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TheFirearmBlog.com – Managing Editor
OvertDefense.com – Managing Editor
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.
Reach Matt at: matt@thefirearmblog.com
US Special Operations Command has awarded L3 Technologies a $48 Million contract for a Squad Aiming Laser. The Department of Defense confirmed the contract award on the 21st September. The project began in 2017, and was run by Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane [Read More…]
The US Army’s Contracting Command has announced the award of six separate Fixed Priced, Full and Open Competition Prototype OTA’s confirming earlier reports. The successful vendors will now provide the Army with the 10 testing an evaluation weapons needed [Read More…]
Colt have been awarded to a contract worth nearly $60 million to produce M4 carbines for America’s allies. Back in July we reported that Colt, along with FN, Remington and Daniel Defense, had been selected to produce M4 carbines for Foreign Military Sales. Remington [Read More…]
Last week we reported that the US Army had selected six entries from vendors for its Sub Compact Weapon programme to find a new compact, concealable 9x19mm submachine gun for issue to personal protection details. One other manufacturer we spoke to, Handl Defense, [Read More…]
The Turkish firearms manufacturer ATA Arms have signed a contract with the Turkish Under-secretariat for Defence Industries (SSB) for the local production of a 40mm grenade launcher. ATA Arms will produce their BA 40 grenade launcher. The company has historically [Read More…]
Kalashnikov Concern has announced that production of their 9x19mm PL-15 pistol has been given the green light. The Russian Military sees the pistol as promising, however, they have not yet expressed public interest. The Russian Military currently uses the Makarov and [Read More…]
Russia’s National Guard, the Rosgvardia, has placed orders with Kalashnikov Concern for several hundred of the company’s new AK-200 rifles and AK-205 carbines. The AK-200 and AK-205 are 5.45x39mm variants of the new improved AK-200 series of rifles. The [Read More…]
Yesterday we reported that the US Army had selected six entries from vendors for its Sub Compact Weapon programme to find a new compact, concealable 9x19mm submachine gun for issue to personal protection details. Today, we have a first look at one of the submissions [Read More…]
The city of Mukalla, in war-torn Yemen, has introduced gun control measures. Rather than a blanket ban, the city has become a gun-free area. People wishing to enter the Mukalla must hand over their weapons at checkpoints on the edge of town. Mukalla, the capital of [Read More…]
Former CEO of Sturm, Ruger & Co., William B. Ruger, Jr. has passed away at the weekend, aged 79. William Jr. took over leadership of the company from his father, William B. Ruger, Sr., the founder in 2000, William, Jr. himself retired in 2006. Ruger have released [Read More…]
Déjà vu? Not quite. The US Army has announced the companies which have been down-selected for the Sub Compact Weapon programme. Six of the companies which responded to the Army’s Prototype Opportunity Notice have been selected for testing and evaluation and [Read More…]
Last week US Secretary of Defense James Mattis paid an unannounced visit to Afghanstan. While there he met with the Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the Afghan Presidential Office building in Kabul. During his visit he was met with a full honour guard presented by the [Read More…]
It seems that the CZ Bren S2 is having a very soft launch as the first small shipment of guns hits stores. The 5.56x45mm and 7.62x39mm variants of the semi-automatic version of the Czech military rifle have been spotted for sale online for the first time. While the Bren [Read More…]
Archon Firearms’ Type B pistol is finally shipping to dealers and those who pre-ordered it. Back in November 2017, Arsenal Firearms, Inc. announced they would be changing their name to ‘Archon Firearms’ and rebranding their STRYK B pistol as the [Read More…]
Many of you will remember back when the MSBS first appeared at trade shows it was available in both the traditional rifle configuration and as a bullpup. While the MSBS-5.56 has been adopted by the Polish armed forces and has seen continued development, the bullpup [Read More…]
At Poland’s MSPO 2018 exposition LMT have had their new Confined Space Weapon (CSW) on display. The LMT CSW is a suppressed PDW chambered in .300 Blackout with an extended forend covering the weapon’s suppressor. Poland’s MilMag have some photographs [Read More…]
When we think of the Winchester Repeating Arms Company we think of lever actions and maybe some of John Browning’s designs. We don’t tend to think of Cold War submachine guns, but in the mid-1950s Winchester developed a 9×19 ‘NATO Burp Gun’. [Read More…]
The US Army’s Product Manager, Soldier Precision Targeting Devices (PdM SPTD) has released a Request for Information to conduct market research for potential sources that are able to provide a ‘Pistol Aiming Light’ (PAiL) that fulfills the army’s [Read More…]
The British Army’s official Twitter account shared an interesting photo of the pipe rifle range at NATO’s base in Kabul showing ‘newly arrived’ troops zeroing their rifles. The Hamid Karzai International Airport (HKIA) Pipe Range is part of [Read More…]
Browning have introduced the latest in their line of Citori over and under sporting shotguns. The 12 gauge Citori White Lightning combines a silver nitride finished steel receiver with intricate engraving, polished blued barrels, oil finish grade III or IV walnut [Read More…]
UK Border police intercepted a sizeable shipment of illegal firearms and nearly half a ton of drugs at the Port of Dover in southern England. 20 firearms and ammunition were intercepted and two Polish men were arrested for smuggling when a shipment of paper was [Read More…]
Iraq has made some fundamental changes to its firearms laws. The Iraqi government has shifted its policy and begun to allow for Iraqi civilians to legally own firearms not just for sporting purposes but also for self-defence. Historically, Iraq’s gun laws have [Read More…]
Two people have been arrested as a result of a joint operation involving two US agencies and a number of British police forces. The quiet market town of Oswestry, in Shropshire in the UK, was surprised to find its main street cordoned off by armed police officers on [Read More…]
A Canadian man has been convicted in Vermont of smuggling 100 firearms across the US/Canadian border – through a library that straddles the border. The historic Haskell Library used for dead drops now has a much less salubrious claim to fame. A 41-year-old man, [Read More…]
At the International Defence Industry Exhibition MSPO18 exposition in Kielce, Poland, WITU, Poland’s Institute of Armament Technology has unveiled a brand new 9x19mm service pistol, the PW-INKA. The pistol had reportedly been developed by WITU in conjunction [Read More…]
Today’s photo features a California Firefighter firing what looks a lot like an X-Products Can Cannon. In fact that is a flare launcher, the Large Format Launcher (LFL) from fire fighting equipment company Firequick Products. Like the Can Cannon the launcher is [Read More…]
There have been some significant changes to the British Army’s small arms load out in recent months with the announcement that the long mooted removal of the FN Minimi, 60mm Mortar and L86 Light Support Weapon from service was official. The British Army is now [Read More…]
A UK gang that supplied criminals with illegally converted replica firearms has been jailed. The gang converted blank firing replicas, selling them on to local gangs. The gang of three were sentenced to a combined 52 years behind bars on 5th September. The gang, led by [Read More…]
Over the years many things have been traded for guns: gold, jewels, furs, and of course drugs. Well now goats can be added to the list as criminals in Jamaica are trading stolen goats for guns. Clarendon parish in Jamaica have been rocked by a spate of goat rustling. [Read More…]
You can now order a surplus 1911 from the Civilian Marksmanship Program as the first batch of iconic pistols becomes available. Way back in November 2017, we reported that the Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) would be receiving up to 10,000 surplus 1911A1 pistols. [Read More…]
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