Free Republic

The rifle allegedly used in the cowardly slaying of Seattle Police Officer Timothy Q. Brenton on Halloween night is not a “military-style assault rifle” as asserted in a Seattle Times report, which was subsequently used by Seattle Weekly reporter Nina Shapiro in an attempt to blister a local gun rights advocate, Alan Gottlieb. Shapiro should have done some homework before rushing to smear Gottlieb. Reader reaction to her comments is essentially very negative. Indeed, when initially contacted about the gun – after the Seattle Times had published an image of the rifle on its website – one SPD information officer...

Few issues are more personal to soldiers than the question of whether they can trust their rifles. And few rifles in history have generated more controversy over their reliability than the American M-16 assault rifle and its carbine version, the M-4. In recent weeks, a fresh round of complaints about weapon malfunctions in Afghanistan, mentioned in an Army historian’s report that documented small-arms jamming during the fierce battle in Wanat last year, has rekindled the discussion. Are the M-16 and M-4 the best rifles available for American troops? Or are they fussy and punchless and less than ideal for war?...

Many obsessive riflemen “know” a lot of things about the insides of their barrels. They know they must break-in barrels and that any bore only slightly smudged by the passage of bullets will shoot less accurately compared with a barrel as clean as Aunt Josie’s kitchen floor. First, let’s examine “proper” barrel break-in. According to just about everybody, this is accomplished by firing one shot, cleaning the barrel of all powder and copper fouling, firing another shot, cleaning, etc. Advice on how long to continue this tedious routine varies from 10 to 30 rounds. The procedure supposedly smooths the bore,...

The Russian firm Izhmash (Izhevsk Mechanical Works) holds the patents for the AK-47, and it is going broke because of all the illegal copies of its weapons being produced worldwide. Izhmash is having little success in trying to force companies in Bulgaria, Romania, Poland, Israel, China and the United States to pay licensing fees for the AK-47s they produce. The typical defense is that it is a much improved rifle, with only a superficial similarity to the Izhmash AK-47. Some claim that Russia abandoned the AK-47 design in the 1970s, when they switched to the 5.45mm AK-74. Actually, the original...

THE Russian producer of the Kalashnikov assault rifle, the world's most ubiquitous firearm, is facing bankruptcy owing to falling orders. A court in the Russian region of Udmurtiya has accepted a bankruptcy petition filed against Izhmash, the country's biggest arms manufacturer and the maker of the rifle. The iconic weapon has been produced in the millions and adopted by 106 armed forces across the globe, but production in its home land is now in doubt. Another Russian company, Gremikha, claims that the AK's maker owes them £8 million, and has now gone to court to get its money. Arms sales...

I would like to invite everyone to St. Augustine October 10th and 11th. Below is some information about the program. Link to flyer: http://appleseedinfo.org/smf/index.php?topic=8440.0 and more info at http://www.appleseedinfo.org I hope you can make it, and bring a non-shooting friend, Casey What is Project Appleseed? Appleseed is a program that instructs Americans on the traditional rifle marksmanship skills that have been passed down from generation to generation, along with reconnecting today's Americans with the people and events of the Founding era. Participants are taught fundamental rifle marksmanship skills that are required to allow a Rifleman to be accurate out to...

Like America's first soldiers at the Battle of Brooklyn, Michael Littlejohn is fighting for his right to bear arms. The Revolutionary War buff charges the Bloomberg administration with tyranny for trying to seize his handmade flintlock rifle - a dead ringer for the weapon once used against the redcoats. "This is the last legal gun that you can have without registration in New York," Littlejohn said. "And yet Mayor Bloomberg is driven crazy by my flintlock gun - the one that won the American Revolution." Littlejohn fired the first shot when he hired a Tennessee blacksmith to recreate the vintage...

US car dealer offers free Kalashnikov with every purchase A Missouri car dealer has taken a novel approach to combating the fall in US vehicle sales by offering a free Kalashnikov assault rifle with every truck, whether new or used. Alex Spillius 19 Jul 2009 Mark Muller, whose business slogan is "God, Guns, Guts, and American Pick-Up Trucks", said he had been overwhelmed by the response. "It's extremely successful. There is a lot of worry about crime, we have a methamphetamine problem around here and people just want to protect themselves," said the boss of Max Motors near Kansas City....

MONTICELLO – A Howard Beach man who was hunting in Swan Lake last November when he fired his high powered rifle and killed a baby inside a home, Friday pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter. Edward Taibi, 45, had been hunting on property off Horseshoe Lake Road when he fired two shots from his rifle within 400 feet of a mobile home where 16-month-old Charley Skala of Woodbourne, and her grandmother were located. When sentenced in October, he will receive two to eight years in state prison. The guilty plea came in Sullivan County Court as District Attorney Stephen Lungen was...

A few entries ago, you were promised that as soon as we got our hands on the latest new Ruger rifle, you’d hear back. Well, we muckled onto three or so of ‘em this past week, so here we go. As noted here earlier, the rifle is designated SR556, for Sturm, Ruger 5.56 millimeter. It takes standard AR15/M16 magazines, and comes with three of them, produced by Magpul, one of the best makers. It’s the most “vendor-outsourced” firearm this company has ever assembled – really, pretty much everything but the barrel and barrel extension come from outside the factory –...

It is not possible for authorities to trace the rifle used in this week's shooting at the Holocaust Memorial Museum to the original purchaser, a law enforcement source said Friday. Shooting suspect James von Brunn is hospitalized in critical condition after being shot by security officers. The source, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the investigation, said the weapon is a Winchester Model 6, .22 caliber rifle -- a type of gun manufactured between 1908 and 1928 -- long before records were kept on gun purchases. Authorities also were checking to see if the weapon had been used...

Here's something you don't want fired in your direction: a "smart" gun that fires bullets that can travel through walls, exploding once they're inside. It's the accuracy of a rifle with the explosiveness of a grenade launcher.The XM25 rifle is about to begin testing in Iraq and Afghanistan, and it sounds pretty nuts.   As the 25-millimetre round is fired, the gunsight sends a radio signal to a chip inside the bullet, telling it the precise distance to the target. A spiral groove inside the barrel makes the bullet rotate as it travels, and as it also contains a...

Anyone have any direct experience with Shotgun reducers. I've never seen them used and am interested to know if they are worth the time and money.

Kenneth Hale Jr. says his neighbor's Bull Mastiff ventured into his yard several times. Last week, Hale's three year old daughter was playing in the yard and the dog charged toward her, so he got his gun and shot the dog. Kenneth Hale says "I feel bad about it I didn't want to shoot the dog, I really didn't and I was hoping he would keep him over there, it was a beautiful dog, it's a bull Mastiff and that dog stands every bit of four feet tall on his back". Thomas County investigators say Hale contacted them on more...

EVANSVILLE - An Evansville resident shot an armed burglar early Sunday morning when the suspect tried to rob the man in his home. Derrick Murray told police that he was asleep in his house on the 400 block of east Riverside when his back door was kicked in and some one told him to get down on the ground. Police say Murray got his rifle and shot 26-year-old Derek Clark in the leg after Clark confronted him with a handgun. Police say Clark then ran out the door and attempted to get into an accomplice vehicle with multiple suspects. The...

   Sales of guns, ammo still high by: KELLY BOSTIAN World Outdoors WriterFriday, March 13, 2009 3/13/2009 11:16:57 AM Correction: This story originally reported the wrong years when comparing the number of permit applications. The cutline incorrectly identified the .40 and .45 caliber bullets. The story and cutline have been corrected. Related Story: Liberals told to leave: An instructor for a hunter safety course orders Obama voters to get out of his class. Four months after the election of President Barack Obama, firearms and ammunition sales in Tulsa remain at a fever pitch. Popular self-protection ammunition is often sold...

The Obama administration will seek to reinstate the assault weapons ban that expired in 2004 during the Bush administration, Attorney General Eric Holder said today.

a few questions on the PTR-91 for those who own one

Kudos to Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, where it was recently announced that students will be allowed to use the university's off-campus firearm ranges to shoot.

A Fayetteville man's plan to rob a Sampson County man's home went awry Tuesday when he got a surprise - an unexpected meeting with the home's owner, complete with a .22-caliber rifle. According to the Sampson County Sheriff's Office and the homeowners, Richard Corderro Woods, 21, of Asbury Road in Fayetteville was arrested Tuesday morning after Bryan Tew came home and allegedly saw Mr. Woods coming out the back door of his home in the 600 block of Eldon Store Road in the Mingo community. Mr. Tew, a local turkey farmer, said he was driving his tractor down the road...

The debate over rifle hunting for big game in New York has gone on for years, and intensified recently as the state Department of Environmental Conservation opens up more area for hunting with the weapon.Those who favor the decision say a high-powered rifle will result in a more efficient — and humane — kill of the animal than is possible with the less-accurate shotgun. There are many hunters with stories about a white-tailed deer running for miles after being hit in the stomach or chest by a shotgun slug. Sometimes the hunters can track the blood trail and finish off...

Mihail Kalasnikov is admitting he was "helped" by the German inventor and arms maker Hugo Schmeisser to create the AK-47 assault rifle -- The German inventor developed the first assault weapon Sturmgewehr 44 during WWII. After the end of the war Schmeisser was displaced and forced to work in the Soviet Union. Read on

WASHINGTON: A man who drove up to the US Capitol complex and told police he had a delivery for President Barack Obama was arrested by police after telling them he had a rifle in his truck, police said on Tuesday. The man "told officers that he had a delivery for President Obama so the officers began to question him further and he admitted to having a rifle in his truck," said Kimberly Schneider, a spokeswoman for the US Capitol Hill Police. The man, Alfred Brock, 64, of Winnfield, Louisiana, has been charged with possession of an unregistered firearm and possession...

ARLINGTON, VA. — The Marine Corps has moved one step closer to selecting a next-generation light automatic rifle. On Friday, the Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., announced contract awards for three competing weapons manufacturers to produce and deliver their final entries to the Corps by the middle of next year, in what signifies a final round of competition that began with ten candidates. The lighter, magazine-fed Infantry Automatic Rifle — or IAR — is intended to replace the belt-fed M249 Squad Automatic Weapon — or SAW — in “the Marine Rifle Squad within infantry battalions and in the...

A new book traces American history — though the sight of a gun. Alexander Rose, author of American Rifle: A Biography, and host Andrea Seabrook visit a shooting range to tell the story.

Three Rifles That Made History Compared Side By Side (you won't see this on History Channel's special History Of The Gun)

Last weekend, I went with a friend of mine to looking for guns, in the aftermath of the election. He ended up getting a Mosin-Nagant M44 carbine (I didn't get anything because I didn't have any money to spare that day). Of course, this is a historical rifle. I was wondering if anyone on here has experience with it or any of the Mosin-Nagant models, since I'm now interested in getting one myself, along with some other budget-end rifles (up to $600).

Hey, folks. Some of you may remember my post from a couple weeks ago about being rejected for a rifle here in California. I wanted to give an update to the situation. The clerk and I thought it was because my ID expired on the day I made the purchase. (Something neither of us was aware of until we had started the process.) We were right. So, after getting my renewed ID in the mail, we went ahead and did the purchase and paperwork, again. Today was the day I was going to pick up my rifle. Being the paranoid...

Here's the catch: People can join the 'photo-op' by donning a vest and gun. The artist admits in the video link that many of the visitors shoot Sarah Palin. But that's okay. She's just a she, not the first black man to run for President. That makes it all okay.

I'm hoping some of the brains here can help me figure out this situation. It's driving me nuts. On 10/9, I went to Big 5 to purchase a Ruger 10/22 for myself as a birthday present. This would have been my first firearm. (Yeah, I know. :)) While I was filling out the paperwork, the clerk noticed my ID expired on that day. Literally. On 10/9/2008 the ID expired. I didn't know it at the time and the guy said it probably wouldn't be a problem. On the form I filled out - I think it was the DROS? -...

Yet another heavy sniper rifle is generating a lot of buzz. This one is the CheyTac LRRS (Long Range Rifle System). It looks like a .50 caliber (12.7mm) rifle, but is actually .408 (10.3mm). The .408 round resembles a scaled down .50 caliber, and this bullet is mainly for anti-personnel use (rather than the oft-quoted, but little used, "anti-material" use of the .50 caliber sniper rifles.) The .408 was developed in 2001, and is actually based on the older . 505 Gibbs and the .400 Taylor Magnum elephant guns. The .408 bullet is a new streamlined design that leaves it...

I put a ARMALITE AR-10 Rifle, Model 10A2C (black) on lay-a-way and should have it in my hands in 60 days. Specifications are: Model: A2 Carbine with Green or Black FurnitureCaliber: .308/7.62mm NATOBarrel: 16" Double Lapped, Chrome Lined, Threaded 5/8x24Rifling Twist: RH 1:11.25"Muzzle Device: Flash SuppressorFront Sight Base: A2 Front Sight AssemblyRear Sight: .70/.195 Battle SightUpper Receiver: Forged A2Trigger: Tactical Two StageOverall Length: 37.1"Weight: 9 lbs.Finish: Hard Anodized Aluminum, Manganese Phosphated SteelAccuracy: 1.5 - 2 MOAIncluded with Rifle: One 10 round Magazine, One 20 round Magazine, Sling, Black Case, Owners Manual, Limited Lifetime Warranty I wanted a Vector V-51...

I'm looking at getting a semi-automatic rifle that fires 7.62X51 NATO/.308 Winchester ammo within the next few months (the potential of Democrats controlling both the White House and the Congress is speeding up my original timetable). One that really caught my eye is the PTR 91F, a semi-auto version of the H&K G3 rifle. I'm wondering if anyone on here has experience with it and what they think.

There is much talk lately about the shortcomings of the M16 series, so I was particularly interested to see how it was performing in Iraq. ItÂ’s popular today, in some circles, to deride this weapons family for its direct gas method of operation. Some claim itÂ’s not reliable enough for military use, especially in the dust and sand of Iraq. Plus many still scorn its small-caliber, high-velocity 5.56mm round. ItÂ’s common to hear people say the terminal performance of this cartridge, especially in its standard military 62 grain M855 loading, is inadequate. So I was interested to see not only...

Unveiled: The new supergun weapon against the Taliban can kill from over a mile away Last updated at 16:52pm on 07.03.08   It is the latest weapon on the front line against the Taliban - the British Army's most powerful-ever sniper rifle, capable of killing with pinpoint accuracy from more than a mile away. Yesterday the Army showed off its new Long Range Rifle, which has just entered service with combat units in Afghanistan to replace smaller and less powerful weapons. The £11million upgrade programme is part of a "renaissance" of the sniper tradition - which during the Cold...

The Russian team saw their chances in the women's relay at the Biathlon World Championships melt into the snow when one athlete's rifle refused to fire. Now the disappointed Russians are dumping their German-made rifles in favor of trusty Russian weapons.

Can anyone tell me if the quality of Wal-Mart ammunition (specifically, .38's) is any less than the quality of name-brands like Winchester or Remington? I will need to purchase about 150 rounds for a shoot this weekend, and I'd like to keep the expense on the low side without sacrificing safety, quality or accuracy.

Sorry for posting this in the main area, but I need some advice quickly. Over the past few weeks I've been having a real coyote problem. We're in the San Joaquin Valley and have always had issues with the coyotes, but this year seems to be expecially bad (even traveling in small packs, which I've never seen before). I need some recommendations on the proper weapon to deal with these varmints.

New arms for a new Iraqi army Soldiers are trading in the iconic Soviet assault rifle, the AK-47, for a U.S. military symbol, the M-16. By Doug Smith Los Angeles Times Staff Writer December 2, 2007 BESMAYA RANGE, IRAQ — The company of Iraqi soldiers pressed together for the dance of valor, singing of their bravery, stomping in the desert sand, thrusting their weapons skyward, just as they might have done not so many years ago to honor Saddam Hussein. But what were those sleek silhouettes they jabbed into the air? Not AK-47s. The iconic Soviet bloc assault rifle that...

New dual-caliber Israeli rifle could be next Bond star By YAAKOV KATZ Actor Daniel Craig might use it in his upcoming James Bond film; it is being touted as the only dual-caliber assault rifle in the world today - and in the coming months, it will hit the international market under the name Micro-Tavor (MTAR). Developed and manufactured by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI) - a former subsidiary of the government-owned Israel Military Industries - the MTAR is the micro version of the Tavor assault rifle jointly developed by the IDF and IMI as a replacement for the M-16. The Tavor...

NEW YORK -- One person carrying a rifle in a bag was arrested on the St. John's Queens campus Wednesday afternoon, police said. The man appeared to be wearing a President Bush mask, according to preliminary information from law enforcement officials. Authorities asked students and faculty across the campus to stay indoors. There was a large police presence on the campus. Areas near the site of the man's apprehension have been locked down. Police said they were possibly looking for more suspects. The St. John's University Web site issued this advisory: "A male with a rifle in a bag was...

PHOENIX -- An accidentally fired rifle, a passing tow truck and timing combined to unleash a chain of events that left one man dead and residents in a Phoenix neighborhood shaking their heads in disbelief, KPHO-TV reported. Tow truck driver Cecil Pugh, 59, was transporting a vehicle when he was accidentally shot and killed Monday by a man cleaning his rifle inside his home, investigators said. "He's going to be horribly missed," said Star Pugh, his wife. "It's very hard to be here right now because he's not here," she said. Fire officials said a 50-year-old man was cleaning the...

POST FALLS – Zach Doty typically wears a tie and dress shirt to church. But lately, a new accessory of his is raising alarm in Post Falls. After turning 18 last month, the Post Falls teenager began strapping a loaded 9 mm Glock 19 handgun to his belt every day. He totes it in full view to Bible studies, the public library, city parks and neighborhood stores and on walks around town. His 15-year-old brother, Stephen, has joined him, carrying a loaded Ruger .22-caliber rifle slung over his shoulder. The brothers, who are home-schooled, say they're flexing their Second Amendment...

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...

Recently we had the Jim Zumbo incident as a new fact of life in our internet connected culture. The rifle that was involved in his article was the AR15 and the opinion that got Jim laid off was that they are not hunting rifles. Jim Zumbo was testing an artillery round by the old cartoon method of hitting it on the head with a hammer. What he did not know is that the common military caliber 5.56 or .223 in AR15 had been fully adopted by varmint hunters. Additionally, in the last 6 years, multiple alternative calibers for the AR15...

Before beginning to offer my take on a serious situation, I'd like to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of McGuffey High School senior Chad Huggins. Huggins is the 17-year-old who was killed after sustaining a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head at about 5 p.m. on Dec. 14 during the school's rifle team practice. A member of the rifle team, Huggins was in the school's stadium locker room as rifle practice was going on nearby, when the horrific tragedy occurred . This past Saturday, the Allegheny County medical examiner's office ruled Huggins' death a suicide. All...

If ever a law was designed as a get-out-of-jail-free card for the trigger-happy gun owner, it’s one that comes to us via the gun lobby and the State of Florida. The law, passed in the last year in 15 states and being considered in eight others, allows the extraordinary use of deadly force when a person simply doesn’t want to back away from a confrontation. There are legitimate kill-or-be-killed situations, but those are defensible in court already. There seems little reason to legally enshrine the right to maim or kill in response to a perceived threat. These laws do just...

These are targets printed in Ned Roberts book "The Muzzle Loading Cap Lock Rifle". Accurate rifles are not a new invention.

Illinois State Police trooper Gregory Mugge pleaded guilty to one charge of possessing an unregistered machine gun in federal court on Tuesday, according to an announcement from the U.S. attorney's office. Mugge, 52, of Jerseyville, was indicted in January, along with Illinois State Police Sgt. James Vest, 39, of O'Fallon, and John Yard, 36, an Illinois State Police special agent assigned to the Collinsville office, each face separate charges of illegal gun possession. Mugge faces up to 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and a maximum three years of supervised release. He is scheduled to reappear...

U.S. Senate Bids to Ban Emergency Gun Confiscation But one prominent Democrat, among others, is opposed Updated: July 24th, 2006 05:07 PM PDT Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) charges a Republican-backed amendment that prohibits the confiscation of guns during an emergency puts police officers and first responders in danger. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. David Vitter (R-LA), was added to the Homeland Security appropriations bill during a July 13 Senate vote. During the rescue and response after Hurricane Katrina police officers and first responders had to pull back from rescuing victims because they were being shot at by snipers. The amendment...