It you have not had the chance to use a magazine loader/unloader, it is probably time. The new MagLULA that was just announced is an upgraded version of the tried and tested original that fits atop an AR magazine to allow rounds to be easily loaded or unloaded. Like [Read More…]
Today’s photo features two British bullpups, the L85A2 and the Rifle No.9 Mk1, better known as the E.M. 2. The E.M. 2 was briefly adopted by the British Army in 1951, but a combination of national and international political wrangling saw it soon abandoned [Read More…]
The British Army is set to refinish its infantry weapons with flat dark earth cerakote to better match its multi-terrain pattern uniforms. The move comes as the SA80A3/L85A3, currently being introduced, already sports the new colour scheme. The British Army’s [Read More…]
Riflemen from the 2nd Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles have proved their skills during the British Army’s annual Army Operational Shooting Competition at the historic Bisley ranges. Shooting teams from across the British Army took part in the competition. The [Read More…]
On the 11th April, the British Ministry of Defence announced the official adoption of the newly updated L85A3. I covered this several weeks ago, discussing in-depth the changes made to the rifles, but the Press Release offers some new details. The SA80 or L85 is being [Read More…]
In this episode of TFBTV, James reviews Stag’s new MOE SL Edition Rifle, which is, essentially, a Stag AR15 fully dressed in Magpul furniture and capped off with Stag’s excellent muzzle brake. From Stag: The Stag 15 MOE SL Carbine features a 5.56x45mm NATO chamber 16” 1/9 chrome lined [Read More…]
Dan Fritter took this photo of the Canadian Historical Arms Museum’s EM-2 rifle. The EM-2, also known as Rifle No.9 Mk1 or Janson rifle, was an experimental Britishassault rifle. It was briefly adopted by British forces in 1951, but the decision was overturned [Read More…]
If you are like me and still have a large amount of 5.56mm ammo loaded on stripper clips for easier storage and magazine loading, this newly updated release from magLULA might catch your attention. The makers of the now inconic magazine loader/unloader devices have [Read More…]
In January, just before the 2017 SHOT Show, I got the opportunity to travel to Cody Wyoming to visit the Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, to see some of their rare firearms and bring photos of them to our readers. Today we’re taking a [Read More…]
Late in 1978, Nelmo Suzano started work in the development of a 5.56x45mm assault rifle in the bullpup configuration, a long-time idea that had flashed on-and-off in his mind. Sure, the British EM1 and EM2 of the 1950s may have sparked the fire, more so in the mid-1970s [Read More…]
As TFB has reported before France will phase out the FAMAS rifle, of which they have about 400,000 pieces of in the F1 and upgraded G1 variant. The FAMAS has been in service for over 30 years. For a period of over 10 years France will phase in the Heckler & Koch [Read More…]
What do you get when you combine what’s widely regarded as one of the best rifle operating mechanisms ever invented, an innovative and promising concept, and a factory with over 150 years of history making some of the finest small arms in the world? If you said [Read More…]
Ok, there is is nothing earth-shattering buried within TFB’s seventh day of Christmas. But no matter how many magazines you have collected over the years, it’s always fun to be gifted more. Or, if you are looking for last minute or Secret Santa gifts for [Read More…]
France has just adopted the HK416 as its new standard infantry rifle, replacing the FAMAS, and Germany is on a path to a new weapon, aiming to divest herself of the controversial G36. This raises the question: Will Germany and France adopt a unified arm? These two [Read More…]
“Beneath this mask of a failed bullpup there is more than double feeds and malfunctions. Beneath this mask there is an idea, Mr. Creedy, and ideas are bulletproof, especially when they jam!”, in other words, the SA80/L85 bullpup rifle platform probably [Read More…]
It’s not just the Yanks that are getting improved ammunition: Our friends across the pond have developed their own firepower upgrade for 5.56mm and 7.62mm weapons alike. Jane’s has a modest article on the subject, while The Register provides a quite good [Read More…]
On Saturday we looked at one British “contender” which could have in some alternate reality become the NATO standard round, and today we’re going to look at another: The 4.85x49mm. After the United States adopted the .223 Remington round as the [Read More…]
British Army Photographers posted up some videos of soldiers training in CQB and CQM. Here is the CQM (Close Quarters Marksmanship). The soldiers appear to be using SA80 bullpups, Benelli M4 shotguns and Sig Sauer pistols. In this CQB video one soldier is using [Read More…]
A report from Jane’s highlights a move within the British Army to review the requirements and usage of their LMG, the famously nicknamed “Minimi” (FN Para Minimi), and their M6-640 Commando 60 mm mortar system. Both of these weapon systems are [Read More…]
The 43 Commando’s Fleet Protection Group has recently come out in a press briefing that the unit has replaced the L95 service rifle (bullpup SA80) with Colt Canada C8s, which the MoD classifies as L119. This is particularly interesting as this will be the first [Read More…]
The U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU) sent their Action Shooting Team to train the British Army Combat Action Shooting Team. Here is a video of the BACST showing off what they learned in a 3Gun style action stage. They are using the SA80 and what looks like a Glock 17. [Read More…]
Tavors, SA80s, FAMASs, AUGs, QBZ 95s. Whether for better or worse, the majority of bullpup weapon systems in the world are manufactured and in use by countries and militaries outside of the United States. Sure there was the Bushmaster M17S way back when, and now we have [Read More…]
Now, what you think you saw in the title picture was an MG42 and a British Bren light machine gun. However, what you are actually lovingly gazing at, are .22 LR rifles inserted into the parts kit of those guns, and indeed, are fully functional with their .22 LR [Read More…]
The Firearm Blog recently received a chance at an exclusive interview with Sven Jonsson, founder and owner of Manticore Arms, based in St. Charles, Illinois. Sven founded Manticore on innovative parts for the Steyr AUG and MSAR rifle platforms and has continued into [Read More…]
In about an hour’s time we will be publishing a TFBTV video about the Pedersen rifle, which was chambered in the .276 Pedersen. Almost three decades later the British developed the .280 British round, very similar to the .276 Pedersen, and an experimental [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…]
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…]
10. Thorneycroft Carbine Some of you might be familiar with this gun, but few know that almost all available pictures of it are misleading, at best. The picture below is not of the original Thorneycroft Carbine, but of the later Thorneycroft-Farquhar rifle. The title [Read More…]
MagLula (which stands for Magazine Loader & Un-loader), has put up initial details of the forthcoming Maglula Range Benchloader. Different from previous releases, the Range Benchloader is designed to work with ALL .223/5.56 systems, whereas legacy systems have been [Read More…]
The city of London does an excellent job of maintaining it’s medieval heritage even unto the 21st century. The streets are spontaneous and winding, just as Jack the Ripper wanted them to be. Tower of London is still as ominous, except instead of slicing heads, [Read More…]
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