At the beginning of this year I brought y'all great coverage of the show, despite not being there, and I hope to do an ever better job next month.

SHOT Show '09. Photo (C) Ken Lunde

Magnum Research is manufacturing a 1911 which will go on sale next year! Two sized model will be on offer.

Magnum Research has entered the 1911 segment of the handgun market with its first two offerings, a full-size (5.055” barrel) and semi-compact (4.33” barrel) Desert Eagle® 1911 pistol. Both models feature enhanced beavertail safety, skeletonized trigger and hammer, crisp trigger, extended safety lever, beveled magazine well, tightly tolerance frame and slide for enhanced accuracy.

I believe that these pistols will be manufactured in the United States, not imported from Israel.

Specifications
Model	1911 "G" Full-Size
Caliber	.45 ACP
Length	8.625"
Barrel	Length| 5"
Height	5.25"
Width	1.28"
Finish	Black Oxide
Weight Empty	2.261 lbs
Magazine	7+1 Rounds
Trigger	Single Action
Safety	Grip Safety, Extended Thumb Safety
Sights	Fixed
MSRP	$799
Available	2010

[ Many thanks to the reader who for emailed me the info. ]

The Gen 4 uses a double captive recoil system ala the G26/27/33. To accommodate this, the area in the frame below the recoil rod is more cut out. This reduces perceived recoil. It also should take care of the problem of malfunctions caused by limp-wristing the grip. And should eliminate reported failures to eject when a weapon light is mounted.

Interesting!

Read about the newest addition to his household over at Hell in a Handbasket.

Weighing 150 pounds and resembling a cannon more than a firearm, a huge, brass-barreled, portable field piece has been recovered from the sea, where a pirate lost it, and added to a collection of ancient guns in Pasadena, Calif. The gun was one of those used by the pirate, Hippolyte de Bouchard, when he and 400 followers sacked Monterey in 1818. In returning to their ship, the men lost this gun when a small boat overturned. In later years it was recovered by fishermen who saw it on the ocean floor at low tide. Another firearm almost as remarkable is a gun with a very long barrel used by Spanish settlers in hunting. They believed that the longer the barrel, the further the ball would carry, and so used long-barreled guns to kill game at long range. The long gun has an over-all length of about ten feet.

That pirate gun is almost certainty a Punt Gun. While nifty, they are not uncommon.

What is more interesting, at least to me, is the very long Spanish "sniper" rifle. That barrel would probably have decreased velocity, not helped it, but the long length and weight would have it easier to hit a moving target, much like how shotgunners use longer barrels today.

[ Many thanks to Sven (Defense and Freedom) for emailing me the the info. ]

Chris's G36 malfunctions.

He got the pistol back and again it had problems. He then sent it back a second time. Six months later Glock returns his pistol and a letter stating it "meets factory specs". The problems persistent so he filed a small claims suit the company succeeded in winning.

Both parties agreed to mediation, but were unable to come to a settlement.

The case was presented in front of the judge. The pictures to the left and the letters to Glock were presented. The courtroom did not have a TV so we did not view the video.

The judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff on November 24th for a portion of the damages.

Glock should have dealt with the situation much better. Chris is still a Glock fan and he told me that he plans on purchasing a Gen4 Glock in the future.

You can read about Chris's experience on his website.

New machines were still being installed at the 26,687-square metre plant as The Malay Mail was shown around by Colt Defence executive vicepresident James R. Battaglini.

It takes 3 1/2 hours to complete a single M4 and the plant can churn out 900 a day with options for more when required.

The finished product then go below the plant for the test-firing process to ensure it performed to specifications.

Colt boasts a record of every gun made so that if it does not perform well, the company can determine if it is made to specs.

You may be thinking what a Malaysian newspaper is doing in West Hartford, Connecticut? Back in 2007 Malaysia announced plans** to switch away from the Steyr AUG and adopt the M4.

The Malay Mail also has a photo of some rare Colt pistols. Daniel Watters told me ...

there is one interesting picture showing a couple of rare Colt prototype pistols. These include the SSP and their submission for SOCOM's OHWS competition. I don't have a definitive name for the pistol above the OHWS, but I believe it was going to used as the platform for their "Smart Pistol". It certainly doesn't match any AA2000 variant that I remember.

[ Many thanks to Daniel E. Watters for sending me the link. ]

The full letter can be view after the jump.

[ Many thanks to False for emailing me the letter. ]

Let me preface this review by first establishing that anything to do with how your body interfaces with a weapon system will not be a review that’s binary in nature. There is no universal ‘this works’ or ‘this does not work’ as empirical facts on these types of products. What feels good to one person feels bad to another.

There’s been a rapid transition from vertical grips being used in the broom-handle sense, i.e hands fully around the column, and thus providing very little stability over the center axis of the rifle. So as the hand moves higher up along the line of the bore (in terms of grip) we’ve found that we need less tall of vertical grips to accomplish that need. A further variation on that is the idea of a hand-stop, which whittles away any unnecessary design to provide only a reference point for the hand to exert rearward pressure on.

The hand-stop concept is fantastic if you run a high tang grip. For me as a shooter I run my reaction side hand (or primary if working transitions) high, to the point where my knuckles are on top of the rail. The one issue that has been raised is the supination to the shooter’s wrist, or the over-extension caused by a hard 90-degree cant on the grip; the AFG works to solve this by using an angled gripping surface for the shooter.

Magpul AFG on Knights 11.5" SBR (Note angle of the wrist in relation to the AFG)

This review was compiled from the experiences of 3 shooters, myself, and two other experienced AR shooters who spent about 100+ rounds on each of my guns (11.5 Costa-style SBR, which is fitting for this test, and my KAC SR-15). Obviously the build quality is fantastic, it’s an affordably made, and well thought out product in terms of execution. The grip comes with two finger groove inserts, one in the A2 style nub, and one that’s smooth. I found for my hands the A2 groove interfered with my smaller hands, and I had to switch out to the flat profile insert (swappable within 1-2 minutes with only removing two screws to separate the AFG in half). The AFG mounts to the rail using a flat head screw and nut, to lock it in to the rail. The AFG takes up approximately the entire length of a standard 7” carbine rail. However you can position it further forward on the rail depending on what feels best for the shooter.

Knights Armament SR-15

So how does it feel? Well…I’d say it’s a mixed bag. My KAC SBR uses a KAC hand-stop, and the longer SR-15 uses a non-QD Tango Down Stubby vertical grip. Each gun has it’s own unique setup as I run two completely different light/laser rigs on each. So lets start with the SR-15 first. On the Knights SR-15 the combination of Surefire Scout, AN/PEQ-15, and Magpul AFG did not feel good for me at all. The previous setup (and keep in mind this is a combination of interactions on different parts) which used the TD Stubby allowed me to slightly extend my left thumb forward to activate the light, and when using the PEQ (pressure pad is directly under the PEQ-15, placed in between the left and top rail) all I have to do is a slight wrist rotation to hit the pressure switch. When the AFG is in place it’s a much more pronounced move to hit the light. And with the PEQ-15 instead of rotating my hand back a few degrees to allow my thumb access to the pad I now have to extend my whole hand out since it’s already canted. Simply put it’s comfortable when shooting, but it’s uncomfortable when trying to work with the light and laser. The AFG also interferes with rail-mounted accessories like Larue mounts. The AFG cannot slide next to them without the user removing part of the AFG with a Dremel. This isn’t a big issue and is user-solvable quickly, but it’s still an issue worth pointing out. Since the review I’ve switched back to the Stubby, and I’ll get back to that in my conclusions.

Magpul AFG used in combination light and laser (Surefire Scout, and Insight Technology AN/PEQ-15)

On the SBR the results were notably better. Because I run my Surefire at the 1 o’clock position this allowed me to better high grip on the AFG, and the results were comfortable, though not perfect. The 11.5” SBR also provides an interesting test bed. As my rifle is very similar to Chris Costa’s (I run a different light setup however) so it’s a situation where my rifle matches up very closely to those in the marketing material. So taking that in to account the biggest differences become the difference in body mechanics between the two shooters.

Magpul AFG on Knights 11.5" SBR

To summarize how the AFG feels, and all the shooters independently confirmed this after our demo (we all came to the same results separately) is that the AFG can be equated to a slippage in physical purchase (grip, not money). I equate it to sitting on your back, feet against the wall, as you push out with your feet you have a solid action/re-action to what you’re pushing against. The AFG feels more like pushing against an angled surface, in that the force is somewhat translated but the force also wants to go up and out. So while it accomplishes the job of pulling back it feels less positive in terms grip. The tango down grip provides a solid 90-degree point of reference for my hands and the hands of the shooters who demoed the AFG (and I can keep an extra 123A battery in the stubby). The same can be said of the KAC hand-stop. I will admit I like the AFG just a tiny bit more over the KAC hand-stop, which is why I’ll continue to use the AFG going forward. However I’ve found that the AFG for me at least was not the right choice for my longer SR-15. I understand the mentality behind the AFG, and I wouldn’t go so far as to say it’s a solution searching for a problem. As I said earlier this is not going to be a binary review, this is however going to be a binary product. You will either love it or hate it. My response to it on it being announced was very mixed bag, my response to it in use is still the same. The human body is absolutely unique among individuals; ergonomics is always about creating a compromise. It’s about making what feels good to the largest percentage of individuals. I’m in the percentage that just barely considers it an improvement.

However at 35 dollars it’s too cheap not to try out for yourself, make these decisions after some range time, and see how it works for yourself. I do want to thank Magpul for allowing me to try one of these out for free, and come to these conclusions myself as impartially as possible.

HERA ARMS, makers of the Glock Carbine Kit, have turned their sights on the M1911 pistol. The Colt Pistol Extension (CPE) turns any mil-sepc 1911 into a .45 carbine.

Installation is simple. All that is involved is removing the grip panels and attaching the CPE in their place.

A stock adapter is available which allows AR-15 stocks to be attached.

In the United States this kit could be legally installed on any 1911 without violating BAFTE rules, as long as no stock or foregrip is attached. As soon as a stock or a foregrip is added, the gun must be registered with the BATFE.

The kit is featured in the current issue of DWJ magazine.

I do not know of any US distributors, but I am sure this will be picked up by US importers soon.

UPDATE: Video of it being used. Thanks to Gutao for the link.

UPDATE: Sven just told me that the 1911 used with the kit needs to be mil-spec. The DWJ magazine reported problems with non-mil-spec sights interfering with the kit.

[ Many thanks to Sven (Defense and Freedom) for emailing me the the info. ]