AR-15

Franklin Armory has released a new AR binary trigger called AR-ELITE. The main difference of the new trigger from other Franklin Armory binary triggers for AR-style rifles is that it has interchangeable trigger bows and comes with a straight and curved bow. The new AR-ELITE trigger has the same MSRP as the fixed bow binary trigger models (AR-S1 and AR-C1) and will replace them in the company’s catalog.

In this video, James Reeves asks: "What is the ultimate urban rifle?" with a specific budget of $3,000. He reviews the Bravo Company (BCM) rifle that he brought to Thunder Ranch. This review is a continuation of TFB's Ultimate Urban Rifle series, which began five years ago at Thunder Ranch, where we explored what makes a rifle ideal for urban environments. We’ll cover everything from barrel length, bolt carrier groups, and optics, to suppressors and slings, discussing why a 16" AR is a great all-around choice for urban defense. I’ll also break down my build, which totaled around $4,776, and show you how to get similar performance for as low as $2,700 without (much) compromising on quality.

Finally, the AR market has caught up to where it was in the 1980s! In this episode of TFBTV, Hop takes the Harrington & Richardson A2 Government Carbine down to Thunder Ranch to see how well a lightweight retro AR can hold up to high round counts and getting tossed around. We put multiple shooters behind the gun, shot it a lot, and tried several different carry handle optics. We also put a B&T suppressor on it but that was in a different video and you probably don't want to watch it again.

Year by year, we’ve seen WOOX expanding their collection of firearm furniture that elegantly blends modern styles with traditional wood grains. Their latest product, the Vigilante, offers WOOX’ signature take on the challenging task of tastefully adding wood accents to Modern Sorting Rifles.

Remember the Good Old Days Of Army Surplus, when the post-Cold War stuff from Europe was widely available? Remember all that old Flecktarn pattern camo kit from Germany? It was dope stuff, and if you’ve got some of it still around, B5 now had a combo kit to dress up your AR-15 to match.

If you head southeast toward Arlington from the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, you will soon come to a small industrial park just off of Highway 287. Nestled in with several other businesses including a manufacturing company and machine shop, a laser etching/engraving operation, and a metal and Cerakote finishing service, you will find a premium firearms manufacturer: Lone Star Armory. Founded in 2006, LSA’s Texas-proud DNA is comprised of critical lessons learned from warfighting and law enforcement, a heritage of competition shooting and auto racing, and an obsessive passion for the pursuit of absolute excellence in every aspect of the mission, right down to the minutiae of every individual component or process.

Last year at TriggerCon, VKTR Industries introduced their new piston-driven VK1 AR-15 in rifle and pistol configurations. At this year’s GunCon 2024 at Brownells, they introduced their brand new VKTR Industries DI Bolt Carrier Group for Direct-Impingement AR-15 rifles and pistols. This new DI BCG features the same precision cam geometry as the VK-1 piston rifle’s BCG, the goal of which is to have a smoother operation and less contact inside the receiver during lockup and unlock of the bolt.

Luke C ( @BallisticAviation) is back at GunCon 2024 talking with the inventor of the RIFLESPEED Gas Control System - Mr. Kyle Lynch. Today Kyle tells the story of the impetus for the creation of the Riflespeed Gas system, reveals a new gas block journal diameter for larger rifle systems and their barrels, and also teases at some new products coming from Riflespeed just around the corner.

Luke C ( @BallisticAviation) is back at GunCon 2024 with Ryan from KAK Industry to talk about their new Brownells Exclusive Uppers. Available in the most popular barrel and handguard lengths of the current industry, these new Brownells exclusive uppers give the user a KAK “Pentacomp” hybrid flash hider/compensator, a chrome-lined phosphate barrel, full-length M-LOK handguard, and of course a KAK KSPEC bolt carrier group. These new uppers should be retailing for around $650 and will be available exclusively on the Brownells website beginning in August 2024. GunCon is graciously hosted by  @brownells  and  @TheGunCollective at the Brownells HQ in Grinnell, Iowa.

Brownells, in large part, started the retro resurgence of the last few years. While they did get out of the game with complete guns, they still offer parts and uppers. The most recent batch of uppers is more modern and includes the Brownells 733, a Model 733 clone. Yes, the 733 we all know and love from the movie Heat. When Brownells offered me a review of this upper, I promptly sent them my shipping info and I started loading magazines.

Palmetto State Armory’s sub-brand Harrington & Richardson has a pair of new retro pistols for sale. These new models feature an arm brace that mimics the look of the classic CAR-15 stock while still being intended for single-handed use. It is adjustable for the length of pull and has a QD sling cup in the rear of the brace for shooting with sling tension.

Rosco Manufacturing has collaborated with Barrel & Hatchet to introduce Rosco’s newest K9 16’’ Barrel for all of the Do-It-Yourself AR-15 builders. This new offering utilizes an intermediate length gas system, is chambered in the common and popular 5.56mm NATO, and punches in at a reasonable $225 MSRP.

Join James Reeves and the TFBTV crew – Hop, Ryan, and Luke – as they take on the legendary Urban Rifle Course at Thunder Ranch. Each member brings their top AR-15, ready to prove their rifle’s superiority. Under the watchful eye of Jack Daniel, Thunder Ranch’s Director of Training, who has witnessed every conceivable malfunction and failure, the team will face rigorous testing. Jack will use his unparalleled experience to evaluate each rifle and crown the worst and best AR-15 from the group. THE WINNER GETS FIFTY BUCKS. Don’t miss this ultimate showdown of skill, equipment, and expertise.

Colt Canada have unveiled their C8A4 at the CANSEC 2024 trade fair in Ottawa. The new rifle is seeking to fulfill the Canadian Army’s ‘Canadian Modular Assault Rifle’ requirement which has been shaping up over the last couple of years. The ‘Canadian Modular Assault Rifle’ project is the latest element of the Canadian armed forces’ small arms modernization program which has seen the adoption of the SIG Sauer P320 as the C22 to replace the long-service Browning Hi-Power and the adoption of the C20 designated marksman rifle.

Photo Of The Day – the best place online to view the coolest images of firearms and today we have some Italian hotness on offer. ADC or Armi Dallera Custom is an Italian company founded in 1987, and I’ve met them at a number of exhibitions around Europe. In the year 2000, Armi Dallera Custom started focusing on a new product, the rifle.

Michigan-based Next Level Armament have announced the introduction of their 6ARC Phoenix Rifle. The new rifle has Helix 6 Precision Carbon Fiber barrels and is available in 16”, 18”, and 20” barrel lengths, all with a 1-7 twist rate.  The 6ARC chambering joins their range which also includes .308, .450 Bushmaster, 5.56×45, 450 Legend, and 9mm. MSRP on the new rifle starts at $3,039.

NEMO Arms has released a new line of AR-15 pattern rifles called the  FX Series. The NEMO Arms FX family of rifles currently consists of two members which are mostly identical except for the chambers: 5.56×45 NATO vs .223 Wylde. With an MSRP of $1,495, these are the most affordable .223/5.56 offerings in the NEMO Arms catalog (rifles with comparable specs from their Battle-Light line start at $2,450).

Geissele won a contract to supply new rifles to the US Border Patrol back in 2022. Well, those models are now available for purchase directly from Geissele. Let’s take a look at the various models and their features.

Barrett Firearms has announced the return of their REC7 DI (Direct Impingement) AR-15 patterned rifle with a nod to Stoner yet touting some modern accoutrements. Barrett states on their website that this rifle has “a nod to Eugene Stoner and his direct impingement design, [and] Barrett is proud to produce the REC7 DI.”

A while back, Leapers reached out to the crew at The Firearm Blog and asked if anybody would be interested in reviewing one of their new 1-8 LPVOs. I was particularly intrigued by this, as I was not aware that Leapers/Integrix was creating military spec optics, and I thought that they only made scopes for airsoft guns or pellet rifles. I have already done a first impressions piece on the INTEGRIX IX8 1-8X28 LPVO that you can read here. I will be briefly going over the specs here so if you want more of that information, check out the first impressions piece.

Lancer Systems has updated their L5 Advanced Warfighter Magazine with a new Gen 2 version. Like the prior version, it combines steel feed lips with a polymer body. The L5AWM Gen 2 offers updated feed lip geometry and refined design compared to the original.

Rock River Arms has heard the cries of all you lefties out there and has announced the BT-2 ATR. What’s that, all you right-handed shooters cry—you’re saying this is reverse discrimination? No, it isn’t, because the new Rock River Arms BT-2 ATR controls are ambidextrous.

In this interview at EnforceTac 2024, James Reeves sits down with Felix from Haenel to delve into the intricacies of their cutting-edge Haenel HMR 308 Haenel Marksman Rifle. This premium DMR semi-automatic rifle, a piston-operated design belonging to the AR10 class, is designed for precision shooting, whether stationary or on the move. The HMR308 showcases a range of innovative features, including a cold-hammer-forged barrel with suppressor compatibility, a detachable handguard with M-LOK rails, AR10 magazine compatibility, and a unique side charging handle for ease of use in prone positions. The rifle also boasts an adjustable precision trigger and a customizable Haenel AR buttstock, enhancing both comfort and accuracy. This conversation will explore the HMR308’s design philosophy, performance capabilities, and potential applications in both sport shooting and defense.

The original Bushmaster ORC (Optics Ready Carbine) was a simple, hard-use, flat-top AR that offered no real frills and could be had at a very low asking price leaving more room in your budget for optics and other accessories. Fast forward to today and the tastes and requirements that most people have these days when it comes to hard-use rifles have changed a bit, and that’s why Bushmaster has revamped the ORC with new features including modern handguards, as well as several different configurations that still keep the cost low, but improve key areas of the rifle that are often upgraded first.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the brand new YHM 338 Bad Larry Suppressor. Last week we got our hands on the new GLOCK 19X MOS, an exclusive from Davidsons. This week we get behind one of my favorite rifle/suppressor combinations and attempt to shoot five-shot sub MOA groups. Can the quietest 556 AR-15 setup also deliver small, repeatable groups? Let’s take a look.

Maxim Defense have introduced two new chamberings for their PDX-SD – .300BLK and 7.62x39mm. The PDX-SD has an integrated system with a short suppressor with an outer diameter of 2.25 inches and a length of 7.4 inches. The gun is 7.6 lbs total and has an overall length of 23.75 inches. It is available with either a stock, as an SBR, or with a brace as a pistol.

A new day and another go at TFB’s Photo Of The Day where we take a look at the Dallas Texas Police Department SWAT team’s LWRC IC-A5 carbine made by LWRC International LLC. IC stands for Individual Carbine.

Luke C (​@ballisticaviation⁠) is at the Rock River Arms booth to check out the company’s newest rimfire rifle in 17 HMR. The RRA 17 HMR has a unique gas operated blowback system that allows the rifle to operate using a wide variety of 17 HMR ammunition, and also reduces fouling in critical areas of the firearm. This new rifle will be sold as both a complete 17 HMR rifle compatible with Black Dog magazines, or as a standalone upper that comes with the unique Bolt Carrier Group, and properly weighted buffer.

Montana-based Olympus Arms returns to SHOT Show’s Industry Day at the Range with their Vulcan rifle. James saw it last year and made a very popular video about it, but there are some changes that have been made and also, James wanted to know about the accuracy of this platform.

CoolFire Trainer, known for its CO2-powered drop-in conversion kits for pistols, has now expanded its innovative training solutions to include AR-pattern rifles. Distinguished from their pistol kits—which necessitated a barrel swap—the new AR kit simplifies the conversion process by only requiring users to remove their existing bolt and replace it with CoolFire’s system.