SIG SAUER first introduced their CROSS rifle in 2020. The original AICS-fed CROSS bolt-action is available in .308 Winchester, 6.5 Creedmoor, and .277 Fury with either a 16″ or 18″ barrel length. Since releasing the original, SIG has also come out with a PRS model which takes the barrel length up to 24″. Now they’ve announced a new addition to the series, called the CROSS STX. This newest model takes a middle ground in terms of barrel length, measuring 20″, and offers some other differentiating features such as a full-length 20 MOA top Picatinny rail and an SLH/SLX suppressor-ready QD flash hider. Get further details in the official CROSS STX product description copied below.

Lucid Optics has produced a fair variety of different optics over the years. Their current product catalog spans three models of rifle scopes, several red dots, a 4x prismatic optic, a spotting scope, a binocular option, and more. One recent addition is their E7 red dot model, initially announced a few months ago around SHOT Show’s timeframe. The E7 is a fully enclosed micro red dot using Aimpoint ACRO-style mounting. Its boxy shape also evokes the ACRO, along with similar competitors like the Holosun AEMS. The E7’s size makes it look like it could occupy a similar niche as the above-mentioned optics, serving as either a larger pistol-mounted unit or a relatively smaller option on a carbine. Get some additional details on the E7 in Lucid’s press release, copied below.

The Brownells BRN family of upper receivers continues to grow with the addition of the BRN-9. This 9mm upper joins the 5.56, .300 BLK, and 7.62×39 options which are already available. Let’s take a closer look at what the BRN-9 brings to the table.

SIG SAUER‘s M17 and M18 handguns have been the US military’s official successors to the venerable Beretta M9 since 2017. Both of these 9mm models have been gradually phasing in with units across the branches over the last several years, with civilian-market versions also available for sale. These pistols feature an optics-cut slide as standard, and now SIG has developed a purpose-built optic to suit. Meet the new ROMEO-M17 red dot. Revealed a few months ago at SHOT Show, SIG has now advised that the ROMEO-M17 is coming soon and provided us with additional information about it. Check out the details in the press release copied below.

SIG SAUER announced a new P320 variant earlier this year, at SHOT Show 2023. James Reeves got his hands on one there, and you can check out the video here. This newest model is called the P320-AXG Legion and incorporates a few key features differentiating it from other versions in the extant P320 lineup. The most noticeable is its two-port slide-integrated expansion chamber, in essence, a built-in permanent compensator, which is advertised as reducing recoil by 30%. Some other key points include its optics-ready slide, AXG signature stainless steel frame (AXG indicates Alloy X-Grip, as opposed to polymer), and custom Hogue G10 grips emblazoned with the Legion chevron logo. Read further details below in SIG’s official product description.

Hop and Luke are on assignment in Indiana for Primary Arms Range Day 2023 and the NRA Annual Meeting and Expos. Today Luke and Hop check out Primary Arms Range Day to try and find the latest guns and optics from the firearms industry.

Henry Repeating Arms is a bastion of lever-action guns, offering a slew of popular old-school repeaters hearkening back to the originals invented by their namesake more than a century and a half ago. Since the modern company’s founding in 1996, they have exclusively produced long guns and only rarely deviated from the lever-based format, excepting a handful of models foraying into single-shot/bolt/semi-auto/pump territory. They have never previously produced a handgun, but that’s all changing now. Wheelgun fans rejoice and meet the new Henry Big Boy Revolvers.

Silencer Central has been up to a lot more than just producing their own new line of suppressors and helping people go through the process of buying a suppressor. Silencer Central has continued to build strong relationships within the firearms industry which include a wide array of conservation organizations whose aim is to preserve the beautiful wildlife and habitats where Americans work, live, hunt, and shoot.

Creedmoor Sports has expanded its range of competition shooting gear to include support bags for PRS and NRL matches. This new product range includes four different models. Let’s take a look at the various options.

Bul Armory announced several new and improved handgun variants at IWA 2023, and today we’ll take a look at those from their SAS II series. There are three, all optics-ready: the SAS II Radical 5.4″, Air, and Saw models. Each is a 1911-based design offered in either 9mm or .40 S&W, and aimed largely at the competition market for use in IPSC Standard and USPSA Limited/Limited Optics divisions. They all feature stainless steel construction, and range in MSRP from $2450 to $3090. The 9mm versions have a 19-round capacity, with one fewer round fitting into the .40s. Read the respective press releases below for further details.

Kansas Highway Patrol has approved the Steiner MPS (Micro Pistol Sight) for duty use. The Kansas Highway Patrol is a law enforcement agency that is responsible for enforcing traffic laws, investigating accidents, and providing assistance to the public within the state of Kansas. The Steiner MPS can be seen here in various pictures. It has a daylight bright dot with 13,000 hours of battery life and mounts on a variety of firearms using the ACRO footprint. It’s not known what the Kansas Highway Patrol is paying for their MPS sights, but if you want to pick one up, the MSRP is $574.99.

Reptilia Corp‘s bread and butter has long been optics mounts, although they do offer a menu of other products as well, including weaponlight bodies, AR-15 grips/stocks, and more. While many of their optics mounts focus on affixing backup/CQB red dots to riflescopes, the latest model delves into the world of combat shotgunning. Beretta’s 1301 has become the first word in tactical scatterguns, and the A300 model is popular as well. More shooters than ever are opting to add red dots on their shotguns, and Reptilia aims to help. Meet their new Saddle mount, which permits the fitting of an Aimpoint ACRO or Steiner MPS onto your Beretta 1301 or A300 shotgun. Read more in the official product release announcement below.

The Warner & Swasey name returns to the world of firearm optics with the RDSMicro MOA3 red dot sight. It features a proprietary 1.54″ mount, as well as integral backup iron sights on top of the optic. The RDSMicro MOA3 is exclusivley sold by Geissele.

With the on-paper legality of pistol stabilizing braces in question here in the United States, it appears that other countries and their militaries are taking advantage of the same equipment at a firesale price. According to a source within the pistol brace industry, manufacturers have made agreements with dozens of foreign groups to provide them with pistol stabilizer braces for various platforms including the AK-47, M4/AR-15 platform, as well as several large orders for PDW style braces, presumably for MP5 pistol platforms. Although adopting the use of pistol-stabilizing braces may seem strange for a military unit, American Mercenaries have used pistol braces in the past. As the pistol brace amnesty deadline looms over our heads, are pistol brace manufacturers making a desperate move to secure their livelihood?

German optics company Hensoldt have announced they are building a new factory at Oberkochen in southern Germany. Hensoldt plan for the new plant to be self sustaining with power provided by the company’s own renewable sources. The Company hope to move into their new location by 2025. They already have a facility in Oberkochen as well as in nearby Aalen and the new facility will expand the  HENSOLDT Optronics Campus.

Beretta continues to expand their APX line of pistols with the A1 Tactical Full Size. This new model adds tactical features like a threaded barrel, extended magazine, and suppressor-height sights. An olive drab frame is also standard.

Many guns are exceedingly serious tools, purpose-built for potential life-or-death situations. Others are made more for fun – entertaining, enjoyable range toys. Today’s examination focuses on a case of the latter. Unless you live under a rock, by now you’ve likely at least heard of the extremely popular television series “The Mandalorian”, launched in 2019, from Disney’s Star Wars universe. One of the titular character’s weapons in the series is a sniper rifle called the Amban Phase-Pulse blaster, noted for its prominent two-pronged forked muzzle. As gun guys often do, some viewers who are also firearms aficionados have geeked out over the show’s prop weapons, looking for real-world guns that the props may be based on. In the case of the Amban rifle, there were none to be found. The blaster was an entirely fabricated prop and not a dressed-up real gun, as many other Star Wars weapons have been. However, the mad AK scientists at a Phoenix-based shop called Lee Armory have at least somewhat changed that.

While Israeli-based Bul Armory manufactures a number of other guns, what many shooters probably associate them most closely with is their lineup of 1911s. The company’s current catalogue features nearly two dozen models based on John Moses Browning’s venerable design. The Bul crew has largely set out to modernize this classic, particularly when it comes to their competition-centric race guns. They’ve come out with 1911s chambered for rounds other than the OG’s .45 ACP, as well – including .38 Super, .40 S&W, and 9mm. This last caliber is now getting three new SAS II-series versions. Meet the TAC PRO 4.25″ and the TAC 4.25″ and 5″ handguns, coming to the US market this year. Get the specs in the two respective press releases copied below.

The CZ P-10 range of pistols should be well-known already, and they’re now being offered with new attractive pricing, from $299 and upwards depending on the model. It’s nice to see some companies working to lower the inflation! Over the years TFB has done several exclusives and reviews of this series of pistols, so if you need to catch up on the details there are a few links for your convenience below.

The Civilian Marksmanship Program continues to offer new events and competitions. Hot on the heels of their action pistol program comes a new mid-range rifle match at the National Matches. This match is scheduled for July 31st, 2023.

New Hampshire-based Samson Manufacturing produces a healthy list of firearms components and accessories. While the AR-15 features strongly in their lineup, with a variety of handguards, iron sights, and more on offer for it, their catalog touches plenty of other firearm types as well. From folding stocks for Ruger 10/22s and Mini-14s to rails for MP5 clones, to comps for pistols and PCCs, there’s a little bit of something for nearly everyone. AK shooters are no exception, with a smattering of sight rails and other parts available, and now the company has added a new Kalashnikov offering to their arsenal, if you’re into modernizing Mikhail’s classic design. Get the details on their new AK-47 M-LOK handguard in the press release below.

SIG Sauer have announced that they have acquired General Robotics, an Israel-based technology defense company that develops robots and remote weapon systems. This is part of SIG Sauer’s effort to become a one-stop shop for land systems: weapons, ammunition, optics, research and development and now remote weapon systems.

Florida-based Big Daddy Unlimited is primarily known for retailing other companies’ firearms-related products. Their characteristic subscription system is membership-based, with some products and best pricing info locked behind a paywall. What they have not been widely known for over most of their operational history is offering their own house-brand products. Now it appears they may be looking to change that, as they have recently announced a pre-order for their new Big Daddy Unlimited “G-Flex” trigger, for gen 3-5 Glock handguns. Read more in the official press release, copied below.

Another day, another gun industry lawsuit. Coming to you from the United States District Court for the District of Nevada, we have Glock Inc. v. Polymer80 Inc. with patent infringement claims. Let’s take a look at this complaint and see what the allegations are in this suit.

For those who have been keeping track of the GWACS Armory vs. KE Arms lawsuit situation, you’ll be interested to hear that as of the 23rd of February, a majority of the causes of action against KE Arms have been dismissed. This is great news for the folks at KE Arms and by extension customers who want one of the best if not the best monolithic polymer receiver currently available on the firearms market. Below is the full and unedited post made by Russell Phagan via his SinistralRifleman.com Facebook page.

One of the more hotly anticipated releases in the rifle world in many years has finally landed. The SIG MCX SPEAR – the civilian version of the Army’s XM7 rifle – is now available for purchase. The first runs will include 7.62×51 and 6.5CM with the .277 SIG FURY (6.8) version due shortly thereafter. Following a multi-year test and evaluation process, SIG Sauer took home the winning contract for the Next Generation Squad Weapon (NGSW) program that includes a the MCX-SPEAR, the SIG Light Machine Gun, suppressors, and SIG’s hybrid case 6.8 ammo.

Last week, the American Suppressor Association testified in the New Mexico Senate in support of the use of suppressors as hearing protection for shooters and hunters. The testimony lead to the removal of the petition that would have banned suppressors. Knox Williams, Executive Director of the ASA, educated lawmakers on the actual use of suppressors to protect hearing and that a suppressor ban would do nothing to prevent crime. Additional details can be found below.

An Oklahoma gun store is in a bit of hot water after ATF agents found hundreds of improperly disposed defective firearms in the store’s dumpster. According to the Oklahoma news broadcaster KOKH Local 12, nearly 250 firearms that were apparently “still functioning” were discovered by a sanitation worker who then called law enforcement. The remainder of the story should serve as a reminder to us all just how particular the ATF can get when it comes to their instructions regarding the destruction of firearms and other firearms equipment.

At the start of SHOT Show 2023, the news broke that Australian defense company NIOA had purchased Barrett Firearms.  Rob Nioa, the new owner of Barrett Firearms was in attendance at this year’s SHOT Show.  I was given the rare opportunity to interview Mr. Nioa about his history in the firearms industry, and about the future of Barrett Firearms under his leadership.  Without further ado, the interview with the new Barrett owner, Rob Nioa.

The India-Russia joint venture to produce AK-203 assault rifles for the Indian Armed Forces has produced the first batch of rifles for the Indian Army. This was announced by  Rosoboronexport on January 17. The Indian Army has a requirement for about 671,000 rifles.