Submachine Guns/Pistol Caliber Carbines

Ironically, such films were probably responsible for saving lives in the 1980s, by leading gang-bangers to believe they didn’t actually need to aim during a drive-by shooting—if you could spray and pray from the hip, like the movies, surely it was good enough?

In the spring of 1980, the quiet elegance of Prince's Gate in London (U.K.) was shattered by the sharp crack of gunfire. For six tense days, the Iranian Embassy had been under siege by six armed men. Inside, twenty-six hostages waited in fear. Outside, the world watched and waiting in the shadows were the men of the Special Air Service.

Keen TFBers might remember James Reeves putting a Stevens 320 12-gauge through a 500-round burndown (if not, see here). Over the past three years, I’ve been putting a Stevens 320 through my own evaluation, but not by firing off a few hundred rounds in one go. I bought a 20-gauge, field-length version of this made-in-China pump-action and have been hunting with it for a variety of game.

RSBC, the Czech private investment group, has acquired what they describe as a ‘strategic stake’ in Verney-Carron, the oldest and last-standing private manufacturer of small arms in France. A press release from RSCB explains that “the transaction, carried out in partnership with French distributor Rivolier, includes the tactical weapons brand Lebel, which supplies armed forces and security units.” The release goes on to note that “this strategic move marks RSBC’s entry into the French defence market and complements its existing European investments in STEYR ARMS (Austria) and AREX (Slovenia)”, this expands RSBC Defence’s portfolio considerably.

Proof Research has a new family of bolt action hunting rifles. The Tundra Ti X has a Proof carbon fiber barrel and titanium receiver to keep weight low without sacrificing durability. Not only is it light, but it is accurate and features a 1/2 MOA accuracy guarantee from the manufacturer.

MDT has new chassis inlets for the LSS Gen 3 series. Models are now available for the Howa mini action, Tikka T1x rimfire, and T3x left-hand receivers. These inlets join a very large family of other fitments in the LSS series, fitting most popular actions on the market.

Lapua has a new line of projectiles, and ammunition loaded with it. The TrueRange Expanding projectile is a lead free copper bullet with a polymer tip that initiates expansion on impact. There will also be a few initial ammunition offerings featuring this TRX projectile.

In June 2024, Izvestiya reported that a new experimental machine gun had been developed in Russia. This weapon is named the PKZ and was created in Perm at OOO Labi, the Design Bureau Perm Designers for Victory. The small company started out producing new ammunition cans for the PKM, which inspired him to kit for the PKM. The PKZ is a significantly shorter version of the PKM, though I could not find any specific barrel length. It was noted that this machine gun was developed for use in what is referred to as the Special Military Operation (SVO), which pertains to the Russo-Ukraine War.

Photo Of The Day and we examine the Steyr DMR 762, as shown in Zero Compromise Optics’ booth at IWA 2025. The optics is the ZC210, with the DMR reticle which was designed in cooperation with advisors from active-duty Austrian Special Forces.

Welcome back to another edition of Concealed Carry Corner. Last week, we took a look at rating various carry guns. I had some great recommendations in the comments, so I decided to do another edition of rating guns this week. If you happened to miss last week's article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. Like I said, I took some of the more common carry guns as well as a few choices from last week to give you guys more ratings based on the three categories of Firepower, Mobility and Capacity. Some of you complained last week that certain guns outranked others. This is just how things go when looking at various categories. Some may score low on capacity while ranking higher in firepower. This is what makes these three categories so fun, so let's jump into rating various carry guns, part 2.

Safariland’s expansive holster lineup has another new model. The Gravity holster is a low-profile outside waistband holster. It utilizes a friction fit with adjustable retention, and comes in a variety of fabric wrap options.

Today, I chat with Conor, CEO of ACE Virtual Shooting (and former Navy Seal), about the literally game-changing Ace Virtual Shooting Simulator. We unpack its strengths in improving your trigger discipline and sight alignment while getting into hot debates about its realism versus live-fire practice. Due to high demand, we will also talk about the system’s price tag and pricing structure, its slick VR handgun designs, and comparisons to tools like MantisX and regular dry fire practice. Conor teases future upgrades, like expanded firearm options, and his plan to sway skeptics in the gun community. With a mix of tech talk and fun banter, this episode offers a fresh take on virtual shooting’s role in the firearms world. Tune in for a fun ride through the technology, people, and ideas behind the ACE Virtual Shooting platform.

When it comes to new firearms, the market seems to be flooded with various model AR-15s or newer variants of the AK platform, with a completely different platform coming out occasionally as well. What we don't get is older-style rifles that have an interesting past, which is what this rifle is. The HK53 was the idea of creating a rifle variant of the classic MP5 and was released in the later months of 1980. Century Arms has released a clone version of the HK53 made by MKE, based in Turkey. I’ve had their AP53 for a couple of months now and after some range time, I have a good idea of what this rifle is all about. Let's take a closer look at the new Century Arms AP53.

All of a sudden, this cat showed up on my doorstep. Hungry as hell, and clear about it. He shares my interest in firearms, so he stayed. He may look black in the images, but he’s more of a sniper grey panther, with sharp green eyes. Someone named him “Lucifer”, which seems pretty accurate if you’re a mouse or any kind of food. Here he is, posing for TFB’s Photo Of The Day.

Welcome back to another edition of Wheelgun Wednesday. Last week, we took a look at the single action revolvers for any budget. If you happened to miss that article, be sure to click the link here to check it out. This week, I want to look at the big brother of the Smith & Wesson revolver line. For years, it was the N frame that reigned king, but early on in the 21st century, something larger came along and took the market by storm as the champion of large-framed revolvers. Let's take a closer look at the X-Frame from Smith & Wesson.

Magtech has recalled some batches of 5.56x45 NATO ammo. The affected batches have “incorrect” powder charges, which is never a good thing. Keep reading to get all the details.

Bear Creek Arsenal is going back to the future with the reintroduction of uppers chambered in 6.8 SPC II. This “Special Purpose Carbine” cartridge was an effort to bring better ballistics to the AR-15 before cartridges like 6.5 Grendel and 6mm ARC gained popularity.

There is always a desire to improve and address current and future threats. Enhancing the self-contained metallic cartridge and projectile is essential to meet evolving operational demands and effectively counter emerging threats. By focusing on performance improvements, we can increase lethality, and the Soviet Union tried to do this from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s, possibly around 2015.

Photo Of The Day, and with permission, we’re sharing Beach Ballistics’ images of his Remington 870 Modular Combat Shotgun (MCS). All configurations share the same 870 receiver, streamlining maintenance, training, and logistics.

Since its inception in 2009 and subsequent SAAMI approval in 2011, the 300 Blackout cartridge has had a somewhat polarizing effect on the firearms community. Some shooters see the round as a do-it-all tactical solution, while others say they don’t get the point. This is one of those arguments that people shouldn’t put too much time or effort into, as both sides of the debate are right and wrong. Many have the wrong impression about what 300BLK was developed to address, seeing it as a challenger to 5.56x45mm NATO. This assertion tends to goad the 5.56 NATO crowd into defending old faithful, pointing out that velocity, trajectory, and terminal performance favor the readily available, relatively inexpensive round proven effective globally since the Vietnam War. Like most discourse, the answer lies somewhere in the middle, recognizing that 300BLK was developed for a particular purpose, and is a very versatile round that can provide mission-specific benefits.

In a few days, a new movie from the John Wick universe will be released in theaters worldwide: Ballerina. So I decided to take a look at the movie that started it all to understand what made the John Wick series so unique.

Welcome back to TFB’s Photo Of The Day, where we celebrate not just great images, but the firearms that stand out from the crowd. Today’s star? The  a revolver that doesn’t believe in playing by the rules.

Hello and welcome back to another edition of The Rimfire Report! This ongoing series is all about the rimfire firearm world and its many different types of guns, ammo, shooting sports, history, and more! We’re going to take a quick break from our ongoing series of ammunition tests to try out a brand new offering in the market from Bergara and I think a first for us here on Rimfire Report - The new Bergara BMR Carbon chambered in .17 HMR. I spent a lot of money on .17 HMR in the past, mainly for pest control, but the cartridge itself is pretty cool in and of itself. Today, we’ll get to see how the new lightweight BMR Carbon bolt-action rifle series from Bergara handles one of the rimfire industry's highest-velocity cartridges.

Readers; we are back for the third instalment of our series focusing on the guns of Mission Impossible. This film series has become widely known not just for its thrilling action sequences, intricate plots, and intense stunts, but also its broad choice of firearms the agents use. As we know, at the heart of these action scenes is Ethan Hunt, the IMF agent portrayed by Tom Cruise, whose weapon of choice has evolved over time. 

Welcome to our first edition of TFB’s Small Business Spotlight! We recently asked you to tell us about your small firearms businesses. This week, we profile our first respondent, Black Hills Designs. Thanks to them for volunteering to be included!

James Reeves screwed up. After releasing the list of the Top 10 Guns of the Last 10 Years on TFBTV, he couldn’t stop thinking about the ones left out—guns that maybe should have been on the list in the first place. Call it post-cut clarity. From the Steyr AUG (how the hell did he miss that?) to the Beretta 84 BB and even the Zastava AKs, this video is a sad apology tour. These are the runners-up, the honorable mentions, and in some cases, the guns James loves more than the ones that actually made the cut. Let’s set the record straight.

Welcome to TFB Weekly Web Deals 140! We’re back with more deals on guns, gear, ammunition, and accessories from some of our most frequented online retailers like Primary Arms, Natchez Shooters Supply, Palmetto State Armory, Brownells, and more. Whether you’re looking for deals on new or used guns, ammo to add to your reserves, or specific accessories like flashlights, range bags, optics, bipods, and magazines, each week we’ll have new sets of deals that might fulfill one of those needs and save you a few dollars.

Good afternoon everyone and welcome back to TFB’s Silencer Saturday, brought to you by Yankee Hill Machine, manufacturers of the new Victra-12 shotgun suppressor. This week we're looking at an interesting new suppressor from Noveske. The Amigo is a compact rifle silencer made to work on Flaming Pig muzzle devices.

The AR-15 is undisputedly America’s rifle. With that title comes a host of companies offering their version of Eugene Stoner’s masterpiece, enough to breed a constant onslaught of inquiries as to which is best for the money. While I don’t claim authority on the subject, I have shot and appreciated the AR-15 for over three decades and worked for a manufacturer personally. I’d need more than two hands to count how many companies you can get a fantastic rifle from, but this isn’t one of my “Top 10” lists. This is me choosing one brand of rifle I have always been able to depend on, having everything I need, no silly gimmicks, and knowing that the tool I purchased punches considerably above the price I paid. Without further ado, the Bravo Company Manufacturing (BCM) MK2 RECCE 14.

The German Army has ordered around 1,000 HK437 rifles for their Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) elite unit, designated the G39. At EnforceTac in Germany, there was a chance to see the rifle live and take some images of the details. As you can imagine, it’s a very compact firearm and with the 300 Blackout, it’s able to deliver quite a punch.