The folks that put on the “Shooting, Hunting, and Outdoor Trade Show” issued press creds to something like 2,000 members of the gun media from around the world. Here are the coolest tragically underreported guns from the event that deserve a second (or even first) look.
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).
Beretta Brings Straight Pull Bolt Rifle to America
Beretta has brought an interesting rifle platform across the ocean and is now going full speed ahead with marketing it to Americans. The catch? It is straight-pull, made by robots, innovative, modular, and has a sub-MOA accuracy guarantee.
10 Best Guns of SHOT Show 2024
We spent the week in Las Vegas and saw tons of new guns and products. Here are what we felt were the best.
Breaking: Smith & Wesson Now Makes Lever Action Rifles
On Monday, Smith & Wesson came off the bench that they have been sitting on for 170 years and introduced a lever action rifle. The new Model 1854– so named after the patent the company’s founders filed that year for what became the Volcanic series of lever guns— is a stainless “big loop” rifle that… Continue reading Breaking: Smith & Wesson Now Makes Lever Action Rifles
Top 5 Things We’re Excited About Headed into SHOT Show
Our inbox has been flooded with scores of press releases in the past few weeks and now, with the annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas only a few days away, we’ve whittled it down to five that we found genuinely interesting. Moving past all the pressers that try to make it sound exciting that an… Continue reading Top 5 Things We’re Excited About Headed into SHOT Show
Back with a Bang: SIG Sauer, Ruger & Beretta’s Nostalgic 2024 Lineup
While 2024 looks to have a lot of new guns– and a couple of new gun makers– inbound, it seems like some of the big names are content to just throw out some fan service for the diehards. While some will surely find it exhilarating, others may be turned off by the lack of innovation… Continue reading Back with a Bang: SIG Sauer, Ruger & Beretta’s Nostalgic 2024 Lineup
Herr Glock ist Tot. What now for GLOCK?
Glock pistols are not exciting, but they consistently work under just about any conditions. Probably the world’s most torture-tested handgun other than the Hi-Point C9, it has repeatedly proved itself to be indestructible except when found by a large breed dog with a proclivity for chewing on polymer. This means that something like 65 percent… Continue reading Herr Glock ist Tot. What now for GLOCK?
Beretta Tripling Down on Single Action Model 92 Game
The Beretta 92 is one of the most iconic double action/single action autoloading pistols of the 20th Century. However, it is now on track to become one of the best SAO handguns of the 21st.
Everything is coming up 2011
The fad of doubling the magazine capacity of an optimized and accurized 1911 then converting it from the standard and iconic .45 ACP to the soft-recoiling 9mm has hit modern gun culture like a tornado and there are a couple of new developments.
Is Ruger Trying to Jumpstart Another Forgotten Round?
You may not remember this, but FN coughed up the 5.7x28mm round in 1990 after nearly a decade of R&D. The Belgian gunmaker had a wrap on the cartridge and the guns– the Five-Seven pistol and P90 PDW– that used it for decades. This made it very niche and, by 2019, was close to falling… Continue reading Is Ruger Trying to Jumpstart Another Forgotten Round?