#Ar-15

As much as I would like to avoid discussing politics, the reality is politics influences the kinds of guns and gear that are available to us. Case in point: the Bullet Button.

As AR rifles became more and more popular during the past three decades, adding rails and gear became something akin to a fashion trend. Although it seems to have eased up a bit, there was a time that shooters appeared to see a full length quad rail handguard as a challenge. Every kind of flashlight, laser, forward grip, stop and switch were clamped on wherever one could find the room.

If you live in a state that allows the use of night vision for hunting, the ATN X-Sight HD digital night vision riflescope would be an excellent choice of optic. The ATN X-Sight HD series of night vision rifle scopes are digital night vision scopes. These scopes do not use an Image Intensifier/Photocathode, but rely on a CCD sensor and an infra-red light source.  Essentially they are a camcorder, or a digital night vision camera with an adjustable infra-red filter and a reticle. Since they do not have an Image intensifier/Photocathode, end users do not have to worry about burning out the Image Intensifier, they can be used in the daytime and they are less expensive.

Saw this photo online. However I am not sure about the provenance behind it.

Earlier this year we posted about Geissele’s new AR-15 buffer spring, well it’s now available for sale. The new Super 42 AR-15 Spring from Geissele Automatics uses three independent strands of wire braided together which Geissele claims makes it much more reliable, durable and quieter than normal AR-15 buffer springs, no more signature AR-15 “twang”.

In this 201-level post on the devices and mechanisms that automatic firearms use to do their work, we’ll be discussing a distinction between two very similar types of gas systems. These are what’s commonly known as the “Ljungmann-type” gas system (called so after a Swede, even though in reality a Frenchman invented it decades earlier) and “Stoner-type” gas system. Both are forms of what’s called “direct impingement”, a term which has two different meanings, one of which we’ll discuss today

It’s no good to discuss how firearms work without also giving the context surrounding the firearms themselves. With that said, let’s talk about the AR-15, its copycats, competitors, and relatives. Together these rifles share space under the loose umbrella of black rifles, a term which references the use of lighter and more durable black polymer gunstocks in place of traditional wood, something that became common from the 1960s onward in military firearms design. Today the term simply means any modern military rifle, or any rifle patterned after a modern military rifle, the two most common of these by far being the AR-15 and AK types. For the purposes of this article, we’ll focus on the AR-15, but much of what we’ll talk about will be applicable to any black rifle.

We introduced you to the concept of locking in a previous one of our 201-level posts on how firearms work, and today we’re going to talk about what has become the most common locking mechanism for rifles: Rotary locking. If to lock an action, you need to create an interference between the breechblock and the barrel, one of the most intuitive ways to do this is the same way a barrel bolt latch works.

Previously in Operating Systems 101, we covered the simple, inexpensive principle of blowback, and the reliable principle of short-recoil. Both of these mechanisms together form the foundations of almost all automatic handguns in common use today, but what about rifles? Well, the most common mechanism for rifles is the method of gas operation, developed by legendary Utahn Mormon gun wizard John Moses Browning. Browning observed that the gases coming from the muzzle of a rifle could influence objects around it, such as tall grass. Through tireless experimentation, Browning found he could harness this gas, and the principle of gas operation was born.

We live in a world today that is completely inundated with AR-15 pattern rifles. In 2016, for just five Benjamins – sometimes even less! – you can purchase your very own fantactical black rifle and rely on it to work when you need to and shoot where you mean to. I won’t try to say otherwise: The AR-15 series is a great design, and it deserves its place at the center of the US civilian market.

Axelson Tactical, a family company created in honor of fallen Navy SEAL Matt Axelson in Operation Redwing (as memorilized in Lone Survivor) is auctioning off a tribute rifle in honor of fellow fallen SEAL, Danny Dietz. Only 100 of the rifles will be created by Axelson, serial numbers Dietz01 – Dietz99.

[ Steve says: This guest post was written by a practicing patent attorney with no connection whatsoever to the Mossberg AR-15 trigger patent lawsuits. ]

HM Defense & Technology manufactures AR-15 barrels that have an integrated gas block rather than a separate block that mounts onto the barrel. Now the company is shipping complete AR-15 rifles that use these barrels.

Last year, Walmart made a very big deal about not selling AR-15 rifles – or anything even vaguely tactical – in its gun department.

At the 2016 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, Blackhawk! was present showing off their new products, including the new suppressor line we reported on earlier this week. Blackhawk! was also showing off their new improved GI triggers, which we’ll cover later in the article.