In August 2025 issue, we explored how several entirely different kinds of firearms, and a classic cartridge, possess the tried-and-true attributes that make them effective for self-protection or hunting—even though none is as popular as the modern sporting rifles, semi-automatic pistols and specialty chamberings that account for much of today’s gun coverage.
To that point, in “Not Just An ‘Other’ Firearm: Mossberg 990 Aftershock” Field Editor Frank Melloni wrings out one of the few examples on today’s market of a semi-automatic, shotshell-chambered gun equipped with a bird’s head grip and a fore-end fitted with a strap. The aptly named Aftershock is the long-awaited follow-up to Mossberg’s Shockwave pump-action arm in the same general format. Both guns boast remarkable compactness given the significant size and payloads of their 12-ga., 3" chamberings. Of course, with the Aftershock, propellant gases and a piston drive the gun’s operation, meaning the user simply has to press the trigger to fire successive rounds. The 990’s design is all-new, as it required an action housed entirely forward of the grip, and its development is likely to spawn other shotshell-chambered models from Mossberg in the future.
In “Rapid Reloads For Revolvers,” contributor Kevin McPherson, a former career law-enforcement officer and wheelgun devotee, shares years of hard-won wisdom on the topic of keeping such guns in the fight, and it should be more than a little informative for the many armed citizens who prefer to carry revolvers for self-defense. In fact, quite a few readers have noted in recent years that, in this age of polymer-frame, striker-fired semi-automatics, the tried-and-true revolver is still a viable handgun platform—one that, were it able to speak, might be inclined to appropriate a quote from the great American sage Mark Twain, who once quipped, “The report of my death was an exaggeration.”
In his story “Reloading The Stalwart .308 Winchester,” veteran hunter, handloader and Field Editor John Haviland reminds us why this now-73-year-old classic is unlikely to ever go out of style. Whether for its accuracy or versatility, the cartridge that commercially pre-empted its military analog, the 7.62 NATO, has proven itself time and time again in the game fields and in high power rifle competition. In fact, the .308 Win. has become so ubiquitous that any treatment of it can only hope to explore a few of the many loads that could be assembled using the vast variety of bullets and propellants available for it on today’s market.
Finally, in “‘Mine Beat Them All’: Great Britain’s ‘Baker’ Infantry Rifle,” lifelong vintage arms authority and Field Editor Garry James examines an arm that, 225 years ago, was itself on the cutting edge of technology. A muzzleloading flintlock developed by London gunmaker Ezekiel Baker, the rifle came in at a well-balanced 9 lbs. and measured about 45" in length, making it both lighter and handier than most other longarms of the day. In addition, it was well-regarded for its accuracy, which Baker himself claimed allowed consistent hits on man-size targets to be made out to 300 yards.
And despite the vintage nature of that last entry, it no less demonstrates that, like the others cited here, handiness and accuracy are important qualities in firearms and ammunition, whether they’re intended for defensive or hunting applications.
Today’s many makers of guns, ammunition, optics and accessories understand the value of such characteristics to armed citizens, and they strive to continually improve their product offerings. That makes modern shooting gear even more effective—and essential to the individual liberty that every American is privileged to exercise.
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