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The quest to make our firearms’ projectiles move downrange at ever higher velocities cuts across multiple shooting pursuits and predates anyone alive today. Beyond our very American penchant for things that go fast, the ballistic motivations for these efforts are easy to see. Purpose-built defensive and hunting bullets, such as expanding designs or deep-penetrating solids, usually perform best at higher-impact velocities. Within the military small-arms realm, high velocity is a key criterion for armor-piercing munitions. Extreme-long-range rifle shooters quickly learn that top-end muzzle velocities (MV) can also help supersonic projectiles remain stable at greater distances, thereby extending reach. Likewise, the…

On Feb. 10 South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden (R) signed Senate Bill 2, which deregulated suppressors at the state level. It’s a major development, despite the fact the federal requirement to acquire a National Firearm Act (NFA) Stamp before taking possession of one of the hearing-safety devices remains mandatory. More than a dozen states, including The Mount Rushmore State until Feb. 10, require residents to have an NFA Stamp to legally own a suppressor. With the cost of acquiring one reduced from $200 to $0 on Jan. 1, South Dakota’s move pre-emptively clears what would become an insurmountable hurdle should…

So, after seeing the specs on Hornady’s .338 ARC (that were so impressive it won our Golden Bullseye Award for Ammunition Product of the Year, mind you), I set out to build a lower receiver for a new .338 ARC-chambered AR-15. I’ve built a number of AR-15-style rifles in the past, from a super lightweight rifle to a long-range build to an extremely dependable defensive carbine. On a side note, much like one’s shooting skills, AR-15-building skills are perishable, and if you don’t practice regularly, you have to go back to the basics. And of course, by that I mean…

00:00:01 Speaker 1: Welcome to the Wired to Hunt Foundations podcast, your guide to the fundamentals of better deer hunting, presented by first Light, creating proven versatile hunting apparel for the stand, saddle or blind. First Light, Go Farther, Stay Longer, and now your host, Tony Peterson. 00:00:20 Speaker 2: Hey everyone, welcome to the Wire to Hunt Foundation’s podcast, which is brought to you by First Light. I’m your house Tony Peterson, and today’s episode is all about the scouting and how you should approach it during the off season to have your best chance of killing a big…

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“That’s not a knife. This is a knife!” (Paul Hogan as Mick Dundee, in Crocodile Dundee, 1986). When I took the Cold Steel Recon 1 XL out of its box for the first time and deployed the blade, the attempted mugging scene from Crocodile Dundee immediately came to mind. The Recon 1 XL is bigger than the average everyday carry (EDC) knife: a lot bigger. It has a 5.5-inch blade that is 0.15 inches thick and 1.63 inches wide. It is 12.25 inches long when the blade is deployed. And it weighs 8 ounces. The knife is 6.75 inches long,…

On February 17, 1940, the Altmark Incident: The crew of the British destroyer Cossack (pictured) boarded the German tanker Altmark in Jøssingfjord, Norway, releasing 299 British prisoners after hand-to-hand fighting with bayonets and the last recorded Royal Naval action with cutlasses. — I just heard that actor Robert Duval passed away.  May he rest in peace. – JWR — Using a 13-inch (33-cm) telescope at the Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff, Arizona, Clyde W. Tombaugh, a 24-year-old American with no formal training in astronomy, discovered the dwarf planet Pluto this day in 1930. — We are nearly done with deliveries of…

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Armed Citizen® Today At 2:30 a.m. on Feb. 8, two males wearing ski masks broke into an apartment in Jackson, Miss. A woman in the apartment, fearing for her life, fired on the intruders, killing one. The other suspect fled but was soon apprehended and now faces charges of burglary and murder. The armed citizen was interviewed and released, with authorities noting the shooting was justifiable. (clarionledger.com, Jackson, Miss., 2/9/26)   From the Armed Citizen® Archives – December 1991Alerted when she saw a strange car drive up and the occupants knock on the door, a 19-year-old woman got a rifle and hid in…