As we continue our steady march towards the new year, let’s take a glance back over our shoulder at the most popular reviews at TFB for 2017. As with news articles, TFB is blessed with a talented staff that collectively has a broad base of firearms and gear knowledge. Matchstick Guns, Dive Shorts and a 9mm AK? You’re welcome world. You’re welcome.

At long last, we have reached the last day in TFB’s 12 Days of Christmas – long guns. Originally, I had marked today as being dedicated to rifles. However, after compiling my list, I decided that I needed to open the category up to include firearms that are legally defined as pistols, but with a pistol stabilizing brace act more like rifles. ‘Tis the season for outdated laws and regulations!

Last time The Firearm Blog wrote about Heckler & Koch’s Gray Room we stated we cannot get enough.

I had the opportunity to check out a new version of the Husan Arms Shotgun MKA1919.

A joyful, happy man, Santa Claus – or Father Christmas or Saint Nicholas or Sinterklaas – delivers gifts to good boys and girls throughout the world. After working for 364 days straight, he loads up his sleigh with packages and parcels containing everything from basketballs to jewelry. In my calculations, based on intense population studies and deep scientific research, Santa’s sack could hold up to $50 trillion US dollars worth of presents. As the lone responsible person for millions of gifts as well as delivering happiness on Christmas morning, it is only natural that we consider that he needs to protect himself and his load from all sorts of danger.

SB Tactical announced the company was now offering arm braces for the Remington TAC-14 and the Mossberg 590 Shockwave firearms. These two guns are similar to shotguns since they both fire shotgun shells, but have shorter barrels and other size specifications that make them plain firearms instead of shotguns or handguns.

The late 1800s and early 1900s are undoubtedly a period of American firearms design dominated by one man, John Moses Browning. But many of Browning’s contemporaries were no less able and men like Andrew Burgess, William Mason, John Pedersen, Frank Burton and T.C. Johnson were all responsible for ingenious and important designs.

Continuing our series of articles telling about the most expensive firearms sold in the major US auction houses, today we’ll take a look at the ten most expensive firearms sold in December 2017 Rock Island Premiere Auction. This time there are also two world records set.

Introduced earlier this year, the SL5 shotgun represents Sauer’s entry into the market of inertia operated semi-auto shotguns. The actual mechanism of this shotgun is designed in cooperation with Italian Breda company. Sauer engineers built the rest of the gun around the Breda action.

Practical Shotgun competition is probably as much fun as you can have. Imagine pistol distances, but with steel targets that fly when you hit them, or clays that disintegrate as the bird shots hit them. With the odd buck shot or slug station here and there.

You’ve heard the old saying “everything old is new again”. Well, that applies to the tried and true Remington 870 shotgun. The 870 is probably the most popular police shotgun ever. Remington has given the 870 a facelift with several new magazine fed models which would serve just about any shotgunners needs.

A company called SlapShot USA has developed quite interesting shotgun slug concept. Their slugs are called Precision Home Defense (PHD) slugs. They are made of a proprietary polymer material and loaded to achieve a quite high muzzle velocity of 3000 fps. Besides being extremely fast, these slugs also have an adaptability feature which SlapShot USA calls Mechanically Adaptable Projectile (MAPX).

In this episode of TFBTV, James gives you an overview of the Molot VEPR-12-04. This gun is unique in that it is a factory-configured short barrel shotgun, and it isn’t being imported into the United States anymore. James takes one out to the Nevada desert along with a representative from FIME Group, the Vegas-based importer of these shotguns.

A recent media video following a platoon of the Syrian Arab Army take over of al-Bukamal, a city in the eastern portion of Syria, on the border with Iraq shows a soldier with what appears to be the receiver, trigger guard, and stock of a shotgun (Remington 870 from the open source photographs) combined with what appears to be a four foot long pipe attached to it. Unfortunately, our only perspective of the weapon is from behind the soldier carrying it, which obscures the receiver, what would most likely be the pump action charger and the ejection port.

Poland’s Prison Service, Służba Więzienna, are set to purchase 500 Mossberg shotguns. The contract was announced 21 November and will see the Służba Więzienna receive new Mosberg 500 shotguns.

In celebration of the company’s 60th anniversary, Italian firearms manufacturer Perazzi has released a limited edition version of their High Tech over and under shotguns. This anniversary shotgun features a high-polished blued finish and markings plated with platinum. There is a “Perazzi High Tech” logo on either side of the shotgun and “Perazzi 60 Anniversary Platinum Limited Edition” engraved on the bottom.

Midland Arms Company announced a new line of break open, single shot shotguns. Called the Backpack, Midland is offering five versions of the gun now and promises compatibility with other products the company will be releasing in the near future.

We have reported about the R and R Target’s Wright 12 Shotgun development before, but there’s now more to tell.

As goofy as the idea may seem on paper, I have always been intrigued by the idea of an AR-based shotgun platform. Honestly, I have no real use for one, however, as we all are painfully aware, “needs” and firearms can be interpreted in many ways. The new Panzer Arms AR-12 sold by Atlantic Firearms has a price point for potential buyers like myself – hovering at impulse buy levels.

What usually makes it difficult to write about rare and obscure firearms is the absence of any visual content (photos, videos etc.) of reasonable quality. If you write about any particular firearm or mechanism and have the description only or a couple of poor images that barely let to visualize the description text, it becomes not a too interesting read.

O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc. (Mossberg) announced a recall on a number of the Maverick Hunter shotguns that have incorrect markings. According to the company, a “small number” of the shotguns have markings that indicate the chambers will accept 3.5″ shells. In actuality, the guns are built for 2.75″ and 3″ shells only.

I learned something new and thought I would share it with you all. ATF has odd determinations and we could go into length how a lot of it does not make sense. We won’t do that here but this is a prime example.

Black Aces Tactical recently announced that they will be offering a magazine fed version of the Mossberg Shockware 12 Gauge shotgun. If you don’t remember Black Aces Tactical they’re the folks that made that quad rail and side shell holder for the Shockwave we posted about last month. That’s cool and all, but they stepped it up and came up with their own version of the Shockwave that includes a billet Black Aces Tactical receiver, 4140 nickel plated bolt and slide, the Shockwave grip (obviously), two 5-round magazines and a magazine tube spike.

Gould Brothers, well known in the shooting community for shotgun exhibition shooting, have set an incredible new world record. One of the brothers managed to shoot 8 clay targets in the air holding the gun upside down, over his head! Let’s watch the video of that trick shot and some behind the scenes footage.

Founded in 1881 in Saint Etienne by a gentleman named Regis Darne, this company manufactures double-barrelled rifles and shotguns. What makes them unique among dozens of other European hunting arms manufacturers is the rather unusual sliding breech and tilt lever locking mechanism of their guns.

An improvised shotgun utilizing a revolving cylinder that appears to hold six 12 gauge shotgun shells was captured in a Nigerian Army operation in May of this year, capturing several alleged kidnappers on their way to committing a crime. Along with the improvised shotgun were several machetes, of which I’d probably be more afraid of doing damage with than the improvised firearm.

Standard Manufacturing has introduced a compact and stockless version of their SKO 12 gauge semi-automatic shotgun. Despite the name Shorty, it has an 18″ barrel and 26″ overall length which qualifies it as a shotgun according to the US legislation and doesn’t require any tax stamps to acquire one.

Shotgun manufacturer Mossberg is capitalizing on the popularity of their new firearm model by introducing a 20 gauge Shockwave variant. A quick reminder – even though the Shockwave has a 14 inch barrel and is chambered for shotgun shells, the overall length (OAL) exempts it from National Firearms Act (NFA) registration. No $200, to wait times no registration.

The Italian Firearms Group (IFG) recently announced that the company was importing the Iside line of shotguns that are made by  Fabbrica Armi Isodoro Rizzini (F.A.I.R.) of Italy. The Iside line of smoothbores are all side by side shotguns. F.A.I.R. offers seven different versions of the Iside: from the standard model to the Prestige Tartaruga Gold.

Turkish firearms manufacturer Huglu makes a new inertia operated shotgun called Renova. Before discussing the features of this shotgun, let me tell you first that this shotgun can become another brand cooperation project with CZ USA. In other words, just like the Redhead shotguns, Renova might be introduced to US market by CZ.