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Though versatile, compact, and reliable, the Thompson/Center Encore is not a gun one would instinctively associate with state-of-the-art technology or truly exceptional accuracy. Well get ready for a paradigm shift. Richard VanH's 6BR Encore raises the accuracy bar for break-open rifles. This rig may be plain on the outside, but it's seriously tricked out on the inside. Richard's Encore features a chamber exactly matched to his loaded ammo--a chamber cut with an electrical spark, not a conventional reamer. With a precisely-machined lug and oversized hinge-pin, lock-up is ultra-tight. Encore/Contender guru Mike Bellm (who knows as much about Encores as anyone...

Smith & Wesson's popular auto pistol has been chopped for concealed carry. Spurred by the liberalization of concealed carry laws in some of our more enlightened states, the quest for the perfect carry gun goes on. There is a slug of pretty good revolvers, autos and derringers out there--just about anything to suit your fancy, really--so one sometimes wonders if the makers can keep coming out with anything that's that much better than what's already available. Perhaps "better" isn't really the operative word here; maybe "innovative" or "ingenious" would be more accurate adjectives to describe some of the new pocket...

FN SCAR / Mk.16 (top) and Mk.17 rifle prototypes (3rd generation, mid 2006) Type Assault rifle Place of origin USA/Belgium Production history Manufacturer FNH USA, U.S. based subsidiary of FN Herstal Variants SCAR-L (Mk.16) for light SCAR-H (Mk.17) for heavy Specifications Weight SCAR L-6.9 pounds unloaded/ SCAR H-7.2 pounds unloaded Cartridge 7.62 × 51 mm NATO (SCAR-H) 5.56 × 45 mm NATO (SCAR-L) Action Gas-operated, Rotating bolt Rate of fire 550 to 600 Rounds per Minute The SCAR ("Special forces Combat Assault Rifle") is a modular rifle made by Fabrique Nationale (FN) for the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM)...

It's early Saturday morning so indulge me----please! List your favorite home defense handguns & home defense long-gun [that you own]; coolest CC hideaway piece; the one handgun you enjoy target shooting most; the one gun you currently covet most:

September 24, 2006: Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Defense began a search for a new .45 caliber combat pistol. Now that search has been mysteriously called off. The Department of Defense has announced, without any explanation, that is no longer looking for a new combat pistol. Last January, after two decades of use, the U.S. Department of Defense appeared to be getting rid of its Beretta M9 9mm pistol, and going back to the 11.4mm (.45 caliber) weapon. There have been constant complaints about the lesser (compared to the .45) hitting power of the 9mm, as well as...

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC) has secured contracts to supply the Columbus, Ohio Police Department and the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport Police (DFW) with the company's advanced-design polymer pistol, the M&P40. The agreements call for 1,875 M&P40 pistols to be shipped to the Columbus Police Department and 305 M&P40 pistols to be shipped for use by DFW Airport police officers. Tom Taylor, Smith & Wesson's Vice President of Marketing, said, "Since the M&P Pistol Series was first introduced in November 2005, it has quickly changed performance expectations in the duty firearm test and evaluation process. We are proud...

WEEKI WACHEE - Automatic weapons attract all types. At the Hernando Sportsman's Club, you'd expect the camouflaged commandos toting long, mean-looking weapons. But there's also the weekend warrior wearing a polo shirt, khaki shorts and house shoes, firing 100 rounds a minute. Two spots down on the range is the elderly gentleman who adjusts his glasses before popping off shots from a gun that spits fire from the muzzle. Then there's Patty Mitchell. With her ponytail pulled back by pink elastic, the slim 22-year-old shouldered her machine gun and let loose with the best of them. It was her first...

**** Customizing Guns For Home Defense A practical approach to modifying what you've already got into something we hope you'll never need. By Dave Spaulding While it's easy these days to buy a gun that's designed specifically for home defense, it can be just as simple to turn a long gun or handgun that you inherited or bought for another purpose into a terrific home-defense tool. Customizing the gun doesn't have to be expensive or difficult, and in some cases the modifications don't even have to be permanent, allowing you to return the gun quickly to its original condition for...

A BRITISH sniper waging war on the Taliban is so deadly he has earned a chilling nickname — The Man Who Never Misses. The unerring Army sharpshooter has killed 39 rebel fighters single-handedly. His marksmanship is so lethal that rumours have spread like wildfire through insurgents’ camps, causing panic and confusion. The sniper — who The Sun is not naming to prevent him becoming a target himself — is a member of elite 3 Para. Described by sources as “the best shot in the Army” he is responsible for over five per cent of the 700 insurgents killed by Paras...

A worldwide standard The FN HERSTAL MAG™ has continuously proven itself in combat operations and is widely recognized as the world most reliable and versatile general purpose machine gun. It has been adopted by more than 70 countries under various names : MAG 58, GPMG, L7A2, M240. Full transfer of technology achieved on all continents. A true medium support machine gun Dismounted units intensive supporting fire fire against light fortifications and buildings long range interdiction area fire For vehicle mounted applications, the FN HERSTAL MAG™ perfectly meets the requirements of users operating from all types of vehicles, aircrafts and boats...

I'm watching Future Weapons on Discovery Channel and saw this new rifle the Israelis will be issuing soon. I thought it perfect for a Saturday Night Gun Porn Thread. Here's a pic of one of the variants: Here's the blurb from the source URL: The Tavor TAR-21 is a gas operated, selective fire, magazine fed assault rifle of bullpup configuration. It is available in several configurations, which differ in the barrel lengths and accessories. The basic configuration is the TAR-21 assault rifle with the 460mm (18.1 in) barrel. Next are the compact assault rifle, called CTAR-21, with the barrel 380...

Hey - a quick vanity question here. A friend is looking for recommendations on a carry pistol while biking up in the Colorado mountains. I am recommending a shrouded hammer, short-barrelled .44 for him. Unfortunately I am having trouble finding a shrouded hammer, short barrelled 44. Anyone have a suggestion?

There are certain benchmark handguns by which all other handguns are judged. With sixguns it is the Colt Single Action Army dating from 1873 for single action sixguns to equal or surpass while with double action sixguns the measuring stick is the Smith & Wesson K- and N-frames dating back to 1899 and 1907 respectively. For those of us who use single shot handguns for silhouetting or hunting, the rallying point for good discussion is the Thompson/Center Contender, a relative new comer on the handgun stage going back to the 1960's. We have seen a great deal of development of...

Responding to a US Army Special Operations Command (SOCOM) requirement, Sage International developed a chassis-type stock for M14 rifles that transforms the M14 into a 21st century enhanced tactical carbine. This stock is now being used to modify M14 rifles at Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana. The result is the Mk 14, Mod 0 Enhanced Battle Rifle (EBR), which can be obtained by any force that uses M14 rifles either by purchasing the EBR stock and converting existing M14 type rifles or buying a semi-automatic-only version of the Mk 14, Mod 0 from US company Fulton Armory. The conversion...

NEWARK, N.J. -- A pistol found in the car of a drug suspect arrested recently in Newark was made of plastic, so it might pass through a security scan unnoticed. The unusual find concerned Essex County Sheriff Armando Fontoura so much that he took the Professional Ordnance Carbon-15 Type-97 pistol to Newark Liberty Airport and saw that in a security scanner, it did not look like a weapon. Only the stainless steel barrel was visible. The rest of the weapon -- including the trigger and stock -- did not appear because it's made of plastic. While weapons like this one...

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Mikhail Kalashnikov, designer of the world's most popular assault rifle, says that U.S. soldiers in Iraq are using his invention in preference to their own weapons, proving that his gun is still the best. "Even after lying in a swamp you can pick up this rifle, aim it and shoot. That's the best job description there is for a gun. Real soldiers know that and understand it," the 86-year-old gunmaker told a weekend news conference in Moscow. "In Vietnam, American soldiers threw away their M-16 rifles and used (Kalashnikov) AK-47s from dead Vietnamese soldiers, with bullets they...

Russian news agency Interfax: The Russian state arms trading agency Rosoboronexport has denied reports by a number of US media alleging that Russia will sell outdated Kalashnikov assault rifles to Venezuela instead of modern ones, as it promised to do earlier. "We would like to express our surprise and even outrage at an April 10 article published in the Washington Times. The allegations it makes are untrue and absolutely absurd," Rosoboronexport spokesman Valery Kartavtsev said at a press conference, Saturday. According to a contract signed in May 2005, Russia will sell 100,000 AK-103 rifles to the Venezuelan army and security...

As violence rises, so does female gun use, advocates say A single mom wanting to protect her children. A mall worker fearing a dark parking lot. A real estate agent meeting strangers in empty homes. They are Charlotte-area women. And they own guns. More women, gun advocates say, are buying, shooting and carrying firearms -- in briefcases, purses or even on their hips. For some, it's sport. But with violent crime up from five years ago and Charlotte-Mecklenburg police actively searching for a serial rapist, many women say it's about self-protection. "Things out there are tough, for men and for...

Substandard Issue: Why can't the military give good guns to our troops? And while we’re on the subject of military rifles, it’s worth mentioning that the U.S. has less than a terrific record on equipping our troops with the latest and best. Consider: The Union Army fought the Civil War with single-shot muzzle-loaders, despite the fact that practical breechloading repeaters were available for almost all of that period. After the war, the Army went with the single-shot Model 1873 .45/70 Springfield, despite the demonstrated superiority of repeaters. General Custer could tell you about this. We stayed with the Model 1873...

<p>NEW YORK - Marjory Fagan stood motionless, slowed her breathing, stared ahead intently and then moved her index finger almost imperceptibly. Bang! Wincing slightly from the .22-caliber rifle's recoil and piercing report, she steadied herself, leveled the rifle and pulled the trigger again.</p>