In 1963, on the eve of the M14’s cancellation, and the adoption of the AR-15 by the US Army as the M16 rifle, Guns & Ammo published a remarkably well-researched (if characteristically over-optimistic) article on the M14 rifle, its uncertain future, and [Read More…]
The U.S. Army is testing out a new type of hand grenade being referred to as stackable, although the actual connectivity brings to mind the methods used to connect cylindrical Legos. They’re called the Scalable Offensive Hand Grenade, and they far out-perform the [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…]
Steyr’s SSG 69 has been in service since 1969, and after more than four decades as the sniper rifle relied upon by the Austrian Army and many in the law enforcement world, it’s being retired. When the SSG 69 was first made it was considered quite advanced [Read More…]
In preparation for an upcoming article about “light rifle” development (i.e., full power automatic infantry rifles), I have been reading the excellent Collector Grade Publication three-part volume on the FN FAL rifle. In it is contained the transcript of the [Read More…]
Expanding well past their ubiquitous 1911 line, Wilson Combat has released a new camouflage. Claimed to “blend well in many urban and rural environments.” the new pattern is base colors with the outline of foliage and dusted lighter colors. The new [Read More…]
We here at TFB are big fans of Bond Arms. I first met Gordon Bond at a media event in Florida, and there he invited me to take a factory tour back home in Texas to see what his company is all about. What I saw was nothing short of amazing; Modern machining technology combined […] Read [Read More…]
Meeee likey (but then again, I like GLOCKs). Lone Wolf Distributing sent out some wonderful photos of their Machine Pattern #4. The new pattern keeps the aggressive cocking serrations, adding some great ribbing to the top of the slide. Description courtesy of LoneWolf: [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…]
There’s an upswing in the so-called non-lethal weapon trend which has led, as of late, to the adoption of the Police Force Triple Defender and The Alternative, both of which we’ve covered here on TFB. The Police Force Triple Defender is a [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…]
Liberty Ammunition was founded soon after 9/11 with the goal of creating premium, lead-free rounds. They got their start producing ammunition for the military and started selling on the commercial market in 2013, and their ammo has been enjoying increasing popularity. [Read More…]
French Mayor Furiously Criticized For Arming His Police A mayor in France has been accused of creating a “Wild West” atmosphere by arming the police in his city with 7.65mm handguns, The Telegraph reports: A controversial far-right mayor in France has been [Read More…]
The ASP (Armament Systems and Procedures) Triad is described by ASP as “the industry’s first Micro USB rechargeable tactical LED light.” I must admit that this is my first real exposure to ASP lights – although my assumption is that the LEOs among TFB readers [Read More…]
In my ongoing research effort on the 20th Century infantry rifle, I found an interesting training film from the 1960s. The USMC video is not quite 22 minutes in length, and covers marksmanship instruction on the M14 rifle: The film teaches very traditional techniques [Read More…]
The P08 Luger is one of the most iconic pistols ever designed, and one of the first overwhelmingly successful semi-automatic handguns to grace the Earth. It is a timeless design that embodies European craftsmanship and unmatched aesthetics. All of its parts come together to create an incredible and [Read More…]
Could the next French rifle be Croatian? Anything is possible, it seems, as Croatian firm HS Produkt has submitted its new VHS-2 rifle to the French government for testing. Unfortunately, machine translation of Croatian to English is significantly ambiguous. [Read More…]
It has been a little while since our last installment of A Short (Stroke) History, but in this article I intend to wrap up my coverage of tappet-operated rifles by cataloging most of the post-war developments of this mechanism. One left-over from my last article [Read More…]
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner, and if you’ve been wondering what to get for the woman in your life, we have a suggestion: guns. And ammo. Because everyone needs ammo; guns have to eat. To help you along your way we’d like to give you a look at the top [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…]
Yo ho, yo ho, the Jack be right fer’ me! Shibber me timbers and rouse the first mate, “The Jack” from Sharps Brothers has made an appearance. For now, its just renderings and a 3-d printing, as formal pricing and availability will be announced on April [Read More…]
Earlier on TFB we covered the Hi Point parody made by Dynamic Pie Concept on Youtube, and on Facebook. They have come out with a number of videos poking fun at various training procedures and other nuances in the firearms world, in addition to just being plain silly. [Read More…]
The late-Soviet-era AN-94 is a rifle that, in the West, is shrouded in hype, speculation, but, above all, mystery. The rifle’s capabilities, how it works, how it’s made, and who exactly uses it (and for what) are all matters the West has only been able to [Read More…]
Of all the new products at SHOT Show, only one new product made me say “****, I never knew I needed this, but I do”. That product was the Leupold D-EVO Scope and so I am declaring it “the most impressive new product at SHOT Show 2015”. (This [Read More…]
A very promising prototype on display at SHOT Show was an aftermarket Locking Block for Glock pistols designed by Strike Industries. This drop-in part promises to substantially increase accuracy of off-the-shelf Glocks. The Strike block has to two additional features [Read More…]
Partially as a result of the AK’s success, non-Kalashnikov designs utilizing the magazine of the 7.62x39mm Avtomat were few and far between until very recently. Due in part to civilian demand, in part the needs of special forces, and in part to countries armed [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…]
At the Great American Outdoor Show, I came across Man-Pack. I am a recovering sucker of things in Multicam so their new Stalker series pack stood out for me. The Stalker series is only in Multicam, but their Classic line comes in solid colors like Black, OD and Brown [Read More…]
Remington Outdoor Company (ROC) has announced that they will be absorbing Para USA under the Remington umbrella. They will be getting rid of the Para name but keeping the products and re-branding them as Remington pistols. Here is the press release: At Remington [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…]