Light Makes Right

My grandfather built his own house from scrap lumber salvaged from decommissioned army barracks. My father was a farmer who could fix most anything with little more than baling twine and WD-40. Me?

Those skills skipped a generation, relegating me to writing hunting stories and gun reviews. So, when Christensen Arms gave me the opportunity to build, and test, a Ridgeline FFT – one of their premier rifles, I thought “What’s the worst that can happen?” Then I thought, “Well, the worst that can happen is having the thing blow up in my face.” Luckily, the gun I assembled from a pile of parts did not suffer any critical failures, but did, in fact, turn out to be one of the more accurate rifles I’ve had the pleasure to test.

[Continue reading "Backcountry Defense System" in the April/May 2025 issue of Petersen's HUNTING]

More Inside This Issue:

Best New Optics for 2025

Find, range and engage your target with these new tools for hunters. By Brad Fitzpatrick

Best New Ammunition for 2025

This year's crop of hunting ammunition is the most impressive in recent memory. By Brad Fitzpatrick

The Ones That Got Away

As a gunwriter, a lot of rifles come through my hands. Yeah, I know, most folks figure the gun companies give them to us. Sounds nice, but it doesn't usually work that way. Most “test guns” must be returned or purchased. The price can be right, sure, but how many rifles does one need? By Craig Boddington

5 Steps to Absolute Accuracy

A mental checklist for making long-range shots. By Colton Heward