As you’ve seen lately, the blog has kinda taken a different direction, and has had less of the Israeli guns and gear focus over the past year. I don’t think it’s a better or worse direction for the blog; it’s just different. I’d also argue strongly it’s a better direction for me. As a shooter, I’ve grown a lot more functionally-focused, which has meant somewhat fewer toys (alas!) and a lot more training and gear. It reminds me quite a lot of the transition that Short-Barrel Shepherd made, which I think was really quite admirable. At the risk of sounding corny, the discovery I’ve made is that the gun isn’t what can be the eponymous “Hebrew Hammer”, it’s the man or woman behind it.

So, here are the new ground rules from now on: I’ll post on whatever I think is worth posting on in my day-to-day. I’ll still try to get some Israeli guns and gear in as it makes sense, but I’m not going to shy away from reviewing other stuff anymore. When I was upgrading my kit, I found it tremendously frustrating that there were not a lot of formal reviews on a lot of the stuff I was looking at, and I’d like to be part of the solution to that.

I’ve already started getting my training schedule together for 2019, and I think it’s going to be a great year. I hope you stick around and enjoy reading about it!

Hey, folks – sorry for being quiet the past couple months. I have been exceedingly busy with work, other real life projects (learning MongoDB, 3D printing firearms, taking gun training classes, reloading), and TBH, the news on the Israeli gun has been rather quiet. The Tavor 7, Masada, and TS12 are still awaiting street release, so there’s not going to be a lot to report news-wise until people get their hands on them.

That said, I’ll try to find some time to write up a couple more reviews on some Israeli parts and accessories I’ve picked up recently.

I have been pondering a change of direction for the blog. I’d still like the focus to be on Israeli small arms and accessories, but I would probably have a lot more to write about if I added in the other gun-related stuff I’ve been working on. So, you’d still see a lot of Israeli stuff, but maybe more from my other interests. I’m still deciding on whether I want to do that-  there’s value in focus.

Just wanted to apologize for the lack of posts lately – I’ve been dealing with some RL commitments, and I’ve had zero time to go shooting or write blog posts until recently.

As for the future:

1. I have a BUL Storm Compact and an IMI Jericho FL that are awaiting review.
2. I’d like to dig a little bit into an Israeli-modified 98k rifle.
3. I’d like to do a two year retrospective on the IWI Tavor SAR.
4. More accessory reviews! (Hopefully.)

Happy New Year!

I’d like to thank the readers who have made this blog such a success. Your comments have really enhanced my own writing, and I’ve learned so much on the way. I even think I’ve made a couple new friends, which is always great! 🙂

2015 was the first full year of The Hebrew Hammer blog, and here are the stats:

• 24,501 views
• 12,971 visitors
• 55 posts published!

The most popular articles were:

1. Mepro Tru-Dot RDS review
2. IMI Jericho 941F review
3. Fab Defense KPOS Gen2 (in G17) review

Read on for more thoughts and stats!

Continue reading Happy New Year! Stats from 2015. →

I have spent some considerable time researching the “Israeli-made handguns” list, and have come to some new conclusions.

First, most of my research is based on this poster that IsraelDefense uploaded a few years ago. I have been accepting it as truth as to what guns were designed in Israel, but I no longer believe that is the case, as there are some glaring errors on it with regards to the handguns.

Continue reading Updates to the Israel handgun list →

Sorry about the lack of content lately. My camera decided to give up the ghost, and I’m not able to finish up a couple posts about various things. I am still working on content, and am looking forward to hearing what goes on at SHOT this year. (Who knows… maybe I’ll attend next year!)

I know it’s been a little sparse around here lately, but I’ve got plenty of content in the pipeline:

• Review of the IMI Barak
• Review of the IWI Jericho-B
• Review of the BUL Storm
• Thoughts on the Israeli 98k Mauser
• Thoughts on the Galil
• The versatility of the Uzi magazine
• More accessory reviews
• Interviews with Israeli firearms and accessory manufacturers

I’ve bought the handguns, but they haven’t been transferred to me yet due to hassles with the MD handgun roster. This is kind of a shame, given how little US coverage that the Barak has gotten.

Welcome to my new blog!

This blog focuses on Israeli-designed, Israeli-manufactured, and Israeli-used firearms. It will also include anything else I deem pertinent and interesting. Much like The Firearm Blog, my interest is “Firearms Not Politics”, so don’t expect a lot of commentary on the political situation in Israel.

In terms of who your intrepid blogger is: I am an Orthodox Jew living on the east coast of the United States. I am not Israeli and have never been to Israel, but find Israeli firearms developments fascinating from a Jewish pride perspective. Further, I believe the Israelis have a very unique and interesting small arms program from a historical perspective, one that combines indigenous development with carefully-chosen foreign guns, plus a smattering of desperation that gives a ton of flavor.

I am not claiming to be a historian, but I have done a fair amount of research on the Internet and in various books. I will endeavor to make clear what I believe is fact, and what I believe is theory.