Author Archives: Woodsbum

CZ Scorpion Review – Because it looks awesome

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by Woodsbum

This is a quickie post about the CZ Scorpion. We ran across this review on YouTube and had to share.

Check this out:

And before you ask, GunGuy REALLY wants one…. Oh yes. He does…….

Handtools for Trail Work – NFS Film

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by Woodsbum

This video is about handtools that are used for building and repairing National Forest trails. The importance of this video stems from the instructional basis that covers the actual usage of these tools from both a safety and function standpoint.

I hope you enjoy this video as much as I do.

Shooting my Smith and Wesson Mod 13-1

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by Woodsbum

Finally got a chance to take out the .357 I got. I took it out and plinked with it a bit the same night I took out my KSG. The only time I could shake free of all my other commitments was after work and in the early evening, albeit just past dusk. All the shooting actually occurred via flashlight or with the aid of my truck’s headlights. It is also nice to note that it was 30 degrees, very windy and I had my family with me. Needless to say, it wasn’t all pina coladas and bikinis. There was a strong shiver influence with each shot fired, so keep that in mind…..

Here is the “semi” final configuration for this pistol. I have an M-3 military holster for it that I had to do some leather work on to allow it to fit over coats and a Butler Creek oversized hand grip on it until I get my custom corian grips built.

Current Configuration of S&W K frame

Due to the bad weather, my range was not the best in the world. I actually tried to take pictures of it several times, but it was too dark. Just so you understand where I was shooting, I live in a densely wooded region of the US that has a lot of logging that takes place. We were shooting on a skidder landing off the side of a logging road at about 3500 ft elevation. There were patches of snow on the ground, it was 30 degrees according to my truck’s thermometer, and there were 25+ mph gusts of wind coming off the edge of the ridge. The only way I could get a solid range for the distance I was shooting was to wander around with my range finder until I could get any reading I could. The ONLY range that I could get to register was 19 yards from the top of a rock sticking out of the ground to a stump that we used to prop up the targets. All shots were at 19 yards for as close to “scientific” accuracy as this redneck could muster at that time…..

These shots were fired at a IDPA cardboard target at 19 yards distance in high wind and through the use of my truck’s headlights. The first one shows the 158 gr .357 Independence brand cartridge results.

.357 158 gr Independence Results

As you can see, I must have held a little low and left. For sake of my pride, I will blame gloves and environment for the poor shooting. I will say that it was not too bad considering I could barely see the old school fixed sights. Most of my aiming was by instinct and best guess since I couldn’t see the sights that well. For those of you who are not familiar with the sizing of these targets, the ring is 8 inches in diameter. This means that I had around a 4′ grouping. Also, for pride’s sake, I will mention that these were also the first 6 rounds I put through this pistol since I purchased it.

IDPA Target Specs

The next shots were taken with Remington 140 gr .38 Special. I was pretty frozen at this time for I almost forgot to shoot something to take pictures. As you can see, my son already got to this target a few times with the KSG we were also plinking with. Again, the range was 19 yards and in the same conditions. The only additional thing I would mention is that I had already been shooting for about 90 minutes and there are 2 holes right next to each other… Yup. Almost put one in after another… Oh yea…. Then again, forget the others that are not touching…..

.38 Special 140 gr results

Now I would like to point out that I also fired 1 round of Horady 140 gr Leverevolution in .357. I killed an empty .38 special box at around 12 yards with a single shot right through the center of the box. That tells me that all 3 of these rounds seem to hit in the same location at similar distances. I am sure that with someone warm and having a steadier hand, there will be some definite differences in trajectory and point of impact. For this cold and 1/2 frozen redneck at night and dealing with cold family members, I claim that the fired the same.

Since I decided to start increasing my firearms inventory beyond the firearms that I was intimately familiar with I have run across several that impressed me. This is definitely one that impressed. It impressed me more and I enjoy shooting it more than any other pistol I currently own, which really says a lot for those that know me. The only thing I have enjoyed firing more was my KSG.

KSG Night Shoot and First Outing

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by Woodsbum

Well, I have had this sitting in my gun safe for a couple weeks while I compiled my money for some sort of sight and got time to go try it out. Last night I made a flying run home after work, loaded up the family and we made a trip to the hills to go play with the KSG and my .357. My son also brought his new 12 gauge H&R single shot (which is an absolute riot to shoot as well).

Here is how my KSG looks now:

It has the following accessories:
1) Knight’s Armament verticle foregrip
2) LaserLyte Center Mass Green Laser
3) Vortx Strikefire II Red/Green Dot
4) Some light I got at a gun show – I broke somehow last night and am looking for a replacement

For those of you who complain about recoil:
Seriously? It is a 12 gauge. It’s recoil is less than my double barrel Stevens. It is even less than my son’s single shot H&R 12 gauge. If you think the recoil is bad on this then I suggest a .22, airsoft or some specialty built semi-auto that has recoil reduction accessories installed. We put 9 boxes of shells through it last night and 4 I burned through by myself. My son burned through 3 and my wife burned through 2. Again, I say that anyone with recoil complaints should rethink their own capabilities and quite blaming the firearm.

For those that think it jams:
Learn to actually use a pump shotgun. Quit short stroking it. We used up 9 boxes in the KSG alone and NEVER HAD A JAM. It worked flawlessly and was silky smooth.

For those that dislike the ergonomics from pictures:
It actually snaps up to give you a perfect sight picture quite instinctively. Since it is so short and easy to maneuver I never had a problem with snap shooting it and getting the butt caught on my bulky clothing (it was 30 degrees in the hills where we were shooting). The optic ends up right in front of your eye and it just ends up resting perfectly against your shoulder. Very nice fit and feel.

For those that think it is too hard to reload:
Sure, detachable magazines are quite common in many firearms. I don’t know if it would matter that much in a true SHTF situation. Having been prior military, I don’t see myself using this for much more than CQB/MOUT type situations anyway, so 15 rounds is much better than the 8 the shotguns they gave us held. It took a bit of time to reload with gloves on, but after I got the hang of it I was able to quickly fill it back up. I was definitely no speed shooter like the competition guys, but the quick target acquisition and smooth firing of this weapon makes up for a lot of the “issues with having to reload 2 magazines.” It really wasn’t that bad.

No SIGHT? ARRGGGG!!!!!
Uh…. Ok. Many AR’s require you to buy sights. Just because the gun shop tosses some MAGPULs on before you buy it doesn’t mean that it came from the factory that way. Ever buy a hunting rifle? No iron sights and not even a set of mounts are included with most I have ever seen……

$1000?!?!?!?! Seriously?
Well, a MSRP for a 870 Express Malpul FDE is $900 and I have rails already installed. A Mossberg 890 Magpul series is MSRP around $775 and has no rails installed. I guess you could take a wood funiture old Winchester Model 12 from a pawn shop and buy some accessories for it to make it “tacticool,” but the KSG is current and uses current technology in its production, comes with enough rails to hang about anything, and you can even install a choke tube adapter for around $100 with tool cost to run WinChokes at $15 per…… Even if I bought every possible upgrade for this weapon system I am out a total of $200 for the stainless followers, choke tube adapter and the tools to install both. Heck, I didn’t even have to buy a sling because it came with one…….

For those considering a tactical shotgun:
You can get cheaper shotguns that you can hang ever bell and whistle on that you would ever care to attach. You can see what I have on mine and it still weighs less fully loaded than most people’s “tacticool” 590′s and 870′s….. I didn’t even have to buy new rails, fore end, or anything because it already had rails on it.

All in all, I am completely amazed and in love with this firearm. It is very short and compact, is butter smooth, and works flawlessly. I am almost embarrassed to admit, but I was so excited to take this out last night I forgot to even clean it up. It was “tested” right out of the box with only the factory oil and protective crap they do to it. When I cleaned it up afterwards it was even more smooth and fluid. Any complaints about this shotgun seem far fetched to me after having fired it last light. Maybe either user error or jealousy? I don’t know, but the KSG is awesome…..

ESEE 3 with Sheath and Grizzly Firesteel

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by Woodsbum

Several years ago I picked up an ESEE 3 knife for use as a bushcrafting neck knife. It is tough, keeps an edge, is light weight for its size and actually fits my large hands. There are all sorts of reviews and perspectives on this knife floating around the Internet. What I wanted to do was to show you how 3 years of hard bushcrafting use will do to this knife and how a few good accessories will make this a phenomenal field tool.

My ESEE 3 with Grizzly sheath and firesteel

First off, let me talk about the knife. I got this as a NIB “catch and release” from someone who did not like the weight or narrow stature of this knife. This allowed me to get it at about 60% of the normal cost without it having ever been used. It was still in the plastic that it was shipped in. This is important to note because all the wear and tear you see was done by me in the woods. When it came to me I found that it had some sort of odd coating over the entire blade, excluding the sharpened edge. This made it impossible to use as a striker or to get a spark off a firesteel. I went ahead and squared off the spine of the blade and made it capable of use with a firesteel. This was the only modification I made to the knife itself.

Squared off spine

The other accessories that I got that made this the great field tool that it is were the ESEE sheath and a firesteel from Grizzly. The sheath is very well constructed and has an internal tension type retention for the blade. It will hang upside down all day long without issue, but will pop right out with only a little pressure from my thumb and a pull. It also does not rattle at all in the sheath while hiking, hunting or general be-bopping around in the woods. The firesteel stays in place very well in the molded Kydex attachment. All being said, this is a very nice setup for someone wanting a dependable field knife.

As you can see from the pictures, I have used the firesteel quite a bit. It is not a tough as one of the H60’s, but it is a close second. I would not hesitate to use this as my primary fire igniter or as a secondary system in case something happens.

There are clips for the sheath that allow you to carry the knife in a variety of ways. Since I wanted something that I could slip around my neck for any number of outdoors activities like duck hunting or general camping, I opted for a neck carry. As time as gone on, I am now considering getting a clip to attach this knife to my tactical chest rig. Only time will tell if I move forward with that plan, but it is definitely something that I have been considering.

I can not speak highly enough of this configuration. For less than $150 you can get a screaming deal on a knife configuration that will last you a lifetime if you take care of it. I highly recommend this for anyone looking at a production type field knife.