Training

Last year at SHOT Show 2025, I was stoked to run into the guys from Ally & Kaufman who were offering a cool lower receiver kit that pairs with a Brownells BRN-180 18.5" upper receiver to create the ‘SA80 at home’. This set up, the AKB-23 got a lot of attention and had developed further with an SA80-style pistol grip, a ‘Carbine’ handguard, L85 flash hiders and a range of SA80-style carry handles with sight mounts for ACROs and Micros.

Just because we’re used to doing something a certain way doesn’t mean it can’t be done better. That’s how just about every advancement, ever, in firearms design came about—someone rethinking the normal. And that is spreading over to the world of optics these days, with green visual elements replacing red-colored elements. That’s the key feature behind MCG Tactical’s new Boar boresighter; it takes the normal red dot used for such equipment and replaces it with green.

Rost Martin RM1F pistols are polymer-framed striker-fired handguns chambered in 9x19mm. The grips of these pistols feature the company’s signature Responsive Grip Texture and interchangeable backstraps. The magazine release buttons and the slide release levers are ambidextrous. The capacity of the flush-fit magazine is 17 rounds. With the flush-fit magazine inserted, the RM1F pistol has a height of 5.1” and weighs 23 oz.

Have you ever wondered what the SHOT Show is like through fresh eyes? Return guests Kevin and Bryce from The Carry Handle Podcast just made their debut on the show floor, and they’ve got stories to tell. Tune in this week as these SHOT Show virgins unpack their first-time experience, the standout gear that caught their eye, the places they went, the good and bad that they saw, as well as the hard-earned lessons from diving headfirst into the firearms industry's biggest event of the year. Please give a warm welcome back to returning guests Kevin and Bryce!

We are only a few weeks into 2026, and it looks like this year might see quite a few battles between pro-firearms activists and anti-gun legislators across the U.S.; we’ve already seen several states introduce highly restrictive legislation, and there might be more to come. Below, see a list of states that are either working on significant new firearms restrictions this year, or see similar restrictions from previous years’ legislative sessions coming into effect. This list is not comprehensive; research your own state’s laws if you are concerned. But it hits the highest points.

Photo Of The Day, and we go full Special Forces. The story takes us underground, where the 22nd Assault Company of Belgium’s 3 Para transformed Brussels–Schuman metro station into a Close Quarters Battle training environment. Far removed from open terrain, this setting emphasizes confined spaces, limited sightlines, constant civilian infrastructure, and the need for rapid decision-making under pressure.

James Earl Jones is known for lots of things—he played famous roles like Darth Vader’s voice in Star Wars and not-so-famous roles like General Solomon in the Command & Conquer video games. But he was also (perhaps to the surprise of those who only know him for his thespian work) a former military officer, earning his Ranger tab in the 1950s, and he had a very respectable firearms collection that is now up for sale at Checkpoint Charlie’s. It’s a wide collection, with interesting semi-auto handguns, single-shot target pistols and a few classic Wild West revolvers—like this Colt 1877 Lightning.

Over the last couple of years the guys at MK Machining have been working up their MK2.6 bullpup rifle chassis series. This year at SHOT Show they had some brand new prototypes of a new type of bullpup - a straight-pull.

American-made AKs definitely saw a resurgence at this years SHOT Show with strong offerings from companies like Stenzel Industries and Black Rain Ordnance. Black Rain introduced the Freedom Fighter which they describe as ‘a modern American-made evolution of a proven fighting rifle’.

Century Arms announced an exclusive distribution partnership with Live Free Armory at SHOT Show 2026, bringing the Apollo 11 V2 budget 2011 pistol to their booth alongside the company's existing product lines. The partnership addresses supply constraints and lead times that have limited availability of Live Free Armory's affordable double-stack 1911 platform.

Berry's Bullets came to SHOT Show 2026 with a product refresh that addresses real needs handloaders have been dealing with. Three new bullet profiles and storage solutions that look like they'll actually hold up.

The AKS-74UB is one of the rarer Kalashnikov variants, a suppressed short carbine designed for missions requiring minimal noise and visual signature. Derived from the AKS-74U developed by Mikhail T. Kalashnikov in the 1970s, the AKS-74UB was created by a team of engineers at the Research Institute-61 (NII-61, now TsNIITOCHMASH Central Research Institute of Precision Engineering) using the AKS-74U as the base, a mass-produced weapon adapted into a small-production-run specialist tool for clandestine and close-quarters use. The AK-74UB was designed as a dedicated suppressed version of the AKS-74U; as such, it was assigned the GRAU index 6P27.

Photo of the Day: Let’s highlight the Taran Tactical Innovations x V7 Harbinger rifle package fitted with a HUXWRX FLOW 762 Ti suppressor, as seen in the movie The Ballerina. The Harbinger platform combines a lightweight match-grade .308 barrel with a precision-oriented stainless fluted profile and ultra-light 2099 lithium-aluminum M-LOK handguard.

Welcome back to TFB's Small Business Spotlight! Each week, we feature small firearms-related businesses and give them a chance to introduce themselves. This week: The Armed Papist, a Catholic-focused firearms training operation out of Texas.

All Weatherby RPM cartridges have a rebated rim of .473" diameter with a .500” case body. These are basically the .284 Winchester case head and base dimensions. This case design allows using standard 30-06 Springfield/308 Winchester bolts but have a larger case capacity at a given case length. With an overall length of 3.34", the 25 Weatherby RPM is a standard/long action length cartridge that, according to Weatherby, provides magnum performance. The new 25 Weatherby RPM is designed with a focus on shooting heavier, high-BC bullets: the recommended twist rate is 1:7.5" and the case length of 2.4” results in ample room over the case (.94”) for those long ogive bullets. To download the full SAAMI cartridge and chamber drawings document for the 25 WBY RPM, click here.

This year’s broad pushback against firearms rights at the state level continues, with California now gearing up with a lawsuit against big names in the 3D firearm print world. On Friday, February 6, the State of California announced it was suing Gatalog and CTRLPew LLC over files they distribute online.

Canik displayed ten new optics at SHOT Show 2026, expanding from pistol red dots into rifle scopes and rifle-mounted optics. The lineup includes low-power variables, a 4-40x precision scope called the KNIGHT, and enclosed-emitter rifle red dots including the Obsidian LITE.

RCBS brought their revitalized Weaver brand to SHOT Show 2026 with a line of Precision and Precision Tactical rings that mark a significant departure from what Weaver used to be. After securing the Weaver license from Revelyst in late 2024, RCBS is taking the 90-year-old brand upmarket with rings priced from $109.99 to $325.99; a far cry from the $30-60 budget hardware Weaver was known for.

Today’s Photo of the Day features the DS Arms SA58 FAL equipped with a 21-inch standard-profile barrel chambered for 7.62×51mm NATO. This configuration uses Mil-Spec barrel steel, a chrome-lined chamber and bore, a 1:10 twist rate and a bipod-cut profile with a front sling swivel. The barrel is threaded 9/16×24 right-hand and fitted with a long, slotted flash hider that also serves as a bayonet mount.

I’ve spent the last couple of months toying around with Smith & Wesson's odd little folding 22 caliber carbine - the FPC 22. While I’m still a die-hard 10/22 fan, and my 11/22 Takedown is still probably my favorite 22LR plinker, the FPC 22 has started to grow on me over the thousand-plus rounds I’ve been putting through it. Today, roughly two or three boxes of bulk Federal 22LR ammunition down the pipe, we’ll talk about everything I’ve learned about the FPC 22 and why I think it makes for a compelling addition to any rimfire junkie’s collection.

Despite some major wins by the 2A crowd in the past few years (including constitutional carry across a broadening swath of the U.S.A.), anti-firearm activists are not giving up easily. The new battleground appears to be the state of New Mexico, where lawmakers are considering a wide range of firearms bans.

Lancer Systems brought purpose-built .300 Blackout configurations to SHOT Show 2026, marking their first complete firearms chambered in anything other than 5.56. The company known for magazines and carbon fiber handguards built two L15 variants specifically for running .300 BLK with suppressors.

US Palm launched their Storm Series CAT 4 rifles at SHOT Show 2026, marking a significant shift for a company built on affordable AK accessories and magazines. The Storm lineup brings two AR-15 models designed to compete directly with established brands like Daniel Defense, with the CAT 4 representing their premium offering packed with features typically found on much more expensive rifles.

Welcome to TFB Weekly Web Deals 172! 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 20-gauge shotgun suppressor. With free tax stamps flowing like wine and new NFA manufacturers instinctively flocking like the salmon of Capistrano, it is a great time to be a silencer enthusiast. But there remain many live issues in the realm of litigation and legislation. Let’s check in and see how things are going.

Like every year, Strike Industries had a bunch of new or prototype products on display at their SHOT Show booth. Arguably, this year’s most interesting new Strike products were the prototype 9mm pistol caliber carbine, the final version of their SMC chassis for the FN P90, which was introduced last year but is now very close to hitting the market, as well as the new Polymer FSA stocks. Let’s take a quick look at each of these new SI products.

The subject of whether to use a pistol is not the focus of this article; let us assume we have decided to start with the handgun instead of a shotgun or rifle for the sake of debate. The best approach is to establish some basic standards for the modern pistol as a defensive weapon. The first question, aside from available income, is whether to choose a magazine‑fed pistol or a revolver. Revolvers have their place, but we will stick with what is likely to have the greatest overall success and choose the obvious: a magazine-fed semi-automatic modern pistol. Before some guys my age (or older) chime in, the 1911 and even the 2011 ARE NOT ON THE LIST for best first handgun.

Photo Of The Day: You can polish titanium, bead-blast stainless, and Cerakote in cool colors to perfection; the outside always gets the likes. But the magic happens where the camera can’t reach or record: inside the baffles. SVEMKO Suppressors (made in Norway) say they are proud to be obsessed with the stuff nobody photographs.

When you ask people what the greatest classic American bolt-action hunting rifle is, you’ll probably hear most people talking about the Remington Model 700 or the Winchester Model 70, with maybe some chatter about Weatherby’s rifles or Springfield-based sporters. But I think the Savage Model 110 also belongs on that list; it’s been on the market for seven decades now, and it has a lot to offer to almost any shooter.