Classic Firearms News

Never has there ever been a weapon so impossibly popular and so impossibly misunderstood. The AR-15 is, without a doubt, America’s Rifle. It’s beloved and used by millions and millions of people. The weapon is often unjustly vilified by those who’d prefer we live as disarmed subjects rather than armed citizens. The gun is touted as a military weapon by those attempting to ban it, and the same is done by AR manufacturers to promote its worthiness. 

A great feature of our Classic Firearms Blog and Videos is that we try to serve all of our friends, and we recognize that some of our newer friends and followers may also be new to various types of weapons systems, or perhaps some of our long time followers are ready to take that leap into another platform. The most obvious one for me, and the first one that comes to my mind, is the AR-15. The AR-15 is the most popular rifle in America, so don’t be shy about asking questions about it. Shoot, after this article, some of you may be able to teach me a thing or two as well. That’s what being a part of a firearm community is all about, recognizing the different skill levels of others and kindly offering guidance. So here we go!

Is a shotgun a rifle? It’s a seemingly innocuous question that can be answered simply, but is also a question and answer worth exploring. The simple answer is, no, a shotgun is not a rifle. That’s where the simplicity ends, though. 

A stripped lower receiver is a lower receiver that has been completely machined by the manufacturer. It has a serial number and is considered a firearm under Federal Law. While there are other options for AR-15 lowers to purchase for your AR-15 build, such as a blank or 80% receiver, the stripped lower receiver is considered a firearm because it will function immediately upon the installation of a parts kit and trigger without any more machining or modifications.

It’s really up to the person to choose which lower receiver option is best for them and their AR build; an 80 Percent lower receiver, a stripped receiver, or a completed receiver.

My first real centerfire rifle was a Romanian WASR-10 rifle. This bare-bones AKM proved to be a very reliable and robust rifle that served me well for over a decade without malfunction, parts breakage, or issue. My experience with the AK series of guns is not unique in any way, and I’m betting most AK owners will testify to the same. If you’re not an AK owner, you may be wondering what makes the AK so good as a rifle, and why is it so popular for both the civilian market and the worldwide military market? 

Guns make a lot of noise, probably more than we realize. A decibel(dB) is a unit of measurement used to describe the intensity of a sound or the power level of a signal. Basically, a decibel is a degree of loudness. 

You can permanently damage your hearing by being exposed to noise greater than 140dB. Almost every firearm can create noise that is over that. A .22-caliber rifle produces a noise around 140dB. To give you an idea of how loud that is, an air raid siren or a jet engine taking off produces around 130dB. 140dB falls into the decibel category of serious injury. Even the small crisp crack of a plinker can cause serious damage to the unprotected ear. There isn’t a safe amount of exposure to volumes in this range (115dB-140dB). Exposure to sounds above 115dB for any length of time without any protection, or even with improper ear protection, can cause permanent hearing loss. 

We have established that body armor offers substantial protection from various threats. You have a right to know what threat levels your body armor can protect at. For that, the National Institute of Justice has developed a performance standard tier for body armor that allows the user to know what they are protected from. The NIJ classification is the single most important feature that you should look for when shopping for body armor.

The NIJ classifies body armor into five different threat levels. The levels are Level IIA, Level II, Level IIIA, Level III, and Level IV. The levels are designated based on the product’s ability to stop specified rounds at specified velocities. 

Body armor is a critical piece of protection equipment. Bullet-resistant equipment can come in the form of clothing, helmets, gloves, vests, shields, and accessories like backpacks. In these forms, you have non-plated body armor, as well as hard-plate reinforced body armor. Non-plated armor will offer moderate to substantial protection, whereas hard-plate body armor will offer maximum protection in situations that need it, for example; combat soldiers and law enforcement officers. 

Pistol caliber carbines are a great topic for discussion. There are three schools of thought, which usually evolve into three different arguments. Let’s work through those arguments. I am going to give you a point of view for each.
Although many will disagree, it is important to understand that a pistol caliber carbine is not a rifle. The reason why it’s not a rifle has nothing to do with its platform or “looks”, it has to do with performance. Even the most powerful pistol-caliber round does not perform like a rifle round does. Pistol calibers have less power and range by design and capacity.

Franklin Armory has pridefully set itself apart from other firearm manufacturers by creating firearms and firearms products specifically to address the restrictive laws in some states. This appeals to potential gun owners in states that would otherwise not allow the purchase of certain firearms and firearms components. Franklin Armory has a stable of innovative engineers that find solutions to states with restrictive gun laws. These solutions provide citizens of those states the right to purchase and own firearms that they otherwise would not have access to. Franklin Armory believes in offering customers products that allow them to exercise their Second Amendment rights to the most legally and allowable extent of the law.