Speaking before the Senate Committee on Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Robert Walsh indicated that the United States Marine Corps (USMC) is closing in on formally replacing the M855 round currently used in M16A4 and M4 rifles. The Corps will finish up testing on the M855A1 round next month, including the M27 rifle, which focuses on stopping power, flatter trajectory, weapons durability and overall performance. Also mentioned was the consideration of the SOCOM MK318 round.

It looks like Trijicon is releasing a new RMR model that has been revised to addresses many of the concerns with the original model. It appears that the RMR Type 2 will retain all of the features that we know and love with the addition of some new ones as well as refinements that should make it an all around better optic.

After over 30 years of using the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, it seems the US Army may be moving away from the concept of squad-level belt-fed automatic firepower in favor of a lower-capacity but more precise (and probably magazine-fed) weapon. In a recent Special Notice posted to FBO.gov, the US Army formally announced its intention to replace the M249 with a magazine-fed weapon, dubbed the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle (NGSAR). The Special Notice also announced a classified set of Industry Days for demonstration of potential NGSAR weapons, to be held July 25-27 of this year. The new Special Notice seems more similar to a Request for Information (RFI) than a Request for Proposal (RFP), and explicitly states that no contracts will be awarded or offers accepted:

It is finally official: The SIG P320 will definitely be the US Army’s next service handgun. Soon after the January announcement of SIG Sauer’s win of the half-billion-dollar MHS contract, gunmaker Glock filed a protest on the decision with the Government Accountability Office (GAO). The GAO had until Monday, June 5, to make a decision on whether to hold up the contract or allow the program to continue with procurement of the SIG handgun. Today, the news is out: The GAO has rejected Glock’s protest, and the MHS program can now move forward with procurement of the SIG M17, according to a story from Army Times.

The US Army’s Program Manager for Individual Weapons has issued a new Request for Information (RFI) to the industry for a new 7.62x51mm Interim Combat Service Rifle, which seeks to bring out the best battle rifles the market has to offer. The RFI, posted at FBO,gov, reads:

With internet rumors and clandestine photographs trickling through the internet, firearms optic giant Aimpoint is ready to officially announce the existence of a T2 sized red dot that operates on a single AAA battery. Currently labeled with a numeric designation, Aimpoint also acknowledges that the AAA Comp M5 is currently in use by Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) units around the world.

Daniel Defense has issued a recall that includes Daniel Defense firearms manufactured between April 1, 2016 and March 3, 2017. If you believe that you own a firearm that is affected by the recall, please refrain from calling them and use the serial number check on their website, the link is posted below.

Josh Whi, over at Lithgow Arms USA , clued me in that they have launched a new website and they are taking pre-orders right now for the ATRAX.

Many of us fill our belly with beer and burgers on Memorial Day. Some of you might even go to the range to celebrate freedom by putting some holes in paper, others might head to the lake with friends and family, spend the day running around town with kids in tow, or even loaf around the house and enjoy the day off from work.

EDIT: I am now aware of Phil’s post, when I searched it didn’t show up in the results. Double coverage when talking about a recall isn’t really a bad thing though. Sorry about that. 

In a surprising turn of events given the recent public motions towards an all-M27 fleet, the United States Marine Corps has just released a new request for information (RFI), soliciting proposals from the industry for a whole new suite of infantry equipment, including rifles, upper receivers for existing weapons, optics, suppressors, and targets. The new RFI is very explicit as to what the industry can and/or should bring to the table as far as proposals. Below is replicated the “Infantry Rifle” segment of the RFI document, which is just one part out of five:

Last month the United States Special Operations Command along with the United States Marine Corps posted a Sources Sought Solicitation to  FedBizOpps (FBO) for 5,000, belt-fed, medium, machineguns in .338 Norma Magnum (NM).

Russian gun magazine “ Kalashnikov” has published this image on one of their social media pages. It is taken in Beretta facilities. Supposedly these are the upper and lower receivers of a new Beretta submachine gun or pistol caliber carbine. Unfortunately, there are no details available yet. However, let’s take a close-up look at different portions of the receivers and try to find out or guess what features it will have.

Gentlemen, it has begun: The Silencing is upon us.

MLOK is better. We can say it with conviction now that NSWC-Crane has released a slideshow that details the processes they used to conduct the testing and the results of said testing.

Last month we reported that FN America was protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s decision to go with the Sig P320 as their new sidearm. Sadly there isn’t much transparency when you are looking into these protests, and quite a lot is left to the imagination.

In an unprecedented turn of events, the Indian government has approved the building of a private sector small arms factory at Malanpur in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Previously, the Indian small arms industry has been entirely nationalized, with the Ministry of Defence-run Ordnance Factories Board overseeing the production of everything from armored vehicles to the somewhat notorious Nirbheek revolver designed for sale to Indian civilian women. Now, however, the Indian engineering group Punji Lloyd are partnering with Israeli Weapons Industries to open the very first private sector small arms factory in the nation. The factory is part of a new effort to meet the long-unfulfilled needs of the Indian military for modern, quality small arms in the wake of the government’s decision to scale back issuance of the troubled INSAS assault rifle in favor of older models like the AKM.

Somebody has been sending letters to FFLs in the United States alleging to be from Heckler & Koch  Germany. The letter claims that H&K is recalling all firearms from the United States because they don’t like President Trump and they think there are too many gun-related deaths in the country. The letter is clearly a fake. H&K are aware of the letter and will be issuing a statement shortly.

The US Army’s M17 Modular Handgun System, derived from the SIG P320 handgun, has crossed one of the final hurdles on the track to full replacement of previous service handguns (including chiefly the Beretta M9). The United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force have all announced their acceptance of the M17 MHS as the new sidearm for each respective service, according to a story written by Matthew Cox for KitUp!

Heckler & Koch is building a US factory in Georgia, a welcome surprise for US gun buyers. The German arms manufacturer is building a 23 million dollar facility in Columbus, Georgia to built pistols, sport, and hunting guns. At this time we are unaware of exactly what lines are to be produced in the new stateside facility, I assume that it will be models that were previously affected by import restrictions.

There are very few in the gun community that doesn’t know the name Mike Lamb. Mike has carved a career out for himself as a trainer and all around expert largely thanks to his time in the military as well as his continued training. The report from my friend David Reeder at Breach Bang Clear that Mike Lamb is not a Recon Marine is nothing short of disappointing.

We are pushing out a quick post in support of our friends at Breach Bang Clear and  Soldier Systems. This notebook went missing at the NRA Annual Meetings today and it obviously has sentimental value to its well respected owner, Dave Reeder.

Springfield Armory officially debuted the new Springfield Armory XD-E today at the NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. The Springfield XD-E is a slimline 9mm pistol that features a manual safety and a hammer. Hammer and a safety?  Yes! Springfield chose to integrate a hammer and manual safety for several reasons. These features make it safer to carry a loaded pistol either in a bag, purse, or tucked close to the body in a holster. Also, because of the hammer, Springfield could use a lighter recoil spring, making the pistol easier to rack. This is a great enhancement for shooters who lack the hand strength to rack a traditional pistol typically carried for self defense. According to Springfield, the slide on the XD-E requires 27% less effort to rack compared to its striker fired counterparts. The ambidextrous external safeties also serve as a de-cock mechanism.

Silencer news nerds unite! A recent leak making the rounds on social media shows what appears to be a yet-to-be-announced 3D Printed suppressor from Daniel Defense. The DD Wave, a name registered by Daniel Defense earlier this year, looks like a quick disconnect rifle suppressor. As of this writing, I have confirmed that at least one major distributor already has the Wave on order.

I just posted about the new Magpul GL Enhanced Magwell and another tipster sent me more products that Magpul will be announcing at the 2017 NRA Annual Meeting in Atlanta.

We just received a tip that Magpul is going to be rolling out a new polymer magwell in the next couple days. I expect this to likely be released on the opening day of NRA Annual Meetings. Other than the spec sheet above we have no information beyond that.

So here is the letter written by Marvin G. Richardson, Assistant Director of the Enforcement Programs and Services, to Mark Barnes, Esq and SB Tactical.

SB Tactical just released astounding news. The ATF has reversed their stance on shouldering “Stabilizing Braces”

With the National Rifle Association’s Annual Meeting now just a few days away, new product announcements are a foregone conclusion. At the top of my (and many others) list of releases is the the elusive Glock Generation 5 and/or ‘M’ models that may or may not make an appearance sometime this year. Possibly signaling pending public availability, a legitimate ‘high speed, low drag’ friend of mine was just issued a Glock 17M for some real-world testing.

In a press release issued yesterday, it was revealed that the USCCA has been disinvited to NRA Annual Meeting. The press release comes less than two weeks from the show and cited no reason other than s wild guess as to the NRA‘s motives. USCCA stated in the press release that their best guess is the move was a “strategic business maneuver” because the NRA recognizes the USCCA as a frontrunner in concealed carry related matters.