The Armory Life Presents: The 2026 Cantius Award

I have worked with Dr. Will Dabbs for much of my career as an editor and consider him to be both an exceptional contributor and a good friend. No matter the deadline or the assignment, I always know that I can count on him to deliver a well-rounded, thoroughly researched and — most importantly — utterly entertaining article. I also know that I can count on him to be a total “gun and movie nerd” and go all the extra steps required to ensure his work stands apart from the pack — which you will see examples of in this very article.

Which brings us to this year’s contributor of the year “Cantius Award.” The Armory Life’s contributor of the year Cantius Award, now in its fifth year, is given to a writer the editorial staff has determined provided uniquely valuable content for the site. The award’s name was chosen specifically due to its connection to the history of one of Springfield Armory’s most iconic firearms — the M1A rifle, based upon the M14 service rifle.

Cantius specifically refers to the middle name of John C. Garand, creator of the iconic M1 Garand rifle. The M1 Garand — proven in battle throughout World War II, the Korean War and the Cold War — provided the foundation for the development of the M14 rifle, which later led to the civilian-legal, semi-auto M1A we all know and love.

The Backstory

I wanted to give you a little background on Will. Born and raised in rural Mississippi, Will is the quintessential Southern gentleman.

“I grew up running around in the Delta swamps like a wild man,” said Will during the interview for this article. “My dad taught me to hunt and thrive in the wilderness, and my mom showed me how to treat other people with grace and kindness.”

Will would go on to study Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mississippi, and later earn a commission in the U.S. Army in 1988.

“I spent eight years as an Army aviator flying UH1H, OH58A/C, CH47D, and AH1S helicopters,” he told me. “I have jumped out of perfectly good airplanes at 3 o’clock in the morning and spent two years in command of the Army’s High Altitude Rescue Team.

“In this capacity, I summitted Mt McKinley, Alaska — at 20,320 feet the highest point in North America — six times. This was, of course, always at the controls of an Army helicopter, which is the only way sensible folks climb mountains,” he continued, in a classic example of his wry and subtle sense of humor.

During his time in the service, Will got married and they had three kids. Although Will thoroughly enjoyed his time in the military, the incessant deployments became intolerable for his young, growing family. He therefore made the decision to resign his commission as a Major and go to medical school. That’s why he’s “Dr. Will Dabbs” these days.

Discovering His Art

In addition to a full-time job as a medical doctor, Will also found the time to basically also have a full-time writing career.

“My paternal grandmother was a professional writer at a time when not a lot of women wrote professionally,” he mentioned. “My first serious literary effort was a short story I penned in seventh grade about a gigantic mutant alligator that was threatening my hometown. My English teacher could have rightfully given me a “C” and told me to go try out for sports. Instead, she encouraged me to do some more, and here we are.

“I published my first commercial magazine article in 1991,” he told me. “Once I found out I could ‘turn my time into guns,’ I was hooked. Now, some 2,400 projects later, I am still amazed I actually get to do this.

“I am an unrepentant insomniac,” he continued. “I write in lieu of doing stuff like golf, watching TV and sleep. I’m blessed to have been able to weaponize my curious physical malady into a thriving writing career.

“I’ve been married for 38 years to my high school sweetheart and have three awesome adult kids. I love flying my little RV6A fighter plane and am part owner in a 07/02 business that makes sound suppressors and precision rifles. I have taught my Sunday School class for two decades and have an abiding passion for Count Chocula cereal. Friends describe me as the luckiest man alive. That is not an inaccurate characterization,” he said to me with a smile. “I am incredibly blessed that I can take my favorite avocation and turn it into a vocation.”

It’s clear this is a man with a passion for his work, and also a passion for guns and all their assorted paraphernalia.

Fueling the Fire

“I definitely have the gun nerd gene,” Will said to me as we shifted to discussing one our favorite shared interests — firearms. He explained that first gun was a no-frills Daisy BB gun, which he bought with his own money at the age of 7. His first handgun was a reproduction 1851 Navy .44-cal. blackpowder revolver at the age of 13.

“I bought my first gun, a no-frills Daisy putt-putt BB gun, with my own money at age seven. I landed my first handgun, an Italian replica 1851 Colt Navy .44, at the age of 13, he said.” There was no looking back for him after that

“I maintain two full-time jobs,” he continued. “One of those jobs supports my family. The other keeps me in ‘toys.’ You roll every penny from a full-time job into cool-guy stuff across decades and you end up with an airplane and a few nice firearms.”

Will went on to explain that his favorite gun articles are about the ones that come with an embedded story.

“Guns tell stories. Vintage military guns tell priceless, fascinating stories. Touching a gun that was actually used in action puts meat on the bones of history in ways that books and movies alone never could,” he said.

“I have hefted firearms that have been in combat, and others that were screen-used in familiar movies. Some were carried by cops, others by criminals. Every single one is a cherished treasure that tells a story,” he told me.

As far as his process goes, he told me that he has worked to actively cultivate the art of listening. As part of his job as a doctor, he would interact with a lot of World War II vets. He told me that many were happy to have someone who was interested in their stories.

“I’ve developed friendships with some truly fascinating people,” he said. “Once word got out that I was in the market for stories, they would come out of the woodwork. Every new adventure became grist for my word processor.”

Well-Rounded Approach

While Will clearly puts a ton of effort into the quality of his prose, he invests a matching amount into his photography.

“A sophomoric willingness to deck myself out in period gear for my articles is an important part of my work,” Will said. “My wife thinks it’s ridiculous. I personally think it’s cool. I feel that surrounding a vintage firearm with vintage stuff adds depth to what could be an otherwise-mundane review.”

He also is more than willing to dive into a difficult project. I’ve learned if I have an assignment that is going to require a lot of research that more than a little “elbow grease,” Will is the right guy to contact.

“God designed us to work, and I love building stuff in my workshop,” he smiled and said to me. “Furniture, models, toys and household trinkets are all on the menu, but all that pales in comparison to hobby gunsmithing. Given a Dremel tool, ample steel stock, a boatload of fiber-reinforced cutoff wheels, and enough time, the determined hobbyist metalsmith could technically whip up an M1 Abrams tank. Well, maybe … .”

So, when I had a line on a SARCO M14E2 kit that could turn an M1A into a reproduction of this rare M14 variant, I immediately reached out to Will with the assignment. In short order, I had a full article and photos of a beautifully built project rifle.

Due Credit

In our discussions on this year’s Cantius Award, the team quickly landed on Will. His combination of effortlessly entertaining prose along with an unerring willingness to “dress the part” for every article possible made him the unanimous choice for us.

Clearly, Will is an extremely valuable resource for The Armory Life and its readers, as well as a very good friend. So, when the team selected him as this year’s Cantius Award recipient, I was looking forward to giving him the good news — as well get his thoughts what The Armory Life means to him.

“Each writing venue has its own personality,” Will responded when I first reached out to him on this. “This usually reflects the personality of the editors and publishers. Some are rigid. Others are flashy. The Armory Life is simply convivial.”

Will explained to me that over his years of writing for this publication, he’s found that its writers and its readers are bound together by an abiding passion for firearms and history. I could not have said better myself.

“Springfield Armory is a family-owned company that just exudes Americana. The Armory Life reflects that inimitable patriotic ethos. I think it represents the very best of America,” he said to me. “Post-article discussions in the forum are invariably friendly, respectful and fun. Every reader I ever met in person ended up a friend. It’s such a joy to participate.”

The Apogee

Both Will and I are huge fans of the film “Aliens” — due in no small part to the United States Colonial Marine Corps (USCMC) and their M41A Pulse Rifles. For those not familiar with origination of the Pulse Rifle, it was apparently crafted out of an M1A1 Thompson submachine gun, an 870 slide-action shotgun, and a few SPAS-12 shotgun parts.

I have long referred to the Pulse Rifle as “the greatest gun that never was.” Its balance of size and power — from the select-fire 10mm primary weapon to the 30mm, pump-action underbarrel grenade launcher — fired up my imagination from the first time I saw it in the movie as a kid through to today.

Apparently, Will felt the same way.

“The weapons and equipment in ‘Aliens’ are simply without peer in modern cinema,” he said to me when we started discussing the movie. “I have coveted an ‘Armat Battlefield Systems M41A Pulse Rifle’ of my own ever since I first saw the movie in the theater back in 1986.

“The absolute pinnacle of my hypothetical perfect gun collection would be an operational M41A Pulse Rifle. I’ve been working toward that rarefied goal for literally decades. My kids and I built a facsimile as a homeschool workshop project using a scrap of square steel tubing, an original vintage M1A1 Thompson fire control unit, some airsoft parts and a little pine lumber.

“Nowadays, 3D printing allows the enterprising enthusiast to craft a replica Pulse Rifle that looks better than anything actually used in the movie. Building, painting and weathering your own movie-grade Pulse Rifle at home using 3D parts sourced via Etsy is within the capabilities of most committed hobbyists,” he continued.

Dialing It In

As our conversation evolved, Will let me know that he had been toying with the idea of trying out one of these 3D printed kits himself from OuterRimArmorer on Etsy. While the company’s page had only listed Colonial Marine-style armor kits and cool Motion Trackers, Will had learned when he reached out to them that they also offered the Pulse Rifle kits.

In the course of our conversation, we worked up a plan for Will to go ahead and get the full set (armor, rifle and motion tracker), build it up and finish it, and we would set up a photo shoot to take full advantage of it.

About two months later when he arrived at The Armory Life office, we were truly impressed with how incredible all the gear turned out. This was due not only to the core quality of the 3D-printed gear, but also the obsessive level of detail work and attention Will put into it. It was clearly a passion project for him, and the incredible results are showcased in the pages of this article. Frankly, knowing Will, we should not have been surprised.

When I asked about the “Wildman” markings on the chest plate of the armor, he gave me the backstory on why he put that there.

“In the U.S. Army, it is the flight engineer and crew chief whose names are permanently stenciled on the sides of our combat aircraft. We pilots only borrowed them for a time. However, when we deployed to the field, we not infrequently chalked up our aircraft with nose art and such to add a little flavor to the enterprise. The crew dogs would wash that stuff off once we got home.

“It wasn’t a great logic leap to turn ‘Will Dabbs’ into ‘Wildman,’” he told me. “That looks cool on the side of an Army helicopter, and it eventually kind of stuck. I’ve carried that sobriquet into the present day.”

In addition, we also presented Will with his own exclusive burgundy The Armory Life Cantius Award jacket (there are only four others, owned by our other award recipients) as well as a custom Garrison 1911 stainless steel pistol with The Armory Life shield logo engraved on it.

Forging Ahead

When I first informed Will he was this year’s Cantius Award recipient, he responded with his trademark humility. “I am a mechanic, not an artist, but I do have this bizarre compulsion to tell stories. It is an irresistible force in my life. I am honored beyond words that the good folks at The Armory Life would see fit to consider me worthy.”

He also let us know he is working with OuterRimArmorer to adapt a sample of the Pulse Rifle kit to accommodate a full-auto Spitfire .45 ACP submachine gun and an ultra-short 12-ga. pump-action shotgun. Yes, he is working on a functional, firing M41A Pulse Rifle replica!

“Once I add an actual operational M41A Pulse Rifle to my gun collection, I think I can die a happy man,” Will beamed. “My gun nerd life’s goals will then be complete.”

Congratulations again, Will, and good luck on the new project!

Editor’s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the “Go To Forum Thread” link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!

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