Editorial Policy

Independence

• Commissions never set a score or pick a winner. Scores come from the rubric on How We Pick, applied before we look at where a link goes.
• No sponsored placements. No brand pays to be ranked, and no brand sees a page before it's published.
• We don't accept free products in exchange for coverage.
• A product's position never depends on what it pays. If the best-supported pick for a beginner earns us nothing, it still wins.

Sourcing standards

• Product specs come from the maker's own product page, data sheet or manual, and every spec on a product card links to its source. Marketing claims are labeled “maker's claim.”
• Hearing protection: the EPA's labeling rule for hearing protectors (40 CFR Part 211), the OSHA Technical Manual, NIOSH and CDC publications, and ASHA.
• Eye protection: OSHA's eye and face protection rule and the ANSI/ISEA Z87.1 standard as described by ISEA and eyewear makers.
• Safety, range rules and law: the NRA and NSSF safety rules, published range rules (always attributed to the range and presented as examples), firearm makers' manuals, 18 U.S.C. § 926A and TSA guidance. We never summarize a state's law without an official source for that state.
• Numbers carry a source. Where sources disagree (gunshot loudness is measured many ways), we give the range and name each source. Where a figure isn't published, we say so instead of estimating.

What we don't claim

• That we tested the gear. We compile published specs and standards; see How We Pick.
• Credentials, experience or staff we don't have. There's no expert panel; there's Mike M.
• Prices. Amazon sets them and changes them often, so every buy button says “Check price on Amazon.”
• Reviews or testimonials. We don't publish customer reviews we haven't verified, and we never invent them.

Safety and legality

We don't recommend or link firearms or ammunition. Safety content is general information, not a substitute for hands-on instruction: follow your range's rules and your firearm's manual, and consider a certified safety course. Pages that touch the law (transporting a firearm, age rules at ranges) are marked “not legal advice” and link the official sources. Health-adjacent pages (lead, hearing) are marked “not medical advice.” Every photo of a person shooting shows ear and eye protection and a safe muzzle direction.

Corrections

If you find an error, email mike@blackironathletics.com or use the contact form. We aim to correct factual errors within 48 hours of confirming them, and we add a dated “What changed” note to the page so readers can see what was fixed.

Update cadence

• Ranked lists: re-checked every quarter. Is each product still sold? Has the maker replaced it? Has its NRR or Z87 marking changed?
• Comparisons: every six months, plus whether the verdict still holds.
• Standards guides (NRR, Z87, what to bring, etiquette): every twelve months, or right away when a cited standard changes.
• Safety, legal and health-adjacent pages (transport, kids, lead, steel target distances): every six months.

A page's “Updated” date changes only when its content materially changes, never just because the site was rebuilt.

How pages are produced

Pages are researched from the sources above and written for this site. Drafting and fact-checking can involve software tools, including AI writing tools, with review under Mike M.'s byline. Every page is held to the same rule: each fact links to a source you can open, and nothing is published that the sources don't support.