Monthly Archives: September 2014

Reloading in the Bush

by Woodsbum

For many years our family has used the old school Lee Loader to reload .410 shells. We really didn’t think too much about it until someone saw the little setup we had and was amazed. This little loader allows you to literally reload your .410 shells out in the field if you wished. You are not tied down to a reloading bench and all sorts of permanently mounted equipment. Other than the kit you only need a hand priming system and a small wooden mallet.

This is the loading kit I am referring to:

Lee Loader

This got me to thinking whether other field type kits were available still or if I was stuck looking for older gear if I wanted something else. A quick search came up with the following results:

.308 Hand Loader
9mm Hand Loader
.38 SPL Hand Loader
.223 Hand Loader
30-06 Hand Loader

These were just a few of the calibers that were available. I didn’t feel like over linking this post, so just click one of the links above and do a search for your specific caliber.

There are also other items that are available to assist if you are setting up to reload in the field. Lee also makes a hand press that will allow you to use your normal dies. It just requires you to strong arm the lever rather than having it bolted to a table. Of course it is also single stage and not progressive, so you wouldn’t want to fill AR15 magazines with what you are loading by hand. It would work well for a SHTF situation or if you had to rebuild some loads with a different bullet weight while in the field for instance. Here is the kit.

Lee Hand Press Kit

Some other items that might be handy if you decide to set up for reloading in the field would be the powder measure kit and maybe some sort of scale to ensure you are getting the right loads.

Even though this might seem a bit extreme just think back to the end of the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Most sportsmen would have similar setups that they took with them to reload as needed in the bush. Factory loads were expensive and had some problems with reliability depending on where you lived. If they were able to reload their hunting loads and pull off the shots that they did, why not take a look at grabbing some equipment for yourself. You don’t have to get a $700 Dillon or Ponsness Warren setup to reload. People like Billy Dixon were able to pull off almost 1 mile shots with their loads. I don’t think that is too bad with an old 50-90 Sharpes, so think how well some simple gear and practice could do for you and your .270.

Here is a video that shows how to use the Lee Hand Loader.

Stag Model 2 Upgrades

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by Gunguy

I made some upgrades to my Stag Model 2. I wanted to improve the aesthetics and the handling of the rifle.

I replaced the forend with a Magpul MOE carbine forend, added some Magpul rails to the top and bottom, installed a Magpul angled fore grip, added a Magpul BAD lever, attached a Midwest Industries end plate adapter, purchased a Specter Gear one point sling which is in the picture but then I replaced it with the Magpul MS3 sling which I think is better and more versatile, replaced the stock charging handle with a BCM Mod 5 to give me a larger surface area when charging and finally replaced the stock trigger with a Geissele super dynamic combat trigger.

The gun handled well before I made the changes. After the upgrades running the rifle was freaking fantastic. I took a carbine class this spring and I put 1200 rounds through it over the course of two days with only one failure to eject. The Geissele trigger is amazing and I would recommend this upgrade first. I put links to all of the items, prices and pics below. Post a comment if you have any questions and I’ll get back to you.

Magpul MOE Handguard – $34

Magpul MOE Accesory Rails – $15

Magpul Angled Foregrip – $41

BAD Lever – $28

Midwest Industries AR-15 MCTAR-30HD Sling Adapter – $64

Specter Gear Viper 1 Point Sling – $41

Magpul MS3 Sling – $48

BCM Gunfighter AR-15 Mod 5 Charging Handle – $45

Geissele Super Dynamic Combat Trigger – $220

These items were on the gun before adding the above.

Safariland Rail Light Mount-$34

Led Lenser Flashlight -$25

Eotech Holo Sight w/ Dual ARMS Levers and Base – $550

Bridgford Ready To Eat Sandwiches

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by Woodsbum

Today’s post is near and dear to my heart. It is about food. I love food and love food that is able to be stored for long periods of time, be easily transported, takes no real preparation before consuming, and ACTUALLY TASTES GOOD. Enter the Bridgford Read to Eat Sandwich.

This sandwich package was about $6 for two wrapped breakfast creations. There are tons of different varieties, but this was what we tried first. I figured that anyone who could make a French toast sandwich in a shelf stable form that tasted decent was on to something. Now I have eaten MORE than my fair share of MRE’s while in the military. Many were barely edible, but some were pretty good. The most current batches are actually downright tasty. If Bridgford is able to tap into any of that tastiness for their product, these things might be a winner….. Now for the opening and testing.

This is how the sandwiches are packaged. Two of these tan wrapped sandwiches come in each plastic bag.

Bridgford Sandwiches

The foil wrappers are just like MRE wrappers and open exactly the same. As a nice change, however, there is nutrition information on the side if each sandwich. It also makes it nice to be able to figure out exactly what you are eating. Makes me wonder what the “4 Fingers of Death” (Beef Frankfurters) MRE really had in it…. Hmmmmm……

Nutrition Information

The actual sandwich look very reminiscent of the old MRE maple nut cakes. It also had that same smell, which definitely brought back memories. Here is what the look like with the wrapper pulled back.

Unwrapped

The taste was also very similar to the MRE maple nut cakes, but a bit more sweet due to the syrup. All in all, they were not that horrible. As a primary source of food on a daily basis you could not run fast enough to get me to eat one every morning. As an occasional meal while out in the woods or in a SHTF type situation, you bet I will be back in line for seconds. On my “Tastiness Scale” I would give it about a 6/10. As a matter of reference I consider my tuna casserole 1/10 and my prime rib a 10/10. This fits in around the BBQ chicken area of the chart.

I am actually looking forward to trying out several more variations of these sandwiches. If they can make the French toast into a shelf stable variant that tastes this good, their Italian and BBQ versions must be incredible.