Tag: rifle

Rifles

AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine – New Rifle from Lone Wolf Distributors

Post author By Richard Johnson
Post date December 8, 2017
5 Comments on AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine – New Rifle from Lone Wolf Distributors

Lone Wolf Distributors will show a new pistol caliber carbine at the SHOT Show in January 2018. The new AlphaWolf Pistol Caliber Carbine (PCC) appears to be different from the existing G9 carbine platform the company currently offers.

According to the company, the new gun was specifically designed to provide excellent accuracy and superior reliability. Not surprisingly, Lone Wolf Distributors states the guns will feed from Glock magazines.

Although the new rifles appear to be AR-pattern guns, they will use a short stroke gas piston system instead of a straight blowback design. According to a press release issued by Flint River Armory, the system used in this rifle uses the same rotating bolt and piston system as that company uses in its own guns. However, the system has been updated to feed from Glock magazines.

While blowback guns tend to be reliable, they generally require more weight to counteract the rearward force of the bolt carrier group during the firing process. This can also result in more felt recoil. A short stroke piston system tends to be heavier than a direct gas impingement system, but is likely lighter and better balanced than a blowback system. Felt recoil should be reduced somewhat.

Lone Wolf Distributors states that the AlphaWolf pistol caliber carbine will be chambered for both the 9mm and .45 ACP cartridges.

The company states the upper and lower will be machined 6061-T6 aluminum and matched to a 16″ barrel made of 4140 CrMo steel (aka chromoly or chrome-moly.) A pistol version of the gun will have a 10″ CrMo steel barrel. Both the carbine and pistol versions will be equipped with M-LOK compatible handguards.

These guns will be side chargers with the handle accessible on the left side of the gun. It does reciprocate.

Controls will be similar to those of an AR-15. The buffer tube and buttstock will be AR compatible.

I’m looking forward to seeing this new gun. However, I do have a few questions. For example, I’d like to know if the fire control groups are AR compatible. I suspect the answer is yes, but I would like to confirm that.

No word yet on a target price or shipping date of these guns.

As a side note, Flint River Armory states it is no longer making its own rifle – the CSA45 PCC. Instead, the company is now exclusively producing the AlphaWolf PCC for Lone Wolf Distributors.

Tags .45 ACP, 9mm, AlphaWolf, Glock, Lone Wolf Distributors, pistol caliber carbine, rifle

Ammunition

New Cartridge: 6.5 SOCOM

PCP Ammunition will show its new 6.5 SOCOM cartridge at the 2018 SHOT Show according to information released by the company.

Although details about the new cartridge are scant, it would appear that the cartridge was designed for the new sniper rifle system that the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is exploring. Earlier this year, SOCOM indicated it was looking at 6.5mm cartridges for use in a semi-automatic snipe rifle platform.

Although the .260 Rem and 6.5 Creedmoor were mentioned in this Military Times article, a new cartridge that offered substantial benefits over existing ones could draw the attention of SOCOM. Those benefits would have to outweigh the known performance of the existing rounds, however. But weight may be one of the key factors in the search.

In the same Military Times article, Major Aron Hauquitz said that SOCOM was also looking at developing polymer ammunition to reduce the weight carried by soldiers in the field. Since PCP Ammunition manufactures polymer cased ammo, it seems the company may be ideally suited to make a run at the sniper cartridge need.

Based on the limited information released by the company, the 6.5 SOCOM will indeed use a polymer case. So far, one load has been mentioned by the company, and it uses a 130 grain Berger Hybrid Tactical bullet. No information on velocity or other measurables was available at the time of this writing.

The cartridge will be paired with a new semi-automatic rifle called the GF-10 at launch. The rifle will be manufactured by Gorilla Firearms, a sister company to PCP Ammunition and Gorilla Ammunition. The GF-10 is designed as a lightweight AR-10 style rifle.

As additional information on the new cartridge and rifle come out, I will update this page. Thoughts on the 6.5 SOCOM are welcomed in the comments section below.

Tags 6.5 SOCOM, ammo, Ammunition, AR-10, Gorilla Firearms, PCP Ammunition, rifle, Special Operations Command

Shooting Gear

Store a Glock Magazine in Your AR-15 Grip

Post author By Richard Johnson
Post date December 14, 2016
7 Comments on Store a Glock Magazine in Your AR-15 Grip

If you are running a pistol caliber AR carbine, or carry a Glock handgun to back up your rifle, TriTech Tactical hasÂ a pair of new grips that may interest you. These grips store a Glock magazine in them.

Designed as a replacement for the standard A2-type grip found on most AR pattern rifles, the TriTech Tactical design mimics the interior dimensions of a Glock pistol so that it can carry a spare magazine. Taken at face value, that seems like a good use of space – especially if you are running a pistol caliber carbine that feeds from Glock magazines.

The size and shape of the grips may be off-putting to some. However, since many people seem to like the grip size of a Glock pistol, I imagine that a lot of shooters might like the feel of these in the hand.

One grip, the TPG-ARGL910, is the shorter of the two options. It is designed to hold a subcompact magazine such as those used in the G26 and G27 pistols. The larger of the two products, the TPG-ARGL915, is designed for both the compact and full size Glock models. This should include sizes like the G17, G19, G22 and G23.

Right now, the company is showing these products as being available in mid-January. That is the same time frame as the SHOT Show where the company will be displaying its products. I will try to get by the company’s booth and get a look at these. Be sure to follow my 2017 SHOT Show news page that I will update each day of the event for you guys.

While the full size grip looks disproportionately large on an AR, I’m keeping an open mind on this. These could wind up being more practical than a first glance might suggest. The MSRP is set at $39.95. These are made in the United States.

Tags AR-15, pistol grip, rifle, TriTech Tactical

Rifles

New Rifle: Skeli X11

New rifles like the Skeli X11 are fun. Any time a gun manufacturer deviates from the mainstream, it causes the geek in me to take notice and try to get into the minds of the design team behind the weapon. At first blush, the new X11 promises a number of interesting things to examine and ponder.

Tags 300 BLK, 5.56, 5.56 NATO, 6.8 SPC, gas piston, new gun, rifle, Skeli X11

Rifles

CMMG MkW Anvil – New AR in .458 SOCOM

Post author By Richard Johnson
Post date June 15, 2016

CMMG announced a new mid sized AR style rifle that is designed for larger diameter cartridges. Called the MkW Anvil, CMMG custom designed this gun to use the strength offered by AR-10 components, but with an eye to keeping the platform close to the AR-15 compatibility originally envisioned for the .458 SOCOM cartridge.

Tags .458 SOCOM, AR-15, CMMG, MkM Anvil, rifle