In 2019, US SOCOM (United States Special Operations Command) sought a weapon system that could overmatch small arms threats from opposing forces. The 6.5 Creedmoor was ultimately selected for this new platform due to its ability to engage targets at significantly longer distances than the .308 Win or 7.62 NATO and the ability to acquire or produce cartridges from available components and manufacturers. US SOCOM already adopted 6.5 CM in 2018 in limited capacities, so this made sense. The rifle was sought in two variants: Assault and Sniper Support, thus referred to as MRGG-A and MRGG-S respectively. The MRGG or Mid-Range Gas Gun program was developed and solicited by the defense industry. The solicitation had tight length, accuracy, and weight constraints. Aero Precision from Washington State made a competing rifle that they ultimately withdrew from the competition, but it’s still an amazing rifle made of state-of-the-art components.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves visits with Miroslav, Sellier & Bellot Ammunition armorer, and Tom, an IWI trainer, to discuss (and shoot!) the IWI Negev light/general purpose machine gun. The IWI Negev NG-5 (“Next Generation”) is a 5.56×45mm NATO light machine gun (“LMG”) developed by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), formerly Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI). In 2012, IWI introduced the Negev NG-7 7.62×51mm NATO general-purpose machine gun. In this video, Tom of IWI gives James a rundown of the Negev NG-5 and NG-7, and James gets to shoot a Negev NG-7 belt-fed in the Czech Republic with Sellier & Bellot.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves has the brand new Smith & Wesson M&P 5.7 for a full review. The M&P 5.7 was released at SHOT Show 2023 to much fanfare: A trusted brand releasing a pistol in a controversial and pricey caliber but pricing the M&P 5.7 at half of the price of an FN Five-seveN pistol? You had our curiosity, but now you have our attention. Is it good? Watch the video.

The long-awaited conclusion to the budget build faceoff: In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves and Hop roast each other’s budget AR-15 from episode one. The boys have a $1,250 budget to build the best, cheapest, most complete AR-15 possible while staying under budget.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves reviews the CZ 600 Trail, a tactical bolt action that accepts AR-15 magazines. Revealed at IWA 2022, the CZ 600 Trail is available in .223 and 7.62×39 (the 7.62x39mm version accepts Bren 2 magazines). It has a very light and portable chassis with a PDW-type stock, comes threaded from the factory for a suppressor, accepts AR-15 pistol grips, features an M-LOK free-float handguard around a cold hammer forged barrel, and comes with a 2 MOA accuracy guarantee. While this might not be the most practical or economical setup for most people, James enjoyed the CZ 600 Trail, and he explains why in the video.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at Sellier & Bellot ammunition factory to test out their 9×18 Makarov ammo on a true legend of a machine pistol, the APS, also known as “the Stechkin.” The Stechkin automatic pistol or APS (Avtomaticheskiy Pistolet Stechkina, Russian: Автоматический Пистолет Стечкина) is a Soviet select fire machine pistol. It bears the name of its developer, Igor Stechkin. The Stechkin has some cool features up its sleeve, so we were excited to test it out, even if we broke it on the range!

There were a lot of really great optics, soft goods and gear, thermals, night vision, muzzle devices and more at SHOT Show 2023. James Reeves walks you through what he thought the 10 best accessories were from SHOT Show and why. What did you think of the list?

In this episode of TFBTV, @JamesReeves is at SHOT Show 2023 to talk with the guys at PTR Industries about the new PTR-63, which is, functionally, a clone of the Heckler & Koch G41.

In this episode of TFBTV, @JamesReeves is at Sons of Liberty Gun Works’ SHOT Show 2023 booth to talk about a new option they’ve added to the SOLGW lineup in order to make nearly any AR sold by SOLGW California Compliant, even with those “scary” features typically banned in the state.

««« GEAR USED IN THIS VIDEO »»»
• Apparel: All TFBTV apparel is sponsored by 5.11 Tactical. Click below to check out their new products:
http://bit.ly/3w8Z8Pe

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves visits the Radical Firearms booth to see the new caliber convertible XR338 minigun manufactured by DTV Arms. James speaks with Matt, one of DTV’s engineers, about this amazing and powerful system.

SHOT Show 2023 is in the books, and guess who didn’t die in Las Vegas? In this episode of TFBTV, Hop makes up some fake awards for SHOT Show and preemptively reviews products that didn’t exist two weeks ago. Welcome to TFBTV’s First Annual SHOT Show Awards (we will probably never do this again)!

In this episode of TFBTV, @JamesReeves is at the SHOT Show 2023 Sons of Liberty Gun Works booth to talk about the new collaboration between SOLGW and the Tactical Games to build out a ready-to-run AR that meets all of the criteria for competing in the Tactical Games. SOLGW gives TFBTV the run down on this build.

New for 2023, Desert Tech has rolled out a number of small improvements to the MDRX platform. These changes apply to all models of MDRX and are incorporated in all rifles ordered going forwards, and in some cases can be retroactively applied to older models as well. Unlike James Reeves’ 60 year old bullpup of choice, the MDRX is still getting tweaked and improved… (but if anyone asks I didn’t say that).

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at the 5.11 Tactical booth during SHOT Show 2023 to see the XTU series of uniforms being made by 5.11 under the V.XI brand. These well-thought-out and feature-filled uniforms look promising, and it will be interesting to see if V.XI manages to break into the BDU market.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves talks about what he thought were the six best long guns at SHOT Show 2023. There were great showings by a lot of manufacturers including Beretta, B&T, Zastava, Henry, and even a company you probably never heard of making a pretty wild AR-10. Check the video for the list.

New for 2023, Palmetto State Armory is bringing out new versions of the JAKL series of piston-driven, monolithic upper ARs. The new JAKLs will be available with rifle-length barrels, including some pin & weld options, and also in new calibers like 7.62x39mm and 9mm. The new JAKLs will use PSA’s in-house lower receivers; the KS47 that takes AK magazines, and the AR-V that takes Scorpion magazines.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at Kalashnikov USA to see what new releases KUSA has for 2023. AKs in 5.56mm and 5.45mm are on the menu, as well as a few other selections.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at SHOT Show 2023 with Jerry of ZEV to talk about the new pistols and chassis systems that ZEV Technologies is launching in 2023. ZEV is adding a second generation to its OZ9 chassis systems and launching multiple configurations and price points. See today’s video to learn more.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at the Global Ordnance booth to talk to the Stribog gang about the new additions to the Stribog lineup for 2023. This popular, budget carbine seems to expand every year at SHOT, and 2023 is no different. See what’s coming up for the Stribog.

American Tactical is well known for their extensive lineup of aftermarket accessories for virtually any type of firearm. This year at SHOT 2023 Luke C visits the American Tactical to get some details on their upcoming 22LR Glock conversion kit that is set to cost just a hair under $100 MSRP. This new type of conversion kit requires no recoil spring or magazine changes and comes with everything you need to get your 9mm Glock pistol converted to be used with the much less expensive 22LR cartridge.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is with Michelle Viscusi of Staccato talking about Staccato’s new 15 (or 16?) round subcompact, optics-ready 2011 pistol, the Staccato CS. Michelle tells us all about the CS. Note that the guns are available now at a sporty $2,499 price tag directly from Staccato and are 90-120 days out from ordering.

In this episode of TFBTV, JamesReeves talks with BFG Director of Training and former Army Ranger, Chris Sizelove, about the new Blue Force Gear Ten-Speed Split Chest Rig. A pricey but well-thought-out and extremely well-constructed piece of gear, the Ten-Speed Split Rig is a great minimalist option when a plate carrier might be unnecessary or unavailable.

In this episode of TFBTV, Luke C talks with the guys at LaRue Tactical about the much-awaited release of the Siete bolt action rifle. This rifle comes complete with your choice of two quick-change barrels in the most popular hunting calibers of today with a guaranteed return to zero feature between barrel changes.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves visits his pals at ZEV to get the scoop on the ZEV/Magpul collaboration that was shown a decade ago as the FMG-9 (Folding Machine Gun 9) and is now being relaunched as the FDP-9 and FDC-9 (Folding Defensive Carbine/Pistol 9). Viewers have been waiting a long time for this release, and Jerry gives us more details on this exciting upcoming carbine.

In this episode of TFBTV, James Reeves is at the Kel-Tec booth during SHOT Show 2023 to discuss the new Kel-Tec .410 KSG. While there’s little doubt that the 12 gauge is the king of tactical shotguns, the .410 KSG manages to bring something to the table in that its smaller barrel and tubes make this version of the KSG much smaller and lighter than the original 12 gauge KSG. Like a baby Kel-Tec shotgun! (Aww, so cute!)

In this episode of TFBTV, JamesReeves speaks with Betty and Max of Ventum Gear to talk about their new tactical fanny pack for 2023. James met Betty and Max at IWA 2022 and loved their gear, which is all designed in Germany and manufactured in either Germany or another European country. Nothing is made in China. Their webshop is here: https://www.ventumgear.com/en

New for 2023, PSA is introducing a higher end series of ARs with nicer components and several upgrades out of the box. The new Sabre series rifles have features such as cold hammer forged barrels, improved controls and upgraded charging handles. They will also be available with milspec style forged receivers, or billet receivers with improved ambidextrous controls.

New for 2023, Palmetto State Armory is expanding its AK lineup to include some atypical calibers including .300 Blackout, and 6.5 Grendel. They are also introducing a more faithful Krinkov style AK which will be available in calibers other than just .300 Blackout. The 6.5 Grendel AK is an extension of the AK 556 lineup they introduced last year, which takes STANAG pattern mags and has a few AR style features not typically see on the AK platform.

In this episode of TFBTV, Luke C visits Thunder Beast to see their latest suppressor offerings, which include the new FLY 45 and the ULTRA50 .50 BMG can. The FLY 45 is rated for everything up to .45-70 Govt from a 16″ barrel while the ULTRA50 turns the relentless concussion and noise from the .50 BMG round into a much more manageable 130 dB report.