The name Beretta is synonymous in the firearms industry as being known as an icon. Beretta is the oldest family owned firearm business in the world. They started in 1526 AD, from Napoleon to Mussolini and right up to the present, Beretta has equipped the armed forces of Italy for more than 500 years. Not only were the small arms adopted in Italy, but military and law enforcement all over the world. Primarily known for pistols and sporting shotguns, Beretta has also developed rifles, sub machineguns and machineguns. Post WW2, the Italian Army adopted the BM59 rifle which was very similar to that of the M14 and it was also chambered in the newly NATO adopted 7.62x51mm cartridge. In the late 1960’s, Beretta began development on an assault rifle of their own that was chambered in the new small caliber, high velocity, 5.56x45mm cartridge. That cartridge was also being used in the American M16 in the war in Vietnam. The AR70 rifle was introduced to the Italian Special Forces, and after sufficient testing, the AR70 was adopted in 1972. It would later become adopted as the standard rifle for the Italian Army from 1972 to 1990. In 1990, there would be an upgrade from the AR70 to the AR70/90.
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The M16/M4 weapon system entered a new era in 2005 and would redefine the term "modular rifle". A modular carbine was introduced by MGI's Mack Gwinn, called the "Hydra Rifle." In concept it was similar to the MRP in the fact you have removable barrels but where it departs is in the lower receiver.
The new weapon system Mack came up with was one unlike ever seen before in the history of the AR family of weapons. Up until the 2002/2003 time period the AR was basically 5.56mm only. None of the other calibers really made their premier until much later. The other calibers that did gain traction at the time were the 7.62x39mm and 9x19mm. The platforms were the basic dedicated AR-type upper receiver put on with a conventional barrel nut.
Like firearms, ammunition hits its peak of development and then levels off. Once in awhile, something really new and innovative hits the market. Like firearms, ammunition can also become demonized by the media. Step back in time to 1991 to the introduction of the evil flesh seeking Winchester Black Talon ammunition. The outcry from gun control advocates and some medical personnel was that this round was too lethal and should be banned because of its excessive destructive nature.
At what point do we say any ammunition is too dangerous? The purpose of a defensive bullet is to stop the threat. The only way to accomplish this is with a projectile to destroy tissue. Full metal jacket projectiles do this by punching holes in them, hollow point projectiles do this by destroying tissue as they expand. The more the projectile fragments, the more separate wound channels are made, thus more tissue is destroyed with an end result in stopping the threat, with some projectiles doing this better than others. For an example, the evil flesh seeking Black Talon, when the projectile is opening, the barbs on the projectile grab a hold of flesh, tearing it; where a projectile, without the talons, may push rearward on the tissue, sliding by organs rather than destroying. Anyone who has studied the theory and application of ballistics would know that there is no magic bullet. There is no magic caliber either. I spent nearly a decade as a forensic firearms and toolmark examiner and have seen hundreds, if not thousands of projectile recovered from victims. And very rarely were these projectiles hollow points. More than not, they were the cheapest full metal jacket rounds available. Most of the hollow point ammunition were projectiles from law enforcement firearms. Interestingly enough, you would be surprised how often the projectile do not open up as designed. There are many factors. This includes initial barriers such as glass, wood, drywall, and most importantly, clothing. Hollow point projectiles can become clogged with clothing (cotton, denim, polyester, etc….), which will prevent them from opening. Also, depending on the density of the tissue the bullet strikes. Harder muscle and bones, for instance, can affect the opening of a projectile. While a straight soft tissue hit can open projectiles up as designed. It would not be uncommon at all to have multiple shots in a body and have only 20% of the projectile actually mushroom as designed, due to all of these potential variables. With that being said, some believe in the single projectile, which retains all of its weight and expands nearly double its diameter, as the way to go; where others believe in fragmentation. I will leave that up to the individual to decide. However, from the standpoint of physiology, the more tissue destroyed the more apt you are to stop an attacker.
The industry does have its share of "ghost guns", or guns who we receive a slight glimpse of, but never much information on. Some of these guns are the industry's best kept secrets. The Colt CK901 fits right into that role. One picture leaked out on the internet of a writer shooting a strange looking rifle with an AK-type magazine at the Colt research and development range. The groups on the web speculated what it was.
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In August of 1991, two developmental contracts were awarded for a new pistol that would be designed specifically for the Special Operation Command (SOCOM). The contracts were awarded to Colt’s Manufacturing Company and Heckler & Koch. This new pistol was to be the most advanced handgun that the world has ever known.
The OHWS (Offensive Handgun Weapon System) was to perform a very different role than that of the standard M9 or the plethora of M1911 variations or Sig Sauer pistols currently in inventory. Those handguns were designed specifically for a defensive role and they did what the were designed for. Although, the problem always came down to the size of the hole they make. Most of the sidearms were 9x19mm caliber. The SOCOM mission is quite different from the military at large. As a rule, in the U.S. military, sidearms are not in common usage among regular troops. They are reserved for officers or troops that carry crew served weapons. They are not primary weapons but secondary. SOCOM, on the other hand, uses handguns as both primary and secondary weapons. When engaged in a firefight and their Colt M4A1 runs out of ammunition, then they will immediately transfer to their handgun and that will become their primary weapon. The OHWS was to be an offensive weapon system. The system was to be comprised of a handgun, silencer and a laser aiming module. The silencer provided sentry incapacitation capability, amongst other clandestine purposes. The laser aiming module would provide a white light source, along with a visible laser and an IR laser. Once the decision was made to move forward with the OHWS program, the first issue was what caliber it was to be. Right off the bat the 9x19mm NATO cartridge was ruled out. The lack of stopping power has been demonstrated since its inception, especially when you are required to use ball ammunition. The next caliber looked at was the 10mm automatic caliber. However, this did not last long due to the excessive recoil and the short service life of any of the pistols that fired it. At that time, the only pistols chambered for it were the Bren Ten, Colt Delta Elite, Smith & Wesson and Glock. Glock was the only pistol that had any longevity as to service life, but that design would not meet the requirements. The battle proven 45 Auto was the only logical choice. It had an excellent combat record, plus the ability to use a silencer due to its sub-sonic speed, made it the perfect choice. However, SOCOM was not happy with the status quo, they felt there was still room for improvement in the cartridge itself. So, a +P cartridge was designed for their needs. This would be their primary round. The standard ball ammunition would be used for the application of the silencer and maritime operations. After the decision was made on ammunition, the next step was to explore the options on a gun. First, was to take the M1911, which SOCOM has had great success with, and modify it to fit the requirements. The problem was that the M1911 would have to be totally overhauled. The M1911 is not designed to take a steady diet of +P ammunition. Also, an issue was its inability to put a silencer on an M1911 without compromising reliability. In the end, it was determined that it would cost more to overhaul the M1911 than it would to procure an entirely new handgun. The right decision was made to go with an entirely new weapon that would be made to their specifications.
In the early 2000’s, Beretta introduced their M9 Special Edition pistol. The pistol was touted as being marked the same way as the US government pistols. To the untrained eye, it would appear so. But when you know what you are looking at, you can see there are very simple subtle differences which will differentiate one from the other.
The top two M9 slides are US government production slides. By looking at the right side alone it is difficult to determine. The real identifying marks are on the left. Notice the top three slides have a “PM” laser etched in front of the part number. All government slides must have this to indicate the pistol slide has been submitted to a proof cartridge and passed a magnetic particle inspection. Prior to the release of the J92M9AOM, there was a special run of M9 commemorative pistols which came with a Bianchi holster, magazine pouch and web belt (third slide). This early commercial version had a “PM” mark but the later production never did. The fourth slide was from the early limited release and the bottom is the standard production commercial M9 (J92M9AOM) pistol
As a continuation of the C7 rifle program, after the conclusion of the SARP (Small Arms Replacement Program), Canada had adopted their rifle based off the American M16A2 program. They had also decided on a carbine program, the C8. This is unlike the US, who never initiated a carbine program until 1996 with the adoption of the M4. The US has had carbines in inventory, but they were all Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) rifles with no “M” designation nor military technical data package. The Canadians ran the rifle and carbine programs simultaneously.
In Colt fashion, their Individual Carbine entry was shrouded in secrecy. From its development, entry and even after the Individual Carbine program was cancelled, this rifle still remained a mystery. Unlike many poor business decisions made by Colt executives, this incredible rifle would have fared well on the LE and Commercial markets, if they would have produced it. I would like to thank James Rupley/Vickers Guide for the excellent pictures of the Colt Individual Carbine. All photos are © by Mr. Rupley.
The development of the Colt IC (Individual Carbine) entry would be a progression of Colt’s development of an external piston operated rifle. But there is one major change from the standard progression which stands out. The receiver of the Colt IC would come from the Colt LE901 family of rifles. The LE901 was the first Colt lower receiver to be fully ambidextrous. Previous models of the carbine would use the Norgon ambidextrous magazine release, as well as, the Diemaco/Colt Canada designed ambidextrous selector lever. Colt had never introduced a dedicated lower receiver until the LE901/IC programs.
It is with great sadness I have to say that the President and Editor of Collector Grade Publications, R. Blake Stevens passed away 22 April 2018. Blake edited and produced the finest firearms books in the world.
I met Blake in 2000 when I made contact with him about my interest in updating his title, The Black Rifle. I was very nervous because I knew I was talking to the guy who wrote the bible on the M16. In fact, his book, The Black Rifle was my bedtime story since I bought my first copy in 1988. My wife was the person who convinced me that I was the man to take on writing the next volume. I thought for sure Blake was going to say "no" because I was a nobody. I was a 27 year old kid, working as a forensic firearms examiner trainee, with only my first two articles in print. I thought he would not take me seriously. But it was the exact opposite. Blake was encouraging, and completely supportive. He said that my passion for the subject was far more important than my writing experience. He said he would help me where he could and not to worry about the wording, he would take care of that. But that I should focus on doing good research. Through the three years I worked on the book, his encouragement got me through some rather tough times when I thought my project was coming unhinged. He always calmed me down and helped me get back on track. When the project was completed, and the final book was in my hand, I felt like I just gave birth. Through the entire process, I can only recall having one disagreement and it was regarding the title. He wanted, The Black Rifle Redo and I wanted Black Rifle II. But he supported my wish on the title, as he had always offered me support. Blake was loved by this entire industry. Not just the firearms industry but by law enforcement, museums, as well as military. His information was invaluable. He would always help a writer who was doing an article and wanted to use some of his pictures. He always gracefully said "yes". He always helped no matter who you were. We all lost a great recourse and a friend, and he will never be replaced. I would like to tell him to rest easy, and I will see you again someday, Eh! |
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