SIG Sauer has been integrating their M18, the carry-size military version of their P320 pistol, into DoD elements since winning the XM17 Modular Handgun Competition in 2017. The M18 is one of the two handguns (along with its big brother, the full-size M17) replacing the venerable Beretta M9, as it phases out of service after more than thirty years in the US military’s arsenal. Part and parcel of the adoption of a new weapon system is the need for proper training and education about it.

Kalashnikov Concern has just published a press release announcing that a new modernized version of the 9mm Vityaz SMG has successfully passed the government trials. The new iteration of the submachine gun is called PPK-20. The trials were held within the R&D program called “Vityaz-MO” (Витязь-МО). As a result of the trials, the PPK-20 was approved as suitable for mass production.

Ruger‘s magnificent rimfire rifle, the 10/22, has been a staple of gun safes for more than half a century. With all-time production numbers in the millions and a veritable host of various models available today, this handy little plinker ascends beyond its diminutive chambering and offers a great solution for a plethora of different shooters and purposes. Whether you want to use it as a teaching tool for younger or newer shooters, a fun range toy, a varmint hunter, a rimfire competition platform, and many other roles, the 10/22 can meet your need.

As India continues its unprecedented effort to modernise its Army’s small arms, fresh news of one of the early procurement efforts has emerged. Could a deal with Caracal for nearly 100,000 carbines be close to fruition?

The U.S. Army’s Combat Capabilities Development Command plays an important role in guiding the future of our warfighters’ lethality and survivability. Their mission statement is “To provide the research, engineering, and analytical expertise to deliver capabilities that enable the Army to deter and, when necessary, decisively defeat any adversary now and in the future.” To this end, they engage in scientific pursuits like advancements in weaponry, exploring quantum communication, improving electronic warfare effectiveness, and working on new ways to purify water in the field. At the heart of these endeavors lies the Army Research Laboratory. These military scientists have been responsible for many breakthroughs in areas such as grenade-launched drones and better 3D printing. Now they have teamed up with academic scientists at Purdue University to develop lead-free explosive material that could be used to produce nontoxic ammo, as announced in a July 16th press release from Purdue.

Home gun builders have long enjoyed assembling or modifying AR-15s and other firearms. The AR platform’s modularity has been one of its top selling points for years. It’s relatively easy for the layman to order most components and put them together or swap them out without needing too many specialized tools or formal gunsmithing training. This homebrewing trend has given rise to another, more in-depth assembly practice: turning unfinished “80%” parts into functional firearms. This has been most prevalent with AR lowers, which is considered to be the serialized “firearm”, even without all of the other pieces required to make it function. After ARs, polymer pistol frames (a la Glock) are the next most common 80% item. California-based company 80% Arms uses these DIY-oriented products as the focus of their business, and with a July 16th press release, they have announce their newest offering. Meet the GST-9, a complete handgun kit that builds off of their previously-announced frame. The release reads:

Last year, TFB reported on Holosun’s entry into the flip-to-side magnifier game with the release of their HM3X Red Dot Magnifier. This unit featured built-in quick-detach and flip-to-side mechanisms, an adjustable diopter, included a spacer for compatibility with lower 1/3 or absolute cowitness setups, and was constructed with a lightweight aluminum body. At SHOT Show 2020 in January, Holosun showed off a new version, the HM3XT. The “T” tacked on to the end denoted that this magnifier would eschew the aluminum body for a beefier titanium one. Now with a July 17th press release, Holosun has announced that the HM3XT is nearly ready for market and will be available for purchase soon. The release reads:

If you dig into the story behind the Swampfox Optics name, you’ll discover an exceedingly cool piece of history. This budding young company takes their name from Revolutionary War hero Francis Marion, who earned the “Swamp Fox” nickname leading early American guerillas in the fight for independence. The original “Swamp Fox” and his militiamen gained considerable renown, using irregular tactics learned from Cherokee warriors, as they racked up a 58-1 win/loss record against the redcoats. Quite a legacy! Since their founding in 2018, Swampfox Optics has looked to this spiritual heritage while designing and producing their precision long-range scopes, LPVOs, dot sights, and more. Now with a July 16th press release, Swampfox introduces a new 3x prism scope, the Trihawk. The release reads:

Since its founding in 1993, Texas-based TRUGLO has developed an extensive product catalog. Although they are probably best known in the firearms world for their tritium and fiber optic handgun sights, they also offer a plethora of other items for hunting, archery, and more. From a variety of scopes and red dots to shotgun choke tubes, splatter targets, and bowfishing accessories, TRUGLO brings a plethora of sporting and outdoor solutions to the table. One such product line is their Tac-Pod adjustable bipod series. With MSRPs ranging from $35-$60, these are an inexpensive alternative to the industry’s more top-shelf options, many of which can go for considerably more money. Now with a July 15th press release, TRUGLO is introducing two new additions to their bipod menu: a “Carbon Pro” version available in short (6″-9″) and long (9″-13″) lengths.

“Well, you gonna pull those pistols or whistle ‘Dixie’?” Moments after delivering this line in the 1976 film “The Outlaw Josey Wales”, Clint Eastwood (playing the titular character) deftly draws a brace of Colt revolvers and opens fire. With assistance from his Cherokee friend, Lone Waite (played by late Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation, Dan George), Wales employs his pair of Colts to dispatch a group of Union soldiers who are hesitatingly preparing to attempt to take the infamous outlaw into custody. One of the guns in this iconic scene was an 1847 Walker which is set to be sold at an auction that will be held next month, August 26th-27th.

Southpaw shooters, do you often feel left out? Neglected? Forgotten? It’s understandable since the vast majority of firearms (as well as pretty much everything else in the world) are designed to cater to right-handed people. Given that left-handers only make up approximately ten percent of the human population, the reasons for this manufacturing disparity are pretty obvious, and largely understandable. However, with roughly 7.8 billion people on the planet, that ten percent is still 780 million lefties, many of whom would probably love to see more options made for their particular dexterity dominance. A few gun companies have heard that call, such as Stag Arms, who produce flip-sided ARs. On the precision long-range side of the house, Savage Arms is another outfit that offers mirrored versions of some of their models. One such long gun getting the southpaw treatment is Savage’s 110 Elite Precision rifle, which enjoys a user-adjustable “Accu-Trigger” and a chassis from Modular Driven Technologies.

According to the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement website, a Chinese company illegally selling weapons and suppressor components in the United States has been seized following a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) investigation that took place with the assistance of the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP).

Flashlights and firearms are inextricably connected. Weapon-mounted lights are often affixed to AR-15s, pistol-caliber carbines, sub guns, defensive shotguns, pistols, and more. Many handgun carriers also carry standalone flashlights, either instead of weapon lights, or sometimes even in addition to them. Light manufacturers are always coming out with new and improved models that offer more lumens, greater candela, or other benefits. Since their founding in 1973, Streamlight has spent nearly a half-century growing into a leading supplier of these illuminating tools. Now with a July 14th announcement, they have introduced the latest addition to their law enforcement-focused offerings: the new Duty-Ready Stinger 2020. Read the full press release below.

Shooting is a loud endeavor. Unless you’re using an extremely low-decibel setup like a suppressed .22, ear pro is a must. The consequences for failing to guard your ears against a firearm’s report can include tinnitus or other permanent hearing damage. Walker’s has been in the hearing protection business for over 25 years, and produces some highly-regarded electronic solutions. With a July 14th press release, they have announced the next iteration of this endeavor: the Raptor bone conduction headset. The press release reads as follows.

The tremendous success of SIG Sauer’s P320 pistols makes it easy to forget that the line has only been available to the public for six years, and was only adopted by the military three years ago. The modular, striker-fired design has quickly become a favorite for many civilian everyday carriers and competition shooters as well as numerous law enforcement agencies, in addition to the US Department of Defense selecting SIG’s M17/M18 to replace the Beretta M9. High-end custom versions produced by the likes of Zev Tech and Wilson Combat serve to further solidify the P320’s place in the industry. Building on the line’s continued growth, SIG announced a new Texas Ranger-themed limited edition version in a July 10th press release. It reads:

Turkish-headquartered Hatsan Arms chiefly manufactures two product lines: air guns, and shotguns. The latter, branded as Escort Shotguns, includes a variety of models from pump-action to break-open to semi-auto, purposed for hunting/sporting or home defense. From mild to wild, their spectrum of scatterguns runs the gamut. In a July 10th press release, Hatsan has announced a new addition: the semi-automatic Escort BTS bullpup shotgun. See below:

The Australian Government has announced that the Australian Defense Force will receive a further 8,500 EF88 rifles. This comes on top of the 30,000 already ordered and procured from the Thales owned Lithgow Arms. The move comes as Australia announced a major realignment of their defense policy, we covered this in more detail over at Overt Defense.

In a move that should hopefully boost the suppressor industry, the American Suppressor Association has just announced that the State Department has rescinded a nearly 20-year-old memo that prevented the commercial exportation of suppressors outside of the United States. More distributors, dealers and customers around the world should increase demand and production here in the U.S., funneling more resources into research and design, giving domestic customers better options. Commercial suppressor exports will also allow for comparisons between manufacturers outside of the United States – unfortunately, U.S. regulations still prevent the commercial importation of foreign silencers and other firearms regulated by the National Firearms Act.

Belgium’s own Fabrique Nationale Herstal, known as FN Herstal or simply FN for short, has produced some phenomenal and highly successful guns over its 131 year history. From their contributions in the handgun market with pistols like the Hi-Power and Five-Seven, to rifles like the P90 and SCAR series – and many more – FN has made some memorable guns.

Airgunners and pellet slingers, this one is for you. Among a few other product lines, Turkey’s Hatsan Arms produces a wide array of pellet guns. With a 8th July press release, Hatsan’s US division has announced a new full-auto .30-cal airgun: the Blitz. Small backyard varmints, time to hide in your burrows!

Legacy Sports International is the parent company for several firearms brands, including Howa and Citadel. Seeking to expand their distribution channels, Legacy has partnered with MGE Wholesale and Orion Wholesale, who will be adding Citadel shotguns to their product lines. Some of the available shotguns will include the BOSS-25, an AR-style semi-auto 12 gauge, and the VEPR-style RSS1. The press release announcing this distribution addition reads as follows.

“The M4A1 Carbine is a lightweight, 5.56 millimeter, magazine fed, gas operated, air cooled, shoulder fired weapon.” For many years, US Army Infantrymen have had this phrase, or a slight variation of it, drilled into their heads until they could recite it perfectly. The above version was the one I learned verbatim during my time training at Sand Hill on Fort Benning, and then serving as an 11C with the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum.

Smartwatches are everywhere these days. All across the US, it’s hard to leave your home without seeing someone with an Apple Watch or Samsung Galaxy Watch on their wrist. While these pieces of wearable tech may have good applicability in day-to-day life, the uses for shooting have been a bit more limited – until now. Garmin has taken their Tactix Delta smartwatch and partnered on a version with Applied Ballistics, and it’s also solar-powered. In a July 8th press release, they say:

Standard Manufacturing is a relatively young company, having only been around for six years. In that fairly short time, they have produced an eclectic mix of guns. Their unusual lineup includes a number of double-barrel pump and semi-auto shotguns, high-dollar single-action revolvers, a smattering of 1911s, and the particularly odd S333 “Thunderstruck” – which is a double-barrelled eight-round revolver that fires two shots of .22 Win Mag with each pull of its unique two-finger trigger. Davidson’s, wholesaler for Gallery of Guns and more, has added Standard products to their lineup with the following July 2nd press release.

Minnesota-based Real Avid has been hailed in the past for offering useful products like cleaning tools and armorer’s kits. From wrenches and informational cleaning mats to magazine disassembly tools and punch sets, if you’re a firearms DIY-er chances are they make something you could use. One task for home gunsmiths about which much has been discussed is scope leveling. With the recent release of their Level-Right Pro, the folks at Real Avid aim to make this job easier to do properly.

Not so long ago, the vast majority of hunting rifles were only available with traditional wood furniture or they were of the all-black tactical variety. If you wanted something different in the aesthetic department, you would likely have to break out some rattle-can spray paint in a selection of browns and greens or find something like a cloth-based wrap-around solution. With the proliferation of better methods like Cerakoting in other colors or hydro-dipping patterns, options have greatly expanded in recent years and many of these alternatives are now being offered straight from gun factories. Howa has gotten on board with satisfying this customer demand, and they are now offering a new full-dip Kratos camo pattern rifle.

By now, the ZEV Technologies brand is practically synonymous with high-end custom guns, especially Glocks. The Centralia, Washington-based company began in 2006 by offering competition-focused drop-in Glock replacement triggers. Over the last fourteen years, they have expanded their offerings to include a vast spectrum of premium upgrade parts for Glock handguns, some SIG parts, their own line of branded complete ARs, and complete “Gucci” Glocks. These high-end handguns typically feature significant slide work, grip module modification, swapped barrels, custom triggers, and more. For most of the company’s history, options for non-Glock fans have been limited. That’s all changing now, however, as they are now expanding to the SIG Sauer fanbase as well. Meet the Z320 XCarry and Z320 XCompact pistols, designed in collaboration with SIG themselves.

Nevada-based Reptilia Corp has been putting out firearms accessories like optics mounts and weaponlight mounts for over a decade, drawing on prior experience with companies like Magpul, SilencerCo, and others. Products like their dot mounts, RMR mounts, and light bodies have proven to be popular rifle add-ons. With a July 1st announcement, they have expanded to a new offering aimed at users of the Geissele 34mm Super Precision mount. The new ROF Diving Board enables shooters to add devices like laser rangefinders on top of their rifle scopes. Reptilia’s official product description is shared below.

Night sights are often one of the first modifications that shooters make to their handguns – and in many cases, the only change they may choose. There is a vast array of different makes/models to choose from, and it isn’t uncommon for someone who has a plethora of pistols to use the same version of aftermarket sights on each one. XS Sights is a popular choice, commonly touted for high visibility in either low-light or bright conditions. With a July 2nd press release, XS has introduced even more versions of two of their popular lines of night sights. The release reads:

Coinciding with this Independence Day weekend, Savage Arms has announced a new version of their .22LR Rascal that screams “Hell yeah, ‘Merica!” Had rimfire bolt guns been a thing in 1776, no doubt the founding fathers would’ve been proud to arm their Minutemen with the Stars and Stripes pattern first created by the most celebrated seamstress in the US history, Betsy Ross. The press release for this Star-Spangled shooter reads as follows.