The Firearm Blog

Sharps Rifle Company had a small, but significant booth. They were there primarily to focus on two products: the relia-bolt and their new cartridge, the Sharps .25-40

The MagPul booth was controlled chaos. Pure chaos.

Right at the end of the day, I made it over to DS Arms, makers of excellent FAL and RPD firearms. (Alex C. will have an upcoming factory tour and review soon!). Their sales rep, Mike, kept directing my attention to his axe. Thinking it was just one of the numerous “cheap” bladed weapons hocked at the show, I dismissed it.

In a very poingant reminder that TFB writers are indeed human, I completely forgot my camera battery today. Outside of forgetting a pen and notepad, Its about the biggest boo-boo a reporter can make.

David Reeder, over at Recoil, reviews the Thrym Switchback. It is a ring that you slide onto your flashlight. Combat rings are not a new concept. SureFire put rings on their lights starting with the Combat designed Z series lights. SureFire developed the “syringe” grip. You hold the light like a cigar or a syringe. The ring around the body of the light is what you push your fingers up against. This method works but takes a bit of practice with a firearm. I dont like it because you have a light between your support hand and the pistol.

Jerry Miculek is still fast. Like that is a surprise to anyone. But watch the super slo-mo on the reload. Watching Jerry’s steps broken down in slow motion is just awe inspiring. Seeing him let go of the rounds before they even enter the cylinder so he can get his hand back on fire control simply amazes me. He is using a S&W 929 chambered in 9mm. 8 rds on moonclips.

An unexpected product announcement from Remington is the Model 700TM Ultimate Muzzleloader. Remington used to make muzzleloaders but abandoned the market a few years ago. They have returned to the market with an innovative new design that incorporates a brand new ignition system called the AMP (Accelerated Muzzleloader Performance).

Ruger has finally officially announced the availability of the Ruger 50th Anniversary 10/22. The final production version of the rifle looks identical to the prototype we saw at SHOT Show earlier this year. The design was thought up by a TFB reader, Gary, who entered it into a competition Ruger ran and won. The MSRP is $379.

ATI has a new pistol grip for the AR-15 on the way that’s designed to help “absorb the initial shock wave which is the felt punch of the recoil.” ATI also claims it will help reduce muzzle lift and increase target reacquisition. It’s made in the U.S.A out of DuPont extreme temperature glass reinforced polymer and comes with a limited lifetime warranty. They retail at $34.99 and will be available in May 2014. Check out ATIGunstocks.com for more info.

Taurus has introduced a pair of survival kits that feature the company’s handguns.  According to Taurus, the kits are “designed to assist you for the first 24 hours of a horrific catastrophe.”  One kit is built around the Taurus Judge, while the second features the model 617 revolver.

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“With this out, why would anyone now want a Mini-14?” quiried the AAC rep.

First up at the 1st Annual American Silencer Association’s shoot was Silencer Co. SilencerCo representative Mike Aland was kind to give me a run-down of their latest offerings released at SHOTShow 2014 and on display today.

I was about two hours late to the 1st Annual American Silencer Association shoot at Camp Atterbury, but I am glad I was. My morning interview with the ATF for my FFL took longer than expected (lots to cover for 07′s!). That said, I put the time to good use.

For the first time in 60 years, the police officers in Shanghai will be armed with handguns according to a report at china.org.cn.  The report states the officers will carry a 9mm revolver that is equipped with three safety devices and can fire rubber bullets in addition to conventional ammunition.

I love odd looking guns. And when I saw a Chiappa Rhino I wanted one. Then my friend told me about its predecessor, the Mateba Revolvers.  Matebafan.com has some good information regarding the revolvers designed by Emilio Ghisoni.

Here is a video of a .357 Unica 6 being fired. The amount of variety in barrel options and caliber changes for one revolver is staggering.

MGI made an AR that is multi-caliber. So what, many other companies have a multi-caliber AR. Well this can switch from 9mm – 7.62x39mm – 556 within minutes and without any tools. Check out MGI for more info.

A few weeks back a mysterious package showed up at my door.  I hadn’t been expecting anything, so it was a welcomed surprise.  Upon opening it I found a pair of Original Mechanix Wear insulated covert style gloves with the retail packaging and a zip-loc bag.  The ziplog bag was marked Pre-Production Original 0.5mm, size large.  Both are brand new offerings from Mechanix Wear.

As we all know very well, KeyMod is here to stay.  Now an open source standard, just about every company out there is making a KeyMod system.  While all of them are basically the same in terms of function, what tends to set different companies apart is the little things.  One big point of contention for me is sharp edges on KeyMod holes.  In this day and age there are several ways to make sure that the KeyMod holes are smooth and not going to cut the user, or ruin a pair of gloves.  Soft edges can be done in milling or by media tumbling the rails once milled.  Many say that KeyMod is sharp by the very nature of it.  I refuse to believe this as truth.  I personally know several companies that are making KeyMod that is “soft” to the touch.

Prior to the state’s current standards requiring microstamping, Smith & Wesson was able to get the M&P Shield on the California Roster of Handguns Certified for Sale.  The company is now shipping those pistols to California.  California-approved models will be available in both 9mm and .40 S&W.