August 2008

8-31-08:  Sarah Palin is causing the Liberals complete fits. I wont link to it, but Daily Kos, that utter moron over there is floating a retarded and nasty rumor that Palin wasn't really pregnant and Trig is her daughter's baby. They are in such a tizzy over this they are saying that it's suspicious that her water broke, but she flew home to have her baby. They are so worked up that they saying she wasn't pregnant, but her water broke... Let me run that by you one more time for effect. She wasn't really pregnant, but her water broke. I'm going to give you the basic biology right here about this... I'm kind of an expert... I've 6 sons and I've delivered 4 of them. If a woman's water breaks – it means she really was pregnant, and she really is going to have a baby. The water in these cases is the fluid that the baby lives in while in Mommy's tummy... the water breaks, and comes out... that means the baby is going to come out too. If Sarah Palin had a water break, that means she had a baby. Kos should be given a sound beating for his bullshit and all these moronic Liberals are following along when they should know better. For floating such a stupid rumor, Democrats should be deleted all their links to him. They are willing to believe such a stupid – brain dead stupid and far fetched rumor – just because they are so afraid of Sarah Palin. Take a look at Sarah Palin... she isn't scary. She's a nice person. Don't demonize her. To take politics to such a low, slimeball level regarding good people like the Palins – You liberals are assholes.

8-29-08:  Pistol Packing Teachers: Teachers of a certain local school were informed by letter from the Sheriff's Department that they have the option, if they want to take it, to take Concealed Carry Classes and Pack Heat In School for the protection of themselves and their students. Here In Utah. Texas doesn't get all the fun! Mrs. Ogre now wants to get her Permit. How cool is that?

No Drive By's: You can not shoot from your vehicle. You can not shoot from the back of your truck. You can not even lean across the hood of your truck. You can't brace your shot from your truck... You can't do it... don't even think about it. You will have 3 pages of charges against you if you do. But everyone – EVERYONE – does it. You especially can't take Game this way. If you do, you'll get 9 pages of charges against you. And the Fish and Game cops out there are dead serious about this. They have no sense of humor about this, they have no understanding of this.... It's okay to walk a few steps from your truck and shoot... but if you lean over your hood to brace for the shot – these guys will haul you in. I really don't get this... it's is a bullshit law. It's okay to hunt/shoot from the back of your truck in Texas and in other countries that all have the same kind of terrain as we do out here in Utah.... but we can't do it in Utah. You will go to jail and lose all your gun rights if you do this. But like I said – Everyone does it. The fish and game cops are of the attitude that we are all retarded and can't handle leaning on your truck while you shoot. They feel, if you lean on your truck – you will then be doing Drive By's on Elk. I suggest a change in the Utah law here. I suggest that if you are PARKED, it should be just fine. If you are in the back of the truck, it should be just fine. Basically, if the Vehicle Is Not Moving, it should be just fine. 

Some of these hunting vehicles they use are awesome.  The truck beds have a cool rail system, with swivel chairs so you can brace on the rails and have a 360 degree view of the area.  They kickbutt... unfortunately we are too retarded in Utah to do that... or actually... the state of Utah thinks we are to retarded to handle that.  And so do these damn Fish and Game cops who believe it.  The one I talked to looked at me like I was insane to even think that we are capable of even just using the hoods of our trucks as a rifle rest without ripping around like Poncho Villa shooting everything.

Sarah Palin is an awesome woman. She's all over the issues with the right answers, she's smart, she's hot, she's popular. Everything I read about her, the more I like her and I liked her before she was picked. This selection was a brilliant pick by McCain. You guys out there that have said you wanted someone to vote for instead of against. Sarah Palin is someone to vote for.  Let's look at Sarah Palin.

Photo removed, because it was a fake... a damn good looking fake... but a fake. 

Without a doubt, she's beautiful.  Can Hillary pull off this look?  Great legs, Sarah.  Very nice.

She can fish.   That's a salmon.  They are not easy to catch.  It's usually cold and wet when your fishing for them... Let's see Nancy Pelosi get her hands dirty.

Okay, this doesn't have anything to do with anything, but I like the picture and it made Mrs. Ogre laugh.  That, and I'm a huge BSG fan.

She isn't afraid of guns.  Here, she's trying an Army M-16 Simulator...  An evil black rifle... scary?  Not to her.  She's a member of the NRA... a Real Member and not a new member just because it looks good.

She hunts... she herself really hunts...  How many other female politicians really get out there and hunt?

She supports the military.  Her son is in the Army.  She's all over the situation in Iraq and isn't afraid to talk to the Officers on the ground... unlike Obama.  

Sarah Palin ROCKS to a shockingly high degree, and I hope she serves 8 years as Veep and another 8 years as the President.

8-28-08: It's about time someone did this. The question of how to effectively put a red dot on an AK has been answered in the most elegant way possible. Simple, tight, well thought out. Brilliant. This is one of those, “why has no one not thought of this before?” kind of things. Check it out. If you have an AK – this is what you want.

A .308 Tactical Rifle Options: As you guys know, I'm looking hard at a .308 rifle. I looked at some options from other makers, but I keep coming back to Remington, specifically three Remington 700 models.

The first one is the Model 700 SPS Tactical. This is a simple rifle, with no pretense and little in the way of cosmetics. Go ahead and read the specs on it. I like the double point pillar bedding. That makes for a solid set up. The trigger is the new X – Mark Pro trigger system, which is awesome. The barrel is a thick 20” bull barrel. Rather short and very stiff... with a good target crown, this is going to be a very accurate rifle. The price is very affordable.

The next rifle I'm interested in is the very excellent 700 XCR Compact Tactical. I really like this gun. The barrel is not as heavy, thanks to some cutting. The bedding is a full aluminum box bedding set up that is pretty much the best you can do in a reasonably priced production rifle. The XCR finish is very attractive, slick, and corrosion resistant. I like the olive drab stock. There is only one downside to this gun, and that's the price. It's twice as much as the SPS-T. Twice as much... but is it going to shoot twice as well? Probably not... but 5 years later, I'll probably like it twice as much. I don't know. It probably is but I don't know if I want to drop that much coin on a rifle in a caliber that I don't get thrilled about.

Last one I am interested in is the 700 VTR. This one has the funky varminter stock... which I think is kind of cool. I like the look. I like the feel of it, as far as the contour goes. It's different... no one else really does a rifle anywhere near as different as this one. But I am not sure about the action's bedding and everything I've found regarding to accuracy has shown huge variances from half an inch to 30 inches at 100 yards. The one thing about it that really just flat out turns me off is the muzzle break. I want to like this gun, and I'm sure I can get it to run... but I don't know if I want to spend my own money on it. Know what I mean there? Cost wise is about a hundred bucks more than the SPS-T. I don't know.

Well, let's make a choice here. I'm going to go with the SPS Tactical.

For those just tuning in: Why am I buying a .308 rifle? Simple. Because PFI sent me one of these and it's so damn good, I'm buying a rifle just to sling under it. Brilliant scope. Dead serious. If you have a .308 – this is the scope you want. Once I put this combination together, I'll review the whole kit in detail.

The one new rifle that we got in that I keep picking up and really quite like is the Browning X-Bolt in .243. I like the lines, the safety, the magazine... everything about it is great. If I wanted a .243 – that would be it. If we had one in .308, I'd be awfully tempted to get that one.

8-27-08:  Back to Guns and Gear: I got a ton of email from both sides regarding my opinion on abortion. That's all it is guys, my opinion. You can vent yours but you are not changing mine as I have not changed yours. This illustrates why the issue is so polarizing... and why I generally try to stay away from politics here.

The closer we get to the start date of the next LRI class, the more jazzed I'm becoming out it. LRI, as I have previously mentioned, is shaking hands with Magpul Dynamics and cool things are happening for both groups because of it. I am really looking forward to going to this course and I am planning on being there. I'm not missing this again. This course is the real deal – taught by the real deal. No self proclaimed 4 Gun Combat Masters... these guys are real warriors passing along skills. But don't be intimidated. Good times were had, no one was dropped for pushups or had to pass the Marine PT test... it was casual and relaxed.

Read a review of the July course here.

The June course.

The most important thing about any shooting class – the quality of the instructors. Read the bios here. That speaks for its self. If you are going to go to any tactical long range shooting course – this is the one to attend. I'm going there for the September 8^th class. It would be very cool to meet some Horde Members there. So come on out, shoot with Ogre, LRI, and Magpul Dynamics. This is the course that other shooting schools are going to copy. I can't stress this enough – you want this class. This one. Not Front Sight. Not some fake Master Combateer guy... learn from those that have applied and survived and have come back heroes.

I need a good .308 bolt action rifle. I am going to sell my Remington Marine Magnum with the folding pistol grip stock for 500 bucks. These guns are going for 629.99 new now. I've shot this gun actually very little. Maybe a hundred rounds max through it... and for an 870, that's nothing. I'm looking at buying a Remington 700 SPS Tactical. Nothing special, but it will work.

The whole reason I'm wanting a .308 bolty here is because of one thing. This PFI RR800-1 rifle scope, that is just so damn good – I've got to sling a rifle under it. I've put it on other caliber rifles, but the reticle is designed for .308 so that's what I'm going to get. You read that right – I don't have any .308 bolt action rifles over here. I've never really been all that fond of it. I respect it for what it is... but it's just so average in terms of ballistics I just haven't been attached to it. Yes, it's a hell of a lot more cartridge that the .223... but it falls short of the .30-06. So while I've had .308's they have never been “keepers” for me. And right now, I don't have anything in a bolt action or anything else that offers any degree of accuracy.

Wait a second, I'm not insulting the .308... it does something very well that the older .30-06 doesn't do. Burns. It is a very efficient cartridge compared to the Aught Six and that efficiency directly translates to consistency. Consistency means Accuracy. This is why the .308 is an accurate cartridge. This is why I want one in an accurate bolt action rifle.

I'll trade anyone out there my Marine Magnum for a decent bolt action .308.

This PFI scope really is that good. The more I play with it – the more I like it. The more I'm impressed with it.

8-26-08:  So the Abortion Issue is above Obama's Pay Grade. And Nanci Pelosi backs that up with the argument that “the church” in this case, the Catholic church, doesn't know when life begins. She says that Doctors don't even know when life begins. That's horseshit. Obama couldn't even say that life begins after the baby is born. This is why he did nothing when he was presented with information about a hospital letting babies that had been born alive, die without care... literally discarded like trash. Let me make this clear – that is not an abortion – that's murder. Willful, purposeful, with intent.... murder. Obama didn't want to say even that much. Nanci Pelosi didn't even want to say that much. They can't say that much. That can't even say “At Birth”. What does this tell us? Simply that Democrat Party Leaders support killing babies – simple as that. Killing a baby isn't a “Choice”, it's fucking murder. According to the Democrats, I'm pretty sure they really don't care until they get the right to vote. When does the Catholics say life begins? Mormons? Pretty much “At Conception”. What does John McCain say? “At Conception”. Simple answer isn't it? Let me make my point now. If you are Catholic, Mormon, or any other Christian – HOW IN HELL CAN YOU VOTE DEMOCRAT? This is a plain and simple issue. Are you going to support – by voting for – a party that kills God's greatest creations, the most innocent of His children.

From LDS.org: “Human life is a sacred gift from God. Elective abortion for personal or social convenience is contrary to the will and the commandments of God. Church members who submit to, perform, encourage, pay for, or arrange for such abortions may lose their membership in the Church.”

By voting Democrat, you are in fact, by proxy, encouraging, supporting, and ultimately paying for with taxes – abortions. Think about that. You are a party to abortion... to killing life. Sacred life.

Jesus himself said: “Whoso shall offend one of these little ones … , it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.”

Abortion is a serious issue that can not be taken lightly. I am dead set against abortion... there are alternatives. And I do not believe that line about “it's okay in a case of risk of the mother's life” or however you want to spin it. I've talked to several doctors... long time doctors. They told me straight up they have never seen a case where abortion was required to save a mother's life. Saving a Life Style is not the same thing. Abortion to save the mother's life – these doctors, 5 of them – had never seen such a case.

You can not vote Democrat and be a faithful Christian. Since Jews believe Jesus was a Rabbi, they agree to this principle too. Muslims, who believe Jesus was a Prophet agree with this principle as well. At least the couple Muslims I know have agreed about that. So pretty much, If you believe in God – you can not in good conscience vote Democrat.

Now, I've talked to some Liberals who have claimed to be “Moral, Good People”. Sorry, but no. You can not be a Moral or Good person if you support Abortion. It's not a complicated... it's a pass fail test. Kill a baby? Yes?  Then no, you are not a moral or good person...

Simple as that... no other issue is so clear cut... not homosexuality, gambling, drinking, illegal immigration, war in Iraq... None of it.  Just ask yourself if you support those that support killing babies.

8-25-08:  CMT's Country Fried Home Videos showed our friend Willie. I was expecting Bill to make fun of Willie, but he didn't. He did appreciate the closeness of the call there... but didn't make laughs at anyone expense. In fact, it isn't a funny video at all which is why it's strange they wanted the video at all. The video that won the 1000 dollars was one of a guy running his tractor into a tree. Wee!

I got some food poisoning Saturday... was down all day Sunday and could only work through half a day Monday. My ribs are killing me from straining to puke up liver bile. This caused me to black out because I got into a coughing fit, my rib cage seized up or something and I couldn't breath. Next thing I knew I was looking up at the ceiling not knowing where I was. That was quite disturbing. But I'll be fine. I've had worse. Much much worse.

Our friend Nightcrawler is going Air Force EOD. We wish him very well. EOD is some serious work. One tiny fuck up... one tiny oversight... and you are instantaneously turned into stew meat. I'll tell you straight up High Explosives makes me uncomfortable. Probably because we saw one of our own blow himself up with just a little hand grenade. One minute he was joking about porking a fat chick... next he was blown up.

Our friend Ben posted on his blog: “I still haven't shot my new .45. I don't quite know what to say. To all those who donated, thank you. To Ogre, you bastard, now I owe you one. Thanks guys. The really cool news is that after the 25th, all things going well, I get to go back to work. It has to be part time to start. That's OK, I still have kinks in my back from the hospital bed. Now there is a place that we need some medical research, improving those damn beds.” He doesn't owe me anything. That's not what this was about.

Some dumbass plan to kill Obama has been foiled. Read this. I do not wish the man harm... the man should be defeated in the arena of ideas not with bullets. His background should be investigated, he should be vetted for being an idiot, for being tied to anti-american backers, to a terrorist, to racists... kill him politically, not physically. Sheesh.

Would have been interesting news to wake up to though. Would the nomination have gone to Hillary? I don't think that this is the last threat to Obama... there are a lot of folks out there that really really don't like him. Most of them Clinton Supporters...

8-23-08:  Strange Bow, the Liberty 1, from Liberty Archery. This is a funky little bow that I've seen in pictures but have read no real in depth reviews on, just company talking points. The bow is small and very light. It doesn't feel like a serious bow, it doesn't look like a serious bow... but it does shoot like a serious bow. The thing has no riser, or in plain english the actual body of the bow... it does away with it. This is very forward thinking and the design is certainly interesting... and by interesting, I mean something out of a Sci-Fi show. The draw was pretty smooth on the one I tested, which was set for a light 60 pounds. It had a good roomy valley after the let off and a nice backwall. It was comfortable to hold too. The grip is rather cushy and makes you want to squeeze it, making you torque the bow to throw your shot... but if you do your job, you will hit. The deeply insulated grip absorbs a lot of shock and vibration... it's there... you just don't feel it. It wasn't the quietest... and it could have used a stabilizer I think. But in all fairness, I did hit the target right where the pin indicated. It didn't feel as fast as it should have been, even at 60 pounds and this observation was backed up with a rather shallow penetration for the arrow which should have sunk about another 6 inches deeper in our target bag. While the Liberty 1 is kind of a novelty bow, I am interested in seeing what Liberty Archery comes out with next... how they improve this for the next generation bow.

So Obama has named his running mate... Joe Biden. So much for Change, eh? The new and young Obama picks an old school party hardliner. This is the same thing as Bush picking Cheney, and sends a clear message – Obama's “Change We Can Believe In” motto is utter bullshit. Of course those of us with more than two neurons in our skulls knew Obama was running the same old party line the same old way the DNC told him to. The direction they are running is straight into Socialism, and I'm not cool with that at all. It's un-American for those who understand what it means to be American. But Biden, man, I have to tell you... I didn't expect to see Obama pick the head of the DNC's own KGB. Reading the blogs out there I can see all these Dems just Obamagasiming all over the place as if Barrack just gave Jesus a moneyshot. I can see, I'm not the only one that has this opinion.

I have to tell you guys about the family fishing trip we had Thursday. I took the boys to a couple different waterholes and we fished for hours and hours. It was pretty damn great. But the two highlights were when first, one of my younger boys, age 9, down to his skivvies because he got his pants and shirt soaking wet – pulled in a 2 foot long Rainbow Trout using a lure he made himself. He smoked everything anyone else caught. His lure was about a half ounce of Gold spinner on top of a bunch of pink beads and a treble hook. Damn thing worked great until he let it sink into some underwater snag that decided to keep the lure. There he was, in his undies, huge grin and a big fish. I wish I had my camera with me... it is a sight I'll never forget. Second highlight was when I heard all my boys laughing and look up above me on the rocks and there they all are – doing that Where is Matt Dance. Hilarious.  There are a lot of worries, distractions, and things that get in the way... days like this... puts everything in perspective.

8-20-08:  Bio-Gas: We hear so much about Bio-Diesel fuel and it's heralded as the font of all that is Green... Much like E-85, which is pretty much just Alcohol mixed with Unleaded. We hear of all these people making their own Bio Fuel. So let's take this idea to the next step and distill your own alcohol for fuel. Why not? If you can make your own bio-diesel, why not bio-gas? The State just wants it's 50 cents a gallon or whatever it is... If we could just somehow make our own ethanol... huh? What's that? People have been doing that forever? You mean Moonshine? White Lightning? If hillbillies in Appalachia can make it... how come we can't? Or can we? I've never heard anyone saying anything about this... no one that I've heard of has even mentioned this. Bathtub Gin... how about some Bathtub fuel? Lots of cars are converted to run on alcohol... race cars run on alcohol. Why not my car? Who says I have to have a funky diesel?  Yes, I have a lot of questions here... and I want answers.  With Gas Prices the way they are, the state should not have too much of a problem giving out some permits for this.

My Boys love to shoot. There is nothing else to it... my boys are real shooters. And soon they will be hunters. They ran me out of most of my ammo. I have no .22-250 left. I'm going to have to send my scope in to Leupold for some service... it's been getting progressively darker which is odd. The coatings have like – burned or something. I made a terrific shot on a coyote with a Buckmark pistol... Let's just put it this way, even at long range, a .22 Velocitor through an eye will end that Predator's hunt. The best shot was on a Prairie Dog at about 300 yards with my .22-250. My boys wanted a close look at this one so we walked out to where that varmint lay. The boys were both enthralled and horrified at what they saw. This prompted a quick lesson in Terminal Ballistics. The slug was a 50 grain JHP, and it punched a tiny hole in one side of the P-Dog. The exit wound however, was massive. It blew off an arm and shoulder and evacuated most of the chest cavity... leaving what looked like cherry cobbler inside with rib fragments. The boys now have a clear understanding of what a hollowpoint bullet does to tissue. They still want to hunt. Okay. If they can deal with this, they are ready for hunting. They can shoot well enough for it I believe. Hell, if they can hit that elk target at Buckskin Hills, the one at 600 yards... they can do most any hunt.

8-19-08:  It's time for some Common Sense:   This is the most important video you will watch this year. Pass this along to EVERYONE you know, and make sure your representatives see this too. Congressional Switch Board: 1-866-340-9281. Online Petitions don't mean crap. Call Your Congressmen, and talk to their offices. Ask to talk to them. Leave them messages. Writing letters must be backed up with direct communication. These Congressmen are our representatives and they must hear our voices.

8-17-08:  Some big changes over in Ogre Nation. The Horde's Forum is now filled with new categories. So check that out. New categories are to help some members be a little more comfortable. Other new categories are to fill out the broad scope of The Horde's interests. I know I have archers here as readers, so there is a place for you guys. Hunters. Fishermen. You guys now have your own corners of the forum to call home.

A new truck? Maybe? I'm trying to get a new truck. My Contour is just too small and I need more room. I also have a lot of gear that I have to move, and there is a lot of work around Ogre Ranch that requires a pickup. I also have the need to be able to get to places that are not paved. The truck I'm trying to get is a full sized Chevy. It has an extended cab, lots of room inside, and it is four wheel drive. I am also trying to sell the Contour. I need 2500 for the Contour. I'm sure someone out here needs a little economical car that isn't completely gay. The V-6 with a 5 speed manual makes it fun to drive. I hate getting ride of it, but practicality dictates that I have got to get a pickup truck. If I can sell the Tour, I can get the truck without financing. I'd love to get Brutus fixed up, but getting this truck is a heck of a lot cheaper than fixing Brutus. That Bronco needs a whole new engine. I can buy this truck – which is mechanically flawless – for 2500, which is about 1/4^th what it will take to get the Bronco rolling again.

Democrats just love controlling you. Does this worry anyone else? I scares me. If you protest Obama – you will be thrown into the Slam. Just like China or North Korea. This is how the DNC rolls. Forget the Constitution, you will do as you are told.

Bino Email: “Ogre, Your old pal Gerry here from the PR of Washington again.  I like your picks for good binoculars except for one thing.  They are all 10X.   Do the comparable units  in lower powers from the same manufacturers have the same relative optical and mechanical quality?   I have reached the age of senil....seniority and can no longer hold a binocular as steady as in  my far gone youth so I find a 10X to have some pretty serious (As in unmanageable.) image bounce.  My current binocular is a decade or more old Nikon Venturer II 8x25 and I'd like to replace it with a lower power unit for around $180 or a bit less. The Nikon ProStaff looks interesting if it's available in 6X or 7X. Gerry N”

Gerry, the power isn't the problem with the shake. Everyone shakes, some just a bit more than others. Even with a low power, you still have that shake... you just magnify it less with a lower power setting. If there is any argument for a lower power unit, it's that 7 or 8 power binos pass more light than higher power units and they have wider fields of view. On the other hand, 12 powers lose more light and lose more field of view. 10 power, in my opinion, offers the best balance of magnification, light transmission, and field of view. In roof prism binos, the 10x42mm form factor offers the best form factor and weight.

So what is Gerry to do if he has too much shake for 10x? Is he out of luck? Well, you can back to a Poro Prism unit. These are the classic style binos with the large objectives lenses that are farther apart than the ocular lenses. These bigger units are easier to hold steadier and they are easier to brace up against a tree or a walking stick. I often use walking sticks because of my knees, but also because they make for an easy way to stabilize a rifle for a more accurate shot. Nikon's Action 10x50's are a good choice for the money, about 100 bucks. They have a 7x35mm, 8x40mm, and 10, 12, and 16 by 50mm options in the Action series. The smaller 7 by 35's might be just right as they are not too big or heavy and can still be easier to hold steady.

The Prostaff series, are decent units with decent quality – for the money. But you are going to be disappointed because of the small 25mm objectives. Rather than go with those, check these out. 8X42 Advantage. A good balance.

Now if you want to spend some money, there are the Stabileyes series, but they are all well over a Grand... and who wants to spend that much on a Nikon? If I'm going to spend that much on binos, I'm buying Swarovskis.

If you need more magnification than 10 power, I suggest going to a spotting scope. That way you have to option of going to much higher levels and search for things much farther away.

Found this on Digg.com: Men and Breasts... Men love boobies. That's a fact, and this guy hit the nail on the head. Boobs are awesome. Dude totally missed out on the other part that is equally important. The Booty. A firm round booty is also an attention getter. So for you ladies out there with nothing upstairs, if you have it back there... your set. Just give it a shake... real men can't say no to that.

8-15-08:  Parker Blackhawk: We set up a new bow from Parker. The Blackhawk. First impressions are as follows: Looks cool, wow this is light as hell, I like it! Then we set it up with a simple TruGlo 5 pin sight and a Quicktune drop away, tied in a G5 peep and a release loop.... then we went out and shot it. We don't have a chrono, but the bow felt very fast and the arrows lanced into the target like a laser beam. Very quiet. Very shock and vibration free. Hardly any recoil to speak of. This is a good thing. And the draw was very smooth. The downside to it is that it has hardly any let off, a very narrow valley, and a granite back wall. The valley is the area of the draw after the cams roll over and the draw weight drops off... and the back wall, or the farthest back the bow pulls. Normally you feel the bow cam over and you have a few more inches of draw. This makes a bow easy and comfortable to hold at full draw. I like a lot of let off... the Blackhawk has very little. Combined with that narrow valley, you want to draw this bow back and let fly quick. Now, for some shooters, this is just fine. Me, I'm not too fond of it. However, in spite of this quality... I do like this bow. Even though it is so light, it feels very solid and very shootable.... I really do like this bow. I've never said that about a Parker before. I never thought I would ever say that about a Parker. I think with new cams, this bow would be transformed into a top shelf hunting bow.

Bino Picks:

10x25, Nikon Sportstar, $69.99. Super compact size and very light.

10x25, Nikon Prostaff, $139.99. Compact reverse poro prisms. Great optical quality for the size and those little 25mm objective lenses.

10x42, Hunters Edge Series 3, $149.99. Small and tough optics, not too expensive, but a good hard working set of glass to toss into your range bag. That's where I keep mine.

10x42, Bushnell Excursion. $149.99 to $199.99 depending on when and where you find them. If you can get them on sale, they are a heck of a good deal for the optical quality you are getting.

10x42, Leupold Acadia, $199.99. A little slimmer and lighter than the Hunter's Edge, with a great deal more light transmission and clarity.

10x50, Nikon Advantage. $199.99. These are fairly large roof prism binos, but they are very light in weight. I like the camo pattern. Works in desert and wetland areas. Great optical quality.

10x42, Nikon Monarch, $299.99. Great optical quality, much like the Advantage, but much smaller. No Questions Asked Warranty makes this the better choice for serious hard use... such as for military guys wanting there own good glass.

10x42, Leupold Cascade, $309.99. One of the best binos on the market... I think the optics are a touch better than the Nikon Monarchs, but these guys don't have the No Questions Asked Warranty that Nikon has. This is my choice for uses that are not as hard as say an Infantry mission... but great for most any hunt.

10x50, Nikon Monarch. $399.99. Bigger and heavier than the 10x42 Monarchs, much longer too... but if you don't mind the weight, these are fantastic binos for the money.

10x42, Leupold Mojave, $419.99. Great glass and a good step up from the Cascades as these units do better in lower light. Normally there is an even playing field at the 300 dollar tier and another level up around 500 dollars... so this one occupies a middle ground.

10x42, Vortex Viper, $499.99. These are probably my all around favorite binoculars. The optical quality is striking. These units have one awards from the outdoor industry. Vortex has a great VIP warranty program and is probably the best company to work with for binoculars. Before these came out, I would have said Steiner Merlins here, but for the same money, these Vipers are just flat out better.

10x42 Vortex Razor, $796.99. These are longer than the Vipers, have an Open Hinge like the Swarovski EL series. We have a lot of guys that come in looking for Swarovskis, and walk about with the Razors. Looks similar to the Vipers when you look through them, but really stand out when you get into lower light or transitional light. That dusk magic hour is when these really shine compared to other optics.

Above this level, you have Swarovski. The SLC and the EL 10x42. These are hands down the best glass on the market. Don't even ask the price. The SLC is a tougher built, hard working set of glasses. These are for hunting and serious purpose. Very tough, very strong, and the view through them is nothing short of amazing. The EL's use a lighter magnesium housing with an open hinge design. Designed primarily for bird watching, it has a much closer minimum focal distance. Swarovski also spent a lot of time doing color correction work on these. Meaning that colors look brighter and crisper through these units than anything else.

Nikon also has a high level set of Binos out called the Edge. For 2 grand, they are more expensive than the Swaros. Sure, they are supposed to be fantastic, but Nikon is only making 30 to 40 pairs a month. So essentially these are vaporware.

Now you also have these upper level bino/rangefinder combo units like the Leica Geovids. I don't really like them at all. They are too big, bulky, heavy, and expensive. Rather than spend 2200 bucks on the Geovids, I'd rather have a set of Vipers and a Lieca 1200 and save almost a Grand.

8-14-08:  My little brother is now Officially a writer. He has just published one of his books on Amazon.com. Zack does some seriously unique Sci-Fi. I find it's in the vein of Orson Scott Card, Greg Bear and Neal Stephenson. He has another book that I wish he had published first, his ghost story. But this one is good too.

I got a phone call from Camp Lejeune today. A Grunt on the way to Faluja needs some good binos. The issued glass is large and heavy and just not something to carry with you on a long patrol. This question has forced me to write a page on Binoculars. Good binos are probably the single most important piece of gear you can carry other than your rifle when you are the field. In the Military, your weapon and then your communication gear is the most – then binos. Good binoculars help in any observation situation... weather you are scouting, manning an LP/OP, or just keeping an eye out. I carried a small pair of compact Leica 10x25's with me everywhere. Spendy, but small and light enough to not get in the way... with good enough optical quality to make it worth while. The gigantic military Steiners? Well, I'm not going to say they got tossed on purpose... but they did end up falling out a helicopter while doing some fast nap of the Earth flying. The LT wasn't as pissed as he could have been. I'm going to go through my top picks based on price. For military use by individual soldiers... small, light, but enough glass to make it worth carrying... at a reasonable price... lifetime warranty with no questions asked. That means Nikon Monarch 10x42.

Pride and Fowler Scopes. PFI has sent us a couple rifle scopes and I'm going to be doing a review one them pretty soon. Initial impression: Looking through the PFI RR800-1 - right next to the Zeiss 3.5-10 Conquest... Brighter? The Zeiss is a little bit brighter.

Clear? The PFI unit is just as clear. Crisp sharp contrast... this is great glass.

The FFP reticle is a big advantage of the PFI over the Zeiss.

Notice the reticle zooms as the scope zooms. 

This allows the reticle to maintain proper relation to the target and allows the ballistic plex to be used regardless of power setting.  Normally with the reticle in the second focal plane, you have to have the scope set at the highest magnification setting for it to work properly.  HUGE advantage in the field, I can't stress this enough.

Now I also noticed something... see the 3.5-10 Zeiss is no advantage over the PFI's 3-9. Because when I set them both to 4 power, I had to bring the Zeiss almost up to 5 power to get it to magnify at the same level as the PFI. So really they are about the same level regardless of what the dial is indicating.
The Zeiss had a better eye relief by about a half inch - but this is not a problem considering these are mostly going on .308s and the like... not .300 Win Mags. Recoil isn't going to cause the scope to kiss you... because there just isn't enough of it.
Now the biggest difference... The PFI is $595. The Zeiss is $725. That $130 difference... I really don't see 130 dollars worth of difference to get the Zeiss here. Especially since the Zeiss's reticle can only be used properly at full magnification.  Being completely objective - The PFI wins. Damnitall... I'm a huge- HUGE Zeiss fan. This is not what I was expecting. 

The other scope PFI sent us is a .22 scope in 3-9x32mm.  It shows the same strengths as the bigger scope, but set up for .22LR ballistics...  I can't wait to mount this one something... we'll get this one reviewed too.

8-13-08:  We are planning something Wicked Cool for September 20^th.   We have all the major Gun Makers coming out for a huge Range Day at the Buckskin Hills Shooting Complex. We are going to have guns and ammo and food and drinks and all sorts of crazy stuff. We've got everything still coming together and everyday it's getting bigger and bigger. This is going to be huge. HUGE! Gun Makers, Optics Makers... you want to try out a gun before you buy it? Here's your chance. The only gun companies that are not coming out – so far – is Ruger and Kimber. Pretty much everyone else is checking in with affirmatives!

I invited FBMG to come out to show off some Duracoated guns and bring some silenced and automatic weapons. Evidently there is a Crossroads of the West gun show that weekend. Missing out guys. Missing out bad.

8-12-08:  Why I Love the Hoyt Katera XL: 3 arrows, 20 yards, can't get any tighter.

Bow set at 70 pounds, no stabilizer, and shot with a TruFire release... which is just a nothing special hunting grade release.  Bring me a deer tag to fill...   I've got a primal scream and a sharp stick!   Yes, I am now officially "In to Archery".  Enough Said.  JD Hart is right... it's all about Confidence... and today... I got some..

So China put on a False Front at the opening ceremony for the Beijing Olympics... We are not surprised. The cute girl singing wasn't really the girl singing. This is indicative of the whole of China. Every public image of China is planned out, calculated, to make China look as good as possible. The Real China is repressed, suppressed and depressed. They can't say what they want to say. They can't do what they want to do... it's not the free country that we enjoy bitching about like ours is. I can't blame China for putting that girl up in front of the cameras. She is full on adorable... so sweet, I had to take insulin. Unfortunately she was a fake. Like all the Chinese faces we are seeing... they are just masks.

We have word that one of The Horde has traded off a wee little 9mm Springfield EMP for an Ed Brown Kobra Carry. That's a good move... that Kobra Carry is a brilliant handgun. Clean, built to the highest standards, and pretty simple under the cosmetics. Awesome .45 there. We are hoping he posts some photos in The Horde's Forum.

So my little Baby was sitting next to me last night while I was typing. He's what, almost 8 months old now? I don't know... I'm a Man... I don't keep track of this stuff. I know 8 year old B-Day, 12 year old B-day, 16, 18, 21... and anything else just gets me confused and angry... Anyways, he's just a little guy, but he's eating with a fork, babbling like a muppet, and cruising around the floor eating things like a Roomba. Well, last night as I was saying, he's sitting next to me... and he picks up my little Targus laptop mouse. And the mouse died right the and there. Toast. USB doesn't even recognize anything is plugged in. Tested port, good... tested mouse... DOA. Today, I hit Staples... Logitech has a little cordless laptop mouse that's cool and red, and works a hell of a lot better than that Targus mouse ever did... and it was the same price. And it's cordless. I've never had a cordless mouse before. I don't know if I trust the technology... but it works. I'll have to game some COD4 online and see what's what with it. More precise but is it as responsive? We shall see. Baby gets the old mouse to chew on. He's been wanting to do that since he was hatched.

Ran 2 rounds of COD4... Whoa... much faster and more precise. Love it. Okay, I'm happy. I know this doesn't mean much to most of The Horde, but I am a Tech Geek.

8-11-08:  Ruger needs to be cock-punched: Already on my short list of gun companies that piss me off, Ruger sends me an e-mail with this huge “RUGER MINI-14 SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT” What this promotion is, is that you buy a Ruger Mini-14 rifle and you get a “GENUINE RUGER MANUFACTURED 20 Round Magazine FOR FREE!” WOW! And then Ruger will let you Purchase Up To Two More 20-round magazines for $29.99 each! WHOA! Hold me the fuck back! WTF, Ruger? Do you really do expect your customers to be complete idiots?  Some guys out there are probably really jazzed about this and think it's great. I don't buy it, and I don't buy Ruger's line. What happened to Ruger's old 30 round magazines? What happened to them just putting the big magazine in the gun box with the gun instead of making the customer send away for it? And who says you can only get a maximum of 3 magazines? Ruger does, evidently. And then they top it off with restrictions:

“Proof of purchase required for all redemptions, limit of a maximum of three (3) total magazines, free and purchased, per qualified .223 Rem. Ruger® Mini-14® purchase. A copy of the dated sales invoice showing model and serial numbers is required as proof of purchase.

* All requests for redemption must be postmarked no later than December 1, 2008 and received no later than December 15, 2008.”

Hey Ruger... I tell you what – you want to play that way? How about this: You buy an Armalite AR-15 rifle from me - what we have in stock – And I'll give you a 30 round magazine right then and there... and check this out... you can buy as many more as you damn well feel like. How bout them apples, Ruger? Jackass.

Okay, now let's talk about a joint that is doing things right. Nikon. We met with the Nikon rep this morning and we've got some cool stuff coming out. Basically you buy Nikon stuff, you get gift cards for Nikon swag... shirts, hats, jackets, all kinds of stuff. That's pretty cool. Nikon also has a promotion coming out.... a package deal with a Nikon Prostaff 550 Range Finder, A Prostaff 3-9 BDC scope, DVD and a Gift Card – and you save about 50 bucks or so over just buying the rangefinder and scope. Not bad. So you buy a new rifle, like say a Howa 1500 in whatever caliber you want... and this package. Dude... you are set. Sure it's a lower end scope... but it's a solid little scope and it's going to work for you. I like this offer.

Remember when I said that I didn't know what the Nikon 3-9 BDC Team Primos scope was? Can't find any information on it. It's a Monarch.... just the older style Monarch. Awesome. And for the asking price of the Team Primos, that's a damn good scope. Check them out at your local Nikon retailer and if you can't find one locally – give me a call at Basin Sports and I'll make sure you get hooked up. (Not today though – I'm taking a day off – but I'll be there the rest of the week) The Nikon Monarch series is top notch stuff. The initial new Monarchs we got in, I didn't like them. They didn't stack up against the the older Monarchs made in Japan. But they have sorted this all out and the new Monarchs are great. They are using a 4x multiplier instead of the traditional 3x... so we get things like 2.5-10 instead of 3-9. Different but doesn't make much of a deal when you get it out into the field.  Nikon is no Zeiss... but you do get the best bang for your hard earned buck...

8-10-08:  After Action Shooting Report. I don't know how many rounds of .45ACP I fired yesterday, but let's just put it this way. I filled a garbage bag full of empty boxes, and my Kimber stayed hot the whole time. Did I learn anything or did I just blast through ammo? I picked up a couple good points that I hadn't thought of and had never heard it addressed by other instructors. If you get a chance to shoot with Mike Lehner, take it.  My shooting after his clinic, did improve. Most of us in our shooting club have reached a plateau in our shooting. This helped some of us push over that. Mike is a good guy, very real, and he doesn't have that arrogance that other instructors out there with sponsors have about them. I enjoyed it a great deal. Thank you, Mike.

After the clinic we had our BBQ. FANTASTIC. Beef roast, Sausages, beans, salsa, garlic bread, vegetable salad.... cold drinks.... it was a huge spread. A veritable feast that trumped every restaurant in Vernal. Everyone ate till they were stuffed to the rafters. Oh man... that was some good eating. Thank you Kevin! If you missed that – you really missed out. Note to self: Bring a folding chair next time.

The Night Shoot. We had a short night shoot,... but it was good. Kevin wins with the stage he came up with. It was like a Bon Jovi concert out there with all the lights, the computer control, the generator, and all the wires... it was crazy. But it was the best stage of the night. Check this out... you only had to stand at one position... lights would come on, light up a target, and go off – very quickly. When the lights were off – you couldn't see a thing. There was sound effects, dog targets, zombie targets, screams, sirens, a zombie voice telling you that you were going to die. It was crazy. The whole shooting bay was used... a wide area to cover... and you had to cover it quickly. You ended up shooting a lot. “You can run the stage with only 16 rounds.” LOL... Yeah. That's why I dumped 6 magazines full. That was fun. A lot of fun.

See you at the debates, bitches. It is pretty damn sad that a Crumpet like Paris Hilton can trump both Presidential Candidates while sitting in a lawn chair in a stupid looking swimsuit. I don't know if you have seen this yet or not... but here it is. She slams McCain several times, but also slams Obama in a much more subtle way. The video is funny, but it does something completely unexpected. It makes me dislike Paris Hilton a little less. I'm not saying that I like her, agree with her or anything... but... wow... just wow... she actually came off as having an IQ. I think the last thing she did that I didn't hate was that commercial for Carl's Jr, with her washing a car and eating a burger. She still needs to eat a few more in my opinion. What she says though, does make sense about energy policy, but she only gets a C grade from me. “Limited off shore drilling with strict environmental oversight”. Sounds good on the surface, but when you understand what's going on here, you realize that this isn't good enough. Limiting the drilling is wasting the effort. The oil companies know more about when and where to drill than the DNC. Let them run with it... Let the oil companies drill where the oil is, where we can get it, and where they can get it in a cost effective manner. The more we can get, the less foreign oil we have to import. The more oil there is in the market, the lower the cost is, the lower our gas prices are, and the better for our economy. We've seen the price of EVERYTHING go up because of the price of oil. Like it or not. Oil is our Life's Blood. This is why Russia is attacking Georgia. Not because they care about Georgia's civil war... but because they want to control the oil pipeline. Strict oversight? These oil companies are not the evil merchants of pollution that Sanfransicko would have you believe. They police themselves very carefully. In fact, you can't find a well head location only one year later after the well has been moved. I've been to these sites personally. I've seen wells in action, and I've seen where they had been in action. They don't need strict oversight. You can't do it any Greener than they are doing it. And I know that these same companies take just as much care if not more so when they drill off shore. Let's not forget one small thing. Oil is a Natural Resource. It seeps out of the ground all on its own. It just does it less these days... so we don't think about it. But it's there. Under your feet. You just got to drill it. Prices on oil is high because the Democrats have limited our own production to such a degree that it's easier to just import it. This is why we are in the pickle we are in. If Paris Hilton can see that – What does that say about Democrats? If Harry Reid makes a Green and White blurry video – I'm going to be sick.

8-9-08:  Today at 4:00 at the Buckskin Hills Range, we have a shooting clinic going on, taught by a top notch instructor from Team Safariland. After that, we are having a mondo-gonzo BBQ, and then when it starts to get dark... Night Shoot.

It's going to be fantastic. You should come. The training is going to be awesome, the food... last time this guy put on a spread of BBQ chicken breasts that were so huge – I would have thought they were Condor. Delicious. We hope the food is going to be at least as good this time. I'm sure it will be. The night shoot however – is going to be full on awesome.

I've got a wicked blind stage planned that is going to kick some shooters asses. Active Shooter scenario with hostages... here's a little hint for the stage.  When you see the shooter, there will be No Shoot targets behind him. So if you engage the shooter as normal – you will hit the No Shoot targets behind him. So how do you resolve the stage and take out the Hostile Target?  Take a knee. Your shot trajectory will pass through the target and over the heads of the hostages.

8-8-8:   Eurotrash-AR-abortion: I'm not going to name names... but someone out there as accused my SIG 556 of being a Eurotrash-AR-abortion. This caused an auto-response in me that could not be stopped, namely the sudden influx of carbonated, caffinated liquid through my sinuses. I thought I had learned long ago that I sip my soda before or after reading emails – not while. If forgot this. I suffered for it. The accusation is, to say the least unfounded and made in jest. The unintentional timing of the jest is what made it so brilliant. A force multiplier for the effect. Ah... that was great.

Now, the SIG 556, I still insist, is not just “one of” the best new rifles on the market... it IS the best new rifle on the market. We can't look at the Bushmaster ACR or the FN SCAR yet... they are not on the market yet. Coming Soon, yes. Late this year or early next... sure... but not out yet. Until it's out, with actual production examples to test... they are unknown. Sure, we have a good idea on how they will be. But the question is, are they going to offer anything over the SIG 556? I don't think so. The SIG is just THAT good. It really is. The stability and reliability put it above the AR platform, easily. The AR's strengths do not come from the design, but from the legions of aftermarket engineers that have provided a host of modifications to it to improve it. The SIG has very little aftermarket. There are no barreled upper options that change calibers and barrels as easy as popping two pins. I think that will eventually come... but right now, the SIG is what you see. You can change stocks and forend grips... but that's it. Now, if you don't care about Upper Options, the SIG will go toe to toe with the AR in terms of what you can bolt on to it. And that's all good, fine, and well. But other than a vertical grip or bipod, and a light – there is nothing the SIG really needs. The SIG is a serious use weapon. The barrel is rifled for the heavy bullets... serious use bullets... not just the light 55 grain poppers we have fun with. Some guys have criticized the SIG harshly because it doesn't stabilize what they shoot. Well, the SIG is a fighting gun as much as any 5.56mm can be. I don't think these new rifles are going to do anything more than what the SIG can do. I think it smokes the Robarms XCR. It's more accurate, and it's back up by SIG. The XCR is backed up by Alex Robinson... a brilliant designer, but an asshole. AR Abortion? Thank heavens for it. It's a Frankenstein combination of the best of the Top Three weapons on the planet. What's not to like?

Our friends at LRI is making some serious moves. They are hooking up with Magpul Dynamics and this training class in September is going to be a combined course. Check this out. This says a lot about the guys at LRI. The quality of the instructors and instruction is recognized as excellent. Magpul has been doing a lot of good work themselves. Improvements to equipment and techniques in weapons handling... I'm going to be buying one of their stocks for my SIG 556. This combined class is going to be fantastic. I am not going to miss out on this one. I'm there. There are still slot open for the course... these classes are small so you get a lot of time with the instructors... which means you get the most for your money. Other training classes like this have more than double the number of students. Your actual time with the instructor is limited if anything... everything is a group activity. That's fine if you are learning Line Dancing... but not for precision shooting. LRI doing it right, Magpul sees that, and they are going to be working together now? Guys, this is the class you want to take. If you have ever thought about taking a shooting course – you don't want to pass this one up.

I was exchanging emails with a well known fellow in the Hunting and Outdoor industry. He is pleased with the fact that I am getting a fondness for Archery and probably will in the 2009 season hunt with a bow. Maybe back east... he did invite me and I probably wouldn't turn that down. But there are some local hunts here that I am going to want to try. I want to take an elk with a bow. Yes, find some tasty looking meat on the hoof and poke it with a sharp stick until it's on your plate. It is fun... and this will not be my first kill with a bow. Some time ago in Northern Wisconsin, near Rhinelander, I had the chance to take a beautiful whitetail. It was delicious. Anyways, this fellow suggest to me that I take another, and a closer look, at Bowtech. The new General bow is a very good one. I like it just fine, but it wouldn't be one that I would buy with my own money, if you know what I mean. There is a reason I keep coming back to Hoyt. I just have more confidence in the Hoyt line then anything else. And now Bowtech has issued an advisory for the General. The fact Bowtech is up front on this one... that's respectable. Good for them.

Unlike Magnum Research who wont admit they have a problem and keep blaming the ammo. I've talked about the .17HMR autos and their issues before. Magnum Research still insists its ammo... which is BS. If there was a problem with the ammo, we would see signs in other guns. We don't see any signs in the Magnum Research guns either... until the bolt opens far too soon and it blows the magazine out of the gun in pieces. Remington pretty much admitted they had a problem and dropped their gun from production. The way I see it, if you are going to make a gun in a certain caliber – you make it so it can handle that caliber.

President Bush makes a comment about China and how they need to allow more freedoms for their people. China's Official response was Bush should keep his mouth shut... Tell me again... How the Democrats are different from Communist China?

8-7-08:  Who was it that crowned the .30 Caliber as the font of all that is ballistic. In handguns, the .45 caliber has dominated for very good reasons backed up by historically documented incidents proving its superiority over other calibers. That's not my problem... my problem is the .30 caliber's historical dominance regardless of other calibers favorable attributes. The .30-30, .30-06, .308, .300 Savage, .300 Win Mag, .300 WSM, .300 RUM, .300 300 300 300 300 300...

Always on the heals of the .300 is the .270... snapping... teeth grinding... always the bridesmaid. Yet the .270 owners always have a certain smugness about them. They don't argue as enthusiastically as the Thirty Somethings and eventually just shrug their shoulders while going off to fill their hunting tags with trophies.

Then there is the .284 guys – who refuse to argue and just split the difference with the 7mm and just enjoy the hell out of it and never bother much with either side.

Then there are the Quarter Bores... who just clap their hands and say “yeah” repeatedly at the argument because they like free entertainment. They have to get it someplace because the .25 caliber is about as thrilling as Olympic Curling... after the arguments are over they go back to playing chess with there .25-06 Queen and .257 Weatherby King chess pieces.

Where is it that says The Thirty is the Crown Jewel of the Ballistic Table? And who says that you have to go smaller to get better results?

One thing that I like about the .45 ACP is that why you hit your target with it – it's smacked with a big fat heavy chunk of expanding jacketed lead that smashes through the target, crushing bone and organ tissue along the way like a run away Lincoln Town Car driven by a 92 year old near sighted elderly woman... I like that. It gives me the warm fuzzies.

What about rifles that do that too?

One caliber that keeps getting asked for, yet we don't stock – for some reason – is the .338 Win Mag. This is the start of something good here... .338 Federal. .338 Ultra Mag... and we can go bigger. .375 H&H. .376 Steyr. .405 Winchester is starting to make a comeback... fantastic stuff. The stuff of Hemingway lives above the .30... The stuff of Teddy Roosevelt lives above the .30... The stuff of legend lives above the .30 caliber.

I would dearly love to start stocking .338 and .375 H&H rifles. Moderate velocity loads throwing out big old slugs – I love that.

8-5-08:  Vortex Viper: My new Vortex scope came in. I have to say that I am very pleased with it. The optical quality is very high. I compared it to two other 2-7x32mm scopes. The Bushnell Elite 3200 and the Nikon Monarch, which is actually a 2-8. The Vortex blows the Bushnell Elite right out of the water. I'm sorry Bushnell fans out there... but this is a solid spanking for you. Much brighter, colors are brighter... it just looks flat out better. And the Vortex has a much roomier eye relief than the Bushnell. MAP pricing on the Vortex is 110 bucks more than the Elite, but I think this is a hundred and ten bucks well spent. The Nikon Monarch is a better comparison to the Viper. Optical quality is identical between the two here. Brightness, field of view, color transmission... now, the Nikon has more magnification across the board... higher than the rate you set it at. With both set to 4 power, you have to crank the Vortex almost up to 5 to match the Nikon's magnification. With both magnifying the same, the field of view is the same and the scopes are equals. So Nikon has the advantage in magnification. Vortex has an advantage in the turrets. Click adjustments are easy and clear. The scope tracks when you walk the scope around the target... 6 clicks up, over, down, and back and it returns to zero perfectly. The Vortex also has a lot more internal adjustment range. And the best thing. You adjust your turret to zero... pull the turret cap up, set it to zero, put the turret cap back down and you are zeroed. So you can return to your zero after adjusting for range or wind. I like that. A lot. I also like the “Dead Hold BDC” reticle. Clear and easy to see... and it works well. The Monarch is about 30 to 40 bucks less... but which one is better? I don't know. Nikon has a good lifetime warranty... but so does the Vortex with their VIP Warranty. The Vortex is using their Argon gas purging which should prove to be a better solution in the long run. Both scopes are made in the Philippines... and both scopes have similar characteristics in the turret housing, main tube and objective bells. The main differences are in the turrets, caps, and the ocular housing. The Nikon has a large ocular bell, which causes problems on my stock CZ 527's bolt handle. The Vortex is slimmer, without sacrificing any optical quality. The Viper also has a power setting dial that puts an indicator facing the shooter. So when you are tucked into the rifle, you can glance up and see your power setting. This is important if you plan on using that BDC reticle for it's intended purpose. With the Nikon, you have to pull the gun off the shoulder and tip it up or tilt it to see the top of the scopes to read the power setting. This is a small touch that I am glad Vortex has made. I like the Vortex Viper the best between all three challengers here. Winner = Vortex.

I put the Viper on my CZ 527... I took my time zeroing it... making each click a precise calculation before I click it. Making sure each shot was as stead as possible so my zero was as precise as possible. Dead Nuts On is the technical term for it here. I only zeroed it at the 100 yard range because I was burning up my lunch break and didn't have time to run out to the long range benches. I am actually quite shocked. My barrel has reached that “Break In” point... because it is all the sudden shooting much tighter groups than what it was shooting before. I can't credit the Vortex for magically making my rifle shooter better... but considering the big increase in clarity... there is an argument there for it.

I'm going to say this once here. This scope is THE PERFECT SCOPE for the CZ 527 Carbine. I found it.

I got a little Archery coaching by a fellow that actually shoots for Hoyt. The guy is an amazing archer. I learned a lot. I think I'm going to make a new Hoyt my birthday or Christmas present. I've got a couple higher priorities right now, but I will buy a bow. I can consistently group shots inside a quarter at 20 yards. That's pretty damn good for a guy that is so new to the sport. I think next year I shall have to try to hunt big game with a bow.

I heard the news talking about a new classification of working class... We have had White Collar workers, Blue Collar workers and that has been fine for eons. Now, thanks to the assholes in San Fran Sicko, we have Green Collar Workers... example of such were Environmental Lawyers. If I was the Emperor of America, I would in the first day of my Ultimate Authority, adopt a Scorched Earth Policy in regards to California. The Spotted Owl? I'll have that with BBQ sauce, thank you very much. California Condor? Sell hunting tags and let the species go out with a bang. I suggest Federal Black Cloud 3 ½ inch BBB shells for Condor.

In a conference today, Obama played the Bill Cosby card... acting and sounding just like Bill Cosby to make him seem friendlier to White People. Unfortunately Bill Cosby is actually intelligent and makes sense. Obama just flat out lies and misdirects. This issue of Tire Inflation of Obama's... does he really think that America, all of us, are all rolling around on flat tires? Come on. Yes, making sure your tires are inflated – properly – and Obama, don't worry, will mandate what proper is because he knows more about it that the Auto Industry – will improve your mileage. But saying that this little effort at conservation (and it isn't, it's just common bloody sense) will be more than off shore drilling, that is just flat out retarded. If you believe that, you are a moron and I want you off my internet. This reminds me of Jimmy Carter saying that to help fight rising home heating costs – wear a sweater. Fuck you, Obama. Fuck you, Jimmy Carter. And Fuck You, Democrats. Marie Antoinette said of the hungry population, “let them eat cake”. Thin, sugary fluff with little or no substance.... That's what the Democrats have to offer America. Cake. Cake, when we need lots of Meat. Wrapped with bacon.

Yes, we can drill our way out of this. We drill and drill more until we get other energy technologies online. Online? Hell, most of the stuff the Democrats are talking about isn't even developed yet. This is like telling ticket holders at the airport that they have to wait until we get anti-gravity sail barges instead of flying on airplanes. We have airplanes now. They just need to be gassed up. We use the energy we have instead of the energy we think we should have. Just like we go to war with the Army we have, and not the Army we wish we had. Only stone cold morons can't understand that. If I give you a basketball, you play basketball, and not try to play baseball with it... but that's what the Democrats are doing.

We have Obama telling us to inflate our tires and put on a sweater, while Nancy Pelosi shuts off the mics and lights on the Republicans who want to try to come up with an energy bill that works for everyone. The Dems just don't want to hear it at all. They want to go on a 5 week vacation (who the fuck said they can take 5 weeks off?) while America is in a rather critical state. And they did it. They shut it down. The Democrats just gave the rest of America the middle finger.  They gave YOU the middle finger.

This is how Democrats lead? This is how they are going to run our nation? By shutting down opposition?  That is fascism.

8-4-08:  Bows. I've been shooting a lot more bows, this morning I shot a ton of them. I have to say I still really really like the Limbsaver Dead Zone. For a fist bow for the company, they hit a home run. It's very good, stable and accurate. But I keep coming back to this Katera XL. It's not as quiet as it could be, but in my opinion it isn't any louder than other bows in this same speed class. Any perceived increase in noise is so very slight as to be essentially meaningless. At this speed, even if a big game animal heard the shot, the arrow would have already penetrated before the animal could react. And realistically, from 20 plus yards away... I don't think the animal will even have known what the sound was or where it came from. This means the animal would just freeze and hold still. If it spooks it is because it heard you say “Shit” and flail around trying to nock up a new arrow for a second shot. Don't try to blame the bow for your missed shot.

Parker, Fred Bear Instinct, and a lot of PSE's... nothing comes close. I'm going to go shoot the BowTech General tomorrow. Mathews... I don't like them so much. They get good ratings from the bow mags that sell them advertising, but they don't have the smoothness, they are not as stable, they don't feel as good in the hand, and I don't think they are quite as accurate. Sure, they are fast, but there is more to it than pure speed.  With the Katera XL, every arrow is touching... even tighter a group that the Dead Zone, which was previously my most accurate shooter..

“I've got the primal scream and a sharp stick Mother***ker” - Ted Nugent

I just wish Hoyt would do this bow in King's Desert Shadow.  I like the S-Coil stabilizer, Spot Hog sight, and G-5 broadheads... I don't like mechanicals.

I've been selling a ton of Swarovski optics lately. This is awesome. Not just for me or for the store – but because Swarovski optics is top notch. Expensive, but top notch. Undoubtedly, the best binoculars for field use, for hunting, tactical situations... or just “lookin at shit” is the Swarovski 10x42mm SLC Binos. Yes, they are expensive, but anything less is a compromise. Even Vortex, Zeiss, and Leica. You can make excuses and say things like “I don't see the dollar value in the difference”... but there is a difference and the Swarovski is better. Flat out better. If you think otherwise, you really have not looked through them. You come to my shop, bring your best pair of glass, and we'll take the SLC's outside and check them out. Or we'll take any other optic out you want to compare it too. Outside, in the weather, in the sun, in the failing light, whenever. We've got a great price on these SLC's, but Swarovski has MAP pricing, which means we can not sell them below a certain set price or we lose our dealer status. Anyone else sells them below that price, they lose their dealer status. So pretty much everyone has the same price on them. But do me a favor, if you know anyone going to be buying a pair... have them call me at Basin Sports and I'll hook them up at that MAP price and they wont have to dicker around to get it. We've got a bunch of SLC binos that I want to sell. Reason I want to sell them is that there is another guy at my shop that gets pissed when I sell a pair. He seems to think that only he should be allowed to sell Swarovski, as if he's the Swarov-Guru. Well, he's not sold any in awhile now.. and I'd doing at least one a day. The dude is coming unglued. I love it. Hey, we also have a special going on with all the Bushnell rifle scopes that are not in the Elite series. If you need any optics, call me.

8-3-08:  This is not unexpected news. The Wolves were taken off the endangered species list because their populations have exploded. But because of some stupid ass Liberal judges, the Wolves were put back on the list. I warned that there would be consequences. I wish I had been wrong. A lot of guys think they have a dog that kicks ass. But even the best fighting dog is not a match for a wild wolf. Wolves don't fight. They kill... they straight up slay shit. We are hearing more reports of big game killings. We need an attorney with some big balls to open this case up and get those wolves off the list again. The advise of the Government guy is classic. Stay near your dogs. Wolves are territorial and will attack other canines. Do you really want to be near their target? My advice? When you venture forth into the hills and dales, do so armed with at least a .357 Magnum or a shotgun. It wont be long till we get reports of wolves killing people again... I hope I'm wrong.  But Coyotes have lost their fear of people and are attacking folks.  When we get wolves attacking, the reports wont be about attacks, but killings...  I hope the moronic Liberals are happy!

I need to update my Firearms Finishes page over in the weapons section.   (I've cleaned it up a bit and included this information)  In the last couple years we've seen a lot of new guns coming out with a new sort of finish and it's gone from boutique to common. Diamond Like Coatings. Guns such as the S&W M&P series, SIG, FN, and some others are all using these as their finishes. There a couple different types of DLC and a few different ways to apply it, but each one has the same result.... a super hard, corrosion resistant and low friction coating that is very thin, and looks good. The technical aspects of the coatings vary and I don't feel like typing it all up, so let me link you over to a page that does.

Iraq will get M1 Abrams main battle tanks. I'm not sure how I feel about this... this has Bad Idea written all over it. The fact that Arab nations already have M1's, is of little comfort to me.

This is a bad time for the Navy to second guess their new ship program. We need new ships, and we need a lot of them. It's also a bad time to retire any seaworthy hull. With the looming threat of conventional hostilities with China, it's time to refit and rearm everything we have that floats, and we need new cutting edge ships. I'm also in support of bringing back the Iowa Class battle ships. While the Big Guns of the Battle Ships are probably out dated enough to remove... using them as missile platforms would be easy to do. We need more ships, not a few dedicated specialty platforms like how the Air Force likes to operate. We need, more than ever, a massively powerful Navy. Our ownership of the seas can not be questioned. Just like how we have to own the skies. Our dominance of the See and Sky is what sets the US Military apart. Every other nation ultimately flies and floats at our discretion. If you are on our side – no worries. If you are at odds against us... be warned. And China? Bluster all you like. You might be able to bloody our nose... once... but we will in return crush you.

Oh wait, what is this? The Army is firing fewer round and focusing more on accuracy? Chalk this up to being another nail in the coffin of the M-4. In modern warfare where there are more news cameras running around than rifles, each bullet has to be well placed... the Nam era mag dumps are going away. This only makes sense. The more you fire, the more you give your position away. The more you fire, the more rounds you waste. This is going to give us a lot of room for a larger caliber. While we might not ever go back to .308... we can certainly go upwards to a 6.5 or 6.8... and in a platform like the SCAR – that would be fantastic. I'm also pushing the idea to every Officer that I can – that the Infantry as a whole needs to be equipped with weapon suppression to the man. They also need an expansion of “Special Operation Capable” units. All Airborne and Light Infantry units need to be SOC. Everyone of them, every man. We also need to take a second look at Advanced Infantry Training. AIT has become only a little more difficult than a Boy Scout Jamboree. We need it to be much more hard core. We need to go back to an older style of training, so we don't need to reinvent the wheel... and we need to make more use of both MOUT training and Mountain training. We need to start that now. China has a lot of mountains and thick foliage areas. We've become desert focused and that is great at the moment, but what about tomorrow?

8-2-08:  Many moons ago I tore the rotor cuff in my shoulder. This has caused me no small amount of discomfort, suffering, and changed my life for the worse. Thank you very much Mr. Grand Junction Police Instructor. Well, going from a 350 pound bench press to a “lucky to push 100” press... I felt destroyed. It's taken me years to recover. Pushups are bringing me back. Inclined, straight, inverted... working my shoulders as much as I could. Getting my numbers up. I can do more pushups than most guys my age. It feels good to grind them out... best thing about this is my shoulder is able really do some archery again. I used to have a real hard time pulling back a heavy bow. Hard times means I can feel things pulling apart in my shoulder and it hurts so bad it makes me sick. I didn't realize this, but today I was testing a new Hoyt bow. My shoulder wasn't hurting, so I thought it was turned down to about 65 where I normally shoot. It was at the full 70 and didn't bother me a bit. Awesome. But I wasn't thinking about the shoulder, I was just thinking about the bow. It was naked, out of the box, roughly sighted, with a sight and a drop away rest on it. It shot better than most bows do fully dressed out. This was the Katera XL and it was fantastic. I was able to put all the arrows into the target – with the shafts not just touching, but right alongside eachother. No torquing, no kicking... just straight and true and fast as hell. That Katera is wicked fast and accurate. 330 IBO? That's faster than a lot of Crossbows! Not quite as quiet as other bows... but smooth, fast as shit, and rock solid stable. And talk about accurate. I didn't really like this bow all that much when I shot another one turned down to 65... but at 70 it was transformed. Just fantastic. This bow is a 9 out of 10. Now, I could buy this bow for a great deal through Hoyt's employee purchase program. Or I could wait a little... and get my chance at what Hoyt's Mad Scientists going to come up with for next year. The arrows I was shooting were heavier weight arrows... 300's instead of the normal 350 or 400 I typically shoot. I really liked the way the 300 comes off the string. These new modern bows are so bloody fast and we tend to shoot arrows that are far too light for them... virtually dry-firing the bow. This isn't good. The bow felt much better shooting these heavier arrows. Not only that, but normally the arrows are sinking about 6 to 8 inches into the target. This Katera was sinking them not just half way up the shafts... but one of them went through the back stop into brick. Ouch. Ruined arrow! But damn that was some impressive penetration. I'm getting better at archery and I've been invited to compete. Maybe I will. But not just yet. I want to get my shoulder back into shape and get my bench up to a reasonable level again. I want to at least be able to do my body weight again... and I am not a featherweight. I'm almost there. I also don't want to compete with a borrowed bow. I want to compete – if I do – with a bow set up exactly how I want it and tuned to my shooting. Anyways, it was after I was done checking out this bow that I realized that I wasn't in agony from my shoulder wanting to come apart. The muscles and tendons in my shoulders have grown to compensate for the fucked up rotor cuff. Awesome. I'm going to have to do an Archery hunt. Coyotes with a bow anyone? Maybe not anytime soon.

Bad News Good News: Yesterday was a day from hell. I broke off a screw in a 3500 dollar custom rifle... but my elbow through a glass counter top... and then when things couldn't get worse... I sat down to sooth my soul and play some Ode To Joy on my Guitar... broke a string. When I woke up this morning, I knew today was going to kick ass – because you can't have a day like that yesterday and not have a great day the next. Not only was I having a very good day, everything was going well... On my lunch break I run out to the Rifle Range and worked with the CZ 527 Carbine. I know you guys are getting tired of hearing about it... but damn, I love this little rifle. As great as that was, it got better. Guess who walks in. Ben. Out of the hospital... He was looking pretty good for an ugly Scottish Dude... scrapes healing up nicely, he was going just fine. I gave him his gun we bought him. He was really choked up, it meant a lot to him. He loved it. We did good. When he is ready to go shooting, we will take some pictures for you guys. That was awesome. Today was a good day.

8-1-08:  FBMG has a raffle for a cool gun. You might not want this gun for yourself... but it would make an awesome gun for a Wife or Daughter. Check this out, a pink Stag Arms AR-15. 5 Bucks buys you a chance to win... this is for the fight against Breast Cancer. Buy as many tickets as you can... I am...  Mrs. Ogre would love it. 

FBMG has some more stuff up their sleeves... I'll let Larry explain it:

“George, I've got John Wester teaching a Tactical Carbine class in August. I've still got some space, and I was wondering if you've got any regulars out in Vernal that are interested in some training. Wester is a 25 year SF vet. He was a Marine in Vietnam (same unit as Ollie North) before going Army. He's the guy that started the Army NG sniper school (literally). This is the guy that James says is the best instructor he's ever worked with, and you know the kind of guys he's been around. It's $200. 300 rounds of rifle. 100 rounds pistol. Friday night is classroom while they go through dryfire, drills, and transition, and Saturday is all day shooting. They'll need a rifle, pistol, good holster, sling that will let them do transitions, and all of the typical class type stuff. Wester is as experienced as people like Larry Vickers or Pat Rogers, but he's only taught military, so nobody has ever heard of him. And the machine gun shoot is shaping up. We've now got the Army and Marine recruiters coming, SLCO SWAT and K9 demos, a climbing wall, a bunch of different companies, and 3 shooting clubs each taking a bay. Yeah, it's going to be friggin' sweet. -Larry”

The boys at FBMG are truly Magnificent Bastards. They are doing good work out there in Draper, and are really the only good reason for driving out to SLC.

I am committing to attending the LRI long range course. The owner of the gunshop I work at is up for me to attend and will help sponsor me with some ammo. I still need at least 150 more rounds of 7mm Rem Mag and a new scope.

7-30-08:  Kimber now has a Pro Staff program, and I'm in it. This one is a little different then other gun makers special dealer programs. Not only does this one have special offers for guys like me who sell these guns for a living... but this one has Kimber actually listening to us on product development and improvement. So here is what I'm going to tell them:

I want Kimber to make a gun for me. I want an all steel version of the Tactical Custom II, with the SIS grips and sights... I want the Tactical Custom grey frame with the 25 to 30 LPI checkering. Black controls and mag well funnel. Contoured for carry with a good Melt Job on all corners. Black slide, and I want the slide serrations sharp and easy to grasp. I want a match grade barrel and bushing. Call this like the Defender Custom II, with Commander and Officer's sizes... in Kimber lingo that would be Pro and Ultra sizes.

There is no shooting like Long Range Shooting. There is something deeply satisfying on both Primal and Spiritual levels when you can look out at a landscape, and know that you completely own it with the rifle in your hand. Today, I took a much needed day off from everything. I headed up into the Uintah Mountains with a couple of my rifles. I wish I had taken the .22-250 with me, as it would have been ideal today... but I didn't My companions were my beloved 527 Carbine, and my Big Seven. Working with the Big Seven has convinced me that I will have to upgrade my glass. The Leupold VX-II I have on it is great... but I am wanting to upgrade that to the 4.5-14 Conquest Rapid Z 800. Reason being is that the max 12 power is just a touch short for the working ranges I'm engaging in. That Rapid Z reticle is also a bonus for long range shooting. Now the CZ 527 continues to be a pure delight. The 400 yard zero is a bit ambitious, and when I get the Vortex Viper – it should be here later this week – I'm going to zero it for a 100 yards and use the BDC reticle to help me get out to 400. I'll keep 400 yards as my self imposed max limit. While it can reach out farther, I want to maintain it's lethality.

The targets today were prairie dogs. If you look at pictures of P-Dogs, they look cute and they make cute little squeaks... just adorable, right? Nope. Prairie Dogs are disgustingly foul little ghoulish bastards that need to be shot as much as possible. When you watch them through your optics, you see them play and chirp and tussle together. But as soon as one gets zipped through with a 155 grain slug and lays their twitching and bleeding profusely... the other P-dogs that had been playing with it so cutely, start to attack it, biting off chunks of flesh like a pack of cannibalistic miniature brown fuzzy great white sharks. They will try to drag the still twitching corpse of their friend down into their holes to feast. They look cute until you get to know the P-dog, and then you find they are extremely repulsive creatures... much like Democrats.

The 527 Carbine is a fantastic brush gun suitable for most areas that have tasty deer or even black bear... It's just about the ideal rifle for an inexpensive scout rifle. In 7.62x39mm it can handle damn near any serious chore you ask of it. However, as a Target Rifle with a flat trajectory that you would want for hunting P-Dogs, the 7.62 Carbine is going to fall short. I fired a total of 60 rounds today through the little CZ and only killed about 25 of the little bastards. The difficult part was simply a matter of estimating range to the target and figuring your trajectory and hold for that target. While that's always the problem, with the Nerf-like trajectory of the little .311 Russian caliber, the situation is exaggerated and ranging becomes all the more critical, even at shorter ranges. Now look at the size of a P-dog... they are small. And way out there at 200 to 300 yards, they represent a very difficult challenge with the 527 Carbine. Had a taken along my .22-250, this would have been much easier.

No, I'm not calling 400 yards long range shooting, but Long Range is a matter of Relativity. With a 7.62x39 with a short barrel, it's a challenge. With my Big Seven, it's nothing. Let me say that again... It's nothing. Now what about ranges beyond 400 yards? Past 600 yards? A thousand? Now you are talking Long Range. Most guys out there that are shooters not only have never shot at a Grand, but they wouldn't know how and would take a lot of rounds to even get close to their targets. I been able to make hits on rather smallish targets – namely coyotes – out to 1400 yards but not past that. I've found my limit. To stretch past this limit, I need coaching. There was a time when I was instructing Advanced Rifle Marksmanship, but that was out to 300 yards on human torso sized targets. Long Range Shooting is a different skillset and you can only learn it properly from real experts of long range shooting. If you want a good instructor for this skill, you need someone who is proven at this skill. For this, I turn to the Snipers of the US Marine Corp. These guys are experts at “Making Shit Dead”, whenever and wherever.

I've talked about these guys before and have referred students to them... I'm talking about Long Range International. Masters at MSD. They have another class coming up... September 8^th to the 12^th. I've had members of The Horde attend classes and have reported that the instruction is not just above par, but the best they had ever taken. Remember this?

“Hey Ogre, I just wanted to drop you a message of thanks ... A few months back you posted about an outfit called Long Range International (LRI - http://longrangeinternational.com). Their first class back in June filled up immediately so we were unable to make that one but we did manage to get signed up for and attend their second class from July 6 - 12 and it was a fantastic experience for both my wife and I.

The instructors, largely made up of ex-Marines from a Scout/Sniper unit that operated in Iraq and lead by one of the nicest guys you can ever hope to meet, Bill Shepperson (Shep), were an amazing bunch of guys who brought a wealth of expert knowledge and firsthand experience to the table. With their guidance everyone in the class successfully reached the goal of repeated 1000 yard hits on 18 inch by 24 inch steel targets.

Then, just to prove it wasn't all by accident, they had the shooter/ spotter teams switch rifles and take the shot again. My wife and I NEVER shoot each others rifles so this was an interesting exercise. After one near miss and a quick windage adjustment I got on with my second shot. My lovely wife, intensely competitive, overachieving woman that she is, was on with her first attempt using my rifle.

What I find most remarkable about her being able to make the hit at 1000 yards using my alien rifle is the nature of my alien rifle. Unlike what most folks would typically use for precision long range shooting, my rifle is an HK-91 ... a gas-operated, semi-automatic battle rifle with a non-free-floated 18" barrel. In addition to all the challenges presented by the rifle type, the comb on my stock sits a good two inches lower than where she needs it to be in order to see through the scope (I guess I've got a big head). So, knowing that something had to be done and done quickly, she reached over,

grabbed a stray bean bag, plopped it on top of the stock, got her cheek weld on the squishy, shifting bean bag and made the shot successfully on her first try. Her determination and the excellent instruction provided by the LRI team enabled that beautiful moment to occur.

The LRI instructors also set up a variety of exercises that went way beyond just teaching the skills needed for long range shooting, each of which were very educational and entertaining in their own right. There were night shoots, a ground assault course, a vehicle assault course (OMG, that was a freakin' blast!) and an overnight "mission" to clear out some "unattractive guerrilla's that had recently moved into the area".

To wrap up, I wanted to thank you for your initial post about LRI which lead directly to our week of learning with Shep and his fine team of ex-Marines. It was an extremely rewarding experience and we would go back and do it all again in a heartbeat. I have to imagine that many of your readers would enjoy the training offered by LRI as much as we did.

Regards, Mike”

Seriously guys – if you want to learn how to really shoot – talk to the cats at LRI. They need a minimum of 6 students for the upcoming class. This is an opportunity of epic proportions for serious shooters. Even if you think you know how to shoot – get some instruction from the real deal – real veteran US Marine Snipers.  There are very few people who get to have this degree of instruction from guys like this. Usually they end up never being able to talk about where they get sent after such classes... so here is your chance to learn from the best.
I can't say that I'll be able to go to the class... my knee only has about 50% of the connective tissue it should have to hold it together, and I don't know when I'm going to be able to get it fixed yet.  They are killing me over here trying to get me out there – I really really want to.  My wife wants me to go.  But I don't know if I can make it yet.  I am going to try.  I only have 2 things standing in my way.  One is my knee, the other is 300 rounds of 7mm Rem Mag.  That's a lot of ammo, but I think by then I'll be able to swing it.  I might be in a knee brace if I go... but I think I can deal.  I did complete a mission with a shattered ankle and extracted 5 miles away.   If I can do this, I think I can handle some range time with these guys.  If you can make it – do it. This is a once in a lifetime chance to get this kind of instruction.

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