Monday Gunday, Photo Edition

So, this past week Oleg Volk was in my neck of the woods, and because he likes me for reasons I can't quite explain, he invited me to hang out with him, meet interesting people, and shoot some cool guns that aren't yet for sale.

Twist my arm, I said.

Warning: Below the jump are pictures of Kel-Tec guns which might cause jealousy.  Also below the jump are pictures of my face, which might make people uncomfortable.  You Have Been Warned. 



CMR-30

I've written extensively about the PMR-30, and I think it's a fun little gun. Its larger brother, the CMR-30, is exactly what you'd think it is: a carbine version of the pistol. The magazines are identical, the grip is a clone of the PMR, and with the exception of cocking it (ambidextrous charging handle vs. racking the slide) the manual of arms is identical. It comes with a flat top rail and an adjustable stock that retracts to being flush against the receiver. Not standard is the illuminated 3x Vortex illuminated scope.

How does it shoot?  Exactly like the PMR, only with the extra stability of additional points of contact. The trigger is smooth, and the already low recoil is mitigated even further by the longer barrel. As for grouping, I'm not the best shooter or have the steadiest hands, but I hit a coffee cup at 18 yards with the entire magazine. 

While standing.

Oleg says it's a 1.5 MOA gun. I say it's a lot of fun and wanted to walk off with it. Expected MSRP will be around $650.



RDB

The RDB is Kel-Tec's answer to the Tavor. As I was able to shoot the TAR-21 earlier this year, I feel qualified to make a quick & dirty comparison. 

The trigger is okay, as is recoil. The controls are almost ambi (the charging handle would need to be reversed), and the brass which ejects behind the magazine and downward also helps to make this gun southpaw-friendly. 

You can see the spent brass just under my armpit. 

It's also an equal-opportunity offender. That rearward ejection, handy while standing up, turns into a detriment when prone, as the hot brass likes to bounce off the ground and into the operator's arm. Wear long sleeves when shooting the RDB prone; Oleg didn't, and got a painful burn on the inside of his upper right arm. 

How does it shoot?  I dunno. It was suppressed -- for reasons unclear to me, every single Kel-Tec bullpup I have ever shot is suppressed -- and just like its RFB cousin, the suppressor blew smoke into my eyes after every shot, causing me to lose sight of the target and make my eyes burn. 

Overall, I just like the ergonomics of the Tavor better: everything seems better designed, and the process of dropping a spent magazine, loading a fresh one and charging the rifle is smooth and streamlined. Conversely, ejecting a RDB magazine is awkward (it requires some force using the base of the thumb, which isn't used to exerting such force) and putting in a new one requires a slap sufficient to deliver a baby. The bolt hold open/release button on the RDB is ambi on the receiver above the magazine, as opposed to the Tavor which has it behind the grip accessible by the strong hand's thumb. 

On the other hand, the base version of the RDB will be $200 cheaper than that of the Tavor. 

And now, some beauty shots of my Mosin

We had some weather. 

The device on the end of the barrel is a Witt Machine 91/30 clamp-on muzzle brake.  A review will be forthcoming, but the short version is that I like it. According to Oleg, it (along with decelerator pads) reduces the recoil of the 7.62x54R round to around that of an AR-15.

This would make a pretty cool banner, if I could just get over my body issues.