9mm AR Pistol – Angstadt Arms UDP-9–SHOT Show 2015

Angstadt Arms UDP-9
The UDP is a pistol caliber carbine designed around the familiarity of the AR-15. Reminiscent of the Colt 9mm SMG, the UDP has a few necessary changes which set it apart. The UDP is Chambered in 9mm and loads from standard GLOCK magazines. This simple change makes the UDP an easy transition for anyone currently running a 9mm GLOCK. Compact in size, the Angstadt Arms UDP – 9 comes in at 21 inches and weights under 5 lbs. With the added velocity from the longer 9mm barrel, the UDP should hit like a featherweight sledgehammer. Designed for use in close quarters, the UDP is an ideal option for Law enforcement or home defense.

The big questions about pistol stabilizing braces still remain, and are worth mentioning again. Utilizing a SB-15 arm brace would seem logical. Or take the pistol a step further and submit SBR paper work. The UDP easily gives guns like the SIG MPX, and POF-5 a run for their money and in a lot of ways beats them to the finish line.

With a Law Tactical folding stock adapter, the UDP-9 becomes a compact SBR.

Constructed from 7075 –T6 billet aluminum, the upper and lower fit together tight and have been worked over to remove weight and non-essential features. There is no forward assist or dust cover. They’ve resized the ejection port, incorporated a beveled magazine well, and added a proprietary magazine release.
All of these enhancements come together to produce a firearm that has a unique feel and function, but not so unique that it will create a learning curve. The UDP-9 simply does it better. Familiar features such as last round bolt hold open, bolt release, rotational safety, and charging handle are the same as they are on your ar15. Coming in at an MRSP of $1250, is a bargain in the world of high-end pistol caliber carbines.
Talks of a 16inch barreled version are also on the table. so head to the Angstadt Arms website Angstadt Arms UDP-9 and sign up for updates as there product line continues to grow.

The whole SBR package is compact enough to fit into a normal backpack.

Note the redesigned mag release.

The UDP wit a SIG brace–use only as directed.

The compact design is ideal for close quarters.

Geissele Perfects the Tavor Trigger–ALG Nails the AK–SHOT Show 2015

Geissele New from the Geissele and ALG for 2015 are two very exciting products. First we have the next level in Tavor optimization with the release of the Lightning bow trigger and adjustable linkage system for use with the Super Sabra trigger pack. Secondly we have a new product from ALG called the AKT Trigger. The AKT is an optimized trigger system for the AK47/74 rifles. Making something great out of nothing is an understatement. These trigger upgrades take these two rifles platforms to a new level of efficiency that previously was unimaginable. The combination of the Tavor Super Sabra Trigger Pack and the new Lightning Bow trigger and linkage make for one of the most impressive triggers I have ever pulled. The fact that they are housed in a Bullpup just adds to the attraction of the collaborative system. Perfection is not cheap but in the journey of optimizing your fighting rifle, nothing really is. The Sabra trigger pack sells for $350 and the Lightning Bow kit sells for right around $100. The combined $450 is not exactly money anyone wants to spend on his or her already-expensive rifle, but if you’re looking to achieve perfection this may be the trigger for you. ALG's triggers aren't expensive, but offer serious upgrades over stock AK triggers. ALG’s triggers aren’t expensive, but offer serious upgrades over stock AK triggers. On the other end of the spectrum is Geissele’s sister company ALG. If you have an AK pattern rifle and you don’t install this simple and inexpensive ALG drop in trigger system you need to check your head. The trigger comes in two levels AKT, and AKT Enhanced. The base trigger sells for $49. It is built from S7 tool steel and built AK strong. The AKT Enhanced sells for $75, and is constructed of the same S7 tool steel but delivers a lighter and crisper trigger pull. The Enhanced is also hard lubed for permanent self-lubrication. The Hammer on the AKT Enhanced is coated in black nitride to prevent against wear and corrosion, promising a long consistent service life. Both of these should be available in the coming weeks. The Tavor trigger is a major improvement over the stock trigger. Its price will be prohibitive for most. But if you want a Tavor that runs at the absolute peak of its potential, you have to address the trigger–and there are very few options available. And I don’t need to waste much more ink trying to justify the need to overhaul the AK’s trigger. ALG’s AKT is a solid choice, and comes in under the price of the competition. The complete drop in triggers are priced like some imported parts kits. If you run an AK, it would be a good idea to keep an extra trigger in your tool kit–just in case, and at this price you can afford to. The shape is disnctive. The shape is distinctive, but still goes well with the AK platform. ff The Geissele G–as much a part of the brand as the trigger’s shape.

Kendall Jones Talks About Killing the Big 5

Our friend, photojournalist Ben Philippi from Guns.com had a chance to interview avid hunter Kendall Jones and her bestie/partner-in-crime Taylor Altom at SHOT Show 2015. Among other topics of conversation, the ladies discussed killing the big five: an elephant, a leopard, a lion, a cape buffalo and a rhino. Kendall also talked about shooting a hippo, a crocodile, an ibex and a brown bear. Meanwhile, Taylor also talked about bagging a mountain lion. You can watch the ladies on their youtube show called “Game On.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=AohV8C7NLoM

NFL Censorship: The Ad They Didn’t Want You To See!

I’m ranting about the NFL. There is no other way to describe it. I’m angry at the hypocrisy and believe something needs to be said. The NFL has refused to allow the USCCA to place an ad in the Super Bowl program. Apparently the league known for everything from cheating to dog fighting to domestic abuse and murder does not want to be associated with effective firearms safety training and legal self-defense. Well, here is the ad the NFL didn’t want you to see! Take a look and tell me what you think. Is this advertisement too scary for NFL fans to see? Into the Fray, Episode 47: NFL Censorship Apparently, a father ready to protect his family is too (scary/taboo/inappropriate) for the NFL. What do you think? Can you believe it? The NFL will not allow advertisement encouraging effective safety training, education, and insurance. Apparently, doing so would tarnish the image of the NFL.

The Top 5 Non-AK 7.62x39s from SHOT Show 2015

One noticeable theme at this year’s SHOT Show was the ubiquitous Anti-AK rifles and pistols chambered in 7.62×39. The non-AK 7.62×39 isn’t exactly a holy grail within the American firearms community, but it is a concept that has a strong cult following. We could look to the Ruger Mini 30, for example—a rifle that only has one flaw: it won’t take AK mags.
And Rock River has recently begun shipping their LAR-47 series. We’ve got one in for review now—spoiler alert: it is a tack driver with some annoying personality traits. You can read the whole thing here.
So why the rush for the 7.62 x 39 rifle (or pistol) that bears almost no relationship to the most ubiquitous rifle in the entire world? Beats me, but the five companies below have skin in the game.

The Rhino Arms MM-47

The Rhino Arms MM-47 may be the smoothest rifle in this list. I got to check these out at SHOT, and I was immediately smitten. If I were to pick one of these guns to add to my permanent collection–and this is coming from a diehard AK guy–this would be it.
Look at the way the receiver has been milled to keep strength, but balance weight. These are clearly well thought out rifles. We’ll have one in for review ASAP, and see how well it works.

The Rhino MM-47, my new favorite.

The Galil Ace

This offering form IWI makes sense, especially in the Middle East, where there is more 7.62 x 39 than anything else. And the rifle and pistol are a fine compliment to IWI’s catalog. With a Tavor and a Galil, I don’t see how you could go wrong. I’ve yet to get my hands on one of the new ones. The Galil has always seemed like what you would get if you asked a technologically sophisticated country to fix some of the flaws with the AK.

The Galil Pistol.

The MGI

Modularity is king at MGI. This new version builds on a concept we first saw last year. It is an AR style rifle (and now a pistol, too) that takes breaks the rifle into four main units: the upper, the barrel, the lower, and the magazine well. With one serialized lower, the rest can be mixed and matched to accommodate a variety of calibers. It is a bad-ass gun, too. We reviewed one last year. It doesn’t feel as tight as most well built AR-15s, but that’s due to the modularity. The dovetails that hold on the magazine well have just a bit of play. The good news is that the system shoots straight and runs reliably. We couldn’t make it fail, and we tried.

MGI’s new 7.62 x 39 pistol.

The CMMG Mutant

CMMG continues to make inroads on the market. They’re making some AR-10s that have a strong following. The move into 7.62×39 seems natural for a company that’s mastered the .308. Just dial it back a bit. I’m sure there’s more to it than that, but you get the picture.
We’ve got a Mutant inbound for testing, and will have the full write up ASAP. It looks like a worthy gun. I’m eager to see how it handles magazines. That is always the sticking point in this design, and something a manufacturer has to live with, or engineer away. My gut says CMMG will have engineered a solution that will keep the bolt from dragging on the rounds as they’re presented.

The CMMG Mutant.

The SIG 556xi

Taking modularity to the next level of precision, SIG has built a rifle system that is easily adaptable to users’ needs. In its AK configuration, it will accept AK mags. This is a major plus for those, like me, who hold this point up as the benchmark of success.
The SIG will appeal to those who like the modularity. It will allow them to train with one highly capable rifle, without having to learn new safety mechanisms, or magazine change tricks. Mostly.

The 556xi Russian has a long barrel. Will it add to the accuracy of the 7.62 x 39?

So what’s the big appeal of the 7.62 x 39 platform? I think it is AR familiarity combined with the availability of 7.62 x 39. It may also be a patriotic thing. The AK for the patriot who wouldn’t be caught dead with an actual AK.
So what about it? Do you own a non-AK in 7.62 x 39? I don’t. But I will.

Lars Larson: ‘Fix the Problem, Arm More Americans’ — SHOT Show 2015

Nationally syndicated talk show host Lars Larson is a cool dude. I was just sitting there working on a story in the hallway outside of the media room at the 2015 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, when I saw Lars broadcasting live from a small, what-appeared to an impromptu radio cubicle.
During a commercial break, I walked over to him and asked him if he’d do a quick interview with GunsAmerica. Normally, even those who are gun-friendly media personalities are not inclined to do an interview on the fly at a moments notice. They typically like a heads up so (a) they can vet you and your publication and (b) they can have some time, even if it’s 10 mins or so, to prepare.
But Lars was ready to go. “Sure, let’s do it,” he said enthusiastically.
I must admit, I had never listened to his show before. That’s probably because I don’t listen to a lot of talk radio. With that said, I really like what he had to say. And next time going on a road trip, I’m certainly going to either download his podcast before I leave or see if I can find him on the AM/FM dial.
Here are the highlights from the interview (for those of you who refuse to watch the video):
“Bloomberg’s a nannystater.”
“The kinds of things he proposes will not fix the problem. The way to fix the problem, frankly, is to arm more Americans.”
“We have lower rates of violent crime in states where people carry routinely and regularly.”
“If Bloomberg really wanted to address safety he’d encourage more Americans to carry concealed…”
“They [the founders and framers] wanted every average person in this country to be able to own and bear an arm.”
“It’s about eliminating gun ownership altogether. They’re after hunters, they’re after sportsmen, they’re after gun enthusiast and they’ll pick off the easy ones from the outside of the herd before they go after the ones in the center of the herd…You start with things that might have sounded reasonable in one day and age, they’re not reasonable at all. Anyone requiring people to turn in magazines above a certain size or if you have to fill out mounds of paperwork that person is ultimately after prohibiting you from having a gun.”
Needless to say, Lars gets it.

Gottlieb: ‘Like It or Not Americans Support the term Background Check’

At SHOT Show 2015, I had a candid conversation with Alan Gottlieb, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation.
Gottlieb, a native of Washington State, is coming off the heels of a devastating loss to former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, who funded — to the tune of $4 million — efforts to pass ballot Initiative 594, a draconian universal background check measure that the SAF fought tooth and nail to defeat.
I-594 was passed in November. Now Gottlieb and his legal team are challenging various provisions of the measure in court. However, it’s an uphill battle and it’s unlikely that I-594 will be repealed altogether, as Alan acknowledged in my interview.
What’s fascinating is that Gottlieb saw this day coming. He predicted that this would happen if gun owners refused to negotiate on the issue of background checks. To that end, Alan was one of the few — maybe the only — high-profile, pro-gun leader to openly support the 2013 Manchin-Toomey amendment, a federal bill that would have mandated background checks for private transfers, including those made over the Internet and at gun shows.
Unlike Bloomberg’s universal background check bills, the bipartisan Manchin-Toomey amendment contained some perks for gun owners, including, as Gottlieb noted back then, “interstate sales of handguns, veteran gun rights restoration, travel with firearms protection, civil and criminal immunity lawsuit protection, and most important of all, the guarantee that people, including federal officers, will go to federal prison for up to 15 years if they attempt to use any gun sales records to set up a gun registry.”
As we know now the Senate failed to pass the Manchin-Toomey amendment in the Spring of 2013 which then opened up the door for Bloomberg to go state by state and ram through his draconian background check agenda. Washington State was one of the first states to fall victim to the Bloomberg machine.
Since compromising no longer appears to be an option, I asked Alan what we can do to stop Bloomberg and his campaign to criminalize private transfers.
“Like it or not the American people support the term ‘background check,’ they support the concept of it even though they know it won’t work to keep guns out of the hands of criminals they figure ‘well if criminals aren’t supposed to have guns what’s the big deal about a background check,'” said Gottlieb.
“The truth is that most gun owners support that too. So, our problem is that when the other side writes these laws they write them in ways that really screw over us big time: create registration system, unnecessary fees, all kinds of regulations, red tape, really make it harder for people to use firearms for legitimate purposes,” he continued, obviously lamenting the fact that negotiated terms weren’t reached.
“I don’t have a magic bullet for this, I wish I did. But the gun rights lobby needs to be talking about this like I’ve been screaming, preaching for the last two years. We need to lead and not follow on this issue or we’re going to lose,” Gottlieb explained. “I don’t like predicting that we’re going to lose, and I know people on our side don’t like hear that, but if we don’t do something that’s going to be the bottom line result. We need to fight smart, and quite frankly, we haven’t been doing it.”
Do you agree with Alan? Do we need to go to the negotiating table and try to figure out a way to end this matter in a way that is at least somewhat favorable to gun owners?