AR-15 Platform

5.56x45mm/.223 Remington

The .223 Remington cartridge and the AR-15 were developed together and have both gone through changes. Originally with a 1 in 14 inch twist barrel and then standardized in the 1 in 12 by the U.S. military and later to the 1 in 7 with the adoption of the 5.56x45mm NATO round, this is the most popular chambering by far in the black rifle. Commercial barrels have been offered in several different rifling twists including 1/8, 1/8.5 and 1/9. The 1/14 and 1/12 stabilize reliably the 40 through 55 grain projectiles. The 1/9 stabilizes from 55 to 69 grain projectiles reliably and the 1/7 stabilizes the 55 to 80 grain projectiles reliably. There are an abundance of bullet weights and types available in this caliber ranging from 40 to 80 grains. Projectiles are from hollow points, soft points, full metal jackets, solid copper, bonded projectiles, frangible, tracer, armor piercing, gold dot and many more. Ammunition is available from all over the world as well as military surplus. The cartridge is very reasonably priced and suitable for target shooting, competition, self defense and hunting small game. This is perhaps one of the most popular cartridges in the country used by military, law enforcement and commercial customers alike.

.222 Remington

Very few black rifles were made in the 222 Remington caliber. Colt did two runs of these rifles which were meant for export only. There are countries throughout the world which permit civilian ownership of firearms but prohibit ownership of military calibers. So the barrel was chambered for the .222 Remington caliber and the buffer was modified. Colt did a run of these in the SP1 model as well as one more in the A2 Sporter II model. (France is one country that these were sold in)

.204 Ruger

The .204 Ruger was a joint venture between Ruger and Hornady and the second named Ruger cartridge between the two companies. Released in 200r the cartridge was made from necking down a .222 Remington Magnum cartridge case to accept a .204 inch diameter projectile. The cartridge has projectile weights from 26 to 50 grains. The velocity of a 32 grain projectile is an incredible 4,225 feet per second with a 45 grain projectile at 3,625 feet per second making this the fasted projectile launched by the black rifle. These velocities are made possible by modern propellants. Ammunition is made commercially by Hornady, Remington, Winchester, Fiocchi, Nosler Custom, HSM and Corbon and others.

Black rifles in this caliber have been manufactured by DPMS, Remington, Lesbaer, Double Star and LMT (MRP stainless steel) to name a few. Several barrel manufacturers make just the barrel enabling shooters to build their own upper as well. This is an incredible rifle for varmint hunting boasting ½ MOA accuracy.

5.45x39mm

One of the newer chamberings is the 5.45x39mm. There has been a significant influx of Russian 5.45x39mm ammunition into the U.S. Smith & Wesson M&P15R was one of the first to offer an AR-type rifle in this caliber. This cartridge is far more conducive to the AR-platform than is its 7.62x39mm counter-part. Rifles have been made by Adams Arms, Model 1 Sales, Spikes Tactical and Olympic Arms to name a few. LMT has also introduced a barrel for their MRP platform.

The 5.45x39mm cartridge is reliable in this platform as well as accurate. Ammunition is very inexpensive compared to even 5.56mm ammunition on today’s market. Hornady has introduced a tactical 60gr V-Max load for self defense and hunting small game. This cartridge can be found in 53, 55, 60 and 62 grain projectiles either full metal jacket, hollow point or V-Max configurations. This cartridge case is only available in steel cases/berdan primed. This is necessary due to the pressures involved; the rim would sheer off during extraction if a brass case was used. This is an excellent choice for inexpensive plinking and self defense. There are many manufacturers to choose from as well.

7.62x39mm

Most every modern military rifle has been chambered in the 7.62x39mm cartridge and the Black Rifle is no exception. The first to come on board with this was Colt in their Sporter series. This was to permit the rifle to be used for medium game hunting as well as take advantage of the cheap surplus Chi-Com and Russian ammunition. Later, Knight’s Armament would develop a rifle called the SR47 for Special Operations request. Currently ArmaLite produces an M15 in this caliber as well as LMT produces a barrel for their Monolithic Rail Platform.

The reason this has not really caught on is mainly due to the inability to reliably feed this cartridge in an AR-platform rifle. The natural curvature of the 7.62x39mm cartridge case has a significant taper and is the reason for the curvature of the AK magazine. The rounds do not sit properly to reliably feed. There are several magazine manufacturers out there but none that would make the rifle combat reliable. Another issue is the lack of a selection of projectiles in the .311 diameter. There are a limited amount of projectile weights and configurations available. The normal projectile weights are 122, 123 and 124 grains and the projectiles are normally full metal/steel jacket, soft point, hollow point or the Hornady SST. This cartridge is available in brass cartridge cases so they may be reloaded. The cost of the ammunition makes reloading very hard to justify. Some manufacturers have adapted the lower receiver of the Black Rifle to accept AK-type magazines. They are too new to get a handle on their reliability.

6.8x45mm Remington SPC

Since the 1970s, with the development of the .280 British and the American 6mm SAW programs, there has been thought that the 6mm caliber was the ideal military caliber. Around the 2000/2001 time period former 5th Special Forces MSG Steven Holland developed from the .30 Remington cartridge case a new 6.8x45mm cartridge. With the assistance of United States Army Marksmanship Unit Ammunition Section headed by Troy Lawton, initial assessments of the new cartridge were made and then the program was picked up for final development at no cost to the government by Sean Dwyer of Remington Arms. Prior to SAAMI acceptance and final configuration specifications for the cartridge several companies manufactured rifles to fire this new cartridge. Experimental ammunition went into production in early 2002 and went into full production by Remington in the summer of 2003. One company does stand out as the leader in development of the 6.8mm Remington SPC, and that is Silver State Armory. They have developed more types of loads for various purposes than any other company including a very effective armor piercing round. They are also the only company to offer the “tactical” line which is only for use in Spec 2 chambers, which create higher pressures really giving the full benefit of this cartridge. The SAAMI spec is the Spec 1 chamber. This enabled commercially produced ammunition to be used in all the earlier rifles that were made. The Spec 2 chamber has modifications enabling higher pressures. The shooter must know what chamber he has and use the proper ammunition. Most chambers in production today are the Spec 2. The primary load for this cartridge is a 115 grain projectile normally firing with a muzzle velocity of 2,650 feet per second. Silver State Armory offers projectiles in 75, 85,100, 110, 115 and 140 grains. The projectiles range from open tip match, soft point, frangible, Barnes TSX, Accubond and armor piercing, among others.

The base of the cartridge case is larger requiring a separate bolt than the standard 5.56 bolt. There is also a separate magazine for the cartridge mainly made by PRI and C-Products. Complete rifles have been made by many manufacturers including ArmaLite, DPMS, Rock River, Barrett, Bushmaster, LMT (MRP), Remington, LWRCI, Ruger, Spikes Tactical, Wilson Combat, Stag Arms and CMMG. This cartridge has not been entirely successful on the military market. Recently LWRCI was awarded a contract in the Middle East, the first large scale military contract for this caliber firearm. Time will tell how well it does. However, this cartridge has been extremely popular in the commercial/hunting market and has seen some acceptance in the military market. Ammunition is readily available for this cartridge by Remington, Silver State Armory, Hornady, S&B, CORBON, Barrett and HSM to name a few.

6.5 Grendel (6.5x38mm)

Introduced in 2004 by Bill Alexander, the president of Alexander Arms, the 6.5 Grendel initially developed as a competition and a hunting cartridge that could be placed in a black rifle. It was not until after its introduction that its military applications were realized. The overall length of the cartridge would fit in the black rifle magazine. This cartridge became a SAAMI standard round in 2012. Designed to create an effective range from 200 to 800 yards with a .264” (6.5mm) projectile that has been debated for many years as the ideal service rifle projectile. Projectile weights go from 90, 108, 120, 123 and 130 grains. With a 123 grain Sierra MatchKing projectile, the muzzle velocity is 2,650 feet per second. Ammunition is produced by Hornady, Wolf, Alexander Arms, Precision Firearms and Black Hills Gold.

Due to the larger cartridge base, which is the same as the 7.62x39mm cartridge, a modified bolt is needed. The way the rounds stack in the magazine, a new magazine and follower were developed for this chambering as well. The magazines have mostly been made by C-Products. The rifles have been manufactured by Alexander Arms, Sabre Defense and JP Enterprises. Many rifles are custom built in this caliber. The number one nemesis of the 6.5 Grendel is the 6.8mm SPC, and that will not change. But this is a force to be reckoned with and will not be going anywhere in the foreseeable future.

300 Whisper/300 AAC Blackout (7.62x35mm)

The destiny of these two cartridges are very tightly intertwined, which is why I am speaking of them together. The 300 Whisper is the design of JD Jones of SSK Industries. In his own words on the development of this cartridge: “I started developing the Whisper in late 1991 or fairly early 92. Copyrighted it in Nov 1992 and released it about that time. Development was extensive with 125-250 grain bullets, which will all function through the SSK 300 Whisper AR. Now we can do 290 grains. First chambering was in the Contender for basic load development. Next was in the AR and bolt guns. There was a lot of fiddling around with the gas system. The single port worked ok with heavy bullets and WW 680 or surplus 1680 powder but that was about it. The powder was burning well under its optimum rate – pressure and quite dirty – particularly with suppressor on it. This is very important for military use. In one test at Bragg they went through about 1,300 rounds with the can on without a malfunction in around 30 minutes but not with 1680 powder. This doesn’t seem to have changed. Quite a few HV loads gave too high a port pressure and excessive bolt velocities and rates of full auto fire. That is why I went to the short two-port gas system to make use of cleaner burning and more uniform velocity powders. This is particularly important in short barrels. One load we had developed and loaded quite a bit of is the 220 Sierra MatchKing at 1,400 fps from a 10-inch M16. Try that one for a single non adjustable port and even more a 125 at 2100+ from a 10-inch barrel. At the time 221 was the obvious choice of brass. No one in their right mind wants to cut off 223, form it and check neck wall thickness and case capacities. This can still be problem. I had LC 5.56 and all case necks were swaged for infirmity and none of the overly thick necks were acceptable. In addition if you cut a 5.56 off, neck it and measure wall thickness you will see it is tapered; which gives excessive bullet runout and poor accuracy in many cases. This continued until the guy died. T/C was the first licensed to use it and it became quite popular in Handgun Metallic Shooting and for hunting of deer sized game. Corbon made the first commercial ammo for it. One of the big ammo companies felt turned down making brass and the other asked for a PO for a million rounds of loaded ammo to “consider” it.”

The 300 Whisper cartridge case was made from a .221 Remington fireball cartridge case that is necked up to accept the .308 diameter projectile. The concept was to have one cartridge that could fire rounds that were both supersonic and subsonic. Supersonic loads vary from 110, 125 and 150 grains available commercially. The subsonic ammunition available in 208 and 220 grain projectiles commercially coupled with a suppressor provided silent sentry incapacitation by firing a 220 grain projectile at 1,040 feet per second and then by removing the suppressor and putting supersonic ammunition in the rifle you had the power of an AK 7.62x39mm firing a 125 grain projectile at 2,100 feet per second in a reliable AR platform. Best of all, only the barrel need be changed to fire the 300 Whisper. Both the bolt and the magazine are the exact same. No modifications are made to the magazine and they are fully loaded to capacity. The main issue found from research with this caliber is that it was never approved by SAAMI. This means there were no single prints of the chamber and cartridge as well as safe loads. Few manufactures made this caliber with the exception being Hornady, Corbon and Black Hills. This load was the basis for the 300 Fireball and the 300-221 and the 300 Blackout.

The 300 Blackout set out with similar goals as the 300 Whisper but this time headed by the Freedom Groups companies AAC and Remington. With the substantial resources attributed to Freedom Group, AAC looked at the need for this type of round. The 7.62x39mm is not suitable due to the feeding issues and the limited types of projectiles and the inability to load a subsonic load in the case. Like its predecessor, the 300 Blackout can be fired in standard AR magazines with full capacity, only need to change the barrel, minimal strain on the bolt which is the standard bolt. There is a plethora of projectile types available in the .308 diameter. Most importantly it already has a proven track record from the work done by JD Jones. AAC also claims some of the ancestry of the 300 Blackout is the 1917 era 8×35 Ribeyrolle and the 1969 era 7.62x28mm. In January of 2011, the 300 AAC Blackout was accepted by SAAMI. After this, more than 110 companies in the industry manufacture products based on this caliber. The maximum effective range of the 125 grain projectile firing at a velocity of 2,220 feet per second is 460 meters. In comparing the 123 grain .311 AK projectile to the .308 125 grain 300 Blackout projectiles the .308 projectile has less drag, fills out an AR magazine for better feeding and the Ballistic Coefficient goes up from 0.265 to 0.320 and the down range energy has an increase of 16.7% compared to the 7.62x39mm. The Barnes 300 AAC Blackout 110gr TTSX is a barrier blind projectile giving optimal penetration. Ammunition is available from a very wide variety of manufacturers including Remington, Barnes, Corbon, PNW, HSM, Double Tap and soon to be Silver State Armory.

Rifles have been manufactured by several manufacturers including AAC, LWRC, DPMS, Bushmaster, Wilson Combat, Noveske, Healyarms, Spikes Tactical and LMT (barrel for the MRP). Several companies manufacture just the barrel enabling the shooter to build his own rifle. There is a long list of cartridges in this article that have seen very limited use, this cartridge on the other hand has already and continues to gain popularity and will be around for a long time.

7.62x40mm WT

The 7.62x40mm Wilson Tactical was developed with a similar concept as the 300 Whisper/300 AAC Blackout in offering a .30 caliber alternative in the black rifle that was easily integrated into the system (same bolt and magazines). It was designed with a tactical application in mind but with this bullet type medium size game was also in reach. Ballistics is comparable to the 6.8mm SPC cartridge out to 175 to 200 yards. The cartridge can be loaded with soft point and hollow point projectiles for terminal performance as well as Barnes TTSX projectiles for barrier penetration. The cartridge is a wildcat, made from a 5.56x45mm cartridge case. It is cut down to 1.560 “and the mouth is resized to accept a .308-inch diameter projectile. Normally, the cartridge will stabilize reliably 110 to 150 grain projectiles with the optimal rifling twist being 1/11 or 1/12. The 125 grain projectile is launched at 2,400 feet per second from a 16 inch barrel in the 7.62×40 WT as opposed to 2,215 feet per second from the 300 AAC Blackout cartridges. Like the 300 Whisper/300 AAC Blackout, if the shooter wishes to fire heavier subsonic ammunition the much faster 1/8 twist is required. Loaded ammunition is only sold by Wilson Tactical.

The 7.62x40mm cartridge can provide slightly more velocity than the 300 Whisper/300 AAC Blackout due to the case being 5mm longer. Other than the barrel, the magazine suggested is a Lancer L5 magazine if downloaded to 17 rounds in a 20-round magazine or 24 rounds in a 30-round magazine. Wilson Combat has modified the newer Lancer L5 AWM magazines with an 18/19 or 28/29 round capacity and they claim for this to be an ultra reliable combination. This round requires a reloader to keep it running but for one who enjoys that, this will be a very viable caliber.

.338 Spectre

The .338 Spectre cartridge was developed in 2005 specifically for the AR-15 family of gas-operated, detachable-box magazine-fed firearms. The cartridge is intended to fill the gap between traditional pistol caliber cartridges and existing rifle cartridges used in this weapon system. It shares rim size with the Remington 6.8x43mm SPC cartridge, allowing use of OEM bolts in this caliber.

By offering ballistics similar to the .357 Maximum, the .338 Spectre, besides being an excellent caliber for tactical applications, it also offers great potential as a single shot, silhouette and small game cartridge. By using .338 caliber bullets, the cartridge offers a nice variety in projectile choice, ranging from 160-grain Barnes X Spitzers, through 180-grain BST to 300-grain HPBT MatchKing rifle bullets. Furthermore, it allows the user to employ existing suppressors for the 9mm without modification, providing enhanced tactical firepower.

Standard .223-caliber AR-15 magazines will accept a limited number of .338 Spectre cartridges, whereas the 7.62×39 magazines are fully compatible. Due to the fact that the cartridge shares rim and head dimensions with the new 6.8×43 SPC, the preferred magazines are those made specifically for the 6.8×43. The standard .223 lower receiver for the AR-15 can be used without modification and the rifle will function in both semi and full automatic modes. In addition to the AR-15 weapons platform, several other types of firearms can be made to accept this cartridge, including the Mini-14, T/C Encore and various bolt and pump action rifles.

.499LWR (12.5x44mm)

Development of this cartridge began in 1994 by Paul Leitner-Wise of the Leitner-Wise Rifle Company (not to be confused with the current LWRCI Company). There is some lineage to the .50 Beauwolf but only similarities in concept shared with the designer, Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms. The push for the cartridge came from a requirement the US Coast Guard had for a hand held small arm that could sink a small ship and could also be used for line throwing. The .499 LWR cartridge held a 300 grain projectile. Original projectiles proved to be troublesome. They were manufactured from a copper-tin alloy. Though giving an impressive 2,182 feet per second the projectiles would corrode and being in salt water environment expedited the process. Later projectiles were manufactured by Barnes, a solid copper projectile with a more conventional ogive. Also produced was an armor piercing – it was a Barnes bullet with a steel core in the center sticking out of the hollow tip of the projectile. For a brief time a copper-polymer projectile was produced marketed as frangible.

The cartridge never gained much popularity for several reasons. The rifles that shot it were not reliable as it was a combination of the design of the cartridge case and the chamber. The rifle would experience failures to chamber after firing a few rounds. The copper-polymer ammunition left significant fouling in the throat of the barrel. Topped by the corrosive projectiles made the formula of disaster. After being plagued with problems the Coast Guard dropped the program and the .499 LWR went right after it. As of this writing, the ammunition is very rare. Occasionally it may be produced by Silver State Armory. Silver State does still offer new cartridge cases. The design was never finalized nor the bugs worked out. The .50 Beowulf does everything the .499 LWR did but does it repeatedly and reliably. The .499 LWR was the true pioneering round of the big bore AR.

.450 Bushmaster

The .450 Bushmaster started out as the .45 Professional designed by LeMag Firearms LLC and licensed to Bushmaster Firearms for production and distribution. Bushmaster went to Hornady to manufacture the ammunition and their engineers chose to shorten the case to accommodate their 250 grain pointed SST flex tip bullet. The modified round was renamed the .450 Bushmaster. The 250 grain projectile has a muzzle velocity of 2,214 out of a 20-inch barrel with 2,722 foot pounds of energy.

The .450 Bushmaster was designed as a hunting cartridge that would drop big game animals with one shot at 250 yards, in a semiautomatic rifle. Bushmaster offers the rifle in both 16 and 20 inch configurations. The standard 20-round magazine is used with a modified follower. Ammunition is available by both Hornady and Remington. Remington offers a 260 grain Accutip load. This is an excellent performing round and ammunition is available. For the big game hunter, this round should do it all.

.458 SOCOM

The .458 SOCOM was developed by Marty ter Weeme, founder of Teppo Jutsu LLC in 2000. The impetus was an informal (beer and barbeque) discussion with a senior member of the U.S. special operations community regarding the apparent lack of effectiveness of the 5.56×45 cartridge in recent conflict. In particular, the reports from members of Task Force Ranger in Mogadishu, Somalia that multiple shots were required to neutralize members of the opposing force led to the request to develop a new cartridge that would deliver far more energy from short barrels at relatively short distances. After the design was completed, the first prototypes were built and tested. Based on the favorable reviews, commercial production was started and the initial rifles were produced by Teppo Jutsu LLC. Currently, several firms offer rifles or upper assembles in this caliber, including AR-15s, AK-47s, single shot and bolt action rifles.

Working closely with Marty ter Weeme, Southern Ballistic Research, LLC (aka SBR) began extensive cartridge research and development for .458 SOCOM ammunition in 2003. Currently SBR produces over 20 different types of .458 SOCOM ammunition, ranging from 250 gr. up to a 500 gr. subsonic, as well as some LEA/GOVT restricted cartridges (AP & API). SBR has also developed a sound suppressor specifically designed for the 458 SOCOM cartridge.

.50 Beowulf

The .50 Beowulf was developed by Bill Alexander of Alexander Arms in 1999. The cartridge case was based on the .50 AE pistol round. The cartridge case was modified in that the rim was rebated to fit in a standard 5.56mm bolt and the cartridge case was made as long as possible to increase powder capacity and still with the projectile fit in the magazine. Many cartridges followed this pioneering move to make the largest possible cartridge that could be fired in a standard AR-15-type rifle. These cartridges following this design/concept would be the .499 LWR, .450 Bushmaster and .458 SOCOM. Projectile weight ranges from 300, 325, 334 and 400 grains with projectile types being Gold Dot jacketed hollow point, Unicor, hollow point, full metal jacket and soft point. The Beowulf delivers a 300 grain projectile at a muzzle velocity of 1,900 feet per second and a 400 grain projectile at 1,800 feet per second.

Rifles are manufactured by Alexander Arms. The rifle uses a standard bolt with a barrel chambered for the Beowulf. The magazine is slightly modified to accept the Beowulf cartridge. Rifles have also been manufactured by Umlaut.

Pistol Cartridges

9x19mm, .40 S&W, 45 Auto, 5.7x28mm & .50 AE

The Black Rifle was first introduced by Colt in 9x19mm as the Colt SMG. The SMG was blowback operated and had a magazine insert in the magazine well to accept a slightly modified Uzi magazine. The SMG has gone through several improvements over the years. Colt has sold the SMG’s to SWAT teams all over the world as well as some military sales. They were sold in both 10.5 inch and 16.1 inch barrels. Other companies have produced upper receivers as well as complete rifles in 9x19mm such as Olympic Arms, Spikes Tactical, Rock River Arms, CMMG and Double Diamond. Most of these will work reliably with 9mm ball ammunition but may have difficulty firing hollow point ammunition reliably.

Many companies throughout the years have produced .22 LR caliber variations of the Black Rifle. At first a conversion bolt carrier and magazine were offered. Colt sold a conversion kit for quite some time. The first complete rifle based on research was done by Diemaco in Canada called the C10 training rifle. This was a dedicated .22 LR caliber rifle for use in indoor ranges. The prototype rifle was also shown by Paul Leitner-Wise in SHOT 2002 but to my knowledge was never sold. Complete rifles and conversion uppers have been manufactured by Smith & Wesson, Umarex, CMMG, Mossberg, Chippa, Tactical Solutions, Mitchell Arms and Ruger to name a few.

The popularity of the .40 and .45 caliber ammunition has also sparked the design of AR uppers and carbines to shoot these cartridges. Both Rock River Arms and Olympic Arms have produced both uppers and complete rifles. Luvo arms and Lone Wolf have also manufactured a .40 caliber carbine.

The large .50AE cartridge has also been chambered in an AR by RMW Extreme and Hesse Arms. This has not been a very popular caliber in this weapons platform but a couple have done it.

The 5.7x28mm upper conversion has been for sale by PW Arms. This conversion takes a FNH PS90 magazine. Not very popular but for one who likes this caliber, there is an option.

AR-10 Platform

Although the AR-15 started out as the AR-10 chambered in 7.62x51mm and was cast into the pits of the Ordnance Corps in the late 1950s, it has come back in the early 1990s and with a vengeance. With the larger cartridge, the AR-10 is just as versatile as the smaller AR-15 little brother. Due to it being larger, by nature not nearly as much as been done with it, but several cartridges are compatible with the system and I am sure more to come.

7.62x51mm/.308 Winchester

The original chambering of the AR-10 was the NATO standard 7.62x51mm cartridge until the Air Force requested the rifle be scaled down resulting in the AR-15 in 5.56x45mm caliber. In the 1950s the U.S. Ordnance Corps rejected the AR-10 and placed this incredible futuristic weapon in the scrap heaps of Ordnance Corps. And it wasn’t until the early 1990s when Gene Stoner and Reed Knight, Jr. reintroduced it as the SR-25. Now the AR-10 design is made by numerous companies and is used as a sniper weapon by the government/Army that rejected it in the 1950s. By the chamber being compatible both with 7.62x51mm and commercial .308 Winchester ammunition, this cartridge has become one of the most popular in the country and is used for everything from a combat round, sniper round, self defense, hunting and competition to a plinking round. Bullet projectile weight can range from 110 to 190 grains. Primary military load is the M80 ball firing a 147 grain full metal jacket at 2,800 feet per second. Other military loads are the M118 169gr OTM and the M118LR 175gr OTM. Commercial ammunition is loaded in any configuration imaginable from standard hollow and soft points to barrier, ballistic tip, Barnes solid copper, partition, among many, many others.

The standard AR-10 is not finicky to what ammunition it is fed and this author has fired an overabundance of commercial ammunition through the LMT LM308MWS, ArmaLite AR-10, LWRCI REPR, SIG 716, HK417 and SCAR Heavy, to name a few, and encountered little to no issues with ammunition compatibility.

.243 Winchester

The .243 Winchester is one of the most popular cartridges in the U.S. and in the UK. This caliber is probably the minimum you would want to go after deer. The .243 Winchester is a necked down .308 Winchester caliber cartridge case to accept the .243 diameter projectile. Due to restrictions of military calibers in several countries the 243 Winchester is used in lieu of .308 Winchester. This cartridge has seen limited use as a law enforcement sniper cartridge as well. Commercial loads are found with projectile weights of 55, 58, 62, 75, 80, 85, 90, 95 and 100 grains. Projectiles can be found in any configuration due to this caliber’s popularity. The .243 Winchester cartridge pushes a 95 grain projectile up to 3,203 feet per second. All major small arms ammunition makers manufacture this cartridge.

Due to the parent case being a .308 Winchester, this cartridge has been adapted to the AR-10 platform of weapons by only replacing the barrel. The same bolt and magazine are used with the .243 Winchester as the .308 Winchester/7.62x51mm cartridge. AR10-type rifles in .243 Winchester have been produced by ArmaLite, LMT (MRP), Remington, DPMS to name a few. The light recoil and accuracy of this round make an ideal hunting varmint/deer size game.

.260 Remington

The .260 Remington was introduced by Remington in 1997. This was a successful wildcat cartridge based off of the .308 Winchester cartridge necking it down to accept the .264-inch diameter projectile. After gaining SAMMI acceptance, the rifle and cartridge could be manufactured with standard specification unlike the earlier wildcat configuration. This cartridge is also able to duplicate the trajectory of the .300 Winchester Mag cartridge. Factory loads have projectile weights from 120 to 140 grains. Reloaders can go as high as 160 grains. A Remington 120 grain Accutip fires with a muzzle velocity of 2,930 feet per second. Projectiles range from open tip match, soft point, ballistic tip, Barnes Triple Shot-X and Sierra GameKing to name a few. Ammunition is manufactured by Remington, Corbon, Federal, Blackhills, HSM, Nosler and Grizzly Ammunitions.

Due to the parent case being the .308 Winchester the cartridge is easily adapted to the AR-10-type rifle. The same bolt and magazine are used – only the barrel need be changed. Rifles have been manufactured by ArmaLite, LMT (MRP), DPMS and Remington. Barrels are available to change virtually any AR-10-type rifle into one chambered in the .260 Remington caliber. This caliber has been used in tactical rifles, competition rifles as well as hunting rifles. The power and range of the cartridge make it suitable for large deer, moose, elk and with the lighter projectiles varmints, bobcat and coyotes. Ammunition is readily available for this excellent versatile cartridge.

7mm-08 Remington

Based on a wildcat cartridge from the late 1950s the 7mm-08, the parent .308 Winchester cartridge case is necked down to accommodate the .284” diameter projectile. Bullets weigh from 100 to 175 grains. Projectiles from 154 to 175 grains can be used medium to some large game. The 100 to 140 grain projectiles work well for varmints. Longer range shooters will opt for the 175 grain projectiles. Its trajectory is comparable to the .270 Winchester. The light recoil and short action make this ideal for an autoloading rifle as well. Projectiles vary from soft point, Hornady SST, Barnes Triple-Shock X, Spitzer, ballistic silver tip, Accubond as well as partition to name just a few. Loaded ammunition is provided by many manufacturers including Remington, Winchester, Hornady, Prvi Partizan, Federal, Barnes, Nosler and HSM, among others.

Rifles based on the AR-10-platform have been manufactured by Remington, Rock River and LMT (MRP). Any AR10-type rifle is easily converted to 7mm-08 by just replacing the barrel. The same bolt and magazine are used due to the .308 being the parent cartridge case.

.338 Federal

The .338 Federal cartridge was a joint effort between Federal and SAKO in 2006 to introduce a .308 cartridge case necked up to accept the .338 caliber projectile. This allowed for a lightweight rifle to be matched with a big game cartridge. More potent than the .308 Winchester, this cartridge can be easily placed in a AR-10 platform by only swapping out the barrel since the cartridge case is based on the .308 Winchester. Commercially loaded projectile weights are 185, 200 and 210 grains and available in Accubond, partition, soft point and Barnes solid copper configurations. As of this writing Federal is the only company making this caliber of ammunition.

Rifles have been manufactured in this caliber by ArmaLite, DPMS, LUVO and LMT (MRP). This is an excellent cartridge, very pricey on the ammunition but powerful and in the AR-10 platform very comfortable and controllable. This cartridge could take any game in North America.

6.5 Creedmoor

Introduced by Hornady in 2007, the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridge provided the same trajectory of the 300 Winchester Mag with far less recoil. According to Hornady this was the first cartridge developed from the ground up to be a match cartridge out of the box. The original goal was to provide a match shooter with an out of the box cartridge they could compete with Winchester at the highest levels of match shooting. The short action length of the cartridge case allowed it to be used in the AR-10-type rifle by only changing the barrel. Recoil in the semiautomatic platform made this a pleasant cartridge to shoot. Ammunition is primarily only made by Hornady. Projectile weights include 120, 129 and 140 grains. Cartridges offered by Hornady are the Superformance line of ammunition. Loaded with both the new 120 grain GMX and the venerable 129 grain SST, the 6.5 Creedmoor brings a world of precision-based performance to the hunting arena. The 120 grain projectile is launched at a muzzle velocity of 2,910 feet per second out of a 24 inch barrel.

Due to the cartridge being based off of the .308 Winchester cartridge case, only the barrel needs to be replaced on an AR-10-type rifle. The same bolt and magazine are used. Rifles have been manufactured in this caliber by DPMS, LMT (MRP), Fulton Armory and Sabre defense and Noveske.

As clearly seen, the modularity and adaptability of this family of weapons is second to none. I am sure there are some calibers that I have missed or left out. As of this writing, Olympic Arms just entered a 22-250 caliber rifle in the AR-platform. I had run across a 6mm PPC as well but these have been less than popular. There is no doubt when the AR-family of weapons is called the grown mans erector set. There is little you cannot do with a good imagination and a good gunsmith.

In Volume 5, Number 1, of Small Arms Defense Journal, we provided the first real guide to the small arms used by North Korea. In our descriptions, we were missing pictures of the current issue North Korean 9x19mm handgun. Until the 1980s, North Korea’s military used the Type 64 and the Type 70 for high-ranking officers and the Type 68 for others who needed sidearms. In the late 1980s, the Type 68 was gradually replaced by a new handgun, the Baek-Du-San (White Head Mountain), in 9x19mm. This is a very close copy of CZ75 of that era, but experts doubt that technical support to make it was actually supplied to China as is assumed. The Chinese happened to make a copy of the CZ75 (their NZ75) around that time. Unlike the NZ75, the Baek-Du San is designed very closely after the original CZ75 (rumor has it that this was adopted because of the late Kim-Jung Il’s personal orders). He was a known collector and shooter of firearms, and he had ultimate power in his country. If he actually ordered them to adopt it, nobody in North Korea would resist. The fact that the CZ75 is an excellent handgun notwithstanding, of course.

SADJ contributor Heebum Hong, from South Korea, recently had the opportunity to photograph an original Baek-Du San pistol, and its markings. We’ve added this to our online articles at www.sadefensejournal.com and www.SmallArmsOfTheWorld.com to complete the photo set. We have photos of a number of suppressed pistols captured from North Korean spies, and will bring those to you as soon as we can.

Mannlicher pistols were not successful in the Austrian Army, but other guns were developed in that country, particularly those of Karel Krnka. Karel Krnka was a collaborator of Georg Roth, manufacturer of weapons in Vienna. In 1899, he had already created a semiautomatic rifle manufactured on a small scale by Haenel in Suhl and patented in Germany under numbers 118061 and 118602. Starting from the same mechanism, Krnka created a Roth-Steyr pistol for the commercial sector in 1905, from which was developed a military model adopted by the Austro-Hungarian cavalry in 1907 and later by other troops.

The pistol was manufactured by Österreichische Waffenfabrik in Steyr in Austria (60,000 specimens), from 1908 to 1913, with a K mark on some parts and Fegyvergyar in Budapest in Hungary (30,000 specimens), from 1911 to 1914, with an R mark. The M 1907 Roth-Steyr pistol remained in service until 1941 or 1942 when they were then employed by Austrians and Hungarians integrated into the Wehrmacht. After World War I, Poland, under war damages, received 17,000 guns including a number of Roth-Steyr 1907s where a Polish inventory of 1939 mentions more than 200 of them.

Description

The M 1907 Roth-Steyr pistol is a weapon built entirely with machined steel parts. Two variations of M 1907 Roth-Steyr pistols exist: The first model with large trigger guard and the cam pivot pin machined in the frame a second model with a smaller trigger guard and a built-up cam axis brought back, which can be seen on the right face of the frame at the top of the grip.

This weapon has no detachable magazine, but a fixed magazine located in the grip, loaded with a stripper clip, like a Mauser rifle. To unload the magazine it is necessary to open the bolt and press the cartridge stop.

The frame is also used as the grip. It is provided with a cover plate on the left side. This plate is embedded in the frame at the front in top and is kept in place when the left grip is assembled. On the inner face is assembled the bolt hold open latch. The magazine is composed of a parallelogram-shaped case with a tubular extension at its base, mounting the following spring. On the left face of this magazine is the button that retracts the cartridge stop to unload the weapon.

The grips are furnished with two obliquely striated wood plates that on the left is fixed by a traditional screw; that of right-hand side is held in place by a screw removable by a screwdriver with prongs, which at the same time keeps in place a disc on which is inscribed the number and the name of the unit to which the gun is issued, although this is not on all examples.

The upper part of the frame is machined with two superimposed cylindrical elements, the top one receives the bolt and the barrel and the bottom one the recoil spring. One can only marvel at the complexity of the parts and the precision of machining when computer controlled machining did not exist. At the rear are the ejection port and a clip guide.

The trigger mechanism is located on the left side of the frame and comprises the trigger, cam and sear. They pivot on pins machined into the frame, except the cam whose pin is built-up on the second model.

The slide is a cylinder, hollowed at the front to receive the barrel. The rear part holds the firing pin and its spring. The posterior end is threaded to receive a plug. The barrel is cylindrical, and has two guide ribs at the front and at the back two locking lugs. Its calibre is 8mm (.32) and it has four grooves with the right hand twist. The slide is held to the frame by a plug locked by a cross pin before the front sight. The recoil spring is assembled with a minimum of tolerance in its housing and does not have a guide, but only a stop at the back. The sights are composed of a V notch, milled in the clip guide and a front sight dovetailed into a stud that also receives the cross pin for the slide plug.

M 1907 Roth Steyr pistol

Caliber: 8 mm (.32)
Cartridge: 8 mm Steyr (8 x 18)
Overall length: 232 mm (9.13 inches)
Barrel length: 128 mm (5.03 inches)
Height: 159 mm (6.26inches)
Weight: 1.020 grams (2.20 lbs)
Mag. capacity: 10 rounds
Operation

Pull the slide to the rear and hold it back with its stop (a square button located in top of the cover plate of the left side). Place a clip loaded with cartridges on the guide. Press down firmly to introduce the column of cartridges into the magazine. Push the bolt latch, the bolt closes and pushes a cartridge in the barrel. The striker is in the cocked position and the pistol is ready to fire. The shooter pulls the trigger and the hammer falls on the firing pin igniting the cartridge. Under the action of the recoil, both the barrel and slide recoil. But after a short movement, the barrel rotates, guided by its front lugs and unlocks the slide which continues to move back. The empty case is extracted and ejected. The slide is now at the rear position and the recoil spring is compressed. Under the action of the recoil spring, the bolt closes and a new cartridge is pushed in the barrel, the bolt is locked and the pistol ready to shoot again.

To unload the pistol, lock the slide to the rear by the bolt latch. If there were a cartridge in the barrel it is extracted and ejected. Push the cartridges stop button to retract it and recover the cartridges in the palm of the other hand.

Disassembly-reassembly

• Put the weapon on safe.
• Open the bolt and lock it in the rear position.
• Press the stop button which locks the rear plug.
• Unscrew the rear plug.
• Press the bolt open latch and let it to move backward.
• Push the flat locking pin of the barrel from right to left.
• Take off the plug.
• Extract the barrel, slide and recoil spring group by the front.
• Separate the slide and the barrel.
• Unscrew the left grip plate.
• Take off the cover plate.
• Take off the magazine.
• It is not necessary to continue disassembly for normal maintenance.
• Reassembly is carried out in the inverse order.

Ammunition

This cartridge, standard in the Austro-Hungarian Army, was adopted in 1907. It remained in service a long time after the adoption of the M 1912 Steyr pistol, and could also be found during WW II. Its manufacture was mainly concentrated around the German and Austrian cartridge factories. It was listed on a Fiocchi catalog some years ago, but this did not mean it was available… The rimless cylindrical case measures 18.7 mm long. The Austrian service cartridge has a cylindro-ogival bullet weighting 7.20 grams (112 grains), with a lead core and a cupronickel jacket. The velocity was 320 m/s (1,052 fps). The Fiocchi Italian cartridge, fires a 7.30 grams (114 grains) gilding metal jacketed bullet at 330 m/s (1,085 fps).

Holster

The holster for this gun consists by assembling several elements joined together by seams, with the borders covered with thinner leather. The assembly is reinforced by rivets. The holster is suspended from a cross-belt which contains the belt loops, with the result that this holster was carried low.

The body is triangular and permits an easy extraction of the gun. The cover closes the holder over the pistol grip and is closed by a strap locked on a spherical rivet. This last also receives the strap for the clip pouch, placed behind the holster and which can hold several clips. A wooden shoulder stock, which can be also used as a holster, was also developed.

The M 1907 Roth-Steyr pistol is a superb weapon and a little marvel of European arms manufacture at the beginning of the 20th century.

45 mm of armor steel – that was way too much. With the arrival of the Russian T-34 tank at the front, the time of the German anti-tank rifles was finally over. Even the latest model, the Panzerabwehrbüchse 39 (Pz.B.39), was only able to deal with 30 mm of armor steel at 100 meters distance. In an experience report of the 88th Infantry Division it is mentioned: “The troop does not trust her and therefore she is mostly left back on the vehicles.”

The new Russian tanks were an unpleasant surprise. Besides the anti-tank rifles, the German infantry only had the rifle grenade launcher as well as mines and improvised devices available for combating tanks at the beginning of 1942. The development of the “Faustpatrone” (later called Panzerfaust) had just begun. Therefore, production of the Pz.B.39, starting in March 1940, ended in November 1941 with 39,232 weapons made.

In the efforts to give more effective anti-tank weapons to the infantry, in July 1941 the Army Ordnance Department (Heereswaffenamt) went up to the Westfälisch-Anhaltinische-Sprengstoff-Actien-Gesellschaft (WASAG) to increase the performance of the hollow-charge rifle grenade GG/P40. The designation stands for “Gewehrgranate zur Panzerbekämpfung Modell 1940” (rifle grenade anti-tank model 1940). It was a development of the WASAG specifically designed for the “Schießbecher mit Klappkorn” (spigot-type launcher with notch), a competitive model of the Air Force to the Army’s cup-style launcher. This grenade’s shaft was not put into, rather onto, the launcher. The wing-stabilized grenade could penetrate up to 35 mm of armor. Now the demand was for a penetration of 100 mm of armor at 75 meters distance and an accuracy of 100 meters. The grenade should also be as small and light as possible and the recoil should not exceed the endurability of the shooter. It was being considered to equip the outdated and ineffective anti-tank rifles 39 with a spigot-type launcher similar to the model GG/P40 for launching a new hollow-charge grenade. This saved valuable resources because most of the discarded anti-tank rifles were not scrapped.

On 9 September, a shooting test took place at the Kummersdorf proving ground with GG/P40-grenades with an increased amount of explosive and a steel layer in the hollow charge cavity. It showed an increase in performance, so that further experiments with different cavity forms and layers should be undertaken. The grenades were fired from model 98 rifles as the modified barrels for the anti-tank rifles weren’t ready in time. On 10 September, the official order was placed for the development of a “Panzerbüchsen-Granate”, in short “Pz.B.Gr.” (tank rifle grenade).

In November 1941, however, competition came into play: The Gustloff-Werke in Suhl received a development contract from the Army Ordnance Department for a reconstruction of discarded anti-tank rifles for launching grenades similar to the types of the Army cup launcher. In particular, the large spin-stabilized anti-tank rifle grenade with a penetration capability of 70 mm of armor promised acceptable chances of success in action.

What soon became an unpleasant experience was the wind sensitivity of the wing-stabilized GG/P40. Total penetration was only possible up to 50 mm of armour, providing that the grenade hit at all. In a letter to the WASAG from 1942, it is written: “The shooting on 10 April, according to General Lange, showed the utter uselessness of the current construction of Gg.P.40, because in gusty winds it was only with great difficulty possible to achieve 9 hits by 30 shots on a distance of 50 meters or less.” This act sealed the end of this development.

At the front, the time was pressing – but the development at the Gustloff factory went on slowly. Only 53 pieces of the now called “Kurze Panzerbüchse 39 (Pz.B.39 kz.)” (short anti-tank rifle) had been delivered for trial purposes to Kummersdorf proving ground until early July 1942, so that the planned start of mass production (1 July 1942) with 6,000 pieces/months could not be made. It was not until December when the production of the “Granatbüchse 39” (Gr.B.39) finally began. After the conversion to a rifle grenade launching weapon, the old designation “Pz.B.39″ was covered by a riveted metal plaque with the inscription “Gr B 39” and a newly assigned serial number. The company that did the conversion is not mentioned on the plaque. However, it is obvious that all the weapons were returned to Gustloff at Suhl.

In the course of the conversion, the barrel was shortened from 1,085 mm to 590 mm, a new changeable front sight in a frame was mounted to it’s left side, the folding-stock was stiffened, the two-legs extended and a modified cup launcher was screwed onto the now threaded muzzle. The bipod is similar to the one on the MG 34 light machine gun. The weapon can be taken apart into two main components: the barrel with cup launcher, sight-frame and carrying handle and the receiver with stock, bolt, safety, rear sight and grip piece. A large castle nut ensures a stable connection. A spring-loaded catch serves as assurance that the bolt can only be released when the castle nut is fully tightened and the head presses against the catch; otherwise it rotates into the path of the breechblock.

The Gr.B.39 uses a vertically sliding breechblock, which is dropped down to open the barrel for reloading, and then rose up for locking before fire. The breechblock is designed with a loading tray. The trigger housing with pistol grip is connected to the forward end of the receiver by an axis pin. The rear of the housing is secured by a spring catch. The pistol grip was capable of a limited pivotal movement with respect to the trigger housing to operate the trigger housing spring catch.

A safety lever is installed on the top of the receiver just behind the bolt. It has two positions, one marked with a white “S” for “Sicher” (safe) and one marked with a red “F” for “Feuer” (fire). In the safe position, a part of the safety catch obstructs the sear and prevents its rotation.

For loading the weapon, the pistol grip has to be pushed forward on its axis. The movement of the grip forces the trigger housing catch forward out of its engagement with the receiver. Continuing the forward movement of the grip, pulling it in a downward direction, the housing will pivot, drawing the breechblock downward until it is clear of the chamber. Now a “Treibpatrone 318” (launching cartridge 318) can be loaded. When pulling the pistol grip rearward, the breechblock rises and closes the chamber. During this action a ramp on the left side of the breechblock forces the extractor forward and the extractor slide toggle engages the groove in the side of the breechblock. The ramp above the breechblock then forces the cartridge fully into the chamber. The trigger can not be pressed until the trigger housing catch has re-engaged the receiver of the weapon.

The buttstock is connected with the receiver end. In contrast to the former Pz.B.39, the stock can no longer be folded downward over the pistol grip because it was reinforced for better stability by longitudinal struts. Two shoulder pads are fixed to the stock’s end. The lower one can act as a trail spade.

On the left side of the barrel a changeable front sight made of wires in a frame was attached. It is covered by a box-shaped housing. The distance scale is marked in white letters on the wire framework as “Nr. 1 für gr. G. PzGr.” (for the large rifle grenade). The changeability indicates that other rifle grenades were planned for use with the weapon, but it never happened and no other frame with a different scale is known to exist. The front side of the sight’s housing can be covered by a fold-down guard with an integrated auxiliary sight. When carrying the weapon through bushes the guard protects the wire framework. The auxiliary sight allows aiming at dusk or if the wires in the framework were damaged. When a target fills out the upper half of the sight, it is 75 meters away. On the right side of the receiver a small metal box with spring-loaded flap is fitted and contains a spare wire framework.

There was only one kind of grenade to be fired with the Granatbüchse 39: The “Große Gewehr-Panzergranate mit verbessertem Drallschaft” (large anti-tank rifle grenade with improved stem). The launching cartridge 318 looks like the blank cartridge differing only in the somewhat shorter wooden bullet. The rifle grenade with improved stem was the only grenade that was allowed to be used because all others could be destroyed by the enormous pressure caused by the strong launching cartridge 318.

In the spring of 1943, the development of a rifle grenade with increased penetration power especially for the Gr.B.39 began, but was shortly thereafter terminated.

This is not surprising because in April 1943 the end of the Gr.B.39 came. The weapon was too heavy (10.5 kg) and too long (123 cm) and did not exceed the performance of the standard Karabiner 98k rifle with cup-style rifle grenade launcher. This fact did not justify the production of another type of weapon.

In the five months of its production, a total of 28,023 Granatbüchsen 39 were made (1,416 pieces in 1942 and 26,607 pieces in 1943). In October 1944 an order was issued to all units to send back all Granatbüchsen 39 and other anti-tank rifles (including all captured weapons) for scrapping. Toward the end, the total stock of Granatbüchsen 39 was only 2,999 pieces. Of these only 116 pieces were still at the front. Today, the Granatbüchse 39 is a vey rare collector’s item.

The Thompson Collectors Association held their 21st annual All Thompson Show and Shoot at the Deer Creek Conservation Club in Grant County, Jonesboro, Indiana on Saturday and Sunday, October 6-7, 2012. The Thompson Collectors Association (TCA) was founded in 1990 as a group that could share in the common enjoyment of collecting and shooting all things Thompson. Twenty-one years have passed and the TCA is still going strong and in that span has picked up a lot of brass.

A lot has happened with the hobby and the club in the last two decades. There have been amazing guns revealed, new members, new and larger displays, national exhibits, new ways to buy, new discoveries of rare paper and accessories, new books, a new TCA website (theTCA.net), new ways to communicate/sell in the TMSG community (David Albert’s MachineGunBoards.com), a new stream of parts kits, new directors, new leadership, new logo, a revamped newsletter, new Show and Shoot venues and new ideas.

Over the years, the Annual TCA Show & Shoot has been hosted in Granville/Newark, Ohio, Fairfax, Virginia, Marriottsville, Maryland, Solsberry, Indiana, Jonesboro, Indiana, and Southampton, Pennsylvania. The TCA Western Show & Shoot has been hosted in Kingman, Chloride and Buckeye, Arizona. The common thread that runs through this club and all these different venues is that friendships are formed. And that’s what belonging to the TCA has brought about. People, initially linked by a piece of Auto-Ordnance iron, an adjacent display table or the quick twenty round burst of a loaner gun, become friends.

Hopefully, in some small way, the Thompson hobby, with the camaraderie and the friendships that have always been a part of this club, provided a diversion or distraction to some of the tougher days in people’s lives and, on occasion, have amplified the better days. As Daniel Webster says, “hobby – a pursuit or interest engaged in for relaxation.” The Thompson Collectors Association is all about enjoying one’s hobby and having fun with like-minded people while making new friends.

The show portion of the event was held on Saturday, October 6, in the clubhouse of the Deer Creek Conservation Club. Thanks to the efforts of hosts Randy and Katti Sneed and Joe Ellis, the Deer Creek Conservation Club’s clubhouse and range facilities were made available to the TCA for the weekend. Twenty-five members set up tables to show and display the many types of Thompson models and the myriad of accessories, manuals, related paper documents and accoutrements all associated with the Thompson. Lunch and dinner was provided buffet style thanks to the efforts of Katti Sneed and Carol Troy who provided a wide variety and an excellent delicious selection of food and desserts.

Sunday, October 7, was the day for the Shoot portion of the program. It is always hard to tell which is the more popular; the Show portion or the Shoot portion. Either way, as an exhibitor, shooter or observer, the two-day event is just plain fun. Due to the wonderful facilities of the Deer Creek Conservation Club, the TCA was able to run 5 different shooting events. They were:

• The Standard Course of Fire Competition,
• The Spray and Pray Competition,
• The Elliot Ness Bodyguard 3-Gun Competition,
• The Gangster Drive by in Capone’s Caddy Competition,
• And a Man-on-Man Last Man Standing Competition.

The Standard Course of Fire Competition

This event consisted of firing a total of 80 rounds in 4 stages at a paper target using twenty-round magazines. Three shooters at a time would line up and at a distance of 50 yards. Shooters would load one magazine with twenty-rounds and have a time limit of 25 seconds to fire on one target in semiautomatic fire only. The next stage moved up to a distance of 25 yards where shooters would load one magazine with 20-rounds and have a time limit of 25 seconds to fire 20 rounds on three targets using automatic burst fire. Stage 3, still at a distance of 25 yards, shooters would load one magazine with 20 rounds and have a time limit of 20 seconds to engage the three targets using automatic burst fire. The fourth and final stage was from a distance of 10 yards where the shooter would load one magazine with 20 rounds and have a time limit of 15 seconds to fire 20 rounds to engage the three targets using automatic burst fire.

Total round fired is 80. Less time is allotted to the shooter the closer they got to the target requiring speed as well as accuracy. Each target had to be engaged separately and sweeping the three targets in one long burst was not allowed.

The shooter with the most hits was the winner. In the case of a tie, the number of hits in the bullseye were counted with the highest number then being the tie-breaker. The result of the competition was: 1st place Glen Whittenburger 77/20, 2nd place Robert Segel 76/38 and 3rd place C.J. Roberts with 76/37.

Spray & Pray

This competition was a simple 20-round only event. From a distance of 7 yards, the shooter would load one magazine with 20 rounds and in one continuous burst engage a 9-inch paper plate. This must be a continuous string of fire without any interruptions. Any hits on or touching the edge of the plate were counted. If there was a malfunction that caused a stoppage, the number of hits at that point was scored.

There was a three way tie for first place with each shooter scoring a perfect 20/20: They were: Robert Segel, Randy Sneed and Michael Wank.

Elliot Ness Body Guard (Bank Heist) Competition

The Elliot Ness Body Guard (Bank Heist) competition is a three-gun event using an M1911 pistol, 12 gauge shotgun and a Thompson submachine gun, all firing though different “windows.” This is a timed event.

The procedure starts with the shooter standing at the bank’s safe with both hands on the money bag. At the buzzer, the shooter moves to the teller’s window where the 1911 is staged loaded with 7 rounds, empty chamber, slide and hammer down, magazine in. The shooter racks the slide and engages 5 targets and all 5 must be hit at least once. Reloading is allowed if necessary. The 1911 is then placed back on the table with the slide back.

The shooter then proceeds to the next “window” where he picks up the shotgun (Winchester Model 12) loaded with 5 rounds with the action open and engages 5 popper targets. The largest popper is hit first but there is a swinging “no shoot granny” target in front of the window and the large popper must be hit first to stop the swinging target in front of the shooter. Then the other four poppers are knocked down. Reloading is allowed if necessary. Upon completion, the shotgun is placed on the table with the action open and the shooter moves to the third and final stage.

The final stage has a Thompson inside a tunnel with as many loaded 30-round magazines at the ready as the shooter deemed necessary. Shooting though the barrel, one must engage and knock down 5 metal plates on the rack and then engage (the really hard part) 4 clay pigeons hanging from a rope that had to be hit in addition to the other targets. Reloading is allowed as necessary. Timing stops when all targets have been hit.

The winners of this event were: 1st place Randy Sneed 28.30 seconds, 2nd place Jack Kneader 53.96 seconds and 3rd place Tom James 56.90 seconds.

Gangster Drive By

This fun, timed competition involves a lawn tractor pulling a cart with Al Capone’s “Cadillac” affixed to it. There is a basket in the “car” and the shooter may place as many 20- or 30-round magazines as the basket will hold. The range officer (RO) and the shooter then sit on a bench facing out the car window. When instructed by the RO, the shooter is instructed to load the magazine and the muzzle must always be kept pointed through the window. The shooter starts with the Thompson shouldered and barrel/muzzle resting on the bottom of the car window. At the direction of the RO, the car will begin to move. The timer will not start until the shooter lifts barrel from the window frame. As the car moves along a U-shaped course at a slow walking pace, the shooter must engage 30 knock-down steel targets of different sizes and shapes reloading as necessary. The red target at the end is the stop plate and when engaged and knocked down, the shooter is finished. Any targets left standing are 5 second penalties each and shooting the stop plate out of order is a 10 second penalty.

The winners of this event were: 1st place Randy Sneed 48.90 seconds, 2nd place Tom Davis 72.22 seconds and 3rd place C.J. Roberts 79.59 seconds.

Man-on-Man Competition

The last competition of the day was the Man-on-Man competition. Two shooters at a time squared off against each other with the winner shooting against the winner of the next pair of shooters until there is just one man left standing.

Each pair of shooters began by first knocking down 3 metal knock down plates. From there they transitioned to the dueling tree where the object is to keep all the flip plates (or majority) on the opponent’s side of the tree. Multiple magazine changes were necessary and magazine management was paramount. The shooter with the fewest plates on his side at the end of 30 seconds was the winner.

The winner (last man standing) of the Man-on-Man event was Randy Sneed.

The Men’s Top Gun trophy went to Randy Sneed with four first place finishes and the Ladies Top Gun trophy went to Danielle Larches.

It should be noted that Range Officers were present at all events and firearm safety was practiced and enforced at all times. While the Sunday shoot was under the umbrella of competitions, they were not serious, down and dirty, competitions. The shooters were there to have fun and the “winners” got bragging rights.

2013 Club Plans

The Thompson Collectors Association 2013 Show & Shoot and Annual Meeting will be held at the Tusco Rifle Club in New Philadelphia, Ohio on 21-22 September, 2013. Tusco is approximately 50 miles west of the Pennsylvania border and this promises to be a great Show and Shoot. Check the TCA website at www.thetca.net for further information, club plans, news and activities. Membership is $40 a year with two annual Show & Shoots, four newsletters per year, and a large regional gun show exhibit. And you don’t have to own a Thompson to join.

The Thompson
Collectors Association
P.O. Box 1675
Ellicott City, MD 21041-1675
E-mail: TCA1934@jhu.edu
Phone: (202) 486-6902
Skype: TCA1934
Web: www.thetca.net

Clair Brothers Automatic Weapons

On September 8, 1888, two gunsmiths living in Saint-Etienne, Jean-Baptiste and Benoît Clair, patented an invention which is recorded under N° 192.828. The general idea relates to “a system which applied to repeating rifles, makes their operation automatic.” This system used the pressure of gases developed in the barrel, a gas port and a piston parallel with the barrel. It seems that here is the first known application of the gas action, because John Browning developed his own device three years later for the weapon which became the Colt M 1895 machine-gun. The Browning pistol using a tilting piston, was patented in 1894.

The Clair brothers’ invention was improved by additional patents on December 7, 1891, March 28, 1892 and July 18, 1893 that was initially applied to a shotgun which was sold under the name of “Clair-Éclair,” later to .38-40 and .44-40 hunting carbines and also to a 7 x 57 military rifle. The Clair brothers as well produced a semiautomatic pistol, presented to military office and tested at the Camp de Chalons proving ground in 1898. The Clair pistol looks like an old flintlock pistol and has no similarity to a modern pistol. The flat sided frame contains the bolt locked by a cam actuated by a rod mounted on the piston. The feeding device is similar to that of the Lebel rifle, but with a curved tube located in the grip and a conveyer moved by the bolt. The gas cylinder is below the barrel and also contains the recoil spring. The weapon has a curved grip and a wooden forearm, both chequered. The mechanism is obviously too long, too complex and badly balanced. The specimen that was presented at Camp de Chalons seemed to be an experimental weapon rather than a final model. It was too heavy and cumbersome. The mechanism was considered to be much too complicated and disassembly and reassembly required a skilful gunsmith provided with a screwdriver and a vice.

The operation of the weapon appeared defective with many failures to fire and feeding. The mechanism was not sealed and gas leaked through. The pistol used the 8mm M 1892 revolver cartridge loaded with black powder, which was not well adapted to a semi-automatic weapon. General appearance of the specimen was poor and only bullet velocity and penetration could be measured. Accuracy and speed of shooting could not be judged. Consequently, the general impression was rather unfavourable.

The testing was made by a group of thirteen officers coming from infantry and artillery. The secretary was Captain Lecomte from the 59th infantry regiment and in his reports he writes: “the Clair pistol presents interesting innovations, but regarding its device it could never be retained as a service weapon.” This accurate critique causes the disappearance of the Clair pistol. The designers continued to use their talents with other weapons. Clair Constructeur Mécanicien Fabricant d’Armes in Saint-Étienne, existed until 1914 or 1916. If the Clair brothers had the same dynamic and commercial spirit as the leaders of the Manufacture Française d’Armes et Cycles de Saint-Étienne (private factory), the fate of the gun would perhaps have been different.

MAS Pistol Prototype

At some unspecified time, but probably between 1900 and 1910, the Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Saint-Etienne (state owned arsenal) produced a faithful copy of the Mannlicher 1896 pistol. This weapon did not have any markings and several specimens were made.

Two specimens were inspected, one of which had a Chrusher type pressure device. After more than forty years of research, we have found no other information about this weapon.

Bernardon-Martin Pistol

Mr. Martin, gunsmith, established in Dubois Street in Saint-Etienne joined Etienne Bernardon, small arms manufacturer, installed in Roland Street in the same city. Both deposited on November 25, 1905, a patent N° 359.992, for a semiautomatic pistol. This pistol follows a traditional design though the manufacture was complex and disassembly was even more so.

The straight handle is slightly inclined, and is fitted with chequered ebonite grips, with the B.M. monogram. A plate located on the left face covers the mechanism. The trigger guard is round. The barrel has a 7.65mm bore (.32) with four grooves right hand twist. It is of semi-cylindrical section which broadens at the rear. The bolt has two branches that slide in side cavities of the frame, which allows the connection with the recoil spring located under the barrel, via a screw which serves as a catch. The weapon is fed by a box magazine introduced into the handle and retained by a catch located at the base. The safety blocks the trigger mechanism, but not the bolt. The rear sight is an open V notch and a half moon front sight is located close to the muzzle.

There is another, more recent, Bernardon-Martin pistol. The trigger mechanism was modified by patents N° 10.491, 10.492, 10.493, registered by Etienne Bernardon. The general line of the weapon did not change and the only change is on some details of the manufacture. The external profile of the barrel is different at the breach, the muzzle is a truncated cone and the front sight is rectangular. The bolt has longer side branches and the attachment with the recoil spring is different. The grasping grooves at the rear of the bolt are fewer and broader. The trigger guard is oval and at the front it has a manual bolt stop. The magazine catch is now a push button.

The patent, registered on February 18, 1909, concerns a grip safety, located on the front face of the grip, under the trigger guard, but the various specimens which we examined did not have this feature. This second version of the Bernardon-Martin gun was also marketed under the Hermetic trade mark.

The two inventors also patented on March 23 1906, a “siphon type” magazine for their pistol (patent N° 364.506). It is a large capacity magazine, similar to the horseshoe magazine developed thirty years later for the Union pistol.

Bernardon-Martin pistols also exist in the .25 ACP cartridge, which was patented in the United States. The firm seems to have ceased its activities, or to have stopped the production of guns, about 1912. Some sources quote a production of 4,000 guns, which seems exaggerated taking into account the scarcity of existing specimens. Nevertheless, at the beginning of the 20th century, a .32 automatic pistol may be found on the French market.

Semiautomatic Rifles: Prototypes

Since 1894, several French establishments studied several programs aimed at developing a semiautomatic rifle or carbine. These include:

• the Section Technique de l’Armée (STA);
• the Ecole Normale de Tir (ENT);
• the Commission Technique de Versailles (CTV);
• the Atelier de Puteaux (APX).

For nearly twenty years they developed many prototypes using the most varied driving mechanisms (gas action with piston or direct action of the gas, short recoil of the barrel, long recoil of the barrel) and locking systems (spiral rotating mobile head and multiple lugs, retractable block, retractable side lugs). They produced experimental rimless bottlenecked cases, from 6mm to 8.5mm (.236 to .33) for staggered column magazines. Their designers, who should be noted, included: Belgrand, Chauchat, Chezeau, Meunier, Pralon, Ribeyrolles, Rossignol, Sutter, Vallarnaud. Additionally, a rifle designed by Chossé was made by MAC in 1912.

Meunier A6 rifle

This was one of the many prototypes tested at the beginning of the 20th century and certainly one of the most elaborate models that existed at the time. It was officially adopted in 1910 and some specimens were made in 1913; but the manufacture was suspended because of the deteriorating political climate in Europe. Anticipating a possible war, the Army considered it was not timely to change rifles and adopt a new cartridge. Things would have remained thus since during WWI the development of a new 8mm semiautomatic rifle was difficult. While waiting, some Meunier rifles were tested in war: 15 specimens were used by the 15th Zouaves Regiment at Cuvilly (north of Paris). Tooling was produced to manufacture the Meunier rifle and a few of them were produced in 1916, waiting for the appearance of the M 1917 semiautomatic rifle. The Tulle arsenal (MAT), with the cooperation of MAC and MAS, built 1,013 Meunier A6 rifles, 813 of them were used by troops.

The one-piece, pistol grip stock ended half way up the barrel. The barrel is surrounded by a tubular wooden handguard between the lower and upper bands, which acts as a cooling jacket, with lateral ventilation grooves plus a large opening at the top. The barrel is 7mm with four grooves hand twist right. When fired, the barrel recoils and compresses two recoil springs placed in a tube below the barrel at the rear. This tube is also houses a buffer spring. The receiver is made up of a housing and a cover. There is a large feeding and ejection port and a groove for the cocking lever. The moving parts are the bolt carrier, which carries the cocking handle, and the rotating bolt with its three series of interrupted-thread lugs. The recoil springs are in the stock, and is connected to the moving parts by the operating rod. The trigger housing is an independent assembly that holds all the parts of the trigger mechanism. To fire, an external hammer, powered by a flat mainspring, strikes the firing pin. The rifle has a manual safety. Feeding is done by a disposable stripper clip, the cartridge lying staggered in the magazine, which is part of the receiver housing. The magazine has a pantograph type follower with an “X” crosspiece, pushed by a leaf spring with a roller. It receives 6 cartridges. Ten- and fifteen-round magazine were also studied but not adopted.

The rear sight slide has steps marked from 300 to 2,300 m. The leaf also has a position marked “C” for normal combat shooting. The front sight with its protective wings is placed on the long end cap which serves as a forward mounting for the barrel.

The main parts of the rifle are completely made of machined steel, blued except for the bolt and butt plate, which are polished. The rifle uses the long recoil system. It mounts a sabre bayonet derived from that for the M 1892 carbine.

Meunier A 6 Carbine

In 1918, Etienne Meunier modified some rifles into carbines. The gun was shortened and its magazine floor replaced by a box – the capacity increased to 15 rounds. Two variations of the carbine were developed:

• One infantry or cavalry carbine, magazine containing 5 or 15 cartridges and was fitted with a bayonet;
• Four carbines for aircraft troops, some of these weapons are modified into .303 British (magazine capacity 10 rounds), to use the same ammunition as the Lewis and Vickers machine guns.

Intensive tests took place with these weapons until 1921, including presentations to English and American military observers. They were tried with other models and their performances gave them high ratings.

The Meunier A 6 carbine with 15-cartridge magazine, was probably the most advanced individual weapon of WW I. Despite the qualities of the Meunier system, complains were made concerning the great complexity of the action, impossibility of manually operating the rifle in the event of a part breakage and also the use of a non standard cartridge.

Model 1917 Semiautomatic Rifle

Developed by Ribeyrolles, Sutter and Chauchat, this rifle saw its manufacture delayed by technical difficulties. It was presented as a transformation of the M 1886-93 rifle. However, this rifle used only a few elements of the Lebel rifle: stock, barrel, fore end, barrel, sight and bayonet. It had a gas action device with the piston placed in the tubular magazine under the barrel and a magazine derived from many prototypes at the pre-war period.

Production of the M 1917 rifle began on April 1, 1917, and was divided among several small arms manufacturers:

• Manufacture Nationale d’Armes (MAT) made the receiver, barrel and trigger guard;
• Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Châtellerault (MAC) made the trigger housing;
• Manufacture Nationale d’Armes de Saint-Etienne (MAS), made the bolt, bolt carrier, piston, gas cylinder, stock and also barrels;
• Manufacture d’Armes de Paris (MAP a private establishment) furnished the cocking lever, the magazine housing and the follower assembly.

These parts were assembled into rifles largely by MAS, with only about one hundred being completed by MAC. The series production continued until September 30, 1918 and 85,333 M 1917 rifles were manufactured.

The stock is that of M 1886 rifle. The trigger housing contains the trigger/sear and a hammer. The upper part of the receiver is tubular, the lower part is square. The rear end of the tubular receiver is closed by a serrated plug. On the right is the cocking lever with a bolt hold open latch. The safety lever is on the left side. The cylindrical bolt is made of two parts: the bolt carrier and the head with its locking lugs. It is partially covered by a hand-shield. The gas cylinder is placed under the gun. It works by gas action. The rod on the piston actuates the bolt carrier. The magazine holds a Mannlicher-type loading clip. The clip is not interchangeable with the one for the bolt-action M 1916 rifle, because its bottom is flat and does not have a locking device. The feeding mechanism is complex. It consists of the follower, two links and one cam. A similar device is used on the American Garand M1 rifle. The sights are also from the M 1916 rifle. The triangular front sight is placed on a base. The rear sight has increment in steps from 400 to 800 m and by raising the leaf, from 900 to 2,400 m. This rifle receives the M 1915 sword-bayonet. It was issued to the better marksmen who were additionally chosen for their mechanical abilities!

Model 1917 Carbine

A shortened variation of the rifle was also developed. The only differences between the M 1917 carbine and the regular M 1917 rifle were the shorter barrel, a larger upper band, and a pointed and curved stacking rod. The rear sight was the same. This model was experimental and a only a few were made.

Model 1918 Carbine

The Model 1918 had the following improvement over the M 1917 short rifle:

• a bolt catch that held the mobile parts to the rear after the last cartridge is fired;
• a rotating dust cover that closed the cocking handle slot and prevented the entry of foreign matter;
• the operating system was modified to incorporate a telescopic recoil spring;
• used of the same 5 shot loading clip as the M 1916 rifle;
• the handguard now surrounds the rear sight, covering the barrel up to the end of the forend;
• the rear sight is shorter and graduated only to 2,000 m.

The manufacture of this weapon began at the end of November 1918. Total production is unknown but it is estimated between 4,000 and 20,000 specimens.

Some were used during the Rif war in Morocco (1921-26). The M 1918 carbine was very satisfactory: it was reliable and gave better accuracy than the Lebel rifle.

In 1935, M 1917 rifles and M 1918 carbines were converted into manually repeating weapons, by sealing the gas port with a steel pin secured by the regulating screw. M 1918 carbines were used by:

• Corps-Francs (special forces) and gendarmerie in 1939-40;
• at the beginning of the Indochina war.

Faucon Rifle

Lieutenant-colonel Armand Faucon from the Colonial Infantry was interested in the development of automatic weapons well before WWI. He developed a “balanced rifle” concept which, when applied to an automatic weapon, made it less bulky. Faucon did not invent any particular automatic rifle himself, but rather, according to the inventor: “a configuration adaptable to any existing weapon and capable of bettering its performance.”

Basically, the rifle was changed into a configuration that today we call a “Bullpup,” by doing away with the stock and locating the pistol grip at the rifle’s centre of gravity. The rifle was fired by placing it over the shoulder like a rocket-launcher.

Faucon requested a patent on January 12, 1910, which was awarded on January 1, 1911 under number 422,154. The invention consisted in making a special housing that had an articulated butt plate, a central pistol grip plus a rear handgrip. Sighting was done through a sight on the left side. Testing was done at the Military Musketry School in 1909 and 1911 with a wooden model of a “Faucon Balanced Rifle.” The most one can say after reading the conclusions of the trials is that the officers in charge were not enthused by the system.

The inventor persevered and in 1918 manufactured two units following this concept, utilising an A5 Meunier rifle with a 6-round magazine as base. These Faucon-Meunier rifles were manufactured in Sevres and presented at Versailles proving ground on July 5, 1918 to a British commission directed by Lord Cottesloe. They were later tested at Chalons in May and June 1920. The tests related to the comparative experimentation of the Faucon Balanced Rifle and the M 1918 semiautomatic carbine. Two specimens were placed at the disposal of the commission, with 640 cartridges and 25 clips. The original stock was removed and replaced by a rectangular form of stock giving the rifle a short and appreciably rectangular aspect. The shoulder had an articulated butt plate and a rear handle is used for fencing with the bayonet and the trigger is connected to the firing mechanism by a long rod.

The tests revealed that the weapon was prone to many malfunctions that originated from the modified trigger mechanism. But it was noticed that the gunner was less tired after a long shooting session than with a traditional weapon. The experimentation covered all of the shooting positions of a combatant, including wearing a gas mask.

In spite of some advantages of the Faucon system, the commission noted several defects that did not allow the use of the weapon under all conditions. Finally, the commission estimated that the rifle presented by the inventor did not seem suitable for practical application and that it was not necessary to continue the experimentation.

Semiautomatic Rifles 1921 – 1940

Just after WWI, the French Army, afraid of new conflicts in Europe, launched a vast program of replacing their infantry armament. This covered the majority of the weapons in service and the project was to replace or to create the following models:

• automatic pistol,
• submachine gun,
• rifle (semiautomatic or manual),
• machine gun,
• mortar,
• light infantry gun.

Unfortunately, despite the efforts and the quick response of the state factories and private establishments, the project was not finished in 1939 when WWII started. The reasons are multiple: inability of the military to make choice, the closure to permit private factory designs to be retained, the economic crisis after 1929, the socialist government in 1936, etc.

In other developments, MAS very quickly presented several prototypes: MAS 1918-21 and MAS 1922, both in .30-06, followed by other similar rifles made by MAC and MAT for 7.5mm cartridges. In 1931, a competition was organized. Officially it was a selection among the weapons presented by industrialists, which would likely be retained. This competition (or alleged such…) did not have any other goal than to bring privately developed models and design development to the attention of state designers of armament in national factories. The French industrialists did not fall for this and none of those which had been requested (Hotchkiss, Darne, Manufrance) were presented. Also, none of them could develop a semiautomatic rifle within the time limits, their order books were already well filled: Hotchkiss produced machine-guns and rapid fire guns for the French Army and export, Darne produced shotguns and aircraft machine-guns, and Manufrance produced hunting and target weapons.

The same contestable method was renewed on several occasions in the 1930s, particularly for the light machine gun and the pistol. The tests proceeded between spring and summer 1931; the competition itself being held between the autumn 1931 and January 1932 with the participation of several French MAS and MAT rifles, a Czech rifle (ZH 29) and a Swiss rifle (SIG KE 9).

At the conclusion of the tests, no weapon was considered to be sufficiently reliable to be retained, however MAS and MAT rifles were more satisfactory than the other competitors. The characteristics of the future weapon were redefined and only MAS developed new prototypes. Finally, after tests of a MAS 38-39, it was adopted on March 28, 1940, as the MAS 40, whose series production was to begin in July 1941… World events decided differently! Finally, this rifle reappeared at the end of the war, as the MAS 44, followed by MAS 49 and MAS 49-56. Its driving system with direct gas action on the bolt carrier, is that which controller Rossignol had developed at the end of the 19th century. The tilting bolt was developed at MAS by controller Chezeau in 1928, it is similar as the Darne machine gun bolt.

The World’s Assault Rifles
(second edition)
By Gary Paul Johnston
and Thomas B. Nelson
Ironside International Publishers, Inc.,
P.O. Box 1050, Lorton VA 22199-1050
Reviewed by Dean V. Roxby

This is a very large and thorough book. At over 1,200 pages, this second edition gives a detailed look at assault rifles from the world over and is a complete revision of the original 1967 edition.

The first edition was authored by the late Daniel D. Musgrave and Thomas B. Nelson. In this new edition, Mr. Nelson is joined by Gary Paul Johnston. Credit is also given to the late Dr. Edward C. Ezell. Dr. Ezell started work on the second edition along with Mr. Nelson in the late 1980s. As would be expected with a volume of this size, many other people and organizations assisted, and a long list of credits is given.

The book begins with an Introduction, followed by a one page Forward where the authors give a brief history of the assault rifle and its characteristics, and discuss past and present trends. At this point there is some debate as to the “true” definition of an assault rifle. The authors provide the “traditional” definition of what an assault rifle entails. Specifically, it should be capable of selective-fire, having a detachable box magazine, and firing an intermediate round. They then make the point that some earlier designs, such as the Browning BAR that fire a full-power round, are still assault rifles.

The main body of the book begins with Chapter 1, Assault Rifle Ammunition. This is a very thorough 36 page look at the evolution of rifle ammo, from full power bolt action infantry ammo to modern day AR ammo. Special attention is given to the German 7.92x33mm Kurz as used in the StG-44, as well as the Russian 7.62x39mm AK-47 round. A detailed history of the development and adoption of the .223 Rem/5.56x45mm NATO round is also presented. An all too brief discussion of 7x43mm (also known as the .280 British) is given. This round, far ahead of its time, was killed off by politics. Not covered in Chapter 1 is the “new” 6.8×43 SPC round, a cartridge that looks rather similar to the 60 year old 7x43mm (.280 British). The 6.8×43 SPC is covered in detail in the U.S. section, however.

Chapter 2, Assault Rifle Operating and Locking Systems, gives an explanation of the internal workings of various guns. The definitions are based on those established by Col. George M. Chinn, in his five volume set The Machine Gun (US Navy Bureau of Ordnance).

Following the first two chapters is the bulk of the book, laid out in an encyclopaedia fashion. Chapters 3 through 71 look at arms producing countries, listed alphabetically. Germany, Russia, and the United States have multiple chapters, dealing with several notable designs. The U.S. designs covered include: The BAR, including experimental prototypes; the Lewis assault rifle, a stripped down experimental version of the well-known Lewis LMG of WW1 fame; the Johnson rifle and U.S. M1 carbine. Chapter 64 covers the M1 Garand to the M14, with many experimental prototypes detailed and pictured.

Each country chapter gives in-depth details of the country’s autoloading service rifles, past and present. As noted above, there is some leeway given as to what constitutes an Assault Rifle. This book makes the point that today’s assault rifle was born out of the larger full-power semi-auto only rifles such as the Garand, SVT-40, FN-FAL, etc. While this reasoning may or may not fit with your own definition, it does serve to allow inclusion of many more firearms that otherwise would not be covered. The M1 Garand and the M14 are covered in great detail, including many obscure prototypes and variants. As well, the boundary is stretched the other direction by the inclusion of the Czech designed .17 Libra PDW, and even a mention of the U.S. WW1 era Pederson Device, as used in the M1903 bolt action rifle. There are also several pages describing and illustrating two quirky Russian underwater rifles, the APS, and the newer APD.

This book is well written, well illustrated, and thorough. While a few spelling errors were noted, the overall impression is that this is a worthy addition to the library of any serious firearms student. While there are no color photographs, the B&W photos are crisp and clear.

This book may be purchased directly from the publisher for $69.95. It is also available on disc for $20 (plus $2 shipping), or for $10 if purchased with the hardbound edition.

New at SHOT Show 2013, Geissele introduced two new armorer tools for the black rifle. The Reaction Rod offers a new way to install the barrel not yet seen commercially before. Normal tools for remove/install of a barrel on a M16/M4/AR-15 rifle, the upper receiver is held in place by a receiver block or by the takedown/pivot pins. When the barrel is being torqued to specification, the stress of the tightening all goes onto the aluminum receiver. The Reaction Rod takes ALL of the force off of the receiver and puts it all on the barrel. Held at one end to a vice, the reaction rod has a star shaped tip that slides into the locking lugs inside of the barrel extension. Hence, when the barrel nut is tightened, no stress at all is exerted on the receiver. This also protects the receiver from damage from any of the mounting devices. The Reaction Rod can be mounted either vertical or horizontal making it universal for even some of the most proprietary receiver/barrel nut combinations. The rod is cut from a solid bar of 4140 Chrome Moly steel, properly quenched/tempered and ground to an exact diameter that is smooth and straight so the rod will enter an upper receiver without wobble. This is without doubt the finest tool currently available to remove/install a barrel. The Reaction Rod has a MSRP of $59.

Also introduced by Geissele is a Gas Tube Roll Pin Tool. The hole in the end of the tool is perfectly made to accept the 0.078 inch roll pin. This pin without bending or damage, secures the pin for installation into the gas block of the rifle securing the gas tube. The user need only to stand the roll pin on a hard surface and tap the tool onto the pin and seat it into the tool. When the hole in the gas block grabs the roll pin, the pin will collapse enough so the tool can be removed from the roll pin. Then a standard punch is used to fully seat the pin. The Roll Pin Tool has a MSRP of $12.50. Contact Geissele Automatics, 1920 W. Marshall St., Jeffersonville, PA 19403. Phone: (610) 272-2060. Fax: (610) 272-2069. www.geissele.com.

Model 10/9mm Magazines

For his first 9mm Model 10, Ingram used surplus 32-round double-stack, single-feed British Sten magazines. Although the questionable reliability of the Sten magazines was known to Ingram, the magazines were chosen due to the request of a customer. The deal never materialized and only a handful of the Model 10 submachine guns, all 9mm prototypes, were made that used the Sten magazine.

The next magazines used for the Model 10 were those designed for use with the Swedish 9mm M/45 submachine gun. The 36-round magazines were procured from the Carl Gustav plant in Sweden, and then modified by MAC personnel to fit and function in Ingram’s submachine gun. Because of the United States’ involvement in the Vietnam War, the Swedish Government refused to allow further exportation of the magazines. With the supply of M/45 Gustav magazines cutoff, the Military Armament Corporation began importing 32-round Walther MPL 9mm submachine gun magazines from Germany. Slight modifications were made to the magazines to adapt them for fit and function in the Model 10. The Walther-type magazines were the primary units MAC supplied with the majority of their 9mm submachine guns.

Today, original 32-round magazines for the 9mm MAC 10 can be difficult to find and expensive. The double-stack, double-feed original magazines can be identified by the “MP 9mm” or “MPL” markings located on the left lower side of the magazine body, a silver-color metal follower and an indented vertical rib on each side that runs the length of the body. The follower springs are oval or round in shape. The original magazines sold by MAC have a high-quality deep blue finish, and often will be marked with the word “MAC” over a Cobray logo with a number or letter underneath. The markings are generally found on the front edge of the magazine body. According to original MAC documents, the letters and numbers were used as controls, while testing magazines of various lots and configurations (feed lips, springs etc.) and finishes that included oxide, blue and phosphated.

After the original MAC Corporation folded, a number of magazines were manufactured for the 9mm Model 10 by Component Metal Products of Atlanta. The company, also known as CMP, was a magazine subcontractor for both RPB and SWD. Magazines made by the Component Metal Products Company will usually have the Cobray or a stylized “CMP” logo stamped on the front edge of the magazine’s body.

Every machine gun owner has to have a LOT of magazines for their weapons. Because of the 9mm MAC 10 magazine situation a few innovative companies have devised solutions to the problem.

The Uzi Magazine Conversion

To address the shortage and expense of original Walther-type magazines for the 9mm Model 10, the Uzi magazine-well conversion was conceived. The conversion offered the MAC 10/9mm owner the ability to use the plentiful and inexpensive double-stack, double-feed Uzi magazines that are available in both a 25 and 32-round configuration. The down side of the conversion is that it requires cutting off the original magazine well and welding the Uzi grip assembly onto the receiver.

The Grease Gun Magazine Conversion

Another option for owners of an Ingram MAC 10/9mm submachine gun to address the magazine shortage/expense problem is the .45 caliber M3 “grease gun” magazine well conversion. To complete the conversion, a .45 caliber upper receiver and bolt assembly are needed. This conversion semi-permanently converts a 9mm MAC 10 to a .45 caliber configuration that uses inexpensive “grease gun” magazines. If the owner wants the option to fire 9mm rounds, there are kits available to convert .45 caliber MAC 10s to 9mm through the use of a magazine well adapter, bolt and barreled upper. The .45 to 9mm conversion kits use the Walther style magazines.

Model 10/.45 Magazines

The .45 caliber Ingram Model 10 was designed to use the double-stack, single-feed steel 30-round magazines, originally designed for the U.S. .45 caliber M3 and M3A1 submachine guns, better known as the “grease gun.” Although the single feed design has often been criticized, the prototype of the M3 was one of the few weapons able to pass the Ordnance Department’s grueling mud and dust test, which led to its eventual adoption.

For the .45 caliber Model 10, Gordon Ingram chose surplus “grease gun” magazines, but MAC management wanted them modified so that customers would have to purchase spare magazines from the Military Armament Corporation. Unmodified magazines would not lock up in the Model 10. The government surplus magazines were modified and stamped with the Cobray logo on the front edge of the magazine body by MAC workers. At times when the inexpensive surplus “grease gun” magazines were not available, the Military Armament Corporation was forced to have the MAC 10 magazines produced locally. This proved to be quite expensive, and few were made. The locally made MAC 10/.45 magazines lacked the thick sleeve around the feed lips fitted on surplus M3 magazines.

After the Military Armament Corporation bankruptcy, RPB resumed the manufacture of Model 10 and Model 11 submachine guns and associated accessories. RPB reportedly subcontracted their magazine work out to the Component Metal Products Company. During this period, CMP produced 40 and 10 round capacity magazines for the .45 caliber Model 10. These magazines will have the Cobray on them in various points on the front edge of the magazine’s body. Although they function satisfactorily, the locally manufactured magazines were of a lesser quality than the surplus GI grease gun magazines. CMP magazines were made from thinner gauge sheet metal and have stress lines on them from being formed on a mandrel; the finish was a dull blue.

SWD also used the Component Metal Products to produce magazines and related accessories, marketed and sold by SWD. Products offered by SWD will usually have the word “Cobray” underneath the Cobray snake logo.

Model 11/.380 Magazines

The .380 caliber Ingram Model 11, aka the MAC 11, manufactured by the Military Armament Corporation used proprietary double-stack, single feed steel magazines. The followers of the magazines were also made of steel. Most of the original magazines were marked on the front edge of the magazine body with the Cobray snake logo, with the word “MAC” on top and a number underneath. The MAC 11/.380 magazines were made in 16- and 32-round configurations, and have a dull blue finish. Like most single-feed designs, the MAC 11/.380 magazines are difficult to load without a loading tool. A magazine loader was available that was a scaled down version of the .45 caliber M3 grease gun magazine loader. Original 1970-80 magazines for the MAC 11/.380 can be difficult to locate and are usually quite expensive.

Most of the MAC 11/.380 magazines manufactured during the RPB/SWD days were made by subcontractor Component Metal Products. The CMP magazines were marked with only a Cobray snake logo. The magazines sold by R&R Distributing, Inc., a division of CMP, were stamped with a stylized CMP logo. The magazines were made in 16- and 32-round configurations.

Other aftermarket magazines have been manufactured, but their quality and reliability varies, particularly when considered for use in a submachine gun. Recently manufactured aftermarket magazines often have cartridge followers made of plastic. Due to the small number of Model 11 submachine guns that were manufactured, there are not as many magazine options as there are with the Model 10 and SWD M11/Nine arms.

M11/Nine Zytel Magazines

When the M11/Nine was introduced in 1983, their 30-round double-stack, single feed magazines were made of a new revolutionary “space-age” plastic called Zytel. This caused quite a bit of excitement back then, but the enthusiasm was short-lived. After firing approximately 1,000 rounds from the magazines the lips would start to wear out and eventually could no longer contain the rounds inside the magazine. Another problem was that the two-piece magazine bodies were splitting apart where they were glued together. Later SWD Zytel magazines were improved, by inserting a pair of metal “staples” at the front and back of the top of the magazine body to prevent splitting. A third generation of Zytel “one piece” magazines were introduced that seemed to solve the splitting body problem, but the feed lips were still susceptible to wear, which over time resulted in cartridge feeding problems. The feed lip problem has more recently been addressed by a company that manufactures stainless steel replacement feed lips for the Zytel magazines. The replacement lips are attached to the inside of the lips by epoxy glue. The replacement steel lips will only work on magazines that have not already been damaged by wear. The Zytel magazines have a plastic cartridge follower and most have metal floorplates. The M11/Nine magazines all have the SWD-style Cobray logo with a circle and the word Cobray at the bottom.

SWD M11-A1/.380 Magazines

The M11-A1/.380 submachine guns produced by SWD were also designed to use the Zytel magazines. Some of these magazines were marked “.380” on the back of the body. According to Wayne Daniel, the magazines were exactly the same as the 9mm Zytel mags.

M11/Nine Steel Magazines

There have been several entities offering steel magazines for the M11/Nine to replace the original Zytel magazines. Some of these are new manufacture, while others are conversions of existing magazines. The steel replacement magazines are available in several cartridge capacities.

M11/Nine Magazine Conversions

The problems encountered with SWD’s Zytel magazines created a need for a steel replacement. A perfect candidate was those made for the World War II British Sten submachine gun. Sten magazines are plentiful and inexpensive; however the Sten magazines would not fit into the M11/Nine’s magazine well. To solve the problem a larger magazine well was designed. The downside of the conversion was the old magazine well had to be cut off and the new one welded to the receiver, creating a semi-permanent alteration. In addition to cutting and welding, the firearm had to be bead blasted and refinished. There are several companies that will perform the conversion and offer the Sten magazine well separately, for those who want to do their own conversion work. However, original Sten magazines have a reputation of being less than reliable, and often require a periodic “adjustment” to their feed lips to maintain the correct 8-degree cartridge angle for reliable feeding. For those that would rather use new magazines, Sten magazines made of Polymer are now being commercially manufactured.

For those desiring even more magazine capacity then the 32-round Sten magazine offers, the 50-round magazines designed for the British Lanchester submachine gun will also fit and function with the conversion kit

Aftermarket Magazines

A magazine company called Scherer/LaPrade, based in Tennessee, manufactured a number of magazines for the Model 10 and Model 11. These magazines can be identified by their dull blue finish and lack of any Cobray or other manufacturer’s markings. The cartridge followers of these magazines were usually made of plastic. The Scherer/LaPrade made for the 9mm Model 10 can be identified by four oval witness slots on the left side of the body. Under the slots the numbers 10, 20, 30 and 36 are stamped indicating the number of cartridges in the magazine. There is also “made in the USA” stamped on the left side. The bottom floorplates have two horizontal ribs. The 36-round magazines are approximately .5 inches longer than the original 32-round Walther magazines and the fit and finish of these magazines are not up to the quality standards of the original Walther magazines. A company that has more recently manufactured aftermarket magazines for the Model 10, Model 11, M11/Nine, and their semiautomatic counterparts, is National Magazine, Inc. These magazines generally have no markings on them, have smooth bodies and plastic followers.

The Good News

Knowing of the magazine availability problem of the 9mm MAC 10, Russell Weeks of RPB Industries (not directly related to the defunct RPB of old) decided to produce reliable magazines for the 9mm Model 10. SAR procured some of the magazines for function testing from Russell at the recent Knob Creek shoot. The new magazines appeared to be well-made and differ slightly in appearance from the original MAC/Walther magazines. Stamped from the original dies, the RPB magazine body is a dull blue color and the follower is blued. The RPB magazines functioned flawlessly in the test weapon, a 1972 manufactured Powder Springs Model 10. The good news for 9mm MAC 10 owners is the new magazines are affordable and they work.

More Good News

In addition to the 9mm MAC 10 magazines, RPB is now offering magazines for the MAC 11/.380 formed on the original dies. The magazines procured for testing fit and functioned perfectly. Like the 9mm magazines, the .380 mags are finished in a dull blue color. One slight difference is the new manufacture magazines use a plastic follower. The magazines are for the .380 caliber Powder Springs MAC 11 and RPB MAC 11A1. They will not work in an SWD M11-A1 originally designed for the Zytel magazines.

For .45 caliber Model 10 owners there is a replacement magazine catch that allows both MAC modified and unmodified M3 grease gun magazines to be used. The old catch is easily replaced by simply removing the rear plastic grip panel and pushing out the retaining pin.

Drum Magazines for the MAC

Firing a standard capacity box magazine from a MAC-type submachine gun is a thrilling – but brief – experience. For those desiring more firepower, there have been several high-capacity drums available for the MAC. Over the years there have been several companies offering drum magazines. The MAC drums are conversions of existing drums, originally made for other submachine guns. One of the most popular drums used for the conversions are those made for the 9mm Suomi submachine gun. To adapt the drum to a 9mm MAC, an extension is needed to feed the rounds up through the pistol grip. The reliability and quality of such conversions relied on the skill of the company performing the work. Some of the better drums were made by C&S Metall Werkes, Ltd.

More recently, the BARRELXCHANGE Company has successfully designed and built a high-capacity drum for the .45 caliber MAC 10. Again using the Suomi drum as a host, a feed tower was fabricated from a MAC 10 (U.S. M3 grease gun) box magazine and attached to the drum’s body with four Allen screws. The drum can be loaded with up to 50 rounds of .45 ACP cartridges. The drum will also fit and function in a U.S. M3 or M3A1 submachine gun. BARRELXCHANGE also offers a feed tower to adapt the MAC drum to fit and function in a Reising submachine gun.

Sources

RPB box magazines for 9mm MAC 10 and .380 caliber MAC 11:

www.gunmallusa.com/gunmallusa/prepareInventory.do?cat=55&storeNumber=1

BARRELXCHANGE MAC drum magazines: http://barrelxchange.com/

This article was excerpted in part from the book: Gordon Ingram, the MAC MAN

Celebrating its 30th anniversary, the War & Peace Show, in association with the Invicta Military Vehicle Preservation Society, held the largest military vehicle spectacular in the world on July 18-22, 2012 at the Hop Farm in Paddock Wood, England. 2012 was also the 30th anniversary of the Falklands War and special commemorations were held for that historical event.

The War & Peace show is huge and can not be experienced in just one day. Located at the Hop Farm, areas are sectioned for specific activities.

In one area is the Trade Field. Here, hundreds of militaria dealers set up their stands to sell all things military from all periods but heavy from the turn of the 20th century to the present. Helmets, uniforms, medals, kit, homefront items and weapons – all types and styles for sale. Particularly interesting for U.S. visitors interested in automatic weapons, the U.K. rules for deactivated weapons are very different than U.S. restrictions. The piles of historic Thompsons, BARs, Brens, Stens, M3 grease guns, MG34s, MG42s, PPSh41s, DP28s, etc., that are for sale make Americans very envious. And none of it can be brought home no matter how tempting it may be to try and hide it in your luggage. A Browning Automatic Rifle A2 for just £1,750 (roughly $2,500) with working action would tempt anyone.

Then there are acres and acres of vehicle displays representing, amphibious vehicles, ambulances, bicycles, motorcycles, jeeps, light vehicles, medium vehicles, heavy vehicles, artillery and wheeled armour from World War I to present day – every country, every period, every type.

There is an arena where battles are accurately reenacted and tanks come to play. To the inside of the arena is a World War II village that is fought over by American and German reenactors. Along the outside is a course with hills, inclines, mud pits, etc., for the tracked vehicles to maneuver through.

Another large area is the living history displays. It is here that reenactors set up and build their historical areas of interest. World War I trenches complete with mud and water in the bottom, desert oasis where British LRRPs in their modified Jeeps with Vickers GO guns have set up a camp, a Vietnam hooch, an Iraqi village, Marines in the pacific island jungles, Camp Bastion in Afghanistan – it’s all there. And the devotion to detail is extraordinary. Everything is period and just right.

A New Start With A New Venue: The War & Peace Revival

As big and as grand the War & Peace Show is, after 30 years, management felt as if the show was getting a little stale. Yes, it was growing year after year, and had gained a world wide reputation. Yet, it was felt that it was time to close the War & Peace Show and move on and seek a new start and a new venue and incorporate new ideas that were not possible at the old Hop Farm location.

The biggest worry and problem was finding a new location. It had to be right. The list of “non-negotiable” needs was lengthy and the list of locations short. Many field and event sites were considered, estate agents contacted, military agents were contacted, but nothing presented itself as the “right” venue.

But then they found the Folkstone Racecourse. The permanent facilities were more extensive and better than the previous venue at the Hop Farm with plenty of toilets, a large restaurant with a grandstand view of the show ground, several bars, and lots of grass and tarmac for the many and various displays.

The local area has an enormous military history, right in Hellfire Corner, ten minutes up the road is Ashford, famed as a WWII transport hub and RAF Lympne is practically just around the corner. Ten miles in the opposite direction is Folkstone, from where millions of soldiers departed for the battlefields of WWI France. Nearby are Dover, Ramsgate, Canterbury, St. Margaret’s Bay and many more locations just a short drive away.

The decision was made on the site and the new name of the War & Peace Revival was born. The entire surrounding community is helping, including the entire county of Kent. It will be a tremendous financial boost to the entire region.

The dates for the new War & Peace Revival are July 17-21, 2013. If you are planning a trip to England this summer, visit their website at www.thewarandpeacerevival.co.uk/about.html for details on attending. Whatever your interest in modern military history, you won’t be disappointed.