by David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com May 6, 2003 Several months ago, DefRev attended the AUSA 2003 Winter Symposium (Feb. 26-28). During the show, we ran into the fine people at IMI (Israel Military Industries), and got a chance to handle their Tavor assault rifle variants, the Tavor TAR-21 Commando Carbine (shortened version of the Tavor assault rifle, …

by David Crane The U.S. Army has a new toy for off-road adventures in third world countries. It’s called the SmarTruck II. It comes complete with the latest global communications equpment, 360 degree video surveillance gear, and a dual SPIKE laser-guided missile launcher utilizing an 18-round magazine. The SmarTruck II is part of the U.S. Army’s overall movement towards a …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com This company has just come across DefRev’s radar. Troy Industries, Inc. appears to be a specialized small arms manufacturer with a specific focus on Special Operations applications and the CQB (Close Quarters Battle) role. According to the company, the Rock SOPMOD (Special Operations Peculiar Modification) M14 Commando Carbine has been designed under contract for the Naval …

Well, despite the fact that the Gorda SCH-21 looks like Frankenstein’s sister, the Russians might just have a nice little submachine gun on their hands here. Basically, it’s a cut-down AKM. Actually, it looks like someone took a hatchet to an AKM, did away with the upper part of the forearm, and moved the front site back all the way …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Just about everyone and their mother is making AR-15’s/M16’s these days, at least it seems like it, anyway. After all, it is one of the two most popular infantry rifle platforms on the planet, and no other rifle in the world can compete with the AR-15’s/M16’s upgradable nature, in terms of accessories and add-ons. One company …

By David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com October 5, 2002 I don’t know about the rest of you, but there’s just something about a 7.62x39mm caliber Mini-AK the size of a subgun that just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Who cares that it’s semi-auto only? Who cares that it doesn’t have a shoulder stock? It’s small, …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com A lot of gun people I know down here in Florida wear cargo pants. This is because cargo pants are lightweight and comfortable, and have big pockets into which you can put lots of stuff. As it happens, my personal philosophy is "the more pockets the better." When you combine this outlook with my "the more …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com The following article was written and published in June, 2002. It’s no secret that the performance of both the M4 Carbine and it’s 5.56x45mm caliber have, so far, been somewhat less than outstanding in the war against Al-Queda forces in Afghanistan. In short, the enemy hasn’t been dropping quickly enough when they are hit. Apparently, the …

Chances are, if you own an AR-15/M16 type rifle or carbine, and you’ve found this website, you’re already at least somewhat familiar with accessory rail mounting systems, which come in pretty handy for mounting all kinds of goodies such as optics, lasers, white lights, night vision devices, and vertical foregrips. Ya’ know–fun stuff. Well, Knight’s Armament, the same folks that …

Ramo Defense Systems is the current importer and marketer of the USAS-12 shotgun. The USAS-12, looking like an M16 that’s pumped a lot of iron while on a steady diet of anabolic steroids, can fire a variety of 12 gauge, 2 3/4 high velocity shells reliably, including slugs and fleshettes. The weapon is a gas-operated, magazine-fed weapon that utilizes a …