ERGO has a pretty expansive lineup of accessories to customize almost all of the popular firearm platforms. Everything from the AR-15, AR-10, AK, shotguns, handguns, you name it and they will have something to add your own style to it. Leading into 2018, and SHOT Show which is looming before us, they have announced a new Elite Series of Camouflage Over-Molded Grips, Rail Covers and Magwell Grips in a pretty enticing array of colors.

There are lots of timeless firearm debates to throw all of your shooting friends in a frenzy. They are sometimes more dangerous than talking about politics at Thanksgiving dinner.

Ruger, like many firearm companies right now, is gearing up for the most wonderful time of the year in the gun industry: SHOT Show! With that extravaganza of firearms looming in front of us, they have been introducing and announcing lots and lots of new models for 2018. Here are some of the rifle models you will see varying from the diminutive .22 Long Rifle up to the robust .300 Win Mag.

It was announced on Friday, January 5th that Ruger would be laying off in total 50 employees. Most of the positions being laid off are not directly tied to manufacturing or the production of firearms. It will primarily be roles in sales, engineering and marketing.

As we continue to inch closer and closer to SHOT Show one day at a time, Ruger is opening the floodgates on all of the new firearms they will be tantalizing us with, in 2018. They have announced a flurry of firearms so far, but they have even more pistols to show us.

Fime Group, the sole importer of Rex Zero 1 pistols, is officially announcing two new colors that will run you the same price as their base models. The two new colors are Olive Drab Green (OD Green) and Grey.

With the interest in DroneShield’s drone jammer from various militaries around the world growing, the company’s shoulder-fired jammer, the DroneGun MkII, has been certified safe for human exposure.

It was not even 2 years ago and Springfield Armory did not have a single AR-15 in their line-up of firearms. Now they have multiple rifles and a pistol to their name under the umbrella of the SAINT which spans from Keymod to M-LOK.

For 2018, Birchwood Casey will be introducing a number of new cleaning products for maintaining your firearms. Here is a quick look at some of them that will be in the new catalog.

Glock has begun to slowly expand their line-up of Gen5 models that are being transitioned in from the Gen4 series. Right now, they have the G17 and G19 as well as the just announced G26 Gen5 and the G34 Gen5 Modular Optic System (MOS) pistols. An argument could be made for 5 total with the G19X, but that is a unique crossover that shares attributes from both the Gen5 and Gen4 series.

Glock’s newest, and likely to be most talked about firearm for 2018, is the model 19X. The Glock 19X is meant to be a crossover that will hopefully allow consumers to do so with confidence. The Glock 19X is a step into a new direction and quite possibly a new iteration of future pistols. This aberration of a Gen5  combines a G17 frame with a G19 slide assembly. This unique combination allows for the capacity of their full size G17 magazines, more dexterity and positive handling, and accuracy in a smaller package.

Ringing in the New Year in true polymer style, three new GLOCKs have just been officially announced with U.S. consumer availability starting on January 22 – the first day of the 2018 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. The highlight of the release is the 19X – GLOCK’s version of the U.S. Army’s Modular Handgun System (MHS) submission featuring a G19 length slide on a G17 sized frame, all dressed up in field dark earth (FDE).

Springfield Armory has introduced a new concealed carry handgun chambered in .380 ACP. The new handgun is called 911. Here is how Springfield Armory describes the model name:

Ruger has taken their wildly popular centerfire rifle, the Ruger Precision Rifle or RPR, and adapted it for small-bore enthusiasts with the newly unveiled Ruger Precision Rimfire chambered in .22 Long Rifle. This iteration of its bigger brother touches on many of the features that draw shooters to the Precision rifle.

While Barrett Firearms Manufacturing is best known for their .50 BMG anti-materiel rifles they also produce a series of AR-based designs, the REC7, offering both piston and direct gas impingement systems. While the REC7 is chambered in 5.56×45 or 6.8 SPC, Barrett has unveiled the new REC10 which chambers larger rounds including 7.62x51mm, .260 Remington, and 6.5 Creedmoor.

Arsenal Firearms has changed the name of their company; thereby, setting back the release of their heavily anticipated Stryk B pistol. This announcement was made to customers, suppliers and business partners of Arsenal Firearms.

Christensen Arms has had The Mesa rifle on the market for approximately one year. To commemorate this simple milestone, they are adding a splash of color to it by the way of a Burnt Bronze Cerakote. All of the original specifications remain the same, but now you have the ever-popular choice of a Cerakote finish in the tactically-attractive Burnt Bronze.

Nighthawk Custom, the quality custom shop from Arkansas, is used to having one gunsmith labor to build one gun at a time. With their new Boardroom Series of pistols, this should be pretty evident. To the tune of $4,195 (not legal for our California friends), you can get a subtly high-class 1911 that will be a gem to shoot as well.

Many AR-15 enthusiasts and hunters have a strong appreciation for .300 AAC Blackout because of its versatility and available grain weight range. It has very similar ballistics to a traditional AK-47 chambered for 7.62x39mm ( .300 AAC Blackout is 7.62x35mm metrically), but you have the popular American platform of an AR-15.

We all know that Glocks are the glorified tinkerer-toy of the handgun world. With decades of reliability, law enforcement backing and an abundance of aftermarket parts, many manufacturers want to get in on the game.

Target shooters, hunters and those who conceal carry for their own personal protection often seek out and use specialty ammo; ammunition that is created by manufacturers for specific applications. To that same extent, law enforcement can have specific needs based on their intended use in the field. To fill that need, a category of Hornady Law Enforcement ammunition exists. Ammo that supports tactical applications in a wide array of calibers. Some new offerings Hornady will be presenting to law enforcement in 2018 will come through their TAP (Tactical Application Police) and Critical Duty series.

The Speer Gold Dot load of ammunition has always been a benchmark of quality and performance for law enforcement. Now, as of December 19th, Speer has been awarded a contract with the DHS (US Department of Homeland Security) and ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) to the tune of 120 Million Rounds of ammunition.

Slovenian firearms manufacturer AREX has been bought by the Czech Republic-based investment company RSBC.

Western Powders is preparing to publish their very first, full-fledged reloading book. For those who are unaware, Western Powders owns multiple, reputable companies within the reloading industry that you probably are already using.

Leupold has a new line of optics coming out for 2018 and it should inspire some patriotism and hopefully a desire to open your wallet. The VX-Freedom line of optics will support muzzleloader, rimfire and centerfire options for consumers in an array of magnification choices.

Remington amidst rumblings of uncertainty continues to roll out more 1911 models with strong influences from their absorbed Para Ordnance brand. The next on the docket: an Ultra Light Executive, Enhanced Double Stack and Recon Commander Double Stack.

We at TFB have extensively covered AFA LLC’s automated speedloader and the troubles they experienced on IndieGoGo previously. Well, AFA LLC is not just a one trick show. They have a pretty broad portfolio of products which now includes Bulletproof Jackets.

Many mom ‘n pop shops, internet retailers, distributors and gun manufacturers have felt their fair share of censorship. Whether it is Facebook banning certain advertisements, YouTube defunding firearm channels or other marketplaces being unkind or unwelcoming, it is always more difficult to compete when you sell firearms and related goods. There are some sequestered markets that shooting enthusiasts can still utilize like Armslist, Gunbroker or GunsInternational, but even those have been occasionally politicized as of late.

Roughly 2 months ago, unbeknownst to many shooters, SAR USA unveiled one of their newest pistols. This simplistic looking model, SAR USA believes, solves the firearm riddle of producing a pistol that is perfect for duty, competition and carry. Instead of 2 or 3 pistols, SAR USA states they have you covered.

6.5 Creedmoor is all the rage now. Having run a couple of platforms with this caliber, I can attest to the utility of the round (and ease and fun of shooting). Having owned Springfield Armory’s M1A Loaded Precision in .308 Win, I was definitely intrigued by the introduction of the platform in 6.5 Creedmoor. I also had the fortune to shoot this exact platform a couple of months ago at a Springfield Armory media event. I was pleasantly surprised by the performance and feel of the rifle.