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 …

I was talking with one of my brothers about some different calibers and velocities. Something we often talk about. This led to the IPSC’s Power Factor, which is simply Bullet Weight in Grains, Times Velocity, Divided by 1,000. This is an easy formula that one can use when comparing loads… but doesn’t take into effect Caliber. W x V / …

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 …

As I sat there listening to Rick Demilt, Director of Law Enforcement Sales and Marketing for FN Herstal USA, at the company’s corporate presentation at Shot Show 2002, I immediately realized that FN Herstal is on an absolute warpath to literally take over the law enforcement and military markets of the free world. This is not an exaggeration. The company’s …

While DefRev does not have any direct experience with Wilson Combat’s 5.56 tactical carbines, we felt they deserve attention. The three models Wilson makes are the UT-15 Urban Tactical, the M-4T Tactical Carbine, and the TL-15 Tactical Lightweight. All three tactical rifles are variations on the same theme, and seem to be very well made. Wilson Combat’s built a reputation …

The Sako M95, standard rifle of the Finnish armed forces, might just be the best assault rifle in the world(besides the Russian AN-94, AK-107, and AK-108, which are all not yet really in production). Available in both 7.62x39mm and 5.56x45mm, the M95 is basically an updated Kalashnikov, or rather, a Kalashnikov taken to its ultimate conclusion. Preceded by the M90 …

Russia has just come out with a new assault rifle that’s at home both on land and under water–an amphibious assault rifle, if you will. Known as the ASM-DT Special Multipurpose(Universal Two-Medium) Assault Rifle, this new 5.45mm rifle can equal the performance of the AK-74 on land, and the APS Underwater Assault Rifle in the water. Very cool stuff, indeed. …

Rock River Arms out of Cleveland, Illinois has come out with their own version of a LETC(Law Enforcement Tactical Carbine), and it’s called the LAR-15 LE. Features include a rather interestingly designed flattop receiver with full-length Picatinny rail, redesigned safety/fire selector lever, M4A1 double heat shield handguards, and match grade two-stage trigger. Barrel is heavy with 1:9" twist. Click on …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com Pete Kokalis has written an article in the latest issue of SAR(Small Arms Review) on a new rifle that’s designed to be sort of a quick-fix for the Colt M4 carbine. Anyone intimately familiar with the M4 carbine knows that it has some serious problems. These include reliability problems which involve gas system blow-outs, barrels wearing …

The new AK-103’s begin life as Saiga 7.62x39mm carbines, imported by Kalashnikov USA. They’re then sent out to DGS, Inc. of Fort Myers, Florida. DGS modifies the carbines, turning them into full-fledged shorty AK-100 series rifles. Kalashnikov USA used to work with another contractor for the conversions, but quality control was a problem. The new DGS conversions are supposed to …