#Tour

At the very end of August, I had the extreme pleasure of going on a tour at the Silencer Cental headquarters where all of the quiet magic happens. Silencer Central formerly Dakota Silencers has been delivering silence for over 15 years (closing in on 20!). They are arguably the largest silencer company out there and have some of the most thoughtful customer services regarding easy and painless silencer purchases. What I witnessed at their headquarters on my Silencer Central tour reflected that and more. Let’s dive right in!

Wilson Combat‘s history in the firearms industry stretches back nearly half a century. From his background as a trained watchmaker, company founder Bill Wilson made the jump into guns in 1974 with a retail store, then shifted to manufacturing three years later. From the late 1970s to today, the brand’s principal domain has been in high-end 1911 handguns. However, that isn’t all they do. They have also dabbled in other handgun models as well as some shotgun work, and particularly in recent years, they’ve concentrated ever more heavily in AR offerings. TFB has reported on Wilson’s various products quite a bit over the years, and a sampling of those past articles is listed for you below.

Ritter & Stark is reasonably new to the market and brings a very young approach to firearms manufacturing. Their SX-1 rifle boasts a .5 MOA guarantee as a result of the precise manufacturing processes used.

The New Zealand Defence Force is conducting a rather unique campaign: They are taking their war materiel – including select-fire assault rifles – to primary schools in New Zealand, to teach kids about leadership, values, army life, and – of course – weapons.  As reported by Manawatu Standard News:

The history of modern small arms is in part so fascinating because of how many firearms have been developed even in obscure circumstances, and how many of those obscure small arms still exist in museums and private collections around the world. Even though I make learning about obscure modern small arms my hobby, I am continually surprised by the new and unique weapons I uncover both on the Internet and in real-life excursions to some of the aforementioned collections.

The history of modern small arms is in part so fascinating because of how many firearms have been developed even in obscure circumstances, and how many of those obscure small arms still exist in museums and private collections around the world. Even though I make learning about obscure modern small arms my hobby, I am continually surprised by the new and unique weapons I uncover both on the Internet and in real-life excursions to some of the aforementioned collections.

The history of modern small arms is in part so fascinating because of how many firearms have been developed even in obscure circumstances, and how many of those obscure small arms still exist in museums and private collections around the world. Even though I make learning about obscure modern small arms my hobby, I am continually surprised by the new and unique weapons I uncover both on the Internet and in real-life excursions to some of the aforementioned collections.

YouTube user Misita1 has hidden away a promotional video from Concern Izmash before it became Concern Kalashnikov. The 90’s graphics are prevalent throughout, but it has a mesmerizing narrator who makes the Russian accent oddly attractive. The video includes a bold claim that the AN-94 is 1.5x more effective than any other small arm.

Welcome back to TFB’s two-part tour of the NRA National Firearms Museum. Last weekend, we looked at some Gatlings, a Gardner, finely engraved doubles, and even an 8″ autocannon round case!

In Fairfax, VA, tucked away among other unassuming office buildings is the NRA’s headquarters. A twin-towered office building, it doesn’t look like what you’d expect the site of one of the most important collections of small arms in the world to look like. While traveling back home for the holidays, though, I made it a point to head over to the National Firearms Museum there and spend several hours looking at their collection, which is truly impressive. Before we move on, I must admit I am a decided novice at photography. For the NFM this is not so great a vice, since in my opinion one can only really appreciate their collection in person, (and the lighting of many displays, while great for display, was not well-suited to general photography), and because the NRA has high-resolution photos of the Petersen Collection available on their website.

[ This guest post was written by Brian Nelson. ]

While touring the Beretta factory in northern Italy, I was able to handle a Beretta ARX-160, their newest 5.56mm carbine, and a weapon that could be considered comparable to the FNH SCAR-L. I was impressed with a number of its features, including a toolless quick-change barrel and the ability to switch both the charging handle and the ejection pattern from side to side in seconds, again, without tools – or even breaking the weapon down at all.