Optics

Not only are the new Aegis Elite 1911s cut for mini red dot sights, these guns come with Vortex optics installed from the factory.

The Diamondback promises big performance in a small package, but did Vortex deliver on this economical spotting scope? Hunting the spacious prairie of South Dakota often mean that the game you’re after can be miles away. Because of that, good glass is a necessity to see if the pursuit is worth the effort of closing the distance. In these situations, a spotting scope shines when your binoculars have reached the end of their rope. I used the Vortex Diamondback 20x60x60 for a season’s worth of tags in the Rushmore State, chasing whitetails in the southeast, waterfowl in the northeast, mulies in the northwest, and elk in the southwest. It quickly became a favorite piece of gear that made an appearance on every hunt.

Primary Arms’ latest micro red dot could be the best value in that category.

This calls for a celebration. NightForce may have just unveiled the holy grail of Illuminated Low Power Variable (ILPV) optics with its new 1-8X ATACR. The military and 3-Gun competitors have been searching for the perfect low power illuminated scope for the last 20 years.

Earlier this week, I got one of the new SIG LIMA320 frame modules in. And it is everything I thought it would be.

When you’re planning a hunting trip there are few very important considerations — what gun are you going to take? What does the weather look like? How much will the tags cost? Equally as important as what firearm you’re going to take is what binos will you take? For a mid-range 8X binos, the Vortex Viper HD 8×42 are hard to beat.

Learn how to mount a scope. If your equipment fails you on the shot of a lifetime, don’t let it be the fault of an over-glorified Walmart greeter.

The whitetail deer has to be our most popular big game animal in the Continental Forty-Eight, yet the settings in which we hunt them, and the means with which we hunt them has got to be the most diverse ever.  Entire volumes have been written on what makes up the consummate deer gun, and while I’m not going to attempt to define that within this article, I would like to talk about some ideas to optimize your existing deer rifle, or perhaps to choose a different rifle in order to try a different means of deer hunting.

When the cost of a precision rifle can reach into the thousands of dollars it tends to be a little less practical, and unnecessary, to spend as much on the scope as you spent on the rifle. Starting out though, when you’re on a budget, finding a suitable optic for precision rifle competition that won’t break the bank isn’t easy. However, Burris is making the search easier with their XTR II line of scopes that are tailor-made for the beginning shooter at a price that some will find very easy to swallow.