Matt is a British historian specialising in small arms development and military history. He has written several books and for a variety of publications in both the US and UK. He also runs Historical Firearms, a blog that explores the history, development and use of firearms. Matt is also co-founder of The Armourer’s Bench, a video series on historically significant small arms.
Here on TFB he covers product and current military small arms news.
Mauser have announced the expansion of their M18 bolt-action rifle line with two new stock colorways featuring two distinctive camouflage patterns. Building on the Savanna Tan version introduced last year, the new rifles will have U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and Fred Bear [Read More…]
Armament Technology Incorporated, the OEM manufacturer of Tangent Theta Long Range Precision Optics, unveiled a new model at SHOT Show 2023. The Canadian company who are also the OEM for Tenebræx and master distributor for ELCAN, SAI Optics and XOPTEK, had the new [Read More…]
On day three of SHOT Show 2023 we visited Shield Sights who ran us through their host of new and upcoming models. Shield have four optics on the way, the CQS2, the AMS, the SIS2 and the RMSd. The RMSd is a new parallax-free red dot pistol optic with a hard dip acrylic [Read More…]
We’ve already looked at the new VENT 3D printed Titanium suppressor range coming from PTR but another exciting upcoming product they had on display at SHOT Show 2023 was the PTR-63. PTR ran me through their latest development, which they say is inspired by Heckler [Read More…]
At SHOT Show 2023, PTR unveiled their range of monolithic 3D-printed Titanium suppressors. The VENT range uses additive manufacturing to avoid the possibility of weaknesses caused by welding. It has internal geometries designed to reduce blowback into the [Read More…]
At this year’s SHOT Show, Cool Fire brought along their newest models of their CO2-powered training system. The system will soon be available for the Springfield Hellcat and Hellcat Pro, SIG Sauer P365 and P365XL, the Glock 43 and Glock 43X. So if you’re [Read More…]
Folding guns, a cool concept that we are continually drawn to. SHOT Show saw Magpul and ZEV’s joint venture, the FDP (Folding Defense Pistol) and FDC (Folding Defense Carbine), move closer to reality. During a visit to their booth, the guys at ZEV ran me through [Read More…]
The Ohio Ordnance Works SHOT Show 2023 booth had a range of their civilian semi-auto weapons out on display including the HCAR. Alongside the HBAR was the Ohio Ordnance Works manufactured M240 fitted with one of their 240 Patrol-SLR Conversion Kit. The kit is something [Read More…]
One of the best parts of the SHOT Show is being able to get hands on with some really interesting firearms. This year was no different with Heckler & Koch, to my surprise, displaying their belt-fed machine guns: the MG4 and MG5. While I don’t think we’ll [Read More…]
Luth-AR had a number of new products on display at this year’s SHOT Show. We’ve already looked at their handy Modular Chassis Assembly (or MCA-22) but they also have a number of new accessories for your AR. These included the ambidextrous Wing Grip and the [Read More…]
True Velocity is gearing up for scale manufacture of its innovative polymer cased ammunition in more calibers. At SHOT Show 2023 we had the opportunity to catch up with Dave Stouffer, True Velocity’s executive vice president (weapons division). He explained how [Read More…]
A few months ago Luth-AR introduced their MCA-22 chassis kit for the Ruger 10/22. At SHOT Show 2023 we got a look at the MCA-22 and Luth-AR ran us through its features. MCA stands for Modular Chassis Assembly and according to Luth-AR, the chassis is designed for [Read More…]
EOTECH have begun branching out from optics, last year they began offering a line of thermal imagine devices and night vision systems, and this year they have introduced their first Laser Aiming Module. The OGL or ‘On Gun Laser’ is a pretty compact (at [Read More…]
11 Not only have Vudoo Gun Works entered the centerfire precision rifle market with the brand new Morpheus but they also now offer a line of 1911 and 2011 pistols. The recently introduced Mobius 1911 line will soon be joined by the Priest 2011. It’s not often that [Read More…]
Vudoo Gun Works are well known for their series of .22LR rifles including the Ravage, Sinister and Apparition. For SHOT Show 2023, Vudoo Gun Works brought along three new prototype magazines for their rifles. The magazines come in three capacities: 5, 10 and 15 rounds [Read More…]
Ahead of this year’s SHOT Show, SIG Sauer held an independent range day at the Clark County Shooting Complex and one of the brand new products showcased there was a new enclosed pistol red dot optic from SIG’s electro optics division – the Romeo M17. [Read More…]
In our earlier article on SIG Sauer’s pre-SHOT Show range day, we looked at the Next Generation Squad Weapon display and discussed the XM5 rifle’s name change to the XM-7. You might have spotted an interesting new optic in the display, that optic is the new [Read More…]
Popping by the Bond Arms booth at SHOT Show is always a pleasure, the guys are always fun to chat with and they always have something new and unusual. By far the most eye-catching firearm at the Bond booth this year was their brand-new lever-action, but for more on that [Read More…]
TFB got the exclusive first look at Vudoo Gun Works’ brand new centerfire rifle – the Morpheus at this year’s SHOT Show. The new rifle arrived on the floor just a couple of hours before and we got to take a look at it. The Morpheus will initially be [Read More…]
At this year’s SHOT Show, there were a number of interesting ammunition manufacturers. One of which was BioAmmo from Spain. Their ammunition is specially designed for hunters and clay shooters looking for quality cartridges with maximum efficiency in terms of [Read More…]
Fiocchi say their newest cartridge makes short work of varmints. The new Hyperformance .223 Remington cartridge was showcased at SHOT Show 2023, alongside a couple of other new rounds including a new 4.6x30mm defensive round and Fiocchi’s new Golden Waterfowl [Read More…]
There’s always a lot of new products at SHOT Show but its rare you’re genuinely surprised to come across something. I stopped by the Bond Arms booth, a company renowned for their myriad of Derringer models, and was met by something that immediately grabbed [Read More…]
If you’ve ever dreaded drifting out a front sight or scratched up your slide while swapping out your pistol’s sights then XS Sights have the tool for you. At SHOT Show 2023, they showed us their new in-line sight pusher models; a DIY version and one designed [Read More…]
Zenith have a number of pretty exciting products on the way ranging from new iterations of their ZF-5, piston-driven AR-15s and a range of new 5.56x5mm roller delayed rifles – modelled after the HK33 and HK53, and a 7.62x51mm G3 pattern rifle too. The ZF-5 PDW [Read More…]
At this year’s SHOT Show EOTECH, in addition to their promising ‘On Gun Laser’, showcased their new flat dark earth colour range. The new FDE range includes G43 and G45 magnifiers and their EFLX pistol red dots. EOTECH say that their [Read More…]
At this year’s SHOT Show we caught up with the guys at Florida-based Adams Arms, known for their piston driven ARs and the AA-19 (literally the most expensive pistol Hop has ever reviewed over at TFBTV). Adams Arms ran us their their newest products with some [Read More…]
Mantis are set to expand their range of training systems with new Blackbeard X models. The system is already available for pistols and AR-15 pattern rifles and in a number of configurations and price points but 2023 will see the range expand to AK pattern rifles, [Read More…]
The 2011 market continues to grow with a number of manufacturers unveiling new models at SHOT Show 2023. Amongst them is a new series of pistols from Caracal USA. The Idaho based arm of Caracal has introduced a line of new 2011 pistols including a tricked out, dedicated [Read More…]
At this year’s SHOT Show Alabama-based Advanced Armament Company (AAC) showcased their two new robust suppressors, the Ranger 5 and the Ranger 7. The Ranger 5 is designed for .223/5.56x45mm rifles while the Ranger 7 is designed for rifles chambered in 7.62x51mm [Read More…]
FAB Defense have launched a new recoil mitigating buttstock. The GL-CORE Impact stock uses a patented recoil reduction mechanism with three variable settings. FAB Defense say that the stock can reduce felt recoil by up to 50% and can be used with shotguns and rifles. [Read More…]