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Rifles

Diamondback DB15

Diamondback DB15

I’ve got more information (and photos) of the new Diamondback DB15 rifles I first mentioned last month.  After seeing them in the databases of a major gun dealer, I knew they were real, but I just didn’t have photos to share.  That’s all changed now that Diamondback posted their pretty new AR’s online.

A variety of models are, or will be, available.  Variations include different colors, handguards, sights and stocks.  As can be seen in these photos, they will offer everything from a plain-Jane black M4-style rifle to a Magpul-equipped gun to a flat dark earth colored gun with a free float handguard.

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Rifles

Saiga-9 Carbine

Saiga-9
This is the Vityaz-SN, the SMG on which the new Saiga-9 is modeled.

Russian arms manufacturer JSC Izhmash is gearing up to produce the Saiga-9 carbine, a civilian version of the Vityaz-SN submachine gun.  The new Saiga-9 will be chambered in 9mm (aka 9×19).

The new carbine was introduced at the 2012 Russian Hunting and Sporting Goods show in September.  Currently, I don’t have much information on the Saiga-9, other than it is the “civil equivalent” of the SMG.

Below is a video of the Vityaz-SN in action.  Expect that the Saiga-9 will look similar (with a longer barrel no doubt), but will lack the automatic fire.

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news

ArmaLite 300 BLK Rifle

In keeping with the 2012 SHOT Show trend, I’ll be looking at ArmaLite’s offering in the newer .300 BLK chambering. I got a chance to handle their new rifle at their booth, and I learned a few things along the way. Before getting into the details of the ArmaLite .300 BLK rifle, I thought it would be interesting to share a little history on the AR rifle platform that has become so popular.

Armalite 300 BLK Rifle

AR-15 History

ArmaLite was a subdivision of the Fairchild Engine & Airplane Corporation back in the 1950’s. The founder was Lockheed corporate counsel George Sullivan, and the company’s first rifle designs were meant to be “light” survival rifles for downed pilots.

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Rifles

SIG SAUER 551A1

SIG SAUER, Inc. combines the ingenuity of SIG SAUER GmbH in Germany and Swiss Arms AG in Switzerland. Long known for producing superior firearms, SIG SAUER has announced that it will begin production of the SIG SAUER 551-A1 as the civilian version of the SG 551 that is currently being used by the Swiss Army.

SIG 551A1 SBR
SIG SAUER 551A1 – Short Barrel Rifle version

The SIG551-A1 is a semi-auto version of the SG 551 that is American-built. The rifle uses an adjustable gas piston to operate a rotating bolt. The 2-point gas piston system allows for a cleaner, cooler shooting rifle, and promises long service life with reliable operation.

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Rifles

S&W M&P 15 VTAC II

Smith & Wesson has been busy retaking the law enforcement and personal defense world with their M&P series that there weren’t too many new things to view at their booth this year. However, I did find the VTAC II M&P 15 and I thought I’d share it with you. Nothing earth shattering in design, but a nice combination.

S&W M&P15 VTAC Rifle

This is a standard semi-auto M&P15 .556 mm AR-15 style rifle with Viking Tactical (VTAC) furniture, which compliments the M&P 15 nicely. S&W made this a mid- length platform and claims that this will lower recoil and increase accuracy, along with higher 2nd shot hit probability.