Pearl Harbor dropped a half-crewed destroyer into bloody chaos, and a young Ensign with just eight months of active-duty experience answered by taking command, getting USS Aylwin into the fight, and driving her out to sea. Stanley Caplan was no comic-book superhero. He was something rarer, a very young American officer who performed magnificently when the world caught fire.
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Best Bear Defense Handguns (2026)
Published: July 9, 2026 { 156 comments }As an outdoorsman, I enjoy being afield in all sorts of capacities. While hunting is one of my favorite pastimes, fishing and hiking are a wonderful means of spending time with friends and family and living in close proximity to both the Catskill and Adirondack mountains, there is ample opportunity for both of those activities. I am also, by trade, a Professional Land Surveyor, so my work hours are often spent in the remote wilderness areas.
ATN ThOR 6 Mini 256 Review: Budget Heat Hunter
Published: July 6, 2026 { 0 comments }The ATN ThOR 6 Mini 256 comes in small, tough, and priced like it wants to start a fight in the budget thermal scope aisle. It found pigs, handled real hunting use, and packed smart features into a compact optic, but its 256×192 sensor still fails to meet buyers earn their expectations honestly.
Savage Impulse Hog Hunter: Straight-Pull Speed Test
Published: July 6, 2026 { 3 comments }The Savage Impulse Hog Hunter brings straight-pull speed, .308 Winchester punch, and a clever Hexlock bolt system into a rifle built for fast hog work. It is quick, strange, heavy, fun, and not without one big Texas-sized magazine complaint.
Simple Gourmet – Bear Grease Gold: Render Fat and Cracklings Right
Published: July 6, 2026 { 0 comments }A weird Idaho spring turned one big bear into a pile of sweet meat, 11 pints of bear grease, and a batch of cracklings worth fighting over. Here is how to render bear fat cleanly, safely, and deliciously without wasting the good stuff.
Best Glock Upgrades (2026): Triggers, Slides & Sights
Published: July 6, 2026 { 9 comments }There’s nothing like a new Glock, right out of the factory box: reliable, accurate, awesome. In fact, the only thing better — in certain circumstances — is an old Glock with key enhancements.
Browning X-Bolt 2 SPR Review: 627-Yard Truth
Published: July 5, 2026 { 0 comments }The Browning X-Bolt 2 Special Max LR SPR blends hunting-rifle practicality with enough long-range muscle to make steel ring past 600 yards. With a suppressor-ready 18-inch barrel, adjustable MAX stock, crisp DLX trigger, and consistent one-MOA performance, this 6.5 Creedmoor makes a strong case for the do-it-all rifle slot.
Holosun SCS Review: Solar Powered Glock Dot Tested
Published: July 5, 2026 { 4 comments }The Holosun SCS promises a pistol red dot with direct Glock MOS mounting, solar charging, no battery swaps, and enough toughness to ride on a 10mm Glock 20. I ran it like a defensive optic, worried about the solar power, broke a screw, dunked it in water, and still came away thinking this little green dot is one of the easiest pistol optics to live with.
Vasa Warship: The Giant That Sank on Day One
Published: July 5, 2026 { 7 comments }The Vasa was built to project Swedish power, terrify rivals, and dominate the sea. Instead, this lavish 1628 warship barely made it off the dock before tipping over and turning into one of naval history’s most spectacular disasters.
Best Intermediate Caliber Bolt Guns (2026): 5.56, 300 BLK & 7.62×39
Published: July 1, 2026 { 0 comments }When we look at the world of firearms, the bolt action genre is often ruled by full-powered rifle cartridges. That’s a real shame because there is some serious charm to the intermediate caliber bolt guns.









