Switch Hitting
Recently, Bravo Company in partnership with Haley Strategic released a new rifle called the "Jack Carbine". Essentially if you took the attention to detail that produces the highest quality AR-15 parts on the market and built an AR-15 from the ground up you get the Jack Carbine. They missed something though.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Reaching out
Last weekend I ran to the hills with a group of friends to do some long range shooting. We got another guy hooked on it and he will be purchasing a rifle of his own within a week or two.
The weather was still and crystal clear so we were able to push the .308 out to 1100 yards. That was a new personal record and we were making hits much easier that I normally would have expected.
This also really reinforced the fact that while high magnification is a bonus, it is not necessary to make hits. I can now better understand why a fixed 10x was chosen for some military sniper rifles for a long time. That really is all you NEED to hit a man sized target out to a grand. A few years ago I would have skeptical that a 3-9x would be adequate for shots out to that range.
Afterwards was steaks and beer. An excellent day overall.
The weather was still and crystal clear so we were able to push the .308 out to 1100 yards. That was a new personal record and we were making hits much easier that I normally would have expected.
This also really reinforced the fact that while high magnification is a bonus, it is not necessary to make hits. I can now better understand why a fixed 10x was chosen for some military sniper rifles for a long time. That really is all you NEED to hit a man sized target out to a grand. A few years ago I would have skeptical that a 3-9x would be adequate for shots out to that range.
Afterwards was steaks and beer. An excellent day overall.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
762Tactical.com - Kudos
The other day SoldierSystems.net ran an article on the Partisian LBV (which is a really cool looking piece of kit) made by 762Tactical.com and that got me cruising around that site. When doing so I stumbled across the QRF Rig which I really like the looks of as well. The integrated hydration carrier along with a simple no frills design is very appealing.
The only problem is that it is clearly configured for a right handed shooter. The medical pouch would inhibit access to the magazines for a lefty. On a whim I emailed the company and asked if they would be willing to do a left handed configuration and switch around the mag pouches and the IFAK, and if there would be an additional charge for doing so.
To my surprise I got an email back within a few minutes saying that doing a left handed config would be no problem and with no additional charge. In addition he said he would add that option to his website. Within an hour it was done! How is that for customer service?
The 762Tactical site is sporting some unique designs for very reasonable prices. They also cater equally to both the M4 and Kalashnikov platforms. Typically you can request which style mag pouches you want for each product; so AK guys take notice. This site is worth a look.
The only problem is that it is clearly configured for a right handed shooter. The medical pouch would inhibit access to the magazines for a lefty. On a whim I emailed the company and asked if they would be willing to do a left handed configuration and switch around the mag pouches and the IFAK, and if there would be an additional charge for doing so.
To my surprise I got an email back within a few minutes saying that doing a left handed config would be no problem and with no additional charge. In addition he said he would add that option to his website. Within an hour it was done! How is that for customer service?
The 762Tactical site is sporting some unique designs for very reasonable prices. They also cater equally to both the M4 and Kalashnikov platforms. Typically you can request which style mag pouches you want for each product; so AK guys take notice. This site is worth a look.
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
CamDesk
Watch your six
One of the guys I work with discovered this cool little open source program called CamDesk. What it enables you to do is set up a video feed from a USB camera plugged into your workstation. It has a little window that hovers on your desktop that you can move around and will show you whatever the camera is looking at.
Several of our desks face away from the entrance to our department and we started using this program so we could just glance down and see who is walking into the department.
It takes up hardly any resources on your computer and you can also make the window semi transparent so you can see stuff that you are working on behind it. I believe you can also plug in multiple cameras for multiple feeds as well. It also has some recording options that I have not yet explored. It supports multiple OS's (not sure if the Linux version will run on OS X or not).
I ran into some compatibility problems with cameras on my computer (which to be fair, is long over due for a rebuild). I couldn't get the Microsoft LifeCam camera to work but we have several old Cisco ball cameras laying around and that works fine.
You could probably get pretty creative with uses for this program, just keep in mind it isn't meant to be a full blown security system. Just a widget for displaying a camera feed.
One of the guys I work with discovered this cool little open source program called CamDesk. What it enables you to do is set up a video feed from a USB camera plugged into your workstation. It has a little window that hovers on your desktop that you can move around and will show you whatever the camera is looking at.
Several of our desks face away from the entrance to our department and we started using this program so we could just glance down and see who is walking into the department.
It takes up hardly any resources on your computer and you can also make the window semi transparent so you can see stuff that you are working on behind it. I believe you can also plug in multiple cameras for multiple feeds as well. It also has some recording options that I have not yet explored. It supports multiple OS's (not sure if the Linux version will run on OS X or not).
I ran into some compatibility problems with cameras on my computer (which to be fair, is long over due for a rebuild). I couldn't get the Microsoft LifeCam camera to work but we have several old Cisco ball cameras laying around and that works fine.
You could probably get pretty creative with uses for this program, just keep in mind it isn't meant to be a full blown security system. Just a widget for displaying a camera feed.
Friday, August 17, 2012
MosquitoHammock.com Jungle Hammock - Review
"Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage." -- William Shakespeare
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take my Jungle Hammock from MosquitoHammock.com for a test drive. In short I am extremely pleased with it and slept very well in it. Rather than put the money towards a hotel room for two nights, I opted to purchase a Jungle Hammock and have a more adventurous weekend.
Over the weekend I had the opportunity to take my Jungle Hammock from MosquitoHammock.com for a test drive. In short I am extremely pleased with it and slept very well in it. Rather than put the money towards a hotel room for two nights, I opted to purchase a Jungle Hammock and have a more adventurous weekend.
Friday, August 3, 2012
Keeping Perspective - The Flatline Ops Scout Level
“Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. ” -- Archimedes
In an earlier post I made a comment about the Flat Line Ops Scout level that is attached to my SWFA scope. Today I discovered that having your rifle level absolutely makes a difference down range. In theory I already knew this, but today I got to experience it for myself.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Hammer of the Gods
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it" -- George Santayana
A week or so ago the Art of Manliness blog ran a fascinating article entitled The Generations of Men: How the Cycles of History Shape Your Values, Your Idea of Manhood, and Your Future. It is quite a long read and I will need to go over it a few more times to grok until fullness. The title really screamed out to me because I have been trying to understand the times I live in from a cyclical/historical context and how that should shape my choices for the future.
A week or so ago the Art of Manliness blog ran a fascinating article entitled The Generations of Men: How the Cycles of History Shape Your Values, Your Idea of Manhood, and Your Future. It is quite a long read and I will need to go over it a few more times to grok until fullness. The title really screamed out to me because I have been trying to understand the times I live in from a cyclical/historical context and how that should shape my choices for the future.
Friday, July 6, 2012
ESEE-6 & DIY Sheath Ideas
Man's First Tool
If I were to be stranded on a deserted island and could only take one knife with me, my ESEE-6 would probably be the one. If you know anything about the ESEE brand then you probably already know that they have a solid reputation
Thursday, June 28, 2012
SWFA & Weaver Scope Comparison
SWFA SS 3-9x 42 Tactical 30mm scope compared with the Weaver Tactical Grand Slam 3-10x 40mm
When I was putting together my 10/22, I knew that I wanted to make it an accurate gun, so I decided to try and make it match my .308 as closely as possible with how it was set up so it could be a kind of "trainer" rifle. Some people have gone so far with trainer .22's as to put them in Accuracy International Chassis and put high end glass on them like Nightforce or Schmidt & Bender's to match their big boy rifles. Since I haven't won the lottery or anything, that wasn't really an option here.
When I was putting together my 10/22, I knew that I wanted to make it an accurate gun, so I decided to try and make it match my .308 as closely as possible with how it was set up so it could be a kind of "trainer" rifle. Some people have gone so far with trainer .22's as to put them in Accuracy International Chassis and put high end glass on them like Nightforce or Schmidt & Bender's to match their big boy rifles. Since I haven't won the lottery or anything, that wasn't really an option here.
Link update
For whatever reason the Wildwood Survival link has been broken for several days. I changed the link to Wildwood Tracking which is a sister site and still seems to be up and running. Well worth a look, there is material on that site that I have never seen the likes of anywhere else.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Gun Cleaners and Lube
Everybody has one, and I'm going to show you mine
Having a discussion about cleaning and lubrication products for firearms is borderline like having a religious discussion. Both parties minds are usually made up before the talk even starts and occasionally by the end of it somebody is dead. Thankfully that doesn't happen very often though.
Having a discussion about cleaning and lubrication products for firearms is borderline like having a religious discussion. Both parties minds are usually made up before the talk even starts and occasionally by the end of it somebody is dead. Thankfully that doesn't happen very often though.
A Fire Success
The World is Always Burning
This is just a quick post about an experiment that worked tonight. I have plans for some more meaty posts later.
Fire building has always been difficult for me and it is something I've put a lot of time into trying different things because I *want* to be good at it. There is another link I need to add to the blogroll and I'll do that shortly, but the host of RealitySurvival made an awesome fire building video. I've been playing with that method and it has been working really well for me. You can check that out here (it's longer than it needs to be, you'll get the idea within the first few minutes):
Fire building has always been difficult for me and it is something I've put a lot of time into trying different things because I *want* to be good at it. There is another link I need to add to the blogroll and I'll do that shortly, but the host of RealitySurvival made an awesome fire building video. I've been playing with that method and it has been working really well for me. You can check that out here (it's longer than it needs to be, you'll get the idea within the first few minutes):
8541 Tactical Ammo Burrito - Review
The Tactical Ammo Burrito
This is a clever product from John McQuay of 8541 Tactical. He was *I believe* a former USMC scout/sniper and has been actively building a name for himself in the tactical long-range shooting community lately. You may see him in various gun forums under the name LoneWolfUSMC. In addition to his own website he has been doing a weekly Q&A session on youtube called Mail Call Mondays that provide excellent information for precision rifle shooters of all skill levels. If you are into bolt guns with bipods and expensive pieces of glass
Off The Map Knives - Review
Functional Art
About a year or so ago, I had a hankering for a custom blade. I have a handful of very good production
knives (mostly ESEE) but wanted something a little more personal. My search eventually let me to the knife maker Brian Andrews. His site is The Backyard Bushman and his brand is called Off The Map Knives.
Monday, June 25, 2012
Survival Defined
Thus spake the Norseman
In the future I plan to have a blogroll up featuring some of my favorite places on the internet. In this post I am going to highlight one of them. This man goes by the title Norseman and is a USMC survival instructor. He knows his stuff, and explains it in an easy to understand fashion. Here is a link to his blog. I believe he is still active duty so he doesn't post very often. One of his youtube videos had a pearl of wisdom in it that
In the future I plan to have a blogroll up featuring some of my favorite places on the internet. In this post I am going to highlight one of them. This man goes by the title Norseman and is a USMC survival instructor. He knows his stuff, and explains it in an easy to understand fashion. Here is a link to his blog. I believe he is still active duty so he doesn't post very often. One of his youtube videos had a pearl of wisdom in it that
Kidd 10/22 Barrel Review
Kidd 10/22 Barrel
Up this week is the Match Bull Barrel from Kidd Innovative Design. They are extremely accurate barrels for a very reasonable price. Kidd offers pretty well everything you could ask for to accurize a Ruger 10/22. They even offer their own complete receivers and rifles if you want an even better quality product from which to base your build off of. If you are considering upgrading your 10/22
, give Kidd a visit.
Up this week is the Match Bull Barrel from Kidd Innovative Design. They are extremely accurate barrels for a very reasonable price. Kidd offers pretty well everything you could ask for to accurize a Ruger 10/22. They even offer their own complete receivers and rifles if you want an even better quality product from which to base your build off of. If you are considering upgrading your 10/22
, give Kidd a visit. Friday, June 22, 2012
Tactical Operations Ammo Cheek Pad Review
Tactical Operations Ammo Cheek Pad
First up, and ever, is going to be the Tactical Operations Ammo Cheek Pad. They can be found at tacticalworks.com. One thing to know about me is that I am a dedicated south paw, so this particular model is a left handed one in Multicam. As a side note, my transactions with the folks at tactical works have been outstanding. Their customer service is excellent. Take a few minutes to check out their site.
First up, and ever, is going to be the Tactical Operations Ammo Cheek Pad. They can be found at tacticalworks.com. One thing to know about me is that I am a dedicated south paw, so this particular model is a left handed one in Multicam. As a side note, my transactions with the folks at tactical works have been outstanding. Their customer service is excellent. Take a few minutes to check out their site.
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