Gun & Prepping News #65

 Just some gun and prepping related links that I thought interesting or useful:

•  It's that time of year ... Shot Show:
• "Aimpoint A-Cut And COA Optic Become Widely Available"--The Firearm Blog.  Just noting that the A-Cut optic mounting system has been adopted by other manufacturers beyond Glock. Will this be the Key-Mod v. M-Lok all over again?
• "Winchester SXR2 Semi-Auto Rifle Keeps The Fudd Dream Alive"--The Firearm Blog. This is a hunting rifle that will be offered in 308, .30-06, 300 Win Mag and 9.3x62. Per the article, it is intended to be a less expensive option to the Browning BAR, although the MSRP puts it only a couple hundred less. Increasingly unusual for this day and age, it comes with iron sights. Unfortunately, the author couldn't spare room from his sarcastic commentary to give us any real details about the weapon. Per Winchester's website, the rifle is a gas piston design and uses a 7 lug bolt, and weighs 7 lbs. 4 oz. for the composite model. It seems to have already been sold in Europe. 
• "Blecher BrashZero Caseless Bullpup Rifle"--The Firearm Blog. So this is an interesting rifle. Rather than feed cartridges, it uses magazines holding the components: the bullet, the powder, and, I assume, some sort of primer. As the weapon cycles, the components are fed into the rifle. It reminds me of a couple rifle designs that had been developed in the late 18th Century that used hand cranks to feed powder and ball into the breach to allow more rapid fire. I believe one of these designs even saw service on the British side during the Revolutionary War. 
• "Beretta Introduces the A300 Ultima Patrol in 20ga!"--The Firearm Blog.  
• "14 Rounds in the Palm of Your Hand - KelTec’s PR-3AT"--The Firearm Blog. Another internal magazine design loaded via stripper clip. 
• "New Diamondback SDR-A Aluminum Frame .38 Special Revolver"--The Firearm Blog.  This is a "hammerless" design using a 6-round cylinder, with real pistol sights, and only weighing 15.6 ounces unloaded. 
• "Lyman Products Introduces Sonicore Suppressors"--Outdoor Wire. This is a line of different suppressors--apparently a European design--with the key selling point being that "MSRP will range from $199 to $299, depending on model." 
• More: "Lowering Decibels For Less: Lyman's New Sonicore Suppressor Lineup"--American Rifleman.
• "Tech Wisdom: Snakes vs. Patches"--Shooting Illustrated.  Basically, the bore snake is intended for range use while patches and rods are really needed for a more thorough cleaning regimen. 
• "MRAD vs MOA: How to Choose the Right Rifle Scope"--The Truth About Guns.  "Compared with MRAD, each MOA click moves the POI a smaller distance, so it takes plenty of clicks to move your POI any very far. American civilian shooters tend to use MOA, while the military and much of the rest of the world will use MRAD," writes the author. 
• On the topic of rifle scopes: "Scope Mounting: Do It Right Or Don’t Bother!"--Guns Magazine. The author writes:

There’s no way around it: to properly mount a scope, you need equipment. One option is to pay a competent gunsmith to do it — money well spent if the gunsmith does it properly — or you can invest $400-700 in proper tools and own them for life. Even if you only mount a couple of scopes a year, it pencils out over time. 

• Giving up on the scout rifle or finally bringing in mainstream? 
• "New for 2026: Franchi Momentum Mule Rifle"--American Rifleman. 
• "New for 2026: Ruger American Rifle Generation II Scout"--American Rifleman. 

These are two very similar rifles intended for similar purposes--a do-it-all type rifle. Both are bolt actions with similar caliber options (both have models available in .308 and 5.56/.223, although Ruger offers some additional choices); threaded barrels; long scope rail systems that allow the mounting of a standard scope, a forward (scout) long eye relief scope; built in iron sights; 16-inch barrels; and available with 10-round magazines. The Franchi is slightly over 7 lbs. versus 6.5 lbs. for the Ruger. The Franchi is also several hundred dollars more, but has some other features that might make it worth the price difference. 

• Definitely not a scout rifle: "PSA Unleashes the Sabre-10A2 Super Sass .308 Rifle"--Ammo Land. An AR-10 style rifle coming in at 11 lbs.
• "10mm vs. .40 S&W: Similarities, Differences and Uses"--Shooting Illustrated. Short take: "While the .40 S&W is a marginal hunting round, the 10mm is probably the best of the rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridges," but "the .40 S&W is a damned good defensive cartridge, giving a good balance of penetration, accuracy and portability."
• " .38 Special: What I’ve Learned After Over 20,000 Rounds"--The Truth About Guns. A very versatile cartridge. 
• "Concealed Carry Corner: Stop Carrying So Much Junk"--The Firearm Blog. An excerpt:

 When it comes to carrying a concealed handgun, less truly is more and if you carry more than the bare minimum, it's wasted energy in most cases. I’ve certainly been there where I was carrying two flashlights along with a small utility knife as well as a larger knife for self-defense on top of my main carry gun and extra magazines. I felt like my pants were a boat anchor and it just became a lot to the point where I wanted to leave the house without anything. The simple truth is, you need a small handgun to start out with basically nothing else besides a good holster.

•  "Rifles: Find the Right Ammunition"--Shooting Illustrated. The article discusses how sometimes what appears to be a crap barrel might just need a different load. For example:

     One rifle started the week with a dismal 6.9-MOA average of five-shot, 100-yard groups using a highly regarded, 77-grain match 5.56 NATO load. A popular 70-grain defensive load was even worse. The carbine’s like-new, 1:7-inch-twist barrel came from a pedigreed rifle maker and seemed just right for the task. Shaving slightly more than 1 MOA off the student’s average-group size (through rifle accurization) sounds good by itself, but that still left him with a 5.2-MOA best group at 100 yards.

    The rifle’s owner was ready to scrap the barrel, so I encouraged him to try a lighter-weight factory load that I sometimes use for accuracy testing: Hornady’s match-quality, 55-grain V-Max. His initial five-shot group printed less than 1 inch, and for the first time all week, this experienced rifleman was smiling. Another great V-Max group convinced him that the barrel wasn’t a lost cause. He used PMC 55-grain FMJ for the rest of his groups, which averaged a hair larger than 2 MOA at 100 yards.

• "M1 Garand Bucket List: Shoot The Legend"--Guns America.  Lots of photos and information about this great rifle. 
• When you absolutely need to start a fire: "AZAO TH3AZ Thermite Grenades"--The Truth About Guns. These are not regulated items, so you can purchase them without the ATF's permission. The article mentions that:

Much like Tannerite, AZAO’s thermite grenades come with the relevant chemical mixture separated. Coming in a couple restaurant style ketchup squeeze bottles, the iron oxide and aluminum powder are mixed on the day of use, on site. 

 These are also not the same as military thermite grenades which also include thermate. But apparently those are planned to be offered in the future. 

• "Buffer Zones and Bailouts: Navigating Urban Mobility During Unrest"--Option Gray. Advice on (i) planning multiple exit routes, (ii) identify protest prone zones, and (iii) fuel, stash, and fallback points. And some final thoughts:

     Urban mobility during unrest isn’t about fear. It’s about freedom. If you can move, you can adapt. If you’re trapped, options shrink fast.

    Treat your city like a terrain map, not a convenience. Study it. Walk it. And build your own escape routes now—while you still can.

• "EMP Proof Watch"--Modern Survival Blog. He believes that the best for this purpose is those with mechanical movements. His recommendation is the SNK805 – SEIKO 5, an "automatic" (self-winding) watch with date function and illuminated face. Sort of pricey, though, at $329 currently at Amazon. 
• "The Superior Hat"--Blue Collar Prepping. A review of the "Men's Superior Hat" from Duluth Trading Co. It is an insulated hat with a baseball cap style brim but but with fold down flaps to cover the ears.