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- What is the history of Zenith Firearms – the makers of roller-lock firearms January 2, 2025Zenith Firearms was founded in Afton, Virginia by Hanri and Kutlay Kaya. Hanri is the CEO and was originally from South Africa, Hanri met her husband Kutlay in the US. Her background wasn’t initially in firearms, but in international trade, which proved crucial to Zenith’s success. Kutlay Kaya: An engineer from Turkey, Kutlay brought ...
- Are the MAC MP5 clones made by the same company that made the iconic MAC-10 and MAC-11 SMGs? December 31, 2024When I saw a MAC MP5 clone listed on a firearm website it immediately caught my eye mainly because of three key letters – “MAC”. When many folks see “MAC”, including me, they think Military Armaments Corporation and the iconic MAC-10 and MAC-11 submachine guns. But where did “MAC” come from? Had someone ...
- What is the history of PTR Industries and the HK91? December 31, 2024It seems like roller-locked firearms are having a resurgence as of late with a number of vendors making them. My first roller lock was from a company that is still around and I actually just bought a MP5 clone from them that I need to write about. Before I do that, let’s review ...
- Sellier & Bellot (S&B) Ammo Was Bought By Colt CZ Group — Who is Colt CZ Group??? December 30, 2024I recently posted a video of Ian McCollum touring the Sellier & Bellot (S&B) ammunition factory located in Vlašim, in the Czech Republic. In the back of my head, I knew S&B ownership had changed in 2024 but couldn’t recall the details. S&B is one of the world’s largest ammunition companies and has changed hands ...
- Ian McCollum Tours the S&B Factory – It’s a Very Cool Video December 30, 2024I am a huge fan of S&B ammo, factory tour videos and Ian McCollum’s Forgotten Weapons series (If you don’t know about Ian, click here for his website and here for his Youtube channel.) So, when he posted this morning about his tour of the S&B facility in Vlašim, in the Czech Republic, I ...
- Built an Aero M5 – An Interesting Take On The AR10 .308 Platform December 30, 2024I’d bought an Aero M5 lower receiver on sale a while back and decided to build it. Over the years, I’ve assembled a couple of M4s and one M5 where I bought an assembled lower and upper but this was my first actual build. I’ve always found the quality of the Aero parts ...
- A Fantastic Deal on an 8″ OTF Knife From GLFA December 28, 2024My friend Scott Igert owns Michigan Gun Exchange and recently got in a bunch of out the front (OTF) automatic knives from Great Lakes Firearms and Ammunition (GLFA). This caught my attention for a couple of reasons – 1) I had never heard of GLFA. 2) The knives looked and felt decent 3) The ...
- Why is my bolt binding as it moves to the rear – How to Fit VMAC9 / MAC-11 9mm Uppers December 26, 2024As I mentioned in the first post, a fit of nostalgia over the MACs and then seeing the 3D printed firearms coming out using MAC uppers started me digging. What really cemented the deal is that you can build a VMAC9 very affordably. I’d argue it’s one of the best deals out there ...
- Glass Bedding a Practical Solutions 1913 Rail Adapter For a Solid Fit On A VMAC9 or MAC-11N December 26, 2024The defacto standard rear connector for braces and stocks on large format pistols is the 1913 Picatinny Rail adapter. The concept was pioneered by Justin McMillion and his firm JMAC. The idea exploded and now tons of companies offer adapters, stocks and braces to do just that. So, when I started planning ...
- Spectacular Sunset on I94 From Indiana to Illinois December 8, 2024We visited some friends last night and were treated to an amazing sunset on I94 starting with golds and moving to reds and purples. It really got spectacular around Porter, Indiana, and we watched it peak and fade. Shortly after we left I94 and turned onto I80 towards Mokena, the sunset faded completely. My phone was ...
- Manila Power Poles – Spaghetti in the Air December 5, 2024We visited family in the Philippines in August 2024 and I was amazed at the power poles in the greater Manila area. Everything is on poles – power, phone, fiber, you name it. So, as we were driving around, I couldn’t help but snap some photos. Below is a photo gallery – click ...
- Lots of Black Friday Sales Going On – More From Blade City, EuroOptic, Aero, Natchez, Bravo Company & More November 29, 2024Vendor Name With Website Link To Use Description Aero Precision Black Friday builder sets, parts, uppers & more. 30% off select items through 12/31/24. Bravo Company USA They are having a huge sale on uppers, grips, bolt carriers, handguards and more. For example, buy an upper and get a BGC with it, Blade City 50% off select items. Can get ...
- Black Friday Sales At Many Vendors November 28, 2024Folks, it’s the time of year my wife gets nervous – I am getting emails constantly with deals going on. Some of the Black Friday Sales I just can’t pass over and some I just can’t afford 🙂 There are a number of reasons merchants are looking to sell stuff this year and are dropping ...
- Assembling a VMAC9’s lower receiver’s internals – applies to many semi-auto Mac-11-type pistols November 25, 2024Please research and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations before you undertake a build of any kind. I am very careful to understand what I must do to legally build pistols and rifles before I begin a project. I am not a lawyer and will not give ...
- Refinishing Sten 20 Round Israeli Mags and Magazine Loaders November 23, 2024Back in 2017, I planned to build a Sten Mk. V and actually am planning to move forward with it now that I have built some VMAC9s that use Sten magazines. Well, as part of the VMAC builds, I bought some of the new MPA Polymer Sten mags and also decided to refinish some incredibly ...
- Finishing New VMAC9 Welded Receivers Using A Black Manganese Parkerized Finish You Can Do At Home November 21, 2024Velocity Arms finishes their VMAC9 uppers using a “manganese phosphate finished IAW 5.3.1.2 of Mil-STD-171” which is a fancy way of saying maganese park, heavy coating, class 2, oil coated. Of course the military gets into a lot of details further specifying it in MIL-DTL-16232. At any rate, Velocity Arms’ uppers are a nice rich ...
- Welding a VMAC9 Lower Receiver Together – Uses MAC-11 9mm Style Uppers November 18, 2024Please research and comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations before you undertake a build of any kind. I am very careful to understand what I must do to legally build pistols and rifles before I begin a project. I am not a lawyer and will not give ...
- The Nova Viking Drill Press – I really Like It November 16, 2024Ok, in August 2024, I realized my old Harbor Freight (HF) 38142 13″ bench top drill press was having real issues. I always thought the switch would die or maybe the motor but it was actually the bearings in the spindle. It could no longer drill an accurate hole – runout was horrible and the ...
- Need to lift stuff? Check out the SuperHandy Material Lift Winch October 22, 2024A friend sent me a meme “I never thought getting old would happen so fast.” It was one of those memes where I couldn’t help but laugh because it was true. A second one is “The number one cause of injury to old men is thinking they are young men.” Well, combine ...
- We Now Have Contour, Navy SEF and Magpul SL Grips For HK MP5K Weapons and Clones October 19, 2024It’s taken a while to work out the processes and tooling but now we have a variety of grips converted for HK MP5K weapons and their clones including: Century / MKE AP5-P and AP5-M pistols HK MP5K, SP5K – for the SP5K, slight trimming of the front locking plate on the grip will be required POF 5PK PTR ...