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Archive for the ‘weapons’ Category

FN Unveils the FN 510 Tactical and FN 545 Tactical

Tuesday, January 10th, 2023

Two, New Big Bore Pistols in the FN Striker-Fired Line-Up with Industry-Leading Capacity, Control and Accuracy
(McLean, VA – January 10, 2023) FN America, LLC is pleased to announce the release of two new striker-fired pistols – the FN 510™ Tactical, chambered in 10mm Auto, and the FN 545™ Tactical, chambered in .45 ACP. These two big bore pistols feature industry-first capacity, with a standard 15-round capacity and 22+1 rounds of 10mm or 18+1 rounds of .45 ACP from the extended magazines. Styled after the FN 509® Tactical, the two pistols also feature a threaded barrel for muzzle devices, optics cut for red dot optics and suppressor-height night sights. Whether hiking in the backcountry or defending the home front, the FN 510 Tactical and 545 Tactical handily deliver the capacity to confront any possible situation with accuracy and precision, in a highly controllable package.   

“There has been significant interest from FN owners in pistols chambered in big bore calibers over the last several years,” said Chris Cole, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for FN America, LLC. “We are excited to announce the release of the FN 510 Tactical and 545 Tactical pistols, chambered in 10mm and.45 ACP, that advance our flagship striker-fired line of pistols and complement our FNX-45 Tactical and FN 509 Tactical.”

Chambered in two of the most popular personal defense calibers, 10mm and .45 ACP, the FN 510 Tactical and 545 Tactical pistols offer industry-first capacities in an overall package not much bigger than the FN 509. At just 1.45 inches wide and just 6 inches tall with the standard magazine, these powerful defensive pistols pack serious performance into a full-sized package that can still be concealed and comfortable to shoot.

“We pioneered the Tactical feature set in the FNX-45 and FN 509 Tactical pistols, introducing the industry’s first pistol that shipped from the factory with a threaded barrel, optics mount and extended capacity, and until now, the FNX-45 Tactical had the highest capacity of any .45 ACP pistol available from the factory,” said Chris Johnson, Senior Product Manager, Pistols, for FN America, LLC. “This expansion into new, big bore calibers has been a longtime in the making and we are excited to offer these pistols with this unprecedented capacity – 18+1 in the FN 545 Tactical and 22+1 in the FN 510 Tactical – along with the features our customers seek in an FN Tactical pistol.”

The signature styling and ergonomics of the FN 509 family of pistols like the enhanced grip texturing, interchangeable backstraps and slide serrations enable superior control to manage the recoil of these powerful cartridges. Weighing in at just over 30 ounces, these heavy-duty defensive pistols efficiently tame the recoil of both 10mm Auto and .45 ACP. The double-action only pistols produce a crisp pull weighing in at approximately 6 pounds. Effective recoil management and crisp, repeatable trigger allow users to stack rounds on target.

Equipped with FN’s patented Low-Profile Optics Mounting System™ that is compatible with every major optics footprint, consumers have the ability to direct-mount nearly any optic in minutes with the included hardware. The tritium inserts of the suppressor-height night sights co-witness with mounted optics, offering a viable back-up sighting option in the event of optic failure.

The 4.7-inch barrels are cold hammer-forged and threaded with 0.578″x28 thread pitch, making them compatible with a vast majority of available muzzle devices. The barrel also features a recessed target crown to protect the rifling and maintain accuracy. The serrated sight wings that sit atop the slide protect the rear iron sights from shifting should the pistol be dropped or jarred, and act as a slide racking surface.

These powerhouse pistols are available in both black and flat dark earth (FDE) and ship with one 15-round magazine and one extended magazine – 22+1 for the FN 510 Tactical and 18+1 for the FN 545 Tactical. They ship with a premium soft-sided ballistic case that provides ample storage space for the pistol, spare magazines and other accessories.

Specifications:

FN 510 Tactical

FN 545 Tactical

Caliber

10mm Auto

.45 ACP

Operation

DAO, Striker-Fired

DAO, Striker-Fired

Weight

32 oz.

31 oz.

Barrel Length

4.71 in.

4.71 in.

Overall Length

8.3 in.

8.3 in

Twist Rate

1:16 in. RH

1:16 in. RH

Height

6 in.

6 in.

Width

1.45 in.

1.45 in.

Trigger Pull

4.5 – 6.7 lbs.

4.5 – 6.7 lbs.

Sights

Suppressor-height Trijicon 3-Dot Night Sights

Suppressor-height Trijicon 3-Dot Night Sights

Learn more about the FN 510 Tactical, 545 Tactical and other FN products at fnamerica.com or see them in person at the FN Booth (11860) during the 2023 NSSF SHOT Show, held January 17-20, 2023, in Las Vegas, Nevada. 

Recon Marines Train With New Pistol

Sunday, January 8th, 2023

U.S. Marines with 3d Reconnaissance Battalion, 3d Marine Division conduct an M18 pistol live-fire range at Camp Schwab, Okinawa, Japan. This routine training enables Marines to maintain proficiency in marksmanship and close combat. The M18 Modular Handgun System is a striker-fired, semi-automatic, 9-mm pistol. Fielded in 2020, the M18 will replace all other pistols in the Marine Corps inventory, including the M9, M9A1, M45A1 and M007.

The M18 falls under our Portfolio Manager Ground Combat Element Systems. PfM GCES provides and sustains fully integrated kinetic weapon systems and equipment to increase the lethality of our Marines.

By Sgt Jennifer Andrade

The Beast | TAC 501 Dillon Rifle Company

Friday, January 6th, 2023

The BEAST TAC 501 is a purpose built long range weapon system. The TAC 501 is chambered in 50 BMG the largest round a civilian can own without a permit (in most states). It is built on the legendary McMillan TAC 50 legacy which has the record for the longest engagement by a Canadian special operations team.

The TAC 501 rifle system is a heavy 416 SS barrel with cut rifling, manually operated, detachable box magazine with five +1 shot capacity. The 27.5” barrel is a match grade stainless steel barrel with a 1 in 15 twist. The barreled action comes with a black Cerakote® finish or natural stainless finish using a clear coat and nickel finish. The rifle utilizes a Remington 700 style trigger set to 4.5 lbs. with a bottom safety.

It is fitted with a custom built Grayboe carbon fiber stock providing strength, and durability. It is equipped with a spacer system, Limbsaver recoil pad, adjustable cheek rest, and rear rake side baffle muzzle brake to help manage recoil and provide shooter comfort. The rifle rests on a B&T heavy duty Atlas bipod.

The TAC 501 rifle is capable of shooting sub-MOA accuracy with a trained marksman and match grade ammunition.

Specs:

Weight 28 lbs. (without scope*)

Overall length: 55 inches

27.5 inch 416 SS barrel in 1:15 cut rifling twist

Natural Stainless or Black Cerakote® finish barreled action (right hand only)

30 MOA rail

Proprietary nickel plated bolt with large

Teardrop bolt knob

Remington 700 style 4.5 lbs trigger

1.0 inch adjustable cheek rest

Length of pull 13.5 – 14.25 inch using .25 inch spacers

3, 6, & 9 position MLok rails

Atlas Bipod has tilt and pan

Integrated thumb hook & thumb shelf

Sling studs on rear stock

ffdrc.com

Jim Schatz – A Path To Overmatch – Next Generation Individual Weapon System Redux

Thursday, January 5th, 2023

Recently, I’ve started resharing some briefings by the late, great Jim Schatz. I originally shared this one in April 2017, right as the Army was taking its first steps toward what is now Next Generation Squad Weapons. As we head into SHOT Show, now is a great time to take a look at what both the Army and SOCOM have accomplished and consider the path that Jim proposed.

One thing he mentioned was the concept of “Frontliners” which has been institutionalized as the Close Combat Force. Other ideas have seen varying degrees of interest.

He was always on top of past missteps in the opportunities we’ve had to modernize our small arms. His last briefing to NDIA’s Armament Systems Forum, on 27 April, 2016 was entitled, “A Path To Overmatch” and made the case for an immediate transition to an intermediate caliber, preferably with a telescoping cased cartridge, along with a new weapon individual weapon. His reasoning was simple; overmatch. Our troops remain outranged by threat weapons firing the 7.62x54R cartridge. While not every enemy is equipped with a weapon in this caliber, they’ve learned to use their PKM MMGs and SVD Sniper Rifles to keep our troops at arm’s length. In the briefing, Jim does a great job of laying out Russian and ISIS capabilities vis-a-vis our US M4A1 and M249.

Jim named five things that could immediately be leveraged to provide overmatch: Lightweight Intermediate Caliber Cartridge (LICC) Ammo, Disturbed Reticle Carbine Sight, Blind-to-Barrier Bullets, Lightweight Modular Weapons and Advanced Training.

He also wanted the most bang for the buck and identified 140,000 “Frontliners” in the US military, aka trigger pullers, who would be the immediate focus of small arms modernization efforts.

Jim urged a transition to two calibers, a 6.5-family intermediate cartridge for the individual weapon and a .338 cartridge for crew served weapons. I have discussed the General Dynamics Lightweight Medium Machine Gun in .338 Norma Magnum. Jim used this example to make the initial case for the transition to LICC ammo for the individual weapon.

In 2017, all of the cartridges being seriously looked at were in the 6.5mm family; .260, .264 USA, and .277 USA. While .260 is currently commercially available, .264 USA and .277 USA were developed by the US Army Marskmanship Unit, which has been conducting in-house evaluations.

Ultimately, the US Army conducted a formal caliber study called the Small Arms Ammunition Configuration study which resulted in a new common caliber for Squad weapons, 6.8mm. After a competitive process, the Army selected the SIG SAUER 6.8 x 51mm common case architecture cartridge for fielding as part of NGSW.

USSOCOM looked at .260 Remington and 6.5 Creedmoor and chose 6.5 CM. It’s all a bit of back to the future. Use of a 6.5mm cartridge isn’t new. 6.5×55 Swedish saw service in Europe for a very long time. Initially developed in the 1890s, it was still in service up to a century later.


This image came from The Firearm Blog’s article on the .264 USA cartridge by Nathaniel F. It depicts (L-R) 7.62 NATO, .264 USA, 5.56 NATO.

Jim was very passionate about this concept and did the homework. For example, he knew the costs to not only pay for the transition to a new caliber, but new weapons as well. The figures are there, for you to see.

Jim’s attention to detail was always keen. He even considered spare parts, manuals, training and ranges in his calculations.

Naturally, transition to a larger caliber, means heavier ammo and a smaller basic load. Here, Jim shows the tradeoffs for the amount of amm a rifleman would carry in his basic load, based in different calibers.

There is a difference, and this is why the transition to Polymer cased/telescoping ammo is so important.

To summarize, these are the takeaways. All of this, is available from industry, right now.

While I cherry picked several slides from this briefing to make certain points, you really need to read the whole thing. I’ve only scratched the surface here. It’s filled with gems like the examples I’ve given.

Jim’s confidence in polymer cased ammo nor his interest in case telescoped cartridges have borne fruit so far, but there’s plenty to see.

You can download it here www.dtic.mil/ndia/2016/armament/18260_Schatz.

Sneak Peek – Dillon Aero 503D | .50 Caliber Gatling Gun

Wednesday, January 4th, 2023

According to Dillon Aero, they are in the final stages of developing a new .50 caliber Gatling gun, known as the 503D. This gun system

will be lighter, faster, and smarter than existing .50 caliber machine guns. The 503D will be capable of firing up to 1,500 rounds per minute, with the ability to adjust firing rate based on platform integration to optimize mission performance. The 503D’s design includes integrated immunity to internal component damage from ammunition feed jams.

The technology used within the gun system provides operators detailed information on weapon operations, maintenance data for possible failure prevention, and increased safety.

Blast From The Past – Jim Schatz – 9 Known Truths

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2023

I last posted this in 2018. A lot has gone on regarding small arms since then. It’s worth a review to consider Jim Schatz’ thoughts on the subject of small arms. The man was a visionary.

Jim Schatz passed away in March 2017. For those you who didn’t know him, he served his country as a paratrooper and later, became a legend in the small arms industry. Every year, he’d stand up in from of his peers and government and remind them that the emporer was naked. Fortunately, his briefing slides are still available, although missing the context of his passion.

I originally shared Jim Schatz’ “9 Known Truths” concerning small arms right after he passed. Since then ‘Lethality’ has become the cause du jour and DoD, led by the Army, is ankle deep in a transition to a new caliber and family of small arms for its Close Combat Forces, called Next Generation Squad Weapon. It’s a 6.8 caliber capability (once again, NOT 6.8 SPC for those of you who believe what read on other websites) consisting of Carbine and SAW replacements.

The “9 Known Truths” is based on Jim Schatz’ experience in the Small Arms industry. Consider them now that we’ve seen DoD’s path forward.

9 Known Truths
General Thoughts on Modern Warfare and Small Arms Technology
1 The asymmetric threat, unencumbered by “western” doctrine and politics, exploits our capability gaps faster than we can react within our cumbersome infrastructure.

2 Kinetic Energy (KE) kill mechanisms (launched bullets, fragments) have been and remain state-of-the-art weapons technology since the 15th century. That will not change anytime soon so we should embrace and improve on it.

3 Man-portable “directed energy” technology is decades away. One cannot “schedule a break through”, regardless of what the sci fi writers and S&T community developers espouse.

4 For the ground combatant, pH and pI/K has not been markedly improved by so-called “Leap Ahead” or “Revolutionary” technology and “Star Wars” S&T projects, yet $B’s have been spent on unrealistic and undelivered promises.

5 Desired Target Effects (direct hits or effective target suppression) depends on aiming and launch “hold proficiency” (marksmanship) be it used for semi, burst or full auto KE fire, air-bursting engagements via accurate lasing, XM25 or “TrackingPoint”-style FS/FCS, or even directed energy “pulses”.

6 Repeatable First Shot hits/kills will never be readily accomplished due to the many “hold” and error factors beyond the control of the operator. Immediate through-optic BDA and rapid adjusted follow-on shots offer the greatest chance of improved target effects, BUT the equipment must provide that core capability to the trained operator.

7 Snipers as “force multipliers” exploit magnified optics, superior weapons, sights and ammunition to increase pH & PI/K at all ranges, especially those beyond assault rifle range. Rifleman can/should leverage that capability by employing affordable “paradigm shifting” precision enablers.

8 Training is paramount to effectiveness BUT advanced hardware enables advanced training and employment.

9 Incremental, available and emerging (and affordable) advancements in small arms, sighting and ammunition technologies offer the greatest return on investment and are waiting to be exploited.

You can read the briefing this came from here.

Stop the Dirty Dozen from Stopping Your M-16/M4

Thursday, December 29th, 2022

Via PS Magazine.

Savage Arms Introduces Iconic 1911 Government Model Pistols

Tuesday, December 27th, 2022

WESTFIELD, Massachusetts – December 21, 2022 – Savage Arms is proud to announce the latest addition to its handgun line-up, the Savage 1911 Government Style Models. Built for tough use and unmatched accuracy, Savage’s 1911s bring modern technology to a time-tested platform and deliver reliability, accuracy and performance that will stand out amongst competitive offerings. 

“Savage ended 2021 with the introduction of Stance, a micro-compact 9mm handgun,” said Beth Shimanski, Director of Marketing at Savage Arms. “A year later in 2022, we’re ending strong yet again in the handgun arena with the launch of the Savage 1911 Government Style Models. We’re extremely excited to introduce this iconic firearm bearing the Savage name.”

This revolutionary firearm is built to the demanding standards of accuracy and reliability that have come to define Savage Arms across platforms and categories. With features offering optimal performance for all shooting enthusiasts, this classic gun gets the ultimate Savage treatment.

“I’ve worked in the firearms Industry for over 30 years and started my career as a professional shooter,” said Rob Gates, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Savage Arms. “This Savage 1911 is as real as they come and shoots better than any production 1911 I’ve handled during my 30 plus years in this industry.”

With a look that pays homage to the classic design, the Savage 1911 has a dual recoil spring and machined sear and disconnector, a nitride coated titanium firing pin and weighs in at just over 2 LBS with a 5” barrel length. Finishes range from black melonite to stainless steel and the Savage 1911 is sure to be 2023’s leading single-action pistol.

New Model features include:

• 5” Stainless Steel Barrel Machined from Billet with 11º Target Crown

• Ambidextrous Slide lock Safety

• Dual Recoil Spring with Fully Machined Sear and Hammer

• Ejection Port Lowered, Flared and Cut for Live Round Ejection

• Forged Stainless Steel Frame and Slide

• Nirtide Coated Titanium Firing Pin

• Novak® Lo-Mount Adjustable Tritium Bar Rear Sight and Tritium Mega Dot Glow Dome™ Yellow Front Sight (Rail & Two-Tone Versions)

• VZ G10 Grips

Part No. / Description / MSRP

67200 / Gov’t Style, Black Melonite 45 AUTO / $1,350

67204 / Gov’t Style, Black Melonite 9MM / $1,350

67202 / Gov’t Style, Stainless 45 AUTO / $1,350

67205 / Gov’t Style, Stainless 9MM / $1,350

67201 / Gov’t Style 2-Tone 45 AUTO / $1,425

67206 / Gov’t Style 2-Tone 9MM / $1,425

67207 / Gov’t Style Rail Gun, 2-Tone 45 AUTO / $1,500

67208 / Gov’t Style Rail Gun, 2-Tone 9MM / $1,500

67203 / Gov’t Style Rail Gun, Stainless 45 AUTO / $1,500

67209 / Gov’t Style Rail Gun, Stainless 9MM / $1,500

67210 / Gov’t Style Rail Gun, Black Melonite 45 AUTO / $1,500

67211 / Gov’t Style Rail Gun, Black Melonite 9MM / $1,500

To learn more about the Savage 1911 Government Model, visit savagearms.com and visit your local Savage retailer or dealer.