Beretta’s Salute to Marco Polo

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Gentlemen, I give you the Beretta SO6 Sparviere Marco Polo, the kind of beautiful one-of-a-kind craftsmanship that I saw when I visited the storied gunmaker’s Italian headquarters last Spring.

The body of the receiver is meticulously hammered and punched to form a seamless tapestry inspired by a medieval rutter (or ‘periplus’, a “sailing-around” book), an essential guide for Italian sailors navigating the Mediterranean before the advent of nautical charts.

This intricate design preserves the history of seafaring exploration, echoing the very tools that shaped Marco Polo’s era.

On this Beretta masterpiece, every detail tells a story: the hinge pins and screws are adorned with copper-inlaid, enameled compass roses – polar diagrams elegantly displaying cardinal and intermediate directions.

On the sideplates, the artistry reaches new heights through burin-engraved scenes capturing the essence of Marco Polo’s life: the left sideplate portrays Venice, Marco Polo’s hometown, where his journey began and ended, the right sideplate transports us to the Mongolian steppes, where Marco Polo ventured into the grandeur of Asian landscapes and architecture.

The forend release button bears a Chinese inscription translating to ‘Uniting Europe and Asia as two parts of a single gem’. This poetic sentiment reflects Marco Polo’s role in bridging two worlds, celebrating the unity of cultures and the shared beauty of our global heritage.

T-AGSEs Surface

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An interesting addition to the Bollinger-built 87-foot Marine Protector class patrol boats for the Coast Guard in 2008 was four units– paid for wholly by the Navy– that would serve in two special Maritime Force Protection Units, assigned to the Submarine bases at Kings Bay and Kitsap, tasked to escort submarines (particularly SSBNs) heading in and out on patrol.

Each MFPU, which numbers 150-200 personnel, also has a dozen smaller craft (33-foot RIBs, etc).

In a nod to their taskings, these Navy-paid-for/assigned and CG-manned patrol boats carried the names of historic fleet boats of WWII fame:

  • USCGC Sea Dragon (WPB-87367) MFPU Kitsap
  • USCGC Sea Devil (WPB-87368) MFPU Kings Bay
  • USCGC Sea Dog (WPB-87373) MFPU Kitsap
  • USCGC Sea Fox (WPB-87374) MFPU Kings Bay

Armed with three 50 cal. machine guns (instead of the standard two for the class) these MFPUs carried their “extra” BMG in a permanently installed forward mount that was stabilized and remotely controlled.

TAMPA, Fla. – Coast Guard Cutter Sea Dog, a newly-designed 87-foot coastal patrol boat, transits Tampa Bay, Fla.,, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, during sea trials. The Sea dog is scheduled to be commissioned July 2, 2009, and is homeported in Kings Bay, Ga. (U.S. Coast Guard photo/PA3 Rob Simpson)

However, last year all four of these still rather young WPBs were withdrawn from CG service, decommissioned, disarmed, and relegated to auxiliary service with the Navy and Marine Corps.

For instance, the two Kings Bay-based boats were transferred to MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina to be used as range/target towing boats.

Disarmed and without her racing stripe, the ex-USCGC Sea Dragon WPB-87367 at MCAS Cherry Point for target support

Their replacements?

Meet T-AGSEs

The civilian mariner crewed Military Sealift Command has a small flotilla of eight vessels tasked with “Submarine and Special Warfare Support.”

These vessels, typically oilfield supply boats operated by Louisiana-based Hornbeck Offshore Services, include a quartet of 250-foot EDF type who have been christened as U.S. Naval Ships with hull numbers.

They also carry fixed armament, something extremely rare for the MSC, namely two Mk. 38 25mm mounts, operated by a USCG Tactical Boatcrew. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had MANPADs, AT4s, and M2s stowed as well

  • USNS Black Powder (T-AGSE 1)
  • USNS Westwind (T-AGSE 2)
  • USNS Eagleview (T-AGSE 3)
  • USNS Arrowhead (T-AGSE 4)

Built by Leevac Industries of Jenerette, these four brand-new 250EDFs were operated by HOS between 2009 and 2015 on a Navy contract and then purchased outright for $152 million.

The MSC has their file pictures all still in their HOS livery:

HOS Black Powder 200819-N-IS698-0004

HOS Eagle View 200819-N-IS698-0007

HOS Arrowhead

Since 2015, these craft have been Navy (MSC) owned and operated by HOS, typically for 215 days per year at a rate of about $30,000 per day.

Arrowhead and Eagleview are out of Kitsap while Black Powder and Westwind are out of Kings Bay.

Being some 250 feet in length, they are often referred to as “Blocking Vessels” in operations.

They rarely get any attention, with the USCG operating their guns and providing an MLE team for intervention/boarding if an escort gets…weird. Why the Coasties pull the gig is that they are federal law enforcement with a pretty far-reaching jurisdiction around U.S. flagged vessels in U.S. waters. 

USNS Black Powder and USNS Westwind. Note the 25mm Mk 38 Mod 2 mounts, and the MSC blue and yellow stripes around Westwind’s pilothouse. Wiki commons

Ohio class USS West Virginia (SSBN-736) USNS Black Powder

U.S. Air Force A-10 Thunderbolt II aircraft from Moody Air Force Base, Ga., escorted ballistic missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN 742), July 15, 2024. The aircraft conducted a live fire exercise and U.S. Coast Guard Maritime Force Protection Unit Kings Bay, USNS Black Powder (T-AGSE-1), and USNS Westwind (T-AGSE-2) also participated in the escort of the submarine. Joint operations, such as this one which involved the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy, ensure the U.S. military is ready to meet its security commitments at home and abroad

Being three times the size of the 87s, they can also help serve as mini-tenders and, during Covid, were used to swap out Blue/Gold crews on SSBNs at sea, as well as replenishment for parts and stores transfers via a moving brow.

Note the USCG ensign on Black Powder’s mast and her USNS designator on her bow. 

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 24, 2022) Sailors assigned to the Blue Crew of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) prepare to execute an exchange of command and crews at sea. This regularly scheduled exchange of command at sea demonstrates the continuity and operational flexibility of our sea-based nuclear deterrent operations and our ready, reliable ballistic submarine force. The efficiency of exchanges of crews at sea allows Sailors to reunite with their families and provides a ready, resilient submarine force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Xavier Saldana/Released)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 24, 2022) USNS Black Powder supports the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming’s (SSBN 742) exchange of command and crews at sea. This regularly scheduled exchange of command at sea demonstrates the continuity and operational flexibility of our sea-based nuclear deterrent operations and our ready, reliable ballistic submarine force. The efficiency of exchanges of crews at sea allows Sailors to reunite with their families and provides a ready, resilient submarine force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Xavier Saldana/Released)

ATLANTIC OCEAN (Jan. 24, 2022) Sailors assigned to the Blue and Gold Crews of the Ohio-class ballistic-missile submarine USS Wyoming (SSBN 742) execute an exchange of command and crews at sea. This regularly scheduled exchange of command at sea demonstrates the continuity and operational flexibility of our sea-based nuclear deterrent operations and our ready, reliable ballistic submarine force. The efficiency of exchanges of crews at sea allows Sailors to reunite with their families and provides a ready, resilient submarine force. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Aaron Xavier Saldana/Released)

They just popped up in a DOD Contract list this week, as noted below, with the current daily rate being more like $50K per vessel including operation and maintenance:

Hornbeck Offshore Operators, Covington, Louisiana, is being awarded a $48,360,544 firm-fixed-price contract (N3220525C4134) for the operation and maintenance of four government-owned Transportation Auxiliary General Submarine Escort (T-AGSE) vessels. The vessels under this award include USNS Arrowhead, USNS Eagleview, USNS Westwind, and USNS Black Powder. The contract includes a six-month base period with a six-month option. The contract will be performed in Kings Bay, Georgia; and Bangor, Washington, beginning March 1, 2025, based on the availability of funds clause at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.232-18 and will utilize fiscal 2025 working capital funds (Navy), and will conclude Feb. 28, 2026, if the option is exercised. This contract is a Sole Source Bridge and was not competitively procured, under the authority of 41 U.S. Code 3304(a)(2), as implemented by FAR 6.302-2 Unusual and compelling urgency. Military Sealift Command, Norfolk, Virginia, is the contracting activity.

The Tropical Rainforests of Hampshire

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80 years ago this month, 2 February 1945.

“Trainees in a wooded area with their faces painted with camouflage paint, wearing American fatigue caps and gaiters and Carrying American ‘Tommy’ guns, during training at the Royal Marines Eastern Warfare School at Brockenhurst, Hampshire where they learn jungle tactics for the Pacific War. Thickly wooded hills, with some live palms and bamboo, gave a good imitation jungle in which tropical bridging work, bivouacking, patrolling, sniping, and booby-trap lessons could be learned.”

Of note, the weather in Hampshire in February typically runs 40-50 degrees F. 

IWM A 27308. Photograph by LT DC Oulds, Royal Navy official photographer

IWM A 27306. Photograph by LT DC Oulds, Royal Navy official photographer

IWM A 27307. Photograph by LT DC Oulds, Royal Navy official photographer

“These men are learning to give themselves all-round protection when forced to keep to a narrow track in the ‘English jungle’ at the Eastern Warfare School at Brockenhurst, Hampshire where they learn jungle tactics for the Pacific War.”

Brockenhurst, the largest village by population within the 140,000-acre New Forest in Hampshire, is about 15 miles from Southampton in southern England.

In early 1944, the forest served as the (somewhat secret) home for the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division, the core of Allied Assault Force “G”, tasked with storming Gold Beach on D-Day, and once the Army moved out in June 1944, the Royal Navy moved in.

As elaborated by a local journal for the New Forest:

Carey’s Manor Hotel in the village was requisitioned for the Eastern Warfare School where Royal Marine trainees were taught basic jungle warfare tactics along the Lymington River and Roydon Woods in preparation for what they might encounter against the Japanese forces. Booby traps and ambushes in common use among the Japanese were reproduced in this area of the New Forest. They also learned how to take care of themselves and what to carry in the way of medical supplies in remote inhospitable locations

As further detailed in By Sea, By Land: The Authorised History of the Royal Marines by James D Ladd:

Apart from such schools for specialists as the Signals School at Saundersfoot (Pembrokeshire) and the MT School, the Corps also set up an Eastern Warfare School, Brockenhurst, where officers and senior NCOs did a 10-day course ‘on the special form of warfare . . . in the Far East Theatre.’ In addition, in the UK and abroad, there were “jungle warfare” schools.

The standards for “physical efficiency tests” as they were called, were also raised to the following: 10-mile march in 2¼ hours, before firing five rounds, three of which must be hits at 30 yds; leopard crawl 45 yds in a minute followed by pitching two out of three grenades into a 10 ft circle; running two miles on roads in 18 minutes; jumping a 9 ft ditch; and various climbing feats.

All these were aimed at making every Marine fit – not only those serving in Commandos – and for detachments in the Pacific Fleet: such applied physical training was a routine. This aimed at not only keeping men fit but also enabling them to pass these battle efficiency tests.

The School was staffed by a cadre of NCOs and officers drawn in part from the 3rd Special Service Brigade, which included a trio of three Royal Marine Commando units (No. 5 Cdo, No. 42 Cdo, and No. 44 Cdo). These men had been sent to India in November 1943 to fight in the Burma campaign and had picked up some tricks.

Lieut General T L Hunton, KCB, MVO, OBE, General Officer Commanding the Royal Marines, and Major General R A D Brooks, CMG, DSO, watching a demonstration of Japanese Booby traps by Capt Kenneth Pammenter, No.5 Cdo, [2nd from right] and Capt. Bennett, RM, at the Eastern Warfare School, Brockenhurst. IWM A 27300

In the end, the Royal Marines in the CBI and the Pacific were involved in the campaign to recapture Arakan, as well as staged for Operation Zipper– the planned amphibious operation to recapture the Malayan peninsula.

Finally, they reoccupied Hong Kong in September 1945, cheated out of seeing more jungle fighting by the A-bombs and the resulting Japanese capitulation.

There, things looked a lot different than in Hampshire. 

“Royal Marine W E Sebly making the acquaintance of young and old Chinese folk after the re-occupation of Hong Kong, Sept 1945. IWM 30527

Fuzzy ‘Phib math

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140910-N-UD469-180 PHILIPPINE SEA (Sept. 10, 2014) Marines, assigned to the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit (31st MEU), depart the well deck of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Germantown (LSD 42) in combat rubber raiding crafts during amphibious operations. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Amanda R. Gray/Released) 

The Navy has a Congressionally set 31-ship big deck Amphibious warfare ship requirement, which is good because 31 are listed on active duty with the fleet.

However, the GAO did some checking as to their actual readiness and found the “go to war in 96 hours” capability to be far less.

In fact, just 15 are in what the Navy would consider to even be in “satisfactory” material condition.

  • Nine of the 10 LSDs are now classified by the Navy as in poor material condition.
  • Five of the nine remaining LHAs/LHDs are now classified as in poor material condition.
  • Two of the 12 LPDs are now classified as in poor material condition.

While the Navy, on paper, maintains they will “have” 30-to-32 big deck ‘phibs in service every year between 2025 and 2042, due to the currently very low shipbuilding rate that only happens if the LHA/LHDs serve for over well over 40 years, the equivalent of having a WWII-era Essex class carrier still on unbroken active service in the mid-1980s. Sure, Lady Lex did that, but she was relegated to low-impact/limited availability training duties for the last 25 years of her career.

Oooof.

Ballistic Art in a Cerakote Medium

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Some of the coolest guns I saw at SHOT was a wall at the back of the IWI booth of amazing firearm creations from Pro 2 Customs.

Pro 2, of Tempe, Arizona, is a 07 FFL and 02 SOT licensee that crafts some seriously good work in the medium Cerakote. Teaming up with IWI, the shop brought a slew of great guns to the show.

You dig the Flying Tigers? How about this P-40 Warhawk-themed Galil Ace, complete with Vortex LPVO? It even has rivets.

It uses H146 Graphite, H732 Magpul OD Green, M214 Bullshark Grey, H144 Corvette Yellow, H140 Bright White, and H167 USMC Red.

This “Call of Duty MW”-themed Polyatomic camo’ed IWI Carmel rifle uses H146 Graphite Black, custom purples, and Gun Candy Majesty.

And our favorite: a Cel Shade anime IWM Carmel in 5.56, complete with an EoTech XPS3.

It is crafted with H128 Hunter Orange, H144 Corvette Yellow, and H214 Bullshark Grey for the shading.

Just check out that detail. Looks like a celluloid sheet for sure. That’s gun art.

More in my column at Guns.com

 

Black Widow On Deck

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80 years ago this week, a USAAF 421st Night Fighter Squadron Northrop P-61B-20-NO Black Widow (SN 43-8317) seen landing at recently liberated and expanded Puerto Princesa Airfield, Tacloban, Leyte, 8 February 1945. Official caption: “One of the first 13th AAF Black Widows to arrive at Puerto Princesa buzzes the strip preparatory to peeling up, dropping his wheels, and landing.”

Check out that luxurious control tower! While I cannot find the ultimate end of #317, Baugher notes that of the 83 P-61B-20-NOs produced, at least 22 were lost or written off, with the leading causes primarily due to accidents while landing or mid-air accidents. Night fighters were tough on crews. Of note, this photo was published in the August 145 issue of Air Force magazine. (U.S. Air Force Number 58348AC) National Archives Identifier 204949312

Constituted as 421st Night Fighter Squadron on 30 April 1943, the 421st stood up stateside at the Kissimmee AAFld in Florida– the future home of Disney– with troublesome Douglas P-70 Havoc night fighters before shipping out to Milne Bay, New Guinea just after New Year’s 1944. Flying from Nadzab, Wakde, and Owi during the New Guinea/Bismarck Archipelago campaign, the unit ditched their P-70s for P-38Js (without radar!) before finally getting some Widows.

On 7 July 1944, a P-61 crew in the 421st NFS based in New Guinea shot down a Japanese twin-engine Mitsubishi Ki-46 Dinah reconnaissance airplane, only the type’s second air-to-air “kill” in the with their Saipan-based sister squadron, the 419th, bagging a moonlit Betty a week prior. 

They then shifted north to the PI, operating from San Marcelino and then to Tacloban (as seen above) until 23 March when Clark Field on Luzon became their next stepping stone to Okinawa, operating from Ie Shima beginning on 24 July 1945. They ended their war occupying Itazuke Air Base, Japan, with 16 confirmed aerial victories to their tally sheet and 7 campaign streamers.

Inactivated on 20 February 1947, they reformed 15 years later as the F-105-equipped 421st TFS and soon took their show on the road, flying out of Incirlik during the Cold War as well as some serious Southeast Asia time on five deployments as Phantom Phlyers between 1969 and 1973 (DaNang, Kunsan, Takhli, and Udorn), earning three Presidential Unit Citations.

Stationed at Hill AFB in Utah since 1975, they flew F-16A/Cs during numerous trips to the sandbox in the 1990s and 2000s before upgrading to F-35As in 2017.

They still wear the “Widow” as their official patch. 

210421-F-EF974-2024

And they are no doubt still ready to mix it up after dark.

Two F-35 Lightning IIs assigned to the 421st Fighter Squadron from Hill Air Force Base, Utah, sit on the flight line during a thunderstorm at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, July 25, 2021. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Zachary Rufus)

Marines: Harriers out by 2027, More F-35Cs, and Hornets C/Ds to Tread Water

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The 44-page 2025 Marine Corps Aviation Plan, released earlier this week by Lt. Gen. Bradford Gering, Deputy Commandant for Aviation, gives lots of insight into how the Corps intends to move forward with preserving its legacy MAGTF model that has been a thing since 1963 despite deep cuts to field the Marine Littoral Regiments of (supposedly) highly mobile anti-ship missile slingers.

The way of the future: 

U.S. Marines and Sailors with 3d Littoral Combat Team, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division, pose for a unit photo before a ceremony on Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Nov. 26, 2024. At the ceremony, 3d Marine Littoral Regiment, 3d Marine Division officially received the Navy/Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) from Marine Corps Systems Command, becoming the first U.S. Marine Corps unit to field the system. (U.S. Marine Corps photo illustration by Sgt. Jacqueline C. Parsons) (This image was created using photo merging techniques.)

Out are the last 39 AV-8B Harriers, set to leave the force by 2027 while plans to sunset the elderly Charlie and Delta F-18s are on hold until FY30 ish (the Navy already ditched the type in 2019 in favor of the Rhino Super Hornets, with even the Angels converting over).

The Harrier line closed in 2003 while the F-18C/D line ended in 2000. For what it’s worth, Boeing plans to halt all Super Hornet (E/F) production in 2027 when the last 17 on the order books are delivered to the Navy.

In are more carrier-optimized F-35Cs at the expense of STOVL F-35Bs. This will allow the Corps to field four more squadrons (eight total) for likely inclusion in Navy CVN-based air wings than what was originally planned. I wouldn’t be surprised if a ninth squadron gets moved to that in the near future, which would be one per active CVW. 

The Marine Tactical Air transition plan (click to big up):

Takeaways:

“At the end of 2025, 183 F-35B and 52 F-35C aircraft will have been delivered to the Marine Corps. While the program of record (420 total F-35 aircraft) has not changed, we have updated our F-35 procurement profile to reflect an increase in F-35C squadrons. Per the TACAIR Transition plan, Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA) and VMFA-323, VMFA-112, and VMFA-134 will now transition as F-35C squadrons. The program of record now includes 280 F-35Bs and 140 F-35Cs to support 12 F-35B squadrons and 8 F-35C squadrons.”

Tsushima Strait, (Sept. 18, 2024) A U.S Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II assigned to Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, takes off from the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) in the Tsushima Strait, Sept. 18, 2024, for a defensive counterair mission. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Joseph Helms)

“The Marine Corps F/A-18 inventory includes 161 F/A-18C/D aircraft. FMF will maintain four active squadrons and one reserve squadron through the end of FY25. F/A-18C/D structure requirements remain in place until the end of FY29 then will transition to F-35s by FY30/31.”

“Of the two Harrier squadrons, Marine Attack Squadron 231 (VMA) will sundown in late FY25, VMA-223 will sundown in late FY26, and both squadrons will transition to F-35B.”

U.S. Sailors and Marines conduct preflight checks on U.S. Marine Corps AV-8B Harriers with the Aviation Combat Element, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) in the Atlantic Ocean, June 27, 2022. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Sgt. Armando Elizalde)

Strangers in a Strange Land

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Some 110 years ago this month, a surreal scene: The 19th Lancers (Fane’s Horse) of the Indian Cavalry Corps, on the march in the snow, Northern France, February 1915.

The unit traced its lineage to 1860 when it was formed by one Lieutenant Walter Fane, aged 32, of the Madras Native Infantry as an irregular cavalry unit for service in China during what is now known as the Second Opium War. The recruits, assembled from stragglers of horse regiments disbanded after the Indian Mutiny, were made up largely of Sikhs, Pathans, and Punjabi Moslems– important as caste restrictions prevented many Hindus from serving overseas.

Fane’s unit took part in the capture of the Taku Forts, as well as the fighting at Sinho, Chinkiawbaw, and Pulli-chi-on, as well as the capture (and sack) of Peking, then became the 19th Bengal Cavalry when it returned home to more permanent service, adding the “Lancers” designation in 1874.

It served in the Second Afghan War, fought in the Battle of Ahmad Khel in 1880.

Fane’s Horse 19 B.L.’, 19th Regiment of Bengal Lancers, 1890, watercolor in the collection of the National Army Museum. NAM. 1964-12-80-1

Major-General Walter Fane, CB, himself passed in 1885 and his regiment outlived him.

Group of Native officers, 19th Bengal Lancers, a photo by Raja Deen Dayal, 1903

Armies of India, 1911 by Major Alfred Crowdy Lovett NAM 19th Bengal Lancers (Fane’s Horse), Punjabi Musalman, 1909

Shipping out as part of the Indian Cavalry Corps‘ 2nd (Sialkot) Cavalry Brigade, it fought at the Somme and Cambrai on the Western Front before transferring to Palestine in 1918, fighting against the Turks with distinction in the Battle of Megiddo. Post-war, it remained on occupation duty in Lebanon, Syria, and Tel Aviv.

Following its amalgamation with the 18th King George’s Own Lancers in 1921, the regiment became the 19th King George’s Own Lancers.

As such, the regiment fought as an armored unit with the 50th Indian Tank Brigade, 25th Indian (“Unknown”) Division, in the Arkan Campaign during WWII.

Sherman V’s (M4A4s) with B Squadron, 19th Lancers, 50th Indian Tank Brigade moving forward to support infantry near Myebon Burma – January 1945 IWM – Titmuss A D (Sgt) Photographer IWM SE 2188 WWP-PD

As part of the Partition of India in 1947, the regiment was allotted to Pakistan and today is just the 19th Lancers. Besides fighting the Indians off and on since then, it has been overseas in UN peacekeeping missions, including Somalia during the “Mogadishu Mile.”

If an HK MP5 and a Colt SMG had a Turkish Baby

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Tennessee-based SDS Arms, whose brands include Military Armament Corporation, Tisas, Inglis, and others, brought a slew of new guns to SHOT Show.

We’ve been covering the company for a while and SDS always has some interesting stuff that you just don’t see everywhere else. Giving us a sneak peek at the 2025 catalog, Jahred Gamez introduced us to the new MAC IX.

SDS introduced the MAC 5 series last year, an MP5-style roller-locked pistol series sans the MP5 price.

The MAC5, in its two variants, as introduced in 2024

For those who prefer direct blowback rather than roller lock, with a more AR feel, the company will be introducing the MAC IX in March (just in time for the NRA Annual Meetings in Atlanta).

The MAC IX runs an AR-style safety and trigger group. Note the slingshot-style charging T-handle rather than the forward slap-and-go of the MP5. However, it uses MP5 mags, which are increasingly available at better prices than in previous generations.

Note the rear Pic rail for mounting a pistol brace or stock (NFA rules apply).

More in my column at Guns.com.

KRISS Kymera: The Promise of a Fully Modular Handgun

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Virginia-based Kriss USA has a new pistol on deck for 2025 that promises to be one of the most modular on the market.

The company is best known for its line of innovative Vector series of delayed blowback firearms. Still, it has also produced an oft-forgotten series of high-quality Swiss-made Sphinx handguns that use a CZ-75-ish reversed-rail interface.

The Sphinx:

The new Kymera, which borrows its name from the mythical hybrid creature with parts taken from various animals, looks Sphinx-like … until you get a closer look.

The Kymera, like the Sphinx, is a double action/single action hammer-fired pistol with a low bore axis that is a hallmark of the CZ-75 style reversed-rail system. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Catching up with KRISS at SHOT Show last week, the secret sauce of the Kymera is its modular grip, offering replaceable modules with different angles and sizes, all compatible with the original double-stack CZ-75 pattern magazines. For instance, the Kymera will be able to have a 21-degree (Glock style), 19.5-degree (SIG/1911), or an 18-degree grip angle (CZ/S&W). This design allows users to choose the configuration that best aligns with their natural point of aim.

A potential Kymera compact model using a 3.75-inch barrel, 18-degree angle with a short beavertail, 15+1 shot magazine capacity, and four-slot rail.

More in my column at Guns.com.

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