John S. is a guest writer who is concentrating on the subject of body armor. This is his first article on TFB. We get it, body armor is a complicated subject. There are many kinds of materials, with their own distinct advantages, disadvantages, and properties. Then [Read More…]
The process of making Link’s slugs is so labor intensive and complicated that it is nothing short of being a true manufacturing process. It is not made by casting which is normally the way most of the lead shotgun slugs are made. TAOFLEDERMAUS You Tube channel has [Read More…]
It’s natural for a manufacturer to want to portray their product in the best possible light. But when the capabilities of your product are technical in nature, it can be tempting to advertise in such a way that less informed consumers might get the wrong idea. [Read More…]
(Author’s Note: Firearms, not politics remains in effect. Coverage of historical usage of a firearm or weapons system should not be construed as an endorsement of either combatant party) I’ve been familiar with the American 180 as a range toy [Read More…]
When it comes to IFV’s (Infantry Fighting Vehicles), South Africa certainly gained a wealth of experience during their “Bush Wars”, including the largest armored engagement in the Southern Hemisphere in history during the Battle of Cuito Canevale in [Read More…]
The Indian Army has released an RFI that is requesting interested companies to submit a proposal for 1500 Anti-Material Rifles (AMR as per Indian Army). The rifles must be in a 12.7mm caliber (x108mm or .50 BMG wasn’t specified) and must weigh lighter than the [Read More…]
Glock attended the Big 3 East event last week just two days prior to Hurricane Matthew’s arrival and land fall. They brought an assortment of Glocks with them. I was surprised to see the differences between the Glock 41 and Glock 40. .45acp long slide vs 10mm long [Read More…]
There’s a new video showing tests of Russia’s new 30 mm cannon. We might not remember it by its real name, as it’s a bit awkward: “9-A1-4071K”. I’m sure it will get some evil nick-name in the future, especially from those on the [Read More…]
Modern? Sure, but let’s take a step back… Way back. It’s 1890 and smokeless powder has just been invented. There’s this guy named Rubin going around and spreading the gospel of the small caliber, high velocity .30″ bore round. You’re [Read More…]
In every arms race, there are some weapons that are revolutionary, and some that just miss their opportunity to make a tactical impact. it is interesting to think what would’ve been if incendiary rounds didn’t effectively end the age of the airship in [Read More…]
One of several interesting automatic individual weapon designs from World War I, the Winchester Machine Rifle was a concept for a dual-purpose anti-observation-balloon/ground weapon that featured several concepts that, for better or worse, were definitely ahead of their [Read More…]
Yesterday, we discussed the past, present, and future of infantry small arms calibers. That post was a highly introductory one, and there’s much, much more ground to cover on that subject. Today, we’ll talk about a technology that didn’t quite make it [Read More…]
This article is an English-language translation of an article written for Мир увлечений: Охота & Оружие (World of Hobbies: Hunting & Weapons) magazine, by Andrey Donets and Dmytro Adyeyev. TFB reader dnepr0mike graciously aided the [Read More…]
The subject of armor penetration previously was largely confined to the realm of big bore rifles or cannons intended to tackle tanks and other kinds of armored vehicles, but as the popularity of steel and composite body armor increases, it has become more and more [Read More…]
The Simonov PTRS 14.5mm anti-tank rifle was a very innovative rifle, that seemingly offered the Soviet AT gunner of the early part of World War II a frightening amount of firepower. Its semiautomatic action, and en-bloc clip loading gave the infantry five rounds of [Read More…]
The new Arsenal MG-1M (a PKM variant) is taken to full-auto and and slow-motion task by Larry Vickers. The new machine gun is a blend of the original design but makes use of some modern tricks including a fluted and finned barrel that uses a CHF and chrome-lined [Read More…]
Russian forum poster Epizikl has great skill with computer assisted drafting software: He has rendered in great detail a veritable multitude of different ammunition types and loads, including rare and obscure types that are rarely if ever seen constituted in the [Read More…]
Our good friend Gabor of Kaliber Info sent us this photo. He wrote … 14.5×114 mm API (Armor-Piercing, Incendiary) rounds with a Zoraki M906 9 mm PAK tear gas pistol on the top of them for size comparison. I shoot these rounds from a KPVT heavy machine gun in [Read More…]
RatedRR (one of my favorite bonkers YouTube channels) has published a “Paintball vs. Real Life” video detailing the David vs. Goliath comparison of projectiles and their effects on target. Long story short… the .50 wins but not without the paintball [Read More…]
A reader emailed us a photo of his grandfather practicing with a M2 Flamethrower … It’s a far cry from the criteria, I know, but I thought this photo might be worth sharing of my mom’s late father training with the legendary M2 flamethrower circa 1951, [Read More…]
The QLZ-87 Automatic Grenade Launcher (AGL) is a fascinating weapon. Unlike the much larger AGLs used elsewhere in the world the QLZ-87, in its lightweight/bipod configuration, is on par with a 7.62mm General Purpose Machine Gun with respect to size and weight, and is [Read More…]
This guest post was written by a friend of mine, Curtis, and edited by myself. Here’s a short overview of Chinese weapons, featuring: Types of launchers that explode for various reasons for various goals currently used in the world. Let’s begin shall we? [Read More…]
I’ve made no secrets that I am a fan of airsoft. Yes, it has its training limitations but it is an excellent force-on-force substitute for those without access to sim rounds. RatedRR put put a video showing the differences between an airsoft gun (which fires with [Read More…]
In this video, FPSRussia gets his hands on a SCAR-H, the select fire version of the SCAR 17S. It’s rate of fire is a lot slower than I expected, it is still an impressive machine and is one of my bucket list guns to shoot in Full Auto. I would like to have seen [Read More…]
The assault rifle is the defining individual weapon of warfare in the latter half of the 20th century, and the 21st. It’s history is deeply intertwined with the political and war-making developments of the era. Fast, mechanized maneuver warfare, the decline of [Read More…]
Iran has developed a new 20mm anti-material rifle called the Arash. The rifle is fired standing up with the gun resting on the operators shoulder, much like a RPG, and on the forward bipod. The butt stock is position about midway along the length of the gun with the [Read More…]
[ This guest post was written by Charles Gaines ] The last ten years of the US Army’s history has seen a refocus on the infantry and Special Operations communities as the main arms of warfare that hasn’t been seen since Vietnam. This is due to the asymetric nature [Read More…]
I came across (or was sent, I am not sure) this strangely beautiful photo of captured weapons being destroyed with diesel and incendiary grenades. The photo was taken taken on September 23, 2007 in Samarra’, S-Alah Ad Din, Iraq. (The photographer does not want [Read More…]
The mystery of how a bullet from a 14.5×114mm round ended up in an Afghan soldiers head without killing him has been solved. It turns out the round was not fired from a gun but was used as shrapnel in an IED. It would have been travelling much slower, and probably [Read More…]