#5.56

Kalashnikov USA was eager to show off their 5.56 KR-101 rifle on the SHOT show floor today. I spoke with Dave, Kalashnikov USA’s VP of marketing, about it.

I know, I know. An ejection port cover? We want to see guns! Just hear me out. Magpul’s Enhanced Ejection Port Cover offers a meaningful quality of life improvement to the AR building community.

Ammunition has returned to the shelves but at much higher prices than we saw them leave with. While the price hike to meet demand in these trying times hardly seems fair to most of us, it is simply just the reality we live in right now (and don’t even get me started on primers). Right now towards the end of this crazy year, I’m just happy that I can walk into the store and still find ammunition on shelves, and aside from a few particularly hot cartridges, most kinds of ammo are in stock and seem to be remaining at more or less stable pricing. I went through some of my most frequented sites to find in-stock and reasonably priced ammunition for you guys, so for Santa’s Big Bag of Ammunition edition for the last day of TFB Christmas, pick yourself, a friend, or a loved one a couple boxes of ammo for your own bag – the range bag. Merry Christmas everyone!

The concept of the AR-15 Dissipator rifle dates back to the Vietnam War and lives on today from a few manufacturers, including Palmetto State Armory. The PSA Dissipator rifle has been one of those rifles I’ve wanted to try for a while since its features are ideal for a general-purpose rifle, as well as for teaching the kids on iron sights, all while remaining affordable. Let’s take a look.

AR pistols have become one of the most popular firearm trends in the United States over the last decade or so and I am not immune from the craze myself. While I fully understand the benefits, practicality, and reliability that a standard 16″ or 20″ AR rifle platform offers, there is just some enigmatic draw that AR pistols have that draws me into them. Palmetto State Armory recently sent me over one of their 10.5″ Battlelink AR pistols for testing and evaluation and aside from an LPVO and a sling, I kept the pistol as-is for the entirety of this review. Today we’ll see what PSA is offering with the Battlelink package, how well it came constructed, and how it performed on the range in a variety of tests.

It’s time to kit out your favorite scout rifle or varmint hunting short-action rifle with Magpuls AICS short action 10-round 5.56 magazines! The AICS magazines feature great compatibility, durability, and reliability as with the rest of the Magpul polymer magazine lineup. The new Magpul AICS short action magazines are available to order now through the Magplul.com website or through Magpul’s authorized retailers.

Under new State Department sanctions, there will be no Russian ammo or firearms coming into the US beginning on September 7th of this year. The Department of State published a fact sheet today regarding new sanctions imposed on Russia. The relevant text of the sanctions includes:

SIG SAUER first introduced their M400 series over a decade ago, with the initial version’s release in 2010. The M400 concept was meant to be SIG’s entry into the world of budget-friendly AR-15s. These guns differ from SIG’s pricier rifles like the MCX Virtus Patrol, which is a piston-driven platform, and fall more closely in line with the direct impingement operation that has become generally accepted as “standard” for ARs. Until recently, the series’ current models covered the basics: a regular 16″-barrelled rifle, an 11.5″ pistol, and an upscaled rifle variant that came with some factory upgrades, like an optic and flat trigger. There is also a large-frame cousin, the 716i Tread. This AR-10 shares most of its DNA with the above 5.56 models, but is chambered in 7.62 instead. Never a company to rest on its laurels, SIG is now expanding the M400 family with two new models announced in 2021: the Switchblade (to be covered soon) and the Predator, which I’ve spent the last few months getting to know.

SIG SAUER is one of the biggest names in the world of gun brands. They’ve produced more than a few massively popular firearm models in their nearly half-century history. The recent transition from their German roots to a new US-based operational structure, with SIG Germany having shut down just over a year ago, appears to have done nothing to slow them down. Today the company offers an array of products to include pistols, rifles, optics, suppressors, ammo, and a cavalcade of other parts and accessories. Now their rifle-caliber pistol family has grown by one, with the announcement of the new Switchblade model.

Built around the legendary HK416 platform, the Heckler & Koch MR556A1 is the newest variant available to the commercial market.  This newest model carries over tried and true features like HK’s short-stroke gas piston system with some new refinements like an M-LOK rail.  Built using a combination of both German and American parts I was curious to see how this new variant performed. H&K was kind enough to send over this review MR556A1 with an EOTech VUDU 1-6 in their new mount.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves undertakes a full review of the Zastava M90. The Zastava M90 is chambered in 5.56x45mm – the same round as the AR-15 – but has several other differences from the Zastava M70, including a three-position selectable gas regulator, a longer 18.25-inch barrel, a Magpul Zhukov folding stock and a Hogue rubber foregrip, and a modified gas piston. While versions of the M90 have been imported in the past, most often, these were modified by importers and often of so-so quality. This M90 will be the real deal – 100% Zastava. Could this be one of the best AKs in the US market today? Would James buy it?

Good evening quiet friends and welcome back to another edition of TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the YHM R9 multi-caliber suppressor. Last week we brought out the Innovative Arms DECEPTION 7.62 for a bit of a show and tell. This week we are going smaller with the Innovative Arms GRUNT Mini rifle suppressor. How does it stack up? Let’s find out.

For readers that are familiar with the German Army rifle trials, and the Haenel piston operated rifle submission, a pistol version of that rifle is being imported by B&T. Haenel’s pistol version, dubbed the B&T 15 for the importation, should be available by mid-2021. The B&T 15 will feature 100 percent German-made parts and will have quite a few features over a standard AR-15 patterned rifle or pistol.

As a big fan of anything Smith & Wesson and especially an admirer of their excellent customer service, I am pleased to bring to your attention their newest .223/5.56 M&P AR15 offering. The brand new M&P15 Pistol! Smith & Wesson has a long lineup of AR15 firearms but this is the very first pistol offering. At the moment it seems like this one is solely .223/5.56. Let’s jump right into it!

TFB has covered most of Ultradyne’s products thus far, but one that seems to have slipped through the cracks of the internet is the Ultradyne Pulse muzzle brake.  I happened to find the Pulse while wading through the sea of muzzle devices and it caught my eye.  Ultradyne has actually listed the Pulse for about a year, but it seems to go without much recognition.  It’s currently rated for 23 different calibers between the .223, .308, and .350 options, and also accommodates Ultradyne’s muzzle device mounted front sight product.  You can find Ultradyne’s description and specifications of the Pulse muzzle brake below: