GUNS INSIDER
PRODUCTS AND REVIEWS FROM THE EDITORS
Opera Dog
Someone recently asked my opinion concerning hunting dogs as they were in the market for their first pup. Unfortunately, based on my decades of hunting and...
27
Night Vision Tips
Using some of these night vision tips can help you operate effectively at night without thermal imaging or light-intensifying devices.
22
Flying With Guns Isn’t...
If you’ve been leery of taking a gun with you on a commercial airline, fear not. Here's the quick-n-dirty on how to make the process of flying with guns...
17
What Is The BC Of Dirt?
If you’re into classic gun literature, you undoubtedly own a copy of Hatcher’s Notebook, a 1949 tome by Julian S. Hatcher, the then-Chief of the Small...
122
The Mouse That Roars
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I’m Late, I’m Late …...
It wasn’t my fault because every shooter knows any trip to the range invariably means walking through the door at home much later than your promised...
22
The Negligent Discharge
Off the top, let me say there is really nothing funny about a Negligent Discharge (ND), aka “Accidental Discharge.” Seriously — nothing funny there....
31
Gather Around the Campfire
For the diehard, there are few places more magical than hunting camp. And, if you peel away the outer skin, the very beating heart of the place is actually...
16
Free-Range Junk
Have you ever stopped to consider the concept of the range bag? Of course you haven’t, because you’re not a magazine editor facing an imminent deadline...
16
Terroristic Ducks
First, let’s get this out of the way in case it isn’t already clear — I’m cranky. Grouchy. Curmudgeonly. Crabby, even. But this fact doesn’t have...
92
Don’t lose it!
If your new GonzoBlaster 500XL accidentally drops out of your holster and falls down the storm drain grate, don’t blame me.
215
NRA Annual Meeting Wrap-up
The National Rifle Association's Annual Meeting was held in Indianapolis on April 14-16, 2023.
13
A Purifying Ritual
The problem really lies in the “All or none”-nature of firearms advice. Pick any gun, caliber, bullet, powder, optic, holster — or cleaning technique...
85
The Ultimate Man-NOT-Stopper
It happened again today: I saw the term “Ultimate Manstopper” and my head exploded. Fortunately, I was able to get all the gray matter stuffed back...
107
A Day In The life
I was recently introduced to someone and after they learned what I do for a living, it marked the 10,000th time I’ve heard the well-intentioned statement,...
78
Pipe Dreams
I believe this a suitable topic for this corner as many, many shooting and hunting adventures involve tobacco in some format and many shooters, especially...
42
Becoming a Gun Plumber
In case you aren’t aware, a “gun plumber” is an oft-derogatory term for someone who works on firearms despite a lack of proper tools, basic knowledge...
12
Stalking the wild camera lens
It was hunting and stalking of the most dangerous kind. The consequences of a misstep would be drastic, maybe even fatal.
20
The Wide, Wild World Of...
When the onlookers need psychological counselling services after seeing one of your reactive targets in action, you know it’s a good one. I like the good...
64
Vulture Vomit
If you hang around hunting camp or the shooting range for more than, say, seven seconds, you will soon be regaled with the most outrageous fibs,...
53
Feed The Animals
Forgive me reader, for I have sinned: I spoke to “The Media.”
78
Duck and Cover!
I’m an inveterate duck hunter but in my case, don’t take enthusiasm to correlate with any skills.
41
Stop Attaching So Much Stuff!
Our sermon of the month is simple: Know when to stop hanging crap off your gun!
81
Are you suspect or victim?
Cops pretty much put everyone in the world into three general categories: suspects, victims and witnesses. Which one are you?
63
After You …
About two years ago in this corner, I shared my own trials with some rodent yard raiders but recently I’ve heard another such yarn that puts my own to shame.
52
Moving Day
So why had I agreed to purchase this gun safe?
45
Getting shot
Whenever your workday involves evaluation by two trauma surgeons, you probably should have stayed in bed. Let me explain.
168
The Garage Sale
I couldn’t help myself. Life had grown so chaotic, cluttered and unruly I was forced to commit the ultimate act of despair for a firearms enthusiast — I...
103
Tales of the Suburban Trapper
I was recently at one of the mega-outdoor retail stores trying to spend a gift card and became enraptured by the trapping equipment.
162
A Bump in the Night
CRASH!!! I sat bolt upright in bed after a smashing, clattering noise burst from my living room.
119
Snow Hunt
There is a special magic when hunting in the snow, especially for deer, especially in late December.
59
Waiting for Deer Day
Soon after these words cross into your frontal lobe, I should be safely nestled among the branches of an old oak tree, waiting, watching and hoping.
25
Fishing Guns
During a recent editorial strategy meeting on the panoramic top floor of the 50-story GUNS office building in East Bumphrey, someone discovered a new trend.
39
The 50 Rules
I will hereby lay claim to the spurious honor of being the world’s foremost “good example of a bad example,” especially in the arena of personal safety.
112
It’s the Hot Brass Boogie!
Aside from being a magazine editor, you might be surprised to learn I am a world-class dancer, as verified by several national shooting organizations. Let...
52
The bear wasn’t there …
Bears are no laughing matter, especially whenever one is actively gnawing on your lower giblet region.
55
False Pretenses
I’ve been the Lord High Protector of the GUNS realm for a couple of years now and it’s finally time to fess up to both regular readers of this corner...
51
Late, late for a very...
In this regard, has anyone else noticed a trip to the range, hunting, fishing or outdoors adventure in general almost always involves walking in the door at...
27
Parents, Grandparents,...
Now that I’ve officially earned my field commission as a Grandfather, First Class, the subject of children interacting with firearms takes on a new...
40
Where the mildew grows …
Today I was perusing a nearby “outdoor” store. I use quotation marks around the word Outdoor, as most of these stores are nowadays quite unrecognizable...
46
To Become an Editor …
A few months ago I wrote the definitive treatise on “How to become a gun writer.”
34
Deer Diary …
As we reach the collective end of the deer season in many locales where this magazine is read — or is otherwise put to good use in the hunting camp...
20
Surviving on the throne
In days of yore, the King was always worried about being killed by his foes while sitting atop the throne. It’s still a problem today but in a much...
16
The Rifle
“Easy, easy … ” I thought while watching the squirrel dig for some morsel buried under the forest duff. When his head came back up, there would be a...
12
The Robin
A few nights ago, I was in the backyard of our little estate on the prairie watering the plants, a favorite summer evening pastime.
10
How to be a gun writer
As the Lord High Editor and Ruling Despot of GUNS Magazine, I frequently get emails asking, “How do you become a gun writer?”
12
10 Self-Defense Mistakes
We don’t throw the word “tactical” around here very often, even though self, home and family defense are a major topic of concern with our readers.
56
Rockets Weren’t The Only...
Ah, Independence Day, one of my favorite holidays! A favorite of young and old, the Fourth of July always evokes memories of cookouts in the backyard,...
3
Florida Hog Hunt
From the backseat, it felt like one of those nightmares you have after eating pickled jalapeños right before bedtime.
44
Cheap pistols
Gun writers collectively tend to forget something — we all want to carry a $5,000 custom defensive pistol but sometimes a large soft drink at the local...
39
The Man-Eaters of Suburbia
A quick flash of movement near the corner of my vision brought an involuntary head swivel and instant frustration.
24
Podcast
You’ve probably seen it mentioned elsewhere but the GUNS Magazine Podcast is rolling merrily along! We’ve been talking to a great list of guests and...
11
Red Ryder Still Rides
At a recent media event, one section of the firing line was entirely devoted to the venerable Daisy Red Ryder.
16
Beto shoots gun control...
The NRA has anointed him AR-15 salesman of the year and liberals are horrified when he gave away the game plan.
22
"Underinvesting" In Print?
The smart marketing managers are realizing — or never forgot — if they want to sell things like guns, print is still the prime way to reach the consumer.
1
NRA Meeting Change
We’re trying to stay above the NRA fray but things just keep happening which deserve reportage. The latest dust-up occurred when the organization decided...
22
NRA Tide Turning?
We’ve avoided staking out a position in the whole NRA fiasco because it’s a no-win proposition — unless we’re simply going for click-bait headlines,...
12
How Cool Is My (Old) Tool?
Check out my former duty gun, as re-imagined by the creative geniuses at Toner Machine and Tool (TMT). We officers were allowed to buy back our individual...
4
Doing Our Part
FMG Publications, our corporate entity that publishes GUNS Magazine, American Handgunner and Shooting Industry, had a problem: a bunch of Mossberg shotguns...
1
Gathered on the fringe
Despite the new leftist meme making the rounds on social media which claims “the NRA is a fringe organization with declining membership,” about 81,000...
6
Taurus “Here to Play”
Both myself and American Handgunner Editorial Director Michael Humphries just returned from a short trip to the new Taurus factory in Bainbridge, Georgia....
16
“Down” Can Be Deceptive
The BATF has released the final 2017 figures for firearm production in the U.S and, regardless how you spin the numbers, things are trending down. However,...
0
A Slicker Snubbie
After a lifetime of shooting medium and large-frame revolvers, developing a crush on S&W J-Frames late in life brings with it a steep learning curve. A...
37
A Slicker Snubbie: Part 2
In this wrap-up of the J-Frame snubbie content, let’s deal with a couple of critical items. And since they’re the first thing you grab, let’s start...
15
A Whole Shot-Load
The annual SHOT Show is a chance to see what’s what, and the 2018 edition was no exception. I’ll dispense with the usual scene-setting blather and get...
0
SHOT Show scoop
The recently concluded Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) Show in Las Vegas once again served as a good indicator of the overall health of the...
0
A .35 Remington Retro Trio
I got my first gun magazine staff job in 1977. It was on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles at a multi-story building now fallen victim to the wrecking ball....
2
THE WORLD EXPLAINED
In December 2018, our friend Jim Shepherd of the online Industry newsletter The Outdoor Wire wrote something which made a lot of sense.
As Jim made his...
0
Nuthin’ But Blue Sky
For lots of folks, Labor Day is hunting season. It’s not hard to figure out why. In terms of logistics, dove areas are relatively accessible, and the hit...
1
It Hasn't Gone Away
The 2018 mid-term elections are now a distant (unpleasant, for many reasons) memory to most folks but the whole dog-fall has just concluded as these words...
1
Behind the Scenes: Turkey...
Greetings from the executive suite high atop the GUNS Magazine tower! I’d like to start by wishing a happy Turkey Week to everyone. As I sit here enjoying...
3
Things To Come
By now you’ve seen the news Ruger has a factory custom shop building 1911s and 10/22s retailing for roughly half of what a similar gun would cost from a...
0
Three Nines to Beat
As basically a .38 Special/.45 ACP guy when it comes to handguns, I’ve always looked on with a bit of fascination — perhaps mixed with primitive metric...
4
Vintage Gems
Okay. It’s December. Nobody escapes the Ghost of Christmas Past, so we’ll just surrender here and be done with it. It’s exactly the right time for us...
0
Performance-Plus
How hard do you really push a piece of gear to discover its capabilities? I don’t think most of us do, which is too bad because there are often...
4
A Return To Single Life
Okay, full disclosure: I didn’t grow up shooting Colt Single-Action Army models of any generation. By the time I was old enough to thumb-crank a hammer...
44
Zero Hour
I used to spend a lot of time trying to shoot little tiny groups with scoped, bolt-action deer rifles, generally at 100, but sometimes 200 yards. Often it...
0
Sonic Signatures, Sensible...
Assuming you’re not calling winter coyotes on the high plains, when it comes to most varmint (and small game) hunting, rimfires are—for many of us—the...
1
SIG’s Service Stand-In
My first “pistol” was an air-powered .177 Benjamin smoothbore with a wooden “Tootsie Roll” pump handle and a grayish plastic set of grip panels. It...
6
A Sight to See
Getting an iron-sighted .22 to hit point-of-aim can sometimes turn into an adventure in shade-tree gunsmithing. Mine began with my son’s purchase of a new...
0
A Shotgun Approach
If you do enough shotgunning, eventually you’ll run into a guy who’ll tell you (proudly, no less), “I can’t break clay birds worth a darn, but I can...
0
Pressure Points — Do You...
Here in the US of A, our preeminent “non-magnum” defensive handgun cartridges include the 9mm, .38 Special and .45 ACP. All feature +P versions in more...
9
A 9 For All Reasons
Springfield Armory first introduced the Croatian-made HS200 as their flagship XD pistol in 2002. It was my first lengthy exposure to a striker-fired...
0
“Semi” Snubbie
By now you’re probably thinking, what’s in an inch among J-Frames? Well, a lot more than you’d expect when you go from 2 to 3.
15
Sensible Special-ization
How to power up the old .38 to avoid resorting to the “bright lights and blast” of the more penetrative and difficult-to-control .357 Magnum.
125
Cowboy “Double” Action
I wanted to combine my new-found infatuation with Cowboy loads with something cool.
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