My friend Sgt. Levos is the armorer for San Jose Police Department (SJPD) and they currently have 400 Colt 6920s but are actively looking for 400 more rifles to add to their inventory. I saw Sgt. Levos at SHOT Show 2023 while I was checking out Aero Precision’s newest SOLUS rifle. Sgt. Levos approached Aero Precision and they arranged to have an LE Demo. Aero brought down two of their 11.5″ SBRs, two 16″ rifles as well as their SOLUS rifle.

Sometimes 20 rounders just make more sense. Whether you’re going for a certain look, or you’re planning on shooting off of a bag or other confined position, 20-round magazines can come in handy every once in a while. DuraMag is proud to announce the introduction of their new 20-round SPEED mags which feature the same familiar contour of a standard 30-round mag, but in a more compact form for easier belt-carrying or for when you’re going to be shooting prone a lot.

The long-awaited conclusion to the budget build faceoff: In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves and Hop roast each other’s budget AR-15 from episode one. The boys have a $1,250 budget to build the best, cheapest, most complete AR-15 possible while staying under budget.

That’s all until next year.

One of my favorite stories to write each SHOT is a summary of all things throwback. The Retro Roundup gives me an excuse to snoop around the show looking for anything new in the world of the old. This year’s offerings were so plentiful that I split the article into two parts. This is the non-AR portion. Here are a few of the standouts from SHOT Show 2023.

Motor City Armament unveiled their Illiad and Odyssey monolithic uppers at SHOT Show 2023. They have a new take on AR-15 modularity, especially with their Odyssey monolithic upper.

Welcome everyone to the  TFB Armorer’s Bench! As mentioned in the little blurb below, this series will focus on a lot of home armorer and gunsmith activities. In this article, I decided to try something I have not done before. This article will be pretty uneventful as far as earth-shattering content BUT!!! I could not find much content out there as far as replacing Magpul MBUS sight pieces so I figured I’d share my little adventure and hopefully reveal some helpful things along the way. That being said, let’s dive right into installing XS Sights on the MBUS.

At SHOT Show 2023, Fostech introduced a new generation of magnesium/aluminum alloy AR-15 receivers called FLITE Elite that are now made of forgings. These receivers are advertised to be 30% stronger and 30% lighter than their counterparts made of 6061 aluminum. In ounces, that’s a 2 oz weight reduction in the case of the FLITE Elite upper receiver (4.92 oz vs 6.92 oz). Also new from Fostech is a .22LR rifle called FLITE Phantom.

In this episode of TFBTV, @JamesReeves is at the SHOT Show 2023 Sons of Liberty Gun Works booth to talk about the new collaboration between SOLGW and the Tactical Games to build out a ready-to-run AR that meets all of the criteria for competing in the Tactical Games. SOLGW gives TFBTV the run down on this build.

Windham Weaponry continues to add new rifles to its lineup, including an XM177 variant. The XM177 family was one of the first AR-style carbines to enter wide use. Several variants were used, including the XM177E2 and GAU5/A. Most original versions featured a ~4″ moderator attached to a 10″ barrel. The ATF decreed that the original moderator was a silencer and thus required a tax stamp.

Geissele Automatics showed up to SHOT Show 2023 with two new rifles chambered in the ultimate SPR cartridge: 6mm ARC. The competition-ready Stratomatch rifle and the tough and durable GFR (Geissele Freedom Rifle) RECCE.

Brigade Manufacturing Inc.’s new Makasi rifle was on display at SHOT Show 2023 in the AmChar Wholesale booth. It blends the FAL and AR-15 into something new, almost sort of modernized FN CAL. Let’s delve into this unique design and what it has to offer.

Anderson Manufacturing is a major producer of AR-15 parts and guns, but they had other things on display at SHOT Show as well.

Rock River Arms has made AR-15 rifles for many years, and continues to do so. Their newest release is the Ascendant series.

Welcome everyone to the 174th edition of ‘Hot Gat or Fudd Crap?’, one of our many series here on TFB. If you’re new to the series, 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 only has a 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 evening everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new YHM Turbo T3 rifle suppressor. Since it is New Year’s Eve, I thought we could reflect back at the year in suppressors with a few of my favorite things. This episode marks five straight years of the Silencer Saturday series. Thank you all for joining us every week for an NFA journey and spreading the word of reducing hearing damage and quieter shooting.

What a fantastic time to be alive, and it’s Photo Of The Day time again! We have a great example of an awkward shooting position above, but staying behind a large wheel for protection is great if you’re getting shot at. We see the Canadian C7A2 5.56-mm Automatic Rifle, which is a mid-life program upgrade from the C7 and C7A1 variants. The upgrade came with ambidextrous controls, and a new configurable buttstock all painted in a low infrared signature. There’s also a possibility to fit it with a bayonet for close combat. The weight is 4.58 kg and it fires 5.56×45 NATO ammunition. The Canadians also use the C8A3 Carbine.

Place this one in the ‘it’s not new, but it hasn’t received any press’ column. SureFire muzzle devices, especially their muzzle brakes and three-prong or four-prong flash hiders have been industry leaders for many years. The wide adoption of the SureFire SOCOM series of suppressors across the armed forces has driven the continuous refinement of flash and/or muzzle rise reduction (the WarComp family of muzzle devices combines both flash hiding and muzzle brake characteristics). For those who are more minimalist-minded, SureFire has released the SFA2-556 flash hider and SOCOM suppressor mount.

ERGO Grips have released a new vertical AR pistol grip called O-Grip. The new grip has a cylindrical body and finger grooves with removable rubber rings. This product is targeted at precision long-range shooters who often prefer a reduced grip angle or one perpendicular to the bore axis.

Rounding out the trio of new NexGen AR-15 parts from Tyrant Designs is the new AR-15 NexGen Handguard. Tyrant Designs claims that the new handguard is the “most advanced and ergonomic handguard on the market today.” The new handguard like the rest of the NexGen AR-15 series of parts features rubber overmolded portions for a better grip and a removable M-LOK slot scale for out-of-the-box user customization.

From its aerospace manufacturing roots, Arizona-based Blackout Defense has emerged in the last few years as an AR manufacturer striving for design innovation. From their Zero triggers to their barrel and receiver locking systems, to their hybrid muzzle device, Blackout endeavors to improve and refine components of the well-established AR-15 design. This has won them support from buyers in many parts of the country, but California shooters haven’t had an option for compliance with their state’s particular regulations – until now. In the following press release, the company announced that they are now offering a Cali-compliant option in their website’s custom rifle builder tool. Read more below.

Added to their rapidly growing lineup of aftermarket Gucci AR-15 parts is the new AR-15 NexGen Buttstock from Tyrant Designs CNC. The new buttstock follows a lot of the same design cues as the rest of Tyrant Designs’ other aftermarket parts and features aggressive angles, stylized highlights, and comfortable rubber molding for an aesthetically pleasing yet functional buttstock for your AR rifle.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is with the boys at Aero Precision to discuss how to build a sub-MOA DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) AR-15 like the Navy’s Mk12 Special Purpose Rifle on a budget of $1,000 or less. The guys piece together a build, test it on the range, and GIVE IT AWAY FOR CHRISTMAS! Want to win? No purchase required, terms and conditions are at http://tfbtv.gun.team/. GIVEAWAY ENDS ON JANUARY 20, 2023.
Enter drawing here: https://www.aeroprecisionusa.com/tfbtv-rifle-giveaway

FAB Defense have added to their line of AR-15 accessories a new adjustable stock called GL-CORE Impact. What sets the new stock apart from the rest of the GL-CORE family of stocks is the shock-absorbing feature. Unlike their GL-Shock stocks, the GL-CORE Impact has an exposed and adjustable spring of the recoil-reducing mechanism.

Ambidextrous charging handles can be extremely useful (especially for wrong-handed people). The folks over at Tyrant Designs have just unveiled their newest offering for the AR-15 market with their new NexGen charging handle. The new charging handle features a simple design that incorporates some deliberate design choices to make it an actual enhancement to your AR-15 rather than just a style choice.

The world of pistol caliber carbines have been rising in popularity steadily over the last 10 years, whether it’s for competition shooting, fun plinking at the range or for a cheaper alternative to high ammo costs. I have a few of them and it’s always a fun time taking these PCCs out for an afternoon range session. Springfield Armory recently decided to come out with their 16″ Saint Victor Carbine chambered in 9mm. I’ve had this new carbine for almost 2 months and after a decent amount of time with it, I feel like it certainly has some advantages that not all PCCs can offer. Let’s take a closer look at the Springfield Armory Saint Victor 9mm Carbine.

Noveske is bringing a new slightly more budget-friendly version of their rifles to the market with the introduction of the new Chainsaw. The new rifle lineup will feature forged receivers and will combine elements from their Gen 1 and Gen 4 designs for a rifle that is purpose-built for hard use but comes in at a more reasonable price point for some. The new Chainsaw will come in three different barrel lengths, and will also be offered individually as completed upper and lower receivers.

Welcome to TFB Weekly Web Deals 35. The holiday season always brings in a lot of new guns and new gun owners. Whether you’re picking up your first AR, or your 15th AR, there’s always room for improvement from the base product unless you’re already paying top dollar for one. In light of that fact, today we’ll be focusing on things that you can buy to upgrade a budget AR-15 beyond what already comes on it. If you’re looking for a couple of great examples of what TFBTV staff does with this concept, you can check out one of our more recent videos where TFBTV’s James Reeves and Hop are in the midst of a build-off where they’re working with a budget of just $1,250. If you like the idea of taking a basic AR-15 rifle and upgrading it yourself or you just happen to find yourself with an extra rifle this holiday season, these deals on firearms parts are sure to help you make those upgrades and save you a few bucks in the process. We’ll also be throwing in a handful of other neat deals I’ve found across the web from this last week. Happy building everyone!

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves and Hop face off over budget AR-15s. The boys have a $1,250 budget to build the cheapest, bestest, most completest AR-15 possible while staying under budget. This is a competition to be decided by YOU, the viewer. There are two ways of voting for the winner – with your vote (free), or, with your wallet (greatly preferred). There is a Google Forms survey below for you to vote in the people’s choice category, and one voter will win a 5.11 RUSH 24 backpack.

Caracal is a 15 years old firearms manufacturing company based in the capital of the United Arab Emirates, Abu Dhabi. While the name is now known worldwide, the company still faces some misconceptions about its true capabilities. TFB got the chance to enjoy a tour of the facilities of Caracal, and we believe our readers will appreciate it as well.