No, it’s not a new line of power tools available at your local big box home improvement store, the Dicken Drill is now the most popular handgun drill in the country. In an ode to 22-year-old armed bystander Elisjsha Dicken who, clad in shorts and a T-shirt, earlier this month engaged and stopped an Indiana… Continue reading The Dicken Drill Emerges
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).
Sig Sauer Has 2 New M400 Rifles
The New Hampshire-based small arms giant has turned its eyes to its direct impingement 5.56 NATO AR-15 beanstalk and shook out a pair of new M400 series rifles. This includes the M400 SDI X-SERIES and M400 Tread Predator 2.0. If the “X-SERIES” sound familiar, Sig uses that name for its optimized P320 pistols that include… Continue reading Sig Sauer Has 2 New M400 Rifles
The Best Bedside Gun Safes
A gun safe certainly isn’t the best place for your wife’s jewelry, stamp collection, or fine art pieces (a safe-deposit box would be a better choice). But if you want to be a responsible gun owner, safeguard your handgun from thieves and other uninvited guests, and keep easy access to your piece, a quality bedside… Continue reading The Best Bedside Gun Safes
Top Concealed Carry Pants: Stay Prepared and Comfortable
After diving deep into the world of EDC pants, we think 5.11 Tactical’s Defender Flex Jeans are the best concealed carry pants for most people. They use a 65% polyester/35% cotton blend that offers rip-stop to keep your pants in one piece, are water-resistant yet breathable, come in multiple inseam lengths, have rear-slanted side pockets… Continue reading Top Concealed Carry Pants: Stay Prepared and Comfortable
The Best 7.62×39 Rifles: AKs, ARs, And More
7.62×39 rifles are some of the most popular in the entire world. That’s because they’re the primary type of AK-47, itself arguably the most successful rifle in human history. These guns are close competitors with 5.56×45 NATO firearms, packing more of a punch up close in exchange for slightly less accuracy at a distance. Today,… Continue reading The Best 7.62×39 Rifles: AKs, ARs, And More
Best .308 Muzzle Brakes: Taming the Recoil
If you own or are in the process of outfitting a .308 rifle, pretty soon you’ll realize that the .308 is a more than capable round in terms of delivering consistent performance at long range. One consequence of this is that when a .308 bullet leaves the barrel, it does so in a real hurry… Continue reading Best .308 Muzzle Brakes: Taming the Recoil
The Best .300 Blackout Uppers
Despite all of the lasers, tech accessories, and modern features, the AR platform is more than half a century old. Originally chambered in .308 as the AR10, Eugene Stoner made a rifle that was chambered for a round that was full of compromises, the 5.56 NATO. To be fair, we certainly like the 5.56mm: it’s… Continue reading The Best .300 Blackout Uppers
Top .308 Rifles: Unleash Your Potential
When Uncle Sam went looking for a lighter .30-caliber round than the ‘Ought-Six they wanted similar ballistic performance in a smaller cartridge. The Army’s T65 cartridge eventually landed at 7.62x51mm length, the NATO standard for both the semi-auto rifle and machine guns in 1954. With the specs for the cartridge already commercially available, Winchester beat… Continue reading Top .308 Rifles: Unleash Your Potential
The Best .300 Blackout Magazines
The .300 Blackout is one of the more interesting calibers in recent years, officially approved by SAAMI in 2011, and born out of a need for a specialized close-combat round for special operations units, the .300 AAC Blackout has become one of the most popular chamberings for the AR-15 platform – and for a good… Continue reading The Best .300 Blackout Magazines
The Best Dry Fire Training Systems: Time to Train
Firearm training is the most critical aspect of owning a firearm, primarily for self-defense. If you are not confident in your gun handling skills, you endanger everyone around you, including yourself. However, going to the range and using live fire ammunition is expensive. Some ranges will not allow you to practice drawing from your holster… Continue reading The Best Dry Fire Training Systems: Time to Train