Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/739629
and American logistics to the magazines. While for the European logistic the magazine is part of the weapon and as such is carefully registered and handled. For American, the magazine is nothing but a "mere consumption item" which is dropped after use without mercy. US soldiers are often is- sued with ammunition already filled in magazines; definitely, it is more common than ammunition issued in boxes. It is also good to remember that the standard magazine for the M14/M6 guns, stemming from the STANAG 4179 standard is not a happy design per se. It has a transition between the curved part (needed because of accumulation of conical shapes of the cartridges) and linear part (needed for a smooth push into the magazine well). Anyway, it is standard and due to the tremendous in- ertia of logistic chain of current armed forces, none can simply drop it. At the time when we did our testing of the new BREN 2, even the CZ was not sure what magazines they will use. The inclination was towards own mag- azines but their development was not completed on the day of testing. Let us summarize our impressions from the first but very intensive meet- ing with the new assault rifle BREN 2. No matter of the old name the gun is completely new, redesigned and modified in the reflection of combat experience. The most tangible improvement is new ergonomics, especial- ly overall balance of the gun and ease of shouldering the rifle, the trigger is pleasant and cultivated as well as the other controls which command by an intuitive a sure use, even in gloved hands. Plain step ahead is a cocking handle that does not move with the bolt. Here the gun meets the trend existing already for quite some years. The longer barrel is more pleasing for us but today's mainstream prefers rath- er "compact" weapons. And with respect to the possibil- ity of simple barrel replacement – who cares about our preference, the final user can install any bar- rel exactly meeting his needs. But this is the main advantage of modular weapons. The accuracy of BREN 2 is fully sufficient in both basic ver- sion and carbine as well. Even with the carbine it is possible to engage enemy up to 300 meters and should you have a good sighting device, even fur- ther. In terms of folding iron sights, I note After initial familiarization, I start to enjoy the shooting as well as others. No matter the poor weather, we are getting harder and more demanding. „I swapped the gun. I shoot from any position; I run up the bank of the backstop and down again, I hit the ground, roll over like in engagement and shoot when moving. I reload in a combat way, the empty maga- zine is thrown on the ground, I do not waste time with some returning to pouches, The mags are collected later, at to get it rid of the majori- ty of wet sand. I mumble unhappily to myself, this is "cruel" both to the gun and magazine and I don't like such a handling. The sand squeaked a creaked somewhere around the follower. To my surprise, the BREN 2 makes no complaints and works. Only later some magazines start to develop double feeds (releasing two cartridges at once to be loaded into the chamber) and after a stronger knock, the top cartridge jumps out of the magazine. This is the problem especially of the standard US military magazines made from the soft aluminum sheet. Their lips are easy to deform. I know that a special gauge / fixture for truing the magazine lips is available but I am not sure if in the field it is time to true the lips. There exist plenty of (better or not much better) replace- ment magazines which fit into the magazine well of AR 15 (M16/M4). The magazine issue is nothing new and it is not by chance that many expe- rienced users buy magazines for instance from Heckler & Koch or MecGar, which do not suffer the mentioned bad habits (at least not to that extent). The key to the magazine story rests in the different approach of European