Athlon Optics MIDAS CF40 tripod is built for heavy rifles and hard use.  The largest member of the MIDAS lineup, the CF40 features 10-layer carbon fiber legs designed to support up to 88 pounds.  As someone who enjoys heavy rifles and tripod shooting, I was keen to see just how good this tripod from Athlon was after a month of hard use.

Arcflash Labs have introduced the latest iteration of their Gauss Gun, the EMG-02. The full auto EMG-02 doubles the power output of the Arcflash Anvil introduced last year, capable of delivering 266 Joules of energy on target. The EMG-02 has an MSRP of $2,515.50 listed on Arcflash Labs’ site.

Strike Industries continue expanding their line of firearm accessories featuring their patented Cable Management System (CMS). The company has just introduced the new LINK Angled HandStop, a rearward angled handstop/grip that like other CMS products will allow you to organize the cables of light and laser switches or other rail-mounted cabled gadgets by passing them through it.

JMac Customs 360 line of muzzle devices has been expanded with the addition of a new KeyMo/KeyMicro compatible muzzle brake. What sets this muzzle device apart from other members of the 360 family is that it is designed for AK rifles with 24×1.5 right-hand metric muzzle threads (AK-74, 100-series pattern guns). JMac Customs claim that this is the first and only solution to attach your KeyMount/KeyMicro compatible device to your 24-1.5RH threads.

Hello and welcome to TFB Weekly Web Deals 18. I’ve been having a lot of recent discussions with some gunsmiths including our very own Sam S. Like a lot of you out there, I have a litany of tools strewn about several different tool boxes, and it’s not only highly disorganized at this point, I also have tools in there I’ve only used once and forgotten about. However, if you’re just getting into gunsmithing or you’re looking for some good, basic tools to get your collection started (or set up as a nice gift for a friend), I’ve brought you some of the best suggestions for gunsmithing equipment as recommended by Sam. Let us know what you use and what tools you’d recommend down in the comments below!

When it comes to advancements in carry pistols, one of the most recent jumps in technology has to be the addition of small red dots. Whether it’s the classic Trijicon RMR or any of the other options to plunge into this market, there are a ton of different variations when it comes to handgun optics. I get asked fairly often what the benefit of having one style or the other for concealed carry since there are so many manufacturers supporting this area of the market. Let’s take a closer look at some of the differences when it comes to open vs closed emitter red dots for carrying.

Horus has expanded their optics lineup with a new spotting scope. Joining their rifle scope and wind meter is the HoVR 6.5-40×50 spotter. It has a Tremor 4 reticle in the first focal plane, and is one of the smallest spotters on the market.

A short while back I was challenged by fellow TFB Staff member James Reeves (you may have heard of him), to build an SPR as cheap as possible. Well, myself being an unapologetic “poor”, I, of course, took him up on the challenge and started the project Special Poverty Rifle.

The SIG Sauer MCX Virtus has been an extremely configurable and popular 5.56 rifle that really scratches that itch for those who want something other than a standard AR-15. However, when it comes time to do maintenance on the Virtus, many users have complained that when shooting from a barrier or other supported position, the handguard would flex significantly causing your attached laser device to lose zero even when minor pressure is being applied. The new patent pending Arisaka Zero Retention Clamp (ZRC) greatly reduces zero shift to lasers and handguard mounted iron sights with this version being specifically designed for the MCX Virtus equipped with either the SIG Sauer SD handguard or Midwest Industries Suppressor M-LOK handguard.

The latest iteration of the GrovTec Sabre sling is here. The new Gen 3 Sabre Tactical sling maintains a lightweight, minimalist profile, with the ability to quickly and easily change attachment methods. This can be useful for those who like to run one sling for most of their guns and are accustomed to multiple types of mounting solutions across all of their long arms. The new sling is available for order now directly from the GrovTec website. Full details and the press release are below.

To those of you out there that want to either build one from scratch or managed to SOMEHOW shoot out the barrel of your Saiga 7.62×39, Kalashnikov USA has released an AK-103 Barrel Kit to suit your needs. KUSA is seemingly going all-in on their 7.62x39mm firearms offering multiple variations on their popular and high-quality KR-103 rifles.

If you always wished you had more time to dedicate to dry firing for honing your trigger pulling skills and gaining trigger finger muscles, Strike Industries has got you covered! Meet the new Strike Clicker, a pocket training device for your index finger that imitates a trigger pull. The company also calls it the itchy finger fidget device.

Tyrant Designs makes a whole cornucopia of firearm CNC upgrade parts. Tyrant Designs I.T.T.S Glock triggers are now available for Gen 3/4 and Gen 5 pistols. Tyrant Designs was nice enough to send in both and we tested them out. Let’s dive in.

If you always thought that the Savior Equipment Ultimate Guitar Case is a perfect way of discreet transportation of shooting instruments but it’s just too large, Savior Equipment has a new solution for you. Enter the Fiddle Master Violin Case, a compact gun case that externally is identical to, you guessed it, a violin hard case. Let’s take a closer look.

Continuing their crusade to bring fast, highly visible aiming solutions to daily concealed carriers, Viridian Weapon Tech has just announced the introduction of new Springfield Hellcat PRO E SERIES Green Laser sights. Viridian claims that the latest iteration of their E SERIES Green laser sights can improve shooting performance and provide the shooter with rapid target acquisition and they are now accepting pre-orders for versions compatible with the Springfield Armory Hellcat PRO.

Earlier this year TFB and TFBTV got an exclusive look at some of the great things that Black Collar Arms has been working on in the bolt-action pistol scene. While we were treated to a close look at some firearms, we also got a close look at their new Adjustable Pistol Support (APS). This APS is not a shoulder stock or a pistol brace, the Adjustable Pistol Support is simply that – convenient and adjustable shooting support for your favorite large, accurate pistol.

The SA-35 handgun from Springfield Armory made waves late last year when it was officially unveiled to the public. Those who had been seeking a Hi-Power pistol were finally able to get their hands on something authentic to the original design, but with a few modernized changes. My initial experiences with the handgun did in fact give me that authentic Hi-Power feeling with its natural pointability, fit in the hand, and crisp, light single-action trigger pull. If you’re planning on carrying the SA-35 or find yourself struggling a bit to quickly pick up a sight picture, perhaps a small upgrade is in order. XS Sights recently released their XS R3D night sights for the SA-35 pistol, and today we’ll be taking a quick gander at them on the SA-35 to see what kind of benefits they offer over the standard sights Springfield currently offers.

This past weekend, I had the opportunity to head back down to the Academy training center to take a pistol barricade course from legendary trainer Ric Sutton. After the first day of the course, we ended up all going out to the local Mexican restaurant to just have dinner and chat about the course and shooting in general. We started getting into the difference between defensive shooting and offensive self-defense which doesn’t get talked about much in the mainstream gun community. Let’s take a closer look at offensive vs defensive protection.

LBT, aka London Bridge Trading Company, released a new courier bag and the first color is the not-quite-brown-not-quite-gray-but-just-quite-right MAS Gray. It’s $150. That’s a lot for a courier bag, but not a lot for one from an almost Gucci-tier soft good .mil supplier.

When we plan a day at the range for leisure or competitive practice, we understandably are going to look like we are packing for a 3-day camping trip. You need to have your eye protection, hearing protection, firearms, ammunition, targets, and those are just the bare necessities. What about tools for maintenance? A speedloader for that stiff magazine? And snacks?! When you think of all the things you might need it becomes a long list that could require multiple bags (raises hand – guilty as charged). Why not spring some money for a better solution? A range bag that carries everything you need including that Snickers bar so you are never hungry. Enter 5.11 Tactical with their Range Ready Trainer Bag in a 50 Liter volume size. We are going to review this range bag to see if it has what it takes to carry all of our range gear. Let’s dive in!

Refined Savages is a new company (established in 2022) focused on designing and producing survival gear. One of their first products is the G-Spot Fire Starter Kit. Yes, you are on The Firearm Blog and no, it’s not a sex toy but a survival tool designed to be stored inside the grip cavity of Glock pistols which they refer to as G-Spot. Let’s take a closer look at the Refined Savages G-Spot Fire Starter Kit.

An Argentinian company called  CAT Aiming Devices has developed a magnetic mounting system that allows attaching reflex sights to pistols without a need for an optics-ready slide. This may sound like not quite a reliable solution, however, the system does not rely only on the strength of its built-in magnet. Let’s take a closer look.

Welcome to TFB Prime Day Deals 2022. Every year, Amazon has a special couple of days where they, and their many retailers put on a great sale where you can get a lot of great gear for a heavily discounted price. This year we’ve already been notified by a couple of popular gun gear retailers that their own Amazon store pages will also be participating and are passing the savings on to you through Amazon. While there are tens of thousands of products that are on sale during Prime Day, here at TFB we’re constantly searching and selecting the best deals for gun-related gear and accessories on the site.

Streamlight has some of my favorite pistol and rifle-mounted weapon lights on the market. Their wide array of options for both pistols and rifles has been expanded with the addition of new Green Laser TLR Rail Mount Versions including their TLR RM 1 and RM2 tactical weapon lights. The new models, like previous versions, are designed to be quickly and securely attached to any long gun with standard 1913 rail attachments and come complete with remote switches designed to exit the weapon at a 90° angle to improve cable routing and preserve rail space.

Good morning everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the affordable performer YHM Turbo K rifle suppressor. Last week we tested the B&T USA ROTEX-X on an 11.5″ select fire carbine. This week we go a size up with the Knight’s Armament KAC 762 QDC or a variety of different hosts. How does this legacy model stack up? Let’s take a look.

Strike Industries recently released their new line of muzzle devices in the new Strike X-Comp lineup capable of fitting on multiple firearms in multiple calibers without purchasing an additional compensator. The new X-Comp line features three different muzzle devices, each designed for a specific use, and a full line of thread adapter kits that can convert your threaded barrel to fit the Strike X-Comp or M18X1 RH threaded muzzle devices on virtually any firearm.

SIG Sauer Electro-Optics is proud to introduce their newest rangefinding binocular specifically tailored to whitetail hunters, archery hunters, and long-range shooters. The new SIG Sauer KILO6K-HD Compact Ballistic Rangefinding Binocular is capable of ranging on big game animals out to 2,500 yards and reflective targets out to a whopping 6,000 yards.

GBRS Group has just announced the official release date for their up-and-coming GBRS Hydra Mount for Aimpoint pattern optics. The GBRS Hydra mount is essentially a Picatinny mounted solution that allows you to mount both a night vision compatible optic and an IR device without needing to adjust your support grip to accommodate for the addition of the laser device. This new item will officially drop on the weekend of July 9th, 2022.

Defense Distributed (DD) came out with the Ghost Gunner to help freedom-loving individuals machine 80% receivers with more precision for a garage builder. Other than buying a HAAS or similarly expensive CNC machine, the Ghost Gunner gets the job done. Well now that 80% are in danger of being restricted and regulated, DD came up with the 0% lower receiver kit. They sent one of their kits in for review so let us dive in and see how the 0% lower receiver build process is and how the receiver works.

First pictures of this ridiculously tall optics mount made by MDT engineers and called Sky High Scope Base were teased in March of the current year. Back then, many thought it was an upcoming April Fool’s Day joke. However, the reason for creating this scope mount, which MDT claims to be the world’s tallest scope base, is to find out if scope height over bore matters for long-range shooting if you use modern ballistic data gathering and calculation tools.