Accessories

Readers can legitimately question the wisdom of buying a $650 AR and spending $700 more on it. Such is the case with the Modern Sporting Rifle. It is a hole into which you can just keep pouring money.

Stealth Cam's new Professional HD Camera is an ultra-compact game camera that features the ZX7 Processor, which produces a faster trigger speed and longer battery life.

Low-power scopes with illuminated reticles bridge the gap between close-range red-dot sights and high-power scopes. These scopes are built with ARs in mind, but could be used on other types of rifles. We recently tested a trio of these dual-use optics, which were compact, lightweight, employed a 30mm tube with a small objective lens, and featured an illuminated reticle. The distinctive differences between them were the reticles. The players were the Leupold Model VX-R Patrol 1.25-4x20mm, $580; Hi-Luxs CMR 1-4x24mm, $400; and the Millett DMS-1 1-4x24mm, $405.

All three scopes featured a fast-focus ocular lens, came with a battery, wore a matte black finish, and had some magnification. The Millett and the Hi-Lux came with flip-up lens covers that allowed use of the fast focus on the ocular lens housing. The turrets for all scopes clearly indicated adjustment direction. Before any lead was fired downrange, we went through our usual battery of tests.

With the illuminated reticle turned on we whacked the scopes on a wooden bench to determine if a jolt would have an effect, slamming both the objective and ocular with enough force to drive a roofing nail. The scope reticles remained lit and turrets and magnification rings operated. They were then subjected to a deep freeze (-4 F) and then soaked in hot water to see if seals leaked. The Hi-Lux and the Leupold do not have turret covers; the Millett does. We kept the turret covers on the Millett so not to give the other two scopes an advantage. The scopes were unfazed by the cold, with controls working with ease. Fogging was anticipated when they were removed from the freezer to room temperature, and all three fogged slightly, giving a milky view that still could be used effectively. The Millett took the longest, about 5 minutes, to completely clear. When placed in hot water, the Hi-Lux expelled a string of bubbles from the magnification ring and illumination knob. We anticipated the worse, but found the Hi-Lux to be fine. There was no water in the scope to be seen and controls worked perfectly. The Millett spat out a few bubbles from the turret caps, but like the Hi-Lux was unaffected. The Leupold expelled no bubbles. The reticles stayed lit during the soaking.

All scopes had the same resolution, with a clear view up to the very edge of the lens. No scope seemed to have an advantage with color/contrast. It was during the brightness test at dusk when the Leupold showed its stuff. It by far used the most light and provided the most brightness, our testers agreed. The Hi-Lux came in second, then the Millett.

We did note that the Leupold and Millett reticles, when not illuminated, were the easiest to employ because of their thick, black crosshairs. The Hi-Lux had much finer crosshairs, and when not illuminated, took more time to see. The three scopes showed a signature at night that was apparent downrange when viewed head on. A slight red glow could be seen from the Leupolds and Milletts objectives; we could see a green glow from the Hi-Lux. Reticles were adjusted across a grid and brought back to zero with no issues. All three scopes passed the non-shooting tests, so they progressed to range testing.

Range time was broken into two segments. First was close-range shooting at 50 yards, and second was precision shooting at 100 yards. We shot with and without the reticle illuminated. Close range consisted of what we dubbed the Romero Routine. With zombie targets at 50 yards, the rifle was shouldered with the muzzle pointing down at about 45 degrees, then the shooter raised the barrel and squeezed off two shots as fast as he could into the cranial area of a Zombie Industries (ZombieIndustries.com) target. George Romero directed Night of the Living Dead in 1968, and from this cult classic we all know only head shots kill zombies. Then, from a benchrest at 100 yards, we shot the box to check tracking and return to zero. We also checked point of impact by shooting at minimum and maximum magnifications. Zombies at 100 yards were also on the agenda.

A Stag Arms Model 7 (StagArms.com) flattop in 6.8 SPC was used with a Leupold Mark 2 IMS (Integral Mounting System) with 30mm rings for all scopes. The Mark 2 IMS provided the correct height needed for an AR. Ammo consisted of Silver State Armory (SSArmory.com) cartridges loaded with 110-grain Nosler AccuBond bullets that zipped at 2550 fps. The combination of rifle, ammo, and any of the scopes were a good setup. They worked like a team. The scopes, which are all close in length and weight, balanced nicely on the rifle, placing weight between a shooters hands. Testers felt any of the scopes would work and work hard, but it was the subtle details of each scope that tipped the ratings. Heres what we discovered once the brass cooled.

We have several times tested oils in a simple comparison to see which offers better protection against rust than the others. Weve run this test with several ancient and modern fluids by the simple expedient of grinding off a piece of steel, marking off areas on it, anointing each area with different oils or greases, and letting the steel bar sit outdoors for days or weeks to rust. After a week or two we generally apply some salt to make the test somewhat tougher.A manufacturers representative read our most recent report (July 2010) and offered to put his product, Fluid Film, to our test. The product is made by Eureka Chemical Co. We received a sample in an aerosol spray can holding 11.75 oz. The product is labeled as a penetrant and lubricant, and is supposed to give long-lasting rust and corrosion protection. The product is wool-wax based, which is lanolin. In addition to its penetrating and lubricating qualities, it is claimed to not harm paints, plastic, or synthetic rubbers.

Kowa Sporting Optics's newest product is the TSN-IP4S iPhone adapter for the iPhone 4 and 4S models. It's an easy way for digiscopers who also own the iPhone 4/4s to capture photos and videos through Kowa BD, SV, and YF 30 to 50mm binoculars and Kowa TSN-880/770 spotting scopes.

Galco Gunleather’s KingTuk IWB holster now accepts Glock pistols with Viridian C Series lasers attached. This new KingTuk variant also includes built-in, patent-pending ECR technology which automatically activates the light/laser as the pistol is drawn.

Due to overwhelming grassroots opposition from law-abiding gun owners and California’s firearms industry members, SB 249 was pulled from the Assembly Appropriations Committee hearing calendar for Thursday, Aug. 16. This means that the bill is dead for the year.

NSSF reports that overall U.S. imports (in units) in six sporting arms and ammunition categories increased 41.0 percent in June 2012 compared to June 2011. June 2012 imported units in tracked categories totaled 203.2 million, up from 144.2 million reported in June 2011.

Burris will offer a $50 Rebate on it popular Fullfield E1 Riflescope line with the Ballistic Plex E1 reticle. To take advantage of this rebate program, consumers need to purchase one of the Fullfield E1 scopes in 2x7x-35mm, 3x-9x-40mm, 3x-9x50mm, or 4.5-14x-42mm configurations by Dec. 31, 2012.

After reading the test of .410-bore shotshells adjacent, shooters may wonder what guns are good choices to shoot the small-gauge self-defense rounds. While we can't attest to how a given gun will work with a given shell, we can recommend some firearms that generally suit the .410 shotshell in home-defense situations.

About a year ago, Ray Ordorica compared two handguns chambered for the .410 shotshell, the S&W Governor 45 ACP, 45 LC, 410/2.5-inch, $679; and the Taurus Judge Model 4510TKR-3BUL 45 LC/410 2.5-inch, $620. We learned back then that these handguns performed better with smaller shot. Ray first patterned the Gov at 3 yards, which gave a pattern with Winchester Super-X No. 7.5 shot that fit onto a sheet of 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper. At 5 yards from the muzzle, the pattern with the Governor spread to about 18 inches. This was far superior to what we got with shot loads from the Judge, he reported, which would spread to about a foot at only 3 feet. The same held true with the #4 shot. The Governor's pattern slightly overlapped a sheet of paper with a spotty pattern fired from 9 feet, but at that same range the Judge barely struck the paper. At 15 feet, the pattern differences were astounding. The Smith Governor put all its shot into a 17-inch circle. The Judge put its shot into a 34-inch circle, twice the diameter. The Judge's pattern had many holes, but the Governor's pattern was even, and quite impressive. The shotshell results very much favored the Smith & Wesson.

With 000 buck from 20 feet, the results from both guns were spotty. He concluded the maximum range for 000 buck is about 20 feet.

We recently had the pleasure of testing one of the first copies of Ruger's just-announced new 10/22 Takedown, $389, and as is usual in this magazine, we wanted to test it against other takedown rifles. To that end we organized the simultaneous testing of the age-old but still in production semi-auto Browning SA-22, $700, and the even older lever-action design by Marlin, the 39A, $702. All of these rifles come apart easily for storage or transportation. Other than that feature, the rifles were miles apart in design and also in overall weight. However, considerations of not only weight but also shortness, ease of disassembly, and retained accuracy when reassembled, have major effects on the choices of one or the other of these for boat, off-road, or light-aircraft use. We kept that in mind as we examined each one. We tested with Federal AutoMatch, Eley Match EPS, CCI MiniMag solids, and Winchester Power Point HPs. Here's what we found.

Swarovski Optik North America’s new ATX/STX scopes have a modular, ergonomic designs with the zoom and focusing rings next to each other.