Replica Weapons Used for Training

Scranton Company's Arsenal of Replica Weapons
by James Haggerty

Rob Rozzi glanced around a showroom displaying an arsenal of rockets, assault rifles, missile launchers, land mines, cluster and pipe bombs and hand grenades.

"We're not training people how to kill people," said Mr. Rozzi, president and chief executive of Inert Products LLC, of Scranton. "This is about keeping people safe."

The "weapons" are all replicas, mostly heavy duty plastic materials sold primarily to the U.S. Department of Defense for military and terrorism training.

The Pentagon spends more than $22 billion annually on training and simulation products and services, according to Frost & Sullivan, a research and consulting firm near San Jose, Calif.

"There's only a handful of companies in the country that deal with what we deal with," said Mr. Rozzi, 31, of Clarks Summit. "We're growing 600 to 800 percent a year. Last year, we did $6 million in sales."
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More on the 300 BLK from the SHOT Show

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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The 300 BLK, the newest and probably most innovative and smart round for the M16/M4/AR15 platform, is selling like nobodies buisness. Advanced Armaments reports that at the end of the first day of the SHOT Show, the first six months production of the 300 BLK manufactured by Remington has been ordered and sold.

More than likely, the vast interest generated by the 300 BLK will likely instigate interest in other manufacturers. If, as I predict, this becomes the defacto second chambering of the M16/M4/AR15 platform, most ammunition manufacturers will come in with their own product line before long.

Stay tuned!

Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member: Shindand FOB Tent Club

Keywords: AR15, AAC, AAC300, AAC 300, AACBLK, AAC300BLK, AAC 300 BLK, Advanced Armament Corporation, 300 ACC BLACKOUT, 300 BLK, 7.62x35 round

Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner, Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A RaschAlbert A Rasch So, you want to be a contractor. Handfeeding a Baby Mockingbird Clean and Repair your Ruger 10 22 Magazine

300 BLK by AAC: An Introduction

Will AAC's New 300 BLK Be The Breakout Product

Of SHOT 2011?

Each year at SHOT Show a product catches everybody's attention and usually signals the beginning of a hot sales trend. In his weekly video podcast Michael Bane identified the compact single stack 9mm, like the newest one from Ruger, as the hot ticket for 2011.

AAC's new 300 BLK is a 30 caliber round

is made to deliver AK performance while

using standard AR platforms and magazines.

While this category of concealed carry pistol will no doubt sell extremely well in 2011, it is perhaps not a gun but a new caliber that will mark the beginning of a larger trend in the industry. That caliber is the 300 AAC BLACKOUT from suppressor makers Advanced Armament Corp., one of the Freedom Group companies.

The 300 ACC BLACKOUT, designated 300 BLK, is a 7.62x35 round that was developed in response to military requests for an M4/HK-416 platform to launch 30 caliber rounds both subsonic (suppressed) and supersonic. AAC's new caliber offers loadings ranging from 110 grain for hunting and self defense to 220 grain for suppressed weapons - AAC's undisputed area of expertise.

You can learn more about the 300 BLK at http://www.300aacblackout.com/. But the question for consumers and dealers is what makes this caliber any different than those in the past, like the 6x35mm, that were not widely adopted?

Well, unlike the 6x35mm developed by Knights Armament which was not made available as an open standard (meaning there was no SAAMI specification to follow) the 300 BLK is open standard and SAAMI certification is expected shortly. AAC wisely sought to share the new caliber's specifications as early in the process as possible.

The 300 BLK was developed in response to

military requests for an M4/HK-416 platform

to launch 30 caliber rounds.

Additionally the 6x35mm wasn't designed for the standard AR magazine and standard M4 bolt increasing the costs of adoption by military units or law enforcement already equipped with AR rifles.

For any new caliber to reach commercial viability it must meet production levels high enough to bring the cost to consumers in line with their current expectations. To hit the production numbers needed requires buy-in from the military, and in the case of the 300 BLK that's already begun with the darker side of the special operations community ordering "unspecified" quantities.

Adoption by iconic military units - most of which are the basis for video games, television series and feature films - insures this round will top the must-have lists for all those wanting what the 'cool kids' shoot.

You can't sell ammo without guns though. One of the most important features of the 300 BLK is that it uses a 223 Rem (or 5.56 NATO) casing necked up to 30 caliber. That means it can be used in existing AR magazines - without giving up capacity - in existing AR platforms with the only a change of the barrel.

Can you say ease of manufacture?

Loads will range from 110gr. to 220gr.

for hunting use to suppressed use.

And how interested are manufactures in this new 30 caliber round that fits existing ARs and can deliver performance equal to the 7.62x39 depending on the load? Well, insiders say to expect eight or nine new rifles announced at SHOT. The popularity among manufacturers is said to be significant with one manufacturing supplier already producing a record number of reamers for this new caliber to supply ammo and gun makers.

It is even rumored that Hornady, which currently supplies the aforementioned "dark groups", is rushing to bring a commercial load to SHOT Show that may be sold under the AAC brand.

Yes, the notion of Hornady rolling out ammo for AAC instead of sister company Remington does seem odd. This development, if it does pan out, certainly won't be viewed favorably by Freedom Group executives, but considering that AAC has not lost a military contract in the last four years, and they are a revenue generating juggernaut for the IPO bound company, it's unlikely that Cerberus executives will impede AAC's efforts and will likely fully support them to insure the new caliber's success.

So when SHOT Show opens keep an eye on the AAC booth. Because when you combine the performance characteristics of an AK with the ease of manufacture and wide availability of a standard AR, throw in the über-cool factor of the black SOF community's buy-in, it looks like you have a winner. Wrap all that up in an Advanced Armament bow and you have the makings of a real trend.

-- Paul Erhardt, Editor of The Dealer Wire

Keywords: AR15, AAC, AAC300, AAC 300, AACBLK, AAC300BLK, AAC 300 BLK, Advanced Armament Corporation, 300 ACC BLACKOUT, 300 BLK, 7.62x35 round

Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner, Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Albert A Rasch Albert “Afghanus” Rasch Albert A Rasch Scott Croner Nebraska Hunting Scott Croner Merriam's Turkey Hunting Albert A RaschAlbert A Rasch So, you want to be a contractor. Handfeeding a Baby Mockingbird Clean and Repair your Ruger 10 22 Magazine

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: Snot Nose Lives!

For those of you interested in the day to day things that transpire on Kandahar Air Field, here is an interesting snapshot by Albert A Rasch.

The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles: Snot Nose Lives!

How Terrorists Choose Their Targets

© 2010 Albert A Rasch™ and
The Rasch Outdoor Chronicles
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How Terrorists Choose Targets

Anti-Terrorism Series: #2

This is another installment in the Anti-Terrorism Series I am putting together. There are a number of reasons why I have decided to write some of these ideas down. First of all, I am not an anti-terrorism expert. But I am cognisant and aware of many things, simply from the exposure to the concepts. Much of this is my opinion, tempered with real-world knowledge, and hard earned experience. I am open to criticism, suggestions, and any comments that will help us make our Nation more secure.

Thank You,

Albert A Rasch

** * **

Terrorists and criminals usually choose their targets based on a limited number of factors:

Symbolism, Presence, and Prestige = Media Attention

The targets that terrorists choose are not going to be hardened or well protected facilities. It is unlikely that they will attack anything of a military nature or that disrupts military operations. The targets that terrorists choose will be those that represent their enemy's presence, power, and prestige. Terrorists will choose targets whose symbolic value will elicit the greatest media reaction. Generally this is accomplished by killing and maiming as large a number of people as possible in order to generate graphic, sensational images that are guaranteed to be prominent across television screens and on the front pages of newspapers the following morning.

Accessibility

We are all too familiar with the heinous acts of 9/11. World wide, global terrorist organizations will continue to target singular high priority targets, but the small operator, the independent local criminal cell, will likely target open and accessible points of civilian or industrial concentration. Terrorists will select their targets based on vulnerability and lack of defenses or protection. Soft targets like our unprotected rail, mass transit systems, commerce yards, natural gas pipes, and even large hotels will be likely targets.. The American infrastructure, power, water, and transportation, are particularly vulnerable to terrorist attack, again due to their inherent vulnerability and accessibility.

Maximize Casualties

Terrorism is based on the principle that seemingly random, deadly violence will create fear and confusion in the populace. Mass casualties stretch the infrastructure, and strain the social contract among people. By killing and maiming large numbers of people, the terrorist accomplishes two goals, it guarantees world wide media coverage, and weakens the resolve of the people attacked.

As I mentioned in the first post of this series, The Range Reviews: Tactical: Infrastructure Threats: Mass Transit public transportation systems including city buses and subways concentrate people, and maximize human casualties, disrupting daily activities and sowing fear, confusion, and eventually terror.

Fear and confusion will lead to:

Physical and Economic Disruption

 Psychologically, fear induced by terror attacks will cause panic and disruption in the daily routines of people, possibly for years as terror attacks escalates. The ensuing economic strain could possibly knock out an entire city if one terrorist attack is executed properly. Political indecision, even in stable, progressive countries like the United States, due to the inability of the government to eradicate terrorism, may become the norm. This lack of direction, may lead to instability because both small and large groups of many different affiliations may act out of self preservation in the face of governmental inaction and a mounting death toll.

Those are in my opinion the core criteria used by terrorists to mount attacks. As you can see, the importance placed on symbolism and casualties leads to the selection of targets where the vast majority of victims will be civilians, people involved with nothing more than their daily lives.


Best Regards,
Albert A Rasch™
Member: Kandahar Tent Club
Member: Hunting Sportsmen of the United States HSUS (Let 'em sue me.)
The Hunt Continues...

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