Team Mathews dominated the 2026 NFAA Rushmore Rumble in Indianapolis, with Bodie Turner, Kyle Douglas, and Levi Reitsma all posting perfect 900 scores in the Championship Compound Open division. Turner claimed first place in a shoot-off, while Randy Morocco and Tim Audus finished second and third in the Senior division.

Dallas Safari Club announced Jeff Crane as the 2026 recipient of the Peter H. Capstick Hunting Heritage Award, recognizing his decades of conservation leadership and advocacy for hunters and anglers. Crane's career with the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation has advanced science-based wildlife policies across multiple administrations and all 50 states.

Dead Air Silencers received an On Target Magazine Editor's Choice Award for the Mojave45 suppressor, recognizing its performance, versatility, and advanced Triskelion™ Gas Management System. The suppressor features modular configuration, 3D-printed titanium construction, and compatibility with both tilting-barrel and fixed-barrel hosts.

Hook & Barrel Magazine announces a sweepstakes offering readers the chance to win a Ruger Red Label III 20-gauge shotgun, Caldwell Claycopter, and two cases of Winchester shotgun shells valued at $3,758. The giveaway runs through January 31, 2026, with entry available on the Hook & Barrel website.

Evernham & Associates founder Michael Boyd Evernham, 80, died Friday, January 9, 2026 in Fishers, Indiana. A longtime industry figure, Evernham held positions with Simmons Gun Specialties and Winchester-Olin before founding Evernham & Associates in 1983. A renowned shotgunner, Evernham was inducted into the Indiana Trapshooters Hall of Fame in 2020.

Custom & Collectable Firearms announced Anthony Munguia as its new Director of Engraving. With over a decade of engraving experience, Munguia will lead the East Texas company's efforts to create limited-edition, handcrafted firearms featuring high polishing, gold plating, engraving, and custom details for collectors.

Celerant Technology announced a strategic integration with Armslist.com enabling FFL dealers to list inventory directly from their point-of-sale system. The integration automates inventory syncing and order management, allowing dealers to reach Armslist's network of local buyers without manual data entry.

Orchid announced Orchid POS Spark, a cloud-based point-of-sale and eCommerce platform for Federal Firearms Licensees at $99 per month. The solution includes integrated POS, eCommerce, ATF compliance tools, FFL bound book, and electronic Form 4473 storage without third-party plugins.

Davidson's, Inc., a leading firearms, ammunition, optics, and accessories wholesaler based in Prescott, Arizona, is hiring an Assistant Marketing Director to support dealer-focused marketing strategies and brand initiatives. The role requires 5+ years of progressive marketing experience, preferably in B2B or regulated industries, with experience in the firearms or outdoor goods sector preferred.

Holosun introduces the 507-PROMAX pistol optic designed for competitive and high-tempo shooting. Featuring an enlarged window, forward-leaning sunshade, and Performance Reticle System with selectable 2, 8, 20, and 32 MOA circles, the optic delivers improved sight tracking and visual confidence for performance-driven shooters.

Armasight announced its Gen 4 ArmaCore™ 640 A-SWaP system, a next-generation thermal core featuring a 12-micron thermal sensor and 1.8 GHz quad-core GPU with integrated AI neural processing. The unified architecture delivers enhanced image clarity, extended battery life, true 60 Hz frame rate, and Full HD OLED display for improved thermal imaging performance.

Rob Gearing, Founder and CEO of Spartan Precision Equipment, joins Michael Waddell on his podcast to discuss hunting, firearms accessories, and the philosophy behind precision gear design. Gearing, a Scottish entrepreneur, shares insights on hunting culture, the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, and how mountain climbing influenced his product development.

Beretta announces the 694 Black DLC shotgun, an upgraded version featuring Steelium® Pro barrels and Diamond-Like Carbon finish developed with the Beretta Shooting Team. The competition-proven model offers enhanced durability, reduced recoil, and customization through the B-Fast® Balance System, available through authorized dealers at $6,599 MSRP.

Dead Air Silencers introduced the Nomad Ti OTB, an over-the-barrel suppressor rated for cartridges up to .300 RUM and 7mm Backcountry. Built with 6Al4V Grade 9 Titanium via 3D printing, it adds only 4.6 inches to rifle length while weighing 10.5 oz, improving maneuverability and balance for hunters.

CCI Ammunition announces its all-new Hunter Series rimfire ammunition for 2026, designed specifically for small game hunters with flat-nose bullets in standard and subsonic velocities. The products will be displayed at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas and shipped to dealers soon.

Smith & Wesson Brands, Inc. announced the Performance Center M&P10MM M2.0 Carry Comp pistol, chambered in 10MM Auto with 15+1 capacity. The firearm features a Power Port for recoil reduction, ClearSight Cut for optics, Ameriglo Trooper night sights, and includes two magazines and interchangeable grip inserts.

Beretta and Garmin unveiled the MARQ Commander (Gen 2) Beretta Edition, a limited-edition smartwatch of 500 pieces combining Italian craftsmanship with advanced GPS technology. The luxury timepiece features a Fused Carbon Fiber case, AMOLED display, and tactical capabilities including Applied Ballistics Ultralight calculator and multi-band GPS.

Wiley X launched its Custom Eyewear Program, allowing customers to design select models including the WX Founder, WX Ovation, and WX Jakl frames with customizable colors and options. The program maintains Wiley X's advanced protection technology, ANSI Z87.1+ safety standards, and CAPTIVATE™ lens technology for enhanced clarity across all light conditions.

Otis Technology and Shooter's Choice are launching new firearm maintenance products at the 2026 SHOT Show, including muzzleloader cleaning kits, expanded Ripcord bore cleaners for additional shotgun gauges, O85 wipes, Gun Oil, and CLP patches. Vice President Kenda Campbell emphasized the companies' commitment to expanding their product offerings to protect and extend firearm life.

Heckler & Koch USA announced that popular HK pistol models will be available in 2026 with Vortex Defender series micro red dot sights professionally mounted and bore sighted. The partnership combines HK and Vortex's commitment to reliability, durability, and usability with waterproof, shockproof optics featuring motion activation and multi-reticle functions.

NSSF awarded Mission94 Firearms Education Center in Kenosha, Wisconsin its Five-Star rating for range excellence. The facility, which opened in October 2024, features state-of-the-art training bays, comprehensive education programs including NSSF First Shots courses, and partnerships with the Pritzker Military Museum & Library.

WATCHTOWER Defense will exhibit at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 20–23, showcasing new double-stack 1911 pistols including the Tactical Commander and APACHE MK2, plus RAIDER15 rifles. Exclusive show-only specials will be available at Booth #72226 in Caesars Forum.

Taylor's & Company will exhibit at the 48th annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 20-23, 2026, unveiling new USA-made rifles and historical reproductions. Owner & CEO Tammy Loy highlights the company's competitive dealer programs and low buy-ins at booth #10550.

Bear & Son Cutlery, Alabama's largest knife manufacturer, will exhibit at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas to celebrate 40 years of production. The company will debut over a dozen new products including Locking Farmhand pocketknives, Executive stainless steel series, Piranha folders, and expanded kitchen cutlery at booth #12865.

Meprolight will showcase new products at SHOT Show Booth #20039, including the Mepro CABS backup sights, Mepro CRIS iron sights, green reticle options for pistol optics, MVO variable riflescopes, Mepro M22 PRO, and Mepro MCO PRO. The company will also feature iconic products like the Mepro M21 and Mepro Tru-Dot self-illuminating sights.

Liberty Ammunition, a leading self-defense ammunition innovator based in Bradenton, Florida, will showcase new products at SHOT 2026, including the Pro Series™ for law enforcement and military. CEO Gary Ramey highlighted the company's focus on stopping power and advanced ammunition designs at booth #10265.

XS Sights will exhibit at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, showcasing new Lever Handguards for Smith & Wesson and Henry rifles, advanced Fiber Optic Sights, and Optic Plates. The company will display products designed for hunting, shooting, self-defense, law enforcement, and competition use.

High Speed Gear Products Group will showcase its largest product lineup at SHOT Show 2026, featuring innovations from BlackPoint Tactical, Comp-Tac Holsters, and Crucial Concealment. New offerings include the GEN 2 Duty TACO lineup, Level III Enhanced Duty Holster, and ArcLock TASER holsters, all developed with input from military and law enforcement professionals.

Mission First Tactical, a Horsham, PA-based manufacturer of USA-made rifle/carbine accessories and holsters, will showcase its latest innovations at the 48th annual SHOT Show in Las Vegas from January 20-23, 2026. The company welcomes new dealers at booth #15042 in the Venetian.

SLG2, Inc.'s Shoot Like A Girl experience will be onsite at the 2026 SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range on January 19, 2026, in Boulder City, Nevada. The mobile trailer will showcase live-fire demonstrations and hands-on brand experiences featuring certified female instructors guiding participants through archery and firearm safety education.

D&M Holding Company will showcase its ammunition, primer, and propellant manufacturing solutions at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 20-23. The company has announced strategic partnerships with Ukrainian Defense Industry JSC and Saudi Arabian Defense company DEMCO Holding Company to expand international operations.

Holosun will showcase its latest red dots, reflex optics, magnifiers, and laser solutions at the 2026 NSSF SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 20–23. Visitors can experience new product innovations at booth #13420, with Holosun's expert team providing technical guidance for tactical, competitive, and recreational shooting applications.

Laser Ammo USA Inc. will exhibit at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas (January 20-23) at booths #14042 and #20012, debuting new SureStrikeMAG platforms for Smith & Wesson M&P and Walther PDP/Canik TP9, plus Smokeless Range® add-ons including Hogan's Alley and Terminal Z.

Outdoor Sportsman Group invites attendees to a Happy Hour at SHOT Show 2026 on January 21 at booth #13060, featuring Joe Mantegna, live music, and a meet-and-greet. Michael Waddell will conduct live interviews with industry partners and manufacturers at the adjacent booth.

TriStar Arms will showcase new products at SHOT Show 2026 in Booth #14645, including the APOC PRO 9mm pistol, KR22 rifle in new finishes, Upland Hunter Thumbhole Stock turkey shotgun, and Viper G2 28-gauge shotgun compatible with 3-inch shells.

SDS Arms will exhibit at the 2026 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 20-23, at booth #12460. The company will showcase Tisas USA, Tokarev USA, Military Armament Corp, Spandau Arms, and Inglis products, with daily giveaways including customized firearms from 2nd Caliber Coatings, Booligan Shooting Sports, Newnam Performance, and Caliber Custom Coatings.

Arsenal, Inc. will showcase the SAM7K-28 short-barreled rifle at SHOT Show 2026, featuring a new precision-machined aluminum buttstock with 1913 Picatinny attachment. The rifle combines Arsenal's proven SAM7K platform in 7.62x39mm with in-house engineered tactical stock, available in four finishes with factory-matched furniture.

The DSC Convention & Sporting Expo will be held February 6-8, 2026, in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center. Media members can pre-register for credentials and access a dedicated pressroom with amenities. The event features over 600 exhibitors and raises millions for conservation, education, and advocacy initiatives.

Kovix, a premium titanium suppressor manufacturer based in Kalispell, Montana, will exhibit at the Wild Sheep Foundation's Sheep Show 2026 in Reno, Nevada, January 22-24. CEO Luke Hanson and company representatives will showcase Kovix's Timberline and new Badlands suppressor lineups designed for demanding sheep hunters.

Federal Ammunition announces the addition of former World Champion Cory Kruse to its competitive shotgun team for 2026. Kruse, a Texas-based shooter who won his first World Championship in FITASC as a Junior in 2003, brings an extensive list of World and National Championships to the Federal roster.

Hornady has been named an Official Sponsor of the 2026 National Rifle League Hunter Series. As sponsor, Hornady will provide match donations and promotional support for the precision rifle competition focused on hunting scenarios.

Shooting USA features the Daisy BB Gun Nationals 2025 from Rogers, Arkansas, showcasing over 600 elite young marksmen ages eight to fifteen competing in five meter BB gun competition. The episode also includes a segment with World Champion Jalise Williams demonstrating a new Colt ProTip and her four dot drill.

If you have made it this far in life without the need for prescription glasses, count yourself as fortunate. However, not needing glasses and being too stubborn to get glasses are not the same thing. If you have prescription glasses, but don’t need them all the time, as in you can recognize people’s faces or drive without glasses, you’re also fortunate. Even though I’ve had prescription glasses for decades, I was able to take my driver’s license vision test without them and pass for over twenty years.

Last year it caught up to me.

When it comes to the use of a firearm in self-defense, your vision plays a major factor in determining whether A) you are shooting at a genuine threat and B) whether or not you can hit the target. If you cannot recognize faces beyond a few feet without your glasses on, you had better take a moment to grab your spectacles before investigating that bump in the night. The silhouette at the end of the hallway might be your college-age daughter coming home early and not wanting to wake the family or a teenager sneaking back into the house.

No Glasses? 

But, what if you can’t find your glasses in the dark? Or, what if your glasses get knocked off of your head in a fight? That second example happened to me when I was a police officer. In the middle of going hands-on and breaking up a fight, I was struck in the side of the head and my prescription glasses went flying.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to use my sidearm during that altercation. That wasn’t the case for FBI Special Agent Ben Grogan who lost his glasses during the car crash that started the famous FBI Miami Shootout. Grogan was an expert marksman with his Rx glass on, but was tremendously handicapped without them. 

If you are, for all intents and purposes, “legally blind” without your prescription glasses, you might consider some kind of a strap or “croakie”. Some of these are actually fashionable and don’t look too nerdy. If you can’t see past five feet without your glasses and you lose them, your concealed carry pistol won’t do you much good unless you’re contact shooting.

Training and Testing 

Most people who wear prescription glasses aren’t legally blind without them and fall into the “I can still see, but I see better with my glasses on” category. I fully admit that I’m not the first person to consider this topic. My colleague, Massad Ayoob, was writing articles for dead tree magazines decades ago about the subject of training and practicing with and without your prescription glasses.

Mas even went so far as to suggest that law enforcement officers participate in their state’s mandatory qualification course with both their prescription glasses on and off. Let’s face it, most people want to look good in front of their peers and will not risk a low score or potentially poor showing by shooting without their glasses. 

The one way to deal with the peer pressure issue would be for departments or agencies to require officers who wear prescription glasses to do both. However, we hit a reality wall here. Most agencies are happy to have all of their officers pass the annual qualification at all, since a good portion of their personnel barely manage to pass or have to do so after being given a “second chance.” Only the most forward thinking law enforcement administrators would require their people to qualify minus prescription glasses.

So, where does this leave us? It leaves us with personal responsibility and mental maturity. You have to decide that such an endeavor is not only worth your time, but critically important. Naturally, we want to protect our eyes from debris or ricochet fragments, and so when we remove our prescription glasses we will substitute them for some type of safety glasses. 

Realistic Exercises   

I have taken to the habit of shooting both traditional iron-sighted handguns as well as those with some type of dot optic in place with and without my Rx glasses on. As mentioned during previous reviews, I am nearsighted. This means that my front sight is clear in my vision without glasses but a bit blurry with them. The reticle in a dot optic is clear with my glasses on but a bit fuzzy without them. 

The big question, however, is whether or not the blur or fuzziness is enough to prevent me from hitting targets at practical ranges. The vast majority of law enforcement qualification courses are shot from fifty feet and in, with fifty feet or seventeen yards being the farthest target distance. 

For realistic and practical exercises, I use both cardboard and steel reactive targets. Naturally, the cardboard allows you to evaluate the consistency of your shots and the steel gives instant confirmation. I like to use an 8-inch steel plate for these practice sessions. I figure if I can consistently hit a “head plate” at fifteen yards without my Rx glasses that I am doing pretty well.

My suggestion to you is to first engage in some basic shooting drills from 3,5,7, and 10 yards…maybe 15 yards if you are feeling froggy, with your Rx glasses on. Take a moment to evaluate your performance and then substitute your Rx for simple safety glasses and repeat the process. 

It should go without saying, but I will say it anyway, these practice drills should be performed with the gun you are actually carrying for self-defense or as a duty gun, not your favorite tricked out race gun. Genuine confidence in your ability with your EDC gun is the goal, not how cool you look with your “custom” pistol. 

Parting Shots 

Good, bad, or indifferent, if you take the time to shoot both with and without your Rx glasses on your face, you will come away with a realistic understanding of your ability. If you discover that you can’t hit the south end of a northbound elephant without your specs, you’d better make keeping them on your face a priority. 

Subsequently, you might actually be surprised at your performance and come away with a genuine sense of confidence knowing that even without your Rx glasses, you can reliably put rounds where they need to go. Regardless of the outcome, the most important aspect is to force yourself to engage in the behavior that tests your limits. 

– Paul Markel, Shooting News Weekly