Reviews & Field Tests

Over the past few months, I’ve been testing several high-end pocket laser rangefinders, like the new Vectronix Terrapin X and Leica Rangemaster CRF 2800.COM, alongside other popular, top-of-the-line models in the $1,000+ price range. I used all of them extensively, and took them out to the field to test their ranging performance side-by-side. This post summarizes those results and other noteworthy points about features on each one. An accurate rangefinder is one of the most critical pieces of gear for long-range shooting. A few years ago, I wrote a post that quantifies how much range uncertainty can impact hit probability. ...

Have you ever wished you could practice with one of the top shooters in the country? Have you ever wondered what was going on in the head of veterans as they’re preparing for a stage? I have. At the 2017 Heatstroke rifle match I was fortunate to be squadded with Matthew Brousseau, Jon Pynch, and a couple other great shooters. For context, Matthew ended up being the 2017 Overall PRS Champion, and Jon is a top shooter who won the Extended Long Range PRS Match at Q Creek and a couple other majors last year. You wouldn’t believe how much ...

In this post, I’d like to highlight some cool new products I saw from Really Right Stuff (RRS) at SHOT Show 2018. First, I’m not a RRS fan-boy. I’ve been using a Gitzo GT1542 Mountaineer Tripod with a RRS BH-55 tripod heads for the past year or two, but I don’t own an RRS tripod. But after seeing the new products they just introduced … I’m probably about to own a few things they offer. Some of these products may seem like minor improvements, and I’m sure lots of guys walked past the booth and didn’t get as excited as ...

At SHOT Show 2018 MPA unveiled their new Hybrid chassis. The Hybrid is a cross between their bestselling Competition Chassis and their BA Lite Chassis. The most amazing part is MPA was able to produce a full-featured chassis under 3 pounds! While most rifle chassis are close to 5 pounds or more, this new product is now as light as any adjustable stock out there. In fact, it’s so light … the guys at MPA also released optional weights so that you can customize or tune the weight of the chassis for your application. Going on a hunting trip or ...

Over the next few posts, I’ll share the top precision rifle products that caught my attention at SHOT Show 2018. It’s impossible to see everything at the show, but these are the items I noticed that I thought my readers might like to know about. The biggest standout product for me for SHOT Show 2018 was the new TriggerTech Diamond trigger. That is an after-market trigger compatible with Remington 700 clone actions (like those made by Defiance, Surgeon, Impact Precision, Big Horn, American Rifle Company, Stiller, etc.). The new Diamond trigger is adjustable from 4 ounces to 2 pounds, and has ...

Over the next few posts, I’ll share the top few precision rifle products that caught my attention at SHOT Show 2018. As always, it’s impossible to see everything at the show, but these are some of the items I noticed that I thought my readers might like to know about. The first product I’ll highlight is the Nucleus bolt action from American Rifle Company. ARC caught my attention at SHOT 2014 with their Mausingfield action (see full review). While most high-end actions are simply improved versions of the Remington 700, the Mausingfield was a refreshing design combining a couple of ...

I’d never paid for a hunt in my life, at least up until a few months ago. I’ve been a die-hard hunter since I was big enough to carry a firearm, but I’ve only hunted small parcels of land owned by family. Over the past 20 years, I’ve spent countless days in the field and have taken a couple nice mule deer and whitetail that were big for my area, but I’d never hunted outside of West Texas. A friend sold me on the idea of an African safari, and it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences ...

I’ve learned I simply can’t watch most TV shows involving rifles. Ignorant commentary and reckless misinformation grinds my soul, and usually culminates in someone yelling at the TV. My wife can attest. It can get ugly. Long Range Pursuit, a TV show on the Sportsman Channel, is one of the few outdoor shows that make it to my DVR. It’s hosted by Aaron Davidson and the crew from his company, Gunwerks, which specializes in custom long-range rifles and gear for hunters. Those guys seem to know what they’re talking about. They’re able to take ethical long range shots on trophy ...

Last year, I decided my focus in 2016 would be on training. I wanted to be strategic with the time I spend on this hobby, and thought training could help me more long-term than scattering my focus in a few directions, shooting random matches, and learning things the hard way. By training, I meant that I wanted to not only fire more rounds at the range practicing, but I also wanted to get professional instruction on long-range shooting. “There are three kinds of men. The one that learns by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them ...

Why don’t more people use gas guns in the precision rifle world? I get asked that question a lot. Many military snipers use semi-automatic rifles for long-range work, but there isn’t a single shooter among the top 100 competitors in the Precision Rifle Series (PRS) using a semi-automatic rifle. Why not? Even though speed, maneuverability, and recoil management are huge parts to that game, the best shooters are all running bolt-action rifles. Some believe that is because AR’s can’t achieve the same precision as bolt guns, so the goal of this test was to quantify the precision difference between a couple of high-end ...