Archive for November, 2007
Black Widow Mini-Revolver
November 30, 2007 7:11 am
North American Arms manufactures this little mini-revolver in .22 Magnum (and with a replacement cylinder in .22 Long Rifle for those looking for a cheaper round to shoot). Under 4 inches tall and 6 inches long, this is a nice little mini-revolver that remains functional due to the .22 Magnum round.
The Mauser C96
November 29, 2007 7:21 am
The Mauser C96 (first introduced in 1896) was the first semi-automatic pistol in widespread use. With it’s long barrel and high powered cartridge it would be a potent package today. Combined with the unique handle and the integral magazine, the C96 “Broomhandle” has a unique profile that is immediately recognizable (well, at least as Han Solo’s blaster, if nothing else). Over the 40 years that it was in service, many variants were manufactured in a variety of calibers, and even some designed for full automatic fire. All were designed with a wooden carrying box that doubled as a stock.
Heckler & Koch G11K2 Caseless Assault Rifle
November 28, 2007 7:29 am
It’s surprisingly hard to find a good photograph of the G11 prototypes out there. This rifle, developed in the 1970’s and 1980’s, caught the imagination of RPG designers in both computer and pen and paper role-playing, if not actual militaries. The rifle was entered in the 1979 NATO rifle trials but had to be withdrawn because of cook-offs in the chamber prior to firing once the chamber was hot. Later designs supposedly fixed this problem (common to most attempts at engineering a caseless-firing weapon), and the G11 was again entered in the US ACR trials, where no entered rifle succeeded at meeting the army specs.
Supposedly up to 1,000 of these rifles were manufactured for the West German military, but the rifle never went into full production.
Brügger & Thomet TP9 Pistol
November 27, 2007 7:38 am
My infatuation with the TMP continues with this photo of the Brügger & Thomet TP9 Pistol. The TP9 is a reinvisioning of the Steyr SPP (Special Purpose Pistol) - the semi-auto version of the TMP (Tactical Machine Pistol). This photo shows off some of the changes incorporated by Brügger & Thomet when they upgraded the design with a lot of accessory rails (with a flashlight, laser sight and sight all mounted and one accessory rail still free).
TPS Reports - Tactical Police Shotgun
November 26, 2007 8:44 am
When I read TPS, I think of cover sheets and Office Space. This is FN’s TPS - The Tactical Police Shotgun. A 12 gauge pump-action shotgun designed to feel similar to the M-16 in handling, the TPS is a variable-choke 7-shot 12 gauge with folding stock and M-1913 rail familiar to most shooters of standard military firearms. Shown here with the pipe stock extended and a reflex sight on the top rail, the TPS is available with the 18″ barrel show, as well as a shorter 14″ barrel (with only 4 shots in the tube).
Little. 9mm. Different.
November 25, 2007 8:48 am
Kel-Tec makes this little 9mm automatic for easy concealed carry. It loads seven 9mm rounds in the magazine and is getting a reputation for fair reliability and accuracy for a firearm this small. It definitely competes favourably with the Smith & Wesson J-Frame revolvers which have traditionally filled this role for most shooters. The model shown here has an extended floorplate on the magazine for a more comfortable grip, and a laser sight under the barrel on the factory-equipped rail.
Krinker Plinker - Total AK Conversion for a Ruger 10/22
November 24, 2007 8:45 am
The Krinker Plinker is a cheesy named conversion kit for Ruger 10/22 rifles to make them into .22LR replicas of the Soviet AK-74. The kit is very well reviewed and certainly upgrades the look of the classic Ruger.
SW SP-10 9mm Carbine
November 23, 2007 12:30 pm
Special Weapons, a US based firm, developed this HK Clone. The basic design is the look and feel of the UMP series of subguns, but with the internals (and caliber) of the classic MP5 / HK94. Somewhere around 500 of these were produced and sold inside the US. The forearm of the semi-automatic carbine is designed to incorporate a laser sighting device or flashlight without the need for a rail mount. The standard model comes with a fixed stock, but Special Weapons is supposed to be producing a folding stock also. The one in this picture also has a custom shroud and a reflex sight.
Smith & Wesson, now in plastic.
November 21, 2007 10:24 am
Smith & Wesson introduced the SIGMA series as their first entry into the polymer-framed handgun market, dominated by Glock at the time in 1994. The original SIGMA models supposedly had multiple parts that were interchangeable with Glock automatics which lead to a lawsuit from Glock which was settled out of court for an undisclosed sum and newer SIGMA models have a redesigned trigger assembly to avoid infringing on Glock patents. The handgun here is a newer model Sigma 40 (chambered in .40 S&W) with an underslung laser sight. Sigmas are also available in 9mm, .357 SIG and .380 ACP.
NORINCO Type 86S Bullpup AK
November 20, 2007 7:48 am
I’ve got a bullpup obsession dating back to the old G-11 prototypes. This AK-derivative was produced by Chinese state factories for export in the late 80’s and early 90’s. It is a semi-automatic only rifle built on the base design of the then-obsolete Chinese Type 56 Assault Rifle (their Kalashnikov AKM clone), and exported internationally through the Chinese owned NORINCO company. The rifle shows it’s AK heritage not just in the 30 round 7.62mm x 39mm magazines, but in a majority of the internal parts and much of the stamped assembly.
