Great Gun Stuff Blog

I did not realize that physics would allow spudguns to achieve the level of power achieved by Sureshot's guns cannons.

BL-415

Most of Sureshots guns operate by injecting Methylacetylene-Propadiene gas into an expantion chamber and then igniting it.

The BL-415, which uses the Methylacetylene-Propadiene gas system, can generate up to 450 ft/lbs of muzzle energy. That is around the same muzzle energy of a .45 ACP round!

For comparison, the FN 303 less-lethal launcher generates just 16-24 ft/lbs of energy. The most powerful "less" lethal 12 gauge, 37mm and 40mm rounds top at just over 100 ft/lbs. The Sureshot guns could not be considered less-lethal.

BL-525

The 60" long tennis ball sized barrel of the BL-525 can generate 2000+ fl/lbs of energy if loaded with a proprietary 4090 grain UHMW/steel projectile. That is more energy than a 6.8mm Remington SPC cartridge!

Impressive? You have seen nothing yet ... The below video shows a proof of concept developed for a Mexican defense contractor. It fires a 6790 grain projectile and generates 3000 ft/lbs of muzzle energy!!! That is more than a .308 Winchester!

Check the legality of spudguns in your state or country before you embark on building one.

Beretta have been very tight lipped about the new Beretta Xplor shotgun. A well placed source provided me with some new information on the shotgun:

• The receiver is green in color. The photo I posted previously is the real deal.

• Despite being chambered for 3.5" shells, the receiver is small and light - comparable to a shotgun designed for 3" shells. As far as I know it is the lightest shotgun of its class.

• The smaller action, combined with the new gas system, helps with the fast cycling of the action. Firing four rounds before the first ejected shell hits the ground can easily be done.

• The gas system works well in keeping the action clean.

This photo is legit although bolt will be black in color (and, of course, will have a charging handle attached)

Because Australians are not allowed semi-automatic guns, rifle manufacturers make some interesting bolt and pump action conversions of AR-15s, AKs and other rifles for the Australian market.

H&K produce a special version of their SL8, itself a consumer friendly version of the G36, for the Australian market called the R8. It functions as a bolt action. The rifle is not manufactured with a gas system, that is then blocked to make it single shot, as other single shot conversions have been.

H&K R8

Last year H&K Australia were informed that they could not longer import the R8 because it is duplicates a military rifle. They are pissed because as you can see below it barely resembles the G36. The R8 receivers and barrels were never capable of functioning as a semi-auto (or at least that is what they claim).

Earlier in the year H&K again entered into proceeding to get it reclassified.

Many thanks to Ben for sending me the documents relating to the story.

Disappointingly the dinosaur gun we were all hoping for is not a dinosaur gun after all. Beretta have not yet published anything yet, but from what I have read, their new autoloader shotgun, Xplor UNICO A400, it is a refinement of the Beretta Xtrema 2 and 391.

Beretta Xplor - It is Green!

Over the weekend I was searching for photos of the new shotgun, and even emailed my contact at Beretta USA, but all I could find was some pretty boring images taken by Beretta showing it being shot from a distance. For some reason Beretta made all the journalists who attended the launch to agree not to publish any photos before November. I believe the photo above is legit. An Italian online store published it, only to take it down soon after (presumably after realizing they were not allowed to publish it). I have blurred out their name so that they do not get into any trouble.

Onto the shotgun itself ...

The shotgun will come chambered in a 3" version and 3.5" super-magnum version. It optionally features the new kick-off^3 (that is kick-off-cubed, for those of you who do not use spreadsheets) recoil reduction system stock. Two hydraulic dampers in the stock (the return spring is forward of the receiver, not in the stock) and another damper, maybe mercury or a spring mechanism, in the forend.

Jim Shepherd reports:

With our barrels plugged for only three shots, I didn't get to try the four-shot speed, but I did empty my three shots at a rate I didn't think possible-and aimed, not simply fired. That's apparently due the test gun's using Beretta's new "Kick-Off" recoil reduction system. Along with a new Micro Core recoil pad, dual hydraulic dampers in the butt and a third to reduce recoil peak from the bit of the bolt against the receiver, it absolutely reduced the impact of a long day's shooting.

Maybe the first recoil damper is inserted into the magazine, which would explain why they were not allowed more than three rounds loaded into the magazine? I don't really know, I am guessing.

It uses a new gas system called the Beretta BLink. The name is a reference to its speed. Weighing in at 6.6 lbs, it is very light and slightly lighter than the Benelli Vinic.

James Marchington, of Sporting Shooter magazine (UK), published a scan of the specifications ...

I will update the blog when more information becomes available.

The PR image I mentioned before.

Some time ago I posted a video of Michael shooting one of his Saiga-12 shotguns. He got in touch with me and explained that since then he has become a passionate Saiga-12 nut and now sells custom Saiga-12's.

Michael, who work as a designer / jeweler / metal smith, bought his first Saiga-12 when ammunition was becoming scare and he wanted a shotgun so that he could use the relatively cheap and available 12 gauge ammunition. One thing led to another and customizing these guns became a passion of his.

Modifications include ...

• Enhanced action with honed, mirror finished bolt, bolt carrier, carrier rails, and feed ramp.

• Four or five vent, polished and ported enhanced gas system with mirror finished, builder modified gas plug.

Those Jeweling skills come in handy. Beautiful!

• Custom modified, sculpted and vented fore end with integrated Command Arms 2" picatinny rail.

• Modified Tapco G2 trigger control group with honed and sculpted mirror finished contact surfaces on hammer.

• Tapco Galil style folding stock tapped and mounted with extra heavy duty torque bolts.

• Tapco M249 style Saw grip with builder designed custom heavy duty receiver mount.

• Flawless cycling with all types of 2 3/4" and 3" 12 gauge ammo.

• Durable, high heat ceramic enamel finish.

Concept for a SBS (Short Barreled Shotgun)

He does not have a website but he can be emailed at mm_rogers [] yahoo [] com (replace [] with correct character) or contacted on the phone (505-263-8822).

I was incredibly surprised to open an email a few days ago and see photos of the mythical Australian F88T Austeyr. Quite a long time ago I had scoured the internet searching in vain for photos of this gun.

The F88T Austeyr

Note the subcaliber magazine insert - the only giveaway that it is chambered in .22 LR

Almost no information about this rifle is available online. This is very surprising because the rifle is currently in service with a major defense force.

The F88T Austeyr was developed by ADI Limited (now known as Thales Australia). It is, as far as I know, the only variant of the Steyr AUG chambered in .22 Long rifle. A page on the, now offline, ADI website described the weapon as:

ADI has developed a .22 calibre training rifle for use by the Australian Army. The weapon provides an economical training alternative, with very low ammunition cost, which can be used in environmentally sensitive training areas and indoor areas for special force training with reduced risk to trainees and instructors.

This paragraph sums up just about all the information available online! Because of the lack of information I was convinced that very few of these had ever been built, but I stumbled across the minutes of a meeting from an Australian Air Force conference where they discussed an order of 200 F88T's which were going to be used for cadet training. Presumably there are more than 200 in existence.

Australian cadets also train with .22 single shot bolt actions rifles.

I do not have any technical information about the gun. Most .22 semi-automatics share similar features. The gas system will be non-functional because a .22 LR cannot generate enough case to cycle an action. The action will be a standard blowback system. The barrel is probably the same as the regular Austeyr. While this is not optimal for accuracy I can't imagine it would have been worth the cost of producing dedicated .22 Long Rifle barrels.

I am sure that the owners of the civilian Steyr AUG SA, which went on sale this year, would love to have a .22LR conversion kit. Realistically, a third-party American firm is much more likely to develop a conversion kit than Steyr is too either develop their own or license the design from Thales Australia.

Many thanks to Jon for the photos.