by Dan Shea

Knob Creek is upon us again! Funny how the conversations keep coming around to who is going, what they are bringing, what’s for sale, ad infinitum, and it’s only August. Twice a year, most of the Class 3 oriented firearms community gathers up the gun cases, tripods, belt loaders and assorted paraphernalia, overloads their vehicles with case after case of ammunition, and hits the road, Kentucky bound.

There are a lot of other Class 3 shoots in the United States, many smaller ones on an almost weekly basis in different areas. A lot of them have “Creek” as a suffix, almost like every embarrassing event for the government has “Gate” attached to it after the famous Watergate Hotel breakins during the Nixon administration. In the case of the “Creek”, however, this is a very complimentary thing. Knob Creek Range’s twice yearly Machine Gun Shoot and Gun Show is the standard by which all others get measured. There are physically larger shoots, shoots that brag about having more range discipline, shoots that last longer, and a few shoots that claim to be better, but it is all subjective to the person’s point of view who is talking.

I recently went through some old file folders where I kept track of every ‘Creek I went to, and who I went there with. There were more than forty notations, more than forty trips to the ‘Creek. Found a tattered picture of a bunch of muddy guys in GP Medium tents, trading machine guns and parts…. I look back over this time, and can see my own education on firearms growing on a daily basis, much of it inspired by trips to the ‘Creek, One trip through the pole barn usually adds enough new information that it takes a month to mentally digest it, and one trip down the firing line will almost always show new accessories and tripods, if not weapons I haven’t seen before. From Gatlings to GAU’s, they all seem to be there at one point or another.

The blessing to me has been the balancing twenty odd years of attending military shows and law enforcement events as well, along with many trips to museums to study the weapons. I heartily recommend that anyone who has this interest in small arms, this passion for military technical history, not hesitate to do the same. Your job may not allow you to travel, and the budget might be tight, but rest assured there were many peanut butter sandwiches packed in a cooler with well water from home bottled in it, and roadside sleepovers, on the trips that most of us who are knowledgeable about the Class 3 industry have taken.

You don’t learn unless you get out there. I guess this Sitrep is just my trying to stir up that passionate place in you if you are a firearms enthusiast. Go on the Internet and chase down searches for your favorite firearms, and ones you don’t know so well. You will be surprised at the community there. Go out to the shoots, go out to the shows (And don’t you DARE miss the SAR show in Phoenix this December!) visit museums. Put twenty bucks in the donation jar, and don’t hesitate to try to talk guns with the people there- you might get a visit into the back room and see some truly unusual items that the public misses out on. That’s how a lot of us that are writing about it have done it.

See you at the ‘Creek! – Dan

by Robert M. Hausman

Some 150 executives in the firearms and ammunition imports and national defense sectors gathered in Washington, D.C. July 21 and 22, for the second annual presentation of ATF And The Imports Community, a one-and-a-half day intensive seminar focusing on topics related to the importation of firearms, ammunition and related articles. The heavily attended second annual import regulation conference unveiled a wealth of regulatory data.

A cooperative effort between the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, the Bureau of Customs and Border Protection, the Department of State and the F.A.I.R. Trade Group (which represents licensed importers), the meeting was held at the Wyndham City Center hotel, in the center of Washington, D.C.

Topics covered at the seminar, which was led by Mary Jo Hughes, ATF Chief, Firearms, Explosives and Arson Services Division, included: an overview of the electronic ATF Form 6, the forthcoming new electronic Import Guide, pending legislation and rulings/change in a licensee’s corporate structure or control, criteria for importation of sporting firearms and conditional imports, regulations regarding machine gun parts kits, Project I.M.P.O.R.T., customs bonded warehouses, foreign trade zones, the Safe Explosives Act, destructive devices and National Firearms Act issues, policies and procedures of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs Office of Regional Security and Arms Transfer Policy, and doing business with Canada.

Hughes led off the meeting with a presentation giving an overview of the imports community. In a heavily statistics laden presentation, she explained that the number of applications processed by ATF’s National Firearms Act (NFA) Branch has grown steadily in recent years from 16,772 in fiscal year 1980, to 26,779 in 1985, to a whopping 194,215 in 1990, to 216,026 in 1995, to 309,006 in 2000 and to 343,875 in fiscal year 2002.

The Numbers

The number of firearms registered with ATF’s NFA Branch (which would include machine guns, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, silenced firearms and destructive devices) has also grown through most years. In fiscal year 1980, there were 176,365 NFA firearms registered. In 1985 some 84,839 were registered and this number increased to 439,339 in 1990, to 756,260 in 1995, to 1,271,568 in 2000 and to 1,523,855 in fiscal year 2002. These figures include registrations by individuals, commercial firms, police agencies, etc.

Growth of SOTs

The number of Special Occupational Tax (SOT) Taxpayers has grown steadily as well, Hughes pointed out. In 1980, there were just 920, but this figure grew to 2,696 just five years later in 1985. In 1990, the number grew to 2,827 then declined to 2,468 in 1995 before growing again to 2,668 in 2000. In fiscal year 2002, there were 2,578 SOTs.

FFL Rise & Fall

The dramatic rise and fall of Federal Firearms Licensees was tracked by Hughes as well. In fiscal year 1975, there were 161,927 and in 1980, some 174,619. Dramatic growth ensued over the next five years so that by fiscal year 1985 there were 248,794 and 269,079 in 1990. After the new restrictions ordered on the issuance of FFLs and the increase in the license fees imposed by the Clinton Administration, the number of FFL-holders declined to 191,4495 in fiscal year 1995 and dropped to 103,157 in 2000. In 2002, there were 103,411.

Importer Growth & Decline

The number of licensed FFL importers has also risen and fallen in recent years, Hughes noted. For Type 08 importer licensees, there were 403 in fiscal year 1975, and 430 in 1980. Dramatic growth occurred over the next years as in fiscal year 1985, there were 881 licensees and 946 in 1990. The total declined to 842 in 1995 and dropped to 748 in 2000. In fiscal year 2002, there were 735 Type 08 licensees.

For Type 11 FFL importers, there were just 7 in fiscal year 1975, 11 in 1980, 45 in 1985, 73 in 1990, 71 in 1995, 71 in 2000 and 74 in 2002.

Hughes attributed the decline in numbers of importers in recent years to mergers and acquisitions among import firms.

Applications for Importation

The number of applications for importation were also tracked during the seminar. In fiscal year 1980, there were 13,959 applications and 20,270 in 1985. The figure for fiscal year 1990 was 19,248. The total dropped to a low of 10,649 in 1995 during the height of the Clinton era in which that administration saw imports as the weak link in the firearms distribution chain and many impediments were imposed on importers during those years. The figure rose to 12,135 in 2000 and dramatically climbed to 19,166 in fiscal year 2002.

Number of Imported Firearms

The number of firearms imported to the U.S. (as tracked by U.S. Customs) has grown most significantly in the last several years. In fiscal year 2000, there were 1,096,782 firearms imported. In 2002, there were 1,957,563!

To put these latest firearms importation figures in perspective, in fiscal year 1980, there were 754,102 firearms imported. In 1985, the total was 697,485, for 1990 it was 843,809, and in 1995 the total number of firearms imported came to 1,103,404.

Hughes mentioned that of the approximately 800 licensed importers in the year 2002, only about 25% of them are very active as some 202 importers filed over 80% of the import permit applications.

Imported Firearms By Type

The importation of handguns has seen the most dramatic rise in volume in the last 20-some years. In fiscal year 1980, a total of 298,689 were imported to the U.S., with the total declining to 229,497 in 1985. By 1990, the volume rose to 448,517, grew to 706,093 in 1995, dropped to 465,903 in 2000, but rose significantly to 971,509 in 2002.

Rifle importation has grown as well. In fiscal year 1980, some 182,305 were imported. This figure jumped to 270,571 in 1985, moved down to 203,505 in 1990, rose again to 261,185 in 1995 and grew to 298,894 in 2000. For fiscal year 2002, there were a grand total of 487,367 rifles imported.

Shotgun importation has grown significantly as well. In fiscal year 1980, a total of 273,108 were imported to the U.S. This figure dropped to 197,417 in 1985 and declined to 191,797 in 1990 before dropping again to 136,126 in 1995. In fiscal year 2000, the total grew to 331,985 and jumped up to 498,687 in fiscal year 2002.

Sauer & Sohn Hits Bull’s Eye With French Government Contract

France has placed an order for 200,000 SIG-Sauer pistols, the largest European order yet placed in post-war years for the delivery of police pistols. J.P. Sauer & Sohn, founded in 1751, will supply the 200,000 SIG-Sauer Model SP2022 9×19 mm pistols with 15-round magazines to equip the French police over the next two years. It was a major coup for the German gunmaker, and many of Germany’s otherwise anti-gun politicians were quick to praise the gunmaker for the achievement as the contract means jobs for the German people and tax revenue for the government.

Sauer was awarded the contract on May 19th by the French Ministry of the Interior. The new pistol will be used by the French police (under the Ministry of the Interior), the Gendarmerie (Ministry of Defense) and French Customs (Ministry of Finance). Many of the well-known pistol producers participated in the competition for the contract that lasted for several months. The chosen sidearm, the SIG SP 2022, is based on the SIG PRO SP2009 with the additional improvements of:

• Picatinny-guide rail at the underside front of the frame to allow fixation of a flashlight or laser sight.
• An enlarged disassembly lever.
• A newly shaped trigger contact surface.
• An installed transponder for electronic service checks.
• A lanyard ring.

Thomas Schnizler, J.P. Sauer’s manager, situated in Eckernfoerde, said, “The French police decided to go for reliability and quality. It’s a great success for our middle-class company and for Germany. By getting awarded this contract, Sauer & Sohn is continuing their worldwide success in the range of police pistols.”

New Structures Within HK Group, Germany

Within the scope of new structures formed recently within the HK Group, which has been under new management since late 2002, the Heckler & Koch Jagd- und Sportswaffen GmbH (HKJS) has been founded as of July 1st. The new entity is the result of a careful economic, legal and political analysis of H&K’s business activities. Thus, the new company’s board has decided to divide the economic activities of H&K into a civilian sector and a defense technology sector.

HKJS is dedicated exclusively to the hunting and target shooting markets. The goals of having divisions of the company dedicated to serving narrow markets is to get a faster reaction time to meeting customer requirements and an increased conception of new products with an identifiable market need. Design, manufacture, distribution and logistics will be handled by the HKJS staff on their own. Close cooperation with headquarters staff at Heckler & Koch is believed will ensure that HK-typical attributes such as highest quality and innovation will be applicable to HKJS products.

Korth 50th Anniversary Set Coming

Korth Germany GmbH, in celebration of its 50th anniversary since its founding coming in 2004, will produce an exclusive set consisting of a revolver and a semiautomatic pistol available in a limited quantity of five sets including an engraved collector knife. The guns will be highly engraved and carry an innovative finish. More information can be obtained from: info@korthwaffen.de

Russians Disfavor Self-Defense Guns

Sixty percent of Russians oppose the sale of firearms for self-defense purposes, and only 18%, mainly young people aged 18 to 24, favor the idea, a recent poll has found.

When asked what arms they would buy if they could, 51% of the respondents said they would not buy any arms, 19% said they would buy a pepper spray gun, 18% a pistol, 4% an automatic rifle and 3% a hunting rifle.

Only a quarter of respondents (26%) believe that easier access to arms would make Russia safer. An estimated 43% of the respondents believe that this would make Russia less safe, 19% said it would have no effect and 12% were undecided.

The overwhelming majority of Russians (90%) do not have registered personal firearms and only one-tenth of the respondents said they do have such firearms. Four percent of the respondents own hunting rifles and 3% have arms as a requirement for their jobs.

The information was obtained by sociologists from the company ROMIR Monitoring in a poll conducted of 1,500 Russians in July.

Sen. Shelby Holding Trade with Serbia & Montenegro In Check

A number of firearms and ammunition importers have expressed concern regarding delayed Senate action on S.671 which would normalize US trade relations with Serbia and Montenegro; the Congressional Quarterly reports. The House passed its version (H.R. 1047) back on March 5. Recently, nearly 70 senators wrote Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) urging swift consideration. So what is causing the delay? Socks.

Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-AL) wants to reverse a provision in last year’s trade law (PL107-210) that allows companies in Caribbean countries to sew up the toes of socks made in the U.S., package them, and send them back to the US on a duty-free basis. He says the change could cost 10,000 jobs in his state.

Fort Payne in DeKalb County, AL, calls itself the “Sock Capital of the World,” and Shelby is determined to keep it that way. The county is home to over 150 sock mills. While there is nothing about socks in the bill, Shelby has placed a hold on it; insisting something be done to help the sock industry in his state before lifting the hold.

The annual miscellaneous trade bill is designed to excuse companies from paying duties on imports if there is no domestic source for the item, repay companies that accidentally paid duties, and make other trade-related adjustments. Provisions in the bill must be non-controversial and have minuscule budgetary consequence.

The June 26 letter to Frist from Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) and 65 colleagues said the delay in moving the bill has cost U.S. companies $32 million in the first five months of this year. There are reportedly 57 companies in Texas alone affected by the delay.

Serbia’s Prime Minister, Zoran Zivkovic visited Washington in late July to meet with top White House officials and members of Congress on the matter. Sen. George V. Vornovich (R-OH) warned that a leading candidate in upcoming elections in Serbia is a “far right nationalist. “They could easily go in the wrong direction if economic conditions do not improve,” warned Vornovich.

A senator can put a hold on a bill or a nominee by informing leadership that he or she might object if the matter is brought to the floor. The procedural tradition, which greatly increases the power of individual senators, is honored regardless of which party is in power. “Our first commitment must be to preserve jobs in this country – in my case, those of my fellow Alabamians,” Shelby said.

by Chris Choat

SENTRY® EXPANDS ITS OFFERING OF GUN SAFES

Just in time for the holiday gift-giving season, Sentry Group now offers more than 20 feature-rich, affordably priced gun safes, including eight new fire-rated models. Designed with a flush floor for easy access to all types of firearms, the enhanced line offers a sleek exterior body design with ergonomically friendly, rounded handles and easy-to-open lock options. To maximize storage opportunities, each standard model, includes a hidden floor compartment. All models include patent-pending features such as a bungee organizational system, gun barrel rests and sturdy door back hooks. Security features include solid-steel, pry-resistant doors; live locking bolts and hardened steel plates to protect from drill attacks. Sentry® Gun Safes are available at outdoor and sporting goods retail locations throughout the United States and Canada. For more information contact Sentry Group, Dept. SAR, 900 Linden Avenue, Rochester, NY 14625; phone: 1-800-828-1438; fax: 1-585-381-2940; website: www.sentrysafe.com.

ROYAL ROBBINS INTRODUCES THEIR 5.11 TACTICAL SERIES™ CLOTHING

Royal Robbins, makers of fine clothing for years has now introduced their new 5.11 Tactical Series™. This new line includes tactical clothing that is not only good-looking but fully functional as well. They are please to unveil their new unisex 5.11 Tactical Vest. Loaded with features, built to endure the punishing use, and plain old good looking, the 5.11 Tactical Vest truly blurs the line between “clothing” and “equipment”. It’s not only for the military and law enforcement, but also perfect for hunting, target shooting, camping and fishing. The 5.11 Tactical Vest is the only vest good enough to be sold at the F.B.I. headquarters in the J. Edgar Hoover Building in Washington, DC., and worn by the U.N. Weapons Inspectors in Iraq. With more than a dozen pockets, the 5.11 Tactical Vest packs more useful and tricked-out features than any other vest on the market. Made of ultra-tough, trademarked 100% 8.5-ounce tactical canvas, the 5.11 Tactical Vest features a built-in brass key clip, bellowed vertical pockets for heavy stowage, a zippered security pocket, rear cargo pocket, document pocket, water bottle pockets and concealed carry pockets on both right and left sides and an interior Velcro® panel. The interior loop-sided Velcro® panel accommodates any type of hook-sided accessory holder. Despite all these features (as well as more) the vest is comfortable to wear all day long, courtesy of its adjustable snap tabs, action snap closure and very effective venting. The vest is available in sizes from medium to XXXL and comes in either black or khaki. The new 5.11 Tactical Vest joins the already popular 5.11 Tactical Pants, Shirts and Shorts that also are feature loaded and very good looking. The pants are the official pant for F.B.I. recruits training in Quantico, VA. For more information on these as well as other world-class tactical gear in their line contact 5.11 Tactical Series™ by Royal Robbins®, Dept. SAR, 1524 Princeton Ave., Modesto, CA 95350; phone: 1-866-451-1726; fax: 1-209-522-5511 website: www.511tactical.com.

NETWORK CUSTOM GUNS INTRODUCES Its SUPER “GAS GUN”

K.G. Industries, technical innovator on shooting sports, is pleased to team up with Network Custom Guns to offer the revolutionary Gas Gun conversion for the classic Model 1911 pistol. The Gas Gun conversion improves performance in a number of key areas, including accuracy, recoil and firing rate. Redesigning the 1911’s original link-system for an exclusive fixed-barrel, direct blowback gas delay system, the Gas Gun eliminates many of the moving parts that contribute to the 1911’s characteristic recoil and reloading action. Because the Gas Gun’s barrel is fixed, it’s inherently more accurate. Computer-machined from Douglas match-grade air-gauged barrel blanks, the Gas Gun is manufactured to much tighter tolerances than the barrel it replaces. In the higher-end Ultimate model, the 1911’s slide is replaced too, with one that weighs only half as much. Felt recoil is reduced by as much as 60% with the Gas Gun. And since, in all Gas Gun models the barrel is parallel to the frame, rather than tilted down (as in the original design) recoil energy is shifted straight back to the shooters arm, rather than deflecting the wrist upward. This results in great accuracy as well as greater control. Due to it superior design, the Gas Gun effectively doubles cycle-times over the old style 1911. Among other numerous attributes, the self-cleaning gas system can handle magnum-class loads and is less prone to wear, since the number of moving, load bearing parts has been reduced. For more information on this innovative conversion contact Network Custom Guns, Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 939, Hayward, WI 54843; phone: 1-715-934-3567; fax: 1-715-934-3570; website: www.ncggasgun.com. 

NEW MAGELLAN HANDHELDS NOW WITH SECURE DIGITAL MEMORY

Thales Navigation, a leading global provider of GPS solutions including Magellan and Thales Navigation products, proudly announces the Magellan Meridian® series, the first line of GPS handhelds to offer Secure Digital Memory Card capabilities. The Secure Digital cards offer expanded data storage and downloading street detail, marine charts or topo data from Magellan Mapsend® software. This premium line of high-performance, waterproof receivers includes the new Magellan Meridian Color – the world’s first color handheld – as well as the Magellan Meridian Gold, Magellan Meridian Platinum and the Magellan Meridian Marine. The WAAS-enabled receivers deliver better than three-meter accuracy and extensive, built-in 16 MB US map databases in a rugged, comfortable, slip-resistant design with a larger, backlit screen. Magellan Meridian units provide unprecedented expandability, versatility and functionality. The four Magellan Meridian receivers offer customers high-end navigation tools with a wide choice of capabilities for off-road, on-road and offshore functionality. Pocketsize and weighing just 8 ounces, the full-featured, PC compatible, 12 parallel-channel receivers store up to 500 waypoints and 20 reversible routes with up to 30 legs. Magellan Meridian receivers are also equipped with a quadrifilar helix antenna, which is the best for high-quality satellite signal reception and fast position fixes. For added convenience, Magellan Meridian units operate in nine different languages: English, French, German, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Swedish. Magellan Meridian receivers can accept industry standard secure digital memory cards for downloading up to 128 MB of additional navigation data from the Magellan Mapsend family of software. Other accessories include vehicle, bike and swivel mounting brackets, assorted power and data cables and a canvas carrying case. For more information on these and other GPS receivers please contact Magellan, Dept. SAR, 960 Overland Court, San Dimas, CA 91773; phone: 1-909-394-5000; fax: 1-909-394-7050; website: www.magellangps.com.

EOTECH ANNOUNCES NAME CHANGE ON PRODUCTS

EOTech has now changed the trade name of their military and law enforcement small arms weapon sights from HOLOgraphic Diffraction Sight (HDS) to HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight (HWS). It was decided that HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight (HWS) is a more descriptive trade name that helps to inform the customer very quickly what the product serves. No physical changes to the product are denoted by the name change. All current and future EOTech advertisements, catalogs, press releases and packaging will reflect the change to HWS. EOTech invented and manufactures the world’s first and only holographic sighting system to interface with tactical small arms weaponry. Adapted from jet fighter aircraft Heads-Up-Displays, the HOLOgraphic Weapon Sight greatly enhances the operator’s target acquisition speed while allowing the operator to maintain situational awareness by keeping both eyes open. The EOTech HOLOgraphic, whether called the HWS or the HDS, remains the finest Close-Quarter-Battle sight available for use on small arms weapon platforms. For more information on these excellent sights contact EOTech Inc., Dept. SAR, 3600 Green Court, Suite 400, Ann Arbor, MI 48105; phone: 1-734-741-8868; fax: 1-734-741-8221.

by Larry Sterett and Vic Fogle

The Encyclopedia of Handheld Weapons
Edited by James Marchington.
ISBN 1-930983-14-X
Published by Lewis International Inc.
Available from Cheaper Than Dirt,
Dept. SAR, 2524 NE Loop 820,
Fort Worth, TX 76106.
Price: $27.97, plus $7.99 s&h
1-800-421-8048 or www.cheaperthandirt.com
Reviewed by Larry Sterett

Following a short Introduction discussing such topics as the “changing face of war,” this thick hardbound volume provides coverage on nearly 300 different modern handheld weapons. There are a dozen categories, ranging from Semiautomatic Pistols to Utility and Special Purpose Blades. Each weapon category begins with a one-page Introduction, after which the weapons are presented in alphabetical order by name of country of origin. (The Assault Rifles, Sniping Rifles, and Combat Shotguns are presented in order by country of origin, but the Submachine Guns are presented in order by the name of the manufacturer of model.

Coverage of individual pistol, revolver, and submachine gun models includes Background, Operation, Controls, and for some models, Service. The long arms and edged weapons are discussed differently, without specific feature coverage, but often with additional comments. Each model is illustrated with one or more black and white photographs or drawings; some parts, fieldstripped, in the field shots illustrating the weapon in use may be included. In addition, specifications are provided for each weapon. However, the specifications provided depend on the type of weapon.

This is a handy volume for quick reference on many of the handheld weapons currently in use by the military, police, and security agencies. Light machine guns or weapons above assault rifle size are not covered. This volume has a useful nine-page Glossary, beginning with ACR and ending with Zero, but it does not have an index. Locating a specific model is not a problem, however, and is easily accomplished by looking for the model under the proper category in the Contents pages. Small arms students, military historians and researchers should find this a useful volume for reference. It’s not Jane’s Infantry Weapons, but it provides good basic information and the illustrations are good.

The Complete Machine Gun: 1885 to the Present
By Ian V. Hogg
London: Phoebus Publishing Co.
and New York: Exeter Books, 1979
128 pp., illus, artwork index, tables
out of print, ISBN 0-89673-012-3.
Reviewed by Vic Fogle

The Complete Machine Gun is a compact but surprisingly comprehensive trip through most of the era of the machine gun – roughly the last part of the 19th century and most of the 20th. In this period the machine gun largely dominated combat on various battlefields of the world. In assessing the importance of the coming of the machine gun, Ian Hogg wrote “if any single event can be said to have transformed the history of warfare it was the perfection of the true automatic machine gun by Hiram Maxim in 1885. Its effect was far greater than the introduction of aircraft or even nuclear weapons to the battlefield. Its importance paralleled the introduction of firearms themselves into a world of arrows and spears.”

The volume contains two separate but parallel surveys; published earlier in Great Britain, one covering machine guns and the second submachine guns. The periods into which the author divides his presentations are pre-World War I, the war itself, between the wars, World War II, and post-World War II up to the late 1970s. The surveys conclude with discussions of the Mini gun and the MP5. Upon this framework the author stretches a canvas upon which he paints in a background of national aspirations and rivalries, differing military philosophies, diverse national characteristics, and changing combat conditions, displaying the guns against this setting. Ignoring 19th century colonial use, mainly by his own countrymen, and domestic American use by industrialists and by National Guardsmen acting in their behalf, Hogg’s emphasis is upon 20th century military usage, and he shows how national tensions called forth new weapons and, in turn, counters to them. He discusses more than just the most popular models. While the most produced models are featured, so are many little produced or failed models: certainly the MG42 is included, but so is the super rare Gast; the Thompson naturally appears, but so does the SIG MP41.

Photos abound, some are large as a complete 11 3/4” x 17 1/4” page spread, usually showing the guns in action or being carried. Additionally, there are line drawings and many colored illustrations. Indeed, so copious are the book’s graphics that the only index is an artwork index covering the 280 illustrations, of which 153 are in color.

By pausing briefly from time to time, Hogg enriches his survey with additional, often non-mechanical, explanations. While he describes operating systems and parts for submachine guns, he also draws our attention to such things as German tactical doctrine on the difference between light and medium machineguns, rather than the reverse. He explains the Japanese model numbering system and Japanese ammunition. He details the Carl Gustav-Swedish K-Port Said lineage and that of the Sten family. And he summarizes Japan’s struggle with the Taisho 11 by noting that “it can come as no surprise to find that the weapon handbook listed no less than 26 different kinds of stoppages that the gun might suffer from” In explaining why there was little development work done immediately after World War I, Hogg tells us that military establishments were tired, their budgets were being cut, and there was no immediately perceived threat. Moreover, most military planners throughout the world were convinced that World War I conditions were a non-recurring aberration. These brief commentaries over which Hogg lingers set the book apart from most similar surveys.

The large format and relative thinness of this book give the impression, at first glance, that it may be a “coffee table” book, meant to impress visitors. But it is the reader who will be impressed. This is a fine job for what initially appears to be a quick survey. There is enough history in it to provide good depth, so that designers and armies do not seem to exist in a vacuum, unacted upon by any other forces. One always wants more in a good book, but Hogg packs a great deal into this one.

by Mark Genovese

With the proliferation of semiautomatic belt-fed firearms, both home-built and manufactured, the real need for an affordable metallic linker is obvious. In the past your choices were few, Lloyd Hahn of Hahn Loaders, St. Charles, Missouri (currently retired) or Guiette MFG., INC., Santee, California. We now have an affordable, very high quality alternative. Model “1” Sales Inc., (Dept. SAR, P.O. Box 211, Fox River Grove, IL 60021; phone: 847-639-3192) is presently offering a beautifully CNC-machined and very robust linker. The base plate is manufactured from high tensile strength aluminum, 111/2 inches wide, 9¾ inches high, 5/8-inch thick. CNC-machined to accommodate twenty rounds of .30-06, .308 or the abundant and inexpensive 7.92x57mm ammunition. The loading handle and corresponding compound linkage is of high carbon steel. The mechanism used closely resembles that of the .50-caliber M7 link loader. This unit is assembled with Allen head machine screws and TIG-welded where applicable. The finish is a dark black anodizing and pre-drilled holes in the base are provided to mount the unit to your workbench. Shipping weight is 13 pounds. For under $200 you can save your fingertips and cut your linking time in half.

During World War II there was no special ammunition issued for use by snipers. Since the US issue sniper rifles of the period were nothing more than a service rifle fitted with a telescope, the sniper in the field was left to his own resourcefulness to select ammunition. In his book Shots Fired in Anger, LtCol John George recounts taking his personal Pre-War Winchester Model 70 into combat with the Japanese in the islands of the Pacific. LtCol George states that he selected a good shooting lot of .30 caliber M2 Ball ammunition made at the Denver Ordnance Plant. It is not likely that this ammunition was capable of producing groups as small as 2 minutes of angle (MOA) in his rifle.

Snipers by necessity pay particularly close attention to the quality and care of their rifle equipment and ammunition. For the most part only the most accurate match-grade ammunition is selected and fired through the sniper’s weapon. The most accurate standard issue ammo is, of course, match ammunition intended for competitive marksmanship use. The demands of wartime logistics, however, are characterized by large volumes of ordinary service-grade product, where abundance takes priority over quality. While very good Caliber .30 M1 National Match Ball ammunition was made during the 1930s, the US Military made no match-grade ammo during the 1940s. Standard issue match ammo did not appear again until the late 1950s when the Caliber .30 M72 Match round was standardized about the same time that 7.62x51mm NATO rifles were adopted.

The earliest work to develop a 7.62x51mm NATO match round started in the mid 1950s at Frankford Arsenal. The first version was designated T275 and was an International Match load. No special bullet tailored to the 12-inch twist rate of 7.62mm barrels was used in the T275 cartridge. Instead it was loaded with the same 173-grain bullet as the Cal .30 M72 Match round. This bullet was essentially the 1926-vintage caliber .30 M1 Ball bullet without the knurled cannelure. Accuracy performance specifications for the T275 called for a maximum mean radius of 3.5 inches at 600 yards when fired from a Mann barrel in a machine rest.

The T275 cartridge went through several design and load development iterations based on feedback from competitive rifle marksmen from AMU, Ft Benning, Georgia. The final version, the T275E4, was re-designated XM118 as work continued at Frankford Arsenal. Standardization of this round as the M118 Match cartridge occurred in the early 1960s and production was transferred to the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Independence, MO. During the 1960s and 1970s, the round became more accurate as Lake City was able to refine the manufacturing process and product performance. The accuracy specifications did not change over time but average lots of M118 Match showed 600-yard accuracy with mean radii around 2.4 inches. A few very exceptional lots were below 2.0 inches.

In the mid 1960s LtCol David Parsons was commanding officer at Lake City Army Ammunition Plant. Parsons was himself a distinguished rifleman and handloader. Under his leadership and with his personal attention, some of the most accurate M72 and M118 Match ammunition was produced. The cartridges were packed in clean white boxes bearing the colorful Match Eagle on the backside. When a rifleman broke open one of these distinctive white boxes he knew he had the best quality cartridges made in America. During this period Lake City made up special chrome-plated .30 caliber and 7.62x51mm dummy match cartridges, which were issued as souvenirs – one to each shooter competing in the National Matches at Camp Perry. These handsome chrome dummies are now prized as collector’s items.

The need for precision high-accuracy ammunition was recognized in the commercial sector as well. Federal Cartridge Company, working closely with Marines at Quantico, developed their famous “308M” load using superbly accurate Sierra 168-grain International Match bullets. These loads became popular with law enforcement SWAT Teams as well as service rifle shooters.

Interservice and National Match rifle competition being what it was at the time drove Army and Marine Corps shooters to seek even more accurate loads. By 1980 it was known that the Sierra 168-grain International Match bullet was significantly more accurate in M14 Match rifles and gave top shooters a real competitive edge when firing the National Match Course at 200, 300 and 600 yards. Commercially loaded Federal Cartridge Co ammunition was highly prized but often not available to military riflemen. Field users developed the practice of removing the 173-grain bullet from Lake City M118 ammo and replacing it with the 168-grain Sierra. Such ammunition, while not official issue, was authorized for competition at Camp Perry and was known as “Mexican Match” ammo.

Army ammunition product managers eventually heard the wake up call. In 1981 Lake City began loading a new 7.62x51mm Match cartridge using the 168-grain Sierra bullet. This round was first designated XM852 and was soon standardized as the M852. It quickly replaced the M118 as the preferred match round for competitive marksmanship use. Since the Sierra 168-grain projectile was labeled as a hollow point boattail (HPBT) bullet it was prohibited for service use by snipers against personnel. Throughout its production history cartons containing M852 ammunition were conspicuously marked “Not For Combat Use”. So cautious about this sensitive legal issue were the Army product managers that they also required that cases used for M852 rounds be further identified by a knurled cannelure near the extractor groove. This feature allowed fired cases to be identified as having launched an HPBT bullet. As could be expected, the case body knurl on M852 brass was very unpopular with handloaders because of a real or perceived reduction of case life when subjected to repeated cycles of resizing, reloading and firing.

Match Box Graphics -The distinctive graphics used for Match ammunition boxes was seen to degrade over the years, as did the accuracy performance. One would guess that these changes were due to a desire to seek cost savings in manufacturing operations. Shown here is a Frankford Arsenal label at the top. The Lake City box in the center shows a little less ornate eagle. Eventually, as seen on the bottom box, the eagle disappeared all together from boxes of M852 ammunition.

M852 Match ammunition did replace M118 Match ammunition in the field as the standard round for marksmanship competition. However, military snipers, being required to use only FMJ ammunition were left with only the less accurate M118 for training and combat. Production of M118 at Lake City did continue for snipers but the cartridge was downgraded by a name change from M118 MATCH to M118 Special Ball. No longer packed in clean white Match cartons bearing the distinctive Match Eagle the Special Ball loads were issued in plain brown paper boxes. At the same time the prestigious MATCH notation was deleted from the headstamp of M118 Special Ball ammunition. The new cases looked the same as M80 Ball cases and even had crimped in primers. Further, to the chagrin of accuracy conscious riflemen, performance of M118 Special ball ammo deteriorated noticeably. Cartridge accuracy specifications remained unchanged from the original 3.5-inch mean radius at 600 yards, but newly loaded rounds were issued which barely met this loose requirement. Gone were the days when “white box” M118 Match ammo was made with pride and every lot far exceeded the accuracy requirement by a significant margin.

White Box M118 Match Ammunition – Some of the most accurate 7.62 Match ammunition came in these distinctive white boxes. Shown here are examples of Lake City production lots from the 1960’s, 1970’s and early 1980’s. These white boxes became highly coveted by accuracy conscious riflemen after they were superseded by brown box M118 Special Ball ammo.

An interesting thing happened in 1990 when US Army lawyer Hays Parks, a technically astute former Marine, conducted a legal review on behalf of the Judge Advocate General of the Army. Parks looked at the issue of whether combat use of Sierra HPBT match bullets violated any international agreements pertaining to weapons of war. Given the fact that the most accurate bullets do have an open tip, it was determined that these bullets were not true hollow points, per se, and that they were not designed to mushroom upon impact or cause undue suffering. Indeed, testing showed that Sierra match bullets do not behave at all like hollow point expanding bullets when fired into ballistic gelatin. From a technical standpoint it was clear that the open tip of such bullets was a design feature selected for aerodynamic reasons and served the purpose of accuracy improvement rather than having any excessive wounding effect. The Army JAG issued a lengthy legal memorandum, which states that the military use of open tip bullets does not violate any treaty obligations of the United States. The Parks memorandum was endorsed by the military services and legally authorized such ammunition as the M852 Match cartridge for combat use. Nevertheless, the ammunition usage policy changes allowed by this important document were never fully realized nor enacted in general practice. Cartons in which M852 cartridges were packed continued to bear the “Not For Combat Use” warning.

173 gr Special Ball Ammo – The M118 Match round was downgraded and redesignated as Special Ball in 1983 after the adoption of M852 Match ammunition as the preferred round for marksmanship competion. M118 Special Ball was packed in brown boxes when it first appeared. But even these brown boxes seem to have suffered cost cutting measures. Examples from the final production lots don’t even have a border around the label. Nor do they indicate the source of manufacture.

The Army and Marine Corps took different paths in the development of sniper rifles. From the 1960s the standard Army issue sniper rifle was the M21. This was essentially a match-grade M14 rifle with a suitable scope mounted. It gave respectable accuracy when newly assembled but was difficult to maintain. The M21 was eventually replaced by the more dependable M24 rifle. M24s were of commercial design using a Remington Model 700 long action.

The Marine Corps however, always preferred bolt-action rifles. In the 1960s in Vietnam Marine snipers used Winchester Model 70 rifles. These were eventually replaced by the more refined Marine Corps unique M40 sniper rifle built by Remington as a special order short action Model 700 rifle. It was fitted with a Redfield 3X9 variable-power scope. Currently fielded M40A1 rifles are very rugged, highly accurate and are equipped with an excellent 10X Unertl scope. The M40A1’s are soon to be replaced by the M40A3, a new generation rifle having more bells and whistles.

The Excellent M852 Match Ammunition – The XM852 Match round using the highly accurate 168 gr Sierra Matchking bullet first appeared in 1981. These excellent rounds were the preferred choice of expert and master class riflemen for a decade or more. As can be seen from these sequential box labels M852 ammo always came with a restrictive warning that these were “Not For Combat Use”. Military snipers were left with only M118 Special Ball for business use.

The special reticule of the Marine Corps Unertl scope allowed snipers to achieve hits at ranges out to 800 and 1000 yards. However, these optical aids were developed based on the known ballistic trajectory of old M118 “white box” Match ammunition. The new M118 Special Ball ammo in brown boxes was found to be seriously deficient in shot placement using the Unertl reticule. In addition to being less accurate at short ranges the Special Ball ammo showed an unacceptable mismatch in trajectory at very long range.

The 168-grain Sierra Matchking bullet was originally designed for 300-meter International competition. Indeed, when first introduced this bullet was labeled “International” but is now simply known as a Matchking. M852 ammunition using this bullet does, however, give excellent accuracy out to 600 yards. But at ranges beyond 600 yards the 168-grain bullet begins to falter. At 1,000 yards the remaining velocity drops below subsonic levels and stability becomes poor. The older 173-grain bullet of the M118, although not as accurate, did maintain its flight stability very well beyond 600 yards.

While the Army product managers were quite satisfied that the M118 Special Ball was performing within official specifications, the Marine Corps, having made a considerable investment in the Unertl scope, wanted an improved cartridge that would meet their training and operational needs at very long ranges. They decided to seek a solution on their own without support from other services.

A project was started in the mid 1990’s to identify a new bullet suitable for long-range use in 7.62x51mm sniper rifles. Engineers at Lake City and Sierra took a look at the USMC unique requirements and evaluated a number of candidate bullets and other cartridge improvements. An accuracy requirement calling for MOA dispersion measured at 1,000 yards was established. After extensive testing a new 175-grain HPBT bullet having a 9-degree boattail emerged from Sierra. This new Mathking bullet remains supersonic at 1,000 yards and has proved capable of meeting the extraordinary long-range accuracy requirement. This load came to be the M118 Long Range cartridge. The letters LR appear on the headstamp to serve as visual identification. A new logistic code of AA11 was assigned to identify this round as different from earlier M118 ammunition.

Thus, the M118 cartridge has entered a third phase of its production history, having been originally designated MATCH, then Special Ball, and now Long Range. No other small arms cartridge has ever been redesigned and reengineered so often over so many decades. Production of M852 Match ammunition has been discontinued since the new M118 Long Range round is now the preferred ammunition for 7.62x51mm rifle competition. In addition, as further tribute to the success of this USMC initiative, we note that Navy and Army snipers have also adopted it for operational and combat use.

By Thomas T. Hoel, historical and technical editing by Dan Shea, Photos by Dan Shea

There always seems to be a certain few military firearms that bear an unusual and universal interest for collectors and students of military weaponry. The US M60 General Purpose Machinegun has always occupied just such a position within the civilian NFA weapons owning population. Although there also seems to be little ability to compromise on feelings toward the design, as it is either highly praised or deeply maligned. While in the past literally volumes have been written on the military adoption and use of this interesting weapon, the scope of this discussion is strictly to aid the civilian owner-operator of the M60 GPMG as a guide in obtaining maximum enjoyment, usefulness, and longevity of his personally owned machinegun.
Additionally, specific recommendations discussed herein for operations strictly in the civilian realm will be presented as the civilian owner-operator has certain freedoms, and also certain limitations, that the original military end-users may not. The M60 has a number of well-known characteristic wear and failure profiles for certain component parts and assemblies. Anything the civilian owner-operator can do to decrease operating stresses, and attendant wear and tear on component parts or assemblies, will serve to prevent unnecessary or premature wear and failure of these parts, adding tremendously to the life expectancy, serviceability, and enjoyment of the weapon as a whole. This should be the primary concern with such the large investment these privately owned machineguns represent.

While certain distinct characteristics of the M60 design may not at all pose a serious or dangerous matter for the civilian owner in a recreational shooting environment if or when they result in a failure to function, they bear discussion to further the serviceability and enjoyment of personally owned examples. This discussion is divided into two distinct sections. The first, discusses in detail the receiver, its sub-components and construction, along with recommended practices for the care and preservation of the receiver as an assembly. The second part will discuss the various and sundry peripheral assemblies that complete the weapon, with the same emphasis in the discussion provided as appropriate.

Many of the long established military use and service protocols exist for reasons specific to the military/combat environment, or specific governmental exigencies. These include repair or service protocols where the actual military end-user is not to be concerned with the costs of repair, even if the supply of spare parts was unlimited. Since the civilian owner-operator is not bound by such exigencies, he should exploit any and all maintenance and operating schemes that benefit preserving of the serviceability of the weapon over an extended period of time and use, along with minimizing actual financial outlays for avoidable repairs parts or services. As such, certain of these recommendations are intended for use only in the civilian realm, and do not represent advice or recommendations for operational use, or maintenance functionality, of the weapon in any military or law enforcement scenarios.

The Heart of the Matter

Those M60 machineguns that are available to the civilian collector of NFA weapons can be described as being of two basic origins. The first important distinction, and the one which relates most strongly to their value as collectibles only, concerns the manufacturing origins.

The top rung on the collectability ladder is those guns that were originally manufactured by a genuine military contract producer. Although their numbers are quite small there are, remarkably, a certain number of M60’s that are of true military production-line origin and pedigree. Due to these contract producers being private companies, they were able to offer the exact same weapons they were producing under military contracts additionally to both domestic law enforcement entities, or for export to approved Friendly Nations clients. Not all guns originally destined for either of those last two markets ended up there, mainly due to some quirks in salesmanship domestically, and thus a few of those guns have been able to enter the civilian market and placed into the NFRTR. The salient feature of these specific guns is that they can all be described as being manufactured and assembled to full military specification, in both materials and workmanship, in all component parts and assemblies. While this distinction often has no bearing on serviceability for sport shooting purposes, it can have a definite in their value. The second group of guns is that in which the receiver was manufactured by any method, by anyone, other than the original military contract producers. This is the most critical distinction in the pedigree (and value) of civilian available M60 guns, and bears careful discussion.

Receiver Basics

The “receiver” of the M60 machinegun on all of its several variant models is actually an assembly of several component parts, permanently or semi-permanently joined to render the complete functional assembly. BATF Technology Branch has recently authored a reply to an inquiry letter asking for a definition of what legally constitutes an M60 machinegun “receiver.” By rendering this recent official opinion they introduced considerable confusion into what was previously the legal definition under previous Technology Branch Administrations. The “current” (as of 11/2001) BATF Technology Branch definition of a “M60 machinegun receiver” is: “…the frame or receiver of the M60 machinegun consists of a bottom plate(sic), two side plates(sic), the bridge, and a trunnion. The top cover, while attaching to the receiver, is not considered a part of the receiver.”

This definition is significant as it fails to consider two of the most structurally important receiver component pieces, namely the receiver’s sheet metal channel and the gas tube. Both parts are structural members that are permanently joined to form the receiver structure, and in the case of the sheet metal channel, to which the above mentioned five component parts must be joined together.

The “receiver” of the M60 machinegun has traditionally been defined to be made up from eight permanently assembled individual component parts, as follows:

• Barrel trunnion
• Gas tube (or Operating Rod tube)
• Stamped sheet-metal “lower receiver channel”
• Left and right side, milled, bolt bearing/guide rails
• Lower, milled, operating rod guide channel (similar to the bolt guide rails)
• Stamped rear receiver “ridge” (top cover latch)
• Mounting plate, T&E mechanism adapter.

(There may be one possible additional component part not counted above. Some very early military trunnions utilized a separate, riveted-in, cartridge feed ramp. This was soon replaced in the manufacturing process by a simple machined ramp feature in the basic trunnion forging. Virtually all, new-manufacture, commercially produced trunnions have the machined in feed ramp feature.)

These above eight component parts are assembled, by either riveted and/or welded joints, into a unitized structure that cannot be disassembled to a lower individual state without destructive separation. This is a significant definition, as it relates to what BATF Technology Branch is using now to determine the legal definition of a “M60 machinegun receiver.” By electing to render this current definition, BATF Technology Branch has ostensibly recognized the true component nature of the M60 machinegun receiver, thereby presumably allowing a duly registered weapon to have any of its five legally defined component receiver parts replaced if necessary due to damage. (While it is of course prudent to get a personal reply to any proposed repair actions inquiry direct from Technology Branch, this “opinion” has been rendered verbally to others in the past) The relevant statement from the recent opinion states: “…removal of one or more of these (component) parts would not change the classification of the item as a machinegun.”

This statement, making no mention of the other two common, and structurally required, component parts, can be assumed to indicate that they do not comprise a part of a “machinegun receiver” in the current opinion of ATF and are of no consequence in its definition. However, this now introduces considerable confusion into individual guns being compliant with the markings requirements (Title 26 U.S.C., Chapter 53, section 5861(g)), as there now exists a discrepancy between their (recent) definition of the “receiver” and where certain older, Pre-5/19/1986, registered machineguns bear their legally required serial number(s), which by the recent definition, can be located on a part that is not now considered to be the “machinegun receiver, or a component part of a machinegun receiver.”

This utterly bizarre and unexplainable situation becomes highly relevant when one observes that the legally required manufacturers’ identification markings and required serial number(s) have been observed to have been applied to at least three of the major “receiver” components when examining individual commercially manufactured guns, which by the recent definition can be located on a part that is not now considered to be the “machinegun receiver, or a component part of a machinegun receiver.” The most common location to place these required markings have been the top surface of the barrel trunnion, the large flat surfaces of the sheet metal channel, or the bottom surface of the gas tube, with only the trunnion now being legally considered a component part of a machinegun receiver. (It should be noted that all of those guns that were originally manufactured by a genuine military contract producer bear their markings on the top surface of the barrel trunnion.)

In addition to these above described permanently assembled component parts, a functional M60 receiver is usually considered to also comprise the following semi-permanently installed components or assemblies, (Though these additional parts are required for a functional weapon, they do not comprise the legally defined receiver.):

• Rear sight assembly (any variant model specific assembly)
• Carrying handle assembly (M60 and M60D only)
• Tripod pintle retaining latch pin
• Cocking handle assembly (cocking handle and cover plate)
• Barrel retaining latch mechanism

It is important to understand that in the sense that though the “receiver” of the commercially produced M60 machinegun may bear markings of a Class 2 Manufacturer, only a select few parts are not original military contract origin parts. Usually in most cases, the only component part(s) known to be actually made by these civilian concerns was the barrel trunnion itself, though in some cases additionally the sheet metal channel, and/or the bolt and operating guide rail sections were of new, commercial fabrication. The remaining component parts or assemblies used to complete the weapon were simply military contract spares, commonly available on the surplus market. This was a simple necessity from practical reasons as since the barrel trunnion was the most massive and sturdiest component in the receiver design, its failure or damage in service was not seen as a common occurance, hence a supply of ex-military origin spare-part trunnions was virtually non-existent. Unlike most other common spares or replacement parts of the gun, barrel trunnions as spares simply never really reached the surplus markets, so they had to be fabricated on the civilian side. The other reason is that even in the military environment, the barrel trunnion was considered to be the (tightly) controlled part of the weapon (“the receiver”) as it bore the manufacturers markings and serial number. The remainder of the receiver components could generally be obtained, so that from that point on the “manufacture of a civilian M60 was nothing more than proper assembly of the component parts and assemblies needed to render whatever version of the gun you were trying to build. In general terms then, the civilian M60 machinegun is built up from all MIL-SPEC parts and assemblies, with the exception of certain receiver parts. How this was accomplished was not always the same, either from a mechanical standpoint, aesthetic, or “quality” perspective.

Trunnion Variations

Excluding the few guns that came from the true military contract producers, the manufacture of the barrel trunnion is where the greatest difference in civilian M60’s comes into play. The original MIL-SPEC calls for the trunnion to be manufactured from an ordnance steel hammered-pressure forging, machined to final dimensions and tolerances. This is ideal if the economics of a Governmental contract with a large manufacturing concern allow for it, but for the civilian market, such expenses for what was always a extremely limited production item, were simply impossible. Fortunately though, the design of the M60 places no direct firing stresses on the trunnion itself, as the rotating bolt locking into the barrel extension contains these; and these two component parts are MIL-SPEC items in every commercial M60 known.

Due to this fortunate circumstance alternate methods of manufacture for the trunnion were conceivable, and fully within the limits of complete safety. As the M60 barrel trunnion only receives indirect stresses of firing, and since all other highly stressed component parts are MIL-SPEC items, the civilian trunnions could be manufactured by more cost efficient methods. And no matter how the basic trunnion blank was fabricated, all M60 trunnions required machining to final dimensions and tolerances.

All forms of manufacture for the trunnion blanks, be they forgings, castings, or fully machined, require slightly differing methods of arriving at the actual blank form shape as each method must be designed to accommodate the intended metallurgical profile employed. In other words, a blank sized and shaped to be formed from a pressure forging will not be directly the same as one intended to be cast, as the different metallurgies require that different physical areas of the trunnion be formed correctly for the method used. This results in slightly differing exterior shapes and sizes of otherwise “identical” parts that have been manufactured by different methods.

The most commonly employed method for the manufacture of civilian M60 trunnions was by investment casting the receiver blank form, though machining from full barstock or billet was also done. It may be argued that, in theoretical terms at least, a firearm receiver made from a machined billet of solid steel may offer certain theoretical advantages in the metallurgy of grain structure and orientation over a cast-steel version. However, in terms of the commercial M60 trunnions machined out of barstock or billet steel, this perceived advantage is of no consequence. The widespread application of CNC machining tools now being used even in the small-production shops today, was not the case when these receivers were machined and registered close to twenty years ago. At that time, without having access to the extremely expensive pressure forging methods employed in military production line manufacture, investment casting of the trunnion blank was the most reliable method of duplicating the compound curvatures and other hard-to-duplicate exterior forms of the originally designed MIL-SPEC forging. As a consequence, fully machined billet trunnions bear a distinctively more “heavy,” or “squared-off” appearance totally negating the size-to-weight ratio advantages of the strong, but lightweight, forging of the mil-spec original, or even the casting.

Commercial investment-cast steel trunnion guns are every bit as serviceable as their military cousins, and are equivalent in life-limit and durability if the private owner takes certain common sense precautions. Importantly, these castings also virtually duplicate the exact exterior physical contours of the forged original design, and can actually be very hard to tell apart from a MIL-SPEC forging if the telltale surface features of a casting are not known. These cast trunnions are particularly close to the forged MIL-SPEC originals as the basic casting alloy used was an excellent firearms-grade of steel, and the casting process employed produced a nearly exact unfinished blank that required nearly the same machining steps as the MIL-SPEC forging to complete. When finished, these cast trunnions displayed the greatest degree of uniformity of all commercially produced M60 trunnions. They readily accepted standard military component parts and assemblies used to complete the receiver assembly, and mil-spec parts interchangeability is virtually certain.

With those commercial M60 trunnions machined out of barstock or billet steel though, certain Class 2 manufacturers were content with only replicating the functionality of the original military spec forged trunnion. Due to the difficulties in replicating the hard-to-machine contours and compound curvatures of the original forged-blank design, exterior contours were often left in a rougher and not-exact state of duplication on these billet-steel trunnions. Fully machined trunnions are easily identifiable by their more “squared-off” contours, and while detracting from the aesthetics a bit, remain fully serviceable and inherently strong. Fully machined trunnions are readily identifiable due to their telltale machining marks along all major surfaces, and the less pronounced curvatures around the top of the barrel channel and rear sight mounting base. Interchangeability of MIL-SPEC component parts and assemblies on these trunnions can vary considerably depending upon the tolerances of the final machining; many of these fully machined billet trunnions exhibit indications of hand-fitting of individual parts during final assembly. A thorough inspection of an individual receiver for evidence of hand-fitting of parts or assemblies is highly advised, as later fitting of any replacement parts may be considerably more involved than with another type of trunnion based receiver.

In the many decades the gun has been in military service, literally thousands have been removed from service and DEMIL-ed, and then surplused out as scrap value. It is known that over time various methods for the actual DEMIL procedure of ex-military firearms were used, generally becoming more fully destructive over the years as concerns mounted as to usability of even component parts remaining. It is further known that a few M60 ‘s were DEMIL-ed in a more “friendly fashion” leaving open the possibility of salvaging an un-cut trunnion itself, from which a new “receiver” could be fabricated quite easily. It is therefore possible to have a commercial receiver fabricated using an original, un-cut, MIL-SPEC trunnion still bearing military production markings, and while having no collector’s value, it will be desirable receiver. The major problem here is just how the trunnion was originally joined to the other component pieces of the receiver, if only rivets had to be drilled off the DEMIL-ed pieces, it may render a perfect trunnion, but if there was any welding of the other component pieces this can complicate matters. For a DEMIL-ed receiver to have escaped the mandated reinforcing weldments, it had to have been DEMIL-ed very early on, or come from an out-of-the-way locale in the inventory. (While likely exceedingly rare, there a few known to exist in civilian hands, of this exact origin.)

The last variation in available “commercial” trunnions, undeniably the least desirable, are those individual trunnions that have been re-manufactured from original military production guns that have been DEMIL-ed. Commonly known as “re-welded” trunnions or receivers. Usually these re-manufactured commercial production receivers/guns were built up with all new receiver components assembled onto an original military production forged trunnion that has been re-manufactured into a homogeneous component by welding existing-but-damaged pieces back together. Despite any cosmetic touches rendered during final finish to make it appear “new,” original forged trunnions that have undergone welding should be carefully and thoroughly examined. When originally manufactured under military contract production, these forgings were final heat treated to produce casehardened surface hardness of 57-58+ Rockwell C scale. Case hardening is not very thick as it is intended to reduce surface wear primarily, and drops off quickly to a core value in the high 20’s Rockwell C scale. When rejoining such pieces by welding, followed by seam grinding, the basic welding process along these long and deep seams will likely produce micro-granular fracturing and general stress concentrations that can possibly extend to structural cracking and failure in/near the weldments, or along lines of concentrated stress. (This is far different type of welding than the reinforcement welds described above which penetrate only to a very shallow depth, and with minimal linear progression.) To be clear then, a re-manufactured trunnion that has undergone welding is always suspect for cracking and stress failure along the re-joined seam(s). Though generally serviceable as shooters, these re-manufactured receivers warrant close inspection before purchase (a MagnaFlux®, or fluorescent dye-penetrant type, inspection is recommended), and continuously thereafter in service at regular intervals.

In Part II we will begin discussion of the various component parts and their assembly and interface to the basic receiver assembly, along with a continuing look at factors that contribute to the structural integrity of the receiver.

By W.B Storey

When US troops invaded Iraq and toppled the regime of Saddam Hussein, they were armed with a array of small arms that represented over 100 years of firearms development in the United States. In terms of variety of function and sheer firepower, this expedition was most probably the heaviest armed force America has ever fielded. With fresh updates in ammunition and optical technology, they were also probably the deadliest. Time and again, while Iraqis “sprayed and prayed,” American troops placed aimed fire on target and trounced the enemy in one engagement after another.

The weapons they carried proved themselves admirably on the battlefield, in some of the worst, dust choked terrain the world has to offer, from off the shelf M16A2s to Barrett M82 BMG sniper rifles. Speaking with innumerable soldiers in the field, I was told over and over again; weapons stoppages were not a major problem during combat. When kept clean, even the much-maligned 5.56x45mm NATO rifles functioned well. Problems arose; I was told, not with the small arms, but with heavier, crew served weapons, the MK 19 grenade launcher in particular.

My own experience with the 101st Airborne proved the devastating effect that well aimed, concentrated small arms had on the irregular attacks of the Fedayeen militia. In one ambush, the Fedayeen attacked a Ground Assault Convoy from the 3/187th “Rakassans” of the 101st Airborne, mistaking their LMVT trucks for another supply convoy. Before they had time to realize their mistake, they were literally vaporized by a blizzard of 5.56x45mm M4 fire.

As you saw on CNN, between the Bradlees, the M1 Abrams, the A-10s and a hailstorm of 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm, Americans were unstoppable, even in terrain that did not favor mechanized forces. In short, American gun makers need to stand and take a bow; another tyrant has bitten the dust.

US M203 Grenade Launcher

Lead Photo, above: The 40mm grenade developed during Vietnam proved to be a most formidable weapon, but the M79 that fired it had one major drawback; it only fired the grenades and left the gunner vulnerable in the close confines of the jungle. To remedy that, the Army developed a way to hang the tube underneath an issue M16 and hence, the M203 was born. A gunner now had two options: blast them with the “40” or shoot them with a 5.56x45mm. Capable of firing a mixture of rounds ranging from standard high explosive, to illumination flares to rubber riot control buckshot, the M203 is one of the most versatile weapons in the US arsenal.

Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing, Hartford, CT.
Caliber: 40mm high/low pressure grenade.
Feed: single-shot, breech loading.
Sights: fixed battle site on fore stock or quadrant mounted on upper receiver.
Range: 350 meters.

US M4 Carbine

The latest in a long series of innovations and evolutions around the M16, the M4 Carbine is perhaps the pinnacle of the M16 series. Simply put, it is just the sweetest “16” out there. It is light, compact, has more bells and whistles than a fire engine, and can reach out and hit accurately at most reasonable, modern firefight ranges. The best feature the M4 has is its system of MIL-STD-1913 rails located on the upper receiver and the fore stock. Upon these rails are mounted everything from infrared aiming lasers, optical sights, Tac Lights of various makes, night scopes, Aimpoints and M203 tubes. Another feature to seen on SPEC OP versions is a quick mount suppressor. When kept clean, this is the handiest AR series weapon around.

Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing, Hartford, CT.
Action: Gas-operated, semi or full-auto.
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Win).
Magazine: 30-round, staggered-column, detachable box-type
Sights: fixed battle sights or a host of Aimpoints, Elcans and Trijicons and other optical packages.
Range: 500 meters.
Cyclic rate: 700-950 rpm.

US M249 SAW

The US M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, or SAW, is the US military’s first, belt-fed automatic in 5.56x45mm NATO. This came about due to a logical conclusion that an infantry unit would be better off if everyone carried the same caliber ammunition, as they did in World War II. Hence, the SAW, in addition to being belt-fed, can also accept magazines for the M16 service rifle. Another product of the venerable Fabrique Nationale line, the SAW incorporates a gas-operated, piston action with a rotating bold assembly. The belted ammunition can be fed into the weapon loose, or from a detachable plastic box that fixes to the bottom of the weapon. While most SAWs have a full size synthetic stock, outfits like the 101st Airborne have been issued models with a retractable, metal stock. This makes for easier handling when getting in and out of helicopters. It has held up well in the sands of Iraq, provided the operator is religious about cleaning it.

Manufacturer: FN Manufacturing, Inc. Columbia, SC.
Action: Gas-operated, full-auto ONLY.
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Win).
Feed: Disintegrating belt link.
Sights: Adjustable iron sights or M145 Elcan 3.5x scope.
Range: 600 meters.
Cyclic rate: 725 rpm.

US M240 7.62x51mm GPMG

The M240 started life in the US inventory as a machine gun on armored vehicles, but has quickly risen to replace the M60 as a squad automatic. Based on the famous Fabrique Nationale MAG 58, it fires the 7.62x51mm NATO cartridge from a disintegrating link, as did the M60. While it retains many of the features of the M60, it is much easier to maintain and more reliable. It has been seen in Iraq in every conceivable configuration, from a coaxial mount on the Abrams M1A1 tank to a bipod mounted infantry weapon at the squad level. It has performed admirably in Iraq’s worst natural condition: sand and dust.

Manufacturer: FN Manufacturing, Inc. Columbia, SC.
Action: Gas-operated, full-auto only.
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win).
Feed: Belt-fed, disintegrating M13 link.
Sights: M145 3.5x Elcan scope or adjustable iron sights.
Range: 1,500 meters.
Cyclic rate: 650-900 rpm.

US M60 7.62x51mm GPMG

First accepted into service in 1960, the M60 GPMG has had perhaps the longest life of any of America’s .30-caliber machine guns. It has been configured in every way from aerial door gun on helicopters, to squad automatic on a bi-pod, to medium machine gun on a tripod or vehicle mount. Its feed system is based on the German MG42 of World War II fame. It has a gas-operated, rotating bolt design with a self-regulating gas piston and churns out a consistent, and characteristic, 550 rounds per minute. While having been largely replaced by the M240, it is still widely used on aircraft and vehicles. The only complaint; keeping it clean.

Manufacturer: Saco Defense

Saco, Maine USA
Action: Gas piston, full-auto.
Caliber: 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win).
Magazine: Disintegrating belt
M13 link.
Sights; Fixed blade front,
adjustable rear.
Range: 1,100 meters.
Cyclic rate: 550 rpm.

US M24 Sniper Rifle

The granddaddy of US sniper rifles, the .308 M24 is based on the Remington 700 action that has seen service in every conflict since World War II. You just can’t say enough good things about this rifle. It is accurate, smooth and robust. Mounting a 10x Leupold or night scope, there are few if any complaints. The weapon consists of a hammer forged, 24-inch stainless steel barrel and a bolt-action, carbon steel receiver mounted on a Aramid fiber synthetic stock with adjustable buttplate.

Manufacturer: Remington Arms Co. Madison, NC. and various US Military internal custom shops.
Action: Bolt-Action, forward locking lug.
Caliber; 7.62x51mm NATO (.308 Win).
Magazine: Five-round, staggered-column, integral box-type.
Sights: 10x Leupold optical sight.
Range: 800 meters.

Barrett M82 .50 Cal. Sniper Rifle

Issued to scout sniper teams at the battalion and company level as well as Special Forces teams, the Barrett M82 .50 caliber “Anti-Material Rifle” has provided a long range, accurate punch to Infantry and Marine units in Iraq. It has been employed against everything from the light trucks used by Saddam’s Fedayeen militia to unexploded ordnance. It has, however, suffered from failure to issue match-grade ammunition and Army snipers have complained that the Leupold scope that comes with the rifle is not robust enough to handle the recoil of the .50-caliber BMG cartridge. It does retain enough accuracy, however, to nicely drill the aluminum engine block on a Toyota or Nissan pickup using AP tracer. The short-recoil, 10-round magazine-fed action of the Barrett has proven reliable even in the fine, gritty dust that seems to coat everything in Iraq.

Manufacturer: Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Murfreesboro, TN.
Action: Magazine-fed, Semiautomatic.
Caliber: 12.7x99mm – .50 Browning.
Magazine: Ten-round, staggered-column, detachable box-type.
Sights: 10x Leupold on MIL-STD-1913 rail or adjustable iron sights.
Range: 1,800 meters.

US M16A1 & A2

(Photo unavailable. My battalion only had M4s.) Perhaps the most debated rifle in US history, the M16 has a full host of supporters and detractors. Everything from its basic action design to its caliber has been hotly scrutinized since it was first introduced during Vietnam. It has undergone numerous modifications and in Iraq proved to be resilient against jamming when kept clean, despite the micro fine dust that coats everything. Not one soldier I spoke to about this rifle had anything bad to say about it. It has light recoil, fires full-auto and doesn’t weigh as much as either an AK-47 or an M14. But it must be kept clean. The only word of caution heard was from troops who had served in Afghanistan and Somalia, where the malnourished condition of the fighters there led to problems with over penetration. No such problem was encountered with stouter Iraqis. Adaptation of a heavy barrel with 1:7 inch twist rifling and the new M855/M856 ammunition have extended its range and accuracy as well as reliability.

Manufacturer: Colt Manufacturing, Hartford, CT. & FN Manufacturing, Inc. Columbia SC
Action: Gas-operated, semi or full-auto.
Caliber: 5.56x45mm NATO (.223 Win).
Magazine: 30-round, staggered-column, detachable box-type
Sights: fixed battle sights or a host of Aimpoints, Elcans and Trijicons and other optical packages.
Range: 550 meters.
Cyclic rate: 700-950 rpm.

US Mossberg Model 590 12 Gauge Shotgun

Sporting the dual steel action bars and anodized aluminum receiver of it’s predecessor, the M500, the M590 neatly fills the requirement for a close in scattergun at the platoon and squad level. In Iraq it has been issued to medics and squad leaders for both close-in protection (in the case of the medics) and as a door-breaching tool by squad leaders (00 Buckshot). As firefight ranges have rarely been close enough for a shotgun, the Mossberg shotgun has proven very useful as a “Skeleton Key” for removing door hinges during sweeps for Baath Party hardliners. At close range, its heavy 12-gauge punch is deadly against any who resist the entry team.

Manufacturer: Mossberg and Sons, North Haven, CT.
Action: Slide-action.
Gauge: 12 gauge (up to 3-inch Magnum shells).
Magazine: 8-round tubular-type.
Sights: single front bead or front blade with ghost ring rear sight.
Range: 50 meters.

by Frank Iannamico

Although crudely constructed, awkward to fire and (arguably) aesthetically unappealing, the World War II British Sten series of 9mm submachine guns (or machine carbine in British parlance) have established quite a loyal following among US collectors and shooters.

I base these assumptions of popularity on the prevalence of the Sten boards on the web, and sales of The Sten Owners Manual for Shooters and Collectors (available from Moose Lake Publishing). The Sten Manual that was first published in 1997, and now in its second printing, continues to be one of my best selling books. I guess what make the Sten appealing to many is its simplicity as well as its rugged reliability. Although close to the bottom of the food chain when it comes to Title II firearms, from my observations the Sten is very well liked by those who possess them. No doubt the combination of history; select-fire capability, common 9mm cartridge and price combine to make the Sten an attractive choice.

The basic Sten Mark II version is the most popular, and most of them out there are “tube guns” that were assembled with “new-manufacture” receiver tubes by Class 2 manufacturers and individuals back in the pre May 19, 1986 “good old days.” Although there are a number of original Curio and Relic (C&R) Stens in the system they are certainly not as common, or cheap as, the Sten “tube gun.”

The Sten has a enjoyed a renewed interest recently (more accurately the Sten’s RECEIVER tube) spurred largely by SAR writer Bob Bishop’s article on how to convert the “lowly” Sten MK II into a streamlined Sterling Mark 4 aka the L2A3 (See SAR Volume 2 Number 12). I admit after reading Bob’s article I too was inspired to have my Sten MK II under go the transformation into a “Stenling”, and did so shortly after the article appeared. After my Sten was returned from the metamorphosis, I was quite impressed with my new “Sterling” conversion. The Sterling is an awesome, accurate gun. However, I soon began to miss my somewhat inelegant Sten MK II model and soon felt that I just had to acquire another one. After acquiring another Sten MK II, I then of course would need a number a spare parts “just in case”. I had regretfully sold off all of the spare parts that I had accumulated for my other Sten when I had it converted into a Sterling submachine gun.

Most every owner of a Title II firearm likes to have a number of spare parts on hand “just in case.” The Sten is no different, although the price of a complete kit in decent condition for a MK II model will generally exceed $150. Additionally, the availability of Sten MK II kits have dried up a few times over the past few years, but the surplus dealers always seem find new sets somewhere and they reappear, although this will no doubt end someday. A disadvantage of purchasing a complete Sten parts set is that some of the parts will generally not be used as spares. These parts would usually include the trigger housing, the buttstock, barrel retaining nut and the magazine housing.

Recently a large number of Sten MK III (three) kits have appeared on the surplus market. The MK III model of the Sten differs in construction somewhat from the MK II version, and there are very few live, transferable MK III Stens out there in the hands of U.S. collectors. The World War II Sten MK III was originally designed because it could be manufactured even faster and cheaper than the MK II version. However this was not true for Class 2 manufacturers and individuals who were constructing “new” Sten subguns. As a result most individuals and Class 2 manufacturers stuck with making the Sten MK II model. Thus, there is little demand today for a Sten MK III spare parts, so the kits are being offered at under $30 and even cheaper when purchased in quantity. Many of these kits are being purchased by those individuals, who wish to build an inexpensive non-firing MK III Sten for display purposes.

THE STEN MK III

The Sten MK III, officially introduced in the spring of 1943, was the least expensive Sten model to manufacture. While the Sten MK II was manufactured by a number of different prime, and many subcontractors, the Mark III variation was made only by Lines Brothers LTD. Lines Brothers was a metal fabrication firm with no pre-war gun making experience. The company however, was a contractor for the Sten MK II, Sten magazines, and various parts for other weapons during the war. The MK III was originally intended to replace the MK II model. After comparing the advantages and disadvantages of each individual model, the British decided that there were many more attributes to the MK II version that made it decidedly superior to the cheaper MK III. Production of the MK III was terminated only eighteen months after it began. During the weapon’s brief manufacturing run there were over 876,000 examples of the MK III produced.

The Sten MK III barrel was designed different that the MK II. While the removable MK II barrel was secured by a barrel nut, the MK III barrel was riveted to the receiver tube. The two rivets can be seen in this photo.

The MK III receiver extends out almost to the end of the barrel. A spot-welded seam forms a rib that protrudes from the top and runs the length of the receiver. This rib also forms the front sight, which makes it a non-adjustable or replaceable part. Few parts could be replaced in the MK III including the barrel that was not readily removable from the receiver. The magazine housing was permanently fixed to the receiver tube by spot welding and could not be rotated as a dust cover over the ejection port as on the MK II model. Internal parts and operation principles were the same as the MK II models.

Although the Sten MK III model had the advantage of being able to be manufactured rapidly and was inexpensive to produce, it was extremely difficult to repair and maintain in the field. This was attributed to the fact that the weapon could not be easily disassembled for cleaning, or to replace parts. During the war when a Mark III Sten encountered any functioning problems or was damaged, the entire weapon was usually scrapped, excluding the few internal parts that could be salvaged. Few replacement parts were even made available to repair a MK III. One of the Sten MK II’s main attributes was that it could be repaired, disassembled and concealed. These features were what made the Sten MK II ideal for soldiers in the field and resistance groups operating behind enemy lines. With the MK III model this was not possible. The majority of the Mark III Stens were issued to the British Home Guard units.

The good news for registered Sten owners is that many of the parts of the MK III are the same as a MK II. These parts would include the bolt, extractor, extractor pin, selector, trigger assembly, trigger pin, sear, sear pin, trip lever, recoil spring, spring cap and lock, buttstock, magazine catch and spring. Other parts although not readily interchangeable, can be modified to work in the MK II model. The bottom line is that the MK III parts sets can be used as inexpensive parts source for the Sten MK II or MK V owner. Owners of the MK V model should be advised that the bolt, trip lever and lower cover are different, but the parts, with the exception of the cover, can be modified rather easily to work in the MK V gun.

Most of the MK III parts sets are in very good condition with a few observed that appeared to be brand new! Another interesting observation is that many of the Mark III kits that were imported have the heretofore-rare cast aluminum-bronze bolts in them. The bronze bolts had previously been quite scarce in the U.S. in past years. Although they are not suggested for use, as the sear surface will wear rapidly with consistent firing in semiautomatic.

The MK III barrel can be used in a Sten MK II by fabricating an adapter. This adapter uses two setscrews to secure the barrel to the adapter. The MK II muzzle nut is then used to secure the MK III barrel in the receiver.

The barrel of the 9 mm MK III Sten was designed differently than the MK II or MK V. The MK III barrel was not originally designed to be readily removed. It is more or less permanently riveted inside the receiver tube. The MK III barrel can however be used in the MK II model by fabricating an adapter. The adapter is a fairly simple affair and could be easily made by a competent machinist or a gunsmith.

Simply support the receiver end containing the barrel in the jaws of a vice. Do not tighten the vice jaws, simply use the jaws to support the end cap. The long end of the barrel should be pointing toward the floor. Take a soft piece of wood and support it with your hand on the muzzle end of the barrel. Using a hammer, tap the wood placed on the barrel’s muzzle downward. This will shear the two 1/8-inch rivets that are securing the barrel to the receiver remnant, and the barrel will drop out of the receiver.

A British paratrooper armed with MK II Sten. One Advantage to MK II model is that it could be easily dissembled and concealed.

The MK III kits are cheap in abundance today, but as any seasoned machine gun collector/shooter knows with machine guns and parts the situation is often “here today – gone tomorrow”. Classic example: try to locate a complete spare parts set today for a M1928A1 Thompson Submachine Gun. These were once plentiful as well.

by J.M. Ramos

Lets turn back the pages of time circa 1980. This is the beginning of the golden age of “firearms esoterica.” The Reagan years will be remembered in history as the innovative years of hi-tech weaponry and the peak of the cold war between the world’s two superpowers. The gun market was brimming with super clones and dress up kits that could instantly transform a typical hunting rifle into a battle-ready powerhouse. Nevertheless, it was the American gun buying public that benefited most from these decades of advance weapon developments.

While most of the so-called “assault-type” semiautomatic imports of that era are now banned, they undoubtedly influenced many of the latest design features currently available for the military and law enforcement market. As the exciting memories of the submachine gun era slowly faded into oblivion, many companies were forced out of existence. Regretfully, exotic gun aficionados are left out in the cold and owning their dream gun is now next to impossible as the cost of the more sought after pre-ban militarised imports went sky high.

Interest on hi-tech long arms has long waned, due primarily to their prohibitive costs and strict government regulations that since banned many models that use to be accessible to private buyers. For those who followed the history of sub-gun market boom in the 80’s and the decade that followed after, the Bingham PPS-50 needs no introduction. This awesome looking rimfire clone was patterned after the legendary World War II Russian burp gun, the PPSh41 submachine gun. It was manufactured in Italy by Filli Pietta in a small town called Mandolossa. Although unheard of in the import circle, this firm had been around for decades producing excellent single and double-barrelled break-open hunting shotguns. Their products were mostly offered for the local market with limited numbers being exported to other parts of Europe. Although produced in Italy, the PPS-50 bears a strong American design heritage. This is no surprise since this awesome-looking rimfire clone is indeed designed in the USA and manufactured in Italy.

The PPS-50 is not the first to feature a drum magazine for a rimfire self-loader. The early Casull later to be known as the American 180 SMG was the first. However the magazine is mounted horizontally over the gun. The Filli Pietta version is inserted in conventional position – below the gun. The PPS-50 drum is a pure performer when it comes to reliability. This is the only magazine in its calibre and format that the author found to work flawlessly with any type of .22 long rifle ammo including the truncated type bullets that are known to jam even the much-touted Ruger 10/22. There were several 50-round magazines offered for the 10/22 during the heyday of the exotic gun era. This include the Sanford 50, the Mitchell “Teardrop” shape and the Ram-Line double-column “banana”-type magazine. From these variations of after market accessories, only the Ram-Line brand proved reliable enough to match the factory 10-round rotary magazine.

The PPS-50 drum magazine was very well made. It utilized all steel construction in its outer shell. It featured a unique follower arrangement in the form of three machined steel .22 LR dummies connected together by a rubber loop. The centrepiece of the drum-in-sprocket configuration is a circular disc made of hi-impact polymer. The sprocket allows the cartridges to be neatly stacked during loading. This component is powered by a clock-type spring similar to those used in the famous Thompson SMG drum. The tension of the spring is manually adjustable by the number of turns of the sprocket, which can be set to conform to the timing cycle of the bolt during operation. Most magazines suffer from spring fatigue after heavy usage or with the magazine left loaded after a long period of time. Not so with the PPS-50 drum. You can leave a fully loaded magazine for months and expect it to work when called upon. To facilitate easy loading with the drum, Filli Pietta came up with a simple loading device in the form of a bent wire that attaches to the left side of the magazine lips. Charging a full 50 rounds in the drum can be accomplished in just few minutes and is quite easy.

The overall fit and finish of the magazines supplied with the PPS-50 are excellent. The top end of the 30-shot version utilized a filler, which is made of alloy casting. The filler has the usual built-in feed ramp found on the drum. While both of these magazines performed flawlessly during my extensive testing, there is one flaw that I noted on the drum design that needed serious fixing. On one occasion, the rubber loop that connects the three cartridge shaped followers snapped while the gun was being fired. After the last round was fired, the top dummy round of the follower was chambered after being separated from the retaining loop. Unless you are counting the rounds being fired or the gun has a last round “hold-open” device, it is difficult to know if a dummy round has been loaded instead of a live one. In a real life-threatening situation, this could result in serious consequences. Furthermore, if you are using the gun in a bush or forest where tall grass covers the ground and eject the dummy round thinking it is a misfire, the chance of losing this very important part is very likely. This will render the drum unserviceable since the remaining two dummy rounds will just fall off from the magazine as soon as the drum is removed from the gun.

To correct this serious flaw, I have redesigned the follower arrangement but still retained the three dummy round principle as the follower. The fragile rubber band loop retainer was omitted. The rubber loop becomes brittle as it is exposed to oil when the magazine is lubricated. In its place, a coil spring is substituted to power the compression and decompression of the dummy round followers as they were forced to move upward by the sprocket to position the last round on top of the magazine. The new improved follower arrangement proved to function even better.

THE TRIGGER LOCKWORK Ultra-simple but seriously flawed.

The PPS-50’s trigger lockwork is very simple – at least that’s how it looks like when I first disassembled the gun for cleaning. When I examined the mechanism, the first thought that came into mind is the Armalite designed AR-7 Explorer carbine. The internal components of the PPS-50 and AR-7 are almost identical including the bolt design. In fact, you can use the PPS-50 bolt in the AR-7 but not vice versa. The hammer on the Italian made gun is thicker and will not pass through the opening at the back of the US made bolt. In addition, the PPS-50 incorporated a simple but highly efficient buffer system to soften the recoil in the form of a large coil spring, which supports the back plate of the recoil spring guide. Another excellent feature added to work in conjunction with the improved bolt assembly is the retarding effect of the bolt’s movement as it reaches the last stage of recoil. This is accomplish by incorporating an incline shoulder at the end of the cocking handle travel slot. As the bolt reaches the end of its cycle, the cocking handle is forced by the incline slot to slightly rotate, thereby creating a slight delay on its forward action which in turn allows the next round to seat itself properly into loading position before the bolt scoops it up towards the chamber. This unique bolt retarding effect can be attributed to the PPS-50’s outstanding loading reliability, which also proved highly workable in the Ruger 10/22 design.

Top: Close-up view of the hammer cocked with the sear’s front end. In the AR-7, the front of the trigger acts as the primary sear. Center: Close-up view showing the hammer engaged with the secondary sear (rear hook of sear). The pull on the trigger pushes the rear of sear upward to engage the hammer on this position while being depressed by the bolt during recoil after a shot was fired. Bottom: View showing the hammer being let go by the secondary sear’s hook after the trigger pull is released. Normally, the primary sear (front of sear) would engage the cocking notch of the hammer in this sequence. The rocking motion along with the fore and aft movement of the sear allows the sear to move slightly backward resulted in the hammer missing the connection resulting in an accidental discharge (doubling).

In the 10/22, the retarding effect is accomplished using two-step bolt. The trigger housing had matching inclined shoulders to force the bolt to move downward as it follows the rear contour of the receiver. As the bolt reaches the end of its rearward cycle, its center step engages momentarily with incline shoulder of the trigger housing resulting in a slight delay. The retarding effect allows the 10-shot rotary magazine’s sprocket to position the next cartridge properly on the feed lips before the bolt pushes it towards the chamber. Now you can clearly see why the 10/22 worked so well. The makers of the PPS-50 certainly did their assignment here combining the best mechanical features of America’s best selling rimfire carbines namely the AR-7 and 10/22. For looks, the Russian PPSh41 SMG format completes the final touch. These are winning combinations that made the PPS-50 one of the best selling .22 look-alike imports in America.

Despite all the great attributes found on the PPS-50, it has yet another very serious flaw. The trigger lockwork of the gun owed much from the popular AR-7 carbine with minor differences. This includes a separate sear mounted on top of the trigger. The usual hammer spring arm that acts as a trigger return for the AR-7 only works with the internal sear. This new arrangement required a separate trigger spring, which is mounted on the left side of the trigger. The separate sear system employed in the Italian clone is basically aimed at improving the trigger pull as well as eliminating the usual trigger kick felt on the AR-7 while it is being fired. This is due to the absence of a separate disconnector system. In the PPS-50, the trigger-mounted sear does all the mechanical work with the hammer. The trigger is merely acting as a bridge for the sear. When I first tested the gun, it worked flawlessly, firing nearly 500 rounds until it started doubling, followed by misfires in between. I went through the usual drill of clearing, chambering etc., but the problem still persisted.

I packed my things up and drove home and went straight to my workbench. I stripped the gun completely and examined each part to determine what had caused the unexpected malfunctions that had no apparent cause. There were no visible damage or fault on the design that I could see. When I re-assembled all the parts back into the trigger housing and worked them manually, the components functioned just fine. I mated the trigger assembly back to the top end and operated the action manually. Again, everything seems to be working normally.

At the end of the day, I was able to trace the culprit that leads me to the conclusion that despite the simplicity of the trigger lockwork, the design itself is completely faulty. In the AR-7 design, there are only three moving parts namely: the trigger, hammer and bolt. In the PPS-50, this number was increased to four with the addition of the separate sear that pivots over the trigger in a seesaw motion. Both the sear and the trigger have an oblong slot to allow the rocking action of the sear during its connection and disconnection sequence with the hammer. The gun worked for a while but after a few hundred rounds were fired, it started doubling. After firing the first round, the bolt will recoil to re-cock the hammer with the secondary sear (rear hook) connecting with the upper step of the hammer. Releasing the pull on the trigger, automatically fires the next round. The hammer should have been intercepted by the front end of the sear and held it in the fully cocked position. In this case, the sear missed the hammer and fired accidentally. The third round was loaded after the unwanted second shot and the hammer followed the bolt in its forward closing resulting in a misfire. What happened? Firstly, the gun worked for a few hundred rounds but as soon as the tip of the top front-end corner of the sear (the only portion catching the hammer after the disconnection took place) wore out, the doubling occurred. Secondly, the oblong slots cut on both the sear and trigger to allow the rocking motion of the sear also permitted unnecessary fore and aft play. The gaps of the twin slots allowed the sear to unnecessarily move slightly backward as the cocking notch of the hammer tries to re-engage the sear during cocking motion. The actual misalignment of the hammer notch and the front-end portion of the sear that normally engages the hammer takes place immediately after the trigger pull is released and the hammer was let go by the secondary sear. In normal sequence, the hammer should be held cocked by the front end of the sear. However in this sequence, it was missed by the sear, thereby causing the gun to fire accidentally, as the trigger pull is released. The third round of course is a misfire since the normal disconnection process is no longer taking place.

After having identified all the major design flaws of the gun, the next step is to come up with an alternative trigger lockwork that would provide a lighter and more consistent trigger pull. This remedy must be accomplished utilizing most of the original components to make the revision practical and economical. I made few sketches and finally came up with what I considered an ideal alternative to the original. I call the experimental mechanism the “Special Purpose Rifle” (SPR) system. It rivals the trigger pull of a tuned up 1911 pistol while retaining the overall mechanical simplicity of the PPS-50.

For those who owned this marvelous import and had experienced the same dilemma I had, the revised trigger mechanism could very well be the perfect cure for the PPS-50’s serious bug. Any qualified gunsmith can easily make this simple modification. The new lockwork provided far smoother and lighter trigger pull when compared to the original. In addition, the SPR mechanism gives the operator the advantage of faster and more accurate follow-up shots when needed, thanks to its ultra short trigger pull. Find out more about the SPR-50 modification in Part-two of this article in the next issue of SAR.