After almost a century, the Model 1911 R1 marks the Remington brand’s return to the manufacture of the legendary 1911 handgun.

In 1917, the U.S. Ordnance Department issued an order to Remington-UMC to manufacture 500,000 1911s for our fighting men in the armed services.

The first Remington-UMC produced 1911 pistols were delivered in August of 1918. On November 11, 1918, the Armistice ending WWI was signed and the contract from the Ordnance Department with Remington-UMC was suspended. In all, Remington-UMC produced 21,677 1911s.

THE ALL-NEW REMINGTON® MODEL 1911 R1

The accuracy and reliability that have made the 1911 an American icon now shine brighter than ever. Features include a crisp trigger, dovetailed front and rear sights, precision-machined slide and frame, and available fine-checkered American walnut grips. The new Model 1911 R1 is truly the finest blend of exacting craftsmanship and out-of-box performance available today. Every element is produced with ultra-tight tolerances on equipment representing the height of modern technology. The result is a sweet-shooting advancement of a legendary design we’re more than proud to put our name on.

KEY FEATURES:

• Barrel length 5″
• Flared and lowered ejection port
• Sights, dovetail front and rear, 3 dot
• Double diamond walnut wood grips
• Satin black oxide metal finish
• Weight 38.5 ounces
• Carbon steel frame and slide
• Capacity 7 + 1
• Two 7-shot magazines supplied
• Shipped in custom carrying case

By Mike Wall, INL Communications and Governmental Affairs
The human eye has trouble focusing on both a firearm’s front sight blade and the much more distant target at the same time. Idaho National Laboratory’s innovative gunsight technology, the MicroSight, helps the eye solve this problem. The MicroSight, a disc smaller than a dime, brings both the target and the iron sight into simultaneous focus, giving marksmen a better sight picture. The new sight has national-security applications, as it could improve safety and performance for American soldiers. Millions of target shooters and hunters should also benefit.

“The MicroSight gives you much of the performance you’d get out of a holographic or telescopic sight,” says INL engineer David Crandall, who developed the technology. “But it’s more reliable, much lighter-weight and much cheaper.” The alternating rings on zone plates bring faraway and nearby objects into focus simultaneously.

The Magic of Zone Plates — Concentric Rings Using Diffraction
Crandall is not an optics specialist. Most of his past work tended toward infrastructure engineering, like nuclear projects with INL’s Advanced Test Reactor. But Crandall is a highly accomplished target shooter — he’s a member of the U.S. national long-range rifle team — and he’s come up with several other shooting-related inventions. He patented a rifle-stabilizing shooting sling, and a small, powerful breaching shotgun that could help law-enforcement personnel storm buildings more effectively.

One day, Crandall was leafing through an optics textbook, and he stumbled across a section on “zone plates.” Zone plates are optical devices that resemble lenses. But whereas lenses focus light using refraction — essentially, changing the direction of light waves by changing their speed — zone plates use diffraction. Diffraction describes how waves bend, break up, spread out and interfere with each other as they encounter obstacles. The diffraction of sound waves, for example, explains how you can hear someone’s voice from around a corner.

Zone plates focus light via a set of concentric rings that alternate between transparent and opaque. The transparent sections let some light waves pass through unchanged, focusing objects that are far away (basically, at infinity). But light passing the edges of the opaque rings gets diffracted, which brings nearby objects into focus. The seemingly impossible result: sharp images of distant and near objects, simultaneously.

Zone plates aren’t new. Frenchman Augustin-Jean Fresnel worked out their underlying scientific principles in the early 1800s. [Editor's NOTE: A.J. Fresnel also invented the Fresnel lenses used in light-houses and theatrical spotlights.] But it took Crandall, with his shooter’s eye, to recognize the potential zone plates held for improving gunsights. “Competitive shooters are always looking for an edge, for something better,” Crandall says. “You have to, when you’re going against the best in the world.”

Crandall took his idea to INL’s technology transfer division, which also saw the promise and agreed to fund his research. He eventually found his way to phased zone plates. Phased zone plates replace the opaque rings with transparent glass of varying thickness. This accomplishes the same goal — diffraction — but does so without losing as much light, yielding brighter images. After much tinkering, Crandall came up with the MicroSight. CLICK HERE for giant-sized photo of MicroSight element.

A Smaller, Cheaper, More Robust Sight
Without help from zone plates, the human eye cannot focus on two different planes at the same time. So shooters using only standard-issue iron sights see either a blurry target or a blurry sight. The MicroSight isn’t the only gunsight technology that can overcome this problem, of course. Telescopic sights magnify targets, bringing them into close, crisp focus. And holographic sights project a red dot onto an image of the target, showing clearly where the shot will land.

But telescopic and holographic sights have their drawbacks. For one thing, they tend to be bulky. Both types of sight can add one or two pounds to the weight of a rifle — not a trivial concern for hunters or soldiers who must lug their weapons for miles over rough terrain. Further, both are complex instruments with fragile components. They can break, especially if dropped or banged against a rock or tree. Red-dot sights require batteries, which can die. And neither one is cheap: most red-dot sights cost more than $100, and high-quality telescopic ones can run $1,000 or more.

MicroSight Should Be Versatile and Affordable
The MicroSight, on the other hand, is tiny — its zone plate is thin and only about 1/4″ in diameter — and relatively cheap. Crandall says the sight should cost significantly less than red-dot and telescopic sights when Apollo Optical Systems, which licensed the technology, takes it to market. The company is currently working with gunsight manufacturers to design and develop various MicroSight versions. In the future, some of these versions might add refractive power to the zone plate, achieving some level of target magnification. Crandall foresees other possible applications as well, such as in handguns and night-vision goggles. In any situation that requires taking the long and the short view at the same time, this new INL technology could provide a major advantage.

Article and graphics courtesy Idaho National Laboratory (INL), www.inl.gov.

A little bit about the Fab Defense KPOS

Late 2009 we heard about FAB Defense working on a interesting new PDW System called the KPOS. In Early2010 We attended the Shot Show in the Las Vegas & after we visiting the FAB Booth we were convinced that they were onto something. We placed an initial order & waited. It is hard not to become blasé when you’ve attended a couple International Arms Fares, Shows as we have but occasionally a product really gets your attention as the KPOS did.

The KPOS System with the Stock Delpoyed.

The KPOS Concept

Firstly the Idea of attaching a stock to a pistol may not be a new one. The Fab Defense KPOS certainly makes a strong argument FAB Defense has bided their time building on the strengths of the original Idea. & producing possibly the best example available today. It is sleek, well thought out and solidly constructed.

Let’s take a realistic look at the system & similar systems & what they will do.

Firstly this is a system to attach a stock to a pistol, Secondly the Rails offer additional mounting platforms for accessories which could already be attached to the gun. Although there are a lot more rails so if in the past you were forced to make a choice between accessory A or B, you now can have them all.

What it does offer the shooter is the added benefits of enhanced rifle like stability and pointability from a handgun. The inherent accuracy, operation or ballistic capability of the firearm has been altered in no way. But by securely housing the pistol in air craft grade aluminium KPOS unit. Makes it possible to fire more accurately, faster & over greater distances. Because of the ability to Hold & Aim in amore secure manner

Our friends at FAB Defense are a clever & Industrious bunch & We received our first KPOS Samples a couple of months after the Show & everyone who has seen them have been very excited & with good reason. The system has gained interest & momentum.based on this.

Common Q & A’s
Q: Will it make your handgun more accurate.
A: No.

Q: Will it allow you to fire your Handgun more accurately.
A: I believe the answer is to this question would undoubtedly be Yes.

As you are now have a more stable firing platform as you are able to effectively shoulder the handgun & have your weak had stabilising the front with a foregrip.
The system will allow you to fire more accurately close & longer ranges
The system fire more quickly especially when paired up with a suitable red dot sight.

Q: Will my pistol now be a machine Pistol, Sub Machine gun, Assault Rifle/ Pistol
A: No No No. You still have a Semi auto Pistol with the same barrel “ballistic capability” although it can be fired more accurately & quickly.

Construction.

While Plastics and Polymers have their place I believe there is something especially reassuring about a product like the KPOS. As the body is entirely CNC Machined from aircraft grade aluminium. This gives a Rock Solid Sturdy feel to the unit. It holds the pistol firmly in place by utilising the pistols accessory rail in the front along with a cam type bolt. The rear of the Pistol is also held in place with an aluminium insert holding the beavertail section of the frame. This is intern held in place by a detented steel cross pin in the rear. The aluminium folding stock also feels extremely sturdy & is nicely finished off with a comfortable non slip 1” thick recoil pad.

Inserting the handgun into the system is a simple matter & takes approximately 45 Seconds once you have the hang of it.

Apart from aircraft grade aluminium construction, Certain Parts like the pivoting rear stock knuckle & from cam arm & bolt are constructed from steel. Adding to the quality and overall durability the unit offers.

The Pistols original Sights ” In This Case Warren Tactical Fibre sights” can be used with the system.

Features

As previously mentioned, the aluminium construction features a sturdy folding stock. The Unit is also supplied as standard with a folding foregip for additional stability, A Single Point Sling & cocking aid ‘Racker” is supplied for loading, all of this in a nice lockable plastic case.

Ergonomically the top rail is fairly close to the bore axis which allows for mounting of red dot sights in a fairly low position. There is also a sight channel that allows for the use of the pistols Original Sights.

What can a KPOS fit & what can be fitted to it?

The KPOS System is currently marketed as a Glock accessory & marked for models 19 / 17. The 23 & 22 fall into this category & with the muzzle protector removed the unit would be capable of accepting the longer 34, 35 as well as the discontinued 17L & 24. This being said. More models are in the Pipeline notably for the newer generation Sig P226 & SP2022 Pistols.
The unit endowed with enough high quality aluminium picatiny rail to mount any accessories you may have or that you at a later stage may want to mount. “2 sides 1 bottom top etc. The Top Rail should undoubtedly be used for a red dot or refelex sighting system. A decent Red Dot Sight such as the Aimpoint Micro will enhance the Speed and accuracy of any user. Additional possibilities for the top rail include magnifiers with twist off & flip away mounts, CEU’s etc.

The Bottom rail is occupied by the Fab Folding Foregrip which is supplied as standard & works well. This could easily be removed and be replaced with your personal choice of foregrip, torch or accessory. The 2 side rails could be used for lighting or lasers.

On the accessory front you are limited only by your imagination application and budget.

Uses

Application of the system could be for Sport Shooting, General Range Fun, Plinking, Training, Home Defence when paired up with your dedicated self defence Pistol and for Security, Police & Military use. It goes without saying that users of the system for any of the above applications would find it beneficial being able to shoot faster & more accurately.

The Installation as previously mentioned is fairly quick and removing the pistol is to.
Your handgun can be carried daily in your regular holster & set up with the KPOS as the need arises.

Testing – Range Report

We purchased a second hand Glock 17 for this purpose & after installing the cocking lever adaptor & mounting an Aimpoint Micro sight. It was off to our local indoor shooting range.

We didn’t bother to test fire our “new” second hand Pistol before installing the KPOS, but proceeded to zero the Aimpoint sight. Using PMP 115Gr FMJ we were truly impressed accuracy. Some of the other ammo we had on hand did not fair as well in the accuracy department. The test unit functioned flawlessly & were happy to report that we experienced no reliability Issues at all with the approximately 150 rounds fired. Once We felt a little more familiar we tried a couple of drills shouldering & firing 2 shots as quickly as possible this consistently resulted in 2 A’s on the IPSC Target.
A question we had been asked was that if the pistol was removed & reinserted into the KPOS how would the red dot sight Zero be affected. With the Iron Sights “which are visible while mounted in the system” there was no change & with the red dot, we noticed a slight but hardly significant change.

The picture of the group is rapid fire @ 15 Meters 6 Shots of the 12 fired are touching.

The KPOS Should find favour with a variety of users from Sport Shooters to Security applications.

The KPOS is available from Rescomp Handgun Technolgies Tel: 012 333 4768 or Email: info@rescomp.co.za

GunSite™ South Africa has for sometime been considering the establishment of a “Contingency Fund”
The contingency fund will be used for court cases adverts and the direct promotion of gun rights in SA.

The establishment of the fund has now been made possible by a most generous offer from one of our members.

Bushboy has kindly donated the following to GunSite™, which will be awarded to the winner of a lucky draw.

A two night stay , for two people at the luxury five star Impodimo Game Lodge
This includes, 4 bed nights (that is 2 people for 2 nights) at Impodimo Game Lodge including meals, safari’s and accommodation. It excludes park entrance, beverages and items of a personal nature and of course getting there.
Dates will be valid until the 15th December 2010 and would exclude the period from 10 June to 10 July and any long weekends.
The value is R14 000.00
The lodge is situated in the Madikwegame reserve which is home to the big 5, including both white and black rhino. Wild dog are also present in the park.
This exclusive lodge has a five star rating and is one of the best in the country. It is sure to be an experience of a lifetime.
Do yourselves a favour and take a look. www.impodimo.com

GunSite™ South Africa will throw in the park entrance fees and beverages up to a value of R1000.00
This pushes the total value, to just over R15000.00

So what gets your name in to the lucky draw? A donation of R150 gets you name in once. A donation of R300 gives you two chances and so on. Please note that for legal reasons this is not a raffle but a donation. A separate account has been created for this and all similar initiatives to raise funds. Please note: 100% of all donations will go into this account . There will be no management fees of any sort. The only deductions will be by the bank for account fees.

Closing date for entries: 31 May 2010
GunSite™ South Africa reserves the right to extend the draw date.

Small Print.
From the outset we would like to clarify the position with regards to the mods. The moderators on GunSite™ SouthAfrica are members as you are, they however voluntary donate their time and effort to ensure the continued smooth running of the site for all of our benefit, and for this we are extremely grateful. No moderator has any financial interest in GunSite™ South Africa, nor are they paid by GunSite™ SouthAfrica. As such, both Craig and Frank feel that they will be included in, should the wish to enter, any competitions or draws run by GunSite™ South Africa. Craig and Frank will obviously be excluded.

Banking Details

STANDARD BANK
ACCOUNT NAME             : GUNSITE
BRANCH                            : 052548 POLOKWANE
ACCOUNT NUMBER       : 624058506

Please email your real name, contact number and proof of deposited to admin@gunsite.co.za
You will receive an acknowledgment from us. If you don’t, it means we did not receive your mail and you wont be in the draw!!
Please contact us if you do not receive the acknowledgement, we will not be held liable for names not included.

The #RONI (pat-pending) provides you a better grip, stability & platform to many accessories. Now you can use your pistol for a greater range, faster aiming, better accuracy.

• No pistol disassembly required - just “drop” it into the shell.
• It is mandatory that the pistol has the integrated below rail.
• 24cm upper flattop rail – allows combinations of sight, magnifier or night vision.
• Three Picatinny rails for additional accessories.
• Optional to add flip-up Backup sights (#FRS / #FFS).
• Accepts silencers – up to 35.5mm diameter.
• Optional to add quick release brass-catcher.
• Including Detachable folding forearm grip.

Coming to SA soon through Bernhard Agencies, watch this space for further details:  http://www.gunsite.co.za/forums/showthread.php?t=6875

Visit CAA Tactical

“Ms Jenni Irish-Qhobosheane, Secretary of Police has requested that firearms organisations communicate a message of support for the amnesty as a measure to ensure responsible firearm ownership to firearms owners and the public.”

The Minister of Police has by means of a publication in the Government Gazette, declared an Amnesty for a period of 90 (ninety) days commencing from 11 January 2010 and ending on 11 April 2010.

The purpose of the amnesty is to allow those in unlawful possessions of firearms or ammunition to hand these in.

GunSite™ South Africa fully supports responsible firearm ownership in South Africa. We therefore call on all criminals to hand in their firearms before 11 April 2010. (We just hope that their reading skills are not particularly good and that they miss the part where they have to disclose their full details, so that after forensic testing, should it be found that the firearm was used in a crime, they can be traced)

GunSite™ South Africa further supports a crime free South Africa. We believe that the government and SAPS could rather focus their energy and efforts on fighting crime and reducing the criminal element.

The Facts:

• All existing licenses are perfectly legal.
• You may use the current amnesty to license or re-license your guns.
• Firearm owners who missed the relicensing period will also be allowed to apply for relicensing during this amnesty. The old “green” licenses remain valid pending the outcome of the SA Hunters court case.  You are further allowed to keep your firearm while the renewal is being processed.
• It’s questionable whether any firearms used in crime will be handed in.
• It’s our opinion, subsequent to the JASA case, that compensation is payable on request for all licensed guns surrendered to SAPS.

Guidelines:

PROCEDURE TO APPLY FOR LICENCES WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN RENEWED (AMNESTY)

PROCEDURE TO PROCESS A FIREARM LICENCE APPLICATION (AMNESTY)

Further Reading:

Visit our Forums

This is a public service announcement brought to you by GunSite™ South Africa.

GunSite™ South Africa is South Africa’s Firearm, Tactical and Hunting Discussion Forums.

Click here to visit our forums, if you like what you have seen, please sign up and join in our discussions, membership is FREE.

Image per kind permission of http://olegvolk.net/

Let the industry buzz begin: Sabre Defence has just upgraded three of our top carbines with a new state-of-the-art piston system that experts are already calling the best in the business. This historic breakthrough improves weapon function and reliability in dusty desert conditions, minimizing the need for cleaning due to carbon fouling.

The Sabre M4 Tactical, M5 Tactical and Competition Deluxe are now available fitted with either our exclusive piston system, or with traditional Direct Gas Impingement (DI System).

Here’s the technical story in a nutshell. The traditional DI System has been used on every U.S. military M16 and M4 Carbine made over the past five decades. Without a doubt, it has distinguished itself as a simple and effective design. The basic idea is to vent high-pressure gas through a port in the barrel. This gas is channeled back to the bolt carrier, forcing it backward. As the bolt carrier moves, a cam rotates the bolt to unlock the action. Both the bolt and carrier continue back until a recoil spring starts pushing the carrier forward. Each time this happens, the bolt strips a live round from the magazine, pushing it up into the chamber.

This approach has stood the test of time. It is elegant in its simplicity, and doesn’t add much weight to a rifle. But there has always been one major drawback: until now, every DI System dumped hot gases, carbon fouling and powder residue right back into the receiver. The resulting buildup can cause malfunctions in the field, and dictates a rigorous cleaning regimen.

Sabre Defence solves this problem definitively with a new piston system. Its function is similar to the DI system, with one very important difference: rather than traveling back directly into the receiver, the hot gases instead push a piston and operating rod. It is this rod that moves the bolt carrier. In other words, the same potent energy still forces the bolt carrier rearward, only it now does so without dumping hot gases and fouling into the receiver. The gases are vented safely forward, away from the shooter.

Our solution greatly reduces the amount of debris that can accumulate in the receiver. It keeps the weapon cleaner, and requires less maintenance. And it does all this with the durability you’d expect from Sabre—each component is crafted from the highest-quality materials, then treated with IonBond DLC (Diamond Like Coating).  DLC is a highly advanced technology that provides an incredibly hard, corrosion-resistant surface. This means less friction, longer part life and simplified cleaning.

In some situations, these benefits can actually save lives. But then, the people of Sabre have always understood what’s at stake. This is why we’re especially proud to offer what we believe to be by far the most advanced piston-operated rifles available today.

M4 tactical piston carbine

The ultimate M4, new for 2010. We’ve taken our finest M4 and made it even better by adding our new short-stroke gas piston system. This means less carbon fouling, easier cleaning and lower maintenance. The result? A more dependable weapon overall.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Carbine-length gas piston system
• Free-float quadrail handguards
• Upgraded collapsible buttstock
• Single stage mil-spec trigger
• Ergonomic pistol grip• Gill brake on 16” barrels

M5 tactical piston carbine

New for 2010—the pinnacle of tactical carbine technology. Features our acclaimed short-stroke gas piston system. All piston parts—gas block, piston, operating rod and bolt carrier—are treated with IonBond DLC (Diamond Like Coating) for rock-solid durability.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Mid-length gas piston system
• Free-float quadrail handguards
• Upgraded collapsible buttstock
• Single stage mil-spec trigger
• Ergonomic pistol grip
• Gill brake on 16” barrels

Visit Sabre Defence

“One of the things that separates our awards from many others is that we don’t accept advertising,” said Timothy H. Cole, Gun Tests Publisher. “By doing this, consumers have confidence that our Best in Class selections are the result of head-to-head evaluations and that the outcomes aren’t influenced by anything else.”

During the magazine’s evaluation of the M&P9 pistol, which was originally covered in the May 2009 issue, the test team was highly complimentary about the design and function of the polymer pistol. The evaluators cited that their first impression of the M&P9 was that it felt extremely comfortable in the hand, was well balanced and was pleasantly devoid of extraneous controls and levers.

Ray Ordorica, the magazine’s senior technical editor, who was the original author of the May 2009 article, was quoted saying “The M&P9 provided as our test gun came in a large case with two different grip inserts to make the backstrap larger or smaller. We liked it as it was, so we left it alone. The sights were fixed, and excellent in all respects. With the M&P9, there will be no cut hands from stovepipe drills. Another nice touch (there were many) was the wavy cut of the slide to form the serrations for slide retraction. The matte-black slide was stainless, and the polymer grip was hefty enough that the gun didn’t have a top-heavy feel even when empty.”

Throughout 2009, the M&P Pistol Series delivered strong results in diverse market sectors. In the law enforcement division, the M&P pistol continued positive growth with several full-department conversions including the Detroit Police Department, North Carolina Highway Patrol, Raleigh Police Department, Tampa Police Department, Milwaukee Police Department, Albuquerque Police Department, Washington State Patrol along with multiple state agencies and sheriff departments. Currently, over 500 U.S. police departments have approved or adopted the M&P pistol for duty use.  Likewise, the M&P pistol was used extensively and with great success in numerous national, state and local sanctioned shooting matches. Engineered to become the handgun of choice for global law enforcement and military personnel, the M&P pistol design is based on input from numerous law enforcement and military organizations.  The M&P Pistol Series is available in both full-size and compact models and is chambered in 9mm, .357 SIG, .40 S&W and .45 ACP.

“Throughout the development of the BODYGUARDS, our engineers and product managers worked closely with end users to design and produce an innovative line of personal protection firearms,” said Michael Golden, CEO of Smith & Wesson Corp., a division of Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation. “Both the BODYGUARD 380 pistol and the BODYGUARD 38 revolver have been built with state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. Each provides a reliable and logical choice for those seeking a firearm for personal protection. In addition, our engineers worked closely with Insight Technology to design an integrated laser that not only improves target acquisition but also reduces the price of this technology so more customers can afford to use laser sighting systems. We are very pleased with the positive feedback we have received on the new BODYGUARD line from the numerous retailers and media professionals at the 2010 SHOT Show.”

BODYGUARD 380 Pistol

Compact, sleek and ergonomic, the BODYGUARD 380 delivers personal protection in an easy-to-carry platform. Chambered for .380 ACP, the lightweight pistol features a high-strength polymer frame with a black, Melonite(R) coated stainless steel slide and barrel. The new BODYGUARD 380 is standard with a 2 3/4-inch barrel, which contributes to an overall length of 5 1/4-inches and an unloaded weight of only 11.85 ounces.

The new pistol features a double-action fire control system, which allows for rapid second-strike capability. The BODYGUARD 380 has been further enhanced with a smooth trigger pull. Adding to its simplicity, the BODYGUARD 380 is standard with a manual thumb safety and an external take down lever and slide stop. On the lower portion of the frame, the pistol has been fitted with an integral INSIGHT laser, which is easily operated by both left and right-handed shooters. With its slim-line ergonomic grip, the pistol is comfortable in the hand and points naturally. To help aid in quick sight acquisition when the laser is not in use, the pistol includes black, Melonite-coated, stainless steel, drift adjustable dovetail sights. The BODYGUARD 380 is standard with a 6+1 magazine capacity.

BODYGUARD 38 Revolver

Chambered in .38 S&W Special +P, the BODYGUARD 38 continues Smith & Wesson’s line of reliable small-frame self-defense revolvers. The BODYGUARD 38 delivers the optimal combination of accuracy and simplicity. With its lightweight design, the BODYGUARD 38 allows for discreet carry and its hammerless design provides a snag-free presentation. The five-shot revolver features a short 1.9-inch barrel, which contributes to a compact overall length of 6.6 inches.

Weighing in at 14.3 ounces, the BODYGUARD 38 features a one-piece aluminum alloy upper frame along with a steel reinforced polymer lower frame. The barrel and cylinder on the revolver are both stainless steel. The stainless steel cylinder is coated with a durable, non-reflective, matte black PVD finish for long term carrying and low light presentation. Designed to accommodate both left and right-handed shooters, the revolver features an easily manipulated ambidextrous cylinder release on the top of the frame. The revolver is further enhanced with an ergonomic one-piece rubber grip and a smooth trigger pull.

On the right side of the frame, the revolver has been fitted with an integral INSIGHT laser, allowing precise shot placement in low light conditions. For fast target acquisition when the laser is not in use, the revolver sports a notch-style rear sight and a pinned black blade front sight. The BODYGUARD 38, with its double-action only design, can be easily concealed for discreet carry.

INSIGHT Laser

At the core of the new BODYGUARD line of firearms is the capability of the INSIGHT laser. Allowing for optimal accuracy, both the BODYGUARD 380 and 38 are fitted with a red laser sight produced in conjunction with Insight Technology. A world leader in the design, development and manufacture of tactical lasers, Insight Technology designed the integrated laser system to perfectly mate with the new pistol and revolver. Accurate, durable and easily adjusted, the integral laser provides shooters with added confidence by enabling quick sight acquisition under low light conditions.

The integrated laser sighting system enables faster target acquisition for shooters of all experience levels. By working closely together and designing the firearm and laser sight system to be integral, Smith & Wesson and Insight Technology have achieved a value positioning that allows more firearm customers to afford laser sighting system technology.

To activate the laser, users simply operate the push-button design located on top of the laser sight for the revolver and on the sides of the forward frame for the pistol. Ambidextrous and easily manipulated while holding the firearm in the shooting position, the laser sight features three modes. By pushing the button once, the laser is on a constant-on mode. A second push of the button enables the laser to go into pulse mode while a third press turns the laser off. The INSIGHT laser is equipped with an automatic five-minute auto off timer, to preserve battery life. In constant on mode, the laser provides three hours of continuous run time. The laser sight can be adjusted for both windage and elevation and no assembly is required. Two Energizer 357 or equivalent batteries power the laser on the BODYGUARD handguns.

“With its advanced features and quality components, the new BODYGUARDS offer an easy-to-use, accurate and lightweight self-defense firearm,” said Golden. “The new BODYGUARD 380, 38 and their integral laser sight systems have been meticulously engineered from the ground up. Simple yet sophisticated, the new BODYGUARDS provide the satisfaction, durability and reliability that have become synonymous with Smith & Wesson firearms.”

Smith and Wesson

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