When it comes to building an AR-15 weight is a factor I always consider. Unless you’re building a long range rifle that will only be shot off of a bench I believe lighter is always better. A good way to shave off ounces from your AR build is to use a lightweight [Read More…]
In recent years, “compact” .308 AR-style rifles have come onto the scene. I say “AR-style” rather than AR10/SR25 being that the rifles I’m referring to are a blend of both, or in the case of the Colt 901, a system unto itself. The most [Read More…]
The US Military is looking into lighter weight armor for the infantry. Both the Army and the Marine Corps are looking into reducing the weight of the personal protective equipment (PPE, read “helmet and body armor”) carried by the infantrymen of both [Read More…]
Smoke Composites is a firearm accessories manufacturer located in Minden, Nevada. The company is specialized in making carbon fiber parts for AR-15 rifles. As you can imagine their products have the main advantage of the carbon fiber material – they are [Read More…]
John Moses Browning was known to have stated his High Power designs and the technological upgrade and successor to the venerable 1911 handgun. Using a double-stack 9mm magazine and the first handgun to feature the now ubiquitous Browning tilting block operation, the [Read More…]
While the picatinny rail is a highly versatile mounting system, it is certainly lacking in the svelte department. Where quad rails equipped with the system are affectionately known as “cheese graters” by those who have been equipped with them, you know its [Read More…]
Not long after SHOT Show, I got the chance to interview Mrs. Kori Phillips, former program officer for the Army’s Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) program, and current program officer for the Cased Telescoped Small Arms Systems (CTSAS) program. We talked [Read More…]
Not long after SHOT Show, I got the chance to interview Mrs. Kori Phillips, former program officer for the Army’s Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) program, and current program officer for the Cased Telescoped Small Arms Systems (CTSAS) program. We talked [Read More…]
Not long after SHOT Show, I got the chance to interview Mrs. Kori Phillips, former program officer for the Army’s Lightweight Small Arms Technologies (LSAT) program, and current program officer for the Cased Telescoped Small Arms Systems (CTSAS) program. We talked [Read More…]
DoubleStar “Mortar Plate” is a minimalistic AR-15 stock, which clamps on the rear of the buffer tube (receiver extension). It is compatible both with mil-spec and commercial buffer tubes. The “Mortar Plate” is machined from a billet 7075-T6 [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’s firearm is a [Read More…]
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing has usually been more concerned with Military and LE customers than the hunting crowd. Until recently that is, with the company brining to market their Fieldcraft line of extremely lightweight hunting rifles in a multitude of calibers. Coming in at around five pounds [Read More…]
This year at SHOT ERGO Grips showcased their new, even shorter, Superlite Modular M-LOK Rail, coming in at 9 inches. It has the exact same other dimensions: 1.5″ outside diameter/ 1.35″ inside diameter. Like the others is manufactured of 6061 T6 with a Type [Read More…]
In mid-1970s USA, a revolution was brewing, but not one of disenfranchised peasants or minorities. Instead, the time-tested and classic pistols of American gunmakers were about to be upset by European invaders. The Wondernine was coming, and on its heels the [Read More…]
The Mk12 has been the SPR of choice for United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) for more than a decade. SOF operators rely on the rifle for its precision and reliability, two key attributes that cannot be in question in combat. There are other important [Read More…]
Previously, we discussed different concepts for lightening the soldier’s load, including aluminum-, composite-cased and caseless ammunition. Today we’re going to look at the weight-reducing concept that many believe is the horse to bet on when it comes to [Read More…]
The metallic cartridge case was invented in the 1840s, and – starting in the 1860s – its military application brought with it a host of of advantages for the soldier: Now, ammunition was self-contained, weatherproof, and durable. Yet, despite it being a [Read More…]
One thing that seems apparent from the ARDEC presentation on the CTSAS program is the excessive capability and weight of the 6.5mm CT ammunition, as well as its use of lead-cored projectiles as opposed to more modern (and less dense) EPR-type projectiles. Further, the [Read More…]
Recently, I wrote an editorial regarding the LSAT/CTSAS team’s NDIA presentation on their 6.5mm cased telescoped carbine and machine gun concepts. There was a lot to say about the history of Army programs and the pitfalls facing that team, but today I want to get [Read More…]
The United Kingdom has become the first nation in the world to receive a modern cased telescoped ammunition (CTA) automatic weapon, the French 40mm CTCS, according to IHS Jane’s. The UK procured the weapons in July of last year to upgrade their Warrior IFVs, and [Read More…]
Earlier here at TFB, we mentioned in an article regarding some new developments in metallurgy that titanium has not traditionally been used as a material for firearms manufacture due to the difficulty and expense of working it. This is true, but it’s also true [Read More…]
Light? Strong? Tough? Cheap? A new material developed in Korea promises all of the above, and could throw open wide doors in many industries, including small arms development. The weight and efficacy of small arms is highly dependent on the materials used to make them. [Read More…]
How light can an AR-15 made entirely with off-the-shelf components be? Guns & Tactics sought to answer that question with their ultralight black rifle build project detailed in a recent article: Two years ago, it would not have been possible to build a functioning [Read More…]
I, for one, am a fan of the race to the bottom focusing on weight in the modern sporting rifle market. Now, its possible for someone to build a sub 4-lbs sporting rifle using commercially available parts. As a new option for the growing popularity of low-weight parts, [Read More…]
I stumbled across Amalgamated Titanium International Corporation when browsing for a bolt carrier for an upcoming lightweight build. Thinking they would only make a bolt carrier, I was surprised to see an ambitious product release schedule of titanium parts expanding [Read More…]
I am fascinated by the push towards light small arms, especially now with a thriving aftermarket for rifles. An entrepreneurial fellow has started The Sub 60-oz AR Project on Tumblr and thus far has made some significant progress. The goal is to create a less than 3.75 [Read More…]
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