August 29, 2011
Recently a neighbor asked my advice on purchasing a home-defense shotgun—his first gun in fact, and the first one he would shoot since the .22s of his Boy Scout days. Actually, he wanted me to accompany him to an upcoming local gun show, and if not for a sales meeting scheduled for that weekend, it would have been fascinating to hear a newcomer’s take on the gun show scene.
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August 29, 2011
I recently returned from a trip to Odgen, Utah, that included an afternoon touring a veritable shrine for anyone interested in gun design. As museums go, the John M. Browning Firearms Museum is fairly small, the lighting is stark and the presentation rather plain. But none of that matters given the importance of what’s on display, which amounts to a family-album-intimate retrospective on Browning’s prolific and hugely influential career.
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July 14, 2011
Within a few days members who take American Rifleman will receive a very special 125th Anniversary issue. Inside, Editor-in-Chief Mark Keefe and Senior Graphic Designer David Labrozzi have compiled a fabulous retrospective of the Rifleman and its predecessor titles going back to 1885. Along with an informative timeline, Keefe has sketched a brief history, and then allows the Rifleman’s proud evolution to speak for itself with a collection of excerpts ranging from a review of the Krag rifle (1894) to Townsend Whelen’s famed “Analysis of Game Bullets” (1924) to the launch of the popular “Armed Citizen” column (1958) and many more gems stretching 8+ pages. Take my word, this issue is destined to become a collector’s item.
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June 28, 2011
Former NRA editorial colleague Doug Howlett recently enlisted me to write the foreword for his latest project, "The Shooter’s Bible Guide to AR-15s." Slated for release this fall, the new book will examine America’s hottest-selling rifle category with all the in-depth coverage that has made the Shooter’s Bible a gun-owners’ staple for more than a half century.
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June 15, 2011
One sure indicator of a hot market is when new suppliers attempt get in on the action, and so SIG Sauer’s soon-to-be entry into the .50 BMG rifle category confirms what military operators, 1,000-yard competitors and tactical shooters have all discovered—the big, long-range round’s time has come.
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June 06, 2011
It’s quite common for Alaska bear-hunting guides to carry revolvers for backup, but outfitter Greg Jannen from Valdez, Alaska, told me he’s interested in getting a semi-auto pistol for that purpose. He likes self-loaders, only he wants one more powerful than a .45 ACP when he has to face down angry brown bears or other dangerous critters.
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June 01, 2011
Over the past two weeks I made a new friend, Craig Hill, from Galena, Alaska. Craig was my guide for the unforgettable adventure of a brown bear hunt on the Alaska coast. Although our long days glassing and looking for bears were mostly spent in silence, we took time to get acquainted, too. I learned that Craig is always good-natured, upbeat and funny, but when it’s time to get after the quarry he’s as focused as they come.
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May 16, 2011
Since returning from the Annual Meetings two weeks ago I have been putting myself through a crash familiarization with a newly introduced model—the Sako 85 Brown Bear. Most days after work I've stopped by my local range on the way home for 10-15 deliberate shots, and in addition have been escaping my desk for brief sessions on NRA's in-house range. Twice I have taken it out on the family farm where I can shoot at longer distances and practice rapid follow-ups from field positions. It will group about 1-1/2 moa off the bench, and from supported field positions I can hold about 5 inches rapid-fire out at 200 yards. So far I have worked out with Barnes Vor-TX, Winchester Supreme and Norma Oryx ammo, and all are plenty accurate for hunting purposes.
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May 16, 2011
Early on in my NRA career (1980s) our star writer was Col. Charles Askins, a Border Patrol lifer, ex-military attaché, pistol champ, worldwide big-game hunter and all-around gun expert. Askins was a mainstay in NRA's magazines for years, carrying on a legacy begun by his father, Capt. Charles Askins, who wrote for American Rifleman throughout the century's early decades. But by 1987, the colonel had worn out his welcome with our boss, George Martin, and their relationship became downright toxic.
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