Maybe Blackwater isn't so into rebranding after all.
Earlier this month, venerable gun manufacturer Mossberg debuted its latest edition shotguns at the SHOT Show firearm extravaganza in Las Vegas: the Blackwater Series, stamped with the notorious merc company's old "bear paw in the sights" logo. Jeff Compoc of Gunblog.com got these snaps of the new line. For a security firm that's put a lot of emphasis into changing its image -- it's now called Xe Services and is under brand-new ownership -- that's an unlikely branding decision.
But it's one that's been in the works for a few months, says Kim Cahalan, a spokeswoman for Mossberg. "Blackwater is seen as a high-end training facility," Cahalan says, "and they like Mossberg because of its accuracy and quality."
So meet the Blackwater Series 590 A1 -- shown above -- and the 500 Cruiser, both pump-action shotguns, and the Blackwater Series 930 SPX, an auto-loader. The changes to the guns are minimal: there are some added picatinny rails and new sights, but these are mostly the familiar Mossberg shotguns "with the classic Blackwater paw-print logo," Cahalan says.
Yep, she used "Blackwater," not "Xe," as the name of the security/training firm. By contrast, there are custom-made pistols with "Xe: A New Era" stamped on the grip, available from the Blackwater Pro Shop. But the classics don't go out of style, as they say.
Mossberg will roll out the Blackwater Series over the coming months, without a time frame for ending the line, so you can't really call the series a limited edition. And they'll be commercially available: "You don't have to be a law-enforcement professional to purchase them," Cahalan says.
Who knows, maybe guards working for the Xe partnership International Development Solutions in the West Bank will carry the gun stamped with their company's throwback logo. In any event, I know what Shachtman's getting for his birthday.
Photo: Courtesy Gunblog.com; hat tip to DR pal Jeremy Scahill for sending us the heads-up
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