Vortex Optics released its Fall/Winter apparel collection from Barneveld, WI, featuring the Ridgeway Hunt Vest with stretch fabric and DWR finish, new blaze orange options, and the "Pride of the Prairie" design for upland hunters. The collection also includes new Vortex logo wear and species-themed t-shirts and caps.

Bushnell's R7 4-20x50 FFP riflescope won Editor's Choice as the top hunting scope of 2026 in Outdoor Life's annual Optics Test, competing against 25 other brands. The scope impressed reviewers with its ED Prime glass, Hybrid Dot Tree reticle, and durability, maintaining zero through the test's inaugural drop test.

Federal Ammunition was named Vendor Partner of the Year by Los Cazadores, a Texas-based hunting retailer celebrating 40 years in business. Federal's Chairman and CEO Jason Vanderbrink accepted the award from Los Cazadores CEO Craig Harrison and Vice President Chuck Anderson at the Big Buck Bash in San Antonio.

Connor Daniel won Junior Champion honors at the 2026 NSCA U.S. Open at Game Unlimited in Hudson, Wisconsin. Team Winchester and Team White Flyer secured multiple top finishes, with notable performances from Anthony Matarese, Kevin Demichiel, and Desi Edmunds across various shooting disciplines.

Team Ruger's Lauryl Akenhead earned High Lady and placed 21st overall at the 2026 WI Barrel Maker 2.0 precision rifle competition in Tomah, Wisconsin, using her Ruger American® Gen II rifle chambered in 6mm Creedmoor. Akenhead's performance demonstrates the reliability and accuracy of the American Gen II platform in demanding match conditions.

The Berger-sponsored U.S. F-Open Team captured silver at the 2026 F-Class World Championships in Bisley, United Kingdom, posting a score of 3482.335V. Led by captain Dan Bramley, the team also earned gold at the British Open, showcasing exceptional long-range rifle marksmanship.

Hornady-sponsored shooter Jessie Harrison won the Ladies Open Division at the 2026 USPSA Race Gun Nationals using Hornady 38 Super Comp brass and 9mm 125 gr. HAP bullets, marking her 26th USPSA Ladies National Title.

NSSF, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, announces the second semi-annual Gun Storage Check Week (Sept. 1–7), coinciding with National Suicide Prevention Month. In partnership with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Department of Veterans Affairs, NSSF encourages firearm owners to review secure storage practices through the "Make Sure It's Secure" campaign, featuring resources, a sweepstakes for a Lodestar Technology LNK9 Kit, and promotional materials.

Federal Ammunition has expanded its American Eagle rifle product line with a new 6mm ARC, 110-grain Total Metal Jacket load designed for AR-15 platforms. The ammunition offers low recoil and high accuracy for long-range shooting and is now shipping to dealers nationwide.

Remington announces the availability of its new Royal Flush Grouse & Quail loads featuring high-velocity performance in 12-gauge and 20-gauge configurations. The loads deliver magnum-grade copper-plated payloads in shot sizes 7.5 and 8, designed for upland game bird hunting and now shipping to dealers nationwide.

High Speed Gear Products Group and ESSE K9 Collective announced a partnership to develop specialized equipment for professional K9 handlers and operators. The collaboration introduces a collection including the Quick Adjust Hip Lead, Adjustable Tether, and Belt Loop options designed for military, law enforcement, and search and rescue professionals.

Council to Advance Hunting and the Shooting Sports Executive Director Chuck Sykes discusses hunter recruitment strategies on the Upland Nation Podcast with Scott Linden, exploring research-backed approaches to Recruitment, Retention and Reactivation (R3) and the conservation funding that depends on hunter participation.

Ammunition Depot, one of the nation's largest online ammunition retailers, launched AmmoVault, a new ammunition reserve and storage service. The service allows shooters to build reserves starting at $5 with no membership or storage fees for active accounts, featuring secure storage, insurance, and free shipping on qualifying orders of $199 or more.

Real Avid celebrates the 10th annual National Shooting Sports Month with its Range Ready campaign, featuring educational content from shooter Doug Koenig. The company offers essential products including the Master Sight Pusher, Smart-Torq kits, Ratchet Rest shooting bags, and comprehensive cleaning solutions to help shooters prepare and maintain firearms.

Daisy Outdoor Products, maker of the iconic Red Ryder BB gun, introduces the Bone Collector 1999 Lever Action BB Gun in collaboration with Michael Waddell and Travis "T-Bone" Turner of the Bone Collector television series. The gun features True Timber XRC Camo styling, fiber optic front sight, and 650-shot capacity.

Dead Air Silencers introduces the Nomad series, five distinct suppressor models designed for rifle hunters. The lineup includes the Nomad 30, Nomad L, Nomad Ti OTB, Nomad LTi XC, and Nomad Ti XC, each offering different balances of weight, sound suppression, and performance for .22- through .30-caliber centerfire rifles.

Orion Wholesale, a leading distributor in the hunting and shooting sports industry, announced the Sig Sauer MPX Coyote, a factory-direct exclusive available only through their dealers. The new configuration features a Coyote Cerakote finish and is available in limited quantities.

Roni Corporation has introduced the Micro Roni pistol-to-carbine conversion kit for Gen 6 Glock pistols (G17, G19, G45). The tool-free chassis improves stability, accuracy, and handling while remaining compact and lightweight. The base kit is priced at $289.00 and is available through 1791 Outdoor Lifestyle Group, Sport South, and Chattanooga Shooting Supplies.

Zanders, a national distributor based in Sparta, Illinois, has added the CZ P-10 C Ported COA handgun to its lineup. The compact pistol features an optics-ready design, ported barrel and slide, and ergonomic controls. Alex Peña from CZ-USA and Dan Siegler from Zanders highlighted the model's performance and reliability for dealers.

Landon Hall has been appointed Editor in Chief of the Florida Sportsman brand by Outdoor Sportsman Group. Hall, a freelance outdoor writer and founder of Outdoor Legacy Media, brings expertise in saltwater fishing, hunting, and coastal living to oversee all editorial properties for the respected publication nearing its 60th anniversary.

Staccato 2011 opened a dedicated Store-in-Store at SCHEELS Cedar Park on August 29, featuring a full Staccato product lineup including the 2011 HD pistol line, ammunition, and accessories. The location, approximately 30 miles from Staccato's Florence, Texas headquarters, represents the company's commitment to strategic dealer partnerships and enhanced retail experiences.

KDG is showcasing its latest firearm accessories at the Worldwide Fall Show in Reno, Nevada, following a successful NBS Fall Market debut. The company is highlighting its new BOM Series Optic Mount for the Aimpoint COA and a rail extension for the Springfield Armory Kuna, marking KDG's entry into the Worldwide Buying Group.

Legacy Sports International will showcase its HOWA, POINTER, and CITADEL brand firearms at the Worldwide 2026 Fall Show in Reno, NV from September 1-3, 2026. The company will feature popular products including the HOWA Superlite Gen 2, POINTER shotguns, and CITADEL Boss25 AR-style shotguns.

Winchester Ammunition, Bass Pro Shops, and Richard Childress Racing will feature a Deer Season XP paint scheme on the No. 3 Chevrolet during the Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway on August 29. Fans can meet Austin Dillon at Bass Pro Shops on August 28.

Staccato 2011 announced Jonathan Menocal, a USPSA Grand Master and Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Special Response Team operator, as a brand ambassador and Team Staccato member. Menocal joins elite shooters including Max Michel, KC Eusebio, and Michelle Viscusi on the roster.

Pursuit Channel highlights its "Sportsman Sundays" primetime block presented by Spypoint, featuring hunting, shooting, and outdoor lifestyle programming including McWhorter Rifles' Precision Hunting TV, Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild, and Americana Outdoors presented by Garmin, airing Sunday nights at 8 p.m. ET.

One of the important advances in precision rifle shooting has been the development of high quality stocks and chassis. If you aren’t familiar with the difference between the two, let me clear it up for you; a stock is usually made of wood, polymer or other material (fiberglass, carbon fiber), while a chassis uses a more rigid material like aluminum.

Think of it like this; you can bolt an outboard motor to either a wooden boat or an aluminum boat. Over time, and with use and water involved, the transom of the wooden boat could deteriorate and allow some wiggle room. The aluminum transomed boat, however, is likely to continue to work until a weld breaks or something similar.

Modern rifle stocks have greatly improved, but the more modern chassis have taken it to the next level. Grayboe’s Universal Mini Chassis and Stock System illustrates perhaps the best of both worlds.

Grayboe makes stocks and chassis here in America. Their mission is to build high quality, innovative rifle stocks that are affordable. Their Universal Mini Chassis system blurs the line between stock and chassis.

You might ask what makes a good rifle stock. A good stock is rigid and unchanging. Accuracy is all about repeatability and a stock therefore needs to be an unchanging and rigid platform for your rifle to launch projectiles. The best stocks are often made of synthetic materials that are unaffected by weather, water, and temperature.

So what makes a chassis better, you ask? A chassis is usually made of metal and polymer, allowing the rifle action to be bolted to an immovable structure. The idea behind a chassis is the same, with such a robust structure to support the rifle action that you’ll see the least amount of variation from shot to shot.

The Universal Mini Chassis is essentially a minimalist chassis that’s small enough to bolt into a stock. The UMC incorporates everything needed to mount and operate the rifle action. It has a built-in magazine well, trigger guard, and enough support for the action, while providing solid engagement with their compatible selection of stocks.

Grayboe has a variety of rifle stocks that are interchangeable and compatible with the UMC while the UMC’s themselves are available for a wide variety of popular rifle actions. I expect as popularity grows, this list of supported actions will expand . . .

• Remington 700 and R700 clones
• Tikka T3/T3x and clones
• Savage 110 and clones
• Howa 1500 and clones
• Weatherby Vanguard and clones
• Ruger American Gen 1 & Gen 2
• Mossberg Patriot
• CVA Cascade

To clarify, you can put any UMC into any of Grayboe’s various UMC-compatible stocks. So you can add a UMC to your CVA Cascade hunting rifle action, for example. Then pick one of Grayboe’s UMC stocks.

Then in just a minute or two, you can swap that very same stock to your Remington varmint rifle equipped with its own mini chassis. Gone are the days of picking a chassis for a specific rifle action footprint. Now you can use the same UMC stock on a variety of UMC chassis-equipped actions.

Like every other good chassis out there, the UMC is precisely machined to fit your rifle’s action perfectly. It incorporates a cut for recoil lugs, triggers, safeties and other action elements. It also incorporates an AICS magazine well and catch, even for rifles that didn’t use them in their factory configuration. That eliminates the need to come up with typical bottom metal or floorplates when making a custom rifle.

Grayboe makes several different stock models for various purposes, and they are available in different color patterns to fit your preference. And any of them can be used with one or more Universal Mini Chassis-equipped action.

Some of the stocks are made of carbon fiber, others from fiberglass, and still others made are impact-resistant polymers. The UMC chassis itself is machined from 6061 aluminum. The materials offer both high quality and durability without losing sight of affordability for those who aren’t paid to fly from one match to the next.

For my testing purposes, I used the Grayboe Flagstaff and Core stocks, the latter being a heavy competition-focused stock incorporating features for that purpose. The Flagstaff on the other hand is meant for hunters and folks looking for a quality rigid stock that won’t burn their budget for hunting season.

I used two different UMC chassis made for both CVA Cascade actions as well as the Remington 700 since I have several of both rifles.

Over the course of several months, I mounted several rifles in various combinations on both stocks to see how the interchangeability works IRL. I also wanted to evaluate the quality and performance of the sum of all the parts and configurations.

My two CVA Cascade rifles are short-actions. One is a 24-inch 25 Creedmoor model while the other is a Cascade SB 18-inch 6.5 Creedmoor. Both shoot great, and were only improved with the Grayboe UMC system.

I also used them with a couple of my custom Remingtons, the first being my son’s 16-inch .260 Remington and the other a custom heavy .223 Remington. Both of them were built over a decade ago and they still hammer.

Installing the UMC is pretty easy. They come with all the fasteners you will need to attach them, so the original action screws can stay with your original stock. After bolting the rifle into the UMC chassis with a touch of Loctite, it was a piece of cake to then drop them into the different Grayboe UMC stocks.

The UMC chassis is secured to the stock using two screws that also ought to get a dab of blue Loctite. Once installed, the whole ensemble feels fantastically rigid and sturdy.

Then it was time for the rest of the kit, like attaching a bipod to the M-LOK rail that runs the centerline of the forend of both stocks. Being a hunting configuration, I added a simple sling-stud for my Harris bipod to the Flagstaff. On the heavy-built Core competition stock, I installed an ARCA rail so I could slide my Atlas bipod back and forth. A sling can be attached in various ways using the different QD cups that come in the Grayboe stocks.

Adjusting the stocks to fit me was pretty straightforward as well. The Core is fully adjustable, allowing you to customize length of pull with spacers. The comb height can be raised or lowered by loosening a thumb-screw on the side of the stock.

On the Flagstaff it’s a little simpler. No comb height adjustment, so instead I installed one of my Triad Tactical stock packs that give me both the right comb height and a soft place to rest my cheek.

With all that done, the rifles were ready to shoot. There was no need to re-zero the rifles, as the scopes had never left the actions during the stock swap.

First off: the Flagstaff. It’s a no-nonsense hunting stock with everything you need and nothing you don’t. It has low profile features that wont snag on your gear and isn’t too cumbersome to carry through the mountains.

Finger grooves along the length of the forend give good purchase for the inevitable carry changes during long hikes. The grip area has a nice texture to it for controlling the rifle one-handedly and despite being made from impact-resistant polymers (which makes it affordable), it’s still very rigid.

The Core competition stock, on the other hand, is whole lot more. It’s built from either carbon fiber or fiberglass (3 CF options, 4 fiberglass), but not to save weight. The Core has the competitive shooter in mind and those folks worry more about features and stability than anything else. Heavy is you friend when it comes to stability.

Many PRS/NRL comp guns weigh-in at well over fifteen pounds, and some over twenty, so the Core has no reason to skimp on features or strength.

Aside from its extremely rigid structure, the Core has many nice features like a huge barrel channel for those fat competition bull barrels. The full-length M-LOK rail under the forend gives lots of real estate to mount accessories. You can also mount Hoptic USA aluminum cartridge quivers to the side of the stock just below the ejection port for quick reloads.

I already mentioned the adjustable buttstock, which makes it easy to comfortably fit you. The grip is very comfortable and keeps your hand properly positioned to pull the trigger straight back.

There are other Grayboe UMC stocks as well, and any one of them can now be quickly installed on either of my chassis-equipped rifles. I love the ability to switch back and forth and configure my different rifles for different purposes as needed. While Grayboe offers some very affordable options, they also have some more expensive choices so there’s a something for everyone.

If you are looking to get addicted to rifles like I am or improve your current rifles, you should give these a try. They give you incredible modularity and options in a quality, rigid rifle platform that will improve your shooting whether it’s on a range or in the alpine slopes.

– Jeff Wood, Shooting News Weekly