Feature Articles

The Leofoto Juggernaut S2 and S3 bring serious carbon fiber muscle, outstanding stability, and a 120-pound load rating to the shooting tripod market for $749 each. One is built for maximum stiffness, the other for easier packing and faster adjustments, and both have what it takes to challenge some of the best shooting tripods I’ve tested.

The Vortex Viper was already a compelling little pistol optic when we originally put it through a match and several hundred rounds of practice. In 2026, the harder question is whether you actually want the Viper, Venom, Razor, SPARC AR, or the very different AMG UH-1 Gen II.

Garrett Trapnell was a career criminal, master manipulator, and convicted airplane hijacker whose influence inspired two women to attempt extraordinary prison rescues. What followed involved a .45-caliber pistol, a hijacked helicopter, another commandeered airliner, and one of the strangest crime stories of the 1970s.

The Springfield Armory M1A Standard Issue puts nearly 70 years of M14 heritage behind every trigger pull. We shot this wood-and-steel .308 at 50 and 100 yards to see whether the old battle-rifle formula can still impress.

Henry kept the Golden Boy Revolver’s steel, brass, walnut, and Old West flavor, then gave the Deadeye the sighting system it needed. After multiple loads, single-action accuracy testing, and fast double-action shooting, those upgraded sights proved to be far more than cosmetic.

The best micro compact pistols cram serious capacity, real shootability, and everyday carry comfort into guns that almost disappear under a shirt. From the SIG P365X to the Wilson Combat SFX9, these five tiny carry pistols prove small does not have to mean helpless.

The Ruger No. 1 and No. 3 turn hunting into a one-shot proposition, pairing old-school falling-block simplicity with real hunting accuracy. One of these rifles even punched a 0.96-inch group at 100 yards.

The $90 Vortex Triumph 10×28 HD binoculars are compact, lightweight, and surprisingly useful. I packed them for my honeymoon in the Dominican Republic, where they helped us discover a shipwreck and reminded me why the best optics are often the ones you actually bring along.

Two young Marine F4U Corsair pilots entered a savage Pacific dogfight and somehow survived the impossible. One met a Japanese Zero’s propeller. The other fell 2,000 feet without a working parachute.