The lever-action renaissance is not slowing down, with new models introduced that both celebrate the heritage and history of the design and those that attempt to take the lever gun to its most modern and tactical extremes. Derya Arms got its start importing firearms from its parent company in Turkey and now has a manufacturing base in the U.S. as well. The company’s latest entry in the lever-action market, the RAN series of rifles and pistols, seeks to “reimagine” the modern lever gun. Derya Arms new RAN series of lever-action rifles combine traditional and modern features. The basis of the…

Most shooters don’t need a “war belt.” While enthusiasts like the idea of preparing for every contingency, the vast majority of us need a reliable platform for a range session, a training class or a local club match. In a true emergency, a belt that we regularly use and train with is superior to a complex rig gathered only for a worst-case scenario. The war-belt concept gets complicated. Social media often suggests that anything less than a direct-action rig with a dozen pouches is insufficient. For the everyday marksman, we need to scale back to something simple, streamlined and effective:…

Without question, the most popular rifle platform in the United States is the AR-15, and for good reason. It offers a number of benefits and has a wide aftermarket parts and accessories available. But it isn’t a perfect design, and one man, Alex Robinson, took it upon himself to address what he saw as several shortcomings in the AR-15 design. He consulted with special forces operators and asked what they wanted in a rifle platform. The result was the Robinson Armament XCR design, and we took a look at the design in our latest “Gun of the Week” episode above.…

A suspected poacher in Texas is facing a whopping 74 charges after being accused of a slew of wildlife infractions. According to the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD), the investigation into Darrell Maguire, a 55-year-old from New Braunfels, began in June 2025, after whitetail buck carcasses were discovered in Comal and Hays counties.“Several of the incidents occurred in residential neighborhoods, where wardens recovered crossbow bolts from front yards and porches,” explained a TPWD spokesperson.That September, game wardens arrested Maguire on wildlife and drug possession charges. They soon executed a search warrant, which turned up evidence allegedly linking Maguire to…

Sportsmen in Oregon are facing an existential threat to our way of life: a ballot initiative seeking to outlaw all forms of hunting, fishing, and trapping, as well as the slaughter of livestock and poultry, rodeos, animal breeding practices, animal use for medical research, and more.IP28, also known as the People for the Elimination of Animal Cruelty Exemptions (PEACE) Act, is a measure put forward by radical animal rights activists that would intentionally affect those widespread practices by removing exemptions in the state’s animal cruelty statutes. Last week, local outlets began reporting that the petition has gathered 120,735 signatures, exceeding…

00:00:05 Speaker 1: Welcome to this country Life. I’m your host, Brent Reeves from coon hunting to trotlining and just in general country living. I want you to stay a while as I share my experiences in life lessons. This Country Life is presented by Case Knives from the store More Studio on Meat Eaters Podcast Network, bringing you the best outdoor podcast that airways have to offer. All right, friends, grab a chair or drop that tailgate. I’ve got some stories to share Brooklyn Bradford and Butterflies. For all you folks who thought old Brentley was done telling turkey…

Hunters and anglers like to strut around in well-worn gear like they’ve earned a merit badge. Scuffed-up rifle stocks, blood-stained jackets, and threadbare packs usually tell a good story in the rips and stains. Well-earned wear is one thing. Flat-out neglect is another. Worn gear may tell a story, but mildew and battery corrosion just tell on you.Most gear failures don’t start in the woods or on the water. They start out small and quiet in truck beds, garages, sheds, and storage bins during the off-season. The good news is that responsible maintenance today can keep a small problem from…

Perusing the accounts of armed citizens acting as their own first responders is endlessly interesting. Each case is different. As we read them, we find ourselves wondering what we would have done, and then asking if the citizen made the best decisions possible in the worst-case scenario. Consider an April 2 incident in Shaler, Pa. A resident of an apartment building noticed a man who did not live in the complex dumping a pickup bed full of garbage into the complex’s private dumpster. This resident told the man to stop. The encounter escalated from an argument to a fight. The…

The ongoing fight over Washington wildlife management has moved from combative commission meetings into federal court.On April 2, Washington Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Lorna Smith, along with Washington Wildlife First (WW1) and its Executive Director, Claire Loebs Davis, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) Director Kelly Susewind and Deputy Director Amy Windrope. The sharply-worded, 82-page complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington, alleges bullying, retaliation, viewpoint discrimination, and a broader effort by Susewind and Windrope to discredit critics of their management decisions.“Defendant Susewind has twisted facts,…

Way back in the day, the three Rs of learning were colloquially known as “Readin’, Rightin’ and Rithmatic.” Fast-forward to modern performance shooting and the three Rs become Rise, Return and Realignment, the core mechanics of recoil control. The operative word here is control. How well you control each phase determines how well you control recoil. Either you control the firing recovery process, or it will control you. All three components—Rise, Return and Realignment—work as a single connected sequence resulting in preparation for the next shot as an integral part of the current shot. Each phase is a separate but…