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1 week ago | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
I write this with a heavy heart. Our friend Frank Brownell, just a few days shy of his 86th birthday, died Wednesday in Grinnell, Iowa. Many knew Frank, or of Frank. But they all knew his last name. It’s now synonymous with so many things. Of course, he also was the father of past NRA President Pete Brownell. Although Frank never served on the NRA board, he was a leader when it came to NRA.
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Dec 1, 2024 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
This thing really hammers the ducks,” wrote an NRA member in one of our first “Favorite Firearms” columns about the Browning Auto-5. But the reply from a hunting buddy was, “I’m sure it does, but how do you get them to hold it?” On ducks, and duck hunters, the Auto-5 could pack a wallop. The same cannot be said of the gun reviewed here, the Browning A5 Hunter in 20 gauge.
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Apr 28, 2024 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
The European American Armory (EAA) Witness2311 combines three trends currently on the rise. The first is of a double-stack M1911 with a hybrid frame, the second is the seemingly metamorphic rise of a cartridge that is now more than 40 years old—the 10 mm Auto—and the third, what really sets the gun apart, is affordability. The pistol is built to EAA’s specifications by Girsan in Giresun, Turkey.
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Jan 16, 2024 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
There are many rumors swirling around about the CSG Group’s pending purchase of Federal, CCI and Remington Ammunition. Like many of you, I was concerned. Vista Outdoor decided to separate its ammunition and accessory businesses. Then, in almost no time, a private purchaser announced it would buy the ammunition side. I, too, was curious and concerned about this pending acquisition. That is until I sat down with David Stepan from the CSG Group.
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Jan 9, 2024 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
byposted on January 9, 2024Support NRA American RiflemanDONATEI’ll be frank, I didn’t see the Springfield Model 2020 Rimfire rifles coming. Nor had I seen the excellent centerfire Waypoint 2020 on the horizon. Usually I could win some Vegas odds guessing which category a company will enter. If Springfield were the house, it would have taken my lunch money and put me on a Greyhound back to Virginia. Although surprised, I could not be more pleased with both, especially the 2020 Rimfires.
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Dec 28, 2023 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
When I got a text yesterday about the passing of Gaston Glock (1929-2023), a Beatles line popped into my head immediately. “I read the news today, oh boy,” which which is from the song “A Day in Life.“ We knew it was coming, obviously. The man was 94. And what a shadow he cast. What a life Gaston Glock had. Growing up in the ashes of Germany during and after the Second World War, he became an engineer in a new field called plastics. We call it polymer now.
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Dec 12, 2023 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
What do James Bond, John Wick, Jason Bourne and Jack Ryan all have in common? Besides the obvious, it’s the Walther P99. Used in more than 70 movies and more than 30 television shows, it has been a staple for screens big and small, for both heroes and villains, for many years. One reason it’s seen so much pop culture usage is longevity. When you compare this year’s Gun Digest to that of 1997, you’ll find there are only two guns of the 9 mm Luger polymer variety still listed today.
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Nov 3, 2023 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
Since October 7, this question is coming up a lot more. I’ve just returned from the Remington Ammunition plant in Lonoke, Ark. Look for a couple episodes of American Rifleman Television to air on the Outdoor Channel next year. I was there a few years ago, right after Remington Ammunition was bought by Vista Outdoor, and substantial raw material was flowing into that plant for the first time in quantity in years.
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Aug 20, 2023 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
TriStar continues to expand its semi-automatic Viper offerings, and this year offers three variations of the Viper G2 Pro Sporting. These guns are made in Turkey for TriStar, but the company has spent a lot of time and energy making sure that they are not only extremely reliable but also have the right features for competitors at a competitive price. Seemingly little things, like an oversize bolt handle and an easier-to-hit bolt release, can make a huge difference during a competition.
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Jul 25, 2023 | 
americanrifleman.org | Mark Keefe
Leupold has introduced its first laser-rangefinding binocular—the BX–4 Range HD—a 10X 42 mm optic with the exterior lines of a traditional binocular but with an interior laser that can read accurately out to a claimed 2,600 yards. The red OLED display can be cycled through via buttons on either side of the unit’s top that can be reversed for left-handed users merely by changing the settings. Inside is Leupold’s True Ballistic Rain/Wind (TBR/W) technology with 25 selectable ballistic groups.
