Why Everyone Wants Montana — And Why Montanans Are Fed Up

Ask a lifelong Montanan how they feel about the steady stream of newcomers, and you may get pointed to a sign hanging in a Bozeman bar. It reads that you should welcome yourself to Montana while remembering you are a refugee, not a missionary. The message is blunt, but it captures a tension that ...

By James Chen •

Why People Love The Smith & Wesson 5906

There is a growing roar for Smith & Wesson to bring back the 3rd generation of metal-framed pistols, with a particular interest in the classic 5906 series. The classic non-railed versions were discontinued back in 1999, with the railed versions discontinued back in 2004. So after 20 years, wh...

By Matt E •

Front Line Friday #34: Drone and Tech Tools Entering Patrol Work

Welcome back to Front Line Friday. This week is an editorial, and the topic is the wave of drones, license plate readers, and other technology moving into patrol work, and what actually changes officer capability versus what just moves money around. Front Line Friday is brought to you by Dead Air...

By Tom R •

Fishing the Bahamas: Six Keys to a Smart Crossing

Running the Gulf Stream to fish the Bahamas rewards planning far more than it rewards luck. The crossing itself throws steep seas and shifting current at you. On the far side, the fishing changes with tide, water clarity, and predators that can end a hot bite in minutes. Anglers who arrive prepar...

By James Chen •

How Often Do Wolves Actually Attack People?

The odds of a wild, healthy wolf attacking you in North America are close to nothing. A widely cited 2002 study of wolf-human interactions covering Alaska and Canada, home to more than 60,000 wolves, turned up no records of people killed by wild wolves across the entire twentieth century. In that...

By James Chen •

Blast from the Past: M1A-A1 Bush Rifle

Editor’s Note: This piece was crafting as a special retro-style “mini-magazine” within the Winter 2026 print issue of The Armory Life. We styled it to look as though it had been published back when the author was a young teenager poring over his collection of Springfield Armory catalogs. Yo...

By Mike Humphries •

The Dueling Roots of the Old West Gunfighter

The lone gunman squaring off in a dusty street, hand hovering over a low-slung holster, is one of the most durable images in American gear culture. Its origin lies not on the frontier but in the East, in a formal ritual imported from Europe and practiced for decades by prominent men in the young ...

By James Chen •

TFB Review: Springfield Armory 1911 TRP COA .45 ACP

When you envision “bulletproof” firearms your mind might immediately leap to something steel, forged for strength, and with countless years of experience. We’re talking millions of guns made and billions of rounds fired through them. That firearm is the Model 1911. I can hear th...

By Adam Scepaniak •

Prodigy vs. Echelon: Hammer vs. Striker?

Editor’s Note: In today’s article, Ramon Ramirez wades into the striker-fired vs. hammer-fired pistol debate. In the article, he uses two pistols to demonstrate the different systems: the Springfield Armory Echelon and the Springfield Armory 1911 DS Prodigy. Both guns were provided on loa...

By Ramon Ramirez •
« Newer Posts Older Posts »