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The bolt-action Spanish FR-8 was a stopgap firearm, thrown into service by the Spanish when they were already moving toward the 7.62x51 mm NATO-chambered Cetme rifle. The FR-8 shares the later rifle's chambering, and actually appears to be a gas gun, though the tube is simply storage for a cleaning rod. For more on this unique piece of history, check out this "I Have This Old Gun" segment from a recent episode of American Rifleman Television.
Despite being early adopters of several semi-automatic rifles for military use, the French army took several decades to work out a standardized semi-automatic rifle for general service use. The rifle that finally came to being was the MAS-49.
"An armed society is a polite society," goes the famous quote, which is also the inspiration behind Polite Society Industries, a new suppressor manufacturer that now has a complete line available to consumers.
Iconic American firearms maker Smith & Wesson will join NRA-ILA on the road as nation's leading firearm group turns out voters ahead of the 2026 midterm.
The 2026 National Firearms Survey conducted by William English of Georgetown University estimates that armed citizens in America use their guns 2.2 million to defend themselves or others.