Equipment

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.

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.

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.

Rifle weight is one of those things that always seems to be shifting, and that has a huge effect on balance. A lot of people put too much emphasis on the former, but forget the latter.

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 there is an accepted pattern to follow.

Salt Bath Nitriding/Nitrocarburizing is a surface conversion process for metal. With gun barrels, it produces a very hard and corrosion-resistant casing. It’s gaining a lot of popularity, so let’s take a look.

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.

Looking for a last minute stocking stuffer? I didn’t want to put out just another “Christmas Gifts for Gun Guys” list. Instead, I want to show you some things that you might not have heard of or thought about.

The Precision Armament AFAB is a killer muzzle device for making any AR-15 shoot smooth and flat. I’ve used it in competition and training courses, and it’s been flawless.

The Thrym Pyrovault is a nifty little gizmo for protecting a classic Zippo insert and helping slow the evaporation of the lighter fluid.