** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
When you least expect it, a little serendipity can come into your life, as it did with American Rifleman's Brian Sheetz during a chance visit to his local pawn shop. He ended up walking away with a gem of a rifle at a fraction of the cost he might otherwise have expected to pay. A quick check at Gunbroker.com shows a few Marlin Model 882s for sale starting at $300. Watch the video to see how little this pawn-shop find set back our editor.
Marlin’s latest Model 1894 lever-action rifle, a collaboration with Mad Pigs Customs that is a far cry from traditional, delivers “modern, factory‑installed features previously found only on custom builds.”
People carrying small firearms for personal protection is not a new concept, and in the middle of the 19th century, many pocket pistols were designed with self-defense in mind. One such gun, the Brown Manufacturing Southern Derringer, was among the earliest cartridge-firing self-defense guns.
Springfield Armory entered the world of modular, striker-fired handguns in 2023 with its Echelon line of pistols, and for 2026, Springfield is introducing an entry-level Echelon model with the Alpha 4.0C.
It has never been easier for gun owners to buy and use short-barreled rifles, and for the occasion, we have five of the latest SBRs on the market right now.
Despite the incredible array of polymer-frame, striker-fired, semi-automatic handguns on the market, the classic revolver not only refuses to die, it has seen something of a resurgence in recent years.