The United States Marine Corps put their best foot forward once again for the 30th annual Modern Day Marine (MDM) show at Quantico, Virginia. This year’s show was very well attended by both vendors and USMC personnel, with many new vendors on display. Over 8,500 attendees, mostly USMC, kept the over 400 booths energized. The discussions at the show had most of the attendees and vendors very pleased and planning on returning the next year. MDM is always a highly rated show for interaction with not only the higher ranked and hopefully decision makers, but with the rank and file Marines. Most vendors are aware that this is what builds their brand as the young Marines move up in rank they remember the lessons learned not only on the battlefield, but on the display floors as well.

There were many booths for organizations supporting the USMC and veterans. One group in particular SAR would like to bring to our readers’ attention: The U.S. Paralympics Military Program. This group is working with the U.S. Paralympics to help sponsor more of the thousands of severely wounded veterans into the active sports programs they provide. www.usparalympics.org or www.semperfifund.org.

AAI LSAT (Lightweight Small Arms Technologies) is a technology based program managed through the Joint Service Small Arms Program Office (JSSAP), located at the Army’s Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center at Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey. The focus of LSAT is:

• Reduce the weight of weapons carried by warfighters by 35 percent
• Lower the ammunition weight by more than 40 percent
• Maintain or improve lethality and reliability over current systems
• Improve ergonomics and logistics
• Reduce training and maintenance time

These promising technologies continue to be matured and tested. Current program objectives are to:

• Develop the cased telescoped ammunition and light machine gun to TRL 7 and conduct an operational demonstration
• Continue maturation and demonstrations of the caseless ammunition and light machine gun
• Develop and demonstrate a cased telescoped rifle to TRL 5 (www.aaicorp.com)

Beretta– The TRG Folding Stock can be retrofitted to all TRG precision sniper rifles without any modifications to the weapon itself. Front to rear: PX4 .45 ACP SOCOM trials pistol with Gemtech Blackside suppressor. TRG-42 PSR .338 Lapua Magnum rifle with standard sidefolder. Beretta owns Steiner so they are featuring the Military 4-16×50, and the suppressor is the Surefire LLC model FA338SS. The Harris Bipod was chosen for this. The TRG stock system accepts Remington 700 USMC Short action and the M24 long action. Scope is the Schmidt & Bender PMII. The Harris bipod is chosen for this. (www.berettale.com)

One of the busiest booths at the show was the FNH USA booth with its emphasis on small arms for the warfighter. The SCAR program was well received with a constant flow of Marines looking over the rifle system, and the sniper and M3M .50 displays were also busy. (www.fnhusa.com)

The General Dynamics MK47 Grenade Machine Gun is a lightweight new generation of launcher that has been well accepted by testers and users alike. The idea for making it squad portable was put to Eagle and they designed a 4 pack system for packing this out – one pack that is for the MK47 itself, the next for tripod and FCU, and the next (add as many as you want) to carry the soft box ammo carriers in either 32 or 48 rounds. The soft carriers reduce the bulk of the ammo containers, but once loaded, will fit inside the original ammo cans the 40x53mm linked grenades come in making for a quick fit in a Humvee or other vehicle. (www.gd-ots.com) or (www.eagleindustries.com)

C. Reed (Trey) Knight III holds the M110 Carbine, the newly adopted Knight’s Armament Company 7.62×51 mm sniper rifle in its shorter profile. The patented dimpled ‘Heavy’ barrel delivers expected HB accuracy and consistency results, while providing lighter weight and more rapid cooling. 7.62mm M110 Carbine (P/N: 25749) pictured with Leupold 1.1-8x CQBSS (optional P/N 25884)

Prolific parts and weapons supplier LaRue Firearms presented several caliber variations of their Optimized Battle Rifle. The 7.62x51mm carbine version (shown) provides semiautomatic long range capability in a smaller package. (www.laruetactical.com)

The LMO/VLTOR manufactured PKM 7.62x54R machine gun that LMO has been supplying to USG customers. LMO is the GSA contractor armorer trainer for U.S. and foreign small arms, as well as a long-time supplier of unusual munitions. (www.longmountain.com)

LWRC featured their M6-G series rifles with the reliable short stroke gas piston operation they are well known for in their M16 based platforms. The REPR in 7.62x51mm was quite popular with the USMC attendees and is a contender for consideration on sniper systems. (www.LWRCI.com)

ManroyUSA.The MK43 Mod 0 EBS (Electro-optical BoreSight assembly) is utilized for accurately aligning weapons with their sighting systems. The EBS employs a state of the art color video camera and permits a single user to accurately and remotely align the weapon to the sight from the safety of the gunner’s position. The EBS provides a safe, easy to use, accurate, fast and reliable tool for boresighting that yields high first round hit probability. The ease of use of the EBS minimizes the time required to perform boresighting and maximizes the convenience and the frequency of the procedure. The EBS retains its accuracy over a wide range of environmental conditions and permits the alignment process to be accomplished at up to 2,000+ meters. (www.manroy-usa.com)

McCurdy’s Armor Dynamic Defense Materials, LLC is supplying a portable armored wall system named in honor of fallen Marine Corporal Ryan McCurdy. This armor system is fast to set up and as a single wall is effective up to 7.62mm threats. An interior wall can be added as well as sand-fill to bring that protection up to 12.7mm. (www.ddmat.com)

The Metal Storm Multi-Shot Accessory Underbarrel Launcher (MAUL) is an ultra-lightweight 12 gauge gun system that attaches to the barrels of the M4 and M16 Modular Weapon Systems (MWS). With Metal Storm’s stacked round firing system, the war fighter can load and fire five shots simultaneously in a single chamber, maximizing mission effectiveness. (www.metalstorm.com)

Nammo-Talley and Raytheon The new 83mm SERPENT shoulder fired launcher is a reloadable tube using a variety of task chosen ammunition that may be fired from enclosure. The three current workhorse rounds are the Novel Explosive for Urban Use, the High Explosive Anti-Armor, and the High Explosive Dual Purpose. The SERPENT weighs 10 pounds (4.5 kg), has an overall length of 32.4 inches (82.2 cm) in the carry position, and has a range of 500 meters (1,640 feet). (www.nammotalley.com) and (www.raytheon.com)

MSG Military Systems Group started in 1984 and has been supplying mount and weapon related products ever since. They are a GSA provider and are online at the e-buy system. (www.milsysgroup.com)

US Ordnance- STS US Ordnance’s display featured a twin M2HB .50 caliber machine gun set up with right and left hand feeds. US Ordnance has numerous government contracts on the M2HB as well as the MK43 Mod O (M60E4) 7.62x51mm machine gun. The twins are set onto a naval mount that is one of the featured products of Special Tactical Services, LLC. STS is committed to providing the highest level of training possible to all of their clients and their main business line is providing GS approved training as well as contracted security in operations. (www.usord.com) and (www.spectacserv.com)

Rheinmettal and Vingtech provided a variety of solutions and enhancements for the 40x53mm platforms. Perhaps the most interesting was the Vingtech MK19 Capability Upgrade. This system was combat proven on the HK GMG and brings new accuracy to the MK19 system. Upgrade package includes the Vingmate Fire Control System, Vingtech Combi Softmount and the Vingtech Video Trainer. (www.vingtech.com)

RPG Stopper – The ShotScreen RPG Defeat System is an active protection system that can be mounted on new or retrofitted LAVs and a variety of other vehicles and stationary platforms. The system releases a wave of small diameter, low velocity non-lethal pellets from several non-slewing locations to defeat multiple anti-tank type RPG grenades. To defeat an incoming RPG, two adjacent warheads are fired to form an overlapping pattern of pellets. The cloud of pellets travel to the intercept plane at a low rate of speed. This pattern, or ‘shot screen,’ intercepts the RPG round at close range from the protected vehicle and neutralized the RPG to nullify its lethality. This is done by short-circuiting the electrical path in the dual cone nose as shown in the picture. In an alternate version, it pre-detonated PG7s at a significant stand-off distance. (www.gd-ots.com)

Magpul has been providing a prolific line of upgrade products as well as their in-house weapons designs, but the game-changing P-Mag 30 is still one of the hottest items at any show. (www.magpul.com)

Carl Zeiss presented some new products: Front: 4×30 fixed 4x ballistic prop compensated with 8 degree field of view; L-R NSV-1000 long range night vision, IRV-600 IR-Thermal Imager 1.2km range to detect a human, NSV-600 Intermediate range image intensifier, 6-24 x 72 Hensoldt military optic, Rear: Spotter 60 20-60x spotter optic. (www.zeiss.com)

Tippmann Ordnance Company, related to the longtime U.S. company that produced the Tippmann miniature fully functional one-half scale Browning machine guns and air rifles/paintball equipment, has produced a series of training gear that is pneumatically operated. Training suicide bomber vests, roadside IEDs, and the new M1A-M2 Mortar Launcher (shown). The M1A-M2 is a paint marker system resembling a military crew served mortar, similar in visual impact with a standard military 81mm mortar. The marker system is a 62mm, smoothbore, muzzle loading, gas/Co2 operated, manually fired, high angle-of-fire training device. The device propels a 20 oz. marker round (water soluble marker paint), with a 4 round per minute firing cycle rate, with an effective range of approximately 500 yards, providing a 70+ feet in diameter ‘kill zone’ while employing a maximum operating pressure of 200 psi. (www.tippmannordnance.com)

In keeping with their tradition of support at MDM, SureFire had a well-stocked booth. Of note were the mil-spec rifle suppressors. Top to bottom: FA762K for 7.62x51mm rifles weighing 19 oz (539gr) and has a length of 8.4 inches (19.1 cm); MICRO for the 5.56x45mm rifles weighing 12 oz (340gr) with a length of 4.0 inches (10.2cm); MINI for the 5.56×45 rifles weighs 14 oz (397gr) with a length of 5.0 inches (12.7cm). (www.surefire.com)

Marine Corps Warfighting Lab – The MCWL is an effective group whose mission is to “Conduct concept-based experimentation and wargaming to develop and evaluate tactics, techniques, procedures, and technologies in order to support the warfighter by enhancing current and future warfighting capabilities.” This is accomplished through the various divisions of the lab; Science & Technology Integration; Global War on Terrorism Operations; Experiment Division; Technology Division, as well as several other groups. (www.mcwl.quantico.usmc.mil)

“The Lightweight Small Arms Technologies program has made tremendous progress, which includes a fully functioning dynamic model of the weapons system, a working weapon prototype, and hundreds of cased telescopic rounds fired to date.” Kori Spiegel, US Army ARDEC, Joint Service Small Arms Program

Ms. Spiegel’s presentation during the symposium part of NDIA’s annual gathering of infantry weaponry innovators should be of particular interest to SAW gunners and others who stand to benefit from scientific advances that are cutting the weight of weapons and ammunition. Sharing the rostrum with AAI’s Paul Shipley, her briefing detailed ongoing developments in JSSAP’s multi-million dollar Light Weight Machine Gun and Ammunition program.

AAI is particularly well suited to head up the effort, bringing decades of experience with innovative concepts such as the Vietnam era SPIW, ACR ca. 1990, and the run-up to today’s OICW. They have assembled a similarly distinguished team of companies for the program including ARES, Alliant Techsystems, Battelle Institute, St. Marks Powder, and Omega Training Group.

Recognizing that an alternative to traditional brass cased and steel linked ammunition represents the most productive avenue to meaningful reduction in overall system weight, two alternatives are being simultaneously explored, both featuring projectiles that are “telescoped” in a cavity in the propellant.

The CTA (Cased Telescoped Ammunition) employs conventional powder, primer and projectile, but packaged in polymer casings with synthetic links. This approach is said to be a “low risk” option, yielding significant weight reduction at acceptable levels of cost, complexity and weapon performance.

Fully caseless configuration is the second alternative, using advanced propellant technology where each round is fully consumed on firing so no case extraction and ejection action is necessary. This remarkable cartridge concept was developed to a high degree by Dynamit Nobel back in 1990 for HK’s G11 rifle and is said to promise a greater degree of weight reduction.

AAI has been successfully burst firing CTA in a prototype weapon that is evolving based on engineering refinement and application of advances in materials technology. Concept drawings show the gun as having a rotating chamber with in-line push-through feed and ejection. A fluted, quick change barrel gives high stiffness and heat exchange. Right now the configuration and construction are very conventional with extensive use of alloys and polymers.

Program goals call for successful demonstration firing next year, then transition to Program Manager Soldier Weapons by 2010.

While a standout for this correspondent, the JSSAP/AAI briefing was only one of more than three dozen compelling presentations given during the period 16 to 18 May in Albuquerque’s impressive Convention Center. Other topics of interest included updates on weapons and equipment for Special Operations Forces, NATO research and development, a status report from Program Manager Soldier Weapons, and representatives of each of the US Armed Services charting near term plans for small arms upgrades and replacements. A few morsels from this banquet:

• Marine Corps Systems Command is looking for something beyond the SAW, but needs it sooner than 2010. “The Infantry Automatic Rifle… a light weight, magazine fed, 5.56mm, individual weapon,” sounds something like the CIS ULTIMAX.
• Suppressors are big with all the services seeking noise and flash reduction for everything from Barrett fifties to pistol poppers. Opportunities abound for designers and manufacturers.
• While USSOCOM is moving at flank speed to field the SCAR family, it is not neglecting those current operators still carrying M4 type carbines. NSWC Crane is closing in fast with the Miniature Day/Night Sight program to upgrade capabilities beyond the current hodgepodge of clamp-ons.
• The Coast Guard – and probably Navy Mobile Security – will be getting a reduced range 7.62mm round, developed by ARDEC, with standard velocity and penetration at moderate distance, but quick fall off after that to minimize collateral damage in crowded ports and narrow waterways.
• Remotely aimed weapon systems for a variety of platforms continue to gain favor. The robo turret on STRYKER vehicles will probably be the first to get General Dynamics’ XM307.
• USSOCOM’s MK47 Advanced Lightweight Grenade Launcher is on a parallel track with “Big Army’s” XM312/XM307.
• Knight’s is a big winner with the Army’s recent selection of their modified SR-25/MK 11 as the M110 SASS (Semiautomatic Sniper System).
• Countersniper technologies are getting lots of attention, but existing solutions tend to be complex and expensive. M2 Technologies and the Univ. of Kentucky have partnered to develop an infrared system using COTS components.
• ARDEC has a Rapid Design branch for urgent projects like the Afghan National Army’s need to mount their Russian-type DShK machine guns on American-supplied M113 APCs.
• Along with continued development of Barrett’s 25mm XM109, FN has a shoulder-fired high velocity 40mm launcher in JSSAP’s efforts to enhance anti-materiel capabilities.
• Everybody but the Coast Guard (they have the new SIG P229 in .40 caliber) wants a .45 ACP pistol. SOCOM and Big Army are, once again, conducting separate programs to this common goal.

Go online to get briefings for all of these topics and much more at www.dtic.mil/ndia/2006smallarms/2006smallarms.html

It’s a Small World

Once again this year the Awards Luncheon was enhanced immeasurably by a thoughtful presentation from JSSAP’s Dr. Stephen Small, who can always be counted upon to put current trials and tribulations into historical perspective. This time reaching back to 1326 A.D. and the dawn of gunpowder warfare, his “First Three Hundred Years of Small Arms” had an appreciative audience alternately chuckling and shaking their heads in recognition. Was some distant ancestor of Ronnie Barrett responsible for the 41 pound, carriage mounted, 27mm wheel lock “anti-materiel rifle” developed in Germany so long ago?

Small was honored immediately afterward with an NDIA Professional Service Award, as were Simunition’s Brian Berger, Aberdeen Test Center’s Marvin Maule, Broden Resources’ Dave Broden, and USMC Lieutenant Colonel Richard Adams.

This year’s George M. Chinn award was presented to Richard Swan of A.R.M.S. and the Carlos Hathcock award went to USMC Major Allen Bootby.

Hardware Show

Numerous breaks from scholarly proceedings in the auditorium gave attendees welcome opportunity to visit the large exhibit hall where more than sixty commercial firms and government entities showed their wares. There, many of the concepts and much of the hardware from dry technical papers could be found, along with knowledgeable reps to answer questions and discuss advantages that come with items on display.

ARDEC, JSSAP and Program Manager Small Arms held the biggest section of exhibit booths, a necessary and fitting situation for this giant of the military small arms community. We spoke at some length with engineers and others directly responsible for weapons and ammunition under development as well as those seeking and fielding COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) items to meet immediate needs of troops in harm’s way. From high tech “smart” weapons to Otis cleaning kits, this is the team that gets the good stuff for the good guys.

Several of JSSAP’s industry partners also had a large presence. General Dynamics was on hand with their convertible XM307 to XM312 Advanced Crew Served Weapon. AAI showed its concept mockup of the future light machine gun and its innovative cartridges. ATK had the amazing programmable airbursting ammo for the XM307 and the shoulder-fired XM25.

Long Mountain Outfitters and Defense Munitions combined their considerable assets to provide a billboard-sized display of old and new weapons from around the world, providing an engineering, reference and sales resource for the widest range of attendees. Suppressed pistols, submachine guns, assault rifles, belt guns, grenade chunkers, and antitank rockets snared enthusiasts of all types, sparking innumerable technical discussions and historical anecdotes with this walk-up-and-touch product catalog.

Other real gun guys were also much in evidence including ArmaLite, Barrett, Beretta, Colt, FN, Glock, HK, Knight’s, Remington, S&W, and Taurus.

Barrett is working with JSSAP to lighten the .50 cal M107 and to get the 25mm XM109 ready for fielding. Then there’s the exciting new bullpup XM500 in .416 caliber.

Colt Defense was showing a push-rod M16 called the Advanced Law Enforcement Carbine and a side-opening grenade launcher. Both were apparently developed as entries in recent Army and SOCOM trials. A prototype light machine gun also attracted interest, featuring quick change barrel, open and closed bolt operation, and a push-rod.

FNH USA proudly displayed several new variants of USSOCOM’s tough SCAR (Special Operations Combat Assault Rifle) including a 5.56mm version for sharpshooting, a SCAR Heavy in 7.62mm, and the clever left or right side opening Enhanced Grenade Launcher Module.

HK Defense, after fielding the push-rod HK416 in 5.56mm, has just added the 7.62mm HK417. Also on the table was the handy and hardy MG4, a 5.56mm SAW/LMG.

Knight’s has plenty of reason to crow with the Army’s recent selection of its candidate as the new M110 Semiautomatic Sniper Rifle System, but something much smaller took center stage at their booth. Weighing just 4.5 pounds and measuring only 19.5 inches with stock folded, the brand new 6x35mm PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) was a show stopper for those in the know. The unique high-performance ammo and its diminutive launch platform were developed with requirements and funding from Technical Support Working Group, a little known US Government counter-terrorism organization with direct links to the CIA, FBI and more than seventy other agencies.

Optimizing existing guns and ammo is the job of those who specialize in accessories and add-ons. Specific needs are met mostly by entrepreneurs with companies outside “the system” but well known in the tightly knit world of combat soldiers.

Some precision shooters from CENTCOM’s area of operations asked LaRue Tactical for a special mounting system and soon got the “S.T.O.M.P.” The Sniper’s Total Optic Mounting Package for Remington 700 actions consists of a suitable length of Picatinny Rail, quick-detach rings and inserts, and a quick-detach overarm for positioning night vision optics like the PVS-22 in front and in line with whatever day optic is preferred.

In the same vein, urban warrior shotgunners punished by the heavy recoil of slugs and breaching rounds asked for and got a special buffer from Enidine. The unit we saw was the “ShotShock,” neatly housed in the telescoping tubular stock with grip that Mesa Tactical makes for the Remington 870.

De-ranged

For whatever reason, L3’s Sal Fanelli keeps volunteering to coordinate and conduct the Small Arms Symposium’s traditional government and industry live fire demonstrations. Never an easy task under the best conditions, but heartened that this time wasn’t in the Peoples Republic of New Jersey; Fanelli got everything set up with the Department of Energy’s Central Training Academy to use their superb range facilities on nearby Kirtland Air Force Base.

This became a no-go a few days before the event when those in charge of base entry security clearances realized that busloads of civilians including plenty of foreign attendees would be rolling up. An official case of the vapors ensued, leaving Sal scrambling to find another venue.

Fortunately the good-guy network kicked in and the Albuquerque Police Department cleared its scheduled training to make way for the day’s demos, apparently recognizing that real “national security” should take priority over bureaucratic BS. A big thanks to APD and Range Master Dave Bartram!

Crossed SWORDS

We got out there early on range day to have plenty of time to examine and photograph the weapons and ammo that would be in action later on. This paid off handsomely when the Army’s SWORDS team arrived with two of their mean little battle ‘bots. As ARDEC’s Mike Zecca, along with his team from Foster-Miller, went about their preparations, we watched closely, took pictures and asked a few questions.

Zecca’s planned demonstration, he said, would show how the armed mini-crawler was radio remote controlled by an operator using video link to navigate, acquire targets and then take them out with bursts of machine gun fire.

The first order of business was to swap out the demilled display gun for a real M240, a process that takes only a few minutes when the right tools are on hand. Then, with Deguire at the hardened laptop style computerized OCU (operator control unit), the battery powered rock ‘n roll robot cruised around a few obstacles and pulled up on the firing line. It was time for some test firing so the range went “hot” and a belt of 7.62mm ball got loaded in the 240.

Peering intently at crosshatches on the display screen, Deguire did some fine tuning with the aiming joystick then flipped up the red firing safety cover. The M240 roared to life with the first burst hitting high. Additional fine finger pressure sent a movement signal by radio link and the muzzle lowered almost imperceptibly. The next burst was right on target and a series of quick traverse signals moved the muzzle leftward to quickly engage each silhouette in turn. Satisfied with its practice run, the team powered down SWORDS in place and manually cleared its machine gun.

Most everyone is aware of the cruel truth of “Murphy’s Law” which states, “Anything that can go wrong will, and at the worst possible time.” Keep this in mind as we jump ahead a couple of hours and pick up the story when it was SWORDS’ turn for a live fire demo in front of a crowd including some of the most influential persons in the world of infantry weaponry.

In an unfortunate incident that may have taken its place ahead of all such others in the lore of NDIA Small Arms Demonstrations, the armed robot violated the most basic range safety rule. Our narrative continues with a statement from the Army’s official after action review, presented verbatim:

“SWORDS #5 was equipped with a M240B Machine Gun and flawlessly test fired on the range prior to the opening of the event. At the time that SWORDS was to start its demo, the vehicle started backing up in a counterclockwise arc without any input from the operator. At this time the weapon had loaded ammo but the safety was on, none of the redundant arming steps had been initiated, and because the robot was moving, no firing signals could be accepted (SWORDS cannot fire on the move) by the fire control. The robot was powered down and cleared. No one was injured. An immediate formal investigation of SWORDS #5 revealed that one wire in the operator control unit had broken and was causing a rearward command string to be sent to the tracks. The wiring has now been redesigned to reduce the chance of broken wires and to add wiring redundancy so that these wires have a backup signal.”

(Editor’s Note: Robert Bruce’s in-depth report on SWORDS may be found in SAR’s Vol. 8, No. 5, September 2005 issue.)

Blastin’ With the Big Boys

The ill-fated SWORDS demo took place on the APD range’s rifle lane, a facility that allows even .50 caliber BMGs to be fired safely when reasonable care is taken. Defense Munitions kicked off the firepower show with John Browning’s masterpiece, in this case a new Ohio Ordnance M2HB on the light and versatile Vinghog 12.7 soft mount with the Vingfoot high-low tripod. This was followed by some serious double tapping from LMO’s twin M240 right/left mount that gives over 1500 rpm of 7.62x51mm firepower with superb accuracy.

Then, US Ordnance showed some sustained Sixty shooting with long bursts from their M60E4/MK43, an improved version of a long time favorite of the Navy SEALs.

Others took a turn in demonstrating their wares which included several suppressors. SRT Arms has the Typhoon can for the M4 that quick couples to standard GI birdcages, and Surefire has a nice new addition to its Fast Attach High Endurance line with one for the M249 SAW. Knight’s Dave Lutz showed the dramatic reduction in signature that comes when the M110’s suppressor is in place.

Lewis Machine has a unique recoil compensator and flash suppressor that looks akin to a SKOL can welded under the barrel but is said to significantly reduce muzzle rise and signature. Karl Lewis also showed the easy one minute conversion on his special upper from 5.56mm to 6.8 by swapping out the bolt, barrel and magazine.

The last demo on the big range was a seriously long belt of Simunition’s new 7.62mm “ShortStop” reduced range training ammo, spectacularly sprayed from an M134 Minigun positioned atop an armored car. This rig was thoughtfully provided by the Department of Energy from those now in use by Nuclear Facility Security teams.

PDWs, Pistols, Pumps, Pistons, and Pumice

Live fire action moved a couple ranges over to the pistol lanes where some other interesting weapons awaited.

Earlier that morning we had gotten our hands on Knight’s 6mm PDW, including the chance to handle and strip it. Confidence must be kept but it is permissible to say that lead engineer Doug Olsen’s mechanical action is strongly influenced by a certain designer named Kalashnikov. We also got to fire a mag in semi and full, confirming the controllability and quick handling of this clever weapon/cartridge combo. SAR looks forward to the chance to do an in-depth feature in the near future.

Taurus fired its prototype .45 ACP that is intended for the upcoming military trials, and then Glock went one by one through a table full of their variants including the ever-popular Glock 18 full auto model.

Ammo guru Whit Engel wowed the crowd with a spectacular watermelon-busting shot. Designed for breaching with minimal overpenetration, his 12 gauge hollow point “Entry Frangible Safety Slug” pulverized the hapless melon without even denting the cardboard witness plate two feet behind it.

Colt’s team put the piston-powered Advanced Law Enforcement Carbine through its paces, shooting mag after mag in quick order without incident. This was a tough act to follow for the next presenter, intending to demonstrate the effectiveness of his proprietary metal finish formula and process. Common courtesy dictates that he will not be identified here. “It eliminates the need for lubrication,” he said, pouring handfuls of APD range sand down the barrel and into the receiver of an M16 type rifle just before firing. Painfully, one pop was all he got and no amount of pulling on the charging handle would help. Damn that Murphy…

Once the last round had been fired in formal demonstrations the line opened up for event attendees to come forward and put a few rounds downrange. Sadly, the Minigun had left the range.

National Defense Industrial Association’s Small Arms Systems Division

Small Arms Review strongly supports the work of NDIA. Make plans now to be at the 2007 Small Arms event in Virginia Beach, Virginia, 7 to 10 May. For membership categories and other information contact:

National Defense Industrial Association
“Strength Through Industry and
Technology”
2111 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 400
Arlington, VA 22201
www.ndia.org