Just when you thought print was dead. Dr. Cor Roodhorst has authored a second edition monumental three-volume encyclopedia set on the Kalashnikov rifle. Each volume contains manufacturers from different countries along with detailed pictures and diagrams that complements the vast amount of history and information.

When the Attorney General of Massachusetts decided to reinterpret a two decade-old law, essentially banning the sale and transfer of most semiautomatic rifles in the Commonwealth, law-abiding citizens were made to feel like criminals overnight. Whereas Massachusetts currently has a law that essentially mirrors the now defunct Federal “Assault Weapons” ban that was in place from 1994 to 2004, modern sporting rifles could still be purchased as long as they met the law’s guidelines.

I am writing you today to discuss firearm ownership in America. Fear not – I will not talk down to you, belittle you or call you names. For instance, I could have used the term “anti-gun” instead of “non-gun” in the title, but that would have immediately put you on the defensive. That is not my intent.

If you’re like me and enjoy expanding your firearms repertoire at random, you should enjoy this video from Iraqveteran8888. Eric and his team make some fantastic videos and this is just one example of the results of their combined skill and knowledge. The group of guns featured in this video are indeed unique and well worth learning about. Take a look at the video below to learn about a few new-yet-old guns.

At this point we’ve looked at the data for seven intermediate calibers currently on the market, each of which is – one way or another – influencing the discussion around the question of what next generation military rifle caliber will be. Those rounds were: The 5.56mm NATO, the 7.62x39mm Soviet, the 6.8x43mm SPC, the 6.5x38mm Grendel, the .300 AAC Blackout, the 7.62×40 WT, and the .25-45 Sharps. Initially, I intended for this series to be limited to just these seven, and I picked them as a cross section of different concepts and schools of thought regarding the intermediate caliber problem. Now, however, I have decided to expand this discussion to other calibers, including the latest developments outside the West. I figure I’ll just handle the extra clunk this introduces by breaking up the final comparative discussion into segments, that way all the data is presented clearly, and there are more posts for my readers to chew on. Everyone is happy.

Nothing like a clean AK. The AK-104 “shorty” in 7.62×39, a popular tool of trade among Russian LE Special Forces.

Perhaps the oldest rival of the 5.56mm round is its older brother in the intermediate cartridge world, the 7.62x39mm round developed by the Soviets in the late 1940s from their earlier 7.62×41 M43 cartridge. The 7.62x39mm, despite its age, has maintained a very uniform ballistic profile. The original 8 gram (123gr) boattailed steel-cored bullet, also called “M43” like its predecessor, has become the representative load for the whole caliber, even while lead-cored flat-based incarnations like the Yugoslavian M67 ball round have proliferated.

Remember our post about CMC Trigger’s new drop-in trigger kit for AK-47 pattern rifles from last year? Well it looks like they’re going to ship out soon. Their new modular drop-in trigger that they also showed off at the 2016 SHOT Show is one of only a few aftermarket AK trigger that are available so far, ALG Defense as well as Elftmann Tactical are a few of the other trigger makers that have jumped into the AK market. The AR-15 on the other hand has a ton of aftermarket triggers available.

Blackwolf Inc. has a different approach to hunting Pokemon than the recently popular App PokemonGo. He shoots at a plush version of Pikachu, one of the primary Pokemon characters of the series. The shooters starts off with a Tan Canik TP9SA. Then steps it up to dual wielding S&W M&Ps. Then what looks like a FNX-45 Tactical. He escalates with a CZ-USA Scorpion Evo3. a Ruger 22/45 with an Aimpoint Pro, and a Desert Eagle. His grand finale was impaling the plush with a bayonet on an AK. He shoots the plush Pikachu off the bayonet and his bayonet falls off.

Yes, yes, yes… All weapon systems do need and should be cleaned, but the comically ironic introduction from Century Arms was too good not to poke fun at. Debuted at the NRA show and now shipping, Century Arms has released not just one, but three separate cleaning kits for Kalashnikov pattern weapons. Based on the tools selected and pouches, the kits are all made under label by OTIS Technologies.

Remember a while back that we were supposed to be getting Kalashnikov guns that were built right here in the USA? I seem to vaguely recall  TFB covering Kalashnikov USA’s new product line at SHOT 2016 where they gave a tentative release date of Spring of 2016. Like you might have noticed spring has passed and doing a quick search on Gunbroker gave me no results for the AK pattern shotguns. With the changes that Kalashnikov USA has gone through since announcing their intentions to build the US made AKs we shouldn’t be surprised that production is running a little behind schedule.

Arma Dynamics, a training company started in 2013, has posted up a veritable treasure trove of useful zeroing information and targets. Knowing that many shooters often do not have access to long-ranges for zeroing their weapons, Arma has graciously curated a selection of targets for various range conditions and graphic representations of  impacts using various zeros, barrels, and loads. 

In the latest installment of the Indian next generation rifle procurement saga, the nation-subcontinent has decided to forgo their “Excalibur” rifle development program, which consisted of essentially a product-improved INSAS rifle, in favor of a new 7.62x51mm infantry rifle. The new larger-caliber weapon is reportedly going to be chosen after the country conducts a Request for Information (RFI), soliciting material from manufacturers around the world regarding their latest 7.62x51mm caliber rifle products. IHS Jane’s reports:

I got my hands on a Century Arms RAS47 Zhukov. Now I am a complete newbie with regards to AK pattern weapons. I can count how many times I have shot an AK on one hand prior to getting the RAS47 Zhukov. I know there are many people out there who like the classic wood and Soviet smell of power when it comes to their AK pattern rifles. I do not share that same affection. I am a Magpul fan so when I saw that I could get an AK with the Magpul furniture already on it, the RAS47 was an easy choice.

I have been trying to find a way to talk about Dallas for the last week, but each time I tried to put pen to paper I failed miserably. I would like to think that we here at TFB provide quality equipment reviews, news, tips, techniques and other information to our readers – many of whom serve our country at home or abroad. Without diving into politics, race, religion or any other polarizing topic, our flags have been at half mast far too much this year.

Many American shooters are not familiar with the VZ-58 platform, a striker-fired Czech service rifle that has only been recently replaced by the Bren. It is often confused with the AK based on its exterior looks, but its a much different weapon, being strike-fired, short-stroke piston operated, and with last-round bolt open among other changes and improvements.

Many like to pile on to the abysmal reputation that Inter Ordnance AK-47 rifles have earned. While, yes, there are those that get what seem to be solid rifles, the trend (at least as reported by my fellow writers and internet commando’s) is that Inter Ordnance stinks.

With the passage of what many have described as “Gunpocalypse” in California, Golden State firearms owners have been scrambling to understand the implications of the various new laws and regulations. While all have sweeping implications for firearms owners, one of the laws was unique to California – the passage of laws to remove the so-called “bullet-button loop-hole”

The LAR-47 X-1 was originally released in June of 2014 by Rock River Arms. This rifle is a hybrid of the AR and AK platform, and is for anyone who wants to shoot 7.62 x 39 out of a mid-to-high end AR type rifle.

Talon Grips is one of those American success stories: an individual comes up with a solution for a problem he is experiencing, and seeing a hole in the market, offers the solution to others. Finding value in the product, the market responds and a company is born.

One of the early automatic rifles that has caught my interest for several years going now is the Winchester Machine Rifle, also known as the Burton Machine Rifle or the Light Machine Rifle. The Burton – as I’ll call it for the purposes of today’s post – is interesting primarily because it qualifies retroactively as an “assault rifle”, sharing all the normally ennumered characteristics of that class of firearms, 26 years before the MP. 43 would erupt onto the world’s stage.

One of the common questions seen in hunting groups on social media is some variation on asking what caliber is best for X animal. It pops up everywhere and instantly results in dozens of opinions, all backed by the commenter’s claim of extensive knowledge and unbelievable experiencing bagging Boone and Crockett deer or Bigfoot. Here’s the thing about the perfect round: it doesn’t exist. Now, before you race to the comments section to explain how I’m wrong and clearly don’t know which end of the gun goes “boom,” allow me to explain.

Ok so these aren’t exactly AKs. My friend Brian M. was helping me test out the Salvo 12 on his Vepr12s and the Century Arms RAS47 Zhukov suppressed with a Yankee Hill Machine Phantom suppressor.  Brian makes modifications for his Vepr12s. The bottom one has his custom SGM mag coupler, C-More optic mount and muzzle brake. The top Vepr12 has his prototype barrel mounted mini red dot mount that co-witnesses.

Note: In this article, I call this mechanical feature “underlug”. However, this is an error. Several friends of mine and I have been discussing the mechanics of firearms operation for close to a decade now, and we misremembered the term “underslide” from a book by Brassey’s as “underlug”. More details on the error are available in the comments. Regardless, “underslide” is the proper term for this principle, not “underlug”.

In the first post of the 101 level series on firearms operating systems, we briefly described what the word cycle means in terms of the operation of automatic firearms. However, there’s a lot more to the cycle of an automatic firearm than just the completion of one round of firing, so let’s take the time to explore the concept a little more deeply.

So far in our exploration of firearms operating systems, we’ve covered ten different mechanisms for locking and actuating an automatic firearm, with two supplementary introduction posts. There’s still a lot more to talk about, but at the request of our readers, I have decided to periodically collect posts together into an omnibus post, so that you the reader can easily access and share them!

Although this is not a firearms-related post, it is relevant both within the firearms industry and because it is a point of respect – and pride. June 28, 2016 is the 11th anniversary of Operation Red Wings. The nation at large became far more aware of it thanks to the movie Lone Survivor, which was released in 2013, but the events of that day have been felt by many for far longer. And for some, those events have altered their lives drastically and permanently.

Have you ever walked down the street and found some cash laying on the ground? One time I found a $20 bill on the sidewalk when I was walking home from school, that was pretty cool. Not as cool as one lucky guy in Russia who found a horde of AKs (or that guy who found machine guns in a river). According to the Facebook page Russian Look a guy in Russia got quite the deal when he bought 60 old wood crates for around 500 rubles (around $8 USD) to use as firewood, when he opened them up he found 79 Kalashnikovs inside.

What if there was a caliber that was suitable for everything from coyote to brown bear, kicked less than your whitetail gun, fit in a micro-length (2.25″/58mm) action, and cost a quarter a round to shoot? That would be a pretty awesome caliber, wouldn’t it? It turns out that this caliber might already exist, if the industry can fulfill its potential: It is the Russian 7.62x39mm caliber used by the infamous AK-47 rifle.

According to a Facebook Page, Russian Look, this is what was found in a warehouse.