At SHOT 2016, Hill & Mac Gunworks unveiled their prototype multi caliber re-imagining of the World War II-era German Sturmgewehr assault rifle. The new semi-automatic rifle, while not an exact replica, captures many of the design elements and the basic aesthetics of [Read More…]
For years, the firearms market was omitted from innovation in the multi-tool market. Leatherman and other companies pushed out huge varieties of consolidated pacakages which could be pressed into service for firearms owners, they were not ideal, lacking many of the [Read More…]
The French MAS 36 is often dismissed as garbage, if not outright overlooked by most shooters. That is however a shame, as these incredible little rifles have a lot to offer at a very affordable price point. So, let’s take a look at what it can do. Old MAS 36 video: Transcript … – [Read More…]
The nations engaged in World War II all fielded one or more main infantry rifle, and in this episode of TFBTV, we take a look at five that we believe to be the best. Remember this is a list of rifles, so submachineguns, machine guns, assault rifles, and so on are not included. Transcript … [Read More…]
Beginning in the last decade of the 19th Century, the French government began work on the next great advancement in infantry small arms technology: The selfloading rifle. By 1916, after the outbreak of World War I, they had produced what many consider the most advanced [Read More…]
For as long as people have been fighting one another, it’s been self-evident that he who can avoid getting hit has the best chance of coming out of the fight alive, if not victorious. Warfare has come a long way from hunter-gatherers dodging atlatl-thrown spears, [Read More…]
Alien Gear, well known for their versatile IWB holsters, has introduced an OWB holster that has some interesting features. Similar to their IWB versions, the “Cloak Mod” paddle holster is very diverse with what kind of polymer covering is affixed to the [Read More…]
G-Code Holsters out of Jacksonville, NC has come out with a “Bang Box”. Essentially it is a more economical way to carry ammunition to the range, instead of having to bring cardboard boxes that could otherwise be smashed or create range clutter. The boxes [Read More…]
Well, sort-of-not-really, although it makes for a pretty great title. The Bendix-Hyde Carbine was in fact one of the nine prototypes initially submitted to the Light Rifle program (not to be confused with the Lightweight Rifle program that is the subject of my [Read More…]
The M1 is an old design, one of the very first successful selfloaders (certainly the first very successful one). That means that owning and shooting an M1 is an experience where almost anything can happen. Like, for example, the gun spontaneously disassembling itself [Read More…]
We’ve seen AKs fitted with all manner of 1913 pattern rail farms, but what about the other way around? AR-15s with Soviet-style side rails, would anyone really do that? For years now, one of the major modernization efforts for the Kalashnikov series of rifles has [Read More…]
Often seen, but rarely in person, the Techno Arms MAG-7 was one of the firearms fixtures of my childhood, appearing in seemingly every compendium and encyclopedia of small arms I could get my hands on growing up. It’s an extremely strange gun, sort of a hybrid of [Read More…]
Steyr has introduced a new rimfire pistol to the European shooting market at IWA 2016. The pistol, aptly dubbed the “RFP” (which I imagine stands for Rim Fire Pistol), shares similar styling and its polymer framed construction with Steyr’s M9 and M40 [Read More…]
I swear, Ian gets to play with all the fun (and obscure) firearms the world has created. While I enjoy my modern doo-dads, sometimes the old designs just look fun to work with. Latest up in Ian from Forgotten Weapon’s ever expanding catalog of old guns is the [Read More…]
The term “battle rifle” is a colloquialism that is generally used to refer to rifles firing a full caliber cartridge and generally are select fire. After WWII, many nations decided to forego intermediate rounds in favor of heavy hitting, powerful fully automatic long arms that lasted [Read More…]
Getting his hands onto a pistol that I am sure our Ian from Forgotten Weapons would enjoy having, Tim from Military Arms Channel has posted up a video of his personal Sites Spectre HC 9mm handgun. The handgun features a novel (at the time) quad stack magazine which fit [Read More…]
Since the announcement that Fabryka Broni is seeking to import the MSBS modular rifle into the United States civilian market, there has been a great deal of discussion about the relationship of the MSBS to the Remington ACR or Magpul Masada. The two rifles are very [Read More…]
Earlier on TFB we covered the origins of the name Krinkov, and the fascinating etymology of the word from Afghan Mujahdeen fighters, to the gun markets of Dharra, and then on to how we use it today via “Krink”. In this piece, we’ll look at some of the [Read More…]
Ian is at it again over at Forgotten Weapons. This time, he’s hitting us with knowledge and history of lever-action Winchester 1895 bolt-action rifles manufactured for the Russians in World War I. At the onset of World War I, the Russians were, per Ian, [Read More…]
This product must rate up there with one of those crosspaths of “Gee, why didn’t I think of that”, and the advancement of technology. A company called MagnetoSpeed introduced one of the oddest velocity chronographs I’ve ever seen, but the idea [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 Dragunov Sniping Rifle System, Year of 1963, or SVD or “Dragunov” for short, has since the early 1960s (like its name implies) been one of the premier squad designated marksman weapons in the world. The longest-serving purpose-designed squad marksman [Read More…]
The Mannlicher M1895 “M95” straight-pull rifles were the backbone of the Austro-Hungarian military during World War I, and served through WWII in a limited capacity. These unique rifles fire 8x56r ammunition and are fed by 5 round Mannlicher en-bloc clips. So how will it fare on the run [Read More…]
This is the fourth part of a series of posts seeking to describe and analyze the 7.62mm Lightweight 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 [Read More…]
The Kel-Tec RDB (Rifle, Downward ejecting, Bullpup) is one of the most promising bullpup designs of recent years, thanks to its slim layout and ambidextrous features. However, there is a lot that can go wrong with even the most clever of designs, and unfortunately [Read More…]
Joyous times abound as the variety of Holidays are upon us. With the weather getting colder (for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere), we look forward to spending time with friends and family. To assist with the cheer, we’re working to compile a few lists of [Read More…]
The Madsen M47 Lightweight Military Rifle was the last bolt action rifle designed with general issue in mind, however withe the surplus of small arms and the proliferation of semi-automatic firearms after World War II, the M47 was not to be. About 5,000 were made, and in this episode we see how the [Read More…]
Several people last week asked about how open bolt firearms work, so in this episode we show the difference between two very different Uzi pattern firearms. We also get into how to keep your HK style roller delayed blowback guns in shape and running smoothly. Thanks to our sponsors Ventura [Read More…]
Gun blogger and MVD agent KardeN released some rare high-definition photos of the unique Russian PP-2000 submachine gun. This lightweight select-fire weapon was designed as a concealable PDW and CQB weapon for VIP protection and special police and military units. [Read More…]
The truly high capacity magazine has been a dream that firearms inventors throughout the world and time have endlessly pursued. One of the crazier attempts to improve the capacity of the Steyr-Hahn 1912 handgun was a system designed by Arthur Kottas. Over at Historical [Read More…]