Surefire G2X Pro Review

• POU (philosophy of use)
  • Concealed carry flashlight
  • Weapon mounted Flashlight (rifle)
  • Tactical
  •  
• Size, weight
  • 1.25 in Bezel Diameter
  • 5.20 in Length
  • 4.4 Oz with batteries
• Accuracy
  • I’m going to use this section to focus on the beam of light
  • Very tight and focused beam of light
  • Easy to aim light
• Ergonomics
  • Polymer Body
  • Aluminum Bezel
  • Rear cap push button
  • First press Low level (15 Lumens)
  • Second Press High level (200 Lumens)(New version 320 Lumens)
  • Lock out rotator at rear of light
• Field Strip
  • N/A ?
• Accessories, Versatility
  • Many holster companies make kydex carriers for this light
  • Easy to find replacement batteries (123A)
  • Fits in pocket, can be held with a weapon
• Value
  • Can be found for around $80.00
  • MSRP $95.00
  • Worth every penny
• Durability and reliability
  • Pocket carried for several months
  • A few scratches on lens (my fault, carried in same pocket as keys)
  • No exterior wear
• Track Record
  • Carried by many law enforcement, military and concealed carry citizens
  • Proven to be durable and long lasting

 

 

 

-wscbs

Raven Concealment Vanguard II

• POU (philosophy of use)
  • Minimalist holster
  • Safe storage
• Size, weight
  • Holster portion fits only over Glock trigger guard
  • Made of lightweight polymer with a single belt loop
• Accuracy
  • N/A
• Ergonomics
  • Allows for carry in all IWB positions
  • Cannot be re-holstered while wearing
    • Unsafe to do so
    • Will pinch your skin if you try it
  • Minimalist holster, adds no bulk to the weapon
  • Can be used to safely store a loaded handgun when going places CCW aren’t allowed
• Field Strip
• Accessories, Versatility
  • Can be used in all IWB positions
  • Different packages available both with belt loop and without
  • Can be tied to a piece of paracord for endless wearing possibilities
  • Two versions for Glock and M&P pistols
• Value
  • MSRP $35.99 for full kit
  • MSRP $19.99 for lanyard kit
  • Quick ship item from Raven (ships in a week unlike other Raven products)
• Durability and reliability
  • Very durable
  • Used in all types of situations with excellent results
• Track Record
  • Raven Concealment makes top-notch products for demanding professionals. Most notably known for their kydex Phantom Modular holster seen on the Mapul Dynamics DVD set.

 

 

 

-wscbs

Griffon Industries Pistol Magazine Holster Review

Here is an item that I’ve been meaning to spend some time reviewing. The kydex magazine holder from Griffon Industries. 

 

This holster is great. Mine is set up for Glock magazines and I have been using it daily for several months now. It really is everything you could want for an OWB styled holder. There is plenty on tension holding the magazine in so that you don’t have to worry about chasing your mag down the isles at the local grocery store, yet pulls free from the holder with minor effort. I will say that the Glock 27 magazines can be tough to pull out of it every once in awhile, but the Glock 23 mags have proven to pull free reliably even when sweaty. 

• POU (philosophy of use)
  • Concealed Carry, Tactical, Range use
• Size, Weight
  • Slim
  • Lightweight
  • Stays over belt
• Firepower
  • N/A
• Accuracy
  • N/A
• Ergonomics
  • Nice retention
  • Easy to feed through belt
  • Belt loops can stick you in the sides occasionally
    • Looks like the design has been changed to fix this issue
  • Can shift throughout the day
• Field Strip
  • N/A
• Accessories, Versatility
  • Has multiple other belt loop options
  • Can be configured together with other carriers
• Value
  • Slim version $40
  • $5 flat rate shipping
  • On par with other  kydex options
    • Raven Concealment
• Durability and Reliability
  • Extremely durable
  • Been using for EDC without any ill effects
• Track Record
  • Battlefield proven

One thing that I am going to add to this review is that the pancake style belt loops that shipped with my holster can be quite uncomfortable at times. They seemed to dig into my side in certain positions. This was solved by putting the belt loops on the outside of the holster, I’ll have to add some pictures of what that looks like. But, that has solved the issue for both this magazine holder as well as my Griffon Industries kydex holster that I will do a review on later. 

 

A couple of the great things about Griffon Industries as a company. First off they really support our troops, and that in mind is first and foremost. They also are great on shipping. They charge a $5 flat rate for all shipping, and there is little lead time on their orders. I ordered my holster set towards the end of the year 2012, and they arrived same week. Great quality, great service!!!

-WSCBS

M&P 22 Pistol Review

Here is an excellent little pistol that I purchased a little while ago to try out. The M&P 22 is a .22lr trainer for the full sized M&P line of pistols. I found it to be a great little pistol and had a lot of fun with it at the range. Unfortunately I traded it in when I started the AR build so that I could afford some parts. It is a pistol that I will definitely miss. It is however a very expensive pistol for a .22lr. At $380 it is priced up there with used centerfire pistols and new entry level pistols. That is one of the reasons this pistol went, and one reason why I probably won’t buy another. I just found that regardless of how similar it is to the M&P line, it is not an M&P (or a S&W for that matter, it is made by Walther), and it cannot replicate firing the real deal. The trigger, while passable for a striker fired trigger is truly just a long pull single action trigger. There are some definite positives to the gun though, and it will be up to you to finally decide if it’s one to add to your arsenal. Me personally, I’ll just buy the Walther P22 next go around for a little less money.   

• POU (philosophy of use)
  • Range Gun
  • Realistic Training Simulation
• Size, weight
  • Same Dimensions as Full Size M&P lineup
• Accuracy
  • Very accurate
  • Trigger is a long pull single action
  • Not an M&P trigger
• Ergonomics
  • Same great feel as M&P line
  • Full size slide (not cut down)
  • Slide is very lightweight
• Field Strip
  • Simplistic, Rotate takedown lever and pull out
• Accessories, Versatility
  • Threaded barrel uses Walther P22 1/2×28 thread adapter
  • Allows for easy suppressed use
  • Fits in M&P holsters
  • Very hard to find magazines and only comes with one
• Value
  • This is a lot to spend on a 22
  • If looking for a striker fired training tool this is it
• Durability and reliability
  • Ran good
  • Likes round nose ammo
• Track Record
  • Made by Walther

I am trying out a new system for detailing out my reviews. It’s based off of the Nutnfancy project talking points… gotta give credit where credit is due. 

 

-WSCBS

5/17 and 5/18/2013 Range Days!!

Hey guys, I made it out to the range twice and decided to finally post up some information surrounding it.

Friday

I made the trip out to Best of the West to get some shooting in. Its was a great sunny HOT day, and I was able to put quite a few rounds down range. Lets start with the AR-15. I shot about 90 rounds of 5.56 and .223 both brass cased and steel cased. Several different brands. I had no malfunctions from this “frankengun” doing both slow and rapid fire. I started off trying to correct my sighting issues that I was having last trip to the range since I finally bought a nice little front sight tool. I was unable to get it sighted in very well!?!?! I am hoping that this is due only from the short distances that I was shooting the rifle, 50 yards max, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I may have picked up the wrong height front sight for my gas block. I am running an upper height, known also as same plane, gas block and I think I may have gotten a front sight for a slightly lower gas block. I have the front sight pin cranked way down, yet I am still hitting low on my targets. I was able to figure out my basic aiming with the rifle in this configuration though, so I was able to put some accurate shots down range. I brought some clays out with me and set them on the berm to practice doing some multiple threat type shooting, and I had a blast with that. at the end I dedicated a full 30 round magazine to rapid fire, and put all 30 rounds center mass of a target as fast as I could. Such a fun thing to do. I also practiced a few rifle to handgun transitions, and many reloads. 

I then switched to my CCW pistol, my Glock 27 and did some realistic training with it. I shot 50 rounds doing some double taps and hammer drills with reloads and starting holstered and concealed. I feel that it was some valuable training time spent as I was finally able to be as realistic as possible. The hammer drills, two shots as fast as I could without getting a second sight picture, were very interesting. This was my first time to attempt them, and I think I did pretty well with them considering. I was shooting at a close range to the berm, so there was no worry of sending a flyer over the berm, and was able to keep my shots on target. I’ll be spending more time on this type of shooting to be sure. For the last 5 rounds I walked back about 35-40 yards and was able to do some longer range shots with the little Glock at a few clays set up on the berm. This being my first time to shoot the little gun further than 25 yards I was surprised when my first round connected with a clay. My excitement got the better of me though as the next four rounds all hit right around the next clay. It was a blast, and something I will be trying again. 

Saturday

We headed over to the indoor range on Saturday to try out a new revolver, a Dan Wesson model 715. What a fun gun chambered in .357 magnum. We shot mostly .38 specials through it stretching it out the full distance of the indoor pistol range at 25 yards with surprising accuracy. Did I mention that it was really fun shooting a revolver? I’ve been so caught up in the semi-auto craze that I have never paid all that much attention to revolvers. Yes, I’ve shot them before and had fun, but I guess I’ve just forgotten the thrill of shooting them and the accuracy that they can achieve. It has me thinking of all kinds of ways to incorporate a revolver into my life. That .357 magnum load just puts such a smile on my face!!

Until next time, get out there and shoot safely!!

-WSCBS 

5/13/13 Range Day

I just went to the range today. I decided to go to Red’s Indoor range today for a couple of reasons. For one, Best of the West is not open until Wednesday and two, so that I could get a good estimate of range for sighting in the new rifle. That’s right, I took the new AR-15 that I have been building for it’s first few boxes of ammo. 

Rifle Range

As I said before I took the AR out for the first time. I shot 60 rounds through it consisting of 20 Independence brand brass 5.56 rounds and 40 TulAmmo steel .223 rounds. I was able to get my left to right sighted in pretty well, yet I was unable to get my height sighted in due to my lack of a sight tool. My rounds were hitting quite low at 25 yards , so I made some adjustments when I was cleaning the rifle at home. Overall I am very excited about how everything has turned out with this rifle. It shoots great and is cycling reliably. I think I will post a more in-depth report on my final findings on building your own AR.

Pistol

After shooting the rifle, I went over to the pistol range to shoot my carry gun, a Glock 27. I shot 50 rounds of American Eagle 40 S&W 180 grain ball ammo. I have found that I really like the recoil of the 180 grain ammo as compared to the 165 grain ammo. When shooting the 165 grain ammo out of the small Glock 27 the recoil is very severe with lots of rise, making it feel very “snappy”. With the 180 grain ammo I was able to keep the majority of my rounds inside of the 7 ring out to the full 25 yards that the range offers. I am now up to 280 rounds through this small gun and I’ve got to say I am very surprised by it’s accuracy and how well it handles for such a small package. I had been considering purchasing another full sized Glock like the Glock 17 that I traded for the 27 I have now, but I am seeing that there may not be much need for the bigger size. I shot with both the standard length Glock 27 magazines and the standard Glock 23 magazines today with no issues.

I’ve gotta say, I can’t wait until there is more ammo available so that I can do some more shooting. Between the ammo scare and spending all my money getting the AR built I have missed spending time at the range. I’ll have to start doing a lot more shooting.

-WSCBS

5/5/2013 Range Day

So I finally got a chance to make it out to the range today!!! I was able to check out The Best In the West shooting range, and let me tell you, its a favorite!!! 

Shooting

Today we shot an AR-15 chambered in 5.56, a 1911 in 45 and a .380. All guns functioned reliably with no mechanical issues to speak of. The 45 was shooting very low and we are trying to diagnose the issue. We were able to sight in a new optic for the AR. It’s 3x magnification with a illuminated optic. We had no issues using it on small targets out to 100 yards once sighted in correctly. We burned through a bunch of ammo and had a ton of fun doing so.

The Range

Now here is the part that I am most excited about. The range!!! Best of the west is a large sized outdoor shooting range located just west of Liberty Hill Texas. It features skeet and trap shooting, up to 1,000 yard rifle range, a static pistol range, and most importantly several tactical bays. The prices were very reasonable and the staff was very friendly. We rented a 100 yard tactical bay for our shooting and it was very nice. The berms around the bay were tall enough to promote comfort and the ground was manicured and clean. We were able to sight in the AR all the way out to 100 yards in comfort without having to worry about other people, and we also were able to take some longer ranged shots with the pistols. This range has turned into my favorite range to go to, and I will be surprised if I willingly go anywhere else around here. 

-WSCBS 

AR-15 Build Part 2

I was finally able to secure a lower parts kit for my build. I was able to easily install it, and my rifle actually looks like a rifle.

 

I am going to use this post to show my findings on the installation of a lower parts kit onto a stripped lower receiver. Let me start by saying that if you have a reasonable amount of mechanical know-how, i.e. you can you a screwdriver, hammer and punch, you should have no problem installing a kit. 

There are plenty of tutorials on how to identify all of the parts and how they go together into the lower, therefore I will not waste time in this post telling you this information. I highly suggest going over to the ar-15.com forum and taking a look through their tutorials and information. It is an incredible source of information on this amazing weapon system. 

Parts

For this build I used a DPMS LPK. I was able to pick a kit up at a local gun store for right around $67. I chose to go with this kit solely for the fact that it was available at a price that was not ridiculous in these times. The quality of this kit is on par with what I expected it to be. All of the parts fit into place with little effort. The only slight issue that I experienced with the kit was with the trigger guard. It took some effort for it to fit into place between the ears of the lower. Would I use the kit again? Yes, although I have not been able to do extensive tests on the parts for long term reliability I feel that its a good kit. The trigger group feels nice for a GI type trigger. As the parts wear in with shooting I will surely give updates on how they hold up. 

Sights

For this build a decided on a Magpul MBUS rear sight due to their durability and design. I will be selecting both a metal front sight for the gas block as well as an optic at some point for this rifle. Of course I will be giving a more detailed account of how they work as I receive them and get a chance to use them. 

As I wait for the last two pieces of my build let me tell you that it is one hell of a wait. I placed an order for a bolt carrier group today and am in the process of trying to figure out which front sight I want to use. After I get those parts I will finally be able to go to the range and fire the first rounds through the rifle.

-WSCBS