J. Scott Olmsted

1 week ago | americanhunter.org | J. Scott Olmsted

The Second Amendment and NRA community has lost a truly great champion: John Brewster “JB” Hodgdon, who with his brother Bob led Hodgdon Powder Company into the American gun-owning lexicon, passed away on June 13, 2025. He was 88. Amid his passing, the Hodgdon family wants everyone to know though JB has left us, he leaves behind a rich legacy of reliance on faith, family and hard work and a deep love for the shooting sports and the outdoors.

3 weeks ago | americanhunter.org | J. Scott Olmsted

Once in a while, a long career in the shooting and hunting industry helps me see things coming. But that vision is not always clear. When we were designing our namesake rifle in 2018 we never really considered a long barrel regardless what caliber we might have chosen. Even then, short barrels were hot—specifically, short, stout, threaded barrels. I remember saying, “That’s the trend. Suppressor use is driving it. Suppressor use will only grow.

1 month ago | americanhunter.org | J. Scott Olmsted

Adventure and personal discovery—those are the first words I utter whenever someone asks what drives me to write a good feature story. There are many factors involved in any hunt: geography, topography, the species hunted, weather, equipment, new people one might meet. As I grow older, it becomes important to find and take note of such factors in a hunt because, let’s face it, I’ve hunted a lot, and I’ve written a lot of feature stories.

1 month ago | americanhunter.org | J. Scott Olmsted

Sometimes I think I should pinch myself. My job exposes me to all kinds of new guns, ammo, optics and gear priced high to low. Sometimes I love the stuff, and I vow to add it to my collection. Sometimes I could not care less about seeing another AR or another bino harness or pack or pair of boots. But every time I handle thermal optics, I am reminded just how much new technology is to be discovered, and just how much I would love to have such equipment in my repertoire.

2 months ago | americanhunter.org | J. Scott Olmsted

The Trijicon MRO,, its Miniature Rifle Optic, set a standard for wide field-of-view red-dot rifle optics with exceptional repeatability, durability and clarity when it was introduced in 2015, and it’s no wonder it’s been a top choice of hunters, shooters, law enforcement and military ever since. Now, it’s new and improved. The new MRO SD sports improved optical performance with a reengineered objective lens and a crisp 2 MOA center dot optimized for use with Trijicon’s 3X MRO Magnifier.