Sharps Bros has introduced a new AR-15 lower receiver called Livewire. Unlike their previous lower receivers (Warthog, Hellbreaker,  Overthrow and  The Jack), Livewire has a more traditional look. The new receiver has several nice features like the flared magazine well and the enlarged trigger guard.

On the heels of the USMC’s effort to field 15,000 more Heckler & Koch M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles, as well as the M38 Designated Marksman Rifle variant, The Firearm Blog has received a copy of a 2016 report intended to justify procurement of accessories and additional M27s to fill a need for a special purpose rifle (SPR). The report documents a test conducted at Quantico, Virginia, by the Product Manager, Infantry Weapons Product Management Office (PdM IW). 9 M27 IARs were tested, each firing 2700 rounds over the course of the test. Notably, the Lead Engineer and Assistant Product Manager for this test was the recently-retired Salvatore Fanelli, who worked at Heckler & Koch in the early-mid 2000s.

As we gear up for the NRA Show in Dallas, Texas from May 4th – 6th we get some completely unexpected news. Springfield Armory has announced 2 new NFA firearms for consumers to build off of their increasingly popular SAINT line of modern sporting rifles. These are short-barreled rifle (SBR) derivatives of what are likely the 2 most popular rifles in that line-up. We now have the SAINT Edge SBR and the SAINT M-LOK Free-Float Handguard SBR.

Savage Arms has cemented a pretty long legacy of producing quality barrels and actions, but just recently began to dabble in the AR-15 platform. That began with the MSR-15 (Modern Savage Rifle) a few years ago. That entry into the world of AR-15s has evolved into several caliber offerings and variations. Now they are trying to attack that market even harder with a much more expensive and discerning rifle in the MSR-15 Competition!

On April 12, 2018, during the Defexpo 2018 exhibition (Chennai, India) Caracal International of UAE and MKU Corporation of India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) concerning strategic partnership which will ultimately result in the licensed manufacturing of the Caracal CAR 817AR rifles in India.

In what appears to be a never-ending TFB series on weapons used by criminals in Rio de Janeiro, I’ve brought some recent pictures covering that, mainly motivated by the featured image, above. This photo has circulated in the social media, reportedly by a gang operating in Copacabana’s Vidigal Hill community, apparently as an intimidating visual message to other gangs trying to assume control of that area. The variety of firearm models available is noteworthy, and some examples are focused below. Readers are most welcome to comment, please. Hrachya included!

Good day everyone, thanks for joining us for episode #16 of TFB’s Silencer Saturday. Last week we talked about some upcoming decibel metering tests of popular suppressors along with a few of the more unique commercially available models. Since then, I have been reading up on the proper use of a meter and some standardized testing practices (no, not like the SAT). Luckily I have a few experts on standby to assist in the trials. This week I thought we should discuss gas regulation when it comes to suppressing direct impingement (DI) rifles; specifically the AR15 and its variants.

For this segment of Photo-of-the-Day (POTD) we take a look at a veteran owned and operated company dubbed Dynamic Munitions. Based out of the glorious state of Texas, they specialize in ammunition and AR-15s. Their AR-15 rifles and pistols are chambered in .223/5.56, .308 or 6.5 Creedmoor. They pride themselves by using billet lower and upper receivers as the centerpiece for their firearms. In regards to their ammunition, they offer 9mm, .40 S&W, .223 Rem, .300 Blackout and .308 Win in varying grain weights.

If you spend any time on firearms-focused social media channels, it is easy to spot those who are going through the motions just for the business and those who truly enjoy their work. Justin and Ashley McMillion of  JMac Customs definitely fall into the later category and their newest product is a perfect example of their pure enjoyment for the shooting sports. Called the ‘Loud And Flashy’ or the LAF (wink) for short, JMac has created a working muzzle brake that is most definitely not a flash hider.

A company called CROSS Industries makes 10 round AR-15 magazines that have a specially designed base which allows coupling the magazines by connecting the floorplates together. The result is an assembly consisting of two 10 round magazines oriented upside down with overall dimensions similar to a standard 30-round magazine.

Slide Fire Solutions and it’s president Jeremiah Cottle, owner of the only approved patent for bump stocks, announced on Tuesday that it would cease production. A notice on the Slide Fire website reads:

CMMG has announced the addition of a new series of short barreled rifles (SBR’s) and AR Pistols that will be known as the BANSHEE line.  The BANSHEE’s sleek new design sports the shortest barrels CMMG offers in 9mm, .45 ACP, 300 BLK and .22 Long Rifle.  This ultra-compact and lightweight platform is extremely portable, making the BANSHEE a great option for close protection, home defense, plinking, competition shooting or any other application that benefits from the reduced size.

CMMG has announced the release of its all-new MkW ANVIL XLR2 chambered in 6.5 Grendel.  We had previously covered their other models; this version features a 22-inch medium taper barrel.  The  new ANVIL is capable of delivering knockdown power at longer distances (out to 800 yards). The rifle includes:

It may not sound very earth-shattering that an AR-15 component manufacturer like 2A Armament has received a patent from the USPTO (United States Patent and Trademark Office), but with so many companies in existence in this line of work, it is great to see something new and innovative.

In this episode of TFBTV, James looks at the brand new CMMG Banshee. This is a 9mm SBR (short barrel rifle) PDW (personal defense weapon) AR15-type carbine that takes Glock magazines. In simpler terms, it’s a reeealllly tiny AR15 that uses the magazines from your Glock pistols. James also runs the CMMG DefCan-9 silencer on this diminutive blaster.

It’s common for suppressor manufacturers, distributors and dealers to include dB reduction numbers along with their sales and marketing information. It is less common, however, that companies include environmental variables alongside their metering results. Because of the wide variety of techniques used to test suppressors, I personally don’t put a lot of weight on dB reduction numbers for a silencer purchasing decision – it’s really just one variable to consider. Although, because the American NFA laws are so cumbersome, purchasing decisions by most buyers is usually ‘sight-unseen’, let alone any type of first hand shooting experience.

See what I did there? I’ll be here all week folks, please try the veal. VG6 has just announced the release of the 7.62 version of their popular EPSILON muzzle device. Described as a hybrid muzzle attachment, the EPSILON provides both flash hiding and muzzle brake capabilities for .308 caliber rifles. Additional details, links, and specifications are listed below.

Since its humble beginnings as a garage workshop invention, the pistol stabilizing brace (PSB) has gone through a few generations worth of changes, upgrades and advancements. Some iterations were strictly functional, focusing on comfort over aesthetics. However, recent models have evolved into braces that are nearly indistinguishable from their stock counterparts. Collaborating with SB Tactical, the firearm and silencer designers, builders and manufacturers at Q have created a PSB specifically for the Honey Badger stock attachment assembly.

If you’re a Californian who wants to keep your “evil features”, you most likely have heard of the Cross Armory Safe Mag – a fixed magazine locking system. TFB featured the device as a new product last year and since then its safe to say the Safe Mag and the Quick Pins Combo have become one of the more popular solutions on the market. Furthermore, and as a result of what I believe to be popular demand, Cross Armory has since expanded their product line to include The Pin Pal and the Safe Mag 2, which unlike the standard Safe Mag, accommodates most billet receivers. Along with the original quick pins, this trilogy combined allows for an easy reload and with that, isn’t the least expensive either (but with good reason).

I found this photo in a Facebook gun group with zero context. At first I thought it was some kind of object that was knitted into the shape of an AR15. But upon closer inspection it looks like it is made of the woman’s hair. I call it the HAIR-15.

Anderson Manufacturing is known throughout the firearms industry for their quality AR-15 components, allowing consumers to build their own rifles, as well as offering complete firearms. While the .223 Rem/5.56 NATO may be the industry standard for modern sporting rifles, there are a lot of growing stars and darling calibers within the shooting sports.

I am sure the good folks over at Juggernaut Tactical will agree with the classic Steve Jobs quote: “Design is not just how it looks and feels like. Design is how it works” when it comes to functionality.  But luckily they also didn’t lose sight of visual appeal when it comes to the Juggernaut Tactical HellFighter CA Mod Kit. For those of you behind enemy lines who love their “evil” rifle features and are looking for a magazine-lock solution, this may be the option for you.

When you start to realize that your Made in Switzerland B&T APC-9 is getting too common where you live, you can have a look at the Wyssen Defence WD9.

I had never heard of Wilska & Landen Firearms and I guess you haven’t either?

Cobalt Kinetics has some interesting news for us. The new model Twenty-Seven offers a modern approach to a traditional semi-automatic rifle.

Arizona’s Tempe Police Department has begun equipping its motorcycle officers with an rifle mounting system to improve their firepower. The new mounts allow AR-15 rifles to be stored on police bikes for use in dangerous situations. Tempe PD have been using the muzzle-down mount for the last 6 months with 8 bikes being equipped with the rear-mounted rifle rack.

In recent months the Corps has been increasingly open about its intentions to adopt the M27 as its standard issue rifle. Back in August 2017, the USMC released a sole source notice for the acquisition of as many as 50,000 M27 Infantry Automatic Rifles. It now seems the Corps will be acquiring the new rifles in smaller numbers initially.

As previously reported Estonia is in the process of selecting a new service rifle. Estonia is moving forward with further testing of rifles submitted by three manufacturers. The contract is reported to be worth €75 million (approx. $86 million) and calls for as many as 20,000 new rifles, chambered in both 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm.

An Instagram account and an Iranian defense media site have brought to light some new photographs of the Iranian MASAF (اسلحه مصاف) M4 clone that we first reported on in 2016. Along with some detailed photos of the clone are some other small arms on display, all taken at a recent Iranian Naval exposition in Iran. For the most part, it appears that very little has changed on the MASAF. This isn’t surprising due to the rifle along with the Fatah appear to be forgotten projects in Iranian small arms development. Although not completely new, the handguards appear to have an improved version of Iranian M-LOK at the 3 and 9 o’clock positions, in addition to diagonal slots around the 2 and 1 o’clock positions on the handguard itself. Again, these aren’t new developments as they were seen on the MASAF over a year ago at a Tehran defense exhibition. These rifles appeared to have both 20 round and 30 round magazines inserted into rifles on display. This is probably owed to the Fatah influence which was seen with 20 round magazines that matched the digital camouflage scheme that the rifle itself was finished in.

The Charted Industries of Singapore Ultimax is one of the most renowned light machine guns in the world, yet has never really been adopted to the full extent of what it was capable of. The only real military it served was the Singaporean Armed Forces. It was used by multiple other countries and agencies, but not in a full-service adoption.