Gear Reviews

Competing in the Extreme Tough Man Division of the Mammoth Sniper Challenge is a test of both shooter and gear. This 3-day event held each January requires competitors to carry all their gear 25+ miles between stages and campsites, camp out, and engage precision rifle targets out to 800+ yards. Many of the lessons learned are applicable to hunting and backcountry scenarios. Here are a few of those I discovered over the years.

The Blac-Rac 1070 weapon retention system will secure a weapon anywhere you need to place one. They have attachments for cars (ceiling or upright), helicopters, ATVs, UTVs, and, motorcycles, and, of course, bicycles. Yes, you can also get attachments for in-the-home use as well. 

The Hornady RAPID SAFE AR GUNLOCKER offers a security solution for our mid-sized long guns. It is designed to support carbine length firearms up to 40.5 inches long. The size of this unit supports all of my AR platform firearms, folding stock precision rifles, and my over/ under shotguns when broken down. To put it plainly, the Gunlocker is simply a great idea that is way overdue.

For a 4000 yard shot, my round had a maximum ordinate, or apex, of around 185 yards (555 feet). When I first fired off a round, my bullet would deal with 1/2 value wind from 2 o’clock. The bullet continued its climb until reaching a height of 185 yards above my position. At this point, the bullet peaked above the canyon walls, where it was exposed to a blast of full value

The Hornady Iron Press is an extremely smooth operator. Priming was so easy I was certain it wasn’t working, only to find primed brass on the other side.

As mentioned before this optic was always destined for the rifle that I use for DMR and PRS Gas Gun Series matches, a .223 AR-15 that you may have seen in some of my other articles and videos.  At only 12.6″ long and weighing 30 oz sporting a 34mm main tube, I feel the ATACR F1 4-16 fits comfortably

The SX1-MTR is a multi-caliber capable rifle. It features a modular receiver that can be configured with several sizes of magazine wells and barrels. Ritter and Stark currently offer barrels chambered in .308 Winchester, 300 Winchester Magnum, and .338 Lapua Magnum.

In one of the most exciting stories of the year, at least for us long range nerds, Bushnell has launched the new XRS II. Bushnell has been one of my favorite optics brands, mostly because of bang for the buck. They have a tremendous reputation for durability, at a price that won’t break the bank. [...]

I’m going to start reloading. As a noob, I decided to the best place to start was to take an entry-level class. Learning from an expert in the flesh can save you hours of heartache and head-scratching.