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Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new Victra 20-gauge shotgun suppressor. Suppressor brakes are increasing in popularity, showing up on more and more silencers. Let’s take a look at where they came from and what options are available.

I have never really been a huge piston-driven AR-15 fan. The extra weight, complexity, and lack of real benefit for me as a fairly low-volume civilian shooter left me convinced that a well-built direct impingement rifle still offered the best balance for people like me. So when Franklin Armory offered to send out one of their OPS-16 rifles, I figured it’d be another chance to reaffirm my somewhat anti-piston-AR stance. This fairly new rifle is intended to be used with Franklin’s Binary system, but I’ve decided to abscond with the BFS and instead review the standard, 16-inch 5.56 rifle configuration, which uses a low-profile, self-regulating Osprey Defense piston system that aims for cleaner operation and suppressor compatibility without the usual adjustments or swapping out of other components.

The stage doesn't care how you get to the firing position. Only that you do. At a practical shooting competition, one competitor drew quiet admiration from fellow shooters and range officers alike. Not for any dramatic reason, but simply for the way he went about his business. Wheeling between stages with a Heckler & Koch MR308, he approached each position the same way everyone else did: with a plan, a focus, and a willingness to adapt.

I was at my “local” gun store a few days back (my local gun store is actually 1.5 hours’ drive away, more if you take the logging roads, which I generally do this time of year) and took a good long look around their racks of used firearms. Lo and behold, amidst the usual lineup of free-floated synthetic stocks and detachable mags, I noted some old-school iron in a corner, with classy, slim wood stock and a blind mag. I looked closer. They had not one, not two, not three, but four Husqvarna 1640 rifles stashed there, all in .30-06 and all priced under $500. It was a great deal that most buyers would miss, not even knowing that Husqvarna was a gun brand to watch out for. So, here’s a very quick look at these Huskies that you might be able to pick up at your LGS, guns that other buyers will miss due to a lack of awareness.

VKTR Industries is making its patented ambidextrous lower receivers available as stand-alone products for the first time, opening them up to shooters who previously could only get one by purchasing a complete VKTR rifle. The VK1 Complete Lower is now available to dealers, distributors, and the law enforcement market.

FN Herstal has announced the FN MAG TACTICAL with Long Rail, the latest evolution of the company's long-serving general purpose machine gun platform. The update introduces a Long Rail Conversion Kit engineered to bring modern ergonomics and dual day/night optic capability to one of the most widely fielded GPMGs in history.

Big Horn Armory, manufacturer of high-end lever-action rifles, has seen their YouTube channel removed by the video hosting site’s staff—and it doesn’t look like they’re going to be back.

Report writing under stress, the legal exposure that comes from vague language, what prosecutors and defense attorneys actually look for, and the documentation habits that protect officers long after the incident is over.

Starting around 2017, Kalashnikov Concern embarked on a new and somewhat unconventional project. Since the original development of the AK platform, reliability had always been prioritized over accuracy. However, this philosophy began to shift with an improved accuracy program focused on the AK-103, arguably the most successful rifle of the AK-100 series. The initiative was driven by a foreign client, Pakistan, which sought an enhanced-accuracy variant of the AK-103, leading it to merge with the already ongoing Russian Ratnik program, resulting in the AK-103-3 and later the AK-203.

Today's photo comes from a privately owned FN SCAR 17 that has been thoughtfully built out into a near-precision configuration. The SCAR has long been a favorite among serious shooters, and it's easy to see why once you've handled one. Despite being chambered in 7.62x51mm, the rifle tips the scales at just around 3.6 kg (roughly 8 lbs) with a 16.25″ barrel. For a battle rifle pushing full-power NATO rounds, that's genuinely impressive.

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we talked about some of the best carry items to check before the summer season hits full steam. If you happened to miss last week's article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to look at another common point of contention when it comes to a perfect carry setup. So many people say the size of your gun will directly affect how comfortable a carry gun will be before fatigue kicks in. Let's take a closer look at trying to answer the question: Does size really matter?

A mass shooting in Kyiv on April 18 has reignited one of the most divisive questions in Ukrainian society. Should civilians be allowed to own handguns for self-defense?

Beretta Defense Technologies plans to make Eurosatory 2026 its coming-out party for LIVET, an eight-barrel remote-controlled weapon station built around the kinetic counter-drone logic that has driven the BDT group's C-UAS (Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems) development for the past several years. The platform mounts no less than eight Benelli Drone Guardian shotgun systems on a single automated turret capable of tracking and engaging drone targets without requiring an operator to physically aim the weapon.

ATN Corp has expanded its Blaze Series thermal monocular lineup with the launch of four Gen 6 models, anchored by a new flagship unit and spanning price points from under $500 to just under $5,000. The full Gen 6 lineup consists of the BlazeSeeker 6 210, BlazeTrek 6 325, BlazeHunter 650 LRF, and the new top-of-the-line BlazeHunter XD LRF. ATN says all four models share the same 6th Generation thermal engine, SharpIR AI-enhanced imaging, 50 Hz refresh rate, OLED display, Hot Point Tracking, six color palettes, IP67 housing, onboard recording, and ATN Connect 6 Wi-Fi pairing.

Watching a skilled shotgunner run a hot demo with flying clays that look closer to drone blades never gets old. On this episode of the TFB Behind The Gun podcast, we catch up with Jarrod “Box” Grove of Caldwell Shooting Supplies after Plinka Palooza 2026 at Range Ready Studios, hosted by GunTalk. Box put on an impressive display running the new Claycopter Surface-to-Air Launcher, which has secretly been one of my favorite new products for 2026. Today, we’ll talk all about the Claycopter, Caldwell’s evolution from a company known for solid shooting rests and bags into a more innovative player in the firearm-adjacent space, and take some time listening as Box shares the thoughtful process behind expanding into new, novel, and complex, shooter-focused products while staying true to their more practical roots as a shooting bag and shooting rest company.

Accuracy International, renowned UK-based precision rifle manufacturer, is set to become part of the FN Browning Group. Responsible for iconic designs such as the Arctic Warfare, AWM, and AXMC, the company was founded in 1978. The acquisition will see Accuracy International continue to operate under its own brand within FN Browning Group and it comes at an interesting time, as the British military seeks to overhaul its small arms inventory with procurements of new service rifles, machine guns and precision rifles planned into the 2030s.

A few years ago, I was visiting an acquaintance at the gun market in the city of Sulaymaniyah, in Northern Iraq. His small shop had an excellent selection of rifles, primarily AKs and some new M4s that looked like they were at the US military warehouse just a few months ago. You know what they say: “Never ask a woman her age, a man his salary, an Iraqi gun dealer - where did he get the guns displayed at his store”.

Some pistols are made for the shelf. This one was made for the timer. Above, you can see Daniel Horner about to shoot it weak-handed. Note the stainless steel slide, which got a custom DH3 serration, and lightening cuts under a Coyote Cerakote finish.

Welcome back to another edition of Wheelgun Wednesday. This week, I wanted to look at some of the interesting quirks that the motorcycle community has when it comes to concealed firearms. In the world of polymer lightweight carry guns, some bikers are still choosing to carry full metal framed revolvers, but my main question starting out was why that was the case. Let's take a closer look at revolvers in bike culture.

Swedish hearing protection manufacturer Sordin has launched the Supreme X2, the first product in its new X2 series of active hearing protectors built for hunters and shooters. The company, which has been producing hearing protection since 1976, describes the X2 as its new flagship platform targeting shooters and hunters who want "next-gen awareness" with all-day comfort.

Really Right Stuff has been synonymous with top-tier tripod systems for three decades, but that reputation has always come with a price to match. I always wanted one, both for my camera work and my shooting, but couldn’t justify the cost. Really Right Stuff is now looking to change that equation with the launch of its new Core Line, and the first two offerings are the Benchmark and Benchmark Inverted carbon fiber tripods.

Shooting bags don't exactly get a lot of innovation press. The category has been dominated by the same handful of designs for years, and for good reason: a well-executed bag filled with the right material and wrapped in grippy fabric solves most problems a precision shooter will ever encounter on a stage or in the field. New entrants that bring something genuinely different to that conversation are rare enough to be worth paying attention to when they show up. Edgar Sherman Design's Notch looks like it might be one of those.

Primary Arms Optics has added a new tier to its PLx Compact lineup with the 1.5-12x36 FFP RDB, a first focal plane rifle scope built around Japanese extra-low dispersion glass on a 30mm chassis. The new optic extends the magnification range beyond what the existing PLx Compact offerings deliver, while keeping the form factor that made those scopes popular with hunters and competitors alike.

The price of everything is going up these days, but .22LR rifles are still affordable, sort of. Even made-in-America rimfire rifles are now reaching the prices we paid for centerfires not that long ago. But one rifle is still very affordable, and very versatile to boot. The Savage Mk II offers a lot of bang for your buck, as long as you are willing to accept it for what it is.

The image shows a machine gunner with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines, during a live-fire range at Camp Schwab. I think it’s safe to say he’s not carrying his machine gun in this image, but the M27. But what’s interesting is the HERA Arms CQR front grip, which is a first to me at least. The training was focused on maintaining and reinforcing marksmanship fundamentals, a core requirement regardless of weapon system or assignment.

Welcome back to TFB’s Small Business Spotlight! In this weekly column, we take a look at small firearm-related businesses. Today’s company is Peerless Rifle Gaskets, a manufacturer of precision rifles and a new rifle bedding system.

Columbia Falls, Montana-based PROOF Research has announced PXT, short for PROOF Exponential Twist, a new rifling system the company says represents a fundamental departure from how conventional rifle barrels are designed. Built around a progressively changing twist profile, PXT is aimed at addressing wear and consistency issues that PROOF says are becoming more pronounced as ammunition continues to push toward higher pressures and velocities.

Mad Pig Customs has been doing the lever-action modernization thing in the custom shop for years. Now that work comes out of the box with a Marlin roll mark on the receiver. Ruger and Marlin announced the Mad Pig Customs Model 1894, a factory collaboration with Mad Pig Customs that brings purpose-built tactical lever upgrades to production guns for the first time. Developed alongside Midwest Industries, the rifle packages a complete suite of custom-grade components into a single, ready-to-run platform rather than sending buyers down the usual path of piecemeal parts sourcing and gunsmith time.

Strike Industries has introduced the Strike Modular Chassis Aluminum Handguard Rail, a new accessory that expands mounting options for the Strike PS90 Chassis platform. Constructed from high-strength 6-series aluminum, the handguard rail is engineered for durability, adaptability, and lightweight performance. The design is intended to withstand demanding use while maintaining alignment, and its reduced weight helps limit unnecessary bulk.