The Redwood Gun Guy

Introduction: The Brügger & Thomet (B&T) GHM9 is a pistol caliber carbine chambered in 9x19. The GHM9 was designed a built for the civilian market, (likely to compete with the CZ Scorpion, more on that later) but shares many features with the B&T APC9 that just recently was adopted as a PDW for the US Army. B&T is known for its high-quality Swiss firearms as well as being an importer/distributor of tactical accessories and clothing. The GHM9 is widely seen in a pistol format, typically with a pistol brace instead of a stock, in order to make the firearm more easily accessible on the US market without the need for a tax stamp. Technical Details: The GHM9 functions via a simple blowback system. This means that there is no locking mechanism when the bolt is closed. All of the pressure from firing is contained through both the weight of the bolt and the springs behind it. This bolt/spring weight is calculated in such a way that the action opens at a safe pr...

An Arsenal SLR-106, the closest thing to an AK-101 readily available in the US Introduction: The AK-100 series of rifles has its roots in the AK-74M, Russia's modernized variant of the AK-74 platform. The AK-100 series has many variants in some of the most popular calibers, such as 7.62x39mm, 5.45x39mm, and interestingly, 5.56x45mm NATO. The AK-100 series is primarily intended for export and use by domestic police and special forces in Russia. In addition to Kalashnikov's typical offerings of 7.62x39mm and 5.45x39mm, the inclusion of 5.56 creates an interesting crossover between East and West. This creates a rifle that could be attractive to countries with large amounts of 5.56 NATO ammunition that also want the reliability and simplicity of the AK platform.  Technical Details: Because of the AK-100 series' technical similarities to the AK-74M, I'm going to touch on the common features seen on both rifles variants. First off, being the modernized take on ...

Introduction The Winchester Model 1866 was Winchester's first lever-action, repeating rifle. Originally chambered in .44 Henry rimfire, the Winchester rifle went through many iterations, with caliber options ranging from small rimfire cartridges all the way up to .45-70 or 7.62x54R. For their time, lever action repeating rifles were a huge amount of firepower held by a single person. The Model of 1873 was so prolific and successful, that it was marketed as The Gun that Won the West. Technical Details Because of the numerous different models of Winchester repeaters and their different technical details, I'm going to focus on the technical details of the model of rifle that I have access to, the Model 1894. The 1894 was actually the first rifle to be released onto the civilian market to be chambered in a smokeless powder cartridge, the .30-30.  Because of the higher pressures that come with smokeless powder, the action of the 1894 had to be built strong, along...

Introduction The SCAR-H was FN's successful entry into the SOCOM Special operations forces combat assault rifle(SCAR) trials. The rifle is chambered in 7.62x51 NATO and comes in short-barrel, standard, and long barreled marksman variants. There is also a SCAR-L variant that is chambered in the more intermediate 5.56 NATO cartridge. Aside from its adoption by SOCOM, the SCAR has seen fairly widespread adoption by a variety of military and police forces. The SCAR has seen mixed reviews by some special operations forces, many of whom report harsh recoil or reliability issues in sandy conditions. Technical Details The SCAR is a short-stroke gas piston operated rifle with a multi-lug rotating bolt. It has an adjustable gas valve on the gas block for running the gun normally, suppressed, or in adverse conditions. Internally, the SCAR is one of many modern rifles that are internally reminiscent of Stoner's AR-18. These rifles include the SCAR, G36, and British SA80, jus...

Introduction The Yugoslavian M59/66A1 is the Yugoslavian variant of the SKS that has seen a variety of notable upgrades throughout it's service life. Like all SKS's, the Yugo is chambered in 7.62x39mm, and operates from a short-stroke gas piston system with a tilting bolt lockup. It feeds from a 10 round, non-detachable magazine and can be fed with stripper clips. Like many SKS's that were adopted, the Yugo was already obsolete when it came into service in 1959. Despite the variety of upgrades done to them throughout their service life, they were still behind-the-curve in terms of firearms tech by the time they were replaced with M70's .  Technical Details The Yugo SKS has three distinct developmental phases present in the name. First off, the M59, adopted in 1959, was a basic SKS variant. The only thing different between the M59 and a Russian SKS was the fact that the M59 lacked a chrome-lined barrel. The SKS is also widely known for having an under-folding ...