July/August 2026

ON THE COVER:
For the Common Defense, an original oil painting by Pamela Patrick White.

CONTENTS:
3 Letters from Our Readers
7 Prime Possibles
9 People to Watch Melonie Stanger — Andrew Scott Wills
11 Doin’ It Yourself The Hickok Rifle and Hunting Pouch — T.C. Albert
21 Shooting the Bull Following Trends of the Times — Mike Nesbitt
29 Dispatches from New England Quiet Boredom on Snowshoes, Part II — Vincent C. Spiotti
37 18th Century Traveler Back to Antietam — Matt Wulff
47 The Builder’s Bench Building the Three-Box Bean Rifle, Part III — Jim Parker
51 On the Game Trail The Gift — John A. Kalabus
57 Dining in the Past, Part I — Jerry Grandle
63 The Contemporary Longrifle Foundation’s 2026 Fundraising Auction — Joshua Shepherd
81 Old Newgate, The Simsbury Mine and Prison— Jim Klankeski
95 Classified Ads
96 Index of Display Advertisers