By Cap-n-D Despite the obvious benefit of arming pilots against terrorist attacks on our airlines, substantial opposition to the program is still being brought by the Air Transport Association and its member carriers. The most often sited concern is the air carrier’s liability for the actions of a Federal Flight Deck Officers (FFDO’S, or armed pilots) use of a weapon …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com I’ll just come right out and say it: if the the NewMatics PM16 Government Model PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic) Rifle/Carbine performs as advertised–and based on DefRev’s conversations so far with its designer/developer, Mark Schavone, we have every reason to believe that it does–it is a major advance in combat simulation tools, and can drastically improve the marksmanship …

by Tim Chandler “You’re not a S.E.A.L. ‘till you have eaten Italian steel…” Anonymous Thus begins the sordid tale of the M9 that is oft repeated in gun shops and firearms related web-boards the nation over. Anyone who asks questions about the Beretta M9/92 pistol long enough will inevitably hear about how a bunch of S.E.A.L. team members were killed/maimed/deformed …

by David Crane defrev (at) gmail (dot) com November 6, 2003 Last updated on 10/11/11. The 1911 pistol that Kimber is currently supplying to U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) MARSOC/Special Operations Command Detachment 1 operators, according to reports, differs from the Kimber Custom TLE/RL II in several key respects (The following information is, as yet, unconfirmed/unverified): 1) It utilizes Kimber's Series …

by Tim Chandler So you have the perfect AR15 with a properly tweaked extractor and equipment setup… And you have the perfectly reliable handgun on your hip for daily concealed carry… But do you really know how to use either of those tools well enough to save your life? Unfortunately, the answer to this question for many out there is …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com At last year’s SWAT Round-Up, I noticed that pretty much all the staff were wearing 5.11 Tactical Pants, and that these pants looked really good. I asked Mike Foreman, the Round-Up’s organizer and head honcho how he liked them, and he said they were great. Well that was enough for me. I’ve had three pairs of …

by David Crane **Note: This story contains links to previous DefRev stories that feature exclusive DefRev video footage of advanced tactical (select-fire) weaponry being fired.** I’ve been using these for almost a year now, and am extremely satisfied with them. Power Muffs Quad, made by Walker’s Game Ear, are both comfortable and highly effective for their intended use. They performed …

by David Crane defrev at gmail dot com There’s a new .50 BMG sniper/anti-materiel rifle in town, and it’s called the Cobb FA50(T). The "FA" stands for "Fast Action". The "T" stands for "tactical". The following is an email letter DefRev received from Cobb Manufacturing, Inc. President, Skip Patel, on the Cobb FA50(T) Fast Action .50 BMG rifle: "Dear David, …

by David Crane Kimber appears to have copied the Caspian Integral Light/Laser Rail Mount with their new integrated "Tactical Rail". This, of course, is good news, as an integral rail is always preferable to a screwed-on rail. However an integral rail doesn’t solve the reported reliability problems caused by Kimber’s Series II Safety system, which the author believes can potentially …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Included in Gary Paul Johnston’s October 2003 "Soldier of Fortune" article is some great info on both the Armalite Mid-Length Carbine and A.R.M.S. Mid-Length S.I.R. System. The Armalite Mid-Length Carbine was designed specifically to overcome the long-known gas system-related problems associated with the standard M4/M4A1, problems that have been plaguing end-users for years. These include greatly …