Marlin reinvented a lever-action classic with the Model 1895 Modern Hunter. Chambered for .45-70 Gov’t, it is intended as the ultimate survival rifle. Starting with a stainless steel barreled-action, the Marlin Custom Shop then smooths the action, installs an aftermarket trigger and recrowns the muzzle. An XS peep-and-front-post combo, along with an 8" XS rail are standard-issue. Each rifle’s laminated wood stock is hand-fitted. The stock and the metalwork are finished in durable Cerakote in the buyer’s choice of numerous camouflage, splatter or solid-color options. For emergencies and better gripping, the gun’s big loop lever handle comes wrapped in paracord. marlinfirearms.com
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.