Two-Stage triggers still remain a popular choice for many riflemen due to their unique characteristics that make them great to run in high-stress situations or in precision applications where a predictable and consistent trigger pull is needed. The recently revived [Read More…]
Over the years, Bushmaster Firearms has gained a reputation as a staple in the AR-15 manufacturing community. Bushmaster has gone as far as to become somewhat of a household name when it comes to the iconic AR-15 design and the company recently announced that they are [Read More…]
At the 2018 SHOT Show, Kinetic Research Group – known for their high quality chassis for Remington 700 and Tikka T3 rifles – displayed something totally new: A complete precision bolt action rifle they called the “SOTIC”, after the Special [Read More…]
Recently on The Firearm Blog we talked about one of the great might-have-beens, the German caseless G11 rifle developed by Heckler & Koch during the 1970s and 1980s. Today we have a video from 1990 filmed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds of a demonstration of the G11K2 [Read More…]
In the comments section of my recent Brief Thoughts article regarding caseless ammunition, there was a discussion about whether the cookoff issues of caseless would also be problem for LSAT-style polymer cased telescoped ammunition. Based on conversations I have had [Read More…]
In the world of “might-have-been” small arms, a world of .276 Garands and NATO-standard EM-2s, none flew so high nor fell so far as the Heckler & Koch G11 caseless hyperburst assault rifle. Designed to out-match any contemporary small arm in a Cold War [Read More…]
Earlier this month, the Serbian Army debuted a new 6.5 Grendel weapon system, developed by Zastava. The rifle, called M17, is a heavily modified variant of the M70 AK family that has been developed by the company for decades. It incorporates a number of significant new [Read More…]
Caseless: The ammunition designer’s holy grail, and the engineer’s worst nightmare. It would obsolete the cartridge case overnight, resulting in cheaper, lighter, and more compact ammunition. Weapons would be able to carry 50, 60, or more rounds in slim, [Read More…]
At the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting, gunmaker FB Radom was present at the Polish pavilion, displaying their MSBS modular assault rifle, recently named “Grot” (arrowhead) by the Polish government. The new rifle has been selected [Read More…]
We have already seen the 6.5mm CT Carbine prototype brought out by Textron for the 2017 Association of the United States Army annual meeting, but TFB also got an up close and personal look at Textron’s cased telescoped machine guns. Textron has two different cased [Read More…]
At the 2017 Association of the US Army (AUSA) Annual Meeting, Textron System displayed for the very first time their firing 6.5mm CT Carbine prototype. Previously, only non-firing mockups had been shown to the public, but after successful tests this summer the real [Read More…]
Polish arms maker Zakłady Mechaniczne Tarnów (ZMT) has released a new large-caliber semiautomatic sniper rifle system. The 100 year old company, formerly known for their bolt-action sniper rifles and autocannons, introduced the new advanced rifles at the [Read More…]
The Magpul ACR stock seems to go well with almost any rifle. Polenar Tactical posted up this AK on their Instagram account and it is sporting an ACR stock. Here are some other popular examples of ACR stocks on non-ACR rifles. Which one do you think makes [Read More…]
Is the People’s Republic of China about to be the latest nation to abandon the bullpup configuration in favor of the “traditional” rifle layout? That seems to be the word on the street since about September of last year, when Chinese news outlets and [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…]
While not exactly “breaking news” material, Bushmaster ACR fans have a reason to to be happy this week. The company is offering a factory short barreled rifle (SBR) configuration of their ACR platform. For regular readers, the Masada/ACR saga is well known [Read More…]
Calibremag.ca reports that a Bushmaster ACR-DMR is arriving to Canada and will be available as a non-restricted firearm. Canada requires its citizens to obtain a PAL (Possession and Acquisition License) to legally own firearms. It requires a mandatory two day safety [Read More…]
In May of this year, I got the rare opportunity to travel to Heckler & Koch’s headquarters in Ashburn, VA, to take a look at some of the experimental and prototype firearms they have located there in their famous “Grey Room”. It wouldn’t be worth as much for [Read More…]
In May of this year, I got the rare opportunity to travel to Heckler & Koch’s headquarters in Ashburn, VA, to take a look at some of the experimental and prototype firearms they have located there in their famous “Grey Room”. It wouldn’t be worth as much for [Read More…]
The ACR was supposed to be released to thunderous applause, but instead was met with grumbling and disdain as a result of numerous factors. That said, the gun still shoots very well and in this video we show some of the rifle’s highlights. Thanks to our sponsors: Proxibid – Track Down [Read More…]
The Bushmaster ACR was a rifle that the community expected to set the world on fire, and this it just sort of… fizzled. The pieces were there to make a great gun (with promises of unparalleled modularity) but sticker shock really hurt any potential sales that the platform may have [Read More…]
In the last episode, we discussed how the most ballistically efficient projectiles are the longest, most slender ones, with the highest sectional density. This naturally leads to the idea of using a super long, rod-like projectile which would in theory have excellent [Read More…]
In a world full of AR15s and AK variants, few companies dare to be different. This list deals with a few offerings on the market that we wish would make more range appearances but tend to sit on the shelves or in distributor warehouses. Criteria for this list requires the guns to be listed by [Read More…]
Quick: What’s the most advanced infantry rifle that was ever designed, but never got the chance it deserved? I’m thinking about a futuristic weapon from Central Europe that fired advanced, lightweight ammunition and featured a high rate of fire [Read More…]
For decades now, companies have tried to release firearms to dethrone the mighty M16/AR15 rifle. While some attempts have been more successful than others (some enjoying even moderate success), all the ones on this list have fizzled out or seem to be losing most, if not all factory support. While [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…]
Last year, at the 2015 SHOT Show, Polish gun manufacturer Fabryka Broni told us that they would be working to bring the MSBS modular rifle to the United States civilian market. Speaking with them at the 2016 SHOT Show, I learned that this effort is ongoing. In [Read More…]
Remington, America’s oldest gun company, and also several of its newest, since the Freedom Group consolidation, had a massive presence at the 2016 SHOT Show. Its booth was seemingly an avatar incarnated of the true nature of the company itself: A conglomerate of [Read More…]