Sunday, January 31, 2010
Remington XP-100
Russia's New Stealth Fighter
Some background and general information, see youtube video below:
Russia's first stealth fighter intended to match the latest U.S. design made its maiden flight boosting the country's efforts to modernize its rusting Soviet-built arsenals and retain its lucrative export market.
The Sukhoi T-50's flight comes nearly two decades after the first prototype of the U.S. F-22 Raptor took to the air, and Russian officials said it will take another five years for the new jet to enter service. Still, the flight marked a major step in Russia's efforts to burnish the faded glory of its aviation industries and strengthen a beleaguered military.
The sleek twin-engined jet closely resembling the Raptor flew for 47-minutes from an airfield at Sukhoi's production plant in the Far Eastern city of Komsomolsk-on-Amur. Development of the so-called fifth-generation fighter has been veiled in secrecy and no images of it had been released before the flight.
Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin hailed the flight as a "big step forward," but admitted that "a lot remains to be done in terms of engines and armament."
Craig Caffrey, an analyst for Jane's Defense Procurement-Military Aircraft, said the new fighter is "hugely important," both for modernizing the aging Russian air force fleet and retaining export markets.
The T-50 should offer the Russian Air Force a significant boost in its capabilities and ensure that it remains one of the best equipped air forces in the world.
For those countries that don't traditionally purchase military equipment from the U.S. it will be the only fifth generation aircraft available.
The NPO Saturn company said in a statement that the jet has new engines, but military analysts suggested that they were a slightly modernized version of the Soviet-era engine powering the Su-27 family of fighters.
"It's a humbug," said independent military analyst Pavel Felgenhauer. "It's just a prototype lacking new engines and a new radar. It takes new materials to build a fifth-generation fighter, and Russia lacks them."
Putin said Friday the first batch of new fighters is set to enter an Air Force evaluation unit in 2013 and serial production is set to begin in 2015.
Russian military analysts were also skeptical, pointing at a history of delays in the program and other Russian weapons projects.
"The schedule will likely be pushed back as usual," said Alexander Konovalov, the head of the Moscow-based Institute of Strategic Assessment, an independent think tank.
Russia's prospective Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile has failed in at least eight of its 12 test launches, dealing a blow to Russia's hopes of making it a cornerstone of its nuclear arsenal. Officials have blamed the failures on manufacturing flaws resulting from post-Soviet industrial degradation.
Felgenhauer and other observers said the fighter program, which depends on hundreds of subcontractors, has been dogged by similar problems.
Russian officials have said the new fighter, like the Raptor, will have supersonic cruising speed and stealth capabilities. Its pilot, Sergei Bogdan, said in televised remarks that it was easy and pleasant to fly.
While officials saw the new fighter as essential, some analysts said the country has more pressing needs.
"There is no mission and no adversary for such plane," Konovalov said, adding that the Russian military lacks a modern communications system and satellite navigation. "It would be more expedient to fit modern avionics to older generation jets."
===>The U.S. administration decided to quit buying the F-22 Raptor, the world's most expensive fighter jet at more than $140 million apiece, effectively capping its production at the 186 already ordered.
YouTube Video: Russian 5th Gen PAK FA T-50 fighter makes first ever flight.
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Saturday, January 30, 2010
Single-shot pistols
Single-shot pistols are theoretically the simplest pistols. The earliest handguns were single-shot, muzzle-loading guns with ignition provided by inserting a smoldering match cord into a touch hole. As such, they were essentially nothing more than miniature cannons, small enough to be handheld.
Improvements followed in subsequent centuries, as various types of locks (ignition devices) were invented. In the matchlock, the separate match cord was affixed to a spring-loaded pivot which could be tripped by a trigger. In the wheellock, a mechanism analogous to that used in today's cigarette lighters replaced the smoldering match cord. In the 17th century, the flintlock, which strikes a flint against steel, appeared. (The flintlock, amazingly, remained state-of-the-art for some two hundred years.) In the 19th century, percussion caps were developed, followed shortly by modern integrated-primer cartridges, and hammers therefore traded their flint for firing pins.
Single-shot pistols continue to be manufactured today and are often used for handgun hunting game, including big game. The most powerful handguns are capable of taking all game including elephant.
Minigun
Friday, January 29, 2010
General purpose machine gun
A general purpose machine gun (GPMG) in concept is a multi-purpose weapon, a machine gun intended to fill the role of either a light machine gun or medium machine gun, while at the same time being man-portable. However, performance in either role may be inferior to a weapon specifically designed for that role. In modern practice, they are air-cooled medium machine guns firing rifle cartridges such as the 7.62x51mm NATO. They are generally operated from a stationary prone position from either a bipod or tripod, or mounted on a vehicle, as they are usually too powerful and heavy to be fired effectively on foot from an unsupported standing position or on the move by some Army units in the world, although the British Army units of Royal Marine Commandos, Parachute Regiment, also first line combat battalions such as the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and of course the world famous SAS are known to do this with devastating effect.
The term GPMG (or "Gimpy" in British Army slang), which comes from the Belgian-French name Mitrailleuse d'Appui General or General Purpose Machine guns (GPMG), became popular for describing medium machine guns used in multiple roles. The original Belgian-French term Mitrailleuse a Gaz is also known to be used. The mediums fired rifle caliber ammunition, but had some concessions for more extended firing and more general usage. This generally included both bipod and tripod/pintle mounting options and quick-change barrels. The first medium machine gun used as a GPMG traces back to World War I, where aircooled medium machine guns were used in many different roles, typically with larger magazines on aircraft, tanks, and ships, and in lighter configurations by infantry on bipods or tripods.
During the inter-war period, Germany developed the Maschinengewehr 34, or MG34, from scratch as a GPMG, as opposed to an adaptation of an existing weapon, such as the MG08/15. The MG34 was air-cooled, belt-fed and had the ability to be mounted on a variety of fixtures and employed in several different roles. Notably, the MG34 remained the standard co-axial weapon for Nazi German vehicles through the Second World War. The MG34 was successful enough during use in the opening stages of the Second World War that the concept of the GPMG was adopted in many other post-WWII armies. The MG 34's immediate successor in Wehrmacht service, the MG42, was the most versatile and effective machine gun design of the Second World War. The MG3, a direct descendant of the MG42, is still in service with the German Army and others.
The Belgian FN MAG, 'Fabrique Nationale' 'Mitrailleuse d'Appui General (general purpose machine gun) has long been the most widely-used GPMG among NATO and other western armies. The British Army and other Commonwealth forces used it to replace the venerable Vickers Gun,in the late 1950's under license from FN. Using the original FN design by Ernest Vervier the Royal Ordnance factory in Enfield England introduced the FN MAG 58 variant L7A1 into British Army service, known as the "Gympy"(Sometimes spelt "Jimpy") in British Army slangand is still in service today (2009) capable of firing 700 rpm at targets up to 3000m (when mounted) at a velocity of 838 mps.
The US Army has adopted the FN MAG as the M240 to replace the previous US GPMG (also widely used by allied nations), the M60 machine gun. The US Army uses the M249 - the MINIMI - as its light machine gun/squad automatic weapon, and the M2 machine gun (using the .50 BMG cartridge) is used in the heavy machine gun role.
In the late 1956, the Canadian military adopted the FN MAG as the C6A1 GPMG along with the purchase of the FNC1 and FNC2's. Even though the C1's and the C2's have been replaced by the C7A1/ C7A2 rifle and the C9A1/ C9A2 LMG, the C6 is still used as a GPMG and is held in such high regard in the Canadian Army that two are deployed in each platoon's weapon detachment.
Since the late 1950s or early 1960s, the Czechs produced the vz. 59 general purpose machine-gun in both 7.62x54mmR and 7.62 mm NATO (for export models), for which light and heavy barrels were made for differing tactical roles. The approximate Russian equivalent is the PK/PKM family of multi-purpose machine-guns which has been in Russian, and previously Soviet, military service since 1964, and which has been widely exported.
Since 1967, the People's Republic of China has also produced a general purpose machine-gun in 7.62x54mmR as a hybrid weapon derived from several different machine-gun models and with the original model designation of Type 67; since then, second and third modified and improved models of this gun have been made and have been designated Type 67-1 and Type 67-2 respectively.
Comparison with submachine gun
The dividing line between machine pistols and compact submachine guns is difficult to draw. While the term submachine gun usually refers to an automatic firearm larger than a pistol, several weapons are classed in both categories. The 1960s CZ-Scorpion, a Czechoslovak 7.65 mm weapon, for example, is often labeled a submachine gun. However, with its small magazine, it is small enough to be carried in a pistol holster, which suggests that it could be classified as a machine pistol. In the 1980s, weapons such as the MAC-10 and the compact versions of the Uzi series have been placed in both classes. The popularity of submachine guns in recent years has led many weapons previously described as machine pistols to be advertised to as submachine guns, such as the Brugger & Thomet MP9 (formerly known as the Steyr TMP).
The Steyr TMP (Tactical Machine Pistol) is a 9 mm blowback-operated, rotating-barrel weapon that is 282 mm long and that can fire 800-900 rounds per minute; despite its small size and lack of a stock, and the fact that it is called a "Tactical Machine Pistol", it is often classed as a compact submachine gun.[3] Likewise, the German Heckler & Koch MP5K (a weapon small enough to be concealed on one's person or in a briefcase), is also classed as a compact submachine gun.[4]
A machine pistol is typically based on a semi-automatic pistol design. While most machine pistols are designed to be fired with one hand, their light weight, small size, and extremely rapid rates of fire make them difficult to control. To improve accuracy, some machine pistols are fitted with a shoulder stock. Some, such as the Heckler & Koch VP70, will only fire single rounds unless the stock is attached, because there is a safety mechanism incorporated into the stock. The Beretta 93R offers an optional forward handgrip, which is another way of increasing weapon controllability in full automatic mode.
Franchi SPAS12
The Franchi SPAS 12 is a shotgun designed and manufactured by Franchi S.p.A, an Italian firearms manufacturer. The shotgun was manufactured from 1979 till 2000 and is used by a number of countries such as Ireland, France, Taiwan and Thailand.
The SPAS 12 is designed as a combat shotgun for use by military and law enforcement agencies. It operates in both semi-automatic and pump-action modes. In the semi-automatic mode, the shotgun can fire 4 rounds per minute with each round requiring the trigger to be pulled once. The shotgun is fired in pump-action mode when low-pressure ammunition like tear gas canisters or bean bags is to be fired.
The shotgun feeds from a seven-round internal magazine. In addition to the magazine, the shotgun also has a cut-off feature which allows a round to be introduced directly into the chamber while loading.
The SPAS 12 has a spread of 900 mm at 40 meters. Because of the wide spreading of buckshot, the shotgun can be aimed roughly at the target to hit it. The shotgun’s spread can also be varied by using an attachment known as the “spreader”. In addition, the shotgun can also be mounted with a grenade launcher for additional firepower in the field.
The SPAS 12’s stock had a shoulder hook which enables the user to fire the weapon with a single hand. However, in practice this is not so easy and requires great strength on the part of the user. The shotgun is considerably heavy and at the same time the 12 gauge round has high recoil.
Ithaca Model 37
The Ithaca Model 37 is a pump-action shotgun designed for use by civilians, law enforcement agencies and the military. Large numbers of these shotguns have been manufactured since production started in 1937. The Model 37 was designed by John Browning and John Pedersen in 1933.
After the First World War, Ithaca began to search for a shotgun to compete with the Winchester Model 12. Ithaca selected the Remington Model 17—the patents of which were to expire in 1933 and thus named the shotgun as Ithaca Model 33. However, later on it was discovered that the patents held by Pedersen didn’t expire until 1937 and thus the shotgun was re-designated as Ithaca Model 37.
There are two variants of the Model 37. These are the ‘M�ons were excellent at close-range combat. Subsequently, these models were used to design the Ithaca LAPD shotgun which was designed specifically for use by law enforcement agencies.
One of the largest users of the Model 37 is the Los Angeles Police Department. The Model 37 is also used by civilians for sport and self-protection. However, the use of the Model 37 is on decline because of low availability and increasing costs. Chinese copies of the Model 37 are also becoming popular in the United States which is leading to a further decline in sales of the original gun.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Machine pistol
A machine pistol is a handgun-style, magazine-fed and self-loading firearm, capable of fully automatic or burst fire, and normally chambered for pistol cartridges. The term is a literal translation of Maschinenpistole, the German term for a hand-held automatic weapon. While the dividing line between machine pistols and compact submachine guns is hard to draw, the term "submachine gun" usually refers to larger automatic firearms scaled down from that of a full-sized machine gun, while the term "machine pistol" usually refers to a weapon built up from a semi-automatic pistol design.
In a law enforcement context, machine pistols are used by tactical police units such as SWAT teams or hostage rescue teams which are operating inside buildings and other cramped spaces, who need a small, concealable weapon with a high rate of fire. Bodyguards from police or government agencies sometimes carry concealed machine pistols when they are protecting high-risk VIPs. Criminal gang members such as narcotics traffickers also use machine pistols, typically cheaper guns such as the MAC-10 or the Tec-9 which have been illegally converted to fire in a fully-automatic fashion.
In a military setting, some countries issue machine pistols as personal defense sidearms to paratroopers, artillery crews, helicopter crews or tank crews. They have also been used in close quarters combat (CQC) settings where a small weapon is needed (e.g. by special forces attacking buildings or tunnels). In the 2000s, the machine pistol is being supplanted by the personal defense weapon: a compact, fully-automatic submachine gun-like firearm which fires armour-piercing rounds instead of pistol ammunition.
Beretta RS 202-M2
The Beretta RS 202-M2 is a pump-action shotgun manufactured and distributed by the Italian firearm manufacturing company—Fabbrica d'Armi Pietro Beretta. The shotgun feeds from a six-round tube magazine and features a conventional design.
The RS 202-M2 is one of most dependable pump-action shotguns. It takes advantage of Beretta’s experience and expertise acquired in manufacturing more than a million automatic shotguns.
The Beretta RS 202P features a foldable metal stock and a perforated shroud around the barrel. However, internally its design is very conventional and doesn’t differ much from other shotguns in its class. The RS 202 can also use 8-round magazines designed by Valtro—another Italian firearms manufacturer.
The shotgun can also be mounted with aiming optics. The top of the receiver has rails for mounting aiming scopes. In addition, the shotgun’s pistol grip makes wielding the weapon very comfortable during firing.
The main advantage with the Beretta RS 202 is that it can fire a range of ammunition types. In addition, it also has a variable choke and a shot expander that allows the firer to alter the spread of buckshot fired by the shotgun.
Mossberg ATPS 500
The Mossberg ATPS 500 is a pump-action shotgun designed and manufactured by O.F. Mossberg & Sons since 1960. Other shotguns in the same series as the Mossberg 500 include the 590, the 505 and the 535.
The Mossberg 500 has a conventional design without any advanced design features. It is available in civilian, military and security variants. All of these versions have the same basic design, except for a few changes.
The shotgun is designed to fire the 12 gauge round. However, versions for the 20 gauge round and the .410 bore ammunition have also been designed. The shotgun feeds from a six-round tubular magazine and has very good firepow
The Mossberg 500 was designed primarily as a military weapon. This becomes evident from the inbuilt bayonet mounting and rails for mounting optical scopes. The shotgun can also fire solid ammunition. However, since the barrel has no rifling, it may not be accurate for long distances.
The Mossberg 500 has a long history of service with the United States armed forces. It continues to be in service with various branches of the US military. In 1999, the US Army officially adopted the M1014 Combat Shotgun. However, it continues to use the Mossberg 500 and new orders continue to be placed.
Variants of the Mossberg ATPS 500:
>> Field Models: These are designed for sporting and hunting. These come in a variety of barrel lengths and furniture. Some versions also have rifled barrels.
>> Special purpose Models: These are for self-defence, police use and for use by the military. These have shorter barrels and some versions come with pistol grips for better handling.
>> Law enforcement Models: These have heavier barrels, metal safeties and trigger guards. These are designed to pass stringent requirements of the US Army and are more robust.
Remington M870
The Remington M870 is a pump-action shotgun designed by L. Ray Crittendon, Phillip Haskell, Ellis Hailston, and G.E. Pinckney and manufactured by the Remington Arms Company Inc. It is widely used by civilians for target practice and hunting. In addition, it is also used by law enforcement agencies for riot control and by the military.
The M870 is a 12 gauge shotgun and feeds from a seven-round tubular magazine located under the barrel. Subsequently, other versions for 16, 20 and 28 gauge were also developed. Versions with variable barrel lengths were also designed. The P variant of the M870 has a foldable metal stock.
The M870 is primarily designed for close-quarter combat. Its pistol grip makes it very easy to aim and fire in close-combat situations. In addition, it also has a very high stopping power to intimidate even the toughest of the attacker.
The M870 is comparatively a costly weapon. However, it is one of most popular shotguns to be ever manufactured. Till date, more than four million units of the M870 have been sold. It holds the record of the best selling shotgun is history.
Several other shotguns have been designed on the basis of the M870. These can be broadly classified as under:
Introduction to Shotguns
The barrel of the shotgun is not rifled i.e. it is a smooth bore. Due to this shotguns are not accurate and have lower ranges. After the advent of rifles, shotguns lost their popularity. However, shotguns proved to be very useful in trench warfare during the First World War and thus their popularity and use saw a revival. Since then, shotguns are being used in a variety of roles by civilians, law enforcement agents and military personnel.
When the shotgun is fired, the energy of the exploding propellant gets distributed across the pellets and so the stopping power of each pellet is very low. This makes the shotgun very useful in hunting smaller game such as fowl. However, when fired a close ranges, the shotgun offers a large stopping power albeit low penetration. Since the pellets spread out over an area, the shotgun has to be pointed only approximately at the target to make a hit.
Many different types of shotguns have been designed. They range from small sized shotguns to massive punt guns. In addition, shotguns operating almost on every firing mechanism are available. Shotgun designs are unique on the basis of the firing shot. The shotgun shell is usually short, wide, with straight walls and operates on low pressure when compared to assault rifle rounds.
Shotgun ammunition is commonly known as shells, shot shells or shotgun shells in the United States. In the United Kingdom, there are called "cartridges". Shotguns are also known as pepper guns and scatter guns.
Shotguns are typically used against small and moving targets. Since the pellets of the gun spread over an area, the gun has to be aimed only approximately at the target. However, shotguns are not accurate over longer distances. In addition, they also lose penetration power with distance. Shotgun ammunition which have lesser number of pellets or a single slug have higher penetrating power but at the expense of lower probability of hitting the target.
Shotguns offer a number of advantages over other handguns and rifles. First and foremost, the shotgun offers tremendous stopping power at shorter ranges. Secondly, it is easier to aim which makes it very easy to be used by an inexperienced firer. Thirdly, it causes multiple wounds to the target which will disable him/her instantly. Additionally, shotgun pellets cannot penetrate walls reducing the chances of hitting bystanders. Due to these reasons, law enforcement agencies across the globe prefer to use shotguns.
Colt Police Positive 38 Caliber Revolver
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Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Modern Gatling-style guns
After Gatling guns were replaced by lighter, cheaper blowback style weapons, the approach of using multiple rotating barrels fell into disuse for many decades. However, Gatling gun-style weapons made a return in the 1940–50s, when weapons with very high rates of fire were needed in military aircraft. For these modern weapons, electric motors are used to rotate the barrel, although systems that derive power from their ammunition do exist such as the GShG-7.62 machine gun and GSh-6-23, which uses a gas-operated drive system.
One of the main reasons for the resurgence of the Gatling gun-style design is the weapon's tolerance for continuous high rates of fire. For example, if 500 rounds were fired per minute from a conventional single-barrel weapon, this would likely result in the barrel overheating (distorting in extreme cases) or a weapon jam. In contrast, a five-barreled Gatling gun-style weapon firing 500 rounds per minute, only fires 100 rounds per barrel per minute, an acceptable rate of fire. Ultimately the limiting factor is the rate at which loading and extraction can occur. In a single barrel design these tasks must alternate, a multiple barrel design on the other hand lets them occur simultaneously, with different barrels at different points in the cycle. Their high rate of fire also makes them useful in systems that have little time to engage their targets, such as CIWS which defend against fast-moving anti-ship missiles.
The M61 Vulcan 20 mm cannon is the most prolific member of a family of weapons designed by General Electric and currently manufactured by General Dynamics. It is a six-barreled rotary cannon capable of more than 6,000 rounds per minute. Similar systems are available ranging from 5.56 mm to 30 mm (there was even a 37 mm Gatling on the prototype T249 Vigilante AA platform); the rate-of-fire being somewhat inversely-proportional to the size and mass of the ammunition (which also determines the size and mass of the barrels). Another Gatling design well-known among aviation enthusiasts is the GAU-8 Avenger 30 mm cannon, carried on the A-10 Thunderbolt II (Warthog) attack aircraft, a heavily-armored close air-support aircraft. It is a seven-barreled cannon designed for tank-killing and is currently the largest bore Gatling weapon active in the U.S. arsenal.
During the Vietnam War, the 7.62 mm caliber M134 Minigun was created as a helicopter weapon. Able to fire 6,000 rounds per minute from a 4,000-round linked belt, the Minigun proved to be one of the most effective non-explosive projectile weapons ever built and is still used in helicopters today. They are also used on USAF AC-47, AC-119 and Lockheed AC-130 gunships, their original high-capacity cargo airframes able to house the items needed for sustained operation. With sophisticated navigation and target identification tools, Miniguns can be used effectively even against concealed targets. The crew's ability to concentrate the Gatling's fire very tightly produces the appearance of the 'Red Tornado'[8] from the light of the tracers, as the gun platform circles a target at night.
Gatling gun
The Gatling gun is one of the best known early rapid-fire weapons and a forerunner of the modern machine gun. Its first combat usage, and the battlefield role it is most well-known for, was its use by the Union forces during the American Civil War in the 1860s. Later it was also famously used in the assault on San Juan Hill during the Spanish-American War.[1]
Developed following the 1851 invention of the mitrailleuse by the Belgian Army, the Gatling gun was originally designed by the American inventor Dr. Richard J. Gatling in 1861 and patented in 1862.[2] He wrote that he created it to reduce the size of armies and so reduce the number of deaths by combat and disease.[3]
Although the first Gatling gun was capable of firing continuously, it required a person to crank it; therefore it was not a true automatic weapon. The Maxim gun, invented in 1884, was the first true fully automatic weapon, making use of the fired projectile's recoil force to reload the weapon. Nonetheless, the Gatling gun represented a huge leap in firearm technology. Prior to the Gatling gun, the only rapid-fire firearms available to militaries were mass-firing volley weapons as the mitrailleuse or grapeshot (as fired from cannons, similar to shotguns). And though rate of fire was increased by firing multiple projectiles simultaneously, these weapons still needed to be reloaded after each discharge, which for multi-barrel systems like the mitrailleuse was quite cumbersome and extremely time-consuming, thus negating their high rate of fire per discharge and making them impractical for use on the battlefield. In comparison, the Gatling gun offered a rapid continuous rate of fire without needing to manually reload.
The gun's operation centered around a cyclic multi-barrel design which facilitated cooling and synchronized the firing/reloading sequence. Each barrel fired a single shot when it reached a certain point in the cycle, after which it ejected the spent cartridge, loaded a new round, and in the process, cooled down somewhat. This configuration allowed higher rates of fire to be achieved without the barrel overheating. Some time later, Gatling-type weapons were invented that diverted a fraction of the gas pressure from the chamber to turn the barrels. Later still, electric motors supplied external power to operate the Gatling gun.
Shot Show Wrap-Up
He talks about Sig Sauer's new E2 pistols and manages to alleviate pretty much all of my initial concerns regarding the new Sigs.
Front Fist Freddy Knuckle Duster
The Front Fist Freddy Knuckle Duster, Designed by Terminator4447 (David)
The original design was a bit different and was adjusted for size and comfort.
Front Fist Freddy is a fantasy type knuckle duster, design to resmble and "Skull & Cross Bone" its supports all 4 fingers.
One Finger Knuckle Duster - WC-09
Small One finger WC-09 Knuckle duster - very small, yet comfortable, and a awesome self defense weapon.
Made in late 2009.