Category Archives: Industry News

Industry News

Hartman Optics MH1 Reflex Sight

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Phil at TFB has the scoop on the just-announced Hartman Optics MH1 Reflex Sight.

Bizarrely, no one notices that this sight is very similar to the MSE-AQC sights that CAA was selling a couple years ago, also designed by Mikey Hartman. Optic control via PTT cable, German-post-esque reticle, huge window, etc. The MH1 seems to improve on the MSE-ACQ by dumping the switchable reticle in favor of motion-sensing on/off and USB charging and brightness configuration. While the USB recharging is a bit of a gimmick, customizing the sight’s brightness levels and other settings via USB is a clever idea that could be the next big thing.

Street price is going to be the make or break, I think. You can buy the Mepro Tru-Dot RDS at Amazon for $335, which is really a terrific deal for a combat-grade reflex sight. It is really unclear to me that anyone is going to spend 50% more on a sight without that sort of heritage. I just don’t think I’d spend $150 more for a slightly fancier reticle and USB configuration.

Industry News

FAB Defense releases 30rd AR-15 and AK mags

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ultimag ak

I guess I missed this because of high holidays, but FAB Defense has announced their 30rd AR-15 and AK magazines under the brand name of “Ultimag”. I’ve heard they’ve been in the wild for a few months, but expect a US appearance soon.

The AR mag is your standard windowed polymer magazine. I assume it is meant for export to non-US countries, given the complete market dominance of the Magpul “pmag” in the USA. FAB Defense might also try to sell them to the IDF domestically – they bought 10k CAA mags a few years back, and I suspect there’s a lot more aluminum magazines to replace given how often they become unusable due to dents.

The AK magazine is similar to Magpul’s MOE AK magazine, which is to say it doesn’t have steel-reinforced locking lugs. On the other hand, it does have a window, which makes it unique. I have had some evolution on my views of the necessity of a window on a magazine, but I admit that it’s a feature which can be construed as reasonably helpful. I am skeptical it will see much take-up in the USA, but I could see buying one for testing.

Industry News

X95 Preview @ TFB

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Sorry that content has been a bit sparse lately – a combination of high holidays and IRL zaniness has been conspiring against me. I have a few posts in the hopper that just need photographs to finish.

Still, I wanted to point out a new preview of the IWI X95 that was posted up by The Firearm Blog. Miles apparently got to use it at the recent bullpup shoot, and had some thoughts.

On the whole, I liked the article, but had some real quibbles with some of his criticism:

  • There’s nothing wrong with polymer rails on the sides and bottom if they work correctly. The main complaints about polymer rails are that they tend to break when used with a VFG, and they can have zero shift issues on the top when the gun heats up. The former doesn’t sound like an issue on the X95, and, as for the latter, the X95 doesn’t have a polymer top rail.
  • The constant complaints about plastic components. The AUG made these work quite well back in the 70’s. When are we going to accept that maybe materials science has advanced since Bakelite was invented?
  • The complaints about the barrel length. If this were a PCC, yes, I’d agree that the extra barrel length is useless. I always chop my PCCs! But you get somewhat improved ballistics in 5.56×45, enough so that the “extra” barrel length can be justified.
  • It’s hard to argue that the Tavor’s bolt release is not in a somewhat weird place. But the problem in actual usage is pretty minimal. In terms of reloads, you just rack the charging handle, which is conveniently located right above your support hand. And if your gun has failed badly enough you need to lock the bolt back, you’re not going to be shouldering it, and thus have two hands free for the manipulation. I suppose it’s annoying on the one-way range when you constantly need to show a clear chamber while the range is cold… but that’s not a high priority for me.
Industry News

Galil ACE Delayed

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According to a Facebook post by IWI-US, the Galil ACE release has been delayed:

As all of you know, we have been seriously delayed in bringing the Galil ACE to market. Suffice to say that we believe it is better to delay deliveries if a problem is discovered, rather than bring the product to market prematurely. (Most of the issues encountered were in converting full auto to semi-auto configuration.) In any case, here is our revised delivery schedule (which could still be modified if necessary):

Galil ACE pistol in 7.62x39mm – September, 2015
Galil ACE pistol w/Stabilizing Brace, 7.62x39mm – October, 2015
Galil ACE rifle, 7.62x39mm – late October/early November, 2015

Galil ACE pistol in 7.62 NATO – January, 2016
Galil ACE pistol w/Stabilizing Brace, 7.62 NATO – February, 2016
Galil ACE rifle, 7.62 NATO – March, 2016

Galil ACE 5.56 NATO – 2nd Quarter 2016

We apologize for these delays, but again, we want to make sure that what we bring to market meets our standards and your expectations.

I am not surprised, given the delays the Tavor and Uzi Pro had. I am also slightly skeptical of the reasons given, too – converting AK platforms to semi-auto is a well-known problem that is easily solved by widely-available parts. The parts diagram of the Galil ACE that I’ve seen doesn’t really seem to suggest that the FCG is any different than the Galil’s, either. Personally, I would theorize some sort of import-related issue, especially with the suggested uncertainty of even this revised delivery schedule.

On the other hand, this is good news in the sense that the pistol version is going to be out in 2-3 months, in time for the holiday buying season. That should be good news for the IWI-US bottom line.

Industry News

Uzi Pro Pistols in the wild!

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The Uzi Pro pistol is now “in the wild” and available for purchase. There are a number of them on Gunbroker, the lowest price being about $900 shipped.

The interesting thing here is that they look slightly different than the pre-release models we’ve seen previously – it looks like there is some sort of covered stock/”brace” attachment dovetail at the back. A best case scenario here would be that it can fit a regular Uzi Pro stock, which would then be presumably imported by IWI. In a less optimal case, I’m sure the aftermarket could figure something out – just have the mechanism to attach the stock is a big deal. Combine that with a folding grip, and you could have a cool SBR.

Of course, the really best case scenario would be a full-on 922r-compliant SBR kit with a US-made extended barrel, Israeli Uzi Pro lower, and Israeli Uzi Pro stock… but I really doubt that’s happening.

Industry News

CAA USA distributing Secubit GSC Gun Shot Counter for Glocks

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Sec-ubit-courtesy-commandarms.com_

CAA USA is now distributing the Secubit GSC Gun Shot Counter for Glocks (which I will just refer to as a GSC). Secubit is an Israeli firm which manufactures GSCs for the Glock and picatinny-rail-equipped rifles. It costs $100 for the Glock Gen3 version.

I’ve noticed a lot of whining online about “why would you need this?” I think it’s a rather useful tool for setting and complying with a maintenance schedule, not to mention understanding your shooting habits in more detail (such as split times). Whether it’s a hundred bucks useful… the jury is out. It would be a no brainer to me at a quarter of the price, but I’d need to be using it on a serious-competition race gun to justify spending a hundred bucks on it. I think there’s real merit in computerized statistics for firearms, and would like to see more hardware innovation in this area.

(H/T to TTAG!)

Industry News

Uzi Pro Pistol Coming Soon (supposedly)

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UZI-UP9S

RoverDave, a well-respected mod at the UziTalk forum, has posted that the Uzi Pro Pistol will be shipping in “2-4” weeks. If this pans out, we should be seeing Uzi Pro Pistols in stores by mid-to-late July. Sig brace versions will apparently follow “shortly after”, although I suspect “shortly after” might be “never”, given the recent BATFE statements on the braces.

You’ll recall that the Uzi Pro Pistol has an MSRP of $1109, so street prices will most like be around $900 once initial demand comes down. This is a lot of money, but the original Action Arms Uzi Pistols still sell for $1250 or more on Gunbroker, so there may be a market. I know I’m planning on picking one up!

Industry News

A Review of the Negev NG7

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While I would probably take any review from a national defense industry publication with a grain of salt, I just found an older article from Israel Defense that reviewed the new-ish 7.62×51 Negev NG7. Spoiler alert: they liked it a lot.

But, in fairness, the NG7 sounds like a hell of a gun. The NG7 is lighter than an M249 SAW, while packing a significantly bigger punch (7.62×51, instead of 5.56×45) and being far more comfortable to carry and hold.

Industry News

Want a compact Israeli handgun? Buy soon.

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While reviewing the product catalogs from Magnum Research and IWI-US, I noticed that neither of them are going to be importing the “compact” versions of either the BDE III or the Jericho. Perhaps they don’t feel these guns can compete in the concealed-carry marketplace? Assuming that Magnum Research drops the BDE II line, there will no longer be an option for a compact-size Jericho on the market.

Battle Ready International, however, did mention to me that they were trying to import the BUL M-5 Ultra-X, so there may be some hope in the future. The BUL M-5 Ultra-X will no doubt be expensive, but it is arguably the best choice out there for an “officer”-size double stack 9mm 1911.

Please note, though, that MR and IWI-US will both be releasing “semi-compact” guns that feature a shorter barrel/slide with the same-sized grip. These are perfectly fine guns, but many find them less usable for concealed carry due to the long(er) grip.