News

(GunReports.com) – The United States Army’s Joint Munitions and Lethality Contracting Center has awarded Remington a contract for the upgrade of up to 3,600 M24 Sniper Weapon Systems (SWS) to be classified as the M24E1. In the package is a new Leupold Mark 4 6.5-20x50mm Extended Range/Tactical (ER/T®) M5 Locking Adjustment riflescope.The major configuration change for this system is the caliber conversion from 7.62mm NATO (.308 Winchester) to .300 Winchester Magnum to provide soldier’s with additional precision engagement capability and range. The contract is for a five (5) year period and has guaranteed minimum value of $192K with a potential value of up to $28.2 million.

Tactical bolt-action rifles are pretty easy to spot. Typically, they utilize a composite stock with pronounced pistol grip, oversize bolt handle and fire from a heavy barrel. The military models are camouflage or earth tone in color, and the law-enforcement models are usually black. Accuracy, strength, and simplicity are key attributes. Can a tactical rifle serve as a hunting rifle? Were not saying one cant. Its just that a tactical rifle typically weighs more than a hunting model. The heavy barrel enhances the ability to maintain accuracy throughout repeat fire and excessive heat.

In addition, tactical rifles tend to be more suitable for longer distance shots and offer ergonomics that favor the prone position or other means of support. Compared to hunting rifles that feature adornments such as engravings or fancy wood, the tactical rifle is stark and businesslike. In this test, we evaluated a 308 Winchester aimed at the law-enforcement market and the $1899 Steyr Arms SSG69 PII 308 Winchester.

(GunReports.com) -- An Alaskan firm called the Auto Mag Company will introduce the Auto Mag Kodiak chambered in .44 Auto Mag in the first quarter of 2011. It's been about 20 years since a similar gun has been manufactured.Built to the same specs as the Model 180, the new Kodiak will be available in traditional stainless or standard Parkerized chrome-moly. A limited number of Kodiak pistols will be built in 2011. Stainless finish will run $5,600 and Parkerized $3,100.

(GunReports.com) -- The NRA is challenging federal laws that prohibit law-abiding Americans eighteen through twenty years of age from legally purchasing a handgun through a federally licensed firearm dealer. The case was filed Tuesday evening in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas Lubbock Division. James D'Cruz of Lubbock, TX is the plaintiff in this case.'In Heller and McDonald, the U.S. Supreme Court clearly stated that the Second Amendment guarantees a fundamental, individual right to keep and bear arms for all law-abiding Americans,' said Chris W. Cox, executive director of NRA's Institute for Legislative Action. 'That right is not limited only to Americans twenty-one years of age and older. Indeed, throughout our nation's history, adults beginning at age eighteen have served in the military and fought for this country with honor. But while the Supreme Court has consistently made clear that the federal government cannot ban or unduly restrict sales of items protected by the Constitution, the federal government continues to prohibit these adults from purchasing handguns from federally licensed dealers, which represent the largest and most accessible means of purchasing handguns.'

(GunReports.com) – The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) announced today that it has awarded Glock a 10-year contract valued at up to $40 million.The agreement makes available for the first time both the Glock 22 Gen4 and Glock 27 .40 caliber pistols to all ATF agents. The terms provide additional Federal Agencies the opportunity to ride on the contract in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulations.

(GunReports.com) – Leupold’s Tactical Optics Division has announced the addition of Horus reticle options for the Mark 4® 12-40x60mm Tactical Spotting Scope. This Mark 4 spotter is the standard Scout Sniper Observation Telescope (SSOT) of the U.S. Marine Corps.Horus H32 and H36 reticles join the Leupold Mil Dot reticle as options. The H32 has a mil line for target measurement and speed estimation, while the H36 features an inverted “L” in Inch Of Angle (IOA) for ranging. The Mil Dot reticle matches those found in Leupold Mark 4 riflescopes, allowing a spotter to quickly range a target, view the same sight picture as the shooter and convey necessary adjustments.

According to the manufacturer, the Glock pistol was the first "industrially manufactured handgun with high-tech polymer grips." The barrels and slides are coated with what Glock describes as a "high-tech surface refinement" that they call Tenifer. The benefits of this "carbonitriding" coating are not only corrosion resistance and reduced glare but also resistance to abrasion. Tenifer coating is highly rated on the Rockwell Cone hardness scale at 64 HRC.

Some Glock pistols are available with different color frames, but our G34 was basic black. The defining feature of the G34 was its long 5.3-inch barrel with polygonal rifling, covered by a slide that included a gaping hole just to the rear of the front sight. This relief measured approximately 1.75 inches long by 0.75 inches wide. Glock says that this serves to reduce stress on the frame. The dustcover beneath the slide was also longer, making room for a healthy sized accessory rail, which was molded into place. The schematic breakdown of the Glock pistol with magazine lists only 34 separate parts, 36 if you count the magazine insert at the base plate (part 32a), and the front sight blade, part number 16a.

Check out several videos this week: Watch a Ruger stainless 44 Mag lose its barrel due to metal fatigue. Larry Potterfield of MidwayUSA examines numerous gun stock blanks to illustrate what to look for when selecting a stock blank. From the NSSF, a quick run down of what to pack when you're heading out of town on that hunt of a lifetime.

(GunReports.com) -- Crimson Trace announced the release of a New Laserguard product for the Ruger SR9c, the LG-449.The newest addition to the Laserguard family attaches to the trigger-guard and is instinctively activated with a pressure button located on the front of the grip.As with all Laserguard models, the LG-449 attaches to the trigger guard. The Laserguard housing is manufactured out of polymer with a rubber-overmolded activation pad.

(GunReports.com) -- Chrysler's new line of Outdoorsman pickup trucks includes a gun closet over the left rear wheelwell.The Ram truck division product is called the The Mopar RamBox Holster. The built-in gun rack can hold two rifles or shotguns inside one of the lockable, watertight compartments located on either side of the pickup bed.A $205 option - on top of the $1895 price of the RamBox feature itself - the rack can be rotated to hold six fishing poles.

(GunReports.com) -- A private museum located in Mexico's Ministry of Defence contains an array of seized drug-gangster devices, including heavily engraved guns.According to the Daily Mail (UK), among the items is a diamond-encrusted mobile phone and a solid gold medal bearing the crest of one of the drug gangs.The museum, Museo de los Enervantes, opened in 1985 and is used by the military to educate soldiers to the lifestyles and culture of drug cartels. It's open only to military officials and officer cadets in drug enforcement.

(GunReports.com) -- Israel Weapon Industries's new UZI PRO Sub Machine Gun (SMG) is a lightweight magazine-fed firearm based on the UZI sub machine gun.The is blowback-operated shoulder- or hip-fired weapon can be fired in automatic or semiautomatic modes.The magazine housing is located in the pistol grip, making magazine replacement in the dark much more simple. It fires from a closed bolt and has an integrated jump compensator on the barrel.