| Author | Message | ||
     Ratbuell |
I sold an RV to a guy years ago, who owned a hunters' shop. We were talking rifles and I mentioned I'd just gotten a Savage Arms .308 and had yet to decide on optics. I didn't think much of it after that. About a month later, I got a package at work from the guys' shop. They were LOVING the RV, and the letter said he hoped I hadn't gotten any optics yet...because it contained a Leupold with two flip-lens covers. As a thank you gift. I love it. Not just because of the gift aspect (which was extremely cool!), but because of its quality, and ease of setup. I've done photography since high school, as an "amateur-pro" (more than casual, not quite a moneymaker), and I've been consistently impressed with the optics. | ||
| Ducbsa |
As a rookie shooter, I am happy with this: https://www.leupold.com/scopes/rifle-scopes/mark-a r-mod-1-3-9x40mm | ||
| Zac4mac |
 I put this on my 7mm RemMag back in 1977. Cost more than the rifle... Redfield 3-9x Wideplex | ||
| Gregtonn |
Vortex makes some pretty good optics too. https://vortexoptics.com/ I own several of their rifle scopes, a red dot, a spotting scope and a monocular. When I worked at Ruger we could get them at 60% off. They have an unlimited, lifetime, fully transferable no receipt needed warranty. G | ||
| Rick_a |
Speaking of optics...the Simmons red dot on my S&W 15-22 only has one brightness setting now...and it isn't too bright...and my Tasco red dot on a handgun decided to blank out for a minute last night. I'll have to update the former at some point and keep an eye on the latter. I have a couple Leupolds on my more serious guns and a Burris on a fancy .22 rifle. | ||
| Rick_a |
My wife forced me to buy a cheap Barska scope for my magnum spring-piston airgun. Despite supposedly being rated for such use it is rattling apart. Sending it in for the supposed "warranty" costs half as much as it was to purchase in the first place. I'd like to get a Hawke for it. It costs 3x more, but it's nice when stuff doesn't break/holds zero and such... | ||
| Ourdee |
Spring pistons are very hard on scopes. I use a bug buster on my home made CO2 rifle. My pistol chambered in .454 broke the glass inside a cheap scope. I still want to scope it. | ||
| Aesquire |
I had a Barska on my AR-15. I bought it to try out the German #4 reticle with a small illuminated dot. http://www.thenewrifleman.com/why-the-german-4-sti ll-rocks/ It was a serviceable scope, roughly as good as any plastic pack $100 cheapo. Small eye box and mediocre glass. It served it's purpose, I did like the reticle. Would not buy another, I'd prefer a cheapo Tasco. The Barska sporting scope was useless to see any wall in Gander Mountain with the lights on. Tried 3 examples. Might as well been a log. No image other than a rainbow blur, if you were lucky. Doesn't surprise me a bit an air rifle killed one. You can kill a $1000 scope with an air rifle, the recoil is severe.....And backwards! Use air gun specific scopes only on spring guns. | ||
| Rick_a |
It was an airgun specific scope rated for spring-piston airguns. As it is with all things...you get what you pay for. | ||
| Rick_a |
As far as old schooley reticles, I prefer the #1.  | ||
| Ourdee |
 I like plain mildot reticles. | ||
| Aesquire |
The German #1 is good for low light. Remember, they allow hunting well into dusk in some countries, and a plex reticle is very hard to see, while a bold post is good into fairly low light. The German #4 is better for more precision and obscures less of the target. While still offering a post useable in low light, you center your target pretty easily in the "gap" when the fine lines vanish in the dark. Compromise. You pick what works best for you. Like aperture sights. I wasn't a fan, until I discovered my AR-7 was surprisingly accurate once I'd picked up the concept. Then when I got a target CZ .22 with a very fancy globe sight, ( and sold it in months to a much better shot ) it really clicked. BPCR ( big bore black powder cartridge target shooting ) then showed me I just didn't have the eyesight for the long range stuff, but when I could see the target, I could hit it. I helped a buddy build a Rolling Block with a heavy octagon barrel & Lyman period sights, and he does well with it. It's a treat for the senses when we're at the 200 range at the local club. Audio & visual. "pop, pop, pop,pop,pop,Ka-BOOM!.....silence..... pop, pop,....." And some of that silence isn't just shock. It's the sulfurous white cloud obscuring the targets as it drifts down the range. And every one wants to try it. | ||
| Ratbuell |
Any plink-target ideas for the backyard? 9mm handgun, 115gr FMJ target rounds, nothing scary or excessive. I'm on 4 acres and would set this against a wooded hill at the rear of my property that backs up to a couple hundred wooded acres. Legally, no issue for me to shoot on my own property. My normal range has closed up shop and moved further from the Baltimore liberal-ass influences. There's another range nearby but it's in it's infancy (located in an old ANG armory), family-run (nice folks!), but has less-than-regular hours that make it extremely difficult for me to visit on a regular basis. I'm thinking one of the small metal-stand, rotating-plink targets? I have some dead trees I cut off about 2' above the ground a couple years ago; I could attach the stand base to one of the stumps, with the two targets in plain view about 3' off the ground; my position would put my feet about 3' downhill (vertically) from ground level at the stump. Targets would be relatively horizontal from firing height. Any thoughts to a backstop, or will a metal plate disintegrate a round well enough that there's no issue or other danger? (When I miss, the hillside will catch the round within about 10' of the target, in dirt and deadfall/forest mulch which I could certainly augment with even more deadfall and branches). I typically practice around 25', at the closest, so not really concerned about backsplatter (and I wear eye protection anyway). The dogs have no access to this; it's outside the fence. Any eco-concerns here? Real answers, please, not snowflake crap... | ||
| Rick_a |
The #1 is just fine for precision...so long as one isn't trying to hold over. Plenty of modern scopes are still using a chevron which is really a #1 without the post. The Dragunov reticle on my Russian PSOP optic.  Chevron from a Trijicon ACOG.  My eyes are still good enough for black target sights on handguns and aperture iron sights. I'm going to take advantage of that for as long as I can. | ||
| Aesquire |
Consider a dueling tree. 3-4 high is plenty, 4-8 inch discs. Angled to direct splatter down. Bullets in dirt are harmless. Splattered bits just settle. But there is a concern for barefoot walking on sharp shards, so access for children should be limited. The real problems with lead are in 2 parts. Critters eating it, and breathing it indoors. Outdoors, almost no problems, but do wash your hands before eating. Do the same when reloading, handling lead in any form, and especially casting. Wash. Your. Hands. And proper ventilation for casting. I've used the kitchen stove, but only with open windows and fans. That depends entirely on your domestic situation. In my case that's safer than a low air flow basement. When you have to share a kitchen? Out on the porch, or in a shed. It's reasonable precautions safe. But casting is not zero hazard. Critters.... Lead shot was banned a lifetime ago where waterfowl swim. Ducks & Geese are bottom feeders and will ingest shot. How biologically hazardous that really is? Not zero. Maybe not as bad as hyped, but it's a potential issue. It's about concentration. Assume you eat one #8 shot from each critter you shoot with a shotgun. You need to eat thousands of squirrels to have a measurable lead risk. I am NOT telling you to add shot to your Grape Nuts daily, ( your poor teeth! ) but don't sweat the wild turkeys and such. But eating birds who eat lead? They concentrate it in their flesh. So avoid Condor, Hawks, etc. ( easy, no sane person eats predators ) and ducks from Russia or China. Dove & pigeon hunting in Argentina? No problem, they don't eat shot. Indoor ranges CAN BE HAZARDOUS! Depends on ventilation and If they ever hose down the range. It's really the lead azide in old primers that gets into your system. So... A safe backdrop. Angled steel targets. ( and sane distances ) Proper ventilation for casting. Wash your hands before eating. There are some real range safety problems with high powered rifles ricochet issues. .50 BMG famously has enough energy to bite back. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I grew up on an NRA .22 rifle range (50') - metal plates on a 45 degree down-angle, with sand pits. I get the reflection concept  No kids to concern with - the one set of neighbors with kids...well...we have an understanding that neither of us likes the other, so they won't traipse all the way to the back of my property. Which is OK - the rest of the neighbors don't like 'em either. And, they all shoot. And, I don't cast, nor reload...yet. But you never know. Currently, .15-.19/rd is manageable. | ||
| Macbuell |
Speaking of Optics, I don't have the best eye sight so I was thinking of putting a 3x red dot on my AR. Either the Burris AR332 or the Vortex 3x Spitfire ... but I dont know how that might affect close quarters target acquisition. The Vortex can be mounted lower to cowitness with iron sights. Any insights would be appreciated. Thanks. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I thought about a red dot on my CCW XDs...but the packaging of the Viridian laser was so much better, I went with that. Repeated trips to the range show zero effective shifting - I can always tweak it for a couple degrees of windage, but that could very well be my coffee level for the day, and we're talking less than 0.5" windage drift on a 25' target on a bad day. Lasers aren't perfect for everyone. In my CCW environment, though...lasers are...commonplace, and a laser-dot sight won't alert much of anyone who's focused on doing bad things. And the XDs is short enough that if I have to, I can put my support hand's pointer fingertip over the laser with a simple grip shift (it's instant-on when I draw, so no need to "turn it on"). Still hoping this is all purely academic...but it's nice to cover as many bases as possible ahead of time, just in case. | ||
| Rick_a |
It definitely slows things down at very close ranges. The common solution is an offset or piggybacked RMR. My close range firearm has a 1x scope, the intermediate range rifle utilizes a 1.5-4.5x, and the medium range rifle wears a 2-6x. | ||
| Rick_a |
Since I'm flat broke at the moment I'm taking a swing at another cheap optic for the M&P 15-22. The $25 Simmons is being replaced with a $20 Field Sport micro red dot. It actually gets favorable reviews...if one can handle the bluish image hue. If it survives, it's a keeper. If not I'll get a Bushnell TRS-25 at about $70 or so. For the airgun I'll keep what I have for now. Even though the adjustable objective isn't close to reading the correct range, the windage adjustment grinds horribly, and the power ring and objective adjustment ring can rotate on their own...it holds a solid zero. I may just get a spring rated Centerpoint or UTG to replace that one. | ||
| Ducbsa |
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-03-20/after-mu ltiple-reports-about-new-zealanders-turning-guns-g uess-how-many-actually?sfns=mo | ||
| Ratbuell |
ProMag - decent magazines? Or, spend the extra $8 each to get factory Springfield ($17 vs. $25)? Need a couple spare 7-rounders for range practice...shorter grip, want to make sure I'm as comfortable with my pinky wrapped under the base as I am with it on the longer 8-round mag... | ||
| Ducbsa |
https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/325695/ | ||
| Rick_a |
Friends don't let friends buy ProMag. | ||
| Ratbuell |
I'll spend the extra $8. Thanks. | ||
| Rick_a |
ProMags are always a gamble. Factory mags or Mec-Gar (makes many OEM mags) are always good. When it comes to 1911's Chip McCormick and Wilson probably have the best in 45, and the Metalform front ramp mags are probably the best in 9mm. Wilson has a kit to convert a GI 7rd mag to an 8rd with their modern follower. According to the internets, nothing beats a GI 7rd mag, but I've never had a problem with those kits...which I've been using in four mags for many years. After the originals get saggy, I like to replace factory springs with Wolff plus powered mag springs. They seem to last much longer than OEM springs. | ||
| Rick_a |
A final(?) mod to my P80 G19. Rounded the trigger guard off where I removed the ridges.  20190327_141153 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr Also added a CF stiffener to the Galco holster.  20190327_141259 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr The combination ensures a smooth draw (finally). It previously took either a very precise draw or a lot of effort as that side twisted and bound things up. | ||
| Hootowl |
Warning from Venezuela. https://www.foxnews.com/world/venezuelans-regret-g un-prohibition-we-could-have-defended-ourselves | ||
| Rick_a |
A couple picks of the CCW autos.  20190328_074827 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr  20190328_074640 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr This one mostly stays in the nightstand.  20190328_104843 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr  20190328_105218 by Slick_Rick77, on Flickr | ||
| Aesquire |
https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2019/03/blo w-struck-for-civil-rights-in-california.php |
