A BUNCH of stuff to talk about today, everyone:

TFBTV Hiatus?

First, new video up today on my personal channel about the Glock 26 versus the SIG P365: https://youtu.be/sLR0kDw5zJc

I would assume many of you have noticed that we have not uploaded a video to the TFBTV main channel in September.  That's for a specific reason: I am very cautious about who advertises with the channel. I associate advertising with endorsement, and I don’t want The Firearm Blog to accept money to appear to endorse a bad product. I’m glad that TFB allows me to have this input because I think it’s in everyone’s best interest: The viewers, the advertisers, and the channel.

Springfield is for good reason pretty excited about the new Echelon. I took it to Thunder Ranch and I was impressed with how it performed. Springfield approached TFB and asked if we would let them advertise the Echelon on the channel from Sept.-Dec. No problem, I'm OK with that.

I do clearly remember, however, that you all, the viewers, reacted *ahem* negatively to the obnoxious, screaming cowboy ads that Springfield would run on YouTube's ad program. Every time YouTube would run one of those ads before our videos, I'd hear about it in the comments even though I had nothing to do with it. So, I jumped on a call with Springfield back in August and asked them for an ad that would be informative rather than aggravating, and they said they'd do it. I was hoping they would have the new Echelon ad to us by last week, but that has not happened yet, obviously. So, TFBTV is on a hiatus until we can get that worked out.

That said, I’m now uploading the usual TFBTV content to my personal channel youtube.com/jamesreeves, and Hop is of course, uploading content to his channel as he always has been, so it’s not that big of a deal. But we are hoping to have TFBTV rolling again as soon as possible. In the meantime, check out me and Hop on our personal channels.

Thunder Ranch New Orleans Class:

The biggest thing on my inbox right now is the Thunder Ranch class. As I mentioned, it’s sold out, with priority going to supporters of the channel. I’m getting an email every other day asking if the sender has been bumped from the class. As of right now, Thunder Ranch has not set up the pay portal yet and the roster has not been set. They do it in batches for multiple classes and ours will be on the next batch. I’m anticipating it should be this week or next week. If you received an email from me about the class, you will definitely also get an email about the pay portal opening and the roster spots.

If you miss this class, no problem. Based on the overwhelmingly positive response we received, and assuming that the course goes well, which it will, TR is planning on a class in New Orleans once or twice a year at Neutral Ground. If you email me, I will keep you on the list for future events. Supporters will get priority, always. Tentatively, the next one will be in April 2024, featuring legendary April weather in New Orleans.

TriggrCon Meetup:

The TriggrCon meet up is happening. It’s going to be at Jumbo's Beef & Brew in Wichita, Kansas on 9/23 at 7pm. TriggrCon is going to be charging cover, but if you are a supporter, you are getting in for free. Please do me a favor and shoot me an RSVP email to let me know you’re coming so I can get you on the list. There will be an 80s and 90s cover band playing as well, so I hope you’re ready to pour some sugar on me. (Not a euphemism for cocaine.)

Blue Force Gear Custom Slings:

Blue Force Gear told me they would make a sling in any pattern I wanted about a year ago. I told them I wanted Vietnamese Tiger Stripe. They finally came through a year later and made 100 slings with a TFBTV sling pull tab and black polymer hardware. It’s literally the perfect sling. I sold them to you at my cost, $50 shipped, and all 100 of them sold out in 12 hours. BFG started producing them a few days later, and production should be done any day now. Stay tuned if you are on the list.

Patches:

You guys know I’ve been doing limited edition patches for years now for all supporters who have hit a $100 interval milestone. So, if you have recently hit a $100 milestone (like $400, $500, $600 etc.) of patronage for the channel and have not received a new patch since that milestone, email me ([email protected]) and Kelsey ([email protected]) because we’ve got some fresh patches from Badger Hound. These patches were actually designed by Stuff and Things Inc. The backstory is that I interviewed STInc about their ridiculous AK-47 bullpups when I was at Brownells GunCon earlier this year. When their rep, well-known 3D printer and mischief maker, Mr. Snow, finished enthusiastically explaining the kit to me, I unenthusiastically asked him, "so where do I buy this bullshit?" They had a great sense of humor about it, and made stickers to commemorate the fact that I am an asshole. I thought this would be a great patch for you guys to change things up a bit. Email us if you want one.

Beachmaster Shotguns:

The first batch is close to getting done. Here's a preview and a hint. Only 50 will be made, and 30 of them will be short barreled shotguns. $25 tier supporters will get the first shot at them when they release. These will literally be the best pump shotguns ever made, and I'm not even kidding. The Beachmaster was the answer to the question: "What is the ideal pump shotgun?" Mossberg and Vang Comp were glad to help with the answer.

- James