Friday, May 02, 2008

FROM STEPHEN CAMPS WEBSITE

UPDATED SAT. MAY 3, 2008

"OLMERT" THE "EREV RAV" TRAITOR
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Will Olmert survive this time?

PM survived failed war, several investigations, but latest affair may be political deathblow

Attila Somfalvi

Published: 05.02.08, 12:13 / Israel Opinion

There is no doubt now: Destiny does not miss any opportunity to test Olmert’s nerves and survival skills. Of all the difficult moments that the prime minister faced since assuming the post, the latest affair came at the worst timing for him. Just when it appeared that he controls the situation and the bad winds are calming a little, and just when more people were willing to give him another chance – he is hit with the investigation, which ruins everything he built and reminds us of all the bad thoughts about him. That’s the last thing he needed.

Whether true or not, the reports regarding the latest investigation are very grave. Even if there is an iota of truth in them, it is hard to believe that Ehud Olmert would be able to continue serving as prime minister; the thought of bundles of cash reaching the hands of the most important man in our political hierarchy prompt deep revulsion.
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Radar Summary in United States region

G-D IS GOING TO USE THE WEATHER TO EXACT HIS REVENGE ON US FOR NOW. FOR ALL MY CHRISTIAN FRIENDS READ THE FOLLOWING FROM II TIMOTHY CHAPTER 3


II Timothy 3
2ti 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.


2ti 3:2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,


2ti 3:3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,


2ti 3:4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;


2ti 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.


2ti 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,


2ti 3:7 Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.


2ti 3:8 Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.

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FROM THE HEBREW BIBLE

MICAH CHAPTER 5

ח תָּרֹם יָדְךָ, עַל-צָרֶיךָ; וְכָל-אֹיְבֶיךָ, יִכָּרֵתוּ. 8 Let Thy hand be lifted up above Thine adversaries, and let all Thine enemies be cut off.
ט וְהָיָה בַיּוֹם-הַהוּא נְאֻם-יְהוָה, וְהִכְרַתִּי סוּסֶיךָ מִקִּרְבֶּךָ; וְהַאֲבַדְתִּי, מַרְכְּבֹתֶיךָ. 9 And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD, that I will cut off thy horses out of the midst of thee, and will destroy thy chariots;
י וְהִכְרַתִּי, עָרֵי אַרְצֶךָ; וְהָרַסְתִּי, כָּל-מִבְצָרֶיךָ. 10 And I will cut off the cities of thy land, and will throw down all thy strongholds;
יא וְהִכְרַתִּי כְשָׁפִים, מִיָּדֶךָ; וּמְעוֹנְנִים, לֹא יִהְיוּ-לָךְ. 11 And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thy hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers;
יב וְהִכְרַתִּי פְסִילֶיךָ וּמַצֵּבוֹתֶיךָ, מִקִּרְבֶּךָ; וְלֹא-תִשְׁתַּחֲוֶה עוֹד, לְמַעֲשֵׂה יָדֶיךָ. 12 And I will cut off thy graven images and thy pillars out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thy hands.
יג וְנָתַשְׁתִּי אֲשֵׁירֶיךָ, מִקִּרְבֶּךָ; וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּי, עָרֶיךָ. 13 And I will pluck up thy Asherim out of the midst of thee; and I will destroy thine enemies.
יד וְעָשִׂיתִי בְּאַף וּבְחֵמָה, נָקָם--אֶת-הַגּוֹיִם: אֲשֶׁר, לֹא שָׁמֵעוּ. {פ} 14 And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the nations, because they hearkened not.
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I PERSONALLY HAVE NOT BEEN IMPRESSED WITH THIS "ROHRBAUGH" PISTOL AS I HAVE HAD A NUMBER OF THEM IN HERE WITH SEVERE FAILURES. THEY ARE TOO HIGH PRICED. THIS IS MY OPINION ONLY. WOULD I BUY ONE ?? = NO


TEDDY

www.actionsbyt.com

www.actionsbyt.blogspot.com

www.tacticalknives.blogspot.com

www.actionsbyt.typepad.com

www.actionsbyt.wordpress.com

www.truthaboutparts.blogspot.com

www.commentsbyt.blogspot.com

www.tjofsugarland.blogspot.com

www.handgunpartsforsale.blogspot.com

www.hipowersandhandguns.com


http://www.jtf.org/news.php

www.mouseguns.com

www.trippresearch.com

www.wowtexas.com

http://www.spw-duf.info/links.html#guns


http://www.homelandsafes.com/

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MUST SEE VIDEO

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzvrgQ5hOM4

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ALMOST $1 TRILLION...

The Cost Of Bush's Wars...

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Exclusive: Palestinian Hamas takes over Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, looms over Egyptian Delta

May 2, 2008, 9:36 PM (GMT+02:00)

Hamam Said from Jenin takes over Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood

Hamam Said from Jenin takes over Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood

DEBKAfile’s Middle East sources disclose a signal victory in Hamas’ expansionist drive Friday, May 2, when its members scooped up 28 of the 50 seats of Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood Shura Council in a secret ballot.

Hamam Said, 64, a Palestinian Hamas operative from the West Bank town of Jenin, was elected the movement’s General Guide by a single vote. Until 2005, Said, a trusted follower of Damascus-based hard-line Hamas chief, Khaled Meshaal, was a leader of the Jordanian Sawailah crime gang, which doubles as an extremist Islamist militia.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II sent his secret services to prevent Hamas sweeping the Muslim Brotherhood, which like its Egyptian branch is banned, but they failed.

Jordanian and Israeli counter-terror officers say the Palestinian Hamas takeover of the kingdom’s largest movement is potentially more destabilizing in regional terms than its victory in the Palestinian Authority’s 2006 election. It the short term, it presents hazards to Jordan’s internal security and could create new flashpoints on the long Jordanian-Israeli frontier.

DEBKAfile’s counter-terror sources report several arrests by Egypt’s security forces in Cairo, the central Delta town of Tanta and El Arish, northern Sinai, of fundamentalists suspected of founding a joint Hamas-Muslim Brotherhood armed cell at Tanta, Egypt’s fifth largest city, 94 km north of Cairo. Among them was Dr. Abd al-Farmawi, a lecturer at Al Azhar University’s local branch.

This was the first Brotherhood bid in half a century to branch out into military activism with the help of Hamas’ military wing.

The election of a Palestinian leader from Jenin by Jordan’s Muslim Brotherhood took place the day before several hundred American-trained Palestinian Authority security police were to be deployed in the same West Bank town.

The Olmert government agreed to their deployment to show US secretary of State Condoleezza Rice when she arrives Saturday, May 3, that Israel is meeting the Mahmoud Abbas-Salam Fayyad administration in Ramallah halfway.

Neither Israeli nor American leaders counted on Hamas’ move on Jordan, or took into account that the word of Hamam Said, the Hamas terrorist, will carry more weight in the terrorist stronghold of Jenin and the West Bank at large than the PA’s police force.


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Handgun Review: Rohrbaugh R9 9mm

Text & Photos

by

Aaron L. Brudenell

I remember the first time I actually saw a Smith and Wesson J-frame .38 Special in person. The pictures in gun books were without perspective, and all those movie and television appearances never seemed to do the revolver justice. I was amazed (and continue to be impressed) with its fabulous combination of power yet small size. I am pleased to report a similar experience with a new entry into the pocket gun market from a new gun maker.

The Rohrbaugh R9 pistol has only been in steady production since the Spring of 2004, however, its makers have been working on the concept since 1996. They had 4 models on display at the Shot Show in February of 2004 when I ordered mine, and despite the tall price tag I have yet to experience any buyer’s remorse. In short, it’s most of what you’d want and more than you’d expect in a pocket sized semiautomatic pistol.

The version I obtained is the model R9S indicating 9mm Luger with sights (a .380 version is currently in development primarily for export). Initially, the gun was never intended to have sights by its makers who envisioned an ultra compact no-snag weapon that was designed for deep concealment and close range self defense. The accuracy of the pistol as well as overwhelming customer demand now puts the orders for sighted pistols at ~70%. Both the R9 and R9S have a stainless steel slide and each was initially offered in a choice of silver or gray anodized alloy frames. Recent concerns over the cosmetic quality of the silver anodizing have eliminated that option for now but a similar finish may be available in the future.

The R9 is a quality compact automatic that handles full-power 9mm. It would be easy to carry this handgun 24/7 where legal or as a back up gun.

The pistol is recoil-operated. This self-loader has a true double action only trigger. The trigger operates a hammer that sits flush with the slide when not activated. Since there is no need to “partially cock” the hammer by some mechanism of the action prior to firing, a “second strike” is permitted on any chambered cartridge that might fail to fire. The trigger is connected to the firing mechanism by way of a trigger bar that occupies a cutout in the right side of the frame. The trigger return spring is housed in a recess of the right grip just below the trigger bar channel where it’s protected by the frame on one side and the grip on the other. Grip panels are a blue/black carbon fiber, however, newer versions will come with all black grips made from a state of the art polymer known as G-10. The seams of all the moving parts as well as the grip to frame fit are very tight and will resist the intrusion of pocket lint or other undesirable debris.

The guide rails on the frame extend from just ahead of the trigger to the rear of the frame. The dual recoil spring operates with a captive inner spring and a larger outer spring that is held in place by a metal collar at the muzzle end inside the slide. The manufacturer recommends replacing the outer spring every 500 rounds, however, I saw no indications of fatigue in at least as many shots. The magazine holds 6 rounds single file and is held in place by a heel release at the bottom rear of the grip. I am often suspicious of heel releases that may easily be bumped and release the magazine, however, this particular design holds the magazine quite well and I have no such concerns. Since there are no other external controls, no grip/frame checkering, and the rear of the slide (and hammer) angles forward, the gun is literally snag free.

Sights are simple but adequate to the intended task. I’d prefer more front sight visibility, but I’m sure the application of a suitable orange paint will do the trick. The trigger pull is a very manageable 7 pounds with less than 1” of overall travel. For carry in any holster or inside an otherwise empty pocket, this combination seems safe enough. Those who prefer to carry without a round in the chamber will find the slide serrations sufficient to work the action without any problems. The length of the grip will accommodate two small to average size fingers and the trigger guard turns up towards the slide as it meets the grip frame to accomplish this with minimal overall size. The small size and light weight, coupled with full power modern 9mm ammunition, makes for somewhat snappy recoil, however, it’s no worse than a light .38 Special firing +P ammunition. Although not intended for +P 9mm ammunition, the performance of non-+P ammunition from the R9’s 3” barrel is not lacking.

Load Avg. Vel. Ext. Spread

Federal 135 gr. Personal Defense Hydra-Shok JHP 923 fps 22 fps

Federal 124 gr. HST JHP 1054 fps 92 fps

Speer 124 gr. Gold Dot Hollow Point 984 fps 22 fps

Winchester 115 gr. Silver Tip Hollow Point 1047 fps 37 fps

Winchester 115 gr. FMJ (USA brand) 1072 fps 40 fps

Fiocchi 115 gr. FMJ-HP 1046 fps 39 fps

Fiocchi 115 gr. FMJ 978 fps 46 fps

PMC 115 gr. JHP 976 fps 34 fps

PMC 95 gr. Starfire JHP 1166 fps 27 fps

Accuracy with each type of ammunition was also tested with six shot groups at 7 yards. The best of a pair of such groups is listed below. As one would expect the recoil and associated fatigue due to sustained and repeated firing was worse with higher bullet weights. I found all of the test groups to be satisfactory for a gun of the R9’s size and purpose. I picked a some of the better performers and tested them at 15 yards with predictable results: groups were roughly double their 7 yard counterparts but well within the 10.5” paper target and more than sufficient for most defensive applications at that range.

Load 6 shot group size (best of 2) from 7 yards

Federal 135 gr. Personal Defense Hydra-Shok JHP 4 7/8”

Federal 124 gr. HST JHP 3 1/2”

Speer 124 gr. Gold Dot Hollow Point 3 5/8”

Winchester 115 gr. Silver Tip Hollow Point 3 1/4”

Winchester 115 gr. FMJ (USA brand) 2 1/4”

Fiocchi 115 gr. FMJ-HP 3 1/2”

Fiocchi 115 gr. FMJ 4 1/8”

PMC 115 gr. JHP 3 5/8”

PMC 95 gr. Starfire JHP 2”

For a pistol that’s not much bigger than a pack of cigarettes and not much heavier than a can of diet cola (just 1 calorie and no carbs!) I consider these results to be anywhere from adequate to outstanding. It struck me that any gun this size that can make groups smaller than the gun at practical ranges is accurate enough.

Not intended as a target pistol, the R-9 can still deliver "minute of felon" groups at 7 yds.

How small is it? The short answer is that it’s 5” long, 4” tall, and under 0.9” at its widest point. Numerical descriptions like that are often wanting so to paraphrase a college professor I once knew, “Let’s talk geography before we talk geology”. There was a time when the SIG-Sauer 225 was considered a compact pistol. More modern successors are smaller, lighter, or hold more rounds in the magazine—frequently all three! The current state of the art in production pocket pistols is well-populated with revolvers and semiautomatics in a variety of calibers, configurations, sizes, weights, and capacities. Since not everyone’s favorite gun shop will have an R9 on the shelf, I’ve picked 3 that are more common to illustrate where the R9 fits into the list of options. The Kahr arms PM9 is slightly larger than the R9, but very similar in overall size and capacity. The Kel Tec P3AT is slightly smaller and quite a bit lighter than the R9, but only available in .380 ACP. Finally, the aluminum alloy framed Smith and Wesson Airweight .38 Special is a perfect watermark with which to compare these three relatively new pistols.

Firearm Height Length Thickness Capacity Weight (Empty Magazine)

S&W model 442 4 ¼” 6 ¼” 1.31” 5 15.1 oz

Kahr PM9 4 ¼” 5 5/8” 0.92”* 6+1 16.5 oz

Rohrbaugh R9 4” 4 5 1/8” 0.85” 6+1 14.1 oz

Kel Tec P3AT 5 ¼” 3 5/8” 5.14 0.79” 6+1 8.4 oz

(* Figure excludes slide stop, which is 1.15” at its widest part.)

The R9 is a nice synthesis of the best features of both the PM9 and P3AT. It has the more rounded and sloped lines of the P3AT with better sights and a more powerful cartridge.

The R9 is very comparable to other popular pocket automatics, but offers full-power 9x19mm in a quality handgun that is easily concealed.. The R9 is on the right in the picture on the left and in the middle in the other.

Disassembly of the R9 is very straightforward. After removing the magazine and clearing the chamber, simply draw the slide about 3/8” to the rear and push out the retaining pin above the trigger from right to left. A punch is useful for this task, however, a toothpick will suffice given that the pin is not held in place with any tension--the slide will then come forward, off the frame. The remainder of the frame need not be disassembled for routine cleaning and the slide components can be removed from the slide assembly in the same way as most other pistols. The retaining collar of the outer recoil spring is the only unusual feature and it’s function and placement is obvious. The loose end of the outer recoil spring goes towards the muzzle with the flat portion towards the rear of the guide rod assembly. Reassembly is accomplished in the reverse order with some care needed not to insert the rear end of the guide rod assembly too high against the barrel thus obstructing its fit in the frame.

Rohrbaugh's R9 pistol is compact and in a caliber offering a wide selection of ammunition from state-of-the-art defense rounds to inexpensive FMJ for the range.

For more information on these firearms, see their web site at www.rohrbaughfirearms.com. Check out the on-line forum of users at http://www.rohrbaughforum.com, or call at1-800-803-2233. Their mailing address is:

Rohrbaugh Firearms

P.O. Box 785

Bayport, NY 11705

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'Bush planning to attack Iran this year'
Thu, 01 May 2008 06:05:57

Ray McGovern
Ray McGovern, a prominent former CIA analyst, says US President George W. Bush is planning to wage a military attack on Iran this year.

McGovern who has been a CIA officer under seven US presidents--presenting the morning intelligence briefings at the White House for many of them--believes President Bush and his administration have no intention of leaving Iraq and are preparing to attack Iran in the next few months.

"I believe George Bush and Dick Cheney plan to take care of Iran before they leave office," the former CIA official said in an interview with Charleston Gazette, which was published on Wednesday.

McGovern also pointed to the US-led war in Iraq and said that the war had several motives, including giving a "rebuke" to Saddam Hussein, supporting Israel, controlling oil reserves and expanding permanent US military bases in the Middle East.

He also praised Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, the former commander of the US Central Command. Fallon was forced out shortly after Esquire magazine published a profile of his career that highlighted his strong opposition to any war with Iran and his desire to reduce troop levels in Iraq.

"Fallon was our last hope," McGovern said.
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Editorial


THERE are speculations galore that between now and June, before things slide into the thick of American election, Israel is likely to attack Iran, with the latter reacting with a quick ripostethus starting a mutually bruising war in the gulf. We couldn't care less if either Democrats or Republicans benefit from the possible catastrophe, but it does worry us in this region as to what might happen to Afghanistan and Pakistanboth Iran's neighbours but closely aligned to the United states. India, another US ally whom the US administration has been able to have on her side in its stand-off with Iran, will also matter in the ensuing conflict. How the next armageddon in a region close to ours will be eventually played out in the present milieu is of profound interests to observers. To make matters complex, a number of ethnic economic factors are also involved. Thus, the scenario appears alarmist and, hopefully, it is just that.

The June deadline for a possible Israeli assault on Iran has come from diplomats who watch the Middle East closely, some of them having been interacting with Israeli officials, others with Iran and its neighbours in the region. Their lunch matches the circumstantial evidence, not excluding, of course, the increased chatter within the media community about Dick Cheney's visit to the Gulf.

Cheney's swing tour included Oman and Israel, and is thought to be of significance. In Israel, he is believed to have given the proverbial green light to Prime Minister Olmert to take the course that best suited him vis-a-vis Iran and its proxies in Syria and Lebanon. Oman, on the other hand offers the best view of the perennially vulnerable Hormuz straits, from where much of the world gets its oil supply. The month of June provides the last clear-weather military opportunity to Israel to pick targets in Iran before rains arrive there in July. Soon after, there will be the excitement of US elections.

There are several other indications of the looming disaster. Apart from frequent alerts about Israel distributing gas masks to its citizens, there was the wire agency story during the week from Jerusalem. It quoted Israel's National Infrastructure Minister Ben Eliezer as warning that Israel would respond to any Iranian attack by destroying that country. Ben Eliezer's ominous remark was carried on Israel's public radio. Referring to an ongoing five-day home front defence exercise he claimed that it was not meant to threaten Israel's neighbours, but the “scenarios considered in the exercise could be reality tomorrow.”

Dick Cheney, while visiting Israel last month, was told by Defence Minister Ehud Barak that “no option would be ruled out in Israel's attempt to stop Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons,” yet there seems to he a unanimity of opinion with regard to the consequences of an Israeli attack on Tehran's nuclear target. Almost everyone agrees that it will be different from the 1981 destructions of the Osirak nuclear facility in Iraq. Israel may not be able to get away with it in case of Iran, whose response can be seriously debilitating for the entire gulf region and beyond. This brings us to the question; what impact would it have on South Asia that would be different from 1990, when “Desert Storm”the first gulf warwas enacted in the wake of Saddam Hussain's occupation of Kuwait?

Removed from the equation this time around are Rajiv Gandhi and Benazir Bhutto, both outspoken critics of imperialism that greatly worried the US-led coalition, with their parties no longer evidently keen to challenge the US game plan even if it brings rack and ruin. The coast should be clear for any strategic help that might he needed, after the advent of Dr Manmohan Singh as the economic messiah for corporate India, which he still remain in addition to his being at the helm of the ruling UPA government. In Pakistan, a West-friendly Nawaz Sharifalso a part of new coalition governmentwill provide ballast to the emerging equation in South Asia in favour of a new US adventure in the gulf.

However, in the West's disfavour, the only flaw in the scenario is that the on-going war on terror has not quite accomplished anything that resembles a victory for its mainly pro-western advocates. And that has the potential of disturbing all calculations, including the ones favoured by India and Pakistan in recent days of their rare thaw. Afghanistan, with its huge problems under its US protected and Kabul-bound chieftain Hamid Karzai, is more of a liability for the West than an asset.

Often, the tectonic effects of a seemingly distant conflict are closer to us than we imagine. Sometimes, on the other hand, we imagine these effects when there is none. It all depends on how the impending armageddon will be played out.
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Thursday, May 01, 2008

"FN" 5.7 Pistol & More

FN Five-seven


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Five-seveN
The FN Five-seveN USG with light
The FN Five-seveN USG with a SureFire light.
Type Semi-automatic pistol
Place of origin Flag of Belgium Belgium
Production history
Designed 2000
Manufacturer FN Herstal
Produced 2000–present
Variants See variants
Specifications
Weight USG: 617 grams (1.36 lb)
IOM: 590 grams (1.30 lb)
Length 208 millimetres (8.19 in)
Barrel length 122 millimetres (4.80 in)
Width USG: 39 millimetres (1.54 in)
IOM: 35 millimetres (1.38 in)
Height USG: 137 millimetres (5.39 in)
IOM: 145 millimetres (5.71 in)

Cartridge 5.7x28mm
Action Delayed blowback
Effective range 50 metres (54.68 yd)
Feed system 10 or 20-round detachable box magazine
Sights fixed and adjustable; square rear notch, vertical front post

The Five-seveN is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FNH). It's name is derived from the unique ammunition it uses.

FN created the new 5.7x28mm cartridge for its FN P90 personal defense weapon to meet NATO requirements released in 2000. Subsequently FN created the Five-seveN pistol to offer agencies who adopt the P90, which is a side arm chambered for the same cartridge.

Contents

Overview

Conventional side arms usually use the 9x19mm Parabellum, .45 ACP, and similar cartridges and are designed to neutralize unarmored targets. However, FN argues that these bullets can be defeated by a light Kevlar vest, such as those in use by more than half the world's armed forces and an increasing number of criminals. FN claims that their newly designed 5.7x28mm cartridge allows the Five-seveN to pierce the older U.S. Army PASGT vest at 300 meters range, and a U.S. Army PASGT helmet at a range of 240 meters. However, these penetration statistics are for the military SS190 cartridge. Other available cartridge variants are not armor-piercing, according to the BATFE. These cartridges are loaded with heavier, expanding projectiles driven at lower velocities.

FN markets the 5.7 mm round as being able to penetrate and incapacitate an enemy, but there has been controversy over these claims. Conventional hollow point bullets rely on expansion to create a large wound channel, but the Five-seveN's ammunition is designed to hit, travel a few inches, then tumble end over end without deforming. This means that the wound it creates would be as tall as the length of the projectile (more than 21 mm), supposedly creating a more grievous wound channel, but without the expansion of a hollow point or the fragmentation of a frangible bullet. As a result, FN claims the round—and the Five-seveN—are suitable for military use.

The advantages of the pistol itself include its weight (the 5.7 mm round weighs half as much as a standard 9 mm round), its recoil (FN claims the 5.7 mm round produces roughly half the felt recoil of a 9 mm round), and its 20-round magazine, which holds significantly more ammunition than other pistols. Despite its magazine capacity, the Five-seveN is a light pistol, weighing 726 g (1.6 pounds) loaded. It is also reasonably compact.

Though an effective weapon, the Five-seveN has not been widely adopted, due mostly to the rather unconventional concept and ammunition. Current users include several international special forces/counter-terrorist groups (including the French GIGN) and a large number of local police department SWAT teams (including some in the United States).

Variants

Five-seveN

The original Five-seveN is now discontinued. It has a double action only (DAO) trigger and no safety. This makes shooting slower and less accurate than with the newer single action variants of the Five-seveN. It features a shaped trigger guard, designed to facilitate gloved use.

Five-seveN Tactical

This model is identical to the original version, with the exception of the single action (SA) trigger and a safety device. The Five-seveN Tactical is also increasingly hard to find.

Five-seveN IOM

The IOM model (for Individual Officer's Model) was the first publicly available variant, debuting commercially in 2004. The IOM is similar in its basic design to the original versions, but differs in that it has a different accessory rail, lined trigger guard outside edge, and adjustable sights. It also incorporates a magazine disconnect—this safety mechanism prevents the weapon from being fired without the magazine inserted.

Five-seveN USG

The most recent version of the Five-seveN, the USG. (United States Government) variant debuted in 2005 and replaced the IOM. The USG keeps the differences incorporated in the IOM, such as the magazine disconnect and adjustable sights, but has further modifications, including: conventionally-shaped (square) trigger guard, checkered grip pattern, and a larger, reversible magazine release.

Accessories

All models of the Five-seveN can also be mounted with a laser aiming module (LAM) or a tactical flashlight on the accessory rail. There are various companies that make these devices for various firearms.

A threaded barrel is available for mounting a suppressor. Again, various manufacturers provide their models and variations of suppressors.

FN produces night sights for the DAO and Tactical models. These sights do not fit the IOM and USG models without gunsmithing. Trijicon is slated to produce tritium night sights for the IOM and USG models, but they are not available yet. There are also other companies that produce sights for various pistols that may or may not require gunsmithing.

A magazine extension for the Five-seveN is available that will extend 1.75 inches below the weapon. It allows the Five-seveN to hold ten extra rounds, for a total of thirty.

See also

References

External links

Wednesday, April 30, 2008

STEPHEN CAMP - 38 SUPER & MORE

Corbon .38 Super Ammunition Tests

By Stephen Camp

As mentioned in an earlier piece comparing the .38 Super to 9x19mm, most commercially available loads are little if any hotter than 9mm +P. About the only advantage I can see is that a near identical ballistic delivery is achieved with less pressure using the Super. Winchester's 125-gr. Silvertip hollow point in Super chronographs no hotter than similar loads in 9mm, but the 9mm is at the top of its +P or +P+ pressure capabilities while the Super is not.

In the past I hotrodded 115-gr. Sierra JHP's to velocities in the 1300 to 1400 ft/sec range and fired more than a few through an old Colt Government Model that had been customized and fitted with a BarSto barrel and bushing by gunsmith, Lou Williamson. The factory barrel was the older design, which tried to headspace on the Super's semi-rim and describing accuracy as "lackluster" would be a compliment! With the fitted BarSto, which headspaces off of the case mouth just like .45 ACP, the same loads that produced 10" diameter "patterns" at 25 yards, now produced groups the size of a poker chip at the same distance.

The rapid-expanding JHP handloads were graphically effective on jackrabbits and other such critters and did a good job on coyotes as well.

I've made many mistakes in my life and one of the biggest was selling that gun, at least 10 extra magazines, accompanying reloading equipment, and ammunition to a good friend. He still has that old gun and will not sell it back!

For several years I was without a .38 Super, but rectified that by purchasing a 5" STI Trojan a few years ago. Like the BarSto-fitted Colt, the STI match grade barrel headspaces off of the case mouth and the gun has proven to shoot most .38 Super handloads with very fine accuracy. Likewise, it is has performed well with several boxes of factory ammunition, but due to factory ammunition costs my Super normally gets fed handloaded fodder.

In this caliber I am currently shooting but two loads. One is a ball-replicating 125-gr. handload at about 1200 ft/sec while the other uses either a Hornady 147-gr. XTP or Remington Golden Saber in the same weight. These are driven to just under 1200 ft/sec from the Trojan's 5" barrel. True enough, this is faster than the velocity envelope for which these bullets were designed, but the bullets have performed quite satisfactorily on Texas whitetail deer and a few varmints.

For those interested in these loads, here's a link to more information:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/38SuperTo9mm.htm

In the future I'll probably try handloading the 115 and 125-gr. JHP's to higher velocities as I did a couple of decades ago.

In the meantime, I want to take a look at some of the faster .38 Super ammunition on the market. It is from Corbon, and bullet weights range from 80 to 125 grains.

From left to right: Corbon .38 Super 125-gr. DPX +P, Corbon 100-gr. PowRball +P, Corbon 125-gr. JHP +P and a handloaded Remington 147-gr. Golden Saber. We'll also take a look at the 80-gr. Glaser Safety Slugs (Blue & Silver) offered in this caliber though they are not pictured. (Externally, the Glaser Silver looks almost identical to the Pow'RBall shown. The Glaser Blue does as well, but has a blue nose plug. The Glaser and Pow'RBall may resemble each other, but they have dissimilar expansion characteristics.)

The firearm used in these tests was this STI .38 Super with a 5" barrel.

The test gun is shown here with a box of the 125-gr. DPX ammunition.

Shooting: Shooting was done at distances of 15 and 25 yards. It was done using a two-handed hold with my wrists supported while seated. There was no effort made at "practical" type shooting. I simply wanted to see if the ammunition would group. If I miss, I want to know that I missed and not the gun/ammo combination.

The exception to shooting at 25 yards was the Glaser. I simply didn't have enough of this ammunition to shoot at that distance and complete the chronograph and expansion testing I wanted to do. It was fired only at 15 yards.

Here are some selected targets.

Here we see that Corbon's 125-gr. JHP +P groups well. It expands aggressively when fired into super-saturated newsprint. These bullets do sometimes fragment not only in test media, but in animal tissue as is evidenced by recovered 115-gr. Sierra PJHP bullets taken from coyotes. I have not shot anything with Corbon's 125-gr. JHP +P, but expect similar performance since Sierra makes the bullet used in this load. The 100-gr. Pow'RBall grouped almost identically at this distance and was on par with the DPX ammo at 25 yards.

Corbon's 125-gr. DPX +P grouped nicely at 25 yards. Both their 100-gr. PowRball and 125-gr. JHP+P grouped just as well. The POI for the Pow'RBall was slightly lower, but not by as much as expected. For my eye and my hold, it seemed to hit about 2 to 3" lower at this distance.

At both 15 and 25 yards, Pow'RBall showed itself a very capable performer from the STI with regard to accuracy. The expanded Pow'RBall bullet was recovered from super-saturated newsprint. Expansion characteristics of all of the Corbon .38 Super ammunition fired will be discussed later.

I could not do any 50-yard shooting due to that range being used by several others, but I do believe that this ammunition is capable of producing plenty good accuracy at that distance if the shooter is. In any event, all of the ammunition proved capable of nice groups from the STI.

For those remembering sometimes-mediocre accuracy with early Glaser Safety Slugs, that has long since been corrected. The lead shot used for the core of this pre-fragmented bullet is now compressed into a more solid core. Bullet weight is much more uniform and I've seen it produce very good accuracy in both 9mm and .38 Super.

Bullet Differences in Corbon's .38 Super Ammunition: Very different bullets are used in Corbon's different lines of ammunition, so let's take a look at each, their characteristics, and how they work.

Glaser Safety Slug: Invented over 30 years ago, the Safety Slug has gone through some significant changes. Though it still remains a pre-fragmented bullet, steps have been taken to make this specialty round more consistent bullet-to-bullet and more accurate. The bullet profile is that of a jacketed round nose to insure feed reliability in a wide number of pistols. The shot pellets are no longer "loose" within the jacket. Instead, they are tightly compressed. The compressed lead shot mimics a solid lead core bullet. Instead of what would be lead on a jacketed soft point, the Glaser has a polymer tip instead. The Safety Slug has a skived jacket to help insure that it literally shreds itself in "soft targets."

There are two types of Safety Slugs at the present time. One is called Glaser Blue and the other, Glaser Silver. The blues have a blue nose plug while the silvers have one that is gray. The nominal velocity on either is listed at 1700 ft/sec from a 5" barrel. The Glaser Blue uses #12 shot and is reported to penetrate between 5 and 7" of 10% ballistic gelatin after passing through 4 layers of denim. Glaser Silver uses larger #6 shot and penetrates 8 to 10" in ballistic gelatin using the same protocol as Glaser Blue.

In the calibers for which the Safety Slug is offered, bullets are light for that caliber and driven to extremely high velocities. Many, but not all, have +P designations. Both the Blue and Silver in .38 Super designated +P.

The idea is that the Glaser Safety Slug begins to deform and come apart shortly after penetration begins in tissue. The bullet's rapid deformation might better be referred to as disintegration as the bullet jacket shreds itself and shot begins to tear a myriad of small wound channels. In ballistic gelatin, the temporary cavity produced by the Safety Slug looks similar to the profile of an onion; it's more "ball shaped" than is produced by most expanding bullets.

Shown on the left is the Glaser Silver and next to it is a Glaser Blue. The different colored polymer nose plugs indicate different shot sizes. I have no idea why one uses a nickel-plated case and the other does not, but noted no difference in reliability.

The Glaser is designed not to completely penetrate a human being, assuming a decent torso hit. It also has less ricochet potential than most other bullets. Unless striking a hard surface at a very shallow angle, this stuff just self-destructs. It is probably less likely to penetrate apartment walls as a single 80-gr. projectile, thus reducing danger to innocents in the event of an errant shot.

In the past, great claims have been made concerning the Glaser's "stopping power" potential. These days, opinions are mixed. Some believe that its high velocity and rapid "energy dump" contributes to a very effective round. Others express concerns about too little penetration. I think that the truth lies somewhere in between.

I have no actual first-hand experience with the Glaser on human beings nor have I visited with anyone who has. I have shot a number of small animals and two coyotes with the Glaser Blue. (The Silver did not exist at the time that I shot these animals.) On rabbits, raccoons and coyotes, I found the 9mm Glaser to be effective, graphically so in some instances. On the smaller animals, larger-than-normal entrance wounds were readily visible and it was not unusual to see hemorrhaging from about every body orifice. The one coyote I hit with it was while varmint calling and he was shot directly behind the shoulder at about 15 yards. He simply collapsed and kicked his hind legs a few seconds.

The only other coyote I killed with this load was while in police service. One had been hit by a car but was still alive. It was sitting up on its hind legs but its back must have been broken as it could only drag itself along with its front legs. This was in the wee hours of the morning. When my duty-bound-follow-the-rules call for animal control to come and dispatch the animal took more than a half-hour, I used a 9mm Glaser from my Browning to put a humane end to this animal, deciding to "take the heat" rather than let it suffer. I eased behind the animal and from about 6' shot it in the back of the head with a Glaser Blue. (I'd removed the more conventional JHP and used the Blue to limit penetration as much as possible since I was within the city and in front of an apartment complex. At the shot, the animal just fell over. Its eyes were blown out of the sockets so I believe that the brain was probably pulped and the rapid expansion of liquid and semi-liquid tissue created a significant pressure peak in the animal's skull.

So how does this equate to stopping a grown man determined to kill you? I am not sure. I think that with a straight and unobstructed center chest hit, the Glaser would be effective. I have no way to know if it would be more or less effective than an expanding hollow point given the same hit, but I do believe that one would not have overpenetration concerns.

On the other hand, the Glaser might very well give up a good deal of its effectiveness if it had to pass through an arm on the way to the torso! For this reason, the Safety Slug is not my first choice in ammunition for self-protection. Were I going to use the Glaser, I believe I'd go with the Silver whenever possible.

Jacketed Hollow Point: Corbon has two JHP loads in .38 Super and both are +P. They use the very aggressively expanding Sierra Power Jacket Hollow Point in 115 and 125 grains. They are rated at 1425 and 1325 ft/sec, respectively and the bullets are available from Sierra for handloaders.

I have used Sierra hollow points from the time that they were called Jacketed Hollow Cavity bullets, through their change to hollow point and to this final version, which has been available for several years. These bullets have large hollow cavities, blunt noses, and skived jackets.

I've used Sierra PJHP bullets in several calibers, but have probably fired more of it in 9x19mm than any other. Both the 115 and 125-gr. PJHP bullets have proven themselves capable of very good accuracy and at Corbon's velocities, they will expand violently in soft targets. In my observation, they are also likely to have some fragmentation. Jacket separation from the expanded lead core is not unusual.

In .38 Super I'd expect the faster 115-gr. PJHP to penetrate between about 10 to 12" and about the same for the 125-gr. version. These are such rapid-expanders that I've seen nearly identical penetration for both versions in either super-saturated newsprint or water. On animals, I can tell no difference.

Once again, the main concerns expressed by some with this ammunition is lack of penetration. I'm not sure how valid these complaints are, but they're certainly there.

I know one man who has used the 9mm Corbon 115-gr. JHP +P on two men. His pistol was a Glock 19. One man was double-tapped in the chest and dropped, never to stand again while the other was hit in the head. I would expect the Super to have done as well or maybe better, but can only guess since shootings with this caliber are just not that common.

My friend (the one who won't sell the Colt back to me) has cleanly taken a few Texas whitetail deer with it over the years. One was very close when he shot it in the head. He mentioned that the eyes left the sockets in this instance too. Another close range broadside shot got him a nice doe. At the hit, she fell and kicked a few seconds and was gone. The bullet did not exit.

To me, the main area for concern with this JHP is its shape. Some guns simply will not feed them reliably due to their blunt ogive and correspondingly shorter cartridge LOA. Others gobble them up as smoothly as FMJ rounds.

If a person wants a low to moderate-penetration and aggressively expanding load in Super, these would be the place to look. A benefit for reloaders might be using Sierra's exact same bullet to construct practice ammunition loaded to around the same speeds as the factory Corbon ammunition.

Though I prefer just a bit more penetration, I would not feel ill at ease using Corbon's JHP ammo in either 9mm or .38 Super. I'd probably opt for the 125-gr. version even though I'm not convinced that it penetrates significantly deeper than the 10-grain lighter bullet.

Pow'RBall: This is a relatively new design, but one that predates Corbon's DPX line of ammunition. The Pow'RBall was developed to insure reliable feeding, something that could be a problem with the Corbon JHP ammunition. If a pistol will feed ball, it should feed Pow'RBall.

These bullets will be light for caliber. I suspect this is due to the polymer nose plug. The volume it occupies would be of much heavier lead in a conventional bullet. These jacketed, lead core bullets resemble the Glaser Safety Slug externally.

Pow'RBall has a massive, wide V-shaped hollow cavity which is covered by a gray-colored polymer nose plug. It does not clog with material when penetrating the 4-layers-of-denim protocol and is designed to penetrate at least the FBI-mandated 12" of ballistic gelatin. My STI Trojan in .38 Super is a picky feeder when using blunt-nosed expanding ammunition. It feeds Pow'RBall without any problems whatsoever.

I have not seen Pow'RBall used on any animals so I can offer nothing there, but in various media I've shot, it has consistently expanded aggressively and penetrated deeper in super-saturated newsprint than with the JHP's. This proved true with the .38 Super as well.

As you can see, Pow'RBall closely resembles the Glaser Safety Slug externally. Internally it is entirely different.

DPX: This is the newest line of Corbon ammunition and it's available in many calibers. In .38 Super, the solid copper bullet weighs 125-gr. DPX stands for Deep Penetrating X-bullet. Barnes makes the X-bullet, a version of which has long been familiar to rifle hunters. In the rifle version, the bullet expands via four "petals" creating an "X". The pistol ammunition expands using 6 petals.

Characteristics of the X-bullet include penetration greater than that normally associated with a conventional bullet of the same weight. There is also no jacket/core separation and the reason is simple; there is no jacket to separate! In pistol calibers, DPX has also proven itself to be a very, very consistent expander whether striking bare gelatin, or having to punch denim, sheet steel, or other barriers before impacting the gelatin.

Because copper is much less dense than lead, X-bullets will normally be lighter than traditional bullet weights in a given caliber, but can sometimes get to at least the low end of these weights depending upon the caliber and case capacity. With the .38 Super, this has been the case and the bullet weighs 125 grains. In .45 ACP, about the heaviest is 185-gr.

It should also be noted that DPX is not necessarily loaded to the highest possible velocities. It is loaded to velocities resulting in best bullet performance.

The more flattened primer on the left is from Corbon's 125-gr. JHP +P. On the right we see the primer from the Corbon DPX, which does not exhibit the same flattening. I have no idea why one load uses Winchester cases and the other, Remington.

I've tried Corbon's DPX in several calibers. In my own informal expansion tests, they have definitely proven consistent expanders. They have also proven very accurate.

Here is the .38 Super DPX. Shown with the loaded cartridges are two of the five recovered bullets that were fired into super-saturated newsprint. These two are the most dissimilar of the bunch. You can see that the X-bullet reacts very uniformly. The .38 Super DPX has a rounded bullet ogive similar to the Remington JHP, but a wider hollow cavity, which makes it more blunt. Still, it should be a reliable feeder in most .38 Super pistols.

Chronograph Results: Ten rounds of each load were fired with the muzzle of the pistol 10' from the chronograph screens.

Corbon .38 Super Chronograph Results (ft/sec):

Load:

Average Velocity:

Extreme Spread:

Std. Deviation:

Glaser Blue 80-gr.

1682

28

13

Glaser Silver 80-gr.

1729

31

12

Pow'RBall 100-gr.

1529

34

12

125-gr. JHP

1372

26

10

125-gr. DPX

1313

23

9

As can be readily seen, each of these loads was consistent in velocity. It would take a machine rest to determine which is actually the most accurate and that would be absolutely meaningful only for the test gun. Another STI Trojan might very well prefer a different load, but at least in my hands, any of these possess inherent grouping capabilities beyond my skill level.

Expansion and Penetration Comparisons: 5 rounds of each load were fired into a stack of super-saturated newsprint. I cannot say that "my" way of preparing it is the best, but it is the method I use in all my informal penetration and expansion testing. It does not allow as deep of penetration as 10% ballistic gelatin, but in other calibers, the bullets recovered from it have been quite similar to those recovered from animals.

The muzzle of the gun was about 3' from the newsprint. Figures given are the averages of all five rounds individual weights, expanded dimensions, and penetration depths.

Corbon .38 Super Penetration (in.), Expansion (in.) & Recovered Weight (gr.)

Load:

Penetration:

Expansion:

Weight:

Glaser Blue 80-gr.

4.00

N/A fragmented

N/A*

Glaser Silver 80-gr.

4.50

N/A fragmented

N/A*

Pow'RBall 100-gr.

8.50

0.603x0.570x0.303" tall

83.7

125-gr. JHP

7.00

0.555x0.546x0.276"tall

88.1**

125-gr. DPX

9.75

0.509x0.521x0.487"tall***

124.9

*Bits of bullet jacket were recovered, but different sizes for each shot fired. Likewise, pellets were found throughout the "wound track" after about the initial inch of penetration.

**Bits of lead and small portions of bullet jacket were found throughout the JHP bullets' "wound tracts."

***The petals on the DPX were folded rearward and the dimensions given are the recovered average of all five shots. At some point in the DPX bullet expansion, the petals were more extended and for at least that portion of penetration, the wound channel in tissue would likely have been of greater diameter. The bullet may have weighed 124.9 grains before shooting. I don't know, but none of the five rounds fired lost any measurable bullet weight.

In less dense 10% ballistic gelatin, the .38 Super DPX reportedly penetrates about 17" after passing through 4 layers of denim and the petals do not fold rearward as much as they do in my "wetpack" tests.

From left to right: 125-gr. DPX, 100-gr. Pow'RBall, two 125-gr. JHP's, Glaser Blue Safety Slug. One DPX and Pow'RBall bullet are shown because the other four of each were very close. The two JHP's were shown to also show that while pretty consistent in expansion characteristics, bullet fragmentation is evident along the edges. Some believe this is good while others do not. The one Glaser Blue was the least damaged of the five fired. Gathering the shot pellets shown was somewhat tedious and is not all of them. Some were loose in the wetpack "wound tract" while others were stuck a fraction of an inch in the newsprint beyond. This is why I made no effort at weighing them. 80 grains of Safety Slug went in and it's designed to fragment so 80 grains is inside the target, but recovered bullet weight would be meaningless.

Observations: In my all-steel 5" 1911 pattern pistol, none of the loads possessed significant recoil, but the Glaser Safety Slugs "kicked" least of all. I really didn't notice any differences between the rest of the loads fired. Mathematically, they were present, but I couldn't feel them.

There were no malfunctions or failures with the pistol or any of the rounds fired.

So, which is best? For my particular pistol, I 'd go with the Pow'RBall because it fed the smoothest of the rounds designed to expand but not self-destruct as did the Glasers. If my Trojan in .38 Super fed as smoothly as my Hi Powers or Trojan 9mm, I'd go with the DPX. That said, I do believe that there is a possibility of the .38 Super DPX completely penetrating an adult human torso in an unobstructed frontal chest shot. It is also most likely to perform uniformly even if punching windshields, thin sheet steel or other barriers before impacting the target from what others testing it report. Law enforcement personnel and some private citizens in high-risk occupations involving vehicles might strongly prefer DPX in this caliber.

I believe that any of these loads would prove effective against a non-barricaded felon with a solid chest hit and no obstructions, but in a life-or-death situation, such might not present itself. If a person wanted to find a load "in the middle", I'd once again go with Pow'RBall. I don't think overpenetration is of much concern with this round, but it penetrated a bit more deeply than the JHP's weighing 25 grains more.

If fears of overpenetration were an overriding concern, I'd go with the JHP's. I personally believe that the Safety Slugs just provide too little penetration for anything other than a straight-on frontal shot where no obstructions are guaranteed. Such conditions probably cannot be guaranteed.

Of the commercially available .38 Super ammunition I've seen, the most potent are almost certainly among these.

Assuming a reliable automatic, I wouldn't be too concerned if my gun was loaded with DPX, JHP, or Pow'RBall.

I sure wish my buddy would sell me back that old Colt.

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