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).

S&W Swims with the Gray Shark Spec Kit

A nice new offering from Smith & Wesson is the new 9mm M&P® M2.0 Compact Optics-Ready Spec Series Pistol Kit. Having lots of nice features– optics ready with S&W’s C.O.R.E. system, suppressor-ready with an extended threaded barrel and tall sights, a flat face trigger, and two 23-round extended magazines along with a 15-shot flush-fit mag–… Continue reading S&W Swims with the Gray Shark Spec Kit

Assault Weapon Ban!

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 1808, a rebooted federal “Assault Weapon Ban.” The bill barely made it through in a 217-213 vote with some defections on each side. Not as extreme as some bans passed in a couple of states, it grandfathers guns already in possession but halts the sale, importation,… Continue reading Assault Weapon Ban!

KelTec expanding to Wyoming

Florida-based KelTec has always been in the same general Cocoa area location since formed in 1991 by Swedish-born firearms maverick George Kellgren after he stepped away from Intratec and Grendel. Still, they’ve done fairly good for themselves, making over 185,000 firearms of all types in 2020 alone in their current 125,000 sq. ft. facility. However,… Continue reading KelTec expanding to Wyoming

Solo Blasts Comic Con

As every gun nerd knows, the “BlasTech DL-44 heavy blaster pistol” used by Harrison Ford’s Han Solo in George Lucas’s cinematic epic Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is a real firearm– a C96 “Broomhandle” Mauser with a bunch of stuff added to it to make it look more sci-fi. Well, the actual gun… Continue reading Solo Blasts Comic Con

AR Gas Systems Explained: Pistons, Ports, & DI Glory

Guide to Everything AR Every autoloading AR-15 has an action that is gas-operated, meaning it uses exhaust gases from the spent propellant to work the bolt. To help clarify this often murky ground we’ll cover the world of gas systems, how they work, and the realities of ports and gas system lengths.

New Springfield Armory OD Green XD-M Elite

Illinois-based Springfield Armory debuted their 16+1 capacity 4.5-inch XD-M Elite series pistols in 10mm earlier in the year but the problem is they are only available in a standard black-on-black scheme. Well, that has changed as Springer now has a variant of the pistol with a slide finished in Magpul’s particular flavor (H-232) of OD… Continue reading New Springfield Armory OD Green XD-M Elite

New Nighthawk Turnbull VIP

To paraphrase Ali, grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand, and Nighthawk Custom makes really nice 1911s. The latest to come from the Arkansas-based gunmaker is a collab with Turnbull Restoration dubbed, logically, the Turnbull VIP. Using a high polished and charcoal-blued slide paired with a matching slide stop, magazine release, pins, and thumb… Continue reading New Nighthawk Turnbull VIP

New Tandemkross Accelerator

Billed as being able to fit any pistol with an M1913 Picatinny style accessory rail, the Accelerator from Tandemkross promises a universal thumb ledge to help with accuracy, especially in rapid fire. The reason this is important is that other “gas pedal” style ledges often require permanent modifications to the handgun or replace the takedown… Continue reading New Tandemkross Accelerator