rifles Archives - Knesek Guns, Inc.

A Comprehensive History of .408 CheyTac

March 10, 2013

Our customers have always had a great deal of interest in the .408 CheyTac cartridge and supporting platforms, it’s very frequent that I receive questions regarding what system is preferred, how the cartridge came about and who is really involved in a lot of the processes. I hope that this posting can serve as somewhat of a FAQ with a little bit of backstory and allow people to know more about our experiences and insight on the various platforms.

The .408 cartridge was originally developed and produced by two companies, first THEIS (Tactical High Energy Impact Solutions) which provided the modification necessary to translate what modifications became apparent and necessary from the original 505 Gibbs case. The second entity involved in the cartridge development was Lost River Ballistics Technology which is now closed and much of the intellectual property was used by Greenwich Ballistics (A CheyTac LLC based company). Jamison International has been, up until recently, the primary producer of the 419gr projectile that is the patented “CheyTac” cartridge. Despite this, many companies offer similar .408 cartridges that work outside the patent and provide excellent results such as the now commonplace 400gr solid projectile

CheyTac M200 in early testing with OpsInc suppressor

To answer the first question, the M200 style system that is so prevalent in media, film and television was originally designed by Bill Ritchie of EDM Arms. Mr. Ritchie was approached by CheyTac LLC to scale down his “Windrunner” rifle to accommodate and better suit the .408CT cartridge. CheyTac LLC began looking at options to modify the rifle and add the popular over-the-barrel bipod system and shroud after the initial field testing of the EDM Arms rifle was completed. [Initial field testing was provided by a company, now defunct, known as SOE or Sniping Operations Executive.]

CheyTac and EDM Arms had a multi-million dollar lawsuit filed in the early 2000′s which resulted in the case being dropped and the decision was for both companies to continue producing their respective rifles in the .408 chambering. EDM Arms later partnered with THOR Global Defense Group, Inc. to provide official license of the original rifle (Now the THOR XM408) and the enhanced model which featured an enhanced bipod and carry handle system (The THOR M408)

CheyTac continued to produce their rifle through a reverse engineering development process and had several machine shops over the course of the next few years produce the rifle under an ATF variance.

CheyTac later approached RND Edge in regards of having a semi-automatic .408 rifle created for standard production. Initial prototyping was completed, but after some developments, RND Edge has separated from CheyTac, and a semi-auto CheyTac LLC rifle was not officially brought into production.

It became apparent that with the extreme range that could be achieved with the .408 cartridge, a ballistic computing system would be quite a boon to provide quick calculation of the Data On Personal Equipment or DOPE,

enabling the shooter to efficiently apply shots on a target at extreme ranges. The software was deemed “ABC” and was produced to work on windows mobile platforms. The traditional ABC software is no long available in original form, but several companies now offer similar systems to provide calculation on both Windows operating systems as well as newer Android applications. Training courses offered by CheyTac were provided on public BLM (bureau of land management) property in Arco, Idaho. Targets at this range area were designed to allow safe firing positions between 100 and 2500 meters.

Knesek Guns, Inc. provided distribution and commercial sales and customer support out of their Arkansas facility, but supply became an issue as time went on and it became apparent to me that we needed to begin looking at other options to provide a .408 system of identical or higher quality with great technical and customer support from the manufacturer. We began talks with Bill Ritchie and the formerly associated individuals involved with the CheyTac project that had disassociated themselves for one reason or another. The THOR M408 rifle system we offer maintains the same quality, accuracy and provides enhanced features over the CheyTac M200 system which we formerly distributed.

In summary, the entities described in the CheyTac Asscoiates brochures from yesteryear have, for the most part, gone their separate ways or been closed. Here is a listing of the entities which were previously listed as the CheyTac associated firms:

Bradley Development (Unknown)
Greenwich Ballistics (Current CheyTac LLC entitiy)
Lost River Ballistics Technologies (Closed)
Sniper Operations Executive (Closed)
Tactical High Energy Impact Systems and subsidiaries (Conducting Research & Development)
Advanced Barrel Systems (Closed)
Jamison International (Closed)
Knesek Guns, Inc. (Current distributor/exporter for THOR Global Defense Group & EDM Arms)
RND Edge (No longer associated, feel free to contact RND for more info)

THOR XM408 as covered in Harris Publications' Tactical Weapons — THOR XM408 as covered in Harris Publications’ Tactical Weapons

We are pleased to offer the full line of THOR 408 and 375 rifles with quick turnaround and short lead times for custom builds. To provide more information on the system, The THOR M408 is a 7 shot repeating, takedown rifle system. The barrel is removable and replaceable by the operator. The rifle has an over the barrel bipod system built onto the barrel shroud with carry handle. The M408 comes standard with a custom Krieger barrel and completely adjustable butt stock. In fact, the entire rifle is maintainable at the operator level – including complete tear down. Spare barrels can be maintained at the unit level and replacement can be made in the field, allowing for special barrel design and shorter barrels.

The takedown capabilities provides a safe rifle which supports all methods of infiltration; including military free-fall, static line, small boat, dive lockout as well as all other forms of infiltration. The M408 repeats its different zeros extremely well. The system has been repeatedly disassembled and reassembled with no change in zero. This includes removal of the barrel and reinstallation, removing and reinstalling the optics and removing and reinstalling the suppressor. The M408 is very pleasurable to shoot due to the purpose built and very effective muzzle brake that has very little overpressure felt by shooter or observer.

The M408 is a solid anti-personnel system to distances beyond 2000 yards. The primary intent of the .408 is as an extreme range anti-personnel system. Groups of 7″- 9″ at 1000 yards, 10″ at 1500 yards and 15″ at 2000 yards have been consistently obtained. Groups of 19″ at 2100 yards and 29″― at 2400 yards have also been obtained. All groups that are up to 3000 yards are less than 1 minute of angle for vertical dispersion. The extreme range capability of the M408 allows the shooter to standoff at a distance that is unparalleled by any other system, including the 50 SASR. As an anti-personnel system, the M408 is only limited by flight time in regards to flight of the projectile to the target. The nature of the target at that point becomes the limiting factor of the systems maximum effective range.

THOR M408 rifle with Nightforce 5.5-22x56 — THOR M408 rifle with Nightforce 5.5-22×56

The high remaining kinetic energy characteristics of the 419gr projectile make it a very effective anti-material rifle. The .50 BMG has a higher initial muzzle energy of 11,200 ft. lbs. vs. the 408s energy of 7,700 lbs. At 700 yards however, the remaining energy of the 408 is higher than that of the .50 caliber rifle. Ranges past 700 yards are the realistic engagement-range for anti- material rifles. The .408s 419grain projectile will defeat any material that the .50 BMG can defeat except those targets that require an explosive projectile. While the round of choice is the Raufoss for anti-material operations, there is a strong argument for use of solid projectiles for many of the material targets. Material targets such as surface to surface missiles can be easily engaged and defeated by the use of solid projectiles. Continue Reading

Technorati Tags: ABC, Ballistic Coefficient, barrel, brass, cheytac, EDM Arms, M200, M408, manufacturers, rifles, Secondary Density, THOR Global Defense Group

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The World’s Most Powerful Handguns

January 23, 2013

Knesek Guns

Although all handguns are designed, in principle, to be handheld, pistols and revolvers come in all shapes and sizes. Whether they are used for hunting, personal defence, target shooting or just as collection pieces, the wide variety of handgun models serves many different purposes, and gun enthusiasts have a whole range of points to consider when choosing their handgun of choice. For example, all handguns have different rates of fire (semi-automatic, single shot, etc), designs (revolver, cartridge, machine pistol) and range, among other features. Perhaps most interesting, however, is the power of some handguns. Despite their small size, handguns are capable of producing massive amounts of firepower, and some models can even rival the damage caused by automatic rifles and shotguns.

.44 Magnum

Popularised by Clint Eastwood’s tough-talking, grimacing detective Harry Callahan in the Dirty Harry film series, the .44 Remington Magnum is one of the most recognisable handguns in the world. The long barrelled revolver still makes a appearance in many action films and video games, and the heavy, classic design of the handgun makes an intimidating sight. Although it is not the most powerful handgun (and it wasn’t at the time Dirty Harry was released in the 1970s, despite the film’s memorable speech saying otherwise), the Magnum packs tremendous force from its high velocity firepower and heavy .44 calibre bullets. The Magnum’s high recoil and large muzzle blast makes it generally unsuitable for police or army use as rapid fire can cause tremendous strain on the hands of users. However, the handgun is often used by hunters in North America, and its high stopping power and deep penetration mean that it can be even used on game as large as elk and deer. American publisher and avid hunter Robert E. Petersen once boasted that he killed a polar bear with the impressive revolver.

Smith & Wesson Model 500

The Smith & Wesson Model 500 is the most powerful, mass-produced revolver in the world. Released in 2003, the Model 500 was designed with a unique X-Frame design that could support the huge muzzle energy and pressure produced by the .500 calibre cartridges. The rounds are fired at a massive rate of 1975 metres per second, and the gun can be used effectively at a range of up to 200 yards when hunting game. In fact, the energy and velocity produced by the large calibre rounds has made the Model 500 suitable for hunting large African game, like cape buffalo bulls. Generating up to 4.1 kJ of force, the handgun produces a great amount of recoil and kick, and novice shooters should be under strict supervision when handling the impressive weapon.

WTS .50 BMG Pistol

This custom built handgun from German gun manufacturer WTS Waffentechnik weighs a whopping 7.2 kilograms, which makes it heavier than most automatic rifles. With its 430 millimetre long barrel, the WTS .50 BMG looks more like a rifle than a pistol, but it is still technically a handgun and is designed to be held like one. However, users will have to be very careful when using this monster of a weapon as it fires .50 Browning Machine Gun (BMG) rounds. Perhaps unsurprisingly, with such large ammunition the pistol is only single shot, and users have to load additional rounds via a bolt action mechanism. However, the huge firepower generated by the handgun means that just one bullet will be more than enough for any target. The WTS .50 BMG is not widely manufactured, and it is hard to purchase out of Germany. For many avid gun enthusiasts who have managed to get their hands on one, the handgun is certainly the talk of any gun collection

This post was written by Robert Johnson an gun enthusiast and keen angler. Visit Sealskinz for more information on the professional gun gloves and sporting apparel, all fully waterproof and wind resistant.

Technorati Tags: Dirty Harry, gun, handgun, handguns, pistol, rifles, Smith Wesson Model, weapon

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Rock River LAR-8 Review

November 5, 2012

Reviews

The LAR-8 is a reasonably priced, reasonably light AR platform 7.62×51 rifle. Another selling point is that it is “supposed” to be able to use any FN type magazine metal, polymer, inch or metric. Since FN magazines are in good supply they are also pretty inexpensive yet another selling point. From personal experience these rifles are built to very tight tolerances and are very accurate and can shoot better than I can. These points would indicate that this would be a very good firearm to have, light, accurate, and shoots a powerful round.

First I have to tell a story to get to the problem.

The above qualities convinced my dad to buy one of these rifles and since I had not heard any bad things about them I also thought was a good idea. His first shooting season after purchasing the weapon went fine through zeroing his optic nothing bad so far. He reloads and we notice that the brass is kicking out funny then the weapon goes down. No immediate action drill will help so we inspect the weapon an there is part of shell casing stuck in the chamber. A shell casing stuck is never a good thing so we get a cleaning rod out and corrected the problem. He reloads next round does the same thing it is ripping the bottom of the cartridge off. So we stop shooting that rifle and the next business day he calls Rock River. They tell him he is probably not keeping his weapon clean and that he needs to get a chamber brush and keep the lugs really clean. I for one have never heard of a chamber getting so dirty after 30 rounds that it will cause rounds to stick so tight the extractor rips the case in half. Also keep in mind that my father is a former Marine and knows a little about weapons maintenance as he had to battle the Jamming Jenny of Vietnam fame. So dad makes sure the weapon is clean before next range season fires approx 10 rounds thru the rifle and it has the same issue. At this point I had to stop him from throwing the rifle against a tree and to have him send to Rock River. The following week he gets a return authorization from Rock River and sent the rifle back. In a couple weeks he gets the weapon back with a note saying the rifle has had 100 rounds through it with no jams and also advising him to call the tech guys. That should have been a warning now to the problem…

The magazine chosen for this rifle while dependable in an FN does not like the AR platform. Per RRA’s tech guys it is advised that the owner should use only polymer magazines and that this particular person when using metal magazines disassembles them and coats the inside with car wax to make sure it works. Meanwhile RRA reject the polymer mags they receive at a rate of 60% because they will not work the tech gun told my dad they reject 6,000 out of every 10,000 magazines received that are made to their specs. The RRA website states “These are inch pattern based RRA LAR-8 magazines no guarantee is made of their compatibility with any rifle other than the RRA LAR-8.” So much for the FN compatibility, the magazine if not absolutely perfect causes the round in the chamber to become stuck and the bolt to rip the base off of the casing. Also on RRA’s website “Due to the progressive improvements to the design of the LAR-8 magwell (they know they have a problem) some magazines may not fall freely from all LAR-8 (if it works at all) and/or may require filing of the spacing tab. Great just what we need to be doing filing away on a magazine to either make it work or ruin it.

Rock River’s solution to my dad’s rifle is that he, send it in again and they will test and replace all of his magazines at no cost. Not fix the lower or magwell but to test and basically get custom magazines for his individual rifle. So as I see it RRA wants the buyers of this rifle to buy enough magazines and test them to find which ones will work. At RRA stated rate of discarding magazines 60% an owner would have to buy 10 to get four that will work that is an extra $200 dollars just to be able to shoot your firearm.

This would be a nightmare for a police force that contemplated this weapon as a Designated Marksman’s rifle, a tough three gun shooter, shooting enthusiast, or hunter wanting something more than a 5.56 in an AR platform to hunt with. This is what happens when someone tries to get fancy and move away from the SR-25 magazine. We know that the PMAGs will work every time and cost the same as RRA polymer magazine.

Rock River makes some very good firearms their LAR-47 is a great idea and has gotten rave reviews. The use of the FN magazine for this weapon was not one of their better ideas and RRA knows they have a problem. I do not think they have it fixed yet and so cannot recall the rifle so they offer stop gap measures to get the shooter by.

So buyer beware the LAR-8 will NOT use any FN magazine and if you decide to purchase one be prepared to shell out another $200 in magazine costs just to get four magazines. Or spend a little extra money and get an LWRC REPR, Colt 901, Armalite, Knights Armament, or if you are stuck on using FN mags get an SA58 from DSArms.

Technorati Tags: AR, FN, gun, LAR, rifles, Rock River, RRA, weapon

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Bullet Seating Depth

October 26, 2012

Knesek Guns

One of the more recent discussions to be circulating within the reloading community is that of bullet depth. Aided by new products that have come onto the market such as the Hornady OAL Gauge the re-loader has never been better equipped to determine the optimum bullet seating depth. So what is bullet seating depth and what does it matter. Most commercial ammunition is manufactured to make sure it fits the vast majority if not all rifles that it may be used in. In magazine fed rifles the ammunition also needs to fit into the magazine itself. As a result the depth at which the bullet is seated into the case itself is not necessarily optimized for accuracy but instead optimized for conformity. By ensuring that the ammunition will fit all rifles it is fairly certain that a gap will be left between the ogive of the bullet head and the rifling of the barrel. This gap is called the “jump” and can fundamentally affect the accuracy of the rifle/ammunition combination.

The re-loader and target shooter aren’t normally restricted by the confines of magazines or having to ensure their ammunition works across all rifles. They have the option to hand feed their rounds into the chamber and most likely only one rifle to worry about so the option to seat the bullet at the optimum depth rather than a compromise depth exists enabling the optimum accuracy to be obtained.

The easiest way to determine the OAL (Overall Length) of the cartridge (sometimes referred to as COAL or C.O.L – cartridge overall length) as best suits your rifle is to use one of the tools on the market that allows for this. The OAL Gauge from Hornady is the one that I have used and consists of a metal casing with a thread at the end that is hollow and allows for a plastic rod to slide through it. To one end a slightly oversized empty cartridge case is screwed and within that a bullet head can be placed. As a result by moving the plastic rod the bullet head slides up and down within the case. The entire unit is then placed into the breach of the rifle and the rod moved until the bullet head engages with the lands and grooves of the rifling. It is recommended that a cleaning rod be used down the barrel to push lightly against the bullet head so it is not jammed into the rifling. Once the perfect balance between the two rods pushing against either end of the bullet head is reached the plastic rod can be locked in place and the unit withdrawn from the breach. The OAL of the cartridge can then be measured with calipers either to the tip of the bullet itself or ideally to the ogive of the bullet using a collimator. This latter approach offers greater consistency as the tip of the bullet will vary across bullet heads.

Once the OAL has been measured the shooter can then determine the best overall length for their cartridges. Usually the re-loader will take two to three hundredths of an inch off the OAL to leave a small jump. For example on a recent reloading of 338 Lapua Magnum my measured OAL was 3.98” so for one batch of reloads it was determined to set the OAL at 3.95”. Pictures of the difference between standard UK Army issue 338 Lapua Magnum using RUAG brass and Lapua Lockbase bullet heads and home loads using RUAG brass and Berger VLD 300 grain bullet heads can be seen on the Figure 14 Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/figure14ltd. These are not recommendations of course and the reloader must determine his or her own optimum depth.

Many reloaders will create several batches at slightly differing OALs and even with slightly different powder loads as well and then shoot those combinations to determine the absolute optimum settings for their rifle.

As with all reloading the appropriate level of experience, care and precision should be taken. Always operate within the manufacturers guidelines for starting and maximum loads and always check your brass. Check out this and further blogs at the Figure 14 website at http://www.figure14.com

Figure 14 is a partner of THOR Global Defense Group and Knesek Guns importing THOR and EDM rifles into the UK

Technorati Tags: ammunition, barrel, EDM, Lapua Lockbase, Lapua Magnum, OAL, rifles, RUAG

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Quality Over Bargin Basement ARs (or mil-spec demystified?)

August 31, 2012

Knesek Guns

7 Comments

This is going to get a little technical but bear with me. True mil-spec for the M16 family of weapons can be a slippery slope for discussion. The fact of the matter is that there aren’t any commercially available rifles that fit full MIL-STD, the bottom line is that commercially sold rifles are not subjected to government inspectors and deviate from the procurement data sheets which require certain characteristics. In saying that, the “mil-spec” AR rifles that you see on the market are built with same components that provide uniformity and interchangeability of various components such as roll pins, buffer tubes, etc.,

Below is the actual list of government specifications on this type weapon:

Accuracy: 5″ at 100 yards with iron sights.
Barrel: MIL-B-11595E / 4150 Chromemoly (with other chemical requirements from the military)
Barrel Life: Minimum 6000 rounds.
Bolt: High Pressure Tested (HPT) (which means they shoot a super over pressure round and make sure it does not blow up), Magnetic Particle Inspected (MPI) this is an x-ray for metal, Shot Peened which is a surface hardening process which gives more strength to the bolt.
Upper and Lower forged 7075 aluminum.

To compare, we’ve selected the commercial DPMS Sportical rifle:

Barrel 4140 Chromemoly Rockwell Hardness of 28-32 (less carbon and is a weaker steel and therefore will not last as long. Only Chrome lined as a factory add on.)
Upper Receiver: Extruded 7029 T6 aluminum (extruded mean basically was cut from a mold, 7029 is also relatively soft.)
Lower: Forged 7075 aluminum.
Bolt: Not HPT, MPI or shot peened.

The end result in purchasing such a rifle is ultimately paying a little less for a rifle with about 3000 rounds of barrel life, softer uppers and barrels.

Now, to go forward a bit, on the other side of the coin…there ARE some high end commercial AR type rifles that can outperform and outlast some of the standard GI rifles, for this example I have elected to look at the LWRC M6 series, some other carbines that beg mentioning would be the HK MR556, THOR TR15P CQB, KAC SR15 and so on.

Accuracy two independent tests confirm that the LWRC can shoot sub 2″ at 100 yards with iron sights.
The M6A2 comes with a target crowned match barrel that further increases accuracy. This rifle is in use by the DEA and the particular issue rifle tested fired 1.44″ average groups with a best of 1.28″ with 55 grain full metal jacket ammunition.
LWRC M6A2
Barrel: 4145 Chromemoly which is considered a superior steel for shock and wear resistance also has a NiCorr surface conversion that extend barrel life to 20,000 rounds. Even the new M855A1 round in use by the Army which has cut mil-spec barrel life for 3,000 rounds. LWRC is good for 8,000-10,000 per LWRC testing for the Individual Carbine Program for the Army.
Bolts: HPT, MPI, shot peened, also given a special nickle coating that nearly eliminates corrosion and is self lubricating. This aids in one of the AR platforms most common malfunction of running a dry rifle.
Short Stroke Piston: This prevents propellant gasses from getting into the chamber and covering the bolt and internal parts with gunpowder residue this aids in reliability. The piston further cuts down on recoil which aids in accuracy.
Upper and Lower receiver is 7075 forged aluminum.
The back up sights are also forged from 7075.
The LWRC M6A2 5.56 is the issue rifle for the DEA who use it from Columbia to Afghanistan.
The Ultra Compact Individual Weapon (UCIW) was just selected as the personal defense weapon for the British military and will be issued to their Special Forces, helicopter, and vehicle crewmen. Who demand a compact weapon that is capable of throwing out a wall of rifle fire not sub-machineguns or pistols in 9mm.
Also Shooting Times declared the LWRC M6 the best option for the Army’s Individual Carbine Program (ICP).

The LWRC is beyond a mil-spec rifle (whatever that means) as the current mil-spec was written in the 1960s using 1960s technology with just a few adjustments in the last few years but nothing in the way of the operating system or how the rifle is put together. Colt was even told with withdraw their piston rifle from the ICP as the Army had no intention of changing rifles or operating systems. With a 20,000 barrel life and match grade accuracy and all of the M4 reliability issues corrected the LWRC is the an excellent option for the serious shooter.

Technorati Tags: barrel, Colt, LWRC, rifles, weapon

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Springfield Armory, Inc. M1A Loaded

August 12, 2012

Knesek Guns \ Reviews

In 1959, the United States military retired its service rifle, the M1 Garand, in favor of a new design chambered in a new intermediate caliber. That new rifle was the M-14, chambered in 7.62×51 NATO. Built more for fighting an open country war on the plains of Europe against Soviet forces, it ran into trouble when fielded for the Vietnam War. Troops complained that the rifle was too heavy, they couldn’t carry much ammunition, and that the rifle was completely uncontrollable when firing on full-auto.

With the M-16 soon arriving as the replacement service rifle in 1966, the M-14 was gradually rotated out of service with the final front-line units giving up their rifles in 1970.

Several manufacturers have produced civilian versions of the M-14, but arguably the most common would be Springfield Armory, Inc’s M1A. Today, the company produces eight different versions of the M1A – including CQB, ranch carbines, full size rifles, and precision rifles. The street price of these rifles varies from $1,200 to well over $3,000.

Walk into a gun store. You will likely see several M1A’s on the rack for sale. A casual browser might look at one, but they cost quite a fair amount of money. Perhaps enough to make one take a pass in favor of a FAL or AR-10. Is this rifle worth the money? Read on, and find out.

General Impressions

The rifle I’m reviewing today is the “Loaded” M1A. This model comes with a match barrel, a standard G.I. fiberglass or match walnut stock, match 2-stage trigger group, Match front sight, and Match flash suppressor (unless you purchase the California -compliant model, which comes with a muzzle brake). A cursory inspection of the rifle reveals a good build quality, solid construction, and even parkerizing and finishing. My rifle came standard with a repainted G.I. fiberglass stock, gun lock, 10 round magazine, original USGI M-14 maintenance manual (Thanks, SA! The manual is one of the best I have ever read for any gun), and a form that gives you a discount for additional SA accessories.

Accessories

Aftermarket manufacturers have noticeably increased the amount of accessories available for this rifle in recent years. Most of it has to do with the fact that US Armed Forces have re-fielded the M-14 for use in the Iraq and Afghanistan theaters, where it is used as a DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle). In addition to the 1960′s era accessories, parts like rail systems, stocks, scope mounts, bipods, and optics are readily available. I chose to make my rifle look as close to a M21 (accurized sniper version of the M-14) as possible. I purchased a McMillian fiberglass stock (these must be bedded to the action by a gunsmith), an A.R.M.S. #18 scope mount, GG&G 30mm medium height scope rings, an adjustable cheek piece, and a Springfield Armory 4-14x56mm Gen III scope (sadly, these aren’t made anymore – I purchased mine years ago and was impressed with what I got for the money. At the time, you couldn’t beat SA for a entry level tactical scope for $675). I also replaced the butt pad with a USGI butt plate with the shoulder rest (gasp! a shoulder thing that goes up!). I have one comment about accessorizing; be careful. The M1A is a heavy gun – stock, they weigh around 10 pounds (4.5 kg) and anything you bolt onto this gun will rapidly increase the weight. So, before you spend your money on a bunch of accessories, pay attention to the weight of each of them and think if you really want or need this accessory on the rifle. My rifle weighs 18 pounds (8.2 kg) – and that is a lot of gun to carry around with a few basic options. If you intend to mount optics other than parallax free units, the ergonomics of the M1A preclude a good cheek weld to the stock. In some cases, the shooter might actually be able to rest their chin on the comb of the stock while looking through the scope! This must be remedied if any degree of consistency in shooting is to be attained. Fortunately, this is a well known problem, and there are many options available for fixing it, from new stocks with adjustable cheek pieces built into them (make sure the stock has enough travel on the cheek piece to fit your scope/ring setup), or slip on ones that require holes drilled in the stock, and even fabric pads that cinch down over the stock to help hold risers in place. Or you could employ the “field expedient” method like our fighting men use; get a roll of duct tape and an old foam bed roll, then go to town.

Shooting Impressions

With a match grade barrel, my rifle likes heavier bullets. I use 168 grain BTHP Sierra Matchkings in my handloads. Recoil is smooth, but a bit sharp; a dynamic not assisted in any way by my choice of a metal butt plate – I tend to have a very tender shoulder by the end of a shooting session. My particular rifle hates surplus 147 grain 7.62 NATO ammunition; I simply cannot get any accuracy out of the rifle with this stuff (5″ – 6″ groups at 100 yards). However, that poor accuracy is due to the twist rate of the barrel, My friend’s SOCOM II absolutely loves this surplus ammo. If I try, I can almost get sub-minute groups with the rifle, but I have to pay the most careful attention in everything from the preparation of the handloads, to the eventual shooting technique. Under normal conditions, my rifle is a 1.5 – 2 MOA rifle as can be seen in the picture. I have had the opportunity to fire this rifle at extended distances, and this is where the rifle with this setup really shines. We set a 10″ gong at 400 meters, loaded up the magazines, deployed the bipod, and gave the rifle a try. Hitting it was easy… No, like zipping up your fly easy. We hit that thing each and every time. Even my girlfriend, who has not ever fired a rifle in her life was able to make accurate hits at this range with minor instruction, and someone watching the trace. At extended ranges, the M1A stops being a good rifle, and starts being a supurb rifle. I must also point out that although the rifle was zeroed at 100 yards, I had never shot it out this far, so I had no dope to fall back on. I poked around on the internet and found a a free ballistic calculator that I was able to enter various settings to work up a basic dope sheet for the rifle – when fired for the first time, we were within one foot of the target. I guess Sir Isaac Newton knew what he was talking about.

Final Thoughts

The M1A is a fantastic rifle that will last a long time. At first, when I thought I had spent $2,700 for a 2 MOA gun, I was a bit irritated. All of those feelings went away when I shoot this rifle at steel plates at further ranges. This is a rifle that can engage targets at those ranges all day long, and whose bullet will still have more energy at 300 yards than the AR-15 has at the muzzle. Springfield Armory’s customer service is very good, I have had to use them in the past. My rifle could be described as a “lemon” if there is such a thing in the gun world. When I first shot it, it had nothing but FTF and FTE malfunctions all day long. I tried different ammunition, different magazines, different lubricants, detail cleaning…nothing fixed it so I sent it back to the factory. They had it back in 6 weeks, and reported that the heat treating of the receiver was out of spec, so I got a new receiver free of charge. Took it to the range, and…FTF, FTE malfunctions again. Then, in the middle of a string of malfunctions, the recoil felt “different”. Woah, stop, that’s a big red flag. I removed the magazine and cleared the chamber, to discover that the left locking lug on the bolt had sheared off. Back to the factory it went, to be returned 4 weeks later with a new bolt, a new receiver, and a personal note from the SA armorer that he was sorry I had so many problems and that he shot 20 rounds through the rifle with no problems whatsoever. After that last fix, whatever he did, the problems went away and the only malfunction has been one FTF because of a bad round. I would recommend the M1A, but only because Springfield Armory’s customer service is so good; This really shouldn’t be necessary on a design like the M1A. Everyone else I have talked to about this issue has had no problems like mine with their rifles, I guess mine was built on a Friday before Labor Day weekend.

Technorati Tags: barrel, CQB, rifles, United States

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KelTec RFB Review

August 7, 2012

Reviews

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I got RFB 0042 with a little luck for about $1600 back when the first RFBs were going for an average of twice that on Gun Broker. I was actually the first one on the KTOG forum to get one in hand. This was markedly different than anything that most anyone had ever seen and end user information was scant at best. All that seemed to matter was that I finally owned a real bull pup rifle and this baby was not in a wimpy caliber! The only thing I was not pleased with was the rifle being black, never good!

It just so happens that I got addicted to suppressors a couple of years ago. It started when I bought an M82A1 in 2008 and I knew that I did not want to live with the muzzle blast from a round like that and picked up an AWC Turbodyne. I had a started to acquire some more suppressors down the line and decided to try out an appropriate one on the RFB when it came in. With a little workbench modification – I had it all set up. To my dismay, the suppressor used caused some overpressure and popped the adjustment cap, pin and spring from the rifle – this was all from the loosest setting; I made some adjustments and It did function fine when suppressed and Kel-Tec’s customer service sent me replacement parts within a few days. Subsequently, the original piston did break a few hundred rounds later and my rifle was upgraded with a longer piston for firing suppressed. Not long after getting the RFB, I had an Armalite SuperSASS that I had ordered arrive. I may have gotten a bit worked up and ordered quite a few things that were on my wishlist right after the 2008 election. At any rate, the political situation combined with my paranoia did facilitate and interesting result. The Armalite is a fine rifle in any body’s book. It is extraordinarily accurate and reliable. It is easily suppressed and it runs like a freaking sewing machine! What a perfect rifle to use as a reference toward the RFB!

I have no bones about personalizing my firearms. I collect for the utility and never intended to sell any of them unless something comes along that really fills its place in my vault; Other than the RFB and KSG, I have not seen many new designs on the table available for civilian use. The RFB is in my opinion is the best new rifle design on the market and is capable of filling most any role out there; However, it does not come out of the box ready to deploy. The most common problem is lack of reference for cheek to stock weld. A little time and digging around produced a pretty good cheek rest and I also had to improvise a stud for the bi pod. I added the Tijicon Accupoint 2.5-10×56 with the green triangle. The cheek rest needs no explanation, but to go a bit further on the bipod, I do prefer them over a sandbag as my shooting platform. I also like that I can get really good magnification with the Accupoint and fire off the cuff for sudden and close up engagements. When I purchased all this, I was working a lot of overtime and could have bought any scope I wanted (so I did). Hey brother, if you can count dots under fire, you are the man, I however, am not the man.

Cargile's KelTec RFB — Cargile’s KelTec RFB

To the point, the RFB: I, like many others, waited and waited and waited for them to hit the shelves and it was no disappointment at all. The recoil unassisted is fairly short and straight back because of the extended reach of the bullpup design. There are alot of good muzzle brakes available and the cans today are getting better every week it seems. When you factor in the ease of handling and the excellent trigger of this rifle, the rate of fire is well above what you might initially imagine. I have used older lots of Gold Medal Match, Privy Partisan Match and hand loads all in 168gr weights. I have always gotten sub MOA accuracy from this rifle as did many others from KTOG. Some did not and since they could go sub MOA on other rifles they owned, they assumed it was the RFB. I have to say it is and it is not. The biggest factor is not having a solid reference on the stock and I am also biased against sand bags. The RFB is not your M14 or your Remington 700. You can not treat it like it is and that is the case simply put. Basic rifle marksmanship technique obviously is the other side of the coin. Some people know of it and some know how to do it.

This is collectively the fastest and most accurate rifle that I have ever owned, the SASS just is not as comfortable to me as a battle rifle. The hardest thing about the RFB is developing a routine for checking the chamber area; But, a slightly modified drill of SPORTS is all you really need. The rail is too short for iron sights, carry a back up reflex sight or Eotech with 7.62 BDR. I would love to have one of these in 6mm Creedmore; Other than that, if a unit ever decides to field these rifles and provide the customary logistics, as some have for FN’s similiar design, game on!

Technorati Tags: rifles, suppressors

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What is going on Across the Pond (A Short History)

July 18, 2012

World & Politics

What is going on Across the Pond (A Short History)

Our English cousins once renowned for their firearms development have basically stopped small arms development and are relying on foreign sources, namely the US for their newest military weapons. I will not dive much into the causes except to say that the draconian gun laws all but prevent private development unlike the U.S. England does not currently have a Ronnie Barrett taming the .50 caliber machine gun round and putting it into a rifle, a Thor Firearmshttp://www.thorrifles.com/ that has developed a first class sniper rifle system and top notch rifles based on the M16/AR15 platform, or a Reed Knight owner and founder of Knight Armament Company a leader in rail systems suppressors, and the M110 sniper system used by all branches of the U.S. military, and too many others to name. Nor does England have a myriad of companies based upon the firearms accessories business there is no Magpul, Midwest industries, or Yankee Hill Manufacturing. England’s destruction of their gun culture has also ruined their innovation in military firearms. While Holland and Holland still make firearms into works of art this does not help their military.

The state of British military small arms prowess has not always been so…The Brown Bess or the British Land Pattern Musket was kept in service for 116 years and was the rifle used to expand and defend the Empire. The Baker rifle one of the first successful rifled muskets and was issued in large numbers to British riflemen during the age of Napoleon and served alongside the Brown Bess. The Baker was followed by the Enfield Rifled Musket which also happened to be the primary rifle of the Southern states during the U.S. Civil War. Later the Martini Henry of Zulu fame was used very successfully by the British Army for 30 years. This was followed by the Lee-Metford which in turn evolved in the famous Lee-Enfield.

Lately things have turned ugly with the adaption of the SA80 in 1985. This weapon was an excellent target rifle. However the truth about the weapon came out during the first Gulf War. It was discovered that in battle field used the weapon would fire when dropped, the hand guards would come off and soldiers would inadvertently dump their magazine leaving them unarmed. In 1997 England’s Ministry of Defense (MOD) finally decided to fix the SA80. The German company of Heckler and Koch was hired to redesign the weapon at a cost of 92 million pounds. A side note Heckler and Koch has also designed what some consider a superior M4 and the HK M27 IAR was recently adapted by the US Marine Corps. So it is not just the Brits who rely on the Germans for weapons.

In 2011 the British Army adapted the Lewis Machine & T L129A1 Sharpshooters rifle to issue to its designated riflemen. This weapon won out over rifles submitted by HK, Knights Armament, FN, Sabre Defense, and Oberland arms. More recently the LWRC Ultra Compact Individual Weapon to be used for a personal defense weapon by vehicle crews, helicopter pilots, and by British special operations troops. Again this American firm won out over the usual competitors (wouldn’t be nice if the US military bought US guns?).

Britian’s New Sharpshooter’s Rifle the LMT L129a1. Taking back the Infantry half kilometer.

The Brits have not designed and fielded a domestic small arm since 1985 and this one was a failure. Is British small arms development down for the count? I supposed only time will tell if it will rise from the ashes but for now it is time for US companies as they say to make hay.

Technorati Tags: British Army, gun, rifles

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Swiss firearms policy in practice

June 12, 2012

Knesek Guns

Some time back, BBC News had posted a rather interesting article in the midst of its daily stories entitled “Switzerland and the gun.” The article briefly outlined some of the key points of Swiss policy on firearms and military service and how it had positively impacted Swiss society as a whole. I thought this was a good read to share ideas from another perspective and worth reposting once again as much of the content is still relevant today, over 10 years later.

Guns are deeply rooted within Swiss culture – but the gun crime rate is so low that statistics are not even kept.

The country has a population of six million, but there are estimated to be at least two million publicly-owned firearms, including about 600,000 automatic rifles and 500,000 pistols.

This is in a very large part due to Switzerland’s unique system of national defence, developed over the centuries.

Instead of a standing, full-time army, the country requires every man to undergo some form of military training for a few days or weeks a year throughout most of their lives.

Between the ages of 21 and 32 men serve as frontline troops. They are given an M-57 assault rifle and 24 rounds of ammunition which they are required to keep at home.

Once discharged, men serve in the Swiss equivalent of the US National Guard, but still have to train occasionally and are given bolt rifles. Women do not have to own firearms, but are encouraged to.

Few restrictions

In addition to the government-provided arms, there are few restrictions on buying weapons. Some cantons restrict the carrying of firearms – others do not.

The government even sells off surplus weaponry to the general public when new equipment is introduced.

Guns and shooting are popular national pastimes. More than 200,000 Swiss attend national annual marksmanship competitions.

But despite the wide ownership and availability of guns, violent crime is extremely rare. There are only minimal controls at public buildings and politicians rarely have police protection.

Mark Eisenecker, a sociologist from the University of Zurich told BBC News Online that guns are “anchored” in Swiss society and that gun control is simply not an issue.

Some pro-gun groups argue that Switzerland proves their contention that there is not necessarily a link between the availability of guns and violent crime in society.

Low crime

But other commentators suggest that the reality is more complicated.

Switzerland is one of the world’s richest countries, but has remained relatively isolated.

It has none of the social problems associated with gun crime seen in other industrialised countries like drugs or urban deprivation.

Despite the lack of rigid gun laws, firearms are strictly connected to a sense of collective responsibility.

From an early age Swiss men and women associate weaponry with being called to defend their country.

Technorati Tags: Firearms, gun, rifles

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MR762A1 Now Shipping

February 28, 2012

Knesek Guns

MR762A1
Heckler & Koch’s long anticipated MR762A1 rifle (in caliber 7.62 x 51 mm) debuted at the 2012 SHOT Show, joining the 5.56 mm model (MR556A1) released in 2011. The new MR762A1 rifle is inspired and influenced by recent Heckler & Koch piston driven rifles, including the new HK G28 designated marksman rifle developed for the German military.

A semi-automatic rifle originally developed from the fully automatic HK417, the MR762A1 uses the same HK proprietary gas piston operating system found on current HK rifles and carbines, using a “pusher” rod in place of the gas tube normally found in AR15/M16/M4-style firearms. This method of operation virtually eliminates malfunctions that are common to direct impingement gas systems since hot carbon fouling and waste gases do not enter the receiver area. This is the same key feature critical to the success of the HK416/HK417 rifles used by leading military and law enforcement customers.

The MR762A1 uses many of the same assemblies and accessories that originated on the HK417 including the HK free-floating four-quadrant rail system. This handguard system allows all current accessories, sights, lights, and aimers used on M4/M16-type weapons to be fitted to the MR Series.

The HK rail system can be installed and removed without tools and returns to zero when reinstalled. Like their HK military counterparts, the MR (for Match Rifle) series rifles use barrels produced by Heckler & Koch’s famous cold hammer forging process. The highest quality steel is used in this manufacturing process, producing a long-life barrel that provides superior performance with minimal degradation of accuracy and muzzle velocity after prolonged use.

MR762A1 rifles are produced in the USA from a combination of American and German-made components.

Technorati Tags: 5.56, 7.62, Heckler Koch, HK, rifles, USA

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