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Photos by Apex Armor.
More Salient Arms Edged Weapons Photos
March 15th, 2015US Army Considers M4A1+, Seeks COTS Improvements for Carbine Enhancements
March 14th, 2015Yesterday, the Army Contracting Command issued a Sources Sought Notice in support of PEO Soldier’s Program Manager Individual Weapons seeking information to “identify sources/vendors with experience in small arms manufacturing and associated technologies (corporate knowledge, technical expertise, facilities, manufacturing equipment, and product acceptance test hardware) capable of the production of…Non-Development Items (NDI), for improvements to the M4A1 Carbine.” While it’s not a pre-solicitation (yet), it’s very exciting stuff seeing the Army leverage all of the commercial off the shelf advancements made to the Black Rifle in recent years.
Collectively, these NDI improvments are being referred to as M4A1-Plus (abbreviated as M4A1+) components. Here’s where it gets a little sticky. According the the RFI, it is anticipated that the M4A1+ components will be evaluated as a system. Sounds like they dont plan on seeking best of breed but rather a turnkey solution from a single vendor, although if this makes it through there may end up being some horse trading this component for that. Of note, although the Enhanced Trigger Module is included in this RFI, it will be procured seperately. Additionally, sounds like Black is out and Brown is in for the M4, at least for the rail system, which will conceptually be much more like what is currently available commerically than the current system, designed back in the 90s.
The RFI goes on to state that the offered M4A1+ system must install on/interface with stock M4A1 Carbines. “The M4A1+ components will seamlessly integrate with the current M4A1 Carbine (to include but not limited to the barrel, gas tube, upper receiver, bolt and bolt carrier) without negatively impacting or affecting the performance or operation of the M4A1 weapon. The M4A1+ components shall be compatible with current M4A1 ancillary equipment without modification to the ancillary equipment and/or the equipment’s mounting brackets. This ancillary equipment includes but is not limited to optics/sights, aiming/pointing devices, training devices, slings, and rail covers.” Considering the Army is wrapping up its current upgrade to the M4A1 comfiguration that all makes sense.
Here is the meat and potatos of what the Army is seeking including some specific info for potential vendors. If you want to participate, make sure you visit the actual notice on FBO.gov for instructions and deadlines.
REQUIREMENTS
The M4A1+ components shall provide a synergistic effect to enhance Soldier and weapon system lethality, survivability, and operational effectiveness. Specific M4A1+ attributes/capabilities are as follows:
a. Accuracy/Dispersion (Precision): The system accuracy for the M4A1+ shall be 5 quote mark mean radius at 300 meters throughout barrel life (required) and shall be 5 quote mark extreme spread at 300 meters throughout barrel life with .9 probability (desired) and shall be 10 quote mark extreme spread at 600 meters throughout barrel life with.9 probability (desired). Note: The precision measurements are ammunition and M4A1+ specific, without attached under-barrel weapons. Extreme spread measurements will be both vertical and horizontal.
b. Improved extended forward rails: The improved extended forward rails shall provide for a MIL-STD-1913 compatible rail that is fixed at the 12 o’clock position, with numbered attachment points. The rail must also provide for the attachment of modular, MIL-STD-1913 enabler(s) attaching capability on the hand guard. The improved extended forward rails shall provide for a hand guard allowing for a free-floated barrel, and for a design/redesign of the under-barrel weapon systems/module interface to use the MIL-STD-1913 compatible rail surface on the hand guard as the attachment point(s), instead of the barrel.
i. Length: The length of the improved extended forward rails shall be twelve (+/- .5 quote mark ) inches.
ii. Mounting surfaces: The improved extended forward rails shall have sufficient removable mounting surfaces of varying lengths (e.g. 3 quote mark , 5 quote mark , 7 quote mark ) to allow selective, simultaneous mounting of standard U.S. military accessories (e.g., lasers, illuminators, slings, bipods, vertical grips/grip-pods, etc.).
iii. Zero Retention: The improved extended forward rails mounting surfaces will allow for zeroed accessories/enablers to retain zero with 90% confidence (excluding optic/enabler malfunctions) no more than 1 Minute of Angle (MOA).
iv. Color: The improved extended forward rails shall provide for reduced visual detection via a neutral (non-black) color and shall be of a rough, dull, non-reflective, coating/finish that retains paint. The color range will be Coyote 498 not lighter than Light Coyote 481, IAW FED-STD-595 #20150 not lighter than #20220; flat dull finish.
v. Protective Materials (coatings): The improved extended forward rails shall be corrosion, abrasion, impact, as well as nuclear, biological, chemical (NBC) contaminants and decontaminants resistant. The improved extended forward rails shall be protected from corrosion in all environments and weather conditions, including marine, high humidity, rain, and desert conditions.
vi. Low Profile Gas Block: The extended forward rails shall include a low profile gas block. The gas block will be compatible with current M4A1 heavy barrel and gas tube.
vii. Forward Sling Mount: The extended forward rail shall include a forward sling mount compatible with 1 quote mark sling.
c. Improved back-up sights: The M4A1+ shall include a removable back-up sight(s) to be used in the event of damage to the primary sight. These back-up sights (front and rear) shall stow down/away to reduce interference with the mounted primary sights and flip up to enable Soldiers to engage targets out to 300 meters. The sight aperture(s) shall provide for both near threat (to 200 m) and for longer (to 300m) engagements and shall allow for windage and elevation adjustments; 600 meters w/o degrading threshold capabilities.
d. Improved flash suppressor: The M4A1+ shall incorporate a barrel flash suppressor / muzzle brake designed to reduce the day and night firing signature and night vision device blooming effect of the weapon to be less than the current carbine without loss in system performance. The improved flash suppressor will have a blank firing adapter (BFA) compatible with M200 blank ammunition. The BFA shall minimize injury if a live round is accidentally fired with the BFA attached.
e. Improved charging handle: The improved charging handle shall provide for an enhanced (enlarged) grasping surface area that also allows for gas, lubricant, and debris deflection. The charging handle design shall include an extended latch capability for improved hand/finger grasping access and enhanced operating leverage/operation for both left- and right-handed shooters. The improved charging handle must be compatible with current standard optics, electro-optics and the improved BU sights (required). .
f. Weapon Weight: The M4A1+ will weigh less than 8.0 pounds un-loaded without accessories/enablers.
g. Reliability: The reliability of the M4A1+ shall be equal to or greater than the current capability when both systems are fired under the same conditions.
h. Enhanced trigger module: The enhanced trigger module shall provide for a single-stage trigger, free of creep, with consistent trigger pull weight within the range of 4.0 to 5.0 pounds. The enhanced trigger shall allow for operator selected semi-automatic and full automatic fire. The trigger shall be capable of installation/replacement by the field level maintainer. (Note: Creep shall be interpreted to mean any perceptible rough movement between the time the trigger slack is taken up and the hammer is released). NOTE: The enhanced trigger module is intended to be procured separately from all other M4A1+ components.
Production capacity estimates.
i. Request information on minimum and maximum monthly production rates for potential M4A1+ components, and the lead times to achieve these production rates. This capacity should be above and beyond any of the vendor’s current production orders or current sales. If additional equipment is required to achieve maximum monthly production rates, so state.
VENDOR QUESTIONNAIRE
The purpose of this questionnaire is to obtain information from industry to assist in market research. Firms/companies are invited to indicate their interest and capability to satisfy the above requirements by identifying the following items:
1. Company Name
2. Company Address
3. Company point of contact, phone number and email address
4. Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code
5. Major partners or Suppliers
6. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. Identify if the business is considered a small or large business, based on the NAICS Code.
7. Include pricing information for the requirements noted above as a system utilizing sub-paragraphs a – g. Also it is requested to price each subparagraph, a -h, by separate components Pricing information for the enhanced trigger module (requirement i, above) should be provided as a separate component and not included in the quote mark system quote mark pricing requested earlier.
8. For each requirement identified indicate whether production is in house or out sourced.
9. Include monthly production rate for the proposed system, as well as the maximum monthly production rate.
10. Identify manufacturing, managing and engineering experience of like items of equal or greater complexity.
11. Identify existing facilities, equipment and workforce (identify what percentage would be supporting this new effort and what additional resources would be required).
12. Please provide any additional comments.
RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS
Firms/companies are invited to indicate their capabilities by providing specifications, brochures, manuals, reports, demonstration video and other technical data as well as identification of current customers and a rough indication of pricing. Any pricing data should be sent, if available, and at no cost to the U.S. Government. In addition, if any firms/companies would like to submit sample hardware they may do so but there is no requirement to be responsive to this Market Survey request. If any firms/companies do submit sample hardware it will be at NO COST to the U.S. Government. Any samples provided in response to this Market Survey will be retained by the U.S. Government.
This Market Survey is a Request for Information (RFI) ONLY and should NOT be construed as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment by the U.S. Government.
The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any private sector input as a result of this market survey.
If a company has an existing commercially available or non-developmental item that meets these requirements, please provide brochures or other information relative to the performance, maintenance, and physical characteristics (e.g., size, weight, etc.) of the product.
Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information, sample hardware or administrative costs incurred in the response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or other solicitation (if any are issued).
This is a market survey, not a pre-solicitation notice. There is no formal solicitation available at this time. No award will be made as a result of this market survey. If a formal solicitation is generated at a later date, a pre-solicitation notice will be published. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this survey or results of information submitted. Should the decision be made to proceed with the M4A1+ Program, vendors will be afforded an opportunity to participate in a compatibility check. The compatibility check will provide vendors with access to the M4A1 weapon as well as ancillary equipment.
Gunfighter Moment – Daryl Holland 
March 14th, 2015
When long gunning it’s common to have an observer with a spotting scope, so it’s important to communicate in a useful language such as Minutes of Angle (MOA) or MIL Dot/increments in scope reticles. In 1988, I was issued my first MIL Dot scope as an 82nd airborne sniper and mounted my fixed 10 power scope to an M-14. Soon after came the spotting scopes with MIL Dots, and life as a sniper/spotter team became much easier. Without reticles or using a red dot, you would still communicate with the shooter by correcting him in feet/inches.
All telescopic sights have windage adjustments that are graduated in Minutes of Angle (MOA) or fractions thereof. A MOA is 1/60 of a degree. This number equals about 1 inch (1.0472 inches) for every 100 yards and 3 centimeters (2.97 centimeters) for every 100 meters. This continues beyond 100 yards, so 2 inches at 200 yards, 3 inches at 300 yards and so on. My 2 inch standard is about the size of the apricot looking fruit at the base of the brain stem called the “Medulla Oblongata”. If you’re a sniper that can shoot a sub 1 MOA, then you can shoot less than a 2 inch group (5 rounds) at 200 yards. A sniper’s commander should know his sniper’s capability before asking him to take the shot. A sub 1 MOA sniper is capable of hitting the apricot out to 200 yards, thus severing the brain stem and lights out! Wind isn’t usually a factor until beyond 200 yards, so I like using a 200 yard zero with my .308 bolt gun.
Shooting beyond 200 yards we need to account for the wind and use the MIL Dot/increments on the cross hairs of the scope and hold into the wind after the observer relays to the shooter how many MILs to hold into the wind. The condition that constantly presents the greatest problem to the shooter is the wind. The wind has considerable effect on the bullet, and the effect increases with the range. This result is due mainly to the slowing of the bullet’s velocity combined with a longer flight time. This slowing allows the wind to have a greater effect on the bullet as distances increase.
It’s important to zero your long gun during all seasons because for every 20 degrees of temperature change, the bullet will rise or drop 1 MOA, so if you last zeroed on a 40 degree winter day and your shooting on a warmer spring day of 80 degrees, your round will climb with the temperature 2 inches at 100 yards just from a 40 degree change. The desert environment can easily have a 40 degree difference within one day. Humidity will also change 1 MOA for every 20 degrees of humidity, but as the humidity raises the bullet will drop due to thicker air density.
Paying attention to the elements and environmental factors is the beginning of becoming a “Train Observer”.
Since the shooter must know how much effect the wind will have on the bullet, he must be able to classify the wind. The best method to use is the clock system. With the shooter at the center of the clock and the target at 12 o’clock, the wind is assigned the following three values: Full, Half, and no value. No value means that a wind from 6 or 12 o’clock will have little or no effect on the flight of the bullet at close ranges.
MOA x R = Hold (inches) 3 x 4 = 12 inches right
The only thing that I can say when buying a scope, “is good glass isn’t cheap”, so you get what you pay for.
Respectfully, Daryl Holland
Daryl Holland is a retired U.S. Army Sergeant Major with over 20 years of active duty experience, 17 of those years in Special Operations. Five years with the 1st Special Forces Group (SFG) and 12 years in the 1st SFOD-Delta serving as an Assaulter, Sniper, Team Leader, and OTC Instructor.
He has conducted several hundred combat missions in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia, Philippines, and the Mexican Border. He has conducted combat missions in Afghanistan’s Hindu Kush Mountains as a Sniper and experienced Mountaineer to the streets of Baghdad as an Assault Team Leader.
He has a strong instructor background started as an OTC instructor and since retiring training law abiding civilians, Law Enforcement, U.S. Military, and foreign U.S. allied Special Operations personnel from around the world.
Gunfighter Moment is a weekly feature brought to you by Alias Training & Security Services. Each week Alias brings us a different Trainer and in turn, they offer some words of wisdom.
Super Brush LLC – Swab-Its Gun Cleaning Products
March 14th, 2015
Super Brush LLC launched its Swab-Its Bore-Tips line at the 2012 SHOT Show, their previous experience coming from over 60 years of manufacturing and supplying foam swabs to various industries including medical, electrical, and aerospace. The line was met with positive reviews at SHOT and the subsequent NRA show.
The initial line consisted of two sizes of Bore-Tips, and now includes Bore-Tips for .22cal, .243cal, .30cal, .357cal, .40cal, and .45cal, as well as for 12 gauge, 20 gauge, and .410 gauge shotguns. They’ve also expanded their line to include Gun-Tips for external cleaning, and new .117 and .22cal Bore-Whips, the later of which also function as empty chamber indicators.
For more information on the Swab-Its line, you can visit www.bore-tips.com.
Sporting Clay Shoot Fundraiser in Va Beach – April 4th
March 13th, 2015??
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Panteao & Survivor’s Edge Sponsor The NPS Expo
March 13th, 2015Columbia, SC, March 12, 2015 – Panteao Productions and Survivor’s Edge Magazine have teamed up as title sponsors of the National Prepper & Survivalists Expo that will be held in Louisville, KY on October 10th and 11th.
The National Preppers and Survivalists Expo is a 2 day event focusing on the preparedness, self-reliance, supplies and survival skills that are crucial when a catastrophe strikes. There will be over a hundred exhibitors with products that focus on dealing with everything from short term to long term events. The instructors from the Panteao Make Ready to Survive instructional video series will be on hand giving classes during the event.
“NPS Expo Louisville is our 5th event in this industry and will be our biggest event to date. Each year we have seen NPS Expo grow exponentially with the number of and quality of exhibits as well as the caliber of speakers for our show. Louisville Kentucky will surely exceed any and all expectations for our exhibitors and attendees. We are so excited that Panteao Productions and Harris Publications are partnering with us for this event. Both of these companies are the leading industry experts of their respected fields in media and will help shape the event for a truly greater experience for all that participate,” said Ray McCreary, Show Director of NPS Expo.
“I’m very happy to be a part of the NPS Expo. The event ties in perfectly with the new Make Ready to Survive video series we produced. Now attendees will have access to both the training videos, the products seen in the videos, and the instructors from the series all in one place,” said Fernando Coelho, president of Panteao Productions.
“SURVIVOR’S EDGE Magazine is very pleased to sponsor the NPS show. We had a very rewarding show exhibiting at the February 2015 show in Florida and we fell in love with the consumers that drove from near and far to investigate the show. They live a lifestyle we believe in. Some of our discussions with many have already influenced future issues of SURVIVOR’s EDGE and our site, REALWORLDSURVIVOR.com., said Shirley Steffen, Group Publisher at Harris Publications, Inc.
Cara Donaldson, the managing editor of SURVIVOR’S EDGE, had this to say, “The attendees and the exhibitors of the show in Florida were very inspiring. Will Dabbs M.D. covered the show for us from an editorial aspect and he was like a kid in a candy store. There were so many great products to learn about. I look forward to the next show in KY.”
Visit REALWORLDSURVIVOR.com for coverage of the February 2015 show and future NPS shows. Registration for the Expo is now open at www.npsexpo.com.
Mission Ready’s Protect The Force Inc Wins Subcontract For DHS Next Gen First Responder Uniforms
March 13th, 2015VANCOUVER, B.C. – Mission Ready Services Inc. (TSX-V: MRS) – Mission Ready Services Inc. (“Mission Ready” or “MRSI”) is pleased to announce that its wholly-owned subsidiary, Protect The Force, Inc. (“PTF” or “Protect The Force” or the “Company”), has been awarded a 14 month, $97,500 subcontract through prime contractor, North Carolina State University – Textile Protection and Comfort Center (“NC State-TPACC”), to develop an Advanced Multipurpose Base ensemble for Emergency Responders (“AMBER”) for the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”).
Through a Cooperative Agreement from DHS’s Science and Technology Directorate to NC State’s Textile Protection and Comfort Center (“T-PACC”), PTF will collaborate with T-PACC and leverage its vast commercial textile industry network and cutting-edge technology portfolio to provide subject matter expertise in advanced protective materials selection including the identification of materials as they relate to functional design, prototyping, end-user functionality requirements, desired performance attributes, material availability, and manufacturer competence and readiness.
PTF’s team of product development experts based in the innovation district of Boston, MA, will support NC State-TPACC in the development of concepts for review and selection by DHS to be prototyped and then manufactured for limited user evaluations. The team is also exploring the integration of the No-Contact technology for further user evaluations.
PTF’s Chief Technology Officer, Francisco J. Martinez states, “We are critically involved in the innovation and development of next-generation body armor for the Marines, United States Army and, now, the development of next generation uniforms for the Department of Homeland Security. It is an honor to contribute at this level and provide support in an industry that is poised to be revolutionized by the ever-growing leaps in technology in advanced textiles as they relate to personal protective clothing and individual equipment. Working with the T-PACC team of experts is a dream come true and being selected to receive this funding is a compliment to the excellent team of product development experts within PTF and the reputation we have developed within the industry.”
