A byproduct of the development of the Swedish Ljungman battle rifle, the Rasheed, in the end, is just really different.

Using a 10-round magazine, wooden stock, 20.5-inch barrel, underfolding bayonet, and 7.62x39mm caliber, the Rasheed (also seen as Rashid) has a lot of similarities to the SKS, but it comes from a totally different family tree. A derivative of the Egyptian-made 8mm Hakim rifle– which itself is a take on the Swedish AG-42B Ljungman– this direct-impingement rifle was something of a stunted branch, developmentally speaking, and very few were made.

Eric and Chad with IV8888 cover the 1960-vintage ‘Sheed in a video above, while American Rifleman offers a second look on the lineage, below.

The post Wonky SKS that isn’t: The Egyptian Rasheed carbine (VIDEOS) appeared first on Guns.com.

A commercial variant of the FN MK20 SSR long-used by special operations units, the new SCAR 20S offers a long-range option right out of the box.

Announced earlier this month, the 20S variant of FN’s SCAR, runs a 20-inch, 1-in-12-inch twist, heavy profile barrel atop a lengthened receiver and stock that is adjustable for LOP and comb height. A Geissele Super SCAR two-stage match trigger is standard as are an ambi safety lever and mag release.

For his take on the new FN 7.62x51mm NATO marksman rifle with a $4,400 MSRP– and how the gun varies from both the standard SCAR 17 and SSR– is Larry Vickers in the above spot.

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Stan Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber, spent most of his life in the comics industry– with a break for WWII service in the Army– and with fellow artists, co-created legions of iconic characters, many of whom carried guns. (Photos: Lee during his military service, via U.S. Army/Lee at a 2011 Comic-Con event with servicemembers, via, U.S Coast Guard)

Longtime Marvel Comics head and chronicler of superpowers both real and portrayed, Stan Lee, died in Los Angeles on Monday.

Lee, born Stanley Martin Lieber in 1922, grew up in the Bronx and by age 17 was working at Timely Comics, a company that would later grow into Marvel. Some seven months before the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor brought the country into World War II, Lieber, using the pseudonym Stan Lee, wrote his first comic, Captain America #3. Setting down his pencils, Lee soon put on a uniform and joined the Army Signal Corps shortly after hearing of “The Day Which Shall Live in Infamy,” working as a lineman before his skills were put to better use in making training films.

While Lee, along with now-celebrated artists such as Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and John Rimota, would help invent and shepherd hundreds of characters post-war, he is best known for his hand in crafting Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, and the X-Men.

An unsung superhero skill, often highlighted in Marvel comics over the past half-century, are firearms in the hands of those fighting, more or less, for good. Among Lee-created characters who were good with a gun were “Dum Dum” Dugan, Sgt. Nick Fury, various S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents, and others. Later, as Marvel’s publisher, he green-lighted firearm-centric characters such as The Punisher, Rocket Racoon and War Machine– whose symbols, themes and tie-ins can often be found today at every shooting range and gun show in the country.

Even characters that Lee created without firearms later often used them. Spider-Man packed heat in the 2009 Noir series by David Hine, released while Lee was still at least a Marvel figurehead, as did Red She-Hulk. A running gag in the popular Marvel films of late is the inclusion of a cameo by Lee. During one, he portrays a Glock-armed security guard at the Smithsonian, earning his own entry into the IMFDB.

Moving past Marvel, the comic book master helmed and appeared in Stan Lee’s Superhumans, a documentary series that aired for three seasons on the History Channel. Based on a format of searching for those with almost super-human abilities, the second episode featured the famous Bob Munden, billed as perhaps the fastest and most accurate exhibition shooter of his day. The 27th episode, “Rapid Fire” showed off Jerry Miculek‘s shooting ability.

Lee’s passing was widely noted and he was publicly mourned across social media Monday, including by the Army and NASA.

pic.twitter.com/dTdDjRvXbs

— stan lee (@TheRealStanLee) November 12, 2018

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Colt and FN both received a contract modification for M4 and M4A1 carbines worth over $88 million apiece (Photo: U.S. Army)

The Pentagon last week announced that two of the largest makers of M4 and M4A1 carbines could expect some more government work.

On Thursday the Department of Defense posted that both Colt and FN America were awarded an $88.6 million contract modification by the U.S. Army Contracting Command to run through Sept. 2020 for M4s. The award is an extension of $212 million contract split between the two companies in 2015. The companies originally were picked from a field of six who submitted bids.

Colt will conduct the work at the company’s West Hartford, Connecticut factory while FN will perform their work in Columbia, South Carolina.

Colt developed the carbine as the XM4 in the 1980s from the shorter-barreled Colt Commando-series in conjunction with the M16A2, with an eye to replacing the service’s aging M3 “Grease Gun” SMGs. Adopted as a stop-gap while the Army researched the Objective Individual Combat Weapon program– which promised a leap forward in small arms that never fully materialized– the M4 was first fielded with the Army in 1994 and has been widely adopted across the military ever since.

Although USSOCOM has moved to replace the rifle with FN SCARs and H&K 416s for some special operations units, the Army has been busy in the past several years with the M4A1+ program, an initiative to upgrade the guns with a heavier barrel, ambi controls, and a full-auto capability in lieu of the long-standard 3-round burst. About 150,000 guns have been so modified by the Army in-house since 2014.

Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, has been pushing a drive for as many as 100,000 new Next Generation Squad Weapons in a new 6.8mm chambering, to replace the 5.56mm M4 and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon in select front-line units. Thus far, four companies — AAI, FN, General Dynamics, PCP, and Sig Sauer — have been tapped to produce prototypes.

The post Colt, FN split $177 million Army M4 contract awards appeared first on Guns.com.

What happened was not surprising. The gun my bride picked — a Glock 19 9mm — was one she had steadfastly refused to consider. The Bersa was forgotten entirely.

The post No Try, No Buy: Only A Fool Buys A Carry Gun Without Shooting It First appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

Geissele doesn’t just do things. They do them with style. Can you get an aftermarket trigger for a Remington 700 from someone else? Yes. But why would you?

The post Geissele Super 700 Trigger: The Best Money You Can Spend on Your 700 appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

Accurate shooting is based on repeatability and consistency. Tapers allow perfect, consistent alignment between barrels, muzzle devices, and silencers.

The post The Magic of Tapers as They Relate to Firearms appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

The M&P 45 2.0 might not have been a sales dynamo, but to discerning clients, it made waves. As far as ergonomics go, Smith & Wesson did an excellent job.

The post M&P 45 2.0 – Reviewed appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

Just hours after the killings by a lone gunman in a California bar, Democrats began lining up to demand more gun control, an issue that fell off the map during the midterm congressional elections despite the shootings in a Pittsburgh synagogue.

Thirty or so years ago, the revolver was the predominant self-defense handgun. Though many still carry a revolver today, competency in the manipulation of wheel guns for self-defense is, if not a lost art, a skill that most revolver carriers lack. And not knowing how to run a revolver can get you or a loved one killed or injured.

The post Big Wheel Keep on Turnin’: Running the Revolver for Self-Defense appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

A must have for any gun collector or enthusiast, the new Ruger AR-556 MPR in 450 Bushmaster is a pleasure to shoot as well as look at.

The post The New Big Boy on the Block: Ruger AR-556 MPR in 450 Bushmaster appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

The votes have all been cast in the 2018 midterm elections. And while the counting and recounting is still under way in some places, the overall picture that has emerged soundly refutes the breathless media narrative of a massive “blue wave” that would conclusively repudiate the Trump presidency. 

Among the celebs calling for more focus on mental health as well as gun control in the wake of the Thousand Oaks, Calif. mass shooting is Ashton Kutcher, who also told a story about how he obtained a gun he says he’s never used.

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who plans to return as Speaker in the next Congress, declared Thursday that gun control will be a priority under the newly elected Democratic majority. 

Democrats say they will pass the most aggressive gun-control legislation in decades when they become the House majority in January, plans they renewed this week in the aftermath of a mass killing in a California bar.

The Hi Power has the dubious distinction of being the only production firearm to see general issue among both Allied and Axis forces during World War II. It's still in service throughout the world today.

The post The Browning Hi Power: The Superlative WWII Combat Handgun That Played Both Sides appeared first on GunsAmerica Digest.

If you are in the market for some pre-owned warships, the Royal Australian Navy wants to make a deal. Working through a commercial service, the Navy advertised the HMAS Hawkesbury and HMAS Norman for sale “Sold As Is Where Is.”

The 172-foot long mine hunters have composite hulls designed to “flex inwards if an undersea explosion occurs nearby,” which is always a good thing.

HMAS Hawkesbury, left, and HMAS Norman are Huon-class coastal mine hunters commissioned in 2000. They have been in reserve for the past seven years. (Photo: Royal Australian Navy)

Built in 2000 as part of a six-ship class to an Italian design, both Hawkesbury and Norman were laid up in 2011 and have been in storage ever since while the other four ships have remained with the fleet.

Sadly, it looks like their DS30B 30mm Bushmaster cannons and M2 .50-cal machine guns have been removed, but the vendor offering them for sale suggests they could be turned into luxury yachts or charter vessels.

The vendor suggests they could be converted to charter vessels or yachts. (Photo: Grey Online)

Not mentioned is a Jacques Cousteau/Steve Zissou-style recycle.

No price is listed but the vendor, Grays Online, does caution that the ships have had their shafts and propellers removed and would have to be towed off by the buyer, saying, “inspection is highly recommended.”

The post Looking for a good deal on a pair of gently used minesweepers? (VIDEOS) appeared first on Guns.com.

The KC9 offers a 9mm 1911 design that offers custom features. (Photo: Ed Brown Products)

Ed Brown Products kicks off its Evolution Series with the new KC9, delivering a smaller, thinner and lighter 1911.

Inspired by the Ed Brown Bobtail 1911, the 9mm chambered KC9 features a re-engineered slide measuring 4-inches and boasting a 7-top custom cut with front and rear serrations. The pistol also incorporates a recessed slide stop, smaller ledge-style rear sight and bull barrel. The design is topped off with a new external extractor and flat wire recoil spring system.

“We have made it our goal to make Ed Brown the first choice in custom 1911s. Why settle for less, when you can own the best,” Sales and Marketing Director John May said in a press release. “This is another step to make sure that our customers have the best quality product, at the best possible price.”

Built in small, custom batches the KC9 is backed by Ed Brown’s Lifetime Warranty. The KC9 is available through Ed Brown Products dealers, featuring a MSRP of $1,895.

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While not many “mouse guns” are in production today, for generations small .25 ACP and .22LR pistols were carried and used, so, with the right ammo, are they still a viable option today?

That’s the question posed by Lucky Gunner’s Chris Baker as he takes a look at the two calibers with an eye to ballistic effectiveness. Keep in mind that palm-sized popguns designed for personal protection such as the .25ACP Colt Vest Pocket and Baby Browning predate WWI and WWII, respectively while .22LR-chambered double derringers and the Beretta Jetfire have bracketed that range both before and after.

With that being said, likely tens of thousands of these little guys are still in circulation and shouldn’t automatically be ruled out for continued service.

The post Having the conversation over pocket gun calibers (VIDEOS) appeared first on Guns.com.

The AxisBlu system pairs with mobile devices offering Bluetooth entry into gun safes. (Photo: S&G)

Sargent and Greenleaf, a division of Stanley Security, brings a new lock known as the AxisBlu to gun owners looking to introduce a little technology into their gun storage.

AxisBlu utilizes Bluetooth and a mobile app to remove the need for keyed entry into gun safes. Paired with S&G’s lock components, the AxisBlu is easy-to-install according to S&G. Featuring an “unobtrusive” medallion, the system connects through Bluetooth to user’s smart devices via an app that grants remote access to the safe. The system offers a 30-foot radius and has the ability to pair with up to five smart devices.

S&G says the AxisBlu provides multiple layers of authentication to protect safe contents from unauthorized individuals. The AxisBlu system is available with a keypad to grant access manually or through the app. The AxisBlu app is free and compatible with Android and iPhones.

“With AxisBlu, our customers have the best of both convenience and security,” Keith Deaton, COO of Sargent and Greenleaf, said in a news release. “We’ve combined the latest Bluetooth technology with our proven lock body to create a new option for safe security – void of a keypad – by accessing your safe via your mobile app.”

He added, “We hope AxisBlu will help the end user, for example, safely secure their firearms with ease from their mobile device.”

AxisBlu is offered in three packages — a Medallion Kit, Battery Keypad and Quick Mount Keypad. All three kits retail for $195.

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