John Browning designed his .50 caliber Browning Machine Gun round during World War I to punch holes in German tanks and airplanes from a distance. Today, the famed BMG is still getting it done even a century after the Kaiser vacated his throne. After all, 761 grains of lead on a hotdog-sized bullet are no… Continue reading The Noreen ULR Is Your New Favorite .50 Cal BMG Handgun
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).
Full-Auto Grease Gun, BB Gun Edition
While we generally just cover firearms, this seemed like too cool of a news item to ignore. Umarex, the German company in the same group as Walther responsible for dozens of .22LR trainer designs, also has an air gun division that makes some toys for big boys. This brings us to their full-auto 1:1 scale… Continue reading Full-Auto Grease Gun, BB Gun Edition
New! S&W Competitor
Smith & Wesson is betting that folks like their new metal-framed M&P M2.0 styling enough to use it in a tactical/practical setting with the new Competitor. The 9mm Competitor comes with a 5-inch barrel, has an enhanced sear for lighter, crisper trigger let-off, and includes a flared magazine well for fast and efficient reloads. Lightening… Continue reading New! S&W Competitor
Canik Goes Miami Spice
Century Arms has embraced the South Florida vibe 110 percent– their headquarters are in Delray Beach after all– with its new “Signature Series” Canik Mete SFT pistols. These 9mm Turkish delights have been custom outfitted with a very Miami salute in the form of its skyline, flamingos, palm trees, and a retro color scheme familiar… Continue reading Canik Goes Miami Spice
Anderson Adds Quad Rail Options
Kentucky’s Anderson Manufacturing, the budget AR guys, have just introduced three new AR modelscomplete with some very old-school T-marked quad-rail foreends that emulate the now-classic chunky Rail Interface System adopted by USSOCOM over two decades ago. Now that Daniel Defense has moved on to their new RIS III system quad, and with lots of guys… Continue reading Anderson Adds Quad Rail Options
S&W Brings 3 New M&P Models to Market
In a refreshing change of pace at a time when all the world seems to be fixated on micro 9s, Smith & Wesson just announced three new full-sized M&P M2.0 pistols. All include an optics-cut slide, forward slide serrations, and S&W’s new M2.0 flat-face trigger. The models include a 5-inch FDE in 9mm, a .45… Continue reading S&W Brings 3 New M&P Models to Market
Brownells now has an in-house HK416 Upper
Offering a 416-spec compatible short-stroke piston upper receiver kit that will fit on a standard AR15 lower as well as anything 416, Brownells new BRN-4 series use new barrels, bolt carrier groups, gas pistons, gas blocks, barrel nuts, and other parts with (surplus) factory original HK416 handguards and stripped uppers. They will be offered in… Continue reading Brownells now has an in-house HK416 Upper
What is Shotgun Fit & How Important Is it?
Guide to Shotgunning Without the traditional sights found on rifes, effective shotgun shooting relies more on fit than other kinds of long guns, but what does “fit” mean and just how important is it? Gun fit is certainly an important factor in effective shotgunning, but maybe less important than some people contend. We all know… Continue reading What is Shotgun Fit & How Important Is it?
Double Tap: Should You Use Weapon Mounted Lights on Carry Guns?
“Double Tap” is an occasional opinion series where we look at two sides of a trend or topic in the market. Here at American Firearms, we are launching a new “Double Tap” series where we look at two sides of a trend or topic in the market. This installment tackles weapon-mounted pistol lights and why… Continue reading Double Tap: Should You Use Weapon Mounted Lights on Carry Guns?
Sig Sauer Romeo 4, Now in AAA
Sig Sauer’s Oregon-based electro-optics division has been around since just 2014 but in that time has debuted over two dozen different increasingly better Romeo red dots (for both rifles and pistols), Juliett magnifiers, Echo rangefinders, and Whiskey rifle scopes. When it comes to the Romeos, the company just dropped a new version, the Romeo 4XT… Continue reading Sig Sauer Romeo 4, Now in AAA