Two years ago, Magpul unveiled the FMG9, a modified Glock subgun. A video took on a viral life of its own. Now, Magpul is going to release the design as the Folding Pocket Gun. The only catch? It is being released through Magpul PTS as an airsoft gun. Same cool styling, just no real bullets.
I am using one of Mil Spec Monkey’s pics since mine were too dark to make out.
Centurion Arms has just announced a new line of hammer forged barrels. Just like in the load carrying world, with the advent of modularity, small arms have become overloaded and a movement has formed to begin taking the weight off the rifles. One of the easiest means is to remove unneeded accessories, or to combine functionality into fewer items. Another move has been to produce lighter barrels. One way this is possible is through the hammer forging process.
Hammer forging is a process in which a drilled and reamed blank has its rifled bore and chamber formed by swaging. During production of the barrel, the internal profile is formed by a series of opposing power hammers which concentrically “crush†the drilled blank around a precision-ground and hardened mandrel. This process yields an extremely uniform bore with a tough, consistent surface finish on the inside of the barrel. Producers use differing methods of honing and Centurion combines theirs with a specially tapered section of rifling formed during the forging process to improve accuracy. They specified a 1:7 twist rate and a Mil-Spec 5.56mm chamber. Naturally, they chose to finish the barrels with a manganese phosphate finish (Mil-Spec A-A-59267).
Centurion Arms specifies that the hard chromium lining used to coat the chamber and bore is applied to twice the thickness of standard small arms barrels. The actual steel itself used for the barrels is a Chrome-Moly steel alloy specifically developed as a machinegun barrel steel providing increased barrel life under prolonged rigorous firing schedules. The forging process also work hardens the barrel steel resulting in a very durable and much longer lasting barrel. Finally, the barrels are HPT (High Pressure Testing) tested which is a process wherein a proof load rated at 70,000 psi (far exceeding the pressure of a normal round) is fired trough the barrel. The barrel is then tested with a non-destructive process called MPI (Magnetic Particle Inspection) to detect any flaws in the barrel extension and barrel from the proof load.
The barrels retails for $325.00. For more information, please contact Centurion Arms at www.centurionarms.com.
The Trident 1911 made quite a splash at SHOT Show and was developed by Bill Laughridge and a career Operator. The need for a pistol that will function under all types of field conditions was realized after said Operator saw all of the various makes of tactical pistols “choke†under real world situations and conditions. Bill’s 30+ years experience in building the 1911 pistol and the 20+ years of real world tactical experience of a career Operator resulted in the development and production of the Trident 1911 Pistol. From what I have seen, including a brief once over at SHOT Show, I am impressed.
The Operator involved has carried 1911s, government as well as personal in combat and took Bill’s course in 2007 to learn the finer points of building and maintaining them. He and Bill wanted to build a real battle gun that could face the current fight with the addition of some of today’s relevant technology but none of the fluff.
The Trident is completely hand fitted and has only the essential, battle tested features needed on the 1911 platform to provide a totally reliable close quarters combat weapon. You will not find many of the “Must Have†features found on tactical 1911 pistols designed for urban street use. Rather, they found that many of these same “Must Have†features detract from the reliability and ergonomics needed in a 1911 pistol that is designed to function flawlessly in the world’s most hostile environments.
Built on the Springfield 1911A1 45 ACP Pistol, the Trident has been coated with the Fail Zero finish that allows the pistol to operate without lubrication. For those who do not need the added protection of the Fail Zero finish the Trident is available with the traditional parkerized finish with a corresponding reduction in price.
Additionally, the Operator wanted a stronger front sight and a slightly enlarged slide stop. Together they fabricated the sight and got the slide stop from Greider. They added the fire control dots to make the weapon more intuitive to younger Soldiers who are generally not well versed in the 1911 platform in case the weapon had to be handed off. They lowered the ejection port and relieved for a bullet nose so there would be no issues unloading the weapon at a DFAC clearing barrel. It comes with or without a Dawson Rail and the rear sight options are either the Heine Ledge or a Warren Tactical rear, and both will incorporate 50 LPI serrations on the front edge for one handed slide racking.
The Trident is test fired at 15 yards after the initial build for function and zeroing of the sights. The front sight is sent out for the tritium insert with white ring and the pistol is sent to Fail Zero for the finish or parkerized in house. After the pistol has had the finish applied, refitted as needed, and the front sight is re-installed the pistol is test fired a second time for a final function check and to recheck the zero of the sights. Both 7 round magazines are fully loaded and fired twice during both test firings. The minimum number of rounds fired during both test firings is 56 rounds. A further 200 rounds must be fired by the purchaser to completely break in the pistol.
This is a no nonsense gun and the individual features that went into the build of this weapon are incredible and could take up several pages. I recommend that you head over to Cylinder & Slide and drool over the features.
To order visit www.cylinder-slide.com.
On 14 January, 2010 RDMI (Robinsom Arms) filed suit in US District Court for Utah against Remington, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, and Magpul Industries based on alleged infringement of their patent.
Below is the actual suit taken from court records.
Robinson Arms Lawsuit Alleging Patent Infringement
This is the third patent related suit filed against Magpul this year. The initial suit came from A.R.M.S. over their dual aperture rear sight followed by Vltor in October alleging violation of their patent on the Modular Firearm Buttstock.
Reading through the filing I find one thing a bit odd. It claims that the ACR has been offered for sale, which still has not happened, particularly in the state of Utah. Based on this it seems to me that the case was brought a bit prematurely and was staged to have the most dramatic effect during SHOT Show unless it was intended to delay the release of the ACR into the market. But then why include RRA?
There is beginning to be some chatter over Abrams Airborne Manufacturing’s (Vltor) lawsuit against Magpul alleging that the ACS design violates their Modular Firearm Buttstock patent. Both stocks feature removable battery storage compartments. However, it is important to note that this occurred last October and this isn’t a new action. Additionally, this is the second of three suits filed over the last year against Magpul concerning patent issues. The initial suit was from A.R.M.S. (imagine that) over their dual aperture rear sight. Then, right before SHOT Show Robinson Arms brought suit against Magpul as well as a slew of others.
Abrams Airborne Lawsuit Alleging Patent Infringement
The Crimson Trace MVF-515 foregrip released last year at SHOT Show is now available with a green laser. Designed to attach to a Mil Std 1913 rail, the MVF-515 combines a vertical foregrip, laser and light into one package. Dual pressure switches allow the shooter to choose laser, white light, or combination. Modes include constant on, momentary or strobe.
It is important that you watch the ABC News segment, “How to get a grenade launcher” before you read this so that you will be in the proper frame of reference.
Paul Harvey had it right with his famous tagline, “And now for the rest of the story.”
To begin with I have to say that I still am perplexed as to why they bothered with the story at all. Early last week a Sailor, Absent Without Leave from the Navy was apprehended by the Police while in the possession of two Bushmaster carbines with the serial numbers removed as well as a “grenade launcher” initially believed to be an M-203 but later determined to be a 37mm flare launcher by the ATF. It is my understanding that ABC News was told repeatedly that the item at issue was not a weapon at all but rather a novelty item, a flare gun built to resemble a military issue M203 grenade launcher. ATF does not classify the 37mm flare launcher as a weapon.
I spoke with the segment’s producer Lauren Pearl, and she was very polite but I could tell she was agitated that I had contacted her. Fair enough and I can appreciate that. No one wants to explain why they did things the way that they did and that is precisely what I asked of her. Her initial answer was that there was only one minute to present the data but after pressing her on the issue, she stated, “I don’t know why.”
At the crux of this issue is how the information was presented. After watching the piece I came away with the impression that you could do an internet search, pick up the phone and just buy one of these “killer weapons.” However, after doing some checking, I have found that this is hardly the case.
Ms Pearl did tell me that the information in the piece was correct and she is right. They did seek out the assistance of an expert. The Sportsman Channel’s “Ammunition Expert”, Larry Vickers is well known in the small arms industry and deals with far more than ammunition. In fact, he’s an internationally recognized expert and the host of two TV shows dealing with small arms. Unfortunately, after showing 12 seconds of expert testimony on how difficult it is to purchase a grenade launcher, the segment’s host, David Cuomo essentially refuted Vickers’ assertions by telling us that a vendor selling destructive devices said that “the only restrictions were that a buyer had to be a resident of a state that allows them to have a grenade launcher, and most states do, and they need a gun permit.”
So, in order to find out if the information presented to me was true, I did exactly the same thing the correspondent did in the segment. I googled “Grenade Launcher” and came up with well over one million hits. Then I googled “Grenade Launcher for sale” and only came up with 181,000 choices. Of those only a few were actually for the sale of real honest-to-goodness grenade launchers. The rest offered airsoft versions or the dreaded 37mm flare launchers that inspired the piece.
After some checking, I was able to ascertain that Mr Cuomo was seeking information on the DD1-152 M203 Grenade launcher offered for sale by Autoweapons.com. What makes this story even more convoluted is that the model that he chose was built specifically to fit on a rare foreign weapon; the AK4 Swedish variant of the HK G3. This makes it even more useless to the casual buyer as one would then need to purchase the proper base weapon to mount the M203 to, in this case an AK4. Naturally, this means more red tape and rules.
And purchasing an actual M-203 40mm grenade launcher is hardly the end of it. To make it a “killer weapon” one would require ammunition. Each round requires exactly the same process to purchase as the launcher itself. That’s right, $200 tax stamp for each individual round, more fingerprints, more background checks, more waiting. This may be why you don’t see neighbors blowing each other up with 40mm grenades. The ATF does a great job of regulating the transfer of these devices. The reality is that they are far from easy to purchase, and you certainly can’t order one over the phone or internet.
If the problem with the segment was that there was only one minute to present the data, then perhaps the answer was to provide more time so that terms like “gun permit” could be adequately explained as an ATF Form 4, payment of a $200 transfer stamp, background check to include fingerprints, and a wait of several months while a national agency check is conducted and the application is processed. And, on top of all of this, you have to be in a state that allows the individual to possess a destructive device like a grenade launcher. Or, maybe if the one minute is not negotiable an alternative would be to perhaps let the expert speak rather than some talking head ask about color options like he is picking out a new scooter. Either one of these options would have resulted in more facts being presented.
In the end, the ABC piece is much ado about nothing. They were informed by experts that there was no story there yet they proceeded anyway. However, I will admit that they did do their research and they did tell us that in order to purchase a grenade launcher “the only restrictions were that a buyer had to be a resident of a state that allows them to have a grenade launcher, and most states do, and they need a gun permit.” They just failed to explain what that meant leading viewers to the false conclusion that grenade launchers are as simple to purchase as a pair of shoes. They also failed to mention that while most states allow private ownership of destructive devices, neither New York City, where ABC News is located, nor the state of New Jersey where the AWOL Sailor was apprehended do. Too bad they didn’t have more time to more accurately portray the issue.
So what is the verdict? Can individuals run out and purchase grenade launchers? No.
Magboot
The new Magboot is a “Ghilletex IR Reduction Magazine Cover” but that name still doesn’t talk about all of the benefits it will provide you. In addition to reducing the signature of your metal magazines, the Magboot will also reduce noise, protect the magazine from damage, and give you solid purchase during magazine changes. Available in Black, Foliage, and Tan with Coyote coming soon.
Camo Dipped FastMag
ITW Military Products will be offering the Gen 3 FastMag in camouflage patterns directly out of the box. While they will come at a slightly higher premium, they will still be less expensive in time and money than undertaking the process yourself. MultiCam and digital camo patterns will be offered.
Gen 4 FastMag
While no prototypes were available for photographs ITW is on the cusp of releasing a new FastMag variant for 7.62 NATO magazines. The design is almost indistinguishable from the current Gen 3 version.
TAC Link
The ever popular TAC Link is now available in even more colors including Red and Pink. The latter proved extremely popular with my daughters as well as my distinguished colleague Rob.
More information will be forthcoming from ITWmilitaryproducts.com and all of the items listed will be available from Supply Captain.
