G2R Radically Invasive Projectile: 9-Part 9mm Segmented Hollow Point

G2R RIP - VIDEO

The G2 Research 9mm RIP round has been making waves online over the weekend. The company claims its 96 gr copper bullet is “the last round you will ever need”. The design is inspired by a triangular tipped surgical tool called the Trocar. It has 8 segmented spikes which break off as the bullet enters its target, while the solid base continues on its original trajectory.

This is not the first segmented bullet round to have been developed. Two examples of segmented bullets designed to break apart are the popular CCI .22 Long Rifle Segmented HP round and the Winchester PDX1 Segmented Slug. The theory behind these rounds is that many pieces cause more internal damage and hemorrhaging than one solid slug. The downside is that the remaining bullet has significantly less mass after the spikes break off. The solid copper bullet weighs 96 gr in total. After the spikes are dispersed you are left with a 9mm caliber 50 gr slug boring through the target. If this round was a regular hollow point, it would have expanded to 13mm but retained all 96 grain of weight.

G2R RIP vs. Pumpkin.

VIDEO-2

So the question is wether or not one 50 gr 9mm slug + eight (lets say 6 gr) spikes is more damaging than a single 96 grain 13mm slug? I can’t say I know the answer. We are reaching out the company to ask if they are willing to send us some test ammunition. If they are willing to supply it, we will test it and share the results with y’all.

The G2R RIP should be on the market soon in 9mm, with .380 ACP, .357 SIG, .40 S&W and .45 ACP coming later. Pricing has not been announced. 

New FN SCAR-P: A Sleek PDW Variant

VIDEO

At the Milipol expo in Paris FN Herstal unveiled a new prototype PDW (Personal Defense Weapon) variant of the FN SCAR. The FN SCAR-P features a sleek upper receiver that lacks a full length top rail and heat vents (for a gun designed to be carried at the ready in tight spaces, less is more). The SCAR-P has a new collapsable wire stock with a very thick recoil pad. In order to accommodate the stock they  removed the ”bumper” barrel screw retainers that are normally on each side of the receiver just forward of the eject port, which makes the gun look a lot better in my opinion (at the possible expense of making maintenance harder).

One thing I like about FN is that they are not afraid to show you a work in progress. This is actually the third FN SCAR PDW we have seen in as many years.

The original FN SCAR PDW (2011)

The current FNH-USA SCAR PDW production model.

SI Battlecase Now Available For Samsung S4 Active

The Strike Industries Battlecase is now available for the Samsung S4 Active (the rugged waterproof version of the Samsung S4). Just last week I was complaining on TFB about the lack of rugged “tactical” (for lack of a better word) cases for Android phones. The case is selling for $17.95 and is available in Black, Grey or Flat Dark Earth.

VIDEO

I almost purchased an S4 Active earlier this year but at the last minute decided to go with the regular S4. I hope Strike Industries will consider expanding the line to other top-tier Android phones in the future.

Walther PPK/S .22LR

It’s likely that every review of Walther’s new PPK/S .22LR will include some Bond reference – and why shouldn’t they?  Bond made the PPK/S iconic, and according to Walther’s marketing team, the PPK/S .22 was re-introduced due to a re-kindled Bond fervor.  This is certainly in no small part due to (a) Daniel Craig’s surprising fittedness in the role and (b) the re-introduction of the PPK as Bond’s sidearm in Skyfall.  (Please ignore the fact that the Skyfall PPK had three LEDs that would have likely blinded the operator when in use).  To give you some background that likely won’t be covered in other articles on this variation of the PPK:  Ian Fleming, Bond’s creator, was issued the diminutive and hardly-lethal “Baby Browning” .25ACP when Fleming served in WWII-era Naval Intelligence.  

VIDEO

Resultantly, Fleming’s James Bond carried the similarly non-lethal .25ACP Beretta 418 because Fleming considered that appropriate (although he confessed in print that his firearm-related knowledge was extremely limited).  Boldly, Geoffrey Boothroyd, a firearm expert and prolific writer himself, wrote Fleming to inform him that the 418 was “a lady’s gun”, and instead suggested that Bond carry the more powerful S&W Airweight revolver instead.  When Fleming insisted on an automatic, Boothroyd suggested the PPK in .32/7.65mm.  Consequently, in Dr. No, a service armorer named “Major Boothroyd” made a brief appearance to issue Bond his new PPK.  While Fleming immortalized Boothroyd out of gratitude, he and Boothroyd also inadvertently propelled the PPK to legend status.  Fifty-five years later, the Bond franchise is going strong, its fans prompting the Stateside re-introduction of the PPK/S in .22LR.

CZ P-09 Duty To Be Exported In 2014

Jane’s reports that CZ are planning on launching the CZ P-09 Duty pistol to the export market in early 2014 (they omit to mention it has been on sale in the US and Czech markets for a while now) …

Ceská zbrojovka (CZ) plans to launch its new 9 mm P-09 pistol onto the export market at the IWA arms fair in early March 2014.

The P-09′s roots can be traced back to the widely fielded CZ 75 and, in particular, the P-07 Duty variant that the company developed in 2008. Little remained of the original CZ75 in that design, which features a compact 95 mm barrel, a polymer frame, and uses the company’s new Omega trigger mechanism with a redesigned lock.

VIDEO

It proved popular and has been adopted by several forces, but feedback has led CZ to revisit it as a ‘full size’ service pistol with a 115 mm barrel that has now been designated the P-09 and weighs 840 g unloaded. Some users also requested revised grip dimensions and the P-09 features a new stronger polymer material in the frame and a steel slide.

CAI M74, Quality, Affordable, and Beautiful!

CAI is now producing a splendid AK74 clone that they have dubbed the M74 Sporter, and I asked our great editor Phil White if I could review one. Let me tell you, we deal with a lot of companies here at The Firearm Blog, but CAI is really on the ball when it comes to reviewing one of their products. A single email sent by Phil to the manufacturer results in a gun at my FFL, with accessories and all kinds of cool ancillary stuff in about 4 or 5 days! To me this speaks well of their organization as far as the administrative side goes, and to me that is an indicator of a good company overall, and there I must give them some serious credit. That being said, I was very excited to have to opportunity to test their AK74.

VIDEO

The M74 Sporter is built on a surplus excellent Bulgarian parts kit (many hold the Bulgarian kits to be among the best out there) and it just looks great. The original furniture is retained (not sure what parts they used for 922r compliance aside from the trigger group, receiver, and barrel but this gun looks fantastic!) as well as most other components. The gun came with the original muzzle brake and bayonet too, which is just awesome! The Bakelite bayonet really adds some charm and I would love to have one just because I think it looks neat. Also after some reading, the Bulgarian “Circle 10″ magazines seem to be held in high regard by the AK community and they definitely work well in the rifle, as did all other mags tested.

I got to the range on a chilly afternoon and set the target up at 100 yards to get a feel for the accuracy. As usual I shot five groups of five shots.

Heckler & Koch P30

A decade ago, shortly after my 21st birthday, I purchased my first handgun, a Springfield XD chambered in .40 S&W. I was pleased with the handgun and it did absolutely everything I wanted it to do. Its only downfall was that the slide was not stamped “Heckler and Koch”. At that time in my life I was reading a lot of Tom Clancy and Richard Marcinko Books, and occasionally played the Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six video game. All the main characters, heroes and villains, used Heckler and Koch weapons.  Any web query and gun counter guru all agreed that Heckler and Koch made the best firearms in the world. Granted it would be hard to legally own an MP5 or a G36, but the H&K USP and P2000 series were readily available at my local Sportsman’s Warehouse. I wanted one, that’s all there was to it. I spent the summer farming and ranching as well as working for the USDA Forest. I saved up enough money, sold the Springfield XD to a good friend and found a Heckler and Koch P2000 for a decent price on Gunbroker.

VIDEO

Maximus Arms 1911 Gladiator

Maximus Arms is now selling a new 1911-style pistol that claims to have more than 80 different dimensional changes from Browning’s original design.  The gun is made from 17-4PH stainless steel.  According to Maximus, the Gladiator is the only pistol made with 17-4PH steel.

VIDEO

“The Gladiator is the culmination of more than 40 years of using 1911s, both in the service and as gunsmiths,” said Steve White, Maximus Arms partner and chief operating officer. “We have worked hard to refine every aspect of the gun to ensure it meets our exacting standards, which is why each gun is hand-assembled and tested before it is shipped. You don’t know just how comfortable a 1911 can feel in your hand until you’ve held and fired our Gladiator.”

Some of the standard features:

• Sprinco recoil reduction guide rod
• fiber optic front sight, ghost ring rear
• extended slide stop
• extended thumb safety
• flared magazine well
• StormLake match barrel

MSRP is $1776. 

Recover Tactical CC3 1911 Grip

Recover Tactical is now taking pre-orders for their new CC3 1911 Grip. Made out of polymer composite and weighting in at 80 grams, the new CC3 grip is an easy to install universal fit two piece grip system that adds a 4.5 cm long rail to your 1911 pistol. MSRP on them is $49.99 shipped (within the US) and they’ll be available in black, olive drab and and desert tan. The new CC3 Grip was designed by Tamir Porat who designed the Tavor rifle currently being used by the IDF. They’re made in Israel and come with a lifetime warranty.

VIDEO

According to Recover Tactical it takes about 3 minutes to install them with no gunsmith or permanent modification required.

TrackingPoint XS4 .338 Lapua Magnum

TrackingPoint has announced a new .338 Lapua Magnum chambered addition to their Precision Guided Firearm line up. The TrackingPoint XS4 has a range of 1,200 yards. It features a 27″ Krieger barrel, Magnum Surgeon action and McMillan A5 adjustable stock.

VIDEO

Model: XS4 (XactSystem 4)

Rifle Mfg.: Surgeon Rifles (Surgeon XL action & Krieger barrel)

Rifle System Mfg.: TrackingPoint (integrated long range shooting system)

Rifle Type:PGF (Precision Guided Firearm)

Operating System:Bolt action

Caliber: .338 Lapua

Bullet:300 grain Sierra Match King OTM (Open Tip Match) [280 grain LRX (Long Range X Bullet)

Muzzle Velocity:300 grain = 2720 fps (+/- 10 fps standard deviation muzzle velocity) 280 grain = 2715 fps (+/- 10 fps standard deviation muzzle velocity)

Max TTX Range:Tag Track Xact to 1200 yards (+50 yard backend flex)

Min TTX Range:50 yards

Barrel Length: 27” (with M18x1.5 threaded muzzle with cap)

Barrel Twist: 1:9.35 inch – right hand twist

Barrel Contour:MTU and fluted

Trigger System:Guided with integrated ambidextrous track button in trigger guard

Trigger Pull:Traditional Mode 3.5 lbs. (+/- .5 lb.) not adjustable / Advanced Mode –not applicable

Weight Loaded:22.5 lbs. (rifle, scope, two batteries, loaded mag, bipod, brake)

Weight Unloaded:19.8 lbs. (rifle, scope, no batteries, no magazine, no bipod, with brake)

Operating Temperature:-4° to 120°F (-20° to 49°C)

Stock: McMillian A5

Stock Adjustments:Height of comb, length of pull (spacers 6mm x2 and 11mm x 2)

Length of pull:15” with all spacers

Scope:Networked tracking scope with HUD (Heads Up Display)

Zoom:6 to 35x, parallax free

Magazine: 5 round detachable box (x2)

Night Vision:Not optimized for night vision

Thermal Sights:Not optimized for thermal sights

The press release follows …

TrackingPoint™, creator of the world’s first Precision Guided Firearm (PGF) system, today announced the newest addition to its smart rifle line, the XS4 338 Lapua Magnum. Combining the power of a large caliber rifle with a smaller McMillan A5 hunting stock, the XS4 delivers both stopping power and convenience, integrated with TrackingPoint’s revolutionary TTX (Tag Track Xact) technology—the most accurate targeting system on the market today. The company also announced that it intends to announce additional new PGF models at the 2014 NSSF SHOT Show, January 14-17, 2014 in Las Vegas.

Like TrackingPoint’s XS1, the new XS4 has a maximum TTX range of 1,200 yards, the longest effective range offered by the company. The precision rifle’s performance is driven by a bolt-action, .338 Lapua Magnum Surgeon™ XL action. The rifle’s 27-inch, Krieger™ cut-barrel is fitted in a traditional-style, adjustable McMillan A5 chassis. It also features TrackingPoint’s longest parallax-free zoom: 6 to 35X.

“Our customers have been asking for the power of our 338 Lapua Magnum smart rifles in the form factor of our popular XS3 hunting model,” said John Lupher, Chief Technology Officer for TrackingPoint. “One of the best parts of working with our community of TrackingPoint PGF owners is that we can learn from their feedback and develop products to suit customer needs as our company grows.”

Pre-orders for the XS4 are now being accepted. The rifle will be demonstrated at the 2014 NSSF SHOT Show as well as at other industry trade shows in the coming year.

FN MINIMI Mk3 (7.62mm and 5.56mm)

FN Herstal’s update of the FN MINIMI, the FN MINIMI Mk3 is probably the most important new firearm of 2013 given its widespread use by the militaries of North American, South America, Europe, South East Asia and Oceania. The new FN MINIMI Mk3, which will be chambered in both 7.62mm and 5.56mm NATO, features a number of upgraded components over the previous version.

VIDEO

Ruger LCP and LC9 Now Available With Viridian Products

Ruger is now offering the LCP and LC9 handguns with Viridian green lasers and tactical lights from the factory.  The pistols, offered exclusively through TALO Distributors, will ship with a specially designed pocket holster that works with the Viridian Instant-On activation system.

VIDEO

Viridian announced the Reactor 5 green laser for the LCP and LC9 several months ago.  Ruger offers Crimson Trace and LaserMax lasers as factory options, but the Viridian is the only green laser offered for the guns from Ruger.

Steyr Arms Full-Size L-A1 Service Pistol

Steyr Arms (USA) are now importing the full-size service pistol version of the Steyr L-A1 pistol. This pistol was originally introduced to Europe at last year’s IWA expo. It holds 17 rounds of 9mm or 12 rounds of .40 S&W or .357 SIG. The MSRP will be $560.

VIDEO

Model:	L-A1
Operation:	Semiautomatic
Caliber:	9x19mm Luger, .40 S&W, .357 SIG
Slide material:	Steel
Magazine type/capacity:	Double-stack steel box/17 rounds (9mm), 12 rounds (.40, .357)
Barrel:	4.52-inch cold-hammer-forged
Rifling:	Conventional, 6 grooves, RH twist
Sights:	Drift-adjustable trapezoidal
Finish:	Mannox
Trigger type:	Reset Action System (DAO with integrated safety)
Pull weight:	5.5 pounds
Frame material:	Reinforced polymer
Checkering:	Anti-slip stippled texture
Weight, empty:	28.8 ounces (29.6 ounces L40-A1)
Overall length:	7.9 inches
Height:	5.1 inches
Width:	1.2 inches

The full press release …

Steyr Arms has announced the availability of the new full-size L-A1 service pistol to the U.S. market. Originally introduced last year at the IWA Outdoor Classics Show in Nuremburg, Germany, high demand from the American market has brought the the L-A1 pistol here. Featuring a full-length slide, 4.5-inch cold-hammer-forged barrel and 17-round magazine capacity for its 9x19mm Luger chambering and 12 rounds for .40 S&W and .357 SIG versions, the new L-A1 service pistol is ideal for the U.S. market. The Steyr L-A1 was designed to serve the dual role of a duty and sporting handgun.

The new L-A1 is nearly identical in form and function to other handguns in the Steyr line, which combine a comfortable fit, a low bore axis, remarkable safety features, extreme reliability and amazing accuracy—thanks to a consistently crisp trigger break. The L-A1’s full-size polymer frame offers unparalleled ergonomics with a high grip that places the barrel axis lower in the hand to mitigate muzzle rise, while creating a perfect grip angle and a very natural point of aim.

The L-A1 incorporates a newly designed loaded chamber indicator that sits flush in the rear of the slide when the chamber is empty and is raised slightly when the chamber is loaded for a visual and tactile indicator of the firearm’s condition. Also new on the L-A1 is a reversible magazine release that is easily swapped for right- or left-handed shooters.

The drift-adjustable sights are in the Steyr’s intuitive trapezoidal configuration, and a Picatinny rail on the frame’s dust cover provides a mounting position for illumination and laser-aiming devices. The integrated trigger safety within the recently redesigned Reset Action System trigger requires positive finger pressure to operate the L-A1’s remarkable double-action-only mechanism. This striker-fired pistol also incorporates a keyed safety lock. The barrel is cold-hammer forged with conventional rifling, and the chamber is fully supported.

The L-A1 incorporates a newly designed loaded chamber indicator that sits flush in the rear of the slide when the chamber is empty and is raised slightly when the chamber is loaded for a visual and tactile indicator of the firearm’s condition. Also new on the L-A1 is a reversible magazine release that is easily swapped for right- or left-handed shooters.

The suggested retail price of the Steyr L-A1 pistol is $560.