I laughed when I saw this photo. Imagining the owner shouting at his gun to eat its food is hilarious. The owner was having magazine issues. It almost looks staged, like he just poured ammo into the ejection port and took a picture. This feeding malfunction looks [Read More…]
The Barrett “Light Fifty” is probably one of the most iconic firearms in the world, along with the Kalashnikov, Desert Eagle, and the M16. The M82/M82A1/M107/M107A1 is unique in that it occupies a spot that very few other modern designs have even been able [Read More…]
Part two of the FN America factory tour in Columbia, South Carolina would be the fun guns. The Columbia factory is where they make the M249SAW, M240B, and the MK19. As we walked throughout the factory floor, we could see batches of machine gun parts everywhere. They [Read More…]
The Israeli made Uzi submachinegun is perhaps one of the most famous SMGs of all time. Simple, easy to use, and portability allowed the proliferation of millions of units around the globe. In this episode of TFBTV, we take the famous UZI 9mm to the run and gun course to see how it will perform. [Read More…]
I was at a local indoor action match a couple weeks ago. This guy came over and commented on my Wiselite Sterling Mk4 and Zenith Firearms MKE Z-5RS. He asked about the MP5 clone and then asked “Want to see a real MK4 and MP5?” Yes, yes I would. He had his [Read More…]
I don’t usually read The Daily Mail for its authentic and informative stories about the world, but some pretty interesting stuff does sometimes come out of it. Such as this story about a British parish council chairman in Suffolk who amassed over five hundred [Read More…]
Several times per week we get asked how to obtain a machine gun in the United States. While they are legal, it is quite difficult to obtain one and it entails a lot of paperwork and time not typical of many gun purchases. In this installment of TFBTV, we talk a little bit about legality, […] [Read More…]
The SlideFire stock is an idea that pushes the boundaries of what the ATF considers acceptable for a Title I firearm. Without diving into the world of the National Firearms Act, a Slide-Fire stock is the closest you can get to a fully automatic weapon of your very own. [Read More…]
At the Barrett display, the company had one of their experimental M240 Light Weight machine guns on display. The action and operating mechanism is the exact same as the FN Herstal 240 used around the world, however they’ve incorporated a number of features to make [Read More…]
Here is a video from almost a year ago. Chad, of Kel-Tec, shoots a full auto CMR-30 suppressed. The rate of fire is rather impressive. Here is an even older video from 2010 of a full auto PMR-30 with a stock.
Courtesy of The AK Guy, this image has been making its way around the internet. It is an experimental 5.45x39mm drum contraption that takes a belt of 5.45x39mm rounds and allows them to work in a standard AK74 receiver without any modification to the actual rifle or [Read More…]
The Feldjäger are the German Military Police. This Volkswagen Toureg was a prototype for a contest. According to A_Sinclaire on Reddit, That was just a prototype presented by VW, but it did not meet the criteria of the GFK1 tender and VW withdrew the concept. In the [Read More…]
Special Operations Forces the world over are uniquely appealing to firearms enthusiasts for a number of reasons. For me, the sheer diversity of what they carry is fascinating enough. When you study military history, or examine a large number of military photos, the [Read More…]
Connecticut gun manufacturer Stag plead guilty today to violating federal law, including the loss of 200 firearms from its record books, and the possession of 62 machine guns or receivers for machine guns not registered to the company. In the plea agreement that to the [Read More…]
Many people have asked us how a belt fed machinegun works, so in this episode of TFBTV weekly, we showcase a few different types of common links found in belt-fed machine guns, as we show how a 1919 strips cartridges from the links in order to fire. As always thanks to our ammo sponsor Ventura [Read More…]
I was originally alerted to the idea of this post by the recent posting of pictures from a parade in Pyongyang in which troops were shown goose stepping with bayonet affixed Model 91/30 rifles and thought to myself, just how bizarre looking it appeared in the modern [Read More…]
Photographer Konstantin Lazarev is a reliable source for photos of the latest and greatest small arms to come out of Russia. His latest batch of photos shows several different Pecheneg and PK machine guns, configured with night vision and holographic optics. Some of the [Read More…]
At this point, I’ve written relatively few articles about small arms design in general, due to my time going to a certain other writing project. However, small arms design and theory has always captivated me, since the beginning of my interest in firearms. Ian [Read More…]
The FN FNC lies at a junction somewhere between the AR and AK, and the shooting experience it provides is a strange juxtaposition of both platforms. The ergonomics are very AR-like, but you get a bit of that lovely mechanical recoil impulse of the AK as a result of the long-stroke piston. The FNC [Read More…]
The woes continue for famed gunmaker Heckler & Koch. Apparently, the Bundeswehr’s procurement of the new HK121 7.62x51mm machine gun, designated MG5, has been delayed significantly, though the reasons why are vague. DW.com reports: According to the [Read More…]
At this years MSPO (Miedzynarodowy Salon Przemyslu Obronnego), a large defense exposition in Poland, an upgraded PKM was unveiled to the public. The UKM 2000P is a 7.62x51mm upgrade that will be replacing the Soviet era 7.62x54R mm PKMs currently in service with the [Read More…]
Jane’s has a report out about a second batch of Beryl M762 rifles being purchased by the Nigerian Armed Forces. This isn’t the first international export of the rifle, among other countries that Beryl has sold or donated to are Afghanistan and Lithuania. [Read More…]
Handheld fully automatic weapons require skill and strength to use effectively. Although a skilled and strong shooter can control even legendarily “uncontrollable” weapons like the AR-10 safely, many less-experienced smaller shooters, such as kids, have [Read More…]
WWI was a time of runaway technology that in many ways outstripped the tactical and strategic thinking of the era. Older concepts of the dominance of technologies like the bayonet, and long-range rifle fire, and of the preeminence of the elan or morale of soldiers died [Read More…]
Have you ever wanted a major piece of Armalite/Colt history? Then the rifle for you is up for auction at GunBroker: A low serial Colt 601, the first AR-15 variant manufactured at Colt. Still marked “Armalite”, this rifle’s serial number is 00059X: [Read More…]
A TFB reader sent these into us about West Point professor Arthur Alphin making firearms development and history videos for his classes, using his own firearms, and those from the West Point Museum. We’re so used to seeing videos explaining cycles of operation [Read More…]
The Stoner legacy goes beyond just the AR-15. Several firearms designed either by Stoner or based off his work continue to impress modern shooters at the range and in use. One very notable such weapon is the Stoner 63 LMG, the weapon Larry Vickers has taken to the range [Read More…]
At the recent IDEF Istanbul exhibition held this past May, Azerbaijan had some interesting developments of various small arms on display. Interestingly there wasn’t any demonstration of their service rifle, the Tavor (similarly, it appears most of the military [Read More…]
H&K’s troubles are mounting, as the German Minister of Defense is now investigating the MG5, the Bundeswehr’s designation for the 7.62mm HK121 machine gun. Spiegel Online reports: Defence Minister Ursula von der Leyen (CDU) for a device approved by [Read More…]
Not for a lack of vision did 18th and early 19th Century weapons designers fail to create successful automatic weapons. Attempts were made to facilitate fully repeating, automatic fire as early as they could be conceived with the technology of their period. Eventually, [Read More…]