By Robert Hausman

The House Judiciary Committee left for summer recess on July 28th without taking action on HR 5005, the Firearms Correction and Improvement Act of 2006 which includes provisions that firearms importers have sought. The bill would correct the decision by ATF last year that prohibits the importation of barrels, frames and receivers for non-sporting firearms subject to 22 USC §925(d)3. This is the reason machine gun kits are beginning to appear on the market without barrels.

Additionally, the legislation would liberalize the restrictions on importation of machine guns for the purposes of training or testing of firearms. It would allow the sale of post-86 machine guns to civilians fulfilling a contract with the U.S. government that requires the use of these firearms.

While ATF has not publicly commented on this legislation, it is reported that ATF supports the provisions in the bill relaxing restrictions on importation of the affected parts.

Other bills that would benefit the industry that the House did not take action on before leaving for recess were:

• H.R. 5092 – A bill that would improve ATF’s process for punishing the few FFLs who violate the law, and establish guidelines for ATF investigations. This bill was drafted largely to address recent ATF abuses at Richmond, Virginia area gun shows highlighted in hearings before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.
• H.R. 1384 – Would remove some antiquated and unnecessary restrictions imposed on interstate firearms business.
• H.R. 1288/S. 1082 – Legislation to repeal the draconian D.C. gun ban and restore the right of lawful District residents to own firearms to defend themselves and their families.
• H.R. 4547/S.3275 – Would allow persons with a valid carry permit issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if he or she meets certain criteria. The laws of each state governing where concealed firearms may be carried would still apply.

The House did, however, vote to impose a ban on governments taking firearms from citizens during disasters, such as occurred in New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The House voted overwhelmingly July 25 for legislation to bar federal officials or local law enforcement agents that get federal money from confiscating legally-owned firearms during a natural disaster. The legislation now moves to the Senate for consideration.

Belgium Gun Owners Protest New Law

In Belgium, the union of gun owners (UNACT) is taking legal action against the federal government’s recently imposed tighter gun control law.

UNACT claims the new law undermines the legal certainty of gun owners and the industry and puts them in a position where the government can confiscate all lawfully owned firearms at any time and declare the firearms trade in that country illegal.

Some 10,000 gun owners have signed a petition demanding the abolition of part of the new legislation. The new weapons law was introduced on 8 June in response to racist shootings in Antwerp in May in which two people were killed.

Due to the new law, it is no longer possible to buy a gun without a permit. Gun owners are prepared to accept that stipulation. However, UNACT claims the law is unfeasible and will therefore fail to achieve its goals. It said illegal weapon possession will increase, rather than decline.

Specifically, the Union was critical of the short amount of time allotted to gun owners to register their guns under the new law and the fact that permits are being issued on a “temporary” basis.

Regulatory News

ATF indicated that in 2005 it conducted 5,239 inspections of licensees. It revoked about 2.5% of licenses (113 licensees) and about a half of a percent (27 FFLs) were arrested and criminally prosecuted. These numbers demonstrate that the vast majority of FFLs are law-abiding.

SHOT Show Q&A:

The following questions and answers were issues that were brought to the attention of ATF during the 2006 Shot Show.

Q:Does a Federal firearms licensee (FFL) have to enter a replacement firearm into their acquisition and disposition (A&D) book?

A: When an FFL receives a replacement firearm from a supplier in exchange for a firearm that could not be repaired, the firearm should be entered into the FFL’s A&D book. The firearm can then be shipped to the purchaser. No ATF Form 4473 is required. 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(2)(A)

Q:If the purchaser answered no to question 11.l (Are you a nonimmigrant alien?) on the ATF Form 4473, can they leave question 12 blank?

A: Yes.

Q:After what period of time must a firearm retained by a gunsmith be entered into their acquisition and disposition book?

A: If the gunsmith has possession of the firearm from one business day to another or longer, the firearm must be recorded as an “acquisition” and a “disposition” in the permanent “bound book” record. If the firearm is returned to the person from whom it was received, an ATF Form 4473 is not required.

Q:Can an FFL have more than one A&D book?

A: Yes, an FFL can have more than one A&D book without first receiving a variance from ATF. It is advised that the A&D book is clearly marked to indicate the category of firearms included in the particular A&D book. (e.g., repairs, consignments, handguns, long guns). If an FFL would like to keep computerized records, a variance from ATF is required pursuant to 27 CFR § 478.22. FFLs should contact their local area office for instructions on how to request a variance.

Q:Are tribal police located on Indian reservations considered a department or agency of any state, the United States, or political subdivision and therefore exempt from the provisions of the Gun Control Act pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 925(a)(1)?

A: Unless a member of a tribal police department has been cross-designated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs as a law enforcement officer, the exemption found at 18 U.S.C. § 925(a)(1) does not apply. Therefore, if a cross-designation has not been granted, the tribal police department may not receive firearms in interstate commerce nor may they possess post-1986 machine guns.

Example: The tribal police department located in State A orders firearms from an FFL in State B. The tribal police have not been cross-designated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The FFL in State B cannot ship the firearms directly to the tribal police department in State A. Instead, the firearms must be sent to an FFL in State A for transfer to the tribal police department. The tribal police must complete an ATF Form 4473, and a NICS check must be conducted. Additionally, if appropriate, a multiple sales form must be completed.

Q:Can a non-licensee transfer a handgun to a juvenile for use at a shooting range?

A: It shall be unlawful for a person to sell, deliver, or otherwise transfer to a person who the transferor knows or has reasonable cause to believe is a juvenile any handgun or ammunition for a handgun. A juvenile is defined as someone less than 18 years of age. However, this subsection does not apply to the temporary transfer, possession, and use of a handgun or ammunition to a juvenile for target practice or hunting. The juvenile must first have prior written consent from a non-prohibited parent or guardian, which must be in their possession at all times while in possession of the handgun. During transportation by the juvenile, the handgun must be unloaded and locked in a container. 18 U.S.C. § 922(x)(3)

Q:May an FFL transfer a handgun and/or ammunition to a juvenile for use at an on-premises shooting range?

A: ATF has ruled that the rental of firearms for use on their business premises is not considered to be a “delivery or sale” of the firearms. Thus, it is not subject to the age restrictions of the Gun Control Act. The same reasoning is also applied to ammunition to be expended on the licensed premises in connection with the rented firearm. In this instance, prior written consent from a non-prohibited parent or guardian is not required.

Q:May an FFL transfer a handgun and/or ammunition to a juvenile for use at an off-premises shooting range?

A: A licensee may lend or rent a firearm to any person for temporary use off the premises of the licensee for lawful sporting purposes, provided that: 1) the delivery of the handgun and/or ammunition is not to someone under the age of 21 years; and 2) if a rifle or shotgun or ammunition for either is not less than 18 years of age. 18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1); 27 CFR §478.99(b)

Q:What must an FFL do when he/she receives a firearm for storage?

A: If an FFL has dominion and control over the storage locker, whether by key, lock combination, or some other means, the FFL must treat the firearm as an acquisition. Therefore, the firearm will be entered into the A&D book as an acquisition. When the firearm is being permanently removed from storage, the FFL will then log the firearm out as a disposition. At that time, an ATF Form 4473 and a NICS check must be completed. If the FFL has no dominion and control over the storage locker, then the FFL does not have to enter the firearm into his or her A&D book nor does the ATF Form 4473 need to be completed.

Q:Is an FFL in violation of the Gun Free School Zone Act if their business premise is located near a school?

A: Generally, it is unlawful for any individual to knowingly possess a firearm within a school zone. A school zone is defined as being within a distance of 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public, parochial, or private school. This prohibition does not apply to the possession of a firearm on private property not part of school grounds, such as an FFL’s business premise (e.g., commercial storefront, residence, or driveway).

Once a customer leaves private property located within 1,000 feet of a school with a firearm, they may be in violation of Federal law. However, in the following situations an individual would not be possessing a firearm in violation of 922(q)(A):

1. The individual is licensed by the State or political subdivision to possess the firearm, and the license was issued after law enforcement officials verified that the individual is qualified to receive the license;
2. The firearm is unloaded and is contained within a locked container or a locked firearms rack that is on a motor vehicle;
3. The firearm is possessed by an individual for use in a school-approved program;
4. The individual or his/her employer is doing so in accordance with a contract entered into between the individual and the school;
5. The individual is a law enforcement officer acting in their official capacity; or
6. The individual is crossing school grounds to reach a public or private way. Their firearm is unloaded, and they have permission from the school.

ATF realizes that not all persons who enter or exit an FFL’s premises in such case may fall under one of the above-described statutory exemptions. Therefore, ATF advises that in those states where a permit is not needed, the FFL should ensure that a purchaser’s firearm is unloaded and placed in a locked container prior to leaving the business premise. 18 U.S.C. § 922(q)(B)

Vertical Front Grip on Handgun Changes Status

Though accessory vertical fore grips for handguns are often advertised for sale in firearms publications, installation of such a grip changes the classification of the arm to an “Any Other Weapon” (AOW) under federal law, requiring registration.

The term “handgun’ is defined under federal law to mean, in part, a firearm which has a short stock and is designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand. Gun Control Act of 1968, 18 U.S.C. section 921(a)(29).

Under an implementing regulation of the National Firearms Act (NFA), 27 C.F.R. section 479.11, “pistol” is defined as a weapon originally designed, made, and intended to fire a projectile (bullet) from one or more barrels when held in one hand, and having (a) a chamber(s) as an integral part(s) of, or permanently aligned with, the bore(s); and (b) a short stock designed to be gripped by one hand and at an angle to and extending below the line of the bore(s).

The NFA further defines the term “any other weapon” (AOW) as any weapon or device capable of being concealed on the person from which a shot can be discharged through the energy of an explosive, a pistol or revolver having a barrel with a smooth bore designed or redesigned to fire a fixed shotgun shell, weapon with combination shotgun and rifle barrels 12-inches or more, less than 18-inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading, and shall include ay such weapon which may be readily restored to fire. Such term shall not include a pistol or revolver having a rifled bore, or rifle bores, or weapons designed, made or intended to be fired from the shoulder and not capable of firing fixed ammunition. 26 U.S.C. section 5845(e).

ATF has long held that by installing a vertical fore grip on a handgun, the handgun is no longer designed to be held and fired by the use of a single hand. Therefore, the installation of a vertical fore grip on a handgun is the “making” of a firearm requiring registration with ATF’s NFA Branch.

Making an unregistered AOW is punishable by fine and 10-years’ imprisonment. Additionally, possession of an unregistered AOW is also punishable by fine and 10-years’ imprisonment.

Adding a Fore Grip Lawfully

To lawfully add a vertical fore grip to a handgun, a person must make an appropriate application on ATF Form 1, “Application to Make and Register a Firearm.” The applicant must submit the completed form, along with a fingerprint card bearing the applicant’s fingerprints; a photograph; and $200. The application will be reviewed by the NFA Branch. If the applicant is not prohibited from possessing a firearm under federal, state, or local law, and possession of an AOW is not prohibited in the applicant’s state of residence, the form will be approved. Only then may the person add a vertical fore grip to the designated handgun.

A person may also send the handgun to one licensed to manufacture NFA weapons. The manufacturer will install the fore grip on the firearm and register the firearm on an ATF Form 2. The manufacturer can then transfer the firearm back to the individual on an ATF Form 4, which results in a $5 transfer tax. If the manufacturer is in a different state from the buyer, the NFA Branch will also need a clarification letter submitted with the ATF Form 4 so that the NFA Branch Examiner will know the circumstances of the transfer.

Police Officer Status No Defense in Illegal MG Case

A federal judge recently denied a motion by attorneys for accused Missouri State Trooper James Vest to throw out charges that he illegally possessed a fully automatic weapon.

The defendant’s attorney argued that the officer could possess the gun, because he would supposedly only use it to fight crime. But the judge decided that defense wasn’t good enough. Vest was suspended with pay from the State Police headquarters in Collinsville, where he served as a weapons instructor.

In a 23-page decision, U.S. District Court Judge David Herndon rejected defense arguments that prosecutors must state in a new indictment that Vest illegally possessed the firearm as a private citizen.

Herndon rejected the argument that any police officer who uses an automatic weapon for his job has a right to do so and is not violating federal statutes against so-called “machine guns.”

Herndon wrote, “The defendant (through his attorney) suggested at one point that all police officers must be authorized to possess machine guns or how else could they (legally) possess them for the purpose of arresting the true civilian criminal who is breaking the law?”

But the judge asked the following in reply: “That leads the Court to ask how does an officer possess crack cocaine when he arrests a drug dealer? How does a courtroom deputy clerk handle the same crack when it is admitted into evidence…?”

The author publishes two of the small arms industry’s most widely read trade newsletters. The International Firearms Trade covers the world firearms scene, and The New Firearms Business covers the domestic market. He also offers FFL-mailing lists to firms interested in direct marketing efforts to the industry. He may be reached at: FirearmsB@aol.com.

Ever since the change over from the 7.62x51mm to the current 5.56x45mm there has been controversy between two fundamental schools of thought on what a military cartridge should be. The United States military can be summed up in one word: tradition. In the 1960s, that tradition clouded the vision that a new dawn of small arms development in both concept, mechanics and ammunition had come. Still entrenched in the “one shot, one kill” mentality, our soldiers were sent into combat in Vietnam with the M14 which many considered to be an inferior weapon to the AK47 assault rifle that the enemy used. The enemy were able to lay controlled large volume of automatic fire on positions which, in a meeting engagement, will win you a fight. Our soldiers were equipped with a heavy recoil rifle that was impossible to control on fully-automatic. The accuracy was of no use because the enemy could not be seen.

With much trepidation, the military adopted the AR-15 rifle destined to become the M16/M16A1. A new age of small caliber high velocity cartridges gave way to providing an individual soldier with firepower he had never had before. The 5.56x45mm cartridge utilizing a .224 diameter 55-grain full metal jacketed bullet proved to be a great asset to the American fighting man with the ability to have a lightweight rifle that was completely controllable on fully-automatic fire and the soldier could carry more than twice the combat load with an M16 than he could with the heavy M14 rifle.

The Third Generation M16A2 and M855 Ball

With the product improvements of the M16A2 the weapon system was enhanced. Due to the heavier 62-grain bullet, 1 turn in 7 inch rifling twist and new fully adjustable rear sight, both penetration and long range accuracy were enhanced. However, the culprit of the future problems with ammunition terminal performance would come from the ammunition, the M855 Ball.

The M855 Ball is a three piece bullet consisting of a copper jacket, lead plug and a steel penetrator core in the tip. This bullet was designed for a machine gun, not a rifle. With the onset of the Global War on Terrorism, terminal deficiencies were found using M855 Ball, particularly in M4 carbines, when striking thin, malnourished, Taliban and Iraqi soldiers. There was a serious inconsistency in at what point the bullet would yaw and splinter. Some lots of ammunition would penetrate only slightly within inches and yaw and splinter. Others would go straight through and never yaw nor splinter. This caused serous knockdown problems particularly with the decreased velocity of 14.5 inch carbine barrel.

A solution put forth by the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) was the creation of a new and improved 5.56x45mm cartridge that would increase long range accuracy and terminal performance with consistency. Accuracy is seriously degraded in the M16A2/A4/M4 due to the inherent characteristics of the M855 bullet. The penetrator core degrades accuracy and if not manufactured properly, the center of gravity will be off causing the bullet to become a “flyer.” Additionally, in the area of terminal performance, there was no consistency from lot to lot on what exactly it would do upon hitting a human target.

The answer was the Mk 262 MOD 1 cartridge that SOCOM adopted. This is a Sierra 77-grain open tip match bullet loaded by Black Hills. This is undoubtedly the most effective 5.56x45mm military cartridge in the world manufactured to match grade specifications with combat reliability. The long range accuracy was drastically increased and its terminal performance enhanced. This new projectile works well regardless of the type of target and performs considerably better on human targets in all known distances and conditions. This round is used almost exclusively by SOCOM operators in their M4A1 carbines and Mk12 rifles. This solution satisfied most of the SOCOM operators: except for one.

The 6.8x43mm REM SPC

The 5th Special Forces, particularly MSG Steve Holland, felt that there was still room for improvement. The concept was not original. The U.S. military experimented with the possibility of the 6mm caliber projectile being the ideal compromise of accuracy, range and terminal performance. In the late 1970s the concept was abandoned in favor of the 5.56x45mm battle rifle.

With the assistance of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, Holland came up with a concept for a 6mm cartridge that could be fired in the M4 platform. The starting point was the .30 Remington cartridge which is merely a rimless .30-30 Win. round. It was trimmed and resized to accept a 6.8mm projectile. This concept, along with the hand-loaded experimental ammunition and CAD drawings went to Remington Arms. Remington wanted to aid in the Global War on Terrorism so they took on the task of developing the ammunition.

The 6.8mm REM SPC cartridge has been mostly a myth for the last few years due to the fact it has been developed quietly and kept proprietary. No ammunition has been made as of this writing in large quantities due to the fact the ammunition is being perfected before it will be shipped. Remington has reported three small runs of ammunition including ball and match grade ammunition. Hornady has also produced some loads in this new caliber.

The Firearms

Prototype rifles were manufactured by Precision Reflex, Inc. (PRI). Dave Dunlap assembled upper receivers with free floating handguards or A.R.M.S., Inc. SIR systems and the OPSINC silencer and muzzle break. Dunlap also was charged with designing the magazine which is different from the standard 5.56x45mm magazine. Currently, PRI has been the only producer of 6.8x43mm Rem SPC magazines. PRI also produces complete upper receivers chambered in the 6.8x43mm Rem SPC cartridge.

The Barrett M648

At the 2004 SHOT Show, Ronnie Barrett unveiled a new product line: his M648. This company, dedicated to .50 BMG caliber specialized weapons, introduced the first production 6.8x43mm Rem SPC firearm and has taken the lead on this project. While the cartridge is still technically under development (to be more correct would be to say “tweaked”), Barrett has teamed up with Peter Forras to work with Remington to optimize the weapon and cartridge. Forras has spent much time down at Remington working with them to perfect the 6.8x43mm cartridge.

The rifle has been based on the standard M16-platform. Barrett offers the rifle in both commercial and law enforcement/military configurations. The “bells and whistles” are the same for both versions, the only real difference is the use of selective fire, flash suppressors, bayonet lugs and telescopic stock on the law enforcement/military models.

The weapon as offered uses a mid-length gas system developed by Mark Westrom of ArmaLite, Inc. This mid length gas system changes the location of the gas port by placing it further forward than the carbine and slightly behind the rifle. This gives two major advantages: reliability and durability. By putting more distance between the bolt carrier and gas port, lower port pressures are created resulting in the bolt assembly’s velocity being slower. This increases reliability in extraction as well as extending the life of the bolt and some of the trigger components.

The barrel is manufactured by Fred Fedderson. This 1 turn in 10 inch twist barrel is chrome plated and is currently available in 16 inch length only. Barrett has plans on offering 12 and 20 inch barrels in the near future. The commercial version has a muzzle check similar to the one used by ArmaLite, Inc. The law enforcement/military versions use the standard M16-style muzzle break/compensator

The M648 gas block utilizes a folding front sight assembly. This assembly was designed by Barrett. On the law enforcement/military version, there is a threaded collet on the edge of the gas bock to install the silencer.

The Mid-Length SIR System

The A.R.M.S. Inc. SIR (Selective Integrated Rail) system developed by Richard Swan is the solution for many problems associated with military use of this type of weapon system. The SIR system is a free-floating handguard assembly that attaches to the carrying handle by a sleeve that goes on top of the rail (thus protecting it) as well as directly to the barrel nut. This give an extended top rail that runs the entire length of the upper receiver to the front sight assembly. There are four Mil-Std 1913 rails that enable optics, laser, flashlights and whatever other accessories that may be needed for the rifle with no effect on the barrel and its performance.

Free floating a military weapon has many benefits. First would be accuracy. With nothing impeding on the harmonics of the barrel, better uniform accuracy is achieved. Additionally, the barrel remains cooler as there is significantly better air circulation enabling the weapon to fire longer on full automatic fire. Another benefit, particularly with a hot barrel, pulling down on a vertical fore grip will not cause the barrel to bend or droop. The SIR system may also have a M203 grenade launcher attached to it. All the current models of the M648 feature the A.R.M.S. Inc. SIR system as well as the ARMS #40 L emergency flip-up backup sight.

The Bolt

The bolt carrier is standard M16/AR-15. The difference lies in the bolt itself. The bolt was designed by Chris Barrett and is manufactured by Lewis Machine & Tool (LMT). The bolt uses the trademark dual extractor spring “lobster tail” extractor manufactured by LMT as it is more durable and reliable. The bolt has other similarities to the LMT Enhanced bolt but Barrett made some changes in materials and specifications specifically for the M648. The bolt has a nickel plating on it.

Configurations

The M648 comes as a full weapon with fixed rifle stock as well as selective fire carbine lower receiver with the telescopic buttstock. The system is also sold as an upgrade or a conversion kit which will include the entire upper receiver assembly and magazine. The conversions can be obtained with either selective fire bolt carriers or semiautomatic only. It should be noted that when putting a conversion on a standard selective fire carbine lower receiver, the “H” buffer should be used. This is the buffer with two steel weights and one tungsten. If the standard three steel weight buffer is used the carbine may experience bolt carrier bounce resulting in light strikes on full automatic. This is not an issue with the full length rifle selective fire lower receiver. Semiautomatic guns can use either due to the bolt group will have sufficient time to lock before the next shot is fired. There has been some discussion about Barrett eventually coming out with a piston driven mechanism for this weapon system.

Shooting Impressions

The rifle received for testing was a law enforcement/military upper receiver with a standard semiautomatic only lower receiver. The author’s own Colt M4 full automatic carbine lower was used for full automatic testing. The semi-automatic only lower receiver was equipped with an LMT two-stage match grade trigger. The optics used were the M68 Aim Point Comp II, EOTech holographic sight as well as the standard backup sights. Approximately 700 rounds were fired in total in both semiautomatic for accuracy as well as fully automatic for functionality. The magazine used was a PRI made 28-round steel magazine. The ammunition was manufactured by Remington.

Fully-automatic tests were conducted in close quarter battle conditions. Targets ranged from 5 to 25 meters. The cyclic rate was about the same as the standard M4 carbine and recoil was really not that much more. There was no problem controlling the weapon. The EOTech sight made shooting easier allowing both eyes to remain open increasing speed and accuracy. By adjusting the brightness of the sight, it was useful for both close tactical work as well as short range sniping.

Conclusions

The 6.8mm Rem SPC is without a doubt an improvement over the existing 5.56x45mm for military use. But the question is, how much better? The cartridge unfortunately has a very steep uphill battle ahead of it once the military community gets a hold of it. The weapon itself is not an issue. The M16-based design is well proven. But in order for SOCOM in particular to adopt such a cartridge for use will be a gigantic undertaking. First and foremost it has to be more than better, it will have to be drastically better and offer a large advantage. Second, and perhaps the most critical, will be logistics. The cartridge will be at best used by SOCOM operators and them alone. From a logistical standpoint, adding a new cartridge into inventory, in particular one nobody else in the service uses, can cause serious problems. Once SOCOM operators are deployed they become part of the unit they are assigned and along with that goes their supply. Having non-compatible ammunition can put the operators at risk given they do not have re-supply specific to them.

The Barrett M648 and 6.8x43mm Rem SPC ammunition performed flawlessly and accurately. Barrett has not been too quick to go into production due to the fact they have waited until the development of the rifle and ammunition was completed insuring their customers get a final production weapon and not a semi-prototype. As of this writing, after more than three years of advertising and manufacturing of barrels to fire this new cartridge, the ammunition has yet to be completed and put into full production. This weapon and cartridge will undoubtedly find a following in law enforcement and commercial shooters and competitors. As far as the military use of this weapons system, only time will tell.

“It really goes back about twelve or thirteen years when Gene Stoner – rest his soul – and Reed Knight, my boss, got together and Reed gave Mr. Stoner an engineering and production facility for him to fulfill some of his dreams. And one of his dreams was a rifle like the SR-25. Soon after building the first SR-25 some of our special forces took them to Somalia and that’s where the SR-25 started to make its combat reputation. Soon after that the barrel was shortened from 24 inches to 20 inches and other things were changed and improved and that’s where the MK 11 comes from. That became the MK 11 Mod 0 in the year 2000. Now, five or six years later you’ve got the XM110 so there’s a clear sequence.” David A. Lutz, VP for Military Operations, Knight’s Armament Company

The fast-paced urban combat environment that quickly evolved in the Global War on Terror created shooting challenges that weren’t being satisfactorily met by the Army’s standard issue bolt action M24 Sniper Weapon System or by the limited-issue accurized M16 variants and reworked M14s. So many snipers were reporting dissatisfaction and their need was so urgent that the Army’s Program Executive Office Soldier fast-tracked a solution as authorized under the Soldier Enhancement Program. A formal Presolicitation Notice for what was soon designated as the XM110 SASS was posted on 17 Nov 2004:

“The US Army ARDEC…has a requirement for a 7.62mm semi-automatic sniper system (SASS) capable of delivering precision fire primarily on anti-personnel targets out to 1000 meters…. The offeror shall submit five (5) bid samples at no cost or obligation to the government…. The first fifteen (15) of the thirty (30) SASSs will be delivered with spare parts 30 days after contract award.” Solicitation Number W15QKN-05-R-0433

The actual solicitation followed barely two weeks later, nearly a hundred pages of highly detailed requirements in which the Army invited all comers to submit a definition-stretching COTS/NDI (Commercial-off-the-Shelf/Non-Developmental Item) for a comprehensive evaluation. Five manufacturers bravely entered the arena but when the slugfest ended Knight’s was the winner announced on 28 September 2005. Their modified MK 11 Mod 0 has earned a five year contract and recent statements by program officials indicate the Army intends to buy and deploy thousands of complete systems as fast as Knight’s formidable manufacturing facility can turn them out.

A few months after the award announcement, when the runner-up’s formal protest had been dismissed after lengthy review by the General Accounting Office, the government bureaucracy’s innumerable administrative details had been worked out, and the production process was smoothly underway, Knight’s invited SAR in for an exclusive tour of its impressive new headquarters and enormous manufacturing complex on Florida’s “Space Coast” in Titusville.

While there we got the opportunity to conduct an in-depth interview with a key player in the fast and furious process that resulted in this tremendous victory for snipers in the Army, as well as significant product improvements that are already beginning to benefit those in other branches of the US Armed Forces.

David A. Lutz, a retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel with a well-deserved reputation for straight shooting in every sense of the word, is Knight’s Vice President for Military Operations. He was instrumental in development of the Stoner-Knight SR-25 into a military sniper system that has achieved tremendous success with Navy SEALs, Army Rangers and other elements of US Special Operations Command. Lutz worked closely with retired Navy Lieutenant Commander Michael Warner, who skippered Knight’s winning team in the SASS competition as Program Manager.

What follows are key excerpts from more than two hours of in-depth discussion, giving a fascinating look from the contractor’s perspective at the complex process that has led to selection of the Army’s newest sniper rifle.

SAR:The Army’s solicitation ran to nearly a hundred pages for an end-item system that was supposed to be pulled almost literally off the ready rack. Comments?

Lutz: ‘Non-Developmental Item’ is supposed to be the short cut to fielding the 90 percent solution to the guy in the field immediately. It seems to me that the generals know what NDI is, they know that’s what’s needed because it supports the troops they command. But once the program gets launched the bureaucracy below the general officer level is the same as it was twenty or thirty years ago.

There were things on nearly every page that you had to do; whether it was produce a gun or produce a piece of paper or produce a plan. If I can make a comment here, unless you’re a pretty good size company and have some pretty extensive depth of skill sets, you’re not going to be able to address these ‘NDI’ solicitations that require such boilerplate.

SAR: How did the Army’s experience with the M24 system influence the initial solicitation and subsequent modifications?

Lutz: As originally conceived – I think by the Army Sniper community – it was supposed to be a total package to include a night scope, a new spotting scope. So they put everything they wanted into it. They even made reference to a ‘sniper support kit’ that would have all these bells and whistles that you’d see – let’s say – at the S.H.O.T. show. A spirit level on the scope so you could make sure you’re not canted. A little wind direction velocity meter that you might see at Camp Perry.

Well, when the solicitation came out for this XM110 some of those extra things, so to speak, were not included in the solicitation. I think the Army wisely pared down that list.

What they were really interested in was a rifle. Part of the requirement was for that rifle to have what’s now the standard Picatinny Rail. We put such a rail system in the year 2000 on the MK11 Mod 0 so the real estate of the rail could be out front of the daytime zeroed sniper optic and could accept an attachable night sight that would not require the sniper to remove his day scope and possibly lose his zero.

SAR: You’ve shown us in side-by-side comparison that Knight’s winning XM110 is essentially the same as the SR-25 and the MK 11 Mod 0. Same upper and lower receiver, bolt mechanism, direct gas tube system, match grade Obermeyer barrel, and so forth. But significant modifications had to be made in secondary areas. Take us through those changes in the rifle from muzzle to buttstock, starting with the Army’s requirement for a separate flash suppressor and a sound suppressor.

Lutz: The MK 11 Mod 0 does not have, never did have, a flash suppressor. When the Navy SEALs need flash suppression they install the sound suppressor that comes with the system. Our sound suppressor I guess in a way is the world’s best flash suppressor as well because it masks all the flash.

A flash suppressor was not a COTS item (for the SR-25) so we had a very short period of time to adapt the MK 11 barrel which we use in the SASS but we thread it and we install a flash suppressor we designed – a very basic flash suppressor – to meet that Army requirement.

That in turn had an effect on the sound suppressor we manufacture for the MK 11. The flash suppressor makes the MK 11 barrel an inch and a half longer and it also increases the diameter at the muzzle so a new sound suppressor had to be designed and manufactured for the Army SASS. Now the working part of the suppressor – the baffle stack that’s in front of the muzzle – is identical so you get the same noise attenuation but it’s an inch and a half longer at the rear because of the impact the flash suppressor had on it.

The way the suppressor attaches to the rifle is identical. There’s two points of contact, one at the muzzle and the primary one back on the gas block where there’s a drop latch which secures it. And right behind the gas block we’ve got the rail system.

SAR: Any changes there?

Lutz: The URX – Upper Receiver Extending – rail system for the SASS is new and in fact better in some ways than the MK 11. Instead of there being some sort of slip nut between the receiver and the rail system as a means to attach and secure it, in URX form the rail system screws directly onto the upper receiver and then as the barrel nut is torqued the upper receiver and the rail become one piece. It’s much more rigid, you have the timing across the top of the rail precise with the MIL-SPEC as opposed to the MK 11. So it’s better in several respects.

Also unique to the URX is that the bottom rail is detachable by the operator. This allows the operator to take that lower rail off and clean debris, dirt, mud from around the outside of the barrel.

We developed the URX, ironically, for a completely different SR-25 requested by a certain part of the military that already had MK 11s. If possible it should be just as accurate but something that was lighter weight, easier to carry that they could use for patrolling, reconnaissance missions and perhaps even close quarters battle. So we developed the SR-25 Battle Rifle with a fourteen and a half inch barrel and a telescopic buttstock. In an effort to take as much weight out of it as we could, we developed this URX forend.

All we had to do for the SASS is make that Battle Rifle’s URX forend long enough for the twenty inch barrel SASS rifle. That was pretty easy for us to do.

We put our standard MK 11 folding rear sight on the gun. It had to have backup iron sights adjustable from two hundred to six hundred meters. But they wanted the front sight to be integral to the rail, so the SASS – as opposed to the MK 11 which has an accessory, a true clamp mounted flip front sight – so we very quickly came up with a design to make the front sight integral to the URX rail.

SAR: The Army wanted an ambidextrous selector but didn’t specify an adjustable trigger mechanism.

Lutz: The requirement asked for an ambidextrous selector and we make one of those – we’ve made it for the SR-25 for awhile so that was pretty easy to do.

Though the Army didn’t ask for an infinitely adjustable trigger, it’s common for snipers who are used to bolt action rifles to have a trigger that is adjustable in eighteen different directions. We use a very simple, reliable two-stage trigger. They’re all set here in the factory at four and a half pounds and that’s as much as they need. I know that some precision shooters like a lighter trigger pull but I think most of that experience is based on single stage trigger use.

With a two stage trigger you have an initial take up of about an eighth of an inch, in actuality uses up about a pound and a half of that four and a half pounds. So for your final squeeze your brain’s forgotten about the one and a half pounds you took up the first stage with so as you squeeze the trigger it really just feels like three pounds. It’s something you have to try and I’ve found when most marksmen actually try the trigger they think it’s fine. And when you think about the fact it’s not going to fall out of adjustment or an operator will find out subsequently it is very difficult to change those adjustments. Making it more ‘fail safe’ is the way to go.

SAR: Stock length and cheek weld are also important to precision shooting.

Lutz: The MK 11 did not have an adjustable buttstock and it was required by the Army that the buttstock be adjustable for length. In order to start off at the shortest distance possible, instead of using a standard M16A2 rifle stock that the MK 11 uses, we went back to the Vietnam-era M16A1 stock which gave us a five eighths inch shorter overall package. Our adjustable buttstock extends from that for about two and a half inches so you’ve got quite a bit of length adjustment.

Now it was desired by the Army that the stock also have an adjustable cheekpiece and it have adjustments for cant and what’s called castoff. Because those things were ‘desired’ – not required – and because we didn’t really have time to adequately address them in a sound engineering design we didn’t do any of that, we just did the required length adjustment.

Our XM110 is an M16 based design that Mr. Stoner made in what he called a ‘straight line design’ with the stock already at the proper height for a scope if you have the right height scope mount, about an inch and a half. So the contrivance of an adjustable cheek piece is really not necessary with this style rifle as long as you have the correct height ring.

And also because of the feature of the M16’s charging handle that’s right on top of the stock when retracted. There can’t be any raised portion in that four or five inches right behind it.

Our charging handle, by the way, is based on Dave Dunlap’s “Gas Buster” design that we pay a royalty to PRI (Precision Reflex Inc.) for permission to use. It has a number of important benefits, particularly operator comfort when the sound suppressor is attached.

SAR: Is the system’s day scope an “off-the-shelf” Leupold?

Lutz: One of the hardest nuts to crack was trying to meet all of their required capabilities for the scope and then to address some of their desirable features. One of the things they obviously wanted was a variable power scope that had one half of a minute of angle (MOA) adjustments in elevation, but also had the characteristics of what most people call a ballistic cam, or an elevation knob graduated in meters. In this case it had to be graduated from 100 meters to 1,000 meters.

Now there are lots of scopes graduated in meters; particularly the Leopold Tactical Series with what they call the M3 turret. But those clicks – increments on the knob – are all one MOA. To get half MOA clicks you have to accept a knob that rotates 360 degrees twice so it becomes a two turn system. Now the way Leupold engineered this, once the rifle and scope are zeroed, you can rotate the elevation knob about two and a half total turns.

The Army also required the whole rifle to be a desert tan dark earth color. Leupold didn’t make a scope that color at the time. They went right to work and now the current scopes are all hard anodized dark earth. This is defined in the Mil-Spec narrative as ‘darker than a cardboard box but not as dark as chocolate.’

The scope also had to have an illuminated reticle. Fortunately, one of the newer lines of the Leupold Tactical Series scopes are their three and a half to ten power variable with the TMR, Tactical Milling Reticle. It’s illuminated for low-light shooting, powered by the same battery that’s in the Army’s M68 Close Combat Optic – what you and I call an Aimpoint.

We had a lot of options for the scope mount when the solicitation came out but we wanted to improve our return to zero capability and make it simpler. So instead of using a pair of parallel split rings and all those parts and pieces, we came up with a new one piece scope mount that as a product improvement has potential to become a quick detachable design.

The two half inch nuts and two clamps are standard format types of scope attachment means that (snipers) use their half inch T handle 65 inch pound torque wrench that’s included in our tool kit. But the way the mount’s designed, you can take the two nuts and the two clamps off, put a single clamp on that side with two wing nuts. By virtue of the torque you can get from the wing nut and the longer one piece clamp you can get the same return to zero without resorting to the wrench technique. So we’ve got plans for that mount beyond the SASS.

SAR: The rifle we just photographed on your range is remarkably uniform in ‘Flat Dark Earth’ color from end to end despite the differences in what’s underneath – steel suppressor, aluminum receiver, synthetic stock, etc. How is this done?

Lutz: One of the challenges to make the rifle this brown color is that we’ve been working for several years trying to get the right dye mix to anodize different aluminum parts this ‘dark earth’ color. Sometimes you’d come up with a perfect color, other times you come up with a color that was too much of a gold tone. And if it wasn’t a gold tone when it was freshly done, as soon as you’d put the gun together and had some oil on it this oil made the light tan anodization look gold.

So once the rifle is all put together we mask off some areas and paint – bake on paint – a dark earth MIL-SPEC color to the whole gun. That’s how to deliver the gun in a nice uniform appearance. You also get quite a bit more corrosion resistance because you’re painting right on top of pristine anodization, or in the case of the barrel, pristine mag phosphate.

SAR: The system comes complete with two hard cases full of accessories, tools and equipment. Any particular challenges to pulling all these together?

Lutz: The Army SASS required a system case that had enough room in it for everything that was listed in the solicitation to include a drag bag. Of course it had to have the rifle and there was an assortment of ten and twenty round magazines, cleaning kit, sling, scope covers, laser anti-reflection filter, plus spare parts. Basically the whole nine yards.

We knew what that sniper community already had, particularly as far as a kit goes that supports the M24. We emulated with our XM110 candidate as much as we could what they were used to seeing, even to include the M1907 leather sling which has been in the Army for a long time.

Hardigg, in Massachusetts, put a lot of effort into both of the system’s hard side cases. Although the Army solicitation referred to the SASS as ‘Non Developmental,’ there was not a rifle on the planet that met all the criteria they required, much less desired. Likewise with the system case and the second case that fits inside that is used to protect the day scope if and when the sniper needs to take it off.

The scope case had to pass a cold weather drop test at 65 degrees below zero, a drop test from five feet onto a steel plate that was on top of a concrete slab. There was not an ‘NDI’ case that would pass that drop test and also be small enough to also fit in the system case without taking up way too much space. Hardigg really worked hard to make one at minimum size that would pass all these tests.

We submitted our five SASS samples on time in March last year and at that time Reed Knight, the owner of the company, directed that we build another forty more. That was because the solicitation required that if you won and received the award, then you had to quickly deliver fifteen rifles – I believe it was 30 days after award. To get ahead of that curve we went ahead and built forty.

SAR: Give us a quick version of where this program is right now (Feb 2006) as far as Knight’s is concerned.

Lutz: What I’ll call real First Article Testing is being done now up at ATC (Army Test Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland) on the fifteen rifles we were required to deliver right after the announcement that we had won. I think really what they’re doing is they’re verifying the barrel life and accuracy and reliability they obviously captured from testing the first five that they used as a selection criteria. About two weeks ago they were at the 3,500 round barrel life point.

Personally, I’m gearing up to deliver training at the end of the month, both operator and maintainer. It’s a contract deliverable that we train their new equipment trainers. So we’ll train them for a week here at Knight’s and I guess they go back to Fort Benning (GA) and practice on each other for a couple of weeks. They also take the handout material and electronic material I give them here and they translate it into the Army boilerplate. Then, they go up to Fort Drum (NY) – probably in May.

SAR: 10th Mountain Division?

Lutz: Yes, they’ll do the Operational Test. Soldiers – snipers – have already tested some of the first five. And also George Niewenhous (ATC) doesn’t have all fifteen of the rifles. Two of the fifteen went to Fort Benning, so the Sniper School has two as we speak.

We know the rifle works and I’ve seen pictures of it being drug thru the mud and through obstacles in part of the testing they did for the first five. It’s been through some hurdles already. But the Operational Test is much more than just testing the rifle. It’s going to test the training program, what they call the ‘POI’ (Program of Instruction) that Fort Benning is going to develop, obviously with some help from us.

They’re going to come up with a way to train the trainers, then take ‘em up to Fort Drum and work with soldiers and armorers who aren’t trained on this particular rifle. The Army will evaluate how effective the training is, the handout material, the amount of hours they need to train on whatever. Does the technical manual adequately show them how to change a gas tube, how to change an extractor? The amount of ammunition; how many rounds are needed for someone to qualify. Those are all parts of an operational test that go beyond whether or not your rifle shoots.

SAR: After that?

Lutz: When that’s finished we expect to get what we call ‘L-Rip’ – Limited Rate Production authorization. By sort of reading between the lines we think that’s going to be somewhere between two hundred and three hundred systems. The first ones are going to end up being delivered in December (2006) because by their schedule December is when the First Unit Equipped is going to be designated. I’ve already heard that the 10th Mountain is real excited about these rifles and they’ve asked permission to take the rifles with them when they deploy.

(Note: Subsequent Army announcements indicate the intent to buy 4,492 systems. SAR has learned that Knight’s is refurbishing the Army’s Operational Test rifles and elements of the 10th Mountain recently deployed to Afghanistan will be the first to receive them as an “urgent need requirement.”)

SAR: Any feedback from the folks who have been testing the XM110 that you can talk about?

Lutz: They apparently have a really good accuracy test stand up at Aberdeen. ATC shoots in a tunnel with no wind, no mirage, no humidity, no mosquitoes biting you like here. The five guns that we sent up for the initial tests all shot under .8 MOA (minute of angle) from the stand.

SAR: Have improvements to the MK 11 in Knight’s XM110 caught the eye of the Navy and Marine Corps?

Lutz: Very soon after the Army selected the SR-25 based XM110, the Marine Corps ordered 180 MK 11s on the current contract we have with the Navy and SOCOM. It’s a MK 11 but they want it with the SASS threaded barrel, the SASS flash suppressor, which also means they get the SASS sound suppressor, and URX type forend, as opposed to the MK 11 forend. And they want it black because they feel it will blend in with the rest of the troops that all have black guns so the snipers won’t stand out so much.

We’ve had joint service meetings where it appears as if the Navy is planning for subsequent MK 11 buys with several of the same things the Marine Corps adopted or wanted, but painted like the Army’s.

SAR: The M110 SASS is semiauto only and has a ‘legal length’ barrel. What plans does Knight’s have to offer the M110 SASS to law enforcement as well as competition shooters in the civilian world?

Lutz: We’ve got our hands full right now with deliveries to the military.

SAR: Any final thoughts on the process?

Lutz: The government would help themselves if they could release some of the specifics as early as possible so we could either develop the things we need to develop, link together those different things that are commercially available, all under one house.

I think the user would have been better served if somehow we would have been allowed to submit the MK 11 Mod 0 – we’ve produced over a thousand of them – as it is. That would have been a true NDI.

(Editor’s Note: Persistent misinformation about the Army’s SASS selection process deserves authoritative rebuttal. The General Accounting Office’s findings on the protest filed by the runner-up system’s proponent may be found at www.gao.gov/decisions/bidpro/297374.pdf)

Visit Knight’s Armament Company on the web at www.knightarmco.comSR-XM110 Rifle System Characteristics Military Description: Knight’s Armament Company’s SR-XM110 is a precision, medium weight, detachable magazine fed, gas operated, semi-automatic, free-floating barrel sniper rifle system, optimized to fire the M118 Long Range ammunition.

Each SR-XM110 SASS delivered contains the following components:

• 7.62x51mm NATO SR-XM110 Rifle
• MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny Rail forend with four rails parallel to the bore with the top rail surface on-line with that of the upper receiver. The design of this forend allows the rifle barrel to be free-floated for enhanced accuracy.
• Back Up Iron Sights front and rear, either integral to the rifle or installed on the MIL-STD 1913 Rail.
• Collapsible Bipod that is adjustable and Operator removable if desired.
• SR-XM110 Magazines: four 20-round magazines and four 10-round magazines.
• Leather Carrying Sling. This sling is also designed to support the rifle in various shooting positions as an aid to marksmanship.
• 3.5×10 Variable Power Day Optic Rifle Scope mounted on a one-piece return to zero MIL-STD 1913 Picatinny Rail scope mount. An Operator removable Laser Filter Unit, Anti-Reflection Device and flip-open dust covers may also be provided.
• A Sound Suppressor that provides very effective acoustic, flash and blast suppression.
• A Flash Suppressor that minimizes muzzle flash when the sound suppressor is not used.
• Protective (hard) Carrying Case for the complete weapon system, as well as a sub-component hard scope carrying case.
• Soft Weapon Carrying Case (aka: Drag Bag. Optional item dependent on individual contract requirements) and a Soft Rifle Scope Carrying Case with padded Scope Cover Insert.
• Cleaning Kit with coated bore rod and guide plus required brushes and jags. Also a pocket-sized field cleaning kit with flexible rod.
• Deployment Kit containing Operator Level tools not provided in the Cleaning Kit, Scope Cleaning Kit, Spare battery for Day Scope Illuminated Reticle, Carrying Case with Field/Operator Spare Parts.
• Operator and Armorer Maintenance Manuals.
• A modified Army M240B 7.62mm Machine Gun Blank Firing Adapter can also be provided.

“Provide training in Amphibious Operations, select Maritime Special Operations, Military Operations Other Than War, and Supporting Operations in all environments, from arctic to riverine, in order to prepare Marine Air Ground Task Forces to support the Geographic Combatant Commanders.” Mission Statement, II MEF SOTG

Freedom’s many foes have good reason to fear the presence of a Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) within strike range. This powerful and versatile amphibious task force of approximately 2,200 Marines and Sailors is “uniquely equipped and forward-deployed to respond to any threat, protect any American or ally, or squash any menace at any place in the world, often within hours.”

At any given time at least two MEUs are on station with Naval Expeditionary Strike Groups supporting Central Command and Pacific Command. The MEUs are a formidable rapid-response force capable of conducting conventional amphibious and selected maritime special operations at night or under adverse weather conditions.

The Corps maintains seven MEUs, three on the West Coast under I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF), three more on the East Coast (II MEF), and one on Okinawa (III MEF). All have the same basic structure headed by a Command Element that exercises control over all ground, aviation and support assets.

The Ground Combat Element is built around an infantry battalion landing team, reinforced with tanks, artillery, amphibious vehicles, engineers, and reconnaissance assets. Its Aviation Combat Element is a composite medium helicopter squadron containing transport helicopters of various models and capabilities, attack helicopters and jets, air defense teams, and all necessary ground support. The Service Support Group provides motor transport, supply, equipment maintenance, medical assistance, and amphibious landing capability.

Embarked aboard several specialized amphibious warfare ships, proving it a self-contained, floating sea base, the MEU must be ready to perform a daunting list of missions ranging from feeding disaster victims to large scale amphibious assaults. Some, but not by any means all, of these include:

• Peacekeeping/Enforcement
• Humanitarian/Disaster Relief
• Security Operations
• Noncombatant Evacuation Operations
• Reinforcement Operations
• Amphibious Raids/Assaults/Demonstrations
• Tactical Deception Operations
• Airfield/Port Seizures
• Show-of-Force Operations
• Reconnaissance and Surveillance
• Seizure/Recovery of Offshore Energy Facilities
• Visit, Board, Search and Seizure of Vessels

Special Operations Capable

While many of these missions are also high profile specialties of various components of US Special Operations Command, the Corps has found it both useful and necessary to include them in the MEU’s taskings.

A case in point is the interservice buck-passing for several days while USAF pilot Scott O’Grady was barely evading capture after being shot down over hostile territory in Bosnia back in 1995. When nobody else could or would do it, the 24th MEU’s stalwart TRAP (Tactical Recovery of Aircraft and Personnel) team pulled off the daring and dramatic rescue that made headlines worldwide.

But the Pentagon’s bureaucratic form has to be honored, so a fully mission-certified MEU’s official designation becomes “Special Operations Capable.” This hair-splitting distinction seems to mean that only some members of the MEU get SPECOPS training, and that’s done by the Corps itself, not SOCOM.

SOTG

The main focus of this report is II MEF’s Special Operations Training Group, occupying a security fenced compound aboard Stone Bay, more than a bit of a drive across the New River from mainside Camp Lejeune, North Carolina. Stone Bay is well known to many Marines over more than a half century as the home of Weapons Training Battalion. Its remote location with superb ranges of all types, plenty of real estate for maneuver and riverfront for amphibious assault training, and proximity to the New River Marine Corps Air Station, make it the ideal home base for SOTG.

Our host for the day was Major James Farrelly, Operations Officer for SOTG, who welcomed us warmly and gave up a considerable chunk of valuable time to provide an overview of the 98-man unit’s formidable capabilities. He explained that SOTG has six major tasks that are essential for a MEU’s speedy and efficient transformation from a small cadre into a fearsome force that is certified “Special Operations Capable.”

1. Conduct special operations training, exercises and evaluation.
2. Provide expertise in special operations to the Marine Expeditionary Force Commander.
3. Provide training in urban, arctic, mountain, and riverine environments.
4. Field test and evaluate special operations tactics, techniques, procedures, and equipment.
5. Train units in raids, special skills, and riverine operations.
6. Provide oversight and instruction of Non-Lethal Weapons and munitions.

The six month long pre-deployment training program for a MEU, he explained, has three distinct phases that can be characterized by the time-honored principle of “crawl, walk, run.”

Since each MEU as it prepares for deployment is essentially a brand new organization that brings together officers, NCOs and enlisted personnel from all over the Corps, its Initial Training Phase begins a “building block approach with emphasis on individual and team skills.” While the command chain is mostly composed of combat-veteran Marines, this tends to be the first time some junior officers and NCOs have been assigned in leadership positions.

Also, a large percentage of its enlisted personnel will be heading out on their first deployment after Boot Camp and School of Infantry or other MOS qualification. So training at this “crawl” phase is structured around essential skills and developing the leadership structure from squad to platoon and company level.

The MEU conducts most of this itself, such as individual and crew-served weapons qualification, as well as small scale tactical exercises. But much of the specialized instruction falls to SOTG’s four Training Branches; Arctic/Mountain, Amphibious Raids, Special Missions, and Military Operations Other Than War.

In addition, SOTG teaches HUMINT (Human Intelligence) Exploitation and Intelligence Interoperability, and Mass Casualty Training. Training in Riverine Operations has also been available, but may be scaled back since the Navy has recently revived its “brown water” mission.

Arctic/Mountain Branch offers Mountain Operations and Cold Weather Orientation as well as an interesting variety of courses of value in any climate or location. In addition to teaching TRAP teams like the one that rescued O’Grady, there is the Helicopter Rope Suspension Training Master Course, and Urban Assault. Much of this is conducted in the remote and rugged hill country terrain of the West Virginia National Guard’s Camp Dawson, frequently hosting an interesting selection of specops forces from all over DoD.

Special Missions Branch conducts training in Dynamic Entry and Dynamic Assault, as well as Advanced Urban Recon, Security Element, and VBSS (Visit, Board, Search and Seizure). These are key capabilities, Farrelly said, of the MEU’s Maritime Special Purpose Force, with its core of elite Force Recon Marines.

We were given the opportunity to observe instructors from Special Missions Branch teaching a block on Vehicle Assault tactics in the Dynamic Assault Course. Time and again, cargo Hummvees loaded with heavily armed MSPF Marines roared up to rescue hostages in a school bus controlled by role-playing terrorists.

Deafening blasts from full powered flash-bang grenades, instantly followed by the sharp “crack” of Simunition-modified M4 Carbines, called SESAMS (Special Effects Small Arms Marking System) by the Corps, mixed with shouted commands from the assault team. Terrorists, splattered with blue paint hits signaling various degrees of incapacitation, were roughly hauled out. By rules of the exercise, red hits on some of the assault force sent them to the ground, requiring simulated medical attention by comrades. This is realistic force-on-force training, and each team had to do it right, or do it over again.

A short break in training gave us a chance to talk with one of the students, 23 year old Michael Reagan, originally from Atlanta, Georgia. Corporal Reagan said he had joined the Corps immediately after the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and had already served a combat tour in Central Command’s area of operations with a platoon from II MEF’s elite 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company. His presence at SOTG was in preparation for deployment with a MEU’s Maritime Special Purpose Force.

Since this Recon Marine had plenty of real-world trigger time in a unit with a well-deserved reputation for getting the hardest jobs done, we were curious to hear his evaluation of the course. “The instructors know what they’re doing,” Reagan said, “they’re combat vets themselves and what they’re teaching is what they’ve learned in the real thing.”

Reagan also gave high marks to the Corps for the weapons and equipment it issues. Standing tall in helmet and body armor and presenting an intimidating triple threat presence armed with a carbine, shotgun and pistol, he said the supply system provides gear that’s pretty much the right stuff for the job. Plus, commanders wisely allow a reasonable amount of private-purchase items.

Amphibious Raids Branch was next on the short tour, where Major Phil Cushman and Staff Sergeant Curtis Fowler explained how they take the Battalion Landing Team’s rifle companies through intense two week courses for Heliborne (helicopter), Mechanized (tracked), or Motorized (LAV) raids. Raid scenarios are taken directly from actual operations in Iraq, Fowler said, and extra realism is provided by “set dressing” the target buildings with items often encountered in-country.

One point that was repeatedly stressed was sergeant-to-sergeant instruction where Raids’ NCOs – all of whom are combat vets from Iraq and Afghanistan – focus primarily on the unit’s squad leaders. “It’s an NCO fight,” Fowler told us, “so we work with the corporals and sergeants who, in turn, lead their riflemen. This builds a lot of confidence in the NCO corps, particularly among young Marines in their first assignment after SOI (School of Infantry).”

While bunker clearing is done with closely supervised live fire, most of the specialized Assault Shooting is done with SESAMS-modified M16s. This sting and stain CQB system gets high marks for realism from the Raids instructors in comparison to the old “laser tag” MILES gear with blanks.

Cushman also pointed proudly to the new Enhanced Marksmanship Package, developed in cooperation with Weapons Training Battalion. “We’re the ‘Gunfighters’ and EMP improves our Raids package by improving the shooting skills of the Marines on the ground.”

In the earlier conversation with Major Farrelly we learned that Raids has been training deploying Marines on threat weapons they are most likely to encounter, focused, of course, on the AK family. In an interesting development in interservice cooperation, SOTG got the two dozen AKs and RPKs they use from the Army at Fort Bragg.

However, 7.62x39mm ammo for the AKs has become harder and harder to get. It was explained that this was the inevitable result of sharply escalating training demand and a centralized supply system that requires substantial lead time. While tens of millions of clean and serviceable “spam-canned” 7.62x39mm cartridges have been liberated in Afghanistan and Iraq, DoD’s safety certification process, and other, less compelling bureaucratic and legalistic roadblocks, keep this free fodder from being brought to the US for training use. There is consolation that at least some of this is being used in theater by the newly-formed native military and security forces. Meanwhile, DoD buys its AK ammo from a variety of overseas sources.

Military Operations Other Than War Branch specializes in important techniques and tactics necessary for the MEU’s less traditional but no less vital missions. These are the go-to guys for Non-Lethal Weapons and Tactics, Humanitarian Assistance, and Non-combatant Evacuation Operations. MOOTW’s OIC, Captain Joseph Benson, explained that his instructor staff often evaluates new products that manufacturers want to the Corps to adopt. Some recent examples, he said, include the TigerLight combo high intensity flashlight with on-board OC spray, and the Terminator sound blaster.

Exercises

The MEU’s Intermediate and Final Training Phases are “walk and run” time, characterized by increasingly challenging collective unit training with emphasis on missions executed at extended range and night operations. SOTG plans, coordinates, conducts and evaluates several large scale exercises with a successful TRUEX (Training in Urban Combat Exercise) marking transition to Final Phase.

Farrelly gave an enthusiastic preview of planning underway for the 24th MEU’s upcoming TRUEX, to be conducted over two weeks in the city of Norfolk, Virginia. While most are primarily challenges for Maritime Special Purpose Force personnel, “this one is a lot larger than usual,” he said, “because the whole MEU will be involved, and our Special Missions guys are working up some very intense shooting scenarios.”

Later follow-up revealed that the many and varied training and “cultural immersion” scenarios would also feature some real Middle Eastern role players and pyrotechnics from a Hollywood special effects company.

SOTG’s final part in a MEU’s evolution is the CERTEX (Special Operations Capable Certification Exercise), a full scale workout for the Maritime Special Purpose Force conducted while underway at sea. Success results in formal award of the designation “Special Operations Capable.” This proud title will remain in place for the full six month deployment and month after it returns, providing contingency response if needed.

Guns and Gear at SOTG

Our wide-ranging conversations with Major Farrelly and others at SOTG yielded a wealth of detailed information of more than passing interest to SAR’s readers. Some high points:

• SOTG has sent several teams to Central Command’s AO to observe and report on evolving tactical realities. A specific example of how feedback has changed instruction at SOTG is in the return of fragmentation grenades being used for clearing buildings. This is because the typically thick masonry walls tend to contain blast and fragmentation, minimizing friendly casualties.
• Less clear is the ongoing debate over whether to clear buildings from top down or bottom up.
• Despite weight, power consumption and durability issues with current-generation thermal imaging night sights, they are much preferred over the older “starlight” image intensifiers. Marines want more for both individual and crew-served weapons.
• Marine snipers, some of whom are now instructors at IIMEF SOTG, are particularly clever and resourceful when it comes to field expedient modifications of their rifles for night shooting. One example is the AN/PVS-14 night scope rigged in-line with a standard day optic.
• While we were there an officer from MCB Quantico personally delivered some hush-hush new sniper scopes to Special Missions Branch. It was later learned that these were Schmidt & Bender’s variable 3 to 12 power Police Marksmanship LPII models, selected by the Corps as the M8541 Scout-Sniper Day Scopes, after intense competition for a replacement for the venerable fixed 10x Unertl.
• Many Marines see a need for more takedown power than that of standard issue 5.56mm and 9mm ball ammo. The .45 caliber MEU (SOC) pistol used by Force Recon and MSPF is envied over the 9mm M9 that the rest of the Corps uses.
• SOTG wants to have a look at weapons and other gear that are likely to increase effectiveness of special operations. A recent demonstration of the Leitner-Wise LW15 .499 rifle and its elephant-stopping ammo was favorably received as an effective way to score engine kills on potential threat vehicles while minimizing collateral damage.
• Ammo needed for training and operations has to be programmed 5 years out. Increased demand following 9/11 has strained the system. The biggest impact of this on SOTG is in Non-lethal and AK ammo. Additionally, certain types of specialized shotgun ammo are in short supply.
• The paint marker ammo for Simunition/SESAMS is well liked by SOTG but doesn’t come cheap. It costs about $3,500 to put 50 Marines thru the Enhanced Marksmanship Program.

Semper Fidelis – “Always Faithful”

SOTG’s instructors are volunteers, carefully selected mostly from the ranks of hard-charging Marines from Force Recon, Infantry and Military Police with combat experience and rank of E5 or above. Career counselors can help with the application process.

SAR urges good young men and women to join the Corps in fighting the Global War on Terror. Get detailed information on Marine Expeditionary Forces and their Special Operations Training Groups at www.usmc.mil.

Special thanks to Sergeant Tracee Jackson of II MEF Public Affairs Office, for the enthusiastic and efficient coordination for our visit and all the follow up needed to get the story right.

Early Rheinmetall Gurtfüller for German MG 17 Aircraft Machine Gun Belts.

This short article is intended to describe the early Gurtfüller commercially offered by the Rheinmetall-Borsig company to load MG 17 belts with 7.92x57mm ammunition. This early belt-loader is an extremely scarce collector’s item and therefore the description and photographs of the device are excerpted from an original Rheinmetall-Borsig report dated December 8, 1937.

The Rheinmetall-Borsig report concerning this Gurtfüller is referenced “W7.9 B-4” and is dated December 8, 1937 at Berlin-Tegel. Its title reads “Beschreibung, Wirkungsweise und Bedienungsanleitung des Gurtfüllers für das Fluzeug-maschinengewehr ST6” which means “Description, operation and instructions for use of the belt loader for the aircraft machine gun ST 6.” One can note that the designation of the weapon itself is the Rheinmetall company internal commercial designation ST 6 and not the Luftwaffe designation MG 17. This document has also two other companion reports from the Rheinmetall company namely “W 7.9 V-5” and “W7.9 B-2” both dated August 1938 and which describe the operation of the so-called ST 6 aircraft machine gun itself, for motor mount with and without synchronization.

This belt-loader is intended to load and unload the non-disintegrating metal belt for MG 17 designated Gurt 17. A thorough description of this early Gurt 17 belt (later renamed Gurt 17 a. Art = old model) has been provided by the author in Small Arms Review Vol. 8, No. 2, November 2004. The machine is basically composed of 6 separate parts which are stored disassembled in a wood carrying crate (440x240x185mm) weighing a total of 16kg.

Cartridges are provided by means of a slightly curved flat feed-tray which enables the operator to place side by side the cartridges in the required sequence (armor-piercing, tracer, incendiary, etc.). The belt is inserted with open-side up into the star shaped drum. With each turn of the crank-handle the drum is rotated and a fresh-cartridge is pushed out of the feed guide into the empty belt pocket.

When the machine is set for an unloading operation, the loaded belt is also driven by the wheeled drum. The short plunger used to push a fresh round into its position in the belt during the belting operation, is then fitted with an extra long finger which therefore enables to push through the cartridge seated in a loaded belt out of its pocket.

The cartridge feed guide is made of pressed steel sheets and can accommodate a maximum of 30 cartridges.

It is also recommended in the report that this machine be used to control the proper seating of the cartridges that have been manually loaded by hand in the belt. Therefore, it is recommended to pass though the machine the entire hand loaded belt which would then somewhat work as a “positioning” machine.

This early machine should not be confused with the later and more versatile loader denoted “Kürbelfüller 37” (literally crank-loader) intended to cope simultaneously with any type of belts for MG 17 or MG 81 and with double-drum magazines for the MG 15. Furthermore, this multi-purpose model 37 loader is also fitted with a cartridge hopper divided into three separate sections, therefore enabling, by means of a very ingenious design, to make various belting sequences with up to three different cartridge types.

Fully one-fifth of all Thompson submachine guns produced by Colt were exported to France, yet little information has surfaced previously on the subject. Recent research has yielded new facts about these weapons, and their intriguing service life during the war.

Following World War I, the French government undertook a program to improve their military small arms. They developed a list of necessary weapons through a test commission named “Commission D’Experiences de Versailles” (CEV), which undertook to study potential submissions. The CEV was the testing arm of a larger organization named “Etablissement D’Experiences Techniques de Versailles” (ETVS). Various weapons desired for French service were a submachine gun (preferably in 9mm due to stocks of captured German ammunition), a self-loading rifle, a new light machine gun, and an anti-tank rifle.

Concurrent with French efforts, a young Auto-Ordnance Corporation in New York came to market with their Model of 1921 Thompson submachine gun, 15,000 of which were manufactured under license by Colt. The French acquired one TSMG in 1921 for testing purposes, with no resulting action taken.

In 1924, John Thompson presented two TSMG’s to the CEV, one Model of 1921 in .45, and a Model of 1923 in .45 Remington-Thompson caliber, featuring a bipod. Accuracy tests were conducted in semi and full-auto fire, with limited testing of the Model of 1923 due to cartridge availability. Better accuracy results were obtained in semiautomatic fire with the Model of 1923; however the Model of 1921 was favored in full-auto testing due to excessive vibration experienced with the .45 Remington-Thompson cartridge. The CEV concluded that, even though they favored a 9mm submachine gun, they were interested in testing a Thompson chambered for the .351 Winchester cartridge, which was featured as an option in the 1923 Auto-Ordnance catalog. The cartridge existed in French military inventory due to its previous use by World War I observers armed with Winchester carbines. The CEV also theorized the caliber would better utilize the Blish locking system. Desiring to test the .351 Win. cartridge conflicted with a major goal of the CEV, which wanted service pistols and submachine guns to share cartridges. Nevertheless, two .351 caliber Thompsons were ordered for further testing.

Auto-Ordnance eventually delivered one .351 caliber TSMG, and another in .45, and these were tested again by the CEV in 1926. The commission was impressed with the weight comparison of the TSMG recoiling parts vs. the Winchester carbine in handling the .351 Win cartridge (620 grams vs. 1200 grams). However, during testing of the .351 Thompson, the extractor broke after 10 rounds were fired. No spare parts had been shipped, so the extractor from the .45 caliber Thompson was substituted. Many failures occurred and testing ceased after 233 rounds as a result of the substituted extractor becoming bent as well as a broken breech oiler.

In January 1927, a new, European style BSA Thompson in 9mm was delivered to the CEV by the French military attaché in Washington. This Thompson was tested with over 5,500 cartridges fired, producing generally good results, except that a particular magazine produced many problems. Upon disassembly after testing, the Blish lock was found broken. The commission did not favor the high cyclic rate, desiring a slower 500 rpm rate. The CEV decided not to adopt the Thompson in any form.

Late in 1939, with a pending French national emergency, weapons were needed quickly. The French government put preferences aside, and ordered 3,000 Thompsons off the shelf, all of which were delivered in early 1940. Most were Model of 1921 A’s (without Cutts compensator), along with a few previously reconfigured Model of 1928s. This was great news to Russell Maguire, who had just acquired Auto-Ordnance, and who led the company through the World War II years. The CEV pulled 2 of the Thompsons from the order of 3,000 to perform an additional accuracy evaluation. They picked a Model of 1921 Thompson (SN 10384), and also one converted to 1928 configuration with Cutts compensator (SN 10171). The ETVS concluded in a report issued February 1, 1940 that accuracy was “medium,” and that the weapon presented some difficulty for shooters of small stature during automatic fire, but overall results were satisfactory. They witnessed better accuracy and controllability with the 1928 model, and suggested that future orders be placed for that weapon. Another order for 3,000 soon followed, but was not fulfilled prior to France’s capitulation after Germany invaded in May, 1940.

Following the French surrender, what has been referred to as a “puppet” government, the “Vichy” government led by Marshall Petain was formed to regulate French affairs, including a small military force. The military force was limited to 100,000 troops, duplicating the force size the Allies had imposed on Germany after World War I. The Vichy government operated under Nazi occupation, and was complicit in many treasonous acts for which its leaders were held responsible after the war. Some traitors were executed by firing squad. Petain was sentenced to death, but had his sentence commuted to life imprisonment by Charles DeGaulle, due to his old age and his World War I contributions. He spent the remainder of his life in prison alone on the Ile de Re, an island off the French Atlantic coast.

Most of the 3,000 Thompsons ended up in the hands of Vichy French military forces and police units. Some of the guns made it out if the country with expatriate French forces who trained in Algeria, waiting to liberate France, and some ended up in England following Dunkirk.

Manuals particular to the Model of 1921 were produced for the use of Vichy military forces and police units who became equipped with the Thompson. They were published by Charles Lavauzelle and Company of Paris, Nancy, and Limoges, France. The manuals produced were nicely detailed, with many colorized diagrams and foldouts. The original edition was printed in 1941, with reprints in 1942 and 1944. All editions are identical, except for the date, and some minor changes to the company logo on the cover. It is the author’s opinion that, besides being published in French, these manuals are the best ever published for the Model of 1921. Auto-Ordnance published several handbooks and manuals, all of which have good information, but the drawings, and most technical details of the French manuals are impressive.

Since the weapons arrived in France without sling swivels, French Army technical services issued an order to affix Berthier rifle sling swivels to the vertical or horizontal foregrip and the buttstock. Many Thompsons encountered in France today have the Berthier swivels. Most are deactivated war trophies in private collections.

In preparation for the D-Day invasion, and subsequent occupation of former German territory, French troops received training with the Model of 1928A1 and M1 Thompsons. American Thompson manuals, such as FM 23-40, were translated into French to aid French soldiers. They became equipped with many American and captured German weapons, and ran occupational military establishments, such as one in Langenargen, Germany. The Langenargen base issued its own manual for many American weapons, including the Thompson.

The French demonstrated interest in the Thompson gun very early in its history. Visits to France occurred during European Auto-Ordnance sales presentations by John Thompson, Marcellus Thompson, and George Goll in the 1920s. Auto-Ordnance also published some Thompson promotional items in French, including their 1921 Catalog, Model of 1921 Handbook, and print advertising. The early Auto-Ordnance French marketing attempts may have proven useful in landing the largest sale of Colt Thompsons in history.

Considered a pet peeve by some and a non-issue by others, the terminology relating to the registration status of certain Title II firearms can be confusing. Questions are commonly asked relating to the form an NFA firearm was previously registered with or transferred on. Most of the time the person asking the question is simply looking for the registration status but things quickly get confused due to the use of terminologies.

The following is an example of a typical conversation often encountered between a Class III dealer and someone inquiring about a firearm in inventory:

Dealer: Hello, ABC Machine Guns.

Caller: Do you have any Uzis in stock?

Dealer: Yes, one Group Industries converted Model A.

Caller: What form is it on?

Dealer: Excuse me?

Caller: Is it on a Form 4?

Dealer: Well I would have to check to see how it transferred into our inventory but I can assure you it is a transferable machine gun. Would you like to put a deposit on this gun while we get the paperwork going?

Caller: Well, if it is on a Form 4 isn’t there going to be another tax?

Dealer: It is not on any form at this time. It is simply in our inventory and is a transferable machine gun.

Caller: If it was on a Form 3 wouldn’t I have to get it transferred to my dealer first?

Dealer: No. It isn’t on any form at this time. If it is going to transfer out from our inventory to an individual, it would transfer out on a tax paid Form 4. If it is going to transfer out to another SOT it would transfer out of our inventory on a tax exempt Form 3. If it is going to go to a police department it would transfer out of our inventory on a tax exempt Form 5.

Caller: Why are you making this so difficult to understand? All I want to know is what form it is on.

Dealer: Click.

First and foremost (and contrary to popular belief), Title II firearms are not “On Forms” at all. They are all listed in the registry and only fall under the following categories;

• Transferable – A transferable Title II firearm would be any machine gun that was manufactured and registered prior to May 19, 1986. It could also include any machine gun or destructive device imported and registered prior to the 1968 amnesty. All other Title II firearms manufactured and registered today are transferable and they include domestically manufactured Short Barreled Rifles, Short Barreled Shotguns, Silencers, Destructive Devices and Any Other Weapons (AOW).

• Pre86 Dealer Sample – A Pre 86DS is a machine gun that was imported after the 1968 amnesty and registered before May 19, 1986. An individual can own these machine guns as long as they were acquired when the individual was a Class III Dealer. Unlike newly manufactured machine guns, dealers do not have to dispose of Pre 86DS machine guns when they surrender their federal firearms license. However, when they eventually sell the Pre 86DS, it is still a dealer sample and can be sold only to Title II Manufacturers, Class III Dealers, Police Departments and Government Entities.

• Post 86 Dealer Sample – All machine guns manufactured and registered after May 19, 1986. These guns can only be owned by Title II Manufacturers, Class III Dealers, Police Departments and Government Entities. Upon surrendering a federal firearms license any Post 86DS machine gun must be transferred to other qualified entities or destroyed.

When these firearms are manufactured and/or transferred, specific forms are used and the correct form is determined by the type of manufacture or transfer taking place. The type of form they were registered on and the form they were transferred on have absolutely no bearing on future transfers in most cases. The form that needs to be used for the transfer at hand is predetermined by the criteria of this new transfer.

• Form 1 – Application used by an individual to manufacture a Title II Firearm. Individuals can still manufacture Title II firearms (except machine guns). A description of the firearm being manufactured along with a “making tax” of $200 is submitted. Upon approval of this application, the individual can manufacture or assemble the firearm listed. (See SAR Vol. 1, No. 10, July 1998 for a complete article on using a BATF Form 1).

• Form 2 – Form used by Title II Manufacturers to register NFA firearms. After an NFA firearm is manufactured the manufacturer submits this form to BATFE so it can be added to the registry.

• Form 3 – Tax Exempt Transfer of an NFA Firearm from a Special Occupational Taxpayer to another Special Occupational Taxpayer. When a Class III dealer purchases an NFA firearm from another Class III Dealer (or Title II Manufacturer) the transfer is completed with the approval of this form.

• Form 4 – Application for Tax Paid Transfer of an NFA Firearm to an Individual. This is the form used when someone who is NOT a Class III dealer buys an NFA firearm. The transfer tax is $200 unless the item being purchased is an AOW. If it is an AOW, the transfer tax paid is only $5. With this form, it doesn’t matter if the firearm is coming from or going to an individual. If an individual (non SOT) is involved in the transfer on either side, the Form 4 is used.

• Form 5 – Application for Tax Exempt Transfer of an NFA Firearm. This form is used for a number of purposes. One of the most popular uses for the Form 5 is when the transfer is temporary, such as a transfer of a firearm for repair or research. It is also the form used when transferring firearms to or from government entities or police departments. Another use for this form is in the case of an owner passing away and the NFA firearms are transferred to their lawful heir. This form is also used to transfer registered deactivated (DEWAT) machine guns. In all of these cases, there is no transfer tax, even though individuals (non SOT) may be involved.

• Form 10 – Application for Registration of Firearms Acquired by Certain Government Entities. This may be the saddest of all forms for the recreational shooters and collectors of the NFA community. This is the form used to register unregistered firearms acquired by police departments and sanctioned museums. The sad part is that once a firearm is registered on a Form 10 it can NEVER be transferred to anyone other than another police department, government entity or museum. They can not even be transferred to Class III dealers for use in instruction, research, and training or as a sales sample.

As can be seen, the form a firearm has previously transferred on, or was registered on, usually has little or nothing to do with future transfers. Having this information will help you communicate better with your Class III dealer or police department. Instead of talking in circles about previous (and mostly irrelevant) transfers, you can quickly find out the registration status of the gun you are interested in, and save lots of time and head scratching in the process. The proper question to ask is if the gun is fully transferable or a restricted dealer sample.

All of these forms are available in PDF format on the World Wide Web at www.titleii.com. This is an excellent site and it is provided at no cost. For those who want to help with the expenses, there is an area to support it with a small contribution and in return you will receive custom forms with your data saved for you, including electronic photographs on forms where necessary.

Imagine standing on the Tee area of your favorite Par 4 hole and wishing you could get to the green in 1. (Putting for Eagle is something that most of us never have the chance do). You reach into your bag and select your 20-inch Colt H-Bar. As you drop your Top-Flite XL-3000 ball into the Bloom muzzle device, you read the wind and aim a little to the left to compensate for it. With a hollow sounding thump your ball takes flight and bounces just short of the green, rolling up beside the pin. It looks like another day of shooting under par.

We don’t know how your local golf course will feel about using the Bloom Automatic Golf Ball Launcher but we have yet to encounter a shooting range that doesn’t allow it.

The Bloom Automatic Golf Ball Launcher is a muzzle attachment designed to be used with several firearms. Rather than having a dedicated thread that must be matched to a particular firearm, this device will function with any standard 22mm flash hider or grenade launcher. It simply slides over the factory flash hider or grenade launcher and is secured with dog-point set screws in the corresponding grooves. Unlike cup-point set screws, there should be no scratching or marring of the original finish.

The firearms the Bloom device can be used with include, but are not limited to, the following unmodified firearms; Yugo SKS, AR-15, M16, FAL, Galil, CETME, G-3 and MAS 49/56. It will also function on the 1903 Springfield, M1 Garand and M1A / M14 when used in conjunction with their grenade launching attachments. They also recently added the correct flash hiders for an AK47 to use with this system.

After securing the launcher to the firearm, all that is necessary is a bucket of golf balls and a corresponding number of blanks. For obvious reasons this device should NEVER be used with live ammunition. A golf ball is dropped into the launcher and the blank round is loaded into the chamber. To fire, hold the rifle on your shoulder in a slightly elevated position so the ball will not roll out.

The distance the ball will travel depends entirely upon the caliber and the barrel length of the firearm used. With a 20-inch barrel on an AR-15 the balls can fly as far as 350 yards. When used with an 11.5-inch barrel, the distance was reduced to somewhere in the area of 100 – 150 yards. With an SKS they will fly in excess of 500 yards; almost completely out of sight. We can only assume that when used with the M1A or M1 Garand they will travel further. Standard blanks are used in conjunction with the Bloom Automatic Golf Ball Launcher and the use of grenade launching blanks is not recommended.

Something that has to be considered when firing golf balls is that they react unpredictably when they strike a hard surface. It would not be recommended to fire at a hard surface where there is the potential for the ball to bounce back towards the shooter or any spectators.

During our testing we found it fun to place several 5-gallon pails in a large area and try to see if we could drop any balls in the pails. Other suggested “sporting” options would be to use 55-gallon drums or paint large circles in the field or range in a bulls-eye fashion and, in a 21st Century version of “Jarts,” hits could be scored by their proximity to the target. While there is no tactical factor being sold with this attachment, the fun factor is certainly high, and with a little imagination several competitive and recreational uses can be discovered.

In support of this neat accessory, Bloom Automatic is going to offer blank crimp dies for sale. This will assist the reloaders who wish to manufacture their own loads instead of purchasing factory blanks, which at times can be elusive and expensive. Some factory blanks can be corrosive and reloading will solve that concern.

There has been a lot of discussion about specific launching accessories and their rulings within the Technology Branch of the ATF. As of this writing, ATF has ruled that the Bloom Automatic Golf Ball Launcher does not constitute a firearm or a destructive device. This conclusion followed a 6-month discussion period with the ATF legal department and they have even issued a ruling letter to this effect. A copy of this ruling is available at the Bloom Automatic website:

There are several new platforms for the launcher to be used on and they now include the 1911 pistol and some of the MAC family of firearms. All of this new information is available on their website as well. The price for the standard launcher, as tested in Small Arms Review magazine is $40 with an additional $5 shipping fee.

Bloom Automatic, LLC Dept. SAR 402 2nd Street Monongahela, PA 15063 E-Mail: bloomautomatic@yahoo.com Website: www.bloomautomatic.com

line breaks between paragraphs. Single
are good for spec lines. This is bolded. This is italics. This is underline. This is all three…

How far back in time would you have to travel to find a Ruger 10/22 that fires at 800 rounds per minute, accurately and controllably, that retails under $1,300? Thanks to the Akins Group, Inc., that time is now.

One of the newest innovations in the recreational firearms industry is now a reality. Under development for several years, the Akins Group, Inc. is releasing their latest product, the Akins Accelerator. The Akins Accelerator is a rifle stock designed to be used with a Ruger 10/22. It contains a linear motion device that in simple terms allows the rifle to recoil inside the stock. This slight rearward travel allows the trigger to be reset upon firing. Upon resetting the trigger, the return-forward motion of the firearm brings the trigger back into contact with the trigger finger of the shooter starting the process over again. It will continue until the magazine has emptied or until the shooter takes his finger off the trigger.

When first contacted by the principals of the Akins Group, Inc. regarding this project a few years ago, while the mechanism description made perfect sense, it definitely sounded a little “too good to be true.” Over the last few decades we have seen several gimmicks and gadgets that were “guaranteed” to create a legal and inexpensive alternative to transferable machine guns and very few have delivered as promised.

About a year ago this writer was asked to participate in a group of BETA testers who would utilize and push the mechanical limits of this new Akins Accelerator learning whatever we could about it and its abilities. This testing would take place while mass quantities were being produced for a future, public release. The testers were given specific instructions not to publicly display the device but were given the option of sharing its existence with close members of their individual firearms community. There have been over 100 BETA test units in all corners of the United States for over a year. The collective test results have been shared within this group, and this knowledge has been utilized to create an even more reliable design. Such a wide test, in regard to environment, ammo, and accessories has helped the Akins Group to fine tune the Accelerator far before making a public release. Much to the pleasure of everyone who has been privy to this testing, the release time is now and units are already being delivered.

Unlike almost all other devices designed to give the shooter a simulated full automatic fire effect, the Akins Accelerator is held and utilized in exactly the same fashion as a traditional rifle or stock. During fire, the stock remains solidly in the grasp of the shooter with a tight cheek weld, and solid grip on the pistol grip and forend. This allows for unprecedented accuracy and control. The only movement is happening inside the stock and it is so smooth and fluid-like, the shooter is almost unaware of it happening at all.

Something else that makes the Akins Accelerator unique is the ability to fire a single shot when desired just by squeezing the trigger in a conventional manner. During our testing it was easy to shoot a single burst of 10-15 rounds, engage a different target and shoot a few rounds in semi, and then empty the remainder of the magazine in a single burst.

How exactly does it work?

As already briefly explained, the rifle actually recoils inside the stock. It is attached to a device called a Linear Motion Assembly. This device takes the place of the standard V-block barrel retainer supplied with the 10/22 and is firmly attached to the receiver, solidly holding the barrel in place like the factory V-block. The Linear Motion Assembly is then secured into the stock. Once fastened into the stock, the top of the device along with the rifle and barrel are allowed to move rearward and return forward again while the bottom of the Linear Motion Assembly is fastened tightly to the stock.

When correctly adjusted and assembled, the firing sequence works in the following manner. The firearm is loaded and charged in a typical fashion and the safety still works in the normal manner as well. When the shooter wishes to fire several rounds in a single burst, the trigger finger of the shooter is “bridged” over the trigger, touching both sides of the stock. As the trigger is depressed, the finger remains static. The recoil of the rifle causes the whole barreled action to move slightly rearward with the assistance of the Linear Motion Assembly. There is a return spring in the Linear Motion Assembly that brings the barreled action to its forward position after the recoil stroke is completed. As the rifle returns to its beginning position, the trigger finger of the shooter now acting as a “bridge” across the trigger area of the stock, comes back into contact with the trigger, starting the process over again. A properly assembled and well-fed 10/22 will continue to function in this way until the magazine is empty. If the shooter wishes to stop shooting the finger is simply removed like any traditional firearm. If the shooter wishes to fire single shots instead of bursts, regular pressure is applied to the trigger instead of using the “bridge” type hold described above. The gun may be used with either the left or right hand.

Why is this NOT considered a machine gun?

Simply enough, it does not meet the definition of a machine gun as defined in the National Firearm Act (NFA), 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53. Machine gun: “The term “machine gun” means any weapon designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot, without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger. The term shall also include the frame or receiver of any such weapon, any part designed and intended solely and exclusively, or combination of parts designed and intended, for use in converting a weapon into a machine gun and any combination of parts from which a machine gun can be assembled if such parts are in the possession or under the control of a person.”

During the exchange of letters between the Firearms Technology Branch of ATF and the Akins Group, Inc., ATF said, “…As noted previously, the proposed theory of operation of this stock involves the application of the movement of the counter recoiling device to initiate a rapid succession of semiautomatic fire. Our examination and subsequent classification revealed that the stock did not constitute a “machine gun” as that term is defined in the National Firearms Act (NFA), 26 U.S.C. Chapter 53…”

Not only are the Akins Accelerator stock and assembly not considered a machine gun, they are not even classified as a firearm. This is only an accessory, needing a legal, semiautomatic host firearm to even function. The semiautomatic firearm (in this case the 10/22) added to the stock assembly still only has the ability to discharge one shot per function of the trigger as required by law. The rapid succession in which these shots are fired has no bearing on the legality of the system as noted in the above letter from the Firearms Technology. This is the same logic used in rulings for decades on the numerous hand cranks and similar rapid-fire devices offered on the market today and in the past.

Assembling your Akins Accelerator

When you receive your new stock assembly it will come with an owner’s manual, a few pins and clips, and a special Bondhus Ball End Wrench for removal of and replacement of the barrel retaining screws. Read the manual from front to rear and everything will immediately become crystal clear. It is a simple task to mount correctly but it must be done exactly as directed to function as well as it has the ability to do.

The factory trigger and magazine catch pins must be replaced with new provided pins before firing. The factory pins have a tendency to “walk-out” and these new retaining spring pins will stay firm.

The factory barrel retaining V-block must be removed and replaced with the new Linear Motion Device. Before removing or loosening this V-block it is wise to use a felt pen to mark the position of the barrel in relation to the receiver. This way during reassembly it will be in exactly the same position and the chance of malfunction from contact with the ejector will be drastically reduced.

After the V-block has been completely removed, the Linear Motion assembly will be installed in its place using the factory screws. This is most easily accomplished with the assistance of the ball end of the provided wrench. Making sure the barrel is lined up with the receiver with your previous markings, the Linear Motion Assembly can be tightened up. When doing this, only tighten each screw a little then alternate to the other one for a few turns. The necessity to line up the operating rods so they are completely parallel with the barrel is of extreme importance. Over-tightening one side may cause the rods to lean to one side. By slowly tightening them in an alternating manner getting them parallel with the barrel should be no problem.

After the device is tightened to the barrel block it is time to install the assembly to the stock. Care must be made when positioning the system into the stock so that the trigger mechanism is not too far forward. Upon firing, it has to break clean and allow the receiver to move rearward of the placement of the shooters finger. It should be positioned very close to the rearward most area. A little adjusting of this placement may be all the “fine tuning” necessary once everything is assembled and it is time to hit the range.

The whole trick to this running dependably is realizing that there is very little residual energy left from the recoil stage in this little Rimfire and anything allowed to rub anywhere will further rob that much needed power. This includes a good cleaning of the entire rifle mechanism not withstanding the trigger group and chamber area. If the rifle is dragging on the stock in any area it must be adjusted so it can float freely to ensure the fullest potential available.

Range Test Time

Range test time has been the greater portion of a year. This is a long time to work with something compared to most gun testing. We were fortunate in assembling a gun that ran well from the very beginning. It has been noticed that a small “break-in” period may be necessary to loosen up tight tolerances caused by factory finishing when using new firearms. A well-used rifle was chosen, being completely disassembled and given a thorough cleaning and lube prior to being assembled in the new unit. The guide rods of the Linear Motion Assembly were lined up correctly and it fit well in the stock. The factory 10-round magazines just whistled through it so immediately went on to 30-rounders and even a 50-round teardrop drum. All worked flawless.

An early concern was the number of accessories that could be added to the system and still work reliably. We ended up using a 12-inch barrel with an AWC MKII Silencer for the majority of the testing and the rifle was topped with a PRO-MAG scope mount and ADCO Mirage electronic sight. Nothing caused any type of regular malfunction and every combination of ammo, magazine and accessory worked just fine. Our test model ate everything it was fed.

The correct function testing procedure recommends factory 10-round magazines with CCI Mini-Mag solid point ammo to lessen the variables. After running reliably with that combination it is recommended to upgrade or change only one thing at a time to keep a firm grip on potential problems. In dealing with Rimfire guns, some guns are finicky with specific types of ammo while others only like specific magazines and this configuration will not be any different.

During our numerous trips to the range it was easy to complete 30-round and 50-round magazine dumps regularly. Keeping the gun clean was the key. Other than the excellent functionality of this system, the controllability was really what set it apart from other systems we have tried in the past. It is very easy to keep an entire magazine of ammo on a small target from 50 feet away due to the lack of felt recoil and muzzle rise.

We used a mixed bag of almost every type of .22LR ammo readily available with most functioning fine. We extensively fired the 550-round Federal bulk pack ammo and the Remington Golden Bullet bonus pack ammo, both retailing under $9. We also used lots of CCI Blazer. Testing has shown that the use of CCI Mini-Mag Solid Point ammo is one of the most dependable. We recorded rates of fire from the 650rpm range to almost 900rpm depending on ammunition used.

This device has brought smiles to the Class III enthusiasts I have allowed to view and handle it. It is not the amazing firepower or the availability of reliable and inexpensive ammunition. It isn’t even the number of available accessories like high capacity magazines and sound suppressors it seems to work fine with. The real allure seems to be the technological aspect that just keeps people grinning from ear to ear.

People quickly grasp the concept and then balk when they inquire about the price. A demonstration is necessary to really grasp how well this system works. A 30-round or 50-round mag dump is usually sufficient to solicit a, “Hey, let me look at that. That’s really just a semi? I gotta get me one of these!” Words alone, even sprinkled with a few photos just don’t convey how well this actually runs. For that purpose, Akins Group, Inc. has set up a little space in the web to share thoughts, ideas, photos and videos and you are welcome to participate. You can find them at www.firefaster.com. You will be very impressed with what you see and hear there.

The Akins Accelerator is currently offered in three configurations. The Full Stock retails for $975, the Folding Stock retails for $1,125 and the Pocket Folding Stock retailing for $1,185.

Akins Group, Inc Dept. SAR P.O. Box 430 Cornelius, OR 97113 (503)359-1359 www.firefaster.com