Tulster, a Jenks Oklahoma, based company has proudly announced the release of their latest holster, their IWB profile holster for the Heckler & Koch VP9SK. The VP9SK is the newly released smaller brother to the well-received VP9. The new holster is designed…

It would seem that Battenfeld is not content to rest on their laurels – instead innovating new ways to make shooters lives easier. Battenfeld is expanding their BOG-POD line of products, which “have become the standard for quality and durability in monopods, bipods, and tripods.”

Safariland recently announced the company developed a new addition to its line of GLS Pro-Fit holsters. The new rig, called the model 571, is designed as a micro paddle design for several of the most popular compact pistols being used for concealed carry:

Elements of the Israeli Border Police, Yasam riot control unit and the Jereselum police force have been dealing with Palestinian protesters over the previous week in the vicinity of the Al Aqsa mosque over a dispute with security entrances that came about because of the murder of two Israeli police officers. Due to the size of crowds during the protests, numerous crowd control measures have been taken. Newsworthy to us at TFB is the usage of various 37mm stand alone launchers, in addition to a muzzle mounted rifle grenade cup, discharging a tear gas grenade via a blank 5.56x45mm round.

In the development and testing phases since at least 2004, the German Ministry of Defense has purchased enough IdZ-ES (Infanterist der Zukunft-Infantryman of the future, also know as Gladius) Future Soldier Systems to outfit 68 platoons of mechanized infantry/2,460 soldiers, or roughly a reinforced regiment with the systems.The Gladius system is a wearable, integrated fighting system that allows individual soldiers greater opportunities on the battlefield to communicate, coordinate, and fight more efficiently. Unit leaders receive versions that allow better command and control via the ability to monitor friendly forces in real time. It runs off of a central battery pack mounted to the back of the load bearing equipment and is fitted around ballistic armor and even NBC requirements. Included with this suite are LAM devices and thermal optics for the G36 service rifle, in addition to a push to talk button mounted on the rifle itself so soldiers can stay on target or not give away their status of communicating to the enemy while on operations. UAV integration is also a key component, allowing commanders to view UAV feeds in real time. Central to the entire system is the ability to be “tethered” to the sectioned “home base” armored personnel carrier.

Adding a mini reflex sight to your pistol can make it easier to shoot tight groups and can be particularly useful for hunting and certain gun games. But it usually means that you have to either buy a gun with a built in mount or have a gunsmith mill the slide to fit. In either case, you end up with a pistol that only fits certain mount patterns. The JT Defense mount seeks to correct that issue by replacing the striker plate on Glock or XD pistols and locking to the rear sight dovetail. There is no need to machine the pistol the mount can be installed and, of course, it can be removed just as easily.

Several media outlets have reported that elements of the Ukranian Special Operations Forces are interested in procuring locally produced, Kiev based Zbroyar 7.62x51mm Z-10 rifles. The Z-10 is a locally manufactured AR10 derivative, spawning off a growing industry of Ukranian AR manufacturers in both 5.56x45mm and 7.62x51mm. We’ve covered the company’s 10.5″ SBR in a previous post, in addition to the rifles being suppressed and used by a possible Russian or even Ukranian PMC individual. Zbroyar is a private Ukranian company that has been in existence since 2004, focusing on a wide range of rifle applications. Currently, it appears that only some of the rifle components are being produced in-house, most likely the upper and lower receivers. Other than that, the rifles sport imported Magpul components, Adams Arms gas piston conversions, Daniel Defence rail systems, Hogue grips, and Tactical Systems suppressors from the Ukraine. Some photographs show the rifles with Nightforce scopes, Harris (or imitation) bipods, and interestingly enough, M-Lok machined forends.

Marine Corps Systems Command has announced that it has awarded an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract to Trijicon Inc, for a total cost of $8,169,996. This contract specifies that the optics will be the Trijicon 4x32mm Rifle Combat Optic (RCO) with the TA31 Bullet Drop Compensator reticle graduated for the trajectory of the M855 round. The award specifies that 28,092 RCOs will be built and completed by September of 2018. This contract further cements the use of the rugged and reliable fixed magnified Trijicon RCOs within the Marines for a number of years to come.

Earlier we reported on the Malaysian Counter-Terrorism Exercise Rimau that took place in a stadium and show-cased a number of Law Enforcement units rarely seen in the public sphere. Continuing the exercise with this post we have units that were present in the earlier exercise and thus receive a much more well-rounded view of their capabilities and small arms. It appears that blank firing adaptors weren’t utilized during these drills, so all of the scenarios were completed without a force on force component. All photographs are attributed to the Royal Malaysian Police Facebook page. Our faithful TFB reader Azril sent us this narrative-

The release of the Galil ACE has been met with generally positive reviews. The weapon system, basically an updated Galil/AK is picking up a reputation for being attractive, reliable, and usable with new features welcome including AR-style magazine compatibility on the .308, a top-mounted picatinny rail, and generally more ergonomic interfaces.

I shot a two gun match the other day and it occurred to me that, as impressive as the ranging features on certain sights are, they may not be all that practical. Don’t get me wrong, I like my ACSS reticle and long range shooting is fun, but the longest shot in that match was 130 yards. If you shoot a 5.56mm rifle with a 50 yard zero, you don’t really have to start thinking about come ups until the target gets past 250 yards. And as a civilian, you are unlikely to have to use your rifle at anything approaching that distance. You may not have a duty to retreat in your state, but no matter where you are, if you shoot someone you do need to articulate a reason that you felt a credible threat. Imagine trying to explain to your own attorney why you felt that you had to shoot a man 200 yards away. Even in a sweaty Arfcom dream of civil disorder, with football pad and tire armor wearing visigoths roaming the scorched landscape, odds are pretty good that if you’re engaged by someone at a couple hundred yards, it’s probably safer just to run away. That said, shooting stuff is fun, and a 1-4x variable scope is a versatile tool.

Last December Tim Harmsen of MAC showed off a prototype of the ETS mag loader. We saw it again at SHOT Show in January.

Not just a couple of decades ago slings were utterly simple affairs. Often with only a buckle or just an attachment point to a rifle, slings were decidedly non-tactical. I, for one, have lamented the various “innovations” in slings, where the webbing can have more options than M-LOK and can be just as complicated to use.

When it comes to mounting optics on AR-15s or any of our beloved black guns, a solid one piece mount is what most of us look for. Possibly the most popular or well known one on the market is the Burris AR-P.E.P.R. (AR – Proper Eye Position Ready) mount. A close second place draws many other brands to mind like the Nikon M-223 (Monarch-223), Leupold Mark 2 IMS (Integral Mounting System) or Vortex Viper mounts. Weaver has been in the optics game for decades, but only now are joining the ranks of these other companies in making a dedicating AR mount.

More and more shooters are trending towards using fiber optic sights because of the improved sight picture. If a pistol you currently own does not have them it is fairly easy to replace them or to find a competent gunsmith that can. HIVIZ recently tweaked their LitePipes for an improved sight picture in both day- and night-time settings.

Anyone carrying for over a decade has likely gone through quite a few magazine pouches.  If one has carried a multitool daily, one has probably experienced the carrier wearing out or falling apart over time.  I have had all kinds of pouches over the years: nylon, leather, polymer, kydex, closed-top, open.  I’ve even been mandated to have “basket weave” magazine pouches on my old Sam Browne for work.  Most of the magazine pouches I’ve had over the years were model specific, or at least differentiated between working with single or double-stack mags. I’ve even had some double stack magazines, like those for the FNP-45 or USP-45 for example, not fit in pouches that supposedly take all double stack magazines.

I’m willing to bet that there are many out there like me. I typically carry IWB, often with a tucked shirt (Management has to meet certain appearance standards…), which while often highly effective, has its own set of problems for us larger folks. While you skinny guys and gals can carry appendix, those of us with more to love are often forced to go strong-side. Without a naturally wide and falt facade to conceal a long grip, grip length becomes a major concern for concealment – especially tucked.

Viking Solutions announced the company was now selling its newest adjustable target stand. The new stand system, called the Adjustable Target Stand, can be set as low as 41″ or as high as 58″. From a user supplied 2×4, you can then hang any number of different targets, plates or bags from it. This makes it good for all kinds of use: pistol, long range rifle, air gun or even archery.

Triggers are one of those hot topics that everyone likes to give their input on. Anything from “Back in my day, we only used mil-spec. And we liked it. Now get off my lawn…” to “My race trigger is so light it’s pretty much full-auto…” to “This trigger fires when you pull. AND release…”. There is also a wide variety of quality out there, from pretty much every manufacturer. If you find a brand you like, you swear by it, and snoot upon the others. Kind of like scopes. But I digress…

Corey joined us for a talk about rifle grenades and launchers in use by U.S. Infantrymen during the Second World War. Particularly we focused on the M1 Launcher for the M1903 Springfield rifle, however we also discussed some of the aspects of the M7 Launcher for the M1 Garand, and a very similar one for the M1 Carbine.

I love me some tacos, incredibly useful and capable of accepting most (gun) food, they have been a staple of war belts and chest rigs for nearly the last decade. Why? HSGI’s bungee-infused design was the first truly useful multi-magazine pouch out there. Plus, it just looked tacticool.

So far we have added a KKM Barrel and a Raven Concealment Freya mag well to our Roland Special build, now comes the slide milling. The ONLY correct choice for a Roland Special is to send your stock slide off for some ATEi Glock slide milling. Doug has a way with these slides and has been widely accepted as one of the best, if not the best man to put a cutter on a slide.

When I first had a quick look at the MBX “Fang” I thought it was a monopod, like the Accu-Shot, and thought why didn’t they make it adjustable? How do I go prone with this on my rifle?

Have you been shopping for a Kydex holster and come across a video of the holster fitment where the holster maker inserts the gun into a holster and shakes it upside down or slowly inserts it so you can hear the click?

More companies than Magpul are busy in R&D, and the German engineers at HERA Arms are no exception.

GTGConsult is a consultancy and firearms training company based in Denmark.

While I will certainly complain about the, in my opinion, vast market of overdone Glocks, I am however a fan of the technical machining and treatments that go one behind the scenes to create the functional works of art. Modern multi-axis CNC equipment works wonders in metal, but lacks a certain definition for extreme small detail due to the requirement of a rotating tool. The same complaint can often be rendered for polymer products, which require said CNC machines to create their molds.

While HERA Arms are doing their best to deliver back orders of the CQR buttstocks for the AR-15 rifles they just announced officially that they are in R&D for a version for AR-10s.

My friend Tom often says “It isnt about the arrow. It is the Indian that makes the difference”. Here is a photo of Chris Kirkpatrick. No, he is not the guy from NSYNC. Chris won the Topstraps Long Range Rimfire Challenge with a 2×4. Ok it is actually a Winchester 52C strapped to a 2×4 with what looks like a finely tuned system of barrel blocks and duct tape. I have been told Chris used half of a Powerade bottle for a cheek rest. This gun has a name, she is dubbed “Ugly Betty”. Chris has won consecutively in May and June of this year with Ugly Betty.

Geissele has made a trigger for the Sig Sauer MCX. In their Facebook post they claim that an MPX trigger is coming soon. That will be most interesting to see. For those who do not follow MPX accessory development, after market triggers are a ticking time bomb in the MPX.