Military

The U.S. Marine Corps is following the Army and Air Force in adopting SIG Modular Handgun System M17 and M18 pistols for service.

Almost every shooter in the US has heard of or seen the Mosin-Nagant rifle, due to the large volume of them that were imported over the last decade or so. The WWII variant was quite readily available and inexpensive until very recently.

On the night of June 5th, 1944, a force of 181 men commanded by Major John Howard lifted off from RAF Tarant Rushton aboard six Horsa gliders. Their force consisted of a reinforced company from the Oxford and Bucks Light Infantry along with twenty sappers drawn from the Royal Engineers. Their objective was to seize the bridge over the Caen Canal and subsequently secure the eastern flank of the Allied landings at Sword beach. Theirs was arguably the most critical piece in the entire D-Day invasion.

The Germans produced vast quantities of indigenous handguns, but they had to reach out to their occupied territories to meet the ever-growing demand. Early in the war most all of the pistols used by Germany were well built and effective. By the end around-the-clock strategic bombing had taken its toll. Even domestically produced versions became crude and rough. Those guns made by slave labor in the occupied territories were at times unsafe. Here is a brief roundup of the many-splendored handguns used by the Wehrmacht, Waffen SS, Luftwaffe, and Kriegsmarine during World War 2.

“They actually asked us if we can use wooden sticks, and can you see 12 men in full regalia and another 12 charging with wooden sticks saying ‘Bang bang!’ It just doesn’t have the same effect,” said Jim Entrican, one of the reenactors.

Cimarron Firearms, known for their solid replicas and popular Cowboy Action guns, is producing a limited edition run of Walker replicas with a special aged finish.

“We are in the process of conducting a thorough review of past cases to ensure that any prior failures to report are rectified and the appropriate information is provided to the FBI,” said Capt. Christopher R. Harrison, a spokesman for the Marines.

IWI is famous the world over for bullpup designs, and this year stepped out with Tavor 7, a feature-rich addition to the lineup. The Tavor 7 is chambered in 7.62×51, a first for IWI. The gun is obviously larger than the 5.56 Tavor series, going to a big boy caliber requires some additional materials. For the bulk though, you get a lot. The new Tavor 7 is only 3/4ths of an inch longer than the original model.

While the solicitation doesn’t call the PDW by its commercial name, it’s clear the military wants to play with SIG’s new MCX Rattler.