Tom is a former Navy Corpsman that spent some time bumbling around the deserts of Iraq with a Marine Recon unit, kicking in tent flaps and harassing sheep. Prior to that he was a paramedic somewhere in DFW, also doing some Executive Protection work between shifts. Now that those exciting days are behind him, he teaches wilderness medicine and runs an on-demand medical staffing business. He hopes that his posts will help you find solid gear that will survive whatever you can throw at it–he is known (in certain circles) for his curse…ahem, ability…to find the breaking point of anything.
You can reach him at tom.r AT thefirearmblog.com or at https://thomasrader.com
Witt machine has a new combination muzzle device hitting the market. It is a three piece unit that includes a side vented comp that is threaded on the outside (as well as the internal threading to mate to your rifle). They are CNC machined from 416 Stainless Bar Stock [Read More…]
Okay, I have no idea about this one. Definitely an oddity. I’m not sure if they are going to be at SHOT, but I will be on the lookout. The press release says it is designed for concealed carry but I have some doubts… Side-by-side .38 Spl seems like it [Read More…]
Well, we all knew eventually BATFE would come down on it… Enough people kept sending letters asking or “misusing” the brace and posting about how this was a way around the SBR issue that the Technology Branch made a definitive ruling, revoking all [Read More…]
World events have a way of reminding us that sometimes “they are out to get you”. And today a healthy bit of “paranoia” is not necessarily a bad thing. Which means keeping your head on a swivel. A friend of mine just penned the following short [Read More…]
Really, Tom? Is that the best title you can come up with? SHOT is the place to put out your new products (if there is any place). I know, I know. My “title writing” muse is on vacation right now… Is anyone getting a whiff of the trend at SHOT this [Read More…]
My very first pistol was a 1911 Colt Commander. At the time I really had no clue as to what I had bought, or really anything about the platform. I had it until someone talked me into trading it for a Beretta 92FS, which to this day I still regret (though that decision [Read More…]
I had never heard of AXTS before this press release, but I am definitely intrigued by their product. I think the idea of a fully ambidextrous rifle (ready to go out of the box) is a great idea. And you get your choice of pinned muzzle device (if you are not doing it as [Read More…]
It seems like just yesterday that I pushed the press release about Strike Industries new Ultimate Selector Switches. Not three days after the article went live, I had a set in my mailbox for testing and evaluation. For the most part, selector switches are necessary but [Read More…]
Strike Industries sent me a new comp (the Sierra Comp) that they made in conjunction with Victor Lopez (of Sierra Element Tactical Firearms Training). He worked on the design with Strike for over a year. The unique design of the triangle ports allow gas to escape the [Read More…]
I got another call from Mike at Ergo Grips. He had some new KeyMod stuff he wanted me to check out before they premier at SHOT. And not only did I get to see the new items, I got some inventory to test and evaluate… There were a number of picatinny rail sections, [Read More…]
TargetVision has a new target system available. It is a remotely operated target changer that can operate out to about 600 feet. It is constructed primarily of aluminum with AR500 armor plating. The downside is that it comes in at $1595 and it weighs in at a hefty 97 [Read More…]
FFLGuard is a company that specializes in Legal Services & Compliance Solutions for the Firearms Industry. One of their departments monitors outputs from the BATFE and puts out advisories, and the most recent is the end of year report from BATFE inspections. The [Read More…]
Anyone here going to SHOT? If so, you’ll be able to see a couple of offerings from Navy Arms (and really, hundreds of other vendors). We published an article in October about the 1873 line. Well, this spring, Navy Arms is going to have a couple of new variants in [Read More…]
Week 38. I hope you all had a good holiday and you were gifted tons of ammo! This week also be on the lookout for the 3rd quarter summary… We do appreciate the support and constructive comments and will continue this article series as long as it is productive. As [Read More…]
Have I mentioned that I am a fan of Strike Industries? No, I’m not a shill for them. I just genuinely like the company and many of their products. In fact, I have actually replaced my long favored BCM Gunfighter Charging Handle with Strike’s AR [Read More…]
So, how would you like to wake up and find that your surplussed corporate truck had been bought by foreign militants and converted into a technical? This picture popped up a couple of days ago on twitter and and been making the rounds on some news services. t’s [Read More…]
I recently had the opportunity to “play” with a prototype weapon developed by a company Electronic Arms (which is the commercial products arm of Vadum). Vadum, founded in 2004, is a small business defense contractor that specializes in electronic warfare [Read More…]
Week 37. Next week will be the 3rd quarter summary. I have hopes that Santa has corrected the .22LR supply/demand imbalance. The past week I have seen .22LR at several local retailers (and there were not hordes of ammo scavs grabbing it as soon as it hit the shelves). [Read More…]
So, what do you do when you want an accessory for your platform but one isn’t being made? Simple. You make it yourself. That is what Valentin Vlasenko of Sureshot Armament Group did after he bought a HK MR308 and found there were no available accessories. In the [Read More…]
There is a thread over at AR15.com that has some video, a parts list, and some rough instructions for building a suppressor.
Week 36. Terrible price on 1000 round lots of .22LR. Despite that, more vendors have slight decreases in price per round than have increases. So, go out and buy ammo as holiday gifts for people… 🙂 We do appreciate the support and constructive comments and will [Read More…]
From http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2859301/ISIS-s-latest-killing-machine-10-foot-sniper-rifle-fire-bullets-three-times-size-normal-gun.html It’s so big that it has to be supported on two tripods and fires ammunition that’s three times the size of [Read More…]
Saab Group (out of Sweden) has developed a new type of modular armor which can be utilized in buildings or vehicles. It is lower cost than full ceramic (and composite) solutions, and adds in the ability to reuse and reconfigure the setup. The idea is that it is [Read More…]
Week 35. A lot of prices are up this week–must be pre-holiday price raising. Still, ammo makes a great Christmas/Hanukkah/[Insert Holiday of Choice]/etc. gift, and with the lower gas prices, maybe there is some extra cash to put toward shooting… We do [Read More…]
When I first learned to shoot a long gun, we didn’t have forward grip devices, nor the “C” grip technique (not that they weren’t available in general, just not to me). Our push/pull method involved the forward hand gripping the front of the [Read More…]
MasterPiece Arms is venturing into the “multi-caliber” pistol market with their new “Defender, Machined, Grip” series. While it has a decidedly 80’s “MAC-10” look to it, the modularity really gives it some flexibility. I do [Read More…]
Week 34. Well, no super great deals for Black Friday. Which is technically good for the trending data (since we don’t want the data skewed), but not as good for people looking for bargains. That said, a number of you have mentioned the use of search engines for [Read More…]
First off. Disclaimer. I’m not a lawyer. But I did consult one when setting up my Trust and I paid for it from my own funds. I had been planning to set up a Trust for over a year. Finally the stars aligned and it was time to do it. I opened up a browser […] [Read More…]
And not only interesting looking, but apparently also a little controversial right now. Thanks to Jess for sending this link to a post on the International Ammunition Association website: http://iaaforum.org/forum3/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=16450 I have a friend that [Read More…]
One thing I have not yet gotten into is reloading, and I know very little about the manufacture of such things. I mean, I know how a round is constructed, but doing it, and further, innovating, is beyond my current skill set. I find things like fire forming and case [Read More…]
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