Assistant Editor Dave Rose celebrates Victoria reaching 50,000 licensed hunters, while Chris Redlich takes on a fighting fallow. Media Officer Kate Fantinel outlines the reality of firearm deaths and how common or uncommon they really are, and Russell Mark explains why policy might be holding back our Olympic shooters’ real potential. Dick Eussen looks at Ruger’s American Rifle Ranch in .300 ACC Blackout calibre, John McDougall tests the Franchi Affinity shotgun and Don Caswell takes a look down Swarovski’s Z6i 2.5-15×56 P scope. Ian Thompson explains the mysteries of yaw in spinning projectiles and Rick Huckstepp gets his hands on the exquisite Rigby Big Game Deluxe .416 Rigby rifle. Ben Unten takes us on a spring hunt, Peter Assfalg travels to the German Hunting and Fishing Museum, and Communications Officer Sam Talbot talks with Single Action junior shooter Tumbleweed Wagon.

Paul Miller puts Miroku’s Mk 10 HRT shotgun through its paces, while Con Kapralos tests out the Tikka T3x Varmint .270 rifle. Bruce Wellington spots deer with the Minox ZA5i 2-10×50 riflescope, Dick Eussen checks out the Joker Montes II hunting knife and Jeremiah examines the exquisite engraving on Single Action shooter Ace McKenzie’s guns. In politics, SSAA Legislative Action’s Kate Fantinel explains what happened when we met with fellow Commonwealth countries to discuss protecting our sport, and we find out how the SSAA team fared at the NRA Cowboy Rifle Silhouette National Championships. Communications Officer Sam Talbot catches up with SSAA Academic Bursary recipient Ellen Freeman and also chats with optimistic junior shooter Kayleb O’Connor. Daniel O’Dea puts Uncle Mike’s Tactical Rifle Case under the spotlight and SSAA volunteers continue the fight against feral cats and allowing our western quolls to thrive.

Assistant Editor Dave Rose gives a full wrap on golden girl Catherine Skinner as well as all the shooting action from this year’s Rio Olympic Games and SSAA Members Firearms Insurance gets an updated name and new look.

The Winchester XPR rifle gets a complete work over from Con Kapralos, while our North American correspondent Thomas Tabor checks out Weatherby’s Mark V Accumark rifle. We also review the Leica ER5 4-20×50 riflescope and X-Blast Exploding Target System. Media Officer Kate Fantinel reports on the Conservation Through Sustainable Use of Wildlife Conference where experts from around the world spoke about conservation. Leon Wright reflects on his 54 years of duck hunting, and Sarah Jane Jacob talks to Bruny Island gourmet farmer Ross O’Meara.

Media Officer Kate Fantinel outlines the strange but true tale of how Mexican drug cartels are infiltrating Australia’s borders with illicit firearms and drugs and what moves the Coalition is taking in response. Chris Redlich looks back at his introduction to goat hunting 20 years ago, while Frank Bonneville recommends trusting your instincts out in the field. Under review are the Sako 85 Carbonlight rifle, GSG 1911 .22LR pistol and Browning B725 Sporter Black Edition shotgun. Meanwhile, Leon Wright sings the praises of the Fox Combo Call in tackling the cunning pests and Thomas Tabor discovers the Annealing Made Perfect machine made in New Zealand.

The SSAA reports on the law-enforcement issues presented at the National Policing Summit, and Media Officer Kate Fantinel discusses the fallout from the lengthy Federal Election campaign, including the Greens party releasing an outrageous firearms policy and Gun Control Australia attacking the legitimacy of the Adler shotgun. Con Kapralos examines the Steyr SM12 SX Stainless rifle, Daniel O’Dea takes a look at the WFA1 rifle from Warwick Firearms and Neil Edgley tests the BSA Scorpion SE PCP air rifle. We also review the Pulsar Digisight N850 LRF night vision scope, Steiner Miniscope monocular, Tikka rifle cleaning kits and Federal Champion .22LR HP ammo. SSAA Bendigo and Parks Victoria partner to manage foxes, and Ben Smith recalls a successful winter hunting trip to rid a property of ferals including a monstrous feral cat. The SSAA SHOT Expo also smashes attendance records in Sydney.

Western quolls make their way home thanks to the SSAA and National President Geoff Jones talks about our strong international relations. We find out who will be winning medals at this year’s Olympics and Paralympics with Russell Mark and Assistant Editor Dave Rose previewing the teams. John McDougall checks out the Redolfi EOS Sporting shotgun, John Dunn explains why the single-shot Winchester Model 1885 Low Wall Hunter deserves its revival and Con Kapralos takes the Laserex GLS-520 Green Laser Sight into the field. Media Officer Kate Fantinel calls out the RSPCA and challenges a medical journal article, while Hunting Officer Matthew Godson gets stuck into hypocritical duck shooting protesters. Wayne Peacock is gives up his fishing rod in favour of hunting monster pigs in the Mitchell River, John Broxburn romanticises the .500 BPE rifle and Communications Officer Sam Talbot explains why junior shooter Danon Randazzo is a future superstar.

Bruce Wellington reviews Ruger’s No.1S rifle in 9.3x62mm Mauser, Daniel O’Dea looks at Mossberg’s Patriot Synthetic rifle and Paul Miller checks out ATA’s 686EL Sporting shotgun. The SSAA-LA dissects the media storm that was the Sydney Siege and explains how we corrected the media while redirecting them to the real problem. ‘Greenie’ groups are upset because they may lose their tax-deductible status, while the SSAA gets up to real conservation work saving the Tasmanian devil. Rod Pascoe helps Winchester celebrate almost 50 years of operations in Australia, John Hill puts the Hornady .17 Hornet cartridge to the test and Darren Marks assesses the Walther Pro PL70r torch. Assistant Editor David Rose speaks with junior shooter Rachel McConnell, while Richard Lindsay explains the return of SSAA Blue Hills after the club was ravaged by bushfires.

SSAA-LA cuts through the media hysteria with facts and celebrates the successes of our sport so far. We explain why governments targeting the law-abiding firearm owner through methods such as bullet profiling isn’t reducing crime and why the SSAA has a seat at the table for future firearms legislation discussions. In new product news, Con Kapralos reviews the Sako Model 85 Synthetic Black soft-touch synthetic-stocked rifle in .308 Winchester calibre and Neil Wheatley tests the Wildcat Synthetic .22-calibre precharged pneumatic air rifle by FX Airguns. Lionel Swift investigates the historic gunshops of Ballarat, Darren Marks relives a childhood fantasy with the Daisy Red Ryder BB gun and Dave Burgess recaptures his youth by restoring an FN .22 single-shot rifle. Daniel O’Dea also reports on the latest and greatest from this year’s US SHOT Show in Las Vegas.