In 2008, I started Rifleman Consulting LLC as a freelance writer and firearms industry consultant. At the same time, I began to focus on refining the performance of AR-style firearms because off-the-shelf performance had flatlined and no one seemed real interested in making ARs better at that time. In 2009, I began doing business under the trade name of Citizen Arms as a licensed manufacturer of firearms. I’ve been manufacturing custom ARs and accurizing / tuning / repairing existing firearms ever since.
Prior to opening my shop, I spent 22 years in the U.S. Army–first as a Paratrooper and mountaineering Ranger Instructor and then, for the bulk of my career, as a Special Operations Assaulter and Sniper. After many years of plying and refining my trade in far-off places, I finished my Army time serving as my SOF unit’s Subject Matter Expert on sniper weapon systems and head of all small arms development and testing. These positions blended my skills and experience as an operational user of precision arms with the knowledge of what it takes to make them perform well in demanding environments.
I’ve been a freelance writer since 2007, with several hundred print articles published in American Gunsmith, American Hunter, AR Guns & Hunting, Guns & Ammo Tactical Guns & Gear, Precision Shooting, Shooting Illustrated, Shotgun News, Special Operations Report, SWAT Digest and a number of technical publications. From 2010 to 2025, I had the honor of serving as the Rifle Editor for the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated magazine. In 2026, I began writing the “On Guns” column as a Field Editor for the NRA’s American Rifleman monthly web-magazine.
I hold a Bachelor’s Degree from Liberty University, am ordained through the Christian Leaders Alliance’s Chaplaincy program and am a UCCS-certified GRIT Coach. I’m also a multi-disciplined/multi-certified firearms instructor and a concealed handgun instructor for the state of North Carolina since 1998.
I’m blessed by a wonderfully-large family and the help of many gracious friends and mentors. Above all else, I’m guided by my faith in God and acceptance of Jesus Christ as my Savior. –Steve Adelmann
Citizen Arms, Copyright 2025