The June edition of Australian Shooter is packed with competition, hunting, firearms and outdoor content from across Australia. This month, we look at Thompson’s success at the Benchrest Nationals, explore the ongoing debate around lead ammunition and take a closer look at the latest firearms and optics, including CZ’s new Shadow target pistol and a premium Japanese scope. There’s practical hunting advice, bushcraft and survival skills, a review of innovative outdoor gear and a celebration of single-shot hunting. Plus, catch up on National News, Competition News, Letters, the SSAA Shop and much more in another feature-packed edition of Australia’s leading shooting sports magazine.

This month in Australian Shooter, we sit down with Amanda Vallance, whose journey from working in a gun shop to establishing Ballistics Headquarters has seen her build one of Australia’s leading centres for firearms expertise. Combining forensic science, historical knowledge and practical application, her work offers a unique insight into the technical side of the industry and the role it plays in safety, investigation and education. Elsewhere in the issue, we take a closer look at the latest gear and innovations, with Ben Unten trialling Walker’s rechargeable earmuffs and Travis Allen putting a new training aid to the test, designed to improve accuracy and remove guesswork on the range. We also assess a matched pair of Walther PDP pistols, alongside a range of optics and accessories featured throughout our review section. Rounding things out are hunting stories, industry updates and all your regular columns, delivering a well-balanced mix of practical advice, field experiences and informed commentary for shooters across Australia.

Deer hunting is a tough sport and one which requires technique, dedication and, above all, a reasonable degree of fitness. For our cover story this month, Queenslander Simon Frederiksen and two mates take to the high country of the Victorian Alps on a guided hunt in search of Australia’s largest deer species and, while learning on the hoof, discovered that in this often demanding pursuit, success is never guaranteed. Of course, any help the hunter can muster is welcome and, to that end, Chris Redlich has been afield with the latest red dot sight from ZeroTech, the Trace 1×5 giving him the edge in pursuit of some destructive feral pigs. And speaking of optics, senior correspondent Rod Pascoe has trialled a couple of reflex sights from Swampfox Optics, one of the newer players on the Australian scene who, he reckons, have some value-for-money offerings worthy of consideration. And for the history lovers among us we have two superb articles this month. Leon Wright has penned a fascinating tale about his late father’s heroics in Tarakan during World War Two, while Ivo Dimitrov charts the story of an iconic Beretta pistol. Elsewhere we have a couple of book reviews, our latest dive into the Shooter archives along with all our regular columns and features.

For many of us, our introduction to shooting would’ve been at the range and, for our cover story this month, a few of our regular contributors have visited their local SSAA ranges and discovered there’s plenty going on. Paul Miller, Sam Garro and our own Matt Godson have been out and about in New South Wales, Victoria and South Australia, to give us a glimpse behind the scenes at some of our most popular venues. In review this month are two outstanding rifles, though as Daniel O’Dea reports on the all-Australian ASG-9 (Aussie Scrub Gun), in the wake of the Bondi tragedy this fine firearm is already facing an uncertain future. Over in Queensland meanwhile, Chris Redlich has been culling destructive feral pigs with the new Ruger American ‘Go Wild’ which, at around $1000, is well worth considering for similar deployment. With duck hunting season upon us, John McDougall has been assessing your options for both shotguns and ammunition, bearing in mind non-toxic shot is now mandatory for everyone. Kath Heiman has penned a thought-provoking piece on the Victoria machete ban which has many of us scratching our heads and, on a sadder note, we said farewell in January to Ian Thompson, one of our most revered columnists. Friend and colleague Geoff Smith has written his tribute to the man whose Basic Ballistics column ranks among the most popular in the history of this magazine.

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.

As we bid farewell to 2025, our final cover story of the year is a deep dive into the Solus Hunter Lightweight bolt-action rifle by US manufacturer Aero Precision. Our reviewer Paul Miller was the man tasked with putting the rifle through its paces and it turned out to be a mission he embraced with gusto. While the price may prove restrictive for many, Paul tells us “I’m not going to say it’s the finest hunting firearm I’ve ever reviewed, but it’s certainly up there as an example of a remarkably well-built and ridiculously accurate rifle”. Still on firearms and senior correspondent Rod Pascoe has run the numbers on a tempting package from Magnum Sports. This one features the versatility of Howa’s 1500 barrelled action which they’ve paired with an SCSA metal chassis and topped with a Nikko Stirling riflescope for a combo Rod says has been “well thought-out to provide an excellent, value-for-money way of breaking into some of the long-range precision shooting sports”. Also in review this time is some explosive hunting ammunition by Swedish player Norma and the nifty new Reloading Measure Tool kit for handloaders by Canberra-based Derraco Engineering. We also have a pleasing mix of hunting tales, book reviews and all our regular features to tide you over until our next edition in February. Merry Christmas one and all from everyone at Australian Shooter!

As we look forward to summer sunshine, spare a thought for this month’s ‘cover star’ Mark van den Boogaart who did it tougher than most during this season’s red deer Roar back in April. The seasoned hunter weathered storms, mud and 24 hours of torrential rain, yet gallantly battled through to single-handedly take what was undoubtedly the toughest trophy of his hunting career. In review this time we have a handful of exceptional firearms, Daniel O’Dea running the rule over the sensational Sako 100 switch-barrel rifle, while Con Kapralos has been out and about with the Mauser M25 Extreme straight-pull which is due to arrive on these shores any day now. Rifles aside and Paul Miller has turned his attention to the Yildiz Pro Black Sporter 12-gauge shotgun which he reckons, with the quality on offer, is a bit of a steal at less than $5000. Every shooter has benefitted from a decent pair of binoculars at some point and Matt Godson has taken a deep dive into the latest Frontier laser rangefinders from Hawke, a product he says will give great service to hunters and target shooters alike. And on a sad note this month, we bid farewell to John Downing, aka Jeremiah, war hero and former editor of the SSAA ‘Journal’ who has died aged 91. His friend and former colleague Geoff Smith has paid a fitting tribute to a genuine shooting ambassador and a true one-off.

Value for money is something we all appreciate for our hard-won dollars and that goes for firearms too. This month we’ve turned the spotlight on the latest hunting rifle from Czech manufacturer CZ in the 600 American, available in a huge range of calibres and priced below the $2000 mark. This one’s adorned with walnut and blued metalwork and, according to our reviewer, should appeal to more established shooters as well as those new to the sport. And speaking of latest offerings, we also take a look at a new side-by-side shotgun from Turkish player Yildiz. The Elegant A1 E Special in 12-gauge under review handled itself admirably both in a hunting and sporting clays scenario and this beautiful-looking firearm also fits the value-for-money category. Optics-wise this month, we put a pair of Leupold binoculars to the test and found they did nothing but enhance the company’s fine reputation, while a stunning combination from Steiner in their eRanger LRF binoculars and riflescope were equally impressive. We’ve also assessed the Caldwell Flashbang hit recorder, handy for a bit of range practice on your own, and a pair of Summit GTX boots from Kiwi manufacturer Crispi for those who fancy their chances in the high country. Elsewhere, Joseph Nugent tackles the Thermal v Night Vision debate, John Dunn demonstrates how to make a simple knife sheath and all our usual columns are along for the ride too. Enjoy!