The Altor 9mm is crude, awkward, and about as far from a refined carry gun as you can get. That’s exactly why this odd little single-shot pistol makes such a provocative modern echo of the FP45 Liberator, and why its implications reach way beyond the range. From Caracas to Tehran: Why Power Projection Still Hits a Hard Wall At 0200 on 3 January 2026, a Delta Force strike team descended upon the fortified compound of Nicolas Madura in Caracas, Venezuela, via helicopters piloted by the Task Force 160 SOAR (Special Operations Aviation Regiment). US forces had previously neutralized Venezuelan air…

The Holosun IRIS-3 made a big splash for a reason. It delivers the kind of clean, useful VCSEL illumination that used to feel locked behind much pricier options, and it does it in a compact package that is actually pleasant to live with. The IRIS 3 made big waves in the night-vision space when it became available last year, and it continues to be overwhelmingly popular. Stick around to learn the pros, cons, and whether it would be a good option for you. The Night Vision Itch Started With a College Budget Disaster Ever since my first time using a…

The Vortex Triumph HD 850 is one of those budget rangefinders that has no business being this useful for the money. It ranges farther than its size suggests, weighs almost nothing, and reads fast, but a slightly off reticle keeps it from being an easy slam dunk. The Vortex Triumph HD 850 is a compact laser rangefinder designed for hunters who want fast, reliable ranging without the extra bulk. Built with hunters in mind but versatile enough for general shooting use, the Triumph HD 850 focuses on simplicity, lightweight construction, and practical ranging performance at an approachable price point. With…

The tax went away, and buyers did not exactly ease into the shallow end. FOIA data shows silencer applications surged hard in early 2026, but the real surprise is that approvals still moved far faster than many shooters feared. Most of you reading this are aware that the tax on making and transferring four of the six types of firearms regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA) was recently repealed. Beginning January 1, 2026, Silencers, Short Barreled Rifles (SBR), Short Barreled Shotguns (SBS), and Any Other Weapon (AOW) could be made or transferred at a zero-tax rate. There was a…

The Browning BAR Mk II Safari is one of those rifles that can make a bolt-gun loyalist raise an eyebrow after the first shot. It is classy, quick on follow-up shots, and surprisingly gentle in a caliber that still gets real hunting done. From Battlefield BAR to Deer Camp Icon The Browning BAR, pronounced B-A-R, was originally designed by John Browning in 1917 and adopted by the U.S. military in 1918 as the M1918 BAR, or Browning Automatic Rifle. The BAR was a lightweight select-fire rifle that chewed through 20-round magazines of .30-06 Springfield ammo at a rate of about…

Potatoes are one of the most rewarding crops you can grow. They’re easy to plant, very productive, and surprisingly adaptable. In fact, potatoes are one of those plants you can grow in almost anything as long as the container has room, drainage, and enough soil. Gardeners grow them in raised beds, buckets, grow bags, trash cans, and repurposed containers. One clever option is growing potatoes in laundry baskets. This method is really useful if you don’t have a lot of planting space. Laundry baskets are cheap, easy to find, and large enough to grow a good crop. They also make…

S&W’s Performance Center Bodyguard 2.0 Carry Comp is a tiny .380 that shoots flatter than it should, carries easier than most, and only needed one fix at the sights. Tiny .380, Big Attitude: Meet the Bodyguard 2.0 Carry Comp Would you carry a 380 ACP for personal protection? What if it were compensated and had a 12-round capacity? You’ll likely answer yes or no to both questions. I’m on team “yes,” but I haven’t always been. My discovery of Smith and Wesson’s Bodyguard 2.0 was my turning point on this matter. It is a micro compact that can be easily…

As I promised at the end of my post on whether Second Amendment groups should be actively devoting limited time and resources to fight against both legal and illegal immigration (and perhaps even women and younger voters), I’ve got some ideas about how to grow the number of 2A activists (and gun owners in general) instead of trying to deport or disenfranchise members of a particular demographic who are most likely to support anti-gun candidates and policies.  We can start by targeting our efforts on those individuals who are already gun owners but not yet…

Our friends at Max Tactical Firearms took a hard look at the Brian M. Hicks study published in JAMA Network Open — specifically the methodology, measurement choices, and interpretive leaps that don’t hold up under scrutiny. What follows is their breakdown. When a psychiatry professor publishes research about firearms, the first question worth asking is: are we looking at behavioral science — or a policy conclusion dressed up in data? When you actually read the Hicks study, what you find is a study whose design appears aligned with a predetermined direction — and then works to keep the data consistent…

I’ve never liked how we treat felons in this country.Oh, we should definitely lock them up when they deserve it, and we go way too light on some of these sentences, to say the least, but when someone has paid their debt to society, it should be considered paid in full. We don’t do that. Instead, we continue to treat a lot of these folks like criminals for the rest of their lives. They have to check a box on most job applications that they’re felons, which doesn’t make sense for a lot of jobs,…

The war in the Middle East, which started on February 28th after the United States and Israel used joint strikes to attack Iran, has now expanded. Yemen’s Houthi Rebels have entered the fight, attacking Israeli military sites. More than 11,000 targets have been struck since Operation Epic Fury began, CENTCOM said Saturday in a fact sheet. Farea Al-Muslimi, a research fellow in the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House think tank, said: “The decision by the Houthis to join the broader Middle East conflict marks a serious and deeply concerning escalation.” “The potential impact on key commercial…

The Ninth Circuit recently heard an en banc review in Yukutake v. Lopez which involves firearm purchase requirements in Hawaii. Did Hawaii get caught lying while playing “he said,” “she said”? Previously reported, the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals heard en banc arguments in a case challenging Hawaii’s firearm purchase permitting and inspection law. Yukutake v. Lopez received a favorable opinion from a three-judge panel and the Aloha State asked the full court for a review. The case is being litigated by attorney Alan Beck and the en banc arguments occurred on Mar. 24.…