This week sees India’s premier military exposition, Defexpo, get underway in Gandhinagar, Gujarat. One of the attendees is Russia’s Rosoboronexport, a subsidiary of the Rostec State Corporation, who will be in discussions with Indian officials to finally get production of the AK-203 in India organised.

US Army and JSOC veteran General Austin Scott Miller (ret.) is set to join SIG Sauer as an advisor. Miller, a former Delta operator and veteran of Mogadishu, Iraq and Afghanistan, will likely be working to support SIG Sauer’s efforts to secure further military contracts.

Colt CZ Group have announced the acquisition of the remaining 75% stake in its Swedish subsidiary Spuhr i Dalby AB. The company is best known for their optics mounts, attachment systems and the Spuhr stock for the G3 and MP5 family of weapons. The then CZ Group (now Colt CZ Group) first acquired a minority stake in Spuhr back in May 2020.

American Technologies Network (ATN) has just announced the latest addition to its growing roster of physical retail stores. At these stores current and potential ATN customers can browse, try out, and purchase ATN’s thermal and digital night vision optics with the aid of ATN’s experienced retail teams. The opening of this new retail location marks the second Texas retail location to be opened since the opening of the first one in 2021 and ATN hopes to have a total of 4 retail stores opened by 2023.

Our friends at Orchid, who handle a variety of administrative, legal, and logistical services for Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders, are reminding everyone that firearms transfers for individuals between the ages of 18-20 will be delayed for a period of time while there is an implementation of enhanced background checks. The Bipartisan Safer Communities Act of 2022 which was signed into law in June, mandated NICS enhanced background checks for anyone 18-20 years old to more thoroughly review juvenile records and the possible existence of any mental health prohibitions. Additional details can be found below.

Until recently, U.S. laws and regulations prevented most commercial sales and exports of firearms classified under the National Firearms Act (NFA). However, changes to ITAR, USML, and State Department classifications in 2020 opened the exportation of silencers (sound suppressors) to commercial customers. If you thought navigating the NFA as a U.S. customer was confusing, exporting controlled items like silencers takes the process to a new level. EasyExport is offering a system to suppressor manufacturers that will streamline the procedures needed for international sales. Details can be found below.

Most of you here already know that KE Arms is knee-deep in a court battle over the design of the KP-15 monolithic polymer lower receiver. While KE Arms will not ask for direct support in the form of direct donations, they are indeed seeking the help of the 2nd Amendment community via purchases from their website. They are also now seeking information from current or former GWACS customers who have had communications with the company that were not disclosed during the discovery phase (the trial phase where both sides exchange information about the witnesses and evidence that they will present at trial). It is because of this fact that KE Arms is requesting that anyone with communications with GWACS Armory regarding product improvements, manufacturing information, or product improvement suggestions for the CAV-15 lower forward this info to KE Arms. It is hoped that these communications between GWACS and its customers will help KE Arms in their ongoing battle over alleged infringements regarding the KP-15 design. Full details directly from KE Arms are below.

This week you may have seen a pair of photographs of an AR-15 pattern carbine in FDE shared around the Internet. What set this carbine apart, however, was the intriguing markings on the lower receiver. There have been rumours of a Glock carbine for a number of years but the photos that recently surfaced are our first good look at it.

Located in Thun (pronounced “toon”) Switzerland sits B&T’s Swiss Factory of Dreams where firearms and accessories can be scaled to outfit a military while others are built simply “Because They Can”.  I had the rare opportunity to travel to B&T AG’s Swiss headquarters and be given a tour of where some of the most mainstream, obscure, and simply fascinating ideas in the firearms world come to life.  Here’s what I found inside B&T headquarters in Switzerland.

Safariland is well known for its high-quality duty-rated holsters often used by law enforcement and military personnel. In an effort to expand its horizons to new customers and types of firearms holstering options, Safariland is announcing the introduction of its newest project – the Safariland Schema IWB holster. The Schema will be an Inside the Waistband (IWB) holster that will just be the first of several new models of holsters that will be coming out in the following months.

Safariland is extending and enhancing the coverage program for their Liberator and Redline series of electronic hearing protection headsets with the Liberator Advantage Enhanced Warranty Program. This program is designed to minimize the cost and expense that organizations like law enforcement and fire departments must incur when their equipment inevitably gets worn out and damaged from regular use and needs replacement. Full details on this extended program are posted below.

SAUER USA has issued a precautionary recall on specific serial numbers of SAUER 100 model rifles chambered in 6.5×55 SE (Swedish). The recall has been issued in relation to a safety concern surrounding the barrel’s strength and premature weakening over a high volume of shots. The full details and nature of the recall have been posted below but suffice it to say SAUER USA will be replacing all affected rifles free of charge and they’ve made it very easy to check to see if your specific serial number range is affected using this link here.

The United States Army has just awarded Federal Ammunition a new 5-year long contract worth $114,000,000 dollars. This new contract is meant to supply the United States Army with AA40 5.56mm Frangible Ammunition to be used for training purposes. Despite the recent adoption of the new M5 Spear and its .277 Fury cartridge, it seems the US Army still needs a healthy supply of 5.56mm ammunition for its inventory of carbines.

Back near the end of July 2022, we reported to you from KE Arms that the company was being sued by GWACS Armory over alleged patent and IP theft in regards to the KE-Arms KP-15 Monolithic Polymer Lower. While KE Arms has been attempting to work towards a resolution with GWACS Armory, it seems that these efforts have failed and that this lawsuit will now go to trial. Russel Phagan of KE Arms recently reached out to us with a public statement on this development surrounding the ongoing lawsuit and we’ve posted it below for your convenience.

Last year during the midst of the COVID-19 panic, TRIGGRCON 2021 was unfortunately canceled due to public safety concerns as well as the fact that several exhibitors had canceled their attendance for the same reasons. The good news this year is that TRIGGRCON 2022 is happening but this time it will be much further east and will take place at the Flint Oak Hunting Lodge in Fall River Kansas between October 7th and 8th and will be open to both media and industry professionals as well as regular firearms enthusiasts. Both I and TFBTV Executive Producer James Reeves will be attending the event and will be bringing you exclusive first looks at new products at the show as well as footage and coverage from the Range Day where we’ll hopefully be able to test out some of the latest products being offered by the firearms industry. Full details on TRIGGRCON 2022 including registration details for attendance are posted below.

The Cody Firearms Museum at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West has announced that their respected Arsenals of History Symposium returns this year following a COVID-19 hiatus. The Symposium was established back in 2017 and features speakers from around the world and focuses on firearms history, museum practice, and ongoing research within the field.

Federal Ammunition is one step closer to further expanding its ammunition output with the recent groundbreaking ceremony of its new Raw Materials Warehouse being built in Coon Rapids, MN. The new raw materials storage facility will supposedly help reduce wait times for raw materials to make their way from distributors and into the production facilities located in Anoka County, Minnesota. This new facility will add to the already near-1-million sq/ft footprint that Federal’s ammunition manufacturing facilities currently sit on.

Henry Repeating Arms has a great history of auctioning off some truly unique firearms in order to support a good cause. This month they’re back at it again auctioning off a new one-of-a-kind rifle with the proceeds going to benefit the Shadow Warriors Project which aims to support private security contractors returning from the battle in some of the world’s most dangerous locations. The auction is for a custom engraved and detailed Henry .44-40 lever-action rifle which will ship complete with a velvet-topped walnut display case to truly make it a collectible item for the auction winner.

Osage County guns is a Missouri-based firearms store located approximately 45 west of St. Louis just off of Interstate 70. In the early morning on Saturday the 3rd of September, robbers drove a stolen Hyundai sedan through the entrance of the retail store causing not only significant damage but making off with firearms and accessories and getting away before police arrived. Full details on this event as well as future plans for the store reopening are posted below directly from the Osage County Guns website.

Dropping in at number 1,309 on the Inc. 5000 Annual List of the fastest growing companies in America, Silencer Central continues to show massive growth in the firearms industry. The Inc. Annual List ranks the continued success of companies during a time of rapid inflation and supply chain issues. Silencer Central’s inclusion on this year’s Inc. 5000 list is quite an accomplishment for a company that operates in the niche market of suppressors regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA). Additional details can be found in the press release below.

It can be quite a touchy subject, especially within the firearms world, but mental health is just as important to firearm owners as it should be to any other citizen of this country. That is why MKS Supply and Walk the Talk America (WTTA) have teamed up to encourage the firearm industry to support mental health education and assistance programs at the intersection where firearms and mental health meet.

Suppressors are now one of the most popular and sought-after firearm accessories on the market. It’s almost universally accepted now that suppressors do provide a tangible benefit to shooters when employed correctly. However, the rub has always been that suppressors in the United States still remain one of the most expensive firearms accessories on the market. The folks over at Creative Arms and Quiet Bore are taking a different approach to suppressors and instead offer some of the most affordable suppressors on the market. In today’s episode of the TFB B-Side Podcast Preston and I talk about some of the benefits of the QuietBore lineup, their origins in DIY suppressor kits, and how some of Preston’s own personal interests have translated into improvements in the suppressor market.

Blackwater Worldwide the last couple of years has refocused its efforts on the interior of the firearms industry by producing more and more consumer products like ammunition. Now, Blackwater Worldwide has initiated a strategic partnership with DI Optical Co. Ltd (a South Korea-based optical company) which produces both optics and laser aiming devices. The RP-1 Red Dot and TMF-1 Red Dot are now available through the Blackwater online store.

For August of 2022, Aero Precision has released a new builder set for those looking for a fresh new AR-15 build to start on. The month of August features the new M4E1 Desert VTS (Vietnam Tiger Stripe) Cerakote builder set. This builder set will come with an M4E1 Enhanced Upper Reciever, 15″ Enhanced Gen 2 M-LOK Handguard, and an M4E1 Lower Reciever. Each part contained within the builder set has been professionally finished in Desert VTS by folks at Nevada Cerakote.

This past week through social media and email, VLTOR Weapons Systems announced a price increase on all of their products which went into effect at 11:59pm on July 31st. In a letter posted to their Facebook page, VLTOR Weapons Systems cited increasing costs of labor, energy, and raw materials for the price hike.

Earlier this year, SAAMI accepted the 16th Weatherby cartridge, the .338 Weatherby Rebated Precision Magnum (.338 WBY RPM). Weatherby has now officially introduced the .338 WBY RPM cartridge and announced the availability of ammunition and rifles chambered in this new caliber.

The KP-15 monolithic polymer lower receiver has been a great success. The KP-15 provides regular citizens with an affordable and fairly durable lower receiver that is also lightweight to boot and reduces the total number of individual parts needed to complete an AR-15 rifle. In a bit of recent news, GWACS Armory has made the decision to sue Russel Phagan, Brownells, and Shawn Nealon (inventor of the original CAV-15) for alleged NDA and trade secret violations in regards to the KP-15. In total, 5 different parties are being sued by GWACS. In response, Russell has made the decision to address these allegations both publically and in official court documents with supporting documents that have been filed and are now public. Russel has given TFB permission to publish these documents in the hopes that they will shed light on the situation so that the KP-15 project, which he believes directly supports the rights of all free people to be armed, can continue. The full statement is posted below, if you are interested in reading Russell’s full declaration made to the court,  you can read that here. KE Arms is also offering a 25% off discount code on all KP-15 and KP-9 receivers ordered through KEARms.com (use code: ‘DEFEND2A25’) which will no doubt go to support their continued efforts.

The well-known and oft-loved KelTec CNC Industries is making its first expansion out of the Sunshine State and into the Equality State with the recent acquisition of a new 33,000-square-foot facility in Rock Springs, Wyoming. This new facility will be home to an expanded wing of KelTec CNC Industries and will operate with a proposed 250+ employees over its gradual expansion from the initial facility. KelTec’s full press release covering the acquisition of the building is posted below.

In commemoration of their 45th anniversary, Wilson Combat has released limited edition CQB 1911 pistols that have classic features from the times when the company was just established. Particularly, old-school features seen in these retro pistols include an upswept retro grip safety, traditional Bo-Mar style adjustable rear sight with a staked ramp front, a retro Commander style hammer, Swenson-style ambidextrous thumb safety, and a coarsely serrated slide top. Let’s take a closer look at Wilson Combat 45th Anniversary 1911 pistols.

WOOX has been steadily making a larger name for themselves in both the firearms and the bladed world. From the introduction of their new full tang balanced knives to their popular Furiosa Rem700 chassis, WOOX is now fairly well known for their high quality aesthetically pleasing wood furniture. WOOX has now just announced its new 100-year Support Service program which will provide WOOX customers with 100 years of free blade sharpening for their knives and axes, as well as 100 years of service and free technical assistance for its stocks and chassis.