Innehållsförteckning för July/August 2022 #61 från Recoil

The American public was recently treated to the spectacle of our commander in chief mumbling and bumbling his way through a media event on the White House lawn, bemoaning the fact that citizens had the temerity to make their own firearms without approval from the nanny state — as they’ve done throughout the history of time — and worse, companies were supplying the parts to facilitate this. This sad event was peppered by outright lies, which our president finds difficult not to use, despite being called out on it multiple times. Of course, the firearms in question weren’t deer rifles or duck guns, but then the Second Amendment has never been about hunting. On the other side of the Atlantic, a sovereign nation is in a fight for its very…

In warfare, a stationary target is a vulnerable target. Firing any weapon from a static position for an extended period of time can allow an enemy to pinpoint your location. Conversely, repositioning frequently makes it harder for an enemy to launch an effective counterattack. The Scorpion mobile mortar system from Global Military Products is designed to address this need, achieving an effective balance between mobility and lethality. The Scorpion system was originally developed by a family-owned business in Spain called NTGS (New Technologies Global Systems). NTGS is the manufacturer of the Scorpion; Global Military Products, a division of Global Ordnance, partnered with the company to adapt and distribute it internationally. Once you see how the Scorpion works, it becomes clear that its name isn't just meant to sound imposing —…

Century Arms has had a somewhat checkered past when it comes to the AK series of rifles. Over the years, they’ve imported a few models from countries formerly within the Soviet sphere of influence ranging from neutered WASR 10s to excellent Zastava examples, fitted out of spec barrels to Polish parts kits, then branched off into manufacturing their own series of AKs with mixed outcomes. We’ve tested one of the milled receiver models in the past and had good results, but there have been reports of less-than-stellar performance from stamped receiver rifles. Therefore, their latest offering is intriguing, and with AK prices hitting unheard of highs, they’re worth looking at if you’re in the market for a godless heathen commie piece of sh*t trashcan gun. With that in mind,…

With an estimated 100-million units in circulation worldwide, the AK-pattern rifle has been involved in essentially every major conflict of the last 70 years. For this feature, we look at one of the more common places to encounter an AK in the post-Sept. 11 world: in the hands of local soldiers and militias being trained and supported by U.S. forces. A staple of America’s asymmetric warfare policy is building up indigenous forces with training and weapons, giving them (at least in theory) the capability to defend themselves and maintain stability after U.S. withdrawal. Recent history has, unfortunately, shown us beyond any shadow of a doubt that there are some flaws in the system. Regardless, it has given birth to a unique class of AK. Despite being funded and equipped by…

Pistol-caliber carbines are all the rage nowadays and Quarter Circle 10 is no stranger to the game. They offer a full line of products dedicated to pistol-caliber carbines that allow users to put together dedicated platforms instead of having to modify existing parts to work correctly. Quarter Circle 10 was one of the first to market dedicated receiver sets for 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45ACP into AR platforms. Here we examine their latest offering, the YKMF-5, a 9mm side-charging pistol that looks like a PCC had a wild night with an MP5. DESIGN & OPERATION The YKMF-5 is a special build that takes popular aspects of AR pistols and mates them with the Heckler & Koch MP5. To explain further, let’s analyze two popular operating systems for pistol-caliber firearms. Many…

If there’s one particular rimfire handgun that has taken off in the past two years, it’s the single-action revolver. They’re fun, reasonably priced, easy to shoot, and give the shooter a sense of nostalgia. One company that really dominates this market segment is Heritage Manufacturing. They took 2021 21 by storm with their Barkeep line of short-bar-reled rimfire revolvers chambered in 22LR and 22 WMR, but in January of 2022 they released a radically different model called the Tactical Cowboy. It has simulated carbon-fiber grips, a matte black finish, a fiber-optic front sight, a Picatinny rail for mounting optics, and a 6.5-inch threaded barrel. Wait, what? You read that right — Heritage’s Tactical Cowboy features a threaded barrel (½x28) so the shooter can mount a compensator or suppressor. We tried…

01 JK ARMAMENT WAR EAGLE MSRP: $157 URL: jkarmament.com The phrase “small things make a big difference” is never more apparent on a firearm. For example, misaligned sights can equal to missed shots. Fortunately, this phrase can apply to positive differences, too — like with the JK Armament War Eagle. Weighing 3.3 ounces and standing at 2.32 inches, this muzzle device reduces felt recoil while also working as a flash hider. Its userfriendly design means it doesn’t require any shims, timing, or special tools to install. Plus, it’s compatible with JK’s Quick Attach Taper Mount 1 and all SilencerCo ASR mounting systems without the need for additional locking mechanisms. This little birdie is made in the USA from heat-treated 17-4 stainless steel with a DLC finish. 02 WALKER DEFENSE RESEARCH NILE…

There are occasions in life when your typical EDC blade may be out of place. That Emerson, Strider, Benchmade, or Zero Tolerance knife might come in handy when you’re in a drop zone or for cutting open delivery boxes, but does it look right when you might need to produce a blade in a more formal setting, be it a nice dinner out to a restaurant that skimps on its steak knives or in an office situation where your serrated Tactical Bro 6000 STK might scare the crap out of everyone? In times like these, you may need to hold onto a gentlemen’s tactical folder or as knife maker extraordinaire, Ken Onion, calls them: a “gentical.” We’re not necessarily talking about a Damascus blade with engraved bolsters and mother-of-pearl scales,…

As a former team guy, I was issued a SCAR MK17 when they first came out. It was light, powerful, and a bit different — but full of promise. Accurate for man-sized targets to 800 meters and beyond, it was modular, modern, and could be used in structures or wide-open terrain. Flat ranges and a SFAUC course or three will tell you a lot, but you never really know for sure until you deploy with it — which is why NSWC Crane safety certifies everything that touches a MK17. It’s only with hard use that you see things that the designers might’ve missed. Just a few short years after carrying one, and a decade ago back in 2012, I started working on SCAR enhancements, first with Handl Defense and…

When people talk about 6mm ARC, they mention the impetus was a DoD project but get cutesy about exactly what part of the DoD it’s meant to serve. While we can’t mention any individual names or unit designations, we can say the guys with the surfer hair who coauthor books upon retirement are behind it. Of course, we’re talking about Naval Special Warfare and SEALs. Like the ammunition itself, this rifle from Grey Ghost Precision was put together for the same — not in a workshop but refined on the range over the span of months by students and instructors of DoD Advanced Sniper courses. What you see on these pages isn’t the first version GGP put together, just the first one you’ve seen. This shows in the official name:…

As we’ve done at previous SHOT Shows, we handed out awards for new, novel, or standout product releases in four categories: Best of Show Best Firearm Best Accessory … and our personal favorite, Best of the Basement. Bear in mind that just because a product received an award doesn’t mean it has our endorsement (by default everything awarded is new), but you’ll be seeing more of everything you see here in these pages in upcoming issues. The awards themselves were expertly cut and lasered by LEO Armory. BEST OF SHOW FN EVOLYS ULTRALIGHT MACHINEGUN Good news for anyone who’s ever humped a 240B. FN’s new Evolys 7.62 LMG tips the scales at an unheard of 14 pounds and gives ground pounders 30-cal. firepower in a 5.56-size package. It does this…

[This is an article excerpt edited to fit this format. Full text available on RecoilWeb] Today the oft-repeated gun shop lore is that up until 1934 when the National Firearms Act passed, silencers were sold widely via mail-order in the Sears Catalog for $5 or $10 — but their use in poaching during the Great Depression and by gangsters during Prohibition caused manufacturing of the harmless hushpuppies to vanish overnight. Like so many urban legends, there’s half-truths and holes in that narrative. Not to mention the dates don’t line up. Alcohol prohibition, with its unintended consequences of organized — and violently weaponized — crime, didn’t take place until 1920. And by that time, many states had already banned silencers. The Prohibition fueled crime wave wasn’t the impetus against them. Similarly,…

Nestled among the pines of Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle sits the Air Force Armament Museum. It’s the only museum in the world dedicated to the collection, preservation, and exhibition of artifacts and memorabilia associated with Air Force armament and its delivery platforms. Founded in 1974, the museum managed to secure a building in 1976 when the former enlisted club was donated to the museum foundation. The collection grew until 1981 when the museum building had to close because it was condemned. Fundraising then began, taking four more years until the new facility was opened in 1985. Since this is the Armament Museum, you’d expect the weapon displays to be top shelf, and they certainly are. Greeting you outside the entrance is the largest conventional munition ever…

Despite what some may say, .308 Winchester is still a viable cartridge for hunting, target shooting, and self-defense. Ammo is [somewhat] available and gives the shooter a vast array of bullets and loads to tailor for specific activities. With this in mind, building up a lightweight-ish battle rifle-type AR Carbine became a project. THE PARTS Every good carbine starts with a quality barrel and here opted for the Rainier Arms Match .308. This stainless steel, 1/10 twist 16-inch barrel features an intermediate length gas system. The relatively “short” barrel keeps the carbine compact, while still providing plenty of accuracy, even with 147-grain ball ammunition. Crowning the barrel is the Sig Sauer 762ti-QD silencer. This larger (than most) diameter silencer provides great sound reduction and doesn’t tip the scales too much…

The public face of firearms development usually follows one of two arcs. Either a big announcement is made at SHOT Show to gauge interest in the new Blastomatic 2000, with the product eventually making its way to market after a couple of false starts and several months of thumb twiddling. Or we’re let into the secret a few months in advance of the launch date on pain of excommunication and then run the review when everyone else does once the embargo has been lifted. The Angstadt Arms MDP-9 followed neither of those protocols, probably because they’re a small company unburdened by a big marketing department’s prelaunch checklists. We first encountered the pistol at SHOT 2019, when we stopped by the company’s tiny booth, manned by a couple of engineers and…

Many worship at the altar of Stoner, exalting the AR-15 platform’s ergonomics, versatility, and modularity. But with a receiver extension and buttstock that can’t be folded, since the bolt carrier group reciprocates into it, compactness for transport wasn’t Eugene’s first priority. The aftermarket has come up with solutions for this — but what if you’re looking for an even smaller footprint than a folding stock will provide? If you don’t mind disassembling your weapon, Stoner’s original design gets you halfway there, as you can easily detach the upper and lower into two pieces. However, it’s fiddly and not the quickest to deploy, and you’re still constrained by the length of the entire upper assembly, essentially the barrel plus the upper receiver — which itself accounts for about 8 inches of…

“Shooting is 70-percent science, and 30-percent magic.” The type of shooter you are dictates which elements end up in which category. Let’s imagine you have a big rifle match or a hunt coming up in a few days. You’ve been preparing your gear and equipment for weeks and have multiple trips to the range. You feel fully comfortable with your ballistic data and your bullet drop at a multitude of ranges and under various conditions. Your financial — and perhaps even more important, time — investment to this point are what we can call substantial. If you were asked if you were comfortable removing your scope from your rifle right now, how would you feel? Would you be slightly annoyed, or would you be losing your mind? There’s so much…

For most of its history, Western popular culture has taken place, well, in the actual West. However, the template for the genre has expanded into other frontiers. Early Western film usually centered around melodrama, meaning the characters and plot fell under clear lines of good and evil. Yet, as the world changed so did the Western. As a result of major world wars, the Western no longer portrayed the world as black and white. For example, famed director John Ford, after traveling with a photographer during World War II, created an adult Western in 1946, My Darling Clementine. The evolution of Westerns at this point blurred lines between good and evil with the creation of the antihero, a rough-around-the-edges protagonist who despite many flaws still saved the day. For example,…