reviews

On the minds of hunters all year long, the rut is a magical time to be in the woods. And although every day spent afield is a good one, mark these dates on the calendar as some of the best for 2017.

I am not generally a fan of the AK-47 family of weapons; I have spent too much time on the receiving end of them. But I am a fan of all things American made, so I was more than happy to review a couple of offerings from Century Arms.  Anything Commies can do, we can do better. And the boys from Vermont have set out to do just that. 

There are lots of great companies competing for a slice of the AR-15 market, but it’s sometimes hard to find a rifle that is different. Enter Rock River Arms. I was torn between two rifles: the LAR-15 QMC (Quick Magazine Change) and the LAR-15 BTB (Better Than Basic) Carbine. I couldn’t decide between which one to test, so Rock Rivers graciously sent both.

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. 

Having the right tool for the right job helps eek out the most enjoyment of the sport. When I was invited to go waterfowl shooting, I didn’t want to risk water damage to the wood on my upland shotgun. Falling in the water or being pelted by hours of rain is not uncommon when waterfowl hunting, so I knew I needed a shotgun designed for the wet environment of a waterfowl blind. Enter the Mossberg 930 Pro-Series Waterfowl, a 12 gauge, gas operated semi-automatic shotgun designed to take the abusive environment of waterfowl hunting.

As an outdoorsman, I enjoy being afield in all sorts of capacities. While hunting is one of my favorite pastimes, fishing and hiking are a wonderful means of spending time with friends and family and living in close proximity to both the Catskill and Adirondack mountains, there is ample opportunity for both of those activities. I am also, by trade, a Professional Land Surveyor, so my work hours are often spent in the remote wilderness areas.

Waterfowl hunters are a dedicated lot; heading off to the lakes and swamps before daylight, stringing out decoys, shivering motionlessly in the blind as the morning fog cuts through their best camo jacket, all for the sake of making the skies rain ducks and geese. CZ has just the ticket for those of you who are really serious about filling the skies with shot and bringing down every bird that comes in range, the CZ Swamp Magnum Camo.

The absolute best gun you can have in an emergency is the one you are carrying. For many though, the idea of carrying a full-size pistol is simply a deal breaker. From the guns being too big for a person’s frame to an unwillingness to make clothing changes to conceal the gun, the challenges are real. In cases like this, I steer shooters towards a smaller framed pistol that still has decent firepower, but also has a smaller footprint than full-sized pistols.

Following World War II, a group of nations were consolidated into what we referred to as Yugoslavia, ruled by a man named Tito. Not owing his ascension to power to the Soviet Union, but still being a communist, he proclaimed that Yugoslavia would go a third way, part of neither the East nor the West. The Yugoslavian military adopted the basic pattern of the Soviet AKM rifle and made some alterations to adapt it to their doctrine. Rifle grenades were thought of as a huge force multiplier by the Yugoslavians, which resulted in several of those modifications.