By Christopher M. Rance The red rim of the sun pushes itself over the distant horizon, as a brown haze of dust kicks up from…
BY DAVID PAZDERA The Model 52 (also known as Vz. 52) self-loading rifle, calibre 7.62x45mm, is perceived by contemporary collectors and shooters as a successful…
By Linda M. Gilbertson Sometimes it is best to train in shooting alone. It allows you to focus on what needs to be practiced and…
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) had depended upon its F88 5.56mm rifle—a Thales Australian-built variant of the Austeyr or Steyr AUG A1—since 1988. Australian “diggers”…
The MCR When ARES Defense Systems first came up with the Shrike belt-fed AR-15 upper, the so-called Assault Weapons Ban was still in effect. Shrike…
Faithful readers of this column are well aware of the on-going efforts to modernize and streamline the current procedures for the export of small arms…
CLOSE COMBAT SYMPOSIUM The 2019 Close Combat Symposium (CCS) was held at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom (UK) over July 9 to11, 2019….
“Specialized weapons need specialized ammunition.” The term Next Generation can mean a lot of things. I recently wrote an article on U.S. Army Next Generation…
In the course of decades of research in various military and museum archives, Robert Bruce has acquired a treasure trove of photos of what might…
Italy’s Show of Shows Located in Milan, Italy, and held twice a year in May and November is the terrific Militalia show. The event is…
CLOSE COMBAT SYMPOSIUM The 2019 Close Combat Symposium (CCS) was held at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom (UK) over July 9 to11, 2019….
Computer-aided design, advanced metallurgy, polymer composites, material forming technology and propellant formulation enable today’s ammunition advances, and that subsequently drives weapon design, not the reverse….
Whilst employed less frequently than the other types of small arms and light weapons covered in this series, grenade launchers and anti-armour weapons have still…
According to previous video issued by Iran’s state broadcasting company (IRIB), Tehran has a top-attack version of its Toophan (“typhoon”) anti-tank guided missile. The Toophan…
In the course of decades of research in various military and museum archives, Robert Bruce has acquired a treasure trove of photos of what might…
27-30 April 2020, Columbus, GA Advancing Combat Lethality Recently the influential and well-known NDIA Small Arms Symposium combined with some sister NDIA groups to add…
LARGEST LANDPOWER EXPO AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FORUM SHOWCASES NEW TECHNOLOGY There is no better place to see today’s defense technology on display than at the…
THE PORTUGUESE ARMY FINDS COMBAT COMFORT IN FN SCAR The Portuguese Army, after decades of struggling to get a new service rifle to replace its…
OSHKOSH DEFENSE JOINT LIGHT TACTICAL VEHICLE WITH REMOTE WEAPON STATION PROTECTOR Remote Weapon Station Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace AS (KONGSBERG) has sold nearly 20,000 M153…
Variables, Tolerances and Economics All too often, someone buys a firearm because someone else already has that precise make and model, and it shoots really,…
When laser rangefinders (LRFs) first appeared on the civilian domestic market a decade or so ago, they were large and somewhat expensive. And they were…
The collapse of the Soviet Union plunged the new Russian state into chaos, plagued by organized crime and terrorism. To face these challenges, the Ministry…
State-of-the-Art Weaponary Machine guns today are generally defined as firearms that shoot automatically more than one shot without manual reloading by a single function of…
How Cues from Athletic Helmets Can Help Reduce Traumatic Head Injuries For more than 3 decades March has been designated by the Brain Injury Association…
IWI makes superb fighting pistols—the Jericho 941 line with steel or polymer frames. Both types of guns are highly evolved developments of the old Czechoslovak…
The XM17 Modular Handgun System This article begins with a simple fact: SIG SAUER successfully won the military’s coveted XM17 Modular Handgun System (MHS) competition….
It’s just not right. Someone should do something to stop the bullying. The U.S. government fat-shaming ammunition has got to stop. The messages are loud…
Military optics have matured quite a great deal in the 100 years since the First World War. While military optics had been used for quite…
The Stribog SP9A1 9mm submachine gun and its carbine and pistol variants come from the same mind as the advanced Grand Power (GP) rotary breech…
Special Thanks to S&T Motiv and Model Major (Reserve) Hyungchul Moon During the last (almost) 30 years, ROK (Republic of Korea) Army’s squad automatic weapon…
ADEX 2019 was held at Seoul airport from 15 to 20 October. This airport is in fact a military air base of the ROKAF (Republic…
The U.S. Army is on the hunt for a new small arms weapon system to replace its current rifles and light/medium machine guns. Currently they…
The fifth International Military-Technical Forum <<ARMY-2019>> (aka Army-Forum) was held at the Patriot Park exposition centre over June 25–30, 2019. The venue is located some…
Perhaps one of the more elusive Dragunov clones in recent small arms history, the 7.62x54mmR Al-Kadesiah precision rifle is one of only two precision rifles…
IWI US has an excellent reputation for producing efficient “all business” weapon designs. “Hell and back” reliability is a hallmark IWI trait that it will…
In the course of decades of research in various military and museum archives, Robert Bruce has acquired a treasure trove of photos of what might…
INTRODUCTION Although Ethiopia has produced small-caliber ammunition for at least 60 years (and probably 90 or more), little information is publicly available regarding Ethiopian outputs,…
June 21, 2019, in the Swiss Alps outside of Montreux: “Smoke on the Water” playing on the radio as we drove around hundreds of mountain…
In the course of decades of research in various military and museum archives, Robert Bruce has acquired a treasure trove of photos of what might…
At the turn of this century, American tactical shotguns were generally tube-fed pumps and semiautos. The few attempts at box or drum-fed scatterguns were squashed…
For a long time, there have been various rumors that IWI (Israeli Weapon Industries) is working on a new 5.56mm rifle. One of the main…
In the mid-1980s, the Soviet Union was engaged in a silent battle. Organized crime and terrorist cells had adopted body armor use alongside its growing…
Have you have ever wondered how effective your barrel cleaning routine is? If so, then the Borecam™ Digital Borescope with Monitor from Lyman® can help….
The 12.7mm (.50 caliber) M2 Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) are important weapons for the Norwegian Armed Forces and have been for a long time. The…
About a year ago, back in 2018, the Russian Ministry of Defense officially announced results of the “Ratnik” trials in regard to new assault rifles….
Specifications Military designation 24mm tank gun 41 Manufacturer (Swiss) Waffenfabrik Bern Years in service 1941-1945 Overall length 102in Weight 164lb Caliber 24x138mm Feed 6-round magazine…
Nikon Sport Optics has manufactured quality optics for decades. Several years ago, Nikon released the BLACK X1000 series riflescopes. The second focal plane BLACK X1000…
In terms of firearm product development, we live in exciting times. Computers, compact circuitry and manufacturing techniques have opened a Pandora’s box of new items….
THE LAST WORD IN SOF-PROVEN ASSAULT PACKS The Mystery Ranch 3DAP Could Be the Last Bag Warriors Need
What comes to mind when you see the word MIL-SPEC listed in a product’s specs? It seems semi-slick marketing executives throw the word around as…
Ground forces have been using drones, also known as small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS), for years, both in-theater and out. Used for close-area, low-altitude reconnaissance,…
Mistakes happen. Although one may try to minimize the chance of an error, human nature, miscommunication and plain ignorance can result in shipping or receiving…
Christensen Arms has been awarded contract number 4400021290 by the State of South Carolina to produce a version of the Christensen Arms CA-15 G2 model…
Despite their diminutive size, pistols still are important military firearms, and they are even more important as law enforcement weapons. The venerable 9x18mm Makarov PM…
This article presents some S&T Motiv’s small arms at the trade fair for the Defense Industry, Defense Expo Korea, held September 12-14, 2018. S&T Motiv…
The U.S. Military acquires millions of rounds of ammunition every year for everything from training to combat. Despite some performance improvements, the vast majority continues…
Israel Defense and HLS Expo is the country’s largest biennial defense show that is held at the Tel Aviv Expo International Center. The show features…
By Major (Ret.) Walter Christian Håland Since World War II submachine guns or subcompact guns fell out of use in the U.S. Army in…
![Russia’s Threadcutter, the VSS Vintorez A Call to Defeat Body Armor [OR--Russia’s Threadcutter Answers the Kremlin’s Call to Defeat Body Armor]](http://www.sadefensejournal.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2352_-VSS-photo-1.jpg)
Modern armed conflicts are of a fundamental different character than cataclysmic wars of the last century. Fortunately, full-scale military operations the size of Verdun or…
A Journey Through Russian Special Forces’ History and Future Grozny’s Russian University of Spetsnaz
Tucked away in the opening plains where the Caucasus Mountains finally meet the sprawling, almost infinite, flat landmass of Eurasia, the city of Gudermes…
The defense and sporting firearms communities are bombarded on a near daily basis with articles and advertisements promoting new “game changing” firearms and ammunition. Firearms…
It is no secret that Eugene Stoner’s AR platform is the bestselling rifle in the U.S. with numerous manufacturers jumping on the bandwagon in recent…
In the course of decades of research in various military and museum archives, Robert Bruce has acquired a treasure trove of photos of what might…
Turkey has a longstanding tradition of manufacturing licensed models, then producing evolved domestic variants. The Canik series of handguns started as budget clones of the…
Switzerland, long the neutral party of Europe with a deeply rooted gun culture, was recently confronted with a referendum to align its guns laws with…
Mistakes happen. Although one may try to minimize the chance of an error, human nature, miscommunication and plain ignorance can result in shipping or receiving…
During World War II, the basic weapons of the U.S. infantryman were the rifle, light machine gun and fragmentation grenades. Hand and rifle grenades were…
Eighth Year Sees Increase in Visitors The 8th edition of Enforce Tac was again billed as the “International Trade Fair for Command, Control and Operational…
The 1860s marked a period of Renaissance in firearms development. Muzzle loading rifles and revolvers transitioned to cartridge-firing, breech loading weapons allowing the user to…
Visitors to SOFEX and to the KASOTC Warrior Competition in Jordan now have a new place to visit along with the world famous Wadi Rum,…
On March 3, 2019, India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi made an unexpected statement while visiting the city of Amethi during his election campaign. According to his…
Many have become increasingly interested with the ability to “see” at night albeit via traditional image intensifying night vision or thermal technology for various reasons…
[IWA Outdoor Classics / Enforce Tac 2019] By Dickson Ly This year’s IWA show carried on in the turbulent time of industry slowdown and increasing…
In the past decade and a half there has been a huge leap in the advancement of precision long-range shooting gear. The following covers…
Thomas B. Nelson The name Thomas B. Nelson is synonymous with the small arms community of the last 60 years. Since Tom’s first book, The…
Arrow Tech prodas.com The James Ambrose Award is presented periodically to recognize, in the opinion of the Small Arms Division Executive Board, an Industrial Firm…
In the mid-1980s, the Soviet Ministry of Defense noted an increased need for body-armor-defeating weaponry paired with a diminished sound signature. Its answer, in 1987,…
There has been a resounding boom in popularity of suppressors in recent years. They have become less the stuff of secret agents and more the…
The International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX) is a biannual tri-service defence exhibition showcasing the latest products and technologies for Army, Navy and Air Force….
By Lynndon Schooler For a brief 200-year period, the Pecheneg Khanate sprawled from Southern Trans-Carpathia across the Dnieper to Southern reaches of the Volga, occupying…
Passing the Torch The ASM Materials Education Foundation By Dan Shea I’m writing this in the first person for a reason; I want to speak…
ABOVE: A representative from Kodiklatad Polytechnic demonstrates the Indonesian version of the “Corner Shot” device, here equipped with a Glock 19 handgun. This is the…
ABOVE: On the range with the Vityaz-SN and a Zenitco suppressor. A High Performance SMG Despite Growing Pains In 1993, the Russian Ministry of Internal…
International Legal Affairs – Export Reform By Jason M. Wong Draft regulations have been published regarding the transfer of USML categories I, II and III…
For a long time, Serbia was a part of the Ottoman Empire; it became self-governed in 1830 but obtained independence only in 1878. Several wars…
By Frank Iannamico The FightLite/Ares Defense Mission Configurable Rifle (MCR®) is an updated and improved version of the Ares Shrike belt-fed upper receiver assembly…
Specifications Caliber 5.56 NATO/7.62x39mm Barrel length 5.5in Overall length 18.75in Weight (empty) 5lbs, 11oz Muzzle brake Maximum Defense HATEBRAKE muzzle booster Trigger ALG Combat…
Vortex Flash Eliminator Report Says Flash Hider Passes All the Tests By Tom Murphy A flash suppressor, also known as a flash eliminator, is a…
By Lynndon Schooler With the Bolshevik victory in 1922 bringing the cold and bloody Russian Civil War to a close, the multitude of Soviet…
As the military and other government agencies look towards unmanned surveillance and gun-toting platforms, Blackwing Holdings, LLC, offers unique state-of-the-art high technology products aimed directly…
This article provides a brief summary of night vision devices (NVDs) known to be in Taliban possession. It draws primarily from open sources and addresses…
A Frankengun in Every Way By Jonathan Ferguson This bizarre craft-produced weapon was acquired by the then-Ministry of Defence Pattern Room in 1996 from another…
By David Pazdera Between September 10 and 12, 2018, Česká zbrojovka Uherský Brod held the third Meeting of Professional Journalists. The event, which welcomed about…
Pathway to the Kalashnikov’s Future Development By Lynndon Schooler Vladimir Zlobin, the former director of the AK-12 project, can be characterized as an ambitious weapons…
North America’s Largest Landpower Exposition and Professional Development Forum By Paul Evancoe The annual AUSA meeting and exposition was held October 8-10, 2018, at the…
International Military-Technical Forum ARMY-2018 By Richard D. Jones The fourth International Military-Technical Forum was held at the Patriot Expo Congress and Exhibition Center (Patriot Expo)…
The Fight Against Vehicle-Borne Explosive Devices By Ian McCollum The Kurdish YPG (People’s Protection Units) employ various craft-produced anti-materiel rifles (AMRs), and ARES has obtained…
“Modern Day Warfighter: Ready, Lethal, Adaptable” Story By Robert Bruce, Military Affairs Editor “We’re going to go shopping; we’re going to put gear in the…
