#Sas

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Embassy Siege that spanned from the morning of 30th April to 5th May 1980, in London. During that event, a group of six men from an area of Iran, dubbed locally as “Arabistan,” stormed the Iranian Embassy in London to take hostages in order to negotiate the release of Arabistani prisoners held by Iran and to gain more control over their claimed territory. Eventually, the British Special Air Service (SAS) took control of the situation, in the hopes that future would-be terrorists would think twice about messing with the United Kingdom.

As we fast approach the 40th anniversary of the Iranian Embassy Siege that took place in London from April 30 to May 5, 1980, let’s take a look back at the weapons of the era as depicted in the movie “6 Days”. Having been born during this event, I’m fascinated by the firearms and equipment, and how they’ve evolved since.  In this two-part series, we’ll first take a look at the guns of the hostage takers from “Arabistan,” then, in Part 2 we’ll look at the weapons of the British Special Air Service (SAS).

A few months ago TFB was allowed an exclusive sneak peek at SIG Sauer’s newest iteration of the P365 subcompact pistol. Like the rest of the snag-free versions of SIG’s popular carry guns, the new P365 SAS features rounded edges, recessed controls, and an overall slick profile. However, this new CCW-focused gun goes several steps beyond just buffing out the rough edges. The most notable feature is the lack of a traditional front/rear sight system. Instead, the P365 SAS includes an embedded holographic tritium/fiber optic sight that aligns the target with a dot inside a dot. The result is a slick slide without any protruding sights to get in the way of a smooth draw from a concealed location.

I have never shot one myself, but I have heard rumors that short-barreled Heckler & Koch G3s are quite nasty to shoot.

During a counter terrorism operation in Newcastle in the UK British counter terrorism police were joined by operators believed to be members of the British Army’s elite SAS. A 33 year old suspect was arrested on the 11 December during the operation. Armed police, specialist Counter Terrorist Specialist Firearms Officer and members of the UK’s SAS took part in a morning raid in Newcastle’s Arthur’s Hill area.

Remember that iconic photo of Margaret Thatcher and the SAS just after they successfully rescued the hostages in the Iranian embassy back in the 80s?

The New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) is procuring two long range rifles from US manufacturer Barrett Firearms Manufacturing. The island armed forces will be purchasing the .50 BMG caliber M107A1 anti materiel rifle as well as the .338 Lapua Magnum caliber Multi Role Adaptive Design (MRAD) sniper rifle. The rifle buy is for forty M107A1 anti material rifles, forty two MRAD sniper rifles, and optics, suppressors, accessories, packaging, and all other ancillary equipment as part of a “total system” purchase. The weapons are a part of the New Zealand Defence Force’s modernization effort, which has included new handguns, infantry rifles, machine guns, and other weapons. According to NZDF material released along with the announcement, the MRAD sniper rifles will be replacing the NZDF’s legacy Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifles in 7.62mm NATO caliber, bringing a considerable increase in range and capability to New Zealand snipers. As well, M107A1 .50 caliber anti materiel rifles will give the NZDF the ability to attack vehicles and installations out to 1,500m. Both weapons are reportedly slated for use not only by the New Zealand Army, but the New Zealand Special Air Service (SAS), as well. Procurement of the weapons under a sole source contract followed six weeks of testing of several competing rifles in Waiouru, where more than 10,000 rounds were expended in evaluation.

I’ve been familiar with the American 180 as a range toy since my early interest in NFA items began over 20 years ago, but I never knew that they were used in combat by anyone, not least foreign special forces units until recently.    Recently, Douw Steyn, formerly of South Africa’s 4th Reconnaissance Regiment, related their use in combat during a joint South African/Rhodesian special operation in Mozambique.  Suppressed, they proved effective at close range. More importantly for the clandestine and deniable missions they were carried on, they were not traceable back to the governments of South Africa or Rhodesia.

If you’re in London please take time to visit one of the Imperial War Museums.

In recent months SIG Sauer has put a great deal of effort into improving and modifying the P-229. I first announced the Legion P-229 on October the 5th ( The Legion 229). Just yesterday I received an email from SIG Sauer announcing two more new models in the P-229 lineup will be available very soon. One could actually say there are three models. The new models are the SAS 40 S&W/.357 SIG as well as the Nitron in 40 S&W/.357 SIG. Both of these pistols can be converted to 9mm with the use of the new X-Change 9mm kit.

I’m a firm proponent of Micro red dot optics. They’re lightweight, unobtrusive, and provide an excellent aiming solution. I’ll use them on rifles, shotguns, handguns, doesn’t matter. I like the simple process of putting a dot on target and hitting it. Their liabilities are pretty universal between brands: How long is the battery life? Are they tough enough to withstand the rigors of real shooting? Are they worth the pricetag?

Kinetic Development Group has announced their SCAR Adaptable Stock System that uses a.. ACR stock? In short, its an adapter plate and the ACR’s folding stock. The system still allows the SCAR to function when folded and looks to resolve a common complaint about the rifle system, the “flimsy” stock.

According to the Daily Mail the SAS are looking at switching from the 5.56x45mm NATO round to a 7.62mm round. They seem unimpressed that their US counterparts have access to 7.62mm FN SCAR-H rifles and they are stuck with the M4-like 5.56mm Colt Canada/Diemaco C8 Carbine. An “insider” said …

I guess the real news would be if they were not!