In this morning’s Daily Mail is an article on the new equipment being deployed by the London Metro Police’s Counterterrorist Specialist Firearms Officers. The photos are great and show the unit’s new Arc’teryx LEAF Enhanced Combat Uniforms in Wolf Grey.
Unfortunately, the Daily Mail got the rifle wrong again. Last time they identified the gun as an H&K. This time, they got the make right but the model wrong. Rather than identifying it as an MCX like the one we showed you during DSEI, a London Police source claims it is a 516.
Looks kind of blueish in that lighting, I thought wolf grey was a little paler.
Look how many shadows those dudes are casting. Multiple light sources, probably different wavelengths, captured by a digital camera in “Auto” color mode and saved to “RAW” format for fast (possibly even automated) correction then conversion–and compression–to JPEG. Yup, we’re one step from the “What color is that dress” internet controversy. That said, Wolf’s utility is that it reflects ambient light neutrally, offering a measure of concealment in marginal lighting conditions.
It’s the Daily Mail. What did you expect? In depth and thorough reporting through factual analysis?
I suspect they say H&K because it’s the only gun maker most people know of.
Or they would call it an Uzi. I bet they take it as a badge of honor they have it wrong, not seeing how stupid it is since they r a news organization,
I wouldn’t use the Daily Mail to cover the floor of my bird’s cage.
Then you guys should read this mash up of gear… good for laughs
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3322976/Chilling-new-face-police-Britain.html
They made sure to point out the transparent magazine lol
Also, even if it was a 516, wouldn’t the effective range be more than 350ft (92.9m)?
My thoughts as well.
Wow. The English have fallen so far, not that our people and reporting are fairing much better. My favorite, “Tactical radio with earpiece, tuned to a secure, encrypted firearms channel.”
MMmmm Transparent Magazines. He must operate pretty hard…..
The comments on the news articles themselves are very telling…
I find it hilarious and simultaneously depressing that our trans-Atlantic brethren have become so hoplophobic that the mere sight of an armed police officer causes instantaneous dismay and panic.
As one of your ‘trans-Atlantic brethren’ you need to understand that, as our police are not routinely armed, seeing a weapon on the streets of the UK has a massive novelty value. Indeed, some people in the UK have never ever seen a pistol or rifle ‘in real life’.
You notice this in our international airports (such as London’s Heathrow) which for the last few years are routinely patrolled by armed policemen now due to the heightened terrorist threat. You’ll notice the Brits staring at the armed police officers, and staring at the guns, as it’s just so unusual for us.
It’s not ‘dismay’ or ‘panic’ or ‘gunphobia’, it’s mainly curiosity and a huge novelty factor for a situation we’re still not really used to.
Well spoken.
I saw the same when African famine refugees were stuck in an airport and had happened upon the food court.
except that “curiosity and a huge novelty factor” was replaced with history of hunger and longing for something they knew they needed, but had been denied them for so long. yet here they found people who had no idea how valuable their ‘ordinary everyday’ food court experience was.
i think the incongruity is what held their attention, not curiosity.
The Daily Mail and its readers are hardly an accurate depiction of the UK, best not to base your opinion on us from that paper/ article and some crazies complaining about an SFO buying his lunch in Scotland still armed.
It’s much more common seeing armed bobbies then the papers/ news outlets lead you to believe.
The new Met issue C2R rigs are worth a comment!
It really doesn’t, that’s just the media, and the Daily Mail is one of the worst culprits. I’m afraid the whole of our printed news media is now only of use if ripped into small pieces and hung on a hook in the bathroom
There’s a reason they call it the Daily Fail!
“Listen up you primitive screwheads, THIS is my boomstick”
Both rifles look like SIG MCX more than AR style SIG 516.
Telescoping Stock, Long keymod handguard.
http://www.sigevolution.com/sigmcx
No, it’s an AKM-16.
They are both MCX.
Matching wolf grey vests, interesting.
Those aren’t the new Enhanced Combat Uniforms. Those are previous generation Talos items. Pockets below the knee and the Cordura knee patches are too be to be the Assault Pant AR, and the sleeves have the bicep cuffs, so those are the Edgar Brothers exclusive Wolf Talos Halfshell.
The Met can’t get their hands on the new stuff reliably, just like everybody else.
You’re right. They’ve had the TALOS for several years but they also have the new ones as well.
SIG MPX as mentioned previously. Job lot from Edgar Brothers along with the uniforms and gear apparently.
MCX
You sure that it’s a Sig? I think that it’s an AK-47, because every scary black gun out there is an AK, right?
Yup this.
Reporters identify celebrities with 40% accuracy, passenger vehicles with 20% accuracy, military aircraft with 10% accuracy, civilian aircraft with 5% accuracy and firearms with 0% accuracy…
Except, the misidentification came from a source on the London Met.
PIO of the London Met?
Apologies to any PIOs out there who are fully engaged (and Who Get It), not talking about you…
Why the airsoft masks?
when did a balaclava or neck gaiter become an airsoft mask? anyway, I’m sure these guys don’t want to have their face on the frontpage of whatever newspaper.
I saw some other photos from the same night, there was a 416 (or at least something with HKs slimline stock), an AR with a CTR stock (Sig 516?) and the MCX. Y’all need to decide on some 5,56 platform.
I think he means on the top of the helmet.
Have you never worked with the mainstream media? This is a clear case of a misquote. I can assure you that the Met know very well what they’re using, and it is the “journalist” who has misidentified the rifle.
Very likely what happened is that they failed to note the designation in a quick phone conversation, and just googled SIG assault rifles to get a full name. I say this because the same thing has happened to me, colleagues and contacts countless times. I even had an entire quote attributes to me once, not one word of which I had actually said!
You can send out as many press releases and emails as you like; most mainstream journalism is still a quick phone call.
And of course, it’s the Mail…
Ah, just seen the comment above. It’s actually possible that they are using both 516 & MCX, I have not been in touch with them for some time. If so, that just increases the chances of journalist confusion!