Welcome to another year with Australia’s favourite shooting magazine. We start 2026 by turning the spotlight on optics and our cover story looks in detail at an affordable mil-dot riflescope by ZeroTech. As reviewer Chris Redlich discovered, this one’s adaptable for any number of hunting scenarios and, priced around $400, it won’t break the bank. Our optics special also looks at red dot sights, a budget monocular and superb flashlight hunting kit from Olight. On the firearms front, senior correspondent John Dunn has managed to lay his hands on a Chiappa Big Badger and, if that’s a new one in your book, join the club as John takes a deep dive into a rifle like no other. And sticking with things a bit different, Dick Eussen has taken an in-depth look at Gerber knives, while Leon Wright charts the decade-long struggle to be able to legally use the Murray River Retriever for duck hunting in Victoria. And on the subject of duck season, this month sees the launch of a new occasional series, From the Archives, where we delve into the Shooter files of yesteryear and take a trip down memory lane, starting with an article from 50 years ago this month in which Pat Browne points out there’s more to duck hunting than simply taking a shotgun into a swamp. So welcome along as we begin another year with Australia’s biggest-selling shooting magazine.