Category: General

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Steel Challenge Rimfire Rifle Optic Project Gun

Beretta ARX-160 .22lr

Around 2013 I started shooting Rimfire Rifle Optics division in Steel Challenge matches. Paul let me shoot his ARX-160, which is a fascinating “.22 trainer” version of the Italian 5.56 assault rifle. While an interesting gun with some nice features (Very light, uses standard Umarex mags like the M&P 15-22, and can mount any Weaver/Picatinny optic) it has a rough, heavy trigger. In 2017 I decided to try and build a Ruger 10/22 specifically for use in Steel Challenge. The result is a pretty impressive rifle for a reasonable price.

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Mobius Action Cam: The Little Camera that Could

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William shooting “Montezuma’s Revenge III”

I enjoy watching first-person video of my competition shooting. Well, mostly I enjoy it. Sometimes the “D’Oh!” factor is a bit painful but on the whole it is fun to relive the experience. Also it’s a valuable training tool as I can see how I was engaging the targets, where I was looking, and what the gun and my hands were doing. While it is true that a lot can be learned from 3d person video (stance and footwork issues mostly) having a hat cam doesn’t require enlisting help and it’s actually more fun to watch. Continue reading “Mobius Action Cam: The Little Camera that Could”

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Safariland ALS: solid value retention holster

Safariland ALS 6378
Safariland ALS 6378

My buddy Josh recently mentioned that he and Deede are using retention holsters during 3-gun matches. Naturally the comparison was made to my beloved Serpa CQC. As a result I felt compelled to try the holster in question (Safariland ALS 6378) for myself. With all the furor over the Serpa lock I wanted to see if the ALS presented a good alternative. It is noteworthy that I have never had a problem with the Serpa and still use it frequently for both concealed carry and IDPA competition.  Continue reading “Safariland ALS: solid value retention holster”

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CED/DAA Range Pack: The Perfect Match Companion

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CED/DAA Range Pack

After years of lugging around a full-sized range bag at matches I started looking for a lighter, more compact alternative. The resulting purchase was a CED/DAA Range Pack and it’s performance has exceeded my expectations.

When I practice I take a range bag and an ammo box. This allows me to have items like a paster gun, stapler, extra staples, multiple types of ammo, and various other items that I don’t take to matches. Continue reading “CED/DAA Range Pack: The Perfect Match Companion”

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Trijicon HD Night Sights: get some!

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Trijicon HD – M&P Model

I shot my first IDPA BUG Nationals in November of 2014 and it was a great experience. The only problems were with low-light stages. I’ve shot a fair amount of these at local IDPA matches and using a flashlight has always worked fine but in this case the light levels were such that I could see the targets OK but the gun was essentially invisible in my hands. I resolved to find a better solution. Continue reading “Trijicon HD Night Sights: get some!”

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Fenix TK15: Cree LED goodness

CreeLEDI attended a ham radio swap meet several years ago and at one vendor’s display I saw a very strange flashlight. It used a flat, square LED under an adjustable lens that produced a very bright light. This was my first look at the new type of light emitting diode (LED) from Cree, inc. Now, several years later they are taking the lighting industry by storm. The efficiency and durability of this technology is a game-changer. So when it came time to replace my Surefire G2 on my carbine this was the obvious direction for me. Continue reading “Fenix TK15: Cree LED goodness”

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Precision Rifle Part I: Palmetto State Armory stripped lower

 

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PSA stripped lower

Eugene Stoner would be amazed at how popular his creation has become over the last 50 years. As “America’s Gun” there are many sources for information and parts. It doesn’t require a lot of tools or even mechanical aptitude so when Brian told me about his plan to build a carbine in early 2012 I figured it was a good time for me to build my first AR-15 as well. I had been thinking about a precision rifle for a while so that would be my project. Continue reading “Precision Rifle Part I: Palmetto State Armory stripped lower”

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Firearms4u: where are you?

It’s been four months since I last posted anything on this blog and for that I am sincerely sorry. Life has been very busy. The good news is that things have settled down sufficiently that I can now return to posting on a regular basis. Several things have developed that I think will be of interest so please stay tuned. First up: USPSA Production bullets: finally moving to 147gr “heavyweights”.

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2A: Shotgun Importation Ban and its impact on Practical Shooting

With the May 1st deadline looming, I decided to send in an email to the BATFE’s working group for the pending ban of certain shotguns. You can do likewise by sending your comment to shotgunstudy@atf.gov.

Here’s what I wrote:

Hello

I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the current shotgun importation ban now under consideration. I am a member of the United States Practical Shooting Association and I use shotguns for competition that are designed with many of the 10 features that are being considered as criteria for banning a shotgun from importation. Telescoping stocks, pistol grips, extended magazines, compensators and additional mounting rails are critically important in our sport. To say these guns serve no sporting purpose is to deny practical shooting as a sport in general.  This may be convenient for your current purposes but it is wrong. The working group cannot use potential repercussions as a reason for denying facts. Namely that practical shotgun shooting is a highly popular sport thereby making many of the shotgun features under consideration “generally recognized as particularly suitable for or readily adaptable to sporting purposes.” Continue reading “2A: Shotgun Importation Ban and its impact on Practical Shooting”