Many of us remember the ammo shortage of the early 00s with a combination of horror and perverse pleasure. If you happened to be one of those gun owners with a pre-existing ammunition stash so spectacular it rivaled the warehouse of a major manufacturer, it wasn’t [Read More…]
Arizona based K&M Arms was present at the 2016 National Rifle Association Annual Meeting, and they brought with them their M17S series of bullpup, triangular-bolt rifles. New for the show was the finished .308/7.62x51mm variant of the M17S, prototypes of which had [Read More…]
Regarding Mossberg Suing Manufacturers of Drop-In Triggers (allegedly at the request of CMC), CMC Triggers have released a statement: CMC Triggers is a Christian company, privately held and not owned by O.F. Mossberg or anyone else. We pay our bills when they’re [Read More…]
At SHOT 2016, Hill & Mac Gunworks unveiled their prototype multi caliber re-imagining of the World War II-era German Sturmgewehr assault rifle. The new semi-automatic rifle, while not an exact replica, captures many of the design elements and the basic aesthetics of [Read More…]
At the 2016 SHOT Show, Troy introduced their first retro AR-15 replica, the Air Force’s GAU-5A/A Colt carbine as used by the Sơn Tây raiders in Operation Ivory Coast. Now, at the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting, Troy has introduced its US Army counterpart: The XM177E2 [Read More…]
At the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting, Tikka and parent company Beretta were showing off the new T3x rifle, an improved version of their T3 hunting and sporting bolt action rifles. The T3x is a system developed as a direct result of feedback from Tikka’s customers, and [Read More…]
In another instance of the firearms industry feeding on it’s own, it appears that Mossberg is exercising it’s control on the original Chip McCormick patent (US 7,293,385 B2), that it acquired a while ago, and bringing lawsuits against a number of [Read More…]
The Chinese Type 81 was not a copy of anything else, but a new rifle designed from the ground up in China. Normally chambered in 7.62×39, the rifles have served the PLA since 1981 but on this installment of TFBTV, we shoot an exceptionally rare EM356: A variant intended for the US commercial [Read More…]
Expos like the 2016 NRA Annual Meeting or the SHOT Show are usually places to find the latest and greatest in the firearms world. Sometimes, however, exhibitors bring along relics of the past, forgotten firearms that haven’t seen the public spotlight in decades [Read More…]
The Firearm Blog is walking the halls of the showroom floor here at the National Rifle Association’s 2016 Annual Meeting. In addition to spotlights on exhibitors, we will also be publishing collection posts covering the show more broadly to give folks a sense of [Read More…]
Thanks to Dickson Ly for sending this our way. The MR308 has an interesting handguard. It looks like the MR556 handguard extrusion but just a lot longer. The bare section at the front of the hand guard is an odd choice. I do not understand why a shooter would want the [Read More…]
The B&T SPR300 is a compact bolt action rifle that folds up into a soft case the size of a briefcase. I was surprised to see how short the actual barrel is on the rifle. Edward O. posted an article about it back in March. In this video, you will see what comes with [Read More…]
Below are four different rifles, in four calibers, from SIG Sauer – Swiss Arms, as presented at the IWA exhibition in Germany 2016. Of course, they had more rifles in their stand but let’s focus on the ones below and the news in particular. The SG 553 is [Read More…]
I’m on the hunt for a rimfire rifle that will shoot microscopic groups at 50-100 yards. Of course, besides the gun itself, optics, mounts, ammunition and my trigger finger will also have to play a roll in this ‘precision decision’ process. And last but [Read More…]
The Brazilian Polícia Militar do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (Rio de Janeiro Military State Police) have adopted the semi-auto only CTT40C carbines, made by Taurus. Below is an embedded video of the PMERJ’s introduction to the new short barreled carbines: The [Read More…]
With just shy of 500 years under their gun belt, Beretta has announced the opening of a retail store here in the United States. The firearms industry magnate is known for its well-made, reliable long guns and pistols, but that isn’t all they make. In fact, there [Read More…]
The FS2000 is one of the strangest looking firearms that has ever come to market in the USA, but underneath the plastic exterior is a well engineered and reliable action that has seen military adoption in Europe. While the F2000 and its semi-auto only counterpart have never been big sellers, it is a [Read More…]
US Army infantry platoons will be getting a little more “boom” very soon. Jane’s, among other news outlets, report that the US Army has finally approved the M3 Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle for general issue to the infantry platoon. From IHS [Read More…]
The Russian Army will be upgrading its automatic infantry support weapons soon. The legacy 7.65x54mmR PKM belt-fed general purpose machine gun will be supplanted in the dismounted role by the PKP “Pecheneg” automatic rifle designed at the end of the 20th [Read More…]
The French MAS 36 is often dismissed as garbage, if not outright overlooked by most shooters. That is however a shame, as these incredible little rifles have a lot to offer at a very affordable price point. So, let’s take a look at what it can do. Old MAS 36 video: Transcript … – [Read More…]
In a recent B-Rated Sci Fi film called Kill Command, the props department came up with this futuristic sniper rifle. It uses a backwards Magpul MOE rifle length handguard as a muzzle device. There is even a delta ring on the end of the handguard. It sticks out like a [Read More…]
This video was posted back in 2013. The shooter, iainmcgregor8, sets up his bottle of beer in the cup holder of his folding chair. He sets up his rifle some distance away The beer bottle cap has a target attached to it. Considering the bottle cap opener is affixed 90 [Read More…]
Remember the good old Palm Pistol from Constitution Arms? We posted about it way back in 2008, what the heck is it you ask? It’s basically a single shot self defense gun that was designed to be easy to shoot for those who might have issues with dexterity or grip [Read More…]
This subject has come up in my comments recently, and I thought I would explore it in a post proper. To adopt the 6.5 Grendel (or, as we’ll see, something like it), the US Army would need to develop and procure new complete upper receivers, magazines, buffers, and [Read More…]
Brace yourselves, Hi-Point Carbines are now high-capacity. Say what one will about the handguns, the Hi-Point carbine is, in my opinion, quite the handy little shooter. Yes, its highly stylized polymer shells are an interesting design choice, the carbines have a loyal [Read More…]
Circle 10 AK is currently putting together a five cell RPK magazine chest rig for the market. When I asked the owner why specifically for RPK magazines, he pretty much replied, “Why not! There aren’t too many similar designs on the market, and it is flooded [Read More…]
One thing that seems apparent from the ARDEC presentation on the CTSAS program is the excessive capability and weight of the 6.5mm CT ammunition, as well as its use of lead-cored projectiles as opposed to more modern (and less dense) EPR-type projectiles. Further, the [Read More…]
Recently, I wrote an editorial regarding the LSAT/CTSAS team’s NDIA presentation on their 6.5mm cased telescoped carbine and machine gun concepts. There was a lot to say about the history of Army programs and the pitfalls facing that team, but today I want to get [Read More…]
The nations engaged in World War II all fielded one or more main infantry rifle, and in this episode of TFBTV, we take a look at five that we believe to be the best. Remember this is a list of rifles, so submachineguns, machine guns, assault rifles, and so on are not included. Transcript … [Read More…]
Since picking up my FFL and SOT, I have fallen in love with suppressors and shoot with them as often as I can. Unfortunately, most competition shooting (outside PRS) does not allow the use of suppressors, often labeling them as “unfair” accessories due to [Read More…]