Strike Industries has announced the availability of their new GRIDLOK series of handguards. Some of the key features of these rails are the modular construction and the possibility to quickly detach the rail from the barrel nut. Let’s take a closer look.

I heard how rewarding it was to build a “clone” rifle probably five or six years ago, so I decided to go for it and built an MK12 MOD 0 about four years ago. Clone rifles are a great way to build something you can use your imagination and learn a lot about history. It starts to also show why guys built the rifles the way they did during combat deployments. We get so caught up in the gun community with the newest and greatest around we tend to forget to look back and appreciate how we got to this point. I’ve gotten a lot of questions about what the best way to build a clone rifle is and there are a few different aspects to look at when starting your build.

Love M-LOK? Well, Springfield Armory now have you covered. They have introduced a new slim-line M-LOK handguard to their SAINT line of ARs.

The march towards 300 Blackout world domination continues! Ruger has just announced the AR-556 Pistol chambered in the heavier supersonic/subsonic crossover round. Details, specifications and other information can be found below.

Welcome back to another Featured Deals of the Week, I’m your host Benjamin F. As always please let me know in the comments if you want to see more of any kind of deal.

During the SHOT Show 2019, we had a chance to take a closer look at the final version of Schmeisser 60-round quad-stack AR-15 magazines and learn about their construction. Back then the company told us that Blue Line Solutions will be the importer of the magazines. Recently, they announced that their distributor has changed and now American Tactical will be bringing these magazines to stateside. In fact, these 60 rounders are already available on ATI’s website.

Whether you just bought your first AR15 rifle or you’re working on building your third AR15 pistol, buying a few extra top quality magazines every so often is a great idea. As part of TFB’s Top Picks series we are bringing you a list of the best AR15 magazines currently on the market. What makes a magazine ‘the best’. To start, the best AR15 magazines will feed reliably, remain strong in all climates and conditions and has a proven track record of performance. Of course, it’s important to pick a magazine that is the same caliber as your host weapon and recent tests have shown that magazines designed of 300BLK function better than using 5.56mm magazines. So stock up – you can never have too many. Might as well buy the best AR15 magazines you can find at great prices.

A year and a half ago, Franklin Armory broke the gun internet – by announcing an AR15 rifle with a barrel less than 16” that does not require a National Firearms Act tax stamp. It was the equivalent of achieving absolute zero while simultaneously inventing cold fusion. The Reformation’s secret was a straight twist barrel that does not fall within the definition of a rifle. Complete rifles have been on sale for a while now, but for those who are interested in trying out the unique short, strait twist barrel, the RS11 upper receiver is available for purchase as a stand-alone product.

Featured Deals of the Week – Immediately posted after the “Down with the Crown” Day.

In the free world, like the United States Of America, companies can freely make and sell products to consumers. Capitalism isn’t perfect, but it is a part of what makes America great. So when Nike decided to kill their plans to release “Betsy Ross” themed sneakers based on one ex-Footballer’s comment, it didn’t bother me in the slightest. Instead, I thought we could focus on the positive news, like the Betsy Ross lower receiver just announced by Palmetto State Armory.

A.C.S Industries is an Israeli startup that has been successful in producing and selling a quick-deploy polymer grenade pouch wherein users simply unlatch and rip a grenade out of a polymer casing to immediately deploy it. At ISDEF 2019 they were demonstrating a similar concept in terms of a polymer STANAG magazine pouch design wherein the magazine is retained in the pouch by a catch that holds it against a spring-loaded follower that rests against the front of the magazine as it is encased in the housing. Pressing against an exterior trigger allows the magazine to be ejected out of the pouch and into a shooter’s hand. This might raise concerns about how ‘far’ the magazine will be ejected, but we were told that when fully loaded the magazine shoots out just enough to slightly pop out of the pouch allowing a shooter to grasp the magazine and then insert it in their rifle.

Welcome everyone to the 14th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you missed any one of our other articles, 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 simply just 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.

Good afternoon friends and welcome back to our little silent safe haven for everything suppressor related. Following up on last week’s unboxing of the YHM Turbo K, we’ll get into some initial observations and a discussion on which host pairs best with a shorter silencer. Call them mini, kurz, or short, these silencers have a distinct roll in your collection and have been gaining market strength in recent years. My take is that because supersonic rifle rounds will be loud regardless of silencer design and size, a compact weapon deserves a compact can. However, another school of thought is that longer hosts can use shorter silencers to avoid becoming comically long. Luckily, with quick disconnect options, your K-sized silencer isn’t anchored to just one gun.

With the Heckler & Koch MR223 A3 (European version) being virtually impossible to source in Europe as the Heckler & Koch factory has chosen to focus on finishing Military and Law Enforcement orders it is interesting to see the MR556A1 Upper Receiver Kit on offer in the US webshop.

Strike Industries keeps releasing the products that they teased at SHOT Show 2019. Past Friday, they officially launched the Collar Adjustable Gas Block (CAGB) for AR-15 rifles. This device allows to select one of the five gas port size options or even completely close the gas port.

Hello and welcome to another Featured Deals of the Week. As always please let me know in the comments if you want to see any types of deals that you haven’t been seeing.

DoubleStar has launched a new AR-15 pistol grip called Stronghold. What sets it apart from other grips is that the Stronghold has an aluminum core plate with G10 panels attached from either side – similar to what you often see in handguns. Let’s see what advantages can such a grip design provide.

Stern Defense has introduced a drop-in AR-15 trigger called Hybrid 2 Stage (H2S). It is designed to be an intermediate solution between competition and combat triggers. According to the company, the Hybrid 2 Stage trigger is “developed with pistol caliber carbine and defensive shooters in mind” and “has endured a 250,000+ round torture test without failure”.

I have shot a few rifles with Proof Research Carbon Fiber barrels, and they are really good. The 6.5 Creedmoor I tried at 300 meters I only had to shoot 5 rounds with. As they were all dead center I thought more rounds downrange is just a waste, obviously, it has the accuracy and it’s up to the shooter.

Strike Industries came up with the new and improved version of their Sidewinder back-up iron sights. The second generation of these sights is called Sidewinder 2. The improvements are incorporated into the design based on the feedback from competition shooters and military customers. The Sidewinder 2 now has a more robust construction compared to its predecessor and can handle larger than 5.56/223 calibers as well as provide a better performance in harsh environmental conditions.

AR15.com, the popular and long-serving forum for all things AR-15, and by extension firearms related, has been acquired by the  2nd Adventure Group. AR15.com, set up way back in 1996, joined the 2nd Adventure Group family which includes Brownells, Big Springs, Crow Shooting Supplies, Sinclair International and W.L. Baumler Co. and is owned by Pete and Frank Brownell.  An announcement post, shared on AR15.com on June 3, said the site will continue as it always has but is looking forward to new user interface improvements and a secured continued online presence.

ODIN Works has introduced a new series of lightweight AR-15 handguards called the RUNE. These new M-LOK handguards are currently available in 12.4″ and 15.2″ length options. Here is how ODIN Works describes this new product line:

Angstadt Arms has announced that they’ll be offering a limited run of custom UDP-9 9mm pistols and builder sets consisting of the lower and upper receivers and the handguard. Let’s see how the company describes the pistol and builder set and take a look at the key features of these products.

Red Dots are a fantastic tool when shooting close to medium range.  There are a ton of people in the gun community who can reach out to 400+ yards consistently with a red dot; I am not one of those people and wanted the ability to reach out to further distances without having to break the bank or invest thousands of hours in improving a very specific skill. A real marksman would get to the range, hone his craft, and hit 400+ yards without so much as missing a beat humming the A-Team theme song.

When it comes to building up an AR-15 from a stripped lower receiver, most of us do not have the correct tools to do it, but with a little shade tree gunsmithing and ingenuity, we get ‘er done! A better way would be to use a dedicated toolset like the new Real Avid AR15 Armorer’s Master Kit that just came out. Personally, I have some good tools for working on the AR15 platform and some other pieces that are for woodworking and automobiles… that maybe should be left to their respective origins.

Q has announced that their new Sugar Weasel pistol is now available to order. At first glance, it may look identical to the Honey Badger, however, if you take a closer look, you’ll start noticing some differences. While sharing a large number of features with the Honey Badger, the Sugar Weasel is somewhat simplified with the goal of making it much more affordable.

We are all familiar with the AR15 and M16 and you’re almost certainly familiar with the man behind the design, Eugene Morrison Stoner. Well,  The Institute of Military Technology has put together a fascinating documentary telling the story of the man and the guns he designed. IMT are in the unique position of having many of Stoner’s prototypes in their collection as well as archival photographs and many of his original design papers and drawings.

Welcome back to another Featured Deals of The Week. I’m your host Benjamin, and as always please leave a comment if you want to see more or less of any certain type of deals.

LMT Defense have confirmed their award of the contract for the Estonian Defence Forces new 5.56×45 and 7.62x51mm rifles. We have been closely following the Estonian rifle trials here at TFB and back in December 2018, we reported that Estonia’s military had chosen two of LMT’s rifles. The contracts have now been signed and production and deliveries will begin soon.

Matador Arms has released a quite an interesting new muzzle brake called Regulator. At first glance, this new muzzle device may look like a generic three-port brake, however, if you take a closer look, you’ll see that it almost looks like there are two brakes installed into each other. Let’s see what advantages such design provides.