Coke’s slogan is “Taste the Feeling”, but maybe in the Ukraine it should be “the Army’s Rust Remover!” instead. “We use Coca-Cola when the gun is rusty. Coca-Cola takes rust away” says Ukrainian Ground Forces machine gunner Oleg Yuzkovich about his trusty PKM machine gun, in an interview with 5 Kanal (Channel 5 Ukraine, embedded below.

OK, who would win in a race: A soldier, a firefighter, or a knight? What, you’ve never asked yourself that? Well, for those of you who did, you finally have your answer thanks to a video released by Daniel Jaquet of the Centre d’Études Supérieures de la Renaissance (Center for Higher Studies of the Renaissance):

In the rush to augment the infantry’s firepower with new advanced small arms technologies, we may be on the precipice of crippling their ability to fight wars. The push to equip the infantryman with more powerful rifles and machine guns risks reducing his mobility to critical levels, and “locking out” his capacity to carry powerful supporting arms. Although more potent basic infantry weapons are undeniably desirable, current attitudes towards their purpose – exemplified by the concept of “overmatch” – may compound problems that already have reached crisis levels.

The US Army’s newest magazine for the M16 and M4, the Enhanced Performance Magazine (EPM), failed a recent USMC test of rifle magazines, according to a recent Marine Corps SYSCOM document released by National Review. The report shows the EPM coming in last in the tests, with a mean rounds between failures (MRBF) figure below the baseline 600 in almost every subtest. In contrast, the magazine from Vendor A – which TFB has confirmed was the Magpul PMag Gen M3, recently adopted by the United States Marine Corps – was the best performer in every subtest. You can see the results of the test in the slides embedded below:

The US Army is currently testing a new full body orthopedic “exosuit” designed to reduce soldier fatigue and injury, according to a press release made by the Army Research Laboratory (ARL) last week.

I shot a two gun match the other day and it occurred to me that, as impressive as the ranging features on certain sights are, they may not be all that practical. Don’t get me wrong, I like my ACSS reticle and long range shooting is fun, but the longest shot in that match was 130 yards. If you shoot a 5.56mm rifle with a 50 yard zero, you don’t really have to start thinking about come ups until the target gets past 250 yards. And as a civilian, you are unlikely to have to use your rifle at anything approaching that distance. You may not have a duty to retreat in your state, but no matter where you are, if you shoot someone you do need to articulate a reason that you felt a credible threat. Imagine trying to explain to your own attorney why you felt that you had to shoot a man 200 yards away. Even in a sweaty Arfcom dream of civil disorder, with football pad and tire armor wearing visigoths roaming the scorched landscape, odds are pretty good that if you’re engaged by someone at a couple hundred yards, it’s probably safer just to run away. That said, shooting stuff is fun, and a 1-4x variable scope is a versatile tool.

Not just a couple of decades ago slings were utterly simple affairs. Often with only a buckle or just an attachment point to a rifle, slings were decidedly non-tactical. I, for one, have lamented the various “innovations” in slings, where the webbing can have more options than M-LOK and can be just as complicated to use.

The Polish Special Forces support unit Jednostka Wojskowa Nil has ordered a batch of 27 60mm vz. 99 Antos ultralight mortars, following up a previous order earlier this year. MilMag has an excellent article detailing this acquisition and the features of the Czech-engineered Antos, which you can read by clicking the link here.

I love me some tacos, incredibly useful and capable of accepting most (gun) food, they have been a staple of war belts and chest rigs for nearly the last decade. Why? HSGI’s bungee-infused design was the first truly useful multi-magazine pouch out there. Plus, it just looked tacticool.

The Israeli Defense Forces are looking at acquiring a drone with a punch, according to news outlet Defense One. Per an article of their website, the IDF is looking at the TIKAD from Duke Robotics; a lightweight aerial drone that is able to be equipped with a variety of small weapons, from the familiar AR-15, to machine guns or grenade launchers. What makes the TIKAD most notable is its size: Much closer to the handheld drones of hobbyists than the high-flying Predators of the military, the TIKAD is one of a slew of innovative new unmanned systems that are small and light enough for motorized or light infantry to take with them to the battlefield.

I, for one, have enjoyed watching the civilian market develop “tactical” products. Often, the innovations are brilliant – look at the ultra-lightweight pouches for vests and M-LOK as examples of civilian organizations putting their best foot forward. On the other side, we get things like the tactical nuts vertical foregrip. I guess one just has to take the good with the bad.

After 13 years of searching for the US Army’s next pistol, a successor to the Beretta M9 has been selected. However, with the selection of the SIG P320 as the M17 and M18 Modular Handgun System, many individuals in the industry have been compelled to cry foul and demand the Army retry the competition between the two finalists, Glock and SIG.

Since the Government Accountability Office’s decision to reject Glock’s protest of the Modular Handgun System contract award to SIG Sauer, the GAO has released a statement. The 17 page document outlines not only the reason for the GAO’s decision, but provides insight as to the deciding factors in the MHS contract award as well. Chiefly, the document reveals that SIG substantially underbid Glock, and that this – and not any technical difference between the competitors’ pistols – was the deciding factor in the contract award:

One of the best parts about working in the gun business is having friends in notable companies across the country. So when my friend Benjamin asked if I had any friends at Glock USA, I was able to reply that yes, I do.

When one mentions an air force, what almost immediately probably comes to mind are images of sleek, fast-flying jet fighters, huge transport aircraft, and helicopters of all variations.  However, it should be remembered that a whole lot of equipment is involved in the general operation of a ‘flying’ armed service, infantry weapons included. From air base guard duties to a range of special operations (including C-SAR, Combat Search And Rescue, HR – Hostage Rescue, etc.), personnel of the ground elements must and do carry small (sometimes, not so) arms to accomplish their missions. The FAB – Força Aérea Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force) is no exception. So, here’s an illustrated report on some items likely to be found in their hands, most of the photos coming from official AF photographers, as shown by the embedded credits.

Will the US Army adopt the Magpul Gen M3 PMag? Until recently, it seemed the answer was “no”. The Army had produced several magazine iterations replacing the legacy “black follower” design, culminating with the latest Enhance Performance Magazine (formerly High Performance Magazine), which they claimed reduced malfunctions by two-thirds. However, buried in the back of Lt. Col. Steven Power’s presentation released with the 2017 NDIA conference records last month, was a reference to a Soldier Enhancement Program (SEP) begun in February to procure and test polymer magazines with the possibility of procuring them for the Army proper. The overview of the program was confined to a single slide on Lt. Col. Power’s presentation:

5.11 Tactical has been known to take a practical joke or two and turn them into products. The Tactical Kilt comes immediately to mind – which started as a April Fool’s joke. Turns out the joke was on 5.11, who every year since has actually released the kilt for consumption.

Is it possible to convert someone into an AK fanatic, or do you have to be born one? Can the comfort zone of aircraft-grade aluminum and nitro-injected ergonomics be overcome by the simple elegance and robustness of the Kalashnikov? This question is one I’ve found myself asking a number of times after I published my love letter to the AK back in early 2015.

Having worn it before and knowing many who have lived because of it, body armor – specifically hard plates – have become indispensable life-saving tools for police and military. Designed specifically to defeat high velocity ballistic threats such as the AK and RPK, hard plates acre credited with 1’000s of stopped bullets. But, this protection comes at a high price. By adding armor, the wearer has decreased mobility and stamina due to the added weight and bulk.

Almost anyone who spends significant time outdoors or served in the military within the last decade is keen on the various LED headlamps out on the market. Inexpensive and versatile, they quickly become indispensable tools for the camper or warfighter at night. Unfortunately, they do have the limits in their utility, where carrying objects or getting on a gun greatly reduces their lighted area.

The hardest part of concealing a firearm is, generally speaking, the grip of the gun. Where the muzzle looks relatively natural in its vertical or near vertical position, the grip of the gun has a tendency to look unnatural in both shape and appearance. Various firearms and holsters set up the gun at a perfect 90-degree angle to belt clips, which lead to the butt of the firearm angling away from the round body.

Body armor has saved a lot of lives – but its arguable that it has taken a few too. By being heavy, it reduces the mobility of the combatant, which in today’s mobile combat, can be detrimental to health almost as much as a bullet. As such, the warning of armor has been a balance of weight to mobility.

I get it, taking the time to properly weave one’s belt through their holster’s hoops is just one part of being a responsible gun owner. Solid retention keeps the firearms owner safe from inadvertent drops, exposing concealed carry, etc. But, It also means that once my belt is on, the gun stays on – all day until the pants come off. While each’s carry habits are personal, there are times that I want to easily doff the firearm without having to remove the belt.

In what perhaps many fanboys of the two platforms are viewing as the ultimate sacrilege, photos of a proposed design incorporating an AK-style safety onto an AR-15 have been setting the forums ablaze with voices of dissent the loudest while those of reason are largely ignored due to the passions aroused.

Leupold surprised lots of people in the shooting sports industry when they introduced their 1st thermal optic last October. Now they have an improved model with more functionality. The LTO Quest integrates a flashlight, thermal imager, and camera all into one unit.

Regardless of whether you own firearms for recreation, sport, or defense, it is a fact of life that any gun is an attractive target for theft. For the most part, gun enthusiasts would rather keep discussions within a comfortable zone of topics about technical and aesthetic characteristics of the guns themselves, but from time to time it is necessary to sober up and talk about theft prevention and mitigation. No, it’s not always fun to talk about the possibility of someone else entering your home or domicile and taking that which is not rightfully theirs, but that is what we will be tackling today.

Since its genesis, a lot of clever people have sought to improve the function of the Ar-15 rifle. Side-charging handles, ambidextrous controls, and “B.A.D levers”, just to name a few. Some of these features were adopted, and some were fads that quickly fell by the wayside. One company, Cobalt Kinetics, has brought to market some rifles with a suite of features that, in my opinion, greatly enhance the Ar-15 rifle.

A simultaneous highly useful vehicle accessory and immediate tacticool billboard, the Molle seat cover has become a must-need accessory for any truly tactically organized video. While eliciting the best insults one can level at tacti-tards, Molle panels are highly useful tools. Frankly, nothing is better at organizing tactical tools – which are all designed for Molle carry.

Cleaning the barrel of a rifle is perhaps the most tedious of operations, at least if trying to completely clean out the entirely of fouling carbon and copper. Fortunately, most shooters recognize that this level of cleaning is typically only needed by bench rest shooters (and annoying for me early in life – military armorers) which has led to a plethora of easy-clean solutions.

When nauseating substances hit the fan, as it most often happens in civil riots and similar manifestations, LE forces have to count on whatever equipment items that may help them to deal with the very complicated process of applying progressive use of force, or the so-called proportional response. The use of lethal force, of course, is the last desirable resort, and something must be available to fill the gap between a conventional police baton and a firearm. Enter the less-lethal systems.