by David Crane david@defensereview.com Troy Industries, Inc. was a vendor at SWAT Round-Up 2003, and they showed up with this little bad boy–which is a whole lotta’ rifle in a compact, carbine-sized envelope. The SOPMOD M-14 Commando Carbine is a Spec-Ops-applicable 7.62x51mm semi-auto carbine. Features on the SOPMOD M14 include an A.R.M.S.-like 1913 picatinny rail system, ergonomic pistol grip, and …

The following is an advertisement that was submitted to Defense Review anonymously. Normally we don’t publish anonymous posts–and especially advertisements. However, we’re making an exception here as a courtesy to our members and readers who may have an interest in reading about the history of the Colt 1911 pistol and its precursors. We’ll research the source. Here it is: "Just …

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 David Crane I literally just found out about this. Joe Bonar was killed recently in a car accident that was, from reports we’ve heard, caused by another driver. Thank God Joe’s young son, who was in the car with him at the time, only suffered minor injuries, (again, according to reports). Joe was a master gunsmith, the top pistolsmith …

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 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 …

by David Crane Last week, I had the very real pleasure of speaking with John Jardine of Jardine’s Custom Gunsmithing over the phone. That conversation was a real eye opener, as Jardine seems to really know his stuff regarding 1911 pistols and 1911 pistol components. The Valtro 1998A1 1911 .45 pistol is Jardine’s brainchild. According to Valtro USA’s website, the …

by David Crane defrev at gmail.com August 06, 2003 Let me say right off the bat that this gun doesn’t just fill an existing niche. It, along with one other competing weapon(read “Addendum”), literally creates its own new niche. I’m talking about the .50 Beowulf “Entry” Carbine by Alexander Arms that I had the intense pleasure to shoot at SWAT …

by David Crane david@defensereview.com With the Tactical Police Shotgun (TPS), FNH USA has given a very old piece of technology an interesting and utilitarian facelift. From what DefRev understands, the FN TPS is a essentially a highly modified and updated Winchester 1300 pump shotgun. Those modifications/updates have resulted in a very modern-looking 12 gauge pump-action shotgun that "borrows" various tactical …