Recently while doing research for my upcoming book on the Reising submachine gun, I made arrangements to visit the Quantico Marine Base located near Washington, DC. I had been communicating with Ken Smith-Christmas of the Quantico Museum about the possibility of examining any Reising guns they might have in their possession. He told me that they did have a few Reisings, and if I would give him a few weeks notice he would be more than happy to show them to me. Shortly thereafter I was on my way to Quantico, Virginia.

The Marine Base at Quantico is located just off Interstate I-95 about 40 miles south of Washington, DC. The base encompasses approximately 60,000 acres, and is home to over 12,000 military personnel, their families and civilian employees. Thousands of troops were trained at the base during WWI, including units of the 4th Marine Brigade. After WWI ended, new tactics and techniques of amphibious warfare were conceived, developed and perfected at Quantico. These amphibious tactics proved invaluable during the Marine island battles in the Pacific Theater of WWII.

The small air facility at Quantico has been instrumental in developing helicopter techniques that were used in the Korean and Vietnam wars. More recently Quantico pioneered the development of V/STOL aircraft and amphibious assault ships. An interesting Marine Air-Ground Museum is located near the airfield. The museum’s many exhibits illustrate a chronological view of the Marine Corps Air-Ground team’s development and role in modern warfare. Sitting just outside the gates of the airfield is President Dwight Eisenhower’s presidential helicopter. Eisenhower was the first president to utilize a Marine helicopter for transportation. The world famous FBI Academy, universally recognized as a leader in law enforcement training and research is also located on the base. There also are many historical Marine statues located throughout the area.

After an unintentional tour of the Marine facility at Quantico and a few phone calls I finally located Mr. Smith-Christmas’s office. After the proper introductions Ken and I drove across the base to an obscure, unpretentious building. We walked up to the building’s entrance and once inside I saw a huge vault door. I had a feeling something wonderful was about to take place. After making several telephone calls to security for authorization we were cleared to open the door. Once the huge steel door swung open and I was able to peer inside, Reisings vanished from my immediate thoughts.

The very first thing I saw were rows upon rows of what appeared to be wooden stocked FN-FALS. My first thought was, could these be the rare T-48s manufactured by H&R and High Standard for the service rifle trials in the mid 1950’s? Mr. Smith-Christmas confirmed my suspicions, yes they were, 78 of them in brand new condition! As I looked around I saw racks of miniguns, Vulcan cannons, chain guns and other exotic weapons of all types.

Some of the more unique weapons in the vault were: John Browning’s prototype “Potato Digger” serial number 1. Sitting on the floor was an experimental water cooled Lewis machinegun. Some of the shoulder fired weapons I saw were M3 carbines with infrared sniper scopes, M1 carbines with experimental folding stocks and Thompson style vertical foregrips. There were even a few Special Purpose Individual Weapon (SPIW) prototypes.

There were many weapons and not just one example, but seemingly endless rows of RPD’s, M60’s, Maxims and Vickers machineguns. One area contained a cache of weapons captured by the Marines in Desert Storm. These weapons were mostly Soviet designs, except for a WWII German MP44 Strumgewher leaning in the corner.

On the “milder” side I examined rows of various sniper rifles, a 1903 rifle equipped with a rare Pederson device, and several rare variations of he M1 Garand rifle.

Foremost in my mind was the fact that all these interesting, rare and historical weapons were sitting in this vault out of view from those folks like myself who would love to see them on display in museums. Mr. Smith-Christmas shared my feelings and said in the future something could be forthcoming. I conveyed to him that it would be a tragedy to see any of these weapons destroyed. He also agreed with me on that point as well.

Much to my relief I discovered that Mr. Smith-Christmas is an avid shooter and collector of firearms, and very much interested in preserving the weapons in the vault for present and future generations. It was good to know that there are people like Ken Smith-Christmas watching over these historic pieces.

I’ve been catching some flak lately- nothing too serious, just a couple of shots across the bow. I thought this might be a good point to address the issues that have been brought up. Probably the most prevalent complaint has to do with “Toy” articles. When we first started to run these, there were a lot of positive comments. Most were in the vein of “Where can I find these antiques”, “Love the memorabilia articles”, “How about putting values on these items so that as I find them, I know what to pay”. However, this positive response has “Petered” off and been replaced with “Hey! How about more gun articles?” “If toys are all that we Class 3 owners are reduced to having, we should just give up”, and similar negatories.

I don’t mean these concerns aren’t serious, I simply mean that the situation is fixable. There were several reasons for the “Emmageeman’s Corner” being used- partially because of filling out a color section of SAR quite handsomely, and partially because many of us do like these articles.

The solution here seems to be in the form of a compromise- I have asked Robert Segel to do some articles on machine gun accessories for his next group of “Emmageeman’s Corner”. These will include photo essays on water cans for machine guns, Anti-Aircraft sights for machine guns, and items in a similar manner. Then, on occasion, we will spice things up with another machine gun memorabilia article. Hopefully, this will service the Class 3 community with a nice photographic identification series for those hard to figure accessories.

Other comments from the readers have been in regard to what they would like to see more of in SAR. Belt fed articles top the list, followed closely by “How-to” articles, as in “How to headspace and time a 1919 Browning Machine Gun” (Coming in the next issue), “How to change calibers on a Vickers Gun”, etc. Next is a series of Thompson articles by different authors, and we have some real good competition submachine gun articles coming up.

Remember that if you, the reader, send us your thoughts on what you want to see in SAR, we will listen and try to give you more of it.

Amnesty talk: I am hearing a lot more talk about Congress looking at an Amnesty similar to the 1968 one in regard to machine guns. The talk is coming from “Our” side of course; the “Other” side is saying, “When hell freezes over”. I am an advocate of an Amnesty period being declared where the general public has a year to register any machine guns that are either not on the NFRTR or have been accidentally deleted from it. This one year period is to be used to correct the flaws in the NFRTR. The reason is simple: the NFRTR, which is the registry of all NFA firearms, is demonstrably “Off”. This means that if someone has a machine gun that was taxed and registered, but the government doesn’t have a record of it, that person may find themselves the target of an ATF raid, with the ensuing life threatening and lifestyle threatening consequences. It may have already happened to someone.

The NFRTR is quoted as being accurate for the purposes of prosecution- if the firearm in question is not on the registry, then it must be an untaxed, unregistered firearm. This situation is similar to the FBI’s fingerprint system. At present, the FBI can certify in court that “The defendant’s fingerprints are on the item”. Imagine for a moment that two people are found who have identical fingerprints. The new testimony would have to be “Fingerprints very like the defendant’s were on the item”. Sounds a lot different, doesn’t it? It sure would in a courtroom. Well, if the NFRTR is not 100% accurate, then an ATF agent’s testimony would change from “This firearm is not on the NFRTR, and the NFRTR is accurate” to “This firearm is not on the NFRTR, but we are only partially accurate in our records”.

It would seem that an Amnesty would be necessary to fix the situation, so long as this period was used to make the corrections to the NFRTR. I don’t expect to see one any time soon, but that doesn’t mean I won’t advocate one.

Dan Shea

I want to thank SAR for lending not only this space, but also for its significant impact on uniting this community of friends. It is essential at this time to indeed unite for a cause that has been set in front of us. As you have read earlier in these pages, our current project is to be a national-scale legal battle, attempting to remove the Chief Law Enforcement Officer (CLEO) certification from the forms used to pay tax on NFA items. This is one of the many issues that NFA manufacturers, dealers, purchasers and enthusiasts should see as needing of reform. The BATF Forms 1, 4, or 5 are the entryway to joining the NFA community, and the CLEO certification is the part of these forms that lends itself to corruption, confusion and abuses of power that amount to de facto gun control.

The CLEO “signoff” portion of the Forms 1 and 4 is what stops most people from paying tax to take transfer of their NFA firearms. We as NFA enthusiasts are often confounded by local officials conspiring amongst themselves to not sign these forms. (Dade County, FL and Houston, TX for examples.) We are flummoxed when we see proof of ATF staff advising local officials not to sign off on their own requirement on their own forms.

Often dealers find it in their interest to search out friendly chiefs and sheriffs in order to provide signoffs for their clients. In some areas, if you don’t buy the item from a store that made a significant contribution to the sheriff’s re-election fund, you don’t get a signoff.

We waste our anger on locals who have no business viewing our private tax documents in the first place, yet are “required” to by an illegal BATF form. We waste time trying to issue writs of mandamus to local officials, attempting to get them to “do their job”, when it clearly isn’t their job.

Is it not obvious that this federal requirement lends itself to local corruption? Is it not obvious that a federal form should not require a local signoff? As the ATF looks at the Form 1, 4 and 5 as federal tax documents, is it also not obvious that you should not need to submit your private tax information to scrutiny and ambiguity of some local official’s prejudices and preferences? This requirement is a violation of the Appointments clause of the Constitution (what brought the Brady laws down), as well as an affront to the 14th Amendment (Which ensures due process and equal protection no matter where you live).

The good guys, generally meaning WE, can win a lawsuit challenging this requirement. We, the NFA community, have traditionally been ignored, forgotten, or worse – sold out by mainstream firearms lobbyist groups. So we’re doing things ourselves. The process has been set in motion by a non-profit, grassroots organization birthed from our own ranks. The 1934 Group is collecting donations now to fund this suit.

Attorneys Jim Jeffries and Steve Halbrook have agreed to co-counsel, provided that the 1934 Group holds up on its end of the deal: coming up with the financial ammunition to bring this to its final outcome. Not surprisingly, that’s where you come in. We need and expect your support. The NFA community, from manufacturer to dealer to end user to their future heirs stand to benefit greatly from such a change in the way business is done. I sincerely hope you realize this and help us to advance your freedoms.

Be the change that you want to see in the world. — M. K. Gandhi

My Thanks in Advance,

Kel Whelan
Chairman, 1934 Group

Private Donations in personal or company cheque, money order (Please make notation on ‘memo’ field of your cheque if you prefer to stay anonymous to the CL3 community) can be sent to:

1934 Group
12701 NE 9th PL Suite #D312
Bellevue, WA 98005

SAR is not involved in this fundraising effort, but we are cheerleaders for the project. We see no reason for this requirement staying in place in light of how much it has been abused. If you want to continue to exercise your Right to own firearms by purchasing NFA firearms, there should be no unwritten local impediment. We support the 1934 Group and their attorneys, James Jeffries and Stephen Halbrook. We hope you will as well. Let’s DO something about our problems, not just complain about them. -Dan

Strong Sales Mark ’99 SHOT SHOW

Against an ominous backdrop of challenging legal and political issues, the 21st SHOT SHOW experienced strong attendance and buying activity. Four days of enthusiasm took place at the show’s venue, the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, February 1 – 4, although the city did not make attendees feel welcome after announcing its intention to sue many of the industry’s leading manufacturers.

Despite the negative environment created by the host city, many exhibitors said sales of firearms and related products exceeded their expectations, and they took that as a sign that their industry is in good shape for the year ahead.

In Atlanta for the first time in 14 years, the event was within easy driving distance of thousands of retailers who live in the East-one reason that on-site registration proved to be surprisingly strong.

Overall attendance was 25,800, which included 13,300 buyers, 11,400 exhibitors and 1,100 journalists. Having strong international appeal as the biggest show of its kind, exhibitors and attendees came to Atlanta from 75 different countries. The show saw its largest gathering ever of the general and outdoor press, including national television crews.

Both the overall total and buyer attendance figures were lower than that of last year, but show organizers said the falloff was within expected limits. “We always have our best attendance in Las Vegas,” commented Bob Delfay, president and CEO of the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), which owns the SHOTSHOW.

“We did not expect Atlanta attendance to break the records established in Las Vegas in 1997 or 1998. However, considering some of the negative publicity and negative attitudes resulting from an announced lawsuit against our industry by the mayor of Atlanta, I think our attendance was very good,” Delfay said.

Business was so good that many exhibitors did not notice the difference in attendance, while others said sales made to dealers who came to the show because it was held in the East more than compensated for the drop-off in buyer attendance.

Cecil Cahill, vice president of marketing for Sports, Inc., said, “It’s not a matter of where the SHOT SHOW is held. It’s the most upbeat show out there today.”

Exhibitors appreciated the spaciousness and wide aisles of the World Congress Center, where 466,000-square-feet of booth space was used, making the1999 SHOT SHOW the largest ever in terms of floor space. Some visitors and buyers complained of the large amount of walking they had to do to get to the exhibitors they needed to see. The show was set up in two main exhibition halls connected by a concourse where new products were displayed.

“People were in a buying mood and in a positive frame of mind,” said Paul Clarence, director marketing administration at Winchester.

Bob Morrison, vice president at Taurus International, said, “This was the best SHOT SHOW we’ve ever had and the pinnacle of Taurus’s career so far.” Taurus took the occasion to unveil its new all-titanium handguns, which quickly became one of the show’s most-talked-about new products. “As a result of the show, our orders are coming in and they are big,” said Morrison.

Art Wheaton, vice president of marketing for Remington Arms Co., said business was good. “Remington has had a very, very successful show here,” he observed. “It’s definitely been as successful as Las Vegas for us.”

Echoing Wheaton’s sentiments, Steve Hornady, of Hornady Manufacturing, Inc., said, “It’s been a good show. We have a good, solid base of business for1999.” In fact, it was hard to find an exhibitor who was not pleased with sales. “This has been a positive show and we’ve had a great response to our new products,” noted John Sullivan, director of marketing for W.R. Case & Sons Cutlery Co.

A visit to the floor reservation selling space area for next year’s show found exhibitors engaged in heavy buying activity, with nearly all of the floor space for next year already sold, one year in advance.

While the year 2000 SHOT SHOW had originally been planned to be held in New Orleans, LA, that city’s announced decision to sue the firearms industry has caused the show to be rescheduled for Las Vegas, NV, next January 17 – 20.

The big city suits being filed against the industry could have the effect of ending private firearm ownership without the need for passage of new laws. In the first suit filed by the city of New Orleans, the municipality seeks unspecified “millions of dollars” against 15 gun makers, three firearms industry trade associations (American Shooting Sports Council, National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the Sporting Arms & Ammunition Manufacturer’s Institute), several gun dealers and pawnbrokers. The suit alleges manufacturers have refused to employ user-recognition technology that would allow only an authorized user to fire an individual gun.

While such technology, such as is being developed by Colt’s Manufacturing Co. is far from perfected, the suits can have the effect of spurring anti-gun zealots in state and local legislatures, to introduce bills that would prohibit the sale of firearms not containing additional safety devices. Such an effort recently came to pass in New Jersey, but it has since been tabled, although it is reported Governor Christine Whitman still speaks favorably about the bill.

In Chicago, which since the early 1980’s has effectively banned the acquisition of handguns by law-abiding citizens through its refusal to grant ownership permits to prospective handgun purchasers, lawyers for the city are suing 38 gun manufacturers, distributors and dealers for $433 million under a novel “public nuisance” theory claiming the industry over-saturated the market with more firearms than can reasonably be expected to be sold to holders of Illinois firearms owner’s ID cards.

Last June, the anti-gun MacArthur Justice Center at the University of Chicago filed a lawsuit accusing gun companies of knowingly aiding criminals in the commission of crimes by, among other things, making their products “affordable. If the plaintiffs were to prevail in this suit, lower-priced firearms would disappear from the market, effectively precluding sales of guns at the retail level to those with limited economic means.

The cumulative effect of the wave of suits against the gun industry overall, even if the suits are all eventually dismissed, could result in higher gun prices due to the industry’s need to recoup its legal expenses in defending itself against the suits. The recent tobacco settlement has resulted in an average $1 price hike in the price of a pack of cigarettes nationwide.

This author is of the opinion that if the city of Chicago wants to recover money from an industry truly pandering to criminals, it should sue the sneaker manufacturers. The February 19, 1999 edition of The Wall Street Journal, contains a page one article on a Chicago-area Athlete’s Foot franchise owner who operates several stores in high crime areas of the city. He has found his best salesman are current and former street gang members who advise him on what styles to keep in stock at the stores to appeal to the current fashion tastes of the various criminal street gangs in the city. The article even went on to relate how a shoe designer flew in from New York to visit the Chicago stores to gain insight into the latest street fashions from the store’s part-time gangster salesmen.

Special Meeting

In response to the gun industry suits, a special meeting and press conference was hosted by the American Shooting Sports Council (ASSC) during the SHOT SHOW. Held on the show’s opening day, it was well-attended by industry executives, ATF and FBI officials, attorneys, and various print and broadcast journalists.

Bill Pryor, attorney general of Alabama, and an early critic of the lawsuits filed by state attorney generals against the tobacco industry, called the tobacco suits (and the suits against the gun industry) “threats against the entire business community.”

“This dangerous marriage of tort (injuries to persons and property) lawyers and governments must be severed soon before it further weakens what remains of limited government, the rule of law and respect for individual responsibility,” Pryor stated. “Trial lawyers, richly rewarded for providing financial support for the tobacco suits, have even more resources as they now undertake the gun suits.”

Pryor provided some insight into the legal strategies employed against the gun industry. “When filing these cases, trial lawyers select judges known to be susceptible to ignoring legal doctrines. The judges pander to their trial-lawyer friends, who, in turn, contribute to judicial election campaigns, and the judges bask in the media attention accompanying their ‘landmark’ rulings.

Against this corrosive backdrop, a high-profile public relations campaign can be mounted by political clients such as mayors and attorneys general who extol the virtues of their ‘public interest’ litigation. When framed as a crusade to protect innocent children, the campaign can attract a host of liberal interest groups, Pryor pointed out.

“When the gun industry correctly argues,” Pryor warned, “it provides legal products for law-abiding citizens to defend themselves against crime, the trial lawyers will say that this benefit is irrelevant as the industry created the crime problem that required citizens to defend themselves.”

The lawsuits threaten the notion of limited government as they shift political disputes from legislatures to the judiciary and confuse citizens about the tenets of American government, such as the separation of powers, he asserted. Pointing out such suits are handled on a contingency basis by the trial lawyers (meaning the plaintiff’s lawyers only get paid if the suit is successful), he added that for many years it was considered unethical for an attorney to have a financial interest in the outcome of a lawsuit.

The contingency fee concept was developed to allow greater access to the court system by plaintiffs of limited economic means. The contingency concept is now being abused by the wealthy government clients suing the tobacco and firearms industries, Pryor said.

“While the mayors claim they are acting to fight crime, they are actually playing a blame game,” Pryor theorized. “They are unwilling to take responsibility for the crime problem. As a law enforcement official, I know crimes are caused by criminals, not by the gun industry. Indeed, by providing good-quality firearms at reasonable prices to law-abiding citizens and lawmen, the gun industry helps reduce crime.”

Rep. Bob Barr (R-GA) appeared at the meeting and noted the firearms industry makes a positive impact on America’s economy by contributing $24 – $25 billion annually in revenues. He added the suits against the industry are designed to put gun manufacturers out-of-business and vowed that the big city mayors bringing the suits would not find a “scapegoat” in the shooting industry.

In closing, Barr said Congress is considering adopting remedial legislation to prevent such suits in the future. On another note, Barr added the FBI’s administration of the permanent provisions of the Brady Act is also being looked at by Congress, as there is evidence the FBI has violated at least two federal laws in its method of operation of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System of gun buyers. “This is a matter of concern to those of us interested in upholding the law,” Barr emphasized.

Mayor Mary Ross Augusta of Miami Shores, Florida, a village of about 10,000 persons in Miami’s Dade County, said several recent incidents involving firearms misuse have prompted her to institute a firearms safety awareness program, rather than following the lead taken by the city of Miami in threatening to sue the industry. Augusta recently declared the month of November as “Children’s Safety Month,” and began a program of handing out gun locks to firearms owners interested in securing their firearms so that unsupervised children would not be able to operate the guns if encountered. The locks were provided free-of-charge by the non-profit educational arm of the ASSC, the American Firearms council, as part of its “Gun Lock Giveaway Project.”

NICS Problems

Conversations with firearm dealers reveal a widespread dissatisfaction with administration of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), which went into effect November 30. Nationwide, there have been reports of large numbers of firearm consumers leaving gun stores in disgust, unable to purchase firearms due to delays and wrongful denials by the system. Some dealers were left holding special orders they had purchased, but were unable to transfer, due to system glitches that caused customers to give up on completing their firearms purchases.

Gun Owners of America reports there have been several examples of official abuse, including: Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) officials telling gun dealers that a buyer can only purchase one handgun in a month’s time (in a state that does not have a one-gun-a-month purchase restriction law); state officials admitting they use the background checks to deny people with unpaid traffic fines; officials requesting copies of the 4473 forms (which all gun buyers are required to fill out) without any statutory authority to do so; and, FBI officials asking for gun serial numbers before approving background checks.

Sanford Abrams, owner of Valley Gun in Baltimore, Maryland, says 30 – 35% of the background checks conducted on his customers result in a “delayed” response from the NICS. Most often, delays occur when the background check is conducted on a person of African-American or Asian descent, Abrams added.

An increasing amount of employee time is being spent on trace requests (on who purchased a particular firearm) for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms (ATF) Abrams says. While the agency formerly checked only firearms directly involved in a crime, “now every gun found at a crime scene, for example all firearms found in a raid on a crack house, are checked as to who purchased them at the wholesale and retail levels,” Abrams explained.

Bill Carter, owner of five Carter’s Country stores in the Houston, Texas area says, “The NICS seems to go down regularly during mid-day, when there are a lot of customers in the stores during their lunch breaks. The sales lost during the massive delays experienced during the onset of the system during the hunting and Christmas selling seasons late last year are really having an impact on our bottom line now that sales have slowed down.”

Carter is finding that 25 – 30% of the NICS checks on his customers are resulting in “delayed” responses. Most often, those delayed are people with common names. “This is causing a great deal of consumer frustration, resulting in their leaving the store with no intention of ever returning. Some uninformed consumers, who do not often read newspapers or watch television news, are still totally surprised that the background check applies to long guns, as well as handguns. Some have walked out of my stores and gone to other gun stores in town, thinking the check only applied at my locations. Others have said they intend to buy a firearm from a gun show,” Carter said, or from a seller advertising in a newspaper classified advertisement, where no background check would be needed to complete the sale.

Carter has spoken to FBI officials, as well as to the top NICS executive, Emmet Rathbun, to let them know of his concerns. “They have indicated to me that the NICS operators who take the initial calls from dealers are not trained to process the background check when the prospective buyer’s social security number is voluntarily supplied. If the check results in a delayed response, then the operator turns over the supplied information, including the social security number, if available, to FBI personnel who conduct a more thorough check. What it all comes down to is that the consumer’s expectations of the system as being an ‘instant’ verification of their honesty is not being fulfilled,” Carter points out.

“On the positive side, whenever the FBI gets involved, they have worked diligently to get delayed responses processed. We only wish we could get them more involved before the check goes into a delayed status. FBI officials have also indicated they are moving closer to bringing to reality the promised electronic access to the NICS through in-store computer terminals, as an alternative to telephone voice access,” Carter concludes.

Amish Denied Guns

When an Amish customer attempted to buy a new $500 hunting rifle at the Lewiston Fishing and Hunting store in Lewiston, Pennsylvania, last November 30, the opening day of the state’s deer hunting season, he passed the just- implemented check of his background through the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) with flying colors. However, the store’s owner, Robert Mort, still could not transfer the firearm to the prospective purchaser as he could not fulfill the new additional requirement of the Brady Act mandating the production of a photo-identification card.

The customer’s Amish faith contains a prohibition on the faithful of having their photographs taken. While a state-run handgun buyer background check system has been in place in Pennsylvania for about the last 40 years, a religious exemption written into the law allowed members of the state’s large Amish population to show other, non-photo identification, such as a social security card, birth certificate, or state-issued non-photo ID card when purchasing a handgun.

But, with the federal government setting the rules for gun buyers, individual states now have no say over the photo identification requirement.

The Amish, Mort says, represent 10 – 15% of the total sales at his three Pennsylvania stores and the loss of their business is being felt. “The Amish, being pious and hard-working folk, engage in little recreation – except for fishing and hunting, which are a way of life for them,” Mort says.

“When an Amish boy becomes old enough to go hunting, it’s a rite of passage. It’s somewhat akin to a Bar Mitzvah for a Jewish boy. Yet, the Amish community will not rally against oppressive legislation, or even write letters to their congressmen. They just go with the flow,” Mort explains, adding he has spoken with other local gun dealers who are also losing sales to the Amish over the photo- ID requirement.

“I have contacted the state police about this, but they say their hands are tied by federal law. I have also contacted my state and local elected representatives, the National Rifle Association and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). I have yet to hear back from any of them with a definitive answer on the Amish issue,” Mort concluded.

SHOT SHOW 1999 coverage continues next month…

BLACK HILLS HEAVY BULLET .223 AMMUNITION

In response to requests, Black Hills has introduced a .223 caliber 62-grain Full Metal Jacket loading into its long line of high quality ammunition. The popularity of semi-auto rifles with twist rates of 1/7 to 1/10 inches has resulted in a demand for heavier FMJ bullets specifically designed for these rifles.

The Black Hills 62 grain FMJ is available loaded in virgin brass with the Black Hills headstamp or in the cost efficient remanufactured line which utilizes once fired military specification casings reprocessed with the attention to detail that Black Hills is famous for. Ballistically, both loads are identical at 3150 fps. This ammunition will be available by the time that you read this. For more information contact Black Hills Ammunition, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 3090, Rapid City, SD 57709. Phone: 1-605-348-5150. Fax: 1-605-348-9827.

As a side note, Black Hills Ammunition has been awarded a contract to provide match ammunition to the US Marine Corps. The contract required .223 (5.56mm) ammunition that would be magazine length and meet the demanding accuracy standards of 5 consecutive groups of 10 shots each at 300 yards with the average group not to exceed 2 inches. This ammunition will be used in competition at ranges up to 600 yards. The ammunition to win the contract used a 73-grain Berger hollow point, molycoated and loaded by Black Hills. This load is custom produced for the Marines and is not a catalog item for Black Hills.

AGUILA .22 SSS (SNIPER SUBSONIC) AMMUNITION

Aguila Ammunition, long known for its high quality line of ammunition, has just introduced two new products that will interest our readers. The first is a new .22 long rifle subsonic round. The new round is called the .22 SSS (Sniper SubSonic). This new subsonic cartridge is loaded with the heaviest .22 rimfire bullet in the world. The bullet is a solid point lead bullet weighing 60 grains. It can be fired in any .22 LR caliber gun that is in good condition. The velocity of the new .22 SSS is 950 fps with 120 ft-lbs of energy. The trajectory of the .22 SSS exhibits a greater drop than that of .22 LR ammunition loaded with 40 grain bullets, but it has a better residual velocity due to the higher inertia generated by its 60 grain bullet. Tests show that it penetrates approximately 24 inches of ballistic gelatin at 200 meters. The new .22 SSS will reliably cycle semiautomatic rifles and pistols. The other new ammo is the .45acp High Power round.

This new round features a high weight (117 grain) hollow point, alloy bullet that is loaded at a velocity of 1450 fps. The bullet is the same size and shape of a 230-grain bullet but is lighter in weight due to the sophisticated alloy that it is made from. It has a very low specific weight. The bullet has very high penetration capabilities in hard surfaces, consistently penetrating a 3/4-inch ballistic polycarbonate plate plus 12 inches of ballistic gelatin. It also transfers all of its energy into soft targets. When shot into ballistic gelatin the .45 ACP High Power bullet breaks up into 3 or 4 sharp fragments with each piece going in a separate direction. The new ammo is loaded in nickel cases and both the bullet and the primer are sealed. For more information on these two new innovative types of ammunition contact Aguila Ammunition distributor, Centurion Ordnance, Inc., Dept. SAR, 11614 Rainbow Ridge, Helotes, Texas 78023. Phone: 1-800-545-1542. Fax: 1-210-695-4603. E-mail to COrdnance@aol.com.

MIDWAY USAr RELOADING PRODUCTS

Midway USAr, “the world’s largest shooting and reloading store”, has now expanded its tremendous line of shooting and reloading supplies to include reloading tool products. Unveiled in the January issue of the Midway USAr monthly catalogs and introduced to the industry at the 1999 SHOT SHOW, the Model 2099 single stage reloading press is a unique addition to the industry. Designed to rigorous quality control standards, the Model 2099 will handle everything from routine loading to radical case forming. Its design features a frame opening with enough clearance for 3” Sharps and Nitro Express cartridges.

Super-sturdy cast heat-treated aluminum alloy construction, a steel press arm and a steel ram, will provide a lifetime of reloading pleasure. The new Model 2099 will retail for $109.99, which includes s&h to the first 48 states. Other new reloading products that are now available will be their “Indispensable” powder measure and their Smarter powder funnel which includes 16 different caliber specific nozzles. For more information on these and all of their excellent products contact Midway USAr, Dept. SAR, 5875 W. Van Horn Tavern Road, Columbia, Missouri 65203. Phone: 1-573-445-6363. Fax: 1-573-445-0863. On the web at midwayusa.com.

LEATHERWOOD SPORTER SCOPE

Most of our readers are familiar with the Leatherwood ART (Adjustable Ranging Telescope). Until now, the ART system scope has been very expensive and confined to one caliber. But now, that has changed. The new Leatherwood SPORTER uses a revolutionary new mechanism that allows the user to ballistically match the scope to the rifle’s specific ammunition by caliber, bullet weight, style and manufacturer. This allows its use on virtually any rifle from .17 Remington to .375 H&H Magnum. And this means that point of aim will equal point of impact, from less than 200 yards out to over 600 yards! The shooter no longer needs to estimate range and adjust for holdover; the scope adjusts trajectory automatically. The Leatherwood Sporter is a high quality 3X9X40mm variable power scope and base which utilizes four rings on the rear of the scope. These rings called the range, power, caliber and trajectory rings are interconnected so that they work together.
Once the scope has been set for caliber and sighted in, the four rings work together so that all the shooter has to do is bracket the target in the scopes’ aiming reticle by changing the magnification ring. The shooter then places the crosshairs on the desired point of impact and fires. For more information on the Leatherwood Sporter scope contact Federal Arms, Dept. SAR, 7928 University Avenue, Fridley, MN 55432. Phone: 1-612-780-8780.

SADW is a monthly electronic publication from Nick Steadman Features. Nick, intrepid world traveling reporter for much of the arms industry, files this 40,000 to 50,000 word report once a month to his loyal subscribers. Those lucky ones pay a mere $50 (US) £32.50 (UK) per year for the privilege of getting the hot tips and insights from one of the industry’s insiders. Nick’s unique perspective is globally based, as is his wit. Each issue is full of insight and information for those with an interest in Small Arms, as well as his observations on world travel.

1. WEAPONS, EQUIPMENT, TRAINING & ORGANISATIONAL NEWS

BM59s FROM COLLECTORS’ ARMORY: newest venture from Collectors’ Armory in the USA is its 7.62mm NATO BM59/62-99 rifle. The BM59 is the Italian 7.62mm conversion of the M1 Garand, and the components (less the unimportable receivers) of the rifles now to be offered in the US are coming from a batch of some 5,000 weapons in Argentina which had been converted over there to BM59E (full auto) standard. Collectors’ Armory has now found a manufacturer (Ramo) for the new (semi-auto) receivers who may also be prepared to take over the whole BM59/62-99 programme on its behalf.

5.56mm BOLTHEADS FOR No 4 ENFIELDS: Graig M Whitsey (Gunmakers) Ltd, a firm in Arundel (UK) is offering replacement 5.56mm/.223 Rem boltheads for No 4 Lee-Enfield rifles, with integral extractor & ejector, obviating the need for any modification to the receiver. Target shooting with 5.56mm is still in its relative infancy in the UK, but can be expected to develop steadily as better weapon designs and more accurate ammunition appear. Apart from anything else, if you’re a reloader, the powder charge is half the price of that required for 7.62mm NATO (UK contact Tel (01903) 883102, Fax (01243) 820673).

CROSSBOWS WITH YUGOSLAV SPECIAL FORCES: a very clear Reuters photo in the Independent at the end of Jan 99 showed a couple of members of the Yugoslav (Serbian) army special forces, riding in a vehicle. They were armed with 9mm MP5s, wearing Kalashnikov magazine pouches, and one was also holding a crossbow equipped with a telescopic sight. We’re aware the South Korean special forces use crossbows, and the UK has reportedly also done so in the past, though they seem an odd alternative to a suppressed firearm.

SUPPRESSED WEAPONS FOR EUROGUARDS: a Cybershooters item, quoting from the European Voice, said that suppressed sniper rifles with telescopic sights had been purchased by the European Commission in Brussels for use by its ‘security guards’. The writer suggested the disclosures raised some interesting questions regarding the legal relationship between these armed guards (who are presumably private citizens from a legal standpoint) and the Belgian police. In fact, the whole question of EU security is currently a closed book to all voters in member countries.

INDONESIANS JUMPY ABOUT CATAPULTS: Reuters said in early Jan 99 that police in Indonesia had discovered a training centre at a university near Jakarta where students were being taught how to use catapults (US – slingshots) against the security forces. Police said they had uncovered a plan to import large quantities of catapults for this purpose from the USA and Canada, including US ‘wrist rockets’, which the authorities claimed were almost as effective as a .45 pistol, though we can guess which the police would prefer to have in their holsters.

SOUTH AFRICAN SMART GUN: the Pretoria News said that the South African Department of Arts, Culture, Science & Technology’s National Innovation Fund was supporting 19 new projects over the next three years to the tune of nearly Rand 97m. Among these projects, which are aimed at improving crime, health & the environmental situation in South Africa, is an ‘intelligent firearm’ (aka Smart Gun), designed to respond only to a personalised signal, which could be a code, voice, fingerprint or retinal scan, and maybe only for a prescribed period, such as the shift worked by a security guard. It might also be capable of recording the time & date it is fired and the exact location of the weapon at that instant. We suspect the developers have been reading about similar ideas from Colt & Metal Storm. The story surprised our South African sources, who didn’t think the government had any spare money for projects like this.

STONER SR-50 SITREP: Knight’s Manufacturing was hoping to ship the first 100 production units of its .50 semi-automatic SR-50 rifle by May 99. This Gene Stoner design is best described as an upscaled M16 derivative, using a similar gas impingement mechanism working against the bolt carrier.

Refinements now include a one-piece tubular receiver with stiffening rails top & bottom, a straight-line gas tube system, two large securing lugs for the quick-detach barrel and a bolt hold-open setting on the change lever. The SR-50’s buttstock is also to be encased in a sorbothane tube for firer comfort. The side-mounted magazines will come in five and eight-round sizes and the two-stage trigger can be factory or user set. At the time we last spoke with the company, .50 rifle designer Charles Poff (best known under the American Arms & Ordnance Inc (AAO) name) had been working on the SR-50 with Knight’s Manufacturing for the best part of a year. Poff is still able to pursue his own bolt-action .50 AAO repeaters.

BLACK HILLS AMMUNITION ACTIVITY: Black Hills Ammunition in Rapid City (South Dakota) reports that it has secured the three-year contract to supply custom-loaded 5.56mm match ammunition to the USMC. It is produced to an overall length which permits magazine feeding in the M16A2 and loaded with a moly-coated 73gr Berger hollow-point bullet. The Marine Corps specified that the chosen load must deliver an average group of 2” or less with five consecutive ten-shot strings at 300 yards. It is used in competitive events out to 600 yards. Black Hills first supplied this ammunition in 1998 on a non-contract basis, and the Marines have used it to win several team and individual matches.

Separately, the US Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) has renewed its contract with Black Hills for the supply of 5.56mm long-range target ammunition loaded with the 80gr Sierra MatchKing. The ten-shot grouping requirement is below 0.6 MOA at 300 metres. Because of the overall length of the loaded cartridge, it must be manually loaded in the M16A2. Reportedly this 5.56mm load in the M16A2 will repeatedly outshoot the 7.62mm NATO M14. Black Hills first supplied the AMU with the 80gr loading in 1997; prior to that the army handloaded its own supplies.

Separately, there’s a new commercial 5.56mm Black Hills load with 62gr FMJ bullet, intended for faster-twist barrels. It can be supplied built from all-new components or in reloaded cases. MV is 3,150fps. There are now a dozen Black Hills factory loads developed for ‘cowboy action shooting’ events. The latest are the .44 Colt and .45-70 Government. The .44 Colt ($24.45 per 50 retail) is loaded in Starline cases with a 230gr RN flatpoint bullet at 730fps, and can also be fired in SA revolvers chambered for .44 Spl or .44 Magnum.

The .45-70 round ($21.95 per 20 retail), has a 405gr cast lead bullet with an MV of 1,250fps. Cases are a special heavy-duty Starline variety, 20grs heavier than other brands. It’s suitable for any modern weapons designed for smokeless powders, including replica Trap Door rifles.

Other Black Hills ‘cowboy’ calibres, all with plain lead bullets and packaged in period-look boxes, are .357, .38-40, .44-40, .45 Long Colt, .32-20, .44 Spl, .45 Schofield, .38 Spl, .38 Long Colt & .44 Russian. Black Hills also makes a range of military & law enforcement ‘specials’ in .308 calibre, not all of which appear in its commercial catalogues. They include .308 Subsonic for suppressed weapons, a .308 Minimal Penetration round which penetrates less than 12” of ballistic gelatine, plus a ‘superior’ .308 Match round using the Hornady 168gr BT Match bullet. A .308 Glass Penetration round is in development. The company now even has its own BHA headstamp (Contact e-mail: bha@black-hills.com, http://www.black-hills.com/)

B&T SUPPRESSORS FOR RECOIL-OPERATED PISTOLS: Bruegger & Thomet in Switzerland has become a significant player in the suppressed weapons market in recent years. It also supplies Heckler & Koch. One of its lines is the Impuls family of detachable muzzle suppressors for pistols, solving the functioning problems traditionally encountered with silencing of short-recoil handguns.

The Impuls design incorporates a special spring-mounted chamber at the rear of the suppressor which helps generate sufficient rearward impulse to operate the slide. There is a choice of the Impuls I, a basic model good for 100 rounds before cleaning, the Impuls II, which has a separate recoil chamber and rotating lock allowing the user to select quieter locked-breech operation if desired, plus the Impuls III, basically an Impuls II with an additional rubber wipe near the muzzle to augment suppression.
(http://www.bruegger-thomet.com/, E-mail: bruto@ibm.net)

SIMPLE SIMON’S KNOCKING AT THE DOOR: Jane’s IDR reported that, following a recent US army/USMC MOUT (urban warfare, or FIBUA in UK parlance) technology demonstration, a number of new equipments and stores would be purchased, most significantly Rafael’s ‘Simon’, a ‘breaching system’ from Israel, muzzle-launched from the M16 rifle. Simon is a hollow-charge munition offered in several ‘strengths’; Simon 50 blows windows, Simon 150 does for doors and Simon 300 makes holes in walls. Maximum stand-off range for firing is stated as 40 metres. Round dimensions were given as 357mm long by 100mm in diameter, with a one-off cost of $1,600, but half that sum in quantity. General stores being adopted include Tuff Cuffs and slash-resistant gloves and ‘sleeves’.

From the illustration accompanying the IDR report, it would appear that Simon can be used from quite close to the target, so we assume the vast majority of its target effects are focused forwards. But we’re not sure why something like this should be needed to blow out windows. Against doors & walls we assume it is an alternative to linear cutting charges.

The Rules of Engagement

He held the baby like a football, more than with the love that a father should show for his eighteen-month-old son. Like Walter Payton- in one hand, but in the other, a common kitchen knife. The father, unable to solve the problems of his life without violence, now held it to his son’s neck. At times, the baby had trouble getting a breath.

The 911 call came in from his young wife, from a neighbor’s house. He had recently knocked her unconscious as a result of his inability to solve problems constructively. Another casualty in the endless cycle of domestic violence. Now as the police arrived, he saw them and told them to, “Get away or “I’ll kill the kid.”

The responding patrol officers knew to get SWAT on the way quickly. This was a classic hostage situation. Not the kind where a robbery goes bad or strangers take strangers hostage, but far more common, based on a domestic relationship. Some of the SWAT officers were fairly close, having dinner together after a day of training. They began to arrive on scene very quickly.

One of the first dropped down prone near the kitchen window of the trailer. A SWAT sniper, he deployed his long gun only 35 feet away from the window where the suspect held his son without attempt to conceal himself. He knew how quickly this event was unfolding. At the extreme low end of the statistical distance for civilian police sniper events, he dialed his Leupold scope all the way down to 3.5 power to take in the most information that he could. Even then he had more scope than he needed.

The patrol officer negotiated with the suspect through a closed kitchen window. Again in anger, or as if to prove some kind of point, the suspect punched out the window that the sniper was observing him through, removing the last doubt the sniper had for hesitating. Spalling glass moves at the same velocity as the bullet, in this case Federal GM308M, dangerous to the innocent child.

The patrol officer pleaded with the father to drop the knife as the arriving SWAT officers formed a hasty rescue element in the event they were needed. The father answered, pointing to the sniper, “No. Because if I do, that guy will shoot me.” He had it backwards. The 168 grain Sierra BTHP cut a half moon in his front teeth as it removed his brain stem. His legs now no longer had sensory input from his brain to support his weight. He instantly disappeared from view, and the rescue team found the baby, bloody but unharmed, crawling away from his father’s body. Less than 30 minutes had elapsed since the call to 911.

Inevitable Criticism

Whenever the police act to protect the innocent, they will be criticized, especially when it involves taking a life. Here the agency was repeatedly asked why they didn’t negotiate longer. What rules of engagement should police departments follow in critical incidents, where the balance between life and death is so tenuous?

If you stop to think about the function of a tactical team in a hostage or barricade situation, you can correctly assume that a group of heavily armed officers will surround the problem location, negotiators will try to make contact, and reach a negotiated solution. But only in the 90’s has law enforcement been able to describe a proper course of police conduct in life and death critical incidents. A course of conduct that if followed can be defended even in light of a less than desirable outcome.

The method is called “safety prioritization.” Very simple in scope, it provides rules of engagement for police encounters in critical incidents.

The priorities are:

1. Hostages
2. Innocent involved citizens
3. Police Officers
4. The suspect/subject

A “subject” would be defined as the person who is the focus of the police operation, but is not necessarily a suspect because he has committed no crime. An example would be a mental patient barricaded in his own residence, who has done nothing other than to threaten the police if they come in.

For far too long, inadvertently, or at least unintentionally, the police would make the suspect the highest on the priority list, because of an unwillingness or an inability for police managers to make the hard decisions that may lead to criticism of them. The prevailing mindset was that, “We will negotiate, no matter what.” A gamble, a roll of the dice that more often than not ends in a peaceful settlement, about 90 percent of the time. But think about your cherished family members. Would you risk their safety with those odds if they were being held hostage?

The priorities define for us on whose behalf we will act, potentially at the expense of those who are causing their jeopardy. This also removes a popular concept for SWAT in the 70s and 80s, that of “red light/green light” commands by supervisors for dictating when and if snipers may fire.

We allow the greenest rookie on patrol to take a life under clearly defined circumstances without asking anyone for permission. Until relatively recently, however, many departments did not allow a veteran police sniper the latitude to make that call, unless a commander blocks away decided that he had the sufficient justification. Many still don’t allow that latitude. With the dynamics of a hostage situation changing so rapidly, we must trust the judgement of those we have so carefully selected to know when it is justifiable.

In the incident above, the police agency involved in it acted first and only for the life of the hostage child. All other considerations were subordinate, as they should be. Contrary to popular belief, the police do not control the suspect’s actions. Only he does. They may be able to limit his choices, but ultimately, the choices are his to make. The child had no say whatsoever.

The criticism they faced was easy compared to the criticism they would have faced had the father made good on his threat. For them to stand and do nothing, allowing opportunity after opportunity to pass without taking action on behalf of the innocent child, would negate the very reason for their existence. They would then be doomed to a lifetime of wondering how with all their training they had the ability to protect, and instead, witnessed murder. In an instant, he could have disappeared from view, gone into the back bedroom and maimed or killed his son. Instead they clearly knew what to do, because of a well thought-out plan of action. They will act first to save the life of a hostage, at the time when the likelihood of success is the greatest. And that is just what they did. I have chosen not to identify the involved agency, due to the possibility of pending litigation.

It is unfortunate that a life was lost, and worse that the child was deprived of his father. But the father had choices. In the end, he made the wrong choice. Dropping the knife would have spared his life. It might be argued that the mother and the child will be better off, but that is not a choice that is the business of the police to make. We can use deadly force only under very limited circumstances. The father forced their hand. He should be held in the critical light.

If, in any critical incident, the police make their primary mission the protection of innocent life, and are trained and willing to take steps to act, rather than to wait and merely hope for the best, then even if it goes horribly bad, they can defend their actions. For in this prioritization comes the tacit acknowledgment that the police can never guarantee a positive outcome, but only that their actions were based in law, ethics and morality.

Sometimes the mission can be lost in what is called the process. If a madman is walking through a schoolyard shooting children, it is counterproductive to first establish a perimeter, though that may be the “process” for managing most critical incidents. Getting police officers in between the shooter and the children is a wiser course of action. It is also consistent with the safety priorities to risk our lives to protect those of innocent children. There are those who would argue that the life of the police officer is paramount. This is wishful thinking at best. If we really believed that, there would be no reason to leave the police station. Police risk their lives daily and couldn’t do their job if they didn’t.

I said that in my first column that Small Arms Review is a serious publication about serious guns. The readers for the most part are not working tactical officers. Quite the opposite, the reader most likely is a collector and/or enthusiast of Title II firearms. The chances of his ever using one against a human adversary is hopefully nil for all practical purposes.

It is also true that though tactical weapons are bought and used largely by military and police special teams in great quantity, the actual necessity of firing one to save a life or defend a life is in actuality also nil. But all teams across the nation are training for a challenge that may come on a date that they cannot know. They should know that at all times, they must be ready. Thousands of rounds per year in training are expended. We carry a great deal of ammunition on us, when in reality it probably won’t be needed. We by necessity must envision the worst, and be prepared for it. It too can cause criticism, for the very act of being prepared can make a team appear heavy handed or “gunning” for a fight.

“Knuckledraggers”

That is why the demeanor of the individual team member is so critical to the public acceptance of the team as having a valid mission, and the confidence in them to perform that mission. There is a sentiment out there that there are too many tactical teams in existence and that the average American should be alarmed about it.

A recent network television interview of a tactical team in Arizona gave them just the impression that they needed to make their preconceived point, that tactical operators are “knuckledraggers.” The reporter asked why the members wanted to be SWAT officers. One answered in a boastful, arrogant tone, “Hey the bottom line is, it’s friggin’ fun man.” Another said, “We get to play with a lot of guns. Everyone on this team loves guns.” Point made, handed to the reporter on a silver platter, and all SWAT suffers from the sins of the few. If this were the team that righteously solved the above problem, the validity of public skepticism would be raised by the juxtaposition of that incident with the videotape just described.

In my 14 years of police work, I have had occasion to meet many fine police officers from across the country. It is my opinion that by and large, tactical officers are the most dedicated, professional officers on the streets today, and hold themselves to a higher standard. It may be a combination of esprit de corps born of the higher standards imposed on tactical teams and the nature of the problems that they are faced with. Whatever the motivation, there are very few actual knuckledraggers working on teams today.

I sometimes worry whether our team is ready for whatever may come our way. But our team includes some of the most dedicated officers that I have ever worked with. The equipment comes second, for what resides inside of us is the utter singleness of purpose, to do what is right and moral with whatever circumstances that we are faced with. To protect those who are unable to protect themselves.

Milspec Primers for Reloaders

A topic that always concerns knowledgeable shooters of both full auto and semi auto firearms is the ever-present possibility of a slamfire. A slam fire can have a devastating effect on the shooter and firearm as well. Everyone has probably seen the pictures and heard the stories of the M16 that was destroyed by what apparently was an accidental slam fire, or worse, the shooter that was seriously injured.

What exactly is a slam fire? Generally, it is the premature firing of a partially chambered cartridge. This condition is a disaster because the bolt is not fully locked in the normal firing position. (This is different from a case detonation) A slam fire is much like the principle of an open bolt pistol caliber subgun, but with powerful rifle caliber ammo the unintentional result is much different. Full power and midrange rifle caliber firearms usually require a bolt that locks to the barrel to contain the force of a firing cartridge. Subguns using pistol caliber ammunition simply use a heavy non-locking bolt to retard the rearward force of a firing cartridge.

What causes a slam fire? There can be one or a combination of causes. In many cases the hammer is following the closing bolt causing an immediate discharge of a cartridge it contacts. Other causes could be; improper headspace, firing pin dimensions or protrusion, a foreign object or carbon in the firing pin cavity of the bolt, inertia of the firing pin and improper primer seating are just some of things that can cause a slam fire. If you have ever had a semiauto suddenly go full auto on you, or you have had a round fire upon closing the bolt you may have experienced a very dangerous slam fire condition.

There are several weapons that seem to be more susceptible to slam fires than others. Those weapons are; The AR15/M16, the AK series and the SKS. All of these firearms have floating firing pin designs (some manufacturers of the later imported Chinese AK’s incorporate a spring-loaded firing pin). Although weapons like the U.S. M-14, M1 Garand, and M1/M2 Carbine also use a floating firing pin, they are designed differently and slam fires, though certainly possible, are not as common.

Many publications and manufacturers have forewarned against using reloads in any of the aforementioned weapons. This would be very bad news for many reloaders/shooters- myself included. Surplus or milspec ammo with hard primers is often recommended in these and other similar weapons. Personally I have fired thousands of reloaded rounds in M16s and AK 47s over the years with no problems, but that’s not to suggest it couldn’t happen on the next round I fire. Try this simple test. Chamber a reload in your AK or M16, and with the muzzle pointed in a safe direction let the bolt close under full spring pressure. Now extract the round and inspect the primer. What you will probably see is an indentation from the firing pin on the primer. This indentation was probably caused by firing pin inertia. Scary? You bet!

What can you do to reduce the possibility of a slam fire? Always inspect your weapons for damaged or worn parts, check the chamber with a headspace gauge, keep your guns and ammo in top condition and thoroughly clean your weapons after each day’s shooting. Shoot only new factory loaded milspec ammunition.

If you are like me that last sentence “Shoot only new factory loaded milspec ammunition” isn’t very practical mainly due to cost. So the question now focuses on “What can I do to be sure my reloads are safe?” There are several things you can do. Obtain a cartridge headspace gauge, and be sure your resized cases properly fit into the gauge as per the instructions that accompany the gauges. Inspect your loaded cartridges to be sure the primers are properly seated in the primer pocket. Use only milspec primers.

What are milspec primers? CCI came out with a primer a few years ago especially for use in military type firearms. They produce them in both large CCI No. #34 and small CCI #41 rifle sizes. They are often described as “hard” primers, but that description is not entirely accurate. The design of the anvil is different, not the thickness of the primer cup. The military anvil is shorter, and has a different dome radius than a normal commercial primer anvil. This design reduces the sensitivity of the primer making it slightly harder to ignite. (See chart for dimensions)

CCI primers are tested for sensitivity by dropping a steel ball of a specified weight onto a firing pin breached above a primed case. This test is repeated at different heights to establish the H-bar height. This H-bar height is the ball drop distance at which exactly half the primers in the sample fire. From this and the fire/misfire rates at other distances, the “all fire” and “no fire” heights are calculated.

The “no fire” height for commercial primers is specified as 2 inches. For military primers it is set at 3 inches. This means that a milspec primer needs slightly more energy to activate it. CCI No.34 and No. 41 primers achieve this specified sensitivity level not by the thickness of the primer cup, but rather by the anvil design.

Almost all military surplus ammo and today’s new manufacture milspec ammunition use a primer that requires more force to ignite than their commercial counter parts. This is necessary due to the design of modern military weapons and the combat field conditions they are likely to be subjected to.

My reloads these days are all capped with the CCI milspec primers. The margin of safety they provide for me and my firearms are well worth it. An ounce of prevention… Be Safe!

If your dealer doesn’t stock the CCI military primers call Blounts product support line for product availability. 1-800-627-3640.

Accessories for the USP45 Tactical and Glock 17/18/19

Pretty much any pistol of interest to the armed professional or the serious collector can benefit from some well-conceived accessories. Here are some interesting gadgets that should tantalize anyone with an H&K USP45 Tactical Pistol, the H&K Mark 23, as well as the large and medium-sized 9x19mm Glock pistols.

The first noteworthy bit of technology is a very well engineered quick-mount folding stock for the Glock 18 machine pistol manufactured by Capital City Firearms (Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 29009, Richmond, VA 23242; phone 804-740-4926; fax 804-740-9599), which is also a licensed importer/exporter of firearms.

Glock Stock

CCF’s detachable Glock stock is built primarily of 7075 aluminum, which is more appropriate for this application than the more commonly seen 6061 aluminum. It’s also more expensive than 6061. The Glock stock is finished in a flat black anodizing.

A tang on the stock slips into the open space in the Glock’s grip behind the magazine well. The tang is secured to the front leg of the stock with a large steel hex-head cap screw. A spring-loaded button on the tang locks the stock in place with the lanyard hole in the Glock’s grip. A thumb-operated slide on top of the forward section of the folding stock locks the two halves in the open or closed position. A U-shaped bend in the rear leg of the folding stock provides clearance for an extended magazine when the stock is folded while attached to a pistol. The rear of the curved buttplate features a repeating pattern of raised steps designed to keep the butt from sliding off the shoulder during full-auto fire when used with a Glock 18.

The butt is welded to the rear leg of the stock, which has an overall length of 15.0 inches (38.1 cm) when extended and 10.3 inches (26.2 cm) with the stock folded. The stock weighs 10.1 ounces (287 grams). I’ve always had a weakness for stocked pistols, whether or not they were select fire. A shooter of average ability can significantly increase the effective range of a handgun by adding a stock. Of course, anyone living in the United States must register a pistol as a short-barreled rifle with BATF before adding a stock.

Although it’s designed specifically for the Glock 18, CCF’s folding stock will also fit the Glock 17 with no modification. Fitting the stock to a Glock 19, however, will require drawing a flat file over the flat part of the tang until it fits into the space behind the magazine well. The tang must also be shortened slightly for a Glock 19’s of early vintage. This is a fairly easy job for someone with no gunsmithing skills.

About the only criticism I can level at this robust and well-engineered stock is the shape of the buttplate, which has too strong a curve for someone of my large body build. It feels rather like the crescent buttplate on an old Winchester rifle. This doesn’t seem to be an issue with people of average stature, however.

Accessories for USP Tactical

The USP Tactical Pistol is an attempt to combine the best features of the Mark 23 and USP (Universal Self-Loading Pistol) in a smaller, lighter, and much less expensive package than the SOCOM pistol. The USP Tactical is an inch shorter, a quarter-inch thinner, and nearly three-quarters of a pound lighter than the Mark 23. It’s also about half the price. The pistol features match trigger parts and an adjustable trigger stop, which provide a much-improved trigger over both the USP and Mark 23 pistols. The new USP Tactical also incorporates high profile sights to see over a sound suppressor, extended (Mark 23 style) threaded barrel with o-ring, a loaded chamber indicator, and extended floor plates on the two magazines supplied with the pistol (Heckler & Koch, Inc., Dept. SAR, 21480 Pacific Boulevard, Sterling, VA 22170-8903; phone 703-450-1900).

The pistol comes with a number of interesting accessories including a nylon case made by Eagle Industries, an H&K cleaning kit, operator’s manual for the USP with a supplement for the USP Tactical, rear sight adjustment tool, hex wrench for the trigger stop, two spare o-rings, and a nifty black Master padlock with red H&K escutcheon which has been standard issue with all H&K weapons since April 1998. The hard-sided case also includes detachable pouches for a sound suppressor (not included), two spare magazines (one spare included) and a UTL module (Universal Tactical Light; not included). While this is a very well thought out and affordable package, the pistol does not come with a thread protector.

Capital City Firearms offers a simple, appropriate and inexpensive thread protector with a raised knurled surface at its front to facilitate installation and removal. The thread protector has 16x1mm LH threads to match the Tactical’s extended barrel. These threads are different than the Mark 23 barrel (which is threaded 16x1mm RH) so sound suppressors featuring a recoil enhancement module designed for the Mark 23 could not be installed accidentally on the smaller pistol.

CCF also sells a four-pronged flash hider for the USP45 Tactical Pistol. Both the flash hider and the aforementioned thread protector are manufactured from 4140 ordnance steel, which is finished in a black oxide. The flash hider has an overall length of 1.81 inches (46 mm) but it only extends the overall length of the pistol by 1.26 inches (32 mm). The steel flash hider has a diameter of 0.86-inch (22 mm) and a weight of 2.0 ounces (59 grams). Most importantly, it seems to reduce the weapon’s considerable muzzle flash at night by about 50 percent. This flash hider is also available with the appropriate threads for the H&K Mark 23 pistol.

The final accessory CCF offers for the USP45 Tactical—as well as for H&K’s Mark 23—is a dummy silencer based on the Model OHG sound suppressor from Knight’s Armament Company (KAC). Classified by BATF as a barrel extension, the dummy silencer can be used for display by collectors who live in states where silencer ownership is not permitted. Some dealers also use these dummies when traveling to shows. As a long-time student of sound suppressors, I must confess that I’ve always had a rather condescending attitude toward dummy silencers… until now. The CCF facsimile of the KAC silencer is a classy presentation. Machined out of a solid billet of aluminum finished in black anodizing, the dummy can even features raised knurling on the rear of the tube. The can is 7.3 inches (18.6 cm) long, has a maximum diameter of 1.36 inches (34.5 mm), and has a weight of 13.3 ounces (377 grams). It’s the only dummy silencer I’ve ever considered purchasing.

By the time you read this, Capital City Firearms should be producing silencers of Swiss design for H&K’s USP45 Tactical and Mark 23 pistols. The Bruegger & Thomet silencers will be manufactured under license in the United States by an offshoot of CCF called CCF/Swiss Inc. (Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 29009, Richmond, VA 23242; phone 804-740-4926; fax 804-740-9599). Catalogs are now available for $5 which describe the full line of CCF/Swiss silencers, but initial production will focus on suppressors for .45 ACP and 9x19mm pistols. You can check out their website at: http://www.ccfa.com.

Big things sometime come in small packages we hear, and the M6 Scout AOW by Athens Arms & Ordnance is no exception.

Once I was formally initiated in to the world of Class III, I started looking at everything differently. I was no longer satisfied with most “Factory” firearms and now every gun I look at has basically become the foundation for a “fine-tuning” project. After the Title II bug bites, it is hopeless. Most every gun now falls into the one of the following categories; barrel should be shorter, gun should be suppressed, gun should fire full auto, gun should be louder, gun should have a flash expander, gun should have a flash hider, or a combination of any 2 or 3. Fortunately for us, Dudley Calfee of Athens Arms & Ordnance seems to look at things the same way.

Dudley is a Title II manufacturer in Athens, Georgia. He is the proprietor of Athens Arms & Ordnance, and The Firing Lane, a full-auto indoor shooting range 60 miles North East of Atlanta. He also runs Auctionguns.com, an NFA friendly firearms sale site on the internet.

The original M6 Scout rifle in its short barrel configuration is always sure to be one of two things; extremely expensive or untaxed, unregistered contraband. Now fans of the popular survival rifle have a third option much more attractive than dealing with the first two. Athens Arms & Ordnance is now offering this desirable rifle with 14” barrels. These rifles can be ordered in .22 hornet, .22 magnum, or .22 long rifle over .410 gauge shotgun. With an overall length of only 28” and a maximum width of 11/8” it is extremely compact, and will fit in many areas other firearms would not stand a chance in. Like the original, the action is a break open, single shot, breech loading design and in the open position is only 15” in length. The pivot pin may be removed to separate the stock group from the barrel group to clean or transport in an even smaller case.

The rear sight is a flip down design, with one position a peep site for the rifle cartridge and the other a notch for firing the .410. Sight radius is 12”. The trigger is unlike most other triggers you have encountered. It is 2 3/4” long and is pulled up toward the receiver. It is my understanding that it is easier to fire with gloves or even with a broken finger or two with this design compared to a standard trigger.

The safety consists of a firing pin block, and is also a barrel selector located on the front of the hammer. When you desire to fire the rifle from the “safe” setting, the selector is rotated clockwise to disengage the lock and raised to upper detent. When firing the shotgun, the selector is lowered to the bottom detent.

The stock incorporates a cartridge box that holds four .410 shells and 15 .22 cartridges. The stored ammo is accessed by depressing a button on the left side of the stock and the top is than lifted, hinging at the rear.

As one who owned a retail gunshop as a Title II manufacturer, I can certainly appreciate the category the Scout Gun falls into. Many times I had Registered Guides, bear hunters, trappers, and such come into the store, and when they would spot a short barreled shotgun on the wall they would be immediately drawn to it. The compact size was their immediate attraction. Being small and light is important to all in those above professions, and being in a package that really “packed a wallop” was a real bonus. Many times the deal was ready to roll when that little, tiny detail of the firearm being a short barreled shotgun would come up and the damnable $200.00 tax would kill the transaction in its tracks. It wasn’t so much the fact that it required a pile of paperwork, or even the extra money for that matter, but the fact that their $200.00 was being thrown away to the government. It was always more of a principal issue.

Athens Arms & Ordnance will certainly make life much easier for those who use these firearms in a line of work, due to their ability to register their M6 Scout configuration as an Any Other Weapon (A.O.W.). That is right ladies and gentlemen, all this with only a $5.00 tax. The definition of an AOW includes “weapons with combination rifle and shotgun barrels 12 inches or more, less than 18 inches in length, from which only a single discharge can be made from either barrel without manual reloading”.

These M6 Scout Guns are comfortable and practical. The .22 long rifle and .22 magnum barrels are 6 groove, 1 in 15, right hand twist. The .22 Hornet is a 6 groove, 1 in 13, right hand twist. The test target provided with the rifle I tested proved an impressive 5 shot group at 25 yards. The first four shots were all touching and the 5th was a flyer opening the group to a little less than 1”. I found rather quickly that the rifle was more accurate than the shooter in my case and that the test target was very accurate to the rifles ability. As for the shotgun, .410 is perfect for hunting Ruffed Grouse (Partridge) and Woodcock in my area, and fits the bill just fine. That short barrel also provides me with the excuses I need for watching more birds fly away than those added to my bag limit. Truth is, it is not really the gun making me miss.

I highly recommend the M6 Scout AOW. It is a lot of fun, and a real eye-opener any time it comes out of the case. It is well made, very functional, and in rural areas like Maine extremely useful. It fits great in a backpack as a camp gun for you hikers, and is a great all around firearm for all outdoor activities. I also love the fact that the transfer fee is only $5.00. Suggested retail is $379.00

Athens Arms & Ordnance
Dept. SAR
115 Mill Center Blvd.
Bogart, GA 30622
(706)546-6111