When you think of Colt revolvers, the Python immediately comes to mind, and we hit the road to get the behind-the-scenes access to see just how these iconic American wheel guns are made.
Launched in 1955, the .357 Magnum six-shooter stood out with its advanced features, which surpassed many standard models of the time. Featuring a full underlug with a shrouded ejector rod, ventilated rib barrel, and adjustable sights, Pythons are distinctive and quickly identified at even a glance.
We’ve seen hundreds of Pythons over the years and have loved every last one of them. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
There is just something electric about seeing the iconic “PYTHON” on the barrel.
Over its original half-century run, the “I-frame” Python saw several variants with barrel lengths of 2.5, 3, 4, 6, and 8 inches, a few caliber experiments, and some specialty guns. The revolvers were produced in a range of finishes, including electroless nickel, referred to as “Colt Guard” by the company, stainless, polished nickel, Royal Colt Guard, an “Ultimate Bright” stainless, blued, and Colt Royal Blue, among others.
No matter the finish or barrel length, they are always appealing. A work of art crafted in steel.
We were there at the SHOT Show in 2020 when the new Python was introduced. The event marked the debut of the updated generation of these premium revolvers for the 21st century.
The modern Python carries with it the legacy of the aristocratic revolver, whose name has become a household word.
Now, with the new model in production for half a decade, we had to take a trip to New England to see how today’s Python is born.
Only produced for a single year by the Army’s Rock Island Arsenal, the RIA-marked National Match “GI Custom” 1911 .45 is a rare gun.
Why National Match?
So-called “National Match” 1911s date back to custom-fit target guns made to compete in the U.S. National Matches held annually, first in New Jersey and Florida and then at Camp Perry, Ohio. Modifications made by military armorers and famous Colt rep Henry “Fitz” FitzGerald to GI guns led Colt to introduce a specific National Match 1911 model in 1933, with lessons learned from the event guns. Except for the gap between 1941 and 1957, Colt National Match 1911s continue to be produced, in small numbers.
Early Colt National Matches, such as this circa 1932 model in the Guns.com Vault, were little more than standard 1911s with a tuned trigger and better barrel. Only about 3,000 Colt NM pistols were made before World War II (Photo: Guns.com)
An M1911-equipped Marine Gunnery Sergeant Henry M. Bailey, winner of the Custer Trophy at the National Rifle Matches, Camp Perry, Ohio, summer 1930. First awarded in 1927, the Custer is still presented to the winner of the National Trophy Individual Pistol Match. (Photo: National Archives)
After World War II ended, with the Colt NM gun at the time out of production, the Army looked into making its own. The program, run out of the Army’s old Springfield Armory complex in Massachusetts, took existing GI M1911s already in inventory and re-worked them into more match-friendly guns. A National Match specification was established, and the conversion process included not only hand fitting and tuning but a new “hard” slide, either from Colt or Drake Manufacturing, while triggers, springs, bushings, and sights became an evolutionary process tweaked every season.
The 1962 standard GI Springfield Armory produced NM 1911 pistol. Note the sights. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
The 1962 standard GI Springfield Armory produced NM 1911 pistol. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
The 1963 standard GI Springfield Armory produced NM 1911 pistol. Note the adjustable rear sights. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
Between 1955 and 1967, Springfield Armory produced 24,055 NM M1911s, an average of about 1,850 guns per year. Of these, most were sent to assorted military marksmanship teams while just 3,876 were sold to the public through the Army-run Director of Civilian Marksmanship program, an organization that became the non-profit federally chartered Civilian Marksmanship Program in 1996.
Lieutenant Colonel Walter Walsh, Team Captain, Marine Corps Rifle and Pistol Team, 1955 National Matches. Note his NM 1911 complete with target sights and a Colt commercial slide. A competitive shooter on the FBI pistol team during the 1930s bank robbery era, he was on the teams that tracked down criminal Arthur Barker, son of gangster Ma Barker, as well as “Public Enemy Number One” Al Brady. Serving in the Marines in WWII, he reportedly made a 90-yard shot with an M1911 on a Japanese sniper on Okinawa. He went on to compete in 50M Pistol at the 1948 Summer Olympics and won the gold medal with the United States team in the 25 m Center-Fire Pistol event at the 1952 ISSF World Championships. (Photo: National Archives.)
However, with the Pentagon’s decision in the 1960s to close Springfield Armory as a money-saving measure (it would reopen in 1978 as a National Historic Site), it was decided that the Army’s in-house National Match program would shift its home to Rock Island Arsenal in Illinois.
The Short RIA NM 1911 Run
According to the FY1967 Rock Island Annual Historical Report, due to the planned phase out of Springfield Armory by the Army in February 1966, Rock Island sent two mechanical engineers and three armorers to Massachusetts to be trained specifically to support the National Matches.
Following five weeks of OTJ at Springfield, the Rock Island contingent worked side by side with Springfield Armory personnel at Camp Perry in the summer of 1966 while the tooling for the NM 1911 program shuffled from Massachusetts to Illinois. By September of that year, Rock Island officially received the Work Authorizations for the NM program, and the following month, the Army released the funds to proceed.
The program was authorized to complete overhauls on 1,533 caliber .45 M1911 National Match pistols, convert another 848 M1911 pistols to National Match standard, and overhaul 2,462 NM M14 rifles. However, the guns didn’t arrive at RIA until the end of 1966, while the technical data package was not received from Springfield until late January 1967. This put the program behind, and it wasn’t until March 1967 that a team of about 45 military and civilian armorers – many from marksmanship units from across the Army – had begun training, spread out in three, four-week classes, at RIA by the NM cadre instructors. It was only then that assembly began at the armory’s Building 61.
These original color photos were taken of the RIA NM 1911 line in Building 61 in June 1967, with armorers fitting pistols to precise National Match standards.
The production process included careful hand-fitting of the slide and parts. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
As well as detailed work, making sure the trigger and action were smooth as glass. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
Checkering the pistol’s front strap. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
Testing of finished pistols included firing proof rounds, left, and minimum accuracy tests, right, from fixtures.
Finished NM 1911s at RIA, 1967. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
The RIA NM 1911 standard. (Photo: Rock Island Arsenal Museum)
By July 6, 1967, 1,820 National Match M14 rifles and 1,764 NM M1911 pistols had been delivered to Camp Perry, notes the report. That August, nine RIA NM armorers went to the matches at Camp Perry to support the month-long effort there.
Then came the thunderbolt news that, with almost 500,000 U.S. troops stationed in Vietnam, the 1968 National Matches were canceled. It was the first time since 1950, when the matches were canceled during the Korean War, that Camp Perry would be shuttered for the summer. Further, the Gun Control Act of 1968 put a serious crimp on how guns were sold on the commercial market, one that is still felt today.
This brought about the end of the NM custom shop guns, with much more limited production shifted to the Army Marksmanship Unit’s Custom Firearms Shop, which continues to operate today.
Meet RIA NM 1911 #4784
The author was recently lucky enough to pick up a 4th Round Range Grade military surplus M1911 from the CMP.
A Military Model M1911A1 frame, serial number 824784, the pistol had been manufactured in 1942 at Colt. According to the CMP Forums, using the old Springfield Research Service books, it was accepted by the Army and shipped to Springfield Armory between September 18 and October 22, 1942. It likely went from there to an Army unit in Europe, as pistols in its serial number range soon after left for the New York Port of Embarkation.
Then, surely in the 1967 time frame, it was subsequently selected for upgrade to a National Match competition-grade pistol at Rock Island Arsenal, as it has both “RIA” and “NM” marked on the right side of the frame. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
It has a Colt NM 7791435 marked slide including a 1/8” .358 high front sight. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The right side is marked: “Colts PT. F.A. Mfg. Co. Hartford, Conn. U.S.A.” Lightly scratched into the rear of the right slide is “WC” likely denoting it is for use with wadcutter ammo only. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The gun carries a Colt NM 7791414 marked barrel, with the last four serial numbers (4784) electro-penciled to the hood. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The NM7267718 barrel bushing also carries a 4784. The bushing was an extremely tight fit to the barrel and slide. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
It carries a large U.S.-marked Kensight adjustable rear sight. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Note the aluminum trigger, which breaks at an amazingly crisp 3 pounds. Also note the “dummy mark” from some past incorrect reassembly at some point in the past 50+ years. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The milled front strap is standard for an RIA NM 1911. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Continued use?
Following likely use by a division, post, regional, Army, state, or other-level Marksmanship Training Unit, some signs point to #4784 being converted a second time since leaving RIA in 1967-68.
A look at the internals. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Compared to a standard GI Colt military model from 1944. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The uncheckered straight mainspring housing is different from the NM standards, likely installed in later years. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
It carries late model (Ergo XT Rigid intro’d in 2007) tapered black checkered plastic grips. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
It has a UID label on the bottom of the dust cover. The Army only started putting these on guns starting around 2004. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Doing the archival work, a FOIA request to the Army pulled the inventory records for the gun going back to 1975. It spent a lot of time at Fort Lewis, Washington, with “unknown” unit owners back when the 9th Infantry Division and 2nd Ranger Battalion were there. Sent to Anniston Army Depot in January 1989, it was soon turned around and sent to the Concept Evaluation Support Agency in Lexington (Bluegrass Army Depot) in October 1990, where it stayed for a few months before being sent to the 1st Cavalry at Fort Hood, then back to CESA in April 1992. Of note, CESA is the main supply depot for Army Special Forces and SOCOM units.
The FOIA puts the gun everywhere from Washington state to Kentucky, Alabama, and Texas over a 48-year timeline. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The pistol remained at CESA for almost 30 years, including the entire Global War on Terror. As the Program Executive Office for Special Operations Forces Support Activity (PEO-SOFSA) was at Bluegrass, the pistol may have been a loaner. Issued as needed and returned after a requirement, especially during the high-tempo SOCOM operations in the early 2000s, it may have never been “officially” transferred on paper. This could account for the OIF-era UIC sticker, Ergo Rigid grips, and straight main spring housing. Barring an email from some operator who remembers the gun and its serial, we may never know. Some GI NM 1911s have been documented as former Delta Force guns, and SF widely used accurized .45s for years post 9/11.
Sent to Anniston Army Depot storage in June 2020, #4784 was transferred to the CMP in July 2023. From there, it has just been in the Eger family collection and will stay there until its next chapter.
Special thanks to the Rock Island Arsenal Museum for their assistance with this article. If you are ever in the area, please stop in and visit the facility while you still can. It is slated, along with 20 other base museums, to close in the next few years.
Curious about how it’s going for CMP on their new stab at selling GI surplus M1911s to the public?
Via CMP:
On Friday, June 6, the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) hosted its first of three in-person sales events for its M1911 Pistol Program.
The event featured over 400 pistols in Service and Rack grades, along with other special categories to include consecutive serial number pairs, matching pistol and rifle serial number pairs, early production, and more. These rare sales opportunities were created to allow enthusiasts to not only purchase these timeless vintage pistols but to personally hold them and view their unique characteristics up close.
“The first in-person sales event at our M1911 armory in Anniston on 6 June was very successful, based on the overall organization of the event, the curated experience, and, of course, feedback from many satisfied customers,” said Jerry O’Keefe, CMP CEO and Board Chair.
Those who attended described their experiences on the CMP Forum, with comments such as:
“I was in the first group this morning at 8:00 and wasn’t sure how the sale would be handled. I have to give the CMP staff a double thumbs up. From the drive-in parking, the checking in process, the briefing on rules before entering, and the display of pistols was EXCELLENT. Armorers from the M1911 shop were available to answer any questions. It was smooth, and professionalism was shown by all employees. JOB WELL DONE!!! I would attend again if I weren’t maxed out on my limit. Good luck to everyone.” – PH68
“The experience was fantastic . . . I was in the second group, and the tables were full . . . There was plenty of inventory for whatever you were looking for . . . “ – mvigil2391
Two dates remain for in-person M1911 Sales, set at the annual National Matches at Camp Perry in Port Clinton, Ohio! Limited tickets are still available for purchase on a first-come, first-served basis through CMP’s Competition Tracker system. (Free account required for ticket purchase: https://ct.thecmp.org/CampPerryM1911Sales.)
M1911 CP TIMES 2025 – 1
REMINDER: The lifetime purchase limit for M1911 pistols has been increased from 2 to 4. Don’t miss out on the chance to add to your vintage collection!
“We are very much looking forward to the next two M1911 in-person events upcoming at Camp Perry,” O’Keefe added. “While the experience will be different in terms of the venue, we are fully expecting to provide the same level of customer service and the same quantity, quality, and variety of M1911s to include all the special categories. I look forward to seeing you all there!”
A design sandwiched between two of the most iconic pistols in history, the oft-forgotten yet still very collectible Walther P88 gets overlooked.
Developed in the early 1980s as a double-action/single-action 9mm duty pistol with a double-stack magazine to compete against just about every other big handgun maker in the world for the U.S. Air Force (and later Army) pistol trials, the gun that ultimately became the P88 has a distinctive profile.
A circa-December 1986 P88 prototype with wood grip panels and an extra safety behind the grip. The P88 entered production in January 1987. Photo taken at the Walther Museum in Ulm, Germany. (All photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
A circa-1988 cutaway Schnittmodell of the production variant of the P88, complete with the now familiar decocker lever. Photo taken at the Walther Museum in Ulm, Germany.
When introduced, the P88 was billed as a more full-sized companion to the P5 Compact. The banner reads, “Self-loading pistols: over a century of experience in handgun manufacturing.” (Image courtesy of Walther.)
The most common P88 variant has the fixed front sight milled into the top of the slide and a large frame-mounted decocker lever that doubles as a slide catch.
Note the ambidextrous controls to include left and right-side push-button magazine release and decocker/slide catch. The pistol borrows the Walther P-5’s double-action trigger and safety system.
Compare the pistol to the final variant of the P38, the P4. Introduced in 1974, Walther only produced a limited run of 5,200 P4s, with most used primarily by the West German Border Protection (Bundesgrenzschutz) and Customs (Zoll) agencies during the chilliest days of the Cold War. The follow-on P88, which debuted 50 years after the single-stack P38 was adopted, was billed as the metaphorical heir to the throne.
The standard full-sized P88 uses a 4-inch barrel, which gives the pistol a 7.4-inch overall length and a 5.92-inch sight radius.
With its 15+1 shot double-stack magazine, it stands 5.61 inches high.
The width over the slide is a trim 0.93 inches, akin to the Browning Hi-Power. Note the milled sight trench with the integrated front sight blade and the peaked barrel hood inside a flared ejection port in the slide.
The width at the pistol’s widest point over the He-Man polymer grips and ambi controls is a beefy 1.5 inches.
The unloaded weight is 31.5 ounces, which bounces to 38.3 when loaded. Using a Duralumin alloy frame helps save a few ounces over an all-steel gun. Walther had lots of experience with alloy-framed service pistols, going back to the post-WWII P1 (updated P38) series, which debuted in the 1960s.
Peeking at the inside of the pistol is easy, as takedown is toolless and familiar to many other common designs. Of note, the P88 was Walther’s first modern locked-breech pistol to abandon its traditional locking wedge design, instead opting for a Browning-style cam system.
Note that the slide rails are full length. The pistol just glides through its cycle.
The textured polymer grip includes a recessed lanyard ring, a must for handguns being shopped around for military and police contracts.
The Walther P88 had the distinction of being the company’s final production hammer-fired DA/SA 9mm with a decocker.
This specimen shows the Ulm proof house’s antler proof mark and a 1990 date. Like most Walthers from that era, this one was imported and sold through the now-defunct Interarms company. For reference, Interarms folded in 1999.
An exceedingly accurate design, the P88 shipped from the factory with a 25m proof target serial numbered to the gun, as seen to the left. Right is an example of rapid offhand fire from the 25, with all rounds keeping inside the 5-zone of a B27 silhouette.
Walther later debuted several additional variants of the P88, including the Compact, Competition, Champion, and Sport.
Introduced in January 1991, the P88 A1 Compact uses a 3.83-inch barrel to create a pistol some 7.15 inches in overall length. It has a 14-round magazine due to its shorter 5.29-inch height. Unloaded weight is 29 ounces. This puts it almost the same size as the Walther P5. Note the slide-mounted P38-style decocker rather than the frame-mounted decocker as seen on other P88 models. It was also marketed in a 16-shot 8mm signal pistol format. Image courtesy of Walther.
The full-sized production P88, top, compared to the P88 A1 Compact, bottom. Photo taken at the Walther Museum in Ulm, Germany.
By 1993, the Compact spun off into the Competition. Photo taken at the Walther Museum in Ulm, Germany.
The P88 also evolved into longer-barreled Champion models such as this 5-inch circa-1993 specimen, complete with adjustable rear target sights and a muzzle brake/compensator. Note that the Champion is based on the Competition series with its shorter grip and slide-mounted safety decocker. Photo taken at the Walther Museum in Ulm, Germany.
And this Lang Champion. Walther also made a rimfire variant dubbed the P88 Sport. Photo taken at the Walther Museum in Ulm, Germany.
In all, Walther only made just under 10,000 standard P88s, which ended production in 1992, spanning six short years. The Compact variant remained in production until 2000 before the line shut down. In his book on Walther pistols, Dieter Marschall puts P88 Compact production at 7,344 pistols. The production numbers for Competition and Champion models are not mentioned in the book, but are likely much smaller.
The P88 line pistol was replaced with the smash-hit P99series, which was introduced in 1997 and has enjoyed a more than quarter-century run that is only now ending.
The P88 proved to be a bridge design, a link of sorts that took Walther from the legacy P38/P1/P4 series to the P99.
The P88 was popular for a minute in the early 1990s and is seen in both an installment of “Beverly Hills Cop” and in Antoine Fuqua’s “The Replacement Killers,” famously appearing in the “empty gun standoff” scene between Kenneth Tsang and Chow Yun-Fat,
The build quality of the P88s we have seen come through our warehouse over the years has always been excellent. A pistol that has gravitas to it for sure.
Interestingly, the P88’s nose and frame size are common enough to fit a wide array of holsters that are in circulation. For instance, this Galco Concealable 2.0 OWB holster, designed for a G48, fits it like a glove.
We’ve even seen the occasional flashier variant pass through our vault.
Suffice it to say that, should you come across a good P88, a gun that represents Walther’s old-world dedication to quality and craftsmanship, you’d kick yourself for not adding it to the collection.
We’d like to thank Christian Liehner from Carl Walther GmbH for his help with the research for this piece.
We recently attended the SIG Sauer Next Event in New Hampshire and got the scoop on the company’s new hardware for 2025.
The new guns included SIG’s first entry into the double-stack 1911 pistol category, a soft recoiling .380, a “Fluxed” P365, modernized P226s, the return of the vaunted 516 rifle, a Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC, an AR-10 platform in the spicy .277 Fury, at least three new suppressors, and a ton of new optics.
Below is a quick rundown, and you can expect much more on all these platforms in the coming days and weeks.
P211-GTO Series
Don’t let the name fool you into thinking this is SIG’s evolution of the P210. The new P211-GTO instead builds on the company’s 20 years of experience with the 1911 platform (exemplified by the new X-Carry series) but in a double-stack format.
Built with lots of buy-in from Team SIG’s pro shooters, the P211 runs P320 mags, has a Delta Point Pro footprint, a usable ambi slide catch, and sports a 3D printed muzzle compensator/brake at the end of the 4.4-inch bull barrel.
Plus, it’s an 80-series, which means it’s drop safe (rare in double-stack 1911s), but somehow still has a good 3.5-pound trigger.
Ready for USPSA Open competition divisions (or Limited Optics with the comp removed from the non-threaded barrel), it ships with one 23-rounder and two 21-rounders.
Unlike some guns in the same space, it has a steel frame with an aluminum rather than a polymer grip.
MSRP is $2,300, which is on par with a base model OA 2311. Just saying.
P365-Luxe Series
Probably the easiest-handling P365 on the market, the new P365 Luxe is a 12-shot .380 ACP with an X-length grip frame and an integral expansion chamber style comp. The result is a double-stack micro compact that runs smoothly and just hangs on target.
This one feels more like a .22 when it comes to recoil than a .380, a round that is notoriously snappy in small pistols.
P365-FLUX
SIG released a Legion-series P320 Flux Raider last year, just as the P365 Flux hit the market, so it’s a no-brainer for the company to debut a Legion-series P365 Flux this year. Billed by Ben with Flux as a “rifle in your pants,” it will be available in both braced pistol and stocked SBR formats, with the ability to carry 50 rounds on the gun when stored.
We were quickly and easily able to hit reduced plates at 50 yards from behind cover with one.
It sports a 6-inch slide (a first for the P365), but when the Flux is folded, it is still just roughly the length of a WML-clad Glock 17.
P226X Legion
Everyone who loves modern combat pistols has a soft spot for the P226, but the platform is a bit dated, pushing 50 years in service. However, the updated new P226X Legion (4.4-inch barrel) and P226X Legion Carry (3.8-inch barrel) include X5 compatibility, optics-ready slides, XRAY3 day/night sights, and bull barrels with 35/35-degree reverse target crowns. You also have the Legion treatment complete with Gray Cerakote and enhanced ergos.
Plus, SIG plans a dozen different SKUs of these guns with options for user-adjustable AX1 single-action-only or AX2 DA/SA trigger systems.
The new SIG P226X Legion models will come in both 3.8-inch and 4.4-inch lengths as well as DA/SA and SAO triggers.
516 Mohawk
The original SIG 516 was an AR-15-style rifle that utilized a short-stroke gas piston system that sprang from the minds of the same guys who invented the HK 416. Renowned for its reliability, the 516 nonetheless was put out to pasture in 2019 while its 7.62 NATO-chambered big brother, the 716, endured and won huge (like India big) military contracts around the globe.
Now, the 516 is back in the Mohawk variant, which now includes a non-reciprocating side charging handle– ideal for use in prone or compressed positions– along with fully-ambi surface controls.
Still a piston gun with an adjustable gas system, it carries a 16-inch cold hammer forged barrel with a 1:7-inch twist rate, a free-floating M-LOK handguard, a 6-position Magpul DT stock, and a Matchlite Duo trigger.
6.8 Hyp rifle
SIG made headlines a couple of years ago with the MCX Spear and its GI brother, the M7 NGSW rifle. Giving the market a direct impingement AR-10 platform that is purpose-built for .277 SIG Fury– the commercial 6.8x51mm cartridge as used in the Spear/NGSW– the Hyp (Hy Pressure) is beefed up to be able to handle the massive 80,000 psi SAAMI spec maximum average chamber pressure of the round.
The cost is about $2K, which sounds high but is still a good bit cheaper than the MCX Spear.
Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC
SIG debuted the sub-7-pound Cross Sawtooth last year, complete with a Proof Research carbon fiber barrel, 2-stage match trigger, AICS magwell, and a fully adjustable stock. New for 2025 is the gun in 6.5 PRC, a popular hard-hitting round that takes the performance of the 6.5 Creedmoor and turns it up to 11.
The new SIG Cross Sawtooth in 6.5 PRC ships with a 22-inch 1:8 twist barrel and weighs 6.9 pounds.
Endure, Hexium, and TiN Can suppressors
SIG debuted three new suppressors last week, including the low back-pressure Hexium as well as the .30 caliber 6-inch Endure, and 9-inch TiN Can titanium bolt gun suppressors. All are made with additive manufacturing techniques (3d printed) and have modular endcaps.
Available in both Inconel and titanium in 5.56. 300BLK, and 7.62 NATO, the new SIG Hexium series has a 3D printed core and a Hub taper direct thread mount. Note the external hexagonal pattern with black Cerakote.
The Endure features a compact length of 6 inches and a weight of just 11 ounces for enhanced portability in the field. Note the distinctive external topographic pattern with a black Cerakote finish.
The SIG TiN Can suppressor features an overall length of 9 inches while still hitting the scales at just 18 ounces. Like the Endure and Hexium, it runs a Hub taper direct thread mount.
Optics
SIG had a whole table full of advanced optics to debut at the event, including the Bravo6T BDX riflescope, Kilo Warp weapon-mounted rangefinder/ballistic calculator, Oscar6 HDX Pro spotting scope, and the paired Romeo8T-AMR red dot and Juliet3T-AMR magnifier.
The new SIG Bravo6T is a first focal plane riflescope with eTRAK elevation dial and onboard environmental sensors for pressure, temperature, and humidity. The company will be offering it in both a 3-18x44mm and 5-30x56mm format with easy-to-adjust turrets and a 35mm tube. Reticles include MRAD DEV-L 2.0 and Milling 2.0. Note the ALPHA5 mount with an LRF diving board. The ask is $2,399-$2,499, depending on the variant.
The Kilo Warp is SIG’s first on-gun rangefinder, able to sister to traditional glass via a diving board on the tube. After about 30 seconds of instruction, we were able to easily measure unknown distances and get an automatic dope that matched the glass to ballistics and atmospherics via Bluetooth to parent Bravo6Ts, then make no-problem hits at 100 and 650 yards from a Sawtooth. The ask is $1,999, which makes a Bravo6T/Kilo Warp combo a $4,500 piece of glass.
The Oscar 6 uses optical image stabilization to allow use offhand, which means in a pinch, you can leave the tripod at home. We were easily glassing to 1,000 yards with it and calling shots at 650. The cost is $1,999.
The Romeo8T-/Juliet3T-AMR combo runs right at $1K ($100 more if bought separately) and gives the user a red dot and magnifier system using SIG’s new Automatic Modified Reticle, which incorporates magnets to automatically transition the reticle when the magnifier is flipped into and out of view. It has a big 40mm lens while being billed as 30 percent smaller than similar sights. Sealed, they are IPX8 waterproof and fog proof and have a 50,000-hour battery life on a common CR123.
While covering the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta recently, I made sure to stop by the Auto-Ordnance booth, as they always have something interesting.
One of these was a neat limited edition Wastelander Thompson, which carries a custom Cerakote finish that looks fresh from some post-apocalyptic badlands.
The Wastelander Thompson carries a custom finish that goes far deeper than just some exotic Cerakote and ships complete with a sling crafted from a salvaged motorcycle chain. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
“Forged for over 80 hours with grit and ingenuity by the survivors at Koted Arms, every detail of the Wastelander Thompson, from the graphic designs to the rusted-out Cerakote finish, reflects the harsh realities of a post-apocalyptic world,” notes Auto-Ordnance.
Note the intricate, deep laser-engraved markings that feel like it has seen the abuse of some far-off end-of-times battlefield.
The walnut furniture has been given a plasma-cut treatment that gives it a distinctive lightning bolt pattern.
The Wastelander Thompson is chambered in .45 ACP and features a 16.5-inch finned barrel that extends to 18.5 inches with its compensator.
It has an overall length of 41 inches and a solid weight of 13 pounds due to its steel construction.
They also have the new T5P, a polymer-stocked Thompson. Black on black, it is a standard 1927A1 but with wood grain polymer furniture, which drops almost five pounds from the hefty .45 ACP carbine. Seems like they could have shaved a few more ounces dropping it down to a 16.1-inch barrel rather than the 18 it ships with, but hey. MSRP is expected to be $1,558.
Spec sheet below:
The new models come as the old-school “Chicago Typewriter” has been getting a lot of time on the silver screen in recent weeks. The iconic drum-magged Tommy gun is seen in both the trailers and extensively, in the end scene of the smash new horror movie “Sinners.”
The Army is celebrating its 250th Anniversary this week, and we hit the road to visit the museum dedicated to the American infantry, the grunts, and found some amazing guns.
The National Infantry Museum, located in Columbus, Georgia, just outside Fort Benning, is a non-profit organization that opened its 190,000 sq. ft. facility in 2009. It holds over 100,000 historical artifacts dating from the 1600s to the present, covering uniforms, equipment, bayonets (they have a whole wall of bayonets), small arms, relics, and trophies.
With so much to see, any visitor could spend days there and not be able to take it all in. We’ll do what we’re good at and stick to the guns, but encourage you to visit the museum yourself (it’s free) as we’re only covering a small portion of the exhibits.
Benning is the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence and supports over 120,000 active and reserve service members, their families, military retirees, and civilian employees daily. It spans some 182,000 acres across Georgia and Alabama. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The “Follow Me” sculpture at the entrance to the National Infantry Museum depicts a 1950s Korean War-era Soldier, complete with bayonet-affixed M1 Garand. The model for the statue was Eugene Wyles, a 20-year Army veteran, and was created by two soldiers.
The museum “emphasizes the values that define the Infantryman, as well as the nation he protects: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage.”
One of the most striking parts of the museum is “The Last 100 Yards,” a chronological walk through the American infantry experience over the years, where the weapons and uniforms change, but the courage endures. It is as life-like as possible and gives the visitor a very immersive feel.
For instance, check out this display of the storming of Redoubt #10 at Yorktown in 1781, with the Colonials fighting the British at eyeball-to-eyeball range. The night assault on the key position helped seal Cornwallis’s fate, leading to the end of the Revolutionary War.
The brother-against-brother hell of Antietam. Of note, the figures in the Last 100 Yards are not mannequins; they are cast sculptures of Active-Duty Soldiers “who auditioned for the opportunity to represent their predecessors.”
Fighting inch-by-inch with the Doughboys “Over There” at Soissons, France in 1918. Note the M1903 and M1911.
Storming the beaches of Normandy on D-Day and landing atop the “Rock” at Corregidor on opposite sides of the world in WWII. Note the M1 Carbines, M1918 BAR, and M1 Thompson.
The bayonet charge of Capt. Lewis Millett up Hill 180 at Soam-Ni, Korea in 1951, leading his company of the 27th Infantry Regiment to rout the enemy.
Setting down from a Huey at Landing Zone X-Ray during the Battle of Ia Drang, where the 7th Cavalry Regiment was the first American unit to fight a set-piece battle against NVA regulars in Vietnam in 1965. Note the 40mm M79 “bloop gun,” the early M16, and the M60 GPMG.
The much more recent desert wars, with a dismount team and their Bradley. The era of M4s, M203s, and ACOGs.
The museum also has a sweeping series of galleries, highlighting the development of the U.S. Army over the years. For instance, the Revolutionary War, complete with British Brown Bess, French Charleville, and Colonial Committee of Safety flintlock muskets and assorted pistols.
The New Army, immediately after Independence, with the first Springfield Armory and Harper’s Ferry Model 1795 .69-caliber flintlock muskets. Of note, the musket on the Army’s Combat Infantry Badge is the Model 1795.
How about this impressive evolution, spanning from the left with the Model 1803, Model 1814, and Model 1817 flintlocks, to the M1841 percussion rifle made famous in the War with Mexico, the Model 1855 rifle with its interesting Maynard priming system? To the right are the Civil War-era Sharps and Spencer rifles, breechloaders with a rate of fire of 10 and 20 rounds per minute, respectively.
The innovative breech-loading Model 1819 Hall rifle.
This rare gem is a Lefever & Ellis .45 caliber percussion rifle used by a private of the 1st Battalion New York Sharpshooters during the Civil War. Made in Canandaigua, New York, it had a 30-inch octagonal barrel and an adjustable trigger. Never produced in great quantity, Lefever only supplied something like 75 of these guns with the sort of telescopic sight shown, complete with a crosshair reticle. You just don’t see these floating around.
Securing the Frontier with the Model 1866 Springfield Allin “Trapdoor” conversion rifles, which took .58 caliber percussion muzzleloaders and converted them to .50-70-450 caliber cartridge breechloaders. This led to the Model 1870, 1873, and 1884 Trapdoors in the now-famous .45-70 Government. The museum has all these incremental models on public display.
A 10-barrel Colt Model 1877 Gatling gun in .45-70. The Army used Gatling guns, which had a rate of fire as high as 200 rounds per minute, until 1911, when they were replaced by more modern machine guns.
The cavalry isn’t missed, for instance, showing the troopers from the Civil War (left) complete with their M1860 Colt revolver and M1859 Sharps carbine, next to the Indian Wars trooper with his M1873 Trapdoor and Colt Peacemaker. The circa 1916 cavalryman, of the era that chased Pancho Villa into Mexico, sports his M1911.
The Spanish-American War was a time of the side-loading bolt-action Krag-Jorgensen .30 caliber rifle, along with the Army’s staple revolvers of the time: the Colt 1873 in .45 and the S&W .44 top break. To the left is a captured German-made Spanish Mauser, brought back from Cuba in 1898.
The Great War, with the legendary M1903 Springfield, a French Mle 1907/15, and the dreaded Mle 1915 Chauchat LMG. With an open magazine like that in a muddy trench, what could go wrong?
Lots of other hardware abounds, including a British .303 caliber Mark III Lee-Enfield and Mark I Lewis gun, along with companion German Mauser Gew 98 and MG08/15 in 8mm.
Bringbacks from France in 1918, including a 35-pound German Tankgewehr 13.2mm anti-tank rifle and a Spandau MG08 machine gun, both captured by American troops.
The original “Belly Flopper,” an experimental two-man weapons carrier developed at Fort Benning in the 1930s, complete with an M1917 water-cooled Browning machine gun and not much else.
The iconic M2 .50 cal “Ma Deuce” has been around for over a century and is still “making friends and influencing people” worldwide. It is seen next to its smaller cousin, the .30-06 M1919 light machine gun. Both have the same father, John Browning.
The M3 Carbine, a select-fire version of the WWII-era M1 Carbine, was outfitted with an early infrared scope during the Korean War. With the battery pack, it “only” weighed 31 pounds.
A Viet Cong-made pistol captured in Vietnam. The museum also has a carbine that looks even crazier.
Cold War experiments on display include the circa 1964 SPIW, chambered in XM144 5.6x44mm with its box-magazine fed 40mm underbarrel grenade launcher.
Can you say, “Stoner?”
The museum has an amazing display on the evolution of the modern “black rifle” from the Winchester .224 caliber LWMR, Eugene Stoner’s early 5-pound AR-10s complete with carbon fiber furniture, and the slab-sided Colt-Armalite Model 01
…to the XM16E1 in gray phosphate to the rare M1 HAR, and the Colt “Shorty” whose 10-inch barrel led to the XM177 and today’s M4. The green guy in the corner is a drum-magged SPIW variant, of course.
The museum even has the Next Generation Squad Weapon winner, SIG Sauer’s M7 and M250…
…along with the other competitors in the NGSW program.
Who doesn’t love a good steel-on-steel Mossberg M590 12-gauge? The Army has used shotguns going back to World War I.
Speaking of shotguns, how about the M26 MASS? Fed via a 3 or 5-round detachable box magazine, this 3-pound 12-gauge can either be mounted Masterkey-style under the handguard of an M16/M4 or used in a stand-alone configuration.
A gold electroplated Romanian AKMS clone captured by the 3rd Infantry in Iraq in 2003. Even the internal parts are plated. Note the “Vader” style helmet of Saddam’s Fedayeen.
Hallowed relics: M4 and M249 remains after an IED strike in Iraq.
Again, we only scraped the surface of the holdings of the National Infantry Museum, and if you are ever within striking distance of it, you should stop by– and block off your day. It is ever more important to visit such places and remember why they are there.
Keep in mind that the Army plans to close more than 20 base museums in the next few years, and places like this carry the torch for future generations… lest they forget.
The California Highway Patrol recently posted images of a rifle recovered from a stolen vehicle that looks like it should come with some Nuka Cola and a radiation detector.
The gun, which is an AK variant that seems to have one point been a commercial Romanian WASR, has seen better days and is lacking its top dust cover, sports a “cheese grater” upper handguard, and is upgraded with electrical tape on the grip. The lower handguard has been castrated. The finish can best be described as…nah.
Take a gander:
For those curious, CHP says the Kalsh was left behind in the driver’s side floorboard after said driver beat feet just after they crashed into four vehicles on I-80 in Oakland while apparently trying to avoid a stop by troopers. The car, a gray Nissan Ultima with no plates, was stolen. A 14-year-old passenger was left behind as well.
“Both the firearm and the vehicle were subsequently recovered, and the incident remains under investigation,” says CHP.
As for the AK, the over 150 comments on CHP’s social media post concerning it were gold. Here is a sampling for your enjoyment or outrage (whatever, it’s a free country), left as-is:
Who wrecked the Somali Pirates?
Dudes out here tryina be the captain now.
Blackhawk Down + Nissan Altima = that “gun”
bro livin in fallout
That K looks like it’s spawned from Fallout.
got more body’s then Hillary Clinton
Looks like he got that AK magnet fishing.
@Brandon Herrera look at how they massacred your boy
The commercial variant of the short-lived G49. Note the “chopped” dust cover leaving an exposed chin on the slide, the standard fixed polymer sights, and the optics plate. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Word is circulating far and wide that a ton of Glockmodels, some that have been around for decades, could be headed for that great big polymer pasture in the sky.
Between posts on gun forums, videos from giant Glock retailers, and a list on Glock’s European website, it would appear that as many as 26 models and 100 SKUs may soon be removed from the company’s catalog.
Sifting through the tea leaves, most models appear to be guns in arcane or aging calibers such as .357 SIG, .40 S&W (even in Gen 5 models), and .45 GAP. Also gone are the company’s few remaining production Gen 3s and most of the Gen 4s, anything with upgraded sights such as Ameriglo Bolds or Glock Night Sights, and the new G49. This heavily impacts guns that were grandfathered on California’s approved handgun roster, which sucks for folks out there.
Keep in mind that none of this should be that shocking, as the G49 was billed from the beginning as a limited run. Glock was really the only company trying to make the .45 GAP happen, and many handgun makers have long ago stepped away from .357 SIG and .40 S&W. Case in point: SIG has not produced pistols in those latter two calibers for several years. Plus, it is common for gunmakers to clean up their catalogs and discontinue certain configurations wholesale, something that Glock hasn’t done in a long time.
Enjoyers of .45 ACP and 10mm Auto, as well as .380 ACP fans, will still have lots to choose from – at least in Gen 5 models – as will folks who stock 9mm in deep quantity.
What does this mean for the bigger picture? It’s clear from offerings like the new Glock/Aimpoint A-Cut/COA line introduced earlier this year that optics-ready models will likely be front and center moving forward, and most of the models mentioned for deletion simply are not capable of accepting a dot right out of the box.
Is Glock clearing the way for the inevitable Gen 6? Maybe.
In the meantime, you can bet that new old stock specimens of these discontinued guns – now instant collectibles to die-hard Glock fans – will be hot commodities soon offered (while available) at below minimum advertised prices, since MAP will likely be suspended on these “clearance” guns.
It could be a good time to shop Glock.
Per Glock:
Discontinued Commercial Pistol Models
G17 – Gen4
G17 MOS – Gen4 | Gen5
G17L – Classic | Gen3
G17L MOS – Gen5
G19 – Gen4
G19 MOS – Gen4
G20 – Gen3 | Gen4
G21 – Gen3 | Gen4
G21SF
G22 – Gen3 | Gen4 | Gen5
G22 MOS – Gen5
G23 – Gen4 | Gen5
G23 MOS – Gen5
G24
G26 – Gen4
G27 – Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5
G29 – Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5
G29SF
G30 – Gen3 | Gen 4 | Gen5
G31 – Gen3 | Gen4
G32 – Gen3 | Gen4
G33 – Gen3 | Gen4
G34 – Gen3 | Gen4
G34 MOS – Gen4 | Gen5
G35 – Gen3 | Gen4
G35 MOS – Gen4
G36
G36 FGR
G37 – Gen3 | Gen4
G38
G39
G40 MOS – Gen4
G41 – Gen4
G41 MOS – Gen4
G49
Why is GLOCK discontinuing so many models?
In order to focus on the products that will drive future innovation and growth, we are making a strategic decision to reduce our current commercial portfolio. This streamlined approach allows us to concentrate on continuing to deliver the highest-quality and most relevant solutions for the market.
What does this mean for me as a customer?
You’ll still have access to the most popular GLOCK models you know and love, just with a more focused selection.
Will discontinued models still be supported?
Yes! Just like we do with previous generations. We will continue to service discontinued models.
Do these portfolio changes affect law enforcement agencies?
GLOCK remains fully committed to supporting the varying needs of our law enforcement partners. While IOP programs may be affected, GLOCK is prepared to work closely with LE partners to make sure officer and agency needs are met. For more questions, contact your LE District Manager.
HKhas announced it is making good progress in filling a long-running German military contract for general-purpose machine guns.
Developed as the HK 121 by the company, the gas-operated belt-fed 7.62 NATO is type-classified by the German armed forces (Bundeswehr) as the Maschinengewehre No. 5, or MG5.
Adopted in 2013 to replace the legendary MG3 – which was fundamentally just the WWII-era MG42 chambered in 7.62 NATO rather than 8mm Mauser – the German military has a total of 22,672 of the guns on order. The company delivered the 15,000th gun to the Bundeswehr in January.
Interested in how the new gun stacks up against the MG3? Check out the below (German not required):
Developed as the HK 121, the MG5 – seen above in a tripod sustained fire mount – has been slowly fielded with the Germans over the past 12 years, with some 15,000 delivered thus far. HK used the same design in 5.56 NATO for the Bundeswehr’s MG4 light machine gun. (Photos: HK)
HK catalogs at least three variants of the MG5, including the standard 25.2-pound Universal model, top, with its 21.7-inch barrel; the solenoid-fired MG5A1 for use in vehicles and aircraft, center; and the more compact MG5A2 with an 18-inch barrel, bottom. Not shown is the MG5 S, which is used by special forces.
