Sig Sauer just wrapped up their weekend-long “Freedom Days”show in Phoenix, Arizona at the Ben Avery Shooting Center. The concept is simple: Sig brought 50 different models of their guns, charged $80 for a day pass, and everyone got a chance to run 5-10 rounds through all the above while an instructor was on hand… Continue reading Sig Freedom Days: A SHOT Show for the People?
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).
Ruger Adds Magpul to the PC Carbine Mix
Ruger introduced their east-takedown PC (“Pistol Caliber”) Carbine in 2018 as kind of a follow-up to its old PC-9/PC-40 Police Carbine of the 1990s. In its basic format, it weighs 6.8 pounds. In its AR Chassis format, which was introduced in 2019, the weight went up to 7.3 pounds. Notably, as Magpul tends to do,… Continue reading Ruger Adds Magpul to the PC Carbine Mix
The Best AR-15 Brass Catchers
If you want to avoid spending the back half of your day at the range picking up the brass casings, a brass catcher will come in handy. Given how much time & money folks invest in their AR-15 – with rails, accessories, and various upgrades – something as simple as a brass catcher – that… Continue reading The Best AR-15 Brass Catchers
The Best 10.5 AR Barrels
One of the things that helped secure the enduring legacy of the AR-15 platform is how incredibly customizable it is — and nowhere is that customization more on display than with AR-15 pistols. Initially laughed off as a bit silly, as the years have gone on more and more shooters have realized just how practical… Continue reading The Best 10.5 AR Barrels
Army drops a Billion for Sci-fi sights
The Army last week announced two contracts, each for roughly $500 million, to FLIR and Leonardo for delivery of what is termed the Family of Weapons Sights-Individual. In a nutshell, the new FWS-I, when paired with the equally new ENVG-B night vision/thermal goggle, allows the user to link the sight on his rifle, carbine, or… Continue reading Army drops a Billion for Sci-fi sights
Sig Has a 30-round P320 Stick
Sig Sauer finally introduced a 30-round extended magazine for their P320 series pistols. Of course, budget aftermarket magazine makers ETS and ProMag have been doing so for the past couple of years, so the fact that Sig finally figured out folks like to go 30+ on their polymer pistols is a “water is wet” kinda… Continue reading Sig Has a 30-round P320 Stick
Sig Sauer Improves Their Foxtrot WML
Sig introduced the Foxtrot, a compact weapon-mounted light for pistol use, a minute ago and it has faced a ton of serious competition from the likes of Inforce, Streamlight, SureFire, O-Light, and tons of Wish.com level light makers. Now trying to go the extra mile, Sig has the Foxtrot 2. What makes it so great?… Continue reading Sig Sauer Improves Their Foxtrot WML
Walther Adds a Female-Centered Version of the PDP
According to about every firearms industry survey and trade group, female gun ownership is on the rise as the number of women hunters, target shooters, and gun owners have skyrocketed in recent years. Lots of gunmakers have tried to cash in on this, selling cringe-worthy hot pink and Tiffany blue-flavored guns, along with the whole… Continue reading Walther Adds a Female-Centered Version of the PDP
NAA Owner fades to Florida, leaves company to the Elves
When it comes to Mini Revolvers, the go-to name for the past few decades has been North American Arms of Provo, Utah. Based there since Dick Casul formed it back in the 1970s, it has shifted owners (and names), settling both on NAA and President Sandy Chisholm about 30 years ago. Now, Chisholm is headed… Continue reading NAA Owner fades to Florida, leaves company to the Elves
Black Aces Tactical Reviewed: Bullpups or Bullsh**?
Black Aces Tactical specializes in shotguns that deliver performance and value for the cost of entry and cater to almost any need you might have for a scattergun. They’re up-and-comers that might not be the biggest name in shotguns just yet but are poised to make a more prominent name for themselves if they can… Continue reading Black Aces Tactical Reviewed: Bullpups or Bullsh**?