At Shot Show 2018, TFBTV’s Corey Wardrop is stopped cold walking by a very unusual booth, with some very interesting firearms. Peter Noreen explains some of the background of Noreen Firearms. Noreen primarily works in the long-range semi-auto and bolt action rifle market – as well as [Read More…]
At the 2018 SHOT Show, Geissele Automatics made fans very happy by bringing out 3 new and much-asked for products. First, the company released its new Remington 700 trigger line, which consists of a single SKU adjusted from the factory to two models: Single stage and [Read More…]
What do you think of when you think about SOCOM Operators? Beards, Heckler & Koch MK 23s and HK416s? Well maybe you should be picturing multi-lingual, water polo loving dads instead. US SOCOM have just released their 2018 Fact Book,written by USSOCOM’s Office [Read More…]
The United States Special Operations Command (US SOCOM) is looking for a new variable-power rifle optic to allow users to engage targets out to 600 meters, while still preserving close-in capability. The solicitation, released last week on Fed Biz Opps, announces a [Read More…]
SureFire have been awarded an additional contract to provide the Special Operations Command (SOCOM) with suppressors, muzzle breaks and blank firing adapters. SureFire were first awarded the SOCOM suppressor contract back in 2011, when an indefinite quantity contract [Read More…]
The US Army’s new centralized procurement organization has been named: In his address at the Eisenhower Luncheon at the 2017 Association of the United States Army, US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley announced the creation of a Futures and Modernization [Read More…]
US Army, what on earth are you doing? The US Army Chief of Staff General Mark Milley promised that the new Next Generation Individual/Squad Weapon (NGSW/NGIW) program will give a “10 times improvement” in individual small arms capability “over any [Read More…]
General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems (GDOTS) brought their .338 Norma Magnum caliber Lightweight Medium Machine Gun (LWMMG) to the 2017 Association of the United States Army (AUSA) annual meeting, giving TFB the chance at a closer look at this [Read More…]
After being cancelled in mid-2016, could the M4 Carbine upgrade program still be alive? That is the suggestion from a line in the US Army’s justification for its research budget in the 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, which references an “M4A2 Plus [Read More…]
With the termination of the Interim Combat Service Rifle, the CSASS program on hold, and the XM25 CDTE dead and buried, many are wondering: When will the Army get its act together on small arms? Given the long history of Army program failures, though, maybe a better [Read More…]
Geissele has taken the step from manufacturing accessories, to making the guns themselves: The company released its new VSASS semiautomatic sniper rifle system at the Modern Day Marine 2017 industry demonstration. News of the new rifle was first broken by Soldier [Read More…]
A Bulgarian investigative journalist by the name of Dilyana Gaytandzhiev has published an article vigorously detailing the activities of the Azerbaijani state run airline Silk Way in providing arms shipments across the MENA region and Africa in the airlines diplomatic [Read More…]
Special Operations Command recently posted a solicitation on the government ran Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) resource in regards to a need for a domestic U.S. manufacturer to produce exact copies of the Soviet 7.62x54r mm PKM medium machine gun, and the [Read More…]
Last month the United States Special Operations Command along with the United States Marine Corps posted a Sources Sought Solicitation to FedBizOpps (FBO) for 5,000, belt-fed, medium, machineguns in .338 Norma Magnum (NM). Before you get too excited, a Sources [Read More…]
The United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is considering a caliber change for their future semiautomatic sniper weapons systems. Although traditionally these medium range precision weapons have been chambered for the 7.62x51mm caliber common to NATO, it seems [Read More…]
The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) is seeking something a little smaller than its existing M4A1 and Mk.18 carbines: The command just released a request for information (RFI) to the industry seeking proposals for conversion kits for M4A1 Carbine receivers that [Read More…]
The US Special Operations Command (SOCOM) has revised its solicitation for the Suppressor Upper Receiver Ground (SURG) program (via FBO.gov). The SURG program is intended to provide an upper receiver for the M4A1 Carbine which would be designed for continuous [Read More…]
The redheaded stepchild of the SCAR contract was Robinson Arms’ XCR, an interesting design from a small company in Salt Lake City, UT. A rifle that is part AR-15, part FNC, and part noodle, the XCR represents an attractive looking and interesting might-have been, [Read More…]
TFB’s Pete recently wrote about the European Sniper Competition, hosted by the U.S. Army in Germany. The competition included competitors from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United [Read More…]
“It’s Over. Glock Won.” Hognose writes. What did Glock win? Total domination in the US Special Operations world, and (my speculation) possibly the Modular Handgun System contract as well, by extension. Hognose doesn’t explicitly say that the [Read More…]
“Nathaniel’s starting another series? Oh brother…” Bear with me. I think that there is a lot of rhetoric thrown around with regards to modern defensive/military calibers that exists apart from the necessary additional data and context of the [Read More…]
Things can’t exactly be easy-going at EO-Tech right now. The recent release of USSOCOM’s Safety of Use Message on the holographic sights not living up to their claims, specifications, and in fact having the zero shift under various conditions has been [Read More…]
A little over eight years ago I published a map of the world showing countries which had adopted the AR-15 either as a primary service rifle, or as a niche special forces weapon. Back then about half the world was using the AR-15. (Ironically this map was made just [Read More…]
The FN-made 7.62×39 SCAR, long rumored to be a dead project, has resurfaced. FNH USA was showing off a variant of the Mk. 17 SCAR Heavy at the 2015 Association of the United States Army annual meeting this week. The rifle is apparently in the earlier stages of [Read More…]
The Heckler and Koch Mark 23 may well be the finest production handgun ever made: Match grade accuracy, unparalleled reliability, and size that makes throwing it just as lethal as shooting it all play into it being a fantastic pistol. This behemoth of a gun was designed at the request of the United [Read More…]
While I have never shot the .458, I find it alluring as a big-bore cartridge. Quickly gaining a following within the MSR market, the cartridge balances a wide range of capabilities and bullet weights to create a versatile package.Unfortunately, this growth in popularity [Read More…]
MARSOC has won a small victory in attaining authorization to use Glock 19 handguns in qualifications. Soldier Systems has the story: In a Marine Corps MARADMIN message issued last week, MARSOC is authorized to use GLOCK 19 pistols, but as USSOCOM assets. This weapon has [Read More…]
WeaponsMan has begun a project that I personally find very interesting: Recreating a SOCOM M4A1 from the initial 2002 Afghanistan campaign. Hognose’s goal is to recreate with as high a fidelity as possible the weapon he served with during that period, using a [Read More…]
Last July 2013 we announced the then brand new Sintercore Auxetik muzzle brake. After the announcement and short review I received several emails from readers telling me a 3D printed (laser sintering) muzzle brake would never hold up long term. There were also a number [Read More…]
Dedicated to those who have given their lives for the freedom of our Country On May 21st, the US Special Forces performed a demo of their tactics for the public. This was at the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference in Tampa, FL.