Gear

I love to look at Professional Hunter’s firearms; they show the rigors of day-to-day hunting life and are often beat nearly to death. While we all have our safe queens, I appreciate those beat up, well-hunted guns that invariably have a story to tell, be it that one shot that even surprised the owner, of those hair-raising tales of dangerous game at close quarters.

Accuracy testing is a part of life for shooters and gun enthusiasts and an oft-debated practice on social media firearms forums. And although the most-asked question revolves around the number of shots fired for a group, there is far more to testing firearms than round count. Is it nice knowing whether or not your rifle – and you – are truly capable of sub-MOA groups?

This is an exercise in compromise to be sure. Reducing the cutting power of the knife increases its concealability (and vice versa). We’ve got two neck knives, one pocket folder, one ankle rig and one boot knife. Which would you carry and why?

Imported to the United States exclusively by the Italian Firearms Group, the Urban Sniper sports a relatively short (for a long-range precision platform) 20-inch bull barrel. Even with that shorter barrel, the Urban Sniper isn’t a lightweight at 8.75 pounds, though few of today’s long-range rifles are exactly nimble. It is also very accurate, has a great trigger and fits on the shoulder well.

Krytos has run multiple slides past the 100,000 cycle test without issues. While not common, that is about the point you see steel slides start to crack. By that, I meant that it doesn’t happen often, but it does happen. In testing, they plugged the barrel, fired a round, and the slide survived to continue shooting.

Swedish optics company Aimpoint has joined the pistol-ready micro red dot world with their new ACRO Series, an enclosed sight designed to survive in the toughest environments.

The Walther MPL is the ultimate example of a general utility submachine gun. In the roles filled by the wartime German MP40, American Grease Gun, Russian PPSh, and British Sten the MPL is quite literally ideal. The rate of fire is slow, and the gun is rugged and simple. By contrast, the MP5 fires much faster and is really a specialist’s weapon. In the hands of a trained operator, the MP5 puts a swarm of zippy little 9mm bullets into teacup-sized groups at bad breath ranges. When employed in a swamp or powdery desert environment, however, the complexity of the MP5 becomes a liability.

Two things are certain in life: the changing of the seasons and hunters being out there when it’s happening. We can anticipate, prepare, and come out on top or get turned back to the truck early, defeated.  Use these 7 tips to stay one step ahead of Mother Nature and her varying moods this year:

“If I could only have one gun…” We’ve all asked this question. It’s a hypothetical doomsday scenario for most, but anyone hoping to carry a firearm on a backpacking trip has felt the reality of this dilemma. The happy medium between compact, lightweight, and versatile can be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve.