The NY Times published a great article on the M4 and compares the barrels used on the Army issue carbine with SOCOM’s M4A1 heavier barrel profile. Check it out and watch the videos. I think that they speak for themselves and that the article is well balanced and avoids the sensationalism surrounding small arms found on many military blogs.
Magpul’s in-house production company Randori has put together two new videos featuring the Magpul Dynamics crew. The “Art of the Dynamic Handgun” is a natural progression from their earlier titles but they have also introduced something new, “Aerial Platform Operations” which will help the viewer develop an appreciation of the helicopter as a shooting platform.
They will be available for pre-order this week from www.magpul.com with delivery in February. See the entire new line of Magpul products at SHOT Show booth #14073.
This video was leaked at the same time as the ACR video. It features Remington Military Product’s new Modular Sniper Rifle.
In related Remington news, Freedom Group has purchased Barnes Bullets.
The latest rumor in the ongoing “when will I be able to buy an ACR” saga is that they are being manufactured as we speak and that they will retail for about $2300. Expect something formal at SHOT.
The Remington Adaptive Combat Rifle is a derivative of the Magpul Masada first debuted at SHOT Show 2007. For a time it was under development at Freedom Group company Bushmaster but in June of 2009 the program was formally moved to Remington Military Products in anticipation of future government interest. ACR marketing videos were leaked last week to YouTube after being “found…on a disk at the airport.”
According to Janes Defence Weekly, the British Army is adopting a new a semi-automatic 7.62 mm x 51 mm ‘sharpshooter’ rifle offered by Law Enforcement International (LEI) and manufactured in the US by Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT). The Stoner-style L129A1 features LMT’s Monolithic Rail Platform (MRP) technology with a one piece upper receiver and Mil-Std 1913 railed fore end. The L129A1 fires from a 20 round magazine. Additionally, it incorporates a retractable stock and 16†black stainless barrel. One of the key features of the MRP is the ability to rapidly change out barrels rather than the entire upper receiver. For some reason, many punters on various internet forums have misconstrued this feature to imply that the barrels would have to be changed in the field every 100 rounds. This information is incorrect.
The design was selected over the H&K 417 and FN’s SCAR, both currently in service with Special Operations Forces as well as a weapon proposed by Sabre Defence. The $2.5 Million deal will supply 440 of the new weapons starting early this year in order to satisfy an Urgent Operational Requirement for troops fighting in Afghanistan. Currently, the only organic weapon for UK forces capable of reliable engagement beyond 500 meters is the L7A1 7.62 mm General-Purpose Machine Gun.
The L129A1 will replace the aging bolt action Accuracy International L96 in the Sharpshooter role. In the British Army certain troops are provided with specialist training and designated as Sharpshooters. They do not fulfill the role of Snipers but rather provide enhanced lethality and accuracy to the small unit leader.
The new weapon sight selected for use by the MoD is a special variant that utilizes a 4 power optic in a custom chassis. It is not variable like the Spectre DR.
Photo: UK MoD
The new Spectre sight is seen on the L86 carried by the second Soldier from the left.
Got a Xenomorph problem? Then here’s the answer; modeled to look like the M-41A Pulse Rifle from the movie “Aliens” is the MAX-41A. Composed of a SWD M-11/9 submachine gun and a Remington 870 short barreled shotgun, it holds 50 9mm rounds via a Sumoi “Coffin” magazine and three 12 gauge, 2-3/4″ shells. That’s two in the magazine and one in the chamber. The MAX-41A also includes a red dot sight and digital shot counter, both of which power on with insertion of the magazine, as well as a collapsible stock.
