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Robinson Arms Sues Remington, Bushmaster, RRA, and Magpul

Friday, January 15th, 2010

Robinson Arms, manufacturers of the XCR have filed suit yesterday in US District Court for Utah against Remington, Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, and Magpul Industries based on alleged infringement of their patent (Multi-caliber ambidextrously controllable firearm #7,596,900) issued 6 October, 2009 and initially filed in August of 2003.

Specifically, the weapons alleged to have violated Robinson’s patent are the Remington/Bushmaster ACR, Magpul Masada/Massoud, and the RRA LAR-8. All of these weapons feature a magazine release that is manipulated by the trigger finger from within reach of the trigger guard as well as a similar bolt hold open device. We have read the complaint and it is fairly ambiguous as the which patent claims they allege were violated.

Both Bushmaster and Remington are part of the Freedom group, owned by Cerberus Capital Management. So for taking on Freedom Group I give them an “E” for Effort. Of note is the timing of the suit, just days before SHOT Show as well as Robinson’s announcement on their website that they would be exhibiting after all in a booth (#20034) shared with Serbu.

Tags: Bushmaster, Freedom Group, Magpul, Remington, Robinson Arms, Rock River Arms
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Colt Tactical Launches at SHOT

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

Colt, perennial manufacturer of the M16/M4 family of small arms as well as a line of quality Law Enforcement and civilian versions is launching a new division at SHOT Show. Colt Tactical will focus on bringing Colt firearms to the masses in a new way. Their new website to launch during SHOT show is very interactive and will allow the customer to order his rifle online and have it shipped directly to his FFL holder. Expect to see a few new variants to coincide with the launch of this new venture. In addition to complete rifles we are hoping that you will be able to purchase complete upper and lower assemblies as well as parts.

If you are in the market for a Mil Spec gun, Colt is the place to get it. Like they say; “There’s quality and there’s Colt quality.” Look for www.coltactical.com to launch soon and don’t forget to visit Colt at SHOT Show in booth #12629.

Tags: Colt Tactical
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NY Times on the M4

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

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.

Tags: Colt Defense LLC
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New Magpul Dynamics Videos Coming

Wednesday, January 13th, 2010

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.

Tags: Magpul Dynamics
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Leaked Modular Sniper Rifle Video

Sunday, January 10th, 2010

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.

Tags: Remington Military Products
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Remington ACR to Ship in March

Friday, January 8th, 2010

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.”

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Brits to Field New ‘Sharpshooter’ Rifle

Sunday, January 3rd, 2010

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 16â€ 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.

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New British Elcan Update

Tuesday, December 29th, 2009

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.

Tags: Elcan
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