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Equipment

Equipment and gear is secondary to mindset and skillset, but still very relevant to success. The right piece of gear at the right time can make all the difference. As fun as it may be, trying to purchase new equipment to overcome challenges is not the best way to go. Contained here are all posts about equipment, from reviews to employment.

The Battle Belt: 3 Essential Tips for Carrying Gear Like a Boss

Last Updated on - By - 13 Minute Read - 33 Comments

The battle belt is a sort of modern iteration of the classic ALICE gear that served the US military from the 70s through late 90s. But there are some significant differences, particularly in the type and amount of load that the belt handles.

You see, the battle belt should not carry your entire load. In fact, you should think of it more as a minimum essential kit for fighting and surviving. It’s a piece of gear that you can keep with you all of the time, and then build up with extra equipment as needed.

In this post, I’m going to go over my own history with battle belts and walk you through how my own kit evolved over time. Hopefully you can learn from my mistakes and lessons, and develop your own ideas. [Read Full Article »]

JP Bore Guide for 223 Cal: Raw Truth Review

Last Updated on - By - 3 Minute Read - 2 Comments

If you are very particular about the way you clean your rifles, then you probably take great care not to damage the crown or chamber of your gun. A cleaning rod guide, or bore guide as they’re often called, is a very effective way to prevent that kind of damage.

In this post, I want to do a little review of the JP bore guide that I’ve use with cleaning my AR-15s for a few years. It’s a great piece of gear, but probably not one I feel compelled to use all of the time. When going afield, I’m going to use lighter and more convenient tools. [Read Full Article »]

Chest Rigs vs. Belt Kits: Pros, Cons, and Compromise

Last Updated on - By - 6 Minute Read - 10 Comments

This post continues what I started in my introduction to load carriage. In that article, I talked about the ongoing battle between weight and capability. It turns out that up until very recently, the average weight carried by soldiers remained shockingly stable. When it comes time to fight, the recommendation is to stay less than 30% of your lean body mass or about 50 lbs for the average person.

When it comes down to it, you are faced with the same options humans always have. Do you want to carry it around your waist, or on your torso?

Both of these have their pros and cons, which I’ll get to. But it’s a little funny to think we haven’t advanced all that much as far as where to carry our stuff. I suppose there’s really only so many ways to do things with the human body. [Read Full Article »]

Let’s Talk About Load Carriage

Last Updated on - By - 9 Minute Read - 10 Comments

It’s time to start talking about how we carry our stuff. This series of articles is not focused on competition or marksmanship. Instead, we’re going to talk about showing up for a fight.

Not that I’m looking for one, mind you. But part of being a prepared gun owner is that chance that you’re going to have to defend yourself, your family, or your community. It’s better to think about these things ahead of time rather than try to learn it on the fly. [Read Full Article »]

AR-15 Optics Roundup: Making the Best Choice

Last Updated on - By - 14 Minute Read - 15 Comments

Like barrels, triggers, and all the other choices, Ar-15 optics are a challenging one. There’s a lot of misunderstanding and “fluff” out there. I want to take a few moments and discuss some thoughts on optics selection.

There are already some really great guides out there, but they focus more on particular classes of optics. Those guides dig a bit more specifically into particular classes of optics. This post is more like a broad overview of how to think about each class and what you would use it for. I’ll throw some of my personal favorites in there for good measure. [Read Full Article »]

Rifle Weight, Balance, and Why it Matters

Last Updated on - By - 6 Minute Read - 6 Comments

The firearms world is kind of a funny thing sometimes. Trends come and go and you watch the enthusiasts rush on to the next trend. I’m not excluding myself from that behavior at all, by the way. I’m just as guilty as anyone of seeing something that looks really cool and then going after it because it seemed like a good idea at the time. Rifle weight is one of those things that always seems to be shifting, and that has a huge effect on balance. [Read Full Article »]

The Recce Rifle: Builder’s Guide to Modern Classic

Last Updated on - By - 9 Minute Read - 22 Comments

The original SEAL Recce Rifle was an in-house modification to M4 carbines. The history goes back to the early 1990s. Since they were so individualized, there really wasn’t a spec. But we do know that Lilja barrels and optics in the 2.5-10 range were popular.

The original intent was to allow snipers to observe and provide rapid a lightweight precision-fire capability at moderately close ranges (300-400 yards). If needed, the recon rifle could serve for house clearing or traditional fire and movement. [Read Full Article »]

Barrel Length, Trajectory, and Learning Your Zero

Last Updated on - By - 9 Minute Read - 2 Comments

There’s a lot of engineering voodoo that goes into making a rifle work well and fire accurately. The length of a rifle’s barrel and how it affects the velocity of the bullet is one of those major factors.

In this post, I explain a bit of the physics involved here. But the real meat of the post is comparing three different barrel lengths, their ballistic trajectories, and how it might affect what zero you choose. [Read Full Article »]

Should You Buy a Nitrided Barrel for Your AR-15?

Last Updated on - By - 7 Minute Read - 6 Comments

Salt Bath Nitriding/Nitrocarburizing was originally created as an alternative to gas nitriding that would produce a more uniform case through surface contact between the substrate and liquid salt. The two primary benefits of the nitriding process is corrosion resistance and maintaining a barrels dimensional consistency, which improves accuracy. The surface is also very hard and protective, provided you don’t abuse the barrel with excessive heat.

It’s even cheaper to perform that chrome, to boot.

However, the nitriding process isn’t without some tradeoffs. the most important is heat and pressure resistance compared to chrome. But how important is that, really?

Let’s take a look at nitrided barrels. [Read Full Article »]

Choosing a Field Knife as a Constant Companion

Last Updated on - By - 13 Minute Read - 5 Comments

Like rifles, there is a knife designed for just about any situation. Also like rifles, we must also be considerate of what we are actually able to carry with us into the field. With that in mind, most of us are served by carrying one or two “general purpose” blades.

The truth is that most of us are probably going to go through a lot of knives over time while we figure out what works for us. It’s kind of like buying guns, except cheaper.

In this article, I want to lay out some guidance based on my own experiences, research, and the input of one of our own community members who happens to be a bit of an expert in the field. [Read Full Article »]

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