Nick Hall

Nick Hall is a firearms expert with over 35 years behind the trigger. He started competitive shooting at 11, won his first match that same year, and hasn't stopped since. He runs USA Gun Shop, where he tracks 830+ gun safes and thousands of firearms across 200+ retailers. Every review on this site comes from hands-on testing, not press releases. If he hasn't shot it, he doesn't review it. Nick's work has been featured in Forbes, Playboy, and Tatler Asia. He's known for honest, blunt assessments that cut through marketing fluff. A $200 budget pistol gets the same straight verdict as a $3,000 precision rifle. Reach Nick directly at nick@usa-gun-shop.com.

Colt Serial Number Lookup: Find the Year Your Colt Was Made

October 10, 2026 by Nick Hall

An engraved Colt Model 1860 Army percussion revolver with a blued barrel and walnut grip, serial number 7569, photographed by The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Colt serial number lookup: how Colt’s own database works, the serial ranges a public list puts years on, and what a Colt archive letter costs by model.

Remington Serial Number Lookup: Barrel Date Codes and Year of Manufacture

October 10, 2026 by Nick Hall

Remington Model 700 bolt-action rifle with a synthetic stock, scope, sling and suppressor on a gray background

Remington serial number lookup: decode the barrel date code on an 870, 700 or 1100, with sourced year letters and factory serial tables for older models.

Marlin Serial Number Lookup: Year of Manufacture by Prefix, Model and Date Code

October 10, 2026 by Nick Hall

An engraved Marlin Model 336 lever-action rifle with a carved walnut stock dated 1776 and 1976, on clear stands at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum

Marlin serial number lookup: read the year from the prefix on a 336, 39A, 1894, 1895 or Model 60, with every source named and Cody’s factory ledgers explained.

Ruger Serial Number Lookup: Year by Model, 1949 to 2017

October 10, 2026 by Nick Hall

Early Ruger Single-Six serial 1715 above an early Ruger Blackhawk flat top serial 2237, both shown from the right side

Ruger serial number lookup built on Ruger’s own year tables for the 10/22, Single-Six, Blackhawk, GP100, LCP and 120 more, 1949 to 2017, with a year finder.

Browning Serial Number Lookup: Year of Manufacture by Model and Date Code

October 10, 2026 by Nick Hall

A 1971 Belgian-made Browning Hi Power pistol with walnut grips, its magazine and a spare grip panel on a gray cloth

Browning serial number lookup built on Browning’s own dating pages: Auto-5, Citori, Hi Power, BAR and 40 more, with the two-letter date code decoded.

Winchester Serial Number Lookup: Year of Manufacture by Model, 1866 to 1994

October 9, 2026 by Nick Hall

Receiver of a Winchester Model 1873 One of One Thousand rifle on display at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming

Winchester serial number lookup using Winchester’s own year tables for the Model 94, Model 70, 1873, Model 12 and 30 more, plus how to order a Cody letter.

ATF Stops Enforcing NFA Registration for Suppressors, SBRs

October 11, 2026October 9, 2026 by Nick Hall

ATF headquarters building at 99 New York Avenue NE in Washington, where the NFA guidance was issued

ATF says it will no longer enforce NFA approval and registration for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and AOWs, for anyone. It is enforcement discretion and not a repeal, and state law still applies.

Columbus Magazine Ban Stays Blocked After Ohio Appeal

October 11, 2026October 9, 2026 by Nick Hall

Columbus City Hall in Columbus, Ohio, the city whose ban on 30-round magazines remains blocked

An Ohio appeals court has affirmed the preliminary injunction against the Columbus ban on magazines of 30 or more rounds. It rests on Ohio law, it was unanimous, and it is not a final judgment.

Christensen Arms Evoke Review (2026): 300 Rounds, No Brake in the Box

October 8, 2026 by Nick Hall

Christensen Arms Evoke bolt-action rifle with OD Green polymer stock and Smoked Bronze Cerakote barrel lying on lichen-covered granite beside a gray wool beanie and a coil of paracord

The Christensen Arms Evoke is the company’s least expensive rifle: a 416R stainless barrel, a TriggerTech trigger and a sub-MOA guarantee in a polymer stock. We shot 300 rounds of .300 Win Mag bare, braked and suppressed, and compared Christensen’s launch claims with what its product page says now.