Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
Watch full video on YouTube
The Rock Island Armory GI Standard 1911 looks like a no-frills throwback, but this budget .45 turned out to be far more shootable and drama-free than its price tag suggests. After 300 rounds and zero malfunctions, the question is not whether it is cheap. It is whether this plain GI-style pistol might be the smartest low-dollar entry into the 1911 platform. Why the Rock Island GI Standard 1911 Caught My Attention For decades, getting a reliable 1911 pistol was the result of a wizardry mix of hand fitting, creative milling, parts swaps, and magazine selection. Failing that, a good trouble-free…
Soldiers stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., face an uncertain future, knowing they could be called to serve at any time in the ongoing war with Iran. But for a few hours each week, active-duty personnel and veterans can escape from the anxiety of war through the game of baseball. The Braggs Baseball League (BBL), founded in 2024, gives more than 150 veterans and active military members a chance to relive their athletic glory days while bonding with fellow soldiers. “We have anywhere from privates brand new in the Army, all the way up to general officers who come out here…
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The best women’s rain boots do much more than just keep water out. These boots provide the comfort, grip, and walkability needed to tackle the messiest parts of daily life. During our recent 12-month testing cycle, GearJunkie Editor Chris Kassar evaluated nine pairs of women’s rain boots across 40 distinct outings. To push this footwear to the limit, we waded directly into rivers, streams, and creeks. We logged 150 miles from Alaska’s sloppy spring season and muddy trails in the Tetons to rainy travel days in Washington, D.C., and soggy birding routes in Nebraska. We crowned the XTRATUF Salmon Sisters…
From Bonnie and Clyde to Anwar al-Awlaki, this hard-edged piece asks a nasty modern question: when does deadly force stop being controversial and start feeling inevitable? Bonnie, Clyde, and the Old-School Case for Violent Justice On 23 May 1934, a group of lawmen led by Texas Ranger Frank Hamer machinegunned Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow to death on a rural road in Bienville Parish in rural Louisiana. Their villainous gang of cutthroats had murdered nine police officers and four civilians during the course of their well-publicized reign of terror. At the time of his death, Barrow had sixteen outstanding warrants.…
The best women’s water shoes need to do more than survive a splash. Whether crossing creeks, paddling lakes, or hiking to swimming holes, they must grip wet ground, protect your feet, drain quickly, and stay comfortable all day. Over the past year, our team — led by GearJunkie Editor Chris Kassar — tested new models across wet hikes, river crossings, and SUP floats from Alaska to Yellowstone. We vetted them on slick docks, rocky creek beds, and hot trails to find which shoes truly perform in the real world. The Astral Brewer 3.0 earned best overall for its unmatched mix…
The best camping cots help you sleep comfortably, whether you’re car camping, overlanding, or backpacking. Our most recent field testing took testers Meghan LaHatte and Nick Belcaster around Colorado and across Washington, testing six of this year’s newest options on 16 separate camping excursions. Whether you’re after a deluxe padded option like our top pick, the REI Co-op Wonderland Comfort Cot, or need something a bit more spend-wise, like the Kelty Lowdown Cot, we’ve found the best options for everyone. All-told, we’ve likely slept on close to 50 camping cots in our days, and tested them all on comfort, setup…
“Police are the only ones who should have guns.”That’s one of the more extreme, but honest, positions we’ve heard from gun control advocates. They tell us that they don’t trust us to exercise good judgment or that we don’t have enough training, and that in any given time or place, the cops are the only ones who should be armed. Sometimes, the less extreme use of this phrase only applies to a particular set of circumstances, but deep down, most of them think it to some degree or another about everywhere. Or, maybe they don’t.…
Winchester is taking a fresh swing at buckshot with the launch of its new AutoBuck™ shotshell and this one’s built with semi-autos in mind. Chambered in 12 gauge, AutoBuck is designed to run reliably across a wide range of platforms, including semi-auto, pump, and break-action shotguns. That’s been a sticking point for some buckshot loads, especially in semi-autos, and Winchester is clearly aiming to solve that here. Instead of going the traditional #00 route, AutoBuck uses a #1 buckshot payload, packing 12 pellets into a 2¾-inch shell running at 1325 fps. The idea is simple: slightly smaller pellets mean more…
Iran claimed Thursday that it struck U.S. military assets in the Strait of Hormuz after an alleged American attack on an Iranian tanker. U.S. Central Command refuted the claims, saying that American warships intercepted Iranian missiles, drones and small boats during a transit operation and that no U.S. assets were hit. The claims were circulated Thursday by IRIB News, part of Iran’s state broadcasting network, which cited an unnamed military official alleging U.S. military units “came under Iranian missile fire in the Strait of Hormuz and, after sustaining damage, were forced to flee” following what Tehran described as an American…
There’s nothing quite like a warm meal after miles on the trail. Our seasoned testers, Chris Carter and Ian Aktinson, have multiple thru-hikes under their belts, and in the last year alone, took five of this year’s most promising stoves on 100+ miles of trail in Colorado and Washington to test their mettle. While there isn’t a single backpacking stove that’s best for everyone out there, we’ve organized this guide into categories to help you find the best stove for you. Our top pick, the SOTO WindMaster, is an all-around winner for most backpackers out there, while the spend-wise GSI…
iSeeCars recently published a pretty cool study on the used car market, finding surprisingly little overlap between the fastest-selling used models and the top-selling new cars, trucks, and SUVs. For instance, would you believe that the Ford F-150 doesn’t even make the list? Note that this list tracks how long vehicles are staying on the dealer’s lot, and not overall sales volume, but even so, it illustrates that the new and used marketplaces are two very different spheres. The following is based directly on data from a study by iSeeCars. Models are listed from slowest to fastest-selling based on how…
The spring runoff gurgles downstream, as I settle in next to the river flowing listlessly by. Thanks to the recent warm temperatures, snow hundreds of miles away is melting and catching everything in its path as it flows down towards the ocean. The runoff river may look drinkable at first glance, but it still needs to be filtered. Luckily, I brought my Katadyn Explorer Pro water filter. I pump the water through the filter and into my water bottle. It looks crystal clear, and I take a big swig of the ice-cold filtered water that tastes as good as anything…
For some reason, it wasn’t a bigger story, but a man was shot by the Secret Service in Washington, D.C., on Monday, just moments after Vice President J.D. Vance’s motorcade passed by. While the official line is that they don’t believe the man was intending to harm Vance or anyone else in the motorcade, the shooting still happened. And boy, is there a lot to unpack in this one.For starters, he was a convicted felon from Texas, carrying a gun illegally in the nation’s capital, and clearly not a fan of the current administration.Photos from…
When it comes to shooter franchises, Call of Duty is number one. Whether players are hardcore or casual, chances are they have played one Call of Duty, if not all of them, or continue to play one of their favorites online. While the campaigns can often be epic and the weapon handling pristine, there are other shooters, and not just first-person ones, that contain better action throughout. Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon is a good third-person mech example, while a newer boomer first-person shooter like Ultrakill is breaking new boundaries. What other games are on the list? Let’s blast…
An alleged suicide note, handwritten by Jeffrey Epstein, was found by the late financier’s cellmate back in 2019. A federal judge has just released the note to the public. Epstein was found dead in his cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York in August 2019. His death was officially ruled a suicide, though it has continued to fuel public scrutiny and conspiracy theories because of his connections to wealthy and powerful political figures. White House Says Trump’s “Birthday Letter” To Jeffrey Epstein is “Fake News” The note was reportedly found in July 2019 by Epstein’s then-cellmate, Nicholas Tartaglione.…
From full-blown thru-hikes to fast weekend missions, we’ve clocked some serious miles with the best ultralight tents. Most recently, lead tester Nick Belcaster logged 35 days across six months on the Pacific Crest Trail in Washington with a slate of four new shelters to determine our latest additions. Our top pick, the Durston X-Mid 1, is a do-it-all shelter to hike the PCT or AT. Beginners can go for a more spend-wise option like the Gossamer Gear The One. We even cover semi-freestanding options like the Big Agnes Tiger Wall UL2. We heavily consider a tent’s weight (double-checked with a kitchen scale), material, interior space, and…
I try to pay as little attention possible to “influencers” in general, but 20-year-old Braden Peters, better known as “Clavicular,” popped up on my news feed this week after landing himself in hot water for a gun-involved incident in Florida. Peters is facing misdemeanor charges for allegedly opening fire on a dead alligator while livestreaming in the Florida Everglades back in March. There were reports at the time that Peters was under investigation for the incident, but according to the Miami New Times, charges weren’t formally filed until late April. BREAKING: Popular live streamer Clavicular is currently…
