Beretta has slowly been transitioning everything 92 series related to the new 92X format since it was introduced a couple of years ago. The newest entry in this is an Italian-made 92X Performance model built to comply with the USPSA’s Carry Optic division standards. Logically dubbed the 92X Performance Carry Optic, the new gun is… Continue reading Beretta has a new 92: The 92X Performance Carry Optic
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).
FN Compensates…with the new FN 509 CC
FN USA has a new model FN 509 series gun that competes nicely against Sig Sauer’s new and popular compensated carry guns, namely the P365 Specter Comp and the P365 XMacro. Sort of a shrunken version of the company’s FN 509 LS Edge long slide, the new FN 509 CC (Compensated Carry) Edge one-ups Sig… Continue reading FN Compensates…with the new FN 509 CC
Ruger Goes Small in a Battle Rifle Caliber
Ruger long made an SR-25/AR-10 style 7.62 NATO-chambered rifle, the SR762. However, like most guns in that caliber, it was heavy, pushing almost 9 pounds unloaded and without optics, even with a short 16-inch barrel. Well, the company is back with something much more interesting now in the Small-Frame Autoloading Rifle or SFAR. Introduced in… Continue reading Ruger Goes Small in a Battle Rifle Caliber
James Yaeger has passed
A controversial figure in the firearms industry, James Yeager and his Tennessee-based Tactical Response training school was polarizing to many. Love him or hate him, Yeager announced his fight with ALS earlier this year and it was announced last week that he passed. The news brought tributes and salutes from across the larger gun community… Continue reading James Yaeger has passed
Century Arms WASR-M Review [Hands On]
If you think you’re seeing more and more AK 47 platform rifles around these days, your eyes do not deceive you. The AK has gone from a spooky Cold War-era relic fired into the air at random by guerillas in distant lands to an increasingly Americanized phenomenon. There are certainly more brands importing Turkish and… Continue reading Century Arms WASR-M Review [Hands On]
Taurus (Gently) Stretches the GX4 to Make the GX4xl
Taurus is getting to be about as bad as Sig Sauer when it comes to making very incremental changes to an existing model (look! it’s brown now!). Not content to let its excellent little sleeper micro 9mm GX4 pistol just continue finding its way into people’s hands, the company just released a new and improved… Continue reading Taurus (Gently) Stretches the GX4 to Make the GX4xl
Springfield Armory 1911 Doublestack: Meet the Prodigy
Single-action 1911-format pistols with a double-stack (rather than single-stack) magazine are not a new thing. Heck, it could be argued that’s all the Browning Hi-Power is, just with a few tweaks. Para-Ordnance back in the 1980s and 1990s made a name in the above format long before STI International’s VIP and 5.0 series race guns… Continue reading Springfield Armory 1911 Doublestack: Meet the Prodigy
Ruger Launches 5.7 Carbine series
A couple of years ago, Ruger almost single-handedly breathed new life into the 5.7x28mm caliber by announcing their new Ruger 57 pistol. Until then, the FN-designed round was primarily used in FN’s Five-Seven pistol and P90/PS90 PDW/PCC platforms. Likewise, the only ammo on the market was a few FN-branded loads made by Fiocchi. Skip to… Continue reading Ruger Launches 5.7 Carbine series
Holding class on AK Accuracy
With Kalashnikovs now more popular than ever in the U.S., Rob Ski over at the AK Operators Union sat down recently and held a class on the platform covering basic accuracy troubleshooting from iron sights to optics. Stuff like this is gold and the guys over at AKOU probably know more about how Kalash work… Continue reading Holding class on AK Accuracy
B&T USA APC9 Gets some LE Love
While the market for sub-guns with law enforcement died out alongside Rainbow Six sales, they have seen a resurgence as pistol caliber carbines have proved their worth in making accurate engagements in the gap between 15 and 100 yards. Tampa, Florida’s B&T USA— the American branch of Switzerland’s Brugger & Thomet AG — has had… Continue reading B&T USA APC9 Gets some LE Love