I recently had the opportunity to attend a special event put on by the Safariland Group down in Florida. Just about an hour or so north of Orlando in the middle of nowhere lies Deep Woods Ranch – the home of form Navy SEAL Rich Graham’s training facility Full Spectrum Warrior. Full Spectrum Warrior is a firearms training and consulting outfit that offers both public and private classes throughout the year with course topics ranging from leadership courses, to land navigation and even precision rifle and reconnaissance courses. Safariland’s main goal in bringing us out to the FSW facility was to provide a clear understanding of their retention levels, how they work, and what those extra levels of retention can provide the wearer in terms of both personal and firearm security. Today my aim is to pass along that understanding in the hopes that it’ll clear up some of the recent confusion surrounding the “retention leveling system” that many holster companies have started to adopt for their own active retention holsters. In the next article, we’ll talk about why these retention systems are important.

Welcome to TFB’s Photo Of The Day! Today’s selection features the art of mastering a new combat rifle. Above you see U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Taylor Benson using the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle during Korea Viper 24.1 at Camp Mujuk Range Zero, February 2024.

Two historically significant revolvers are coming up for sale at Rock Island Auction’s May 17-19 Premier Auction. One has direct ties to the Battle of Little Bighorn, and the other is a former personal belonging of doomed U.S. cavalry leader George Armstrong Custer.

Maxim Defense have announced the introduction of a new .338 caliber suppressor joining their pistol and rifle caliber lines. The .338 MSX weighs in at 19 oz, is made from 7075-T6 aluminum and is 11 inches in length. Maxim Defense say the new suppressor has been designed to minimize the increase in cyclic rate and blowback. The MSX is rated to fire strings of up to 20 rounds at 1 round per second. Maxim Defense list the MSX’s MSRP as $995.

The Silent Steel (Finland) Safe-Guard is a new heat shield designed for their Silent Steel Streamer series of suppressors. It acts as a protective barrier against burns and serves as a thermal insulator, reducing visible mirage effects. By creating an air gap between the suppressor and the shield, heat transfer is minimized. The design facilitates airflow for cooling during shooting, ensuring the suppressor and shield remain at safe temperatures. According to the manufacturer, the Safe-Guard is highly durable and can withstand extreme temperatures, making it a reliable accessory for users seeking enhanced safety and performance.

B.E. Meyers has just announced two new laser devices. The DAGIR is an infrared illuminator and aiming laser for night vision shooting. Their other new product, the MILR (Miniature Intelligent Laser Rangefinder) incorporates rangefinding capabilities along with visible and IR aiming lasers.

If you’re looking for a history of military weaponry book with a twist, check out what’s coming soon from Canfora Publishing in Sweden. In coming days, they will release Aircraft Weapons Of World War I, a collection of photos of the wild and weird weaponry of aviators in the Great War.

At least 33 countries produced AK rifles, but none of them had an origin history as strange as Yugoslavian AKs. Some say that Zastava is the best license-produced Kalashnikovs ever, but the truth is – Yugo AKs were not “license-produced”. Those guns had their own unique path that we will explore in this series of articles.

Welcome to another Photo Of The Day! I predict this will be one of the top images in 2024. Note the blast from the barrel, which may be a little difficult to see if you’re using a mobile phone to view this. Have you ever tried this in fresh snow or in sand and dust? Wear eye protection if you do, is my advice. You can thank me later.

Welcome everyone to the 236th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, this is where we look at the most obscure firearms that are actually for sale and ask the question – is this Gat a sweet deal or only have Fudd appeal?  Each week the TFB staff weighs in with their thoughts, but readers get the final say in the poll at the bottom of each article.

The CVA Cascade SR-80 is here, offering shooters a scout rifle take on the company’s bolt-action platform. Although CVA is best known for its black powder offerings, it also manufactures centerfire arms. In 2019, it debuted the Cascade bolt-action rifle, and it’s been updating the lineup ever since. In 2021, we got the Cascade in 350 Legend, to take advantage of growing opportunities for hunters with straight-wall rifle cartridges. In 2022, we got the Cascade XT, built for precision shooting and hunters looking for long-range performance, with a fluted barrel, muzzle brake and enlarged bolt knob. In 2024 we are getting the SR-80, for shooters who want an all-round bolt-action built on the scout rifle pattern.

C&H Precision continues to expand its lineup of optics and is getting into the magnified scope game. Their new 2-12×24 LPVO is a unique optic that some might call an MPVO. And before you ask, yes it does have adjustable parallax!

Headstamp Publishing has recently  announced a new book called “Rifles on the Danube: Hungarian AK-Pattern Firearms”. This is the seventh book of this publisher, which specializes in producing authoritative books on arms, munitions, and military history.

Palmetto State Armory sub-company AAC is officially a player in the steel-cased ammunition game. After some previous teases at the SHOT Show, their Soviet Arms steel case 7.62×39 ammo is finally shipping. Let’s see what it offers.

I love the ERGO Gapper. It’s an ingeniously simple device that makes a huge difference in AR comfort. Please allow me to share with you the best $3 you can spend on your rifle.

What a great Photo Of The Day! This is from the 2024 International Sniper Competition where Sgt. Paco Casas and Sgt. Benjamin Jean-Jourdaine from France fire their rifles at their assigned targets. This is during the “TI-89” event on the Galloway Range at Fort Moore, Ga., in April 2024. It looks like they’re using firearms from their U.S. friends, with the Barrett MRAD and M110 Semi-Automatic Sniper System. The scopes are Mark5 HDs from Leupold but with different magnification ranges.