It was not that long ago that appendix-inside-the-waistband (AIWB) concealed carry was considered a passing fad, poked fun at as “felony carry” (for resembling a ne’er-do-well’s pistol stuck casually down their pants) and derided by old-timers for being silly and seemingly dangerous—we still can’t have a conversation about AIWB without someone raising the alarm on behalf of the family jewels. It’s true that the method of carry is not new; what is, though, is a market full of thoughtfully designed holsters specifically configured for AIWB carry. New holster making materials and complementary feature sets have made appendix carry for the modern armed citizen safe, comfortable and more concealable than ever before. In this video, American Rifleman’s Joe Kurtenbach takes a closer look at holsters from JM Custom Kydex and Keepers Concealment to showcase some of the features that make AIWB carry really work.
Any survey of military firearms isn’t complete without also discussing the development of ammunition across this past quarter-millennium. From a conceptual standpoint, very little has changed.
Initially introduced in 2019 to the international military market in a select-fire format, the IWI Carmel is a modular, durable and thoroughly modern sporting rifle.
Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc. became the first Blue Diamond level sponsor of the Scholastic Shooting Sports Foundation (SSSF) in 2024 by supporting the youth shooting sports program with more than $75,000 a year.
KelTec has brought the stripper clip back with the thoroughly unconventional PR57—a carry pistol with an uncommon chambering, an unusual action and no box magazine.
A number of states in the western U.S. have opened or are planning to open large, versatile ranges to serve the growing need for publicly accessible shooting spaces.