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
In the world of tactical gear, a weapon-mounted light is not just an accessory – it’s a critical tool that can mean the difference between clear sight and obscurity, accurate identification and guesswork. Whether you’re a law enforcement officer, a hunter, [Read More…]
We understand the importance of protecting your hearing in various environments, whether at the range or on the hunt, at work, during recreational activities, or even for everyday noise reduction. In this comprehensive buyer’s guide, we will explore and compare [Read More…]
Last November, I had the opportunity to attend Gunsite for a media event put on by Lockdown. The main focus of the event was the new SecureWall product. After the event’s conclusion, the attendees were all sent a starter kit to build our own “gun room” [Read More…]
I’ve never really been one to go for gimmicky triggers, and I always thought a two-stage trigger was just that – a gimmick. I had played around with a few at SHOT years ago and was basically pretty “meh” about the whole idea. RISE offered to send [Read More…]
I was recently invited to a private event to observe a side of firearms in which I am astoundingly ignorant. My knowledge of muzzleloader shooting (and the voodoo art/science of muzzleloading) could have fit into a spent 22LR casing with room to spare. After this event, [Read More…]
“Ask Doc” is a new series we are contemplating where we will answer questions from you, the readers. Topics will be answered by staff writers with significant experience in the field and tactical medicine. Submit your questions to tom.r@thefirearmblog.com (and try [Read More…]
I’ll admit, prior to this review my opinion of ATN was a bit mixed. Around 5 years ago, we had access to an early version of one of their thermal scopes, and it was not ready for primetime. Luckily my opinion has changed after getting some time with the ATN ThOR 4 [Read More…]
At a recent event, I had the opportunity to try out the Crimson Trace Hardline 2-7×32 scope with BDC for 300 Blackout. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to run it long-term (the event was only a couple of days). Due to the stupid ammo shortages, I could [Read More…]
The US Presidential Election may still be up in the air, but the results for Build of the Week’s Set 1 are in! (too soon?) The Build of the Week Winner Is… With 36% of the vote, the winner is…….Clay P’s “The Hulk”. Congrats! For [Read More…]
Now that we have had a solid four weeks of submissions (and time to digest them) it is time for you all to vote on your favorites. How to vote Voting is simple–use the below form and pick your favorite. Also, tell us why. The best comments will be featured in the [Read More…]
The fourth entry named “Corona Light” by Doug is the lightest (and quietest) build of the bunch. Stuck at home under quarantine, he wanted to make a lightweight, suppressed rifle suitable for training and plinking. Three and a Half Pound Corona Light At 3.5 [Read More…]
The third build is our first pistol caliber carbine of the reboot. In lieu of waiting for (I presume) a preferred B&T GHM9, Charlie decided to build his own PCC, patterning after Noveske’s Space Invader. Warning: if you are a delicate flower, some of the [Read More…]
Welcome to the second installment of the reboot of Build of the Week. This week, we have the aptly named “Now you see it, now you don’t” by Wolfgar. The second build, while an AR-pattern rifle, is strong. Thought has gone into it, and the components are quality. [Read More…]
We are off to a great start and have our first volley of submissions. First through the gate is Clay with his big game hunting build named “The Hulk”. I am very impressed that the first build is not YAAR (Yet Another AR). Note: I’m not hacking on AR [Read More…]
A little over two years ago, we started a little series called Build Of The Week. Many of you readers enthusiastically participated and we had a ton of submissions. Enough that we turned it into a contest with a chance to win real prizes – culminating in the [Read More…]
5.11 Tactical brought an imperial ton of things to SHOT this year. Everything from footwear to headlamps to products for your vehicle to a new RUSH pack. The worst part is that the products are set to trickle out over the year, so don’t RUSH out to your favorite [Read More…]
I’m not going to lie, I have a special place in my heart for RISE Armament. I own all of their triggers (except for the original Gadsen, since I was not blessed enough to attend NRA Show last year). I also have their 1121XR Rifle in both .308 Win and 6.5 CM. Not [Read More…]
Cole-Tac has three new offerings for SHOT. First is the “Cheat Sheet,” a small plastic card that Velcros to a special mount that attaches to a scope tube. It allows you to write whatever data you need to have close at hand (e.g., holds). The mount can be [Read More…]
Have you ever wanted to finally engage your dual-pistol wielding, one-handed reloading, Lara Croft cosplay? An interesting product that made it to full booth status (from the popup preview area last year) is the Torrent Loading System. It is a box, a little wider than a [Read More…]
Everyone should have a well-stocked medical kit. More-so, I think that all gun owners should have, at the very least, a small kit to deal with the injuries they have an increased chance of encountering. We all enjoy watching YouTube videos of “people doing dumb things [Read More…]
Dear TFB Readers, Today I announce that I am stepping down as Editor in Chief of The Firearm Blog. As some of you may know, one of the other major facets of my life revolves around Wilderness Medicine. Recently, I had the opportunity to become much more heavily involved [Read More…]
UPDATE: 1600 PST, Jan 23 Winner of the Build: Jim R, with the Higgens Shotgun with 45% of the votes 2nd Place ($100 GC to Brownells): Tony R, with the 300BLK PDW with 20% of the votes Random Winners (swag packs from Strike Industries): Daniel S Erin C Congrat [Read More…]
Drumroll…..And the winner for the sixth set was Jim’s Higgins Build with an overwhelming 45% of the votes (Kevin’s AR9 build came in second with 27% of the votes). The randomly picked winning voter was Zach C. I think Jim’s build won because of the [Read More…]
The week before Thanksgiving I was invited to the Patriot Ordnance Factory (POF) facility in Northern Phoenix as part of a small media contingent (something that POF had not done before). This was not some fancy junket, it was actually a pretty down-to-earth event that [Read More…]
We just saw our 24th installment of Build of the Week and we have plenty more submissions to go. As we mentioned, we have a plan in mind for some interactivity with this series to keep it a little more fun and lively. As is our process, after every four posted Builds, [Read More…]
The 24th Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by Jim. So basically this is the Craftsman Tools of shotguns… Pretty interesting collector’s piece (with a little bit of the history), and even more interesting that Jim modded it (there is always [Read More…]
The 23rd Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by Kevin. I really like the look of that hand guard. If you all can’t tell by now, I really set this series up to get good ideas for the stuff I want to do. Pete finally convinced me to em-brace PCC [Read More…]
Let’s get right to the results: Wilson Combat won with 19.5% of the votes. The Nighthawk Custom came in second place with 17% of the votes. Cabot and Les Baer were neck and neck with Cabot just taking the lead by 9 votes for 14%. This is one of the closest Reader’s [Read More…]
Pop quiz: What was the first firearm that Mossberg manufactured? If you guessed a pistol, you have some bragging rights in the comments section. (If you said a shotgun, you clearly miss obvious clues…) Mossberg got their start with the “Brownie”, a four-shot [Read More…]
The 22nd Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by Matt. Thank goodness it is not another FDE gun. Honestly the hottest thing I like about this build is the Rail-Rap (see what I did there?). How did I not know about this product. You’d think by this point [Read More…]
Your Privacy Choices