Sig Sauer MCX Spear LT 5.56 SBR

April 21, 2023Product review, Shooting hardwaremcx, mcx spear, mcx spear lt, sig, sig sauercoldboremiracle

INTRODUCTION

There has been a lot of talk lately about the new Sig Sauer MCX Spear. However, there is also another version… Today, we are diving into a Sig Sauer MCX Spear LT review.

Having had a little experience with previous versions of the MCX I was excited to see this new variant. Today we will be looking at the Sig Sauer MCX Spear LT, which is an 11.5-inch 5.56 rifle, making it an SBR.

The MCX Spear is a short-stroke piston-operated carbine. It utilizes a spring and buffer system that is housed in the upper portion of the receiver. This has removed the classic AR-type rifle buffer tube where the butt stock was typically attached.

By removing the buffer tube, the role of the Spear can be further adapted to different uses. It can be removed entirely to be used as a “pistol,” or it can be fired with its folding butt stock folded to the side.

The MCX Spear uses many features and familiar parts for AR-15 owners, but I was surprised to see how many differences there were, even with parts that are shared.

The Spear brings with it the incredible adaptability that MCXs are known for and the robust reliability that Sig has rightfully retained. This newest member of the MCX family brings a lighter handguard with improved fasteners to increase rigidity.

Within the handguard is a lighter profile barrel to reduce the weight of the rifle. Inside the rifle’s receiver, there are ambidextrous controls with both safety and bolt-catch on either side of the rifle, and seated in the bottom is Sig’s Flatblade Match Trigger.

I’ve been a little bit of a Sig fan for a few decades, so I was very excited to play with this rifle, and after just a few minutes of handling it, I was hooked.

The quality of the rifle was apparent in every little thing I inspected. Outstanding craftsmanship and perfect lines that all matched up made the rifle incredibly pleasing.

SIG SAUER MCX SPEAR LT REVIEW

SPECIFICATIONS

Caliber	5.56 Nato
Capacity	30 rounds
Barrel Length	11.5 inches
Barrel Twist	1-7 inches
Overall Length	29.5 inches
Width	2.9 inches
Height	7.5 inches
Weight	6.9 pounds
Muzzle Threads	½-28 TPI
Color	FDE

PROS & CONS

PROS

No buffer tube, fires from folder or without stock
M Lok compatible
Short Stroke piston operating system
Very nice trigger
Quality controls all around
Adjustable gas block
Fully ambidextrous
Interchangeable barrel capacity
Multiple calibers (5.56, 300blk, 7.62×39)
Handsome as the day is long

CONS

Rokset muzzle device
SBR requires interaction with tyrannical government

ON THE RANGE TESTING

sig sauer mcx spear lt hands on test at range

The MCX Spear was begging to be shot, so I wasted no time.

We took the rifle to a local range which typically, for me, is a non-starter, but today I would make an exception. With an EOtech mounted on top, it was time to cook the tip of the Spear. Today we were shooting some Hornady Black 62 grain FMJ ammunition, which would work great in the MCX’s one in seven twist.

I played with the folding stock for a moment, if only to familiarize myself with it. Pushing on the button with a lifting motion released the dovetail lock of the stock.

With the stock folded off to the side, the rifle supremely compact; only a bullpup could have been much shorter and still maintain a reasonable barrel length.

Shooting the Spear like this would have been easy, but I couldn’t bring myself to shoot it like a pistol, especially after all the legwork of a form four.

With loaded magazines and open range I fired a few rounds, which were quite mild. Small caliber rifles of this size are a joy to shoot. I would have enjoyed it, even more, had Sig not used Rokset on the muzzle brake. Who would buy this thing only to run the factory flash-hider?

To be fair it would be someone with a Sig suppressor that mounts to the brake, but I am not that guy. So I was kind of chapped that it would have taken significantly more effort to remove the flash-hider, so I chose to leave it alone for now.

But I would have loved to shoot it suppressed to see how the rifle worked and if the dual gas settings were acceptable. The eleven-inch barrel definitely needed a flash hider because it launched some serious fireballs.

Shooting the MCS Spear was pleasant as can be, the Sig grip had a very comfortable angle, and the handguard filled the support hand too. The short size of the rifle can, at times, get your support hand a little close to the muzzle, another reason I would have liked to suppress it. The diminutive size of the rifle also made it easy to balance and maneuver.

sig sauer mcx spear lt hands on test at range jeff wood

The MCX Spear isn’t what I’d consider a precision rifle, nor would many folks imagine. That said it was easy to keep shots on target at one hundred yards with no magnification. After fudging with the holographic sight to get a dirty zero, it was easy to keep the shots within an inch or two of the point of aim.
I love the controls of the rifle. The safety was smooth and easily put into either position. The ambidextrous mag releases were right where I expected them and functioned with minimal effort. The ambi bolt-catch made for quick reloads using the trigger finger to send the bolt home after loading a fresh magazine.

It’s also handy for locking the bolt back for inspection or other purposes.

The other finishing touches of the MCX Spear were things like the steel QD sling cups that were fit into the different parts of the rifle. I even disassembled the rifle a bit to see how the piston system and barrel clamp worked.

The handguard was easily removed by two screws and a take-down pin. It slides on a tongue and groove with the monolith top rail of the upper receiver. Underneath, I found the barrel trunnion with two clamping screws; I tipped my hat clean off as I figured out the cunning design Sig had devised.
The two screws work dual purpose as they house a pair of jaws with a tapered face, and they marry an opposite tapered face on the front of the barrel extension. As the screws are tightened, the jaws draw the barrel extension tight into the barrel trunnion block.

Once snugged down, the screws’ second purpose begins to apply clamping force to each side of the split trunnion. Once tight, the barrel extension has been seated tightly against its mating face ensuring accurate head spacing. And the clamping force holds the barrel tight into place.

Besides its intricate manufacturing and design, the MCX Spear LT was just plain handsome! The Coyote finish is a beautiful shade, and the coatings of the other parts were equally immaculate. Every little thing seemed well thought out and executed, and after shooting over a hundred rounds on the first trip, I already loved this rifle.

RELIABILITY

During the course of several hundred rounds, the MCX Spear LT worked flawlessly. I experienced no malfunctions during testing.

ACCURACY

The Spear LT isn’t exactly made for precise shooting, but it is more than accurate enough for the typical duties of a short-barreled rifle.

OVERALL FEEL

You may have gathered by now that I am quite happy with this rifle. Everything about it feels good and aesthetically pleasing to my eyes. The coatings, finishes, and every little edge are cleaned up, and it functions as good as it looks.

FEATURES

BUFFER TUBELESS ACTION

The dual-spring buffer rides above the bolt carrier in the upper receiver, part of which hangs down to engage the top of the bolt carrier.

By moving the whole recoil operation into the upper receiver, the stock options of the rifle can be changed to near any configuration, or none at all. The already short Spear LT can be further shortened and fired with a folding stock.

AMBIDEXTROUS CONTROLS

The ambidextrous controls of the Spear LT are convenient regardless of your preferred shooting stance. My favorite part is the right-side bolt release, which makes it extremely easy to reload. As you insert a fresh magazine, you can immediately charge the rifle with your trigger finger while your support hand finds its way to the handguard.

With controls on both sides it makes the rifle even easier to operate and obviously much friendlier for left-handed shooters.

sig standard mcx vs mcx spear lt — *On top is the SIG standard MCX compared to the MCX Spear LT on the bottom.*

FOLDING BUTTSTOCK

The Sig folding buttstock attaches to a vertical pic rail at the back of the lower receiver. The simple construction of the stock appeals to the minimalist in me, with very few things to go wrong.

They even added a small polymer cover where your cheek might touch the stock, which was one of my complaints with the original MCX. Adding a steel sling cup to the back also gives you more sling options.

ADJUSTABLE GAS BLOCK

As I’d already mentioned, I wasn’t going to try and get the muzzle device off this rifle. Much to my dismay, as one of my favorite things to do is test suppressors on different rifles. I would have loved to see how the two-position gas block would have fared with a couple of different suppressors on it.

It is certainly nice to know that the option is there, though I don’t think it would be too hard for Sig to make a three or four-position to give a little more customization options.

LIGHTWEIGHT HANDGUARD

The lightweight handguard of the MCX Spear is comfortable and easy to work on.

MLok slots all over give the user many options to customize the rifle and put accessories where they want them. And if you choose to swap the barrel out of your rifle, the handguard is easily removed to allow access to the barrel trunnion and its clamping screws.

TRIGGER

The Flatblade match trigger in the Spear was outstanding. A much better trigger than I anticipated in an SBR, and it likely helped with accurate shooting.

This is the kind of trigger I would expect in a nice DMR-type rifle, and it was very welcome for me.

HOW WE TESTED

I shot the MCX Spear LT over a few range trips, using the aforementioned Hornady ammunition and some PMC Xtac 55-grain ammunition. For the majority of the shooting I used an EOTech holographic sight, which I might add is an excellent option to go with the Spear.

Shooting the rifle was mostly done at closer ranges, mainly because I think that’s where rifles of this configuration shine. Pulling the rifle out in a vehicle showed how handy the little SBR can be, and shooting it from the folded position also put its utility on display.

Reloading the rifle was smooth and seamless, mainly due to the ambi bolt-catch I already mentioned. The Pmags flowed in and out of the magwell through a great many reloads, and it felt like the kind of rifle you’d want in a gunfight, should such a thing happen.

AMMO USED

sig sauer mcx spear lt close up with Hornady black ammo

Hornady Black ammunition was used for the majority of my testing. The 62-grain load worked great in the rifle. I also used several boxes of the PMC Xtac 55-grain ammo and some Frontier 55 grain HP loads. All of them worked well, but the 62-grain load was for sure the best in this rifle.

SCORE CARD

RELIABILITY (10/10)

Rifle ran flawlessly for the duration of my testing.

ERGONOMICS (10/10)

With the customization utility of the MLok handguard, I think you could set this rifle up to be perfect for you. Out of the box, it is not bad at all, either.

CUSTOMIZATION (9/10)

The buttstock options, while awesome, are also slightly limited. I’m still mad bout the Rokset muzzle brake.

APPEARANCE (10/10)

Dead sexy. Nothing more to say.

VALUE (9/10)

The Spear LT is not inexpensive, with a street price of around $2500.00 it could be tough for many to justify. But if you were ever gonna splurge on an SBR, splurge here.

CONCLUSION

The Sig Sauer MCX Spear LT is an excellent choice for a defensive rifle, a sport rifle, or really for almost any other shooting activity suited for an SBR.

It brings Sig’s high quality and service standard to a very handsome and usable rifle without having the large footprint of a full-size rifle. If you are in the market for a good SBR that you’d want in a life-or-death situation, the MCX Spear LT would surely be at the top of my list.

Read the conclusion here…

PSA Dagger 9mm

April 14, 2023pistols, Product review, Shooting hardware9mm, dagger, palmetto state armory, pistol, psacoldboremiracle

INTRODUCTION

Palmetto State Armory (PSA) has been a big name in the firearms industry for some time. Their mission of arming law-abiding Americans has brought affordability and options to many.

Whether it be MSR rifles, parts, or accessories, PSA sells it, probably in seven different colors and calibers. Today we are going to review one of PSA’s own productions, the new Dagger SW3 9mm pistol.

The Dagger is a polymer-framed striker-fired 9mm pistol with incredibly similar features to the venerable Glock 19. That is no mistake either. The popular pistol has been copied, cloned, and customized by countless manufacturers.

But what makes the PSA version different you might ask? Well, that’s what Gun Made is here for; we’ll show you.

The Dagger utilizes fifteen-round flush-fit Glock magazines and is available in too many different models to mention. There are threaded and non-threaded barrels, extreme carry cut slides, night sights, optic-cut slides and so on.

I would recommend you go browse their selection as there is surely one you will like.

There are many advantages to the Dagger, and most of them are related to its kinship with the Glock. Magazines and other parts can be used to customize the pistol if one of the many models doesn’t perfectly fit your fancy.

The polymer frame is textured nicely to give the shooter a good purchase on the grip area, and the undercut trigger guard allows you to ‘choke-up’ your hand into the grip and seat the pistol deep into your grip.

The trigger features a flexing shoe safety, similar to those I’ve seen on S&W M&P pistols.

The Extreme Carry Cuts and Gatormouth slide add some custom detail to the pistol, and add to the gripping area of the slide while reducing weight. The slide itself is stainless steel with a Cerakote finish and topped with Tritium Tru-Glow night sights.

The 1-10 twist barrel inside has a hard DLC coating for durability and long life.

Upon receiving the Dagger, I wasted no time in giving it a thorough look over. And I must confess I was quite impressed with the little pistol; not only did it feel quite robust and smooth, but I had no idea they could be purchased for as little as $299.

The model shown here goes for about $60 more, but if this thing lives up to my hopes, I’d consider it a steal for that price.

DAGGER 9MM REVIEW

SPECIFICATIONS

Caliber:	9mm
Capacity:	15 rounds
Action:	Striker Fired
Weight:	22.4oz (unloaded)
Overall Length:	7.15″
Overall Width:	1.28″
Overall Height:	4.78″ (Without Mag)
Barrel Length:	3.9″
Twist Rate:	SAAMI Spec 1:10
Slide Finish:	Cerakote, Flat Dark Earth

PROS & CONS

PROS

Very Affordable
Lighter than a Glock 19
Magpul Magazines
DLC Barrel coating
Cerakote over stainless finish
Picatinny accessory rail
Included night sights
Striker block and trigger safety

CONS

I couldn’t come up with something to dislike

ON THE RANGE TESTING

With the Dagger in a holster and several boxes of ammunition I headed out into what we call springtime here in Utah. After a short ride on my snowmachine, I found myself at my spot, and after hanging a target, I started loading magazines. I’d never loaded a Magpul Glock magazine since I’ve never owned a Glock; they do feel stiffer than I expected.

With fifteen rounds in the magazine, I chambered a round and prepared to shoot. The lockup feeling as the slide closed felt great, and I tightened my grip around the pistol as I settled the sights on my target.

OVERALL FEEL

The Dagger felt great in the hands; it really does feel above its price-point.

The trigger isn’t anything out of this world, but I certainly wouldn’t expect it to be for a CCW pistol. I kind of expected it to be a little long, and a bit stiffer than I would normally like. Turns out I was pretty much spot on. I wouldn’t consider myself a trigger snob, but I do like a good trigger, and this one impressed me as pretty standard.

I broke one shot after another, listening to the trigger reset between shots. After emptying my first magazine, I gave the pistol a good look over to ensure everything was in place before reloading.

I carried on through magazine after magazine of Magtech 124 grain FMJ ammo. I was very pleasantly pleased with how the Dagger felt in my hands and how it pointed so well. Every time I’d lift the pistol, the sights were lined up on my target.

The snappy recoil was easily controlled, and follow-up shots came fast and accurately. I’m also not a competition pistol shooter, so I wasn’t expecting to be particularly accurate with the Dagger. And yet I felt quite confident at hitting what I aimed at after just a few magazines.

I holstered the pistol and drew it from retention quite a few times. Since this is sort of a CCW-focused pistol, I figured I would try and simulate drawing it. Again, everytime as I drew it from the holster, it would come up on target for a good clean shot. Well, almost every time.

RELIABILITY

The Dagger was very reliable during my testing; no significant malfunctions or jams occurred.

During my range time, I experienced no malfunctions other than one time the pistol failed to lock back upon emptying the magazine. The magazine appears to make good contact with the slide-lock, so I’m not sure if there was another issue or if maybe my thumb was riding the release. But I haven’t been able to repeat it yet.

ACCURACY

Accuracy was perfectly acceptable; I would like to shoot another one with the red dot sight.

The Tritium sights were great for targeting, even though I’m a bit of a red dot kinda guy. But the nice thing is that you can certainly get the Dagger with a cut slide for your red dot.

psa dagger hands on review and range test

FEATURES

POLYMER FRAME

The lightweight polymer frame with its grippy texture felt great in my hand; the slippery polymer allowed the magazines to drop free easily and seat properly as well. The mag release is not reversible.

TRITIUM NIGHT SIGHTS

The low-profile night sights work well for targeting, and they were unobtrusive. I think they could be improved by perhaps rounding off the edge to reduce the likelihood of snagging.

CARRY CUT SLIDE

The carry cut slide reduces weight and also gives an excellent grip area to cycle the pistol. I suppose it is possible that the large cuts allow more dust and debris to enter the pistol, but as long as you have it holstered, I don’t see a problem.

HOW WE TESTED

During the course of more than a couple of hundred rounds, I got a good feeling for the function of the PSA Dagger. Shooting many courses of double taps, reloads, and other typical pistol drills.

I carried the pistol as my CCW for the better part of a month in a compatible OWB holster.

Part of my daily interaction with the pistol included repeated drawing and presenting of the pistol, and when in the right kind of place, shooting a few rounds to see how well I could place them under time limits.

It didn’t take long to see why these style of pistols are so popular. It was relatively easy to get comfortable and present some modicum of proficiency.

Shooting the pistol on the range got me very comfortable with the Dagger, and after spending a few weeks and boxes of ammo shooting the pistol I was very happy with the performance.

AMMO USED

For this review, I used Magtech 124-grain FMJ ammunition, and it worked great.

SCORE CARD

RELIABILITY (9/10)

The Dagger worked almost perfectly and flawless during my shooting. The controls felt and functioned perfectly.

ERGONOMICS (9/10)

The Dagger felt fantastic in the hands. I think the only way you could improve it would be to add some kind of adjustable backstrap or grip.

CUSTOMIZATION (8/10)

The incredible custom options of the Dagger allow you to get almost anything you want in the pistol. The various colors, slide, and barrel options make it easy to please nearly any shooter.

APPEARANCE (9/10)

The Dagger is a handsome pistol; again the custom options make it more so. The finish and look of the pistol are every bit as good as the famous Glock pistols they mimic.

VALUE (10/10)

I was literally blown away when I saw the price of these pistols. I had played with and shot the pistol quite a bit before I looked and saw the street price of the pistol as tested was only $359.00

Continue Reading Here…

Palmetto State Armory Rock 5.7×28 pistol

April 14, 2023pistols, Product review, Shooting hardwarecoldboremiracle

INTRODUCTION

Palmetto State Armory (PSA) has been a well-known supplier of many firearm parts and products. They live with the motto of selling as many guns to law-abiding Americans as possible. That’s something I can get behind!

PSA has recently entered the polymer-framed pistol market, offering several PSA branded pistols. The PSA Rock 5.7 is one of those, and the subject of our review today. We are going to take a look at how it works and what it brings to the table.

The PSA Rock 5.7 is a polymer-frame striker-fired pistol.

It is chambered in 5.7x28mm. It feeds from twenty-three round magazines to its 5.2 inches and 1-9 twist barrel.

The fluted barrel is also threaded to install a suppressor or other muzzle accessories. The Rock’s slide comes precut for adding optics and also includes suppressor height sights with the threaded barrel models.

The un-threaded models come with Ameriglow sights. The pistol operates using a delayed blowback system, making it a very simple operation.

The pistol is available in various color combinations, including black, FDE, grey, and combinations of the same.

I must have missed the Belgian 5.7 train years ago when it passed, as I never got too excited about it. And over the years, as other guns chambered in the diminutive cartridge popped up, I didn’t pay much attention to them either.

So being my first encounter with a 5.7×28 pistol, I encourage you to come along and discover the pros and cons with me.

The Rock comes in a nice little soft pistol case with one extra magazine and a few other accessories.

Excess Arms makes a +7 baseplate for the Rock to increase capacity to 30 rnds

My first impressions of the pistol were actually quite positive, the gun doesn’t impress me as heavy, and it felt comfortable in my hand. I ran the slide a few times and pulled the trigger to get a feel for it, and I was quite surprised at how good it felt to my finger.

There are only a few options currently for 5.7×28 pistols, and it seems that the PSA Rock is likely the most affordable one available. That being the case, I determined to find out if it deserves a place in the safe, and if its performance justifies the new 5.7×28 inventory I’d need to feed it.

PSA ROCK 5.7×28 PISTOL REVIEW

The 5.7×28 cartridge was developed by FN Herstal for several of their firearms, notably the P90 bullpup assault rifle. The cartridge shoots a .224 caliber bullet like other centerfire .22 caliber rifles.

The bottle-neck cartridge closely resembles a shrunk rifle round, and compared to other pistol cartridges, it performs like one as well.

With its forty-grain projectiles leaving the barrel well beyond supersonic velocities, the 5.7 acts more like a rifle cartridge than a pistol cartridge, which is likely why manufacturers are chambering additional firearms with the 5.7 cartridge.

The performance of the 5.7 lends itself to high-velocity and high-energy shooting and comes with the attributes of supersonic performance. Just how good a performance I was determined to find out.

psa 5.7 rock review with holosun 407k yhm suppressor and surefire light

The Rock 5.7 carries twenty-three rounds, and with the extended capabilities of the cartridge, it could certainly be useful at carbine distances compared to normal pistol cartridge rounds.

This could be very appealing to shooters who need such a thing. Before I even got started with this review, I was confronted by one of the drawbacks of the 5.7, and that was the price of a box of ammunition.

The local Cabelas had many boxes labeled at $50 each, which for a rifle isn’t unheard of, but for a handgun, it seemed to be quite excessive to me. Granted, the Rock isn’t just a plinking pistol, so I bit the bullets and left the store even more curious to see if this project would serve my purposes.

SPECIFICATIONS

Caliber:	5.7x28mm
Capacity:	23+1
Weight with Empty Mag:	25 oz
Barrel Length:	5.2″
Twist Rate:	1/9″
Thread Pitch:	1/2×28 TPI
Magazine:	23rd Steel 5.7x28mm Magazine (Ships With 2)
Action:	Delayed Blowback Striker-fired
Mag Catch:	Reversible
Barrel Material:	Carbon Steel With QPQ Finish; Fluted

PROS & CONS

PROS

Comfortable grip
Quite affordable
Excellent trigger
23+1 round capacity
Factory threaded barrel
Suppressor height sights
Optics ready slide
Excellent accuracy
Includes soft-case and many extras
Double-stack magazine

CONS

Failure to lock back on empty
Slide-release is a little stiff

ROCKING THE RANGE

My first trip to the range with the PSA Rock 5.7 was on a snowy day in March. I had also acquired a couple boxes of American Eagle 5.7x28mm FMJ ammunition, and I started shooting with that.

After loading the double-stack magazines to their 23-round max, I seated my first magazine and dropped the slide.

I fired a few rounds and was immediately surprised by a couple of things; the recoil is quite mild, which is very nice, and the trigger in this pistol is very crisp. And the trigger reset is quite short as well.

These two attributes made it quite easy to do two things; shoot fast, and shoot accurately (not at the same time).

I continued shooting to see what else I liked with the pistol, only to be let down as the magazine emptied its contents.

The first hiccup I noticed was the failure to lock back when the mag went empty. I tried the second magazine and found the same thing happened. I even fired a single shot from both mags repeatedly to confirm.

It’s certainly possible that with some simple fudging of the magazine I could correct the problem, as it worked everytime when I ran the slide manually on an empty magazine.

With a target hung at 25 yards, I looked down the tall sights of the Rock and tried firing a group. To my great surprise, the shots were very consistent, and the group measured just under 2.5 inches.

I felt like it could easily be better if I used a red dot for a finer aiming point, something I was going to try for sure on my next range trip.

My next task was to try the pistol suppressed. I had brought along my YHM Phantom 22 suppressor to see how the Rock performed with a suppressor. The thread protector is secured with a small O-ring. I removed the protector and threaded it on my suppressor and loaded a magazine.

The first few shots I fired in a slow cadence, inspecting things to ensure alignment. Everything looked and sounded good, so I continued to fire until the magazine went empty. The phantom did a great job at reducing the noise, I would consider it enough to shoot without ear protection, but I am also half-deaf, so take that with a grain of salt.

I would also mention always shoot with eye protection for safety, but this is especially important if you are shooting suppressed. With glasses on, I did notice debris coming back and hitting me in the face a couple of times while shooting suppressed. There was some additional gas blowback as well, which is not a big surprise, but something to be aware of.

After shooting a couple of boxes of ammunition thru the Rock, I had some good opinions formed about its performance.

The gun is very accurate in my opinion, and the action is smooth and predictable. It was very enjoyable to shoot with its mild recoil and excellent trigger pull. The only significant issue I encountered was the failure to lock back.

I did have one failure to go into battery, but I’m not convinced this was an issue with the gun, as I may have not seated the top round properly in the mag.

RELIABILITY

The firing portion of shooting went fine, but the gun would not reliably lock back on empty.

ACCURACY

Accuracy when shooting the Rock was excellent, and exceeded my expectations

OVERALL FEEL

The gun felt great in my hand, I typically don’t like the wide grip of pistols because of the 5.7 length magazines housed inside, but it didn’t seem to affect my ability to grip it properly.

FEATURES

OPTICS READY

The Rock comes ready to install a red dot; I did so and found it quite easy and extremely useful to take advantage of its accuracy.

THREADED BARREL

The threaded barrel of the Rock fit my suppressor perfectly, it was a very nice add on to an already fun experience.

23-ROUND MAGAZINES

The 23-round double-stack magazines performed perfectly. It seemed like quite a shooting string to not have the magazine extended beyond the bottom of the grip.

According to PSA the magazines can be used in the Ruger 5.7 pistol, though they don’t guarantee function.

TRIGGER

I again wanted to mention how good the trigger felt when compared to other striker fired polymer pistols, it was definitely above average.

MAGAZINE RELEASE

The magazine release is reversible for left-handed shooters; I found it to be perfectly adequate and flowed perfectly with my shooting.

HOW WE TESTED

During the testing of the Rock 5.7, I shot almost two hundred rounds of ammunition through the pistol. I did a great many reloads during the process to see how the controls functioned.

I did notice that the longer 5.7 magazines are a bit tougher to hit the magwell that we are used to. I think perhaps a slightly more flared magwell would aid in this.

The other thing that I noticed while reloading the gun was the stiffness of the slide release. This may also have something to do with the gun not locking back on empty. I plan on breaking the gun in with a bunch more ammo. Follow me to see if it results in better function.

I only fired a couple magazines worth of ammo suppressed, just to see how it functioned. Recoil was slightly increased, and some additional blowback was noted, but it was still acceptable in my opinion.

I was surprised the suppressor didn’t heat up more than it did due to the higher pressure of the 5.7 cartridge.

AMMO USED

For the most part, I use the American Eagle 40 grain ammunition. The FN brand 40 grain ammunition also functioned flawlessly.

SCORE CARD

RELIABILITY (7/10)

Other than the issues I mentioned about not locking back, and stiff slide release, the gun functioned very well.

ERGONOMICS (9/10)

The Rock felt great in my hand, the textured grip makes it easy to hold onto, and the slide texture allows easy operation of the action.

CUSTOMIZATION (8/10)

I am unaware of any aftermarket parts for the Rock, as it is still quite new. But the threaded barrel and optics-ready slide give the user the ability to make it their way.

APPEARANCE (8/10)

The various color options are nice, and the Rock looks as good as any other comparable pistol

VALUE (9/10)

The Rock is significantly lower priced than the other options like the FN or Ruger 5.7 pistols. If the couple of slight issues I’ve had are easily worked out, I think it’s a steal by comparison.

Continue Reading Here…

Shadow Systems DR920 9mm pistol

April 14, 2023pistols, Product review, Shooting hardware9mm, DR920, glock 17, glock 19, pistol, shadow systemscoldboremiracle

INTRODUCTION

When I first started showing my Shadow Systems DR920 around, lots of folks would respond with, “nice Glock sir, but this is a Wendy’s”. I know it looks like a Glock, and surely shares a lot with them, but I was determined to see it differently.

In the interests of full disclosure, I’ll give some background. I’ve been a Sig fan-boy for twenty years, and while it would be silly to deny the success of the large family of polymer-designed pistols, I just never really liked them. Friends would get one, I’d handle them at a shop, but I never felt like I needed one bad enough to spend my money on one.

Now to be fair, the Shadow Systems family of pistols (DR920, XR920, MR920) are not just Glopies of the Austrian pistol. Shadow Systems pistols utilize many interchangeable parts but are also their own, the DR model pistol is comparable to the Glock 17.

The DR920 pistol is made with law enforcement in mind and built for duty purposes. The frame features an oversized beaver tail and interchangeable grip backstrap to accommodate different-sized hands.

The grip is textured for additional grip and control while shooting, and the trigger guard is undercut to allow additional purchase for a better grip. The flat-blade trigger has a 4.5-5 lb break and feels pretty clean.

The DR920’s slide is aggressively cut to provide additional purchase both at the front and back of the slide. It’s also cut for optics, so you can add your favorite red dot. Most red dots can be mounted without the use of adaptor plates like many other pistols use.

After a fairly short time with the DR920, I was quite quickly enamored with it, despite my distaste for pistols of this type. But how far down the marriage aisle would I get with this polymer-framed beauty?

SHADOW SYSTEMS DR920 REVIEW

Let me backup a bit; there’s more to this story than I’d let on.

A few months prior to this event, I found myself in the freezing desert of Wyoming, shooting an assortment of pistols belonging to my baby brother. Among the many was another Shadow, a different model but close enough. I’d already explained to him that I wasn’t big on that particular type, but he was adamant that I try it.

After only a few rounds, I found myself quite surprised at how well I could shoot it, and how good it felt in my hand. So when the opportunity to get my own Shadow, I figured I better pick it up.

shadow systems dr920 hands on review in snow

The DR920 promises to bring service-grade reliability with superior quality to a 9mm polymer-framed pistol. They are marketed toward shooters needing a high-grade pistol for durable service in any condition.

While the pistol may share some features with other common pistols, it brings additional qualities which will demand a higher price. Let’s see if it’s worth it…

SPECIFICATIONS

Caliber	9mm
Capacity	17 rounds
Action	Striker fired semi-auto
Length	7.75”
Height	5.25”
Trigger pull weight	4.5-5 lbs
Weight	22.4 ounces
Sights	Front dot, serrated rear
Barrel Twist	1-10

PROS & CONS

PROS

Same size and pattern as the Glock 17
Huge aftermarket support
Optics ready
Adjustable backstrap grip
Match Grade barrel

CONS

I’d like a more pronounced mag release
I wouldn’t mind a slicker trigger (less friction)
I’ll add a flared magwell

shadow systems dr920 hands on review range test

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

My first trip to the range with the DR920 was a quick one, and it didn’t take long to feel it out.

Running seventeen-round Magpul magazines, I stuffed a pile of cartridges in and loaded the pistol.

Cracking the first few rounds, I went slowly just to see how everything felt. To my surprise, the pistol recoiled a little more than I had expected. It wasn’t bad or anything, just a touch more than I had anticipated.

I ran through several magazines, running them dry til the gun locked open. I smiled a crooked smile to myself there in the pistol bay, and I thought to myself; I may end up loving this gun.

Those first fifty rounds went way too quickly, so I went to get more.

After several range trips and not as much ammo as I would have loved to shoot through this gun, I have gained a shine for it.

I’ve shot nearly five-hundred rounds through the pistol so far, and it hasn’t hiccuped yet. That should come as no surprise from a pistol with this pedigree. The natural aim of the pistol in my hand lined up very well; every time I presented the pistol, the sights were already on target. This made the pistol quite easy to shoot well, in my opinion.

During a later trip, I installed a Holosun 407K to see how I liked the gun with a red dot. It came as no surprise that I enjoyed it further still, as I prefer shooting pistols with red dots.

Shooting the Shadow was very comfortable and familiar. There are a couple of things I think I might change. I would like a flared magwell, and it looks like Shadow Systems has them for sale on their website, so I might get one on the way.

Not a huge deal, but it would probably help me stab magazines a little faster. And I’m definitely going to get some more magazines for it.

shadow systems dr920 hands on review close up

RELIABILITY

The pistol functioned flawlessly for the duration of my testing, with no malfunctions or failures.

ACCURACY

The DR920 was perfectly acceptable, in my opinion, as far as accuracy is concerned. Hitting 50% IPSC targets at 25 yards was easy; I don’t shoot pistols much further than that in any case.

OVERALL FEEL

The textured grip felt great in my hand, and the grip angle was perfect as well. Trigger and other controls were easily manipulated and comfortable. The adjustable backstrap made it easy to fit the hand.

FEATURES

FLAT-BLADE TRIGGER

The flat-blade trigger was smooth and clean to break. It’s a service pistol, so I wasn’t expecting it to be super light or short. I suppose I wouldn’t mind if it was a little lighter or less friction.

OPTICS MOUNT

The Shadow slides come pre-cut for optics. With threaded holes for various optical mounting patterns.

The idea is to be able to mount a red dot without needing a mounting plate. Instead, Shadow Systems includes a set of small polymer spacers that can be used to place in front of or behind the optic to fill any voids. I had no problem mounting red dots to it.

SIGHTS

When I first opened the box, I almost thought the gun came with suppressor sights, but they are just slightly taller sights than normal.

I actually quite like them as they always lined up with my target upon presentation. And once the red dot was added, they all co-witnessed, which I believe is a requirement for many LE agencies.

shadow systems dr920 mounted with red dot

ADJUSTABLE BACKSTRAP

The DR920 came with a baggie of different backstraps that are easily swapped out by simply pushing a pin out with their provided tool. The backstrap then slides down and off the frame. Then you reverse the process to install the backstrap of your choice.

TEXTURED MAG RELEASE

The textured mag release works fine, but I wouldn’t mind a slightly taller version. It seemed just a touch more out of the way for my thumb than I would have liked.

ACCESSORY RAIL

The pistol also features a typical accessory rail under the front of the pistol, perfect for mounting a weapon light. I installed my Surefire X300 with no problem; it’s pretty hard to mess this up.

Continue reading here…

shadow systems dr920 with holosun 407k mounted and reloading

The 338 Lapua Magnum: a legend in its time

April 3, 2023blog338, 338 lapua magnum, 338lapua, 338lmcoldboremiracle

Introduction

In the world of long-range shooting there are many legendary cartridges, the reasons behind the legend differ but they all share a mystical status among shooters. One of those cartridges is the 338 Lapua Magnum, and today we will take a hard look at the Lapua and what makes it so sought after.

Often it’s a particular story or mission that highlights a particular cartridge, or the firearm it is most famous for; like the 308 Winchester in the M24, or the Mk 13 SOCOM rifle chambered in the 300 Winchester Magnum. But as stories are told, and reputations made, the shooting public is keen to appreciate a good performer, and before long it becomes a legend.

The PGW Timberwolf is a popular sniper rifle chambered in 338LM

As technology improves, it takes less and less time for products to improve and be implemented. The 338 Lapua Magnum (LM) has been around a relatively short time compared to most others, and yet it is incredibly famous for its prolific use as a sniper cartridge. Even video gamers who’ve never held a real firearm in their life know that if you are going to get a sniper rifle, get the 338.

The 338LM is based off of the .416 Rigby case with some additional improvements to safely operate at higher pressures.

What sets it apart?

The mighty 338 Lapua Magnum has many things going for it, and probably the most notable is its power. With a .33 caliber bore, larger bullets can be fired than typical .30 caliber sniper cartridges like the 300WM or 308Win. Not only are they bigger bullets but they are heavier and carry their energy for much further, which are both good traits for long-range accuracy and lethality.

But the mighty Lapua also offers accuracy with its power. With quality components and an adequate rifle, the .338LM is easily capable of shooting 1/2 MOA or better. For many of the years it has been commercially available, it has been offered in many of the best sniper rifles ever produced like; the Accuracy International AXSR, the Desert Tech SRS M2, and the Barrett MRAD (Mk22). And more recently it has been offered in more affordable rifles from manufacturers like Ruger and Savage.

The Ruger RPR in 338LM has lowered the entry price for shooting the big Lapua

I’ve been shooting the 338 for a few years now in various of these different platforms, and despite not lusting after the Lapua like many, I cannot oppose its impressive performance. And today I’ll take you down a thirty-three caliber rabbit hole.

33 and Me

I’ve been shooting the Desert Tech SRS for over a decade now, and the rifle was built for the 338. I’ve made some impressive shots with it over the years, surprising even myself. That’s not meant to be boasting, I’ll explain.

The significant power of the Lapua can be a lot to handle, and for those of us accustomed to shooting short action cartridges the recoil and muzzle blast from the 338 can be “unwelcome”. And yet nearly every time I shoot the 338 for accuracy, I find myself so pleased with the accuracy that I ask myself why I dont shoot it more.

The 338 gets such an impressive bark from the 100’ish (give or take) grains of powder that it runs on. These large powder charges push 250-300 grain bullets up to over 2500 feet per second, which is where all that power comes from. Loading the Lapua can lower the cost of ammunition like most others, but it still hurts to watch a pound of Retumbo disappear so fast.

It is an easy cartridge to load for, and handloaders will find everything about it to be familiar all but for volumes and prices perhaps. Components are not as hard to find as they once were, even American Eagle is making 338 Lapua cases now. Though I greatly prefer the higher quality ones from Lapua, Petersen, and RUAG. If you are going to shoot this this thing you may as well do it right to maximise the performance.

A handful of a few of the worlds best 338LM rifles at a recent military trial I attended

Seeing as I am no sniper, the majority of my experience shooting the 338 has been in recreation, hunting, and a little bit of military demonstration. The same attributes that make it a good long-range sniper cartridge also make it an excellent long-range hunting cartridge. And we have used it over and over for outstanding downrange performance on large Rocky Mountain game like Elk and Moose.

We have used the big Lapua to take down many large Rocky Mountain animals like elk and moose

The significant power of the 338LM makes it an easy choice for hunting big animals or any animal that is far away. Sure it is more than necessary for many animals, but they certainly aren’t going to get up and ask you about it.

Bullets and barrel twists

The big Lapua works best when shooting 250 grain or larger bullets, not that it wont do well with smaller bullets just that you aren’t getting the full performance. Most of the factory ammunition I am familiar with is usually using a 250 or 300 grain match bullet, and they are typically either Sierra Match Kings or Lapua Scenar bullets. Of course there are others from companies like Hornady and Berger, the .338 caliber enjoys a great selection of bullets so you’ll always have something to choose from. Technological advances haven’t skipped over the .338 either, you can get some extremely high performing lathe turned solid bullets in .338 as well from companies like Warner Tool and Cutting Edge. These monolithic solids are lighter than typical lead cored bullets, and come with a much higher ballistic coefficient. These two qualities allow them to be fired faster and fly better than traditional bullets, but it certainly comes at a cost.

It’s important when configuring your rifle to ensure you have enough barrel twist to stabilize the bullets you plan on shooting. Modern projectile development seems to be favoring faster barrel twists, particularly as we continue to discover the value of added gyroscopic energy from faster twists. These are part of the reason I recommend a faster twist barrel than has been traditionally used, regardless of caliber. The common 1-10 twist you see in many 338LM will work, though I prefer something a little faster like a 1-9.5 or 1-9 twist.
Most .338LM rifles utilize full length barrels around 26-inches long, some are longer, and few are shorter. Getting the most out of your .338 typically means taking it to the highest velocity possible, and longer barrels are the way to achieve that. I have had some experience shooting shorter barrels however, some would argue too short. And yet even with barrels as short as 18-inches, the .338LM is still impressive and very useful.

Deserving of a Legend?

So does the mighty .338 Lapua deserve the Legendary status? I would argue that it certainly does.

Continue Reading here

US Optics TS25X Precision rifle scope

March 25, 2023Optics, Product reviewriflescope, scope, ts, ts25x, us opticscoldboremiracle

You have probably seen some of my opinions on other US Optics rifle scopes, but today we are going to talk about another one. The Tactical Sport line of optics from US Optics is a more affordable line of optics, and in my opinion they are a great choice for someone who needs a good repeatable riflescope without going broke.
Today’s subject is the TS25X, it is a 5-25 power riflescope built on a 30mm tube. The 25X is the highest magnification scope in the TS line, but the TS20X scope has a 34mm tube. While I think I prefer the 34mm tube the TS25X is still a great option for various applications. The objective of the 25X is a 50mm to gather enough light to present a clear image, and the side-focus parallax adjustment is on the left side of the turret housing as we have come to expect.

Most of the controls and features will be very familiar to most shooters, the ocular lens adjustment can be focused by turning the rubberized ring at the back of the scope. The five MRAD turrets have a locking feature, they must be popped up to rotate. This helps avoid accidental turning of the turrets when moving. I prefer turrets that use at least ten MRAD per rotation, but considering the size and price of this scope its not a big deal to me. Inside the erector of the 25X sits the JVCR reticle, this has become my favorite US Optics reticle and I use it in all my US Optics scopes. It gives plenty of holdover and windage points to use for corrections, and not so much as to become cluttered like many other can. The reticle is illuminated red by rotating the rheostat on the outside of the side-focus knob with six brightness settings.

Purposes for the TS25X

I’ve been running this scope for over a year now, and I’ve gotten a good feel for what its capabilities are. I love shooting, and I’ve found that this little scope can be an excellent tool in various shooting applications. Whether you are going to use it for long-range target shooting, competitive shooting, or more traditional purposes like hunting.
I have used the TS25X for all of the above and it has served me well. In fact I have used the 25X as sort of a gap-filling scope, one that I have swapped back and forth from one rifle to another. Mounting and dismounting from an assortment of rings and mounts, zeroing and re-zeroing it over and over again. It has done very well in this role, and has performed as well as I could have hoped.

Field Use

The 5-25 power of the TS25X is an excellent range for multipurpose use in the shooting field. Like most scopes the maximum power tends to be a little darker and some resolution is lost, but that is easily remedied by maxing out at something like 21 or 22X. The 25X went on many hunts with us over the past year, as well as many different rifle reviews. The five MRAD turrets work great, but they can be easier to accidentally be off by a revolution. I’ve had that happen before with this and other similar scopes, it’s just something that happens. I ended up putting a piece of tape under the elevation turret to show where actual zero is to avoid it happening again. I can simply look to see if the bottom of the turret is flush with the tape, and if I see a gap then I’m one turn off.
The JVCR reticle in the scope is very handy for measuring your misses, there are just the right amount of subtensions to be able to measure a correction.
I have been impressed by the durability of this little scope, it has been dialed up and down as much any scope has rights to, clamped in rings over and over again and at least one time too hard. And after all the swapping and dialing it just keeps on ticking, and the hits keep coming.

Hunting

The twenty-seven ounce scope is a great option for a hunting rifle, and it has spent a good deal of time mounted to hunting rifles in my time with it. We have used it to take several mule deer here in the Rocky Mountains, and I would have felt every confidence that it would continue to perform in the ice cold weather of winter too.

After having spent a whole year using this scope across multiple different semi-auto and bolt action rifles, I can tell you with confidence that it is a great little scope. I wouldn’t go as far as to say I have abused it, but I have certainly used it harder than many folks will. So if you are looking for a riflescope with features like these, I can recommend the TS25X to you with confidence.

-CBM

Andres Industries TigIR-6Z+™ Thermal Sight

March 24, 2023Optics, Product reviewandres industries, thermal, thermal optic, TigIR, TigIR-6Zcoldboremiracle

I am lucky to often play with military grade weaponry, but today we will be talking about military grade optics, thermal optics to be exact. Today we will be looking at the Andres Industries TigIR thermal sight. The TigIR is a compact clip-on thermal sight meant to be used in front of your day optic.

The TigIR-Z

I tested the TigIR on one of my SRS M2 rifles chambered in 338LM, on top of the rifle was a Steiner M5 riflescope.

The TigIR has some very convenient features that make it rapidly deployed and easily adapted to your application. Things like a quick power-up when opening the front lens cover, assorted mounting options, and offset adjustment to remove optical offset. I really enjoy some of the nerdy tech side of shooting, so lets get tucked into this review.

Target hangers as seen from 200 Mts at zero fahrenheit

The TigIR comes in a very nice little polymer carry case with a detailed instruction booklet in both German and English, which came in very handy. One of the first things that surprised me about it was for an optic so filled with functions and features, it only had four buttons. There is a fairly complex menu that is navigated using only the four buttons, using either quick presses or holding the button depressed until selected. But first I had to install the four CR123 lithium batteries.
The TigIR has several filter options that allow different views of different landscapes, each one having a strong-point. The different filters are easily toggled through to see which one best presents your target in any given place. There are also several different brightness settings you can use to adjust to your purposes. The waterproof housing also has a connection for video output and remote control.
In addition, the TigIR allows you to create several profile offsets within the device for different rifles or calibers. When you add a thermal sight to your rifle, or anything to your rifle for that matter, it can affect the way the rifle recoils and change your point of impact. In addition, when you put an additional device infront of your day scope that is zeroed to the rifle, you can also cause an optical offset (sorta like a shallow prizm). The TigIR allows you to correct for this offset, so that your point of impact remains the same with or without the thermal installed. And as I mentioned you can save up to six different profiles to use with the TigIR.

The front lens cover is held shut by two bungees, the unit powers-up when you open the cover. The bungees then hold the cover firmly in place to avoid unwanted movement. It can also be used for rapid recalibration, by simply closing and opening again it will cause the unit to reset. After startup you can select a power setting from .8X up to 6X, this is handy for various viewing purposes and are easily toggled with the zoom button (#2).
You can select one of the fifteen or so different filters, each of them have strong points such as looking for a person vs. looking at a vehicle. Some of the filters are much better than others depending on what you are looking at, so make sure you try several different options.

The TigIR is easily mounted using a clip-on picatinny rail clamp, but there are other options such as scope-bell clamps as well as observation eyepieces to use the unit alone. The four batteries should power the unit for ten hours according to the manufacturer, though in my experience I would not expect it to last near that long in this kind of cold.

I must admit that the lionshare of my time was spent learning how to operate the TigIR, which is no surprise as it is a complicated device. It took some trial and error for my captain caveman brain to get everything figured out. But after some time I was ready to make some noise.

To the rifle range

Having already ensured my rifle was zeroed at one-hundred meters, I clamped the TigIR into place to see what happened next. It’s not often that I play with thermals, and I always forget to bring something warm to use as a target. But to my surprise I didn’t really need one this time, targets and details show so clearly through the TigIR that it was almost unnecessary. I could even see the differing colors of the paper target, as long as the sun was shining on them. As temperatures changed so did my perspective of the targets. It was actually easier to shoot into the snow, where the fresh holes in the snow would show up quite clearly through the thermal. After confirming the offset, I entered the offset data into the profile for my 338. This would ensure that with or without the TigIR installed I would be on target.

Observing target handlers, note “WH” denotes selected IR filter, and 0.8X denotes selected zoom

The images portrayed through the TigIR were quite impressive, making an incredible amount of detail possible. I pushed it out a little further to see how well I could see things at six-hundred meters, and it was still very useful. I continued to shoot and to my surprise I could even see sticks moving behind the target as they were hit by the bullet after passing through. It was actually quite impressive until thick fluffy snow began to fall, and as the air filled with frozen snowflakes the magnified image became unclear with or without the thermal installed on the rifle. I did try some of the other thermal filters and did get some improvement, but not enough to make it worth spending expensive 338 Lapua rounds. I’ll also add that the images shown here don’t show the quality as well as your eye does in real time.

You can also select one of several reticles from the TigIR menu, different reticles with differing values that can be used either independently of you day scope, or in conjunction with it. And if using the TigIR as spotting device, you can use the reticle values to call corrections for your shooter.

Conclusion

I was thoroughly impressed with the TigIR-6Z, it was very compact compared to other units, and it performance was better than those I am more familiar with. Yes it is a complex piece of tech so there is definitely a learning curve, but I think once you figure out how to use it properly, you will be very happy with it. The price is just shy of €10K, which is certainly not cheap, but it much more affordable than comparable units I have used. I would definitely get one of these units if you’re in the market for a thermal, its an outstanding little device.
-CBM

EOTech Vudu 1-8×24 Review

March 17, 2023Optics, Product reviewcoldboremiracle

INTRODUCTION

For the better part of the last twenty years, you could hardly talk about tactical weapon sights with EOtech coming up.

The brand has grown quickly to become an industry stalwart. In much more recent times, the company has released its own line of optical rifle scopes under the Vudu brand.

Today we will look at a model from the Vudu line, the EOTech Vudu 1-8X24 precision rifle scope. This model features a thirty-millimeter tube and the typical twenty-four millimeter ocular lens. Variable power swings between one and eight times magnification with the reticle in the second focal plane. The reticle itself is the HC3, which features an illuminated center dot and several hold-over points for shooting further distances. The capped turrets are graduated in quarter minutes of angle adjustments.

Low Power Variable Optics (LPVOs) have become increasingly more popular for modern sporting rifles and tactical-style rifles. When rapidly engaging targets at dangerously close distances, a rifle scope can be extremely valuable over red dots or holographic sights, particularly if those targets could range from fifty to three hundred yards away.

The LPVO has become a valued option for that kind of shooting scenario, and our subject today appears to fit that purpose quite well.

I enjoy shooting sports a great deal and have spent a good deal of time behind many riflescopes. I was thrilled to see how the Vudu scope would perform. I am a total fanboy for quality rifle scopes, and if this Vudu lived up to my expectations, I couldn’t wait to add it to my collection.

After unboxing the Vudu and playing around with it in just a few minutes, it has already got me excited to shoot with it.

VUDU 1-8×24 PRECISION RIFLE SCOPE REVIEW

The LPVO market has become quite crowded over the past ten or so years, so I was curious to see what Vudu had to offer that others weren’t already selling. I have heard good stories about optical quality, and so far, glancing over the features, it appears to tick all the boxes I want in an LPVO. So I wasted no time getting the Vudu mounted and ready for the range.

The market is crowded, as I said, but there is undoubtedly room for quality optics at every price and quality point. There are inexpensive LPVOs in the three to five-hundred range, and even more at the thousand dollar price point, and even at the fourteen to fifteen-hundred price point, there is still a lot of competition.

The Vudu fits right into that area for those who can’t or won’t jump to the two-thousand-dollar-plus price range, but it is still a great place to select a high-quality and well-performing LPVO. A good scope like this deserves a good mount that will allow proper positioning on the rifle, so make sure you research before mounting your scope.

With all that in mind, I set out to shoot a selection of different scenarios using the Vudu.

Varying shots from near to far and using both the variable power of the scope and the holdover points on the reticle. The one to eight-power magnification gives a great deal of versatility for a wide field of view on close-up shots with both eyes open.

And it also allows you to zoom it into eight power to take more precise shots at targets further out. I have found eight power suitable for shots as far as one thousand yards at times. So with a great deal of space at my disposal, I prepared to give the Vudu a good workout.

SPECIFICATIONS

Tube	30 mm
Length	10.9 inches
Weight	20.8 ounces
Magnification	1-8x
Objective lens	24 mm
Reticle	HC3
Illumination	Green center dot
Battery	CR2032
Elevation travel	100 MOA @.25 per click

PROS & CONS

PROS

High quality Japanese optical lenses
Capped hand-adjustable turrets
Illuminated reticle
Push-button illumination change
Throw lever included
Hold-over HC3 reticle

CONS

Wish it was the 1-10
Would like a little more reticle detail
Would also like an MRAD option

RANGE TESTING

I had a hard time coming up with cons for the Vudu, as you might have noticed. It looks like I will have to get my hands on their 1-10×28 model as well, as it fits my wishes to a T.

Getting the Vudu on the range was my priority now. I mounted it up to one of my favorite carbines, my Desert Tech MDRX. I do a LOT of shooting with this rifle, so it seemed an excellent fit to compare to a bunch of other LPVOs I have run on the rifle over the years.

With the Vudu in a cantilevered mount, I installed it on the pic rail of the rifle at the proper distance for good eye relief. It felt right at home there, so I grabbed some ammunition and headed out the door.

Upon arrival at my spot, I set the rifle on a bipod and did a quick boresight job to ensure it would be on paper. After just a few shots, it was zeroed.

I typically zero my rifles at one hundred yards, mainly because that’s where I do a lot of shooting. But it would also make sense to zero a scope like this at seventy-five or fifty yards. It depends entirely on your shooting activities.

After zeroing the scope, I started with some quick transitional shooting between a couple of different targets. The straight one-power allows you to shoot with both eyes open, something I appreciate very much. I also really like the bright green dot in the reticle. It allows the scope to be used almost like a red dot sight.

The push-button on and off makes it much easier to power up than the typical rotational rheostats. The added simplicity of push buttons to increase or decrease brightness are also convenient and easily understood when you’re moving fast.

For shooting IPSC-sized targets from standing and improvised positions, I found that zooming the scope in a few X’s was helpful. I had several targets between fifty and one-hundred-fifty yards. The two to three power settings helped get those targets bracketed and shot.

This rifle is very handy for shots out to five or six hundred yards and even twice that when I switch out barrels for another caliber.

So I wanted to see how targets looked through the Vudu at much further distances. I couldn’t find any information on the parallax setting for this Vudu, but I assumed it is likely at a hundred yards like many others. Not a huge deal but something you should know.

I checked the estimated drop for my 223 ammunition at four hundred yards, about twelve MOA.

Conveniently for me, the Vudu’s HC3 reticle has holdovers for 2, 5, 8.5, and 12.5 MOA. So my holdover for the four hundred-yard shot was pretty easy to line up. Holding into the breeze a little bit resulted in a perfect hit. I watched the bullet splash through the eight-power with great clarity and definition.

RELIABILITY

The Vudu 1-8×24 worked great for me. Through all my zooming in and out, as well as dialing the scope all over, it never lost zero or gave me any grief.

The small scope size makes me think it is less likely to get smacked around like full-sized scopes often do. But I see no reason why this scope wouldn’t live up to EOTech’s famously robust no-BS warranty.

ACCURACY

The accuracy of a riflescope is mainly based on its ability to hold proper zero and track well in its internal movement. I like to measure these movements by bolting the scope down and seeing if it actually moves the amount it says.

In my testing, the Vudu 1-8×24 was as accurate as I could have hoped, with precise corrections and matching the reticle values.

OVERALL FEEL

The Vudu feels outstanding, I like the texturing on the grip areas, and the included throw-lever is very handy, especially in the cold.

The clear optics and rubberized push-button controls make it look and feel outstanding. The large turrets are easily adjusted with gloves on, as are the other controls.

FEATURES

THROW LEVER

The Vudu comes with a thread-in throw lever or cat-tail, as some call it. The idea is to give additional purchase to adjust the magnification of the optic, as gripping the ocular housing from some positions can be challenging. The throw lever gives a better ability to pivot the input force as the housing rotates in many shooting positions.

ILLUMINATION

The Vudu features an illuminated green dot at the center of the reticle. It is powered by a battery housed in the left-hand turret.

There are three buttons on that turret at the twelve, three, and nine o’clock positions. The top button is the on/off switch; the other two buttons are for increasing or decreasing the brightness level of the dot.

I really like this ability to quickly turn the reticle on or off without having to rotate the turret, particularly those that don’t have off settings in between brightness settings. And it is easy to adjust the brightness from the shooting position using the buttons.

20 MOA TURRETS

The twenty MOA turrets on the Vudu allow for a good deal of corrective adjustment. In the event that you need to adjust for elevation at further distances, the turrets allow for precise adjustment in ¼ MOA increments.

HOW WE TESTED

I ran the Vudu 1-8 through a whole bunch of shooting at my range. Fast shooting between target transitions as well as slow fire at much further targets, was a great way to get familiarized with the Vudu and its weak spots.

The only thing I might have found as far as weakness was that at 1X, there is a tiny bit of deformation around the circumference of the image. This is not uncommon in my experience, nor is it a huge deal. It didn’t affect my ability to see and hit my targets.

I also noticed at some of the higher power settings that the eye relief seems a little touchier than I would have wanted; again not a big deal but something I did notice.

The hold-over points on the reticle were quite handy, though if you were going to do more medium to long-range shooting, you would likely want more points. Luckily, Vudu makes another scope for those who are looking for just that.

As it is, this scope makes a great choice for fifty to four-hundred-yard shooting. And when doing up-close shooting, I ran the scope on 1X with the dot turned all the way up and used it just like a red dot.

As I typically do with most optics I test, I also ran the turrets and reticle against a yardstick to see how well and accurately the erector tracks. Most of the time, they are all pretty close to their advertised graduations, and the Vudu 1-8×24 was one of those.

SCORE CARD

RELIABILITY (9/10)

The Vudu 1-8×24 functioned flawlessly for me during my testing. Surely this hasn’t been long enough to truly test its abilities, but only time will tell how that plays out. Follow me to see how the Vudu does over time.

OPTICAL QUALITY (8/10)

The optical quality of the Vudu was great. There was a tiny bit of optical aberration around the edges at 1X. Still, it was certainly something I could live with.

The clarity of targets was superb, and it performed well for my eyes even at low light near dusk. I won’t lie and say that I haven’t seen better, but I think the Vudu is right in line with its best competitors for this price.

FEATURES (7/10)

The illuminated reticle and throw lever were nice things to have when I opened the box, but I was kind of hopeful that Vudu would have brought just a little something extra to the game.

I would have liked a slightly more detailed reticle option and an MRAD option. Of course, more options like these would only add to the Vudu line.

VALUE (8/10)

I think the Vudu brings a significant level of performance and quality for its price point. Competitors in the comparable price range make it a very challenging market. You could almost select based on pure appearance and still get a great scope.