Griffin Armament have introduced the second generation of their AR-15 pattern rifles. The main difference of the new Griffin Armament MK2 family of rifles from the MK1 guns is the new lower receiver that has ambidextrous controls (magazine release button, bolt catch/release, safety lever). Let’s take a closer look at the specs and features of new Griffin Armament MK2 series rifles.

In this episode of TFBTV, Hop checks out Anderson’s new retro A4 style Dissipator rifle. The word Dissipator means different things to different people, but the Anderson take has a “proper” rifle-length gas system on a carbine-length barrel, mated to an M16 style lower. The end result is something unlike you’ve probably ever shot before.

Are you looking to shoot the IPSC Rifle World Shoot 2024? Or just need some inspiration for your next build? In this Photo Of The Day, you will find a suggestion of ingredients and parts to use. The competition is most likely to be hosted by Finland, in northern Finland in fact.

If you always wanted to own a Geissele rifle but could never afford one, then the new El Jefe rifle must be interesting to you. This rifle is made by Geissele Automatics but it’s sold under the ALG Defense brand (Geissele’s sister company). With an MSRP of $1,199, the El Jefe rifle is $900 cheaper than the most affordable Geissele-branded rifle. The differences between the El Jefe and Geissele rifles of comparable configuration are in materials, manufacturing techniques and finishes.

In this cope-filled episode of TFBTV, James Reeves tells you why the H&K G36K is perhaps his favorite – and the most underrated – German rifle. The H&K G36K in this video is a 5.56x45mm NATO rifle that was first introduced in 1995. It is a more compact and lighter-weight version of the H&K G36, and it is currently in use by the armed forces of Germany, Spain, and several other countries. Despite its widespread use, the H&K G36K is often overlooked and underrated. This is due in part to its relatively short service history, cost, as well as some perceived accuracy issues. However, the G36K is a very capable weapon system that offers a number of advantages over its competitors. We talk about the G36K – and how to find one if you really – really – want it.

Founded in 1976 by Italian competition shooter Giampiero Pardini,  Pardini Armi is a manufacturer of competition shooting air guns and firearms. One of the most popular products of Pardini Armi is the SP rimfire target pistol. Based on this successful design, the company has developed a new semi-automatic rimfire carbine called TR20. Particularly, the Pardini TR20 shares the blowback action and the adjustable trigger with the SP pistol. Reportedly, additive manufacturing technologies are extensively used in the production of this carbine.

Brownells continues to expand its BRN-180 offerings with the addition of new barrel lengths. Those new models have either a 14.5 or 13.9-inch barrel. This is excellent news for people who like pinned and welded muzzle devices.

If you own a Steyr AUG and want your 55 gr 5.56 mm rounds to fly out with speeds upwards of one thousand meters per second (3280 fps), then turn to Steyr Arms USA as they now have the 24″ HBAR barrel available again. The price for the 24″ HBAR with Bipod is $725. Preferably pair it with the 42-round waffle magazine you most likely already own. Just beware that the barrel is not free-floating, so don’t put a lot of pressure on the bipod.

James Reeves reviews the Serbian M91 Sniper Rifle. This modernized version of Zastava’s designated marksman rifle (DMR) shares some similarities with the famous SVD Dragunov but is actually a very different gun, even if it uses the same barrel length and caliber as the SVD. Is this gun still effective? How accurate is it? What type of range does this gun have with the included POSP 4x optic? Is it reliable? We answer those questions and more in today’s episode of TFBTV.

Welcome everyone to the 203rd 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.

JDI Firearms is the sole US importer of SIG SG55x firearms, including models like the SG550 and SG553. In addition to SIG, JDI imports high-end brands like PGM Precision and Wyssen Defence. JDI Firearms announced in an Instagram post that CSR Precision is the latest brand to join their lineup.

Bear Creek Arsenal’s 300 Win Mag HuntMaster is built around a completely new AR platform, the BC-8. The BC-8 oversized design allows for long action chamberings like the 300 Winchester Magnum but with parts compatibility with existing AR-15 and AR-10 designs. This aims to be the ultimate hunting rifle, feeding from a five-round double-stack double-feed magazine.  I was one of the lucky few that were sent one of these rifles for review, and here’s what I found.

James Reeves asks: Is the Mini-14 obsolete? The Ruger Mini-14 was introduced FIFTY years ago by Ruger. Developed by Bill Ruger and Jim Sullivan, two of the engineering greats, the Ruger Mini-14 was a so-so rifle when it was invented, and most people believe that it lagged behind as the AR-15 caught on with civilian shooters. But many of you don’t know that there have been multiple changes to the Mini-14 – BIG changes – that have increased its effectiveness. But in this day and age dominated by AR, is the Mini-14 still practical to own? We look at reliability, durability, accuracy, and more in today’s video.

I, James Reeves, was skeptical about the Springfield M1A Tanker. I brought this nostalgia piece, this relic of the past that wouldn’t be able to compete with modern rifles, to Thunder Ranch for review. Of course, Clint Smith, a man who grew up on the M1A, couldn’t help but give his opinion on the rifle, too.

Frontier Armory is a leading source of African firearm parts. In addition to their array of imported parts, they are also creating a US-made reproduction Halbek device. What is a Halbek device, exactly? The legendary Ian McCollum at Forgotten Weapons made a great video explaining what it was and how it worked.

In this episode of TFBTV, Hop takes a look at the CRU Arms Temp, formerly known as the Crusader Arms Templar. This is a rifle designed for the Canadian firearms market, which has restrictions very different from those in the US. The guns we can buy are very different from the ones our syrup-chugging neighbors to the North can buy, and in some instances, they can even get stuff we don’t have here (but obviously those are harder to make a video about).

There is no doubt in my mind that Russell Phagan, the WWSD 2020 project, and KE Arms are largely responsible for the recent revival in interest concerning monolithic polymer lower receivers for AR-15 rifles. The KP-15 started hitting customer’s front doors around the start of 2021 and the subsequent bum rush of parts related to the WWSD 2020 project dried up pretty quickly leading to many taking their own routes for uppers. Just a hair over a year later, KE Arms gave fans of the KP-15 another reason to pick up another lower, but this time with a 9mm PCC in mind. The KE Arms KP-9 monolithic polymer lower receiver is the 9mm pistol caliber carbine cousin of the KP-15. The KP-9 is a logical extension to KE Arms’ list of receiver options and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to test one of these out for the better part of a year. Today I’ll share my experiences with it so far and what I think the KP-9 lower receiver offers PCC customers over other offerings already on the market.

The United States Marine Corps made the decision back in early 2020 to equip its infantrymen with a universal weapon optic by adopting the Trijicon VCOG (Variable Combat Optical Gunsight) 1-8×28 riflescope as the Squad Common Optic (SCO). After an extensive evaluation process, Trijicon emerged as the chosen manufacturer for the SCO along with their 1-8x28mm VCOG optic. The contract would secure about $64,000,000 for the 19,000 units the USMC ended up ordering and delivery began in February of 2021 with the final units being delivered sometime this year (2023). The optic was meant to be primarily fielded on the M4 carbine and the M27 IAR (Infantry Automatic Rifle). However, as stated by the Marine Corps themselves, the optic is intended to be as ammunition and weapon system agnostic as possible which should mean it can easily be adapted to be effectively used on virtually any platform. Today we’re going to put that theory to the test by putting the legendary durability of the Trijicon VCOG up against the unstoppable force that is the FN SACR 17 – a rifle that is infamous for destroying nearly every optic put on it.

Rhineland Arms and Global Defense made a splash at SHOT 2023 with their R2000 rifle chassis. That kit builds a reduced-scale WA2000 clone with AR-15 internals. A big brother is now in the works, with a .308 Winchester-size version on the way.

Kevin Brittingham and those maniacs at Q are at it again! If you’re not familiar, Q is the company famous for the Honey Badger rifle amongst many other innovations in the firearms industry. This time they have set their sights on producing a semi-automatic rifle chambered in the new 8.6 Blackout cartridge. Upon first impressions, it’s easy to see that Q has really turned the volume up to 11 on this rifle, even naming it “The Boombox” Ironically the only thing the Boombox shares with its 90’s counterpart is its name. It’s a meticulously well-engineered, lightweight, and mostly quiet rifle that spews out a massive piece of lead. 

Rock River Arms is the manufacturer of my absolute favorite two-stage trigger, the Rock River Arms Two-Stage National Match Trigger. Today they’ve announced an entirely new rifle to their lineup, the new BT3 Predator HP 6.5 Creedmoor Rifle. This new rifle is designed to be a precision semi-auto rifle built around the 6.5 Creedmoor cartridges rather than adjusted to make it work. The rifle will feature an adjustable two-stage trigger and a 24-inch fluted stainless steel cryo-treated barrel.

Grey Birch Manufacturing is excited to announce the latest addition to its quickly growing lineup of premium 10/22-style rifles. The newest iteration, the Carbon Adventurer Rifle has a lot of the features of the long-distance Grey Birch LDR model but is paired with a Magpul Hunter stock instead of the La Chassis system for an ultralight, long-distance precision plinker you can take with you to the range or on any adventure.

KE Arms has just announced the introduction of the new 20 Inch WWSD Complete Upper. This new upper configuration combines a lot of the same aspects you’d find in the 16″ version, but with a barrel length that really gives the 5.56 NATO cartridge some extra legs. The new configuration is centered around a 20-inch Ballistic Advantage lightweight Modern Series barrel but also comes complete with a lot of the neat lightweight features people loved from the original WWSD project. Or, if you’d prefer, as a complete rifle.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves interviews the creator of the Honey Badger, Kevin Brittingham of Q, about the new Q Boombox. The Boombox is, more or less, the “big brother” of the Honey Badger. While the Honey Badger uses a 5.56mm sized frame to accommodate .300 Blackout rounds, the Boombox uses the new 8.6mm Blackout, which works in the same size frame as 7.62mm guns like .308 and 6.5 Creedmoor. And even though the Boombox has a big caliber and capability jump, it is only a few ounces heavier and a few inches longer than the Honey Badger. See what all the noise is about.

Welcome everyone to the 195th 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 have 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.

Today’s Photo Of The Day is from the catalog of Rock Island Auction Company’s upcoming Sporting & Collector Firearms Auction. It depicts a rotary manually operated firearm that is built with six Norinco SKS rifles. In other words, it’s an SKS Gatling gun!

Welcome to our Photo Of The Day! Each day, we feature at least one stunning photograph that captures the beauty and diversity of the world of firearms. Today we have a suppressed Hera Arms 10,5″ 300 Blackout on show, and that’s it!

Rifle Dynamics have announced a new series of AK rifles called Mark II which is based on their earlier released Quickhatch AK pistols. The main difference from their older rifle models is that instead of using standard AK lower handguards with UltiMAK railed gas tubes, the new Rifle Dynamics Mark II rifles are built with M-LOK aluminum handguards designed in collaboration with Occam Defense Solutions.

Welcome everyone to the 193rd 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 have 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.

Introducing the latest offering from Springfield Armory, the Tungsten Gray SAINT Victor 5.56mm. This new addition to the SAINT Victor lineup combines purpose-built performance with an attractive and distinct Tungsten Gray Cerakote color option. The Tungsten Gray Cerakote finish, applied to the upper and lower forged 7075 T6 aluminum receivers, as well as the free-float M-LOK handguard, not only provides added protection but also gives the SAINT Victor a unique and eye-catching appearance for those who want an out-of-the-box rifle that will impress at the range and in the field.