Nathaniel is a history enthusiast and firearms hobbyist whose primary interest lies in military small arms technological developments beginning with the smokeless powder era. He can be reached via email at nathaniel.f@staff.thefirearmblog.com.
Since the French announcement earlier this year that they would begin replacing the aging FAMAS with a new design by 2017, there has been some speculation over what design would be chosen as its replacement. One question that hovered over the heads of myself and a [Read More…]
I first became acquainted with the Sccy pistol line while working at a gun store in Southern Colorado. Our little hole in the wall shop had received one of their early production handguns, and the owner liked it enough to carry around in a small pistol holster in the [Read More…]
Konstantin Lazarev has some excellent photos on his Facebook page of an AK-12 undergoing testing. The rifle has been painted in earth tones, and has clearly already seen fairly heavy use, judging by all the wear. These photos also offer a look inside the receiver of the [Read More…]
The Russian special forces dual-medium assault rifles are reportedly slated to enter production next year, according to vpk.name. These rifles use supercavitation to allow for much shorter projectiles that work in both air and water media, which represents a significant [Read More…]
French company ALSETEX was showing off their mockup of a new straight-pull grenade launcher, the Cougar, at Eurosatory 2014. Unlike other smart-grenade launchers like the XM25 or Daewoo K11, the Cougar does not use a heavy and complicated “smart” sighting [Read More…]
VPK.name has three separate reports (in Russian) on the Russian government’s program to replace its aging generation of small arms. The two leading contestants appear to be the heavily modernized Kalashnikov design AK-12, and the balanced-action AEK-971. According [Read More…]
Ouch! That’s all I can say about this kB posted to AR15.com. Bore obstructions are absolutely no joke. The rifle was a Contender, apparently chambered in .17 VHA (5.7×28 4.6×30 – thanks Daniel! – necked down to .17 caliber). Pictures after [Read More…]
It’s a battle between barely-legal bump-fire stocks. Slide Fire Solutions, makers of a patented bump-fire floating stock, are suing Bump Fire Systems, makers of the very similar (and much cheaper) AR15 BFSystems stock. Kevin’s Tech Ramblings covers the issue [Read More…]
Euro Optic’s website has released pricing on the Desert Tech MDR rifle. It looks like conversion kits in .223 and .308 may be available on release, priced at $657.03 and $950.00, respectively. Phil Note: The prices listed are for the conversion kits as Nathan [Read More…]
MilArt blog has an excellent piece on experimental Canadian small arms. Included are very high resolution photos of the SAL SLR, the late war/post-war Canadian selfloading rifle effort. Be sure to follow the link and read the whole thing. Excerpt and photos below: No [Read More…]
When we left David Marshall Williams and his tappet gas mechanism, Winchester had decided to entrust design of their entry into the US Carbine trials to a team headed by William C. Roemer and Fred Humeston, with Williams sidelined into developing his own alternative [Read More…]
MGI’s .50 Beowulf Hydra has now become available for purchase. From the press release: Old Town, Maine (October 2014) MG Industries, manufacturer of the modular MARCK-15 AR “Hydra” platform, are pleased to announce the availability of the Hydra Modular [Read More…]
German firearms manufacturer Blaser has announced a new over/under shotgun, the F3 Vantage. From the press release: New Hybrid Design for Maximum Performance The “F3 Vantage” embodies the Blaser design philosophy to deliver a premium sporting gun perfectly tailored [Read More…]
MGI, makers of the modular AR-15-based Hydra rifle, has now made available a pistol version in 9mm. From the press release: MGI’s MARCK-15 Hydra Vipera SMG 9mm Pistol Now Available and Shipping Old Town, Maine (October 2014) – MG Industries, manufacturer of [Read More…]
As in all of my Small Caliber Book Reviews, I will be covering the book’s area of relevance, its strengths and weaknesses, and whether it is more introductory or advanced. Shoot To Win is the first book by Top Shot Winner and TFB Writer Chris Cheng, and is [Read More…]
A Navy office at the Pentagon secretly ordered 349 suppressors made without serial numbers, according to an investigation begun almost two years ago, reports the Washington Post: The mysterious workings of a Pentagon office that oversees clandestine operations are [Read More…]
Bravo Company Machining has introduced a new lightweight adjustable stock for the AR-15, called the BCM Gunfighter Stock Mod 0. From The Tactical Wire: The next step in performance carbine stocks. Its been in development for over a year and being released today by [Read More…]
Troy has announced it will offer their M7A1 stock – debuted originally as part of the Troy PDW – as a kit. The Tactical Wire reports: West Springfield, MA – Based on overwhelming consumer demand, TROY® is adding the M7A1 PDW Stock Kit to the line of [Read More…]
Armalite has announced a partnership with Rany Luth’s (founder of DPMS Panther Arms) company LUTH-AR to provide Armalite’s 2015 line of rifles with LUTH-AR stocks. The Tactical Wire reports: Geneseo, IL-ArmaLite is pleased to announce its partnership with [Read More…]
The BUL M5 polymer 1911 pistol, which has been imported by a number of other companies (Kimber and Charles Daly, for instance), is being imported by Battle Ready International under the BUL brand name. According to correspondence, they have already received their first [Read More…]
There were some interesting developments at FN’s AUSA 2014 booth. SoldierSystems reports: At AUSA FNH USA is displaying their Compact Semi-Automatic Sniper System (CSASS) entry. Based on the tried and true SOF Combat Assault Rifle (SCAR) system, FN’s CSASS rifle [Read More…]
From the press release: (McLean, VA – October 13, 2014) FN Herstal, a world leader of small caliber weapon systems, teams with Dillon Aero to add to its portfolio of FN MAG® 58M and FN M3M™ (GAU-21) machine guns, the Dillon Aero M134D Gatling Gun as an [Read More…]
Very exciting news for M1 Carbine fans – a company named MKS Supply is marketing new production, American-made M1 Carbines in three varieties (Early, Late, and A1). From the press release: MKS Supply Brings Back the M1 Carbine! Almost too cool to be true Dayton, [Read More…]
Nosler has announced a new line of hunting ammunition, marketed under the Nosler brand name and loaded with their Ballistic Tip line of bullets. From the press release: For decades, Nosler’s Ballistic Tip® Hunting bullets have been the most popular, premium [Read More…]
A little more than a year ago, DSA posted this manufacturing video to their YouTube page. While it’s more geared towards marketing and doesn’t cover the topic as thoroughly as I’d like, viewers can still see a few items of interest, such as [Read More…]
While it’s somewhat well-known that the Soviet Union produced special-purpose silent cartridges for clandestine use, but less well known are US experiments in this area. In fact, the US developed several weapons, and several different types of ammunition, for [Read More…]
At the end of September, the Guns & Ammo website posted a magazine article by Jeff Cooper from their 1966 issue, covering carbines. In it, Cooper evaluates – and praises highly – the then-new Remington 600 rifle, as being handy, powerful, and well-made. [Read More…]
The Iranians have unveiled a pretty slick looking modular assault rifle, named “Fateh”, reports Fars News Agency. Clearly inspired by Western designs, the Fateh sports an ACR-esque gas block, polymer shell deflector, “shotgunning” receiver [Read More…]
A CAD program is a powerful tool, and can be extremely useful for the amateur handloader and cartridge designer. One of the things that I find most handy in the context of experimenting with hypothetical wildcat cartridges is using SolidWorks or another analytical CAD [Read More…]
Books are as important – if not more important – to small arms researchers than the actual firearms and ammunition they study. I think, then, it’s only appropriate that I begin a series of regular posts reviewing important books on small arms and their [Read More…]
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