It is ironic that what might be one of the hottest releases on all of SHOT Show 2020 is 100% Russsian. But – the good news is that it is also 100% American at the same time.

With SHOT Show around the corner, news, hints, and clues concerning new products are already starting to trickle out. Today’s development relates to IWI-USA, who looks to be introducing a new product – but the big news isn’t the product itself. It’s the implication of the product.

Earlier this week TFB reported that France had selected the Glock 17 as their new service pistol. The French government confirmed that an order for just under 75,000 pistols had been made.

In any discussion of today’s top brands in the optics game, Vortex Optics almost invariably gets a mention. Their glass is tremendously popular with competitive shooters, hunters, and the tactical community alike. Vortex’s high-end product line, in particular, the Razor series models, commonly find themselves on best-of lists. It appears that Vortex is seeking to continue that pursuit with a new LPVO: the Razor HD Gen III 1-10×24. With a hype video just posted to Vortex’s YouTube channel and Instagram, plus this official product page, recent leaks have been confirmed and the Gen III is real.

It is finally official. The French Ministry of Armed Forces have ordered 74,596 Glock pistols in a contract worth over 44 Million Euros (about $49 Million USD).

Pursuant to an ATF determination earlier this summer, the FosTech Origin SBV firearm now falls under the purview of the National Firearms Act (NFA). The Origin SBV is equipped with a smooth bore barrel that is less than 18” in length, but utilizes a pistol stabilizing brace instead of a shoulder stock. The setup, once believed to avoid NFA regulations, has been reclassified as either a Short Barreled Shotgun (SBS) or an Any Other Weapon (AOW) requiring an NFA registration and transfer application and taxes.

We are breaking some new ground here today in the world of the Gun Control Act (GCA) and the National Firearms Act (NFA). The Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) has just published a letter stating that the Franklin Armory Reformation has been reclassified as a GCA/SBS that it falls under the GCA without being an NFA controlled firearm. The Franklin Armory Reformation reclassified as a “GCA/SBS” will have an impact on the sale and interstate transportation of the firearm by current owners.

SIG Sauer’s expansion continues as they push into the bolt action rifle market with the new CROSS Rifle. Manufactured entirely at SIG Sauer’s New Hampshire factory with an aim to break into the hunting rifle market.

Rimfire is life – a recurring mantra on The Firearm Blog. And when an apex predator firearms manufacturer with a deep portfolio of world class defensive pistols changes course to focus on the .22LR cartridge, our beliefs become even more solidified. Today we get introduced to the GLOCK 44 .22LR pistol.

We have heard the pleas from the American pistol caliber carbine market countless times over the years: “why doesn’t H&K make a semiautomatic MP5 pistol for the civilian market?” Arguably the most iconic submachine gun in history, the H&K MP5 is highly coveted by shooters and collectors alike. However, the majority of authentic 9mm German roller-delayed firearms in the United States are uber-expensive, transferable select fire guns leaving us mere mortals to purchase clones made from parts kits or imports made on older manufacturing equipment. But now, my friends, our prayers have been answered – the HK SP5 is an authentic Heckler & Koch MP5 semiautomatic pistol available to consumers.

In this episode of TFBTV, James has the privilege of shooting the new Heckler & Koch SP5, which is essentially the return of the famous MP5, but does it hold up the legacy? Watch today and find out.

American Outdoor Brands Corporation have announced a plan to spin off Smith & Wesson from their non-firearm brands. In a press release timed with the release of the company’s financial report for the first quarter of 2020, American Outdoors announced that “its Board of Directors has unanimously approved proceeding with a plan to spin-off its outdoor products and accessories business as a tax-free stock dividend to its stockholders.”

Media reports have lead us to believe that the world-renowned German firearms manufacturer Heckler & Koch may be up for sale. This is not actually the case. In a german news article posted on November 8th, it was announced that Heckler and Koch are set to be acquired by an investor who seeks to take a majority hold of the company. After a clarifying call with our friends at H&K USA, it seems the proposed sale/acquisition would be just an internal change of the distribution shares between current investors. A translation of the full article can be read below.

Google and Facebook have now made it possible to find photos of firearms by simply typing a serial number into the search box.  Earlier today, the automotive website Jalopnik published a story showing how license plate numbers are evidently scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) on Google images, allowing them to be searchable using text queries. Using the OCR hypothesis, TFB wondered if this image data mining technique might be able to be used to search for firearm serial numbers. Using images posted previously on TFB with serial numbers displayed on firearms, we tested the serial number search technique.  As you can see from the results below, firearm serial numbers are in fact part of this apparent large-scale data mining operation by companies like Google and Facebook.

General Dynamics have closely guarded their Next Generation Squad Weapon prototypes, despite my best efforts they stuck to their guns and saved the big reveal for this year’s AUSA Exposition in Washington, D.C.There have been murmurings that their submission would be a bullpup for sometime and it has now been confirmed, meet the General Dynamics RM277.

The Firearm Blog are pleased to announce our new sister site dedicated to covering the latest military and defense technology news. If you’re interested in larger caliber guns, missiles, military aviation, naval news, armed and unarmed drones, the latest in ground vehicles and the application of special operations forces then Overt Defense has you covered!

Since the late 1990s, the Heckler & Koch G36 is the standard rifle of the German Bundeswehr.

Several weeks ago, TFB was contacted by a minority shareholder of CAA Israel purporting a change in licensing and distribution in the United States. Regretfully, the information contained in the now removed post was incorrect. Since that time, we have been working closely with our long time friends at CAA USA to publish a proper confirmation of their partnerships in the United States and clarify any necessary information for distributors and dealers. The official press release can be found below.

Legendary firearm manufacturer Smith & Wesson has just announced a new lineup of M&P 2.0 Subcompact Pistols. Chambered in 9mm, 40S&W and 45ACP, each caliber comes in a choice of with or without a manual thumb safety. Round capacity is 12+1 for the 9mm, 10+1 for 40S&W and 8+1 for the 45ACP. Pricing starts at $569.

Show of hands, who has been paying attention to the various lawsuits dealing with the ATF’s reinterpretation of Bump Stocks? Because to be completely honest, I haven’t been paying as much attention as I clearly should have been. In their most recent court filing, the ATF has admitted some truly explosive news. Namely, they concede that they do not have the authority to reinterpret the definition of machine guns in the bump stock ruling under the National Firearms Act (NFA).

There have recently been some rumours that Colt is abandoning the civilian AR-15 market. The truth isn’t quite so simple. With national news outlets picking up the story, Colt have today released a statement emphasising their commitment to the Second Amendment and reassuring that they ‘highly value’ their civilian customers.

Last week, WHYY Philadelphia reported that “The Philadelphia Police Department is investigating an incident in which a SEPTA police officer’s service weapon fired without manipulation while holstered.” In the days following the initial report, SEPTA Police made a decision to replace all 350 issued pistols with GLOCK 17s on loan from the Philadelphia Police Department followed by making an emergency purchase of brand new pistols for all SEPTA officers.

The first photo of AAI/Textron’s Next Generation Squad Weapon prototypes has emerged. The NGSW-Rifle and NGSW-Automatic Rifle were photographed at Fort Benning, Georgia, during the Annual Maneuver Conference at the Fort’s Maneuver Centre. The 2019 Maneuver Warfighter Conference was held over two days, 10-12 September, and was attended by dozens of vendors specialising in small arms systems, accessories and equipment. One of Textron’s submission partners, Heckler & Koch, were also in attendance.

As we have recently reported the US Army’s Next Generation Squad Weapons program has moved into its next phase, with three companies downselected, one of these was SIG Sauer, who had their NGSW prototypes on display at this year’s 2019 Defence & Security Equipment International (DSEI) exposition in London. TFB were on-hand to get our first detailed look at the new family of weapons.

Building on the success of their Radial Delayed Blowback system, CMMG has just dropped a 10mm Banshee into their pistol and short barrel rifle product lineup. The new “best millimeter” gun joins thirteen other Banshee caliber and magazine options, ranging from .22LR through .458 SOCOM. The patented Radial Delayed Blowback system works to help reduce the felt recoil and also make the Banshee a superb suppressor host. Additional details can be found below.

Innovative firearms manufacturer KelTec has just announced their latest release that is both feature rich as well as affordable. The KelTec P17 pistol holds 16+1 rounds of .22LR, weighs less than 14 ounces, features a threaded barrel and has an MSRP of $199. The P17 package also adds a light/laser accessory rail, three magazines and signature KelTec styling. Although it’s not mentioned directly, the barrel threads appear to be partially covered by the slide, requiring the use of a thread adapter or extender similar to a PPK/S if you plan on running a suppressor – which I always recommend.

The rumours have been doing the rounds for a while but Israel’s IWI has now announced the introduction of their new AR-pattern rifle, the ARAD. The ARAD uses a short-stroke gas piston operating system rather than the AR-15’s direct impingement system but shares many features with Stoner’s iconic rifle.

Last week the US Army announced it had down selected three companies to supply prototypes for their Next Generation Squad Weapon program – to provide the Army’s next rifle (NGSW-R) and squad automatic weapon or automatic rifle (NGSW-AR). They have released the first photographs of the SIG NGSW prototype, with a box magazine fed rifle, with a side-folding stock and a belt-fed automatic rifle with an interesting quick detatchment feed attachment system. The SIG Sauer will now compete against weapons submitted by General Dynamics and AAI/Textron Systems.

Late last night TFB broke the news that the US Army had selected three companies to continue development of their Next Generation Squad Weapons prototypes. These companies include AAI Corporation Textron Systems, General Dynamics-OTS Inc. and SIG Sauer Inc. This morning we received further details from Textron about their NGSW team.

TFB have been closely following developments in the US Army’s Next Generation Small Arms Program and it has been a while since we heard any major developments. On the evening of the 29th August, however, the Army Contracting Command posted an award notice for the NGSW program that signals progress in selecting the US Army’s next rifle and automatic rifle.