Live the Lifestyle? Read the Magazine.
🐴 Good morning. We’ve officially closed the book on the Year of the Snake (if you’re into that kind of 💩). Last year was, according to the Chinese, about patience, planning, and quiet maneuvering. This year is the year of the Fire Horse and it began on Tuesday (if you forgot to add it to your calendar), which is less about waiting and more about actually doing something. Consider this week’s INSIDER on theme. Less waiting, more trigger time. Real firearms, real testing, and gear that’s meant to be run, not photographed from twelve flattering angles. If you’ve spent enough time thinking about upgrades, this might be the week to stop nodding along and start pulling the trigger. Thank God it isn’t the year of the bat again… 🦇
For anyone pretending they’ll read the whole thing later:
➤ PSA: Dagger Moves
➤ Langdon Tactical: A Smarter VP9
➤ Blast ‘Em : Spring Turkey Droppers
➤ DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE: Dead Air’s Nomad OTB
➤ BTB: Do you even SHOT Show, Bro?
👉🏼 Read it. Hand it off. Then, trade dopamine scrolling for ink and pages.
Forget a Knife. Bring the Gun.
The Palmetto State Armory Sabre Dagger line — full-size and micro — isn’t about doubling down on bullshit and gimmicks. It’s about giving shooters predictable performance in forms that fit real carry, real range days, and real use. Both versions show how far design can take a familiar concept. If you want grip, control, and something that feels intentional, this is worth the look.
A Smarter Heckler & Koch VP9
The HK VP9 was already a solid platform. Langdon Tactical just made it harder to ignore. The LTT VP9A1 isn’t a cosmetic refresh or a marketing exercise — it’s a meaningful upgrade that improves how the gun feels, tracks, and performs when you actually run it. Better ergonomics, cleaner execution, and attention to the details that matter after the first magazine. This is what happens when a good handgun gets taken seriously.
Turkey Season Starts Here
This roundup delivers the latest guns, ammo, and gear tailored for turkeys that don’t read the instruction manual. Whatever your style — from lightweight to purpose-built shells and accessories — this is the curated list that helps you show up prepared instead of guessing.
Living Under a Rock?
It happens. If you missed our Beyond the Booths series straight from the SHOT Show floor last month and / or H&B’s the latest interactive digital cover - you’ve got some catching up to do. We ditched the booth fluff, ignored the influencer circus, and went straight to the gear and conversations that actually mattered. Real access, unlike any other publication, gave you. If you’ve been out of the loop, this is where you plug back in… quickly.
👉🏼 DIGITAL EXCLUSIVE: Dead Air’s Nomad OTB
👉🏼 BTB: Do you even SHOT Show, Bro?
🗓️ UP NEXT: Tuesday’s drop brings the lifestyle hits plus more from the Steve Harvey cover everyone’s talking about.
» Friendly reminder: This email sets the table. The magazine lets us take our time.
Load Up on H&B Gear
There’s a lot of outdoor “culture” right now that feels more like a costume party than a lifestyle. Loud slogans. Ironic bravado. Hats that read like bumper stickers for guys who hunt weekends on some high-fence and call it grit. That’s never been our thing. Hook & Barrel is for people who actually put miles on boots, rounds downrange, and time into getting better. No gimmicks. No drunken pirate energy. Just gear and stories that hold up when the frat boy jokes wear off.
👇🏼 For more from all our INSIDER brands, click below.
