I was thinking some more about that recent ATF airsoft seizure and came up with the following…

For your information, per provisions of the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968, 18 U.S.C. Chapter 44, an unlicensed individual may make a “firearm” as defined in the GCA for his own personal use, but not for sale or distribution.

The GCA, 18 U.S.C. § 921(a)(3), defines the term “firearm” to include the following:

… (A) any weapon (including a starter gun) which will or is designed to or may be readily converted to expel a projectile by the action of an explosive: (B) the frame or receiver of any such weapon; (C) any firearm muffler or silencer; or (D) any destructive device. Such term does not include an antique firearm.

Source – ATF.gov

Another paragraph of interest…

Individuals manufacturing sporting-type firearms for their own use need not hold Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs). However, we suggest that the manufacturer at least identify the firearm with a serial number as a safeguard in the event that the firearm is lost or stolen. Also, the firearm should be identified as required in 27 CFR 478.92 if it is sold or otherwise lawfully transferred in the future.

Source – ATF.gov

So… According to the ATF’s citations of the Gun Control Act and U.S. Code, you can make your own firearm and you do not need a FFL.

The ATF does not specify what material you have to use, and it does not put any restriction on making a firearm out of an object that previously had another use.  Hell, if you wanted to make a firearm out of a toaster, from what I understand you definitely could.

By that rationale, if you buy an airsoft gun that “Needs Machining” to complete its transformation to fit an AR-15 lower parts kit, is it not only considered a firearm once you complete it?

If you cannot drop a lower parts kit in those airsoft receivers without any machining then I think that is a VERY good argument that they are not firearms, and should never have been confiscated.

Ever since the military and law enforcement started using m16’s and m4’s produced by Colt, the company developed an elitist status because they chose largely to turn their nose up at civilian market.

Now they seem to want a piece of the market, with the new AR6720.

The fact the pricing for the Colt 6720 is being based on serial number just goes to show that you can’t shake old habits. I don’t know if the tiered pricing was decided by Colt or by Clyde Armory (the exclusive retailer of the 6720).  The serial number in itself obviously only has extrinsic value… meaning no one really cares what it is, unless you can find someone pretentious enough that “NEEDS” a certain serial number that you possess.  Unless of course for this model, Colt doesn’t clean or calibrate their machines after the first parts are made.  I guess that would make the later ones less valuable? heheh

Here is how the pricing goes…

• The least expensive guns are serial # 400 and up – $1200
• Most expensive serial # 11 – $3000

#1 – #10 are apparently “spoken for”

I’ll admit $1200 isn’t TOO terrible…  like Solomon at SNAFU! mentioned though, it is still quite a bit higher than similar offerings from Bushmaster, Rock River Arms, Armalite etc…

I don’t ever like telling people what to do with their money, but in my opinion if you even pay $50 more for a #300 to #399 serial you’re making a big mistake. No matter what, you are better off buying a different brand name AR-15 such as the ones mentioned above, and spending the left over money on ammo or a red dot optic.

Clyde Armory for purchase info on the guns – HERE

I didn’t report on this story when it first surfaced because I thought it was stupid, and would go away quickly.  But It didn’t.

TACOMA, Wash. – U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers seized a shipment of 30 machine guns that arrived in an ocean container at the Tacoma Seaport last October.

Officials say the shipment of M-4 automatic rifles, manifested only as “Toys and Parts,” was valued at nearly $10,000 and was shipped from a manufacturer in Taiwan.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms found that the rifles were tooled to shoot plastic balls, but replacement of internal components with original machine gun components would render the rifles capable of firing live ammunition.

“These rifles could have had far-reaching and potentially devastating ramifications if they had gotten into the hands of individuals who wanted to do harm in the American population,” said Customs and Border Protection Area Port Director, Rolando Suliveras, Jr. “This was a good interception by our officers.”

The guns will be destroyed.

Source – King5 News

Here is a news story on the incident:

Special agent Kelven Crenshaw has a bit of trouble with the magazine at 1:18   I guess they only teach the operation of the m4 platform in “extra” special agent school.

Interesting info from the company who got their guns seized, AirsoftOutletNW:

Now we at Airsoft Outlet Northwest, being the rational individuals we are, went out and had a gunsmith check the true compatibility of these replicas and found the following information:

• The WE TTI M4’s lack any sort of functional gas tube which is integral to an AR15’s operation
• The upper receiver of an AR15 fits onto the lower of the WE TTI M4
• The stock trigger pack in the WE TTI cannot strike the firing pin of a AR15 bolt
• The body of the WE TTI lower is several mils thinner than an AR15 lower, and shims would be needed for any AR trigger pack to work
• The trigger pack of an AR15 appears to be able to fit onto the lower receiver of a WE TTI M4, one of the AR15 trigger pack retaining pins is impossible to insert without major modification, and the hammer isn’t operable with the WE TTI lower.

The full article, Airsoft: An Industry Without Standard, is actually a really good read if you have the time, regardless of whether or not you are into airsoft.

The only real issue I would say may exist, is if you could put a REAL upper on an airsoft lowers and have it fire, either fully automatic or semi automatic.  The lower receiver of a M4/M-16/AR-15 is not subjected to any extreme pressures when a round is fired, so as long as the material the airsoft replica was made out of is semi rigid, it would likely hold up for a while at least.  That said, I highly doubt that any of the airsoft lowers would be able to accept a REAL upper, and fire without any modification.  Although the whole airsoft industry thrives on authenticity, it is not in their best interest to get attention like this, which is why I doubt the parts are exactly 1:1 interchangeable.

Basically, if the ATF claims these airsoft guns can be easily converted into real guns, they should just demonstrate the conversion, and put a couple of magazines through it.  There needs to be some accountability and burden of proof placed on these government organizations.

The artistic photographic series you never wanted to see:

“Yes, I was told that the gun had to match the mixer.”

valheru21 off AR15.com built the above AR-15 for his wife.  Apparently the color is “lavender” not purple.

If that’s what it takes for some girls to enjoy shooting, it’s a small price to pay!

Source – HERE

If life gives you no money for a rail mounted laser:

Improvise!

Apparently it was crashed and they decided to take it out for fun.  Pretty cool.

A military themed Rihanna video where she is in skimpy clothing, shooting guns, playing in the mud, standing on tanks etc…

Seriously what’s not to like?

For those that like rap I recommend her album. There are a ton of good songs on it.

For $8 with free shipping you can’t go wrong.

Of Eugene Stoner Guns…

Awesome video from AmericanRifleman.org

Hat Tip: ShoulderThing

Full auto shenanigans:

Want to see the hanguards on a M4 melt and start on fire?

Want to see the barrel on a M4 droop and then explode?

Those guys are having way too much fun at work

The M-4 carbine, one of the primary rifles used by the United States military, appears destined for a change. After concerns surfaced about rifles overheating in a sustained firefight in 2008 in Afghanistan, the manufacturer and the United States Army are close to agreeing on a modification to the weapon’s barrel that makes the carbine more resistant to the stresses of extended firing.

Full Article at the New York Times website – HERE

This is a continuation of my blog post on New York Times on the Making of the Military’s Standard Arms

For bulk purchasers, a new M-4 costs about $800 per rifle

I actually thought the cost would have been much lower.  A bulk price of $800 seems very steep.  I suppose these are not comparable to your average low end AR-15 though.

Full Article on the New York Times website – HERE

Hat Tip: SayUncle

You chased your floating cereal around the bowl for the last time.

The is where the Aimpoint guys chime in and say “DUDE, if you put a CompM4 on there you would never have to worry about losing power mid-meal for YEARS”

Rob from TacticalYellowVisor.net has a few great comparison charts that he was kind enough to make public.

These charts cover all major brands, and should make it a lot easier to narrow down your next purchase based on your wants and needs.

• Comparison Chart of Major Brands of M4-Pattern Carbines
• Comparison Chart of Aimpoint Models
• Comparison Chart of Various Free-Float Rail Systems for AR-Pattern Carbines & Rifles
• Comparison Chart of Major Brands of 5.56 Sound Suppressors

Although these charts seem to be updated from time to time, they may not be right up to the current date.  They are meant as a guide, so do your own due diligence when finally deciding what to purchase.

Hat Tip: HellInAHandbasket Blog

Source: Unknown

The costs on this chart obviously aren’t adjusted for inflation.  Interesting though nevertheless.

In the AR-15 toilet plunger post on November 17th one Rick informed me in the comments that the picture originated on Gunbroker, where the disgruntled store owner of “Cedar Valley Outfitters” wanted to get rid of these guns at any price because he considered them crap.

These are the four seperate auctions with a copy of the picture and description in each… pretty funny stuff:

Colt Umarex Ar-15 ar 15 .22lr M4 toilet plunger

HEEEEYYYYY…it only took two days after my first listing to have more customers return some of these fine plungers. This is a Colt licensed product, made by Walther, imported by Umarex. We are representing this as a plunger…nothing else. We are not advertising it as a firing, cycling, extracting or feeding rifle. This is to be added to the THOUSANDS of dollars I lost with these POS rifles. Buyer beware! Buyer stay away!Buyer go to the range with a sling shot instead!! Buyer go to Vegas…there is better odds there. No extra credit card charges. No shipping charges to lower 47 states. No California sales. Not allowed anywhere where plungers are not legal. Do not attempt to attach to your face like Ace Ventura…….good luck and BUYER BEWARE. This serial numbered Colt product will ship with box, manual, one magazine and a plunger head to attempt to make this useful for something. (Winning Bid – $380)

Colt Umarex M4 Carbine 22 L.R. 22LR Paperweight

This is a Colt marked, licensed product. I am representing this as a paperweight only. This a non reliable functioning legal firearm. We are selling under the pretense that you clearly understand these are trash. We have several versions for sale. This is a flat top, removable Carry handle version of the Colt paperweight, featuring two useless 30 round magazines to not feed any ammo reliably into this collapsable stocked PAPERWEIGHT. No shipping charges to lower 47 states. No sales to California. No extra fees for credit card. As you can tell we have no love for these .22lr rifles. It’s a shame Colt even lets their name be put on these. Good Luck. Have fun and buy better paperweights!!!!!! (Winning Bid – $355)

Colt Umarex M4 Carbine 22 L.R. 22LR Poop Scooper

This a pretty darn good poop scooper. Or it would be a great down rigger for holding a Bluegill under in a good current while flathead fishing. It functions a little better than a “Rubber Ducky” as a training tool but barely. It has a laser, a forward grip, quad rail, two mags, a Colt logo on the side…but don’t hold your breathe…it doesn’t work like a Colt…they just get paid for the name. Is unreliable. Unworthy. And priced a 1 penny….free shipping to lower 47 states. No credit card charges. No hope. No love. Good Luck. Clearly stating…NO returns, buyer beware, buyer get a real gun instead, buyer go fishing. Check out our other fine selection of Umarex guns returned to by people who were dumb enough to think they could spend their hard earned money on a Colt gun and have it work. Silly hard working Americans. We gladly refunded their money so we could lose hundreds and hundreds dollars. Thanks Colt. (Winning Big – $421)

Colt Umarex M4 .22lr AR-15 ar15 Drain Marker Only

Hey Folks!!! I’m sorry we went almost 24 hours with out posting another one of these on Gunbroker. This is a drain marker, fence post, cat scratcher, or poorly designed pogo stick. It is not however, a firing, extracting, feeding or functioning fire arm. It will ship with two things that resemble magazines…..but we thought magazines fed ammo into rifles…silly us. It has a box, manual, two mags, quad rail, covers and detachable rear sight. The silly customer we sold this COLT to even put on a Hogue grip on it to help insert the fencepost in the ground. Shipping is free….why not? We already lost 2500 dollars selling these…..and then giving everyone their money back. We are telling you clearly…no refunds, no returns…this is a piece of cowdung. No credit card fees. Good Luck and buy another gun instead. Any dealer who says these work I would question their ethics!!!!!!! (Winning Bid – $401)

As you can tell this guy is NOT a fan of the Umarex Colt 22LR!  Elsewhere on gunbroker they seem to be going for around $550, so the people that won his auctions got a pretty good deal ( or are completely stupid for buying such junk if you ask him ).  If these guns are really as bad as he says they are, I wonder why Colt would want to have their name associated with them?

Thanks again for the story Rick.

And Caesar’s spirit, raging for revenge,
With Ate by his side come hot from hell,
Shall in these confines with a monarch’s voice
Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war,
That this foul deed shall smell above the earth
With carrion men, groaning for burial.

Julius Caesar Act 3, scene 1, 270–275

Looks like they must have hired HK’s marketing guy for this picture:

Problems:

1) Guy in front has his rifle scope on backwards
2) Guy in front has his left arm through the loop in the sling
3) Guy in rear has his sling on in a pretty akward manner considering he’s planning on shooting his sidearm with his right hand

All jokes aside, the clothing acually does look pretty nice.  You can check it out at their website – HERE

If you have been watching the news or reading any of the online forums lately, it would have been hard to miss all the talk about the M4 carbine and its “failure” in Afghanistan.

I had a number of thoughts on this topic and had a draft written up for an article I was going to post, then I saw a new post on the topic at Vuurwapen Blog which I will quote a few lines from ( because I agree 100% with them ):

I’m always a little suspicious when I see claims of M4s going down in combat.

One of the biggest problems is when Soldiers and Marines try to use their rifle in a manner other than that which was originally intended.

Unfortunately, an incorrect thought process persists among many officers and senior enlisted – that the rifles should be scrubbed clean as often as possible, and that oil should not be added to the weapon, for it will “attract dust and dirt”. Soldiers and Marines have been dying because of this absolute garbage since the introduction of the Garand in combat operations in the Pacific during WWII. Proper lubrication is vital for any semiautomatic or automatic weapon.

Check out the full article at Vuurwapen Blog – HERE