The new Gemtech Quicksand sound suppressor, now available for purchase, is used on 7.62 NATO rifles and utilizes a patented quick mount system. It can be fastened securely in only two seconds and at only 17.5 ounces in weight it is the lightest quick-detach .308 suppressor available.

Modeled after the popular Gemtech Sandstorm, the Quicksand is manufactured to be as effective as it is light. It also adds the feature of a Quick Mount. Using an entirely new baffle design, just like the Sandstorm, the Quicksand sound suppressor is manufactured from corrosion resistant Titanium, providing a light package that is stronger than steel and tuned to maximum efficiency. The lightweight construction is not only attractive when working in environments where extra ounces translate into a much heavier burden, but Titanium also cools much faster than many other materials and has far less impact on point-of-impact shift from changing barrel harmonics.

While one attractive feature of the Quick Mount is the speed and accuracy of the attachment method, it is equally interesting that it is “backwards compatible” with the older HVT and TPRS mounts and allows a duel-use with the G5 mount for use with the Gemtech 5.56mm series of silencers. This gives the user a great amount of usefulness and continues to increase the versatility of the suppressor.

Live Fire

The base rifle chosen to test the Gemtech Quicksand was a DPMS LR-308. This rifle is an accurate platform and has performed very well under numerous testing conditions. The free-floating barrel of the test rifle is 16 inches in length, with an M4 profile. The rifling rate is 1 turn in 10 inches. The flattop upper receiver provides a suitable base for almost any mounting option. The magazine design of the DPMS LR-308 rifle is based on the early, original ArmaLite magazine design, and this has been adopted by several other manufacturers including POF-USA. There is a great selection of available magazines ranging in size from 5-rounds to 25-rounds and MAGPUL is even making a .308 version of their wildly popular PMAG in this design.

Ammunition being utilized in this testing included Lake City Special Ball and Wolf Performance Ammunition Gold. Optics for this test would be an IOR Valdata fixed 4x scope.

After an initial sighting-in period, the first order of business was to collect muzzle velocity measurements. This was repeated with each load – suppressed as well as unsuppressed – using the Vortex-style flash hider that is built into the Gemtech Quick Mount. It is important to note that due to the design of the Quick Mount, the suppressor can only mount on a single way. This is a great design step above earlier 3-lug mounts and some other commercial mounts that allow mounting in numerous positions. Since the Quick Mount only allows mounting one way, the repeatability of critical shot placement when taking the suppressor off and remounting it is held to the highest standard possible. As anyone who shoots an accurate rifle combined with a suppressor knows well, any variable, such as mounting the suppressor in a different position, has the potential to affect the point of impact greatly. The design of the Gemtech Quick Mount takes this potential for error out of the equation with their design.

The suppressor had a surprisingly low impact on the muzzle velocity (MV). We conducted the majority of our tests with 150-grain SP Wolf Gold and 173-grain Lake City M118 Special Ball. The complete information is included in the accompanying chart but in summary the average muzzle velocity from the 16-inch DPMS AP4 barrel with the Lake City was 2,496 feet per second (fps) unsuppressed and 2,500 fps suppressed. The Wolf Gold averaged 2,680 fps with no suppressor and 2,668 through the Quicksand. An interesting note may be the continuity of all ammo fired through the Quicksand Suppressor. While the overall change was not significant, the extreme spread of all ammo was decreased greatly while the suppressor was in use.

The repeatability of the suppressor was tested with great results. Testing was performed in the following manor; a string of 10 rounds was fired and the suppressor was removed. This was followed by another string of 10 rounds and the suppressor reattached. This was carried out 2 times per test so we would eventually end up with 4 groups of 10 rounds each. The return to zero was absolute each time so it actually ended up being 2 groups of 20 rounds each, one suppressed and the other unsuppressed. The deviation was a slight point of impact (POI) shift of approximately 2 inches at 100 yards, and repeatable. The Lake City Special Ball ammo performed the best in the accuracy phase although the Wolf Gold was much more consistent in muzzle velocity.

An interesting side note on ammo selection is that the Wolf Gold ran well in the stock 16-inch unsuppressed configuration, but we experienced some trouble while using the suppressor. A few rounds had trouble extracting and actually blew out primers. No other ammunition in any configuration exhibited this activity.

Summary

The Gemtech Quicksand is a very desirable suppressor. The extremely light weight of the 17.5-ounce system caused everyone who handled it to verify that it was actually a .308 can. All shooters testing this combination had fired numerous 7.62 suppressors in the past and all were impressed with the feel and sound signature of the Quicksand as well. The firearm no longer exhibits that “nose heavy” feeling common with many other sound suppressors, making initial and follow-up shots very fast, especially when engaging multiple targets. Although Gemtech claims an average decibel reduction of 32Db, the “tone” of the Titanium suppressor seems “softer” to the ear. This seems to be a standard observation as this writer recently tested the Gemtech 5.56x45mm TREK and TREK-T series sound suppressors and the same result was noted with the Titanium model in that caliber as well. All ammo fired was traveling well over 2,400 feet per second at 8 feet from the muzzle and none was the least bit uncomfortable without hearing protection of any kind as it was well below the threshold of discomfort.

The Quick Mount mounting system is a big advantage for a number of reasons – the most obvious is in the performance. Since it is a Bi-Lock system with 2 different size lugs there is only one way it can mount. This is beneficial for repeated accuracy when mounting since it will always end up with the same orientation. When the suppressor is attached it is pushed onto the mount, rotated and released. It is under spring tension which applies pressure to the front when released giving it a positive position lock the operator can actually feel. When locked in place it is not possible to shift or rotate; thus maintaining position for accuracy and retention. In the rare occurrence when the suppressor is not desired for use, the mount doubles as an effective Vortex-style flash hider/muzzle brake. Also, the threads are protected and never exposed at any time once the mount is secured.

The ability to use the Quicksand with a Gemtech G5 mount allows the owner to utilize it on a 5.56x45mm (.223) platform when desired is a positive aspect as well. While it has always been “possible” to use a 7.62mm suppressor on a 5.56mm platform, either the necessity of a thread adapter to fit, or the excessive size and weight of the 7.62mm designs didn’t make it “practical.” The Quicksand provides a solution to both situations with the mounting system and light weight of the system. The MSRP on the Quicksand is $1,400.

Gemtech Quicksand

Over the past 15 years, many people have wondered who it was that was responsible for bringing their SAR to them every thirty days, just like clockwork. We’re not a big magazine, but we work hard to keep the integrity of the information we bring you, and to have a bit of fun in the process. Moose Lake Publishing LLC (MLPLLC) has been the publisher since the beginning, and that company is comprised of a number of Members who are long timers in the Class 3 community. We all hope that we’ve brought you a lot of enjoyment and filled in a lot of blanks for collectors and end users alike. Here are some pictures from our scrapbooks. (Richard “Stretch” Kennedy, Member of MLPLLC and great friend to the firearms community, has always politely declined having his photo put in the magazine.)

Jeff W. Zimba is a Member of MLPLLC, is an accomplished firearms writer and has done the layout of SAR for 15 years. Jeff has hammered out a new issue every 30 days, come hell or high water. Jeff’s new business ventures include Alpha Group, LLC which is an advanced firearms training center and licensed contract security company, and his discreet job that involves silencers and night vision in protecting rural and urban communities helps fill his freezer. In this picture, Jeff has just taken a Maine Black Bear with a .450 Bushmaster (Photo by Bob Howe, Pine Grove Lodge)

Technical consultant and noted author Dolf Goldsmith (standing) and SAR Senior Editor Robert Segel at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds, England, (on their own dime) with Sir Hiram Maxim’s “Forerunner.” Behind and around them are many prototypes, one-of-a-kinds, and issue weapons from the Great War and earlier. They were working on their collaborative effort that will produce the definitive book on the early machine gun designs. Noted early machine gun collector Robert Segel has been a contributor to SAR since the very beginning and for over half of the life of this magazine has been our Senior Editor, leading and guiding us along with gentle nudges to ensure we keep SAR’s dual focus on historical firearms intertwined with our modern weapons coverage. (Photo by Dan Shea courtesy the National Firearms Centre)

Deborah Shea is a Member of MLPLLC, who has sacrificed for 15 years as Business Manager to make Small Arms Review a viable business entity and to keep it running no matter what. Here she stands on Mount Nebo in Jordan, looking out from the spot where Moses looked on at the Promised Land over the Dead Sea. Debbie is well known around the world in the small arms community, having traveled “on her own dime” to over 30 countries. (Photo by Dan Shea)

In 1996 At the Yuma Proving Grounds on the Cibola Dust Range, MLPLLC General Manager and Member Dan Shea (in his Long Mountain “Murphy’s Law” Tee shirt) stands with “The Germans” from HK Oberndorf as they test the early GMG Grenade Machine Gun in 40x53mm. The Yuma tests were a tradition for any new-to-the-planet Secret Squirrel guns that HK would need environmental testing on every year, and Dan was usually there. Standing to the front is the late Volker Kurtz, a great friend to SAR. Dan has traveled to over 70 countries exploring small arms history and technology, “on his own dime.” (Photo by either Jim Schatz or Wayne Weber, none of us can remember who took it)

MLPLLC Member Kyle Shea with five-barreled Gardner Gun at the National Firearms Centre in Leeds, England. Kyle has been a member of countless SAR Expeditionary Force trips around the UK, Europe and Asia, “on his own dime.” Kyle’s interests lean towards uniforms, swords and early weapons like the Ferguson Rifle, which Major Peter Laidler was kind enough to let him photograph at Warminster. Kyle has been packing and shipping for MLPLLC since he was very young, as well as assisting the authors and photographers on their expeditions. (Photo by Dan Shea)

The “Angels with Charlie” picture from the “MG Angels” issue. Mike Dillon was talking with Dan Shea and Dr. Philip Dater and the idea of a “Machine Gun Angels” cover with girls who were actually in the Class 3 industry came up. Mike graciously offered to set up a “glamour shoot” at his facility with the Dillon team. Left to right: Megan (Shea) Sidon, Member of MLPLLC and longtime personality around the Class 3 community, who has been to many countries “on her own dime,” “Charlie” Dr. Philip H. Dater, Member of MLPLLC; Mary Jean Huebner – firearms attorney who specialized in the Class 3 community; Julie Dater, Gemtech employee and daughter of Phil and Jane Dater, who has graced the cover of SAR numerous times as well as appearing in many Gemtech ads. (Photo by Mike Smith & Nyle Leatham, Courtesy Dillon Aero)

Dr. Philip H. & Jane Dater on top of a Ferris Wheel in Thun, Switzerland. Phil and Jane are Members of MLPLLC, and they can frequently be seen traveling with the SAR crew around the world – “on their own dime” – to explore with us. Dr. Dater is one of the prime movers in Gemtech, and his company Antares Technologies consults all through the arms industry. The Daters were in Thun as part of a vacation in Europe and a visit to Brugger & Thomet, the Swiss suppressor manufacturer. Karl Brugger had kindly hosted us all for a visit to their facility, and some nice dinners at Interlaken. You can read The Interview with Dr. Dater in your back issues of SAR Volume 8 Numbers 9 & 10 for some insight into his amazing journey in our community and his effect on the suppressor community in particular. (Photo by Dan Shea)

P. Burke Fountain is a Member of MLPLLC, and an extremely devoted student of small arms. Burke has spent a significant amount of time between his interests in early machine guns, Lugers, and unit insignia from the Great War, and has traveled with the SAR Expeditionary Forces “on his own dime.” In this photo, Burke can be seen in his natural environment, surrounded by a forest of Brass Maxims, including the incredibly elusive Parapet mounts for trench or wall warfare. (Photo by Dan Shea)

Bill and Peggy Vallerand were MLPLLC Members, and after Bill passed away, their son John joined Peggy as owners of their MLPLLC shares. Bill would frequently travel the U.S. and to the UK “on his own dime” to do research into his favorite subjects – weapons from the Zulu time up to World War II. Bill mentored many people in the small arms community, and was a regular fixture at Knob Creek, The North Country Shoot, and the Hiram Maxim shoots, helping anyone who asked on fixing their old machine guns. Bill and his good friends Dolf Goldsmith, Larry Smith, and Bill Morrison, were involved in many of the legendary machine gun deals of the last 5 decades. (Dan- “This is one of my favorite pictures of Bill Vallerand, at the old MOD Pattern Room in Nottingham England. Bill would spend days wandering in what we called the “Field of Dreams” and occasionally come up for air and regale the rest of us with his discoveries amongst these bipod mounted treasures.”) We all miss Bill very much, and his contributions to our community will last forever. If you want to know more about Alphonse William “Bill” Vallerand, read The Interview with this Korean War veteran in SAR Volume 11, Number 1. (Photo by Dan Shea, Courtesy the old MOD Pattern Room, Nottingham, England)

In the fall of the year 2000, the rumor was that the old MOD Pattern Room Collection, which had started in the 1600s, was to be destroyed. Thankfully, the 13,000 plus pieces in the collection were only to be mothballed for several years while a new home was found. Numerous luminaries of the small arms community, who had spent decades around this collection, were all in Nottingham to do research and we gathered for a photo in the old upstairs. Richard Jones scattered out of the area immediately so he wouldn’t be on film (we suspect his reflection might not be captured), and camera-shy Herbie Woodend volunteered to take the picture. Left to right: Warren Wheatfield, Dr. Philip H. Dater, E. Daniel Shea, Bill Vallerand, Dolf Goldsmith, P. Burke Fountain, and Ian Skennerton. (Photo by the late Herbert J. Woodend, MBE)

It has been over 25 years since congress passed the law making newly manufactured machine guns for individual ownership illegal. In this time we have seen many new designs that are out of legal reach for most of us, while interest in NFA ownership has steadily risen. The ban that put a cap on the number of transferable machine guns still looms over us, but thanks to the creative ingenuity that so many firearms enthusiasts and entrepreneurs possess we are still occasionally surprised by upgrades and modifications. An event ever rarer is when a little known example of legal firearms registered prior to 1986 surfaces and is made available for the first time. It is almost unheard of after all this time for a truly new machine gun to be available, and in numbers greater than a few tool-room prototypes. Thanks to the ingenuity of Utah Conner of Pearl Manufacturing and the relentless desire of Michael Shyne of M6 Management Corporation to bring Conner’s 1981 concept and creation to life, we are proud to introduce the NEW, fully transferable, UC-9 Under Cover Submachine Gun.

In The Beginning

Originally conceived and designed in the early days as the Model 21 and later re-designated as the UC-9 (Under Cover – 9mm), Utah Conner had an idea for a concealable firearm that people who needed the firepower afforded by a submachine gun could carry in plain sight. Completely unknown to him there was a similar, parallel project being developed by Francis Warin and Eugene Stoner at Ares Incorporated called the Ares FMG (Folding Machine Gun). It was also being designed as an undercover submachine gun and was dubbed a “businessman’s personal defense weapon.” While there were many similarities in the design there were also several differences. It was close enough in timeline and design to still cause confusion about who designed what, to this day. Francis Warin and Utah Conner finally met in the mid 1980s and were both amazed at the similarities in their respective systems and the original, foreign guns that inspired both men including the French 9mm Hotchkiss folding SMG, the French CR39 carbine and the MAT49. While the external shape was similar, the firing mechanism was different and the Conner gun had more accessories that made it look more like a radio available at the time including an external, telescoping antenna and carry handle.

During the design phase of the early 1980s Conner partnered up with Tim Bixler of South Central Research Company (SCRC) and the production version of the Model 21 was put into motion. Very few Model 21s were completed prior to the 1986 congressional manufacturing ban and the project was put on hold for several years.

Enter M6 Management Corporation

At a machine gun shoot in New Mexico, Michael Shyne of M6 Management Corporation observed an individual demonstrating a Swiss Model 57 assault rifle he had converted from the original 7.5 Swiss round to fire the much more common 7.62×51 NATO round. During this demonstration the shooter boasted of the low recoil of the Swiss design and in order to make his point he emptied an entire 20-round magazine with the stock of the rifle rested against his groin. Having made an immediate and lasting impression already, this shooter walked the line with a rectangular brown box carried by a strap over his shoulder. Shyne watched in amazement as the man with the brown box turned to the firing line, grabbed the straps and in a quick motion the box transformed into a submachine gun sending rounds down range. It was at that moment that Shyne introduced himself to Utah Conner. Conner let him examine and fire this unique piece and introduced it as the UC-9. Conner told Shyne he had manufactured and registered about 100 receivers prior to the 1986 machine gun ban but these fully transferable machine guns had yet to be completed. Shyne immediately gained interest in the project and tried unsuccessfully, numerous times, to purchase at least one UC-9, but could never get Conner to even mention a price.

Every few years Shyne would track Conner down and talk about the UC-9 but could never get any interest in selling any, only confirming that he still had them all and had no interest in selling them. After trying everything he could, Shyne offered Conner a deal he thought could not be refused. Shyne offered to take possession of all the unfinished receivers, complete them all, and keep only half. Conner’s response was simply, “Michael, you don’t know how much work is involved.” No sale again.

Sadly, after several years of talking with Conner about the UC-9 project, Shyne discovered that Utah Conner had passed away. The project, it seemed, would pass away with him.

A New Beginning

A few more years went by and Shyne heard that before Conner died he gave the receivers to a close friend. When this friend was tracked down and contacted he revealed he had 76 receivers remaining and while he had an original goal of completing the project, none were finished and only a few parts were made from CAD drawings he started based on Conner’s original pencil and paper notes. He was not opposed to talking about selling the project.

Shyne called on the experience of long time friend John Mathis, a retired engineer from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and fellow Emma-Gee. They took a trip to look at the project and were delighted to see the brown, complete UC-9 serial number 2 with all the parts. It looked very much like that original gun Shyne fired during that day in New Mexico the day he met Utah Conner, and in fact, may have been. All 76 receivers and parts were purchased and the completed UC-9 serial number 2 was contracted on loan until the receivers were completed. They estimated that they would need approximately 6 months to complete the project.

A team was immediately assembled including John Mathis, Scott Andrey Machine Works for barrels, Dan King for testing and application work and Byron Starnes for design and fitting of the numerous small parts unique to the design. The parts that were non-proprietary were located and purchased and modifications began.

The New and Improved UC-9

As the project moved ahead it was recognized that some outward aesthetics needed to be employed in order to stay with the original idea of being hidden in plain sight. The earlier “boom box” style radios have been long out of style and anything resembling them at this point would attract more attention than they would blend in. The telescoping antenna would be removed and the large “carry handle” would also have to go. The swivels and studs were removed and the box was given a much more streamlined look. With the loss of the carry handle a new sighting system would need to be designed. Taking advantage of technology that did not exist when Conner developed the first gun, a miniature laser was mounted inside the gun when folded but immediately accessible when deployed. The grip / magazine-well was redesigned so it would automatically close inside the folded configuration and made it easier to close the gun after use. A safety was added to the design and the original “open sear” design was improved as well.

The last outward change that was necessary to redesign was the large exterior latch that secured the rear portion of the buttstock that locks everything together securely when opened for use. An internal latch was designed and had no outward indicators visible.

At times an early design can beat any amount of reengineering and the end cap / dust cover that holds the folded unit together is a perfect example. When the gun is opened for deployment the end cap drops to the ground and it was thought a tether or lanyard of some type would be better than having a part drop to the ground. Before spending too much time on this “improvement” it was discovered that the cap falling to the ground was serving a purpose that could not be retained by stopping it from doing so. As originally designed, when the gun is opened quickly for deployment and the end cap pops off and falls to the ground is serves as a distraction, both visual and in an audible fashion. This momentary distraction can buy the user precious time when it is the most important.

When the 6-month timeline rolled around and things were moving well, but far from completion, Michael Shyne could remember the important statement Utah Conner made during a conversation very early on: “Michael, you don’t know how much work is involved.”

Ready to Roll

Today the UC-9 is finished and in stock. There are several still available and they present an interesting “new” NFA firearm with a long and interesting history. The UC-9 feeds from unmodified UZI magazines, both 25-round and 32-round versions. Since the original “boom box” features have been removed it is wide open to blend in to many modern settings. With a faux, stick-on USB port they resemble an external computer backup drive and hide in plain sight on a desk. With a book spine glued to the top it could be stored in a bookcase and never earn a second glance. A few stickers from a hardware story and it may look like a travel tool kit. It is as open to adaptation as the imagination of the owner.

All UC-9 SMGs are shipped with a LULA magazine loader and a 39-page owner’s manual in a custom fit aluminum case manufactured by Americase.

Open Wide and Say BANG!

With nothing really protruding or obvious as a “release button,” preparing the UC-9 for firing has the outward appearance of solving a puzzle more so than readying a submachine gun. This adds to the beauty of the new, sleek design in respect to it not being identifiable and the process once explained and witnessed is actually a smooth and fluid motion. The instructions to open the UC-9 vary by the strong shooting side. I will give the instructions for a right-handed shooter and you lefties can adjust accordingly.

(1) To open the UC-9, holding it with the dist cover up, place your right hand on the lower portion of the buttstock and left hand on the upper receiver. (2) As you hold tight and extend your arms it will unfold, releasing the dust cover. (3) As it is unfolded and begins to take shape, when the receiver is in line with the stock it will lock in the open position. (4) At this point the magazine well / pistol grip will start to drop into position. (5) Supporting the weight of the UC-9 with the left hand, as you move the stock to the right shoulder, the right hand should wrap around the pistol grip and rotate it rearward until it locks into place. There you have it. From a nondescript rectangular block to a shouldered SMG in seconds, the UC-9 is ready to fire.

If you are indeed ready to fire the UC-9, all that needs to be done is pull the charging handle to the rear locking the bolt back. More often than not the laser directly behind the charging handle will be turned on with this motion and with very little practice it can turn on every time if desired. It is important to know that the charging handle does not pull double duty as a forward pistol grip. If your hand were to stay on the charging handle it would be much too close to the muzzle and also cover the laser sight. The proper place to support the UC-9 with your left hand is in front of the pistol grip, forward of the ejection port

Time for Live Fire

Of course we could never have an article on an NFA firearm as interesting as the UC-9 without firing it and reporting our findings. It is not common enough to have a “new” transferable submachine gun to pass up the opportunity.

Since the design is radically different from most common firearms the first task was an overview of the operation of the UC-9 and a review of the owner’s manual so everyone would be familiar with the use and procedures. After some extensive handling it was obvious that it was as much fun to share with new people and watch their face when deploying it, as it was to fire. There are no machine guns this writer has tested in over 2 decades that were as much fun to handle as they were to shoot so this is a first.

The way the UC-9 is manufactured it can safely be carried with a loaded magazine in a “ready to deploy” manner. Even though the magazine is loaded and inserted into the magazine-well, it is folded in a way it is stored parallel to the barrel and doesn’t drop into position until the gun is deployed. In addition, since it is an open-bolt firing mechanism, stored with the bolt closed it is not possible for a round to enter the chamber in a closed position. With this said, all it takes to safely load and fire the UC-9 is to hold the top with one hand, pull the stock with the other (as illustrated in this article), and pull the mag-well to latch. When you pull back the bolt you have a tendency to turn on the laser at the same time, so within seconds this innocuous rectangle transforms into a loaded, laser-sighted SMG, ready to roll. (DISCLAIMER – Even though the UC-9 was designed for undercover, instantaneous use, there is not a manufacturer or lawyer in the United States that would allow an owner’s manual to suggest loading a gun immediately prior to using it. Please remember that we live in a nation that has warning labels on hair-dryers so people swimming in the shallow end of the “good decision making” pool will not use it while taking a bath. Please adhere to all safety rules associated with any other firearm when using the UC-9.)

The live fire portion of the UC-9 testing started with some basic function testing and weapon system familiarity. This consisted of the test shooters firing several magazines using the laser as an aiming device. (You can be certain that since we were to be running rounds through the author’s IR Chronograph Screens to check muzzle velocity later in the day, everyone would be familiar with proper aiming technique in advance.)

After everyone was comfortable with shooting the UC-9 we set up the PACT MK IV Champion Chronograph and Timer and started recording the rate of fire with different types of ammunition. We tested the UC-9 with 4 types of ammo to gather as much data as possible. The average rate of fire was very comfortable and just under 715 rounds per minute. The slowest we recorded was with the new Wolf Performance Ammunition WPA 115-gr at 602 rpm. The complete results are documented in an accompanying chart.

This was also a great time to check practical accuracy. We set up at 10 yards and started firing 20-round bursts at standard silhouette targets. Although it is unlikely that complete mag-dumps on a single target would be a standard procedure, it proved how controllable and comfortable the UC-9 was to shoot. After firing several hundred rounds during this phase at a single target it was apparent how effective the UC-9 can be. Both shoulder firing and hip firing were used, at the shooters discretion, both with remarkable results.

When in bright light conditions where a laser is ineffective and given the absence of sights, the aiming technique is something a little different than most are used to and requires a little practice to master. It is not practical to shoulder the gun and sight down the plane of the receiver because the stock portion of the gun is held well below the muzzle to achieve a proper cheek weld when sighting in this way. If you were to aim the end muzzle end of the receiver so it lined up with the intended target, the plane of the barrel would be rotated up several degrees causing your hits to be VERY high. Based on your distance it could be from several inches to several feet. The cure for this is just practice, practice, and more practice. Holding a proper cheek weld but looking over the top of the muzzle end of the receiver at your target area, you can develop a “point shoot aiming method” that can be surprisingly accurate. By doing this numerous times at a known distance you can train your eyes to triangulate the proper hold with no sight use at all. It will not be an effective “sniper” or “match” gun but these are areas far from the original intention of the designers.

After plenty of practice runs, we ran numerous rounds through the UC-9 to get a good picture of average muzzle velocities. The average muzzle velocity was 1,189 feet per second. The fastest was the Winchester “White Box” 115-gr. FMJ ammo at 1,226 fps. A detailed chart with all data recorded is included elsewhere in this article.

There were two distinct things that all shooters mentioned after firing the UC-9. The first was their amazement at how smooth and controllable it felt during live-fire. The second was that while the charging handle is a non-reciprocating design, it does have a small amount of travel on occasion probably due to a light amount of friction from the vibration that allows it to briefly contact the bolt. It isn’t forceful or painful at all but was a surprise to those not expecting it.

Closed for Business

If you believe that at this point you have mastered the techniques associated with the UC-9 we have one more important part to explore. Now that it is open and looks (sort of) like a submachine gun, we need to fold it back up to its original, nondescript design. This would prove to be a hurdle for all not previously shown the instructions in the previous section.

The easiest way to complete the proper folding sequence is to first examine the placement of the “press point” rather than try to guess or feel around for it. We will make it simple by explaining where it is and providing a clear photo as well. The “press point” is located inside the stock where it connects to the receiver. It is designed so well it will still not be obvious by the previous description alone. To tell it apart from the rest of the stock or receiver you need to look inside the stock against the receiver for a flat surface with 2 rivets. This is the “press point” and depressing it will unlock the stock from being fully extended and start the folding procedure. With this knowledge, please follow along to the next step.

With the UC-9 in a position where it is supported by your left hand and the stock is in the area of your right shoulder (1) you can reach your thumb up past the end of the pistol grip and depress the “press point” with little practice. It is important to hold the UC-9 upright to close it, not upside-down looking into the hollow stock cavity. The next step (2) is to hold the stock with your right hand, and holding it in a position so the now empty dust cover slot is open is up, slowly fold the 2 sides together. The pistol grip will freely swing down (3) if this is being done correctly and you will feel little or no resistance. When completely closed (4) the dust cover can be installed (5) by placing the angled lip on the bottom of the dust cover into the slot on the buttstock and pushing down firmly to lock it in place. It is now ready to be hidden in plain sight again and only seconds from use.

How Hidden is Hidden?

The first test all who were in the writers office at the same time as the UC-9 were subjected to was a simple “pass me that machine gun” statement while pointing to the bookcase. It just sat sideways, across the top of one row of books with nothing to conceal it. Everyone would glance at the bookcase and then start to look around it for something that looked like a submachine gun. Even by doing nothing special it blends in and that is with people looking for a gun. This speaks volumes, no pun intended.

Conclusions

The UC-9 is one of the most interesting pieces this writer has had the opportunity to test and share with the readers of Small Arms Review to date. That is not said lightly either. We have covered several aspects of the gun culture here and they are all equally important. There is a fantastic historical aspect to this gun that has not been completely reported in the past to our knowledge and if we don’t examine our own history in this industry we are doomed to repeat things that may be unnecessary in order to advance. The relationships of those who brought us the UC-9 are fascinating to say the least. It is a story of completely unrelated parallel designs happening at the same time between Utah Conner of Pearl Manufacturing with his Model 21 and Francis Warin of ARES Incorporated with their ARES FMG. Some of the others involved in different areas including Eugene Stoner, Tim Bixler and Dave Boatman are names we recognize from other projects they have been involved in, within the firearms industry and all bring a lot of experience to the end projects. Another interesting aspect of this study is the tie to Hollywood with the RoboCop 2 Radio Gun placement. Never knowing what is fact and what is fiction or special effects in the movies, it is always amazing to find out that something as neat and “far fetched” as a boom-box radio that almost instantly transforms into a submachine gun is in the “fact” category. Another angle that makes this article a little more exciting than a simple historical piece is that these UC-9 submachine guns are actually transferable machine guns and are available for sale at this time. We have reported over the years of several “after the fact” treasures, but this one is a little ahead of the curve for a change. Finally, it just pegs the “neat meter” at 11. I doubt there are many of us, regardless of our specific discipline or area of NFA interest who doesn’t smile a little at the notion of this creative, folding, covert submachine gun.

Aside from all the other important aspects of the UC-9 project previously mentioned, the gun is fun and functions well. It is very well made and looks great. All mechanisms relating to the function and concealment work like they should. This is not a “work in progress” but a final product in full form. The UC-9 SMGs are currently available and the numbers are in the low high 40s to low 50s at the time of this writing. At a cost of $12,500 with owner financing available directly from M6 Management Corporation, those numbers are sure to be dropping at a rapid pace. Whether you may be interested in one as an investment, as a part of history, as a Hollywood film fan or as a closet “super secret squirrel spy gadget” aficionado, the UC-9 is certain to make you smile when you receive yours.

UC-9 SMG Source

Full Auto Classics
Ph: (877) 437-0251
Email: sales@fullautoclassics.com
Website: www.FullAutoClassics.com

It is not uncommon to be contacted by a company asking if we would be interested in looking at their wares for testing and evaluation. When this writer was contacted by MLR Distributing the first question was the same as always: “What is it that you make?” It was the answer received that was apart from the norm. “We make lots of things. We’ll send you a box so you can see for yourself.” The day the box arrived it was obvious why they chose that method.

Upon unpacking the contents the writer was reminded of the earlier days during his real initial interest in military style firearms. Everything was interesting and everything was kind of cool. That was the same impression in looking at the contents of the box.

MLR Distributing manufactures and sells a wide variety of items for several firearm models. All the popular buzz-guns are covered from MACs, Uzis, AR-15s, AK47s, TECs, 10/22s and more. They have all the parts and accessories you may expect to find and several of those you may not expect. Their inventory ranges from grips, stocks and mounts to all the regular thread-on accessories. It also includes a few of the not so common accessories like soda-can and tennis ball launchers, fake suppressors and barrel extensions.

It was one particular line that really caught this writer’s interest though: the 26.5mm and 37mm reloading products. Over the years, 37mm flares and launchers have grown in popularity. Recent foreign imports of inexpensive, high quality 26.5mm launchers are starting to catch up. MLR Distributing offers a rugged line of 37mm launchers as well as a full supply of reloading supplies for both the 37mm and the 26.5mm launchers. The reloadable rounds they make are very durable and high quality and should outlive the owner if treated properly. They also make and sell fused tubes to make reloading easier. They are not a pyro shop and do not carry any chemicals, just the hard to find (especially for the 26.5mm) reloadable shells and components.

My experience with everything tested has been well above initial expectations. Their products are well made and everything works as instructed.

MLR also has an informative, easy to navigate website with all their products listed and accompanied with photos and prices. You can find them at: www.MLRDistributing.com

MLR Distributing, LLC
PO Box 772751
Orlando, FL 32877
(407) 854-1704

Like many other days in these brave warriors pasts, on July 10, 2011 the quiet morning they were enjoying was the calm before the storm. The tranquility and joking around would soon be interrupted and erupt with machine gun fire and explosions. What set this day apart from so many others, was this day everyone smiled and couldn’t wait to get some trigger time.

Early in 2011, Alpha Group, LLC from Waterville, Maine was approached by Lt. Col. Robert P. Crowley of the United States Air Force/ANG and Andy Williams from the Williams Machine Gun Range, (WMGR, LLC) and asked to consider providing logistics and support for an event that would be the first of its kind. Paired up with the Warrior Legacy Foundation, it was the vision of Lt. Col. Crowley to take the rehabilitation of some of our combat wounded soldiers to a level never officially explored. Several months after that initial meeting, Operation Wounded Heroes Shoot II was held and was a great success. The next event is already being planned for 2012.

In the Beginning

Lt. Col. Crowley has been working in the warrior rehabilitation field for a long time. Having gone through the rehabilitation system himself, the benefits and the blemishes are of deep personal knowledge and it is his goal to follow the timeless lyrics of Bing Cosby; to “accentuate the positive and eliminate the negative” in assisting our combat wounded veterans. One area he immediately noticed that was lacking in the massive machine that is the VA System all our soldiers go through was the aftercare following the discharge.

As a previously injured reserve soldier (non combat related) working with scores of our wounded warriors, Lt. Crowley’s insight is unique, and his drive and passion in this area is ferocious. Working heavily with those being treated for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) it was obvious to him that even though the visual wounds may appear to be healed, the struggle is far from over for many. The everyday tasks many of us accomplish without a second thought may be overwhelming for those with PTSD and TBI and because of that there are many lost opportunities that are not being addressed, at least until now. Lt. Col. Crowley realized right away that simply “existing” was not enough. These men and women want to excel regardless of their disabilities and get back to the life they enjoy, and that is where Operation Wounded Shooter came to life.

The Original Theory

If there is a common thread among the men and women who serve our nation in the armed forces beyond sheer patriotism, it is the thrill of high adrenaline. To put it in simple terms: most soldiers really like to shoot machine guns and blow things up. Following a discharge due to a serious combat related injury, these are practices that go from “normal” to nonexistent in a heartbeat. At least this used to be the case.

After much thought and preparation, in the winter of late 2010, Lt. Col. Crowley teamed up with the Maine chapter of the Warrior Legacy Foundation and brought some young men who were wounded in combat to the Williams Machine Gun Range in North Anson, Maine for an afternoon of shooting machine guns and reactive targets. It was an immediate success and after months of follow-up with the participants, the plans for a much larger event started to unfold.

Operation Wounded Heroes Shoot II

When Alpha Group, LLC agreed to assist in the organization, safety and security of this groundbreaking event, a few things immediately came to light. The first was that due to a very limited budget it could not be accomplished without the help of several people. A team of security personal consisting primarily of past and present military and law enforcement members was assembled. An equally large group of line safety personal and weapon specialists were also brought on board. The next was a team of “Battle Buddies” whose primary function would be to shadow the participating warriors and provide assistance in any way required. It was an event that would cater to the warriors and an opportunity for the rest of us to work for them for the day.

When the call for assistance went out the outpouring of help was overwhelming. Without the support of every single donor the event could not have been a success, and in the case of a few donors, such as Wolf Performance Ammunition (WPA) and Valkyrie Armament, LLC the event may not have happened at all. Wolf Performance Ammunition provided a pallet of assorted ammunition to keep the machine guns fed for the day, and Valkyrie Armament, LLC provided one of their new BSR MOD-1 Belt-Fed Rifles to raffle that ended up paying for every cent of the labor costs for the security and safety of event. Nestlé provided a pallet of Poland Springs bottled water to hand out for free at the event that proved to be invaluable.

Since the wounded warriors were really the VIP guests of the event it was decided they should be treated to a VIP gift bag like those who attend other high-profile events. Each participant was provided with a donated bright orange Home Depot reusable bag filled with such other donated goodies as CDs, bumper stickers and autographed photos donated by Ted Nugent and family, hats and T-shirts donated by Wolf Performance Ammunition, gift cards from Cabelas, custom made laminated pocket knives from Cousineau Wood Products, several copies of Small Arms Review magazine from Moose Lake Publishing, LLC, “Rogue Warrior” posters donated by Richard Marcinko, American Pride stickers and coffee cups and much more.

While the finishing touches were put into place, the EMTs were in position, the Mobile Vet Center pulled onto the scene and set up shop and Life Flight, who had been arranged previously with a special landing zone was contacted to confirm that the event was about to commence.

Commence Fire!

As over 50 machine guns were readied on the line, the warriors were broken into two flights. Each flight would shoot at separate times giving the others time to relax, mingle and enjoy the provided BBQ of pig, deer and moose provided for them. As the line prepared to open, William Schneider, Maine’s Attorney General (also a combat veteran) arrived and asked to work on the firing line where he stayed all day, loading magazines for the shooters and was accompanied and assisted by State Representative Susan Morissette. Between flights they were joined by Maine’s Governor, Paul LePage, who also came to the event to honor our veterans who were being recognized this day.

The line was officially opened with a member of the line safety crew firing a full belt from every gun on the line, one at a time. It was ended with a twin PKM setup doing a single burst from two fortress belts. As soon as the last rounds hit the impact area it was time for the first flight.

As the VIPs were escorted to the line by their “Battle Buddy” they were greeted by Brig. General Donald McCormick who shook hands with each participant entering the range followed by the line safety officers. They were allowed to choose any gun or combination of guns they wanted to shoot. After a brief function check with the weapons specialist assigned to each specific firearm it was nothing but noise, smoke, explosions and smiles for hours. Prior to the event several watermelons were filled with Tannerite and placed in safe places in the impact area. The VIPs were asked to help the Williams Machine Gun Range “seed the area” in an experimental and unconventional method being tested for the first time. They happily agreed.

As veterans from numerous wars and conflicts, with varying levels of injuries and issues fired machine guns all day long, for this day, they were not focused on their disabilities, but had the opportunity to showcase their marksman abilities, many greatly proficient. They were in a place where they were simply “Brothers in Arms” and the high-fives, and “Oooh-Raahs” all day long made it obvious.

As this writer observed and coordinated the firing line from an observation tower, there were a few who really stood out and will remain in warm regard for some time. Jon Kessler, a 101st Airborne Ranger who served in Operation Desert Storm was in attendance with his son Cameron, a 20-year-old paratrooper getting ready to deploy to Afghanistan. As father and son “talked” their belt-feds, an M60 and an M240B through their entire belts, as soon as the last round was fired, they high-fived and the father turned to the tower and exclaimed, “THIS is a dream come true! To have that memory of my boy and I “talking” entire belts like that will be with me FOREVER!” That, ladies and gentlemen almost made this long time wordsmith and trigger-puller choke up.

Just the Beginning

Although Operation Wounded Heroes Shoot II is in the history books now, this is just the beginning of the network being built to better serve those most in need as Lt. Col. Crowley envisioned. Another shooting event is being scheduled and planned for 2012, and a new organization has been formed to better suit these needs. The Maine Wounded Warrior Rehabilitation Program is in full swing and already planning “outside the box” aftercare to help these warriors get back and stay on track with living the way they want to. Hunting trips are being planned and shooting events will take place along with fishing trips. Along with a little assistance, those who have given more than most will have the ability, and be welcomed with open arms to no longer be forced to live as victims, but as proud providers like they are at heart.

Special Thanks

Since Operation Wounded Heroes Shoot II was a groundbreaking event, it was mandated that it be run as a closed event and not open to the public. This was done to ease the concerns from those at the reigns, who were brave enough to allow such an unconventional event to proceed in an official capacity. While it provided a very orderly and secure atmosphere, it severely limited the fundraising capabilities normally available at such an event. Because of the inability to raise funds on site, the donations made prior to the event and all the hard work provided by those who spent countless hours to see this through as a success were invaluable The number of supporters was so great, all the names cannot possibly be printed in a small article. If you were involved in this amazing event in any way, please look at the smiles in a few of the included photographs. It was your effort that provided the ability for this event to happen. Thank you for your support.

For More Information:

Maine Wounded Warrior
Rehabilitation Program
Alpha Group, LLC
P.O. Box 61
Fairfield, ME 04937
Email: Info@AlphaGroupLLC.Net
Website: www.AlphaGroupLLC.Net

Warrior Legacy Foundation
www.WarriorLegacyFoundation.org

Williams Machine Gun Range, LLC
636 River Road
N. Anson, ME 04958
Ph: (207) 635-2686
Email: info@WilliamsMachineGunRange.com
Website: www.WilliamsMachineGunRange.com

There are several famous firearms that we have all looked at, read about or simply heard of that we would like to claim personal ownership of. No matter the style or discipline of interest, such a famous or personally important gun exists. For those of us who take fondly to the black rifles, the most famous of all may arguably be the Colt ArmaLite AR-15 Serial Number 000106, also known as “The Coconut Rifle.” This particular gun is credited for the adoption of this weapon system eventually becoming the primary service weapon of the United States Military for almost 50 years.

The mystique of this special rifle begins its journey from Hartford, Connecticut to Baltimore, Maryland on February 17, 1960 and ends up in Fairfield, Maine in 2011 after traveling around the globe more than two times.

According to the research of David Norman, and later confirmed by Mr. William Mullen, Vice President of Cooper Macdonald Corp., it is believed that in December of 1959 Colt manufactured 20 of their new Colt ArmaLite AR-15 automatic rifles and it is documented through Colt that rifle #00106 was shipped to Cooper Macdonald Corp. on February 17, 1960. Cooper Macdonald Corp. was contracted to market this firearm.

It was in a July 15, 1992 meeting where many of the former suspicions were realized as factual. When Mr. Mullen was asked if #000106 was indeed the rifle that traveled around the world on two occasions and the rifle involved in the famous July 4, 1960 “Watermelon Demonstration” he replied, “Absolutely.”

When asked to recount the demonstration that would eventually lead to the adoption of this weapon system Mr. Mullen recounted the day. He stated the event was actually a yearly gathering at the Macdonald’s farm, usually for recreation: in his words, “a cookout and beer-bust.” A few days before the date he was asked to bring the rifle along because there would be “…some brass there.” Little did he know that the guests that day would include General Curtis LeMay, the United States Air Force Chief of Staff.

When it came time in the day to shoot this new rifle some watermelons were placed at approximately 50, 75 and 100 yards. General LeMay fired at and destroyed two of the watermelons. The General was very impressed with the results and noted there was one target remaining. When he was asked if he wanted to shoot the last watermelon or just go down and eat it, General LeMay sighted in on the lone melon and replied, “Let’s eat the son of a bitch!” It was in the middle of a field, eating watermelon where the discussion arose about an 8,500-unit order for the Air Force. It was at that point that Colt ArmaLite #106 became the rifle that made the M16 weapon system happen.

Another piece of information that seems to follow this rifle and its history is that it was fired by President Kennedy from the deck of his grandfather’s yacht, the Honey Fitz. Though this writer to date has uncovered no official documentation, this claim has been personally seen in an ad in Shotgun News dated November 15, 1977 and more recently in several Internet sites and blogs. Though very far from irrefutable proof, it is just another bit of lore that follows this legendary rifle.

The coconut part of the rifle’s adopted nickname came from its sales trips where it traveled to South Vietnam and several other “tropical” places. Coconuts were often used as targets to demonstrate the lethality of the rifle, hence the nickname. Other targets were also used in these demonstrations but due to the number of countries it traveled to and the newness of the weapon system it was quickly associated with the most common target engaged with this new, tiny projectile from a completely different type of rifle and the nickname “coconut rifle” stuck like glue.

Being a perpetual student of the black rifle, it has been an honor to actually handle this historical firearm and share its exciting role in the direction of the United States weapon procurement process with the readers of Small Arms Review. Fortunately for all of us, and especially for one extremely lucky individual, this story does not end here. Like we have all joked about when a pitchman on late night infomercials barks, “But wait, there’s more!” it applies to what you will read next. This rifle is not just something of lore that can never be seen, but it will actually be offered for sale October 4th of this year. The famous Colt ArmaLite #106 will be sold to the highest bidder at the James D. Julia Auction Company in the 2011 Fall Firearms Auction. Even though it is far above my pay grade you can bet I will be there to view and photograph this exciting piece of American history. Maybe I will see you there…

For more information:

James D. Julia, Inc.
203 Skowhegan Rd.
Fairfield, Maine 04937
Tel: (207) 453-7125
Fax:(207) 453-2502
Email: info@jamesdjulia.com
Website: www.JamesDJulia.com

Whether plinking, practicing, competing or training, a .22 LR alternative is financially desirable and very beneficial. While there have been several .22 LR pistols over the last century to choose from, there have been very few factory full-size versions that share fit and function with the original gun. Of the few that do, they are typically expensive. The ATI GSG 1911 .22 LR pistol mimics the size, weight feel and function so closely it can be used with the factory .45 ACP 1911 gear, and at an affordable price.

We received the GSG 1911 for testing and evaluation several months in advance of this scheduled article. While we like to bring our readers the “latest and greatest” as soon as we can, we wanted to put some time in on this one and perform a mini endurance test before going to print.

Since the primary subject matter of Small Arms Review is NFA Firearms, we only thought it made sense to test it as a platform for the numerous small and effective rimfire suppressors available today. We immediately ordered a thread adapter from Gemtech as well as a Gemtech Outback II, a Bowers Paradigm and a SilencerCo Sparrow.

Initial Observations

Although we have had the opportunity to handle several of ATI’s (American Tactical Imports) other offerings in the past, they have all been based on military-style rifles and carbines and we didn’t know what to expect with a 1911 pistol. This is a gun many of us “cut our teeth” on and most shooters have a deep appreciation for this design so we knew expectations would be high and criticism in any flaw whatsoever would come easy out of familiarity.

The day it arrived it didn’t take long before we needed to hit the test range and do some initial function and performance tests. Given an MSRP that we consider quite reasonable, we didn’t have high expectations for the cosmetic features, but were quickly and pleasantly surprised. Right out of the box we were extremely impressed with several characteristics. The most noticeable at first sight were the checkered wooden grips. Our test gun had dark checkered grips with a large diamond pattern over each grip screw. Further examination revealed an extended beavertail safety, an enlarged ambidextrous safety, a combat hammer and an adjustable trigger. The rear of the slide is heavily serrated to the rear, and the finish is dark and uniform on all parts. The sights are a popular 3-dot style, drift adjustable for windage. To adjust for elevation, 3 different front sights are included each with a gradual increase for point of impact/point of aim synchronization.

Though the magazines hold 10 rounds of .22 LR, they have been built to simulate the weight and feel of a standard 1911 .45 ACP magazine. They are very heavy and rugged and even fit standard magazine pouches. A magazine has to be inserted in order to drop the hammer, even on an empty chamber as is very common with many imported pistols.

The only real key that it was chambered in .22 LR and not the usual .45 ACP was the very light tension of the slide spring. If it were gripped like a normal heavy .45 ACP and returned to the rear, it would immediately be obvious that it was not.

On to the Range

The first order was to just test fire the gun as it was shipped before altering anything. This is a “must do” as changes and additions can alter performance at times and we wanted to start from the beginning and just fire for function. There were several shooters on the initial day and we ran several hundred rounds of ammo in rapid fashion.

Not a single malfunction was observed and it was time to adjust the sights. Since all shooters were shooting at 15-25 yards and consistently hitting high, we changed the front blade to the highest sight provided. Every group thereafter was placed in its intended spot. No windage adjustment was necessary.

After several more magazines to “proof” the sight adjustment we immediately installed the Gemtech thread adapter with the included wrench and started running it suppressed. The first candidate was the Bowers Paradigm followed by the Gemtech Outback II and the SilencerCo Sparrow. While all ammo continued to run with great success it was the opinion of this writer that the Federal Gold Medal Match ammo really shined through.

After numerous boxes of ammo, several targets and all combinations of sound suppressors the GSG 1911 continued to draw praise from the test shooters.

Multi-Purpose Package

While .22 LR guns are often associated with inexpensive shooting and generally an all around inexpensive alternative to “real” shooting, the mix of test shooters this first day found an entirely new reason to not only want, but “need” to purchase one of these guns for themselves. There were 3 or 4 shooters who immediately decided to purchase one or two at that first outing. All the test shooters are firearms instructors for Alpha Group, LLC and though they all have specialty classes in different disciplines, we are all also NRA Basic Pistol and Personal Protection Instructors and assist people in basic firearms introduction and training on their road to advanced gun ownership and obtaining their concealed carry permits. Since many students are adults, including many grown men, a full-size pistol with little to no recoil or noise can be extremely beneficial. When working with younger shooters and more timid students, the loss of a loud noise in training greatly assists them in focusing on the basic principals while ratcheting down the intimidation factor several-fold. This helps from developing a flinch that they need to work hard to lose in the future and just makes the overall experience much more pleasurable.

Extended Testing

Since the timeframe was wide from delivery to the publishing of this article, the GSG1911 was used in numerous scenarios not usually available in a more time conscious deadline period. At the time of this writing, the GSG1911 has been part of the authors gear bag in his capacity as a licensed ADC Agent. Several calls a year come in to deal with small and large game animals involved in human interaction that have to be rectified. Some are in urban areas where the use of a larger caliber creates concern and confusion and the suppressed .22 LR GSG 1911 excelled. Even more important than sound reduction is pinpoint accuracy in these situations and with the Federal Gold Medal ammo it was not only extremely quiet, but cycled every time and extremely accurate. At this point it has replaced the previous suppressed .22 LR pistol in the ADC gear bag and has yet to disappoint in any situation.

Also as assumed, the GSG1911 was used for training in several shooting courses from basic pistol classes to entry-level shoot-house runs and even rimfire competitions. It always ranked as the most requested firearm in these entry-level classes and has found a home with several more instructors as of this writing. To our surprise, even some of the female shooters with smaller hands have been more comfortable and had a better shooting experience with the full-size GSG 1911 over many of the smaller and very common .22 LR pistols offered in the same classes.

Conclusions

While the price point is extremely attractive on the GSG 1911 .22 LR, please don’t let that fool you into believing you are buying a substandard firearm. Several shooters who use their firearms in a professional capacity have had the opportunity to test the GSG 1911 .22 LR and all have had a favorable impression. Many have even purchased their own after testing the T&E gun sent to SAR. I can’t think of a higher endorsement than that.

While the first impression of a standard .22 pistol is generally a plinker, the GSG 1911 has proven useful in several other areas. As a training tool it has been an extremely successful addition and has been handled by dozens and dozens of students with favorable impressions. If your interest in this firearm is for plinking or target shooting it will not disappoint. If you are one of several die-hard 1911 fans who just want a break in the noise, recoil or ammo expense without sacrificing valuable training and practice, you may find a great value in this pistol and have the added bonus of using your standard holsters, mag pouches and carry rigs. If you want a gun that feels like a gun as a suppressor host it has even more appeal. As someone who has the opportunity to use firearms in several capacities on an almost daily basis, this writer has added a GSG 1911 to his gear bag in a permanent fashion.

As a long-time shooter, every once in a while something completely unexpected really exceeds any preconceived notions and the GSG 1911 may be as valuable a find for you as it was for this writer. At the MSRP of $359.95 it is a small gamble to take with the potential for a large payoff.

Sources

American Tactical Imports
GSG 1911
Available at dealers Nationwide
www.americantactical.us/

Gemtech
GSG 1911 Thread Adapters
& Outback II Silencer
www.Gem-Tech.com

Bowers Group
Paradigm Silencer
www.subguns.com

Silencerco
Sparrow Silencer
www.silencerco.com/

A tracer round leaving the barrel of a firearm and impacting a target invokes a visual that conjures up all kinds of emotions. Some people recall their time in the Armed Services in places far, far away where they first experienced tracer fire. Some people are reminded of the first movie they saw with bright streaming lights simulating laser beams reaching from the shooter to the intended target. Others recall television footage, new and old, of conflicts covered by the national news. Chances are, if you are reading these pages, although you may be one of the people mentioned above, you are also thinking of the last night shoot you visited or participated in and how much fun tracer ammo is when it can be obtained for a reasonable price and fired safely.

Shooting has always been more of an individual conquest than a spectator sport. To the marksman controlling the trigger it is an opportunity many believe second to none. Building knowledge, experience and technique to improve your performance is a gratifying experience on several levels. To a spouse with other interests, possibly sitting patiently in a vehicle reading a magazine while you are at the range, it can be quite dull to watch or even equivalent to watching paint dry, or so I have been told. Once you add some highly visual or reactive targets to the mix the interest peaks greatly for shooters and non-shooters alike. While some reactive targets like Tannerite Exploding Targets can be great fun, when you add tracer fire, especially in low light to the mix, even people with little to no interest in shooting start to take notice.

While Tracer ammo is not anything new, its introduction into mass produced rimfire ammo is a monumental move. Over the past two decades this writer has been testing firearms and ammo, only a few times has .22 LR ammo been encountered. It was usually very expensive and, for one reason or another, the supply never seemed to last long. When we were approached at SAR Show East and asked if we were interested in testing the Piney Mountain line it was an easy consideration.

As of this writing, we have been testing this ammo for over a year. We have fired it from several platforms and in almost every imaginable weather scenario; all with great success. Though it is manufactured for use primarily in rimfire rifles we have had good luck with many pistols as well. Since the average muzzle velocity is approximately 1,020 feet per second there is little reason to act any different than regular .22 LR ammo, which proved to be correct. There are several videos online where people have been running these in their fully automatic machine guns with great success. There is little that can compare to an American-180 firing in the area of 2,000 rounds per minute of solid tracer. When they are mixed between green and red it only makes it more interesting.

During our testing we fired several rounds through a 40mm/22 LR subcaliber round manufactured by Armament Services International. Billed as The Hornets Nest, this unit is machined from aircraft aluminum and finished in a red anodizing. It fires ten rounds of .22 LR each in their own rifled, steel barrel with a single pull of the trigger in an M203 or M79 40mm Grenade Launcher. Loading it with a mix of the Piney Mountain Tracers soon made it clear why it is marketed as The Hornets Nest. It has a MSRP of $595 and includes the unloading tool. Make sure you have a registered 40mm Destructive Device and not a “flare gun” if you intend to use the Hornets Nest.

While testing the Piney Mountain ammo we had a huge burn rate no matter what the platform was. The rifles traced almost 100% though we noticed a slightly lower burn rate when fired from a pistol. On completely the other side of the spectrum we noticed a 100% burn rate when fired from the 40mm Hornets Nest. The ammo cycled quite well in every firearm we used with some pistols (dirty and cold) getting an occasional short stroke on the ejection. It was easily rectified each time with a simple clearing to the side and re-chambering the following round. While some .22 LR ammo has a greasy or waxy feeling, the Piney Mountain projectile has a solid and dry feel, which will only aid in feeding in some of the more finicky guns.

Not a single round to date has yet to fire as intended so their quality control must be held to a high standard. The vast majority of our testing has been between 50 and 75 yards and all rounds burned the entire way to the backstop. They are rated for 100 yards, plus, and some have reported traces out past 200 yards and even to 300 yards. At our test distances we never had any occasion to witness a “burnout” in our testing.

After the “wow, this is fun” period was in full swing we started thinking of situations where these rounds could have a practical application. They came fast and furious. Since these rounds are visible in all lighting situations they give a clear indication of your point of impact. No guessing when the use of a paper-target and spotting scope are not an option. This writer found them extremely useful in teaching his younger students as well. His 7-year-old son immediately responded well to the use of an occasional tracer or two while shooting to check his point of impact. It can be frustrating for a new, young shooter in hit or miss situations and firing a few tracers can get them back on target in no time. The additional visual is also exciting for new shooters because, well, tracers are just plain fun. From this time on a few boxes will be mandatory in his shooting kit.

Tracer Precautions

Make sure you check your state and local laws about the use and possession of tracer ammunition. At the time of this writing Piney Mountain would not ship tracer ammunition to CA, MA, and NYC and Chicago, IL. All other IL purchasers need an FOID # to buy them.

Other things to consider are the environmental precautions at your range. Very dry areas can produce fires and some areas even have periods during dry weather that may prohibit their use. Our testing took place in Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall and we encountered no problems using a proper sand backstop.

Conclusions

We are very pleased to have met the people at Piney Mountain Ammunition. It may be more expensive than traditional .22 LR ammo but well under the price of center-fire ammo. You can obtain retail and dealer pricing from www.redrimfire.com. It is as fun as it is useful and all who participated in the long-term testing agreed it was money well spent. These rounds are non-corrosive and the tracing element left no damaging residual material in any of the test guns and that is always a subject of concern when tracer ammo is discussed. Their value in training and visual stimulation is worth the price of admission and the fun factor puts them over the top. If you have never been to a night shoot at one of the huge national machine gun shoots and have wondered what the attraction really is, add some Piney Mountain tracer ammunition to your ammo stash and get ready to smile.

Tracer (and other specialty) Ammunition 101

Contrary to popular misconception, a tracer round is much more entailed than a dab of paint on the tip of an ordinary bullet. The paint, coded by different colors is only used to identify the type ammunition. Not all ammunition is color-coded and not all unmarked ammunition is standard ball ammunition. So while we may make assumptions based on this, it is not written in stone. There are many different types of projectiles for modern ammunition including;

• Ball Ammo – Very common solid or jacketed bullet. Ball ammo often has no identifying marks on the projectile.
• Armor Piercing – (AP) – Very similar to ball ammo with the construction of the projectile containing a very hard core inside the jacket. This projectile can be made of hardened steel, tungsten, carbide and in some cases depleted uranium in larger rounds.
  
• Tracer – (T) While it looks similar to ball ammo from the outside, tracer ammo has a small cup inside the rear of the projectile where a small amount of a flammable chemical is stored and ignited by the initial powder charge. This chemical burns brightly illuminating the trajectory of the fired round.
  
• Incendiary (I) – Almost opposite in construction of the tracer round, an incendiary round has a small cavity in the front of the projectile containing an incendiary material, which ignites upon impact with the target, flashing and burning very hot.
  
• High Explosive (HE) – The projectile contains a chamber holding an explosive material and an igniter. HE ammo can be designed to explode on impact or after a delay while still in flight.
  
• Spotter (or Observation) – The projectile contains a cavity containing a chemical mixture and a front loaded priming device used to estimate distance by producing a flash and smoke when impacting a target.
  
• Combination Rounds – Many of those listed above can be found in conjunction in a single projectile. Some of the more popular combination rounds include Armor Piercing/Tracer (APT), Armor Piercing/Incendiary (API), Armor Piercing/Incendiary/Tracer (APIT), Incendiary/Tracer (IT) and Spotter/Tracer.

While we realize there are many more types of modern ammunition than listed above, such as blanks, grenade launching blanks, etc., the focus of this article is tracer ammo so we are focusing on those and similar rounds.

Sources

Piney Mountain Ammunition .22lr Tracer Ammo Website: www.redrimfire.com Email: sales@redrimfire.com

Armament Sales International 10-Shot / 40mm Hornets Nest www.autoweapons.com

The Valkyrie BSR-Mod1 combines the simplicity and technology of the early, original ArmaLite/Colt belt-fed AR-15 designs with today’s modern materials and manufacturing methods to provide end users with an accessory they have desired for years. The ability to have your own AR-15 type rifle converted for a reasonable price and back in your hands in under a month.

Those of us who are heavily involved with military-style rifles live in a universe where new accessories are created for many popular platforms with extreme speed. Thanks to the lightning fast abilities of the Internet, the social network mediums and the many boards and blogs where like-minded people gather to chat, ideas spring up daily. People who are enthusiastic about a new acquisition can immediately link up with others with the same interests and a think tank can be formed in minutes. We no longer live where we can only “talk shop” at the occasional range outing, organized shoot or gun show, but almost immediately. Ideas are shared at extreme speed and entrepreneurial builders and tinkerers can get to work right away. For all the faults we can find in the Internet, there are certainly plenty of positive uses we can find as well.

Much slower than the speed of the Internet, our beloved printed gun magazines still play an important part in the ingenuity of shootists. At times they are even very complementary of each another. That is where this story begins.

In the January, 2010 issue (Vol. 13, No. 4) of Small Arms Review magazine we published a very in-depth test of the long out of production Jonathan Arthur Ciener commercial version of the Colt belt-fed prototype AR-15/M16 rifles. Within days of the magazine hitting the newsstand, the websites and blogs started buzzing. This design that has roots going as far back as the 1950s and lived a very short commercial life in the late 1980s into the early 1990s was again “discovered” by many people who may not have been involved in the shooting community at this earlier time. Several questions about its viability today and the perils or pitfalls of manufacturing of a similar rifle started popping up in numerous conversations. Paying close attention to all the chatter was George DeLury and Bill Grieve of Northridge Tool and Machine, soon to be Valkyrie Armament, LLC.

George was one of several people who called shortly after the article was published to say he was working on a similar design with a few upgrades. I told George, like I told the others, that if he got to the point where they started manufacturing a production version for sale, I would be happy to evaluate it for our readers. About 3 months later I received a second call from George that started with “Hey Jeff, it’s George. Remember me? I have something you may want to look at.” Within a very short amount of time a large box arrived and that was the first time I saw the BSR-MOD-1 belt-fed AR-15.

The Evolution Continues

Upon initial inspection of the BSR-MOD-1 it looks very much like the currently fielded, higher-end M4s given the use of current furniture and accessories. The base rifle is a Colt Law Enforcement Carbine. The front handguard is a Daniel Defense EZ CAR 7.0 rail with a SAW-type carry handle and E-3 upper receiver topped off with YHM 2-position BUIS folding sights. The rear stock is a 7-position collapsible M4S Ace Ltd. with cheek riser. A Hogue pistol grip and side-mounted sling swivel in the front sight round it off.

Looking at the belt feed mechanism of the Valkyrie BSR-MOD-1 from the outside there are several similarities with the earlier rifles we have examined and tested. It is quite similar in the way it is driven by capturing the energy from the bolt carrier on the recoil (reward) stroke and the feed pawls are also similar. It has the ability to feed from a belt or a standard box magazine with removal of the belt-feed mechanism. It is fed with a modified M27 SAW link in a similar manner to the earlier models as well. There are currently 4 patents pending on this system thus far.

While the basic function seems to mimic the earlier system there are several subtle differences upon closer examination. A favorite design difference of this writer is the addition of a bolt release that protrudes through the feed system. It is a “V” shaped, serrated arm that toggles the bolt release to either hold the bolt back or release it, keeping the shooters fingers far from the feed mechanism. (For those who did not see the test of the Ciener belt-fed rifle, the author ended up with his thumb caught in this extremely tight space during a moment of severe judgment lapse). Another difference is in the belt drive mechanism where the linkage connects to the bolt carrier. Where the original was a fixed pin, the Valkyrie is a removable pin allowing the shooter to completely remove the drive unit when the gun is used with standard box magazines or drums. This serves two purposes. First, the shooter no longer has a reciprocating shuttle in the exterior drive unit when the magazine is being fired. The second benefit is that by removing the link-pin and drive unit, a standard bolt carrier can be used for box magazines including subcaliber units, which was not an option in the earlier versions. Of course the shooter can simply remove the belt-feed unit and be firing from a standard box magazine with the installed bolt carrier in less than a minute without removing the drive pin as well. There are also several other machining differences used in the process of manufacturing that may not have been available 25-50 years ago when the original units were designed.

In the area of feeding, a downfall of this system has always been the lack of excess and residual energy to capture and assist in pulling the belt into the mechanism. This necessitated a belt box so the length of pull was kept short. Colt designed (and Ciener later utilized) a very nice box that pinned on the bottom of the rifle and doubled as a link chute, which captured the expended links and stored them in a separate compartment for reuse. The Valkyrie BSR-MOD-1 uses an adapter for standard NATO SAW boxes. While the Ciener feed box is very nice and even doubles as a link catcher as a big advantage, SAW Boxes are readily available and multiple boxes can be preloaded and stored or taken out at the same time. We like both designs for their individual advantages. Valkyrie Armament will be releasing a detachable link chute and box in the very near future but it was not available for testing at the time this went to print. We understand it is made of Kydex and will hold 200 links.

Serious Business

While Valkyrie Armament’s key market is geared towards recreational shooters at the current time, it isn’t being built as a “one off” or custom order only project. Even though they are pleased to convert your own gun to utilize their belt-feed system, they are manufacturing and stocking complete rifles of numerous configurations for immediate shipment. Spare parts are all on hand and are available for purchase. Custom builds certainly are available, such as conversions on registered M16s, piston-type rifles and they even manufacture a special line for the MGI Hydra MARCK-15 system taking full advantage of the quick change barrel (QCB) system. To date they have even converted a water-cooled M16; so if you think your project is “outside the box” please don’t discard it without calling them first. While Colt manufactured rifles are preferred for conversions due to their consistent tolerances, they have not found any rifles they could not convert at the time of this writing. Some that take longer, requiring additional custom fitting may incur additional fees and Valkyrie Armament is happy to quote special jobs on request.

Range Time & Operation

The rifle was an instant hit out of the box, but the proof is always in the performance and not the looks. Since this writer is very familiar with these types of belt systems it was found to be very easy to operate. The rifle comes with a starter tab and an end tab to be linked to each belt. Additional tabs are available for purchase as well as extra links. As mentioned before, the links are a modified, slotted M27 SAW link so factory belted 5.56x45mm ammo will not run in the gun as is. It must be linked with the special links available from Valkyrie Armament, LLC. The current price at this writing is $35 per 100 and they are certainly reusable like any other link.

Rather than go into great length and spend several pages explaining the operating system, since it is so similar to that of the early ArmaLite/Colt/Ciener systems, this writer would urge you to pick up a copy of Vol. 13, No. 4 (January, 2010) issue of Small Arms Review for extremely detailed information about the operation and feed system. (If they become difficult to obtain we will make every effort to post a PDF of the article on the Small Arms Review website in the near future.)

The shooting debut of this system for our initial function testing was at a large invitational machine gun shoot held at the Williams Machine Gun Range in North Anson, Maine. Since we are very familiar with Murphy’s Law we knew if we made a big announcement that we had one to test it would be destined to not function properly. It was concealed as well as it could be until the first few belts, but we were sniffed out and a small crowd had gathered to watch even though the majority of the firing line had no idea what we were doing. Since all we needed to do this day was determine if it functioned properly we loaded several small belts and were very pleased it ran them without a hitch.

Further firing was conducted (and continues as of this writing) at the Small Arms Research Test Range in central Maine. The bulk of the testing has been function testing and it has allowed several other tests to run concurrent. We wanted to see if the extra duty the bolt carrier needed to perform had any effect on the accuracy and found no difference in either group size or point of impact when switching between the box magazine and the belt. Since the ejection was very positive and consistent we decided to conduct a belt pull test. The early guns are known for a weakness in this area so we had limited expectations. We started with a short length of 20 rounds and kept adding 7 rounds after firing 2 rounds to give us a 5 round net addition each time until we found the point it would no longer pull a hanging belt with reliability. This system didn’t prove to last but a few cycles when we switched to adding ammo in 50-round lengths. We started the new protocol at 50 rounds and fired 3 rounds. This continued to 100 rounds, 150 rounds and 200 rounds. The length of the belt was so long that we needed to utilize a ladder to keep it from dragging on the ground. At 200 rounds we found it would not function reliably. It would fire 2 or 3 and stop. We cut back to 150 rounds and found the same result. 3 or 4 or 5 rounds and it would stop. At this point we started removing 25 rounds instead of 50 and continued testing with a 125-round belt. The result was the end of the belt pull testing as it easily cycled through the remainder of the hanging belt with ease. Remembering we were shooting a dry gun around the 100 round mark we stopped long enough to lightly lubricate the bolt carrier where it interfaces with the drive pin and continued to empty the belt. Since we were evaluating a semiautomatic this time we couldn’t take belt whip into consideration, which can create additional forces under fully automatic fire. We found the number of rounds it would fire from a hanging belt was an amazing 125 rounds, which was far more than the original designs would reliably handle. The weight of 125 belted rounds, using 55gr Federal XM-193 ammo was approximately 3.75 pounds. Considering the length of pull is only between 8 rounds and 20 rounds when using a standard SAW box (depending on the number of rounds in the box), and the hanging weight of that belt is between 3.9 ounces and 9.6 ounces, having the ability to feed and function reliably with approximately 600% of the normal feed forces, we found to be a huge reliability margin.

Conclusions

The Valkyrie Armament, LLC BSR-MOD-1 was a hit, right out of the box. It was meticulously manufactured and the fit and finish matched the host gun very well. It looked like it could have been completely manufactured by Colt given the strait, clean receiver cuts and feed mechanism. It was a perfect match to the host firearm. The function was everything we had hoped it would be, not failing in any form of feeding, firing and ejecting except for when we purposely overloaded the weight of the belt for the hanging belt test to find the point of failure. It is fun to shoot and when compared to similar firearms, although this one is quite unique in its availability as a modification to your own host firearm the price seemed like a bargain for a modern belt-fed. At the time of this writing the retail pricing for a conversion on your host gun is $3,300 with approximately a 3-week turn around time. Since it has an 85% parts compatibility with any regular AR-15 type firearm, parts are readily available and even specific parts to this conversion are in stock and available from Valkyrie Armament, LLC. If you are a Black Rifle aficionado and need a new model to kindle the fire, we think you will enjoy this conversion. If you live in an area where you can’t own machine guns, a belt-fed semiautomatic AR-15 rifle is pretty high on the fun meter. For those with lightning links and registered Drop In Auto Sears, yes, this will run fine as long as you get the proper bolt carrier.

At $35 per 100 links at the current time, it is expected that this price will go down as they continue to increase the quantity of links they manufacture. Make sure you police your links and it will keep the cost of shooting way down. If only it used a standard link…

But Wait, There’s More!

As we are going to press we have been notified that several variants are being tested with standard M27 SAW links. This is an exciting development and definitely raises the bar on the usefulness of the system and the cost of operation. Not only are standard links very inexpensive, it can be purchased already linked. The best part has yet to be told though – if you have one of the current models (MOD-1) you will receive the “Standard Link Upgrade” (MOD-2) for free so you don’t have to stand on the sidelines and wait for the latest gun in fear of the next generation passing you over. And just in case the whole “Belt-Fed .223” concept doesn’t catch your attention, we thought we would mention the .308 AR-10 prototype being tested and prepped for production and release in early 2012.

Valkyrie Armament, LLC
Email: sales@valkyriearmament.com
Website: www.valkyriearmament.com

For more information please visit:
www.beltfedar.com

Firearms ownership has an amazing potential for personal growth. Some people are satisfied with buying a new gun on occasion and only shoot once in a while. Some people shoot a large amount of ammo to become proficient and take up hunting or competitive shooting to test and build their abilities. Some make the next step to loading their own ammo, either for enjoyment, cost savings or improved accuracy. The pinnacle for many serious firearms enthusiasts is when you can actually build your own custom gun. With modular systems like the AR-15, M16, M4 family it is easy to do, with numerous parts built to similar specs for simple assembly into different configurations. Other guns are not quite as easy to build and start with pieces of metal, commonly called receiver tubes or flats. They are not even finished to the point of being considered a firearm and usually require an extensive amount of bending, cutting, welding and drilling. Some of the more common home builds include MAC family firearms from flats, Sten family guns from pieces of tube, and AK47 family firearms from flats. Although a little beyond the ability of many weekend recreational shooters, they are not uncommon to see and several templates, bending jigs and drilling fixtures are available to help the advanced builder. In this issue we are going to go a step beyond the more common home builds and manufacture a firearm a little more complicated and extremely desirable. How about actually building your own MP5 clone from a non-gun receiver flat? Thanks to LSC Manufacturing, LLC. it’s a project much closer to the abilities of an advanced builder than ever before.

The Legal Stuff

The heart of any firearm is the receiver. This is the piece or part that is actually considered “the firearm.” While gun parts are typically unrestricted and readily available, it is the actual receiver that requires a transfer through a licensed federal firearms dealer and the necessity of the form 4473 and NICS check to obtain. Under federal law an individual can build their own firearm, but aside from assembling a few parts into a different configuration on an already manufactured receiver, few people actually build their own gun from scratch.

If the gun is going to be a standard rifle, shotgun or pistol, federal law doesn’t require any special forms or previous “permission” to partake such a project. If the end project is going to be an NFA firearm, such as a short-barreled rifle or a silencer, it requires preapproval on a BATFE Form 1. It is a registration form and is almost identical to the BATFE Form 4 used to transfer an NFA firearm and has a fee of $200. It is important to determine the type of firearm you are building before starting out to determine if it requires preapproval and NFA registration. The build we are completing in this article is a short-barreled rifle so if you wish to duplicate it and are not a Title II Manufacturer, you must have an approved BATFE Form 1 prior to beginning. The author is the proprietor of Small Arms Research, a licensed Title II Manufacturer, and chose to manufacture this project as a Short Barreled Rifle, and it was registered as such.

If you are manufacturing a rifle, either a Title I gun or a Title II Short Barreled Rifle you must comply with 922(r) and make certain you have the appropriate number of United States manufactured parts in your build. You can have no more than 10 imported parts. The appropriate parts may be obtained from several dealers, and some are listed at the end of this article in the “sources” section. If you are building this as a pistol, 922(r) does not apply and end caps are available to replace the rear stock for your pistol build directly from LSC.

In the Beginning…

Since we are building a firearm we need the ability to manufacture the previously mentioned receiver. With the earlier examples (Sten, AK47, M11, etc.) this starts with either a steel tube for rounded receiver guns, or a flat stamped out piece of metal that is folded and welded in a way that it will resemble an original receiver. They are not uncomplicated because everything has to fit to a specific tolerance but they are usually strait forward with 90º bends. Because this build is for an MP5-type gun, the receiver is almost a combination of a tube and a flat due to the bolt design and numerous bends necessary to accommodate the firing mechanism. Actually “making” this receiver used to take much more machinery than found in the average enthusiasts workshop. Enter LSC Manufacturing.

LSC Manufacturing is a small company with old-fashioned values, an eye for detail and they pride themselves on their customer service. Throughout this build project we needed to contact LSC several times to coordinate shipments and update progress. They were always available and happy to assist us at every turn. Their goal is to bring back OEM specifications to the HK build community and from the experience we have gained thus far, they are well on their way. LSC Manufacturing has several new products in many different phases and we will be watching for their introductions as they are announced.

Much to the delight of the “build it yourself” firearms enthusiasts, LSC Manufacturing debuted their BATFE approved “non-gun” receiver flats at SAR Show West, on December 5, 2008. These U.S. made flats incorporate a clamshell design where many of the critical and difficult bends are already incorporated in the flat. When it is lined up properly on a special jig and bent in a shop press, it can be welded to form the general receiver section. There is plenty of work to do even after this has been bent and welded but it starts to take shape fast, in a way that was once reserved only for those far beyond the “hobby builder” category.

A major feature that sets the LSC Flat apart from many other “flat build” projects, and makes a difficult build like an MP5 type firearm possible, is the LSC flat is preformed with the magazine-well and spine, as well as all surface areas surrounding the bolt carrier once properly folded and welded.

There are several steps involved to build a functioning firearm from its non-gun flat state, but due to the quality and pre-planning in the flat, it is a project in reach for many of us. In addition to the actual bending and welding of the flat itself, there are several parts that must be drilled, cut, precision fit and/or welded in place. All the small parts are supplied with the receiver flat as a “weld up kit” and include the shelf block for use with a semiautomatic trigger group, the case deflector, the rear stock bushing, the small, flat scope mounting piece for the top of the receiver, the rear site base, and the sling clip.

Out with the Old

A key component we have yet to mention is something that is absolutely essential to assembling your own rifle. You need a demilled MP5 parts kit to assemble on and around your new receiver. These can be obtained from many sources or you can purchase one directly from LSC, starting at $1,500 or so depending on the configuration and condition. You can get some necessary parts from www.HKSpecialist.net as well. Other places you can check are ad boards from popular Class III enthusiast websites like www.SubGuns.com and www.Sturmgewehr.com. A Class III dealer may enjoy getting some value from old dealer samples no longer being used in demonstrations or upon surrendering the license. They may have more value to someone as a parts kit once properly demilled than as a post 1986 dealer sample machine gun.
Once you get your parts kit it will be necessary to further disassemble it and prep the parts for use in your new build. This can be a painstakingly time consuming project because you want the parts to be in as good a condition as possible.

First, remove every part that will be needed for the new gun that only requires a simple detail disassembly. This would include all stocks and stock pins, bolt and carrier, cocking lever and pusher, bayonet lug cover, front and rear sights, trigger group and housing, selector, magazine release, etc. Clean, degrease and clean all these parts and put them in a big zip-loc bag or box and label them for new build.

The parts you can reuse from the receiver pieces you have left are the barreled trunnion, the cocking tube, and the rear sight base. These can be removed with a Dremel tool or with air tools by cleanly removing the factory welds. Extreme patience and caution should be used when removing them so you do not remove material from the parts you wish to reuse. Refer to the photos accompanying this article to see how we removed them.

An important note when prepping parts for the build involves the fully automatic fire control group (FCG) if one came with your parts kit, and if you are or are not going to need it. Once you bend and weld the receiver, being in possession of the fully automatic FCG can create legal constructive possession problems. If you plan to modify the original FCG to be used in the semiautomatic build we will address it later in this article.

On a final note in dealing with the original parts kit, when you are disassembling your demilled parts kit it is an ideal time to check the condition of all the parts. Look for anything that may have been cracked, broken or worn out. These parts can be changed out at the time of the new build and lessen the chance of having an unsafe condition with your new build. It can also lessen troubleshooting headaches if the new build is completed but does not perform to your expectations.

It is also a good time to check the headspace of the working relationship between the original bolt, locking piece, rollers and trunnion. The head-spacing can be checked with standard feeler gauges. Since you are going to be using and installing the same parts, and the optimal positioning for these parts will be in the same position with the same relationship once welded in your new receiver, you “should” find the same reading once you are done. To check the head-spacing with the demilled parts kit, with the bolt locked fully closed into the trunnion, you want to measure the space between the bolt and the bolt carrier. It is easy to check this relationship with a huge chunk of receiver missing or even peeled back from the old demilled receiver. When it is reassembled in your new receiver it is also easy to see this parts relationship from inside the mag-well, looking down from the top. With the bolt and carrier locked fully into battery inside the trunnion, the “gap” between the rear of the bolt and the front of the carrier should ideally be between .25mm (.010 inch) and .45mm (.018 inch). If it is outside those parameters it can be adjusted by replacing the rollers with either oversized or undersized rollers. Standard rollers are 8.0mm and can be purchased from 7.92mm to 8.04mm with an adjustment range of +.04mm to -.08mm so you have a fairly wide spectrum to choose from to obtain the proper headspace.

Modification of Original Parts

At the time of your build you will need a semiautomatic FCG to use with your finished product. Neither is it legal to install it in the semiautomatic build, nor will it actually even fit once the shelf is welded into the receiver. If you do not have a semiautomatic FCG you can modify a factory fully automatic FCG with a few more steps. We already had several semiautomatic FCGs to use from past projects so we didn’t get into the modification procedure but the directions are available from LSC on their website. If you do have a properly modified or semiautomatic FCG it is best to just discard the one that came with the demilled kit. Any Title II manufacturer will be happy to take it off your hands or someone with a registered “push-pin” machine gun may be able to use it.

Even if you have a semiautomatic FCG you may wish to use a factory fully automatic grip frame for aesthetics. It is not a violation to have a grip frame marked with the fully automatic (or burst) position and will look much more like a factory MP5 if that is the look you are after. To use the frame supplied with your parts kit, or any other factory fully automatic frame it will need to be modified. Since factory grip frames are attached with a pushpin and the semiautomatic version uses a shelf with no hole for attachment, it will not simply slip on.

The shelf used on the semiautomatic is wider than the space available between the pushpin ears. To put it plainly, it won’t fit. The fast and easy way to resolve this issue is to simply cut the ears for use with the original pushpins right off. You can use a Dremel or even use a hacksaw to remove the ears and finish it up with a fine sanding bit, stone or file. If you want that “original” look, you have the option to measure the width of the new shelf and remove some material inside the ears to the fit over it. That is the direction we chose. If you want an even more realistic look and not have two empty holes in the ears you can cut off the ends of the original push-pin and glue one on each side giving the look of the pin being inserted.

The next change you will need to make to the original grip frame is to remove some material so it will slide over the new shelf and hold the frame and trigger pack in place. The original packs have a steel plate in the front that will not allow it to be used on a gun with a shelf. You will need to open the slot in this plate to allow it to slide over the new shelf. Since there are several builders of semiautomatic versions of these guns and have been making and converting them for many years, we have seen a few different methods relating to the attachment of the grip frame and the proper indexing of the trigger pack. We will leave the style you want to use to your discretion. Some manufacturers will modify the trigger pack so it actually sits on the new shelf inside the grip frame. This is done by removing a little extra material from the front of the grip frame, allowing the shelf to ride tightly under the trigger pack. In this case the critical dimension is the height of the cut on the trigger pack, as it will relate directly to the height of the shelf. The other method we often see is where the grip frame is cut to a precise height to rest directly on the shelf and a little extra material can be taken off the trigger pack since it never contacts the shelf directly. For this build we cut them both as even as possible to rest tightly on the shelf and it works fine.

In With the New

The first thing we did was mark the receiver. Small Arms Research uses a 3-axis CNC Engraver and it is much easier to clamp and engrave a flat surface than one with multiple contours such as an MP5. Regardless of the marking method you choose, this is the best time to mark the receiver with the least amount of trouble.

When you order your LSC receiver flat you will receive the “weld up kit.” It will provide you with a new rear sight base, which will save some prep time and the shelf for the semiautomatic trigger pack. You will also need the scope mounting piece, case deflector and rear stock bushing.

In order to effectively bend your receiver flat to the proper shape we would strongly recommend contacting Flat Solutions to purchase their bending jig. It is a simple and effective mechanism and we used it with ease. Those of you who are a little more adventurous than this writer may be able to fashion a jig yourself but since one was available we didn’t tempt fate any more than we needed to.

The receiver flat is provided with an “ear” at each end to drop over a guide rod and help it to stay centered while bending. A steel ramrod dowel also slides over these alignment pins after the receiver flat is inserted. This is the surface that will be pushing directly on the receiver flat and forcing it down into the jig.

Two ram legs are inserted into the ramrod and the main ram is inserted over the legs. The shop press pushes directly on this main ram and this ensures that pressure is exerted equally. As soon as you start putting pressure on it the receiver flat will start taking shape and if one end is curling up much faster than the other the jig can be repositioned in the press to distribute the pressure equally.

Pressure is slowly increased until the receiver sides are bent up and touching. If they are not lining up even it is easy to tweak it by gently “rolling” it in the press a tiny bit to help increase the lift on the slow side. When they are all touching and lined up, the front push rod will be inside the newly formed magazine-well and the rear will be inside the rear of the receiver in front of the rear stock attachment point where you will later weld in the takedown pin.

At this point we removed the receiver from the jig and clamped it together. We checked to make certain everything was true by sliding the bolt carrier through it, making sure it slid freely without hanging up on anything. At this time you can also check the fit of your rear stock after snipping the guide ear at the rear. The front guide ear may also be snipped off at this point. A small file will smooth the surface on both ends.

After clamping and testing the shape of the receiver we slowly started the welding process to completely close the flat and attach it at all points. Several times during this process we stopped to recheck the fit of the bolt carrier to make sure it moved freely. We had no problem with it at this point so everything was smooth but if you do have any issues where it is snug, the easiest time to tweak the receiver is before it is fully bent and welded for obvious reasons. To this point, if we could recommend anything to Flat Solutions to make the build easier it would be the addition of a mandrel that mimics the shape of the bolt carrier, but much longer and heavier. This would allow the manufacturer a tool to use for checking the inside diameter without the extra wear and tear on the original bolt carrier. If it were heavy enough it would also serve to assist in tweaking the receiver in the early stages of the build, and possibly even help to “form fit” the welded receiver should a small alignment issue arise.

After welding the receiver we needed to add the shelf to hold the new FCG. The placement of the shelf requires a precise measurement where it covers the area that the hole for the original push-pin would be on an original submachine gun. After giving it some deep thought we simply fitted the shelf to the proper fit inside the grip frame with the trigger pack inside and held it up to the receiver so it fit snug and flush with the receiver using the rear stock takedown pin hole for alignment. We marked the proper location for the shelf and proceeded to make a small tack weld after squaring it up. At this point we slid the grip frame and trigger pack over the shelf and slid the stock over it to make sure everything fit correctly before completely welding it in place. This method proved to work fine in our build project.

The next step was to weld in the case deflector that came with the LSC weld-up kit. It is placed inside the receiver and flushed to the top of the squared slot directly to the rear of the ejection port. While it may be welded in at an earlier time in the build we chose to do it at this time. Two small plug weld holes were drilled in the receiver to weld the deflector in place and it was permanently attached. At this point we checked the internal fit once again for free movement of the bolt carrier and found it to be a little tight. We used some marking ink on the bolt carrier to see where it was dragging and used a fine stone on a long shaft to gently smooth out the interior of the receiver.

We were ready to fit the barreled trunnion at this point. We drilled four plug weld holes in the receiver to weld in the trunnion. We made sure to choose different locations from the original welds on the factory demilled parts kit we removed it from. The front alignment ear was also snipped from the top of the receiver and the area smoothed up where the cocking tube would be inserted. Much to our delight the trunnion and cocking tube both slipped in and fit tight and snug. The alignment of the trunnion before welding it in place is very important to ensure proper function. Placement can easily be checked by making certain the barrel pin is aligned perfectly with the pre-cut holes in the receiver. Since we were using a barreled trunnion with the front sight post attached, we inserted the cocking tube in the receiver and also slid the trunnion into the receiver while sliding the point it is inserted into its position in the front sight mechanism at the same time. To ensure proper alignment of the cocking tube since it is a much smaller diameter than the corresponding hole below the front sight we turned down a steel dowel on a lathe to act as an alignment pin. The small end of the dowel fit snugly inside the cocking tube and the large end fit snugly inside the tube it corresponds with; perfectly centered. With the alignment pin in place the cocking tube was welded to the receiver followed by the trunnion. Once again everything was checked for alignment. At this point it is important to remember to insert the cocking handle and linkage before dropping the bolt and carrier into the receiver in case the roller lock mechanism on the bolt drops into the trunnion.

After ensuring proper alignment once again, the rear stock bushing was centered and welded into place, followed by the rear sight base and the small flat scope-mounting piece.

This would conclude the welding. The last step would be opening up the section of the receiver to accept the magazine release and installing the components. The receiver flat is partially pre-cut in this area but must be finished to fit. To ensure we had the proper placement of the mag-catch we brought several plastic “snap caps” to cycle through the feeding mechanism so we would know the magazine locked in at precisely the right height in relation to the bolt. Most people reading this magazine are aware of the headaches that can be caused when a magazine doesn’t fit just right and lock in at the right height. If the magazine is too high it can drag on the bolt creating cycling and feeding problems. If the magazine locks in too low it can have serious feeding problems. Both issues can create a situation where factory magazines must be altered to work properly and that is frustrating and time consuming to deal with. After several light cuts with a small file, the mag-catch was installed and it was time for the real test, live fire.

Off to the Range

After picking up the workshop and triple-checking everything again, the gun was cleaned of any debris and lightly lubricated. The remaining parts were installed and the furniture and sights were mounted. Everything cycled well and felt great but it was time for the true test of the project. Immediately upon arriving at the Small Arms Research Test Facility we loaded several magazines with numerous types of ammo and hung a test target. We started the live fire testing by loading a single round into a magazine. With great anticipation the trigger was squeezed and: BANG!

The gun was examined, the brass casing was collected and evaluated, and the target was inspected. The casing looked fine and the target had a clean, single hole just above the bulls-eye. So far, so good. This was repeated for several rounds with the same results when we started loading two rounds in the magazine. Most guns can fire a single round and still have serious problems, and even though we were delighted it was feeding the single round from the magazine and ejecting it correctly, the real test would come in repeated firing as it was designed and built to do.

The magazines, each with two rounds, were lined up on the bench and we inserted the first of them. The opened bolt was slammed shut and the first round was fired. With almost the same anticipation as the first shot, the trigger was slowly squeezed and BANG! It feeds, fires, ejects and feeds again. Now were getting confident that it was built correctly and the painstaking time we took to do things slowly and methodically was going to pay off. The range session ended with firing full magazines of several types of ammo without a stoppage, hiccup or failure of any kind.

What’s Next?
The gun was brought back to the shop and completely disassembled and inspected again. After finding no areas of wear or stress it was cleaned up, given a coat of flat black paint to protect the steel surfaces and it was time to choose a final finish. Since it was a complete “ground-up” custom build, a traditional finish was ruled out. We were building it to show that it (hopefully) could be done, not by professional gun builders, but by reasonably knowledgeable individuals (RKIs) with some basic skills. Since the thought of actually building an MP5 type gun from a receiver flat was so far from what used to be possible by people in our skill set, it was decided to try a new finishing process as well. It wasn’t a “normal” MP5 so a normal finish just wouldn’t do.

After doing a lot of research, we found a company in Florida (Hydro Print Services) specializing in Hydrographic printing, also known loosely as a “water dip finish.” Even though this is a time proven process, it is finally becoming available to single piece end users and no longer reserved for only huge runs by major manufacturers. That fits the theme of this build just fine.

In general terms the process works like this: Your gun (or knife or magazine or silencer, etc.) is cleaned and prepped and sprayed with a thin coat of base primer. As it is getting to the end of its drying cycle, your chosen finish pattern is cut to the proper size and actually laid to float on the surface of a water bath. The film is sprayed with an activator to dissolve the film and leave just the pattern material floating. The gun is immediately submerged in the water, right through the pattern, then immediately removed. After a quick wash to get rid of any residue, the gun is sprayed with a special urethane coating to protect the finish and it’s done.

The beauty of this finish is that it lends itself well to surfaces with numerous shapes, folds and bends, even compound curves as the floating pattern actually bonds to every surface evenly and flows around the intricate surfaces in places where a normal finish could never reach. The other real bonus is that it will adhere equally well to numerous types of materials as shown on our test piece where we had the finish applied to the gun, the plastic furniture, some magazines and even an old 3-lug silencer we have had for years. When it returned from the printing service we couldn’t have been more pleased with the end result and reasonable pricing.

There are several patterns available (over 300 at the time of this writing) to have for your final finish and while some are in the “traditional” category, some are WAY outside the box. These patterns look like they have a real 3-dimensional finish and the detail is amazing. This gun has been accused of being airbrushed by numerous people not yet familiar with the Hydrographic Printing process. That’s quite a complement to the detail and finish. Though there are several available patterns, I decided to let my 7-year old son pick out the one we would use on this gun, so it was done in “Reaper Black”, a pattern that looks like an urban snow camo from a distance, but actually numerous, highly detailed grey skulls on a black background. We wanted unique, and that’s exactly what we have. Patterns can be found online at the address following this article in the sources section.

With any finish, the single factor as important as what it looks like from the finisher is the durability it has. We are pleased to say that thus far (about a month of banging around in the safe) we have put almost 1,000-rounds through it and it has been taken apart and cleaned and lubricated 3 times with no degradation of the finish in any visible areas and not even any noticeable wear on the magazines where they are inserted and locked in over and over. It’s far from a long-term test, but so far it is very promising.

Observations and Conclusions

This was one heck of a project from start to finish. If we had been thinking, we would have had a stopwatch running for the entire build but it was an afterthought. Loosely keeping track of time, two of us spent approximately 16 hours between stripping and prepping the demilled parts gun for parts and bending, welding and fitting the new flat to a firing state. Some of this time was spent in shop set-up and some was spent in building the alignment dowel pin we created for aligning the cocking tube and barreled trunnion for welding. It was done slowly and methodically since it was a first-time build for both of us with few real written directions to go by. Many phases of the project were viewed by four eyes when only two were really necessary in hindsight. We also took longer than usual to document the build for publication, making notes and snapping photos in most phases. If we decided to build a few more we believe we could cut the overall prep and build time almost in half on any subsequent builds because we know the build order and could each strike off prepping and working on separate phases of the build at the same time.

The work is quite strait forward and the more familiar the builder is with the host family weapon the easier it will be. The learning curve drops fast when the parts relationship is already known. It may take someone who does not have much time on the MP5 platform a little longer. Since we used a semiautomatic fire control group we already had available, you can plan on spending a few more hours in converting the factory FCG for semiautomatic use if you choose that direction. Also, since this writer is an 07/SOT we didn’t have any wait time for approval in the SBR build, nor did we have to permanently pin a barrel extension to achieve the 16+-inch barrel length necessary to meet the Title I firearm criteria.

The end result is certainly something to be excited about. This single build has shown us that properly built, it functions on par with any of the numerous factory German guns this writer has had the pleasure to own and it is incredibly accurate. All who have had the chance to fire it, some with a great amount of time on the MP5 family of firearms, have commented on its accuracy and are surprised at the entire project. The flat and parts from LSC worked great and nothing was misrepresented at any level. Their staff was helpful in all questions. At a retail price of $199.95 for the flat and the weld-up kit we believe there will be several additional “to do” lists for our fellow RKIs in the coming months.

Tools of the Trade

This build isn’t a “no tools necessary assembly project” and we don’t want anyone caught by surprise. Here is a list of the tools needed to complete this build.

• Drill press (& drills)
• Dremel Tool (and cutoff wheels, stones, sanders, etc.)
• Calipers
• C-Clamps (several and assorted sizes)
• Vice grips
• 6-inch vise
• 12-ton shop press
• TIG welder
• Tin snips
• Belt sander
• Aluminum barrel blocks for vice
• Large flat file
• Assortment of needle files
• Air compressor (and cut off wheel, air gun, grinding stones and wheels, etc.)
• Machinist (or felt tip) marker
• Hack saw with fine metal blade
• Hammers, punches, screw drivers, etc.

Sources

MP5 Flats & Parts Kits
LSC Manufacturing, LLC.
P.O. Box 521 Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Ph: (310) 699-9150
Email: info@LSCManufacturing.com
www.LSCManufacturing.com

Parts Kits
www.HKSpecialist.net
www.Subguns.com
www.Sturmgewehr.com

Flat Bending Jig
Flat Solutions
Flatsolutions@yahoo.com

Hydro Print Finishes
Hydro Print Services
5400 Park Blvd.
Pinellas Park, FL 33781
Ph: (727) 544-7935
www.HydroPrintServices.com