Tag Archives: CMMG Banshee

SHOT Hints the 5.7mm Trend may de here to Stay

Posted on by Leave a comment

Building on a spate of recent new firearm releases chambered for the once-exotic FN 5.7 round, the aisles at SHOT Show this month seemed to reinforce that the caliber is here to stay.

While the 5.7×28 was originally just designed for FN’s PDW program– which led to the P90/PS90 and the Five-seveN series pistol– the now-NATO standardized cartridge caught a boost from Ruger in late 2019 with the Ruger 57 pistol followed soon after at SHOT Show 2020 by the prototype Diamondback DBX large-format pistol. Since then, KelTec has brought its P50 pistol to market, the CMMG Mk57 has appeared, and the DBX has started to appear on dealer’s shelves. In the meantime, FN updated the Five-seveN with new features and colors.

With Vista’s ammo brands (Federal, Speer, etc.) pumping out new 5.7 rounds as fast as they can to keep up with the trend, even more 5.7-chambered guns are inbound.

More in my column at Guns.com.

HK Won’t so CMMG Will

Posted on by Leave a comment

Missouri-based CMMG on Tuesday announced the first firearm made for the American consumer market chambered in 4.6×30– the FourSix.

Designed originally by Heckler & Koch in the 1990s for a low-recoiling NATO Personal Defense Weapon program– competing against FN’s 5.7×28 for the same purpose– the 4.6x30mm is a rimless bottlenecked cartridge that performs well under 150 yards whose small size allows guns chambered for it to carry a lot of rounds.

Who doesn’t like a legit HK MP7? The thing is, they are unobtainium.

Fast forward 20+ years and, while both cartridges have been adopted by NATO and standardized, only the 5.7×28 has been utilized by other firearms makers (e.g., Ruger 57, Diamondback DBX57) outside of its original designer. In short, the 4.6 NATO has only been used by the select-fire (and very Post-1986) HK MP7, putting it off-limits for those without a SOT or a CAC card.

CMMG’s FourSix, offered as a short-barreled rifle with NFA strings attached as well as a pistol format– both with 8-inch barrels– are developed from the company’s Banshee Mk4 platform.

Tweaks to the Banshee needed to run the 4.6 include a patent-pending Micro Gas Block and a proprietary 40-round magazine that fits an AR-style magwell and standard mag pouches. The latter part is key as it means users can also choose to pair their existing AR15 lower receiver with a CMMG FourSix upper, when they become available. 

One Can to Quiet Them All…

Posted on by Leave a comment

Utah-based SilencerCo on Tuesday announced a new addition to its lineup, the Hybrid 46M, billed as “the world’s first and only truly modular large-bore suppressor.”

Built to a design that incorporates titanium, 17-4 heat-treated stainless steel, and Inconel, the full-auto-rated Hybrid 46M adds modularity to the company’s already popular Hybrid 46. In its long configuration, stretching over the front module and endcap, the suppressor runs 7.72-inches and weighs 14.9 ounces. In its shorter format, ideal for SBRs or pistols, it tapes out at 5.78 inches and weighs 12.2 ounces.

When it comes to accommodating calibers, it is omnivorous and is rated for all centerfire pistol and rifle calibers– including 45ACP, 10mm, .450 Bushmaster, .458 SOCOM, .45-70 Government, .338 Lapua Magnum– up to .460 Weatherby Magnum. This gives it the appeal of being a single can for just about everything in the gun safe.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

5.7 NATO for Self Defense?

Posted on by Leave a comment

Designed by FN as a caliber replacement for 9mm pistols and submachine guns in the 1980s, the 5.7x28mm was only recently adopted as a NATO standard. But is it any good?

While I’ll save the history of the cartridge for another day, the 5.7 was first marketed by FN in the early 1990s in its P90/S PDW/carbine and Five-seveN pistol. Since then, those guns have been adopted with military and police forces in more than 40 countries and sold widely on the commercial market. This undoubtedly led to its recent NATO standardization— along with its competitor, the Heckler & Koch -developed 4.6x30mm.

However, as the only gun available for the 4.6 NATO is the HK MP7, which is unobtainable on the U.S. consumer market, the 5.7 NATO is the default PDW player today.

The thing is, ammo selection can be everything.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

CMMG Banshee, now in Sig flavors

Posted on by Leave a comment

Missouri-based CMMG has added a new flavor to their Radial Delayed Blowback Banshee series, one that accepts Sig Sauer P320 magazines– the Mk17.

Available in both 5- and 8-inch Banshee pistol/SBR formats as well as the company’s 16-inch barreled Resolute series carbines, CMMG says the ability for the platform to have a variant that accepts P320 mags is key.

The CMMG Banshee Mk17 uses the company’s patented radial delayed blowback system billed as having less felt recoil than direct blowback 9mm ARs and uses CMMG’s MKGS upper group. Best of all, it shares the same P320 mags as the Sig Sauer M17. (Photo: CMMG)

More in my column at Guns.com