Accessories

Are You Hung? I am.

April 17, 2012 By Tom 1 Comment

I finally am.

And all for the low price of $19.95.

One of those neat inventions I found at the NRA Annual Meeting was Handgun Hangers by Gun Storage Solutions. These amazingly simple devices help make efficient use of the space in your gun safe while protecting your guns from gun-safe-bumper-car abuse.

As you can see from the photo, I had a problem. I was not hung. Knowing that you have a problem is the first step to recovery, so I stopped by the Gun Storage Solutions booth and boldy informed the young ladies working there that I had a problem. I was not hung, and I was miserable as a result.

After a quick diagnosis, the folks at Gun Storage Solutions offered a treatment regimen. And it didn’t even require little blue pills.

	The Original Handgun Hangers turned out to be my favorite. Simple to use, they allow you to hang handguns below virtually any shelf of normal thickness. Maybe an inch thick plus or minus. A ‘U’ shaped coated wire frame simply slips over the front edge of the shelf and a ‘U’ shape facing the other direction presents a coated road for the barrel to slip over – thereby hanging the gun. The coating protects the interior of the barrel.
	The Back Under Handgun Hangers slip over the back side of a shelf and allow long handguns like big revolvers to hang without the grip projecting past the front of the shelf as they would with the front mounted Original Handgun Hangers. This worked great for our Ruger Super Blackhawk and long barreled Ruger Single Six.
	This view shows the top side of the Over Under Handgun Hangers. A coated wire points up at about a 45 degree angle. It works pretty well for small profile handguns with reasonably short barrels. You can easily bend the angle of the coated wire up or down to create a better mount for specific guns.By the way, I can’t count. The Ruger LCR, second from the left, is simply resting between two others that are mounted using the system as I bought one pack too few of hangers. Unlike the folks at NBC who have no problem doctoring audio and video, I felt it only fair to include all the guns that were in the ‘before’ picture.
	Here’s the bottom of the Over Under Handgun Hangers. The bottom side works exactly like the Original Handgun Hangers. I found the Over Under hangers to be a bit wobbly. Make no mistake – the setup was still uber-better than the pile-o-guns I had before. Perhaps addition of a stabilizing bend on the bottom side like the one on the top side of the mount would improve the the situation.

Having tested most of the available configurations, my preference would be to do the whole setup with the Original Handgun Hangers. I would hang all pistols below the shelf and use the shelf tops for magazine storage as in the first picture.

All in all, hats off to the folks at Gun Storage Solutions for creating a simple and flexible system to organize your guns.

A side note – my particular safe has very little space between the inside main door panel and the front edges of the shelves. This means that I have not been able to find a inside-the-door handgun mount solution. The Handgun Hanger method overcomes that challenge.

It feels much better to be hung.

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: gun safes, gun storage, new products

Swamp Thing: The Emergence – ZCORR Storage Bag Torture Test Results

March 26, 2012 By Tom 2 Comments

A long time ago, in a swamp far, far away, we buried a ZCORR Zero Corrosion Products Vacuum Pistol Bag.

When we originally buried the ultimate survival kit, the water table was normal, and the bag and its contents were buried about 2 feet deep in damp swamp mud. Did we say swamp? Sorry, we mean scenic wetlands. Since that time, we’ve had a lot of rain, and when we went to recover the goods, we found that the water table had risen and the bag was fully immersed in water. For how long, we don’t really know.

Ewww.

Step one was to hose down the bag thoroughly before opening. We wanted to make sure that our box of macaroni and cheese did not get contaminated by swamp mud – assuming that it was still intact and dry.

When we went to open the storage bag, we were somewhat surprised to find the vacuum seal still well intact.

Here’s the status of our survival kit…

	The gun frame held up perfectly. The frame is in process of being restored so it was bare metal with no protectant. Considering it’s been immersed in a swamp for months, the condition is excellent. No visible rust.
	Mmmm! Macaroni and cheese! We have not (yet) died of swamp poisoning. If this web site goes silent without notice, we may have to change our commentary on the ZCORR Vacuum bag…
	Whew! We’re still able to play silly puzzle games with our rust-free Cracker Barrel wire puzzle.
	Black powder pistol pellets? Crackle, bang, smoke!
	The Zippo lighter still lights…
	And the primers still prime…
	And most importantly, when the world becomes one giant Mogadishu, we’ll still be able to publish My Gun Culture – at least on dry paper.

So what did we learn?

Jason from ZCORR is NOT a liar! We really didn’t think he was, but he just sounded so darn confident and all.
You can literally submerge stuff in a ZCORR Vacuum Storage Bag safely – at least for a couple of months.
Submerging stuff in a swamp is a pretty ridiculous thing to do, but it sure was a fun way to test out these long term storage bags.
We have not yet learned how many boxes of Macaroni and Cheese will fit in a larger rifle storage bag, but we’re working on that…

These storage bags are definitely a 4 Nun product!

You can buy ZCORR Storage Bags from Brownells: Vacuum Seal Storage Bags: Handgun Storage Bag

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: gun cases, gun storage, reviews, shooting accessories, storage, swamp

Review: BSA 180 Lumen Tactical Weapon Light

March 13, 2012 By Tom 1 Comment

The BSA TW180LED Tactical Weapon Light is a nifty little piece of gear. At a direct price of $79.95 it’s budget friendly but packs a number of features. Boxed in a sturdy zipper case, it includes all the components you need to use this as either a stand alone light or a rail mounted system on a gun.

Standalone Tactical Light

As a standalone light, the BSA TW180LED operates with a tail cap switch with a positive click on and off. There is no ‘momentary’ depression mode that illuminates the light briefly. However, once the light is engaged, it features five different modes of operation – selectable by light pressure on the tail cap switch. If you want to ensure that the light turns on and off in a certain mode, just leave the light on in the desired mode for 5 seconds or more and switch it off. The next time you power the light on, it will engage in that mode. Change at any time. It does take a little getting used to.

The available modes of operation are:

Medium Power – 130 lumens	1:50 hour runtime
Low Power – 60 lumens	0:50 hour runtime
High Power – 180 lumens	8:20 hour runtime
Strobe Light	High speed strobe effect
SOS Signal	Repeating Morse code SOS

The BSA TW180LED also includes a detachable lanyard and lens cleaning cloth.

Weapon Mounted Light

Included in the package are the components you need to mount the BSA TW180LED on a rifle or shotgun. The rail mount is configurable for either a 3/8” grooved receiver as found on most .22 rifles and air guns or a 5/8” Weaver style base found on centerfire rifles or handguns. A remote pressure switch with a flexible cord and tail cap replacement rounds out the package. The pressure switch is plenty large for easy access and mounts with an included adhesive and velcro attachment.

The pressure switch operates slightly differently than the tail cap option. While the memory function and five mode operation is available, the light is only remains activated with continuous pressure on the switch – as it should. Leaving it on any mode for five seconds or more “saves” that mode for the next time the pressure switch is activated.

Closing Arguments

This is a self-contained kit – everything you need to get started including (2) CR123A batteries. The combination of battery light and high intensity illumination is great – especially since you can choose less intense modes for longer battery life. The five mode memory operation definitely requires some practice to gain confidence on how the light will come on at next activation. Once you get used to it, it’s a snap.

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: BSA, reviews, Tactical Light Reviews, tactical lights, Weapon Mounted Lights

Review: Gargoyles Striker Protective Glasses – Safety with Style

March 9, 2012 By Tom Leave a Comment

Suggested Retail Price: $75.00 to $110.00

www.gargoyleseyewear.com

The Good

These are really crossover shooting glasses. They offer ballistic protection without looking like range gear.

The Bad

The fit is very close to my face and there can be a touch of fogging on hot and humid days.

The Ugly

We don’t look nearly as menacing as The Terminator wearing Gargoyles.

Our Rating

Three Nuns – Love the style, light weight, and comfort of these glasses, but the occasional fogging prevents a 4 nun rating.

First Impressions

There are shooting glasses and there are stylish sun glasses. And never the twain shall meet. Until now. What prompted us to check out the new line of Gargoyles Ballistic Defense sunglasses was the appeal of wearing our every day sunglasses to the range and still feeling confident that our eyes would be properly protected. Yep, we’re that lazy. Changing glasses eats into range time after all.

Toric Lenses

Boy did we get an education on optics at this years SHOT Show. And we learned that Gargoyles Eyewear founder Denis Burns invented the whole Toric thing back in 1979. Here’s the simple explanation from Wikipedia:

The greatest radius of curvature of the toric lens surface, R + r, corresponds to the smallest refractive power, S = (n – 1) / (R + r), where n is the index of refraction of the lens material. The smallest radius of curvature, r, corresponds to the greatest refractive power, s = (n – 1) / r. Since R + r > r, S < s. The lens behaves approximately like a combination of a spherical lens with optical power s and a cylindrical lens with power s – S. In ophthalmology and optometry s – S is called the cylinder power of the lens.

Got it? Good.

Toric Lenses for Dummies

In case you slept during your graduate level light refraction lab class, here’s a simpler explanation:

You can see great through flat lenses – but they don’t protect the sides of your eyes.
Bending a lens so that it covers your eye more completely makes stuff look funny.

Toric lenses play nifty tricks with thickness and shape of the lens so that, regardless of where light enters the lens (side, front, etc), it’s focused on your retina. And things don’t look funny like in those carnie houses of mirrors.

Got it? Good.

Ballistic Defense

Make no mistake: although light, comfortable, and downright sexy, these are shooting sports appropriate glasses. They’re rated as 5 to 6 times stronger in terms of impact resistance than regular polycarbonate lenses. And they exceed ISO and ANSI test standards. So leave your regular glasses in the car, and don these on the way to the range.

Subjective Stuff

The big standout feature of these glasses is comfort. They are light, light, light. Even lighter than Perez Hilton’s loafers. The other thing that stands out is the rubberized texture at the back of the frames (see photo.) This helps the Gargoyles Strikers stay put during strenuous activity like IDPA, Steel Challenge, cycling, or extreme beach sitting.

The Striker can be ordered with a variety of lens types. The green lens is optimized for outdoor activities and we will be looking at this lens type in an upcoming review of a different model. Also available is Copper. Our set came with Smoke Polarized lenses. While polarized lenses are not ideal for shotgun sports, we find them just fine for rifle and pistol shooting where targets are stationary. By the way, Gargoyes offer 100% UV protection.

The clarity of the Gargoyles Striker with the Smoke Polarized lenses is fantastic. We had no complaints about optical quality and the peripheral vision was phenomenal.

We’ve got three more pairs of Gargoyles being featured in upcoming reviews – stay tuned.

Available here: Gargoyles Striker Sunglasses

Check out other My Gun Culture product reviews here!

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: eye protection, gargoyles, Gun Reviews, shooting accessories, shooting glasses

Swamp Thing: The Immersion – A ZCORR Storage Story…

February 29, 2012 By Tom Leave a Comment

Some time ago, Jason from ZCORR Zero Corrosion Products left a comment on MyGunCulture.com. Something about his corrosion-proof storage bags for guns, ammo, supplies – most anything one might need to keep intact and rust-free for long periods of time in, let’s say, less than ideal storage conditions.

We (pridefully) told Jason that if we were going to evaluate something and write about it, that we were going to do it on our terms. Surprisingly, he agreed.

We live on the edge of a swamp. Real estate brokers call refer to this as “scenic wetlands” but we all know it’s just a swamp. It’s complete with all sorts of swamp critters: deer, raccoons, fox, snakes of all varieties, and gators. We thought that a good old fashioned swamp would be the perfect place to bury one of Jason’s bags for a while.

We can think of lot’s of scenarios where one might want to bury tactical stuff. Didn’t tell your spouse about that new gun you bought? Secret weapons cache in the yard in case your house is overrun by the undead? Those handcuffs that you sawed off late one night? The list goes on and we won’t ask questions or pass judgment on things you might want to bury.

Anyway, we quickly agreed to the challenge. As Jason seemed so supremely confident about the protective capabilities of his bags, we joked that we might even bury a sandwich and eat it at a later date when the package was dug back out of the swamp. Unfortunately Jason double-dared us and now here we are – trapped into either accepting the challenge or being exposed as trash-talking wimps.

With some trepidation, we assembled our version of a survival kit to submerge in a ZCORR Vacuum Pistol Bag…

Post Apocalypse (choose your favorite type) Survival Kit

Gun: Post thermonuclear war, zombie virus outbreak, global economic collapse, or 30 straight days of cable TV downtime – it doesn’t matter. When civilization breaks down and you’re going to want a gun. We really trust Jason, but let’s be real. We’re not going to bury one of our favorite guns in a swamp just for this article. However, we found a reasonable compromise. We’ve been working on a restoration of a low cost, .25 caliber pocket pistol for a friend for, umm, a few years now. Since the frame is eternally getting polished, why not bury that? Worst case, out comes the Dremel tool once again.
Zippo Lighter: Yeah, we know, lighter fluid will be in short supply when the zombies come, but it seemed like a good idea to bury this. Will it still light? Will it explode from some freakish reaction with the ZCORR protective molecules? Will American Horror Story ever come back for season 2?
Macaroni and Cheese: Boxed macaroni and cheese takes a close second in importance to our least favorite gun. Plus you’ll want at least one more synthetic packaged meal before you enter a lifelong diet of insects and berries.
Metal Spring Puzzle from Cracker Barrel: Yeah, basic survival is important, but what are you going to do with your new-found leisure time with no X-Box, cable television, or Words With Friends? Bet you didn’t think of that did you? We’re packing hours of engaging entertainment with the puzzle. Oh, and it’s metal so we can see if it rusts in the swamp.
Black Powder Pistol Pellets: You guessed it. We packed these loose and unprotected, kind of like Paris Hilton, in the bag. And we’re going to shoot them out of a Remington Bison .44 cap and ball revolver replica post swamp-emergence. Does anyone know a good insurance agent? By the way, our policy got canceled recently with no explanation. Hmmm.
Primers: You’re gonna have to reload if you want to stand a chance against Mad Max. Until the supplies run out anyway. We packed a box of Federal Pistol Primers and we’re gonna load up some .38 Swamp Specials to see how they work. Still waiting on a referral to a good insurance agent by the way.
Official SHOT Show Media Day Notepad: We’re dedicated to this web site and fully intend to keep writing after the total breakdown of civilization. So we’re packing a notepad. Granted, we haven’t figured out how we’re going to handle worldwide distribution…

ZCORR Vacuum Seal Bags

The vacuum seal is one tough cookie (bag.) It features what we reluctantly describe as a zip-lock seal. We say reluctantly because its nothing like the sandwich, or even freezer bag type. It feels about 1/2” thick and locks together in clamp like fashion. If we had access to a fragmentation grenade, we would love to set one off inside the bag just to see if the seal held. 50/50 chance that it would.

Once you have your survival kit in the bag and have zipped the seal shut, it’s time to vacuum out the excess air. Just place most any vacuum hose over the waterproof seal and draw out the air.

That’s it.

If you’re going to do something ridiculous like bury stuff in a swamp, ZCORR recommends using an external container to prevent tears to the bag, but let us tell you, this bag is tough. We buried it in it’s birthday suit.

Check back in a few weeks. We’re going to:

Eat swamp macaroni and cheese
Make .38 Swamp Special reloads and shoot them
Fire a .44 Remington Bison with Swamp powder
Torch something with a Swamp Zippo
Play some puzzle games
And finally finish refinishing that gun…

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: accessories, apocalypse, reviews, storage, zombies

Review: 5.11 Tactical COVRT 18 Backpack

February 6, 2012 By Tom Leave a Comment

We put the 5.11 Tactical COVRT 18 Backpack through the ringer. It’s one of three packs selected for our 2012 SHOT Show Challenge. We even ran the TSA gauntlet with it - sans detainment or other embarrassing incident. Our standard luggage was far less successful and every single piece got molested by the feds. Once at SHOT 2012, we stuffed it full of food, water, shooting stuff, and tech gear for Media Day at the Range. Then, for three more days, we crammed obscene amounts of SHOT Show marketing and press collateral into them. And a veritable boatload of cool giveaway goodies. Then we brought it all home. In other words, we subjected it to a regimen designed to create a high risk of pack destruction.

A look at the 5.11 COVRT 18

This is a full size combination cubicle-tactical bag – suitable for use in the field, on the road, or for your office junk. It’s got a really interesting combination of features that make it a great crossover pack for field gear AND electronics. The COVRT is designed to “blend in.” Offered in 5 different color schemes, it looks right at home in any urban environment – by design. While loaded with plenty of tactical features like drag handle, concealed weapons compartments, QuickTact straps, and lots of external attachment points, the COVRT does not scream tactical. While it offers the features, it’s not nearly tactical looking enough for fully qualified mall ninjas. Only real covert operators and regular folks looking for a quality backpack need apply for this one.

Internal laptop sleeve

The COVRT 18 fits a 15″ MacBook Pro perfectly in the vertical position. Just for reference, this computer is just about 14.3 inches wide and 9.82 inches deep. Oh, and this sleeve is padded. The internal laptop sleeve also offers a strap that will hold smaller notebooks, netbooks, iPads and the like in place. it wouldn’t fit around the MacBook Pro, nor was it needed for larger devices like full size notebooks.

Dedicated sunglasses / goggles pocket

This is located at the very top of the pack behind the grab handle and is lined with soft fluffy material that won’t scratch your ESS Crossbow Eyeshields. The pocket is sized for just the eyewear and won’t fit extra large cases. The whole point however, is that you don’t need to lug your eyewear case around. This is a feature that sounds unimportant, but turns out to be really handy.

BBS weapons pocket

This pack uses the 5.11 Tactical Back-up Belt System. That allows you to carry a gun holster, magazine pouches, and other gear compatible with the system in a hidden pouch. The BBS pouch is accessible through zippers on both sides of the COVRT 18 so it’s handy for both righties and lefties. This weapon storage method appears to be more useful for transport and deep concealment – it won’t help you win any speed draw contests. We tried it with a Glock 32 and a couple of spare magazines and there was plenty of room and the gun was held securely. 5.11 offers a variety of pouches compatible with the BBS System – holster, magazine carrier, handcuff pouch, collapsible baton pouch and a mace / pepper spray or flashlight pouch.

Quick access flex-cuff channel

Sorry but as this is a PG rated publication, we can’t comment on our use of flex cuffs while in Vegas. But if you’re a law enforcement, military or private security type, it’s a nice added touch to have quick access without rummaging through the pack.

Pockets, pockets, pockets…

The COVRT 18 offers enough pockets to keep us organization freaks busy for months. Main compartment; laptop sleeve; two mesh zipper pouches in the main compartment; hydration bladder compartment; four additional zipper-enclosed exterior pockets; and more. We’re pretty sure that the COVRT 18 can handle more gear than the Bat Utility Belt. As we recall, even Batmans belt did not have specialized storage for beverage containers (or smoke grenades) in exterior mesh pockets, Tide-To-Go pens, or business cards. Not that Batman ever needed business cards – those sexy tights were always a dead giveaway.

Straps

One of the standout features of the 5.11 COVRT 18 is comfort. Not only are the main straps wide and well padded, they make use of cinch straps to secure the main compartment load. An adjustable sternum strap helps keep the shoulder straps right where you want them. The integrated grab handle has both tactical and non-tactical uses. Mounted between the shoulder straps just before they connect to the pack body, the grab handle is thick and well padded. And sturdy. After three days of SHOT Show, the My Gun Culture staff had to resort to dragging me off the show floor in a comatose state. Oh, it’s also handy for quick moves and carries without fully mounting the pack over one or both shoulders. Nice feature – not just because it’s there, but because its well designed.

The final word

This is one of the most functional and diverse packs we’ve every used. Equally great for toting office gear around airports and shooting gear around the range. Love it.

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: 5.11 tactical, backpacks, gear, Mall Ninjas, SHOT Show, tactical

Review: ESS Crossbow Eyeshields

November 29, 2011 By Tom 9 Comments

Serious But Comfortable Eye Protection

The Good

Wow. These are really comfortable. The field of vision is by far the best among the dozen or so different types of eye protection in our assorted shooting bags.

The Bad

Three of us have been sharing one set. Fighting erupts over who gets to use them on any given range trip.

The Ugly

None of our reviewers was willing to get shot in the face to test the toughness claims. Wimps.

Our Rating

Four Nuns!

Suggested Retail Price: $105.00

www.esseyepro.com

We didn’t know we were supposed to get presents to celebrate the United States Marines 236th birthday. Apparently that’s exactly the case as the folks at ESS, a subsidiary of Oakley, sent us a set of Crossbow 3LS Eyeshields to (abuse) evaluate just in time to celebrate the big event. And, as everyone knows, ESS Eyeshields are the only approved eye protection for United States Marines. Coincidence? We think not.

If you’re not familiar with ESS, they specialize in abuse. Or more specifically making sure that ones eyes are protected in harsh and abusive environments. ESS offers a broad array of glasses, goggles, and other eye protection products for military, law enforcement, fire and rescue professionals. For the general purpose shooter, the Cross Series and Ice product lines are ideal.

The Cross Series includes a family of three product lines with interchangeable components:

Crosshair	The entry-level kit. Includes basic protective lenses without advanced anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings. The Crosshair series products are upgradeable with all Cross Series premium components.
Suppressor	Specially designed frames for use with cup style hearing protection and communication systems. The ultra-thin frame helps eliminate pressure points and maintain the effectiveness of hearing protection by not interfering with the seal. Lenses are interchangeable with Crosshair and Crossbow frames.
Crossbow	The Crossbow is the flagship of the line and features a no-slip frame and includes lenses with anti-fog and anti-scratch coatings.

All Cross Series products are available in a variety of single, double, and triple lens packagings.

In the Box

Our evaluation set was the Crossbow 3LS (3 Lens System) package. This kit includes:

Black Tri-Tech Fit Crossbow Frame
Smoke grey lens
High definition yellow lens
Clear lens
(2) soft pouches for lens storage
Hard zipper case
Lens cleaning cloth
Snap on retention strap
ESS sticker and instructions

Love At First Sight

With any product we evaluate, we like to find the ‘stand out’ feature. With the ESS Crossbow eyewear, that’s easy. It’s the fit. The Crossbows are light and balanced, but that’s not the biggest benefit of their fit. These glasses conform to your face and ride very close to your eyes. The biggest benefit of this is the effect on peripheral vision. Neither the top of the frame or bottom of the lens cluttered up our field of view. This is the only set of shooting glasses that we’ve been able to forget about while on the range. They’re great for shooting sports where peripheral vision is key – sporting clays, IDPA, USPSA, etc.

Lens Swapping

Second to comfort, the other stand out feature of the Crossbow eyewear is the manner in which lenses are changed. Our evaluation set came with three lenses in smoke grey, clear, and yellow to cover a variety of indoor and outdoor light conditions. Our experience with other shooting glasses systems prepared us to expect a lens snapping ultimate fighting bout to remove one lens and add a new one. It’s never easy as most systems rely on high tension lens mounts which force the user to bend and contort frames in order to remove and add lenses. The Crossbow was different. While the outside corners of the Crossbow lenses do snap into place snugly and securely, the method of removal is different. The Crossbow frame features a locking mechanism just above the bridge of the nose. Rotate it upwards and the lenses are unlocked from the frame. Each lens includes holes which are used by this locking clip. Once the lens is unlocked, simply pull the lens downward and it is easily removed. Add the new lens, rotate the locking clip into place, and you’re good to go. Much easier than traditional pressure mounted lens systems. It was plenty secure and at no time was there risk of a lens coming loose.

Dude! You Shot Me In The Face!

Reading through the customer testimonials on the ESS website is quite an experience. Customers describe being shot at, blown up, sprayed in the face with toxic waste, burned up, and a host of other misfortunes. We developed all sorts of aches and pains just reading these stories.

Strangely enough, no one on our editorial staff was willing to volunteer to get shot in the face. So we’ll share this reader testimonial from the ESS website instead:

I am writing to show and tell you of the in-field performance of the fantastic protective eyewear ESS has developed. The attached photos were taken before and after a sniper attack outside of Mosul, Iraq, on July 3, 2006. I was positioned in the right rear hatch of my rolling Stryker when a sniper that had claimed the life of a fellow soldier and good friend three days prior struck again. This time, the snipers bullet hit my gun mount and continued on to fragment and splatter on the right lens of my ESS CDI sunglasses. While I was knocked down with the impact of the bullet, I suffered only minor injuries to my head and was back in action within the week. As strong testimony to the physical toughness of the CDI glasses, after the sniper attack I simply replaced the fractured lenses and continued to wear the glasses in combat for the remaining five months of duty in Baghdad. The frames were dinged a bit, but still functioned as new, even after taking a hit from a 7.62 sniper round.Many thanks to your product development department and all of those associated with making these fine products available to our brave young men and women that continue to fight the fight in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Sgt. Ross Shores, 172nd Stryker Brigade, 562nd Eng. Co

Closing Arguments

We really like these glasses. The combination of light weight, close and comfortable fit, and excellent field of view make them a keeper. The close fit and wrap around lens style provide eye protection from all angles. Highly recommended.

Check out other My Gun Culture product reviews here!

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: eye protection, eyewear, reviews

Review: The Gun Tool from Real Avid

May 7, 2011 By Tom Leave a Comment

The Good

One relatively lightweight tool to carry in my shooting bag.

The Bad

No pliers included. In fairness though, this ‘feature’ probably prevents me from doing damage to things that should not be messed with using pliers. So let’s put this one in the benefit category!

The Ugly

I would like to see a lock on the knife blade. It opens solidly, and the shape of the tool generally keeps your fingers away from where the blade closes, but aggressive cutting still makes me a bit nervous.

Our Rating

Four Nuns! This removes a cheap screwdriver, my primary Leatherman, and about 712 choke tube wrenches from my shooting bag!

The Gun Tool

The Gun Tool

Approximate Retail Price: $24.99

www.realavid.com

At the recent NRA Annual Meeting, I had the pleasure of meeting some of the crew from Real Avid, makers of The Gun Tool. Those kind folks, who didn’t know better, offered to send a Gun Tool back with me for the rigorous My Gun Culture evaluation protocol. Well, the testing has been completed and here’s the report…

As it is made specifically for guns, this may just be the tool that prevents me from damaging…

Scope windage and elevation knobs (again)
My Glock and shotgun trigger groups (again)
Grip screws (yet again)
My shotgun barrels and chokes (again)

Yes, I have an issue with trying to accomplish things with whatever tool is at hand – whether it’s the right for the job or not. What, you can’t use a screwdriver and a rock for everything?

The Gun Tool features the following built-in tools:

Mean looking knife blade for ammo boxes and wolverines (see below)
Choke tube wrench (10, 12, 16, 20, and 28 gauges and .410 bore)
Scope adjustment blade with curved contour
Pin punch – steel with rounded flat point profile
Flat blade 1/8″ screwdriver bit
Flat blade 3/16″ screwdriver bit
Phillips head screwdriver bit
Phillips head screwdriver bit
Torx T10 driver
Torx T15 driver
Torx T20 driver
Hex 3/32″ driver
Hex 5/32″ driver
3/16″ magnetic driver
Magnetic storage container for screwdriver bits

During comprehensive testing of The Gun Tool, I found this handy list of things I can accomplish without using any other tools. And yes, I did in fact personally verify that all of these things are possible.

Change choke tubes on my Winchester 9410 .410 lever action shotgun (yes, that gun is way more fun than threatening my dogs with the vacuum – and that’s saying a lot. Fear not, I love my dogs and they have more fun being threatened than I have threatening them)
Clean underneath my finger nails with the scope adjustment blade (it’s not too sharp like the screwdriver bits)
I can completely detail strip my Glock 32 as the steel pin punch fits all three frame pins
I can clean corn out of my teeth with the claw blade (provided I’m really careful)
I can shotgun a beer with the punch tip
I can change the grip backstrap on my Beretta PX4 – the scope blade fits the u-pin perfectly and is wide enough not to deform the pin which is somewhat tight fitting
I can use it to hunt wolverines in Alaska
I can re-zero the battle sights on my M-1 Garand
I can remove the grips on every handgun I own except my Beretta 92FS (the hex screws are just a tad too small for The Gun Tool)
And a whole lot more…

This is a really handy invention. Compact and light. I love carrying one tool that does a whole mess-load (that’s a lot) of things. I’m always in need of some tweak or adjustment when at the range you know. Highly recommended!


Adding to my moderately impressive tool collection is always a good thing. Plus, when folks at the range ask me what it is, I can tell them it’s a highly specialized gun tool. Then they tend to think I’m a much better shooter than I really am. I mean top shooters have specialized tools right?	I just love my Browning Gold Fusion 12 gauge. Having one handy tool to change my choke tubes and the ones on his wimpy little .410 is really nice!

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: accessories, nra, reviews, shotguns, tools

Review: Mack’s Ear Seals Shooter Earplugs

January 29, 2011 By Tom 1 Comment

The Good

GREAT sound reduction and comfortable fit

The Bad

Not incredibly sexy to wear out.

The Ugly

Does not improve your shooting

Our Rating

Four Nuns

My Gun Culture Bottom Line

Macks Ear Seals Shooters Ear Plugs

Mack’s Ear Seals Shooter Earplugs

Retail Price: ~$3.25

macksearplugs.com

Mack’s offers a broad range of earplugs for multiple applications – shooting, construction, mothers-in-law, and screaming kids to name a few. The Ear Seals model is a low-cost, yet very effective design featuring a -27dB noise reduction rating. These were perhaps the quietest semi-disposable earplugs that we’ve used – and we’ve tried ‘em all.

Macks Ear Seals Shooters Ear Plugs Hard Plastic Case

Includes Hard Plastic Storage Case

These have a removable cord which is handy for in and out convenience at the range. Better yet, a hard plastic case is included to keep them squeaky clean between uses.

We found that this was in fact one of those times when it pays to actually read the instructions. To get them in with a good solid fit, just rotate them into your ear like a screw, although use of power tools is not advised. Once that’s done, you have a very snug and secure fit that will last hours without adjustment.


OK, so I have small ears for a dude. So these fit me really well and are comfortable for longer periods of time due to the soft material used. I’ll have to get my own pair though, SHE won’t part with them. I guess I can find a way to swing the three bucks.	I love these! They are super comfortable. The rectangular case is handy and I love the multi-colored cord! It’s easy to find in my purse. I also tried removing the cord and it worked like a champ which enables me to use just the plugs for when “he’s” snoring.

Filed Under: Accessories, Reviews Tagged With: accessories, reviews

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