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2010 Home Page Posts

This page contains previous update posts from our hompage from 2010. If you are looking for the current home page, please click the "Home" link above.

(12.24.10) Please Remember Them...

As you go about your holiday routine, stacking the presents by the tree or setting by the fire, remember those who are standing a post and defending our way of life. The warriors on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Marines standing post around the world. The Police, Firefighters and Ambulance crews who have to give up their holiday to make sure yours is as safe as it can be. They don't do it for the pay. They don't do it for the recognition. The simply do it because someone has to, and they heard the calling.

Be safe tonight, brothers and sisters!

(12.24.10) 'Twas the Night Before Christmas (A Marine Version)

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.

As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land. (Read More)

(12.22.10) SHOT Show - January 18-21, Sands Expo Center, Las Vegas

8541 Tactical will be attending the 2011 Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show in a press capacity. We will be updating the website with new products of interest to the tactical shooting community as quickly as possible. Keep an eye on our SHOT Show page as well as our Blog.

(11.29.10) Peltor SportTac Review

Electronic hearing protection just makes life so much easier on the range. For the last two years I have been using a set of Peltor SportTac electronic earmuffs for range and duty use. I figured it was high time to get a review posted. I hope to compare them to some of the other electronic earmuffs on the market. (read more)

(11.27.10) Remington Model 700™ SPS™ Tactical AAC®-SD™

Shooters asked and Remington answered. Earlier this year Remington released the SPS Tactical AAC-SD to their lineup. Advanced Armament Corp. is well known for it's Silencers. The company was recently acquired by Remington's parent company. It was a no-brainer for the two to team up to produce a silencer friendly tactical rifle. The Tactical AAC-SD comes with a 1:10 twist barrel to support sub-sonic loads as well as the longer high BC bullets favored by long distance shooters. The barrel comes from the factory with a threaded muzzle, ready to accept the suppressor or muzzle device of your choice. Remington listened when shooters requested a low-end stock. This may seem strange until you realize that most long range shooters will replace the factory stock to better suit their body type and shooting style. No need for an expensive stock to raise the sticker price when it will be removed soon after purchase. To this end Remington equipped the Tactical AAC-SD with a Hogue over molded stock. Our curiosity was piqued earlier this year when one showed up on our home range. I was impressed enough that I ordered one up from Remington. We should have the rifle here in a couple weeks and hope to have the initial review up at the beginning of the new year. (Remington Website)

(11.10.10) Happy Birthday Marines

Semper Fi Brothers. For two hundred and thirty five years you have made the Corps the greatest fighting force in the world. The Marine Corps continues to perfect the method of turning citizens into Warriors. To say the Corps "changes" you is an understatement of epic proportions. God Bless the United States Marine Corps.

(11.07.10)Accuracy International AE MkII

The review of the Accuracy International AE MkII is up. We have not gotten as many rounds through the rifle as we would like prior to the review, but we were working on a deadline. This rifle will remain in service in our daily activities for some time. We will continue to update as we gather more experience with it. (AI AE MkII Review)

(11.04.10) Vortex Razor HD 5-20x50mm

We have finally wrapped up our initial review of the Vortex Razor HD rifle scope. This is an extremely impressive optic. It competes well in the $2000 tactical rifle scope price bracket. The glass is comparable to Nightforce with just a little better contrast. The feature set puts this scope at home on a competition rifle or a LE Sniper rifle. (Vortex Razor HD Review)

(10.05.10) Glock without the "Block"

I just uploaded a review of the Hogue "Handall" universal slip on grip. If you don't care for the "square" grip, but love the reliability of your Glock this may be your solution. It totally changes the feel of the handgun and adds a tacky non-slip surface. (Hogue Handall Review)

(09.30.10) Online Ordering is up and Running

Due to customer requests we now accept online orders using the PayPal system. You can place an order using PayPal or pay with your credit card if you do not have a PayPal account. Due to the increased cost of this system prices have been adjusted in the online store. We are sorry about this, but it was necessary to be able to offer this service. As always you may still print out an order form and mail it in. (Online Store)

(09.29.10) Midway USA Discount Codes

It's always nice to save money. From time to time we get promo emails from Midway USA. No reason not to pass the information on! To that end we have posted a page with discount codes listed. These come and go. They expire at the whim of Midway USA are are in no way a guaranteed discount. Don't get upset with us if the codes expire before the listed date. We have no control over that. (Discount Codes)

(08.05.10) Logo Shooter's Hats Available ($20)

We have just received our first shipment of our Logo Shooter's Hats. These hats are low-profile and unstructured to easily pack. There is no top button or metallic hardware to dig into your head when wearing ear pro. Best of all, these hats are Made in the USA with US manufactured materials. We didn't just have the same old stock cap embroidered. We worked with a US manufacturer to get exactly what we wanted. We hope this will become your favorite shooting hat!(order here)

(08.01.10) ESS Crossbow Evaluation We have published the initial review of the Crossbow safety glasses from Eye Safety Systems. They are a collaborative effort between ESS and their parent company Oakley. The glasses are manufactured here in the US at Oakley's California facility. In our experience so far these are an excellent choice for eye protection in the sun or on the job. (read more)

(07.21.10) Kestrel® Pocket Weather® Meters partners with Horus Vision® to release a breakthrough ballistics instrument that eliminates the need for a PDA in long-distance shooting. BOOTHWYN, PA… Nielsen-Kellerman®, manufacturer and distributor of Kestrel Pocket Weather Meters, introduces a new line of the rugged hand-held weather monitoring device equipped with an integrated ballistics calculator, the Kestrel Ballistics WeatherTM Tracker with Horus® ATrag® Software....(more)

(07.19.10) Casio Pathfinder PAG40-5V I have the initial review up for the Casio Pathfinder PAG40-5V. This watch advertises several features that should be of interest to the precision rifle shooter. It boasts a digital compass, barometer, thermometer and altimeter....(read more)

(07.07.10) The Gallery is Online!

I have finally gotten around to organizing and posting pictures to the Gallery. The intent of the Gallery is to display the pics that I don't use in an article or review. I have set it up with the capability for me to upload images while I am out of the office. So I can post while I am at an event. Please check it out. (Gallery)

(06.30.10) Timney Trigger Review

A lovely little package from Brownells showed up in the mail today. It contained a new machined aluminum follower for my duty .308 (the chrome was flaking from the factory stamped piece), but more importantly it held a brand new Timney #510 trigger.

For a couple of weeks I would notice that once in awhile I would get a "heavy pull" on my pre-2006 factory trigger. It was probably only 1lb more than the 3lb setting, but it was enough to force me to take an extra breath before breaking the shot on a precision problem. While it's not enough to cause a safety issue, it is enough to give me a reason to pull it off and have it looked at. Which of course is the perfect reason to try out a Timney Trigger. The Timney 510 uses a different safety system that the factory 700 trigger. This blocks the actual trigger itself instead of lifting the sear. This should prevent the safety issues that the old 700 trigger seems to be notorious for (although often overstated).

The initial review is up and we will add to it after we get some rounds downrange and some dirt and water in the trigger.... (read more)

(06.30.10) ESS Crossbow

We are wrapping up our evaluation of the newest eyewear offering from Eye Safety Systems. The ESS Crossbow is a replaceable lens safety glass system. So far we are extremely pleased in the optical clarity although the anti-fogging does not seem to be able to keep up with the hot/muggy Southern Indiana nights. The Anti-Scratch coating works extremely well and after a couple months of patrol duty only accrued some minor nicks.

(06.21.10) Toy, Tool or Trophy? In a recent thread on one of the well known tactical rifle forums a member asked "how hot is too hot?" He was asking how hot can you allow the rifle barrel to get before you allow it to cool. I let this sink into my head for a few minutes then let loose with my reply. My position is simply that you allow the rifle barrel to get as hot as it gets while you do what you need to do. If that's a ten round rapid fire string, then so be it. If it's twenty, then fine. If when you are done you can burn your hand on the barrel.....then don't touch the barrel. I went on to state that barrels are disposable, much like tires on a car. If you use your rifle you will replace the barrel. This apparently worried some members.

Let me clarify my position here. We come from different backgrounds and use our rifles differently. In my current line of work I am unlikely to need to fire more than one round in an engagement. Two or three would be an incredible stretch, and if I run through a twenty round box of ammo, the world is coming to an end. However when we train, we don't fire one shot and take a break. We fire numerous shots to simulate a worst case scenario. We may do it against time to create stress. We do it to force the student to run the bolt and reload smoothly. We do what we need to do.

When I compete the stage of fire determines how many rounds I shoot and how fast I do it. Some stages are "barrel heaters". So be it.

When I was in the military and issued a rifle, we used them. They got banged about, heated up, frozen, rained on and drug through mud. We cleaned them and cared for them. It wasn't abuse, it was USE.

In my current life I come in contact with a VAST range of civilian shooters. I run into like minded shooters who use their equipment as hard as it needs to be used, but they care for it. I run into shooters who abuse their rifles through ignorance or intent. I also come across shooters who treat their rifles like a fine sculpture. They place it on display and marvel at the form of the thing. They "ooh and ahhh" over the color, shape or the price tag. They wipe the fingerprints off the steel and they lament nicks in the paint. If they shoot the rifle at all, it's only to confirm the itty-bitty group it's capable of. When they are done, back in the safe it goes.

So what is your rifle? Is it a Toy, a Tool or a Trophy? Regardless of what it is, to be proficient with it requires that you shoot it. If you shoot it, you will eventually wear out the barrel. How quickly depends on how often and how rapidly you shoot. Some of us shoot every week or several times a week. Some shoot once a month. If I put 100 rounds a week through my rifle I am going to burn that barrel up quite a bit faster than someone who shoots 40 rounds once a month. Which shooter do you think will be more proficient?

Use your rifle the way you need to use it to reach your goal. "The Mission drives the Equipment." Not the other way around.

-Comments on the Blog-

(05.31.10) 2010 Oregon Sniper Challenge

It's over and done. The Oregon Sniper Challenge (5/22-5/23) has come to pass. This year the Challenge exploded from approximately 15 shooters last year to 49 this year. There was some heavy competition and some jockeying for position. First place wasn't secured until the last couple stages. There were over $30K in prizes given away including three rifles. The Helicopter Stage was sponsored by POF USA and was loved by everyone (even those a little nervous about high places). (full Article Soon)

(03.17.10) Barrel Break In Procedure

While you are waiting for the conclusion to our Precision AR10 series, take a look at our barrel break in video.

(03.15.10) Precision AR10 Build Series

The first two parts of our Precision AR10 build are up. We have the Magpul PRS Stock and MOE grip installed on our Eagle Arms (by Armalite) lower Receiver. This lower was purchased as an assembled piece, so we will not be going into how to assemble a lower parts kit. This should not be a problem for anyone who is familiar with assembling AR15's as the process is almost exactly the same. We have a 21" Noveske 7.62mm barrel on the way. The next part in the series will cover the installation of the barrel and a Badger Stabilizer Handguard on the upper receiver. We will then go into checking head space, safety checks, and test firing. Parts Two and Three are now up! (read more)

(03.02.10) Flying With Your Firearms

Flying in itself has become a great hassle. A large number of the security precautions really do nothing to make us safer and serve only to allow the public to see that their government is "doing something" to keep them safe. Unfortunately we as law abiding citizens are required to capitulate to the regulations. Flying with just your carry on bag can be a pain. So what do you do if you are flying to a competition or other event that requires your rifle? What if you are legally justified in carrying a handgun in the jurisdiction you are heading to? How can you safely, efficiently and legally transport your firearm while you travel by air? (read more)

(02.13.10) ADM RECON-S Mount

We recently acquired an American Defence Manufacturing "RECON-S" scope mount. In the coming weeks we will be doing a video review as well as an installation and evaluation article. We are very interested to see how accurate this mount will be when removed and reinstalled on a precision rifle. (American Defense Manufacturing)

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