#5.56mm

Good morning everyone and welcome back to another quiet edition of TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the Resonator and Resonator K line of 7.62mm suppressors. Last week we ventured off into DIY land with a primer tutorial on how to build your own Form 1 suppressor (hint: start with an approved ATF Form 1). As soon as my government permission slip comes  back stamped, we’ll get to work. This week we look at the professionally manufactured Rex Silentium MG7 K 5.56mm rifle silencer. How quiet was the MG7 K? Lean in and I’ll tell you.

In the last few years, there has been an increase in the number of people who carry “truck guns” or vehicle-based guns in everyday life. It can be tricky navigating certain laws when it comes to truck guns but we won’t get into the legality. Maybe I’ll dive deeper into the legality in a later blog, but for now, let’s focus on the overall concept.

Deals of the Week number two, now with mags and ammo!

The 17th Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by Michael G.  This is one of the most complete submissions to date and includes prices.

We shoot 5.56mm Barnes 85gr open tip match ammunition from a 10.5″ AR15.com upper with a 1:7″ twist, 10.5″ barrel into Clearballistics ballistic gel to measure velocity, penetration, expansion/fragmentation, and retained weight.

We shoot 5.56mm IMI 77gr OTM ammunition from an AR15.com AR15 with a 10.5″ 1:7″ twist barrel into Clearballistics ballistic gel to measure velocity, penetration, expansion/fragmentation, and retained weight.

Last week we looked at the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 in depth while at the Institute of Military Technology in Florida. This week we are comparing the older design to the much more modern Knight’s Armament 5.56x45mm NATO Light Assualt Machine Gun (LAMG) that the company brought to SHOT Show last year and this year. In addition to the 5.56x45mm version, there is also a 7.62x51mm version as well. Hopefully we’ll be able to get an in-depth look at it in the future, but for the time being, we were only able to see the smaller caliber version.

As we gear up for the NRA Show in Dallas, Texas from May 4th – 6th we get some completely unexpected news. Springfield Armory has announced 2 new NFA firearms for consumers to build off of their increasingly popular SAINT line of modern sporting rifles. These are short-barreled rifle (SBR) derivatives of what are likely the 2 most popular rifles in that line-up. We now have the SAINT Edge SBR and the SAINT M-LOK Free-Float Handguard SBR.

Although exceedingly rare in service with any element of the Afghan National Security Forces, there are a very small number of 5.56x45mm NATO bullpup rifles in service with either the Afghan ANA Commandos or the National Directorate of Intelligence, or more commonly known as the Afghan version of the “CIA”.

The Stoner 86/ ARES LMG-1 unfortunately never received much fanfare in the time that it was produced. Originally intended as Eugene Stoner’s concept idea for the SAW trials in what would later become the FN Herstal M249, it never reached full production potential. Truly a shame considering the well thought out features of the weapon system. Essentially Stoner was really updating his Stoner 63 LMG from the Vietnam era, bringing it into the 1980s. Whereas the Stoner 63 was conceived as a modular small arm with the ability to be converted from rifle to carbine, or even to an LMG, the Stoner 86/ARES LMG-1 was produced with the sole intent of being a lightweight LMG that could either be belt fed or magazine fed.

Springfield Armory has been on a tear the last year with new iterations of the SAINT series of AR-15 firearms. First, Springfield Armory introduced the original SAINT model in October of 2016. They then followed up with an M-LOK free-float handguard version to many people’s delight. We at TFB then followed up with a thorough review of the SAINT M-LOK by our rifle savy and intelligent writer Thomas Gomez. The next in line for Springfield Armory was a Flat Dark Earth (FDE) variant of the original Keymod model. After that was a Cali-compliant version of the SAINT M-LOK that featured a Survivor System Stock. Then, I had the personal pleasure of seeing the unveiling of the SAINT AR-15 Pistol last November. The final firearm to come into the fold was a more premium rendition with the SAINT Edge.

Daniel Defense has a history of manufacturing marvelous rifles and has even produced a few pistols. Their newest introduction like all others is made in the USA, but also melds a Law Tactical Folding Adapter as an additional upgrade. This pistol is the DDM4V7 P, and it has aptly received that name because it is a pistol iteration of their DDM4V7 rifle.

In today’s episode, we follow Miles to Shot Show 2018 Media Day at the Range and visit Caracal USA.

I ran into the owner and designed at IC13, Josh Sprecher while on the show floor. Due to some technical issues, I wasn’t able to get actual photographs of the MOLLE bandoleer that Josh has come up with, and that we covered in earlier TFB articles. However, I was able to get my hands on the new 2018 products, which included a new fabric design, a different color, a “Rapid-Strap” that uses velcro to secure it to the belt, and can thus be quickly ripped off in case of an emergency.

Until now, the US Army’s 7.62mm XM1158 Advanced Armor Piercing (ADVAP) round has been a mystery. The round, which was rumored to be the basis for the now-cancelled Interim Combat Service Rifle (ICSR) program, is supposed to allow existing weapons in the 7.62x51mm caliber to defeat advanced body armor out to combat ranges. Speculations about its configuration ranged from an improved traditional tungsten cored round to a discarding sabot design firing uranium flechettes, but the answer to this mystery was recently revealed in an issue of the Picatinny Voice. The ADVAP, it seems, is built on the technology of the 7.62mm M80A1 EPR, but using a tungsten core. From the Picatinny Voice article by Audra Calloway: