped the torch.

Sten MkIIS

The Sten MkIIS was the suppressed model of the Sten, the letter “S” suffix representing “Special Purpose.” The requirement for a “quiet” Sten originated for use by resistance fighters. The suppressor’s barrel was designed to bleed off pressure from a fired cartridge to reduce the bullet’s velocity to a subsonic level. To ensure proper function with the pressure reduction, a shorter recoil spring and a lighter bolt were used. The “Special Purpose” Sten was to be fired semiautomatically, but the full-auto option was retained for emergency situations. There were several types of suppressors fielded, including the 22.5-inch long SOE type. The SOE was the Special Operations Executive, organized to conduct covert espionage, sabotage and reconnaissance operations in occupied Europe during WWII.

Sten MkIII

The MkIII model of the Sten was conceived in order to lower cost and speed production. The receivers were produced by the “wrapped” method from a single piece of sheet metal, with the receiver spot welded along its top seam; the front sight was formed as part of the seam. The magazine housing was spot welded to the receiver and thus non-moveable. The barrel was permanently attached to the receiver by rivets. A trigger housing, similar to that of the MkII, was welded to the bottom of the receiver. The powers that be decided that production of the MkII should be terminated and all efforts concentrated on making the MkIII. A comparison trial was held. In nearly all categories the MkII bested the MkIII. As a result of the trial, production of the MkIII Sten was ended. Mark III Stens were manufactured by Lines Brothers Ltd, London.

Top: A suppressor equipped MkIIS Sten, fitted with an early stock with a diagonal strut. The barrel of the weapon is ported to reduce the muzzle velocity to subsonic speed to eliminate the sound made when a bullet breaks the sound barrier. To cycle properly, this weapon has the lightened bolt and short recoil spring. Above: The MkVI is the suppressed version of the MkV. The front sight on this weapon is the same as used on an MkII. United States Marine Corps National Museum

Sten MkIV

There were several versions of the Sten designated as an MkIV; all were non-production prototypes. One was basically a MkII with an underfolding buttstock and a redesigned trigger group that fired semiautomatic only. Another version, the MkIV-A, was also basically an MkII model, fitted with a short barrel-with flash hider, enlarged trigger guard, a pistol grip and side-folding buttstock.

Sten MkV

The next evolution of the Sten was the MkV model. The Mark V was introduced in early 1944 and remained in British service until 1956 when it was replaced by the MkIV/L2A3 Sterling submachine gun. Approximately 530,000 MkV Stens were produced in England from 1944 to 1945. The MkV featured a rear wooden pistol grip and the protected front sight assembly from the No. 4 Enfield rifle. The barrel was designed to fit the No. 4 rifle bayonet as well. The trigger group parts are the same as the MkII Sten except for the trip lever. The bolt is also similar to the MkII except the bottom of the front bearing surface was cut to clear the tipping lever. The trigger group and safety notch in the receiver are located 1.3 inches forward to accommodate the rear pistol grip. A fixed wooden buttstock was fitted, which along with the pistol grip made for a more stable platform. MkV Stens were produced by the Royal Ordnance Factories ROF Theale and ROF Fazakerley.

Sten MkVI

The Sten Mark VI was the suppressed version of the MkV. The suppressor or “silencer” was similar to that of the MkIIS but modified slightly to work on the MkV Sten.

The Australian-made AuSten had features of the British Sten design and several others copied from the German MP40. National Firearms Centre, Leeds, England

Other Sten Copies

One of the attributes of the Sten design was it could be manufactured in the most basic workshop, of locally obtained materials. Easy to produce and concealable when disassembled, the Sten MkII proved an ideal weapon for resistance groups during World War II. The Sten gun became the symbol of the underground groups opposing German occupation.

Canada

Early in 1942, the Long Branch factory began production of the Sten gun. The fit and finish of the Canadian Stens were generally considered to be better than the British guns. However, Canada was not under direct German threat or being bombed, as England was during the 1940s. Approximately 134,000 Sten MkII submachine guns were manufactured at the Long Branch Canadian plant along with 1 million magazines. The Sten magazine housings were marked STEN MK II, LONG BRANCH along with a date of manufacture.

China

During World War II, the Long Branch, Canadian factory made approximately 73,000 Sten MkII submachine guns to aid China. The magazine housings were marked with Chinese characters on the top and Long Branch markings and date on the bottom.

A Chinese-made copy of the Sten MkII was designated as the M38. The M38 was a near exact copy of the British-made version. The Stens were manufactured in Chinese Nationalist factories. After the Communists forced the Nationalists out of China, they took over the factories that were producing weapons. One way to identify a Chinese-made Sten is by the straight bottom of its trigger housing cover; another is the lack of a selector button—the M38 submachine gun does not have a semiautomatic feature. After World War II, many of the countries that fell under Communist influence adopted the 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridge for their pistols and submachine guns. The Sten was one of the many small arms that were converted to fire the Communist round. Chinese-, Canadian- and British-made Stens have surfaced in enemy hands in both the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.

Danish-made Ringen Sten, made using a number of aluminum castings. National Firearms Centre, Leeds, England

Australia

During 1941, England sent drawings and samples of their Sten gun to the Australians. The Australian military was not impressed. The Australians decided to design a more refined version of the Sten. The Australian model was called the “AuSten.” The name “AuSten” was simply a contracted version of the words Australian-STEN. The AuSten had features of the British Sten and a few from the German MP40 maschinenpistole. In place of the Sten’s simple, fixed firing pin bolt and recoil spring, the AuSten used the bolt and telescoping recoil spring, with the attached firing pin design of the German MP40. A second feature copied from the German MP was a complicated folding metal buttstock. The AuSten had rear and front pistol grips with plastic panels. Many components were made by die casting. The AuSten submachine guns were produced by Diecasters Ltd of Melbourne and Carmichael Ltd of Sydney. Production spanned from 1942 into 1945. By 1944, the AuSten was replaced with the “other” Australian submachine gun, the proven Owen. The best part of the AuSten was its cast magazine loader, sought after today for loading Sten magazines.

New Zealand

When World War II erupted in Europe in 1939, countries like New Zealand and Australia were not yet under any threat of invasion. However, after Japan entered the war in 1941, their swift moving island-hopping campaign brought the Japanese army uncomfortably close to New Zealand and Australia, who soon found themselves under threat of a Japanese attack. The British had shared their plans for the Sten guns with New Zealand. Initial production of Stens in New Zealand was intended to protect their airfields. The Sten MkIIs made in New Zealand are nearly identical to their British counterparts. There was also a second pattern of Sten made in New Zealand referred to as the “LP” or “local pattern.” The local pattern Sten differed from the original British design. The LP receiver was made from a rolled piece of sheet metal and welded along the top seam, similar to that of the Sten Mark III.

Denmark

Denmark was occupied by German forces in 1940; The Danish Resistance Movement was an underground insurgency organized to resist the German occupation. To arm the resistance members, the British air-dropped a number of Sten MkII submachine guns and other supplies into Denmark. Resistance groups’ members often wore long topcoats to conceal their Stens from the Germans. To provide enough weapons for the growing number of members, resistance groups began locally manufacturing copies of the Sten. The parts were made in a large number of small shops. There were several variations of the Sten made by the different resistance organizations, of available materials. Producing barrels was a problem, largely solved by boring and re-rifling old rifle barrels. One Danish Sten copy was designed to use Suomi magazines. The Ringen Sten was a Danish design produced in small workshops using a number of aluminum castings.

Norway

After the German invasion of Norway in 1940, underground partisan groups quickly formed. After examining the British Sten gun, it was decided to make them locally. The construction of the Sten guns made in Norway often had rough welds and a poor finish. As in England, many of the Sten gun parts were made in many small scattered workshops and assembled at another location. One feature of a Sten made in Norway was the trigger retaining pin that was located on the left side of the gun, instead of on the right like the British-made Stens. To conceal their weapons production from the Germans, many of the Norwegian-made underground Sten guns were often stamped with British markings to conceal their local origin.

German Sten copies—At the top are a Blohm & Voss Sten with a rotatable magazine housing (that is rotated vertically). Center is a Gerät Neumünster also known as the MP 3008, with an MP40 magazine. At the bottom is a variation of the MP 3008 with the cocking handle on the left side of the receiver. National Firearms Centre, Leeds, England

Poland

After Poland surrendered to German forces in 1939, several groups were formed to resist the German occupation. The ideal weapon for such groups was a submachine gun, but few were available. The British air-dropped Sten MkII submachine guns in late 1942. Although the Sten was a primitive-appearing weapon, it could kill an enemy soldier as dead as any other. The Polish underground quickly found that although crude, the Sten gun could be easily reproduced. The Poles went on to produce more Sten copies during World War II than any other country. The quality ran from poor to as good as those made in English factories. One of the best was made in Warsaw and proudly marked with the stylized Polish Eagle and STEN PM (Pistolet Maszynowy).

Germany

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Although the Sten gun had many condescending names bestowed upon it by soldiers and resistance fighters alike, the weapon was copied by Britain’s nemesis Germany. The Germans intercepted a fair number of Stens that were air-dropped to resistance groups. As the war continued in the allies’ favor, the Germans needed more weapons, primarily to arm the Volkstrum, an organization of civilians ranging in ages 16 to 60 who were not already serving in the military. The Germans began to issue the captured Stens, designated as the MP748(e), to the Volkstrum. The successful fielding of the Sten convinced the Germans that the weapon had merit, and they set out to produce copies. In 1944, the Mauser company was issued an order for 10,000 Sten gun copies code-named “the Gerät Potsdam.” The German copy had a horizontal magazine housing and used Sten and MP28/II magazines made by the Haenel company.

The Gerät Neumünster (MP 3008)

The Gerät Potsdam began as an exact copy of the British Sten, but there was still a desire to make it cheaper and faster. Mauser had not made any significant changes to the weapon’s design but received a request to alter the design to expedite production. One of the changes to simplify the Gerät Potsdam was to attach the magazine well by welding it in a vertical position and to design it to use MP40 magazines. The bolt had to be modified for the new magazine position. The barrel was permanently pinned in place. The unofficial name “MP 3008” was bestowed on the Gerät Neumünster and was due to its numerical identification on an ordnance equipment list.

Indonesia

Indonesia was another country that copied the Sten design, with a few modifications, such as a right-side folding buttstock and a protected rifle-type front sight. The copies were crude and features varied.

Circa 1951, a squad of Berlin’s West German police force equipped with British Sten guns and French rifles leap from police trucks during riot training. Members of this 13,800-man force began training with the automatic weapons for the first time early 1951, after the Western Allies decided to equip them with weapons to match those used by the Russian-controlled East German People’s Police. Use of the equipment will be authorized only in cases of need.

Israel

After World War II ended, Sten guns made by the British and others began appearing in conflicts around the world—the Sten design endured. Many British-made Sten guns were used and others locally manufactured and fielded by fledgling countries like Israel. In addition to the British-made Stens and those made in small workshops by resistance groups like Haganah, Taas (Israel’s state-run military arms factory) produced a number of Sten guns.

There are a number of movies available on DVD that feature WWII resistance groups using the Sten gun; two very good ones are: “Flame & Citron” (2008) and “Max Manus: Man of War.”

Recommended Reading

The Sten Machine Carbine
Peter Laidler
Collector Grade Publications.

TMT-marked Sten MkII—TMT represents the Israeli manufacturer, Tabor Military Technology. Prior to Israel’s independence, Latin markings were used, and post-independence Stens and magazines were marked in Hebrew. Private Collection

An early MkI* British Lanchester with an adjustable leaf-style rear sight. The long magazine pouches were designed for the Lanchester’s 50-round magazines. The Lanchester was the first production submachine gun made in England. Private Collection

The MkIV-A Sten was an experimental prototype. The weapon’s primary feature is its short overall length. National Firearms Centre, Leeds, England

Display of Mark II and Mark V Sten guns, part of the British Small Arms School Weapons Collection, Warminster, England.

The “wrapped receiver” Sten MkII. In this variation, the receiver and trigger housing were formed from a single piece of sheet metal. The design proved to be structurally weak, and most were pulled from service. Defence Academy of the United Kingdom at Shrivenham

Prior to a sniper team deploying to the front lines, leadership must develop a robust training strategy for the sniper team. The training strategy must develop and sustain tactical skills that allow the sniper team to maneuver effectively, observe and report information, employ accurate and precise fire onto targets and survive on the battlefield.

Discussion in the forthcoming paragraphs will focus on the individual sniper weapon system and how to establish a baseline to assess the shooter’s capabilities with that weapon system.

Author using the MagnetoSpeed V3 barrel-mounted ballistic chronograph to obtain muzzle velocity for a Pentagon ERT counter sniper.

BASELINE

Establishing baseline data on the individual sniper and their assigned weapon system allows leadership to establish a baseline of the performance of the sniper. Baseline data will indicate the level of skill and capabilities of the sniper and their weapon, determining their effectiveness and any further training that might be needed.

The first step in establishing baseline data for the sniper is grouping and zeroing of their assigned sniper weapon system. Zeroing is a maintenance procedure with the sole purpose of achieving the desired relationship between line of sight and the trajectory of the round over a known distance. In order to reach a high level of accuracy and precision, the sniper must first achieve a consistent grouping of a series of shots, then align the mean point of impact of that grouping to the appropriate point of aim.

The second part of zeroing is conducting a scope calibration test on the assigned optic of that weapon system. Uncalibrated sight adjustments are one of the most common problems in shooting. In most cases, there is some error in scope turrets. Like every measurement instrument, the sniper needs to verify the scope turret adjustments and determine if the adjustments are accurate. The sniper will conduct a tall target test as follows:

• Level target at 100 meters. This distance must be confirmed with a tape measure.
• Visually check horizontal and vertical stadia line alignment with target.
• Dial zero mil of elevation (100-meter zero).
• Fire a five-round string and group at the lowest target circle.
• Dial 10 mil of elevation.
• Fire a five-round string, but use the same aim point as in step four.
• Measure vertical distance in centimeters from group to 100-centimeter line.
• Measure horizontal distance in centimeters from group to vertical stadia line.
• Apply correction factor to ballistic program to account for scope tracking.

Every centimeter equals a one-percent elevation error. For groups above the 100-centimeter line, subtract from 100. And for groups below the 100-centimeter line, add to 100. The answer equals the correction factor percentage. For horizontal measurements, every centimeter equals 0.1 milliradian of scope canting.

Weapon cant or scope cant must be accounted for and should be identified and corrected through the use of an anti-cant device for all engagements.

Long Range Arms (LRA), a U.S. company based out of Idaho Falls, Idaho, has designed a robust and precise electronic level that eliminates cant and produces much greater accuracy than a mechanical level.

You never have to take your eyes off the reticle. The Send iT from LRA is far more accurate than mechanical levels, and its green LED can be seen easily out of your peripheral vision.

The green LED on the Send iT indicates when the rifle is level, and it does so 3–5 seconds more quickly than a mechanical level. Five different sensitivity settings allow the end user to vary precision according to the task at hand. Send iT’s LEDs are superior in low light conditions, and the device works with night vision/thermal scopes for no-compromise tactical applications. (long-range-arms.myshopify.com)

Once the sniper has conducted their grouping and zeroing procedures, the next stop is the chronograph station. The sniper will fire 10 rounds to establish the standard deviation of the ammunition and the muzzle velocity of their rifle. Muzzle velocity is one of the most important inputs for a ballistics program.

MagnetoSpeed’s barrel-mounted ballistic chronographs use electromagnetic sensors that are designed to operate in the harsh environment at the muzzle of firearms. MagnetoSpeed’s chronographs shrug off common environmental conditions that bedevil other products, such as too much/little sun, fluorescent lights, nearby shooters’ muzzle blasts, high winds and many other unpredictable variables. Using the provided spacers, the sniper adjusts the bayonet so that the bullet will travel just above the unit’s sensors. Each sensor produces a voltage that is proportional to the change in local magnetic field induced by the bullet. The display unit is able to use these voltages to accurately determine the time the bullet was directly over each sensor. Because the distance between the two sensors is precisely calibrated (+/-.005 inches), the sensors can report the velocity of the projectile very accurately.
(www.magnetospeed.com)

After muzzle velocity data collection, the sniper can conduct a calibration of their firing solution if needed. Before calibrating a ballistic firing solution, the sniper needs to ensure that all variables and device settings are entered and set up correctly. The primary error in a ballistic firing solution is entering the wrong information.

ASSESSING SNIPER CAPABILITIES

Commanders can assess a sniper’s probability of successfully hitting the intended target by using the zone confidence table and the sniper’s training and qualification records to establish their baseline of performance.

• The crosswind confidence level can be defined as “High” (experienced sniper, great downrange wind indicators), “Medium” (easy environment, such as a flat range) or “Low” (challenging environment, such as a valley in Afghanistan).
• The range estimation confidence level can be defined as “High” (sniper using a laser range finder), “Medium” (expert use of ranging reticle) or “Low” (average use of ranging reticle).
• The rifle estimation is represented by the mean group size that the sniper is capable of at close range (100-meter zero) expressed in minutes of angle (MOA).
• The variation in muzzle velocity of the ammunition is characterized by the standard deviation (SD). This metric can be obtained by the sniper using a chronograph for his rifle and ammo.

By testing the sniper in crosswind estimation, range to target estimation and by assessing his rifle’s precision (grouping ability) and ammunition velocity consistency (chrono-graphing the current lot of ammunition), leadership can gauge the capabilities of their sniper weapon system (rifle, scope, ammunition and shooter). Leadership and the sniper can evaluate whether or not a shot should be taken based on mission requirements, situation, terrain and probability of hit. Several factors may influence the decision to take the shot, including the following:

• Distance to the target
• Size of the target
• Speed of the target
• Movement patterns of the target
• Shooter/spotter proficiency
• Consequences of a missed shot

If the target size and range require a sub-minute-of-angle (sub .29 milliradian) level of precision, then the sniper weapon system must be capable of producing that level of precision.

Once a baseline of the individual sniper and their weapon has been established, leadership should shift focus to other forms of training, which may include the following:

• Stationary target hold-off training
• Moving target engagement training
• Alternate position training
• Range estimation and target detection training
• Field craft and observation/reporting training
• Qualification and culmination exercises

Only through repeated practice and taking the time to establish a baseline for their snipers will leadership and their sniper teams reap the benefits of lethality on the front lines.

At DSEI 2017, Thales (Thales, Australia) launched the next generation of the F90 rifle, the F90 MBR (Modular Bullpup Rifle). The F90MBR is the new generation assault rifle for integrated forces. The F90MBR is built on the basis of the battle-proven F90 platform, used by the Australian Defense Forces (ADF), delivering the flexibility and interoperability needed by the modern warfighter. The bullpup design uses a longer barrel length and optimum muzzle velocity that provides superior stopping power and range in a compact and lightweight package.

The 5.56x45mm NATO caliber F90MBR is a gas-operated (short stroke piston, rotary bolt with seven locking lugs) semi- and fully automatic assault rifle. It is available in three interchangeable barrel lengths: 508mm (20-inch), 407mm (16-inch) and 360mm (14-inch CQB). The F90MBR’s modularity makes it very easy to change barrel lengths. That makes it mission-configurable through a wide range of accessories and supports the needs of the modern, integrated soldier. All variants have cold hammer forged, chrome-lined barrels ensuring long life and precision. The F90MBR is one of the lightest assault rifles on the market at 3.25 kilograms. Extensive use of lightweight, robust materials ensures the F90MBR can be relied upon at critical times. It is fitted with ambidextrous controls to enable fast reaction times and rapid target engagement, and with the compact form, is a clear advantage in close-quarters combat. The F90MBR has NATO standard rails and magazines. M16/M4 magazines can be used. The F90 has a transparent Steyr AUG type magazine. The F90MBR therefore ensures compatibility and interoperability with existing weapons used by allied forces. The F90MBR can be packaged with rifle accessory and ancillary equipment in an integrated mission system to provide an operator with a modular and tailorable small arms solution for any tactical scenario. In seconds, each rifle can be seamlessly fitted with the 40x46mm-grenade launcher and grenade-launcher sight by the soldier—a potentially critical and decisive capability in combat.

The F90 MBR has NATO standard rails and magazines (30 rounds). M16/M4 magazines can be used. The F90 has a 30-round high-reliability, polymer, translucent magazine allowing operators to instantly judge magazine load.

The F90MBR is well suited for use with amphibious forces, enabling operators to swim with the weapon and fire the weapon immediately and reliably after emergence from the water. As mentioned above, the F90MBR is the new generation of the existing F90 assault rifle—proven and in-service with the ADF. The F90 underwent a rigorous program of extensive testing and development over the past decade with the Australian Department of Defense to ensure the F90MBR is a superior weapon, designed to deliver the dependability, reliability and flexibility needed to support the modern, integrated soldier. The contract with the Australian Department of Defence and with Thales was 30,000 rifles and around 2,500 SL40 grenade launchers.
Thales Australia answered the RFI on the Auftragsbekanntmachung, Lieferauftrag: Gewehre Deutschland-Koblenz, 2017/S 078-15142 (BAAINBw) regarding the replacement for the G36: System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr (Sturmgewehr = assault rifle).

On Oct. 10, 2017, the BAAINBw (Bundesamt für Ausrüstung, Informationstechnik und Nutzung der Bundeswehr) announced in a press release that the new Sturmgewehr for Spezialkräfte and Kommando Spezialkräfte der Marine would be acquired from Heckler & Koch. The new SOF assault rifle is the HK416A7 (Bundeswehr designation: G95) in caliber 5.56x45mm, the successor to the G36KA4. It will therefore most likely not be a bullpup assault rifle that is chosen as the new System Sturmgewehr Bundeswehr.

Thales F90MBR Specifications:

Caliber/Twist Rate: 5.56mmx45 NATO / 1in 7-in (228mm)
Overall Length With 360mm (14-in) barrel: 653mm
With 407mm (16-in) barrel: 701mm
With 508mm (20-in) barrel: 802mm
Barrel Length: Interchangeable 360mm (14-in), 407mm (16-in) or 508mm (20-in) barrels. Six external flutes. Cold hammer forged. Chrome-lined including chamber.
Rifling: Six grooves; right-hand twist
Weight With 360mm (14-in) barrel: 3.15kg
With 407mm (16-in) barrel: 3.25kg
With 508mm (20-in) barrel: 3.39kg
Magazine Capacity: Detachable double stacked 30-round NATO/STANAG magazine
Trigger: One-position or two-position trigger with select fire function
Safety: Two-position (Safe/Fire) or three-position lateral push through safety (Safe/Semi-Auto/Full-Auto)
Stock: Synthetic; high-impact fiber reinforced polymer
Bolt: Rotating bolt with seven locking lugs. Rifle can be easily modified for left- or right-hand ejection.
Action: Short stroke gas-piston operated

F90 Assault Rifle, Light, Accurate, Adaptable: Available with multiple barrel lengths Integrated lightweight 40mm grenade launcher Mission configurable through a wide range of accessories Offhand firing compatible with case deflector In service with Australian Defense Force and available to international customers.

Upper on wall (clockwise from left): F90MBR with 16-inch barrel with Trijicon Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight and Laser Aiming Device, 20-inch (barrel unit) with Trijicon Variable Combat Optical Gunsight and Laser Aiming Device. Middle: (right): 14-inch (barrel unit) with Trijicon Sealed MRO Reflex Sight and Laser Aiming Device. Lower: Magazine, handgrips, sight for grenade launcher and 40x46mm grenade launcher.

POF’s Revolution Wins ‘Rifle of the Year’

Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) announced in January 2018 that the American Rifleman magazine has chosen the POF USA Revolution for the 2018 Golden Bullseye Award for Rifle of the Year. American Rifleman is the National Rifle Association’s primary magazine with a focus on reviews of different firearms, historical articles about firearms, technical information about reloading and notes from the NRA President. The Revolution will be featured in an editorial overview which will appear in the May 2018 issue of American Rifleman, American Hunter and Shooting Illustrated magazines.

The annual Golden Bullseye Award will be presented to Patriot Ordnance Factory at the invitation-only breakfast Friday May 4, 2018, during the 2018 NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits in Dallas, Texas. To be considered for the Golden Bullseye Award, the Revolution was tested and reviewed by the publication’s staff and found to represent the finest quality in a shooting sports product that exceeds not only the reviewers’ expectations, but also its customers.

“The entire Patriot Ordnance Factory Team is extremely pleased to accept this coveted award,” said John Piscione Director of Sales.

The Revolution continues the POF tradition of relentless reliability and American innovation. The Revolution is POF-USA’s .308 battle rifle that handles like a 5.56–it is the same size and weight as one. The Revolution features many 5.56 parts; such as charging handle, bolt carrier, roller cam pin, buffer, heat-sink barrel nut, handguard and five-position gas piston operating system. The barrel extension, bolt assembly, upper and lower receiver are the exact same size as those on an AR-15. This is truly an AR-15 that shoots in .308!

Weighing in at 7.3 pounds, the Revolution features POF-USA’s new slim Edge handguard with four built-in QD mounts. Its features include a fully ambidextrous billet receiver set, nickel-phosphate-coated bolt carrier group, five-position adjustable gas piston, single-stage match grade trigger and more.

POF-USA is an Arizona-based small arms manufacturer known for its revolutionary concepts and radical approaches to engineering used to develop the finest piston-driven, AR-type rifles used by civilians and professionals worldwide. POF is a market leader delivering a portfolio of regulated short-stroke, gas-piston operating rifles. Piscione notes, “We accept no compromise in the building of our product, known as ‘Patriot’ designs. We will only produce that which is tough, accurate, modular, durable and true.”

For more information, visit www.pof-usa.com.

B.E. Meyers Wins Contract with US Marine Corps

B.E. Meyers & Co., Inc. is pleased to announce that the U.S. Marine Corps has designated their GLARE RECOIL™ non-lethal Hail and Warning device the official Joint Electronic Type Designation System (JETDS) identifier LA-22/U with an NSN of 5860-01-657-3893, as part of the Ocular Interrupter System (OIS) program. The GLARE RECOIL is the most advanced weapon-mounted hail and warning laser system available, featuring B.E. Meyers’ patented SmartRange™ technology and integrating laser range finding into the systems’ safety controls. The non-lethal ocular interrupter system is a green laser dazzler that uses an integrated laser rangefinder to gauge shooter-to-target distance and self-regulate the power output to maintain controlled EyeSafe™ Class 2M irradiance while ensuring maximum permissible exposure on target. It is effective out to 20km and beyond. The Glare Recoil weighs only 17 ounces with batteries and has a maximum output of 250m.

The LA-22/U is currently in production and being delivered by B.E. Meyers & Co., the sole source provider to MARCORSYSCOM for the $49M IDIQ OIS program. According to Marine Corps Times (marinecorpstimes.com), Marines expect 144 units to be delivered in the coming months and 1,848 units fielded by early 2019.

For more information on these systems and this contract, please contact the B.E. Meyers & Co. team at sales@bemeyers.com

The official creation of the state-owned IMBEL, Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil, conglomerate on July 14, 1975, marked a new and important stage in the history of the Brazilian Army’s Fábrica de Itajubá (Itajubá Factory), in the Minas Gerais state. That industrial facility was created in 1934 under the curious name of Fábrica de Canos e Sabres para Armamento Portátil (Factory of Barrels and Sabers for Portable Armament), although it is most remembered from its long-term, local manufacturing of 7x57mm Mauser M1908 /34 bolt-action rifles.

Another important step was taken in the mid 1960s through an agreement with Belgium’s Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre for the licensed manufacturing of the 7.62x51mm FAL rifle; the program started in August 1964. By 1973, full nationalization of the M964 (fixed stock) and M964A1 (folding stock) models had been achieved, both having been widely adopted by the Brazilian army and navy, in addition to some export orders having been received from such countries as Australia, Botswana, Chile, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay and Venezuela. Substantial numbers of Brazilian-made, metric-pattern, semi-auto FALs and PARA-FALs were sold in the U.S. market from 1985-1990 through Springfield Armory under the commercial names of SAR-48, SAR-4800 Sporter (21-inch barrel), SAR-4800 Bush (18-inch barrel), and PARASAR-4800 Bush (a rarer, foldable-stock version).

Functional, but too heavy, the MD1 (aka M989) still used a proprietary 20-round magazine. To all intents and purposes, it was a FAL in 5.56x45mm.

The official adoption of the 5.56x45mm round (SS109) by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 1980 prompted many countries to create new rifles to fire it. This also sparked ideas in those running the research office of Fábrica de Itajubá in the pleasant climate of the Minas Gerais state mountains. By mid-1983, a prototype designated Fz 5.56 IMBEL MD1 was completed and submitted for in-house testing. This author was given the chance to fire that selective-fire weapon at the factory, and recalls the positive general characteristics it displayed. Although employing, as expected, several FAL components (firing mechanism, solid stock and pistol grip, for instance), it did incorporate a significant change by employing a multi-lug rotary bolt instead of the 7.62x51mm rifle’s tilting, bolt breech locking system. Although the general performance of that prototype was acceptable and the rifle was expected to offer simple improvements (reduction in the 4 kilogram-loaded weight, for instance) in the future, someone “up there” decided that it was not to be.

The company’s subsequent approach to creating an indigenous 5.56x45mm caliber rifle was straightforward, but far from successful. In order to save development time and production costs, it was chosen to simply add to a FAL the necessary mechanical changes to allow it to fire the lighter round—this included retaining the original breech locking system. Still under the Fz 5.56 IMBEL MD1 designation, the final creation was ready by 1989 and worked satisfactorily and was even product-certified (but not adopted) by the Brazilian Army as the M989. But the loaded weight tipped the 5 kilogram mark with the foldable bipod added and eventually killed the idea.

In 1991, the MD2/MD2A1 (foldable stock, selective fire/semi-auto only) models were certified for production and sales, with small evaluation batches reaching some Brazilian Army units and a couple of LE departments, including Rio de Janeiro, which eventually adopted it. A major change incorporated was the use of STANAG-compatible magazines, but with a full 30-round unit, the rifle still weighed slightly below 5kg. Later on, the 5.56x45mm rifle adventure began to have new perspectives with the introduction of the selective-fire (with a three-round burst facility) MD97L rifle and the shorter-barrel, semi-auto-only MD97LC carbine, the latter having found reasonable acceptance with a number of police agencies around the country. The main design improvements were the use of a rotary bolt that locked directly to a barrel extension; this allowed the use of light alloy materials for the lower receiver, which resulted in a more reasonable empty weight of 3.3kg. Series manufacturing started in 2004.

Author firing the sole Fz 5.56 IMBEL MD1 prototype at the Itajubá Factory in mid-1983. The exploratory rifle used a dedicated 20-round magazine and a number of FAL parts. Inset shows the perforated steel jacket around part of the 464mm-long barrel.

In the meantime, the design office of Fábrica de Itajubá, then under the enthusiastic leadership of Army Capt. Paulo Augusto Capetti Porto, had played around with a number of prototypes generally called FIL-97 (Fuzil IMBEL Leve, IMBEL Rifle Light) and FILC-97 (Fuzil IMBEL Leve Curto, IMBEL Rifle Light Short) with the sole purpose of transforming some innovative ideas into several concept-studying prototypes so that an entire new family of weapons could be created.

Following an on-the-paper-only transitional design informally called the Alpha One (A1)—a kind of MD97 with some internal changes (spring-loaded firing pin, M4-type stock, no 3-round burst control, etc.)—a widely improved design emerged, provisionally called the Alpha Two (A2). The informal designation eventually stuck, giving birth to what officially became the Fuzil de Assalto (Assault Rifle) 5.56 IMBEL A2 (Fz Ass 5.56 IA2). The first news and unofficial images of the gun emerged in mid-2010, with a much more formal appearance taking place at the LAAD 2011 Defense & Security Show in Rio de Janeiro. By 2012, with actual production gradually starting at the Itajubá Factory, evaluation examples of the selective-fire model were handed over to different Brazilian Army units while demonstrations of the semi-auto carbine version were carried out nationwide to civil and military police forces, with orders soon following. A milestone for the program came on Oct. 23, 2014, when the Exército Brasileiro announced the official adoption of the selective-fire IA2 in initial complement to the long-used 7.62x51mm IMBEL M964 and M964A1 FALs, which may eventually be replaced in full. Since that time, deliveries to units other than the earlier, specialized (e.g. Airborne) ones first equipped with it have been gradually taking place, in addition to the CAR 5.56 IA2 (the semi-auto carbine) having also found LE distribution and service around the country.

The rotary-bolt MD97LC semi-auto carbine was supplied to a number of LE agencies and remains in limited use today. Note the two short Picatinny rails on the upper receiver cover.

As it usually happens in any weapon’s service life, the manufacturer offers minor design improvements and accessories. For the IA2, an early optional polymer grip flush with the forward end of the magazine housing is now a standard feature, and an optional foldable stock with six length adjustments is now offered. IMBEL is also trying several other prototype features for the guns, including a raised carry handle-type structure that can be added to the top Picatinny rail. This features an internal rear sight to be used together with a raised front sight. Other details also under study include a fold-flat charging handle, a telescopic-only stock and a redesigned, prong-type flash hider.

A mention should be made of variants offered in response to some specific Brazilian Navy requirements, which are now under evaluation. The basic rifle has received a 1:7-inch pitch barrel (6 grooves, RH twist) in place of the original 5.56x45mm IA2 1:10-inch unit (same rifling), while the stock fitted is of the foldable and adjustable type, which slightly reduces the gun’s length in both the extended and folded configurations. Small in size but significant in combat use is a disc-shaped rotary notch rear sight with 100-meter increments in the 100- to 600-meter range, which replaces the standard 150- to 250-meter flip apertures. A longer (538mm, with flash hider) barrel model with the same 1:7-inch pitch is also in the Navy’s wish list, this featuring a bayonet lug compatible with the manufacturer’s two knife-bayonet models.

An interesting item that may soon be available for the 5.56x45mm IA2 rifle is a quick conversion kit that allows the weapon to fire .22LR ammunition—a useful and economical feature for training. The whole thing is pretty simple: fold open the gun, remove the upper receiver cover, pull out the bolt and recoil spring assemblies, insert the kit assembly, close the gun again, use the supplied STANAG-type magazine (capacity still to be defined), and you’re basically ready to go. You now have, of course, a blowback-operated rifle in your hands, but still keeping the select-fire capability. Evidently, the lighter rounds are intended to be primarily used only in the introductory phases of rifle training, so that novices can learn the very basics of weapons handling, general safety procedures, use of sights and, of course, firing in reduced-scale and indoor ranges. Also, firing that frail cartridge from a 3 kilogram-plus rifle will generally feel (and sound!) like an air rifle is being used. At a later stage, however, the newbies will be given the real McCoy to train with and get used to such stuff as recoil, noise, flash, heat, etc. For a country like Brazil, where defense budgets are extremely tight, this may be a clever solution.

Examples of 5.56x45mm IA2 rifles from the first production batches supplied to the Brazilian Army are seen here in the hands of Brigada de Infantaria Paraquedista (Parachutist Infantry Brigade) troops on parade in Rio de Janeiro on Sept. 7, 2017.

From the very beginning of the IA2 program, a 7.62x51mm variant was envisioned. By 2010, photographic evidence of some early prototypes was available, a clear family relationship with the 5.56x45mm model being evident in the external appearance. Internally, however, the larger-caliber gun was pretty much a FAL rifle, this included the basic tilting-bolt breech locking plus minor improvements in the gas system and other areas as a result of gained design and production experience. After all, IMBEL has been a successful manufacturer of FAL rifles since the mid-1960s.

It should be pointed out that development emphasis was placed on the 5.56x45mm variant since the early phases of the agenda; the 7.62x51mm counterpart progressed in parallel, but at a slower pace. Several prototypes appeared in the years since 2010 and some configuration changes were incorporated. In 2017, what appeared to be the final configurations for both a selective-fire rifle (Fz Ass 7,62 IMBEL IA2) and a shorter-barrel, semi-auto carbine (Ca 7.62 IMBEL IA2) were defined—the successful completion of official Brazilian Army certification programs enabling the manufacturer to launch pilot-production batches and promote actual sales.

The carbine program appears to have a higher priority at this time to meet the growing demands of local public security forces for a compact 7.62x51mm weapon to replace the widely used FALs and PARA-FALs currently employed. Although rifles of this caliber in police service may seem exaggerated to some eyes, when one looks at the weaponry commonly found in criminal hands in Brazil, the choice becomes evident. As for the Brazilian Army, already clearly committed to using the Fz Ass 5.56 IA2 as the standard issue rifle, the “seven-six-two” still has a place for troops operating in environments or general tactical conditions requiring the heavier round.

All in all, Indústria de Material Bélico do Brasil, with limited budgets and off-and-on national economic crisis fluctuations considered, has displayed considerable perseverance to reach the current status of its long-term rifle development and production program.

Officers of Brazil’s FNSP - Força Nacional de Segurança Pública (National Public Security Force) with semi-auto IA2 carbines in a training exercise.

Gun on top is an all-black IA2 semi-auto carbine for LE use fitted with the new optional foldable and length-adjustable stock, while that below is the greenish Brazilian Army selective-fire model. Note the current standard grip flush with the magazine housing.

A development specimen of the IA2 selective-fire rifle displaying a number of new features, such as a carry handle-type structure (internal rear sight and Aimpoint CompM2 4 MOA sight on rail), a fold-flat charging handle, and a telescopic stock. A prong-type flash hider is used.

The two Brazilian Navy evaluation models, the 1:7in pitch barrel lengths being 538mm and 347mm, flash hider included. Both have foldable and adjustable stocks with dedicated water draining features.

The original IA2 5.56x45mm bolt/bolt carrier assembly with the corresponding recoil spring unit is seen above the one-piece .22LR kit that turns the rifle into a blowback-operated gun. The forward end’s contour is shaped to fit the original barrel chamber.

An IA2 in the open (field stripping) position ready to receive the .22LR kit. The lookalike STANAG 30-round magazine has a smaller-capacity (yet undefined) insert for the lighter rounds; the white example shown in photo being a workshop test specimen.

Author firing a 5.56x45mm IA2 rifle modified to .22LR at the Fábrica de Itajubá range. Note blurred image of the tiny ejected cartridge to the rear.

These two early 7.62x51mm IA2 prototypes show some evident external similarities to the 5.56x45mm version. Weapon in the foreground uses the familiar PARA-FAL folding stock and muzzle brake, while the other rifle is fitted with the first-tested polymer folding stock and a shorter flash hider.

A field-stripped Fz Ass 7.62 IA2. Unlike the 5.56x45mm model’s light alloy upper receiver, that of the heavier model is machined in AISI 1060 steel.

BASIC TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS