This is the third part of a series of posts seeking to describe and analyze the 7.62mm Light Rifle concept promoted by the Americans, and subsequently adopted by NATO in various forms. This series will cover development from before World War II to the present day, but [Read More…]
Royal Armouries’ Trevor Weston recently sent me an email with some details relayed to him about a little-known Italian rifle from the 1950s, the Breda Model 39. This firearm was apparently intended to compete with what would become the BM59, among other weapons [Read More…]
Arsenal, Inc. out of Las Vegas, Nevada recently announced their best selling rifle the SLR-107FR is available again in a few different configurations. They’re made in the USA out of a Bulgarian 1mm stamped receiver and feature a cold hammer forged chrome lined [Read More…]
Bolt action rifles were the mainstays of armies across the globe for nearly over half a century, and today we pick what we believe to be the five best ever fielded. The list factors in effectiveness, fun factor, historical significance, and ease of use. All five of these guns are fantastic, and we [Read More…]
WWI was a time of runaway technology that in many ways outstripped the tactical and strategic thinking of the era. Older concepts of the dominance of technologies like the bayonet, and long-range rifle fire, and of the preeminence of the elan or morale of soldiers died [Read More…]
Most American shooters are very fond of their AR15s or AK pattern rifles, but in this episode of TFBTV we take a look at some lesser known competitors that a great majority of the shooting public are not generally aware of. Firearm featured: Gwinn Bushmaster Rifle Beretta AR70 Daewoo K1A1 Robinson [Read More…]
Visitors to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, may soon be lining up for a unique attraction: Shooting Revolutionary War-era muskets at a period-correct shooting range. WTKR.com reports: Williamsburg, Va. – Soon you could be able to shoot an 18th Century weapon in the [Read More…]
The Tower of London is a cool place to learn about the history of England. In the center there is the White Tower. It houses the Royal Armouries collection as well as gifts given to the Crown. As one of the Yeomen Warders (the Beefeater guards) had said: “I say [Read More…]
This post came about in a roundabout way. SOFREP recently posted this article about a recent raid in Kenya against al-Shabaab. However, the photo they used for their article is from the Westgate Mall attack almost two years ago (September 24 2013). Nonetheless, the [Read More…]
If Rock Island Auction Company claims this area of Illinois to be the ‘gun mecca’ of the United States (with 5 firearm companies within the immediate vicinity), then Rock Island Arsenal is certainly the beginning of that influx of that concentration of [Read More…]
Previously here at TFB we discussed a well-designed and well-manufactured Czech rifle that made a big difference in the early history of selfloading rifles, the ZH-29. Tim of the Military Arms Channel discusses another Czech rifle that was a particular example of good [Read More…]
Here is a video showing some of the workings of the .22LR revolver knife imported by Arsenal Inc. I could not find this knife on their website so perhaps they are no longer importing them. In this video, this guy shoots one of these knives. As you can see [Read More…]
Fifty-four years ago plus five days, nearly thirteen hundred troops of the paramilitary Cuban exile group Brigade 2506 landed in Cuba, in an attempt to overthrow the Communist Cuban government, led by Fidel Castro. Sponsored by the CIA, the Brigade was armed with a [Read More…]
Reddit can often point me to the most interesting of things. Latest is an old patent form Charles John Cooke, who formally patented (though arguably did not actually make the first one), a repeating firearm for trench warfare. Of principal interest to me is the extended [Read More…]
It served the Imperial Japanese military for 40 years and drew inspiration from several sturdy European designs of the day, so how well does the Type 14 work? Well, we set out to find out! Many thanks to Christian for the German subtitles and Osamu for the Japanese subtitles. Transcription below [Read More…]
Following on the heels of another clone of John Garand’s M1 rifle, was the Type 4 (ambiguously synonymous with the designation “Type 5”) another product-improved copy. Compatible with existing 7.7mm ammunition and stripper clips, the Type 4 fed from a [Read More…]
The Egyptian Rasheed is quite a rare firearm. Only 5,000-8,000 were produced and it is based on the Swedish AG42 self-loading rifle. The Egyptians previously used the AG42 as the basis for their 8mm Hakim rifle, but scaled the design down for the 7.62×39 cartridge and the Rasheed was born. If [Read More…]
Whether you’re hunting or zeroing your optics, Swarovski Optik North America’s new EL Range binoculars are designed to give you crystal clarity at longer ranges. Although the EL Range line itself is not new, it’s been redesigned for more natural [Read More…]
Arsenal has come out with a new limited-edition modern sporting rifle called the “Las Vegas.” According to the company the new rifle is meant as a celebration of their own Las Vegas heritage and also supports the Las Vegas Area Council of the Boy Scouts of [Read More…]
DI is usually identified as the weak link in the AR-15 system when it comes to sustained fully automatic fire. How vulnerable is that system to fully automatic fire? That’s a good question, but fortunately we have a few resources with which to examine it. To [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…]
The U.S. Armed Forces have alot of guns. Let me correct myself, the military has A TON of guns. Where are all these kept and stored though? In armories of course. But these mysterious enclaves filled to the brim with boy toys must be an absolute joy to even step inside [Read More…]
The Vz. 58 rifle is one rifle that gets much less recognition as a design than it deserves. Its front-tilting locking block design is unique and works very well, and the rifle itself is both lightweight and reliable. CzechPoint, which has been for a long time [Read More…]
For the ultimate in WWII firearms art, consider the all glass Type 99 LMG from Mickelsen Studios. This work of art is made of borosilicate glass using a process called lampworking. Borosilicate glass tends to be a harder glass that other forms that are used in [Read More…]
Zachary sent us a photo of his M1 Carbine, with fixed bayonet, and his Christmas tree. Thanks Zachary, I hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas. Send us your Holiday Gun Photos here!!!
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…]
The Vz. 52 rifle is a favorite of mine; it hits all the right notes for being “weird”: It shoots a weird caliber – 7.62x45 (nope, that’s not a typo!), uses a weird operating mechanism (a forward-tilting bolt), and has a great big integral [Read More…]
Zachary sent us this photo of the Walther P38 pistol and bayonet his grandfather brought back from WWII. The bayonet has its original Afrika Korps belt frog. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “frog”, a frog is what holds the sheath onto the [Read More…]
This is the nicest Mosin rifle I have ever seen. Duo Z writes …. I built this rifle for my fathers birthday. It started out as an OK condition Mosin Nagant M44. First the bolt lugs were lapped and the muzzle was re-crowned for added accuracy. The original bolt [Read More…]
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