By Chris A. Choat

MAGNUM RESEARCH ANNOUNCES EXCITING ANIMAL PRINT DESERT EAGLES

In February of this year, Magnum Research introduced the first in a series of animal print Desert Eagles. Following in the success of the Cheetah print, which is now sold out, MRI is now introducing their latest two animal prints, the Kryptek Highlander and the Snakeskin, available in either .50 AE or .44 Mag. The two new designs, the Kryptek Highlander and the Snakeskin patterns, utilize a water transfer method. It has been extensively tested for durability and has proven to be very tough; even cleaning solvents and acetone will not soften or damage the finish.

The Desert Eagle .50 AE is a gas-operated, semi-automatic pistol with a 7-round capacity in .50 AE and 8-round capacity in .44 Magnum. Both guns measure 10.75” in length with a 6” barrel. Slide width is 1.25”, height 6.25” and the weight with an empty magazine is approximately 4 lbs. (Also 5.8 oz. in .50 AE and 4 lbs. 6.6 oz. in the .44 Mag.) It has a trigger reach of 2.75” and a sight radius of 8.5” with the 6” barrel. The construction of the Desert Eagle utilizes the latest CNC machine technology providing exacting specifications with tight tolerances creating a work of art in a precision firearm. The grip is anatomically formed and provides an ideal hand seating angle for two-handed shooting, allowing for comfortable, rapid and accurate firing. The Weaver style accessory rail easily allows for aftermarket optics and scope rings. The limited edition Kryptek Highlander and Snakeskin print Desert Eagles are only available while supplies last. Please visit your favorite dealer today to purchase it in either .50 AE or .44 Magnum. Watch for additional animal patterns which will be introduced later in the year. The MSRP on either of the new patterns for the Desert Eagle is $1,793 for the .50 AE or the .44 Magnum. For more information about Magnum Research products, visit www.magnumresearch.com.

SPORTEAR CHANGES THE HEARING PROTECTION GAME

SportEAR, an authority in Hearing Performance™, has taken hearing protection innovation to the next level with their new Custom Edge™ product line. The new line features all new, 100% Lynx Digital™ circuitry and the world’s first waterproof in-ear sport hearing devices for unrivaled performance and reliability. The new Custom Edge™ line by SportEAR is setting a new standard for Hearing Performance™ in the outdoor industry. With proprietary 100% Lynx™ Digital Signal Processing (DSP), the entire Custom Edge™ line of in-ear and behind ear devices offer 100% Digital sound re-creation to deliver the very best sound clarity available, processing over a million sounds per second. Using the most advanced technology, SportEAR allows shooters to enhance speech and desirable sounds while simultaneously suppressing the damaging effects of muzzle blast and other loud noises. The SportEAR AutoBlocker™ Digital Compression easily handles rapid shots, ensuring full protection regardless of your sport. The new 100% Lynx™ Digital circuitry also eliminates distracting background noise and eliminates the annoying “whistle” common in electronic hearing protection. SportEAR is the only hearing protection line to provide 360 Degree Hearing Performance™ through its entire product line, offering unparalleled hearing enhancement & protection simultaneously. To help further educate users about true 360 Hearing Performance™, SportEAR has launched a new, multi-media website at www.SportEAR.com.

CTK PRECISION INTRODUCES BUTTSTOCK FOR LUTH-AR STOCK

CTK Precision, manufacturer of innovative shooting equipment and gun accessories, is proud to introduce the AR Buttstock Rail for the LUTH-AR stock. The AR Buttstock Rail is a Picatinny rail designed to mount at the sling attachment point on the underside of LUTH-AR MBA-1 and MBA-2 stocks. This accessory rail meets MIL-STD-1913 specifications, so it may be used as a means of attachment for any product designed for use on a standard Picatinny rail, including the CTK Precision Ultimate Rail-Pod. The AR Buttstock Rail incorporates a sling swivel mount point so that you may attach a sling, in addition to a rear monopod. It is CNC machined from billet 6061 aluminum for high strength and low weight. It also has a durable black MIL-SPEC hard coat anodized finish. It is 2.5 inches long and weighs just .7 ounces. The new rail meets MIL-STD-1913 specifications and it is made in the U.S.A.! For more information on the AR Buttstock Rail, visit: www.ctkprecision.com/ar-buttstock-rail.aspx.

UTG INTRODUCES NEW 3X MAGNIFIER

Applying a mid-range solution to a sight system designed for CQB is something Leapers UTG has extensive experience with. The venerable UTG brand magnifiers are undeniably some of the most popular and affordable mid range optic enhancement tools in the industry. The new SCP-MF3WEQS closely follows that tradition, but has an additional perk. This smooth operating 3x magnifier comes equipped with windage and elevation adjustability, allowing an easy centering of a dot or reticle. This feature has been requested by many users and although not necessary for functionality, Leapers has answered the call and seamlessly incorporated the functionality with easy to access windage and elevation screws within the main body. The magnifier is built on UTG’s patented Flip-to-Side system on a MIL-STD-1913 (Picatinny) base and is constructed of lightweight, durable aircraft grade aluminum with a black anodized hardcoat for wear resistance. Providing clear and accurate target magnification up to medium ranges can make all the difference in a tactical rifle, and the new Leapers magnifier shines in this role. Visit the company website at www.leapers.com.

CCI ANNOUNCES A17 VARMINT TIP AMMO NEW SAVAGE A17 RIFLE

Shooters can now get Magnum rimfire performance in a semiautomatic rifle, thanks to the new CCI® A17 Varmint Tip ammunition. Shipments of this ammunition are currently being delivered to distributors. CCI engineers literally built this 17 HMR load around the A17 rifle from Savage Arms™. The round is optimized for feeding and function in the all-new semiautomatic rifle, and produces muzzle velocities 100 fps faster than other 17 HMR loads with the same bullet weight. Its Varmint Tip bullet ensures explosive expansion and quick, clean kills. This ammunition has been optimized for feeding and function in the new Savage Arms A17 semiautomatic rifle and can also be fired through bolt action 17 HMR firearms. It is 100 fps faster than other 17 HMR loads of the same weight. The ammunition’s Varmint Tip bullet provides rapid expansion. The rounds have an exclusive headstamp and come in 200-round packs. You can find more information at www.cci-ammunition.com.

SAVAGE ARMS INTRODUCES A17 SEMI-AUTO RIFLE IN 17 HMR

Savage Arms™ continues its track record of innovation with the all-new A17, the first high-performance semiautomatic rimfire rifle specifically designed for the 17 HMR cartridge. Shipments of this rifle are currently being delivered to distributors. The A17’s unique delayed-blowback action performs to its peak with new A17 Varmint Tip ammunition, which CCI® developed specifically for the rifle. The A17 also provides safe, reliable operation with standard 17 HMR loads. The hard chrome bolt, case-hardened receiver, 10-round rotary magazine and button-rifled barrel boost performance even further, while the user-adjustable AccuTrigger™ provides a crisp, light pull for the best possible accuracy. The A17 is the first semi-automatic rimfire specifically designed from the ground up for the 17 HMR. It offers delayed-blowback action which ensures safe, reliable cycling. The gun has a hard chrome bolt, case-hardened receiver, oversized bolt handle and a 10-round rotary magazine. It also has a 22-inch button-rifled barrel and user-adjustable AccuTrigger™. For peak performance it should be paired with CCI A17 Varmint Tip ammunition. For more information go to www.savagearms.com.

By Dan Shea

With this issue, our Senior Editor Robert Segel moves on into semi-retirement. For 11 years, he’s devoted a huge amount of time and energy to helping both Small Arms Review and Small Arms Defense Journal stay on track and become what they are today. We’re grateful for all of the work that he’s done, and he will be missed. Fortunately for the readers, Robert will be continuing his column “Emmageeman’s Corner: Machine Gun Memorabilia” and writing historical articles for us. Robert traveled the world with SAR and was in on many adventures from England’s hidden historical museums, to live firing machine guns in Serbia, to Southeast Asian military shows. His unique, lifelong search for knowledge about machine guns and specifically his work with the Golden Age (1870-1922) of these weapons has impacted the knowledge of all of us in the small arms community. He has plans to work on books regarding his memorabilia collections, and early machine guns, and we look forward to those as well.

Washington, DC, 25 June 1942. This is the first production model Launcher, Rocket, 2.36 in. M1, along with its sharp nosed and long finned M6 high explosive, anti-tank rocket. Distinctive features from front to rear include ladder type front sights on both sides of the launch tube, a swinging rear sight that moves to the left or right side as dictated by gunner preference, two wooden grips and shoulder stock, a SAFE/FIRE Control Box on the top, and rocket retaining clip. This first model rocket has an electricity-conducting copper band around the warhead that, when properly loaded in the launcher, is touched by a spring loaded plunger extending down from the Control Box when the selector lever is moved to the FIRE position, completing the firing circuit. (National Archives)

By Robert Bruce

“In September of 1942 a ship from America docked at Suez with some highly secret cargo – 600 bazookas, the first the men in the theater had seen. Then known only under the code name THE WHIP, the bazooka (so called because of its resemblance to a musical instrument improvised by a popular radio comedian of the time) was a shoulder projector launching an effective 2.36 inch antitank rocket. For the first time in history a foot soldier had a weapon specifically designed to penetrate armor.” (On Beachhead and Battlefront)

While RKIs (reasonably knowledgeable individuals) contend that the WW1 German 13mm/.53 caliber T-Gewehr 1918 antitank rifle likely holds this specific “first time in history” distinction, THE WHIP went far beyond its Prussian predecessor’s tank-punching prowess.

Readily carried and fired by one man and utilizing a demonically effective anti-armor warhead, the American “Bazooka” as it was oddly and colorfully nicknamed, was loved by GIs, feared, hated and copied by enemies, and officially acclaimed as the “only really revolutionary new American weapon that got overseas in time for widespread use…”

The fascinating story of how this shoulder fired stove pipe and its revolutionary rocket came into being in record time is one that includes many worthy men but is centered on the dogged determination of one extraordinary individual.

One Man Rocket Research Bureau

“In 1933 the U.S. Army created a one-man rocket unit by assigning Capt. Leslie A. Skinner to study the possible use of rockets. Skinner was handicapped by limited funds to expend on research and by the indifference of his fellow officers. Hence, before 1940, the project made little headway.” (Planning Munitions for War)

While this type of benign neglect is all too sadly familiar to weapon design visionaries past and present, the turning point for Captain Skinner’s quest came with Germany’s rearmament and subsequent aggression against its European neighbors.

Blitzkrieg – literally “lightning War” – was Hitler’s enormously effective tactic, using large concentrations of tanks to consistently overwhelm and defeat defending armies. This was first proven successful in the invasion of Poland in September 1939 and repeatedly afterward.

Anti-tank artillery was well developed at the time but Germany’s fast-moving armored formations repeatedly defied attempts by defenders to effectively position the heavy guns. Conventionally armed infantry units, too often alone at the point of Blitzkrieg strikes, were essentially defenseless.

Thus necessity, it has been so sagely observed, is the mother of invention of the first man-portable weapon that would enable American foot soldiers to stop Hitler’s tanks when the U.S. was inevitably drawn into the Europe’s war.

Munroe, Mohaupt and Moore

“The principle of the shaped charge was promulgated by physicist C.E. Munroe as early as 1880, when he discovered that shaping high explosive with a hollow cone at its forward end focused the explosive waves on one point and thus gave greater penetration per unit weight of the explosive. The innovation embodied in the bazooka lay in the combination and adaptation of these well-known principles and basic inventions, which imagination and skill converted into a practical new weapon.” (Planning Munitions for War)

Munroe’s shaped charge – also called “hollow charge” – lay dormant for decades before Henri H. Mohaupt, a clever young Swiss engineer, refined Munroe’s 1911 patent and began attempting to sell his anti-armor
explosive concept.

British tests of his offering, handily packaged in the form of a prototype rifle grenade, caught the eye of American Ordnance personnel. The U.S. M10 rifle grenade soon followed in 1941, with Mohaupt’s improved shaped charge warhead proving remarkably effective for armor penetration.

Alas, it was way too heavy at three pounds, with excessive, weapon-mangling recoil resulting from powerful blanks required to launch it to suitable distances doomed it as a practical infantry arm.

Fortunately, Colonel Gregory J. Kessenich, chief of the Ordnance Department’s Patent Section, had been closely following the project and reportedly had a brainstorm. He persuaded Colonel Wiley T. Moore, head engineer of Ordnance’s Small Arms Division, that putting the M10’s warhead on a suitable rocket would solve both recoil and distance problems.

So far so good, but how would this theoretical anti-armor rocket get launched?

Skinner and Uhl

“American designers who meanwhile were developing small-size missiles that, by embodying the shaped-charge principle, would penetrate great thicknesses of steel plate, likewise failed when they tried to launch them. The recoil induced in weapons based on the conventional principle of internal combustion severely damaging the launching device even when it rested on the ground; firing it from the shoulder was obviously out of the question. The search for a practicable means of getting a shaped-charge missile on its way to the target finally ended when recourse to rocket propulsion eliminated recoil altogether. The launching device, the bazooka, was merely a tube, open at both ends, that fired an electrically triggered rocket. While the new weapon has less accuracy and range than a rifle or machine gun, it lent the individual soldier hitting power heretofore possible only with artillery guns.” (Planning Munitions for War).

Colonel Moore gave Kessenich the green light to turn over his preliminary work to Skinner, soon promoted to Major, whose one man rocket research bureau had grown twofold in June of 1941 with fortuitous addition of Lieutenant Edward G. Uhl, quickly proving to be gifted, intelligent, energetic and resourceful.

Skinner and Uhl, working closely with specialists at the Navy’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the National Defense Research Committee (NDRC) and Bell Laboratories, carried out a series of increasingly encouraging tests using crude experimental rockets made by Skinner in his basement workshop.

One of these was configured to use a Springfield rifle’s long bayonet as a launching rail, apparently before Dr. Robert Goddard’s steel pipe “recoilless gun” from 1918 was reinvented as the best way to contain and guide the rocket without stunning or frying the gunner.

In the spring of 1942, Lieutenant Colonel W.T. Moore, another key mentor in the quest, presented the team with the T1 launcher, hastily built at Frankford Arsenal based on Skinner’s sketches and a rough prototype that Uhl, recently awarded the rank of Captain, had made.

The T1 was a slim steel tube with its 54 inch length dictated by the usual ignition-to-burnout time of the experimental rockets, featuring a wooden stock and electrical triggering grip, all closely resembling what was to follow. Along with the launcher came a supply of factory built parts to convert existing supplies of the 2.36 inch diameter M10 shaped charge grenade into a rocket.

The stage was set for what was soon to prove to be a wildly successful debut performance.

Do or Die?

As Skinner tells it in his 1944 article for the professional journal ARMY ORDNANCE and repeated in the Army‘s official history of the Ordnance Dept. in WWII, first firings of the new T1 launcher and its rocket grenade combo took place just one day ahead of a make-or-break demo in May 1942.

We learn from these that no small amount of courage was required on the part of the junior member of the team as premature detonations had no doubt been observed in earlier testing of the various rockets. Horrible injury or even death were very real possibilities.

Wisely, Uhl apparently improvised and donned some necessarily serious but comically appearing safety apparel before touching off the rudimentary rig.

Also, the arsenal-built launcher had everything needed except for a sight…

“Captain Uhl, dressed like ‘The man from Mars,’ fired the first rocket from his shoulder at the test ground of NDRC, and the next day demonstrated launcher and rockets at Aberdeen Proving Ground. He improvised a sight by using a piece of nail found on the ground. The new weapon was christened that day: its resemblance to the comedian Bob Burns’ bazooka led the colonel who fired some of the rockets to dub the device the ’bazooka.’ The name stuck.” (Planning Munitions for War)

Interestingly, Skinner doesn’t name “the colonel” who gave the weapon its colorful, immediately adopted and soon universally known nickname that was based on a zany musical instrument of the time. But our bet is on Colonel W.T. Moore who had facilitated building the T1 that was fired that day.

The ranking attendee at the Aberdeen event was Ordnance Major General G. M. Barnes, who was said to have been understandably impressed by Uhl scoring repeated hits with dummy warhead rockets on a moving tank. It is likely that Barnes’ favorable report quickly led to the newly-christened Bazooka’s next hurdle, a command performance for the U.S. Army‘s Chief of Staff, a four star General.

“A few days later a formal demonstration was held at Camp Sims, D.C., when high-ranking officials of the War and Navy Departments, Allied governments, and NDRC witnessed the real thing in action against a medium tank. British observers now opened negotiations for samples and Russian military staff members present at this trial immediately requested that they be supplied with some of the new launchers even though development was still in progress. General Marshall at once issued verbal orders that 5,000 launchers and 25,000 anti-tank and 5,000 practice rockets be procured.” (Planning Munitions for War)

While this kind of fast tracking is every armaments inventor’s dream, it must have been a nightmare for contract writing bureaucrats and for the “lucky” companies that got the super rush orders to build the damn things.

Fortunately, the very large and fully capable firm General Electric got the nod for launchers to fire freshly standardized M6 rockets being made simultaneously by the E.G. Budd Company. At a frenzied pace dictated by desperate wartime necessity, GE got only 30 days to prototype, test and manufacture the full order, delivering the final batch with just eighty-nine minutes to spare.

GE’s success with the initial M1 model and subsequent M1A1 was rewarded by follow-on contracts totaling more than 450,000 of these by war’s end.

(Editor’s Note: Part 2 will pick up the saga with urgently necessary improvements to the 1st production model Bazookas and how rocket launched shaped charge warheads were cleverly adopted, first by the Germans and then by the Soviets.)

Browning Model of 1917 water-cooled machine gun.

By Robert G. Segel

The Browning series of .30 caliber water-cooled machine guns (the Model of 1917 and the later upgraded M1917A1) served the U.S. armed forces for over 4 decades beginning in World War I with the Model of 1917.

The battlefields of France quickly demonstrated the need for a kit to accompany each gun in the field to provide certain key spare parts that would need replacing due to wear or battle damage and tools to keep the guns operating. A wooden box the same size and dimensions as the ammunition boxes was developed to provide the necessary parts and tools to the gunners in the field. It is top opening with a spring loaded brass closure mechanism and has a leather handle. There is a light blue stripe painted around the box to denote it as the spare-parts box and differentiate it from an ammunition box.

This early box was used throughout World War I and in the immediate post-war years until replaced with canvas spare parts and tool rolls that followed later.

There is a parts list of the contents of the box pasted inside the top lid. In this author’s opinion, it is a “suggested” list as there are parts listed that do not normally wear or break and there are parts that are not listed that do and should be listed. Additionally, there is no record in any manuals as to how the box should be packed. It seems that was pretty much left up to the individual soldier as long as the box contained the
necessary parts and tools.

The spare-parts box is intended to provide the gun squad with immediate replacement of serviceable parts for those which become defective in the gun in use. It should, therefore, be kept complete at all times with its contents in good condition and whenever a part is taken from the box to replace a defective part in the gun, a notation should be made in the gun record and the defective part repaired or a new one substituted in the spare-parts box as soon as possible.

Circa 1950, a U.S. soldier strikes a threatening pose with an M3A1 “grease gun.”

By Frank Iannamico

Brief History of the M3/M3A1 Grease Gun

Even before U.S. troops encountered the German’s revolutionary stamped sheet-metal MP40 maschinenpistole during World War II, the Army was searching for a new cheap, easy to manufacture submachine guns. On February 6, 1941, a requirement was set by the Small Arms Development Branch, Technical Division of the Ordnance Corps for the replacement of the Thompson submachine gun. The U.S. Army tested over twenty foreign and domestic submachine gun designs in search of a suitable replacement for the Thompson. After an exhaustive evaluation program, the U.S. Army accepted a submachine gun design by Hyde-Inland, briefly adopted as the M2 submachine gun.

While the Hyde-Inland submachine gun was being readied for series production, another George Hyde submachine gun design was under development. The prototype was designated as the select fire T15. The design used no critical metals and required a minimum amount of time consuming machining. Except for a few parts, the weapon was made from simple sheet-metal stampings. The bolt assembly rode on two steel rods that were secured by two holes punched into the rear of the receiver. The front of the rod/bolt assembly was secured in a steel plate, held in place by the barrel, which was simply screwed into the front of the receiver. The bolt would slide on the two steel rods, never touching the inside of the receiver. This kept the moving parts impervious to dirt, making it an extremely reliable design.

As the project progressed, there were a few changes implemented: a low cyclic rate and a full automatic-only operation. An additional requirement was set for an easy conversion to the 9mm cartridge that was common in Europe. The new prototype weapon was designated the T20.

U.S. Army Ordnance R&D officer Réne Studler recruited General Motors to assist with the T20 development. Fredrick Sampson, Chief Engineer of GM’s Inland Division, was assigned to the project. After the successful, thorough testing of the T20 prototypes, the T20 was officially adopted as the U.S. Submachine Gun, Caliber .45, M3. The M3 T20 prototype had an overall score of 95 out of a possible 100 in the Aberdeen submachine gun trial, higher than any previous weapon tested. The new submachine gun was adopted by the U.S. Army on Christmas Eve, 1942.

On January 29, 1943, the Guide Lamp Division was given an order to manufacture 300,000 M3 submachine guns at an initial cost of $17.93 per unit, minus the bolt assembly. This cost would be amended several times during the life of the Guide Lamp contract. The contract for the M3 bolts was awarded to Buffalo Arms at a cost of $2.58 per piece. New M3s were being delivered to the army from Guide Lamp by the summer of 1943. The first M3 submachine guns were issued to Rangers, paratroopers, and armored crews. The U.S. Marine Corps would also issue the M3 by the war’s end.

At the peak of production, Guide was turning out a new M3 submachine gun every 2.4 minutes. A total of 605,694 M3 models would be accepted by the Army from 1943 to the end of 1944. The simplified M3A1 model was only produced in 1945 and 82,281 were built by Guide Lamp before production ceased in August.

The Ithaca Gun Company

The Ithaca Gun Company’s first involvement with the U.S. M3 submachine gun was when they were awarded a contract to manufacture spare bolt assemblies in 1953. The new bolts were needed to replace those that had become worn or otherwise unserviceable. Ithaca produced 90,136 replacement bolt assemblies for the M3 from 1953 to 1954 under Ordnance contract DA 30-115-ORD-355. On February 22, 1945, the Ordnance committee recommended that the M3 and M3A1 submachine guns replace all Thompson model 1928, M1 and M1A1 submachine guns in current service. This request was so the Army would not have four types of weapons for which to provide parts and maintenance. It was suggested that M3A1 submachine gun production be increased to meet the number of weapons that would needed to completely replace the Thompson. It was estimated that 151,311 additional M3A1 submachine guns would be needed by 1946. The war ended before the increased submachine gun production ever materialized. In a post-war memo dated March 27, 1946, it was stated that there would be a deficiency of 50,000 M3 and M3A1 submachine guns, even considering the reduced post-war requirements. As a result, the Thompson submachine guns were not to be taken completely out of the U.S. Army service at that time.

In the early 1950s during the Korean Conflict, the Ithaca Gun Company was contracted through the Rochester, New York Ordnance District to fabricate 70,000 new M3A1 submachine guns. The manufacturing would be authorized under contract number W-19-058-ORD-7894. Preparation for the manufacturing would be assisted by a technical data package documented by Guide Lamp during their manufacturing of the weapon. Delays in getting production started resulted in the Ithaca M3A1s being manufactured in 1955-1956, after the war in Korea had ended. The Ithaca manufactured M3A1s were nearly identical to the earlier Guide Lamp models (M3A1). The receiver markings were different and the parts were all coded ITG for Ithaca manufacture. The diamond-shaped “checkering” pattern impressed on the pistol grip of the Ithaca M3A1 also differs slightly from that of the Guide Lamp guns.

Parts were 100% interchangeable between the Ithaca and the M3A1 Guide Lamp models. During the Korean War, many replacement parts were manufactured by a number of private contractors. Springfield Armory and Rock Island Armory were also producing spare parts for both the M3 and M3A1 submachine guns.

In 1957, a long-awaited new infantry weapon and 7.62×51 caliber round were introduced. They were hailed as being the consummate service rifle and cartridge. The new weapon was the 7.62mm U.S. Rifle, M14. There were several configurations of the M14 planned. They were designed to fill the roles of several other small arms to include the M1 Garand rifle, M2 carbine, Browning Automatic Rifle, and the submachine gun. At this time the Thompson was declared obsolete, and the M3/M3A1 was reclassified as Substitute Standard. With the introduction of the M14 rifle, the Ithaca contract for producing the M3A1 submachine gun was canceled after 33,227 of the weapons were manufactured. The Ithaca M3A1 serial number range began approximately where the World War II Guide Lamp M3A1 serial numbers had ended. Ithaca M3A1 serial numbers ranged from 721330 to 754556. It is interesting to note that Ithaca’s entire production run was less than one average month’s M3 production from Guide Lamp during World War II.

There were several delays getting the M14 into production and the weapons were not issued until 1959. By mid-1963, there were only 393,437 M14 rifles produced and in the field. A majority of U.S. armed forces were still issued the M1 rifle, M1 or M2 carbines and M3/M3A1 submachine guns.

The grease guns continued to be issued during the Vietnam War. Spare parts continued to be produced for the M3 and M3A1 weapons, including new corrosion-resistant, chrome-lined barrels. The M3 and M3A1 submachine guns remained in service with many Army Reserve armored units until the late 1990s.

The CMMG Mk47 MUTANT proved capable of handling AK drum magazines, something that most other AR 7.62x39mm rifles are incapable of doing.

By Todd Burgreen

Certain calibers and weapons are naturally associated with each other due to the success experienced together. A good example of this is .45 ACP and the 1911. Even though the 1911 is chambered in other calibers, .45 ACP is the immediate assumption made by most when the 1911 is mentioned. Just as intimately intertwined are the 7.62x39mm cartridge and the AK-47 platform. The Soviets developed 7.62x39mm in 1943 as an intermediate round to replace the 7.62x54R. The thought was to have one caliber for use in light machine guns in response to the battles being
fought in WWII.

7.62x39mm drives a 123 grain projectile at 2,300 feet per second (fps). If this sounds familiar to current trends with the 6.8 SPC and the .300 Blackout, it should. A certain amount of respect needs to be paid the 1940s Soviet designers for creating the 7.62x39mm design, which has stood the test of time. The Russians were not the only country looking for a change from their full-powered rifle rounds. The German 7.92×33 Kurz used in the StG 44 is another example. This heralded the arrival of the assault rifle genre typified by the German StG 44 and the Soviet’s own AK-47.

This article is not about Soviet-derived AK weapons, but rather other rifles available to U.S. civilians chambered in 7.62x39mm. While not intended as an all inclusive list, the variety may surprise readers by including bolt action as well as AR direct impingement, SIG SAUER rotating bolt, Czech pivoting lock and Garand-style breech bolt locking system-based operating systems. This article will focus on two variants that serve to show the wide variety available: CZ 527 Mauser bolt action and CMMG Mk47 MUTANT AR.

The CZ 527 utilizes the classic Mauser action and adds two twists: a micro-Mauser and an interesting chambering in 7.62x39mm. The CZ action is a true micro-Mauser, not a standard Mauser action that has been chopped and rewelded. This makes for a sleeker action. The compact 7.62x39mm cartridge is a natural, though unlikely, candidate for use in conjunction with a Mauser bolt action. Credit must be given to CZ for coming up with this for the American market…to my knowledge they are one of the few main line firearms companies offering 7.62x39mm in a bolt action rifle format.

While the CZ 527’s bolt has been scaled down, the Mauser’s twin opposed locking lugs are maintained to provide precise and safe bolt closure. Common to most Mauser designs is the external extractor, which is non-rotating and acts in conjunction with the bolt stop positioned ejector spur to eject used cases positively. The CZ 527 has the micro-Mauser action at its core allowing for a more compact, faster handling rifle compared to a standard length bolt action. The legendary performance and loyal following of the Mauser action starts with control round feeding. The cartridge is captured and held in place by the claw extractor as it comes free from the magazine and is placed into the chamber. However, CZ has added some improvements with a streamlined bolt sleeve, set trigger (more on this later), two-position safety, stiffer tang, Winchester Model 70 type bolt stop and blade ejector, and the primary extractor cam is at the base of the bolt handle.

The bolt is easy to operate for smooth, trouble-free cycling. CZ has fitted the 527 with an 18.5-inch cold hammer forged barrel. The hammer forged barrel is free floated from just in front of the action forward. The CZ 527 measures 37 inches in length and weighs in at a modest 6 pounds. Sling swivels are a standard feature with the CZ 527. The CZ 527 comes equipped with a sturdy, fully adjustable set of open sights. The hood design for the front sight is very well done with the notch machined in the top to allow for the maximum amount of light to enter while still protecting the front sight from damage. The sights are more than usable for anyone not wanting to mount a scope. One crucial improvement with the CZ Mauser is its square bridge design which allows an integral scope base. CZ rings mate up right to the action for solid attachment and help ensure reliable scope zeroes. A Leupold VX-2 2-7x33mm was mounted. The overall appearance of the CZ 527 is enhanced by an attractive grade of Turkish walnut used on the stock. The CZ 527 sports a single set trigger design. This definitively European feature may surprise U.S. shooters, but will prove useful when firing from the bench. The trigger is set by pushing it forward, with a trigger weight of 2 pounds. However, the normal trigger pull was an acceptable crisp 4.5 pounds and was certainly no problem during accuracy testing at the range.

7.62x39mm is equivalent to 30-30 in terms of ballistics, with more loadings steadily becoming available. WOLF 154 grain SP, 124 grain SP, and 123 grain FMJ as well as Hornady 123 grain V-MAX and SST were tested with the CZ 527. Users of the 7.62x39mm cartridge will appreciate the performance enhancement offered with the CZ 527 in terms of accuracy and svelte sporting handling. The accuracy premium offered by the combo of the bolt action CZ 527 with Leupold optics was a pleasant surprise. Hornady 123 grain V-MAX (now discontinued) and SST loads produced just over 1-inch groups with all loads testing sub-3”, even with FMJ surplus loads.

While by no means rivaling a semi-automatic for fire power, detachable five round magazines are handy to recharge the CZ 527. As expected from a bolt action, no malfunctions were experienced. The safety selector was different compared to U.S.-based rifles with the safety engaged by pushing it forward and released by moving it rearward. The safety made no audible noise when manipulating it, an important consideration when hunting. Recoil was not a factor with nearly 100 rounds fired during the first trip to the range with no issues or detriment to accuracy experienced. The CZ 527 proved too accommodating, digesting 5-round detachable box magazines, one after another.

To give readers an idea of what is available in 7.62×39 options, the second rifle evaluated was the CMMG Mk47 AKM MUTANT. The urge to merge AR modularity, ergonomics and accuracy with the 7.62x39mm cartridge has shown constant appeal to the U.S. shooting community. The CMMG Mk47 MUTANT has caught many shooters’ attention. The CMMG Mk47’s upper and lower receivers are created from 7075-T6 billet aluminum. The MUTANT’s upper is an M4 “flat top” style transitioning into a similar rail along the top of the CMMG RKM forend rail. The CMMG MUTANT’s upper receiver is equipped with a case deflector as well as an ejection port dust cover. The Mk47’s receivers and bolt group are derived from CMMG’s Mk3 series of 7.62x51mm/.308 Win rifles. CMMG describes the Mk47 as a mid-sized AR receiver and views its adaptation from the larger AR-10 receiver/bolt group as an important component of the Mk47’s reliability and durability, in lieu of trying to force an AR-15 receiver into utilizing the 7.62x39mm cartridge and AK magazines. CMMG was able to do this while still minimizing the Mk47’s weight. An AR-15 type trigger group, pistol grip and rear stock were utilized so users can still access plentiful aftermarket options, if desired.

The Mk47 MUTANT combines the versatility and ergonomics of the AR-style platform with the 7.62x39mm chambering. Most importantly, it accepts steel and polymer AK-47 magazines (compared to other ARs chambered in 7.62x39mm that take proprietary magazines or only certain types of AK magazines). CMMG uses a carbine length direct impingement gas system with the Mk47. A 4140 Chrome Moly 16.1-inch 1:10 twist .311 groove barrel is surrounded by CMMG’s RKM KeyMod forend rail. The AKM MUTANT measures 33.5 inches with the rear stock collapsed. Even though chambered in 7.62x39mm, the Mk47 is one of lighter AR versions on the market, weighing in at just 7 pounds. This is especially noteworthy because the Mutant features a full-length rail and .30 caliber firepower.

The minimalist CMMG RKM KeyMod rail design, measuring 15 inches, defines the CMMG Mk47’s aesthetics. This rail system permits the barrel to be free floated and shows versatility in satisfying customer needs by not using full-length Picatinny quad rails, but instead a lower-profile handguard with adjustable KeyMod Picatinny rail sections.

The CMMG Mk47’s magazine well represents the best to-date adaptation of an AR receiver to accommodate the AK-47 magazine’s rocking hook-and-latch system (i.e. you first insert the front of the magazine before rocking it back and locking it in place). A plethora of AK magazines were evaluated with the CMMG Mk47 MUTANT. These consisted of polymer US PALM, Magpul, TAPCO, Bulgarian (smooth and waffle) and I.O. Inc., as well as surplus steel magazines. The CMMG Mk47 proved capable of accepting and working with all magazine types tested. Even drum magazines (which are often the bane of AR 7.62x39mm rifles) were tested and proved usable with the MUTANT.

It was decided to take full advantage of the Mk47 MUTANT’s flattop upper receiver by mounting a Trijicon ACOG TA33A-13 3×30 with horseshoe/dot reticle calibrated for 7.62x39mm trajectory. A quick release mount was used with the ACOG. The mount is CNC machined from 6061-T6 aluminum and weighs only 2.7 ounces. The secure mounting of eye-relief-dependent optics is a major weakness for the AK that the CMMG Mk47 solves. The Trijicon ACOG offers the capability to engage multiple targets in rapid sequence compared to open sights, while at the same time providing accuracy at extended distances. The ACOG is a preferred optic for the U.S. Army and Marines for good reason.

Multiple 7.62x39mm loads were tested with the CMMG Mk47 from Hornady and WOLF, as well as from Century’s Red Army Standard and Elite ammunition. A Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10×40 was mounted for accuracy testing before switching back to the Trijicon ACOG for a more dynamic T&E. WOLF and Red Army Standard loads grouped into 2.66 to 3 inches at 100 yards. Red Army Elite brass 7.62x39mm delivered 2- to 2.5-inch groups. The Hornady 123 grain SST loads delivered accuracy in the 1 5/8- to 2-inch range at 100 yards.

The CMMG Mk47 AKM MUTANT had several hundred rounds fired through it for this article. It was important to explore if the direct impingement 7.62x39mm AR Mutant would choke on “dirty” AK ammunition. No issues were encountered in terms of reliability; overall accuracy and shootability were pleasant surprises. After an initial functionality test, the CMMG Mk47 AKM was then put through its paces on different courses of fire. Magazine changes, shooting from the non-dominant shoulder and from unconventional positions around barricades all helped to evaluate the MUTANT. Strings of fire ranged from 15 to 80 rounds with target distances measured in feet out to a couple hundred yards. The CMMG SV muzzle brake and in-line AR recoil impulse enabled multiple rounds to shoot rapidly on target. A major focus with the direct impingement Mk47 MUTANT was monitoring reliability after hundreds of rounds fired, including magazine dumps and breaking contact drill scenarios. These types of drills quickly generate high heat and carbon grime in the receiver and bolt group and also induce carbon from the gas system.

Magazine change drills turned out to be a combination of AK and AR methods in terms of manipulation. This was due to the need of rocking the AK magazines into place and working the charging handle in the absence of a last round hold-open feature. The technique was not particularly hard to master, but different from what dyed-in-the-wool AK or AR operators are accustomed to. The MUTANT’s magazine well is excellent in that magazines seem to glide into place without binding. It was discovered that the wider CMMG magazine release lever enabled the operator to finger it forward with his firing hand index finger in lieu of thumbing it with offhand while simultaneously removing the magazine. Overall, I found that magazine changes with the CMMG MUTANT were faster than other 7.62x39mm magazine-fed rifles I’ve evaluated to date (AK-47 derivative rifles are included in this statement).

Whatever roles 7.62x39mm rifles are considered for (be it hunting, personal defense, or sport), they can perform it with options available outside of the AK genre. This statement is not meant as disrespect towards AK rifles, which need no defense considering their solid reputation and record of performance since the 1950s. It is good to have increasing options for the civilian consumer.

SITES OF INTEREST:

CZ-USA
www.cz-usa.com

CMMG
www.cmmginc.com

Century Arms
www.centuryarms.com

WOLF Performance Ammunition
www.wolfammo.com

Hornady Manufacturing
www.hornady.com

Trijicon, Inc.
www.trijicon.com

Original MAC box for their .22 M16/AR15 with conversion kit and magazine. (Courtesy of Wayne Daniel)

By Frank Iannamico

When first adopted 1964, the early M16 rifle was not an especially popular weapon. Its small cartridge, unusual appearance and unconventional construction made it difficult for military purists to accept. The M16 also encountered a number of reliability problems early in its service life, but by 1967 most of the issues encountered with the weapon were addressed with the introduction of the M16A1 model. In reality, the M16 proved to be accurate, controllable in automatic fire, and had less component failures than previous service weapons. In 1982, the M16A1 was replaced by the product improved M16A2. The U.S. Army adopted the M4 carbine in 1994, while the current Marine Corps general issue is the M16A4 rifle.

With the latest M4 and M4A1 carbines, the U.S. Army seems to finally have the weapon it had sought since 1939. A compact, powerful, accurate and lightweight rifle that is controllable in the full-automatic or burst mode of fire. The M4 features a 14.5-inch 1:7 twist hard-chrome lined barrel that can mount the M203A1 grenade launcher. The U.S. M4 has an adjustable telescoping buttstock to accommodate the size and physical characteristics of just about any soldier. The overall length of the M4 is 33.88 inches with the buttstock fully extended and 30.69 inches in the retracted position. Weight with a loaded thirty-round magazine is only 6.9 pounds. Firing the standard NATO Ball M855 cartridge, the M4 has a muzzle velocity of 2,900 feet per second. The M4 carbine achieves over an 80 percent parts commonality with the M16A2 rifle. The M4A1 features a modular upper receiver, with detachable carrying handle, fitted with the A2 style sights, and STANAG accessory rail on top of the receiver. The rail can mount a variety of hi-tech infrared and night vision optical devices and mounts. The rifle is expected to serve as the main infantry weapon of the U.S. military for the foreseeable future. The M16/M4 series of service rifles are well on their way to surpassing the U.S. service longevity record of the M1903 rifle.

During 1963, Colt decided to offer a semiautomatic version of the M16 rifle called the AR-15, the original name of the weapon before its adoption by the U.S. military. The rifle became popular during the 1980s “assault rifle” boom, especially with military veterans who were issued the M16. However, it would be during the new millennium when the AR-15 would become, arguably, as popular as the legendary 1911 pistol. When the rights for the AR-15 rifle expired, many companies began to make their own copies of the AR-15. Currently, there are approximately 50 companies manufacturing AR-15 type rifles and receivers, and the list is growing. Although the rifle is commonly known as the AR-15, the name AR-15 remains the registered trademark of Colt. In addition to rifles, the accessory aftermarket has boomed. Available are an endless number of upper receivers, handguards, stocks, foregrips, optics, sights and caliber conversions.

One feature of the original design is the rifle’s .223/5.56mm caliber, which lends itself to a relatively easy conversion to the economical .22 rimfire cartridge, while retaining the original barrel. The diameter of the .22LR rimfire bullet is .222-inches, while the M16 5.56 NATO cartridge bullet has a .224-inch diameter. The ability of firing .22 rimfire allows inexpensive target shooting, training and familiarization for young or inexperienced shooters, before transitioning to the standard .223/5.56mm rounds.

In the 1970s, the U.S. Army recognized the value of a .22 caliber conversion. An M16 converted to .22 caliber rimfire would be useful for training, particularly for army reserve units that did not have access to a range capable for live firing of 5.56mm rounds. Several kits available at the time were tested and evaluated; the conversions were designed for semi-automatic operation only.

Early M16/AR-15 .22 Conversions

The Military Armament Corporation

In addition to their MAC-10 and MAC-11 submachine guns, a popular product for the Military Armament Corporation was their kit to convert the U.S. M16 Rifle to fire .22 rimfire cartridges. The conversion kit was originally designed by Maxwell G. Atchisson in 1970. Needing a firm to manufacture his new M16 conversion kit, Atchisson contacted the Military Armament Corporation. He was hired by MAC as an engineer in 1971, and negotiated a deal, licensing MAC to produce and market the MAC/Atchisson AR-15, M16 .22 caliber conversion kits. The .22 caliber magazines were fabricated from Colt 20-round M16 magazines. For the next two years, the kits were manufactured and marketed worldwide by MAC.

The British and U.S. Army tested the kits with satisfactory results. MAC advertisements boasted that use of the .22 conversion kit was ideal for training new recruits and offered substantial savings in ammunition costs. The original Atchisson kits were not designed to function in the full-automatic mode of fire. The price of one kit in 1972 was $69.95 with discounts for large orders. The .22 conversion kits were sold to many foreign governments who were issuing the M16 rifles.

An MAC/Atchisson .22 conversion kit was shipped to the Marksmanship Committee at Fort Belvoir, Virginia for testing and evaluation during May 1972. Reportedly, the unit fired 16,000 rounds of .22 caliber ammunition during a twelve-week period without any major functioning or accuracy problems. The conversion unit was evaluated and passed the Military Potential Test at Fort Benning, Georgia. MAC literature printed during 1972, boasted that the M16/.22 conversion kit successfully passed U.S. Military Testing at Aberdeen Proving Ground; however, the only purpose of the test was to determine if the unit was deemed safe enough for further testing.

Atchisson left the Military Armament Corporation in February 1973. After leaving MAC, Atchisson renamed his conversion unit the Atchisson MK I, and began work on an improved version, which became the Atchisson MKII Conversion Device. A final improvement to the device was the addition of a firing pin from the Ruger 10/22 rifle, this variant was designated as the MKIII and was capable of both semiautomatic and full-automatic operation. Atchisson signed an agreement with the Walker Aldridge and Kelly (W.A.K.) Company of Fairborn, Ohio, giving them the rights to manufacture and market his MKII design. Later, a firm called Brocal Inc. acquired the rights to Atchisson’s conversion device. During 1993, Jonathan Arthur Ciener of Titusville, Florida acquired the rights to the MKII and later the MKIII .22 conversion device. Mr. Ciener still manufactures and markets the MKIII device today.

John Foote, another former employee of the Military Armament Corporation, had also designed and built a .22 caliber conversion kit for the AR-15 and M16 rifle. His design competed with Atchisson’s for adoption by the U.S. Army. After the usual extensive testing and government red tape, Mr. Foote’s conversion unit won the competition and was adopted by the Army as the .22 Caliber Adapter, M261. The M261conversion was blow-back operated, with a 10-round magazine designed to fit inside a standard 20-round M16 magazine. The first production run was subcontracted out to Okay Industries, of New Britain, Connecticut. A second contract was awarded to Maremont of Saco, Maine. Mr. Foote later formed his own company, the U.S. Armament Corporation. Mr. Foote eventually sold the company and the rights to the M261 .22 caliber conversion kit.

After Atchisson’s original .22 M16/AR-15 conversion proved successful, other designers, seeing the market potential of conversions, began to design their own similar device. A .22 conversion device developed at the Rock Island Arsenal was the work of Ronald Elbe. Colt, the manufacturer of the AR-15 and M16 rifles, offered their .22 conversion kit designed by Henry Into. There was also a .22 rimfire conversion designed by U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant Julius V. Jurek. The “Air Force” conversion had a rifled chamber insert, and was gas-operated. The 10-round magazines were made of white nylon. It was the only kit that locked the bolt open on the last shot. All of the kits were individually serial numbered.

Modern .22 Conversion Kits

With the current popularity of the AR-15/M16 rifles, there has been a renewed interest for a reliable .22 caliber conversion. Today, there are a substantial number of companies offering drop-in conversion bolts and dedicated barreled upper receivers. Many of the kits available today are based on the original Atchisson design.

All of the early conversion kits consisted of a drop-in bolt assembly and a .22 magazine adapter. The kits used the original barrel.

One of the problems that may be encountered when firing a lot of .22 rimfire cartridges through a M16 or AR-15 in their standard configuration, is the eventual fouling and leading of the weapon’s relatively small gas port and gas tube. Although it will usually have no effect when firing .22 rimfire cartridges in the rifle, the weapon may begin to malfunction when switching back to firing .223/5.56mm rounds. The solution to the problem is using a barreled upper receiver dedicated to .22 rimfire, which does not have a gas port in the barrel. The dedicated .22 uppers are available from a number of manufacturers.

CMMG

The .22 caliber barreled upper receiver evaluated for this article was from CMMG, a well-known source for a growing number of M16/AR-15 rifles, components and accessories. The CMMG upper was designed for the far more prolific semiautomatic AR-15-type platforms. However, for the fortunate owners of select-fire M16/AR-15 rifles, CMMG offers a kit that includes an anti-bounce device and a sear trip for allowing their semiautomatic barreled upper receivers and bolt kits to have full-auto capability. The .22 uppers feature a 16.1-inch premium 4140 Chrome Moly steel barrel with a nitride finish. The upper receiver is a forged 7075-T6 aluminum M4 flat top type with optics rail. Although the CMMG .22 caliber barreled upper has a forward assist, it is pinned in place and non-functional. One of the features is a charging handle designed to prevent the small .22 casings from jamming between the charging handle and the bolt. Although there have been a few reports of some adjusting required to get many AR-15/M16 .22 conversion kits to function, the CMMG unit functioned right out of the box. The upper was tested on a Colt factory M16A1 and an M16/ 9mm Colt SMG (with the factory 9mm magazine adapter blocks removed). The performance of the CMMG conversion barreled upper was 98%, which with any .22 conversion can considered very reliable. CMMG states that their .22 conversions, with the optional sear trip kit, will function with most drop-in auto sears, but will not work with lighting links.

The muzzles of the CMMG .22 caliber barrels are threaded ½-28, a common thread for AR-15 flash hiders and for most .22 caliber suppressors, With a suppressor attached, the 16.1-inch barrel of the test rifle seemed much too long. Since the barreled upper was going to be exclusively used on select-fire M16 rifles, it was decided to shorten it. Prior to shortening the barrel, a call was made to the CMMG tech department to see if the shorter barrel might cause any functioning problems, the answer was no, so the barrel on the test unit was shortened to 10.5-inches and the muzzle re-threaded by Veronesi GunWorks.

The unit was tested with Black Dog standard and drum magazines and CMMG magazines, all fed and functioned equally well. A variety of .22 caliber ammunition was used for the test; the only difference was that high-velocity .22 ammunition noticeably increased the cyclic rate in full-auto, over the subsonic ammo. The shortened barrel and suppressor had no adverse effect on the performance. With the suppressor attached, CCI Standard Velocity, and Gemtech subsonic .22lr ammunition were used, reliability was excellent, and all the rounds remained subsonic when fired.

CMMG’s .22 conversion barreled upper receivers are available in a number of configurations. The uppers are available in the classic AR-15 configuration based on the M16A4, a heavy barrel model with free-float handguards, with an M4 style barrel and hand guards, and an optics-ready model. The barreled upper receivers are easily installed by simply pushing out the two retaining pins, removing the original .223/5.56mm unit, and installing the dedicated .22 upper.

Conversion Bolts

In addition to the barreled upper receivers CMMG offers .22 rimfire drop-in bolt assemblies that use the rifle’s original .223/5.56mm barrel. The bolts are made of stainless steel and are available in both right and left-hand models. The conversion bolts are easily installed by simply removing the original .223/5.56mm bolt carrier assembly and replacing it with the .22 bolt assembly.

Accessories

CMMG offers a number of upgrades and accessories: the auto-sear trip kit for select-fire rifles, a bolt collar assembly for using conversion bolts with CMMG dedicated .22 rimfire barrels, no-jam charging handles, a magazine loader and forward assist adapters for use with original upper receivers. CMMG has recently released their own .22 magazines made of polymer in 10 and 26-round capacities. The magazines will function with most .22lr conversions based on the Atchisson/Ciener system. During the SAR evaluation of the CMMG upper, the magazines were very reliable.

All CMMG products have a lifetime material and workmanship guarantee.

The McFadden Lightnin’ Grip a Revolutionary .22 Rimfire Magazine Loader

In the past, one of the problems with most .22 caliber conversions for both semiautomatic and full-auto guns, has been the tedious, and time-consuming, process of loading the small cartridges into the single-feed magazines. That problem has been solved by a new loader made by the McFadden Machine Company Inc. of Blairsville, Pennsylvania. The loader is called the Lightnin’ Grip.

To use the Lightnin’ Grip, loose .22 cartridges are dumped into a hopper on top on the device. Shaking the loader forces the rounds into a separate compartment and aligns them. After attaching a magazine each squeeze of the handle inserts a round in the magazine. Twenty-five rounds can be loaded in seconds. The loader worked flawlessly loading the AR-15/M16 Black Dog and CMMG .22 magazines and Black Dog’s 50-round drum magazine.

There are a number of adapters available for the Lightnin’ Grip so it can be used to load a number of popular .22 caliber pistol and rifle magazines. The company currently offers several inexpensive adapters for a growing list of popular magazines, including the Black Dog magazines for the Lage’s .22 caliber MAC conversions, SIG Mosquito, aftermarket magazines for the Ruger 10/22 and many others.

Sources

CMMG
M16 and AR-15 conversions
https://www.cmmginc.com/

McFadden Machine
Lightnin’ Grip Loader
http://www.mcfaden.com/

Black Dog Machine Magazines
http://blackdogmachinellc.net/

Gemtech Suppressors and Subsonic .22 rimfire ammunition
www.gem-tech.com/

Trijicon Optics
https://www.trijicon.com

Magpul Back-up Sights
https://www.magpul.com/

The barrel bushing showed good, tight fitting but could be field stripped with the fingers.

By R.K. Campbell

The field of 1911 handguns is crowded. There are many offerings, some of which are purely recreational handguns. The least expensive pistols are made to sell and are seldom worth betting your life on. Among the pistols tested and proven in the “affordable” range is the Magnum Research Desert Eagle. Over the past two years, I have fired approx. 2,000 rounds through several of these handguns. The consensus between myself and other interested shooters is that the pistols are good examples of the breed. They have good features and pricing in the low end of reliable 1911 handguns beginning at about $800. There are many models, however, and you must put in some time and research in choosing the pistol best suited to your needs. The bottom line is these handguns seem to be service grade after extensive testing and the performance is consummate with the reputation of Israel’s firearms industry. It is always good to find a stocking dealer, but increasingly we order a pistol and hope the product that is delivered lives up to the promise. In this case, the Desert Eagle 1911 has lived up to the promise of a reliable 1911 handgun.

The first handgun tested was the 1911 G (“G” stands for Government Model). It is is a full size 1911 pistol with a 5-inch barrel. The Desert Eagle 1911 features controls that are designed to be ergonomic. The original beavertail grip safety, slide lock safety and well-designed grip are all 1911. The pistol features a low bore axis with a good balance that limits muzzle flip. There is little leverage for the handgun to rise in recoil. Trigger compression is straight to the rear and controllable. The slide lock safety is secure, indents firmly, and allows a trained shooter to deliver a brilliantly fast first shot. Upgrades include a speed safety and a wide beavertail type grip safety. The grip safety is more comfortable than the GI type, but more importantly helps lead the hand to the grip and ensures the grip safety is properly depressed.

Like many modern 1911 handguns, the Desert Eagle 1911 features a cast frame and machined slide. While the pistols I have tested were blue steel versions, stainless steel pistols are also included in the lineup. The full size Government Model pistols feature forward cocking serrations. The Commander versions feature a standard slide. The mainspring housing is nicely checkered for a non-slip surface. The grips are credible designs that offer sufficient abrasion for good adhesion when firing the .45 ACP cartridge. The quality of the parts and the fit and finish is good. The Allen screw grip panels require a tool for removal, while the original 1911 grips could be removed with a cartridge case rim. The sights are among the pistol’s best features. The front post is a dovetail unit solidly anchored in place. The rear sight is, by definition, a high profile type that offers rapid acquisition during combat shooting. If you have a sight tool, the rear sight is adjustable for windage. The ejection port is enlarged and scalloped in the modern fashion and a full-length guide rod complicates field strip. On the other hand, some feel that the rigid guide rod is an improvement over the original 1911 design. With the FLGR, the slide assembly may be removed in one piece.

The pistol was field stripped and inspected and there were a minimum number of tool marks. Quality of manufacture seems good. The pistol was lubricated on its long bearing surfaces and a supply of magazines loaded with the Black Hills Ammunition 230 grain FMJ load was prepared. The pistol needs to be proofed with round nose loads of standard weight and velocity before moving to hollow point loads. For a trained shooter, the Government Model 1911 isn’t a hard pistol to control, and we expected good results. Drawing from a D.M. Bullard holster, the pistol proved fast on target and fast to a first shot hit. Firing fifty rounds of 230 grain from Ed Brown magazines proved the pistol comes out of the box running without a break or malfunction. The forward cocking serrations were used to rack the slide and worked well enough.

Moving to the 25 yard line, the Ed Brown magazines were loaded with a different load. In the past, the Black Hills Ammunition 185 grain JHP has given good results in several 1911 handguns and was chosen as an accuracy load. Using a standing solid barricade firing position, the pistol was fired in three runs of five shots each. The Black Hills Ammunition 185 grain JHP averaged four inches for the three groups. 8 rounds from a single magazine of the Black Hills Ammunition 185 grain Barnes Tac-XP +P was fired into a single three and one half inch group. This all-copper bullet is accurate! Both 185 grain loads are good defense loads. They fired about two inches low at 25 yards. Filing the front sight blade would bring sight regulation to standard. After examining the targets, I fired a single magazine loaded with five rounds of the Black Hills 230 grain FMJ load. I did not concentrate on accuracy this time, but still registered a four and one half inch group. Sight regulation was spot on with the
230 grain load.

I have also tested a Commander type Desert Eagle 1911, the DE1911C. Magnum Research advertises a bushingless lockup 1911 with a four-inch barrel…I have not yet encountered this handgun, although I was able to obtain images from the manufacturer. The Desert Eagle 1911 tested most extensively is the DE1911C. C is for Commander. This pistol features the standard design barrel bushing. The barrel bushing is shorter than the Government Model, but works in the same manner. This handgun is set up in the same manner as the Government Model but is slightly lighter and ¾ inch shorter. There are no forward cocking serrations. This handgun is similar in handling and feel to the Government Model. The pistol is faster from the holster, however, due to its short slide and it’s also faster to align on target. It is not as fast to an accurate hit at ranges past 25 yards, but for personal defense the Commander length barrel is an excellent compromise. This handgun has been fired with more diverse loadings than the Government Model. The pistol came out of the box running and gave good results in rapid fire combat shooting and tactical drills. The handgun has been properly cleaned and lubricated and exhibited no malfunctions for a full 500 rounds of mixed ammunition.

While carrying the pistol for personal defense, I adopted two capable holsters. One, the D.M. Bullard Combat design in Rust Elephant, is an excellent strong side holster that offers a good balance of speed and security. The second is a D.M. Bullard IWB design. IWB holsters are easily the most efficient for concealed carry under even a light sport shirt. However, considerable practice is required to execute a rapid presentation from concealed carry. A cocked and locked Commander size .45 in an IWB holster offers good concealment and a high level of protection. I recommend the D.M. Bullard company for first class concealed carry gear.

While the differences in handling between the two pistols were noticeable, they were also similar. The Government Model size is a good service pistol while the Commander is a good concealed carry piece. However, when firing off of the barricade rest, the DE1911C was practically as accurate as the Government Model despite the shorter sight radius. In fact the pistol demonstrated a five shot group of 3.4 inches with the Black Hills 185 grain Barnes Tac-XP +P. Both pistols demonstrated good reliability, however, the Commander pistol failed to extract several times after several weeks of testing at around the 650 round mark. The extractor was removed and the hook appeared to be less than ideal in sharpness. The hook was filed and the pistol reassembled and function resumed. The best course would have been to replace the extractor, but I took this expedient to resume testing. This isn’t uncommon with the 1911, but neither was it welcome.

In the end, the Desert Eagle pistols seem to combine good function and performance. I would pay close attention to the extractor and small parts and give them a close examination. The pistol seems to be well made from good material.

The Fervor dagger arrives with a classic leather sheath crafted to provide secure retention.

By Todd Burgreen

Dagger: A fighting implement dating back to the Stone Age and refined ever since.

The dagger dates back to the earliest times of human history. Daggers were initially fashioned out of stone and was subsequently made of every other advancement in material technology that humanity progressed through, up to our modern day steels. There will probably be an energy-based, lightsaber-like dagger once this technology is perfected. The dagger is primarily a thrusting/stabbing weapon. The dagger is and always has been a close-range fighting weapon, not a general purpose tool used for day-to-day chores. This was due to the dagger’s tip being fragile. This fragility was heightened with early specimens fashioned with materials such as flint, obsidian, bone, ivory, etc. that were found around our cave-dwelling ancestors. Such daggers had a relatively flimsy point, limiting any utility as a prying tool, a trait that follows through to today. Sharpened edges running down the sides of the dagger to enhance its prominent point came later in its development and really flourished once bronze, copper, iron and, finally, steel entered the picture. While still a thrusting/penetrating weapon, the double-edged dagger offers the capability to slice or slash an opponent as well. Daggers have often served as ceremonial objects for many societies’ elites dating back to ancient Egypt. Two daggers were found in the tomb of King Tut.

Research for this article indicates that over the last hundred odd years, the dagger’s design has solidified into its current recognizable pattern, including a sharply tapered point, a central spine or fuller, and twin cutting edges sharpened the full length of the blade. Most daggers feature a full crossguard to keep the hand from riding forward onto the sharpened blade edges. The sharpened full-length edges enable the user to make broad slashes using either a forehand or backhand arm movement, while the acutely pointed tip makes the knife an effective thrusting/stabbing weapon. This deadly versatility distinguishes the modern dagger from more specialized thrusting knives, such as the stiletto, which often do not have sharpened edges and rely solely on the point for its work. This brings us to our article focus: the dagger knife as highlighted in the form of the Steel Will Fervor 1201.

Any dagger model that has appeared since WWII must pay homage to the Fairbairn-Sykes (F-S) fighting knife. The F-S is a double-edged dagger fighting knife with a foil grip developed by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes, and it set the bar for dagger design. They based their dagger on lessons learned while advising the Shanghai Municipal Police in China before WWII erupted. The F-S was made famous in WWII by the British Commandos, Airborne Forces and other fighting units. U.S. elite forces such as OSS, Rangers and Marines quickly desired similar profile blades. The length of the F-S (subsequently copied by its successors) was chosen to give several inches of blade to penetrate the body after passing through thick clothing. First production runs of the F-S had a blade length of 6.5 inches with later production runs of the F-S fighting knife extending blade length to 7.5 inches.

Steel Will Knives is a brand under the SMG Inc. (Sport Manufacturing Group, Inc.) banner. SMG is an American company established in 2008. SMG also specializes in the production of pneumatic guns and accessories under the Gletcher brand.

The Steel Will Fervor’s styling harkens back to Medieval times with its appearance. The Fervor is made in Italy to Steel Will’s stringent specifications. Its aesthetics are centered on the sleek 6.69 inch, .22 inch thick double-edged blade created from Austrian N690Co steel, a steel similar to U.S. 440C stainless in terms of corrosion/wear resistance, strength and hardness. The Fervor features a HRC of 58-60. The key with knife steel is the consistency and uniformity in its heat treatment. N690Co is a good choice for hard-use applications and provides increased point strength, something important with a dagger, while allowing for superior edge geometry. A fullered cannelure groove runs does the center of the blade. Created by a tool called a fuller, often referred to as a blood groove, the cannelure is a forging technique that serves to strengthen the Fervor’s blade. A good analogy is to think of the fuller groove serving as an I-beam reinforcement, allowing for strength to be achieved via less material. This translates to penetration power.

The Fervor measures 11.8 inches with its full tang equipped with Micarta grips to interface between user and blade. Those who know how slippery blood and sweat can be will appreciate this attention to detail. The Fervor’s full crossguard further helps to ensure that the user’s hand does not slip past the hilt, which would cause serious injury to the hand. Another distinctive feature of the Fervor is that its handle is designed to give tactile feedback in terms of which way its blade is oriented. The wider, flat area of the handle simulates a horizontal blade and the slimmer, upward facing-handle indicates a vertical blade position. In situations of utter darkness or having to react instantaneously, this intuitive feedback should not be underestimated in importance. For example, using a conventional palm grip with blade horizontal enables the user to slash right or left as well as thrust the blade between an opponent’s ribs. Steel Will uses the ASPIS process black coating finish to further isolate the Fervor’s blade from wear, as well as to reduce glare. The coating is achieved by immersing the steel in oxidant solutions previously heated to its specific temperature. The surface obtained is essentially made of extremely hard oxides that are 0.1 micron thick.

Another distinguishing feature of the Fervor is its Italian leather sheath. Leather has served as a traditional sheath material for good reason. The Fervor’s sheath is fashioned tightly enough to function as a retention means while still allowing for it to be silently drawn. A snap around the handle serves as additional security and is easily unbuckled with either hand. Many times a promising blade is teamed up with a substandard sheath, compromising its potential. This is not the case with the Steel Will Fervor.

The thought process behind daggers like the Steel Will Fervor is to end an engagement with one violent, well-placed thrust. The dagger, when used in correct tactical circumstances, is the knife world’s “sucker punch,” coming from nowhere and deciding the matter quickly and silently. There is a certain primitive purity in the Fervor’s simplicity. Without discounting the benefits of formal martial training, the dagger is made for proactive/aggressive knife fighting. No artistic flourishes or clever knife drills are needed, just aggression, violence and a razor sharp double-edged dagger. Fairbairn and Sykes believed it essential that the dagger blade have a sharp stabbing point and good cutting edges. This was based on the belief that an artery clean cut will not contract as easily as one torn, thus causing the victim to bleed out quicker.

The Steel Will Fervor is not meant for repelling or pushing away; it is meant for thrusting/stabbing. The Fervor is designed to damage as it penetrates. The blade’s geometry enhances its penetration capabilities when stabbing. As the blade enters, it forces apart the medium being penetrated. This allows the knife to pierce effectively, even through heavy clothing. With this said, the slashing/cutting abilities of the Fervor should not be dismissed. If needed in such a role, the Fervor can handle its own against an opponent while still being ready to thrust in an instant.

The Fervor’s ambidextrous handle and double-edged blade facilitates multiple grip types, such as conventional/forward, saber grip or ice pick/reverse grip. Reverse edge methods should not be labeled as only for the unskilled. More and more reverse edge methods are being recognized for efficiency and effectiveness in real world situations. Reverse edge methods are typically more instinctive and natural in use compared to other knife methodologies, thus favoring individuals who are not immersed into a martial art system but are aware of the benefits/advantages of pursuing a certain level of familiarity with knife usage. Each knife grip has advantages and disadvantages. Holding the knife in one of the forward grips allows for more finesse and a longer reach, while a reverse grip allows for more power. The Fervor’s double-edged blade means a user does not have to worry about edge in or edge out orientation as happens with a single-edged weapon.

Anyone interested in further study of reverse edge methods would do well to consult training and literature of James Keating, Gabe Suarez and a trainer going by the name of “Southnarc.” Southnarc is a leading proponent of ice pick/reverse edge. From a background in the Pekiti-tersia branch of Filipino Martial Arts, Southnarc views knife usage through the prism of street reality, based on many years experience as an undercover narcotics officer in a southern U.S. jurisdiction. This type of realistic approach is what most people crave in a training course.

The extreme pointed profile of the dagger blade has always been subject to criticism as being too fragile. In my opinion, this is based on a misunderstanding of the role for which it was designed. The Steel Will Fervor is not a general purpose knife. While the Fervor takes advantage of quality steel to increase its strength, it is not the knife for you if you need a general purpose survival tool. The Fervor’s blade is designed to penetrate objects such as flesh. Testing has shown that the force required to penetrate tissue is directly related to the sharpness/fineness of the tip and overall blade geometry. The sharp tip leading to the straight double edges results in the Fervor penetrating deeply and quickly. It also allows the knife to be removed easily instead of binding up in the target, thus facilitating rapid multiple strikes.

Some will question the voracity of the Steel Will Fervor with its dedicated focus on edged CQB; others will appreciate the simple design methodology that was based on thousands of years of history. Choosing a knife is possibly an even more personal decision than choosing a firearm. A dagger, such as the Fervor, can be viewed in the same way as a combat shotgun, a no-nonsense weapon that is supremely effective in the realm of close-range encounters. There is no doubt that the Fervor would be at home on the web gear or chest rig of anyone with a chance of coming into direct-action contact with a foe. The Fervor represent centuries of refinement for the dedicated combat dagger.

By Robert G. Segel

For centuries prior to the advent of firearms, a metal blade of some sort was the primary weapon of warfare. It took many forms, in many lengths, in many metals and were known by many names: pikes, spears, lances, bayonets, swords, daggers, knives, dirks, and stilettos to name just a few. The brutal encounters of ancient armies in hand to hand combat armed with metallic blades of any sort was a gruesome act and required fortitude of the highest degree.

Firearms pulled the combatants apart allowing the encounter to be done at a distance and, to some degree, depersonalized the combat. But, warfare being what it is, when ammunition ran out, or the firearm became disabled, and face to face combat was imminent, then one’s life depended on the blade.

Blades have the advantage of being used for centuries and thus the research and development in their use in different circumstances is well documented. It was recognized early on that a distance between the combatants played an important part in the survivability of the warrior. Thus, lances, pikes, long swords, etc., evolved in the fighting arsenal.

In the early years of firearms development, when matchlock and flintlock rifles afforded single shots and a slow reloading time, spikes were affixed to the rifles. These early socket bayonets gave the added benefit of a stabbing spike at the end of the rifle allowing extra distance to the enemy like a lance.

While smaller hand held battle blades serve a useful and generally specific purpose, the blade attached to the end of a rifle during an advance allowed a secondary means of combat in the offense. Attacking a trench line or emplacement with a 16 or 17 inch bayonet attached to the end of a rifle is more appropriate than with a dagger or stiletto. Conversely, sneaking up on and dispatching a sentry with a bayonet is not the weapon of choice when a stealthy dagger is the appropriate weapon for the job.

Interestingly, as the battlefield changed, so did the fundamental use of the bayonet change. In World War I with the type of warfare being fought then, the military thinking continued that a long 16-inch bayonet blade at the end of a long rifle was appropriate. But the battlefield changed in World War II and the long bayonet gave way to a shortened 7 to 10 inch blade that continues to this day.

Every army in every country has some sort of battle blade and/or bayonet. There is a multitude of styles, makers, and variants that authors and collectors spend a lifetime researching. The bayonets shown here are just a sampling of the types used in World War I and II and hopefully give you an insight to their military usage of that time period.

British Pattern 1907 (P07) bayonet for the British .303 Enfield SMLE (Short Magazine, Lee Enfield) No. I Mk III rifle. This pattern of bayonet was used in World War I and World War II and was the standard British small arms bayonet. This bayonet was made in England, Australia and India. As shown here, this P07 was made in England by Wilkinson in WWI and is fitted to the WWII British .303 SMLE rifle and the British Lanchester 9mm machine carbine (submachine gun) as used by the British Royal Navy. Blade length is 17 inches with an overall length of 21.75 inches. The leather scabbard has a metal tip and throat and a round frog stud that was adopted in 1915.

British Pattern 1913 (P13) bayonet as produced in the United States for the British by Winchester and Remington. In 1913, England began designing a new rifle in .276 caliber to be called the Pattern 1913. When war broke out in 1914 production had not begun and existing facilities were busy producing the .303 cal. SMLE (Short Magazine, Lee Enfield), which was in critically short supply. It was then decided that the new rifle, to be in the standard British .303 caliber, would be made under contract in the U.S. by Remington in Bridgeport, Conn., Winchester and the new Remington plant at Eddystone, Penn. called the Pattern 14 (P14). The bayonet for the P14 remained as the Pattern 1913 (P13) as it was not modified. Because it was very similar to the Pattern 1907 (P07) bayonet for the SMLE, the grips were given two vertical grooves to differentiate the P13 from the P07 as the P07 and the P13 bayonets were not interchangeable. Remington produced about 1.24 million of the P13 bayonets and Winchester made about 225,000 bayonets for the U.S. made British contract P14 rifles. The blade is 16.5 inches long with an overall length of 21.75 inches. The leather scabbard has a metal tip and throat with a round frog stud. As shown here, a U.S. Winchester made Pattern 1913 bayonet (made in March, 1917) with English acceptance marks is mounted on a British Pattern 14 rifle made by Winchester.

The U.S. Model of 1905 bayonet was designed specifically for the Model of 1903 Springfield rifle. The ’03 Springfield originally had a rod bayonet but it did not have the durability that was desired. It was believed that a longer knife bayonet was needed since the ’03 Springfield was shorter than the previously used Krag rifle. After adoption in 1905, the bayonet was made at Springfield Armory (who produced over 1 million between 1905 and 1922) and Rock Island Arsenal (who produced just under 500,000 bayonets in runs between 1906-1914 and then again between 1917-1919). After WWI, the M1905 bayonet was made by commercial contractors and is not nearly as well made as the arsenal made bayonets. The blade is 16 inches in length and 20 inches overall. The M1910 scabbard has a wooden body with a rawhide cover with a metal throat and an M1910 wire belt hook at the throat end. It is then covered with a canvas sheath with a leather tip. It is interesting to note that unlike most previous U.S. bayonet scabbards, the M1910 scabbard was not meant to be worn on the belt but instead was to be officially carried on the left side of the soldier’s backpack. It could be worn on the belt when conditions called for it and typically in combat situations soldiers carried it wherever they felt it would be most accessible. The M1905 bayonet will also fit the M1 Garand rifle. As shown here, this Springfield Armory made (in 1919) 16-inch M1905 bayonet is fitted on a Smith-Corona M1903A3 .30-06 Springfield rifle.

The U.S. M1917 Bayonet for the U.S. M1917 Enfield rifle. Winchester and Remington were producing the .303 cal. P14 Enfield Rifle for England during World War I and when the U.S. entered the war production shifted to producing the same weapon for the U.S. army in .30-06 cal. and was designated the M1917. Winchester and Remington were also producing the Pattern 1913 (P13) bayonet for the P14 rifle and when they started producing the weapon for the U.S. army, the bayonet was designated the M1917. Except for the markings, the P13 and the M1917 bayonets are identical. The M1917 bayonet was also used extensively with seven different U.S. trench shotguns. As shown here, an M1917 bayonet manufactured by Remington is fitted on a Winchester M1917 Enfield rifle and an M1917 bayonet manufactured by Winchester is attached to a ventilated bayonet adapter for the Winchester Model 1897 trench shotgun. The bayonet blade is 16.5 inches long with a single-sided cutting edge of almost 15 inches and an overall length of 21.75 inches. The Americanized leather scabbard has a metal tip and throat like the British scabbard but instead of a frog stud mounted on the metal throat, an M1910 metal pistol belt bent wire hanger was affixed.

The U.S. World War II M4 bayonet knife was designed specifically to fit the M1 carbine and was officially issued in 1944. Early production M1 carbines had no bayonet attachment point. It wasn’t until 1944 that M1s were produced, and earlier guns retrofitted, with a bayonet attachment point. The handle is made of leather with a series of ridges for improved gripping. The 6.25 inch blade is of a single edge for about one half its length to the top and the rest of it is double edged. The overall length is 11.5 inches. The metal pommel contains the latching mechanism. The M4 knife/bayonet was used in World War II, Korea and into the early days of the Vietnam War. It continued in production to 1956 and was made by as many as 22 different manufacturers during its life span with 7 primary manufacturers during WWII. The scabbard is marked M8A1 denoting that this scabbard comes with a belt loop and a bent wire M1910 belt hook. The body of the scabbard is made of fiberglass with a canvas flap with snap loop and a metal throat. As shown here, the M4, manufactured by Camillus Cutlery Company, is mounted on a 1944 Winchester manufactured M1 carbine.

The U.S. M1 bayonet was a shortened version of the M1905 bayonet. With the onset of World War II and the adoption of the M1 Garand rifle replacing the Springfield M1903 as the primary battle rifle of the U.S. Army, there was a shortage of M1905 bayonets. Nevertheless, early in the war, military brass still believed that a long bladed bayonet was an important piece in the soldier’s personal arsenal as demonstrated in WWI and a number of commercial contractors were enlisted to put the long-bladed M1905 bayonet back into production except with a fiberglass scabbard with a metal throat with M1910 belt wire hooks designated as the M3 scabbard. The tactics of WWI were found to be invalid as the war progressed and the 16-inch blade was no longer considered to be a viable tool. Thus, the 16 inch WWI era bayonets and the early WWII made 16 inch bayonets were cut down and shortened to a blade length of 10 inches with an overall length of 14 inches. As the war wore on, the need for bayonets continued and the contractors actually started making the M1 bayonet in the new 10 inch design with plastic grips rather than wood. Since the M1905 and the M1 bayonets are of the same lineage, they both will fit the 1903 Springfield rifle and the M1 Garand rifle. The scabbard for the 10 inch M1 bayonet is an olive-drab fiberglass body with a metal throat with M1910 belt hanger wires and is designated as the M7 scabbard. As shown here, the World War II made 10-inch M1 bayonet, manufactured by U.F.H. (Union Fork & Hoe Company of Columbus, Ohio), is affixed to a Winchester M1 Garand.

U.S. World War II triangular bayonet for the M1941 Johnson self-loading rifle. The rifle was developed by Capt. Melvin M. Johnson as an alternative to the M1 Garand rifle. Because of the barrel’s movement due to its recoil-operated action, it required a lightweight bayonet that accounts for its skeletonized appearance. It is essentially a socket bayonet without a socket that affixes to the gun by an ingenious flat spring. The M1941 Johnson rifle was used in small numbers by the U.S. Marines early in the war. The blade is 7.75 inches in length with an overall length of 11.75 inches. The scabbard, which has a simple belt loop, is made of leather and has a brass stud to secure the hilt strap. As shown here, it is correctly mounted on a Johnson M1941 rifle. A serial number is individually hand stamped on the left side of the mounting bar.

SG 84/98 III (third pattern), AKA the K98 bayonet Adopted in 1934, the standard German military rifle in World War II was the bolt-action Karabiner 98k (K98), a shortened version of the World War I Gewehr 98 rifle based on the Mauser M98 system. The standard World War II German bayonet was the SG 84/98 III (third pattern), also simply known as the K98 bayonet, and was widely produced by as many as 22 makers from 1934 to 1945. Mass production started in 1936 and the K98 bayonet was issued with a bayonet frog worn on the reverse left side of the load carrying waist belt. The K98 bayonet remained the standard issue bayonet throughout the war with minor manufacturing variations. There were some versions made with a sawback. An interesting side note is the absence of production records so the actual number produced from 1934-1945 is unknown. Researchers and collector organizations have been attempting to reconstruct maker’s codes, production years, and serial numbers. On a statistical analysis basis, otherwise known as a wild guess, it is estimated that just over 14 million SG 84/98 III bayonets were produced. The SG 84/98 III had a blade length of 9.9 inches and an overall length of 15.2 inches. As shown here, it is mounted on a K98 rifle. With matching serial numbered metal scabbard, it was manufactured by Dürkopp Werke, Bielefeld in 1937.

World War II British socket bayonet for the 9mm Sten Mk. II Machine Carbine (submachine gun). The Sten Mk. I bayonet was made of sheet steel and utilized a rod/spike blade copied from the No. 4 Mk II* socket bayonet that had a usable blade length of 7.5 inches. It is a fairly crude spike with a tubular mount that fit over the barrel and had an external spring catch that engaged one of the cooling holes at the muzzle end in the barrel shroud. Overall length is 11.5 inches. The Sten Mk. I bayonet used the existing No. 4 scabbard. Though initially believing there was a need for this type of bayonet, it is alleged that 75,280 were produced during 1943-1944; but they were apparently never issued or used and ultimately were destroyed. As shown here, the Mk. I Sten bayonet is mounted on a Sten Mk. II machine carbine.

The World War II Japanese Type 30 bayonet (also known as the Pattern 1897 bayonet) was the standard bayonet of the Imperial Japanese Army during the war and was utilized with the Arisaka Type 30 rifle and later the Type 38 and Type 99 rifles as well as the Type 100 submachine gun and Type 96 and 99 light machine guns. Over 8 million were produced and remained in use from the Russo-Japanese war to the end of World War II. It was manufactured in Japan and in occupied territories. The Type 30 Bayonet is a single-edged sword/bayonet with a blade length of 15.75 inches and an overall length of 20.25 inches. Early Type 30 bayonets had a hooked quillion guard and fullered blade giving it a distinctive appearance. The scabbard is an all metal affair with a metal loop at the throat for attaching a leather strap from a belt attaching frog. As shown here, the Type 30 Bayonet fits on the Japanese Type 100 submachine gun and the Type 99 light machine gun indicating its universal usage among Japanese small arms. This particular bayonet shows the manufacturer marking of the Hoten (aka Mukden) Arsenal in Japan-occupied Manchuria (period of occupation 1931-1945). Their production began in August, 1939 and produced about 270,000 units. It is an early production model due to the early hooked quillion and sculptured birdshead pommel.