Guns & Gear

The AK rifle has earned a reputation as one of the most widely produced and reliable firearms ever made. Designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the years following World War II, the platform has served military forces, law enforcement agencies, and civilian shooters across the globe for decades. Its gas system, generous clearances, and relatively simple design allow it to continue functioning in conditions that might disable more tightly fitted firearms. Its fairly open front trunnion and the two locking lugs are also simpler and easier to clean out and get back in the fight.

Tyler Grey spent thirteen years getting told no. No, this won't work. No, sights don't work that way. No, nobody will want them. The fact that Saberdyne Systems launched the NDEX Indexing Sight System just now suggests he stopped asking permission. NDEX is a rear-sight-only system that removes the traditional front sight post entirely, forcing a philosophical reckoning with how pistol shooters have been trained for the better part of seventy years. The mechanism is simple, the implication is not. If front-sight focus is doctrine for precision shooting, what happens when you design sights for stress response instead of range conditions?

There's a pattern in American military history that's so intrinsically tied to a specific thing that mentioning it feels like you're setting up a punchline, and yet, FirstSpear just dropped it unironically across an entire collection. The five-color disruptive pattern that the Marines called Frogskin, which made its operational debut during WWII with the Raiders in the Pacific, is officially back, and no, the marketers didn't overthink the frog thing. It's just what people called it, and after 80-some years, FirstSpear figured enough time had passed to resurrect this piece of genuine American military history without anyone cringing.

The 250th anniversary of American independence arrives with a fitting tribute from SOG Knives, a company that's built its reputation on delivering uncompromising steel to professionals who demand reliability when it matters most. The new SEAL FX 250th Anniversary Limited Edition fixed blade marks the occasion with a commemorative run limited to just 250 individually numbered examples, each carrying the weight of that numerical restriction as a collectible marker.

Two hundred and fifty years is worth more than a flag decal, and Microtech Knives agrees. The North Carolina OTF maker dropped a limited-edition Hera II to commemorate the Semiquincentennial, dressed in patriotic Cerakote and paired with a double-edge Apocalyptic finish blade that carries the kind of character you'd expect from a milestone piece.

I'll admit up front that I've become one of those guys who can't stop doing math on the amount of money I haven’t spent recently on tax stamps, which is a strange sentence to type, but here we are. For the last two weeks, I've had a Franklin Armory F22-V SBR on the bench and at the range for a while now, and today I want to share my experiences and thoughts with you, sor far, on this unique platform that just a year ago would have been an extra 400 bones just for the permission to enjoy the 10/22 in what I think is one of its most enjoyable forms - a two stamp SBR.

Luke C. speaks to Ian at GunCon 2026 to check out the o"ST"-14 Groza kit from the boys over at Stuff & Things Inc (STINC), a drop-in bullpup conversion that turns a PSA Krink (AK-74U pattern pistol) into a reasonably obtainable version of the Russian OTs-14 Groza. STINC says their conversion kit has compatibility with the 300 BLK, 7.62x39, and 5.56 Krink variants, with some fitting work potentially needed on other AK platforms.

There are media event trips, and then there are the kind of trips that remind you why you fell in love with this industry in the first place, and continue to sacrifice much to keep working in it. My recent visit to Lewiston, Idaho, to participate in CCI Ammunition's celebration of its 75th anniversary was very much the latter. I honestly can't remember a time when CCI wasn't part of my life as a shooter. CCI Standard Velocity, in particular, has been a constant presence for about as long as I can recall picking up a .22. The brick on the shelf, the box in the range bag, the stuff you grab without even thinking about it because you already know it's going to run. Most of you know that CCI Standard is a staple here on The Rimfire Report, and for almost 7 years now, CCI has been along with me for the ride as I dig myself deeper and deeper within the rabbit hole that is rimfire firearms and ammunition.

Shellshock Protection is slowly making a name for themselves in the eye and ear pro sector of the firearm industry. We reported on one of their first product releases ever in 2024, and now they have something new for us in the EXO Pro Elite Electronic Hearing Protection: an over-ear muff touting excellent noise mitigation at an accessible price-point.

When we talk about rimfires today, we mostly think of .22LR, .22 Short or maybe .22 Magnum. In the past few years, we’ve seen .17 HMR and .21 Sharp come on the scene, and the .17 HM2 come and go. All these cartridges have their advantages and disadvantages, but they’re all small-bore rounds. But this wasn’t always the case.

What belongs in a patrol vehicle trauma kit beyond the issued IFAK, how to organize it for access under stress, and the consumable rotation discipline that keeps it functional when it matters.

I’m pleased to welcome back longtime TFB writer, friend, and, most importantly for today, AK historian Vladimir Onokoy. Vlad has lived a remarkable life and had a front-row seat to some truly unique experiences. Most recently, he has taken on the ambitious challenge of writing a book on a niche and largely unexplored subject: the complex history of Zastava AK rifles. His upcoming book, From Balkans to Babylon: Zastava AKs of Yugoslavia, Serbia, and Iraq, dives deep into that story. While we do touch on what readers can expect from the book, today’s conversation focuses more on Vlad’s personal journey, what inspired him to start, and who motivated him to keep going. It is a story about following that instinct to document and share hard-earned knowledge, with the hope that it inspires others to do the same.

Speed is the weapon, and the Stockholm archipelago is the proving ground. Swedish manufacturer Zulu Marine builds the 33P for exactly this environment: tight island passages, unpredictable chop, and the kind of high-speed maritime work that demands a hull that won't quit. The boat you're looking at here is the same platform that's found favor with coastguard and defense agencies across Europe.

Recently, AllOutdoor Editor and fellow TFB contributor Sam S. passed along a Gunbroker link of an 18-inch top-break single-shot that instantly caught my eye, as it has been one of the many rifles on my list of ones to either find or at least cover here on The Rimfire Report. This is a unique and somewhat primitive looking rifle that features a very unique swinging breech block. The listing called it an H.M. Quackenbush Safety Cartridge .22 Rifle. The bore looked dark, the action a bit tired, but something about it just screamed: “forgotten American boys’ rifle.” It sent me down a wonderful research rabbit hole. Today, we’re talking about   Henry Marcus Quackenbush’s clever Safety Rifle and why these unassuming little guns are actually highly collectible simply for their novelty.

It’s a weird thing, the North American firearms industry. Some guns are so popular they’re practically immortal, with factories around the world turning out copycats. Other guns that are quite interesting, and probably more fun to shoot, are cast the wayside. Here are three rimfires that I’d like to see come back into production, if only the dollars and cents made sense …

Few firearms platforms inspire the kind of lifelong devotion (or call it obsession) and global lore as the AK. Today, we’ve brought together three guys who live and breathe the platform every day. Emmanuel Barron of American Steppe, builder of tough, field-proven American-made gear designed with real hunters in mind, Kyle (@molasses_marmot), and Kalen of Rotating Bolt Industries, the Colorado-based FFL and boutique AK shop responsible for custom builds like the RB-01, which I reviewed here on TFB just a few years ago. Each of them shares their unfiltered thoughts on how the AK stacks up against its contemporaries, real-world reliability lessons from gunsmithing and competitive shooting, and helpful platform quirks worth knowing if you’re planning on adopting one yourself.

The proliferation of drone-based surveillance on the modern battlefield has pushed individual soldier concealment to the forefront of defense priorities, and Saab is responding with a dedicated wearable camouflage system. The Swedish company has unveiled the Barracuda Poncho, a multispectral concealment garment designed to hide dismounted soldiers from thermal and, in its arctic configuration, UV sensors across a range of operational environments.

This year marked the first military parade in a decade in Armenia for the Republic Day, on 28 May. The parade offered a clear glimpse into the country’s changing defense posture, as Armenia showcased a range of newly acquired weapons amid a broader effort to reduce its reliance on Russian arms and ammunition while modernizing.

There are a lot of things in life I don’t understand, and one of those things is why some people in the AK community look down on 5.56 AK rifles.

For 25 years, Daniel Defense has built a reputation on the kind of hardware that ends up in special operations kits. To mark that milestone, the company is reaching back to one of its rarest chapters, a handguard so obscure it borders on myth. The GL/SSC, short for Grenade Launcher/Sound Suppressor Capable, was a slightly shortened version of the legendary RIS II rail, purpose-built for 12.5-inch barrel setups while retaining full M203 grenade launcher mounting capability.

The Ruger 10/22 platform, in my book, remains one of the most legendary and customizable rimfire rifles ever made. So it's only natural that the aftermarket accessory giant Strike Industries has decided to expand its popular Strike Modular Chassis (SMC) catalog to include the king of plinking rifles, the Ruger 10/22.

Boot selection by assignment and climate, break-in realities, insole and orthotic considerations, and the long-term foot and knee impact of poor footwear over a twenty-year career.

Microtech Knives just dropped the teaser image above, and honestly, it's enough or at least a really good start. The G19K is an OTF (out-the-front) automatic knife born from an official collaboration between Microtech and GLOCK, and the result looks exactly like what you'd expect when two companies with deeply devoted followings decide to combine their DNA into a single blade.

The Ruger 10/22 Takedown is already one of the more cleverly designed rimfires on the market, a rifle that breaks down in seconds and packs into a bag most people wouldn't look twice at. Samson Manufacturing looked at it and apparently decided the only thing missing was a folding chassis that makes it even more compact, more configurable, and, as one media personality put it at NRA 2026, "one of the unexpected hits" of the show. Meet the SAS/22 Takedown Chassis.

Duty belts have changed very little in decades. Threading pouches on in the right order, fighting keepers that fall off mid-shift, and liner belts that lose their grip after months of hook-and-loop abuse. It's a long list of small frustrations that add up fast for the officers who wear them every single day. Safariland is taking a hard look at all of it with the new HOLLE Duty Belt system, a platform that first showed up at SHOT Show 2026 and is now officially shipping.

I am a huge fan of the Bodyguard 2.0 primarily because it conceals well in virtually any situation. One thing I really don’t like about it is that the magazines are notoriously difficult to load, and if you do any amount of practice, a mag loader is going to save your thumbs and fingers for the shooting, as these mags tend not to break in very much over the course of ownership. XTech has just announced the new LDR2000B1, a new addition to the LDR2000 lineup of affordable mag loaders, that is now specifically catered for the Bodyguard 2.0 and other .380 ACP pocket pistols with similar magazine bodies.

ELEY’s line of premium UK-produced ammunition is a pretty rare sight here in the States for most of us, mostly because of its price. In addition to the budget, specialty, and standard 22LR offerings we’ve been checking out, I’ve also decided to start folding in some more premium 22LR offerings, including this week’s offering - ELEY Force 42gr Round Nose. This supersonic load is primarily intended for high-level competitive shooters, and today we’ll be putting it through the Ingegrally Suppressed Angstadt/Ruger Precision Rimfire.

Three brands walked into a gun store. The result is one of the more complete truck gun packages to hit the market in a while. VKTR Industries, Exigent Defense, and Shark Coast Tactical have teamed up on a bundle they're calling the Kentucky Truck Gun, an exclusive collaboration available only through Shark Coast.

I have never really been a huge piston-driven AR-15 fan. The extra weight, complexity, and lack of real benefit for me as a fairly low-volume civilian shooter left me convinced that a well-built direct impingement rifle still offered the best balance for people like me. So when Franklin Armory offered to send out one of their OPS-16 rifles, I figured it’d be another chance to reaffirm my somewhat anti-piston-AR stance. This fairly new rifle is intended to be used with Franklin’s Binary system, but I’ve decided to abscond with the BFS and instead review the standard, 16-inch 5.56 rifle configuration, which uses a low-profile, self-regulating Osprey Defense piston system that aims for cleaner operation and suppressor compatibility without the usual adjustments or swapping out of other components.