Tag Archives: guns dot com news

Forget Threading: The 1960s Tech That Screws Today’s Better SMG and PCC Suppressor Mounts

Posted on by Leave a comment

Fact: Tri-Lug Barrels are the oldest, easiest, and one of the best ways to quickly mount a suppressor.

However, the attachment style is also limited in what it can do and, sadly, is overlooked.

Where did Tri-Lug or 3-Lug come from?

In Oberndorf, Germany, in the early 1960s, Helmut Baureuter, Manfred Guhring,  Tilo Moller, and Georg Seidl cooked up probably the most mature sub gun of the 20th Century– the Heckler & Koch MP5. Recycling a roller-locked action first used on legendary machine guns in WWII and carried over to the G3 7.62 NATO battle rifle, it proved durable enough to become legendary.

It also had a funky, albeit innovative, barrel accessory mounting system on the muzzle: three equal-sized (roughly 0.310-inch) raised external lugs, spaced equally about 120 degrees apart center-to-center around the outside of the barrel, and ramped towards the muzzle.

These lugs were not an afterthought, welded, screwed, or pinned in, but something machined directly from, or forged with, the same piece of steel as the barrel.

Tri-lug, as seen on a Springfield Armory Kuna (male) and SilencerCo Spectre 9 and 36M (female). (Photos unless noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

Even back in 1966, when the HK MP5, developed from the HK54, was introduced with its slimline handguard and straight waffle-pattern 9mm magazines, it had a tri-lug barrel.

old HK MP5
Talk about a blast from the past…

The tri-lug barrel endured through the Cold War and into the GWOT era and is still seen on classically styled MP5s and other SMG/PCCs.

HK MP5 Afghanistan
Seen above with casual SF types in an Afghanistani aloha snackbar joint in 2003. (Photo: National Archives, magnification by Guns.com staff). 

The funny thing was that the tri-lug barrel wasn’t meant for attaching a suppressor. The lugs were originally for affixing accessories (Zubehör) such as a flash-hider (Feuerdampfer), a blank firing adapter (Manoverpatronengerat), and a sleeve for a 22mm cup-style tear gas grenade launcher (Granatfuhrung) fired with a blank round.

Thus:

HK MP5 accessories
Via an early HK MP5 manual. 

Over the years, the accessories fell away while the MP5’s use with suppressors skyrocketed, especially after N (Navy) model MP5s entered the market in 1986, which included both a threaded barrel and tri-lug.

By 1988, inventor Timothy Bixler, with AWC Suppressors (Dr. Phil Dater’s old company) and Knights Armament, took out a patent (US4893426A) for a rotating collar utilizing Tri-Lug, and the rest is history.

How to use Tri-Lug

First off, Tri-Lug is a left-on (clockwise), right-off (counter-clockwise) kind of thing. Remember, “Left gets tight, right takes flight.”

trilug attachment
Align, press down, turn to the left, release. Reverse to take off

Align the lugs, push in to depress the spring of the mount, twist about a quarter turn to the left until it passes the detents and stops, release the spring by letting go, boom. You are locked in. Reverse it to remove. Easy on, easy off, but still rock solid while in use.

Example:

Plus, with the Tri-Lug, you don’t have to worry about the suppressor backing off or loosening under rapid fire as you do with more common threaded-barrel models.

Tips:

  • You can’t attach the can to the muzzle by twisting in the wrong direction, as the geometry won’t work, so don’t freak out about that.
  • Also, new mounts and/or new barrels will likely be super tight, and the spring stout, so be sure to lube up and work them in on a safe firearm before heading to the range and trying it for the first time. Nobody gets confidence from the guy tugging on his can in the corner.

Not HK-only anymore

Besides assorted Heckler & Koch MP5/SP5 models and the myriad of clones such as the Century/MKE AP5 and SDS MAC-5, you have offerings from PSA like the AR-V and variants of the B&T APC9, GHM9, and SPC9 that sport in-spec Tri-Lug direct from the factory. Plus, you can get adapters from folks like SilencerCo that convert standard threaded muzzles to Tri-Lug.

SilencerCo’s Tri-Lug male muzzle adapter. As long as you are 1/2x28TPI, you are good to go. Other companies such as Angstadt, Griffin, and Rugged also make such adapters. 

As far as making your suppressor Tri-Lug ready, there are adapters for that as well from Banish, Dead Air, SilencerCo, and others, so that’s not a problem.

SilencerCo’s Alpha Tri-lug coupler. 

A new model to the market introduced earlier in the month is a dedicated Tri-Lug barrel version of the Kuna, a dependable roller-action that is fast becoming one of the most popular large-format 9mm pistols on the market.

The new Tri-Lug barrel Kuna, right, compared to the standard model. 
The Springfield Kuna Tri-Lug in its natural environment, with a SilencerCo Spectre 9 attached. 

MSRP for the unbraced model is set at $1,179, and the FSA-braced model’s MSRP is set at $1,330. Low-capacity 10-round options will also be available for those unfortunates living in restrictive states.

So, is Tri-Lug Perfect?

No.

As the design doesn’t support boosters (Nielsen devices), Tri-lug is tied to its original platform type: pistol caliber SMGs, PCCs, and large format pistols with fixed barrels. While primarily a 9mm offering, you also see Tri-Lug adapters for .45ACP (reverse to .578×28, 5/8×24, 9/16×24, and M16x1 LH threads), but that is about it. Plus, since the mounts are spring-based, they can wear out with extensive use, requiring new springs at some point in the distant future.

Still, for those classic MP5 styles and new offerings from folks like B&T and Springfield, the old standard can be a king when it comes to quick-detach.

Here’s to more Tri-Lug in more places.

6 Pounds of Brushstroke Lightning

Posted on by One comment

Mossberg broke the mold on short-barreled shotguns in late 2016 with the 590 Shockwave pump-action “firearms,” which use 14-inch barrels and bird’s head grips that aren’t SBSs and therefore don’t require federal NFA paperwork for transfers.

(Mossberg)

With its funky hard plastic (or walnut) Shockwave Raptor grip with a sort of clumsy recoil control, and the fact that you could opt for a more standard pistol-grip-only shotgun with a gently longer (16- or 18-inch) barrel that offered more control, some folks never warmed to the concept, and that’s fine. However, those who have reviewed Mossberg Shockwaves, with its proven stainless-steel 590 series action, have warmed to the concept with the proper techniques and loads.

Plus, the new 590 Bliksem brings a few new things to the table that the more basic 590 Shockwave did not, making it easier to shoot.

Observe the 590 Bliksem:

Mossberg 590 Bliksem
With a 14.375-inch steel barrel and AfterShock grip, the Mossberg 590 Bliksem has an overall length of 26.37 inches. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Mossberg 590 Bliksem
Weight, with its steel receiver and heavy-walled barrel, is 6.3 pounds. It has a 5+1 shell underbarrel magazine tube. 

With its AfterShock grip (which actually feels nice), oversized controls, and improved forward recoil strap, the Bliksem performs in the hand better than the Shockwave. Not only does it feel better and shoot better, but it is also flat-out more functional, ready to fill the bill around camp or cottage, veldt or villa.

So, who would the Bliksem appeal to?

First off, it is a great-looking gun that will turn heads, be it on the wall of the man cave or on the range.

For someone who may encounter tight corners and hallways or must move and shoot in a compressed space for high stakes, the Bliksem offers a serious option, especially with the right ammunition. For instance, think about Federal’s X2 9P 00, which helps avoid overpenetration while delivering softer recoil.

Add the included Esstac card and drop a sight atop the Pic rail (Holosun 507C shown), and you have something special, especially when you practise it. We were able to make easy hits on a 3/4 silhouette with reduced recoil buck to 15 yards, and slugs to 25. Loaded weight as shown, with optic, 5+1 in the pipe and 5 on the card, is right at 7 pounds. 

The Bliksem could easily excel in off-road situations such as in a camp environment, especially when venturing overnight in hog or bear country. It is something that can be kept in the truck or tent, stoked with heavy, deep-penetrating solid slugs (think Brenneke’s Black Magic, or Federal’s Tru-Ball Deep Penetrator, et. al.) as a “just in case.” Yes, you might set your tent on fire in the process. Just saying.

Full review in my column at Guns.com. 

Running tomorrow’s rifle with yesterday’s optics

Posted on by Leave a comment

Military small arms acquisition programs are always funny. More so if there is a “package” of accessories and goodies that go with it.

The most persistent problem lately seems to have been jumping the gun on over-ambitious optics systems on combat rifles and carbines.

We’ve already talked about the “M7 Surrogate Fire Control Program” on the Army’s 250,000 Next Generation Squad Weapons in rifle (M7), carbine (XM8), and LMG (M250) variants, which have eschewed the apparently not-ready-for-primetime Vortex M1157 Fire Control System for commercial off-the-shelf optics and lasers from EoTech and B.E. Meyers.

Similarly, in Germany, the new HK G95 program— the Bundeswehr’s dirty mustard-toned (“ekelhaftgelb“) HK416A8 rifle– is supposed to use the Leonardo-supplied Elcan Specter DR 1-4x as the companion day optic of record.

This bad boy, seen in two different colorways and with and without caps:

However, very specific changes and tweaks to the version of the Specter wanted by the Bundeswehr mean that just about every one I have seen has been wearing a very chunky Hensoldt RSA-S reflex sight atop a ZO 4x30i fixed-power optic with an IR pointer module.

Thus:

And as seen with these troops of Panzerpionierbataillon 701 in a video posted last week:

If it seems kind of a throwback, that optics combo was adopted a decade ago for the circa 2016 IdZ-ES (Infanterist der Zukunft – Erweitertes System) future soldier program for use with the G36, the rifle the G95 is replacing.

Cue the rimshot. Everyone laughs.

Meanwhile, the EOTech OGL-C is now civilian-legal and non-restricted.

Sometimes, you get to shoot something really special…

Posted on by One comment

While hanging out at an industry event in Idaho, we came across a fairly rare and very quiet German-made rimfire rifle and just had to shoot it.

Attending SilencerCo’s Summer Camp at the Day Mountain Ranch outside of Preston (oddly enough, the small town where Napoleon Dynamite was filmed), we had a chance to get some trigger time on some amazing platforms, most of them shooting out to extended ranges. Like starting at 200 yards and punching well out to 1,300.

Day Mountain Ranch
I mean, with these hills, you aren’t running many 15-yard flat ranges. (All photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

One exception to that was a station that had some great little rimfire guns that attendees used offhand on spinner and groundhog plates at like 25 yards, squinting into the morning sun.

Volquartsen-enhanced Ruger 22/45, complete with an everlasting SilencerCo Sparrow can.
There was this great Volquartsen-enhanced Ruger 22/45, complete with an everlasting SilencerCo Sparrow can.
Sparrowed FN 502 MRD with a matching Steiner MPS and TLR-7A
Then there was this Sparrowed FN 502 MRD with a matching Steiner MPS and TLR-7A.

But the real gem was a Heckler Koch HK270…

What is the HK270?

Travel with us back to the late 1970s. Back to when HK was the global powerhouse when it came to 7.62 NATO battle rifles, with its Gewehr 3 (G3) being standard not only in the West German Bundeswehr but in more than 50 other militaries around the globe. The G3’s little brother, the 9mm but still roller-locked MP5, was almost as popular with the black balaclava gang worldwide.

So why not market a rimfire blow-back action sporting rifle with a G3-style turret “castle” style rear sight that could be used for training, small game hunting, and sporting purposes?

Boom. That gives you the HK270.

HK270
SilencerCo’s engineers kept the gun as original as possible, save for threading the barrel to accept a modular Switchback suppressor.

More in my column at Guns.com. 

Bellissimo! Benelli’s Italian Plant has the Best Foyer in the Gun Industry

Posted on by Leave a comment

On a recent trip to the Benelli factory in Urbino, Italy, we got a peek at their one-of-a-kind facility that blends Old World craftsmanship with modern manufacturing standards.

We were there to get the scoop on the new gas-operated M2-G1 tactical shotgun but would be remiss if we failed to bring you at least some coverage of the factory itself. For instance, the 430,000 square feet of shotgun and rifle-making brilliance is nestled in the hills and Roman walls of the Via della Stazione, at the terminus of the region’s historic former railway station.

Benelli factory, Urbino Italy
While Benelli began as a mechanical and motorcycle company 115 years ago in nearby Pesaro, its Benelli Armi firearm factory came to Urbino in 1967. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
Benelli factory, Urbino Italy
Note the old walls surrounding the plant.
Benelli factory, Urbino Italy
The influence of Raphael – whose painting style was one of harmony, balance, and grace – and Count Federico da Montefeltro, a military strategist and benefactor remembered as “the Light of Italy,” is everywhere in Urbino and still very alive at Benelli. 

Come with us as we take a closer look at the shotguns and rifles on the wall of the foyer, many of them rare and one-of-a-kind demo guns.

Benelli factory, Urbino Italy Ethos shotgun
How about this amazing Ethos?
Benelli factory, Urbino Italy Raffello
Note the clear polymer furniture on this Raffello
Benelli factory, Urbino Italy concept gun on display
This one could be right from the 2045 catalog cover. 
Benelli factory, Urbino Italy concept gun on display
The Raffellos are high-end Intertia-driven Benelli autoloaders

More in my column at Guns.com.

Czech You Later: CZ 75 B, CZ 75 BD, and CZ 75 Compact Discontinued

Posted on by Leave a comment

Cue the funeral dirge for a few classic CZ models that are being escorted out of the company’s pistol catalog this year. 

CZ announced on Thursday that 2026 will “mark the conclusion of production for three CZ 75 models: the CZ 75 B, CZ 75 BD, and CZ 75 Compact.”

CZ 75 B
The all-steel firing pin block-equipped CZ 75 B was introduced in 1993 as an updated, second-generation version of the original Cold War “Pre-B” CZ 75 model and was the standard for the company for the past three decades. (Photo: CZ)
CZ 75 BD
The CZ 75 BD variant features a decocker (hence the “D”) in addition to the firing pin block and arrived on scene in 1997. (Photos: CZ)
CZ 75 compact
Meanwhile, the CZ 75 Compact debuted in 1992 and chopped about an inch off the slide and frame and a half-inch off the grip to trim the pistol down for concealment while still keeping a 16+1 magazine capacity.  (Photos: CZ)

The move will close out several of the classic era CZ 75 models, save for the new CZ 75 Legend, introduced as a 50th anniversary product for the series. Also still in production will be the assorted SP/P-01 series CZ 75s, the alloy-framed CZ 75 D PCR and the CZC A-01 line, the latter being a CZ Customs-tuned model.

The company noted in a release that the discontinued pistols “have each played an important role in carrying the CZ 75 design forward,” and “have been valued by shooters for their balance, craftsmanship and proven design, becoming lasting parts of the CZ lineup and of the shooting experiences of generations of customers.”

Of course, new old-stock models are still circulating around, at least for now, but will probably start commanding a premium as CZ collectors move to round out the holes in their gun safes.

I’ve known about the new Benelli M2-G1 for a bit…

Posted on by Leave a comment

While the original circa 2004 Benelli M2 was a linear development of the M1/Super 90 line of semi-automatic shotguns, which were first introduced in 1986, the line has always used the Inertia style recoil-operation system as its heart.

There have been few complaints about the classic Benelli M2 Tactical that we have heard. I had one from about 2005 through 2016 and ran case after case through it without notable issues. I put it through several courses and loaned it out to others going to schools, all with good feedback.

classic Benelli M2 Tactical
Ol’ Papa Eger’s Benelli M2 of yesteryear with an aftermarket mag tube, at rest on a Navajo saddle pad sometime around 2015. No M-LOK. No optics. No lights. No Pic rails. Super rubbery furniture. Man, we used to be wild, didn’t we? 

While a classic that delivers a clean, reliable, and adjustment-free system, Inertia takes a back seat to gas-operated piston systems such as the Benelli M4’s ARGO (Auto-Regulating Gas-Operated) system.

Gas guns provide a softer “push” for the user by significantly reducing felt recoil, while also reliably cycling a much wider variety of loads. Plus, gas guns hold up better to high-volume shooting such as in extended military and duty use.

So why not take an M2, give it a gas system upgrade very similar to what is seen on the vaunted “bombproof” M4, and add other upgrades? All purposely engineered to run cleaner, require less maintenance, and stay ready when it matters most.

Well, then you get the new M2-G1.

I recently traveled to the land of spaghetti and preserved meats to get the scoop on it.

The Benelli M2-G1
The Benelli M2-G1 is the company’s first gas-operated M2 autoloading tactical shotgun. Designed and built for hard use. (Photos: Chris Eger/Guns.com)
The Benelli M2-G1
We saw the new M2-G1 begin to feed through the line at Urbino from raw materials to components…
The Benelli M2-G1
…to final assembly and proofing.  
The Benelli M2-G1
A new face headed from Italy to shelves across the U.S., with availability starting this week. 

Read the full review in my column at Guns.com. 

KelTec Bullpup Shotguns: Holding the Maritime Line off Korea

Posted on by One comment

Florida-based KelTec announced last week that a major Pacific Rim maritime agency has once again selected the company’s tactical bullpup shotgun for use on patrol.

The South Korean Coast Guard has long used the well-reviewed (once you get used to it) KelTec KSG, with some 200 of the shotguns already in service, dating back to 2015. A new contract, signed in June, will continue that trend with the pump-action shotguns used across its patrol vessels.

The South Korean Coast Guard traces its lineage to 1953 during the Korean War and has some 10,000 personnel. Like the USCG, its Korean counterpart conducts law enforcement missions, polices the country’s maritime borders, and enforces fisheries regulations, among other tasks.

It has several large frigate-sized white-hulled cutters, including the 6,500-ton KCG Sam Bong and KCG Lee Cheong Ho, as well as numerous smaller patrol boats.

The Korean Coast Guard patrol vessel KCG Sam Bong (ARS 5001). She carries a forward 40mm Doosan DST “No Bong” twin DP Gun, a 20mm Sea Vulcan, six GPMGs, and a small arms locker– including KelTec KSGs. (Photo: KCG)

The KSGs are officially for non-lethal use, akin to how the Remington 870P is used for firing LA51 flash-bang warning devices in the USCG, but, you know, some slugs and buck are on the shelf just in case.

Per KelTec:

The KSG Tactical serves in a less-lethal role, firing rubber and impact rounds during maritime interdiction operations, including efforts to deter illegal fishing activity in Korean waters.

The South Korean Coast Guard also has several special response units such as the SSAT (Sea Special Attack Team), and the KSG-12 has been seen with them as well as in the hands of the Black Berets of the South Korean Army’s 707th Special Missions Group, used as a breaching gun with the latter.

The KelTec KSG was officially unveiled at the SHOT Show in 2011 and has undergone several generational changes while the line has simultaneously expanded.

KelTec Enters the PDW Pistol Game with a Modded SUB2000: Meet the Nub Sub

Posted on by Leave a comment

Florida-based KelTec continues its established trope of delivering strange yet intriguing new guns to the market, introducing the SUB-SDP last week.   

The pistol, dubbed the “Nub Sub” in the company’s own marketing materials, is based on the KelTec SUB2000 folding carbine, made into a pistol format and sporting a stabilizing brace instead of a stock on a shorter extension tube and a 6-inch barrel.

Set up to take Glock-pattern 9mm double stacks (i.e., G17, G19, G45), the base model ships with a Magpul 15-round magazine. Weight is 3.57 pounds, while the overall length goes from 10 inches with the pistol folded to 17.7 inches when extended.

While at first the Nub Sub seems funny, compare it to similar products such as the Flux Raider, which costs two to three times more, and the laughing slows.

It may not stop, but it at least slows.

Plus, you have to love the release video, done by the folks over at Offensive Marketing.

A Semi-Auto 12 Gauge for all Seasons: Meet the Smooth new Beretta A400 Solo

Posted on by Leave a comment

I got a sneak peek to try out the newest A400 series autoloading shotgun before Beretta debuted it last week at the Ducks Unlimited Expo.

Beretta has been an autoloading shotgun maker for over 70 years, having introduced the pioneering gas-operated system Model 60 in 1955. Fast forward to the 1990s, and the company’s superb AL390/391 series had picked up the mantle, but the company’s shotgun dev team thought it could do better.

After three years of development, 8,000 hours of engineering, 2,000 hours of testing, and more than 100,000 shells fired through prototypes and production models, the A400 Xplor Unico debuted in November 2009. Incorporating Steelium barrels, the B-Link gas operating system, and a Kick-Off recoil reduction system that utilized hydraulic dampers inside the stock, the new shotgun was set up for success, and, by the start of 2026, Beretta had 19 different models in the A400 family, priced between $1,949 and $3,699.

We’ve covered the A400 story for over a decade and have extensively reviewed the most popular model, the A400 Xtreme Plus. They are good guns.

But now we have the new A400 Solo, which has a much lower starting price ($1,549 MSRP in black synthetic) while keeping the same Steelium, B-Link, and Kick-Off trinity that has made the series a success.

The gun is designed as a sort of do-all “only sporting shotgun you need,” covering target and hunting uses, hence the “Solo” moniker. Even though it is a magnum (3-inch) chamber and not a bigger 3.5-inch super magnum, the Solo should have no issue with most waterfowl hunts, especially considering improvements in modern shotshell technology.

Meet the new Beretta A400 Solo in its most basic form: black synthetic, 28-inch barrel, 12 gauge. (All photos except noted: Chris Eger/Guns.com)

The Solo is engineered to thrive in the toughest hunting environments.  

Quick summary:

Beretta has nothing further to prove on the A400 series when it comes to high-value and soft-recoiling hunting shotguns. Yet, the Italian-made A400 Solo was just introduced and includes some nice updates to the platform like the cleaner-running B-Link Pro gas system and improved trigger pack. What can you say, the company makes good shotguns.

Head on over to my column at Guns.com for the full 1,800-word review. 

« Older Entries