New Audio on the way!

We are continuing to improve our videos. To that end we have a new piece of equipment on the way. Inbound is a Zoom H1 digital audio recorder and an Audio-Technica Lav microphone. This should allow us to record much clearer commentary and interviews at the range or outdoors in windy conditions. The on-camera microphone we have been using just doesn't cut it when the wind is up. The new gear should be in soon. Keep an eye on our YouTube channel for new reviews.


http://www.youtube.com/user/LoneWolfUSMC

SIG Blaser Tactical 2 Review

A friend called us up and asked if we would be interested in sending some rounds downrange through a new rifle he had in. Of course we couldn't say no. While our time was short, we decided to shoot some video and describe some features of this interesting rifle. Please check out our YouTube Channel to watch this video in HD.

Indoor Optical Training Aid (I.O.T.A.)

As most of us know, dry fire training is an integral part of a proper firearms training program. However getting this training can sometimes be as hard as getting to the range for live fire practice. Many of us are using high magnification variable scopes that are not capable of focusing down to the distances you find inside an average house. Chuck Neller realized this problem and came up with a great solution. He mounted an accessory lens into a Butler Creek scope cap. Chuck makes these lenses to specifically allow your scope to focus at 11 feet. In many cases you can use the full magnification of your scope. This allows you to select an extremely precise target for dry fire. More magnification amplifies the movement that we are trying to isolate and remove from our shooting technique.

The cost of the IOTA is currently $60. However when you realize that is less than the cost of match ammo for one good range trip it makes the IOTA a great deal. READ MORE

Kinetic Research Group - Bolt Lift

Have you ever wonder if you need a "tactical" bolt knob? Ever wonder if it will improve your speed on the bolt or if it will interfere with your trigger finger? What about the fear that once you send it off and spend all that money you just won't like it?

If any of this applies to you, then KRG Ops (Kinetic Research Group) has the product for you. It's called the Bolt Lift. It is a bolt-on tactical bolt knob. It has all the benefits of a gunsmith installed tactical bolt knob without any of the commitment.

Take a look at our review on the main site. For $28USD it's hard to resist.

The "Budget Precision" Project.....

With this post the "Budget Precision" project is off and running. We have just uploaded a YouTube video of us installing the Weaver Tactical Scope Base. If our TPS rings ever arrive we will get the second installment going. Until then we plan on throwing on a "placeholder" scope that is already ringed up and shooting some accuracy tests with the Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD.

If the conditions are favorable, we will get some range footage for the initial review video. I hope this happens, because you guys are going to get real tired of seeing me sit on my duff and talk about guns.



For more in depth info about the project, check out the main website (http://www.8541tactical.com)

2011 SHOT Show

Shot has already started, but we fly out tomorrow. Looking forward to getting some good intel and posting it up here. Stay tuned and please let us know in the comments if there is anything specific you would like to see.

Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD Overview

I wanted to test out a new HD Video camera we were borrowing, so I pulled the new Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD out of the safe and gave it a looking over. We will be doing a more detailed review once we can get a scope mounted up and take it to the range.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas (A Marine version)

'Twas the Night Before Christmas
(A Marine version)

'Twas the night before Christmas, he lived all alone,
In a one-bedroom house made of plaster and stone.
I had come down the chimney, with presents to give
and to see just who in this home did live.
 
As I looked all about, a strange sight I did see,
no tinsel, no presents, not even a tree.
No stocking by the fire, just boots filled with sand.
On the wall hung pictures of a far distant land.

With medals and badges, awards of all kind,
a sobering thought soon came to my mind.
For this house was different, unlike any I'd seen.
This was the home of a U.S. Marine.

I'd heard stories about them, I had to see more,
so I walked down the hall and pushed open the door.
And there he lay sleeping, silent, alone,
Curled up on the floor in his one-bedroom home.

He seemed so gentle, his face so serene,
Not how I pictured a U.S. Marine.
Was this the hero, of whom I’d just read?
Curled up in his poncho, a floor for his bed?

His head was clean-shaven, his weathered face tan.
I soon understood, this was more than a man.
For I realized the families that I saw that night,
owed their lives to these men, who were willing to fight.

Soon around the Nation, the children would play,
And grown-ups would celebrate on a bright Christmas day.
They all enjoyed freedom, each month and all year,
because of Marines like this one lying here.

I couldn’t help wonder how many lay alone,
on a cold Christmas Eve, in a land far from home.
Just the very thought brought a tear to my eye.
I dropped to my knees and I started to cry.

He must have awoken, for I heard a rough voice,
"Santa, don't cry, this life is my choice
I fight for freedom, I don't ask for more.
My life is my God, my country, my Corps."

With that he rolled over, drifted off into sleep,
I couldn't control it, I continued to weep.

I watched him for hours, so silent and still.
I noticed he shivered from the cold night's chill.
So I took off my jacket, the one made of red,
and covered this Marine from his toes to his head.
Then I put on his T-shirt of scarlet and gold,
with an eagle, globe and anchor emblazoned so bold.
And although it barely fit me, I began to swell with pride,
and for one shining moment, I was Marine Corps deep inside.

I didn't want to leave him so quiet in the night,
this guardian of honor so willing to fight.
But half asleep he rolled over, and in a voice clean and pure,
said "Carry on, Santa, it's Christmas Day, all secure."
One look at my watch and I knew he was right,
Merry Christmas my friend, Semper Fi and goodnight.

Written by James M. Schmidt in 1987

2011 SHOT Show

We will be attending the 2011 SHOT Show in Las Vegas, January 18-21. Keep your browser pointed here for day to day coverage of new products for the tactical shooter. If you have a particular item you are interested in, post up here and we will see what we can do.

Also keep an eye on our SHOT Show page on 8541 Tactical.

Begging for Money

I hate to do it folks, but we are planning some nice reviews this winter and moving into the new year. Unfortunately some manufacturers are less inclined to donate products for reviews than they were in the past. Combine this with the traffic that the main site generates and you can see that keeping this train running is not a cheap affair. If you enjoy the information we provide, please give us a hand and buy some of our gear on our Products page or kick us a couple bucks using the button below.

Thanks!
The Management.

 
 
 
 

Remington 700 SPS Tactical AAC-SD

There has been much discussion about this new Remington 700. It's the first we have seen of a collaboration between Remington and Advanced Armament Corp. This 700 comes with a 20" barrel that is already threaded to accept a suppressor. What is more interesting is that it is a 1:10 twist. This is an increase from the common 1:12 on other Remington Varmint, Tactical and Police rifles. The 1:10 twist is more suited to sub-sonic projectiles as well as the heavier, higher BC bullets favored by long range shooters. We have one on the way, and hope to get an evaluation underway at the beginning of the year.

Happy 235th Birthday Marines!

Semper Fi Brothers. For two hundred and thirty five years you have made the Corps the greatest fighting force in the world. The Marine Corps continues to perfect the method of turning citizens into Warriors. To say the Corps "changes" you is an understatement of epic proportions. God Bless the United States Marine Corps.

Accuracy International AE MkII Review is up.

The AI AE Mk II review is up on 8541tactical.com


If you are on the fence about a custom build or ordering an AE MkII then do yourself a favor and read the review. Accuracy International has done an exceptional job with this rifle. They brought the AE up to 90% of the level of the AW while keeping the cost in the realm of the working man.

AI AE Mk II Review

Vortex Razor HD Review has been posted.

I have finally gotten around to completing the Razor HD 5-20x50mm review on 8541tactical.com. The Razor has proven to be an extremely high quality optic with features specifically intended for the tactical shooter. I only found a few very small items to dislike. Overall the glass was clear. The turrets tracked accurately and reproduced what I was seeing in the reticle. The EBR-2 reticle in our Razor has proven useful on multiple unknown distance targets, movers and precision targets. Take a look at the full review and let me know what you think.

The AE Mk II review should follow shortly. It has been finished and published in Sniperworx Magazine, but I have not gotten it formatted for the website yet.

AI AE Mk II and Vortex Razor Rifle Scope

We have been slacking off lately on updating the Blog. We have taken deliver of an Accuracy International AE (Accuracy Enforcement) MkII rifle chambered in 7.62x51mm (.308win). We are going to be doing a full evaluation article with numerous types of ammunition. This rifle will also be my primary competition and duty rifle for the remainder of this year and for 2011. So far I have 55 rounds  through the tube on our first firing day. I have to say this is an excellent rifle. Out of five, five shot groups the largest was just over 3/4" and the smallest was almost 1/4" at 100 yards. Much of this was due to me not being "in the game" and trying to get used to the platform. I have not owned an AI system before and my trigger time on them has been limited.

Our AE MkII features a 20" barrel with screw on muzzle break, picatinny rail and side folding stock. The AE MkII improves on previous AE's by accepting AICS magazines. Accuracy International offers both five and ten round magazines. The five round magazines fit flush with the bottom of the stock. The AICS magazines are the most popular precision rifle magazines in use in the US. They are used in the Marine Corps M40A3 and A5 Sniper Rifles as well as many other custom bolt action rifles.

A world class sniper rifle is useless without top end optics to direct it's fire. To that end Vortex Optics has provided us with a new Razor 5-20x50mm rifle scope. The Razor is a first focal plane mil reticle with 0.1 mRad click turrets. The Razor's reticle is illuminated and features a "Horus like" Christmas Tree extending from the bottom. At first I was  concerned that this would be too busy, but the execution is excellent. It's fine enough that you can forget about it if you wish, but when you really need to hold and track it's there for assistance. I would have loved to have this reticle earlier this year when I was on a stage engaging 200 yard fixed and 600 yard moving targets. The Razor also features a zero stop that is easy to adjust. We have not completed any tracking tests yet, so the accuracy of the turrets is unknown at this point.

We are looking forward to some more trigger time on this system and will be reporting back soon.

Accuracy Internation AE MkII Coming Soon!

We have a new Accuracy International AE Mk II on the way from SRT Supply. This model is the folding stock with 20" .308 Win barrel and muzzle break. The AE MkII has several notable improvements over the original AE. The most notable being the Mk II accepts AICS magazines instead of the single stack AE magazines.

We should have the rifle in our hands at the beginning of next week. I received the shipping notification three hours after placing the order. Once I get my grubby little mitts on  the rifle I will get some pics up and begin the review process.

This rifle will serve several purposes for us. It will allow me to design some new nylon products that have been requested for the AI Chassis. Assuming the accuracy reports that I have been getting are true (and I have no reason to doubt them) then the AE MkII will be replacing my 700 as my match rifle. The durability of this platform will also allow me to use it as a "loaner" rifle for students who have equipment problems or do not have their own rifle.

Stay Tuned!

8541 Tactical Logo Shooter's Hats

We have just received our first shipment of our Logo Shooter's Hats. These hats are low-profile and unstructured to easily pack. There is no top button or metallic hardware to dig into your head when wearing ear pro. Best of all, these hats are Made in the USA with US manufactured materials. We didn't just have the same old stock cap embroidered. We worked with a US manufacturer to get exactly what we wanted. We hope this will become your favorite shooting hat!

Order here: 8541 Tactical Products

ESS Crossbow Protective Glasses

We have just completed the review of the Crossbow glasses from Eye Safety Systems. Anyone who spends any amount of time in the urban outdoors knows that a good set of sunglasses makes life much easier. In the urban landscape we have manufactured a good many objects that focus and enhance the sun's power. This is usually uncomfortable to unprotected eyes. Without the greens, browns and soft textures of nature to soak up the harsh light it just bounces around and annoys us. This is also true if you happen to be stuck in the desert or high mountains.

If you work with firearms safety glasses are a fact of life. Many of us resort to cheap disposable safety glasses. This is less than ideal. Those glasses while cheap, rarely provide the same optical clarity found in today's rifle scopes. Why someone would drop over a thousand dollars on optics, then look at them through two dollar pieces of plastic is beyond me.

No matter if you are a cop on the beat, a shooter on the range or a warrior in the desert, the ESS Crossbow offers something for you. The Crossbow comes as a "2x" kit. This includes two frames, one smoke lens, one clear lens, one cleaning bag and a hard case. The lenses can be quickly interchanged by way of the ESS DedBolt™ Lens Lock System. However with the 2x kit this is unnecessary since each lens has it's own frame. As an added bonus the hard case is MOLLE compatible. It will attach to most MOLLE packs and vests. This allows you to wear one set and keep the other at hand. Alternately you can store one complete set and one spare lens in the case. For the duration of the evaluation I kept the hard case attached to my pack in the front seat of my patrol car. When necessary I swapped the smoke lens for the clear one. As I mentioned earlier, this is not necessary for the 2x kit, but I did it anyway to get a feel for how durable the DedBolt™ Lens Lock System was. I did not see any wear related issues for the couple months that I used them.

I did some unscientific fogging tests. The results are posted on the full review at 8541tactical.com. After spending some quality time with these glasses I am impressed. They are not the perfect fit for my face, but the frame geometry allows them to stay secure on many different head shapes. The lens size and shape is perfect for ballistic protection. Since the glasses are ANSI Z87 rated they are suitable for most applications where ballistic eye protection is required.

As an added bonus for those of you who wear ACU to work, the Crossbow is now on the Army's APEL (Approved Protective Eyewear List). The Crossbow is our first look at the products from ESS. Based on the quality of these glasses we are excited to take a look at some of the other models they offer.

Casio Pathfinder PAG40-5V Update

Bug Juice and Pathfinders don't mix......

During a SWAT Callout in the early hours of the morning I grabbed by bug juice and applied a couple of sprays. The bug spray I am partial to is 100% DEET. It works very well. There is just one problem. It doesn't like plastic much. I didn't even think about the watch. It was never an issue I had to worry about.

The Callout went on for a couple hours and ended in a peaceful resolution. I came home and went about putting up my gear and fixing breakfast before I woke up my family by jumping in the shower. This placed the exposure of the watch to the bug spray at about five hours before I showered (with the watch on).

This afternoon I picked up the watch and looked at it. I noticed that anywhere the bug spray contacted the band it made it shiny. I initially thought this was just because I had not successfully washed the oils from the watch. I gave it a good scrubbing with some dish detergent, but it appears that the bug juice actually burned the plastic of the band. Upon closer inspection there were also some spots on the plastic of the case that has turned shiny. This does not affect the function or utility of the watch and the crystal was not affected, but it is something I will keep in mind the next time I am spraying the bug juice.

8541 Tactical "Dope Wallet"

I have been getting requests for something similar to this for awhile now. Here is my shot at it. It's a simple bi-fold body with a plastic translucent window to display a dope data card, range card or any other 3"x5" card.

The wallet can be secured to the arm with the two included 1" webbing straps or attached to a pack or vest by the PALS webbing on the back.

It's a simple design, but I think it's one that any shooter will find useful.

I have not determined pricing yet since this is just the initial design, but I should have that lined out soon.