Palmetto State Armory: 7.5″ Pistol-Length AR in 300 AAC Blackout w/ M-LOK handguard & SBA3 Brace $499.99
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Palmetto State Armory has one of their 7.5″ Pistol-Length ARs in 300 AAC Blackout caliber with an M-LOK handguard & SBA3 Brace for just $499.99 and that includes FREE shipping and handling to your FFL.
I am not sure how PSA gets such great pricing on complete guns, but I am not complaining? Just the SB Tactical SBA3 Adjustable Brace on this pistol retails for $139.99 by itself elsewhere.
Product Details : Barrel: Chambered in 300AAC Blackout with a 1:8 twist rate, M4 barrel extension, and a pistol gas system this barrel features a phosphate finish for accuracy and durability. It is finished off with a PSA 6″ Lightweight M-Lok rail, .750″ diameter low profile gas block, and an A2 flash hider.
Upper: Forged 7075-T6 A3 AR upper is made to MIL-SPECS and hard coat anodized black for durability. These uppers are made for us right here in the USA by a mil-spec manufacturer.
Bolt: Bolt is made of Mil-spec shot-peened Carpenter 158 steel. Gas key is secured with grade 8 fasteners and staked per mil-spec. Bolt carrier is parkerized outside, and chrome lined inside.
Lower: These forged lowers are quality made using 7075-T6 aluminum and are marked “MULTI” for the caliber. This lower is completed with an MOE EPT lower parts kit and fitted with an SB Tactical SBA3 Adjustable Brace.
Barrel Length: 7.5″
Gas System: Pistol-length
Barrel Profile: Heavy
Barrel Steel: Chrome Moly
Barrel Finish: Phosphate
Chrome Lining: None
Muzzle Thread: 5/8-24″
Chamber: 300AAC Blackout
Twist Rate: 1 in 8″
Barrel Extension: M4
Diameter at Gas Block: .750″
Gas Block Type: Low-profile
Muzzle Device: A2 Style Flash Hider
Receiver Material: Forged 7075 T6
Receiver Type: M4
Handguard Type: 6″ Lightweight M-Lok Rail
Bolt Steel: Carpenter 158
Bolt Carrier Profile: Full-Auto
Lower Receiver: Forged 7075 T6 Aluminum
Receiver Finish: Hardcoat Anodized
Fire Control Group: Single-Stage, Enhanced Polished Trigger (EPT)
Related Video Reviews ( I did not find this guns' exact configuration):
Palmetto State Armory: 7.5″ Pistol-Length AR in 300 AAC Blackout Shipping Cart Check 9/5/2018:
Palmetto State Armory 7.5″ Pistol-Length AR in 300 AAC Blackout Cart
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.450 Bushmaster Magazine Problems – The Tromix Solution
GRAND RAPIDS, MI USA–-(Ammoland.com)- In my last article, I built a very lightweight and powerful hunting rifle with the help of Brownell’s. This rifle had some issues with feeding and ejection and I was determined to solve the problems it had. These issues centered around the magazines. In this article, I will be talking about tips and tricks to ensure reliable feeding with the .450 cartridge in an AR rifle.
The main issue we have with the .450 is that it is a very poor cartridge for the AR rifle. It is an oddball in that it has a .308 case head which is actually rebated, meaning that the case body is wider than the rim, and has a case body that is tapered. The problems associated with the AR rifle and its magazines are well known, and they are cruelly exacerbated by the .450 cartridge. How did I figure out that the magazines were causing the problems? The gun fired single rounds and locked back on an empty mag, which meant that the reliability issues were being caused somewhere in the mag and how it interacted with the gun.
When I finished the rifle I was expecting it to be a walk in the park when it came to range time. Instead, I experienced problem after problem with standard GI-style magazines, even Bushmaster brand mags with special followers. The main issue was hard to determine. The .450 case has to single-stack feed from the mag because it is too wide to feed double-stack. This alone shouldn’t be a problem, but it found a way to be.
The central issue regarding feeding is that the .450 is wider at the base than the case mouth. The case is therefore not equally supported along its length in an AR magazine. The upward pressure from the magazine spring can cause the cartridges to tilt point-up, which in turn can cause failure to eject. The bullet tip can get lodged behind the bolt lugs, thus causing the fired case to be stuck or the next bullet to be damaged. Double feeds are also a common problem, as the magazine lips often fail to retain the cartridges. The more rounds in a mag, the worse these problems got.
Why not use a commonly available mag like the Magpul PMAG? Well, for starters, the .450 BM won’t work in a PMAG due to the central rib that runs down the inside of the magazine body. In my research on this topic I found that there were some people that successfully modified a PMAG to work, but it was sketchy at best and not a solution that I could present to you to buy.
The .450 BM won’t work in a PMAG due to the central rib that runs down the inside of the magazine body.
I decided that I would intentionally limit my capacity to what is allowed for hunting in Michigan, where I will be using the rifle this fall as a way to research reliability in the .450. There was so little information out there about reliably feeding these big-bore rounds that I had to contact my friend Tony Rumore at Tromix Lead Delivery Systems for some much-needed advice.
Tony is a leader in the industry when it comes to anything above .223 in AR rifles. Tromix is a great, innovative company that makes some really neat stuff for the discerning shooter. My talk with Tony revealed that they were also aware of the issues associated with the .450 in an AR mag and they had some unique solutions.
Single-feed followers for Lancer L5AWM magazines
In the course of my conversation, Tony explained to me that they had been puzzling over the .450 problem for some time and had developed a modification of a particular magazine that ensured reliability. Tony sent me two special, single-feed followers for Lancer L5AWM magazines and an example of a modified mag. They are made of machined billet aluminum and are extremely well made. I contacted my friends at Brownell’s to see about getting some more Lancer mags to modify and mess with. These products can be seen under these numbers at Brownell’s: 100-022-876WB, 100-022-879WB.
Why go with 10 round mags instead of bigger ones? As stated, this will be for hunting and in Michigan I can’t have more than a 5-round magazine in a semiautomatic. The Lancer mags hold four rounds plus one in the chamber. This is plenty good for hunting and is legal in my woods. I received the mags and followers and went about testing them. Unlike the PMAG and GI mags, the Lancer has steel feed lips and a polymer body. It combines the best of many worlds and has no internal rib like the PMAG, so there isn’t much to modify.
I installed the Tromix followers into two mags and left the stock follower in the other two. Tony told me that the stock Lancer mags would reliably feed .450, and he was right. The only issue I noticed was that I had the same tip-up issue as with GI mags due to the shape of the follower. I had no serious issues with feeding or ejection with stock mags, but I noticed that the bolt carrier moved slowly compared to the modified mags. This has to do with the way the cartridges sit in the magazine with the dedicated single-feed follower. They lay much flatter across the top of the magazine, which I noticed allows the bolt to move more freely.
I noted at this time that there is significant differences in case taper across brands of ammo that went unnoticed earlier. This can lead to problems with unmodified Lancer mags and, as you can see in the photo below, even lead to ‘tipping up'. The ‘tipping up' problem goes away instantly when the new followers are installed. I will be talking more about case taper and individual ammo types in my next article.
There is significant differences in case taper across brands of ammo that went unnoticed earlier.
Feeding with the Tromix followers resulted in 100% reliability. I tested the mags with just the follower installed and a Tromix recommended cutout in the front of the magazine. Tony told me that this helps ensure the case mouth doesn’t get caught during feeding. I had no problems with either version, modified or not. I’m sure that I’ll eventually modify all my mags to have this little cutout, as it doesn’t hurt anything and can only help. This can be done with a Dremel tool in just a couple seconds.
Feeding with the Tromix followers resulted in 100% reliability.
It took me a while to get my Brownell’s .450 Bushmaster rifle running reliably. The magazine is the biggest problem with the .450 in a semiautomatic. It has no issues in a bolt action magazine and obviously no issue in a single-shot rifle, but it is frustrating that there is no industry-wide solution to the semiautomatic problem. Tromix is a company that is quick to identify and fix problems and their followers are a must-have for the .450 AR rifle.
If you think I got out of the woods with this rifle when I fixed the magazine situation and got it running well, you’d be wrong. Stay tuned for my adventures with .450 Bushmaster ammunition, a very cool Ruger No. 1 rifle, and my thoughts on handloading this cartridge.
Visit www.tromix.com to take a look at their must-have followers and other interesting products. The 10-round Lancer mags can be found at www.brownells.com.
About Josh Wayner
Josh Wayner has been writing in the gun industry for five years. He is an active competition shooter with 14 medals from Camp Perry. In addition to firearms-related work, Josh enjoys working with animals and researching conservation projects in his home state of Michigan.
The pocket-sized, single-shot, folding .22LR pistol will be on exhibit at the 2nd Annual NRA Carry Guard Expo held in Richmond, Virigina, September 14 – 16, 2018.
Trailblazer Firearms LifeCard .22 LR folding, single-shot pistol
Asheville, N.C. (Ammoland.com)Trailblazer® Firearms, announce they will be exhibiting at the NRA Carry Guard Expo for the first time and showing the LifeCard®, the smallest, folding .22LR single-shot pistol on the market today. The Expo is being held September 14 – 16, 2018, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond, Virginia. Building on the success of the first NRA Carry Guard in 2017, this year’s 3-day event will host over 138 exhibitors and over 120 seminars and workshops. The event is open to the public and NRA members.
“The NRA Carry Guard Expo is a great opportunity for Trailblazer Firearms to get in front of our customers,” Aaron Voigt, president and founder of Trailblazer Firearms said. “Not only will we be looking forward to the feedback from current LifeCard owners and reaching out to new customers, but we’ll be showing our latest addition to the LifeCard line, a .22 WMR conversion barrel and taking pre-orders.”
Trailblazer Firearms’ new .22 WMR conversion barrel is a response to the demand from customers for a more effective short to medium range cartridge capable of taking small game such as groundhogs, prairie dogs, rabbits and others. In designing a conversion barrel for the existing LifeCard frame, Voigt considered several calibers and felt the .22 WMR would give customers the extra performance yet still maintaining a light and comfortable recoil.
Trailblazer® Firearms, headquartered in Asheville, North Carolina, was founded in 2014 to design, develop, manufacture and market innovative American-made firearms. The LifeCard is available through Ellett Brothers, Jerry’s Sport Center, Hicks Inc., Bill Hicks, Zanders Sporting Goods, Amchar Wholesale, Ron Shirk Shooters Supplies, Williams Shooters Supply, MGE, Orion Arms Corp., Farris Brothers Inc., Lew Horton Distribution Co., and Chattanooga Shooting Supplies.
Walther PPQ .22 5″ Tabletop Review and Shooting Impressions – Video
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- With the return of affordable and available .22lr ammunition we can return to training that doesn't drain the budget. Increased round counts and decreased expenditures. The challenge is in finding a pistol chambered in .22lr that is similar enough to your full-size gun. Walther has something for their Q5 and Q5 Match fans in the form of the PPQ .22 5″.
For a comparison and demonstration of just how similar this .22 pistol is to a regular 5″ PPQ see the tabletop comparison video below.
Although some details are unavoidably different such as the hammer-fired operation, and different capacity, the ergonomics and general handling is exactly like the 5″ PPQ. The PPQ .22 5″ even fits holsters designed for the full size PPQ. All of this makes for a great training gun. Perhaps the one fault would be in that the trigger doesn't quite feel the same in that the reset is longer. Although longer, it's still a Walther trigger and so quicker than most.
If you're not a competitive shooter, but have larger hands, or just want to practice with something that has all the feel of a full size without the noise and percussion of 9mm the PPQ .22 5″ may also be your match. the 12+1 capacity is refreshing. I've never understood why more .22lr pistols aren't available with higher capacity. Speaking of numbers, the specifications below are as taken directly from the product web page.
Model Number: 5100302
Caliber: .22 L.R.
Barrel length: 5″
Trigger Pull: 4.85 LBS
Trigger Travel: 0.16″
Capacity: 12 RDS
Overall Length: 8.1″
Height: 5.3″
Width: 1.3″
Weight Empty: 22.4 OZ
To get a better feel for the big little gun we took it to the range along with a variety of ammunition. For as much as I love the affordable caliber, semi-autos chambered in .22lr, especially handguns, are known for being picky. To see what would and wouldn't run we tried a mix of the usual Remington and CCI loads and added some of the exciting variants from Aguila. Aguila loads included the 30gr Super Maximum, 40gr Super Extra, 40gr Interceptor (copper plated), 40gr Super Extra (copper plated), and 60gr Sniper SubSonic. To see how they performed watch the shooting impressions video below. Keep in mind not all of those loads are intended for semi-auto firearms.
To be fair, Aguila recommends the Sniper SubSonic only for barrels 20″ or longer. We didn't expect the Walther to run on it, but it almost did. Aside from that performance was what one expects from Walther. Some may wonder why we'd even try a round known to not work in semi-autos. Not everyone provides handguns the same support and wrist backing, it's my theory that an underpowered load can simulate a soft wrist or inexperienced shooter. The lesson is that the Walther could also function as a pistol for new shooters so long as the ammunition has plenty of oomph (yes, that is a technical term, it was just coined here in this article).
In conclusion, the Walther PPQ .22 5″ offers full-size training and experience with less recoil, percussion, and cost per shot than a standard model. The longer sight radius also makes it more generous to new shooters who may not want a miniaturized pistol in their hands.
About Graham Baates
“Graham Baates” is a pen name used by a 15-year active Army veteran who spent most of his time in the tactical side of the Intelligence community including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Post-Army Graham spent some time in the local 3-Gun circuit before becoming a full-time NRA Certified defensive handgun instructor and now works as an industry writer while curating a YouTube channel on the side. Visit Graham on Youtube .
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- HM Defense & Technology has announced the newest addition to their firearms line, the HMP9 Trooper. With the recent success of their RaiderHMP5 pistol, particularly among the CCW population for use as a vehicle firearm, the decision was made to create a more compact, AR-style pistol. The HMP9 is 21 ¼” long and weighs in at just under 5 ½ lbs. The quality engineering and craftsmanship associated with HM Defense is apparent in the fundamental design details of the new HMP9 Trooper.
The HMP9 Trooper has a 5 ½”, 1:10 twist, black nitride finished barrel. The lower receiver is custom machined fitted for the Glock 9mm magazine, eliminating the need for blocks or spacers common to other 9mm AR pistol designs. The Trooper also comes standard with HM’s CNC machined muzzle brake, picatinny rail machined from 6061-T6 aircraft grade aluminum, M-LOK rail mounting system, Shockwave Blade, KAK Buffer Tube and 21 round Magpul Magazine.
HMP9 Trooper
The HMP9 Trooper, which will MSRP at $1,045.00 (including cerakote) is being launched at the introductory price of $795.00 until September 15, 2018, while supplies last. HM Defense has also announced a special giveaway of the HMP9 Trooper, Serial No. 1. Details on the giveaway can be found on HM Defense’s website, social media sites or by clicking on the HMP9 images in this article.
About HM Defense & Technology
HM Defense and Technology is a firearms manufacturer specializing in advanced technology ARs. Veteran owned and aerospace engineered, HM Defense’s patented Monobloc barrel and HMBBolt have raised the bar of reliability and accuracy in the firearms industry. Referred to as the “bombproof” AR by YouTube gun enthusiasts and “truly something different…in the AR world” by Guns & Ammo magazine, HM Defense & Technology offers the tactical community a much needed, long-awaited innovative advantage in weaponry.
Own a Piece of History: SIG SAUER Launches September Sweepstakes for U.S. Army M17-Commemorative Pistol
Newington, N.H. –-(Ammoland.com)- Today SIG SAUER announced the September Sweepstakes for the newly released M17-Commemorative pistol and M17 Collector’s Case. The sweepstakes will be active at sigsauer.com/promotions now through Friday, September 21, 2018 to participate in this promotion.
“The M17 was selected by the U.S. Army for its uniquely innovative modularity, uncompromising performance, and unmatched capability. The M17 redefined the definition of the combat handgun forever making it a true collector’s item,” said Tom Taylor, Chief Marketing Officer and Executive Vice President, Commercial Sales, SIG SAUER, Inc. “With the limited manufacturing run, we wanted to offer this extended sweepstakes to expand the opportunity for military, firearms, and SIG SAUER enthusiasts to own the M-17 Commemorative.”
The M17-Commemorative is a 9mm, striker-fired pistol, and comes with two 21-round magazines and one 17-round magazine. The pistol features a coyote-tan PVD coated stainless steel slide with the same optic cut as specified by the MHS contract, coyote-tan colored controls just like the original pistols shipped to the 101st Airborne, and a manual safety. The M17 is equipped with a SIGLITE front night sight and removable Night Sight rear plate. The M17-Commemorative comes with a coyote-tan carry-length grip module.
This M17-Commemorative pistol will ship in the same cardboard packaging as delivered to the U.S. Army. Upon registration of the M17-Commemorative pistol the winner will receive an official certificate of authenticity and commemorative challenge coin, both with serial numbers matching the purchased M17-Commemorative pistol.
The August M17-Commemorative Sweepstakes also includes an exclusive M17 Collector’s Case to complement the pistol. The case is a solid cherry box, with dark mahogany stain, a tempered glass top, a brushed nickel latch, and a keyhole back for optional wall-hanging. The M17 Collector’s Case features a slate-grey flocked foam insert with an affixed brushed steel SIG SAUER M17 logo, and precision laser placement cuts for the M17 pistol, the official serialized M17-Commemorative Certificate of Authenticity, and the serialized M17-Commemorative Challenge Coin.
There’s no purchase necessary to enter. For full contest rules, terms, and conditions visit sigsauer.com/promotions.
About SIG SAUER, Inc.
SIG SAUER, Inc. is a leading provider and manufacturer of firearms, electro-optics, ammunition, airguns, suppressors, and training. For over 100 years SIG SAUER, Inc. has evolved, and thrived, by blending American ingenuity, German engineering, and Swiss precision. Today, SIG SAUER is synonymous with industry-leading quality and innovation which has made it the brand of choice amongst the U.S. Military, the global defense community, law enforcement, competitive shooters, hunters, and responsible citizens. Additionally, SIG SAUER is the premier provider of elite firearms instruction and tactical training at the SIG SAUER Academy – a world class, state-of-the-art, 140-acre training facility. SIG SAUER is headquartered in Newington, New Hampshire, and has more than 1,700 employees across eight locations, and is the largest member of a worldwide business group that includes SIG SAUER GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. For more information about the company and product line visit: sigsauer.com.
Ruger Introduces New 10/22 with Modular Stock System
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE: RGR) is proud to introduce the 10/22 Compact with the Ruger Modular Stock System. In production for over 50 years, the Ruger 10/22 has become America's favorite .22 rifle. With proven performance, a legendary action and a renowned, reliable rotary magazine, the 10/22 has inspired a loyal following.
This new model of the venerable 10/22 features the Ruger Modular Stock System as well as front and rear fiber optic sights. With a low comb height and 12.50” length of pull, this affordable 10/22 model is ideal for training younger shooters. The Modular Stock System allows for length of pull adjustment to accommodate shooters of most sizes, as well as variations in thickness of outerwear.
Maintaining popular features of the classic 10/22, this new rifle comes standard with a push-button, cross-bolt manual safety and a cold hammer-forged barrel. Combined with a legendary action, a tried and true Ruger design, this rifle ensures consistent, reliable performance.
For more information on the 10/22 or to learn more about the extensive line of award-winning Ruger firearms, visit Ruger.com or Facebook.com/Ruger. To find accessories for the 10/22 and other Ruger firearms, visit ShopRuger.com or your local independent retailer of Ruger firearms.
About Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc.
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. is one of the nation's leading manufacturers of rugged, reliable firearms for the commercial sporting market. As a full-line manufacturer of American-made firearms, Ruger offers consumers over 400 variations of more than 30 product lines. For more than 60 years, Ruger has been a model of corporate and community responsibility. Our motto, “Arms Makers for Responsible Citizens®,” echoes the importance of these principles as we work hard to deliver quality and innovative firearms.
Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact pistol chambered in .45 Auto
SPRINGFIELD, Mass., –(AmmoLand.com)- Smith & Wesson Corp. today announced that it has expanded its line of popular M&P semi-automatic polymer pistols to include a M&P M2.0 Compact pistol chambered in .45 Auto.
Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 Compact pistol chambered in .45 Auto
Featuring a shorter, 4” barrel, a 10+1 round capacity, and the popular M2.0 feature set, the M&P45 M2.0 Compact is a popular size for law enforcement use and personal protection.
Jan Mladek, General Manager for Smith & Wesson and M&P brands, said, “The M&P45 pistol has been a popular choice for years with both law enforcement professionals and civilians looking for a .45 Auto pistol. With that in mind, we expanded the next-generation M2.0 platform to now include the M&P45 M2.0 Compact pistol with a shorter, 4” barrel and a full-size frame.”
Available with or without an ambidextrous thumb safety, the M&P M2.0 Compact pistol series includes the advanced M2.0 feature set, delivering an aggressively-textured grip for enhanced control, four interchangeable palmswell grip insert sizes for perfect hand fit, and a light, crisp M2.0 trigger with a tactile and audible reset. The M&P45 M2.0 Compact pistol is available with an MSRP starting at $569, and comes standard with a white-dot front sight and a white two-dot rear sight, two 10-round magazines, and an accessory rail. The M&P45 M2.0 Compact pistol is also offered with tritium night sights and three magazines for law enforcement.
For more information about the M&P M2.0 Compact family of pistols, including spec sheets and images, please click here.
For more information on Smith & Wesson products, please visit www.smith-wesson.com.
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Corp. is a provider of quality firearms for personal protection, target shooting and hunting in the global consumer and professional markets. Smith & Wesson is world famous for its handguns and long guns sold under the Smith & Wesson, Performance Center, M&P, Thompson/Center Arms, and Gemtech brands. Through its Manufacturing Services Division, Smith & Wesson Corp. also provides forging, machining, and precision plastic injection molding services to a wide variety of consumer goods companies. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com.
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- With 10mm seeming to become more and more popular every year with a small portion of the shooting community it was only a matter of time before Hi-Point launched a long gun in the caliber. The Hi-Point 10mm Carbine is more or less just their standard carbine that has been rechambered with the right spring for 10mm. It shares all of the same features as the inexpensive carbines that we have enjoyed for years and have come to know as pretty dang reliable, but ultimately kinda ugly.
While it may not be the sexiest firearm on the planet, it goes bang every time that you pull the trigger.
Armscor ammo shot extremely well in the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine.
Note: Total ammunition shot through this rifle was 600 rounds of 10mm. The breakdown of the ammo used is as follows, 200 rounds Remington UMC 180-Grain FMJ, 300 rounds Armscor 180-Grain FMJ, and 100 rounds Sellier & Bellot 180-Grain JHP.
Features & First Impressions
The Hi-Point 10mm Carbine also called the Hi-Point 1095TS weighs in at 7 pounds unloaded and has a pretty handy overall length of 32″ with a 17.5″ barrel. The model that I received for review was the all black model with the all-weather molded polymer stock.
The Hi-Point 10mm Carbine
The rifle came with fully adjustable sights from the factory that I immediately removed to mount the Aimpoint Comp M4s that normally resides on one of my AR-15s. I should note that I had to widen the rail slot to accommodate the Mil-Std 1913 mount on my Aimpoint because all of the rails on the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine are Weaver spec. Not that big of a deal.
The Hi-Point 10mm Carbine ships with adjustable sights.
The rifle does have an internal recoil buffer built right into the stock that should soak up some recoil. I personally didn't notice if it was effective or not since I pulled the rifle into my shoulder pretty tightly. It is interesting that they felt it to be a needed feature. Hi-Point also fits a soft rubber cheek piece on the rifle with some adhesive that I have since removed. I found that the soft rubber did a great job of pulling at my facial hair during the recoil cycle.
The buttstock has a built-in recoil damper.
If you want to hang a suppressor from the barrel you are in luck! Hi-Point has threaded the barrel for .578×24 muzzle brakes and suppressor adaptors. As one might expect I spun the included thread protector off and mounted my Silencerco Octane .45 to the 10mm carbine.
.578×28 threads come as standard on the carbine.
Hi-Point also has included an “easy to use” thumb safety, a grip mounted magazine release, a 10-round magazine, a flat black receiver shroud, and a last round bolt hold open.
As with all other Hi-Point firearms, the 10mm carbine is covered under their no questions asked lifetime warranty.
Field Stripping The Hi-Point 10mm Carbine
I admittedly have never take a Hi-Point Carbine apart so I turned to YouTube for a how-to video. Sure, I could have read the manual and figured it out but something about watching someone else do it is just a bit easier to follow.
Here is the video that I used when taking the rifle apart
Range Time
Over the 600 rounds I put through the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine I got to know the rifle pretty well. Given the Hi-Point Carbine's street price of right around $300 I gave the rifle a bit more leeway when it came to fit and finish, trigger pull, and other things that one might look at to judge a firearm's build quality.
Shooting the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine
Shooting the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine was rather pleasant and I found the rifle to be adequately accurate. I mean, it isn't a precision rifle by any means but it does go bang every time and can easily land rounds onto a target at 50-yards. I did take some shots at 100-yards and connected most of the shots taken from a standing position.
I am not really sure if the spring loaded stock was why the recoil was so manageable or if it was because I had a suppressor mounted for most of the shooting I did with the carbine. I found the rifle's recoil was in line with what I have experienced while shooting 9mm AR carbines which was a pleasant surprise.
Shooting the 10mm Carbine at 100-Yards
I found that the rifle ran suppressed really well with all 600 rounds being fired through my Silencerco Octane 45 HD. Blowback was minimal but I would say that shooting the rifle without ear protection was not advisable. It was obviously not hearing safe in the least but I blame the fast-moving 10mm bullets for that and not the rifle.
Shooting the 10mm Carbine suppressed at 50-Yards
My only gripe about my time on the range with the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine is that when loading a fresh magazine into the rifle and pulling the bolt back to let it fly into battery it often did not have enough oomph to chamber the first round. I am sure that with the magazines becoming worn from use that this problem would disappear entirely.
The Hi-Point's Controls
The controls on the rifle such as the trigger, safety, bolt catch, and mag release are certainly crude, but serviceable. I found the trigger to be a bit heavier than I would have liked with some creep, but again, the street price of the rifle kind of offsets the build quality.
The mag release can be hard to use.
The mag release was particularly hard to use without using your support hand to hit the button then strip the mag out of the rifle. Sure the mag drops free most of the time but if my hand is already there, why not strip it out to ensure it clears the mag well? The safety was very hard to use with the primary hand and either required me to alter my grip or use my support hand to either flip the safety on or off.
The ergonomics of the Hi-Point's controls are a bit off, but not bad to use.
Hi-Point uses what appears to be a pretty standard bolt and a sleeve for the bolt handle. When you want to lock the bolt to the rear you retract the bolt fully then slide the sleeve into a circular recess in the slot for the reciprocating charging handle. While the sleeve proved to be a bit of a pain sometimes the bolt hold open was effective.
The crude opening is the bolt hold open. Simple but effective.
Conclusion
Do I think that the Hi-Point 10mm Carbine is worth the $300 street price? Yeah, I actually do.
When you take a good hard look at what the rifle offers potential buyers it is hard to overlook the value in the bargain-priced firearm. Sure I had a good time poking fun at the rifle in the video but let's be real here, it is effective, cheap, and reliable. There isn't a whole lot that one can ask of a firearm that can be bought for a third of the price of other pistol caliber carbines.
My only gripes about the firearm are either easy to rectify through shooting it or peeling that rubber cheek pad off the rifle. At the end of the day, it is still a bargain-priced pistol caliber carbine that packs one hell of a punch.
About Patrick R.
Patrick is a firearms enthusiast that values the quest for not only the best possible gear setup but also pragmatic ways to improve his shooting skills across a wide range of disciplines. He values truthful, honest information above all else and had committed to cutting through marketing fluff to deliver the truth. You can find the rest of his work on FirearmRack.com as well as on the YouTube channel Firearm Rack or Instagram at @thepatrickroberts.
Not one to start small or simple, Big Horn Armory took a bold idea and brought it to market.
Big Horn Armory's Greg Buchel
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- When most people think of big game hunting, they tend to think of Africa. But big game hunting is very much at home in the United States too. Whether it is bear, moose, elk, bison, mule deer or even white-tail, the lure and challenge of hunting a large game animal is often a bucket list item for many hunters. One of the challenges has always been the right caliber and the right gun for the job. Even seasoned shooters and hunters can cringe at the thought of a pulling the trigger with a bone crusher of a gun in a big caliber.
About ten years ago, some big game hunters in Wyoming thought they could do better. Provide hunters with a powerful caliber on a platform that was totally reliable and, yes, comfortable to shoot. That was when Big Horn Armory was founded. Although it took them a couple of years to realize what seemed the impossible to many, they did it, and the Model 89 lever action rifle in .500 S&W Magnum is living proof.
What is genius, is that the team at BHA took, what some consider the most powerful hunting handgun caliber, the .500 S&W cartridge, originally designed by Smith & Wesson for their X-Frame revolvers, and combined it with the quintessential American repeating rifle, the lever-action. At the time, the idea behind turning the .500 S&W into a cartridge capable of being fired through a long barrel, seemed simple, but the increase of power at the muzzle was almost doubled. Not any lever action would be able to handle this new cartridge. It would take several years of trial and error for the BHA team to design a brand-new gun capable of managing a brand-new cartridge.
Big Horn Armory
BHA’s initial concept would take the rimmed .500 S&W revolver cartridge and build a Browning style, lever-action, rifle around it. Easier said than done. BHA’s efforts included taking the best out of the Browning Model 18, 86 and 1892 lever actions and putting them into a modern, lever action, platform that was capable of handling the new cartridge, provide accuracy, reliability and diminished recoil. The result was the Model 89, capable of handling the .500 S&W Magnum and other big bore calibers and delivering 300 – 600 fps more than the .500 S&W revolver. Power like this had never existed before in a rifle.
Big Horn Armory M89 rifle assembly
The beauty behind the .500 S&W magnum for big game hunters is that it penetrates the toughest skinned animals and their bone structures. Bears and bison are both some of the toughest animals to harvest and a hunter might not have the chance to put a second round out when faced with a pissed off animal. Its 1/2″ diameter is capable of transferring energy much more efficiently to the animal, resulting in quicker kills, and increased the chances of an off center fatal shot. The lever action Model 89 stock is designed to absorb recoil efficiently, and the 1” Pachmayr recoil pad makes the shot recoil feel like nothing more than a 12-gauge shotgun.
The lever action design is a superb big game hunting platform, providing hunters with super quick second shots unlike a bolt-action or single-shot platform. Plus, the Model 89 carries seven rounds and one in the chamber, better insurance than any double-gun, bolt or single-shot could ever supply.
The Model 89 that started it all for BHA, was quickly followed by new models such as the 89A in .500 Linebaugh, the 89B in 475 Linebaugh, the 90 in .460 S&W, the Model 90A in .454 Casull, and the Model 90B in .45 Colt. Being big bore guys, one would think BHA would pass over the AR craze, but no. They didn’t pass it over, they redefined it.
In 2018, Big Horn Armory introduced their version of an AR platform, but in a room clearing .500 Auto Max cartridge. Based on a DPMS style AR 308 the gas-operated AR500 in 500 Auto Max, uses a .500 S&W rimless straight walled casing It can exceed 4,600 ft-lbs., making it an ideal platform for dangerous game and law enforcement SWAT and CQB teams. Wildlife game officials also count on the stopping power of the AR500 for large and dangerous game.
AR500 Auto Max
“All of us at Big Horn Armory are avid big game hunters. It’s where we live and work, right here in the Big Horn basin surrounded by mountains and a variety of large game animals,” Greg Buchel, co-founder and president of Big Horn Armory commented. “It’s in our nature out here to want the most powerful and precise protection we can afford. Out here, there is no second chance.”
Buchel also points out that every gun is literally custom. All parts, specifically designed for BHA are polished and assembled, and tuned to perfection by BHA employees with years of experience on firearm build and finish. Each gun is then hand fitted and glass bedded to the carefully curated wood stocks and forends. Each gun, when finished is tested before it leaves the door. The Big Horn Armory guns are heirloom quality yet purposeful.
With the rise in popularity of big bore guns on the horizon, Buchel hinted at new guns to come that will surely and indelibly make Big Horn Armory the stand out leader in big bore excitement. Big Horn Armory guns are currently sold in the United States, Australia, Germany, Sweden, Brazil, the United Kingdom and other countries.
Big Horn Armory was founded in 2008 with the expressed intention of designing a Browning-type lever-action gun chambered in 500 Smith & Wesson Magnum. The Big Horn Armory Model 89, made in America, closely follows the work of John Browning with refinements courtesy of modern metallurgy and machining capabilities. The first rifles began shipping in September of 2012 and since then, BHA has added to their big bore lineup with a Model 90 Carbine in 460 S&W, the Model 90A in 454 Casull, the Model 90B in .45 Colt, the Model 89A in 500 Linebaugh and the Model 89B in .475 Linebaugh. In 2017, Big Horn Armory took a departure from its lever-action series and developed the AR500 Auto Max, the most powerful short-range, semi-auto based on an AR .308 platform.
California – -(AmmoLand.com)- There’s a lot of crap you hear about guns and a lot of people who are loyal to one brand and trash all others. So when looking to add the newest addition to my gun collection, I talked directly to Kimber and got the straight scoop from them on their guns and their production.
Convinced by their pitch, I now have a brand new Kimber Raptor 1911 pistol.
The Raptor “feels right” in your hand, and the simple fact is out of the box and at 10 meters it leaves bullet holes EXACTLY where is it supposed to. Just align the sites and squeeze the trigger and the hole appears right where it should, Just what I expected from a custom gun shop pistol.
So a few things to know about Kimber manufacturing, they DO NOT and never have used pressed metal parts. Some are metal injection, and all are hand polished and hand fit. Their custom shop guns will produce a 2inch group at 25 meters. Their Super Match will do under 2 inches at 50 meters. The difference is the bushing and degree of gunsmith hand fitting of the barrel.
They have a one-year warranty, but that needs some explanation. That warranty depends on what broke on the gun, and how you treated it. One person bought a Kimber Warrior, and tossed it under the seat of his car, along with screwdrivers and jumper cables..etc. Combine that with bumpy country roads and Kimber will not be fixing that gun for free. You should want to keep that tight group that the gun is built with, so take care of your guns. With the Kimber Raptor, you’re getting the gun will hold that group for about 30,000 rounds then Kimber recommends the gun be sent in for a tune-up.
One of my older Kimber carry guns was well past the one-year limit and was stove-piping. Kimber paid for the shipping and replaced everything except the frame and slide, fit a new barrel and had it back to me in 10 days at no cost. Hard to complain.
The last thing to discuss is Bambi-Wrist. It’s a fact for shooters and an insult to many. So let me explain. 1911’s are built for a purpose, and they operate on the energy from the recoil of the bullet leaving the gun. A gun that shoots a 1” group at 50 will be tighter and also unforgiving with lousy ammo. Meaning it will not feed poorly made ammunition, without the right power, seating and bullet the gun will not go bang. The tighter tolerances that give the gun its accuracy makes it finicky about what it eats. The weight of the bullet you intend to use and uses of the gun also affect the recoil spring you put in the guns. Some gun makers build their 1911’s for lighter weight bullets or use lighter recoil springs. Kimber builds their guns for 200gr or 230gr rounds. The recoil spring is 18lb and robust. So yes you have to hold a Kimber firmly. In a world where a LOT of shooters come to 1911 late in life and come from the land of plastic 9mm guns the concept of holding the gun correctly is not something they are taught or seem to care about. They then blame the new gun rather than their lack of training.
The right ammo is probably a whole other article, but I prefer a 230gr hollow-point. It leaves the barrel at 860fps. You can compare that to the box of ammunition on the shelf in my reloading table that weighs 86gr and leaves a 5-inch barrel at 1,400 FPS. That said the felt recoil of the 86gr is almost nonexistent.
The specifications are below for the Kimber Raptor 1911.
Kimber Raptor II Specifications
Caliber: .45 ACP
Barrel: 5 inches
Height: 5.25 inches
Weight( with empty magazine): 38 ounces
Length: 8.7 inches
Width: 1.28 inches
Magazine capacity: 8 rounds
Safety: Ambidextrous thumb
Material: Steel
Twist Rate(left hand): 16
Sights: Tactical Wedge Tritium night sights
Grips: Zebrawood
Trigger: Aluminum, match grade (4-5 pounds)
I rate the Kimber’s’ a tad better than the Springfield and Sig 1911’s. Kimber’s top-end custom guns are as good as the Wilson and other target match guns. I’d be hard-pressed to say one is markedly better than another. They’re all top of the line.
Simply put accuracy a relative thing. Out to 25 meters, two inches does me fine for a carry gun, and spending 2X as much for a gun that I cannot use for personal use seemed extravagant. Not that another one may not find it’s was next to the Raptor in my safe at some point.
If some of you are not fans of 1911 or Kimber and are going to write me a response longer than this article, good. DO IT! If one brand of firearms met everyone’s need, there would be only one brand standing. No name calling, but feel free to express your opinion and thought. I’ll be honest one of the best parts of AmmoLand News is the rough and tumble comments. I often learn more from reading the comments from other gun owners than I do the original author. You can not be an author here and be easily butt-hurt. Gentlemen and Ladies, I await your responses.
p.s.: Oh and just for reference I own SIGs, Colts and Springfield’s, and a selection of Glocks and a few you may never have heard of, so think before you write. I know that may be hard for some of the Glock fanboy
About Don McDougall
Don McDougall
Don McDougall is an NRA instructor and member of the Los Padres “Friends of the NRA” committee. If he’s not at the range you will find him setting the record straight with on gun issues and gun safety on AmmoLand Shooting Sports News.
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The mid-Atlantic region, particularly locations along the coastal Carolinas and Virginia, is bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Florence in the coming days, a major hurricane with devastating potential, and those in the path of the storm need to prepare immediately.
The foremost priority is the safety of residents and family members, who should always have an emergency plan, be prepared and follow instructions from authorities regarding sheltering, evacuations and other measures. Especially when faced with severe weather that could force evacuations, gun owners must also consider storage and accountability of their firearms as part of their emergency plans.
Firearm storage is critical during severe weather events, not only from a security perspective but also to shield your firearms from the elements as much as possible. Consider gun safes with some degree of theft protection, water resistance and crush resistance to withstand flooding and structural collapses associated with hurricane damage. Additionally, consider either preparing your firearms for long-term storage and using a dehumidifier inside gun safes to help combat moisture introduced during hurricane conditions, as this could help stave off rust and water damage in the period following the tropical weather.
Know the gun laws of states you may travel through or to during evacuations.
Ensure your insurance policies are current and cover your firearms. While many homeowner’s policies cover firearms, you must document your collection, including photos of each firearm with make, model, serial number and information on the condition of the firearm. It is a good practice to record this information and save it in multiple places, including digitally, so it is not lost in the effects of catastrophic weather. Importantly, ensure your insurance provider has this updated information in your policy should firearms need to be replaced following severe weather events.
In the event you have to evacuate, you should make every attempt to bring firearms with you for safekeeping.
However, if this is not possible, consider storing your firearms using the aforementioned protection methods. It is advisable to remove the bolts or firing mechanisms from firearms you leave behind to prevent unauthorized use of the guns in the event they are taken in your absence.
Lastly, if you plan to evacuate out of state, understand that gun laws may differ starkly from laws where you live, and you should research the firearm laws in the areas where you will both travel through and at your destination.
Have a plan on how to safely store your firearms during the storm, especially if you're leaving them behind.
Federal Firearm License (FFL) dealers should have disaster preparedness plans in place to protect and secure their firearm inventories through tropical weather events. Consult the ATF for further guidance.
Additionally, the National Shooting Sports Foundation offers valuable disaster preparation guidelines for FFL dealers, available by clicking here.
The National Rifle Association implores all citizens in areas impacted by the dangerous, forthcoming Hurricane Florence to make every effort to protect themselves, their families and their homes, and to heed the warnings and instructions of local authorities in order to keep everyone safe.
[1] Information provided in this release and on the NRA-ILA website is not intended as legal advice or a restatement of any particular set of laws. You must abide by all laws: state, federal, and local, and should consult with an attorney.
About NRA
Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Six million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and is the leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit http://www.nra.org.
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- Take any general level world history course and you will find that World War II is boiled down to simplistic black and white terms. The evil Axis regimes in Germany and Japan are dealt with in straight up good vs. evil fight of gargantuan proportions. The Kingdom of Italy's role as the third major Axis power is overlooked or ignored and it easy to see why. Benito Mussolini's efforts to restore the Roman Empire turned into a showcase of how not to fight a war.
Needless to say, Italy is known for many things but not her martial prowess. Even her firearm manufacturing reputation is spotty. Italy has Beretta, perhaps one of the best gun makers in the world. But on the opposite side of the coin are Italy's bizarre and bedraggled mix of military rifles and pistols–none of which draw more consternation than the Carcano family of rifles. To many, the Carcano symbolizes why Italy lost.
The Carcano is reputed to be inaccurate, malfunction-prone, and outdated with a mix of new-fangled technologies when it was released in 1891. The Kingdom of Italy had only been unified a few decades before and she had plenty of powerful enemies who could do her in. She had no choice but to roll the dice in an era that David Lapell called “a deadly game of keeping up with the Joneses”. The smokeless powder rifle race was in full swing and no one wanted their troops to go into battle with an inferior gun. Many rifles came out in that time and it was not apparent which systems worked and which did not until an actual war came.
Italy was a new country and a poor one. The M91 Carcano was a relatively native design that could be produced cheaply but it incorporated some of the latest innovations. It used the fast Mannlicher clip-loading system Italy's Germanic enemies were using and the first mainstream 6.5mm cartridge, the 6.5×52 Carcano. This relatively small-bore round for the time was flat shooting in an era long before today's target darlings.
Italy would emerge victorious in World War I and the M91 acquitted itself. But as Italy's desire to expand continued in the 1930s, problems were found with the 6.5mm cartridge and it was time for an upgrade. That upgrade with the M38 Short Rifle.
An Italian Makeover?
The makeover of the Carcano is more technical than fine wine and whale-based perfumes. World War I had taught Italy some lessons in their first test since unification. A long-barreled infantry rifle, the mainstay of bayonet charges and cavalry defenses with sights designed to fire in volleys at long range were obsolete. Nations who had not abandoned them before the war were keen to ditch them for a universal short rifle—one substantial enough for hard use but handy enough to replace the small cavalry and artillery carbines specialty troops carried around.
The M38 was that short rifle for Italy, sporting a twenty-one-inch barrel. Even though modern rifles had a long range, it was seldom used in combat. Statistics gathered from World War II, and later, indicate that combat takes place mostly within 300 meters. It seems the Italians were already onto this in the interwar period. Their new rifle had no adjustable sights, but a fixed two hundred meter notched rear sight and a front barleycorn front sight.
For the upgraded rifle, the Italians developed the unique 7.35x51mm cartridge.
The next big change was the cartridge. The 6.5 Carcano cartridge was looking dated and there were new complaints that the cartridge lacked stopping power when fielded against the Ethiopians in 1936. For the upgraded rifle, the Italians developed the unique 7.35x51mm cartridge. The existing 6.5mm cartridge was necked up for a 30 caliber bullet to solve the stopping power issue, however, the load used a light-for-caliber 128-grain bullet traveling at about 2,200 feet per second.
Other added touches included a folding bayonet and side-mounted sling studs. Otherwise, the M38 was operationally identical to previous service rifles that Italy was fielding. Unfortunately 1938 proved to be the wrong time to adopt a new rifle.
When World War II broke out, Italy watched her German allies make massive gains rapidly with few losses. Britain and France were on the ropes and Benito Mussolini had to get in on the action. He declared war knowing full well that the Army and the industries were not prepared. This was no time to have two different rifle cartridges in service. Italy went back to 6.5 to simplify matters and the new M38 was churned out in that caliber.
Even before the declaration of war, the M38 was already seeing some action. Italy was dumping their 7.35s onto Finland as war aid in that country's desperate fight against the Soviet Union. The resulting Winter War was truly a David vs. Goliath match meeting the steel of modern war. The Finns acquired some 90,000 rifles, stamped their acceptance mark, and gave some of them taller front sights to shoot to the point of aim at one hundred-fifty yards. The M38 was meant to be a rear-line rifle, but it found its way on the snow planed woodlands that served as the front line.
The 7.35s use in World War II is hard to pin down, but Italy got itself involved in the Mediterranean, North Africa, and the Eastern front with catastrophic results. With Italy’s loss in the war came the end of the widespread use of the Carcano and the interesting cartridges they fired. Years on, they have acquired quite a reputation for mediocrity. But is that really the case? First-hand experience always beats hearsay so I laid down the cash for a 1939 Terni produced M38 in order to find out the truth.
A Note On Ammunition
Eighty years after its ill-fated introduction, 7.35×51 Carcano ammunition is hard to track down. Original ammunition is scarce and valuable. New production ammunition is available from Buffalo Arms and PCI and the .298 inch diameter bore makes the Carcano a chore to handload, but I did so. Reloading is perhaps the cheapest way to load for these rifles. A full reloading special is in order but for my test, I utilized some of Hornady’s .300 inch 128-grain soft point projectiles, Privi Partizan cases, and a minimal load of H335. With several pockets full of shells and a fist full of Buffalo Arms clips, I set out to see for myself how terrible the M38 really was.
Eighty years after its ill-fated introduction, 7.35×51 Carcano ammunition is hard to track down.
On The Range
I got my M38 through Axis Arms at a reasonable price. It showed up with a little surface rust in the action and some stock art, but the gun was in great mechanical shape and the bore showed plenty of strong rifling. My gun was made at the Terni arsenal in 1939 and it showed the stamp of both the Kingdom of Italy and the “SA” mark indicating acceptance by the Finnish government. This was one of those rifles that the Finns modified with a taller front sight.
This was the first Italian rifle I ever fired, but my third using a Mannlicher style of loading system.A sheet steel en-bloc clip holding six rounds in one handy packet is pushed into the magazine until a spring-loaded tab locks it in place.
The tapered ends of the clip act to feed rounds into the magazine one at a time with the working of the gun’s bolt after each shot. On the last shot, the empty clip falls out of an opening under the magazine. Partially fired clips can be expelled by pressing down on the cartridges while depressing a knurled button forward of the trigger. It is an interesting setup and one that sparked a lot of interest on the range as I loaded my first six and drew a bead to put the rifle on paper. I aimed under the bullseye, expecting the gun to shoot high given the longer range sighting of the fixed sights. I was surprised that I missed the bullseye entirely. My rounds struck high, but in a respectable three-inch cluster. I found that putting the front sight very low in the V-notch rear sight that I was able to get much closer to bullseye with continued shooting.
A six, yes six, shot group posted at one hundred yards with these sedate loads.
On another day with more ammunition, I tried my hand at some one-hundred yard shooting. At that distance, the front sight looms large over the target but with a good hold and steady rest, I could turn in a six-inch group fairly reliably.
With one hundred rounds of 7.35 burned up, I came away with more than a minuscule amount of respect for the Carcano. Though the sights were crude, they are impossible to screw up and gave me some usable accuracy. The M38 is light and short even by some World War II standards, but the 7.35 round won’t bruise your shoulder. I could see my near-misses because the rifle barely moved. The trigger pull isn’t overly light with plenty take up before a clean break, like many rifles of the era. The safety is somewhat unusual as it is activated by palming it up for safe and to the right to fire the gun. It doesn’t prevent the striker from traveling but it kills the spring tension on it. If dropped on the striker, it could still go forward. The Carcano’s bolt action was noticeably smooth and fast except for some dragging on the final ejection stroke of the cases.
The only issues I experienced with the Carcano have to do with the clips. Originally these clips were one-use disposable items and one could have problems trying to use them over and over again. They go out of spec, get dirty. These new reproduction clips are great quality but take some careful bending to tension them just right to feed the ammunition properly. Even then, I occasionally had a round fail to make it to the bolt face. A bit of thumb helped alleviate this issue. This isn't necessarily a fault of the gun but one man trying to run it just for fun without arsenal produced ammunition and clips.
A Hidden Italian Gem?
I contend that the M38 Carcano is worthy to be in any military rifle collection thanks to its mix of what is both seemingly dated technology with some forward thinking twists thrown in. Old meeting new, much like Italy herself. The Carcano’s clip system was designed to be rapid in an era before detachable box magazines became affordable. This system stuck around and the Carcano was not only affordable for Italy to produce but familiar to the troops even though we can see faults with the luxury of hindsight.
However, it was a rifle made for the new form of combat that was emerging. Real combat was close. Long rifles and byzantine sighting systems weren't practical. Furthermore, the need for a long range cartridge–all the rage in the 1890s–lessened in importance. Some have gone onto say that the 7.35 Carcano cartridge was one of the first intermediate cartridges–one that could punch harder than a pistol and be more controllable at close ranges while still being able to do the job of a full powered cartridge at a reasonable distance. While the 7.35 looks like a standard battle rifle cartridge, its light bullet and modest velocity is producing power and recoil like the 7.62×39 Soviet round famous in the SKS and AK pattern of rifles that would come later. The next logical step was to put such a cartridge into a rifle better suited for this new style of war and by the time the dust settled and the Axis lay in ruins, we had the answer.
About Terril Hebert:
Terril Hebert is a firearm writer native to south Louisiana. Under his motto-Guns, Never Politics-he tackles firearm and reloading topics both in print and on his Mark3smle YouTube channel, where he got his start. Terril has a soft spot for ballistics testing, pocket pistols, and French rifles. When he is not burning ammo, he is indulging his unhealthy wildlife photography obsession or working on his latest novel. Scourge of God, published in 2017. See more from Terril on youtube under Mark3smle.
Greeley, PA – (Ammoland.com) – Kahr Firearms Group has announced that Kahr Arms and Auto-Ordnance are changing the location for product service and repairs.
Beginning September 17, 2018, all repairs and product returns must be sent to the new location in Greeley, PA. The service department can be reached by email at service@kahr.com or by phone at 508-795-3919 Ext. 1. The new shipping address for Kahr and Auto-Ordnance repairs and product returns is:
Kahr Firearms Group Attn: Returns Department 105 Kahr Avenue Greeley, PA 18425
The move will allow Kahr Arms and Auto-Ordnance to better serve our customers. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at service@kahr.com.
Kahr Firearms Group, formed in 2012, includes Kahr Arms, Auto-Ordnance and Magnum Research. KFG Headquarters reside in Greeley, Pennsylvania. Kahr Arms produces small concealable handguns in .380, 9mm, .40 and .45ACP. Auto-Ordnance is the maker of the famous “Tommy Gun”, M1 Carbine and WW2 GI Model 1911. Magnum Research Inc., designer and producer of the world renowned Desert Eagle Pistol, Baby Eagle, MLR .22LR and .22Mag Rifles and BFR Revolvers. All three companies are proudly located in the USA.
New Jersey Gun Turn-in “Buy Back” Event 22 September, 2018
Arizona -(Ammoland.com)- A firearm turn-in event is scheduled in New Jersey for 22 September 2018. The term “buyback” is an Orwellian propaganda word. The government cannot ‘buyback” something it never owned before.
These events have been fading away in most of the United States. In most of the country, private gun buyers attend these events and purchase expensive firearms at a higher price than the event offers.
This destroys the propaganda value of the event. It shows that guns are a valuable property that many law-abiding citizens find desirable and useful.
In states that have either outlawed private sales or made them very cumbersome, such as New Jersey and California, gun turn-in events still have some propaganda value. From courierpostonline.com:
Participants are permitted to turn in up to three guns each, no questions asked, and do not have to be residents of Burlington or Mercer counties. Ammunition is not accepted and firearms dealers are not allowed to participate in the buyback.
The county agencies are offering cash payments $250 for assault rifles, $150 for handguns, $100 for a rifle or shotgun, and $20 for an inoperable firearm.
The Burlington County Prosecutor's Office and the Mercer County Prosecutor's Office will host a regional gun buyback event on September 22, 2018 from 8am-4pm.
The organizers of the event in Burlington County have put some further restrictions on the event to preserve its propaganda value.
Notice only residents may turn in firearms, even though they will not ask for ID. In fact, they claim no questions will be asked.
They say that firearm dealers will not be allowed to participate. If they are not asking questions, how will they know who is a dealer and who is not?
They limit the number of firearms turned in to three per person.
At such an event I would be leery of claims of anonymity. New Jersey firearms laws are multitudinous and penalties are severe.
If the authorities decided to renege on the promises of “no ID” and “no questions” who is going to hold them to account? Could a person file a lawsuit for false arrest? Remember, law enforcement officers are allowed to run sting operations, and to lie to suspects in order to obtain convictions.
It will be interesting to see what is turned in at this event. It would be informative if an activist could video most of it, or at least the interesting parts.
Six circuits have ruled it is a First Amendment right to video public officials in the performance of their public duties. New Jersey is in the third circuit, which has upheld the First Amendment right to record video. Only the Eighth Circuit has ruled the public does not have a right to video public officials on public property.
It might be sad to see a classic Webley pistol (commonly bringing $500- $1,000 on the collectors market, be turned in to be destroyed for a mere $150.
There have been many collectible, historical, and lovely items turned in for destruction.
Most of the firearms turned in at these events are from people who inherited the firearms, know nothing about them, and are not interested in finding out how much they are actually worth.
It is common to see widows effectively tricked out of hundreds of dollars of value.
About Dean Weingarten:
Dean Weingarten has been a peace officer, a military officer, was on the University of Wisconsin Pistol Team for four years, and was first certified to teach firearms safety in 1973. He taught the Arizona concealed carry course for fifteen years until the goal of constitutional carry was attained. He has degrees in meteorology and mining engineering, and recently retired from the Department of Defense after a 30-year career in Army Research, Development, Testing, and Evaluation.
Browning Citori White Lightning Over and Under Shotgun
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- For those enthusiasts interested in a traditional shotgun built to excel in both the field and on the range alike, Browning is pleased to announce the reintroduction of the legendary Citori White Lightning over and under.
The new White Lightning is built on a silver nitride finished receiver and features a new engraving pattern. The receiver houses the long lasting, full-width hinge pin and tapered locking lug design the Citori is respected for. Blued barrels feature ivory front and mid bead sights.
The lightning-style stock and forearm are hewn from Grade III/IV American walnut with a rich, oil finish. Stylish new checkering patterns provide an updated appearance and enhanced grip.
The Citori White Lightning is chambered for 12-gauge, 3″ shells and includes three Invector-Plus black Midas Grade extended choke tubes in Full, Modified and Improved Cylinder constrictions. Available barrel lengths are 26″ and 28″.
Browning Citori White Lightning Over and Under Shotgun Features:
• Heavy-Duty Full Width Locking Bolt and Tapered Hinge Pin • Back-Bored Technology with Chrome Chambers • Vector Pro Lengthened Forcing Cones • Inflex Recoil Pad • Three black Midas Grade extended choke tube
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- The new Super X 4 Cantilever Buck autoloading shotgun has a 22″ barrel that is optimized for extreme accuracy with both 2 ¾” and 3″ slugs.
New for 2018 – Dedicated slug gun, rifled barrel, adjustable rifle-style sights with TRUGLO front fiber optic, cantilever optic mounting base.
A specialized gun for a specialized hunt. Sometimes you don't want to just “make do” with a tool that isn't quite right for the task at hand. Don't try to turn your duck gun into a buck gun. Get an SX4 Cantilever Buck and experience what it's like to have the right tool for the job.
The TRUGLO fiber-optic front sight with adjustable rear sight gathers light for quick target acquisition. A Weaver-Style cantilever rail design makes mounting optics quick and easy and retains zero when the barrel is removed for cleaning.
USA – -(AmmoLand.com)- Each Arsenal SAM7 AK Rifle receiver is milled from a hot-die hammer forged receiver blank by Arsenal, Bulgaria. Other milled-receiver AKs are machined from bar stock, but Arsenal's hot-die hammer forging produces stronger and finer-grained steel. Internal voids and cooling deformations are eliminated by the 5-ton hammer forging process.
Each forged receiver blank requires over 5.5 hours of milling before assembly. This forging and milling process is complex and time-intensive, but Arsenal's meticulous attention to detail delivers a receiver of unequaled strength, precision, and durability.
To see Arsenal's lineup of milled receiver rifles, please click here to learn more information on the models below.
To learn more about the SAM7 models, please watch the video review above by the Small Arms Solutions channel on YouTube.
Arsenal SAM7 AK Rifle Lineup
About Arsenal, Inc.
Arsenal, Inc. is the exclusive licensed US manufacturer of the finest, most authentic firearms for government agencies, shooting enthusiasts, and TV & film industry. Arsenal, Inc. uses the latest technology and materials in conjunction with the legendary standards of Arsenal of Bulgaria. All models made in the US and in Bulgaria are shoulder-fired, gas-operated, magazine-fed rifles and pistols built on forged then milled receivers and implement CNC technology. A wide variety of models are available in calibers 7.62x39mm, 5.56x45mm, and 5.45×39.5mm. Arsenal, Inc. also produces a line of rifles and pistols incorporating stamped receivers that offer an economically priced alternative to the traditional forged and milled construction.
U.S.A. –-(Ammoland.com)- 15 years of active duty service in the Army left me with a bad taste in the mouth for Beretta 92s. The M-9 pistols we had were temperamental despite the NATO loads we fed them. Accuracy may have been mechanically sound, but the limited training we had combined with an unpredictable trigger meant that although we could qualify with the gun, I was not about to run out and buy one for my own.
I've since come to understand that poor training combined with an unrealistic major maintenance schedule was more to blame than the gun. My interest in the platform still waned as a lot has changed in both design and desires since the original 1985 design. Then I saw the Langdon Tactical 92 Elite LTT. The general lines and design were unmistakably Beretta 92, but the gun had been modernized, tuned, and refined. The experience is much like encountering a car of the same make and model as your own, but years newer and a couple trim levels higher.
Tabletop and Field Strip Review
To catch it all I have to pull directly from Langdon Tactical's product page:
Elite LTT Features:
SLIDE:
Vertec/M9A3 Slide
Front Cocking Serrations
G-Model Decock only
Dovetailed Fiber Optic Front Sight (.110 inch wide serrated)
Square Notch Serrated Rear Sight
Stainless 4.7 inch Barrel with Target Crown
Solid Steel Guide Rod
Beveled Rear Slide
FRAME:
M9A1 Frame
Exclusive Radiused Trigger Guard
Stainless Steel Trigger
Checkering on the front and back strap
Skeletonized Hammer
Ultra Thin VZ/LTT G10 Grips
Stainless Steel Hex Head Grip Screws
Beveled Magazine Well
D Model Hammer Spring
Flush Main Spring Cap (No Lanyard Loop)
Oversized Magazine Release Button
SPECIFICATIONS:
Action Single/Double
Barrel length (in) 4.7”
Caliber 9×19 (PARA)
Grip Width 1.3″
Magazine Capacity 10 – 15 rds
Overall height (in) 5”
Overall length (in) 8.4”
Overall width (in) 1.5″
Sight radius (in) 6.4”
Weight unloaded (OZ) 34.8
MSRP: $999-$1,338
As seen in the tabletop video and specifications above, the Elite 92 LTT truly is that 15-year-younger and higher-trim-level car that caused a double take as it passed you. I was eager to take the gun for a test drive of my own including the popular, “What's for Dinner?” test. This test is simply meant to check for compatibility between a gun and a particular ammunition load. The test seeks to find if the gun can feed from slide lock, generate enough energy to operate a complete cycling, and repeat.
Loads tested with the Langdon Tactical Elite 92 LTT included:
Freedom Munitions 165gr HUSH
American Eagle 147gr Subsonic FMJ Flat Point
American Eagle 124gr Subsonic Suppressor
TulAmmo 115gr steel cased
Federal 115gr Aluminum Case
Speer LE 115gr Gold Dot HP
Fiocchi 100gr Sinterfire
Hevi-Shot 100gr Frangible
Hornady Critical Defense Lite 100gr FTX
Geco 94gr
Winchester Super Clean 90gr
Liberty Ammunition 65gr Civil Trainer
Inceptor 65gr
To see how these rounds performed check out the Shooting Impressions video below.
As you can see Langdon Tactical has built an incredible pistol. While I previously never had interest in touching an M9 again, the Elite 92 LTT is a gun I find hard to put down. I strongly suggest veterans and civilians alike consider grabbing one of these custom guns while they're available.
About Graham Baates
“Graham Baates” is a pen name used by a 15-year active Army veteran who spent most of his time in the tactical side of the Intelligence community including tours in Afghanistan and Iraq. Post-Army Graham spent some time in the local 3-Gun circuit before becoming a full-time NRA Certified handgun instructor and now works as an industry writer while curating a YouTube channel on the side. Visit Graham on Youtube .
Wishes for Warriors Radical Firearms Fundraiser Rifle Radical Firearms RF15 Blue Line in Woodland Camo
Stafford, TX – -(AmmoLand.com)- Radical Firearms is pleased to share its latest milestone with regard to supporting military charities and first responders – three hundred. 300 is the number of RF 15 rifles and pistols the company has thus far donated to worthy causes.
Radical Firearms has to date given 300 Texas-built weapons directly to agencies, Police Officer Associations, charitable funds for officers in need, first responder benefits, and individual officers who are not issued a rifle. These LEOs and agencies hail from many different states, working a wide variety of assignments – but especially patrol.
Other donatees include such veteran-supporting organizations as Wishes For Warriors and Veterans Helping Veterans, the “Ryan the Warrior” effort to support underfunded fire departments, Bikes and Bugs (benefiting the Epilepsy Foundation of Texas), Texas Adaptive Aquatics, the Texas Frog Fest/Lone Survivor Foundation, and other local charities.
Radical Firearms Rory the Warrior Fire Fighter Charity Rifle
Radical Firearms hopes to increase this number by Spring. We hope all responsible gun owners will join us in lauding all firearm and tactical equipment manufacturers who support local first responders, veterans, and other worthwhile causes.
Radical Firearms: American Manufacturing. Texas Proud.
About Radical Firearms:
Radical Firearms is a Title II NFA Manufacturer and retailer with a complete lineup of pistols, rifles, suppressors, and machine guns. The company started in 2012 as a small firearms retailer and gunsmithing operation and graduated to full time manufacturing in 2013. Radical Firearms manufactures and sells over 2000 firearms per week.
About Smith & Wesson
About Arsenal, Inc.
About Radical Firearms: