As you’ll recall from my review of the BUL Impact, I loved the pistol, but bemoaned the lack of a way to get a nice flush fit with the full length BUL M5 9mm magazines. There was a product image showing a sleeve adapter, but I had never seen one in the wild.
Well, if you can’t buy it… you build it. Or in my case, you 3D print it.
For the longest time, I was convinced that the BUL Cherokee Mini (which is to say, the Cherokee variant that has a smaller frame ala the Storm Compact) was never put into production, either as generation 1 or generation 2.
Imagine my surprise when someone at BUL corrected me, told me it was in current production, and sent me a picture! You can see it above. The interesting thing about the Cherokee Mini is that it’s chambered in .380ACP. I’m guessing that it might be selling well with the current events in Israel.
I also have a picture of a gen 1 Cherokee Mini (9mm), but I don’t know if that ever made it out the door.
One mystery that consistently driven me a bit crazy is the subject of whether BUL M-5 Ultra magazines are compatible with the BUL Impact, and vica versa. I finally have an answer. As you can see in the above picture, the difference between the two magazines is the follower. The Impact magazines (seen on the right) have a slightly different follower with a higher left hand side to push up the Impact’s slide stop. The M-5 magazines (on the left) have a “normal” profile follower without the raised edge. You can use either magazine type in either gun, but the M-5 magazines won’t actuate the slide stop on the Impact, and the Impact magazines will require more force to release the M-5’s slide on an empty magazine.
Given that proper Ultra-X magazines appear to be going for astronomical ($100+) prices these days, being able to use DDA mags should be very financially helpful to owners of the Charles Daly M-5 Ultra-X and the Kimber Ten II Ultra.
TheFirearmBlog has a terrific article up on the usage of the Ruger 10/22 to suppress violent riots by Palestinians. Apparently, someone noticed that an unsuppressed Ruger SR-22 had made it over to Israel and was being used. That particular model has not been seen before, so it’s news. We’ve linked other articles on the 10/22’s usage in Israel before. I am personally waiting to see the IDF deploy some 10/22s tricked out with FAB Defense stocks.
The big takeaway from the article is really at the bottom and in the comments section, where’s there’s discussion of the rules of engagement for the 10/22. The rules are stricter than they were back in 2001, but it’s still in play for injuring violent protesters and shooting rock/molotov throwers. Shooters are supposed to go for non-lethal shots unless things get too crazy, but 22lr is still a lethal round.
TFB doubles down on the Israeli goodness with a write-up on the original Tavor 3x magnifier. The current Tavors use a Mepro 3x magnifier, but the first run was apparently reticle-less Trijicon TA33s. It’s a bit surprising that Trijicon never tried to release them in the US – they would have been an option at a $500 price point with a decent QD mount. (Probably too heavy to compete in the market?)
I recently reviewed a gen 1 BUL M5 in 9mm, and suffice it to say, I think it’s one of the best double-stack 1911 options on the market if you can find magazines for it (which I did, finally).
But, mine was a stock gun, and I’ve never really owned a proper race gun. So, I decided that I could take a chance on a handgun I paid $400 for (not to mention it being a bit of a mutt with a Springfield-marked frame), and decided to do some modifications to it to bring it up to competition standards. It was an adventure, and I have some tips to share.
One of the big advantages of the upcoming Galil ACE line from IWI is the ability to take standard magazines. While I have no particular problem with Galil mags, they’re pretty much proprietary to the Galil (well, and the SiGalil). Being able to use AK, AR-15, and SR-25 (“DPMS-style”) magazines is a big step forward for the Galil platform.
One lesser-known feature of the Galil, though, is that with some work and an adapter, you can get it running AR-15 magazines.
I was alerted to a very nice write-up on Rugertalk about the suppressed IDF 10/22 variant. No pictures of any with the new FAB Defense stock, but I’m sure they’re coming as the situation in Israel heats up.
Several of the comments I’ve seen on the IDF 10/22 gripe about the “Maglite suppressor”. My theory is that the rifle used an integral suppression system like the Great Lakes Tactical system (but cruder), and that the knurled part of the suppressor/barrel is actually to give the soldier some grip to unscrew the suppressor covering for cleaning the rifle. The similarity to a Maglite is unfortunate, but makes sense.
I am finally getting to the end of Jewish holidays, but real life continues to be “exciting” (but not bad!). I recently won a rare BUL Storm Compact off Gunbroker for a very reasonable price, so I am eager to see how that turns out.
One of the key deficiencies of the Galil series of rifles is optics mounting capability (or lack thereof). In all fairness, the Galil’s service rifle competitors at the time of its design weren’t barn-burners in this area, either. You could make a reasonable argument that the M14 wasn’t a bad platform for optics, but pretty much everything else under the sun (FAL, AK, G3, M16A1, etc.) had serious issues. It wasn’t until the mid-90’s and the introduction of the flat-top M4 carbine that shooters got more comfortable options on black rifles.
However, due to the Galil’s popularity as a sexy retro rifle, modern shooters often want a way to get some optics on it. What are the options? Read on.
A recurrent “theme” (read: whine) I’ve had about BUL handguns is that the magazine and parts situation is somewhat dire, especially on the 9mm side. On a tip, I did find someone who stocks BUL M-5 magazines and parts. Ask for Lou at All America Sales (870-544-2809). He was able to source some stuff for me that I had a lot of difficulty finding otherwise, and his prices were quite reasonable (to the point where I was wondering if he wasn’t getting out of sourcing these parts to begin with).
I am in the process of upgrading my M-5 using those parts, and should have an article on that process soon.
I bought a copy of the Guns Handgun Annual 1985 article on the Sirkis SQP in the hopes of learning more about it. I was not disappointed!
The article confirms that it was indeed a squeeze-cock gun (versus just a front grip safety). OAL was to be seven inches, with a barrel just a tad under four inches (so, more like the Walther PP than the PPK). The action was direct blowback, much like the SD9, but this version had a bolt hold open. Caliber was 9mm with a 9 round capacity. The grips were supposedly rubber instead of plastic.
Perhaps more intriguingly, there were plans for tritium night sights and a 22lr kit. The article also claims that the SQP and SD9 were in production simultaneously. I find this hard to believe, since I think Interarms would have imported some back when they got in the SD9.
The Hebrew Hammer 