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FN America’s Military Collector Series just got a little shorter. And by shorter, we really mean expanded with the M249S Para, a semi-automatic-only, closed-bolt version of the gas-operated gun used by elite operators within the U.S. military. Fed by either belts of 5.56x45 mm NATO disintegrating links or standard AR/M16 magazines, the 16-lb. M249S Para has a 16.1" barrel and a collapsible buttstock with a hydraulic buffer, making it between 4" and 10" shorter than the M249S. And this gun is made by the same workers who make the full-automatics for Navy SEALs. See it fired here, and for more, go to fnamerica.com
In 2024, former owner Gregg Ritz purchased Thompson/Center Arms. Now the company has introduced a modern take on its classic Contender/Encore concept: the ENCORE PROHunter.
While it's certainly a saturated marketplace these days, the AR-15 has never been more popular with American firearm enthusiasts, and many manufacturers are continuing to feed the need with new options loaded with new features.
Like any hobby or pastime that is in any way even vaguely related to machines or technology, firearms attract a (possibly) disproportionate number of “right-brained,” STEM-oriented personalities who like numbers.
Slingshots are fun, but they can also be a legitimate backup defensive tool—in 2023, a 13-year-old Michigan boy saved his 8-year-old sister from being kidnapped by using a $3 slingshot to fire a marble and a rock at the assailant, striking him in the chest and head.