EAA, the guys who have been importing all sorts of guns from Europe over the past 35 years or so, are looking to outdo Beretta on one of its staple concepts– the small tip-up barreled pistol. The new MC 14 T is made in Turkey by Girsan and imported by EAA. A 13+1 capacity .380… Continue reading EAA Goes Tips Up for 380 Fans
Author: Michael Crites
Michael Crites has served as executive editor of AmericanFirearms.org since 2016 and previously held positions as associate editor and range correspondent dating back to 2000. He discovered his passion for precision shooting at age 12 during his first visit to his grandfather's shooting range, eventually earning an Expert classification in three different shooting disciplines before age 18.
During his studies at University of Wyoming, he earned four varsity letters on the collegiate rifle and pistol teams, serving as team captain for three consecutive years. He became the first UW student to complete the NRA Range Safety Officer certification while maintaining full-time student status. He graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in Sports Communications.
His diverse career has included roles as Range Safety Coordinator for the National Rifle Championships in Camp Perry 2001; editor-in-chief, Precision Shooter Quarterly; series editor, Modern Firearms Handbook collection; managing editor, National Shooting Sports Foundation Newsletter; editor, Competitive Shooter Magazine; operations director for Western Arms & Ammunition Co.; senior editor for the Shooter's Reference Annual (Cheyenne); content director for The Firearms Report, published by the American Shooting Coalition in Billings, MT; firearms correspondent for Hunting & Shooting, produced by Outdoor Sports Media Group in Jackson, WY; and publisher for Wyoming Shooting Sports Journal in Casper. He has contributed as a regular columnist for American Rifleman (NRA Publications), technical editor for Precision, a publication of the National Bench Rest Shooters Association (Phoenix, AZ); and as firearms specialist for the Gun Owner's Annual.
As a digital content creator, he has written more than 400 articles on AmericanFirearms.org, developed shooting technique coverage for the Brownells Shooting Blog (Montezuma, IA) and Federal Premium "Range Notes" platform (Anoka, MN), and served as lead content strategist for International Defensive Pistol Association (Berryville, AR). Beyond Tactical Firearms, his current endeavors include content development for the Wyoming State Rifle Association (Cheyenne, WY) and technical manual production for High Plains Publishing of Laramie, WY.
He has contributed to the 12th, 13th, and 14th editions of Modern Sporting Rifles Guide and edited The Complete Guide to Tactical Shooting and Competitive Shooter's Reference Manual (Gun Digest Books).
New from Vortex: Meet the Defender-CCW Micro Dot
Vortex Optics has a new micro red dot in the catalog: Defender CCW. It uses an RMS footprint, offers choices in either a 3 or 6 MOA red dot reticle variants, and has what the company says “delivers the biggest sight window in its class for both-eyes shooting and enhanced peripheral vision.” Auto-Shutoff is at… Continue reading New from Vortex: Meet the Defender-CCW Micro Dot
Springfield Armory has lots of new Color Choices
One of the common tropes headed into the annual NRA Show is a bevy of new-ish product announcements which are typically nothing more than gun makers releasing updated colorways to existing product lines. With the NRAAM set for April in Indianapolis, cue the color announcements! Springfield Armory is jumping into the Crayola box with a… Continue reading Springfield Armory has lots of new Color Choices
Bear Creek Debuts 10mm, .45 PCCs
North Carolina-based Bear Creek Arsenal has just announced they are branching out from their traditional 5.56 AR fare to blowback-actioned pistol caliber carbines. Using AR styling and Glock-compatible mag wells, the AR-10MM and companion AR-45 platforms are suppressor ready with threaded muzzles. Both use side-charging handles and an 8-ounce buffer. Each will be available in… Continue reading Bear Creek Debuts 10mm, .45 PCCs
SIG Buys Israeli Combat Robot Company
Sig Sauer just acquired an Israeli defense company, General Robotics, whose name points you to the fact that the latter is into a lot of stuff like remote weapons stations and unmanned drones. Sig recently used one of GR’s remote stations, paired with their LM338 machine gun, at an event in Nevada just before SHOT… Continue reading SIG Buys Israeli Combat Robot Company
Looking for a new 38 Super Comp? MPA has one
Georgia’s MasterPiece Arms has a new DS series race gun in the showroom– one chambered in .38 Super Comp Major. Now, this is not a regular .38 Super but rather intended specifically for IPSC and USPSA competing athletes in Open Division classes. Pistols ready to run such Major Power Factor ammunition are tough to come… Continue reading Looking for a new 38 Super Comp? MPA has one
Rock River Armory Goes DMR
Illinois-based Rock River Arms has introduced six new rifles for 2023, all in what they are calling their Operator DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle) series. Four are .308/7.62 NATO AR-10 style rifles while two are .223/5.56 NATO AR-15 pattern guns. Most will run 20-inch chrome-lined barrels (with a 16-inch variant available in both calibers) paired with… Continue reading Rock River Armory Goes DMR
Beretta Releases Three New Bobcats
Beretta has been making the Bobcat (Model 21) pistol for the past 40 years and only recently started making them in colors other than black or Inox (aluminum) and in what they call a Covert model that comes with a factory-threaded barrel, the latter something that many Bobcat owners often pay $125-$200 to have done… Continue reading Beretta Releases Three New Bobcats
SIG Announces Four New 9mm Pistols
Making sure they have all the niches covered, SIG this month has already announced at least four new 9mm handguns, including three P320 variants. The new P320s on the menu include Navy SEAL Foundation and Marine Raider Foundation commemoratives– a portion of the proceeds from the sale of these models earmarked to support those not-for-profits.… Continue reading SIG Announces Four New 9mm Pistols
Savage Adds Driven Hunter to Impulse Straight Pull Line
Savage announced their straight-pull bolt action Impulse series guns a couple of years back and they have, thus far, proved popular enough for the company to introduce additional models. The newest is the Driven Hunter, which runs shorter (18-20 inches depending on the caliber) barrels on a gray synthetic stock. Offered in 6.5 Creedmoor, .308,… Continue reading Savage Adds Driven Hunter to Impulse Straight Pull Line