ArmaLite Introduces the Ultimate SuperSASS

ArmaLite unveiled the AR-10 SuperSASS at the January 2006 SHOT show in Las Vegas, Nevada. It is the most technically advanced AR-10 yet produced. The AR-10 SuperSASS is derived from ArmaLite’s development of its XM110 prototype for the US Army. It is intended to provide Police and Military a semiautomatic sniper system without limitations of the government’s solicitation. The SuperSASS differs from earlier versions of the AR-10 in that it is equipped with a sound suppressor, full length rail mounting system handguard, and an adjustable buttstock to allow the rifle to be fitted to a wide range of shooters. It is equipped with a Leupold 3.5×10 tactical telescopic sight. For firing in suppressed mode, the SuperSASS is equipped with a selectable gas valve that supplies appropriate gas energy to the rifle. Most importantly, the SuperSASS benefits from extensive engineering development conducted to fine-tune the famed AR-10. Individuals not wishing or authorized to have a sound suppressor may purchase the system with a realistic dummy suppressor for display. For more information, please contact ArmaLite, Inc., Dept. SAR, 745 South Hanford Street, Geneseo, IL 61254. Phone: (309) 944-6939. Fax: (309) 944-6949. They can be found on the web at www.armalite.com.

Tri-Rings Scope Rings from B-Square Tactical

B-Square, the leader in a diverse offering of scope mounts, rings, and accessories is adding new tactical Tri-Rings to its already distinctive product offering. B-Square Tactical Tri-Rings set the standard when it comes to a diverse scope mount. Carefully and precisely machined from lightweight, premium-grade aircraft aluminum, these rings not only offer quick, easy installation with no gunsmithing, but also allow the shooter to augment his firearm with any number of accessories. Offering a dual application, the Tri-Rings not only work as a standard scope mount featuring Picatinny rails on three sides for secure-hold mounts for flashlights, lasers or other accessories, they also attach to any standard Weaver or Picatinny rail and offer accessory mounting alone. Built tough specifically for law enforcement, the B-Square Tactical Tri-Rings work great with B-Square White Light/Laser rings or any mount on the market that works with a Weaver or Picatinny style rail. B-Square Tactical Tri-Rings and other tactical products can be found anywhere law enforcement and military products are sold. Suggested retail of the new Tri-Rings is just $73.50. For more information please, contact them at B-Square, Dept. SAR, 8909 Forum Way, Fort Worth, TX 76140. Phone: (817) 923-0964. Fax: (817) 926-7012. They can be found on the web at www.b-square.com.

New Products from Command Arms Accessories

Command Arms Accessories continues to rapidly introduce new products that are tried and true and very innovative and now has a line of rifle accessories that is second to none. One of the newest is their Collapsible Butt Stock (CBS). This new item is a 6-position, 4-style stock that features a skeletonized design that also incorporates a short Picatinny rail and a storage compartment for CR123 batteries (4 total) or other small items. Ambidextrous design is achieved by easily switching the battery compartment lid and the Picatinny rail. Two pre-drilled holes allow for the addition of quick release sling adaptors. The stock also comes with the traditional sling mount. Additional features include; an ergonomic rubber recoil pad as well as an ergonomic telestock lever with finger grooves. The optional spare magazine pouch can be mounted on the Picatinny rail located on the side of the stock. The new stock will fit AR-15, M16 and M4 carbine or like buffer tube guns. It is available with the buffer tube system (buffer tube, buffer spring, buffer assembly, nut and collar) or just as the stock alone.

Another great accessory is their Picatinny Magazine Holder (MPS). This accessory clamps onto any Picatinny rail and accepts any AR-15/M16 .223 magazine. It allows you to position a spare magazine on your collapsible butt stock allowing quick access and reducing reloading time. No more straps to contend with, the magazine holder retains the magazine firmly while allowing removal with the touch of a finger on the release lever. Magazines can also be used on a belt with their optional Picatinny belt clip. For more information on these, as well as an extensive line of other accessories, please contact them at Command Arms Accessories, Dept. SAR, 76 Vincent Circle, Ivyland, PA 18974-1529. Phone: (267) 803-1518. Fax: (267) 803-1002. Their website is www.commandarms.com.

Laser Devises, Inc. Introduces its New Dual Beam Aiming Laser

LDI’s newest multi-functional aiming laser system, the DBAL-A2, is now available to military and law enforcement agencies. DBAL-A2 was recently selected for acquisition as part of the Multi-Functional Aiming Light Contract No. W91CRB-05-D-0029. Built to MIL-STD-810F, DBAL-A2 withstands the most adverse environmental conditions from desert heat to arctic cold. Fully waterproof to 20 meters and crafted from 6061T-6 aircraft grade aluminum, the DBAL-A2 is virtually indestructible. DBAL-A2 is equipped with infrared and visible laser pointers (combined into a single laser module), and a focusable infrared laser illuminator. A rotary mode switch instantly selects between the laser functions: Visible laser, IR laser, IR illuminator; or IR laser and IR illuminator combined. Fully adjustable for windage and elevation in 0.4 miliradian clicks, DBAL-A2 can be aligned for pin-point accuracy. The single module design permits the user to align both the visible and infrared pointers simultaneously. Advanced features of the DBAL-A2 include an electronically controlled low-power, eye-safe mode that can be used for force-on-force training. The training mode switch has a safety block that locks the laser into the low-power setting during training exercises and prevents the unit from being inadvertently switched into the high-power setting. The high-power mode offers long range pointing with an effective range of 2,000 meters. The DBAL-A2 is also equipped with activation and low battery indicator lights. One 3-volt lithium battery provides five hours of continuous operation. It is supplied with a standard A.R.M.S. throw lever mount that can be used to attach the laser to any small arms system equipped with a standard NATO or Picatinny mounting rail. Each kit is supplied with battery, remote cable pressure pad switch and five optical pattern generators in a nylon transport bag. For more information, please contact, Laser Devices, Inc., Dept. SAR, 2 Harris Court, Suite A-4, Monterey, CA 93940. Phone: (831) 373-0701. Fax: (831) 373-0903. They can be found on the web at www.laserdevices.com.

New Cleaning Kits for 7.62 Caliber Weapons

CJ Weapons Accessories has just introduced three new cleaning kits designed and manufactured exclusively for 7.62 caliber weapons. This new family of 7.62 caliber cleaning kits includes: the AK-47 in a tan nylon pouch for the new Iraqi Military, the FN-FAL in an olive drab nylon pouch and the AR-308 in a black nylon pouch. Each kit contains a .30 caliber T-handle, rod sections, patch tip, a bore brush and chamber brush appropriate for each specific weapon, patches and a bottle of CLP (Break Free). Similar to the original 5.56 caliber GI cleaning kits for the M16/AR-15 family of weapons, these kits provide a quick, easy and thorough way to keep 7.62 caliber weapons functioning flawlessly. These new 7.62 caliber cleaning kits are among the hundreds of accessories available from CJ Weapons Accessories, a supply house for military, law enforcement, sportsmen and collectors. For more information, please contact CJ Weapons Accessories, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 104801, Jefferson City, MO 65110-4801. Phone: (800) 510-5919. Their website is www.cjweapons.com.

Bushmaster has won summary judgment in the case originally brought by Colt against Bushmaster in which Colt claimed Bushmaster had infringed its ‘M4 trademark and the ‘M4’ trade dress. The court found that commercial purchasers of firearms costing $1,000 or more (such as the rifle products of Colt and Bushmaster) conduct research before purchase and are generally sophisticated about the products they buy and know the differences between the various firearms manufacturers and their products. Additionally, it was noted that government agencies additionally conduct a review process before issuing a contract and thus “it would be impossible for that agency to be confused as to the source of the product it is purchasing,” the court said.

Use of the Term ‘M4’

The U.S. government coined the term ‘M4’, the court noted. The term is a U.S. government designation for a specific type of firearm. The term ‘M’ is an abbreviation for ‘Model’ that is used not only with carbines but also with other small arms and military equipment. As examples, the Sherman tank is known as the ‘M4’, and the U.S. military has designated an ‘M4’ bayonet.

Bushmaster actually started using the term ‘M4’ in commerce before Colt. Bushmaster first began using the term in its advertising at least as early as 1991, and since that year, has continuously used the term ‘M4’ in its advertising in connection with the sale of its XM15 E2S firearms. Colt’s admitted that it did not use the term ‘M4’ in commerce until May 28, 1993.

It was also found that at least fifteen other manufacturers use or have used the term ‘M4’ in their advertising in reference to military-style carbines. Firearms manufacturers have also used the term ‘M4’ to designate firearms that are very different from the M4 carbine produced by Colt. Examples included Army Benelli of Italy’s use of the term to designate the commercial version of its military M1014 semi-auto shotgun and Beretta’s former marketing of a .22-caliber pistol known as the ‘Minx M4’.

Basis for Judgment

In its decision, the court found that Bushmaster was entitled to summary judgment based on the following points in its argument:

1. The term M4 is a generic designation for a type of firearm.
2. There is no likelihood of confusion among a commercially relevant group of consumers as to the source of Bushmaster’s products.
3. The product design of Colt’s M4 carbine has not acquired secondary meaning, every element of its design is functional, and there is no likelihood of confusion, entitling Bushmaster to summary judgment with respect to Colt’s claim of trade-dress infringement.

It was noted that the presumption of validity that attaches to a registered mark may be overcome if a challenger proves, by a preponderance of the evidence, that a mark has become generic. The way a manufacturer describes its products containing a trademark is particularly important as to its ability to maintain the mark’s status as protected.

Bushmaster pointed out that Colt used the term ‘M4’ as a noun to describe its products – examples were a Commando M4, a Match Target M4 and an LE M4. Bushmaster was thus successful in arguing that “If the proponent of trademark status itself uses the term as a generic name, this is strong evidence of genericness.”

Bushmaster convinced the court that Colt’s trade dress is similar to that issue in Leatherman Tool Group, Inc. v. Cooper Indus., Inc., 199 F.3d 1009 (9th Cir. 1999), in which the court rejected the plaintiff’s claim of trade-dress protection for the overall appearance of a multi-function pocket tool. Leatherman had argued its trade dress protection included the “combination of multiple features, including the tool size; the shape of the handles; the shape of the gripping jaws…; the brushed stainless steel finish on the handles; the selection, arrangement, and shape of all of the various tool blades.” However, the court in that case concluded that the whole was nothing more than the assemblage of functional parts and said “it is semantic trickery to say that there is still some sort of ‘overall appearance’ which is non-functional. Colt had argued that the overall appearance of its M4 product was protectable.

Colt’s attempts to recover financial damages from Bushmaster were denied.

Bushmaster failed to demonstrate its entitlement to summary judgment with respect to one of Colt’s claims of false advertising which was left remaining for trial. This involved an allegation that Bushmaster falsely advertised that its products were purchased by the U.S. military. But, the court recommended that Bushmaster’s motion to bar the recovery of damages be granted. Excluded from the false advertising claim are the marks M4, COLT AR-15, and COLT AR-15 and design.

Bushmaster’s counterclaim seeking cancellation of Colt’s federal registration for the trademark ‘M4’ (registration No. 2,734,001) was granted, thus allowing free use of the mark by any member of the industry.

ATF’s NFA Registration System Under Review

Concerns have long been raised by individuals owning registered machine guns and other National Firearms Act-controlled firearms in regard to the accuracy and completeness of ATF’s National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record (NFRTR), but ATF says it has made improvements in these records.

On October 21, 2005, Paul K. Martin, Deputy Inspector General in the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) within the U.S. Dept. of Justice wrote to Senator Jon Kyl (R-AZ) to apprise Kyl of federal efforts to improve the NFRTR after Kyl had forwarded the OIG a letter of concern from a constituent.

Martin acknowledged that the OIG was aware of extensive correspondence, beginning in 1998 and continuing through the present, regarding allegations about the NFRTR between concerned individuals and the ATF, United States Attorneys’ Office, as well as several members of Congress. In response, the OIG conducted two reviews in 1998, neither of which, Martin said, “substantiated the claims.”

The reviews did, however, “identify weaknesses in the administration of the NFRTR”, Martin wrote, and the OIG made recommendations to the ATF to correct the weaknesses. These recommendations, Martin wrote, were accepted and implemented by ATF prior to the agency’s transfer to the Dept. of Justice in February 2003.

The OIG subsequently asked ATF for details on the actions it took to implement the recommendations. On June 15, 2005, ATF informed the OIG that it had implemented all of the OIG’s recommendations or had implemented alternatives that it had proposed to the OIG and that the OIG had found acceptable. According to the ATF, the OIG monitored the implementation of the corrective actions, as well as the ATF’s use of $500,000 appropriated by Congress to improve the accuracy and completeness of the NFRTR.

ATF also provided information on two measures it implemented. First, the ATF optically imaged and indexed all NFRTR records to create a database that it now uses to retrieve registration documents. New registrations are imaged and indexed as they are processed, and an ongoing ATF project, known as Firearms Integrated Technology, is to incorporate the firearms registration database into a standardized and integrated firearms information system. Second, ATF expanded the dissemination of the procedures to be followed to properly register firearms in estates. ATF included this information in various publications and posted it on its web site, Martin’s letter detailed.

Martin’s letter closed by noting that the OIG, in response to correspondence it has received from individuals who still express concerns about the accuracy of the NFRTR, that it (OIG) planned to initiate a review of ATF’s management of the NFRTR. The review (planned to begin in late 2005), was to examine ATF’s efforts to implement the recommendations made by the OIG and review ATF’s process for registering, transferring, and updating records on arms contained within the NFRTR.

Michigan Residents May Now Own Machine Guns

Based upon a state attorney general’s opinion, ATF has said it will now process applications to own machine guns by Michigan residents.

Michigan law (MCL 750.224) states machine guns shall not be sold, manufactured or possessed except by those manufacturers holding a contract with a government agency or a person licensed by the Secretary of the Treasury of the United States or the Secretary’s delegate to manufacture, sell, or possess a machine gun, or a device, weapon, cartridge, container, or contrivance.

ATF states that a person licensed by the United States can be a holder of an approved ATF application for transfer and registration of a machine gun for purposes of MCL 750.224. Thus, a Michigan resident with an approved ATF application to transfer and register a machine gun may legally possess a machine gun under the “license” exception set forth in Michigan law.

The ATF National Firearms Act Branch is now willing to process applications for transfer and registration of pre-1986 ban machine guns by Michigan residents. However, Michigan law also proscribes possession of other items; such as firearm silencers. ATF has requested clarification of the state’s laws regarding these items from the AG’s office. Applications received by ATF from Michigan residents for items other than machine guns are being held by ATF until the requested clarification is received.

Bill Would Make ATF More Accountable

The U.S. Senate is poised to vote on a bill that would make the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives more accountable to Congress.

The Senate was scheduled to vote to clear a reauthorization of the 2001 anti-terrorism law (PL 107-56). Deep within the conference report on the reauthorization bill (HR 3199) is a 38-word provision that would make the ATF director subject to Senate confirmation, thus giving senators a new bargaining chip in negotiations with the White House. Confirmations could then be held hostage to satisfy individual senators’ demands. The provision was inserted by House Judiciary Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr., (R-WI).

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

Over a year ago, several of us were sitting around at the Knob Creek event and we started talking about all of the individual dealers that have been around a long time and all of the “Newbies” that are now starting into the business and how hard it was to break into the NFA world. There was so much opportunity and so little information available from the people who were truly experienced. We began discussions on how we were so disjointed and that there was no real synergy within the NFA community where we all could benefit from an association of experienced people who collectively worked for the good of the entire NFA community. We needed someone, or something, to represent and spearhead efforts for all the dealers, manufacturers and collectors from all across the country.

From this initial conversation, the National Firearms Act, Trade and Collectors Association (NFATCA) was born. We started formalizing discussions in January of 2005 and it took us a couple of months to find the best lobbyist and counsel available to launch our efforts. This year at the spring Knob Creek we celebrated our one-year anniversary of the actual formation of the organization where we began to actively recruit its membership. We are proud to say that the entire Board of Directors are lifetime members and take the mission that we set forth very seriously. We stand at over fifty members in our first year with a host of major accomplishments under our belt.

The NFATCA has been instrumental in developing a relationship with ATF that has not existed in the last 20 years. We continue to work a multi-tiered approach to solving problems and developing strategies jointly with ATF on a list of topics that seems to be never ending. We are working issues from every perspective from the new 4473s to offering a helping hand in the electronic forms process. We approach not only ATF, but major Congressional representatives seeking support on issues ranging from the barrel and receiver rulings to compliance issues and a working relationship with field offices within ATF.

If you have been following our monthly reports in Small Arms Review, you know the Board of Directors meet weekly on a conference bridge with our counsel and any other representatives on strategic issues facing our community. Our efforts are time consuming and detailed, yet the board voluntarily marches forward recognizing the importance of our mission and the ultimate achievements we all will benefit from. I take this opportunity to thank each and every one of them for their tireless efforts during the past year.

Many members have and continue to get involved in some very heavy-duty issues we work on every week. As these monthly reports continue, so will the revelation of the accomplishments of the NFATCA be presented. Log on to our web site and join the NFATCA team. It’s the only place you will find the information or answers you need. Join today and find out what “Power Through Experience” really means.

“Take saltpeter, charcoal, and sulphur, and you can make thunder and lightning, if you know how.” – Roger Bacon, De Nullitate Magiae, 13th Century.

“If you know how” is the operative phrase in so much that we do. One of the prime motivators for Small Arms Review magazine is to dig into the depths of history and technology and bring the answers to our readers. I have had to field a number of questions lately about why we don’t put in conversion information to convert semi automatic weapons into fully automatic weapons. The answers should be obvious: legal and responsible behavior for one thing. It is not our mandate to show people how to build guns that would be illegal under today’s laws in the U.S. If you are a licensed Class 2, then you will find the answers you need as part of your research.

We can analyze the registered pieces that were made before 1986, we can show you how weapons are made, we can show you improvised weapons from around the world, and this is all in our legitimate study. If you are looking for a “how-to” manual, that won’t be in SAR. The magazines back in the 1980s were in a time frame where an individual could file a Form 1 and manufacture a machine gun. That is no longer true.

Q– The picture on pages 60-61 of the March issue of SAR is very interesting. The original Russian tripod and cradle for the DShK 12.7mm Heavy MG has the cocking handle built into the cradle and NOT on the gun. Since the pictured mount is an improvised one, it is interesting how they solved the problem of having no cocking mechanism. An empty cartridge case was attached (welded?) to the large knob on the side of the gun. This now offers a very workable solution to the problem of no cocking handle. I enjoy the publication and keep up the good work.

A– Actually, this charging method is an original design that is common to the DShK 12.7mm series as well as the KPVT 14.5mm series. While the charging handles are actually built into the mounts, there is an auxiliary charging handle position made into the side charger. See the accompanying photos for how this operates.

Q– In attempting to research for an article, I made the mistake of trying to pry information out of the ATF web site. A pot of coffee later, I was none the wiser. A simple question, really, and one that might be good for the magazine as well: what is the status of the M1A1 original carbine paratrooper stock? Does it make an M1 carbine too short? Just long enough?

A– The ATF website is growing and getting more precise on a weekly basis, and hopefully there will be a time when it truly answers most questions. They have some funding issues that hold them back from the great things they could be doing – like electronic Form 2, 3 and 5 filings, and a procedure manual online. However, on things like this, it is more likely that they will be answered when the NFATCA finishes with the National Firearms Act Procedures Manual (www.nfatca.org).

The M1 Carbine (M1A1) with side folding stock has brought this question to the front many times. When folded, the overall length is 25.5 inches, which is one-half inch under the minimum length for a rifle. A rifle with a barrel under 16 inches in length or under 26 inches in overall length requires registration in the NFRTR as a Short Barreled Rifle.

The best way to answer your question is to quote from the ATF Technology Branch’s letters on this question regarding how they measure rifles. Here is a typical quote: “For purposes of examination and classification under Federal firearms laws, the measurement of a rifle is always taken with a folding or collapsible stock extended. The overall length measurement is made parallel to the line of the barrel, measuring from the furthest end of the barrel to the furthest end of the buttstock.”

The M1A1 overall length when open is 35.5 inches and the barrel is over 16 inches, thus it is not a Short Barreled Rifle requiring registration. It doesn’t matter if it is an original stock or a reproduction, as this is not a Curio & Relic list function, but rather a determination of SBR status.

Q– I have a triangular shaped tool I found in a box of US weapon parts that my father had in an old ammo can. There are no markings on it. Can you identify this tool?

A– The fact that you say it has no markings, along with your description, tells me it is probably a first model BAR tool. A picture of your tool would help, but without that, from the circumstances where you found it, I have taken a picture of both main variants of the BAR tool for your comparison. These are fairly common.

Q– I found an M249 bolt in .30 caliber. Is this one of the original 7.62 caliber M249 bolts?

A– No, that would be an FN MK48 7.62x51mm bolt head. There were only two of the prototype 7.62 caliber Minimis made. FN Manufacturing started this project for the Navy back in the 1990s, and it has been a successful one. The lightweight M249 variant in 7.62mm provides a much better cartridge for the operator of a “Squad Automatic Weapon” than the 5.56mm cartridge.

SAR covered the MK48 in depth in Volume 6, Number 10 and Volume 7, Number 10, and the prototype 7.62mm Minimis in Volume 6, Number 10.

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Since the introduction of the Colt Commando and XM177-series carbines, the U.S. military has had a need for a compact version of the M16, the longest serving small arm in U.S. history. Even though never officially adopted, these carbines saw extensive use in every theater of operations the U.S. and her allies were in.

In 1985, U.S. Government contract DAAA21-85-C-0192 was awarded to Colt for the development of the XM4 carbine, the first general-purpose carbine since World War 2. The contract had very specific wording in regards to parts commonality with the newly adopted M16A2 rifle. Particular effort was made to keep as high of a number of parts compatible with the M16A2 as possible. As first envisioned, the XM4 was to be used for troops who could not carry a rifle but needed more firepower than a handgun. It was to fill the same role as that of the M1 Carbine.

Parts Commonality as Defined by DAAA21-85-C-0192

Specifically stated in the requirements was that the carbine would utilize the newly adopted M855 ball cartridge as well as be functional with existing M193 ball ammunition. The barrel will have the same 1 turn in 7 inch rifling twist as the M16A2 and be 14.5 inches in length. The barrel must be made to accept the current MILES shooting simulation equipment as well as utilize the M16A2 compensator. The carbine must have the 3-round burst limiter of the M16A2. The polymer furniture must be made of the same high impact material as the stock, pistol grip and hand guards of the M16A2. The upper and lower receivers are to be the same as the M16A2 amongst many others.

The parts commonality requirement was troublesome to Colt engineers but they understood the government’s position. With over 7 million M16-family of weapons in service at the time, they did not want to make any dramatic changes to an already proven design. Owing to the different operating characteristics of the carbine, Colt felt there should be some changes. Due to the gas port being so much closer to the bolt, higher pressures existed in effect, significantly increasing the cyclic rate of fire. This caused issues with bolts breaking, bolt carrier bounce, failures to extract as well as feed. However, the government was very much stuck on interchangeability over durability/reliability. Colt engineers felt that a redesign of the bolt and barrel extension would significantly enhance the carbine’s performance but this would have been a major violation of the interchangeability requirement.

During the development phase, Colt engineers found certain changes that must be made for the carbine to function reliably. One of the first improvements made to the XM4 was to correct failure to feed. Due to the shape of the M855 bullet and the higher cyclic rate, the cartridge would stall where the barrel extension met the upper receiver. To correct this, both feed ramps were extended on the barrel extension as well as the upper receiver. After much experimenting with buffer designs, a new buffer was implemented to combat the bolt carrier bounce issues during burst fire. Because of the higher cyclic rate, as the bolt carrier moved forward, the bolt would lock releasing the automatic sear in turn releasing the hammer to strike the firing pin. But at that moment when the carrier struck the barrel extension it would bounce back just enough to disallow the firing pin enough clearance to strike the primer. Thus, a new buffer was adopted for use in the XM4. This new buffer (H) would remove one of the steel weights and replace it with a weight made of tungsten weighing nearly twice that of the standard steel weight. This extra mass slowed down the cyclic rate on the closing stroke eliminating the problem.

Another requirement was to have an increase in the carbine’s ability to dissipate heat, keeping the shooters hand cooler during firing/handling under normal conditions. To answer, Colt’s Henry Tatro developed a hand guard (U.S. Patent No. 4,663,875) with double heat shields.

Several other parts were modified to increase reliability such as the burst cam, stock and ejection port dust cover. The first production M4 carbines were delivered with standard M16A2 fully adjustable rear sights. This was soon to be replaced with the Mil-Std-1913 flat top upper receiver. The M4A1 carbine would only be issued with the flat top upper.

The true “heart and soul” of the M4 carbine is the Mil-Std-1913 flat top upper receiver. The Colt/ARMS, Inc. designed flat top upper receiver and dovetail is the modularity of the carbine. This enabled the use of an entire new generation of advanced optics including reflex sights, thermal sights, optical sights as well as night vision. The dovetail enabled optics to be mounted at a comfortable eye level rather than the awkward mounting of an optic on top of the carrying handle of the standard A1 and A2 sights.

The Adoption of the M4 and M4A1 carbines

On August 15, 1994 the U.S. military adopted the M4 and M4A1 carbines. The only difference between the two is the M4 has a “burst” setting and the M4A1 has an “auto” setting. The vast majority of M4A1 carbines would be manufactured for the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM).

The military specifications were drafted for the carbines including the inspections to be performed by Colt personnel as well as the on-site government inspector. The specifications state the endurance tests and allowable malfunctions per lot. The mil-specs have also written the processes of proof testing and magnetic particle inspecting of all barrels and bolts.

As of this writing, Colt has provided the U.S. military with an excess of 340,000 M4/M4A1 mil-spec carbines with tens-of-thousands more on order. This does not include foreign or law enforcement sales.

The Finalized M4 Carbine

The M4 carbine is a lightweight (5.9 pounds unloaded), gas operated, air cooled carbine capable of semi-automatic and burst fire (auto for the M4A1). Nearly 25% of the components of the M4 are not interchangeable with the M16A2, M16A3 and M16A4 rifles. With the telescopic stock fully extended, the carbine is 33 inches long and with the stock closed, 29.8 inches. The carbine uses the direct gas or gas impingement system utilizing an “exhaust pipe” that goes from the front sight assembly (where the gas port is located) back to the bolt carrier. The expansion chamber is located in the rear of the bolt carrier between the rear of the bolt and the front of the inside of the carrier. This creates a hammer-like blow that drives the carrier rearward unlocking the bolt, extracting and ejecting the fired cartridge case. The spring loaded buffer is compressed on its rearward motion and then drives the bolt carrier group forward stripping a cartridge off the top of the magazine, feeding, chambering and finally locking the bolt into the barrel extension. The benefit of this system is lightweight and accuracy. The barrel does not have some heavy piston attached to it preventing the natural barrel harmonics affecting accuracy. The drawback is that it directs fouling into the bolt carrier. This requires more frequent maintenance with extended use and is cleaned with normal cleaning solvent and brushes. Millions of rounds have been fired through the XM4 and M4 carbines in test conditions and this carbine is the preferred weapon by U.S. Forces.

Government Procurement

Once adopted by the military and the TDP finalized, the M4 went into production in 1994. Once in production, modifications or improvements would be extremely difficult for Colt to make. Any change would have to be authorized by Rock Island Arsenal and if the military in general were pleased with the performance they would not authorize any changes, particularly ones that add new parts to the inventory or create interchangeability problems with current weapons.

Popular belief is that the M4 carbine has not been improved by Colt since its adoption. Throughout the M4 design and procurement, Colt has proposed changes and updates for the M4 only to be overruled. An excellent example is the belated adoption of the “M4 Extractor Spring” which is identified by its gold color. Colt had redesigned the spring to give significant more strength, which is a major reliability enhancement in the carbines. Rather than adopt a new spring, which Colt was installing in all of their rifles and carbines except the one being delivered to the U.S. Department of Defense, the military put M231 Port Firing Weapon extractor springs in the M4s, just so as not to add a new part to the inventory. It was not until mid 2003 that this important reliability enhancement was authorized by Rock Island Arsenal and implemented into production. During the development phase of the XM4, Colt engineers proposed modifications to the bolt and barrel extension that would make the carbine handle better when being fired with water in the barrel. This idea was rejected by the government for reasons such as a violation of parts commonality and that they could not justify the cost/benefit of the change. They felt that the number of occasions that the weapon would be called upon to fire under such conditions was minute. Colt was overruled. Colt would not revisit this reliability enhancement until the development of their SCAR entries, which had “Over the Beach” requirement.

Without the direction or request from Colt’s customer, the U.S. Government, to make changes and improvement, Colt would not invest large amounts of resources into improvements if their largest customer would not accept them. Colt had proposed changes to the Army for a redesign of the bolt and related components to increase durability and reliability. Colt estimated the two year project would cost between one-half and two million dollars. Due to lack of funding as well as lack of government interest, the project never commenced.

There are two very different types of troops using the M4 family of carbines. The U.S. forces at large are very happy with the M4 carbine and prefer it to any other available weapon. The Special Operations Forces operators have been displeased but use them in a very different way from the rest. This situation makes it difficult for Colt to address SOCOM’s needs and make modifications. The M4, coming from an existing family of weapons, caused and still causes great difficulty to design the carbine to function to it’s potential with the requirements for interchangeability and the current attitude towards making changes within the government. On March 1, 2000, the Project Manager at Rock Island Arsenal stated, “The M4A1 carbine is already 3 times as reliable as called for in the specifications.”

SOCOM Taking the M4 to the limits and beyond.

As previously stated, the M4 was to be a lightweight carbine that was to be used by people who could not carry a rifle but needed more firepower than a pistol. However, once the M4A1 got into circulation within the special operations community the compactness, modularity, ease of operation and performance was immediately seen and they adopted the M4A1 as their main weapon. They would admittedly push the carbine well beyond its design intent.

SOCOM began reporting durability issues with their M4A1 carbines including blown barrels, broken bolts, failures to extract and over heating. None of which the regular Army units nor anyone else in the U.S. military were experiencing. Investigations immediately began by Rock Island Arsenal to determine if these problems were in fact problems with the design or manufacturing process of the carbine, or if the carbine was being used beyond its design intent. At this point, Colt was not able to make any changes to the firearm without this determination. The M4A1 is procured by the U.S. Army and subjected to the TDP. Any changes or improvements requests/requirements would have to be made by the U.S. Army, not SOCOM. This is the major difference between SOCOM employing a standard issue weapon versus them procuring their own weapon. By procuring their own weapon they are the customer and can make changes as they see fit. This is the case of the SCAR but not with the M4A1.

The first major investigation found the issue regarding blown barrels was clearly due to excessive operation beyond what the carbine was designed. The M4A1 was being used as a light machine gun or a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) laying down large amounts of cover fire. The barrels would reach their transformation temperature that is between 1,100 and 1,375 degrees. At these temperatures the barrel becomes soft and loses its heat-treating. Structural failure is just a matter of time. According to Rock Island’s testing, to get the barrel to this temperature you would have to fire 540 to 596 rounds within 3 to 3-1/2 minutes. The average infantry soldier does not carry this much ammunition as his combat load – the average being 210 rounds. This was clearly beyond the capabilities of a lightweight carbine and Rock Island Arsenal felt that this was not a deficiency in the design or manufacture of the weapon. Due to this type of use, Colt now provides all M4A1 carbines with a heavy barrel designed by Rock Island Arsenal and improved buffer to cope with this type of use. Recent interest has been given to the superiority of cold hammer forged barrels such as that used by H&K, IMI and Glock. The question has been asked, “Why does the M4 not have a hammer forged barrel?” The answer is very simple. Colt has offered them to the government and been rebuffed. Diemaco in Canada, now owned by Colt, has made them for the Canadian military since 1983.

Many SOCOM groups have problems with maintenance of the weapons, in particular replacing worn out components. One SEAL team said they did not keep track of malfunctions during missions to report back to an armorer to have the weapons fixed. Additionally, the training weapons that these operators use are the same ones they take into combat. The barrels and bolts have an unknown number of rounds through them. SOCOM operators fire an average of 24,000 rounds per year in training alone. Most all of the criticisms regarding this weapon system have come from a small element within the SOCOM community.

This weapon system has been in use with the British Special Forces for quite sometime. The SAS use the SFW (Special Forces Weapon) manufactured by Diemaco (now Colt Canada). These specialized carbines beat out Heckler & Koch G36 (identical operating mechanism to the HK416 and the XM8) and the SIG 500 series rifles and have seen action in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Unconfirmed reports say that the British Special Forces spent more money on the test and evaluation of these weapons than they did on the weapons they procured when the award was given to Diemaco. In addition, Diemaco (Colt Canada) has been asked to quote on weapons to replace the “perfected” L85A2.

The M4 is the preferred weapon for American forces overseas and the biggest problem they have with it is that there are simply not enough to go around. Clearly SOCOM needed their own weapon that would be suited for their requirements and that did not materialize until recently with the issuance of the SCAR developmental contract. Many people in the community speculate that the SCAR competition was conducted purely to keep the Program Executive Officer Soldier from forcing the XM8 on SOCOM.

Further Advancements at Colt

Colt has now split off into two companies. Colt Defense LLC is committed to military and law enforcement sales and Colt’s Manufacturing Company focus is the commercial market.

Colt Defense LLC is dedicated to providing military small arms throughout the world to the United States military and allies as they have done for nearly 170 years. Colt Defense has been diligently working on many military programs such as the SCAR program in which they submitted three entries. The SCAR (Special operations Combat Assault Rifle) program was, without a doubt, the most grueling firearms test ever conducted anywhere in the world. It was unwritten but clear that SOCOM wanted a piston driven mechanism. Colt developed a rifle with a piston mechanism as well as two direct gas rifles. The contract was awarded to FN Herstal of Belgium. Colt’s entries came in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. These are some of the most advanced military small arms in the world. Currently, Colt is working on a submission for the OICW and has plans to introduce a piston-operated Law Enforcement Carbine in early 2006.

In May of 2005, Colt purchased Diemaco from Heroux Devtek in Canada. Now called Colt Canada, Diemaco has been a supplier of parts to Colt for several years due to Diemaco manufactured mil-spec components from the Colt TDP. With the acquisition of Diemaco, Colt will take advantage of their excellent research and development team as well as their state of the art manufacturing facility.

Some sources would lead you to believe that the future of Colt and the M4 is on uncertain ground. The reality is, however; the U.S. government has recently placed a $55,000,000 order for M4s, to be delivered within 12 months, in addition to other large quantities of M4s for delivery in 2005 and 2006. With the U.S. military looking at a replacement weapon for the M16 and M4 family of weapons, their days could be numbered. However, if history has shown us anything in the last 40 years is that the military has tried to replace this family of weapons before. The ACR or Advanced Combat Rifle program of the mid 1980s for example. This was a trial of truly advanced weapons involving new types of ammunition including caseless, duplex and flechettes. The baseline rifle was the Colt M16A2. In the end, nothing achieved better combat performance than the baseline M16A2. The M16A2 has gone on to evolve into the M16A4 and the M4 carbine and, if given the opportunity, has much life left in it. This is why this family of weapons has been around for so many years because it evolved to the changing modern combat conditions. It would be far better for the U.S. military to improve the M4 and to keep the combat proven family of weapons than to invest in a new weapon that is not compatible with any of the current optics, mounts, magazines and SOPMOD components.

Now what of the future? The XM8 is not new or advanced but based off another Stoner designed weapon from the early 1960s; the AR18. Another unanswered question is why the government is spending money on a foreign weapon development without even the rights to the design. This was an issue that Colt dealt with during the Vietnam War. The decision was made in 1968 to sell/license the government the rights for the M16/M16A1 so if need be there could be other suppliers in case of a national emergency to procure needed small arms to equip our soldiers. Will there be enough of advancement in technology to justify the change to a new weapon? It hardly makes sense since the same ammunition is used so no difference in lethality or range. The U.S. military’s current weapon systems have been combat proven in every theater in the world. The M16/M4 families of weapons have long proven themselves the hard way: on the battlefield.

By Robert Bruce

(Editor’s Note: With fielding of replacements for all of its aging 9mm Beretta M9 pistols in favor of new .40 caliber SIG P229s, the United States Coast Guard has become the first branch of the US Armed Forces to not only retire the Department of Defense’s standard issue handgun, but also the marginally effective NATO standard round it fires. We dispatched Military Affairs Editor Robert Bruce to get the story of how this momentous decision was reached, what steps were taken to make the best choices, how the transition was progressing, and what users were saying about their hot new pistol. – Robert G. Segel)

“The M9 9mm Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) has served the Coast Guard well for nearly two decades, but the need for a replacement handgun was apparent from both an operational and maintainability standpoint.”Commandant’s ALCOAST Message, 7 October 2005

When the critical need arises to draw and shoot a pistol, there are many reasons why most special operations types don’t carry M9s filled with 9mm hardball. These same reasons are also cited by others in line-of-fire roles whose primary duties don’t facilitate carrying the now-ubiquitous M4 carbine, or who need a reliable and hard-hitting backup.

The United States Coast Guard, the smallest branch of the US Armed Forces with some 47,000 active and reserve personnel, was liberated from the Department of Transportation after 9/11 and is now a star component of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) where law enforcement is deadly serious.

In addition to such traditional duties as search and rescue, and marine safety, the Coast Guard is charged with the gargantuan mission of securing our nation’s ports and waterways against terrorist threats. It also operates far offshore in drug interdiction and with sister services in foreign waters worldwide.

All of these duties have involved “Coasties” with holstered M9 pistols and more than a bit of grief has arisen from aging guns and puny ammo.

Worn-out Berettas were the main problem cited in relevant official USCG announcements along the way. In particular, an “ALCOAST” Commandant’s message on 5 Nov 04 specified “…increased frame failure rates, unreliability issues and that 75 percent have far exceeded their predicted 5,000 round service life (CG fires an average 500 9mm rounds annually, the majority of PDWs have been in service for approx. 16 years, well beyond their predicted service life).”

So, why not buy a bunch of new M9s?

A careful reading of some other CG documentation acknowledges what many in the field have been saying for years. While a politically sensitive issue, there is an unarguable need for more stopping power than that inherent in NATO standard full metal jacket “hardball” 9mm ammunition.

Thus, the Coast Guard was an energetic participant in a big shootout conducted by DHS over several weeks in 2004 on behalf of its enforcement agencies including Immigration, Customs, Border Protection, and Sky Marshals. Six manufacturers, Beretta included, submitted 46 models and more than 2.9 million rounds of various calibers were pumped through 690 guns.

The test regimen was impressive for its relevance to mechanical, environmental and human factors. In addition to strict accuracy and function testing, requirements included repeated four foot drops on concrete, shooting with a plugged barrel, plus environmental torture in 200 degree heat, minus 30 degree cold, windblown sand, and salt water immersion. 22 experienced Coast Guard shooters also personally evaluated each candidate weapon for handling and firing characteristics.

Beretta Overboard!

When the vapors of nitrocellulose combustion cleared, the Coast Guard chose the P229R-DAK in .40 S&W caliber from SIGARMS. In August, 2004, The Exeter, New Hampshire, firm got a 4.2 million dollar contract for an initial order of 12,000 pistols, commencing delivery soon afterward at the rate of more than 1,000 per month.

Pistols and other small arms from the Swiss/German team SIG SAUER have earned a well deserved reputation for reliability, accuracy, durability, and user enthusiasm. SIGARMS, its American operation, offering designs resulting from long service in various forms and calibers with elite military units and law enforcement worldwide, enjoys much recent success in mega contracts with US government agencies on the cutting edge of homeland security and the Global War on Terror.

Transition Plan

Lt. (JG) John Strasburg, USCG Office of Counterterrorism and Special Missions states, “On October 7th, 2005, the Coast Guard officially launched its transition to another handgun – the .40 caliber SIGARMS P229R-DAK pistol. The effort, spearheaded by Coast Guard Headquarters, took nearly two years and thousands of man hours. The need for a replacement to the venerable M9 9mm Beretta was identified in late 2003; the M9 had served the Coast Guard well as the standard service arm since 1986, but wear and tear through the years and the Coast Guard’s requirement for a larger caliber drove the change.”

A comprehensive transition plan was developed at the same time, with the goal of ensuring that units and users would experience no degradation in mission effectiveness during changeover. Much more than just swapping out pistols and ammo, moving to the new Personal Defense Weapon (PDW) comes with a catalog of components running the full range from bore brushes to boarding parties.

SAR contacted USCG headquarters to get the straight scoop and soon got a call back from the right guy with the right stuff. Although too modest to say it himself, Lieutenant (JG) John Strasburg has been a driving force behind the landmark transition program, now well underway as of this writing in Spring 2006. A former enlisted Gunners Mate, with plenty of experience in operations afloat and ashore, this young officer seems particularly well qualified to oversee the program’s complex and interlocking pieces.

According to Strasburg, “Headquarters bought the pistols, magazines and three new types of ammunition, Ball, Jacketed Hollow Point and Frangible, each to support specific missions.” These were stockpiled at central locations to support the second phase when designated units would requisition these and begin implementing training and qualification. While this was going on, he said, a lot of experienced Coasties were hard at work charting the course.

Strasburg arranged a meeting at the Coast Guard’s TCY (Training Center Yorktown, Virginia) so we could sit down with him and senior enlisted representatives of the Engineering and Weapons Branch; key players in the transition.

“TCY has the expertise we needed to turn SIG’s operator, technical and training materials into something like the DoD manuals for the other small arms we use,” Strasburg said. “Staff and Instructors of the Gunner’s Mate ‘A’ School, Small Arms Instructor School, course writers and others were able to give us a really good product.”

Soon after the contract to SIGARMS was awarded, TCY started getting a supply of pistols, ammunition, manuals and maintenance items. These facilitated both study and hands-on evaluation with the goal of practical modifications to things that had long been institutionalized in supporting the M9.

Nearly everything needed attention. The changeover required some new administrative procedures, storage and issue of three types of new ammo, modifications to weapon security racks, changes in manuals for operators and armorers, reworking basic and advanced range qualification programs.

And it wasn’t merely rewriting civilian into military-speak, according to Master Chief Gunner’s Mate Dana Brooks of Training, Engineering and Weapons. “All that’s a joint effort from the GM ‘A’ School instructors, SAI school instructors, and headquarters. We would draft one and send it around for review, to delete or add anything; courses of fire, instruction, weapons, maintenance, and repair.” This round-robin continued, Strasburg added, until all hands approved of the finished product.

Training the Trainers

Yorktown’s Weapons School takes pride in not only providing entry-level “A” qualification for Gunner’s Mates, but several “C” programs as well for more salty Coasties. In addition to in-depth training on the formidable MK38 25mm Machine Gun and MK75 76mm Gun Weapon System, it is also where Small Arms Instructors learn their demanding craft.

Chief Gunner’s Mate Ronald Scoggin, who heads up the Small Arms Instructor School, had also participated in the morning’s round table discussion. It fell to him to explain how his operation contributed to the P229 transition.

The demanding four week SAI School has a reputation for being one of the hardest and most rigorous in the Coast Guard, Scoggin told us, an assertion strongly seconded in a later discussion with Gunner’s Mate First Class John Kelly, an International Training Division staffer, going through the course.

“It’s intense, but it has to be,” Kelly said. “Once a petty officer graduates and goes out into the fleet it means that he has the school’s seal of approval – total trust and confidence that we won’t deviate from anything we’ve learned here.”

Scoggin, a 19 year veteran of Marine Corps and Coast Guard service, heads up a team of similarly seasoned professionals with plenty of trigger time on boarding parties and other maritime law enforcement missions. They have the expertise and the judgment that headquarters was looking for to smoothly integrate the new SIG pistol.

As things worked through, Scoggin said, the SIG wasn’t all that different from the old M9. “Seems a little shorter and bulkier but carrying procedures are the same. The way it’s taken into service in boardings is the same. Even the basic course is the same as that of the M9. But the Practical Pistol Course, because of the magazine capacity – 12 rounds vs. 15 – now we have a couple more magazine changes.”

On the other hand, he noted some important differences. “The SIG’s DAO – double action only – takes some getting used to. Before they even go up and try a qualification course we give our students a box of 50 rounds and tell ‘em to get used to the weapon’s trigger squeeze, handling and function.”

Also the illuminated sights for night fire. “The first time I ever saw it was last class with the night fire. A reservist – a police officer in civilian life – qualified with a perfect score at night. A perfect 50. He said that because the way the (SIG’s) night sights illuminated he was right on target. He was tickled to death and that target’s now in our hall of fame.”

We joined the current SAI class on the range nearby, an austere but well designed multi-weapon facility with concrete floor and heavy wooden beams supporting a translucent roof for natural light. Open on three sides, we were particularly thankful for the luck of a sunny day with temperatures in the mid 50s – highly unusual for coastal Virginia in the dead of winter.

The fifteen students were beginning Week 3 by shooting the Practical Pistol Course with the new P229. One was acting as the designated Instructor, demonstrating his mastery of range commands and procedures that must be recalled exactly and given verbatim from memory.

Other students were demonstrating different firing positions and timed drills which included fast and slow shots at various distances from strong and weak hands with and without support. Magazine changes abound, reinforcing necessary muscle memory for instinctive action.

Interestingly, we noted a couple of “alibis” arising from function difficulties with the pistols and the ammunition. Observed stoppages included failure to feed, stovepipe, and one round needing two trigger strokes to ignite it. This was later explained by Scoggin as a natural consequence of brand new weapons needing more break-in time before they work well with the CG’s new environmentally friendly practice ammo, a big plus on ranges to minimize problems with high lead levels.

The Winchester Ranger Frangible SF is pushing a 135 grain no-lead composite bullet at 1,170 fps, and is a cartridge with less recoil impulse than duty issue ball and JHP. The solution, Scoggin says, is to “First run 100 rounds of hardball through each new gun, something we didn’t have a chance to do with some of these. “

Recent SAI grads, along with others who have attended Transition Train-the-Trainer Conferences, have gone back to their areas and units to conduct the ongoing pistol changeover, eliminating the need for outside contract personnel and reinforcing the “Team Coast Guard” concept of operations.

Sector Delaware Bay

The next step in SAR’s inquiry was to check in with some of the personnel who had recently completed transition training and were regularly carrying the new SIG on duty. Sector Delaware Bay, headquartered in Philadelphia, was identified as the CG’s first major user under Phase 2 of the Commandant’s plan.

We were initially puzzled to learn that headquarters directives specify that the “large cutters and tactical units will receive the handgun last.” It didn’t seem right to us that tip-of-the-spear Coasties would have to wait, until it was explained that DoD facilities won’t allow the .40 cal. commercially procured ammo on naval vessels or installations until it undergoes the type classification process. Score another one for the bureaucrats who aren’t willing, even in wartime, to make a common-sense adjustment in the rules.

Less clear was the current prohibition against tactical lights of any kind on the pistols, even for those who would buy their own. The weapon has a MIL STD 1913 rail on the front end of the frame, just begging to be geared up with any combination of laser, IR and visible illuminators in the DoD supply system or otherwise available. Headquarters directives charge units with the responsibility for buying suitable holsters, but caution that those allowing carry with attached tac lights are a no-go.

We invited official CG comment and what was forthcoming fits the big picture. “The Coast Guard will not authorize attachments … until applicable Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTP) are developed and incorporated into the training (documents).”

Headquarters put us in contact with Lieutenant (JG) Marvin Kimmel, who recently assumed command of SDB’s Ports, Waterways and Coastal Security Division. He told us that some of his Gunner’s Mates were on the 5th District team that implemented the Sector’s transition. Kimmel and his Coasties, along with other units, went through qualification conducted at the CG’s Pomona, NJ, facility over a period of twelve days in December 2005.

First came several hours of classroom instruction to familiarize students with the weapon, its handling, loading and unloading, stripping, cleaning and reassembly. This was followed by unscored practice firing with two full magazines, helping shooters get used to the feel of the pistol, sight alignment, double action only trigger, and recoil. Then record fire to validate those newly qualified to turn in their old Berettas and begin carrying SIGs in the line of duty.

Kimmel says things went very smoothly for the most part. “The GMs handled the whole thing with no need for outside contract instructors. Classroom and range activities proceeded well but there might be some issues with the (frangible) ammo.”

Indigestion

Since the “new pistol shooting frangible ammo” situation had caught our eye at TCY, this flagged a question for further investigation. Was this, we asked, caused by the pistol or the cartridge?

Careful to note a relatively small number of misfires and other stoppages during his unit’s transition firing, Kimmel said the GMs believed these were more a frangible ammo factor than the weapon. No problems with Ball and JHP were reported.

It is instructive at this point to take a close look at a portion of an official transition program message issued by headquarters, addressing a “subtle” drop in qualification rates for a test sample of individuals with the new pistol: “This was attributed to a number of reasons including handgun break in, double action trigger, frangible ammo quality. The slides in the new handgun are tight and, combined with the light projectile weight of the frangible ammo, created a number of jams for shooters. Additionally, the .40 caliber handgun’s double action trigger is significantly different to that of the 9mm handgun.”

Headquarters provided a very practical set of steps in the same message to deal with what seasoned observers recognize as all but inevitable when everything is brand new. First, each pistol will have to be fired with 100 rounds before issue for training or operational use. Then, rookie shooters on the Basic Pistol Marksmanship Course will use only ball or JHP ammo. Finally, those graduating BPMC will get frangible to fire the Practical Pistol Course, starting with 24 unscored rounds for familiarization.

SAR spoke with knowledgeable representatives of SIG, Winchester and the CG. The new pistols work great with the duty ammo they were designed to shoot and the frangible training ammo’s specially formulated non-toxic primers are sometimes a bit harder to light up. Particularly in fanny-freezing cold like SDB Coasties had on the transition range. No big deal.

Expert Opinion

Kimmel agreed to solicit comments from PWCSD Gunner’s Mates Irby and Wood, experienced handgunners with a few years in the job, along with some others under his command. Some selected responses:

SAR: Any specific advantages of the new round and pistol over the M9?

• More accurate, more durable, less malfunctions.
• I like the stability of the weapon. The old M9 was unstable. If you would shake the weapon it would rattle. The new round is more conducive to our job. If one was to discharge a 9mm ball round from the M9 then it had a high probability of ricochet. The new hollow point has less of a chance of passing completely through a person and ricocheting off of a steel bulkhead.
• The new PDW has several advantages over the M9 including increased stopping power. But the main advantage, in my opinion, is the compact design of the weapon despite its larger character and the more consistent trigger pull when compared to the M9.
• Despite its increase in caliber, the new PDW has a slight increase in recoil that does not interfere with target acquisition or the ability to remain on target. I find the new PDW to have very good accuracy which is comparable to the M9.
• The .40 cal hollow point round has much more stopping power. No one is going to keep going after a direct hit from that round, whereas a 9mm may take two or three rounds to take down a subject – especially if the subject is using a narcotic.

SAR: Like or dislike the SIG’s handling compared with the M9 (weight, balance, grip size and angle, etc.)?

• I found the SIG’s handling to be new, not better or worse, just a variation to get used to for the new PDW.
• As an SAI, I feel the SIG is 100 times better than the M9 in every aspect.
• The weight and balance of the new weapon is nicer. It feels more secure in one’s hand. The grip size has been a plus for personnel with smaller hands. Personnel with larger hands don’t tend to have much of a problem with it either.

In a follow-up telephone interview, Kimmel took a bit of exception to the last comment. “I have to remind myself that my big meaty hand sometimes interferes with inserting a new magazine. Also, my long index finger makes it hard to pull straight back on the trigger. If I’m not careful I’ll tweak it to the side. This wasn’t a problem with the Beretta.”

SAR: Anything else that needs to be said?

• Better weapon all around. Better looking weapon. We definitely look like we have newer technology than 1980s. Officer presence is increased in my opinion, in that a newer, more advanced weapon helps us to be viewed as advanced federal officers….

Parting Shot

As the transition program expands throughout the Coast Guard, postings on numerous internet bulletin boards frequented by GMs and other Coasties are noting a percentage of failures to qualify with the new weapon on the first go-round. Typical entries cite the DAK trigger and the pistol’s more energetically recoiling round. But all of this was put into perspective by one salty old GM who had been around for the transition from .45 M1911 to M9: “Takes practice.”

“Semper Paratus” Always Ready

The US Coast Guard is a military, multi-mission, maritime service and one of the nation’s five Armed Services. Its mission is to protect the public, the environment, and U.S. economic interests – in the nation’s ports and waterways, along the coast, on international waters, or in any maritime region as required to support national security.

SAR’s experience with Strasburg, Scoggin, Kimmel and other Coast Guard professionals inspires great confidence in the smallest of the US Armed Forces. While urging the best of America’s young men and women to enlist for any of the CG’s many ratings (telephone (877) NOW-USCG or log on to www.gocoastguard.com), we at SAR are naturally inclined toward that of Gunner’s Mate. Check out the Weapons School at TCY for apprentice level and advanced training opportunities at their website www.uscg.mil/tcyorktown/tew/gm.shtm.

Homeland Security Pistol

SIGARMS’ great line of handguns and other weaponry may be explored in depth at www.sigarms.com. One particularly interesting product is the limited-edition .40 S&W caliber “P229 HSP.” It’s just like the ones now in use by the Coast Guard, complete with barcode on the slide, Picatinny rail, DAK trigger, NITRON finished slide, and SIGLITE night sights. Only 1,000 were made and they’re going fast!

As seen in the accompanying comparison table, the Coast Guard’s interesting choice of SIG’s stubby P229 with double-action only and midpower cartridge departs from predecessors in some noteworthy ways.

Although both weapons feature an alloy frame with steel slide and barrel, the SIG is lighter and more compact for faster handling and a better hold for those with smaller hands. The DAK trigger, developed for use by law enforcement, allows safe carry with a round in the chamber and instant firing with a stroke of the trigger finger. No fumbling for the safety lever and consistent 6.5 pound pull for every shot. The SIG’s low-profile hammer won’t snag on life vests and other gear. Tritium-illuminated SIGLITE night sights feature prominent white dots that glow brightly in low light. The .40 caliber round boasts significantly more knockdown and incapacitation.

(Editor’s Note: SAR recently sent Contributing Editor Robert Bruce to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to do an in-depth report on the training of Army Special Forces Weapons Sergeants. (Vol. 9, No. 9, June 2006) While there, we also assigned Robert to do a feature on the JFK Special Forces Museum to detail some of the exotic and historic weaponry in its collection. With the full support and energetic assistance of Director/Curator Roxanne Merritt and her small but dedicated staff, SAR was allowed not only the opportunity to get in after hours to light and photograph some of the current exhibits, but also to go behind the scenes into the museum’s high security arms vault. This special access has paid off handsomely in the accompanying photos and SAR sends a big THANKS for all the extra work. – Robert G. Segel)

“The mission of the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School Museum is to collect, preserve, exhibit, and interpret significant historical property related to the history of special operations in the U. S. Army including the Special Forces and Civil Affairs branches, the Ranger Regiment, the functional areas of Psychological Operations and Aviation, and its predecessor organizations from the American colonial period to the present. As an educational institution, the museum will support training and education for military and civilian personnel.”

The JFK Special Warfare Museum may be relatively modest in size but it is undeniably mighty in the quality of its collection. It is, of course, the official repository for actual items used on missions by U.S. Army Special Forces “Green Berets,” Rangers and other members of the Army Special Operations Forces family. It also preserves the history of a long list of elite Army units that came before such as the legendary Office of Strategic Services (OSS) and the First Special Service Force “Black Devils” from WWII.

The impetus for the museum came from the vision of Major General William P. Yarborough in 1961, who was, at the time, the commanding general of the US Army Special Warfare Center. The connection with President John F. Kennedy honors his energetic support for Army “Green Berets” and their unconventional warfare capabilities.

OSS Weapons Exhibit

It is the OSS connection that first caught this correspondent’s eye a couple of years back while doing research for a report on the opening of the International Spy Museum (SAR Vol. 6, No. 4, January 2003). An internet search turned up a procurement notice on a government purchasing website indicating intent to acquire the Brunner OSS Collection.

Subsequent phone calls resulted in confirmation that this effort was successful and the priceless artifacts have found a permanent home with the JFK Special Warfare Museum at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. SAR is pleased to report that this remarkable OSS collection is now front and center in a permanent exhibit at the museum.

Dr. John W. Brunner, a retired college professor, served with distinction in the OSS during WWII. His meticulously researched book OSS Weapons is considered by experts to be the best of its kind. Unfortunately now out of print, copies routinely bringing upwards of $200 on the used book market, testifying to their value among scholars and serious collectors.

Many of the items pictured and described in Brunner’s book were from his own collection. Notable among them are close quarter combat firearms from .22 to .45 caliber, some famous edged weapons, and a fascinating selection of spy tradecraft gadgets. As luck would have it, all of these had been temporarily relocated to the vault while the exhibit was being refurbished, and so were readily accessible for the photos accompanying this feature.

The .45 ACP single-shot Liberator pistol is perhaps best known of the WW2 OSS firearms, with over a million produced and intended for airdrop to resistance fighters. Brunner not only had a particularly fine example of this cheap and simple smoothbore weapon, he was careful to also preserve one of the waxed cardboard boxes they were originally packed in.

The Vietnam-era Deer Gun is the CIA’s (Central Intelligence Agency) upgraded version of the Liberator, chambered in 9mm Parabellum. As far fewer of these single shot handguns were made, the one in the JFK SW museum is particularly noteworthy.

While the uninformed may scoff at the effectiveness of weapons firing .22 caliber rimfire ammo, these small cartridges offer several advantages in the arena of clandestine combat. Principal among these are modest recoil, noise and flash, making them particularly adaptable to innovative concepts in weaponry for concealment and killing at close range. The Stinger is one of these, a single-shot device resembling an ordinary pocket-clip pen.

Brunner saved an original box containing ten of the first model Stinger devices and another with the improved Type 2 Stinger. He also made sure that an excellent example was preserved of the .22 cal. High-Standard semi-automatic pistol with a sound suppressor barrel, spare screen and a round of the original T-42 jacketed long rifle ammo.

Although not from the Brunner collection, another firearm that was likely to have been used by the OSS caught our eye in the museum’s arms vault. The British SOE (Special Operations Executive), a partner to the OSS in Europe, fielded a particularly effective single shot handgun usually identified as the Welrod. This sound suppressed 9mm Parabellum pistol features an integral barrel and may be quickly reloaded from a six-round spring loaded magazine in the pistol grip.

Crossbows and Carbon Dioxide

When circumstances call for stealthy dispatch of enemy personnel, the ideal tool is not necessarily a silenced firearm. Consider the medieval crossbow, some types capable of almost noiselessly propelling an armor-piercing shaft with astonishing range and accuracy. This concept made a lot of sense to the British SOE and their cohorts in the American OSS.

Brunner’s crossbow collection included several fascinating examples of modern adaptations of the ancient arrow shooter. While the most commonly used was the pistol-like Little Joe, the rarest is the “Little Joe Pedal” model, firing a particularly impressive ten inch long aluminum bolt at 170 feet per second. Only one example is known to have survived and is now safely housed in the museum’s collection.

Anyone who has had fun with quiet and powerful pump air rifles or CO2 pistols should appreciate the applicability of this sort of propulsion to spy type weaponry. Brunner’s efforts have ensured the survival and display of the only surviving example of the Gun, Dart, Carbon Dioxide Propelled. The OSS gave it the evocative code name “Flying Dragon” and fifteen were available by July 1945. Comparison testing with crossbows and conventional suppressed firearms showed little reason to field it and the Flying Dragon was grounded.

The Cutting Edge

The modern combat value of knives and other edged weapons may be somewhat less easy to demonstrate and document but apparently sufficient for the OSS to field a number of interesting stabbers, stickers, slicers and slashers. Notable among those in Brunner’s holdings are an OSS Stiletto, complete with “pancake flapper” sheath, and a Type 2 Smatchet bolo knife, complete with its original cardboard packing box and the correct plywood-lined sheath.

These join several other interesting edged weapons that were acquired from various sources. We examined a tiny thumb knife, a sleeve or wrist dagger and the wonderfully versatile lock-picking knife. This last is a seemingly ordinary pocket knife that also boasts a set of fold-out picks to facilitate surreptitious entry into locked areas.

Baseball Blaster

Were it not for the device’s destructive intent and unfortunate history, the Beano grenade might qualify as the most amusing of OSS artifacts in the JFK SW Museum. Formally designated as Grenade, Hand, Fragmentation, T13, With Fuze Grenade, Impact, T5, OSS personnel soon nicknamed it the “Beano.” The Beano was developed from a suggestion by Col. Carl Eifler who believed that the standard grenade was ungainly to throw. He asked the R&D branch of OSS to make a grenade the size, shape and weight of a standard baseball. It is speculated that the nickname might have come from the dishonorable practice of some baseball pitchers back then, and even now, to intentionally throw “beanballs,” to hit the batter.

This unusual ball grenade was designed to explode on impact with the target, rather than after the usual three to five second delay. Presumably, this would make it more useful for attacking moving targets and those who might be tempted to pick up the hand bomb and throw it back.

Interestingly, camera and film company Eastman Kodak got the contract to design and manufacture these novelties which soon proved to be unreliable in performance and particularly dangerous to the thrower. According to Brunner’s research, the Beano can be credited with nearly fifty casualties, but none of these were on the enemy side. The project was terminated at the end of the war.

Handmade Firearms

The other end of the weapons spectrum is well represented in some of the museum’s other displays showing guns made in primitive workshops by native populations. These include examples of pistols, shotguns and rifles cobbled together by Philippine resistance fighters, Viet Cong guerrillas and others, determined to do the best they could with materials at hand. It is astonishing what can be done with scraps of tin, bits of wood and hacksawed plumbing pipe. The handmade flintlocks of the Hmong of Laos were family heirlooms, passed down from generation to generation as is evidenced by silver bands on the barrel, indicating how long it had been in the family.

Vietnam War

U.S. Army Special Forces “Green Berets” and other Army Special Operations Forces were heavily committed in the Republic of Vietnam beginning around 1961 during the so-called “advisor period” and extending to the fall of Saigon in 1975. So it follows that a large number of the artifacts on display are from this conflict.

The first thing most visitors see when approaching the museum is a full size re-creation of a firebase mortar pit complete with sandbags, log reinforcements and an actual 81mm M29 mortar. Large graphics display boards ring the pit, providing photographs, diagrams and information on how typical firebases were built and defended, often against overwhelming enemy forces.

Following the sidewalk to the main entrance leads past an imposing Soviet 12.7mm DShK-38/46 Heavy Machine Gun, fielded by the Red Army in WW2 then supplied to enemy forces and used against the US from the Korean War to Vietnam and right up to the present day.

Inside the main gallery of the museum are exhibits showing typical weapons, uniforms and equipment used by “A Teams” in Vietnam as well as those of communications, surveillance and Civil Affairs personnel.

Look for the very early AimPoint red dot sight used by MSG (later CSM) Joseph Lupyak, part of “Red Wine” element of the Son Tay Raid in 1970. It was purchased for $59.99 from Sears as the Army didn’t have anything like it in the inventory. The Son Tay Raid also offered such innovations, now considered commonplace, as the use of bullhorns and acetylene torches.

Artifacts From Recent History

For some of us with more than a few gray hairs it is sobering to consider that many of today’s twenty-somethings were still soiling their diapers when Army Rangers and other Special Operations Forces liberated Grenada in 1983. And others weren’t even teenagers when the invading Iraqis were kicked out of Kuwait in 1991 during Operation Desert Storm. Thus, “history” is relative and each generation has significant milestones that are meaningful to them.

While it is to be expected that many of the museum’s exhibits highlight activities of Army SOF’s in the Vietnam War, more recent conflicts take front and center in the museum’s many displays.

SAR found it particularly interesting to see the gear worn by Special Operations soldiers during the 1993 shootout in Somalia, often called the Battle of Mogadishu and best known by many from the book and movie “Blackhawk Down.”

The expected and the unusual may be found in any of the displays but a case in point presents weapons brought back by SOF’s from Desert Storm. There are fascinating stories behind most every artifact but what the hell is a Greener Mark 2 Harpoon Gun doing in Iraq?

Global War on Terrorism

The museum’s preservation and exhibition mission comes fully up to date with displays showing Operation Enduring Freedom, launched principally in Afghanistan in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the liberation of Iraq which began for US and allied special operations forces well before the official announcement on 20 March 2003.

The museum has items that come from the 9/11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center including a large twisted steel beam that is right next to the entrance. Also on display is the uniform of Ron Bucca, a former member of the 11th SFG (A) and the only Fire Marshall to have perished in the attack. This is an ongoing process as America’s GWOT continues and artifacts are sent back by participants. Get a close look at gaudy gold plated weapons from Uday Hussein’s Baghdad palace and the imposing gateway sign from Fire Base Tycz in Afghanistan.

The Mitch Lane memorial exhibit is a noteworthy example of most every aspect of the museum’s broad mission statement. Sergeant First Class Mitchell Arthur Lane, an Engineer Sergeant with Company C, 2nd Battalion, 3rd Special Forces Group, died on August 29, 2003, during a combat air assault on an enemy cave complex in Afghanistan.

According to those who knew him, Lane was extraordinary in every way and will be long remembered for the particularly effective door breaching device he became a master of. The explosive water charge is widely used throughout US SOFs and those of many allied nations. Lane was constantly modifying the charge to fit the situation and made a point of writing clever messages on its support board.

The “Mitch Lane Special” features a spiral of detonating cord, a pair of medical salt water bags, 100 MPH tape, and a wooden board, “about half the height of the door you are going to blow down.” Its dramatic effectiveness comes not only in the ability to instantly vaporize heavy doors but also to allow the assaulting force to remain remarkably close to the blast without injury.

Wish List

While there are currently more than 6,000 artifacts in the museum’s collection, some gaps exist that need to be filled. Highlights from a long list posted at www.soc.mil/swcs/museum/wishlist.shtml include items from Mosby’s Rangers (American Civil War), Alamo Scouts, Merrill’s Marauders and First Special Service Force (WW2), a Stoner assault rifle or machine gun (Vietnam), as well as Propaganda and Psychological Operations materials from all periods. Individuals and organizations wishing to offer appropriate artifacts are encouraged to contact Director/Curator Roxanne Merritt.

Gift Shop

Proceeds from Gift Shop sales go to support museum operations. Available items include a fascinating selection of Special Operations books, souvenirs and apparel. Mail order sales are handled through the website at www.jfkgiftshop.org or by phone at (910) 436-2366.

No-Sweat Visitor Passes

These are tough times for the many museums located on military bases. Attendance is way down due to the strict security measures in response to increased threats from terrorist organizations. Clearance for entering the bases is an unfamiliar task for most civilians who can’t be blamed for being reluctant to undergo the scrutiny necessary to get a visitor pass.

But those with determination and a few simple preparations will find the entry process for Fort Bragg and most other bases rather quick and painless and the payoff will be more than worthwhile:

• Call or visit the museum’s website in advance for directions and hours of operation
• Make sure there are no weapons or ammo in your vehicle
• Have current drivers license, vehicle registration and insurance card
• Watch for signs that direct you to a lane for “vehicles without decals”

Find Out More

JFK Special Warfare Museum is located in the main post area of Fort Bragg, North Carolina (near Fayetteville) at Bldg. D-2502 at Ardennes and Marion Streets. Telephone (910) 432-4272 or (910) 432-1533. Their website is www.soc.mil/swcs/museum.shtml. It is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday (closed Mondays except certain holidays). There is no admission charge but donations are greatly appreciated.

Special Forces Association www.sfahq.org

Ranger Association
www.ranger.org
OSS Society
http://osssociety.org
Central Intelligence Agency www.cia.gov
US Army Special
Operations Command
www.soc.mil

Considering that you have to look to the last century to find a classic submachine gun design that combines both function and beauty, we’ll head back more than a few military generations, to meet the British Lanchester submachine gun.

The Lanchester is a product of British gun makers from that pre-WWII era of solid, finished, fine woods and robust, deep-blued steels, who built this firearm worthy of the traditional British Empire military stamp. This solid weapon was the last in a long lineage of well-bred ordnance royalty that came to a clattering end with the evolutionary apocalypse of Sten and Sterling stamped parts weaponry.

The Lanchester is not an original British design; it was taken directly from the design of Hugo Schmeisser’s WWI German MP18, later redesigned as the MP28. Yet, the Lanchester was carried into battle wherever British battle flags have flown from 1941 through the Falklands.

As the late Major Frank Hobart noted, “Although this was a very well-designed and well-built weapon, extremely reliable, it was virtually obsolete before it even entered service and saw only limited action. However, it stayed on the active service list in many ships’ armories through the 1970s.”

The Lanchester was a direct result of immediate need. After Dunkirk, Great Britain was in dire need of every manner of small arms. German invasion of the U.K. was imminent by almost every measure. The only submachine guns available were Thompsons from America, and all of those went to the British Army, forcing the RAF and the Royal Navy to scramble for small arms on their own.

Sterling Armament, Ltd. was given a contract in the summer of 1940 to produce a prototype within four months and the project was turned over to George H. Lanchester, a veteran engineer, who had owned his own company, but had been seconded to Sterling for the war’s duration. Lanchester made only minor modifications to the German MP28 to produce the weapon that carried his name. Prototype testing, then, field trials began in November of 1940 for the Royal Navy, as the RAF had bailed out of the project when it became apparent that Hitler had scuttled immediate invasion plans.

The first production contracts for the Lanchester were let in June 1941, with the final contract let in October of 1943. Each weapon was projected at a cost of £14. Not only was the per-gun price high, the Lanchester was a complicated gun to produce, which is not conducive to immediate need-them-yesterday wartime requirements. For example, production over a 28 month period averaged 3,410 Lanchesters per month versus 47,000 Sten Mk II guns.

The initial 50,000 Lanchester production and assembly run was accomplished at four different factories, and the majority of weapons went to the Royal Navy. The original production Mk 1 Lanchesters had a select fire feature and a tangent rear sight. The select fire mode was soon judged to be unnecessary, so the auto-only version became known as the Mk 1*, which was the final basic design. Estimates of those original Mk1 Lanchester numbers are less than 200 guns.

Even while he was pushing the original design through production, George Lanchester and his team at Sterling saw the Sten gun’s competitive development and were working to lighten their own weapon. The result was the little known Light Lanchester series of three models which never went beyond prototype development, other than to evolve a design generation later into what some experts said was the Patchett gun, which carried the name of its production engineer, George Patchett.

Not only was the Lanchester submachine gun a complicated and expensive firearm to produce, it was heavy, weighing more than the service rifles of the period. As Laidler and Howroyd wrote of the Lanchester, “It was built like a battleship.”

The Lanchester operates on the blowback principle, firing from the open bolt. That bolt, a massive piece of steel, has a separate firing pin nearly the size of an ice pick. The cocking handle is permanently attached to the bolt. The safety is a mechanical one, in which the cocking handle is pulled to the rear of the receiver and then moved upwards into a notch at the rear of the slot.

The Lanchester uses a shortened beechwood stock, much like that of the SMLE service rifle. The gun’s magazine housing is made of solid brass and there is a lug for the long British No. 1 bayonet. There is also a brass butt plate with a trapdoor for storing cleaning material inside the stock. Later models used an alloy butt plate.

The sights are a simple flip-over rear marked for 100 and 200 meters. As with most weapons of its type, the recommended service range is 100 meters or less. The issue magazine is 50-rounds, but the 32-round Sten magazine, which fits in the Lanchester, was always a better choice for combat due to balance and function.

When it comes to maintenance, the Lanchester is one of the easiest military weapons for that chore. After the weapon is carefully cleared and the magazine removed, turn the large locking catch lever at the rear of the receiver and draw the cocking handle to the rear of the receiver. This brings out the operating spring and bolt. The weapon is now ready for cleaning, then simple reassembly.

The Lanchester went on active service in the late fall of 1941. The first officially documented action for the Lanchester was in December of 1941, when the British army’s No. 3 Commando borrowed four navy Lanchesters for their famed amphibious raid on the island of Maaloy and Vaasgo Harbor in occupied Norway. Armed with Thompsons and Lanchesters, the British army commandoes reduced the German counterattacks to what the after action report called “a shambles.”

Period news reports and archive film clearly show the Lanchester in the hands of Royal Navy sailors during the defense and fall of Hong Kong and Singapore in February of 1942.

Initial after action reports noted of the Lanchesters, “…superb job during all phases of deployment…men reported excellent handling effectiveness…Complete confidence in these combat weapons.”

In February of 1942, No. 12 Commando conducted a daring raid on the top secret German radar installation near the coastal village of Bruneval, France, to recon and appropriate the German technology. The attack and withdrawal was carried out partially with the cover of Lanchester submachine guns, again drawing high praise from the British warriors.

In March, Lanchesters were chosen again, this time by the men of No. 2 Commando for their raid on the German dry dock ship repair facility at St Nazaire, also in occupied France. In August, a mixed group of Royal Marine commandoes and No. 4 Commando were armed with Lanchesters when they had special mission duty in support of a larger Canadian infantry unit in a larger scale amphibious assault, which failed, near Dieppe.

One of its classic missions was that carried out by the men of No. 2 Special Boat Service and a landing party of Royal Marines in October of 1942, when a delegation of senior Allied officers, led by American Maj. Gen. Mark Clark, met with the French general commanding the defense of Algeria, in hopes of allowing the Anglo-American invasion to proceed without resistance. The Brits were armed with Lanchesters.

Later, commandoes carried Lanchesters in the invasion of North Africa, Sicily, and the Italian mainland. The Royal Navy carried Lanchester-armed warriors into battle against the Japanese in the Pacific as well as against German E Boat raiders in the English Channel and the Aegean Sea. The Lanchester found combat in India, Burma and all over Southeast Asia.

In all these operations, the Lanchester was praised universally in comparison with the Thompson and Sten guns, e.g., “the weight, accuracy and dependability of the Lanchester make it the most desirable…”

Despite being officially obsolete, the Lanchester soldiered on during the post WWII period in various U. K. empirical disturbances. Both the British and the Dutch navy and marines used Lanchesters against nationalist guerrillas in the East Indies through the late ’40s. Despite the issue of new Sterling submachine guns, Lanchesters were used in Kenya during the Mau Mau “troubles” there in the early ’50s.

In the Korean conflict, Royal Marines assigned shore security detail during and immediately after the Inchon landings carried Lanchesters. Both British and Canadian naval crews used Lanchesters for security duty when inspecting small craft along the coastal waters of Korea.

Lanchesters also went ashore in Malaya and in Egypt during the Suez incursion. In the 1960s, accurate fire from the old Lanchesters repelled guerrilla assaults from small boats against British navy vessels. Some of the British warships still had Lanchesters in their armories during the Falklands War, though the last had been supposedly and finally retired in 1971.

The Lanchester is one fine firearm with a great, if limited, service record, which raises a valid question: If it was so good, why did it see only limited combat action? The Lanchester faced two major problems: technology and history. That, combined with the rapid development of the Sten gun, took it out of a major combat role almost before the initial production models left the Sterling factory.

Major Hobart said, “If the Sten gun designs had been in house a bit earlier, the rebuild of the MP28 into the Lanchester would have been abandoned and it would have been the machine carbine that never was, a mere footnote in ordnance history.”

Even as the Lanchester was entering production, the Sten gun prototypes were already being combat field-tested in limited special mission actions. Also, as the fear of imminent German paratroop attack and an invasion of England had subsided by 1941, the Army and RAF had canceled their massive orders for Lanchesters, seeing that the newer, far lighter and cheaper Stens were ready for production.

According to which source you read, between 75,600 and 80,000 Lanchesters were produced. The weapon was declared obsolete by the UK military in 1979. Today, apart from the few still on historical display-only in British ship armories, the remainder are in various military museums. A large number were simply destroyed by the UK. What few civilian-owned originals remained belong to private collectors. And, of course, there is a small supply of Dewats and replica models. There was a brief attempt to produce rebuilt Lanchesters for the American Class III market in the late 1980s, thanks to the late Bill Whitford, and his Cottage Industries, but the 1986 machine gun ban ended that endeavor.

Full cycle, then, the submachine gun that almost never was, has become the submachine gun that never would be again.

I would like to thank the following for their personal correspondence and interviews: Frank W.A. Hobart, D.G. Raschen, Albert Jenkins, Donald G. Thomas, Richard Nelson, Bill Whitford, Thomas B. Nelson and Herbert J. Woodend.

So you ponied up the money for that original MG42 you always wanted, patiently waited for what seemed like years for the transfer to come through, and bought every accessory the German army ever had. You have a pallet of ammunition belted up and ready to go. So when the transfer finally comes through, you think you can just pack up the truck, head to the range, and blast away? Well, not so fast there, Hans. You might want to save yourself a few headaches by first reading the following saga about what my wife and I went through to get our MG42 to run…

In preparation for the arrival of our MG42, I wanted to make sure that I had everything I would need to immediately hit the range. I already had several cases of .308 on hand, but no 8mm, which is what our gun was chambered for. But luckily, one of the great things about the MG42 is the ease of caliber conversion from the obsolete 8mm to the popular .308. So initially, I opted to pick up the parts for the caliber conversion instead of buying some 8mm. I ordered a barrel, top cover, feed tray, and booster assembly from RTG Parts. I also had complete parts kits in both 8mm and .308, a post war ground mount, and an anti-aircraft (AA) tripod. If I needed a spare part, I had it. Lastly, I ordered two translated German MG42 manuals from John Baum. I was ready to rock.

The big day finally arrives and our new (to us) MG42 was delivered. What a glorious day it was as my wife watched me pull out of the box an excellent condition, World War II era MG42 covered in grease and oozing with history. As I began to field strip the gun, it was apparent that this gun had not been abused. The finish was blued and in great condition, with no major dings nor any rust. The trunnion (cam piece) was not chipped or damaged and all the rivets were tight. Because I had read tons of information, I knew what to look for – or so I thought. Yep, this was going to be great. I gave the gun a good cleaning and lube, and changed out the barrel, top cover, and feed tray, so we could shoot .308. I also installed a bolt catch to significantly reduce the chance of blowing up the gun. With several belts loaded up, everything was ready to go.

The next day, my wife and I headed out to the range. My wife is an avid shooter and those who know her know two things about her shooting habits. The first is she likes to lay on the trigger for long bursts until she is out of ammunition. The second is she has limited patience for tinkering with a gun. She uses shooting as her primary stress reliever, so it needs to work and work well. There will be no problems at this range session though. This MG42 is in great condition so it will run just fine, and all I brought were 50 round belts, so she was not going to be melting any barrels. I mounted the gun on the AA tripod, loaded up a 50 round belt, nestled the stock into my shoulder, and pulled the trigger. The sear released the bolt, which stripped a round from the belt, chambered it… and nothing. Hmm, I assumed it must be a bad round. I cocked the gun again, pulled the trigger, and the same thing occurred. Surely, I could not have had two bad rounds back to back. This was clean Portuguese surplus ammunition, which I have never had any problems with in the past. Third time’s a charm? Nope. With my wife hawking over the situation and anxiously waiting to get some trigger time, it was time to step back and take a look at exactly what was going on.

I picked up the rounds and inspected them. All three had light primer strikes and had failed to ignite. The gun was just cleaned so I knew that there was not any crud slowing the bolt down, nor was the firing pin being impeded by a clogged firing pin hole. I figured that although the firing pin had looked good, in reality, maybe it was a tad too worn. Luckily of all the parts I did not bother to bring, I did bring an extra complete bolt. I swapped out the bolt for one that looked like it was brand new. With the gun back together, and loaded up, I pulled the trigger. Bang… then silence. I cocked it again, pulled the trigger, and this time it did not fire at all. With my wife getting impatient, I tried it a few more times. Sometimes it fired, sometimes not, but when it did, it was only one round. Frustrated, I had had enough. The MG42 got put away and we blasted away with some other machine guns to reduce the tension. The wife was happy.

Once I got home, I disassembled the gun and began to go over the parts, comparing them to those in the parts kits to see if something looked amiss. Every part from the gun appeared to be in excellent shape and looked just like its counterpart in the kits; that is all except one: the recoil spring. The one in the gun was obviously shorter than the others I had. That had to be it! I put the gun back together with the newer recoil spring. After it was together, I gave the charging handle a pull. It was noticeably more difficult to retract compared to the original spring, but we would have to wait a week before we could try it out.

The week passed, and we got back out to the range to finally do some blasting with the historic piece. My wife had an especially stressful week, so she was ready to tear up a few targets – better them than me. With the MG42 on its tripod and a belt loaded, I settled in for a quick burst. Brrrraaap. I released the trigger and about three rounds had let go. With a proud grin, I informed my wife that it was now working and after I finished the belt she would finally get her turn. Hunkered down to ceremoniously finish the belt, I pulled the trigger, and nothing happened, not even the bolt releasing. In all my excitement, I did not realize that the gun had a stoppage a split second before I had released the trigger. I pulled the charging handle back and a live round came out with an empty case caught between the bolt and the extension on the charging handle that contacts the bolt. I figured it was a slight hiccup, no big deal, just blowing out some cobwebs so to speak. I cleared the gun and readied it for another firing. The same thing happened, a short burst followed by a stoppage with a live round partially chambered and an empty case stuck up in the receiver. This was no longer any fun. I had a gun that would not run and a wife who needed to shoot. I asked my wife to keep an eye on the charging handle when I tried the next burst to see if it might be vibrating loose and possibly giving some resistance to the bolt travel. Under her watchful stare, it remained forward, locked in place, just like it should be. Damn.

I gave my wife an MP5 to calm her down, while I went at it with the MG42. Maybe the problem was with the ejector or extractor. I had a total of three complete bolts with me, so I chose the bolt with the best looking extractor, and put in the newest ejector pin and ejector bar I had. No dice – it still would not run. Maybe there was a headspace problem and the bolt was locking up too tight. Since I did not have any headspace gauges with me, I resorted to trying each bolt with each of the two barrels I had with me. Every time I would get excited with anticipation that this would be the winning combination, and every time I was sorely disappointed with the same problem. By this time I was really getting irritated. Between changing out so many parts and the wind coming off the neighboring river, my hands were cold and stiff. While I was racking my brain trying to figure out what the heck could possibly be wrong, I noticed my wife smiling as she was emptying magazine after magazine into the berm. At least someone out here was happy.

Could it be that maybe the belts were too tight for the .308? I did recall some were easier to load than others, and I was still on my first belt. Since I had no way of knowing now which belts were the easier ones I loaded, I had to just start trying them. Belt after belt, I would try it at least twice, and then move on to the next one. I even tried a disintegrating belt of M13 links. I still could not get it to run. After the last belt, I opened the top cover and inspected the pressure plate thinking it might be the problem. Comparing it to one on a new cover I had, its spring pressure and shape were the same.

By this time my wife must have blazed through half of a case of 9mm, so she came over to presumably give me a hand. No such luck, she wanted the UZI. She did ask how things were progressing though. As I watched her pull out some UZI magazines, I noticed another booster assembly sitting there, but it only had two parts to it. Since an 8mm booster assembly has three parts, that one had to be for .308. All this time I had been running with the incorrect 8mm booster. Additionally, the .308 booster has a smaller exit hole, thereby allowing the escaping gases to impart a greater force to operate the gun. I quickly swapped out the boosters. And just as quickly, I found out that other than increasing the rate of fire a bit, it still malfunctioned. It was time to pack up and head home.

At this point, the only thing I could possibly think of was that maybe the recuperator springs needed to be changed. The recoil spring had needed to be replaced, so maybe these did too. I tried the German recommended field test, which essentially says that with the flash hider off, the recuperator springs should support the gun standing on its barrel bushing. It goes on to say with the gun pushed down on its muzzle, compressing the recuperator springs, they should be able to easily lift the gun back up. The assembly passed the test, but since I did not have anything to lose, I removed the recuperator assembly and shipped it off to Bob “Bubba” Naess at Black River Militaria for a rebuild. Before I packed it up though, I compared the spring pressure of it to the two spares I had. They all felt similar, but since my sense of feel is not calibrated to measure spring constants, I was not taking any chances.

Fast forward several weeks to when I get the recuperator assembly back from Black River Militaria. The assembly was cleaned, lubricated, and had all of its springs changed. During the time our prized MG42 had been sitting idle, I was further educating myself about MG42s with every piece of reference material I could lay my hands on. Learning about how important the recuperator assembly is to the firing sequence, I was convinced that this was my problem. So without further delay, the rebuilt assembly went back into the gun.

That following weekend it was back out to range to finally give our MG42 the workout she was yearning for. After convincing my wife that we did not need to bring any other guns because we were going to be far too busy shooting the MG42 and refilling the belts, we loaded the truck and headed out. We got out to the range and started unpacking. So familiar was the ritual of unloading and setting up the MG42 from past trips that I was starting to get the sinking feeling that things might turn out with the same disappointing results. Maybe I should have brought some other hardware, just in case.

Loaded up with a fresh belt that I purposely chose because it was easily loaded, we were ready. Pulling the trigger, she came to life… for about four rounds, and then choked. My wife’s smile faded as she reminded me of my choice to not bring any other firearms because we would be way too busy shooting the MG42. I was at a complete loss. I had checked, replaced, and/or repaired every part on the gun. Or had I…

The checklist

So what do you check for when you first get that MG42? I would highly advise to first purchase at least one of John Baum’s translated MG42 manuals. They are worth their weight in gold. Next, review the following list of the more common things to check which will minimize the chance of problems:

• Cleanliness. This may be obvious to some, but make sure the gun is clean, especially the chamber and bolt guide rails. A quick test for chamber cleanliness is to hold the barrel chamber end up and drop a cartridge into it. The cartridge should be able to completely chamber itself under its own weight. Then, when the barrel is turned upside down, the cartridge should fall out by itself. To test the guide rails, remove the stock, buffer, recoil spring, and bolt. Then, with the gun tilted forward, and the trigger pulled, insert the bolt into the receiver and let it slide forward. It should freely slide all the way into the barrel extension. It should not hang up anywhere or encounter any significant resistance along the way. If there is a hang-up, check to make sure the rails are clean and free of any obstructions.

• Recuperator springs. The German operator’s manual recommends testing the strength of the recuperator assembly by removing the flash hider and standing the gun up on its muzzle end, resting on the barrel bushing. The recuperator springs should support the weight of the gun and not allow the barrel to move. The testing should continue by pushing down on the gun while in the same muzzle down position, then allowing the recuperator springs to lift the gun back up, putting the barrel into its extended position. The springs should be able to do this easily, although it is subjective as to what easily is. If there is any inclination that the springs may be weak, have them replaced. On every recoil of the gun, the barrel extension slams into the trunnion, damaging them over time. There is no way to prevent this; it is inherent in the design of the gun. If the recuperator springs are weak, the barrel hits the trunnion with greater force, thereby accelerating the damage.

• Recoil spring. The length of the recoil spring should be at least as long as the distance from the rear edge of the receiver to the front edge of the feed tray. Its designed length is 16.9 inches.
• Ejector pin and ejector bar. Make sure the ejector pin is not bent, damaged, or “mushroomed” on the end. When in its extended position, it should extend out to about the front edge of the bolt head. The ejector bar should be straight, without any warps or bends, and should have no chipping.
• Extractor. The extractor should not have any chips in it and have a clean, sharp edge. With the bolt out of the gun, the extractor should securely hold a dummy cartridge in a horizontal position.
• Firing pin and firing pin hole. The firing pin hole needs to be free of dirt, grease, and crud. If it is obstructed, even partially, the firing pin may be prevented from extending out enough to fire the cartridge, or even worse, may remain extended and possibly fire a round out of battery. The firing pin itself should be unbent, smooth with no burrs, and not excessively worn.
• Pressure plate. The pressure plate, which is the finger-like piece in the top cover that directs the cartridge into the chamber, needs to have stiff spring pressure and give much resistance when pushed. The plate cannot be bent at an abnormal angle otherwise the cartridges may hang up going into the chamber. If it is bent too much the round will nose dive into the barrel extension. If bent too little, or has a weak spring, the round will be presented too high into the barrel extension.
• Buffer. Ensure that the buffer head is aligned straight with the buffer spring. This allows the recoil spring to freely slide on the buffer. If the head and buffer spring are misaligned, the recoil spring may get hung up and interfere with the cycling of the gun.
• Booster exit hole. According to the German manual H.Dv. 216/6, the booster exit hole diameter is 11mm for .308 and 11.5mm for 8mm. Although, the MG42 can typically run the larger diameter hole with .308. Doing so will reduce both the rate of fire and the stress imparted on the gun, but may also decrease its reliability.
• Belts. The belts should be free of rust and dirt to ensure that the cartridges are easily stripped free. This is especially critical when using .308 in belts originally designed for 8mm. Until the 8mm belts are fairly used, they can be quite snug for the .308 rounds. If running .308, search out the looser belts by trying to insert a few rounds by hand. A better solution is to use belts specifically designed for .308. An alternative is to employ the proper feed tray and top cover that allow use of the M13 disintegrating links, also commonly referred to as M60 links.
• Ejection port cover spring. The ejection port cover spring needs to be strong enough to keep the ejection port cover fully open. If it is weak, extremely dirty, or covered in grease, it may not hold the ejection port cover open, impeding the expulsion of the empty cases. In the case of a damaged or weak spring, there is the option of just removing the cover and spring completely from the gun as it is unnecessary in a non-combat environment.
• Cocking handle. Make sure the claw part of the cocking handle that latches on to the receiver is not damaged or severely worn. In conjunction, the edge on the receiver where the claw grabs onto needs to also be in good shape and not rounded off. If, during firing, the cocking handle vibrates loose, it may impart some resistance to the traveling bolt, possibly inducing a malfunction.
• .308 conversion parts. When converting from 8mm to .308, some people are willing and able to swap out just the barrels and the gun will run fine. Do yourself a favor and go the whole nine yards by using all of the proper parts. This includes the barrel, booster assembly, feed tray, top cover, and bolt. Granted, some guns can run with only changing out the barrel, but using all of the proper parts reduces the likelihood of malfunctions, especially as the gun gets dirty.

These last few things may not necessarily affect the operation of the gun, but are telltale signs of heavy use.

• Trunnion. Remove the barrel and take a look at the trunnion through the barrel change door. Observe the unlocking ramps, which are the extensions seen on each side of the inside area of the trunnion. There will be some wear on them, but they should not be chipped or damaged. If they are, the trunnion should be replaced by a competent gunsmith.
• Rivets. The rivets that hold the bolt rails, trunnion, buttstock/buffer mounts, grip mount, and recuperator anchor need to be tight. With a lot of shooting, over time they will loosen up.
• Cracking. Over time, cracks may appear in the receiver where the diameter is reduced for the muzzle bearing. Another place where cracks may form is in the web area between the cooling holes. Any cracks are typically a sign of heavy use.

Problem solved

I am sure by now readers are curious as to what happened to our cherished MG42. Was it sold? Banished to the depths of the vault? Thrown in the river? Well, it was none of the above.

After the last miserable outing, and a very long ride home, I was not sure what to do now. It was late in the Saturday evening and I sat down to read the German manuals again. I had a hunch that since I was so excited when they came, I might not have absorbed everything the first time I read them. That hunch turned out to be correct. There, nestled in the pages, was the solution to my problem that I had been overlooking the whole time: the weak dust cover spring. Yep, that was it. It is an unglamorous, boring part that is not even needed for our recreational use of the weapon, but was the cause of my frustration. It turned out that since the spring was weak and covered in grease, it was not holding the dust cover open all the way. As the gun was firing, the vibration would cause the dust cover to close just enough to bounce an ejected case back up into the gun, thereby producing a stoppage. Once I removed the dust cover completely, the gun has never missed a lick. Could all of my frustrations been avoided by just removing the dust cover or replacing its spring the day I got the gun? Possibly. I do believe that the weak recoil spring had something to do with the initial light primer strikes though. But for my sanity, I would like to think that it was a culmination of all of the things that I did. The thought of all of the time wasted on troubleshooting when we could have been shooting is a little disheartening. I just have to consider it as a self-taught, hands-on armorer’s course.

Sources:

MG42 parts and accessories:
RTG Parts
Robert Johnson / RTG Parts
20783 N. 83rd Ave. Suite 103-235
Peoria, Arizona 85382
(623) 362-3459
RobertRTG@earthlink.net
www.robertrtg.com
Translated German ordnance manuals:
John Baum
5678 State Rt. 45
Lisbon, Ohio 44432
John@GermanManuals.Com
www.germanmanuals.com
MG42 gunsmithing services:
Black River Militaria
Robert E. Naess
Rte 131, PO Box 471
Cavendish, VT 05142
(802) 226-7204
BMG17A1@hotmail.com
www.blackrivermilitaria.com

When General John Thompson founded the original Auto-Ordnance Corporation (AOC), he and others developed and marketed their weapons with hopes of achieving great commercial success. As unlikely as it seems today, they never realized their goal. Our current view of the Thompson submachine gun as one of the most successful designs, with possibly the richest history of any modern small arm, was never witnessed by General Thompson and his son Marcellus. They both died before the weapon achieved its worldwide distinction and profitability.

In order to produce the original 15,000 Colt manufactured Model of 1921 Thompson submachine guns, the principals of AOC mortgaged the future of the company by borrowing desperately needed capital. As a result, majority share of AOC was acquired by Thomas Fortune Ryan, an AOC founder, and wealthy financier of the time.

Model of 1921 Thompsons sold fairly well at first and AOC optimism was demonstrated in promotional literature of the period. “We want to sell Thompsons and make money!” beckoned one AOC dealer inquiry post card of the late 1920s. AOC began to develop secondary products such as the Thompson Autorifle, Thompson Military Model of 1923, and the B.S.A. Thompson submachine gun in hopes of expanding their product line, and gaining foreign market opportunities. Development of these additional products consumed resources and proved unsuccessful.

In 1928 and 1929, two events occurred that contributed to the fate of the original company. First, Thomas Fortune Ryan died, leaving control of the company to his estate. Secondly, the Great Depression hit. Company sales slowed, and interest on debt to the Ryan estate mounted. The Ryan estate heirs, less forgiving of the AOC deficit than their predecessor, sought to recover as much of their investment as possible and began looking to liquidate the company.

One potential buyer was named Jean U. Koree. Mr. Koree made two efforts to purchase AOC. Information regarding Koree’s acquisition attempts surfaced in estate documents acquired by the author in 2004. Koree was a Romanian industrial engineer who moved to New York City in 1919. After serving in various Romanian consulate positions, he left government service in the early 1920s, and developed a successful razor manufacturing business. Koree patented several inventions including razors and automotive parts during the late 1920s and early ’30s.

Koree had an interest in small arms and his business activities occurred in close proximity to AOC in New York City. Koree probably had opportunity to observe the AOC business operations in person. He became associated with Marcellus Thompson, son of John Thompson, and Vice President and General Manager of AOC in charge of administration and sales. Koree had very strong foreign sales connections, something that was shared by Marcellus Thompson, and they may have made a connection on this fact.

First Offer

Jean Koree and Marcellus Thompson signed a cooperative agreement on October 10, 1932 to purchase all AOC assets, including “its patents, good-will, jigs, tools, fixtures and inventory or any part thereof.” In the 90-day agreement, Koree was to front the money, with profits divided equally between Koree and Thompson. Marcellus Thompson did not incur any responsibility for a potential loss on the deal. On the same day, Koree wrote a letter to attorney Stephen McTague on Wall St., authorizing him to ascertain from the Ryan estate whether an offer of $650,000 would be accepted. The offer stipulated the following conditions:

1. $200,000 to be paid at contract signing
2. the $450,000 balance to be paid over a period of 6 months
3. the purchaser could receive guns at the rate of one for each $100 paid
4. guns could be withdrawn in lots of 1,000 or multiples thereof

Mr. McTague arranged an appointment with Walter Ryan, son of the late Thomas Ryan, at his office at 11:00 a.m. on Oct. 21, 1932. No documentation exists of the details of this meeting, but we can assume the offer was not acceptable to the Ryan estate and the 90-day agreement between Koree and Thompson was allowed to expire.

Second Offer

Koree did not give up on potentially acquiring AOC and, as additional depression years passed, he decided to make a second, secretive purchase attempt. Koree, Marcellus Thompson, and another individual named Mathew J. Hall, who was a Ryan estate hired broker, cooperated to form an agreement concerning a potential buyout. Marcellus Thompson was not actively engaged in AOC business at this point, and he longed to gain control of the company. The agreement called for Koree to obtain capital to purchase AOC assets, and detailed a marketing plan for the future of the acquired company. It was made with all concerned mentioned by initials only (JK, MHT, and MJH). The company to be formed was referred to as “T.E. Co.,” which, in the opinion of the author, stands for either “Thompson Enterprises Corporation,” or “Triangle Enterprises Corporation.” (Koree later formed a company named “Triangle Ordnance Corporation,” which was associated with the Hyde Model 35 Submachine Gun. This subject was detailed in Small Arms Review Vol. 9, No. 8, May 2006.) AOC was referred to as “A-O” in the agreement.

In a memorandum dated January 22, 1935, Koree, Thompson, and Hall proposed an agreement, from which the following highlights are noted:

1. Koree was to organize a European sales company, with all stock for his own account, and a salary paid to him.
2. T.E. Co. was to prepare an exclusive territorial sales contract for execution by it and the European sales company. This would be a 10-year contract, with territories, commissions, services, products, limitations, and sales terms and conditions detailed.
3. T.E. Co. would enter into employment contracts with Marcellus Thompson and Matthew Hall. Commissions on sales made by T.E. Co., and handled through the European sales company but originated by Thompson and Hall were detailed.
4. Koree maintained a 1-year option on 1/4 of the proposed stock shares owned by Marcellus Thompson and Matthew Hall in the new company and details of stock price valuation and disposition of stock sales while Thompson and Hall were employed by T.E. Co. were stipulated. Thompson and Hall also agreed to give Koree 1/4 of their stock holdings if the deal went through, so that 50 % of the new company would be owned by Thompson, 25% by Hall, and 25% by Koree.

The agreement also detailed a procedure for carrying out the provisions of the agreement, should the purchase prove successful. These included formation of the European sales company, preparation of necessary legal agreements, and the immediate acquisition of 5,000 Thompson submachine guns by the European sales company. Marcellus Thompson was to arrange proper manufacturing arrangements for T.E. Co. for future production. (The author could not help but wonder whether Marcellus Thompson might have potentially convinced Colt to produce another run of Thompson SMGs. While unlikely, it is intriguing to ponder “Second Generation” Colt Thompsons.) The agreement went on to detail distribution of interest on sales through the European sales company, and T.E. Co. sales through the European Sales Company.

It is clear Koree planned to make his money through European sales should the deal prove successful. His stipulation that 5,000 Thompsons be reserved for the European sales company would probably have covered his investment, although the exact amount of this acquisition offer is unknown.

Koree made an official inquiry about AOC’s status at the same time the 3 potential buyers formulated the secretive agreement. The inquiry was answered by letter from Mathew J. Hall, in his official capacity as a broker for an AOC deal, working on behalf of the Ryan estate. (The same Hall who had entered into the secret agreement with Koree and Thompson.) Mr. Hall replied in a very detailed letter dated January 28, 1935, which provided the following key insights about the status of AOC:

1. Volume for January through September, 1934 was $276,000, upon which a gross profit of $159,000 was realized. Estimates for the full year were $300,000 in sales, and gross profit of $170,000.
2. The directorate of the company was detailed, which included the Ryan estate, the estate of Col. George Harvey, John Thompson, Marcellus Thompson, George Smith, (President of Royal Typewriter Co.), and Mr. H.H. Vreeland.
3. The composition of the inventive, manufacturing, administrative and sales fields were summarized, as well as key inventive accomplishments of the company, and sales accomplishments such as adoption of the TSMG by many government departments and law enforcement agencies.
4. It touted Marcellus Thompson’s strong sales connections to high ranking representatives of foreign governments indicating negotiations could easily be resumed.
5. It affirmed the availability of the management team to work with the company, or any successor, when and if Marcellus Thompson again became actively engaged in the business.

History tells us the Koree-AOC deals were not successful. While disappointed, Koree persisted in his desire to become involved in the marketing of a submachine gun. Later in 1935, he associated with George Hyde, who looked to approach the market with a new submachine gun design. Koree then became uniquely involved with the Hyde Model 35 SMG, acquiring 1/4 of its patent rights and directing all attempts to market the weapon. While the Hyde venture failed, Koree enjoyed many other successful business ventures during his life. It is fascinating to think how NFA history might have changed had either of his AOC buyout attempts proved successful.