Victor Company has been around since 2010.  In that time they have been big supporters of precision rifle events, sponsoring numerous Snipers Hide Cups and Competition Dynamics events.  The owner, Michael Victor, is himself an avid long-range shooter and competitor.  So it makes sense that the products coming out of Victor Company are designed to meet a need for the end-user not just make a buck.

Magnetospeed, the makers of the magnetic field chronographs have come out with three new items at SHOT Show 2019. Their Riflekühl barrel cooler is for competition shooters and can help save time between shooting strings. Their U-Pod is an evolution of the Magnetospeed mono pod and now they have a smaller and more affordable target hit indicator targeted for closer range steel games.

New for 2019 is the Accu-Tac BR-4 G2 bipod.  Marketed specifically towards the Precision Rifle Series competition crowd, this shorter version of their standard bipod will be a popular choice.

On the 1st day of SHOT Show when the convention center doors open and firearm lovers rush the floor like it is Black Friday, we have an announcement from Boyds Gunstocks. They have taken their extremely popular At-One Adjustable Gunstocks and tied in an additional line of stocks for shooters with an At-One Thumbhole. The Press Release for the NEW At-One Thumbhole gunstock can be read below:

In just a few short days Magpul have launched an army of new parts. Some are brand new, like the CZ Scorpion EVO 3 line of products which we told you about a few days ago and some are more of an extension of existing product lines.

The CZ Scorpion EVO 3 must be selling well. At least well enough for Magpul to start making magazines and accessories for it. Someone found a market need to feed.

The Magnetospeed chronographs are probably one of the best on the market.

When it comes to shooting our favorite rifles, shotguns, pistols, or our entire gun safe it can get boring only shooting paper. That is why many of us have transitioned to or mix up our range days with some more interactive and fun shooting at steel targets. Aside from the visual swing of a successful hit and the little bit of sprayed dirt, it is really hard to beat the satisfaction of that iconic “Ping!” every time you connect with a successful shot. It used to be up to the shooter to rig up some hanging metal abomination to shoot at. In the past 10 years though, steel targets have become so popular in recreation and competition we can now buy them from reputable companies like Jumping Targets.

Seekins Precision was one of the companies showing off some of their newest gear at the Epic Shoot 2018 held by Leviathan and Big Daddy Unlimited. The Seekings Precision PRS accessories caught my eye. They have an adjustable ARCA style rail along with some other rails meant for bolt guns or PRS rifles.

There are several levels of firearms storage and security products available to today’s gun owner and many of us own and use multiple combinations of different systems. Burglar resistant fire-rated safes can weigh hundreds of pounds and are usually bolted down to a hard concrete floor. At the other end of the spectrum is a lockable hard case that is portable enough to travel to the range and back, but can also be lightly secured with a security cable to prevent “smash-and-grab” scenarios. In between these two extremes is a category of firearms storage that is often overlooked – gun cabinets with safe-like properties that are also easier to move around and can be located in closest or other small spaces. Today we will be reviewing the SecureIt Agile 52 Gun Cabinet.

My Reserve Sheriff Department is a “bring your own gear” affair (meaning that we can source the required bits from wherever we want; opposed to the issued Sam Brownes that the full-time Deputies get). I had been running HSG TACOs prior to hiring on, including on my competition rig, and so felt it was a good fit to do the same with my duty gear.

Introduced in March of this year, we were able to get our hands on Rheinmetall Air Defense AG’s ILEE® TwinBeam Mk2 visible/IR laser designator. The TwinBeam Mk2 is actually just one such designator out of a large product line of similar designators that fill different capabilities and needs. Many of the small arms laser designators are capable of being mounted on an M1913 Picatinny rail and are very similar in controls and materials used in construction.

To many people, 45° offset sights might be an old hat. We have all seen them a million times before and not many people necessarily use them, but that raises a good question: What if they were using the wrong ones? Ultradyne has fabricated a set of 45° offset iron sights in their C4 Precision set that actually are quite a bit different in their construction.

Deals of the Week number 3, 9mm edition.

Deals of the Week number two, now with mags and ammo!

If you are fortunate enough to have access to a range that let’s you shoot at night, then shooting targets in the dark is one of the most fun and challenging things to do with a gun. Lately my friends and I have been shooting well into the late night. However I am the only one with night vision, so I came up with this steel target hack to help my friends shoot at night.

For people who live in restricted states, you have very limited options to continue to keep and bear arms. Moving is not a realistic option for most, no matter how many times people in free states say to do so. So what options are there? Register or go featureless. Dan, of Arms Room California, noticed the fin grips out on the market and came up with his own version, the Leviathan Grip.

If there is one firearms safety aspect I am fanatical about (outside of the four golden rules) it has to be the use of proper eye protection. Watching Instagram or YouTube videos of hard-chargers banging steel with no eye coverage is a heading-shaking personal choice, I guess. But watching kids learning to shoot with no protection makes me cringe. Sure, for $5.99 you could pick up a set of functional glasses that will provide you with decent protection. However, a couple of range trips and drops in the parking lot and picking up that front sight through a sea of scratches will start to get frustrating. After nine months of hard use, both on the range and in every day life, I think I have found my favorite pair of sunglasses: The Gatorz Eyewear Magnum Z87+.

A gripe a lot of AK owners have is not being able to easily suppress their boomsticks. With unique left-hand thread pitches, most of us in the US are short on resources to change out muzzle devices. It makes sense that many AK platforms have muzzles like this since they do hail from Europe though. To make it easier to source parts, Samson Manufacturing has taken it upon themselves to develop a solution. They now offer a NEW AK thread adapter for 9x19mm and 9x39mm AK-type rifles with 14 x 1 LH threaded muzzles.

The transparent ETS magazines for Glock have been around for a few years.

If you recall, the Army is researching the utility of a third arm system to augment future soldiers and to help them manage the weight of heavier weapon systems like belt fed light machine guns. I did an independent study using a hobbyist steadicam rig. After I experimented with my DIY steadicam rig I realized that while a shoulder fired weapon works the system can help with other types of firearms. I looked for a spade grip style setup like the CSW kit from Franklin Armory.

Glock has released a 24-round 9mm magazine for sale, available since late July.  This new offering brings the total number of their different factory made 9mm double stack magazines to ten!  (10 (in 3 different flush fit lengths), 12, 15, 17, 19, 24, 31, and 33 rounds!). These mags should be a more concealable reload than the 31 or 33 round magazines, while still having 29% more capacity than the 17 round magazine.  Here’s Glock EU’s product description (there is not yet a product description on the North American website):

Speer Ammunition has been very busy so far throughout 2018 getting new ammunition released and securing more work for its employees. Leading up to and at SHOT Show 2018 they announced their new 10mm Gold Dot load. Then, in Feburary they secured the French National Police ammunition contract for the foreseeable future. Soon after they expanded their line of Grand Slam hunting bullets to the delight of reloaders. Finally, we at TFB got ahold of some of Speer’s 10mm Gold Dot ammunition and Andrew from TFBTV sent some through a ballistics gel block. Speer’s most recent endeavor has been announcing their Reloading Manual No. 15 for handloaders.

This is my 3rd and last day at TriggrCon 2018, even though it went on 1 more day, obligations were calling me home. Overall this has been a great experience, and wonderful opportunity to connect with people from all over the firearms industry in this easily navigated intimate convention. Here are a few more noteworthy products.

Let’s take a few minutes to play the game Opposite Day – hopefully you can follow along. I think Bullpup Firearms are the best invention to ever grace the shoulder fired firearms market. When I go to the rack to grab a rifle, my first choice is always a Bullpup. I also use my thumb to load cartridges one at a time into magazines like a proper gentleman. So while I love Bullpup rifles like the STEYR AUG, I’d rather slowly load magazines with grace than use a simple, effective and elegant tool built to jam mags quickly.

The Assault Weapons Ban of 1994 To 2004 made me a thumbhole stock nut. Why? Thank California, which initially allowed thumbhole stocks as a compliant part.  Now, it is just a finger shelf away from a bumpfire stock, and it can reinforce weak plastic lowers – factory-made, 80% builds, 3-D printed, or cast.   Trigger Jig rifle builds also use thumbhole stocks.  And finally, there’s that thumbhole style.

Labradar produces the most prominent commercially available radar-based chronograph for firearms use.  Prior to the Labradar, and the magnetospeed which is a good chronograph in its own right, the most accurate way of getting muzzle velocities was to take multiple light gate style chronographs run them in series, shoot through all of them, then take an average.  Yes, there were other options such as industrial grade radar units on the market but they were cost prohibitive for the average shooter.  Click HERE for another informative article comparing the Labradar against industrial grade radar chronograph.

With Independence Day in America fast approaching, I’m supposed to be making grandiose proclamations about liberty, individual freedoms and the pursuit of happiness – all of which I wholeheartedly believe in, mind you. However, for those lucky enough to enjoy a few days off for the summer holiday, I thought we could instead focus on pure fun.

So, you are planning on having some fun with binary explosives for this Fourth of July? Before you start playing mad scientist/bomb maker, take a seat, we have to talk.

Somehow we totally missed this little bit of news… I have been not only running TACOs on my duty gear for a couple of years (and my competition belt for longer than that), but I have had previous experience with Comp-Tac Holsters (specifically the Minotaur MTAC). HSGI picked up Comp-Tac in part to add holsters to their otherwise versatile line.