Attero Arms AK Mount - $75, Co-Witness with Micro Red Dot

Picture "borrowed" from Attero Website - Hey, it's free advertising.

Hey, this is kind of neat.  For about $75, you get new iron sights with white dots, and a mount to fit a micro red dot.

Direct link to Attero Arms & Accessories products page.

There's two models.  The one pictured above is the "Alpha" model, and it fits the Burris Fastfire sights, Trijicon RMR, and other sights with the Doctor pattern mounting holes.  The Bravo model fits Aimpoint Micros and the Primary Arms Micro Dot.

Looking forward to hearing some range reports.

Aimpoint Micro T-1s Under $500

Midway is running a sale on the Aimpoint Micro T-1.  $499.99 without any mount, which won't be a problem for those that are going to buy a high mount for an AR anyway.  Use coupon code "182011" to get the sale price.

SWFA is running almost the same deal @ $498.95.

VLTOR AK Stock Tubes Available

I see that Midway and Carolina Shooter Supply have the VLTOR AR collapsible stock adapters for stamped AK rifles in stock.  These have been sold out everywhere pretty much since 2008.  Just thought that's I'd let everyone know.

I've gone for ACE stock adapters, because I want to add folder hinges at some point when I find the money.

Brownells Free Shipping Coupon Code

Use coupon code "DGM" at Brownells.com to get free ground shipping on orders over $150, "for a limited time."

Just a note, in case you haven't heard: Brownells now sells ammo.

Archangel Sparta - Ruger Mini Stock

Screenshot from Archangel Video

Archangel Sparta Promotional Video

I think this is kind of cool, except for the now-superfluous Ruger front sight sitting out there on the barrel.  A Bushmaster ACR-type stock for Ruger Mini rifles.  Seems the stocks fit both Mini-14s and Mini-30s.  Has a one-size-fits-some grip - like the ACRs.  Has a cheekpiece adjustable for height - like the ACRs.  The stocks have integrated sling QD swivel sockets, like an enhanced ACR (the basic models don't have sockets forward of the magwell).  The length of pull is adjustable, like most AR carbine stocks.  The stock does not fold.

I'm told that the scope rail is aluminum, not polymer.  The flip-up sights will probably be included, and I'd bet money that they're ProMag sights, because Archangel is a division of ProMag.

The Sparta stocks have not been released for sale yet.  Rumor has it, that they're working on getting the stocks to be a universal fit, but Ruger has changed the design of the Minis over the last few decades, and that's causing some issues.


On a somewhat related note; the Archangel Marauder stocks that convert Ruger 10/22s into a G36 look-alike have started shipping, but they seem to be sold out everywhere.  The Midway price is $160 or $170, and I'm sort of thinking of buying one before HK sues and issues a cease and desist order.  A little bit cheesy, and the stock probably ruins the accuracy of the rifle a bit, because the scope rail on the stock isn't bolted directly to the top of the receiver or the barrel.  It is, however, cheaper than an airsoft G36, and I've already got a 10/22 to drop into it.  Hmm.

S&W Model 329 Safety Recall

Performance Center Model 329 Revolvers Safety Recall Information

This safety recall notice applies to the limited edition model 329 revolver manufactured at the Smith & Wesson performance center. This safety recall notice applies to 270 revolvers manufactured at the performance center bearing serial numbers - ranging from BVA0004 to BVA0210 and DEW0001 to DEW0099.

It has been determined that damage to the frame may have occurred during assembly of the single piece barrel. As a result, there exists the possibility that the revolver may rupture during firing, causing a failure of the firearm and creating a risk of personal injury.

You should immediately stop using the revolver and return it to Smith & Wesson. Upon return Smith & Wesson will issue a refund or a credit towards the purchase of a replacement firearm.To determine if your revolver is subject to this safety recall notice, please check the serial number. The serial number is displayed on the frame of the revolver and is visible with the cylinder open. See the diagram below:

Please note that this safety recall notice does not apply to the model 329 PD. The model 329 PD is designed with a two-piece barrel. Because of this and other design, manufacture and assembly differences that exist between the model 329 PD and the limited edition model 329 manufactured at the performance center, the safety and performance concerns that led to this recall do not affect the model 329 PD. You should return your revolver only if it is a model 329 with a serial number in the range specified above.

Please contact Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-331-0852 to arrange for the return of your firearm.

Again, the above was copied from the official S&W Website. Specifically from the Model 329 Recall Page.

S&W Performance Center 460 Safety Recall

SAFETY RECALL NOTICE

PRODUCT:  Smith & Wesson's Performance Center Model 460 Revolvers

DESCRIPTION OF THE HAZARD:  Smith & Wesson has received four (4) reports of barrel failures involving its Performance Center Model 460 revolvers. These barrels were manufactured by an outside supplier. Our investigation has revealed that the quality of steel in some of these barrels did not meet the performance requirements for these firearms and may have contributed to failure of the barrel.

You should stop using the revolver and return it immediately to Smith & Wesson so that your barrel can be inspected and replaced, if necessary.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PRODUCT INVOLVED:  This recall applies to Performance Center Model 460 revolvers shipped by the Smith & Wesson Performance Center prior to September 18, 2006. This recall does NOT apply to Smith & Wesson standard production Model 460 revolvers. The affected revolvers can be identified by the following Serial Number Range:

EBD0001 - EBD0524
EBF0002 - EBF0251
LHZ0000 - LHZ0511
LLL0000 - LLL0702
LRR0001 - LRR0552
MMM0001 - MMM1809
XMC0001 - XMC0109

To determine if your firearm is part of this recall, please check your serial number which can be found on the yoke of your firearm as indicated below. Each Performance Center Model 460 will have the words "Performance Center" engraved on the barrel as indicated below:

REMEDY/ACTION TO BE TAKEN: When the revolver is returned to Smith & Wesson, we will inspect and test each barrel to verify that it meets specification. If the barrel fails to meet specification, a new one will be provided and installed for you free of charge.

We have already begun the corrective action process on Performance Center Model 460 revolvers. To determine whether your revolver has been inspected, please do the following:

• Keep the firearm pointed in a safe direction;
• Open the cylinder and verify that the firearm is unloaded; and
• Look for a "punch dot" in the yoke opening, just above the serial number, as shown below.

CONSUMER CONTACT: Please contact Smith & Wesson directly at 1-800-331-0852 ext. 2905, or through our web site at www.smith-wesson.com to arrange for the return of your revolver. All work will be done free of charge.

The above was copied from the offical S&W website, specifically the Performance Center 460 recall page.

EAA Witness Pistol Safety Recall

The following is a cut and paste from the EAA Corp. News page.

If you own an EAA Witness style semi-automatic pistol bearing a serial number between AE00000 to AE70000, please read this Notice.

Owners of the above designated Witness pistols should immediately field strip the pistol and send the slide assembly to European American Armory Corp., 411 Hawk Street, Rockledge, Florida 32955.  Upon receipt, European American Armory Corp. will replace the original firing pin with an upgraded firing pin for your pistol.

Please follow the instructions and warnings in the Owners’ Manual and do not disassemble your pistol beyond a field strip.  Any disassembly beyond a field strip should only be performed by a qualified gunsmith.  In particular, the firing pin should never be removed by you.  If the firing pin is removed, it must be re-installed correctly by a qualified gunsmith or the EAA Corp. service center.  If the firing pin is installed incorrectly in an upside down position, it may adversely affect the operation of your pistol and its safeties.  If your pistol is not operating properly, discontinue using it and take it to a qualified gunsmith or send it to the European American Armory Corp. service center immediately.

Thank you for your attention to this Notice.  Please call European American Armory Corp. at (800) 536-4442 if you have any questions regarding this Notice.

There's also a link to an online feedback form.

The Good and Bad of the Last Few Months

GOOD:  I was able to snag a Spike's Tactical 5.45x39mm AR upper from AIM Surplus.
BAD:  There's only one company making 5.45mm AR mags, and they're not too good at it.  All the C Products mags that I've tried, right out of the bag, don't work very well.
GOOD:  A little Teflon dry-lube goes a long way toward making the mags work.  Tweaking the feedlips to actually hold the rounds in the magazine seems to help a lot too.  I got 3 mags to work all the way through, with 25 rounds.  The one that was causing a stoppage every 2 or 3 rounds, all the way through the magazine, didn't give me any more trouble.  Things are looking better now.
BAD:  The 4th, and last, magazine that I had with me caused another trademark bolt-over-base malfunction.  I cleared the jam, reinserted the round, and it did the same thing again.  Like a flyer opening up a nice tight group, there's always gotta be one that screws things up.
GOOD:  From a decent, supported position (not bench rest), and practical sights, the upper will keep the shots on an index card at 100 yards with cheap Russian surplus and Silver Bear commercial ammo.  This is on par with M193 from my free-floated M4 upper, and the Spikes 5.45mm still has the plastic handguards and the delta ring and all.

BAD:  Last time I took the Bushmaster ACR out to the indoor range, I fired a shot, and immediately knew that something wasn't right.  I grabbed the charging handle, and pulled it, and the empty shell flipped out.  I discovered that I didn't have the gas plug in the rifle.
GOOD:  I brought the Tantal along, with the new scope mount, and I had enough loaded mags to keep me busy for an hour.
GOOD:  I found the gas plug for the ACR sitting on the bench at home.  Yeah, I'm a dumbass.  Go ahead and laugh, I deserve it.

BAD: When I took my folding stock 10/22 out to the rifle range last weekend, I was getting a lot of stove-pipe and failure-to-eject malfunctions.  That was weird.  I've had my 10/22s squared away for a while.  When I looked it over today, I discovered that the hook had broken off the extractor.  Yeah, that'll do it.
GOOD:  Surprisingly, about half of the shells popped out under the power of the burning powder, so I still got some shooting done.
GOOD:  New 10/22 extractors cost all of $2.50, and I have the tools and knowledge to tune them.  I can borrow one from the other 10/22 anyway.
GOOD:  The 10/22 seems to feed the blunt-nose Winchester 555 hollow points okay, and it shoots 'em good enough to hit the plates, so at least I've got one rimfire that'll work with the damn things.

BAD:  When I went to run some drills with my airsoft Glock, I tried to fill the magazine with gas, and the gas leaked right back out through the bottom of the mag.
GOOD:  Fortunately, the engineers at Marui in Tokyo did a decent job of creating a simple magazine, that's fairly easy to understand and work on.  I took the bottom off the mag, smeared some silicone oil on the seal and o-ring, put it back together, and tightened the gas valve a fraction of a turn.  The magazine started holding gas again, so I was able to work on drawing from a holster, and shooting on the move.

That's more good that bad.  I think I'll count that as an overall win, eh?

AIM Surplus - 10% Off Coupon Code

Coupon Code: july4th
Gets you 10% off accessories and magazines.  Expires July 4th, today.  Sorry, better late than never, eh?

"New" PA Governor Signs "Castle Doctrine" Bill Into Law

Many of you in other states are probably thinking, "Welcome to the 21st century," but this has been a long fight for gun owners in PA, against previous governor "Fast Eddie" Rendell and embedded democrat state politicians.  The bill was stalled for months by a state congressman who wouldn't bring it up for a vote, and some other political horseplay.  Once finally brought to a vote, it didn't meet very much opposition.  PA voted in a lot of Republicans in 2010, including Governor Corbett.  The bill was passed to Corbett on the 22nd, after passing through PA Senate, and he signed on the 28th.

For PA residents, "Castle Doctrine" law goes into effect on August 27, 2011.

TWS Gen.II AK Scope Mount

I finally got the Gen. II TWS scope mount and peep sight that I ordered from Dallas Shooting Supplies a few days after Christmas.  Harummph!!  It came in about the 20th of May.  I'm not exactly sure, because I wasn't home and they didn't supply a tracking number.  I believe that I got the latest version with the "spacer" for the .308 Saiga rifles.  My intention was to mount it on my Interarms Tantal (Polish AK-74, more or less, with some unique differences).

How Does It Work?
The TWS Gen. II scope mount is a railed dust cover.  Wait a minute, don't start groaning just yet, this one's pretty clever, and seems to work really well! 

The cover is held in place in front by a hinge pin that passes through the front of the mount, and the holes where the pin for the rear sight used to reside.  That pin fits tight too.  The tab that the hinge pin goes through is attached to the dust cover with two socket head screws.  The overall length of the TWS mount, from rear sight bracket to stock trunnion, can be adjusted with these two screws in order to help make the mount fit individual rifles.

A tab, bent in on the right side of the cover works as a spring to maintain the lateral alignment of the rail.

Top: Right, rear corner of TWS dust cover mount.  Bottom: Inside, rear of railed TWS dust cover.

An angled surface on the bottom edge of the take-down button supplied with the rail interacts with the cover, like a wedge, to hold the cover tight against the stock trunnion.  Recoil only helps to snug the mount down tighter.

Crude attempt to show the angle of the button on the TWS guide rod.

The TWS dust cover mount is held tight to the receiver every which way.  The barrel is press-fit and pinned into the barrel trunnion, which is firmly riveted to the receiver.  The rear sight and optic mounted on TWS mount should stay aligned with the barrel.

Compatibility

The TWS mount will fit most stamped and milled 5.45mm, 7.62x39mm, 7.62x51mm (Saiga), and .223Rem AK variants.  It will not fit Yugo's, because their dust covers are half an inch shorter than most AKs.  It will not fit Saiga shotguns, because the shotguns have different barrel trunnions and rear sights.

It doesn't attach to the tang of stock trunnion, so it will work with AK pistols, underfolders, and rifles with side-folding stocks.

I believe there are plans for a Yugo version.

Return-To-Zero
The TWS mount is supposed to hold a zero, and return to zero even after you flip it up and lock it back down, through the simple machine elements described above.  For the most part, it does.  After sighting in, I flipped the mount/dust cover up, and unseated the take-down button/recoil spring guide, and then I buttoned everything back up again and vigorously racked the bolt carrier a few times.  I did this return-to-zero test a couple of times.  The first 2 or three shots would go a little bit to the right before the recoiling bolt carrier fully seated the take-down button/recoil spring guide against the rear of the dust cover/mount.  After those first few rounds, the bullets would start going through into 10-ring again.  At 12 paces the difference was maybe half an inch for the 1st round.  I can live with that.

This testing was done without fitting the recoil spring guide to the stock trunnion.  Return-to-zero may be better now that it’s fitted -- more on this when I get to installation.

First Impressions
Initial inspection was very positive.  I was happy to see that the font size of the engraving was not as large as on some of the prototype and beta-test mounts.  I also was a little surprised at how nice the mount looked.  I wasn't sure exactly what I'd get from a small company.  The mount looks very nice, and there's no machining marks on the outside of the unit.  Every other slot in the rail has a number machined (maybe laser engraved?) on it.  I'm very pleased. 

Please note that my Interarms Tantal has a grey finish.  Keep that in mind as you look at the picture of the mount on my rifle.  The grey rifle finish is the oddball, not the finish on the TWS mount.  I actually really like the grey/black two-tone look. . . I just need Duracoat the silver Aimpoint.

Installation
The mount didn't come with any instructions.  Having read through the ak47.net forum thread, and seen a YouTube video on how to remove an AK rear sight, I knew what I had to do.  That TWS Gen. II Scope Mount thread currently stands at 69 pages, and it's still going.  The mount should come with an instruction sheet, it's not a simple drop-in/bolt-on installation.  I was able to get the mount installed in 25-30 minutes, with a lot of that time spent fighting to get the hinge pin installed against the sight spring pressure.  Like I said, the pin fits tightly, and forcing everything into place took some real effort.  Removing the rear sight from my rifle was not as easy as shown in the video either, so that took maybe 3-5 minutes, instead of about 2 seconds as shown.  Getting the recoil spring removed from the Tantal take-down button/recoil spring guide, and reinstalled on the button/guide supplied with the mount was easier than I had expected, but remember, there were no instructions included, and I was working on prior knowledge from reading 50+ pages of forum posts.  Without knowing what to do, it would have taken a whole lot longer.

I did get the mount installed on the Tantal without cutting or filing anything.  It should be noted however, that fitting the TWS recoil spring guide may be necessary or even required in some cases.  The Gen.II mount worked pretty well on my rifle with no modification, but I don’t think stoning/filing the bottom of the TWS recoil spring guide hurts anything, and I’ll feel better knowing that there’s nothing to keep the mount from locking down snug.

Stock TWS spring guide.  Note that both screws are showing.

Romanian Spring Guide.  See how far back it goes?

TWS spring guide with the bottom filed/stoned down some. Note only one screw fully exposed now.

Co-Witness
The rail sits very low, allowing some micro red dot sights to co-witness with the iron sights if you get the TWS peep sight.  With a real Aimpoint Micro, the iron sights show in the lower 1/4 of the tube.  Heights of the tubes of the Aimpoint micro clones often sit higher up and may not allow co-witnessing with the iron sights.  By all accounts the Bushnell TRS-25 micro red dot sight will co-witness, and runs $75-90 some places.  The Primary Arms Gen.7 Red Dot, with the non-removable mount, may also co-witness, but the TRS-25 seems to be more common on the TWS Gen.II Mount.  The Primary Arms Micros that I have, have the detachable mounts, and the bottom of the tube and dot emitter block the iron sights.

Putting the rail on top of the dust cover gets the rail very nearly as low as on an Ultimak Scout Mount.  It is lower than the other Beryl-type rails made by Kreb's ($300!?!?), DPH Arms, UTG, or Red Star Arms.

Balance
The TWS rail doesn't add any more weight up front, like a 3 or 4 rail handguard.  Think about it.  Almost all the weight of an AK is forward of the pistol grip.  There's a lot of steel hanging out there already.

Atxjax on the Glocktalk forum weighed everything, and found that the TWS mount only adds 1.04 ounces over the weight of standard steel rear sight and dust cover, 3.46 ounces with an Aimpoint R1.

Cleaning/Clearing Stoppages
The mount/dust cover flips up, hinged off of what used to be the rear sight block, the rear sight now being mounted on the rail on top of the TWS dust cover.  No tools are required to release the cover, and lift it up, although the bullet tip of a cartridge, a pen, or a similar object can be used to push in the button of the recoil spring guide.  If junk gets in behind the bolt carrier, you just push in the take-down button on the guide rod, and flip up the rail.  The mount doesn't hinder cleaning or maintenance as much as a side-mount, except the taller ones.  You can still remove the gas tube for cleaning, and remove the handguard, unlike the Ultimak scout mount, which clamps onto the barrel and blocks the lever that releases the lower handguard.

Live Fire
I got the Tantal out to sight in.  The first trip to the range was mostly uneventful.  I had to move the front sight a bit to the right to align with the TWS peep sight, but that's fine with me, because the front sight had been most of the way to the left, over toward the protecting wing of the front sight base.  Elevation was almost spot on.  The tip of the front sight is nearly at the top of the protective wings of the front sight base for a 100 yard zero, but I was able to get the sights lined up for both 25 and 100 yard zeros (only one at a time, obviously, with just one aperture).

For the 2nd outing, I took my Polish AK-74 up north to indoor range for some rapid fire.  Everything was fine, up until the last round of the last magazine I had with me.  The bolt carrier stayed to the rear, which is weird, because AKs don’t normally have anything to hold them open after the last round.  I didn't really think too much of it at the time.  I tapped the charging handle, the bolt carrier slammed home, I dropped the hammer, and cased the rifle and cleaned up.

When I popped the cover open to clean the rifle at home, I found the “spacer” laying loose in behind the trigger.  Half of the pin that was holding the spacer onto the recoil spring guide was rattling around in the receiver.  I’m not sure where the other half of the pin went.  Fell out, I guess.  The top of the spacer had made some contact with the inside of the dust cover, removing some finish, but I don’t think any structural damage was done.  If you scroll up, and look at the picture of the inside of the dust cover, you'll see two silver marks just forward of the square slot in the rear of the cover.  Those silver marks were made by the tabs at the top of the spacer.

Oops!  That's not supposed to happen.

I tried to get the spacer back onto the recoil spring guide, to show you what it's supposed to look like.  However, the spacer must have been bent out of shape after getting beaten by the bolt carrier, and it no longer fits.  You can see pictures of the assembled spring guide and the Saiga .308 spacer and guide rod on page 63 of the AK47.net thread, as posted by Rafaga (Nelson of TWS).

I wasn’t crazy about the idea of a metal spacer in there anyway.  I pulled the Blackjack recoil buffer out of my WASR-10, which didn’t need it anyway, and put it on the TWS guide rod.  The buffer is that blue thing you see in the picture with the cover flipped up.  Nelson of TWS is offering to send out solid recoil spring guides without the spacer.  I think I’ll take him up on that offer.  I’m afraid the whole spacer thing is giving him a bit of a headache.

There is another small matter of peening at the rear of the ejection port.  I'm told that it's from ejecting casings hitting the dust cover on the way out, and I guess this must be true.  I don't think it'll be an issue, but it's something I'm going to keep an eye on.  Nelson at TWS says that that part of the dust cover work hardens, and the peening stops after a certain round count.

Sorry, I couldn't get a better picture.  Camera doesn't do close-ups very well.

Heat Transfer
I put 5 magazines through my Tantal with the TWS mount over the course of an hour.  Although there was some heat transfer into the mount through the rear sight block, very little of the heat transferred into the Aimpoint through the rear sight block.  I had a glove on my support hand, afraid of getting burnt by the metal up front, but the red dot sight stayed more or less at room temperature.

I did the same thing with my WASR with the Ultimak Scout mount, and after five magazines, the mount of the Primary Arms red dot was starting to get quite warm.  The Primary Arms sight held up to the heat, but I when I went to clean the rifle, I noticed that the sight was loose on the mount.  I think the heat from the gas tube mount melted the threadlocker I put on the screw that holds it on the rail.
'
Conclusion
A little too early for me to say yet, but the TWS Gen. II mount definitely shows great promise.  I'm looking forward to putting more rounds though the "new" Tantal, and really shaking down the new TWS mount.  I like my "new" modernized Tantal.

EDIT, 11/19/11:  I e-mailed TWS, and they said to send in the recoil spring guide rod and spacer, and they'd send me the standard no-spacer model.  So that's what I did.  I haven't gotten to shoot with it yet though.

UPDATE, 12/10/11:  All is well.  I didn't even have to adjust the sights.

How To Make a Magazine Lip Tool

I wanted a 5.45x39mm AR upper, to shoot some of that inexpensive Russian surplus ammo.  Scored a Spike's mid-length 5.45mm upper from AIM Surplus when they had some in stock.  I've come to find out though, that many of the C Products 5.45mm AR mags are crap.  Most of them work all right, if you load them half way.  However, if I load them with more than 20 rounds, and I got lots of feed failures.

Without getting too deep into the issues with the 5.45mm mags, I'll tell you that the feed lips were part of the problem.  I've been down this road before.

I guess it was back when the only pistol I had was a Ruger Mk.II, that a bullseye shooter told me how to make a mag lip tool from a carriage bolt to keep the Mk.II from jamming bullets into the bottom of the feedramp.

Brownell's sells a tool to adjust AR magazine feedlips for about $13, but a carriage bolt only costs about 60 cents.  It's just a matter of shaping the bolt into a tool.

I'm 90% certain that I made the tool for the Ruger Mk.II tool from a 1/4" bolt.  For the AR magazine tool, I bought a 5/16" bolt.  I could have gone a couple sizes larger, but it gets the job done.  I you have access to key stock, use that, and save yourself a few steps, but the carriage bolts you can pick up at most hardware stores for less than a buck.

5/16" Carriage Bolt, with the head annealed

You've got to cut the flange off the bolt, leaving you with the square. . . lug, at the head of the bolt.  Then you cut a notch in the "lug" to slip over the offending magazine lip and bend into the right shape.  That's about it, really.  If you've got a torch available, annealing and case hardening are optional extra steps.  The annealing helps keep you from chewing up your cutting tools.  Case hardening will help make the tool last longer.

Carriage bolt with the flange hacked off, and the "lug" filed square(ish)
 

"lug" notched to make the tool
 

 Large one for AR-15, small one for .22 Pistol

Tool used for bending feedlips into shape

Zombie Defense Bug Out Gun?

Found an . . . interesting/funny article on the American Rifleman website.  The official title is, "Bug Out Bag: Your One Survival Gun."  Basically, it's about picking a weapon for a zombie apocalypse.  Although I don't really have such a firearm (though I'd only have to swap a barrel), I can't really argue the logic put forth.

It's kind of a shame they don't print this kind of thing in the magazine.  There's no hard and fast rule that we can't have a sense of humor.


I need to go watch Zombieland again now.  Talk to you later.

AR15 Lube Points

Been a while, eh?  I've been busy moving, and then doing taxes.

Anyway, I've come upon this thread on the weaponevolution.com forum with some handy graphics showing the points to lubricate the parts of AR-15/M-16 pattern rifles.  The information is available in the M-16 field manuals, which are available for free download from several websites, but the information is displayed very simply in the graphics in the thread, and you don't have to read several pages of dry field manual text to get the same information.

MP5-Look Parts Kit For GSG-522

A German Sports Guns spokesman talked about these kits shortly after the HK lawsuit, but this is the first time I've seen these parts for sale.  CDNN Investments has the parts available to make your GSG-522 look like an HK MP5.  At $19.99, I think the price is really reasonable.

Direct link to the GSG-522 to GSG-5 parts kit @ CDNN.

Although I think some of the changes made to create the GSG-522 were genuine improvements, there's no reason you couldn't mix and match parts.

Winchester Ranger .223Rem Ammo Recall

It would seem that some Winchester Ranger ammo blew up some AR patrol rifles at a carbine class, which kicked off the recall.

Link To Recall Info At The Official Winchester Website

3/1/2011

Olin Corporation, through its Winchester Division, is recalling six (6) lots of its RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® (PP) centerfire rifle ammunition (Symbol Number RA223R2).

Lot Numbers (last four characters): DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51

Through extensive evaluation Winchester has determined the above lots of RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition may contain incorrect propellant. Incorrect propellant in this ammunition may cause firearm damage, rendering the firearm inoperable, and subject the shooter or bystanders to a risk of serious personal injury when fired.

DO NOT USE WINCHESTER® RANGER® 223 REMINGTON 64 GRAIN POWER-POINT® AMMUNITION THAT HAS A LOT NUMBER ENDING IN DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41 or DK51. The ammunition Lot Number is ink stamped inside the right tuck flap of the 20-round carton, as indicated here:

To determine if your ammunition is subject to this notice, review the Lot Number. If the last four characters of the Lot Number are DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41 or DK51 immediately discontinue use and contact Winchester toll-free at 866-423-5224 to arrange for replacement ammunition and free UPS pick-up of the recalled ammunition.

This notice applies only to RANGER® 223 Remington 64 Grain Power-Point® centerfire rifle ammunition with lot numbers ending in DK01, DK11, DK21, DK31, DK41, and DK51. Other Symbol Numbers or Lot Numbers are not subject to this recall.

If you have any questions concerning this RANGER® Law Enforcement ammunition recall please call toll-free 866-423-5224, write to Winchester (600 Powder Mill Road, East Alton, IL 62024 Attn: RA223R2 Recall), or visit our website at www.winchester.com.

Letter To A Mugger on Craig's List

I got this in my e-mail.  Not sure if it's entirely real, but it's an interesting story anyway.

-------------------------------------


This my friend is what the 2nd amendment is all about.......bmpr

AN ACTUAL CRAIG'S LIST PERSONALS AD

To the Guy Who Tried to Mug Me in Downtown  Savannah  night before last. Date: 2009-05-27, 1 :43 am.  E.S.T. I was the guy wearing the black Burberry jacket that you demanded that I hand over, shortly after you pulled the knife on me and my girlfriend, threatening our lives. You also asked for my girlfriend's purse and earrings. I can only hope that you somehow come across this rather important message.

First, I'd like to apologize for your embarrassment; I didn't expect you to actually crap in your pants when I drew my pistol after you took my jacket.. The evening was not that cold, and I was wearing the jacket for a reason.. My girlfriend had just bought me that Kimber Model 1911 .45 ACP pistol for my birthday, and we had picked up a shoulder holster for it that very evening. Obviously you agree that it is a very intimidating weapon when pointed at your head ... Isn't it?!

I know it probably wasn't fun walking back to wherever you'd come from with that brown sludge in your pants. I'm sure it was even worse walking bare-footed since I made you leave your shoes, cell phone, and wallet with me. [That prevented you from calling or running to your buddies to come help mug us again]. After I called your mother or "Momma" as you had her listed in your cell, I explained the entire episode of what you'd done. Then I went and filled up my gas tank as well as those of four other people in the gas station, -- on your credit card. The guy with the big motor home took 150 gallons and was extremely grateful!

I gave your shoes to a homeless guy outside Vinnie Van Go Go's, along with all the cash in your wallet. [That made his day!] I then threw your wallet into the big pink "pimp mobile" that was parked at the curb .... After I broke the windshield and side window and keyed the entire driver's side of the car Later, I called a bunch of phone sex numbers from your cell phone. Ma Bell just now shut down the line, although I only used the phone for a little over a day now, so what 's going on with that?

Earlier, I managed to get in two threatening phone calls to the DA's office and one to the FBI, while mentioning President Obama as my possible target. The FBI guy seemed really intense and we had a nice long chat (I guess while he traced your number etc.). ;In a way, perhaps I should apologize for not killing you ... But I feel this type of retribution is a far more appropriate punishment for your threatened crime. I wish you well as you try to sort through some of these rather immediate pressing issues, and can only hope that you have the opportunity to reflect upon, and perhaps reconsider, the career path you've chosen to pursue in life.. Remember, next time you might not be so lucky.

Have a good day!
Thoughtfully yours,
evin C

Great Jeff Cooper Quote: "The Rifle Is A Weapon"

In doing a little research on gun registration (you'll find out why shortly, I still need to dot some t's and cross some eyes), I found this quote from Jeff Cooper.  Although I didn't always agree with Mr. Cooper, I find this very eloquent.

The rifle is a weapon. Let there be no mistake about that. It is a tool of power, and thus dependent completely upon the moral stature of its user. It is equally useful in securing meat for the table, destroying group enemies on the battlefield, and resisting tyranny. In fact, it is the only means of resisting tyranny, since a citizenry armed with rifles simply cannot be tyrannized

Crosman MAR177 AR-15 PCP Pellet Rifle

I had actually meant to do a short article on the Anshutz AR-type air rifle, but just never got around to it.

Word has just gotten to me that Crosman was showing a new AR-type PCP air rifle at the SHOT show.  They've dubbed it MAR177; the MAR bit standing for Modular Adaptive Rifle, and the 177 obviously refers to the caliber.  It's actually not a complete rifle, but an upper to fit to your AR-15 lower.  For the sake of simplicity, I will refer to the MAR177 + your lower as an air rifle.

The Crosman MAR177 is a Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP) air rifle, like my Marauder, and appears to use a similar magazine (but 8-shot, rather than 10-shot like the Marauder).  You'd fill the air cylinder with a high-pressure hand pump or SCUBA tank.  You can see the pellet magazine above what would be the ejection port.

I can see these being bought by CMP/DCM shooters looking to practice indoors, or maybe just looking to shoot cheaper ammo.  The upper can be placed on your match lower, so that you get the same trigger pull.  Not sure yet if you can put like a modified A2/A4 handguard on it yet.  They are saying that it will put 10 rounds into a 9mm circle at 10 meters.  The barrel is made by Lothar Walther, the same barrel they use for their Challenger PCP rifles, actually.  The MAR177 meets the requirements for use in National Match Air Rifle competitions.

The velocity figure stated in the press release is 600 feet per second.  I would imagine that is with match pellets that weight less than 8gr.  Whether you can tune the rifle to shoot faster, is currently unknown, but the Crosman Challenger match rifle requires gunsmithing to get to magnum air rifle velocities.  The air cylinder can be filled to pressures up to 3000psi, and should get 120 shots per fill at 600fps.

I'm almost certain that the upper is some kind of single-shot bolt action.  I'll try to find out a little more from people who actually fondled it at the SHOT show.

Retail price is expected to be in the $800-900 range, and they are shooting (no pun intended) for a release date sometime this summer.


Crosman MAR177 Press Release