PROOF Research team members Scott Peterson and Kalani Laker achieved major wins at the Gas Gun Show Series Finale using PROOF Research's PXT barrels. Peterson won 1st Overall and 1st DMR Division, while Laker secured 1st RECCE Division and 1st in Division, demonstrating PXT's performance in competitive gas gun shooting.
Vortex is inviting nominations for veterans to win an all-expenses paid trip for two to the 24th Annual Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas on January 2, 2027. Submissions are due by November 25, 2026, with winners notified in December 2026.
Celerant Technology announced a new integration with Silencer Shop, the nation's largest suppressor distributor, providing firearms retailers with streamlined purchasing, automated inventory management, and expanded online product access through a single connected platform.
Gearfire announced it is adding RestrIQ, developed by FastBound with compliance powered by FFLGuard, to its eCommerce Pro and Essentials platforms at no cost to dealers. The integration flags restricted items at checkout before orders are placed, saving dealers time and money on undeliverable orders.
Viridian Weapon Technologies introduced the RFX Black Label series of green dot reflex optics, including the RFX15, RFX16, and RFX35 models. Each features CNC-machined aluminum housing, Quick Change Reticle system with three options, and motion-activated INSTANT-ON technology, with prices ranging from $269 to $319 MSRP.
The National Rifle Association of America announced an exclusive partnership with Nine Line Apparel. NRA members will receive 25% off all purchases and access to new NRA x Nine Line co-branded merchandise launching November 17th.
The National Rifle Association (NRA) is offering free one-year memberships to active-duty U.S. Armed Forces members, including subscriptions to American Rifleman or American Hunter magazines and exclusive member benefits. NRA Executive Vice President and CEO Doug Hamlin stated the program honors service members' sacrifices in defending constitutional freedoms.
Sturm, Ruger & Company, Inc. introduces the Ruger American Rifle Generation II Varmint Target models, featuring adjustable target stocks with TerrainFade Woodland camouflage, 20" heavy barrels, and Magpul M-LOK compatibility. Available in 6.5 Creedmoor, 6mm Creedmoor, and 308 Winchester.
Century Arms announced the Centurion 11 TAC, a modernized 1911 pistol featuring an optics-ready slide, integrated Picatinny rail, and .45 ACP chambering. The new model combines classic 1911 design with modern capabilities for personal defense, training, and range use.
Magpul released two Enhanced Handgun Grips (EHG) for Ruger LCP MAX pistols, featuring improved ergonomics with high beavertail, undercut trigger guard, and reversible steel magazine release. Available in four colors at $39.99, the grips fit both LCP MAX PRO and Legacy models.
Breda, the historic Milan-founded firearm manufacturer, announced the patent-pending Breda Locking System (BLS), a spring-driven cam innovation that ensures complete bolt engagement in inertia shotguns whether slammed or eased forward silently. The BLS will be standard on 2027 models with retrofit upgrades available for earlier Breda firearms through their Maryland workshop.
Camillus Cutlery celebrates 150 years in business with a limited-edition commemorative tin set featuring a Buck 112 Lockback pocket knife and anniversary challenge coin. The exclusive release of 500 sets honors the brand's historic partnership with Buck Knives from the 1960s and 1970s.
Derya Arms announced the TM22 Bolt, a mag-fed bolt-action .22 LR rifle available in 18" and 20" barrels with an MSRP of $374. The rifle features TM22 box magazine compatibility, adjustable cheek pad, Picatinny rail, and 1/2x28 threaded muzzle for suppressors.
C&H Precision Weapons now offers CNC slide milling services with a 4-week lead time guarantee and a 5-day Concierge Program. Military and law enforcement customers receive expedited milling at no charge, and customers purchasing select pistol optics receive 25% off milling services.
SIGHTRON has been named title sponsor for the 2027 Spindletop Silhouette Regional Championship, taking place April 2-4, 2027, at Golden Triangle Gun Club in Beaumont, Texas. The NRA-registered competition will feature Air Rifle and Smallbore Rifle disciplines, with support from NASSA and the Future Champions Junior Development Program.
Guns & Ammo presents "Brownells Bench Masters," a firearms build competition hosted by Tom Beckstrand featuring experts Brad Fitzpatrick, James Tarr, and Jack Oller competing to build custom precision rifles from Brownells components. The show airs on Outdoor Channel and Sportsman Channel, with online episodes available on GunsandAmmo.com and YouTube.
Outdoor Sportsman Group's GAME & FISH TV achieved its best quarter since launching in February 2025, with over 224 million minutes watched in Q3 2026. The FAST channel, drawing content from Outdoor Channel, Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and MyOutdoorTV, continues experiencing month-over-month growth among outdoor enthusiasts.
The general way of things is to accentuate your strong points, do what you’re good at. When it comes time to trying to improve, you have to work on those aspects that are not your favorite; you’re not particularly good at them.
We had an officer who wasn’t particularly accomplished with the sidearm. He never carried it off-duty (that we know of; he was present at a robbery and confessed he hadn’t been armed), he was never one of those at “open range,” an opportunity to practice, he didn’t sign up for officer safety classes (back when training wasn’t obligatory).
He liked qual courses that started up close so he could hit the target, knowing that his rounds from distance would be elsewhere. The plan was to have enough bullet holes at the short lines that he “passed.”
When he was in a gun retention class (mandated) that began with data from the FBI Uniform Crime Report System, Law Enforcement Officers Killed & Assaulted, he noted with glee that few officers were killed at longer distances.
Why shoot one-handed at fifty yards? Why repeat the process with the less dominant hand? -- To learn something.
“This proves it’s a waste of time to shoot 25 yards,” he said.
The violent criminal offenders don’t shoot any better than you, I replied, and these data are officers killed. The report doesn’t show how many engagements there were at that range where an officer didn't get killed. Perhaps we won every encounter there because we could shoot at 25 yards …
Years before that experience, I came back from instructor school – my second time – and was in line to help with classes as we’d just moved through transition from revolvers (4” M686) to autos (S&W M645). I asked the lead instructor what he wanted me to teach so I could prepare.
“What do you know the least about?”
Well, the least commonly employed firearm was the shotgun, so …
“You’re teaching the shotgun.”
Work on the mirror-image; you are relearning how to shoot when you shoot with the wrong hand.
I don’t recall how much time I had to prepare – and there was no internet, no “Google.” I’d had some material from the instructor schools as well as a few other resources and I knew who to call.
To teach something, you have to know it better. And, when I actually taught that block, I learned quite a bit more just from student interaction.
You don’t learn anything if you stay in your comfort zone, so said Ken Hackathorn and Larry Vickers. They’re right.
To improve your hard skills, do an assessment exercise. Take abundant notes, make images of your results on target. Find out where you’re lacking. It’s most often precision or speed.
Try Rastoff's Challenge - keeping all the hits in the ca. 2"x3" X-ring of the B-27 target (or similar size "Post-It" notes shown here.) Using an ultra-light weight 22 revolver makes it tougher.
When you find that, work on that aspect and work it out. Research it – everyone now has that capability. Don’t worry about finding bogus information. If you try something and it fails, you still learn something from it – and you may find the key to improvement.
As to doing it, I sometimes gear up with a mirror-image two-gun rig to shoot some drills with the dominant hand and repeat with the other hand. I work some with smaller pistols seeing how close I can hold to the standard of larger pistols. At times, there may be a revolver used on a course based on semiauto pistols.
Some of this could qualify as range stunts, but I believe I learn something with each press of the trigger, with each draw and each reload.
