Over 400 competitors from 30 states participated in the 2026 Zombies in the Heartland 3-Gun match hosted by Hornady and Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island, Nebraska. Hornady-sponsored shooters Andrew Tarver, Dillen Easley, and Dylan Mertens won their respective divisions using Hornady ammunition and equipment.
Team Beretta achieved multiple podium finishes at the 2026 World Speed Shooting Championship in Talladega, Alabama. Salvador Luna won the Production Division World Championship title with the Beretta APX A1 Full Size and secured second-place finishes in Carry Optics and Limited Divisions. Cameron Templin earned third-place finishes in Carry Optics and Limited Optics Divisions with the Beretta 92 Elite LTT.
Team Beretta's JJ Racaza won the 2026 Handgun & PCC Puerto Rico Extreme Cup, an IPSC Level III match, competing with the Beretta 92X Performance. This marks his second major Level III victory in 2026, following his earlier Xtreme Open win in Florida.
SLG2, Inc. will bring its Shoot Like A Girl experience to Bass Pro Shops in Niles, Ohio on June 13-14 as part of its 2026 Grand Safety Tour. The free event features hands-on firearm and archery experiences, product demonstrations, and outdoor education in a mobile range and gun bar setting for women, families, and outdoor enthusiasts of all experience levels.
Wolfe Publishing marks Handloader Magazine's 60th anniversary with a Legendary Giveaway of two commemorative firearms chambered in 45 Colt. Founded in 1966 by Dave Wolfe, the handloading publication has thrived for six decades through contributions from dedicated editors and writers.
Dead Air Silencers has appointed Dunkin-Lewis, Inc. as its western sales representative agency covering 13 states. The partnership leverages Dunkin-Lewis's 60+ years of sporting goods industry experience to provide sales support and dealer service across the western United States.
Orchid released its annual ranking of the top 30 largest U.S. firearm manufacturers based on ATF data, showing Ruger, Smith & Wesson, and Sig Sauer leading the market. The top 30 manufacturers accounted for 8.4 million of 9.6 million firearms produced domestically in 2024, with notable movements including Empire Precision Plastics entering the top 30 and Mossberg securing its fifth consecutive year as the top shotgun manufacturer.
Silent Steel USA, a veteran-owned suppressor manufacturer, named Route 1A Advertising as its Advertising and Branding Agency of Record and Walk 2 West as its Social Media Marketing Agency of Record to accelerate brand awareness and market expansion.
NSSF praises the bipartisan introduction of the Federal Firearms Licensee Protection Act (S. 4671) by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, which strengthens criminal penalties for firearm thefts from licensed retailers. The legislation builds on NSSF's Operation Secure Store initiative with the ATF, which has achieved a 60 percent drop in firearms stolen during burglaries and robberies at retail locations.
Smith & Wesson is hiring a Director of Procurement in Maryville, TN to oversee procurement and supply chain management across Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Maine locations. The role requires 10+ years of procurement experience, including 5+ years in leadership, with expertise in firearms manufacturing and strong supplier relationship management skills.
Kinsey Brands is hiring a Director of Brands to oversee its consumer brand portfolio, manage multi-channel sales strategies, guide product development, and lead supply chain operations. The role requires strong analytical skills and experience managing relationships with mass merchants, distributors, and international accounts.
Kinsey Brands is hiring a Procurement & Supply Chain Analyst to support its Consumer Brands Division in Mount Joy, PA. The role involves managing manufacturing procurement, supply chain planning, logistics, and inventory across Kinsey's outdoor and hunting brands portfolio.
Stealth Cam has released the Deceptor MAX 3.0 Cellular Trail Camera, featuring AI-powered false image detection, PIR zone selection, and Rack Alert technology. The camera offers dual-core simultaneous image and video capture with 4K downloads via the Command app and new built-in charging capability with FieldMAX Lithium Rechargeable Batteries.
Federal Ammunition announces the 6.5 Creedmoor +Peak, a high-pressure cartridge using patented Peak Alloy case technology loaded to 80,000 psi. The new round delivers 300 fps faster velocities than standard 6.5 Creedmoor while maintaining similar recoil and compatibility with existing rifles. Initial offerings include 130-grain Terminal Ascent and 155-grain Fusion Tipped loads, shipping to dealers in August 2026.
DeSantis Gunhide introduces the #236 Outback 2.0, an ambidextrous OWB/IWB holster made from center cut steer hide with a Tuck-able 360 clip for unlimited positioning. The holster accommodates most concealable handguns and popular Red Dot Sights, retailing at $55.99.
Iron Valley Supply and Colt are releasing an exclusive serialized 1911 Classic Government Model featuring gold embellishments commemorating America's 250th Anniversary and the Declaration of Independence. The limited-edition pistols are available through IronValleySupply.com.
Crosman Corporation introduced the Raiden, its first battery-powered fully automatic BB gun featuring semi-auto and full-auto modes, 430 fps velocity, an 80-round magazine, and approximately 2,200 shots per charge.
Vortex announced a limited-edition collaboration with Hunter Constantine featuring the Vortex Constantine Carry Belt, with only 250 units available. A portion of proceeds benefits the Second Amendment Foundation to support constitutional freedoms.
RCBS announces its 1776 Edition Rock Chucker Supreme and Die Sets to commemorate the United States' 250th Anniversary. The limited-edition press features classic red, white, and blue finish, while die sets come in a custom wooden presentation box and are available in six popular cartridges, all proudly made in the USA.
Firearms News released its June 2026 issue featuring James Tarr's cover story on Military Armament Corporation's MAC IX, a modular 9mm PCC. The issue includes reviews of firearms from Aly & Kaufman, Sig Sauer, and DS Arms, plus technical columns and analysis from contributors including Dr. Will Dabbs, Rick Rambo, and Patrick Sweeney.
Ruger has discovered that in some LCP MAX Manual Safety models, the recess that retains the safety lever detent spring may not be machined properly. When this condition is present, the safety lever detent spring can become dislodged under the recoil of firing. If this happens, the manual safety lever will have no resistance and will not remain in the "safe" position. Ruger is committed to safety and is warning consumers of the potential for this condition to occur.
Sons of Liberty Gun Works will exhibit and conduct live-fire demonstrations at the 2026 Ohio Tactical Officers Association Tactical Operations and Public Safety Conference in Sandusky, Ohio, showcasing their MK1, L89, and EXO3 rifle platforms to law enforcement attendees.
D&M Holding Company, the global leader in ammunition, primer, and propellant manufacturing solutions, will exhibit at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris, France, June 15-19. The company, along with subsidiary White River Energetics, will showcase its comprehensive manufacturing capabilities in Booth #D309 in the USA Pavilion.
Shell Shock Technologies and CBC Global Ammunition will formally commemorate their Memorandum of Understanding at Eurosatory 2026 in Paris on June 15, 2026. The partnership focuses on industrializing and commercializing SST's proprietary NAS3™ lightweight ammunition technology across military, law enforcement, and commercial markets worldwide.
RCBS has been named the 2026 Official Reloading Equipment of the Precision Rifle Series, continuing their partnership with the national leader in competitive long-range shooting. RCBS Marketing Director Joel Hodgdon highlighted the company's commitment to supporting PRS competitors with premium MatchMaster reloading tools and equipment.
Today’s feature is from correspondent Dave Spaulding.
Greg Moats photo.
For many years the words “survive” and “survival” have played a major role in how we think about interpersonal conflict. Phrases like “Street Survival,” the “Will to Survive”, “Officer Survival” and “Survival Mindset” have been quite common. According to the Webster’s Dictionary, the definition of survive is “to remain in existence.” This doesn’t cover what “survive” really means. I want to go home the same way I left -- unharmed, unscathed and psychologically fit. Survival is not what I want to instill in my mind. I want to win, to prevail. According to Webster, prevail means “to be victorious.”
What does it take to prevail in a confrontation? The truth is no one really knows since each confrontation is different and it’s impossible to train for every potential life-threatening event. Most situations are outside our control. One thing I can say is that you must take fundamental knowledge and skill and adapt it to the situation you face. There is no such thing as too much training or preparation.
I have seen a trend online of late with “experts” discussing how common sense and sound judgment are the critical skills to have when facing a threat. While these are certainly good attributes to have, what these authorities miss is that under the effects of fear, the reasoning brain goes to mush; sound judgment and reasoning are fleeting. My concern is that it offers an excuse to possess mediocre skills - making the effort needed to truly prepare less important. Anyone who has ever had to face an armed assailant will tell you having confidence in one’s combative skills offers peace of mind which cannot be minimized. Possessing the ability to fight is an important component of having the proper mindset. Don’t let anyone tell you differently. Having confidence in one’s ability, backed by a solid, easy to use skill set is the single biggest deterrent to the onset of mind-numbing fear.
History has shown us that it’s not necessarily the person with the fastest draw (insert any of the hard to measure but sought after skills) that will win a gunfight. The person that will prevail is the one that is more ruthless, has no reservation to take a shot, and will go “toe-to-toe” with an opponent. He will not hesitate, when the fight, starts to seriously injure or kill his opponent.
The fact is this is not most people. The majority of us are raised to be good and kind, which are certainly qualities we want to give to our children, but what about those who are not raised this way? During my 30+ years as a cop, I came in contact with many children who knew who the local dope dealer was by age five, knew their mother was a prostitute at an age when they should have been watching Saturday morning cartoons and saw lethal violence before there were two digits in their age. Do you think these people, as they grow into adult life, will think about the world the same way you or I do?
After serving seven years (at different times) in the county jail, I got to know how criminals think and the biggest mistake anyone can make is to apply their thoughts or feelings to a criminal. A police officer in my area confronted an armed suspect and tried to defuse the situation by putting her gun on the ground and dropping to her knees, thus showing a less threatening posture. The suspect responded by shooting her through the neck.
Never base a decision on how to deal with an armed opponent by applying your logic. Noted combative skills trainer Kelly McCann sums up how we need to think, “Combat is 10 percent skill and 90 percent attitude.”
Don’t think the possession and mastery of skill is not important to this attitude. Physical skill affects mental performance. It’s as simple as that. But you do need to be mentally prepared to use the skill—you can’t have one without the other.
Back to Webster’s Dictionary, the word combat means “to counter or actively oppose; to fight back,” while combative means, “ready and willing to fight.” Mindset is defined as “a course of action based on a previous decision, a set path based on reason and intellect.” Thus, it would be fair to say that the combative mindset could be defined as, “a previous decision based on reason and intellect to be ready and willing to fight back.”
It doesn’t say a thing about attacking others or behaving like a schoolyard bully. It means if attacked, you will be ready and willing to fight back, prepared via reason and intellect. Where does reason and intellect come from? From experience, formal education and training.
How does one develop a combative mind? Deciding that this is the path you wish to pursue and actively pursuing it via quality training is crucial. The more skills one possesses, the more likely they’re able to fight back in a life-threatening event. Cops, soldiers and armed citizens must be confident in their ability if they wish to overcome the fear they will experience in a conflict. Make no mistake, fear is your friend and anyone who says they are never afraid is either a liar or a fool. In addition, a person who does not have confidence in a particular technique will not try to use it in a fight, which makes them vulnerable.
Combative skills range from verbalization through defensive tactics, chemical sprays, electronic devices, impact weapons and deadly force via firearms. Being as skilled as possible in all levels is a worthy goal but one that is tough to achieve due to time and monetary constraints. What do you do? You do the best you can with the assets you have, but don’t dismiss it by saying; “I will be more alert and aware so I can avoid a situation.”
You might as well put your head in the sand.
Since solid information is important to mental preparation and skill building, how do we do this? For a number of years, I’ve used the “Three S Test” to evaluate techniques I’ve been exposed to in various training programs. I believe it’s a valid measuring device anyone can use.
The first is SIMPLE. Is the technique being taught simple to execute or perform? If not, what’s the likelihood the technique will be easy to accomplish in a fight? What’s the likelihood that the average person will practice the technique once training is over? Simplicity will make this more likely. Oftentimes less is more.
Second, does it make SENSE? You’re a person with a great deal of life experience and a reasonable level of training. Some have extensive training or even military experience. If it doesn’t make sense, talk to the instructor and express concern. After all, you are paying to be there. If the instructor can’t address your concern, you’re wise to question the technique.
Is it STREET PROVEN? Has the technique been used in actual conflict? Be cautious. While Airsoft or Simunitions training is excellent, it is not a real fight so I don’t rate things seen in such training the same as actual combat. Ask the instructor if the technique has been proven in multiple fights; if not, do you want to be the guinea pig for this new technique? This is not a foolproof way to evaluate a given technique, but it is a place to begin. A solid evaluation will help anyone be more confident in his or her abilities.
History has shown that anyone who faces an armed threat will respond in one of four ways: fight, flight, freeze or posture. Fighting back or fleeing is a sound, even wise, course of action. Don’t underestimate the advantages of withdrawal. As Dirty Harry Callahan so aptly said, “A man’s got to know his limitations,” but freezing and posturing are unacceptable, likely suicidal. The dangers of freezing while in danger are obvious, but many feel they can bluff their way out of a confrontation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
