It’s the desire of Ronin’s Grips to move the industry away from subjective opinion and towards data driven decision making. The following are reports created using specialized tools that analyze websites, social media and the opinions of thousands of posts relating to the law enforcement, military and the small arms industry. Click here if you’d like to learn more about why data driven analytics matter.
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The following are categories and further below are all analytics posts sorted by date from newest to oldest:
- 1911 & 2011 Type Pistols
- AK-Series Weapons
- AR-Series Weapons
- Ammunition
- Anti-Materiel Rifle (AMR) Systems
- Chinese Topics
- Country Reports – Risk, Intel, Military, Collapse/stress.
- Designated Marksman, Precision & Sniper Rifles
- Disaster and Collapse Scenarios
- Firearms Accessories
- Global Small Arms – Market and Manufacturers
- History and Socio-Political
- Law Enforcement, SWAT Teams and Federal Agencies
- Military and Special Operations Forces
- Optics including Scopes and Red/Green Dot Sights
- Pistols
- Producers & Vendors – Reports on specific firms
- Russian and Soviet Topics
- Shotguns
- Small Arms Optics
- Sniper / Precision Rifles
- Special Operations Forces (SOF) / Special Mission Units (SMUs) Analytics
- Submachine Guns and Pistol Caliber Carbines
- Suppressors / Silencers / Moderators
- Tactical Gear – Body Armor, Packs, Bags and Cases
- US Small Arms Market Analytics
If you have questions, comments, suggestions for a report or wish to fund a report, please email us.
- An Engineering and Manufacturing History of the AK-47 Barrel August 9, 2025The barrel of the Avtomat Kalashnikova model 1947, or AK-47, was not conceived in an engineering vacuum. It was forged from the brutal lessons of the Second World War and shaped by the specific demands of a new Soviet military doctrine. To comprehend its design, one must first understand the strategic and tactical environment it ...
- A Post-Mortem of Pioneer Arms USA (Pioneer Arms Poland Seems to Still be in Business August 8, 2025This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the Polish firearms manufacturer Pioneer Arms Corp. (PAC) and its presence in the United States civilian market. The findings are based on a thorough review of corporate history, product specifications, market data, and extensive consumer sentiment analysis. The current operational status of the company is bifurcated. As of September ...
- A History of the AK-74 Rifle’s Design and Development in the USSR August 7, 2025The development of the AK-74 assault rifle and its associated 5.45x39mm ammunition represents a pivotal chapter in Cold War small arms history. It was a direct and calculated Soviet response to the operational lessons gleaned from the Vietnam War, specifically the tactical advantages demonstrated by the American M16 rifle and its small-caliber, high-velocity (SCHV) cartridge. ...
- A Post-Mortem Analysis of SCCY Industries August 6, 2025The sudden and complete collapse of SCCY Industries, a company that as recently as 2022 ranked in the top 10 of U.S. pistol manufacturers by volume, serves as a critical case study for the modern firearms industry.1 For years, the Daytona Beach, Florida-based gun maker carved out a significant market share by producing compact, concealable ...
- An Engineering and Historical Analysis of the AK-47 and AKM Fire Control Group August 6, 2025The fire control group (Ударно-спусковой механизм, УСМ) of the Kalashnikov rifle is often overshadowed by the platform’s larger reputation for reliability. However, a detailed analysis of its design reveals a microcosm of the entire weapon’s philosophy. The FCG of the early milled-receiver Kalashnikovs, known in the West as the Type 2 and Type 3 AK-47, ...
- A Technical and Historical Analysis of the Soviet 5.45x39mm Cartridge August 4, 2025The global landscape of infantry small arms underwent a seismic shift in the 1960s. The United States’ adoption of the M16 rifle and its revolutionary 5.56x45mm M193 cartridge during the Vietnam War showcased the profound tactical advantages of a small-caliber, high-velocity (SCHV) round. Soviet intelligence, ever watchful of Western military developments, acquired and meticulously studied ...
- The 7.62x39mm Cartridge: Engineering, Evolution, and Impact of the AK-47’s Ammunition August 4, 2025The 7.62x39mm cartridge, commonly known as the M43, emerged from a profound re-evaluation of small arms doctrine during and immediately following World War II. Soviet military strategists identified a critical operational gap between the existing infantry firearms. On one hand, submachine guns, such as the PPSh-41, offered high rates of fire suitable for close-quarters combat ...
- Nadyozhnost’: How the Soviet Doctrine of Reliability Forged the Red Army’s Arsenal August 3, 2025The Western perception of Soviet and Russian weaponry has long been colored by a simplistic and often dismissive maxim: “crude but effective.” This phrase, while containing a kernel of truth, fundamentally misunderstands the sophisticated and deeply pragmatic philosophy that underpinned the design and production of the Soviet Union’s vast arsenal. The defining characteristics of Soviet ...
- Top 10 Soviet Small Arms Designs Misunderstood by the West August 2, 2025The enduring rivalry between Soviet and American small arms design is not a simple narrative of superior versus inferior technology. Rather, it represents two profoundly different answers to the fundamental question: “What wins wars?”.1 The American answer, shaped by a doctrine of technological supremacy and faith in the highly trained professional soldier, resulted in weapons ...
- An Analyst’s Report on Soviet Military Firearm Preservatives and Their Removal: PVK vs. Cosmoline August 1, 2025For any collector of 20th-century military surplus firearms, the experience is a familiar one: opening a wooden crate or unwrapping a paper-and-oilcloth bundle to reveal a piece of history, entombed in a thick, sticky, amber-to-dark-brown grease. This ubiquitous substance, the bane of many an enthusiast, is the primary barrier between acquiring a historical artifact and ...
- List of Ammunition Brands in the US Market, Where They Are From, & Sentiment About Them – Q3 2025 July 31, 2025The United States civilian ammunition market of the mid-2020s is a landscape fundamentally reshaped by recent history. The confluence of unprecedented demand surges, significant geopolitical shifts, and resulting supply chain disruptions has created a dynamic and fiercely competitive environment. Understanding these forces is critical to contextualizing the current brand hierarchy and consumer sentiment that defines ...
- 7.62x39mm Ammunition: A Comprehensive Sentiment and Performance Analysis of the U.S. Civilian Market (2024-2025) July 31, 2025This report presents a comprehensive market intelligence and sentiment analysis of the top commercial 7.62x39mm ammunition brands and loads available for new purchase in the United States civilian market. The analysis synthesizes data from a wide range of sources, including online retailers, consumer reviews, technical forums, and media reports, to provide a quantitative and qualitative ...
- The History, Chemistry, and Strategic Imperative of Soviet Corrosive Ammunition July 30, 2025The decision by any military to adopt a particular ammunition technology is never made in a vacuum. It is the result of a complex interplay between historical experience, technological capability, strategic doctrine, and fundamental chemistry. The Soviet Union’s long-standing reliance on corrosive-primed ammunition is a quintessential example of this process. To comprehend this choice, one ...
- Foreign Military Surplus 7.62x39mm Ammunition in the U.S. Market: A 30-Year Analysis of Performance, Sentiment, and Availability July 29, 2025The American civilian market for 7.62x39mm ammunition has been defined by a deep reliance on foreign military surplus and foreign commercial production for the past three decades. This report provides an exhaustive analysis of this market, segmenting its history into three distinct periods dictated by U.S. geopolitical and trade policy: The “Chinese Era” (pre-1994), The ...
- Custom AK Builders in the US: A Five-Year Social Media Sentiment Analysis July 29, 2025Revised July 29, 2025 8:00pm US Eastern The purpose of this report is to provide objective information on a curated list of AK builders created with input from members of theakforum.net. A reader should treat this as background information to help form an opinion about whether to use a vendor but it should not be treated ...
- Palmetto State Armory’s AAC Ammunition Venture: A Strategic Analysis of Market Disruption and Execution July 28, 2025This report provides an in-depth analysis of Palmetto State Armory’s (PSA) strategic entry into the ammunition manufacturing sector through its parent company, JJE Capital Holdings, and the revitalization of the Advanced Armament Corporation (AAC) brand. Following the acquisition of the AAC brand’s intellectual property from the 2020 Remington Outdoor Company bankruptcy, JJE Capital has executed ...
- The State of U.S. Small Arms Ammunition Production: An Industry Analysis July 27, 2025The United States small arms ammunition market is in a state of profound transition, characterized by a paradox of robust growth and critical vulnerability. On one hand, the industry is experiencing a significant upswing, fueled by a confluence of heightened geopolitical tensions, substantial increases in global defense spending, and a resilient, high-volume domestic civilian market. ...
- The Kalashnikov Abroad: A Historical and Analytical Timeline of Global AK Variant Adoption and Development July 26, 2025The Avtomat Kalashnikova is more than a rifle; it is a defining technological and political artifact of the 20th century. Its silhouette is recognized globally, a symbol of revolution, state power, and asymmetric warfare. Its reputation for unparalleled simplicity and rugged reliability, often under the most trying conditions, has cemented its place in military history.1 ...
- Palmetto State Armory’s AK Redemption Arc: An Engineering and Market Analysis July 24, 2025The American-made AK-pattern rifle has long been an elusive prize for domestic firearms manufacturers. For decades, the U.S. civilian market has been dominated by imported rifles from former combloc nations, whose state-owned arsenals perfected the art of mass-producing the Kalashnikov. These factories, steeped in a specific manufacturing tradition, produced rifles known for their legendary reliability, ...
- The PSA Playbook: An Analysis of Palmetto State Armory’s Disruption of the U.S. Firearms Market July 24, 2025In the landscape of the American firearms industry, few companies have ascended with the velocity and disruptive impact of Palmetto State Armory (PSA). Since its inception in 2008, PSA has evolved from a humble e-commerce venture operating out of a garage into one of the largest and most influential firearms manufacturers and retailers in the ...
- A Post-Mortem Analysis of Kalashnikov USA: From Market Leader to Bankruptcy July 24, 2025On May 6, 2024, RWC Group, LLC, the parent company doing business as Kalashnikov USA (KUSA), filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Florida.1 This event marked the beginning of the end for a company once poised to dominate the U.S. market for domestically produced AK-pattern firearms. However, the attempt at ...
- The Top 10 Features US AK Buyers Look For July 23, 2025The modern American AK buyer is not a passive or uninformed consumer. They are active participants in a rich and dynamic media ecosystem that they leverage to conduct extensive pre-purchase research. This consumer is characterized by a high level of knowledge and a healthy skepticism toward marketing claims, preferring to trust community-vetted sources and data-driven ...
- Avtomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanny: An Engineering and Historical Analysis of the Iconic AKM Ri July 22, 2025The conclusion of the Second World War left the Soviet Union as a victorious global superpower, but its military doctrine and infantry armament were at a critical crossroads. The brutal fighting on the Eastern Front had provided a wealth of hard-won experience, revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of the Red Army’s equipment. While massed ...
- An Analysis of the Differences Between a Russian Dragunov and a Romanian PSL: They Are Not The Same July 21, 2025I guess we all have our pet peves. One of my many irks is when people call a Romanian PSL rifle a “Dragunov”. I see it all the time on Facebook and GunBroker. Honestly, it bugs the hell out of me. The PSL is an oversized AK for all intents and purposes. On the other ...
- A Deep Dive On The Metallurgical and Manufacturing of Current Zastava ZPAP AK-Pattern Receivers July 21, 2025A previous post looked at the quality redemption arc made by Zastava to address legitimate concerns about their AK rifles and pistols in the US market. This report provides a more detailed analysis of the metallurgy, manufacturing methods, and heat treatment protocols for current-production Zastava civilian AK-pattern receivers sold in the United States market. The ...
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