D9Firearms

Since working on our Christmas cleaning gift pack I had taken a little time Thanksgiving Day afternoon (of course when the in-laws were over) to get caught up on some gun cleaning myself. I had been out a couple of times in the last few weeks and needed to get a couple of rifles and pistols cleaned up. I personally have one of the Super Deluxe rod and brush cleaning set just because of the variety of guns I use and I clean most of my guns on my work bench so it’s easy to leave everything setup there.

As I was cleaning, I thought this would be an excellent topic for another article because it is a very important aspect of responsible gun ownership. This being because having a dirty or fouled gun can lead to jamming, misfiring, or worse injury as you’re trying to clear loaded jammed firearm because it’s dirtier than a crack whore. Additionally, by keeping your gun clean it prevents surface rust and corrosion from ammunition. It also provides you an understanding how some of the mechanisms work together from your safety, trigger, and loading.

We’ve also had s people whom have recently purchased DPMS rifles from us and have never owned one and have asked about cleaning and maintenance. So I decided to give a quick run down on a couple of different guns. We are also preparing a post for proper break in procedures of a new firearm and hope to have it in the next week.

Safety Tips:

• Verify the Gun is unloaded (do this repeatedly using physical and visual means).
• Perform the cleaning in a ventilated area (Do this away from the wife and most of you know why, and for those of you who don’t, just don’t do it.)
• Keep live ammo and loaded magazines out of the area.
• Use surgical gloves to help keep the solvent off of your hands. (See the second bullet item above)
• DO NOT USE ANY OF YOUR WIFES GOOD TOWELS, TOOTHBRUSH, BEDSHEETS, SHIRTS OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT BELONGS TO HER FOR CLEANING OR WASHING UP AFTERWARDS. (THIS COULD RESULT IN A FATAL GUN ACCIDENT – MEANING YOU MAY NOT FIND THE PIECES BACK OR IF IT’S ASSEMBLED SEE THE THIRD BULLET ITEM ABOVE.)

1911:

The first gun is a Wilson Combat Classic 1911. This is like most standard 1911’s, with the exception of the hand fitted craftsmanship of this gun, wow. It’s impressive. I struggled with coming to grips of purchasing a $2000 Wilson Combat 1911, but it’s one of those things that once you put it in your hand you know it’s a piece of art. Regardless, it breaks down like all 1911’s.

First, I setup my cleaning area with some old t-shirts or towels, breakout my super deluxe rod set and cleaners. Next, I do is verify the gun is unloaded by operating the slide 2 or 3 times and also visually verifying it’s unloaded. Then I break down the pistol into the main pieces, spring and guide rod, barrel, slide, and frame. Sometimes I will also remove the grips as I did for this operation, but it’s not necessary. Depending on how many times I’ve been out with it I will also strip down the firing pin and extractor.

Once I have the pistol broken down into the main components I start by injecting a shot of bore foam cleaner in the breach until it comes out the bore and let it set while I clean the rest of the gun (usually 5 minutes is long enough). This allows the cleaner to break down the build up and do the work for you. When I clean the barrel, I choose a brass bore brush and run it through a couple of times forward and reverse. I will also use a brass toothbrush or standard brush along with some solvent or gun scrubber and clean the feed ramp and chamber area. After I’ve done that, I change over the cleaning tip and run several dry patches through it until it’s clean.

The frame is usually difficult to tell if you’ve gotten all the carbon out of the trigger mechanism. Here I usually use, a aerosol spray solvent, some bore patches, toothbrush, and Q-tips to clean out the magazine area, trigger and hammer mechanism, and guide rod.

During this cleaning, I disassembled the extractor and firing pin. This is done by using a punch and small flat blade screwdriver. First, press the firing pin in with a punch or screwdriver until it is depressed below the slide plate that holds it in place. The slide plate can be slid out with the fingers or using a small flat screwdriver. Be careful when doing this so the firing pin doesn’t go flying. Once you have these items out, use some spray gun scrub and some Q-tips to clean out both chambers. Put it back together the same way it came apart. Then brush down the inside of the slide with solvent and a toothbrush and use my towel to finish wiping it down.

(Authors hands shown above with power from latex gloves. Plans with the loving wife mandated I had clean hands.)

Also shown above is the first step in removing the firing pin and extractor.

Notice the carbon build up on the extractor shown above.

Wherever you see some fouling or carbon build up take a brass toothbrush or standard toothbrush and hit it some gun scrub and brush off. Prior to reassembling, I use some gun oil on the moving parts, on the slide rails of the frame and slide, on the trigger link, and on the hammer mechanism. I don’t use very much and wipe the excess off. Then I reassemble the gun and operate the slide, trigger, and hammer a few times to make sure it’s operating properly. I finish it off by wiping down the exterior metal parts with some gun preservative and dry cloth.

Glock:

Next, I took down the Glock, I just like these guns. I like to upgrade them and cleaning them is very quick and easy. So following the same safety procedure of verifying the gun is clear I proceed to disassemble the Glock.

On my Glock, I’ve installed the extended slide release so it’s easier to remove the slide. Again, I set all the parts out on a towel once I have it broken down and inject some bore cleaner and allow it to work while I clean the rest of the gun. Once I get back to the barrel, I use the proper bore brush several times forward and reverse, brush out the chamber, and use a toothbrush and solvent to clean the feed ramp and surrounding area. I then run multiple patches through until the bore is clean and finish by wiping down the exterior and feed ramp area.

Using the extended slide release is a nice feature but not imperative to overall operation.

Next, I broke down the slide by removing the firing pin and extractor pin mechanism. When removing the extractor and firing pin you need a small flat blade screwdriver to insert between the end cap and slide, which is located at the rear of the slide. The end cap it’s fitted in tight, but slides out towards the bottom of the slide when pressure is applied between it and the top of the slide.

Be careful once again that the firing pin doesn’t go flying out. Additionally the loaded gun indicator, part of the extractor, and the safety lock pin, seen on the bottom side of the slide will also fall out once the firing pin and extractor pins are removed. All of these parts go back together in only one way so you will know as you are reassembling it if it’s not correct. Since there are a few more parts in the firing and extractor mechanism, lay each piece out in a systematic order to assist in the re-assembly. After the slide is disassembled I use solvent and Q-tips to clean out the firing pin and extractor areas. Then I use a toothbrush and solvent to clean out the slide area. I then re-assemble the firing pin and extractor. (This may take a little longer on your first attempt, but by the second time, it’s very easy. Once again, this little exercise helps you understand how the parts work together which I find very fascinating. I could not design this but I understand how it works and I’m just impressed with the simplicity and ingenuity of it.)

Shown above is the firing pin and extractor chambers.

Shown above the is the extractor and extractor pin/spring.

On the frame, I use a toothbrush and solvent to clean out the magazine, trigger and inside of the frame. I then wipe it down with a towel. I then clean out the guide rod and spring with a little solvent and brush.

Prior to re-assembly, I use a little oil to lubricate the moving parts and the slide rails and wipe down the excess. I reassemble the gun and operate the slide and trigger a few times to make sure it all went back together. (However, at this point you would know if it did or didn’t). I then take some gun preservative and wipe down all metal parts.

DPMS:

I finally worked my way through a couple of other guns until I got to my Prairie Dog – Semi Automatic Sniper System (PD-SASS) DPMS rifle. A lot of people who have purchased a DPMS from us, are first time black gun or AR gun owners and usually have lots of questions on the operation, maintenance, and cleaning of the rifle.

Following safety procedures, the first thing I do is separate the lower and the upper receiver by removing both lower/upper receiver pins. Do not remove simultaneously. I usually remove the rear first and holding the barrel to prevent it from flipping downward. Next, I remove the forward receiver pin and take separate the lower from the upper.

Next, I remove the carrier release and bolt and inject the bore foam and let it sit. When I clean the bore, I usually start with the chamber brush which has two different sizes of brushes on the same brush. The first stage of the brush is for the chamber and second is for the bolt chamber. You can install this on the rod and scrub out the chamber and bolt area. I then change brushes and use the bore brush several times, forward and reverse, to scrub the bore and then run patches through it until it is clean. On the inside of the upper receiver behind the gas tube I usually spray some gun scrubber and use a Q-tip to clean around that area and finish by wiping the inside out with a towel.

There are several parts to the bolt and carrier, so when you dissemble it, lay it out in a systematic order to make it easier when reassembling it. First, take out the cotter key or pin that holds the firing pin in and let the firing pin fall out the back. Next, push the bolt in so that the cam pin is finger accessible and pull it out, then pull it out. The bolt can now be removed by pulling it out the front of the carrier assembly. Next, take a small punch and push the roll pin out of the bolt which holds the extractor and spring in place. (DO NOT USE THE FIRING PIN FOR A PUNCH. THIS IS BAD AND IS COMMENSURATE WITH USING YOUR WIFES CLOTHING ARTICLES AS A CLEANING RAG. SEE BULLET ITEMS 2 AND 3 UNDER SAFETY TIPS.)

Removing the firing pin and holding pin.

Removing the cam pin.

Once the bolt is disassembled, I use a toothbrush and some gun scrub to clean the bolt removing any carbon and build up. On the inside of the bolt carrier where the bolt is seated I use scrubber and Q-tips to clean it out and will spray gun scrub in the gas port. I do the same thing to the firing pin chamber and the entire bolt carrier.

After cleaning the bolt and carrier, I re-assemble the bolt. Prior to installing the bolt back into the carrier, I verify the three gas rings are not lined up and are spaced an equidistant apart or close to. I then place a couple of drops of oil on the narrow raised portion of the bolt and re-insert it into the carrier. I then place a little oil on the cam pin and inset it into the carrier and bolt. (The bolt is milled such that the cam pin can only go in one way so that the extractor is to the left hand side of the carrier when looking at it from the front.) I then insert the firing pin and firing pin key. I then place oil in several locations of the bolt. On the bottom, I place oil in the groves and on the top there are some flat spots near the top of near the gas port and cam pin that I oil. I then place a little oil on the carrier handle on the top and sides. I then replace bolt carrier assembly.

On the lower receiver there is very little to clean. I will take some gun scrubber and spray the trigger mechanism out and wipe it out with Q-tips. Then I place a little oil on the hammer and trigger pins.

Lower receiver shown with JP trigger & speed hammer.

I then reassemble the rifle and wipe the exterior down with preservative. I then operate the bolt a few times to verify everything.

If you have a favorite weapon that is unique in it’s cleaning requirements or have comments to how we clean out firearms that would assist others we would be glad to post your comments. We hope this information helps and if you have any questions or would like a packaged cleaning kit please contact us here at D9Firearms.

Thanks and great shooting.

There is dual justification, for those of you who are married, for a DPMS LR-308 especially if you are also a hunter. A good friend of ours Ben, who purchased a DPMS LR-308B from us earlier this year, decided to take his hunting this year.  This year Ben also brought his neighbor, a young teenager who is interested in hunting and is planning on taking the Missouri Hunters Safety program. I can’t think of a better way to introduce someone to hunting then with a natural born stalker like Ben, who has single handedly repelled numerous prairie dog assaults, decimated killer jack rabbits charging right for him, hunted down coyotes, and shot and killed numerous deer trespassing on private property ransacking fields and stealing food.

Actually, we’ve known Ben for quite a while and he takes his hunting seriously and really enjoys getting out there and doing what it takes to bring it home. Ben provided us with some pictures and how it went down.

I brought my neighbor Cassidy along to watch because she wants to get her Hunters Ed cert. We saw several deer opening day but didn’t get any shots. By Saturday night, Cassidy was reminding me that we hadn’t seen any every fifteen minutes. We finally saw a doe that night at 300 yrds but it was getting dark, Cassidy couldn’t see her, and the only shot I had would of ruined a front and rear quarter.

Sunday I knew I’d have to shoot one to keep her interested in hunting. At about 6:55am this one came out into the crossing from right to left. I jumped on the rifle and started whispering “deer, deer, deer, do you see it?”. As soon as she said yes I pulled the trigger. The 165grn Hornady SST hit her like a truck. I caught her a little high and far back in the lungs but she went straight down. Cassidy looked at me all wide eyed and said “that was sweet”.

Ben shown above “One shot One Kill” (Of course with a DPMS provided by D9).

Cassidy shown above and looks to be as excited about it as Ben was.

Cassidy handled it really well for a 12-year-old girl that had never been hunting. She petted it, took pictures, and held the front legs while I gutted it. I showed her the organs and told her what was what and explained how to field dress a deer. She also watched us hang and skin it and played with the legs.

I don’t know to many 12 year olds, much less girls, who would have this big of a smile. You would think she took it. Hopefully next year she will.

The performance of the .308 was impressive to say the least. The exit hole was about the size of my fist and when I rolled her over the lungs were falling out.

The white spot up on the side of the hill is the deer.

I also ended up shooting a coyote and another, very small, doe with the .243. The doe, I ended up having to shoot her left handed at 30yrds in the neck.

As I said, Ben takes his hunting seriously and it sounds like we have a future D9Firearms customer. If you’re interested in a deer rifle weather it’s a DPMS or standard bolt gun we can provide what you’re looking for.

Happy hunting.

This year Mrs. D9Firearms, our vice president and special projects manager, developed a special Christmas Gift Pack. The gift pack is a perfect Christmas present that every gun enthusiast needs to clean and preserve their firearms. We are offering two Christmas Gift packs this year to meet the needs of every gun owner. The Deluxe and Super Deluxe gift packs offer you a complete gun cleaning and preservation kit without having to guess or suffer asking a big outdoors store attendant who doesn’t even own a firearm, what items to get. Mrs. D9Firearms is also providing gift-wrapping so you not only have a range ready kit but a Christmas ready package and one very pleased gun enthusiast.

The Deluxe Christmas gift pack is designed for range cleaning, taking on hunting trips, or to combine with set used at home, and is perfect for breaking in a new firearm from D9Firearms. The deluxe rod set is a compact version, stored in a aluminum case with positions for each peice that fits nicely in the carry container (double latch with carry handle), along with cleaning patches, gun cleaners, and lubricants. We provided a bag of patches for each caliber range and can be replaced in bulk. The cleaners, lubricants, and preservatives are excellent for removing built up carbon, brass, and lead deposits in the gun and bore, and the Rem oil along with the preservative will help protect your gun from surface rust between shootings and can also be replaced in larger sizes. The 20 and 30-caliber brass muzzle guide helps protect the crown from being accidentally nicked when cleaning the bore. The container has additional space so that you can also carry extra items such as note pads, staple gun, or other shooting items.

Patches, bore guides, cleaning cloth and lubricants shown above are standard for both gift packs.

35 Piece Rod & Brush Set.

Deluxe Christmas Gift Pack:

35 piece brass rod, brush, and fittings in a aluminum case

3oz. Breakfree bore cleaner

4oz. Breakfree gun cleaner

4oz Breakfree gun preservative

1oz Remington gun oil

Individual bags of cotton cleaning patches: (17-22cal, 243, 270-35cal, 38-45cal, shotgun)

Gun Cloth and terry cloth towel

20cal and 30cal brass muzzle guard

Plastic container for storage and range use

Price: $80

(USPS 3 day shipping for out of state or KS sales tax for our local customers is included. Add $7.50 for gift-wrapping.)

Deluxe pack - easy to carry, transport, and store.

The Super Deluxe Christmas gift pack is designed for the shooter who needs a rod, brush, and fitting for every imaginable firearm made. It has additional brass rods, brushes, and fittings to cover black powder rifles as well. The Super Deluxe comes with all the same cleaners and patches as the Deluxe along with the oversized container to store everything in.

Super Deluxe Christmas Gift Pack:

61 piece brass rod, brush, and fittings in an aluminum case

3oz. Breakfree bore cleaner

4oz. Breakfree gun cleaner

4oz Breakfree gun preservative

1oz Remington gun oil

Individual bags of cotton cleaning patches: (17-22cal, 243, 270-35cal, 38-45cal, shotgun)

Gun Cloth and terry cloth towel

20cal and 30cal brass muzzle guard

Plastic container for cleaner storage (Case will be wrapped separately)

Price: $110

(USPS 3 day shipping included or KS sales tax for our local customers. . Add $10.00 for gift-wrapping for 2 packages.)

We would like to thank all of you who have contacted us and used our services this year and wish you all a wonderful and Merry Christmas.

Mr. & Mrs. D9Firearms.

We recently built up some DPMS LR-308B rifles and before we had a chance to test one out for a review 3 of the 4 were out the door. The fourth was almost out the door, when DPMS came through and delivered us a LR-308 24” w/SS, fluted, threaded bull barrel for one incredible patient and understanding client of ours. So I decided to build this one out with everything that would make this the ultimate PD-SASS (Prairie Dog – Semi-Automatic Sniper System).

I basically striped it down to the receivers and installed all tactical latches (carrier release, bolt release, magazine release, and safety), I put in a JP adjustable with speed hammer, 4 rail free float hand guard (carbine length), Miculek compensator, Command Arms SRS adjustable stock, Harris non-swivel bipod, mounted an IOR Valdada 10×42 w/MP-8 reticule using Warne QD 30mm rings, and packed it in a Bulldog aluminum double rifle case. (Rifle package as shown $3000) Also, shown is a Bushnell 15×45 spotting scope. ($280)

Unfortunately, it sat on my bench for about 2 weeks before I got caught up on all the other things my wife had planned for me. Finally, I had enough and told my wife to get in the kitchen cook me dinner, get the laundry done, mow the lawn, scrub the floors, and be ready for me when I get back from the range. Well, it didn’t all go quite like that but I still got a couple of hours of range time.

I loaded up my PD-SASS in a new Bulldog case and brought out my new Blackwater drag bag. Typically when getting a rifle with optics that we mount, align, and bore sight, which we have to ship we will use one of these cases for extra protection and to complete the rifle package. The case has 2 key locks and two combination locks, has an aluminum shell and lined with eggshell foam. This case is rated for airline travel and will protect your rifle. (A good case like this will run about $85.)

I also brought out my new Blackwater drag bag, which is way cool. You can latch your rifle in position, has compartments for ammo, accessories, and more ammo. You can strap it to your back like a backpack, and once you get into position and setup, it folds out into a shooting mat for you prone shooters. (There are several variants on drag bags and can range from about $90 - $180 for a decent bag. This one we bought at a local store for $90.)

Photo looking down range at Mill Creek Rifle Range at the 100yd, 200yd, & 300yd. This is an excellent range.

Upon grasping the rifle by the four rail free float tube, which is made from T6 aluminum, has a totally industrial rated look and feel. It adds a little wait to rifle, but you know when you grab its solid. (These are not necessary and add about $170 cost to the rifle, but if you plan to put a light or laser, or just want the in your face attitude type of rife they are nice.)

I decided to setup first on the bench just to site the rifle in after having only bore sighted it. I had a guy I work with develop some D9Firearms targets for me which are laid out for a sight in large center target and then 4 smaller accuracy targets. We then printed it out on a 17×27 white target which makes easy for seeing bullet holes. We hope to start offering these in the next month. We are also developed these for 300 yd and on the center dot we put a 1” solid black line and then had ¼” wide lines spaced a ¼” apart until they reached 3” so you could see the bullet hole breakup on the lines.

The first shot was completely astounding. I’ve only shot the DPMS LR-308AP4 w/Miculek and was impressed, but this was totally awesome. The Miculek takes the recoil and muzzle lift down to that of a 223. Compared to my DPMS LR-308 24” SS bull, I would guess it removes 70% of the recoil and lift. I could probably have my 5-year-old daughter behind the trigger on this rifle.

Close up of a Miculek compensator.

After about 5 rounds of sighting in, I decided to try my Blackwater drag bag/mat out. It took a few minutes to get setup and into position. Here is where I can say some of the options I installed on the rifle became apparent as to why they were developed.

The whole effort took about 10 minutes to get the rifle positioned and the bipod and monopod set. Now that the stock is setup, I estimate it will take half that time to get into position. One issue that I feel is important is the bipod adjustment. I don’t use a swivel and each leg can be adjusted in any increment. (As a note, I will be adding a level to optic next.) This allows you to tweak each leg without locking into set increments and having to dig out some rock or dirt.

Notice each leg can be adjusted to any position.

I then setup the stock to get the right eye alignment and adjusted the pull and the butt plate. These are super cool features. One issue on the collapsible portion of the stock adjustment I didn’t like was a lock down torx setscrew, this should be on a thumb screw. If you were always needing this position, that’s good, but it’s a collapsible stock. However, it still works fine and there is no noticeable movement without it locked down.

I was a little skeptical at first of the monopod, but compared to using your fist, or a sock with sand, or media, it was very beneficial. It has two separate adjustments to get you out to about 6” or 9” and then you just tweak it by twisting either direction. This was very nice and was very solid and had no noticeable flexing on the stock.

At this point, I had the rifle already charged, but as you can see from the picture, the tactical carrier release makes charging the rifle considerably faster since you can charge it without reaching over the stock and getting around your optic. (This is a $20 adder and is well worth it on all of these rifles regardless if you’re using an optic or not.) I had also added the tactical bolt and magazine release are nice features for fat fingering and not having to look at your rifle to drop the bolt or magazine. (These both cost $20 and are nice but not as important as the carrier release when it comes to operation.)

Next was the Panther tactical grip, not only does it look cool, but the swollen grip fits nicely in your hand and the floor rest allows you to rest your hand in place. Next the tactical safety switch, (we can also install an ambi as well) with its oversized lever was very easy to reach with the thumb and didn’t have to look at my rifle and take my eyes off the target to get me into the firing position.

The first couple of shots were to get acclimated and setup in the prone position. I had to adjust the bipod and monopod before getting it where I wanted it. Next time, I will have a better idea of the comfort height for the prone position. I then decided to go for an accuracy test on the rifle.

I picked the upper accuracy target and went for a 3 shot grouping. The ammo I was using was our hand-loaded bullets using 168grn SM HPBT. We’ve written about the ammo before, but it has now been tested in several manufacturer’s rifles and with the exception of the Springfield Armory M1-A it delivered anywhere from .3” to .7” @100yd. (I’ve tested it out to 300yd in my Tikka Varmint and was 1.5” with on flyer out of 5 rounds.)

In roughly a minute time frame for 3 rounds I had two overlapping and one flyer that put me at about .5”. I decided to finish off the last 4 rounds in a speed test which lasted about 20 seconds. What is totally impressive about the rifle is the follow up shot capability (although I’m a former Marine “One shot One kill” this is very beneficial when a platoon of crazed prairie dogs are coming right for you.) The compensator does an excellent job of keeping the muzzle lift and recoil to a minimum and didn’t have a significant compression feel, like a 50BMG has. As I recall the 16’ seemed a little more aggressive but I was standing up and directly under the canopy.

Overall, and I’m not saying this because I built it and want to sell lot’s of these guns, which I do, but when I compare the cost of a high end bolt action that I can get .25 to .5” accuracy and the cost is twice or more as my DPMS I’m hard pressed not to recommend this rifle. I’m not disparaging the bolt guns and some may say I can get as many off in the same amount of time, but for a guy who doesn’t use it for business purposes; it almost makes you feel like one of the guys who do. It just seems at some point the diminishing returns on accuracy. However, to juxtapose this, another friend of ours brought over his GA Precision rifle and I can say he did get what he paid for.

As a supporting comment to this, I was speaking with Earl from Reno, one of our friends (most of our clients seem to become our friends and we like that) who purchased one of the first of these rifles, made the comment to me on the phone the other night that “I would trust my DPMS with my life.” I agree.

The two photo’s above were provided by our friend Earl, who obviously puts the author’s skills to shame.

These two photos are of a DPMS LR-260 24″ fluted & threaded SS bull barrel with Miculek.  We also added the JP trigger and speed hammer, tactical carrier release, Harris bipod, Panther tactical grip, and Burris 6.5×25 w/ballistic plex packed in a Bulldog case.

If you’re interested in a DPMS rifle and would like it factory standard or delivered with options we would be glad to provide it for you. If we have the rifle and options in stock, we can generally turn it around in a week to 10 days. Thanks for interest.

D9.

“History teaches that wars begin when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap.”

Ronald Reagan, Address to the Nation, Jan 16, 1984

This will not be about guns, although it has an inherent relationship to them and the power we as a people and nation project.  I as a much younger man made a decision at the age of 17 to drop out of high school and join the Marine Corps, brilliant no, but who makes smart decisions at 17.  Well little did I know, it was one of the best and smartest decisions I have made in my life, but it took several years after the fact to truly appreciate what I had done, what I had been apart of and still feel connected to.

On Veteran’s Day, we have a host of people who have been granted an official federal holiday based on the sacrifices men and women who have gone before them so selflessly gave.  My personal feelings are a national recognition of those men and women is incumbent upon each and everyone one of us who is standing here today fortunate enough to go to work and enjoy freedoms and liberties unknown to several peoples around the world.  It is not for us to take a day off, look around, and say yea I deserve a day off, it’s a day to reflect, and thank God, men and women did stop what they were doing, leave their families, and go protect the nation so we could enjoy this way of life.

Now, we all know some of the nay-sayers, who call this current war George Bush’s War, and we went for oil, and Dick Cheney is the devil.  Interestingly enough, this same cabal of like-minded, liberal fellow travelers has said this about every war.  The tag line may change but it’s the same limp wristed, dysfunctional, weak individuals.  Take a second to reflect if this mentality would have been prevalent in the Great War II, where would be as a nation, where would you be?  Look what happened when this mentality took hold in the 60’s, and look what those same burned out, retread hippies, (and yes hippies do smell, go to downtown Austin sometime), trying twist and distort the valor and sacrifice of every man and women in the military today is doing.

Take a minute to thank God and the Marines, (ok, the Navy, Air Force, Army, and the others who faithfully serve our country) that they have succeeded in doing their job, even with the severe restrictions imposed upon them by these radicals.

Thanks to all the Veterans and active military personnel.

Semper Fi

Below are pictures from the Marine Corps Ball in Kansas City November 10, 2007 “Cutting of the Birthday Cake”.

“Once a Marine, Always a Marine.

One thing about this business you meet all types and all likes. We’ve known Mark for about a year now and his interest in AK’s is second to none and has been infectious to put it mildly. Since knowing Mark we have purchased a couple of AK’s for ourselves, of course with the assistance of Mark’s in depth knowledge, and have been very pleased with the recommendations. So after purchasing another AK and Mark just transferring another one in himself I asked if he would be interested in writing a short review on the AK. Naturally, no encouragement was required, and I think before he left he had half of the article written in his mind.

AK-47 (Written by Mark Z)

The purpose of this article is to give a good general introduction to the AK 47. The first prototype for the AK was designed and built by Mikhail Kalashnikov during a period of recovery in a Russian hospital. The rest as they say is history, and the Avtomat Kalashnikov 1947 is born. Its simplicity of design and ease of use and extreme reliability, have made it the choice assault rifle of many countries. Of note here, the AK 47 is an assault rifle. By this definition, it is select fire-it shoots semi automatic and full automatic. The rifles available in today’s US market are not assault rifles but modified versions for US importation. These were built originally on milled forged receiver. Because they were heavy and expensive to develop, the bulk of later built AK are from factory stamped receivers. Light weight, cost effective and easier to produce quickly and in large numbers.

While the AK’s use spans the globe, its primary original Parts Kits: productions come out of Europe, China and Egypt. In Europe, versions included production in Bulgaria, Romania, East Germany, Poland, Yugoslavia and Egypt.

On other side of the globe, China has produced large numbers of AK’s. Considered to be some of the best AK’s made to date. These have become cherished by collectors eager to

Invest in their soaring values. A Chinese AK produced and sold in the US prior to the

Assault Weapon Ban of 1994, for as little as 200-400$ may sell for close to $2000 today.

No Chinese AK’s will ever enter the country legally for sale again.

In 1994 Clinton signed the assault weapon ban act. The result was to stop the influx of AK’s and other assault style rifles that have the characteristic cosmetic qualities of an assault type weapon. Here’s the irony. An assault weapon is by definition a fully automatic rifle. Full automatic weapons have been controlled by the Firearms Protection Act. Weapons in the 1994 act were deemed unacceptable that had pistol grips, compensators, high capacity magazines, and folding stocks.

With the “Sunset” of the Assault Weapon Ban on September 14 in 2004, the AK once again could have those features deemed “Evil” by earlier legislation. Sales are abounding with new builders developing companies to build compliance AK for the hungry public.

Many are also taking advantage of the reprieve to build their own AK’s from demilitarized parts kits for sale from importation from European countries.

Commonly called “Kit” builds, these guns have had their original receivers destroyed and the remaining totality of the AK shipped to the US by Importers such as Century Arms International. These parts, minus their receiver, are fully legal to sell ship and own by US citizens. They must be built compliant to statute 922r, which sets regulations defining rifles and pistols as well as imposing a requirement of a specified number of US made part to be legal.

The focus of this article has been on the original AK in caliber 7.62×39mm. Kalashnikov furthered the evolution of the AK to the AKM 74 - AKM-Avtomat Kalashnikov Modern

These AKM’s were produced in other caliber such as the 5.56×45mm and the 5.45×39mm.

Below is brief list below of the countries producing their own versions of the AK as well as AKM

Yugoslavia.

Chinese

Bulgarian

Romanian

Egyptian

East German

Sadly, the trend of recent and future legislation doesn’t bode well for the AK 47 and all of its relatives. As a result these fine military weapons will become increasingly difficult

to obtain. Consequently their values will continue to grow. Whether one is a shooter or collector, an AK is a great addition to ones collection. But be wary, they are rumored to rapidly reproduce, as once one is an owner, it’s very hard to only own one!

Key words: (hold control key while clicking on link)

Mikhail Kalashnikov http://www.vodkakalashnikov.com/biography.htm

Other Country Variants: Info with Pictures (hold Control while clicking on link)

Assault Weapons Ban Act of 1994: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assault_Weapons_Ban

AK parts Kits: http://www.ak47review.com/AK47_Reviews_Parts_Kits.php

Building an AK: http://www.ak-47.us/AK-Build.php

AKM-74: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AK-74

922r: http://www.huberconcepts.com/legal.htm

We appreciate Mark’s time and look forward to more articles from him. If you are interested in a specific aspect of AK-47’s please forward us a request and we will see if Mark would be generous enough to write about it. Once again thanks for visiting D9Firarms.

As all of you know, I have been a die-hard Tikka enthusiast but I have to admit two issues that have recently caused me to loose my enthusiasm.  The first is, we can no longer buy the T3 Varmint, and all the wholesalers are closing them out.  When I called Beretta, they stated they were not aware of any close out on the Varmint.  Secondly, they have introduced the super varmint and tactical model both costing about $500 more than the T3 Varmint.  However, the features of these rifles versus the T3 Varmint when considering cost and purpose for buying the rifle it doesn’t fit the value criteria.

So my problem is not with the rifle but with the company.  This rifle has consistently produced sub-MOA results out of the box with no pre-conditions.  Although the synthetic stock has little to be desired, the action, accuracy and trigger made this a top performer.  Even the T3 Deluxe is being discontinued but being replaced with the Hunter model which is priced lower, has the same action, and a walnut stock.

However, I just took in trade a new Savage 12FV 308 rifle for one of the 700 SPS Varmints I had.  I did this because first it was a good deal and second it was an opportunity to get in a rifle I don’t typically bring in to market to pro-actively sell.  In the past, I have picked up the Savage in gun stores but was never overly impressed with the action, stock, and trigger.  (This one has the accu-trigger).

The most noticeable item was the oversized bolt handle, which I think is a nice feature and it’s different.  Although it has a synthetic stock, which I don’t necessarily like but compared to a T3 Varmint or other synthetic stock guns it’s no better or worse than any of the others.  So, it’s a cost thing and I understand that, so it will be a personal thing if it fits the shooter or doesn’t.

Upon picking it up I immediately noticed the balance tilted towards the barrel end, this mostly due in part to a 26” barrel.  One my Tikka it had a 24” and the balance was more evened out.  But on either rifle, you would more then likely be shooting off a bi-pod or rest any way.  With the Savage you would gain a little extra muzzle velocity so there maybe a little more benefit going with the Savage on this point.

Next, I operated the bolt, and once again as you know I have raved about the smooth action on the Tikka bolt.  I know the Tikka’s not a GA Precision rifle, but for a factory rifle, it has an incredibly smooth bolt.  However, the Savage has a different bolt action and has a different operation and feel.  For the most part it is a relatively smooth slide with no binding or shimmying.  (This is something I noticed on the CZ rifles, they are accurate as hell, but the bolt seems to stick and I felt I could never get a fast, clean, discharge and charge with their bolt.)  But the bolt does have a solid operation and did not give any indication that it would not have a clean cycle.

The rifle does not have a drop box hence a lower cost, but for the applications of this rifle I don’t find it imperative to have multiple magazines loaded with a variety of ammunition.  However, if I had my choice I would like to have a drop box mag, but thank you Beretta for pricing extra mags at $50 each.  It’ a piece of molded plastic come on.

However, some unseen features which I’m sure helps accuracy and repeatability is the dual pillar bedding and free floated button rifled barrel.  If I have this rifle long enough I suspect it will at the range for some operational testing.

Finally, as I was in the process of writing this article Beretta dropped the last bomb on me.  I ordered some of their Opti-Lok rings and bases for a Tikka T3 Deluxe.  He gave me the price of $75 and I guess I wasn’t paying full attention when he gave a second price of $80.  I was paying attention when I received my invoice and was whacked with $150+ and shipping charges for a set of rings.  Now don’t get me wrong, I like the rings and bases, just not for $150.  So maybe it’s not a bad thing Beretta has done this to me.  I probably would have not jumped on the Savage deal and not been able to provide my clients with solid and economical options for a varmint gun.

If you have a rabid rodent or varmint problem and need a solution please call us here at D9Firearms.  We will continuously work to improve on our knowledge of reliable, accurate, and quality firearms to provide you with the best solutions.

Thanks.