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In a scene that could have leapt from the pages of a Western, Texas native Bill Williams successfully defended himself and his wife from an intruding black bear. The bear initially appeared outside the couple's Colorado summer cabin in the evening, but as he seemed to be minding his own business, Mr. Williams thought best to leave him alone. He did load up his Uberti 1866 Yellowboy carbine however, simply as a precaution. In hindsight, its a good thing he did. The couple awoke with a start at 3:00 a.m. that same night, to the 250-pound animal breaking through the cabin window. Jumping up to investigate, Williams saw the bear on his couch less than four feet away. All told, Williams had to put eight rounds of .45 Long Colt into the black bear before it stopped moving. The couple credits keeping the rifle ready and close with saving their lives. They have since reinforced their door and barred the windows however, as an extra precaution. The Uberti, however, still resides by the bed.
Camping should be memorable, but without forethought about protection it could be memorable for the wrong reason. What follows is a guide for defending one’s site against nature’s top predators.
TriStar Arms is expanding the KR22 .22 LR rifle lineup with two new color options, giving shooters more ways to personalize one of the company’s rimfire rifles. The KR22 is now available in Flat Dark Earth and Olive Drab Green, joining the original synthetic black model that launched the platform.
As the year draws to its inevitable close, we asked Philip Massaro to select his top 10 favorite rifles that debuted in 2025. Without any further adieu, let’s dive into the list.