Hitting our news desk in January, the Magpul suppressor cover promises to save you and your gear from burns caused by slinging a hot rifle. Even after only a few shots through a centerfire rifle setup, the outside of the suppressor can reach scalding temperatures. The Magpul suppressor cover is designed with a skeleton-like frame that keeps the cover itself at a stand-off distance, creating a drafting effect. The result is a cooler surface that is much less likely to melt clothes or skin.

If you watch the news often, in any country, you’re probably used to seeing heads of state doing silly things on camera. Planting trees, handing off food to the children, dancing with people, flying combat jets…

Bravo Company Manufacturing, Inc. (BCM) is a small, but impactful company within the firearms industry hailing from the holy land of cheese; Wisconsin. They produce a substantial portfolio of AR-15 pistols and rifles in varying calibers and configurations. To compete in the AR-15 market is no small task because as you well know it is extremely saturated. Any company will need a unique product, proprietary features, quality, accuracy and it needs to catch your eyes. With literally millions in circulation and production, all manufacturers cannot produce just “another black rifle.” Today, we will take a look at the BCM RECCE-14 KMR-A 5.56mm NATO to see if it can check all the appropriate boxes.

Rock River Arms has introduced a new member of the LAR-15 family of rifles – the RRAGE Carbine. This rifle is advertised to provide a look and performance of the more expensive billet and monolithic upper receivers and handguards at a much more affordable price point.

With a contract to replace the French Army’s bolt-action FRF2 sniper rifle expected in the near future, Verney-Carron, one of France’s premier sporting gun makers is positioning itself to win the contract.

For this episode, we took a trip to the folks at Battle Arms Development in Las Vegas and were able to get our hands on some of the companies newest rifle entries that were premiered at SHOT this year. The Tanker and the Paratrooper is sort of the manifestation of Battle Arms in the company entering the full rifle market from the parts manufacturing business. They also have a lightweight piece, a .308 rifle, but these aren’t covered as much in the episode above.

Our Fourth Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by BKKSW.  Clearly, the new hotness in many circles is the .224 Valkyrie.  I’m hoping we can get a couple variants in to run for review in the near future. BKKSW’s rifle comes in at just over 7 lbs with a reported 0.12 split time on shots.

After a brief hiatus, the infamous Mahama Tactical training team is back in the spotlight again. The group’s former leader, Uzbek national Abu Rofiq was killed a while back and since then the team appears to have lost some key leadership. Since then, a Twitter account under the handle of Salman Belarus started posting older media of the group on April 19th and has continued to grow to include much newer material, in addition to posting about the group coming back into the picture.

Good morning everyone and thanks for coming back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday. Last week’s edition brought about some great discussions regarding sound meters, decibel readings, microphone placement and suppressors being “hearing safe”. While I didn’t agree with a few of you and some of you didn’t agree with me, I always appreciate a thoughtful discussion. Unfortunately, no metering tests occurred in the last seven days, so I don’t have any new data to share with you in today’s episode. However, I think I got something even more important: an expert discussion on the power of being quiet. I had the opportunity to sit down with my friends at Q, LLC for the better part of a day and talk about a variety of topics, one of which was decibel metering.

At this year’s 100th Anniversary of the Azeri Army Parade in Baku, Azerbaijan we were able to get a glimpse of some of the recent developments within the Azeri Armed Forces while on parade. In terms of small arms the most significant observation is the recent introduction of what appears to be a Belarussian manufactured AR15 derivative in 7.62x39mm that we reported on earlier this month. It still isn’t clear where the weapon is made, or if Azerbaijan simply purchased it from BSVT. The country does have a significant manufacturing and industrial base that does support small arms manufacture and development so there could be local production occurring. But without any further details, we can only speculate at this point. A user on MilitaryPhotos.Net who appears to have more information claimed that the nomenclature is “AZTEX” (possibly AZTEC?) but again, we just don’t know enough at this stage.

Kydex holster and stealth makers ANR Design has come up with a new mount for the Trijicon RMR when on long guns. Branded the ANVL, the picatinny rail attachment incorporates both front and rear back up iron sights that cowitness in the lower third of the RMR. The mount is designed to be run forward on the rail, similar to the distance from the shooters eye when using pistol sights. The front sight post is adjustable for elevation.

Third Installment of Build of the Week was contributed by Tony R.  A pretty clean and straightforward 2-stamp build, with good component choices (IMO, that is).  I don’t have any experience with Holosun, and personally am not a fan of top mounted lights, but this is not my build.

Black Rain Ordnance has a tendency for creating the uncommon and unique in regards to the eternally loved AR-15 platform. Being sure as to not deviate from that firmly cemented reputation they have introduced to us a new rifle that is sure to thump anything in its path! They have now announced the new BRO Spec-15 .450 Bushmaster!

Faxon Firearms has built a reputation for making high quality, lightweight AR-15 components. With their most recent project, they quite possibly have outdone themselves by producing a factory AR-15 for consumers that weighs in under 5 Lbs. The FX5500 Ultralight AR-15 tips the scales at precisely 4.99 Lbs to secure that coveted title of “Crazy Light AR-15.”

In Part One of this series George Huang discussed the initial founding of the company and why the Battle Arms Development team excels at problem-solving. In this section, he talks to TFB about why the company wears lab coats at SHOT Show, duel meanings behind the company crest, and the latest products and developments.

Spike’s Tactical who is known for making edgy yet hilarious lower receivers has produced another gem for the firearms industry. They recently introduced their Pineapple Grenade stripped lower receiver that is modeled after the T-Shirt they already produce. The key features on this standard AR-15 lower that will make you the envy of all of your buddies at the range are the iconic Pineapple Grenade logo and the Selector Markings on the opposite side. The Selector Markings read: Safe, Fire and Aloha Snackbar.

The Internet is full of images of destroyed 5.56/223 AR-15 rifles that were accidentally loaded with a .300 Blackout round. It is not the best idea to try to push a .30 caliber bullet through a .22 caliber bore, is it? Of course, in the majority of cases, these are accidents that result in completely ruined firearms and even injuries to the shooters. In order to see what happens with the rifle in such a situation,  LFD Research simulated it by chambering a .300 Blackout round into a 5.56 AR-15 and filming it in slow motion. Let’s watch their video.

Recently we received an opportunity to sit down with one of the founders and current leader of Battle Arms Development, George Huang at the companies new location in Las Vegas. We discussed everything from the beginnings of the organization to how George applies his architectural engineering background to designing eye-catching and reliable AR15s.

Welcome back my quiet-time friends and thanks for reading TFB’s Silencer Saturday. My name is Pete and I’ll be your host for today’s show.  Before we start talking metering and decibels, I’d like to start by asking for some help from you, our readers and fellow shooters. The five questions posted at the end of this week’s edition will start to help me understand your interests a bit better and help me better tailor Silencer Saturday’s future topics. In return, I’ll announce a giveaway in next week’s post. (It’s a surprise, so don’t ask). Obviously participation is completely voluntary. And now, A Tale Of Two Barrels.

While the overall market for AR-15s continues to remain consistent as of late, one sub-market within that category that continues to inch upward are pistol-caliber carbines (PCC). With the ability to share ammunition with people’s handguns, the more affordable cost of ammunition relative to rifle calibers and the potential to even share magazines with handguns, there are a lot of upsides to owning one. If a consumer is pursuing a PCC it is often one that accepts Glock magazines because of how prevalent they are in the industry. This is where the AlphaWolf comes in.

Makers of the now iconic MK18 URG (Upper Receiver Group) in use by U.S Special Operations Forces for many years, Daniel Defense will be holding a live DIY event on June 14, 2018 at 7P EST. Viewers will be able to watch the experts properly assemble a MK18 URG, ask questions and pickup tips along the way. At the conclusion of the event, one lucky member of the virtual audience will win a Daniel Defense RIS II.

A confidential source has revealed to TFB the current contestants that have passed the most recent phase of the Next Generation Squad Automatic Rifle Competition (NGSAR). This phase is less of an actual competition between small arms prototypes but more of a theoretical feasibility of design concepts before any trials progression ensues. Results from this recent Prototype Opportunity Notice (PON) showed that out of ten industry contestants, only six were advanced to the next stage of the competition. These six companies are in order of most successful: Aircraft Armaments, Inc. Textron (AAI Textron), PCP Tactical (a division of PCP Ammunition), Sig Sauer, General Dynamics Ordnance & Tactical Systems (GT-OTS), and two entries from FN America (labeled as Lightweight and Adaptive).

21st Century Asian Arms Race spotted an image shared on the website of the Office of the Azeri President that is showing a rifle of Belarusian origins in a unit armory locker of the Azeri Armed Forces. The rifle in question was previously reported on by TFB in February of this year. Appearing in a display put on by the state-owned Military-Industrial Committee of Belarus was an AR15 chambered in 7.62x39mm, configured to take AKM-patterned magazines (as opposed to STANAG configured ones, also popular for 7.62x39mm AR15 derivatives). Where the rifle is made or imported from is difficult to discern. Originally the design is actually a U.S. one, introduced at SHOT 2017 by a startup called Arsenal Firearms, with the nomenclature as the “Switch”, also offered in 5.45x45mm. The website appears to be down and it doesn’t look like it saw much success in the United States. However at the display of the rifle in Belarus, there was a BSVT flag and placard right next to it. BSVT is an abbreviation for BELSPETSVNESHTECHNIKA, a subsidiary of the aforementioned Military-Industrial Committee of Belarus. The company produces defense items from small arms to missiles.

The US Army’s new Squad Designated Marksman Rifle, or SDM-R, is set to be fielded at the brigade level starting in September 2018, according to the Program Executive Office Soldier.

When it comes to AR-15 rifles, an often overlooked, but pivotal component to any solid build is an effective muzzle device. Whether you need something to allow for the quick attachment of a silencer, a muzzle device to mitigate recoil or something to curb the flash or dust signature while shooting prone, there are pieces out on the market for everyone. One of the newest ones hitting the market is the BRO MFR ( Black Rain Ordnance Muzzle Flash Regulator) with a Master Key.

Last year I attended the first SCAR Owners group shoot in North Carolina. Well they held another one just a couple of weeks ago. The SCAR Owners Group Shoot 2.0 brought even more SCAR owners together at a new location. This time we went to Front Line Defense in Warrenton, North Carolina.

For those of you who are veterans of the Clone Wars – building visually and technically correct military rifles – or are just getting started, the previously announced Geissele USASOC upper receiver groups are starting to show up in the wild. For the moment, only the stripped version (no charging handle, BCG or flash hider) is showing in stock at Brownells, but the complete version can’t be far behind.

A recent post on the DOD’s media release branch has shown elements of the 180th Cavalry Regiment (National Guard, based out of Oklahoma) on a security mission around the Afghan capital of Kabul. Unique to the quick-eyed observer would be the extensive use of Steiner Optics DBAL Advanced Target Pointer/ Illuminator/ Aiming Laser (ATPIAL) devices mounted to the M4 carbines of the troopers on patrol. Although not an extremely rare sighting among U.S. Forces, it is worth noting that the use of the DBAL series of ATPIAL devices is far exceeded by the L3/Insight Technologies AN/PEQ-15, AN/PEQ-16, LA-5, and most recently from the company (currently in use by SOF elements) the Next Generation Aiming Laser. Of course, this is relatively speaking because there was a 66,040 DBAL unit order in 2012. What exact model of DBAL is being used by the troopers is unknown, possibly a DBAL-A2 which falls under the nomenclature of AN/PEQ-15A when in use by the U.S. Military.

As a lifelong student of firearms, my belief is that you can never get too much training. Anyone that says otherwise is foolish. That said, the QUALITY of training is very important, as is, to a degree, the legitimate pedigree of the instructional staff (a friend posted an honest rant about this on his blog). I was fortunate enough to be in town when a Precision Long Rifle class was being put on by another buddy (and former team leader of mine in a previous life; I can vouch for his pedigree)…

June 1, 2018, Knight’s Armament Company (KAC) posted on their Instagram that their new SR-25 upper was finally available and in the wild! The Knight’s Armament SR-25 Compact Carbine (CC) M-LOK URX 4 Upper Receiver with a 14.5″ Barrel (P/N:111468) is a new release for 2018 and is finally available to the commercial market. The KAC SR-25 14.5″ M-LOK upper is the latest iteration of the renowned SR-25.