In the Israeli war of independence, the Haganah was using whatever weaponry it could get its hands on – Kar98ks, Sten guns, SMLEs, etc. But after the establishment of the state, the new IDF needed more of a standard service rifle – and that rifle needed to be modern and capable. Hence, the FN FAL rifle and FN FALO squad automatic weapon were purchased and, later, domestically manufactured. As is common with the FAL, these Israeli variants have their own peculiarities.

I happen to own a semi-auto build of an Israeli pattern FN FALO built on an Entreprise receiver. Some thoughts after the jump.

Continue reading The Israeli FN FALO →

Here’s a good joke:
Q: What’s the worst part about a handgun?
A: It’s not a rifle.

OK, maybe it wasn’t a good joke. But, still, the point remains: if the choice is between a handgun and a rifle, you are generally better off choosing the rifle. Rifles are easier to shoot, usually have better sights, and usually have better optics and accessories mounting options. If you asked me to grab a gun to defend my family, my Tavor would be the first thing coming into my hands.

But… what if your handgun could be a rifle? FAB Defense makes an innovative kit called the KPOS that converts many models of handgun into a “carbine (PDW)”. It is distributed in the USA by the Mako Group. In countries like Israel, where you can only buy a single handgun as a civilian, this increases the versatility of your weapon. In the United States, if you’re willing to pay the $200 tax to make an short-barreled rifle (SBR), it gives you what could very well be the lightest pistol caliber carbine on the market.

To me, this is basically a total conversion of the Glock 17 into a new weapon – an Israeli-designed weapon. And that makes it fodder for this blog. I took the plunge with my Glock 17 Gen3. What did I think? More after the jump.

Continue reading KPOS G2 (Glock 17) Review →

One of the exciting new entrants to the “combat grade but affordable” optics arena is the new Meprolight Tru-Dot RDS (Red Dot Sight). The Tru-Dot is an interesting combination of form factor and features, and retails at an MSRP of $400.

I purchased one for use on my Tavor. How did it go? More after the jump.

Continue reading Meprolight Tru-Dot RDS Review →

The Beretta M951 (aka, 1951) was the first real IDF standard issue handgun (insofar as the IDF uses handguns, which is rarely). You could make the argument that the Webley came before it, but the Webley was used more by the Haganah and other irregular forces prior to the IDF’s formation. Mine is a particularly interesting specimen – read on for more details.

Continue reading The Beretta M951 →

Inevitably, upon looking at the Kareen MkII or MkIII, the knowledgeable gun owner will pronounce it to be an Arcus 94 clone. “Look at the beaver tail! Look at the squared off trigger guard!” And, in fairness, this is a reasonable assumption to make. They really do look similar… but only at first glance. Read on for more about this interesting piece of Israeli firearms history.

Continue reading The KSN Kareen Mks II and III →