Category Archives: weapons

315,144 Miles Under Red & Gold

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The Spanish Navy over the weekend decommissioned the Agosta-class SSK Tramontana, capping a career that began in 1985.

One of four DCNI S-70 Agostas built under license in Spain at the Cartagena dockyard, in her career, Tramontana sailed 315,144 nautical miles, 218,384 of those while submerged.

Besides her Cold War career and her role in the very curious 2002 Perejil Island crisis, she clocked in on a myriad of NATO missions over the years including the 2011 Libyan blockade (Operation Unified Protector) as well as the more recent NATO Active Endeavor and Sea Guardian/European Union’s Operation Sophia counter migrant smuggling efforts.

Consoussiours of bad 1980s/90s action films will perhaps recognize Tramontana from the Charlie Sheen vehicle, Navy SEALS, where she subbed for an American boat.

She was decommissioned on 16 February 2024 at Cartagena Arsenal submarine base with VADM Pedro Luis de la Puente García-Gang in attendance.

Slated to be disarmed and stripped of anything usable or still classified, Tramontana will be expended as a target at some future date.

Only class member Galerna (S-71), commissioned in 1983, remains in Spanish service, with sisters Siroco (S 72) and Mistral (S 73) already discarded.

The class will be replaced by the four new Isaac Peral/DCNI S80 Plus Scorpène AIP variants under construction.

What I want for Christmas

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Wrapping up my SHOT Show content (hey, I wrote like 40 articles on the week over at Guns.com), I wanted to weigh in on one of the sweetest pieces of hardware that there was at the event.

Ohio Ordnance, the guys that make the M1918 BAR and a wide array of machine guns, came to SHOT with something innovative and mold-breaking– the Recoil Enhanced Automatic Precision Rifle.

The 20,000-foot view is that the REAPR was designed for a SOCOM tender for a .338 Lapua Magnum belt-fed machine gun (not a misprint) that breaks down into three major components in under 10 seconds, small enough to fit into an operator’s backpack.

They say they are ready to put it into production in April and possibly make a non-NFA variant for the masses.

Denali Paratroopers Test New Next-Gen Weapons at 25 Below

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The only Arctic, Airborne, Recon cavalry squadron in the U.S. Army has been busy trying out the service’s new Next Generation Squad Weapon systems in some of the worst weather Alaska can offer.

The 1st Squadron (Airborne) of the 40th Cavalry Regiment, working with Fort Greely’s Cold Regions Test Center in one of the coldest parts of Alaska, has been putting the NGSW platform through its paces. The program includes SIG Sauer’s XM-7 rifle, which will fill the role currently held by the M4 Carbine series, the SIG XM250 light machine gun slated to replace the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon, and the Vortex-produced M157 Fire Control optics system used on both platforms.

“Extreme environmental testing is critical to ensuring reliable systems,” noted Col. Jason Bohannon, the Army’s Project Manager Soldier Lethality on Feb. 9.

Meanwhile, a social media page for the 1st Squadron-40th Cav noted that they have been experiencing “sub-Arctic conditions in the vicinity of Ft Greely where temperatures haven’t topped above -25 degrees.”

If your range gear includes “Mickey Mouse” Boots, you may be testing an NGSW in Alaska in winter. (Photo: PEO Soldier)

That just seems…really cold. (Photo: PEO Soldier)

The 40th has a long military history of making it work under terrible conditions. Based in its current form in Alaska since 2005– from where they deployed to Iraq (Southern Baghdad) once and Afghanistan twice (Paktya and Khost Provinces)– it draws its lineage from the old 40th Tank Battalion which entered combat on August 15 1944 fighting across northern France into Belgium where it made a significant contribution to the defeat of German forces at St. Vith during the Battle of the Bulge then drove into Germany linking up with the Soviets on the Baltic coast.

M4 Shermans in temporary position near St. Vith, Belgium, fire on enemy positions beyond the city. 40th Tank Battalion. 7th Armored Division.” Date: 24 January 1945. Salis, U.S. Army Signal Corps photo 111-SC-199467

FN MAGs of Havanna?

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While the American M1919 and Soviet/Chinese SG-43/Type 53 were probably the most commonly encountered .30 caliber MMG/GPMGs around the globe during the Cold War, largely due to their huge WWII production numbers and subsequent second and third-hand distribution channels, the venerable FN MAG 58 has seen service in just about every East/West side-conflict of the past 60 years including the myriad of African Bush Wars, Central American dirty wars, Vietnam (with the Australians), with the Israelis, in the Falklands (on both sides), et. al.

Swedish UN soldier during the Congo Crisis, circa 1961. Photo by Åke Sandberg, note the K gun (M/P45) and FN MAG.

SADF FN MAG

British soldier aboard the HMS Canberra waiting for an Argentine air attack with his FN MAG. Falklands War, 1982 IWM

I mean it is used by something like 90 countries and is in licensed production in like a dozen.

One of the more little-known users was Cuba. Ordered back in the Batista era and with some delivered before Castro went full-on officially Red, with the MINFAR obtaining both some early FALs and FN MAGs along with ammo and a batch of GP35 Hi-Powers. They were delivered in four shipments between Jully 1959 and March 1960, totaling some 6.8 million 7.62mm NATO cartridges, 3 million 9x19mm cartridges, 12,500 FALs, 510 FN MAGs, and 1,100 FN GP 9mm pistols.

Thus:

Well, it turns out that Bowman Armament has managed to wrangle some of those former MINFAR Cuban-crested FN MAGs and will be selling them as kits.

From Bowman:

The Cuban Contract MAG58 stands as a testament to a bygone era, offering a glimpse into the tumultuous history of Cuba. These elusive firearms, sourced from the regime of Fulgencio Batista to crush the uprising have witnessed the turbulent events of the Cuban revolution in 1959, the Bay of Pigs invasion, and subsequent conflicts, including deployments with Cuban forces in Angola (1978).

What sets these MAG58s apart is not just their historical significance but their extreme rarity. Despite exhaustive searches, no verified examples of the Cuban Contract MAG58 have been found or pictured online, making them a truly unique find for collectors and enthusiasts.

Emblazoned with the crest of the Ejército de Cuba, these machine guns have traversed continents, serving in conflicts and witnessing history unfold.

Soon available for acquisition, these MAG58s represent a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to own a tangible piece of world history. They are being demilled this week and will be loaded into outgoing cargo. These MAG58 highlight the history we hunt for every day to bring to our valued customers.

Remember the Arm Pistol? It’s Back (Maybe)

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Designed by Mack W. Gwinn, Jr, Bushmaster Armpistol ads started popping up for the gun in the early-1970s. It was arguably the first AR pistol on the consumer market. 

Mack W. Gwinn, Jr, a Vietnam-era member of the Army’s Special Forces recon teams, was also an un-lauded 1970s firearms genius. He created the Bushmaster series pistols (the Arm Pistol), rifles, and SMGs; the QCB variant of the .50 cal M-2HB, the SSP-86 pistol, and the 90-round MWG magazine for M16 and Mini-14.

His son, Mack Gwinn, III, now leads Hydra Weaponry.

HW was supposed to come to SHOT show and exhibit the newest version of the old Arm Pistol, the BMP-223, but their booth space (40420) was empty when we went looking for them in “the basement.”

As noted by Hydra: “The BMP-23 is the 5.56m pistol that Gwinn Jr. would have built if he had today’s CNC machinery and technologically advanced materials.

The AK47-type gas piston design pistol with an A2 grip is composed of lightweight aluminum and steel construction, coming in at 5.2 lbs. The chrome-moly barrel is 11.5 inches. The BMP-23 features integral iron sights and a unique 40-degree swivel design that allows it to switch from right to left-hand operation.”

Sounds cool. Be a lot cooler if we could have seen it.

From the Basement of SHOT Show

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One of the most uncovered things at SHOT Show last month, I thought, was the Rhineland R3000.

The what?

Exactly.

With styling that evokes the classic Walther WA2000 bullpup, the R3000 is constructed using full-size AR10 parts compatible with SR25-pattern magazines.

At its heart is a custom monolith extruded T7075 aluminum receiver married up to a Shilen match grade barrel with a stainless steel barrel nut, a low-profile gas block that fits under a full-length M1913 top Picatinny rail designed for top or side-mount bipods, a CMC match grade trigger pack, HK pattern push pins, and an American walnut thumbhole bullpup stock.

Note the side-charging bolt carrier group.

If you ever thought, hey, I’d love a WA2000 clone in .308 with AR10 compatibility, then the R3000 could be for you

They also have an R2000, which is the same thing but in an AR15 5.56 concept.

Gevechtstank? Ja

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As we have covered before, the Dutch Army had some light mech units before WWII but after the conflict went all-in on combined arms units, first fielding MAP-program M4 Shermans:

Dutch Sherman M4A1E8 76mm HVSS gevechtstank 1955 NIMH AKL064735

And then purchasing 468 new Leopard 1s in the 1960s.

Twee cavaleristen in een Leopard 1V (Verbeterd) tank in een verdekte opstelling tijdens een oefening, vermoedelijk in West-Duitsland, circa 1984 NIMH

Followed by another 445 Leopard 2A4s (NL version which were all German but used Dutch radios, antenna bases, FN MAG machine guns, and smoke mortars) in the 1980s, then upgraded the latter to 2A5 and later 2A6 standard.

Een Leopard 2A5 in opstelling onder winterse omstandigheden. Op de tanktoren is een mondingsvlamnabootsingsinstallatie gemonteerd. November 1998. NIMH AKL052587

This also gave them a modicum of power projection overseas to its few remaining colonies, as seen in the 2006 shot of a Leo 2A6 landing on the beach in Curacao during Joint Caribbean Lion.

Then came a great tank-going-out-of-buisness sale, with the Dutch selling just about everything they had with tracks to five allied countries and in 2012 disbanding its last full-time armored unit. The sole tank unit at the disposal of the Netherlands is 17 leased Leopard 2A6s as part of a joint German/Dutch unit (the German 414th Panzer Battalion).

Now, it seems like the Dutch have seen the error of their ways, and want at least a full-strength tank battalion– which will cost something like $339 million a year, not counting the expense of new armor.

Baa, Baa .45

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While on the ground at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas last month, we came across a Government Issue .45 1911 that looked more at home in the South Pacific in 1943. 

As part of its Air Aces Series, Auto-Ordnance had its new Black Sheep 1911 on display. Crafted by the folks over at Outlaw Ordnance, the artists start with an Auto-Ordnance Stainless 1911 and then apply a carefully researched red, white, and blue Cerakote finish that emulates a World War II aircraft associated with famed Marine air ace Major Gregory “Pappy” Boyington. 

A functional work of art, underneath the custom Cerakote finish, the Black Sheep 1911 is still an Auto-Ordnance Stainless 1911 in .45 ACP. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Note the “rivet” pattern, the sheet of Rising sun victory stencils, and the correct “Lucybelle” nose art. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

lso, note the “belly” of the gun is left in the white to emulate the aluminum body of an F4U Corsair. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The aircraft Boyington was photographed with in November 1943, White 86 (BuNo.18086), was an F4U-1A Corsair of the same type he flew with the Black Sheep. Ironically, no records confirm he ever flew it in combat and the bird was made up specifically for the photoshoot. As such, it included 20 Kyokujitsu-ki rising suns, one for each confirmed Japanese aircraft he had shot down by that time, his name, and the nickname (“Lucybelle”) of his then-girlfriend, Lucy Malcomson. He would later fall out with Malcomson, leading to a bitter court case and, when the 1970s TV show “Baa Baa Black Sheep” would recreate this plane, Boyington, then on his fifth wife, advised the producers the plane was named “Lulubelle” instead.

A late model Goodyear FG 1D Corsair (BuNo 92246), one of only about 100 Corsairs left, is painted to emulate White 86 and is on display at the National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola. (Photo: Chris Eger/Guns.com) 

It has Boyington’s name stenciled under the cockpit but no “kill” flags or Lulubelle/Lucybelle nose art. I guess NNAM didn’t want to wade into that controversy

x

Smith J-frame for the win

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The odd thing about carry guns, even in a day when the market is awash in micro-compact 9mm pistols like the P365 and Hellcat, is that the snub-nosed revolver still sells and sells very well. I have often carried one over the past 30 years, either as a BUG to my primary or when in a non-permissive environment.

This thing has tagged along with me more than I care to admit

Billed as the ultimate small-frame carry revolver, S&W debuted a new line of SAO aluminum J-frame snub-nosed wheel guns at the SHOT Show this year. 
 
The new Ultimate Carry line is offered in a Model 642UC (stainless) and 442UC (black) Airweight Centennial format in a 5-shot .38 Special as well as a new 632UC and 432UC in 6-shot .32 H&R Magnum. All feature a fresh style of .140-inch XS Tritium front sight with a dovetailed .160-inch black serrated Novak-style U-notch rear sight and flush-cut “High Horn” VZ G10 boot grips. Going past that, the internals have been beefed up with titanium pins (rather than the standard aluminum) as used with the Scandium frame models to add durability over the years and a much-improved trigger pull. 

They both look and feel great.

The weight on the Smith & Wesson Ultimate Carry is right at 16 ounces. Note the enclosed ejector rod shroud, beveled cylinder front edge which aids in carry, and VZ G10 boot grips that have been updated to provide a higher backstrap on the gun.

More in my column at Guns.com.

Satisfied Lions

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80 years ago today: A “Free Belgian” lance corporal of the British Army’s No. 10 (Inter-Allied) Commando inspects his rifle with sniper scope in a village in Italy, 6 February 1944. Note his kit that includes not only an optics-equipped No. 4 Enfield but also Mills bombs, a toggle rope, and a cap comforter, the latter two pieces of gear considered standard issue among Commando units post-Dieppe. Further, take note of his fellow Commandos, many wearing a green beret with Belgian Lion insignia.

Official caption: “Italy. 5th Army. Belgian Commandos. Commando checking over the sniper sights on his rifle with a satisfied look. (La Vaglie) Taken by Sgt Bowman.” IWM NA 11813

The Free Belgian troops, formed in England around a 400-man kernel of the Royal Belgian Army that had escaped from the Continent in June 1940, eventually rose to include the 2,200-man Piron Brigade after its commanding officer, B. Gen. Jean-Baptiste Piron.

Volunteers from the Free Belgians for No. 10 Commando soon numbered enough to man a full Troop (No. 4), which, besides lending small groups for service to support the SOE in Belgium (all members had to be fluent in French, Dutch and English), would ship out to Italy in November 1943 to join the Special Service Brigade there and would continue to fight up the Italian “Boot” for most of the year, switching to Northwest Europe in November 1944 with Operation Infatuate: the liberation of the Dutch island of Walcheren.

Denison smocks, toggle ropes, and green berets with lions: Belgian Commandos in Training in Britain, 1945. “Men of the Belgian Army learn to use a Bren gun as part of their Commando training at a British Commando School. The NCO records to the second the time allowed for firing.” IWM D 23711

There were so many volunteers that a spin-off unit, Capt. Edouard “Eddy” Blondeel’s oversized Belgian Independent Parachute Company, became the 5th SAS in 1944 (and would become the 1er Regiment Parachutiste in the Belgian Army in 1946).

Post-war, No. 4 (Belgian) Troop, No. 10 Cmdo, would form the Belgian Army’s Commando Brigade (now 2e Bataillon de Commandos), in 1945. The organization still wears British-style para wings and its unit badge is a British Commando Fairbairn-Sykes dagger.

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