What is the .30-06 cartridge and what keeps it one of America’s most popular hunting and competition rounds? We examine this .30-caliber military classic, explain why it has endured for over a century, and provide a selection of great “Aught Six” rifles. There’s no shortage of quality rifled chambered in this classic cartridge, so we… Continue reading The Best .30-06 Rifles: A Timeless Caliber for Modern Hunters
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).
Firearm Reviews
All our firearm reviews are here to give you everything you need to know about firearms, all in one place. Learn from our expert reviews, buy the best, and shoot better!
The Best Pistol Grip Shotguns
The Terminator series, The Fast and The Furious franchise, John Wick. What’s at the center of these movies, other than overpaid actors and scenes that rely too heavily of CGI? Pistol grip shotguns. Hollywood features them for a reason; they are damned cool. Feature films make these shotguns look good, but are they the stars… Continue reading The Best Pistol Grip Shotguns
Sig Re-enters .22LR Pistol Market with P322
Sig Sauer has made some rimfire pistols in the past to include the almost universally-hated Mosquito (made 2005-2014) and a Umarex-made 1911-22 (2011-2014). However, for the better part of a decade, the company has left the .22LR pistol category to the other guys. That changed on 3/22 (get it?) with the introduction of the new… Continue reading Sig Re-enters .22LR Pistol Market with P322
Congress wades into Solvent Trap Issue
Earlier this month, the ATF rejected 847 pending Form 1s– the paperwork needed to legally “make” a registered NFA item such as a suppressor, SBR, or SBS. The reason for the heartbreak is that the applicants had listed that they intended to use some sort of solvent trap to create a legal suppressor. Provided you… Continue reading Congress wades into Solvent Trap Issue
Gun Industry fast-tracking Ukraine items
While the export of small arms and munitions from U.S. manufacturers to overseas customers in friendly countries is common, ITAR and Department of Commerce regulations usually mean it takes months of paperwork to get cleared– even if the items are already paid for via escrow– before it can ship out of the country. For more… Continue reading Gun Industry fast-tracking Ukraine items
The Best 6.5 PRC Rifles
In the world of precision shooting, new cartridges continually promise to unlock previously unreachable long-range performance by pushing the limits of ballistic performance. This is especially true in the last several years. Among these, the 6.5 PRC (Precision Rifle Cartridge) is slowly becoming a popular round for big game hunting in bolt action rifles. This… Continue reading The Best 6.5 PRC Rifles
The Best Double-Barrel Shotguns
Double-barrel shotguns may not be enough on their own to complete the collection of a serious firearms enthusiast, but they are still a great gun to have in your battery (so to speak). The double-barrel shotgun is fantastic as a sporting shotgun — whether for sport shooting or hunting. And a double is a better… Continue reading The Best Double-Barrel Shotguns
Monstrum Scope Review [Hands-On]
Some optical brands are household names — Leopold, Vortex, Bushnell, and Trijicon are all jump to mind when thinking of new glass. Monstrum is not one of those companies. They were founded in 2008 with one goal — make gun parts affordable to the typical person. They’ve done just that, and now Monstrum has expanded… Continue reading Monstrum Scope Review [Hands-On]
AK-47 Rifle Shootout: Finding the Right Kalash for You
For generations, the AK-47 was the spooky gun in grainy TASS footage of May Day parades in Red Square, or seen firing into the air, pistol gripped by random guerillas in far off lands. However, today, Mikhail Kalashnikov’s most famous invention is becoming increasingly familiar to American gun owners, and the guns themselves are likewise… Continue reading AK-47 Rifle Shootout: Finding the Right Kalash for You