As December winds down it bring with it a time of reflection as we look back on both our personal and professional accomplishments for the year. We here at The Arms Guide are not immune to looking back at our complete body of work and taking a few moments to admire it. That started us thinking that it was time to do a first ever The Arms Guide, 2016 Year in Review article. We decided to come up with a nice short list of some of our greatest accomplishments and most read articles from the past twelve months.
#1 : Saiga 5.45 Rifle Used by Dallas Shooter
The photo above and accompanying article was a huge moment for The Arms Guide in July 2016. Threw a network of sources that we won’t ever disclose we were able to get this photo from the scene of the crime. Then 25 year old Ex U.S. Army soldier Micah Johnson used the Saiga 5.45 mm rifle to assault and kill several members of the Dallas, Texas Police Department before being killed by the Dallas PD SWAT team. We were able to confirm the accessories and the make and model of the rifle within a few hours of the incident.
#2 FBI Picks the Glock:
In August of this year we were one of the first firearms news sites to cover the story with actual facts and hard data rather then rumors. The article has been read more than 58,000 times since its release and caused quite the whirlwind of commentary and arguments about the validity of the 9mm Luger cartridge. Im sure we have not heard the last of the great Glock 9mm debates. This wasn’t the first gun inspired drama to grip the site, especially when it pertains to law enforcement agencies selecting new sidearms.
#3 Lionheart LH9: 10,000 round Test
This article that came out in late November was a testament not only to the Lionheart LH9’s durability and build quality, but also to the trigger finger of our own David Donchess. The Washington based Lionheart Industries worked closely with David during the evaluation that was completed in just around a month, the pistol survived the test despite not being cleaned in that trial period. Just a little Slip 2000 at the start and a steady diet of various forms on 9mm ball ammo until it reached the 10,000 round level. Just to add another piece to the legacy, David reports the pistol now sits at 15,000 rounds fire with no issues.
#4 SHOT Show 2016 : Las Vegas
In January of every year the gun industry descends on Las Vegas and with it comes all the latest and greatest gadgets and guns that are slated to be released in the coming year. In 2016 I was new to the SHOT Show phenomena and for the first few days suffered from sensory overload. It’s the mother of all gun shows and my mind wasn’t quite ready for it, good thing I had members of every corner of the SOFREP empire to help me along. After five days and over forty miles walked I can say I had the time of my life. I met colleagues and industry big wigs that I had only known from YouTube videos, drank some beers, heard some stories and can honestly say was one of the best business trips of any career.
#5 Compiling one of the best AR15 build video catalogs
We here at the site have been fortunate to have had Nate Schultz working for us and he compiled what I think is one of the best “How To” series on the proper way to assemble an AR-15. His first installment has been read over 250,000 times since January 2016, thats a staggering number in my mind. In his series he covers almost every aspect of building your own rifle, and his articles feature well lit and narrated videos that will take the fear and mystique out of. If you have the parts, patience and a laptop Nate can take you from a pile of parts to functional rifle in no time. This series which I have linked to his name below is in my opinion the gold standard of AR-15 videos. The series contains 17 articles, I would suggest any firearms enthusiast read them and watch the accompanying videos.
Link to Author Nate Schultz Catalog of Articles:
WHAT’S NEXT FOR 2017 ?
2017 is shaping up to be a great year and it hasn’t even started yet. SHOT Show 2017 starts the 16th of January and the entire SOFREP & The Arms Guide crew will be in town and we are hosting an invite only party for SOFREP members. If you can’t make it to the party that’s OK too, we will be on the floor at SHOT 2017 getting interviews from manufacturers and posting several updates daily. We also are planning to do a Facebook livefeed from the Sands Convention Center, we would love to see and meet our fans at the show. I hope you have enjoyed this look at The Arms Guide 2016 Year in Review, we want to know what were your top gun related moments of 2016.
Happy New Year’s 2016
Rick
Feature Photo Courtesy:wsj.com
