Walther introduced Horst Wesp’s P99 pistol in 1997 (nope, not 1999), and it proved a hit with lots of folks on both sides of the Atlantic ever since. The improved second-generation P99AS (Anti Stress) model was introduced around 2004, which included a double-action/single-action stageable trigger with an extremely short reset. Iconically, this included both Pierce… Continue reading The Walther P99AS Final Edition
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).
Taurus (and Rossi) unleash a ton of New Revolvers
Brazilian firearms maker Rossi used to turn out a bunch of generally Smith & Wesson pattern revolvers until the company that owned neighboring Brazilian gunmaker Taurus’s bought them out a few years ago, to largely rub out the competition. Well, Rossi is back with a series of stainless steel .357 magnums, including a 3-inch model… Continue reading Taurus (and Rossi) unleash a ton of New Revolvers
The ATF Goes Bananas on Pistol Braces
In case you have been under a rock for the past few days, the ATF dropped their 293-page final rule on pistol stabilizing braces. The good news is that they dropped the whole ludicrous proposed “Form 4999” point system brought up in last year’s proposed rule. The bad news is they just went ahead and… Continue reading The ATF Goes Bananas on Pistol Braces
The Limited Edition, and Very Interesting, RIA 5.0
Rock Island Armory, part of the Philippine-based Armscor group, is the king of inexpensive but decent 1911s and they have been branching out lately into other models cooked up in-house. Their latest attempt at something fresher than a 112-year-old John Browning design is the RIA 5.0. While at first you would just note that it… Continue reading The Limited Edition, and Very Interesting, RIA 5.0
Hi-Point is Making a 10mm Pistol
Hi-Point, king of the pot metal pistol trade, says they are making the most affordable 10mm pistol on the market. Labeled the unimaginative JXP 10, it is the same rough size as its .45 and .40S&W guns (the JHP and JCP) and uses the same 10-round single-stack magazine as their 1095 carbine. It has a… Continue reading Hi-Point is Making a 10mm Pistol
New POF-USA Tombstone Lever Gun
For some reason, firearms makers of late are fascinated by making tacticool lever guns. Maybe it is because Chris Costa keeps posing with them, who knows. Anyway, the latest company to jump on this trend is AR maker POF-USA. Located in Pheonix, they took advantage of the nearby long-running tourist trap and pop culture “I’m… Continue reading New POF-USA Tombstone Lever Gun
Canik Now has a Steel-Framed Pistol With The SFx Rival-S Series
For years, everyone was stuck on polymer-framed striker-fired pistols, trying to play the catch-up game against Glock. Now, it seems everyone is turning their polymer-framed pistols into metal-framed guns, just look at the Walther Q4 and Q5, Sig Sauer’s full-metal Alloy XSeries Grip P320 variants, and the new S&W Metal M&P line, all billing the… Continue reading Canik Now has a Steel-Framed Pistol With The SFx Rival-S Series
Taurus Shrinks the TX22 With The New TX22 Compact
Taurus surprised a lot of people when they introduced the TX22 pistol a couple of years ago. It was a $300-ish rimfire pistol that offered a threaded barrel, accessory rail, and 16+1 shot capacity– and it actually worked, which is something that a lot of 22s cannot say. For those who wanted the gun to… Continue reading Taurus Shrinks the TX22 With The New TX22 Compact
FN 5.7 Review: The Future Is Now
The FN Five-seveN pistol helped usher in the 5.7x28mm round it is named after and, now in its third generation, has benefited from a series of upgrades that have brought it into the 2020s with ease. We look at this icon from the last days of the Cold War and weigh the new MK3 MRD… Continue reading FN 5.7 Review: The Future Is Now
Ruger, PROOF Research Team up for Light AR
Ruger introduced the Multi-Purpose Rifle, or MPR series of AR-15s in 2017 to improve their basic ($500ish) AR556 models. These MPRs, which run in the low-$1,000s, have better Magpul furniture, the company’s decent Elite 452 two-stage trigger, a full-length top Pic rail for optics, and a cold hammer forged threaded barrel with a muzzle brake… Continue reading Ruger, PROOF Research Team up for Light AR