Since I started this series, I’ve reviewed books according to criteria of relevance, appropriate audience, strengths, and weaknesses. This method is a shortcut allowing me to provide a compass for my readers without wasting their time. This time, though, [Read More…]
Moving up one level in Hornady’s gun safe product line, I take a look at their “Armlock Box” gun safe. While it shares the same sturdy construction of the Hornady Tripoint safe which I reviewed a few days ago, what’s nice about the Armlock Box is [Read More…]
Just when I think something could not get more absurd -or- wonder how a really cool legit tactical ideal can get bastardized, something comes along and sets a new bar. Latest up is Rapid Wraps a company selling 3-packs of magazine wraps via Amazon. At first, when [Read More…]
Maxim Popenker, Russian small arms expert and author (and TFB contributor), has begun a three-part series of articles on the origins of the bullpup concept, one which many now believe represents the future of individual small arms: Traditionally, a firearm in the [Read More…]
Our friends at the Off Target Youtube Channel discuss the Mosin Nagant M91/30 PU Sniper Rifle variant. This is a rifle I would love to own, both for fun at the range and also for the history, but I cannot justify the price. I think they are selling for about [Read More…]
What rifle influenced Kalashnikov’s famous carbine design more, the Garand M1, or the Haenel MP 43? This question was broached by blogger Jeff of TwistRate in a video posted to the Full30 gun video hosting website recently. Readers can follow the link to watch [Read More…]
In my third Hornady gun safe unboxing & review video, I take a look at the Rapid Gun Safe which has multiple RFID options (bracelet, card, and key fob). Weighing in at 15.65 lbs, this safe has a lot more heft than it’s two smaller cousins. I liked the RFID [Read More…]
Retro AR-15s seem to appeal on more than just a level of nostalgia. Of course, ’80s action movies, Clancy novels, and other media featuring the early Black Rifles activate a certain nostalgic fondness, but aesthetically these first generation guns have much to [Read More…]
Hornady not only makes some great ammo but they also have a gun safe product line. In the first of three Hornady safe unboxing and reviews, I took a look at the Hornady Tripoint gun safe. Bottom line, this is a really good no-frills gun safe that has a lock and key [Read More…]
The .300 Blackout market continues to steam ahead with Ruger’s latest offering, the Mini-14 Tactical in that caliber. From Ruger’s press release: Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. (NYSE-RGR) is proud to announce that the Mini-14® Tactical rifle is now [Read More…]
The Czech Republic has always been a nation that hits above its weight in the small arms field. Despite being a relatively small country with a somewhat checkered history, it has consistently put out high quality, innovative firearms that compete very well with those [Read More…]
I’ve written a lot about the AR-15 and M1 Garand rifles, and after a time I will have written nearly as much about the EM-2, M14, and FAL. One rifle, though, hasn’t been the subject of very much of my writing, in part because reliable historical information [Read More…]
Hello all, Y-man again, so sorry for the long silence – with work commitments taking me away from “civilization” a bit more nowadays – I wish I did not have to take another Twin Otter or helicopter flight again, but alas – I have to toil to oil the foil! Says [Read More…]
Rob Kay interviewed Timothy Yan about buying optics and mounts for an AK. Here is the original article. Q: You did a major piece on AK mounts for Guns & Ammo. What did you discover about AK scope mounts in doing the research for that piece? A: There are really only [Read More…]
Brownell’s just announced what I believe is a really smart business decision. Their new “Edge” program give their customers free shipping as well as a host of other perks for just $49.95 a year. For Amazon Prime subscribers, you know how awesome it is [Read More…]
As in all Small Caliber Book Reviews here at TFB, I will be covering the area of relevance and strengths and weaknesses of the book, as well as whether it is more introductory or advanced. To write my ongoing series of posts on the Light Rifle, I first had to hit the [Read More…]
I doubt that any of my readers have never seen a film in which a suitably menacing-looking Kalashnikov rifle was used this way: With the sling over the shoulder, stock folded, pointing from the hip: When one comes into ownership of a folding-stocked rifle of this type, [Read More…]
Remember the 3D printed SIG P250 frame we posted recently from PrintedFirearm? They have another project they posted recently that’s also pretty interesting, an AR-10 (CM901/LE901) lower receiver. They even test fired it. Just like with their SIG P250 frame their [Read More…]
Finally, a printable gun that is neither an AR-15 nor a disaster waiting to happen. PrintedFirearm reports … This a 3D printable replica of the SIG P250 Polymer frame. Note this is not considered a firearm or gun. Unlike other polymer handguns, the serialized [Read More…]
HKPro.com forum poster Marine0303 posted the notes from an armorer’s course he took on the H&K G36 rifle. It is complete with pictures, and provides a really good essential understanding of the design and its maintenance requirements: As I continue my [Read More…]
It was 1982, President Reagan was in the White House, and the Soviets weren't having it. The whole world was nervous. We were at the height of the Cold War, and a nuclear exchange seemed like a real possibility. There was a survivalist craze upon the land, and I was not [Read More…]
Starting a firearms book collection isn’t for every shooter or firearms enthusiast. Not everyone reads a lot these days (offline that is), and the price alone is a strong deterrent. You can’t really attach the Collector Grade Publications “The Black [Read More…]
This week’s DTIC document is one well worth reading in the interest of understanding the AR-15’s early deployment and subsequent “fall from grace” later in the 1960s. It bears more detailed examination than I usually put into the Weekly DTIC, so [Read More…]
As in all Small Caliber Book Reviews here at TFB, I will be covering the area of relevance and strengths and weaknesses of the book, as well as whether it is more introductory or advanced. The recent mud and sand tests of the M14 by InRange TV have blackened the eye [Read More…]
Back in the 1990s, Heckler & Koch USA decided to put together a working reference collection of the company’s products. This collection was put together at their Sterling facility in Virginia (Here are some pictures from the previous facility), but has since [Read More…]
After the Ichord report of 1967 identified the early failures of the M16 rifle in combat, particularly failures to extract, solutions to the problem of fouling were investigated by Colt, as well as Rock Island Arsenal (a government entity), and Olin/Winchester. [Read More…]
The Ak5 is the Swedish military’s variant of the FNC carbine. The “C” variant is the short-barreled carbine model, now widely used by the Swedish Army. Shorter still, though, is this bullpup conversion of the Ak5, shown below: The image first appeared [Read More…]
As we wind down this week, putting behind us all the tactical gadgets, fine craftsmanship, and cutting edge technology of the 2015 SHOT Show, I thought it would be good to take a detour to look at something… A bit different. Sometimes it’s easy to put on the [Read More…]
Okay I’ll be the first to admit I like gadgets. The more techie the better. I’ve been considering buying a FLIR One for a while now, but once I upgraded to my iPhone 6 I was out of luck (they are supposed to have one upcoming). Well, today at Range Day, [Read More…]
With the introduction of the successful metallic cartridge in the 1840s, an explosion of innovation directed towards rapid-firing infantry weapons rocked the world. The culmination of this would be the mass-produced self-loading rifle, realized with the adoption of [Read More…]