During last week’s unveiling by SilencerCo of the new Salvo 12 Shotgun Suppressor they showed us several trailers, but this was by far my favorite.
Archive for the ‘weapons’ Category
Johnny Dronehunter: Defender of Privacy – Featuring the Salvo 12 Shotgun Silencer
Tuesday, July 29th, 2014FBI Issues Pre-Solicitation for COTS 9MM Pistols
Monday, July 28th, 2014While the US Army continues to make noise about adopting a new cartridge to replace the current NATO-standard 9mm caliber, Law Enforcement agencies across the country are migrating back to the round. Now, arguably the most respected LE agency in America, if not the world, the Federal Bureau of investigation is making good on their quest to transition from .40 to 9mm by taking the first step to purchase new weapons by issuing a Pre-Solicitation for Commercial Off The Shelf pistols. Although referred to as a Pre-Solicitation, it serves the same purpose as a Sources Sought Notice you’d see from DoD. This is a huge opportunity for the firearms industry. Not only with FBI but the entire LE community in America. Where the Bureau goes, so goes everyone else.
Specifically, they are seeking:
Various commercial “OFF THE SHELF” semi-automatic pistols chambered to fire a 9mm Luger cartridge as defined by SAAMI.
The following types of pistols, chambered to fire a 9mm Luger cartridge, may be requested for testing and evaluation purposes under a future solicitation:
Class One Pistol: barrel length between 3.75″ and 4.25″; with a minimum magazine capacity of 13 rounds.
Class Two Pistol: barrel length between 4.5″ and 5.5″; with a minimum magazine capacity of 15 rounds.
Class One Training Pistol (Red Handle): deactivated with full articulation, red receiver and slide, night sights.
Class One “Man Marking” (a.k.a., “Simunitions”) pistol: blue slide or slide with blue inserts.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation anticipates the release of a solicitation during FY2015/Q1; distributed solely through the General Services Administration (GSA) Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) Website.
The anticipated maximum, not to exceed, contract threshold is $100M for a twelve month base period and nine (9) possible additional one-year options.
Being much smaller than Defense (and much more fragmented) Justice along with the multitude of other agencies charged with law enforcement have been able to buy pretty much whatever they want over the years. For many, this has meant the .40 S&W caliber. It was developed about 25 years ago and is an outgrowth of the FBI’s interest in the 10mm cartridge but in a package that could be retrofitted to existing 9mm handgun frames. But now, with decades of data on the effects of the .40 cartridge and its toll on handguns themselves. Rumors have been swirling for sometime that they were moving back toward 9mm and this Sources Sought Notice is a step in that direction.
I’m not even going to get into the myriad reasons that the Department of Defense won’t adopt a new caliber for its sidearm but instead will point to the ill-fated Individual Carbine program which was open to new calibers. In the end, only standard 5.56mm NATO guns were down selected and even then, no weapons were capable of completing the trials which were ended early. You want a new caliber? Do the science. The Army hasn’t. Instead, they’ve set industry up for another fall in their open caliber Modular Handgun System program.
It would be prudent to keep an eye on what the Bureau is up to, and why. They rely on their handgun as primary weapon system and look to be willing to trust the lives of their agents with the 9mm caliber. Granted, they’re not shooting M882 Ball, and therein lies the rub. Regardless of handgun caliber, Full Metal Jacket ammunition doesn’t take full advantage of the latest in ammunition technology. DoD needs to consider that as well.
Tennessee Arms Company – The Ghost Gun Clear Stripped Lower Receiver
Friday, July 25th, 2014This post was originally featured on Tactical Fanboy. It’s a transparent AR-15 lower receiver made from stabilized Nylon. We can definitely see the teaching and demonstration uses a product like this can offer.
Tennessee Arms Company is offering what they call the “Ghost Gun”, a clear stripped AR-15 lower receiver. Made from UV stabilized Nylon that is highly resistant to oils and lubricants, the Ghost Gun is a fully functional lower, although tnarmsco notes it is intended more as a teaching tool and for product showcase than for hard use. If anything else, it’ll definitely make for a great conversation starter at the range. Pair it with a transparent magazine or two for double the fun.
www.tnarmsco.com/ghost-gun-clear-stripped-lower-receiver
Vickers Tactical – H&K VP9 Review
Thursday, July 24th, 2014The Vickers Tactical YouTube channel has released an in-depth review by Larry Vickers of the H&K VP9 striker fired pistol. In the video, Larry goes over the pros and cons of the VP9 while comparing it to the Glock 17 and the Walther PPQ.
Vickers Tactical YouTube page – www.youtube.com/channel/UC0zNoCMMiPEAst0JrwUht0w
Tactical-Life.com – Megapistols: 7 Big Firearms In Small Packages
Thursday, July 24th, 2014
This week’s story from Tactical-Life.com is a details 6 AR and AK pistols and a MAC-10 derived 9mm from a variety of firearms manufacturers. The article also partially mentions the SIG Sauer SB15 Pistol Stabilizing Brace.
You can read the full story here: www.tactical-life.com/firearms/megapistols-list
Grey Ghost Gear Noveske Giveaway Update
Thursday, July 24th, 2014
Grey Ghost Gear and Noveske have been giving away one upper receiver a week jointly on Facebook as part of their recently announced partnership. Two of the promised uppers have already been claimed, with three more to go in the coming weeks. The full release can be read below:
Dalton Gardens, Idaho. The Ghost Sends.
Two down. Three to go.
Last Friday Brandon D. won a Noveske Rifle Works upper courtesy of The Ghost. The Friday before that it was Michael R. In just a couple more days The Ghost will add a 3RD name. Why? He’s prepping the LZ. The Ghost has a great admiration for rifles.
Noveske Rifle Works is just the beginning.
If you don’t enter, you can’t win. If you have entered, good luck to you! If you have not entered—perhaps consider pulling your head out of your 4TH point of contact and do so now.
Go to http://woobox.com/qjgdik to enter, and stay tuned. There’s big news coming down the pike and if you’re a fan of America’s Rifle (the AR).
The Ghost just loves a good AR.
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Additionally, Grey Ghost Gear is announcing that they’ll be offering rifles from other quality manufacturers besides Noveske, along with a few other things in the works. The above rifle, for example, is a precision AR10 that’s currently being tested and evaluated by a select group. Stay tuned for more info as it becomes available.
The Zev Technologies Experience – Check-In
Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014This is the first installment in a new series that shows you what it’s like to send your GLOCK in to Zev Technologies for some work. We recently shipped these Glocksmiths a new Gen 3 G17 and week by week, the folks at Zev will share photos and video of what they are doing to it. We’re not even sure what it will look like when they are done.
The Pistol is received, inspected and placed into their tracking system.
A work order is created and it takes its place in the cue.
I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Additional Information on the Salvo 12 Shotgun Suppressor from SilencerCo
Tuesday, July 22nd, 2014Yesterday, SilencerCo released the Salvo 12 Shotgun Suppressor. It’s a single device that offers the user configurability based on use and preference. As you can see from the photo, you can set the Salvo 12 up in order to balance sound mitigation and weight. I had an opportunity to shoot this device and I can say, that it does perform as promised.
Timeline
The development team at SilencerCo has been working on shotgun products for some time now but about 6 months ago, the sales team asked for a specific capability and then the Salvo 12 went into full development.
Design
Let’s take a look at it in this video from SilencerCo to get the basics.
The serialized item is the back cap like on the Osprey, which is the least likely part to be damaged. As I alluded to earlier, the design is modular and scalable to the user’s needs. The Salvo 12 comes as a 12″ model but can be configured to a 10, 8 or even 6 inch version. This is because, due to ATF rules, a suppressor can be shortened but not lengthened. It is configured with the use of rods and connects to the shot gun via a Removable Choke System. The rods are readily commercially available and not designed specifically for the Salvo 12.
Removable Choke System
Here you can see the Removable Choke System attached to the gun and how the Salvo 12 connects to it.
It screws into place and is held tight with conical threads. Think of it as an adapter that has threads on either end. One end goes into the shotgun, attaching via the choke and on the other end, the suppressor itself screws on.
Why 12 ga?
The answer is pretty simple, 60% of shotgun ammunition purchased in the US is 12 ga. The others split the remaining 40% up fairly evenly with 20 ga slightly larger than the others. SilencerCo went after the largest segment of the shotgun market. As the product filters out to the buying public, they’ll keep their ears open and develop additional models as needed.
Ammunition Types
So far, SilencerCo has cleared the Salvo 12 for use with 3″ wadded slugs and all types of shot from 00 to No 9. The wadding clears the barrel during firing and I could see them falling as I shot clays yesterday.
Performance
In case you didn’t see it already, I shot this video yesterday. I didn’t turn down the audio. You can hear the steel in the background while I’m shooting. It works. The additional weight at the end isn’t horrible and you can easily still control your shotgun. One thing I noted was that the ladies who joined us for the demonstration had no problems firing a shotgun equipped with the Salvo 12. Even the ladies of small stature. Not only did it reduce noise but it also mitigated the recoil of the gun.
The advantages are obvious. Hunters will be able to go without ear pro and their dogs won’t suffer hearing loss. Follow up shots will also be a more viable option as game is less likely to be disturbed.
This chart, provided by SilencerCo lays out suppressor weights and performance.
Future Developments
Aside from additional calibers, SilencerCo continues to work with various types of ammunition to ensure compatibility. They are also looking at breaching applications and think they are about 90 days out. They still have to configure barrels for testing and work on stand off devices.
Rifled barrels for hunting are also a priority and they are working toward a solution but technical challenges exist.
They also mentioned that the MultiCam anodizing seen here could also be an option along with other patterns but this will depend on orders from their channel partners.
Price
A lot of people have been asking about price but I wasn’t sure if it was official yet, when I posted the initial story yesterday. It will be $1400 for the full Salvo 12 which includes the actual modular suppressor and removable choke system which you can see above. The removable choke system can also be purchased for $300 to accommodate other shotguns. For simplicity, it comes in packs of three with Full, Modified and Improved which are the most popular. At some point, SilencerCo will offer individual choke adapters. Until then, it’s the three pack.
Delivery
Look for the Salvo 12 to start shipping in September.
