Category Archives: Firearms

These are our BOOM STICKS!!!!

Vortex Viper PST 1-4x24mm SFP Review

by GunGuy

Vortex has become known as a company that brings better than class performance for a great price. Their PST line is made in the Philippines, which is common and makes some great glass and optics for other companies too. The PST differs from the HD line in that they have illuminated reticles.

The 1-4 PST is just the ticket for a short to medium range optic. The glass is very good and just as importantly the eye relief is very forgiving. This scope offers more dialing than I think is needed on an optic of 4x, but that is all user preference. The MRAD reticle along with the MIL adjustments means that you can quickly dial if you choose to. For example if you call a 1 MIL wind with the scope at 4x you would just dial 10 .1 MIL adjustments on your windage dial. No complicated math that comes from using a MIL reticle with MOA adjustments. Also the adjustments are very easy to make, so its worth running a rubber band or electrical tape over the knobs to keep from accidentally adjusting them by rubbing them on gear.

An important note to mention is that as a Second Focus Plane scope the reticle is only ‘right’ at one power, usually the highest and on this scope it is at 4X. That means a 1 MIL read with the scope at 2x would actually be 2MIL.

I’ve used this scope for tactical carbine class with ranges from muzzle to 450 yards and it works amazingly. At these ranges I don’t see a big enough difference in glass that I feel the need to run a different optic. This is a great scope and Vortex is a good company that stands behind their products with great customer service. If you don’t like it and aren’t happy they will do whatever they can to make it right. Buy with confidence, highly recommended.

Ruger Single Six 3 Screw

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by Woodsbum

As of late, I have purchased several new additions to my firearms collection. The newest one is a 1960’s Ruger Single Six .22 cal revolver. Being a hunter, I have always felt that everyone needs a .22 pistol to take rabbits and grouse while hunting other game in the field. These tend to be targets of opportunity and by carrying a small pistol it makes harvesting this game much easier. This was the way I was taught and have lived my entire life of hunting, so having a .22 pistol was just a natural thing. My current .22 pistol is a Beretta Neos and I have carried it for quite a while. Both my father and my brother have Single Sixes so when I ran across this one at a fair price, I went ahead and snatched it up.

My Single Six

The Ruger Single Six is a single action revolver that came with 2 cylinders. One was .22 lr and one was .22 mag. Used Single Sixes tend to have only the .22 lr cylinder due to the other one having been lost years before from lack of use. These pistols tend to be very accurate, are extremely tough and don’t really tend to have any mechanical issues so they are great carry pistols for small game.

The older models are called 3 screws due to the 3 screws used on the frame. They tend to have great triggers and are fairly collectible. The early ones have a flat feed cover while the ones like I picked up have a rounded one. The flat ones are more collectible, but either way they are great users.

Mine actually has the .22 mag cylinder with the .22 lr having been lost years before. Ironically, my brother’s is only 8000-ish numbers newer in serial number and has only the .22 lr. This brought me to looking around for a solution to my single cylinder problem. This is where I found an 8 shot cylinder solution from a very nice man names Al Story.

Borchardt Rifle Company

While speaking with him on the phone he said that these are made for the newer Single Sixes, but with a little sanding/fitting they would work for the older ones as well. He also said that he checks each one for timing to ensure that they will work without issue. This is a very important piece because dealing with Ruger is a nightmare.

Here is that story:
I called Ruger’s customer service to ask about getting a new cylinder for my pistol. After being transferred a couple times a gentleman answered my call. I told him about my desire to get a new cylinder and asked him about pricing, process, and time frame. Here is what I found out.

Ruger will not touch anyone’s older Single Six without installing a transfer bar and putting a HORRIBLE trigger into the pistol. For those that have fired a converted Single Six, you know exactly what I am talking about. The new ones are fine, but the older ones with the transfer bar installed no longer have the nice, smooth trigger. It catches and almost “clicks” when you pull it.
If I do have the upgrade done, then it will cost $180 for the cylinder. There might be a discount if I send it in because of them wanting to “get all the old style pistols converted” because “in this day and age all guns have to be as safe as possible.” In another words, they will hold your pistol hostage until you agree to what I call a downgraded action.
I will have to pay UPS or FedEx $100 to ship them the pistol. After some inquiry as to what he was talking about, he said that was some Federal law and I could get around it by paying Ruger $30 for a shipping label….. If they felt like offering that to me. I mentioned that S&W, Glock, and Colt pistols that I or my family have had to send back to the factory were covered by the manufacturer and I was very confused as to why Ruger would not cover those costs like other companies. He told me that they “might” cover the cost if they could get the pistol back to install the transfer bar, but I would probably have to go get the pistol shipped via UPS or FedEx at $100 cost to me.
I then asked how timing worked and if they also did any reconditioning, checked out the pistol, or anything else for the $180 cylinder cost. I asked because I found the drop in ones from Al Story for only $120. He said that I could “buy one from another gun but I had less than a 10% chance of it working.” In reading reviews and speaking with Al, I beg to differ. I am not a gunsmith and have not tried an after market solution, however. If I go that route, I will update everyone.
Ultimately, he was very dismissive and all conversations started off at a high priced solution that might get cheaper if I do “x” or “y.” This almost seemed like he was trying to gouge me for additional money throughout the entire process. This has been BY FAR the worst conversation I have ever had with a firearms manufacturer. Every other one has bent over backwards to make sure I was happy, so this almost seems out of place. Then I called my father and my brother. They both confirmed that dealing with Ruger has been a nightmare for them as well. Their suggestion was to get the Al Story cylinder and then have a gunsmith check it out.

Although I have not taken this pistol out and fired it yet, I am very excited and have high hopes for it. The reputation of this pistol has always been impeccable, so buying it was really a no brainer. Once I get it all cleaned up, tested, and a new cylinder for .22 lr I will post some more on it.

My final recommendation is as such. If and when you run into older pistols, make sure you research them. Don’t think that just because it is an older or discontinued style that it is no longer worth looking at. Some of the best users are those that have been used before.

Happy woods bumming!!!!!

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…….

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…..