POTD: "2009" or "Before black was the new wood"
Not everyone caught the black rifle bug in the early 2000s. haac sent us this photo taken in 2009 just before he caught the bug. Now his collection has less wooden stocks and a lot more AR-15s … not that his semi-automatic collection back then was anything to scoff at.
The “Steyr” next to the Beretta Cx4 Storm is actually a Microtech Small Arms Research (MSAR) Steyr AUG clone. Back in 2009 I desperately wanted to review one of them on the blog, but no company was less friendly to the internet than MSAR. They even had a huge notice on their site saying none of their product images could be reproduced on any other websites. They refused to respond to emails and were unfriendly at trade shows. A few years later in 2012 the company was sold and they rebranded. The new owners were a lot more media savvy, but by then the real Steyr AUG had made it to the USA I had lost interest in reviewing the clone.
I founded TFB in 2007 and over 10 years worked tirelessly, with the help of my team, to build it up into the largest gun blog online. I retired as Editor in Chief in 2017. During my decade at TFB I was fortunate to work with the most amazing talented writers and genuinely good people!
More by Steve Johnson
![[SHOT 2026] Now The Chiappa Rhino Comes In .44 Magnum](https://cdn-fastly.thefirearmblog.com/media/2026/01/21/02401/post.jpg?size=350x220)
Comments
Join the conversation
The only wood I have on any guns is the grips on a 1911 GI. Totally fine with that....
Not one Mosin. THAT is amazing.