The TrackingPoint Precision Guided Firearm is a step above the rest in a wide variety of fields.  The speed it takes to get the D.O.P.E on the weapon and pull the trigger to get a hit on target is measured in only a couple of seconds.  The same amount of time that it would take a skilled shooter, if not faster, to get rounds on target at distances beyond 1000 yards.  The weapons system utilizes a Linux powered scope that displays to the shooter all necessary environmentals including other factors such as the barrels age, and abuse, something many precision shooters do not account for.  The image displayed through the scopes ocular lens resembles something of a fighter pilots HUD display.

Firing the Tracking Point Precision Guided Firearm

The firing process reminds me of the MK47 grenade launchers I used while in 3rd Ranger Battalion.  The MK47 also used a tracking type device and computer system that would calculate the grenades trajectory allowing us to launch grenades at extreme distances with extreme pin point precision.

In order to fire the Tracking Point Precision Guided Firearm, the shooter first presses a button near the trigger in order to mark the target that he or she intends to shoot.  Once the target is marked, the shooter is given very important information that is needed to make that shot possible, such as air temperature, density altitude, true altitude, humidity,  wind velocity and angle, the shooters angle to target, etc.  Once the information has been determined, the shooter will then see a blue “reticle” indicating where the round will impact, keeping the red dot mark on the target.  At this point in time, the shooter will pull the trigger.  The weapon WILL NOT fire once the trigger is pulled, instead the cross-hairs turn red.  In order for the rifle to fire, the shooter must place the red cross-hairs on the red dot mark that is on the target, keeping the trigger depressed.  As soon as the cross-hairs and the mark coincide, the weapon will fire.

Having the trigger depressed the entire time, in my opinion, takes out some of the shooters pre-flinch reaction.

Here are the following platforms and what the package includes:

XS1- .338 Lapua Magnum

XS2- .300 Win Mag

XS3- .300 Win Mag

Included in Your XactSystem™ Precision Guided Firearm Package

Every PGF comes complete with the following:

• Integrated Networked Tracking Scope, Guided Trigger, and Tag Button
• Pelican™ 3300 hard case
• 3 batteries and chargers
• 200 rounds of XactShot™ Ammunition by Barnes®
• Instructions
• Cleaning kit
• iPad Mini loaded with the TrackingPoint App™ and ShotView App™

Total Package Cost:

Reports show the total package will be somewhere along the price range of $17,000.00

Although the price seems to be steep, take into account that the company supplies the weapon (Surgeon) , Harris Bipods, Linux Scope, etc.

For more info: http://tracking-point.com/store

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When I first picked up the weapon, my first thought was, “Wow, this is really light weight!”  You can never go wrong with a light weight pistol, especially when you’re doing support side and strong side drills.  The frame of the pistol is made of polymer and has a distinct textured grip, almost like the Glock 22 RTF, just a little more prominent.

The slide of the pistol is stainless steel with serrations on the front and back of the pistol, another plus in my book, it gives you the rough surface to grip securely in various environments when performing a brass check, malfunction drill, reload, wounded drill, etc.  Looking up on the top of the slide at the sights, I was extremely happy to see the fixed three dot “tall sights”.  In my opinion, I find that having three dot sights easy to pick up on target, and the tall sights allow me to pick up the sight picture in my peripheral faster during the draw.

The pistol is also equipped with a cold hammer-forged 5.3 inch barrel with a threaded end allowing you add-on a suppressor.

Putting around 500 rounds through it over a period of around 2 hours, I walked away without the “sore” hand and wrist usually associated when shooting that a lot of wounds with a .45.  This was due to the weapons low bore axis.

Another great feature that this weapon has to offer, is the ambidextrous safety, slide lock, and magazine release.

Overall, I really enjoyed shooting this weapon, not only is it practical for working in close quarters, but the weapons felt recoil is great when acknowledging the fact you’re shooting a .45.

The post The FNX-45 Tactical appeared first on The Loadout Room.

In an effort to satisfy this need the 300 AAC Blackout was created by Advanced Armament Corp. in cooperation with Remington Defense, under the direction of AAC’s Research and Development Director Robert Silvers.

Project goals were:

• Create a reliable compact 30-cal solution for AR platform
• Utilize existing inventory magazines while retaining their full capacity
• Create the optimal platform for sound and flash suppressed fire
• Create compatible supersonic ammo that matches 7.62×39mm ballistics
• Provide the ability to penetrate barriers with high-mass projectiles
• Provide all capabilities in a lightweight, durable, low recoiling package

 Combat Effectiveness

During my personal experience and time that I’ve had working with the 300 BLK, I became fond of the weapon system.  Recalling the engagements that I’ve had in Iraq and Afghanistan using the M4 (5.56) cartridge, I noticed, just as other members of my team, that the round didn’t necessarily pack the punch that it needed on certain occasions.  Being that the mass of the 5.56 is so small, the kinetic energy transferred to a target was not as great, especially when compared to a heavy 7.62 projectile.

The 5.56 also lacked in the penetration compartment.  The small round simply wouldn’t punch through various obstacles in order to hit a target.  Sure the 5.56 is a great round for self-defense in close quarters and medium ranges, but on the other hand, for every one live target, you would typically place 2-4 rounds center mass on a target to incapacitate it.  With a heavy 7.62 round, 1-2 rounds were all that was needed.

Another key feature that I came to really enjoy, was the low recoil produced by the larger caliber.  Something that every combat shooter should look for in a weapon, is recoil management.  If the weapon is bouncing all over the place when fired rapidly and you are not able to keep the sights on the combat effective zone of a target (5 inch diameter, center chest), then the weapon renders itself a liability in close quarters combat.  I would have to compare the recoil to the 5.56 cartridge, just with a little more kick, but not so much that its throws your sights off target.

Cartridge Energy

 The Platform

Having the M4 platform makes it extremely user-friendly, there’s no getting used to a different safety, magazine weld and shape, etc.  The platform also is a big contributor to the weapons overall accuracy, unlike the not so accurate AK-47 that fires a 7.62 round.  This weapon will easily stretch out to 500+ yards and engage a human silhouette steel plate.  The manufacture states that its maximum effective range is only 503 yards, I have seen and shot it out to 850 yards.

Overall

If you’re looking for a great self-defense weapon, this is a great choice!  As stated before, you get to have your AR platform with a little more bang in the chamber.

The post The 300 BlackOut appeared first on The Loadout Room.

I recently came across the a rear bag company, Wiebad, located out of Texas and had them design one specifically for me with the Reaper 33 logo.  I have used plenty of rear bags, but none like the extremely light weight rifle rear bag produced by Wiebad.

As soon as the package came in the mail, I took it out to the range to test out its durability, reliability, etc.  The bag comes in at a total weight of 3.6 oz, and the quick attach is a must have.  Typically when maneuvering around obstacles, running, crawling, etc. the rear bags weight can be quite a distraction and nuisance  especially when it’s banging around on all of your equipment and person.  With this bag only weighing 3.6 oz, I hardly noticed it was there, even when attached to the butt-stock of the rifle.  The quick attach is capable of attaching to the rear of the shooters butt-stock  or to an attachment on a combat shooters belt (a review to come shortly).

The durability of the bag was also a shock.  As light as the bag is, some may seem skeptical to its longevity.  After running combat simulated test on the bag, it remained functional just as it was the day I took it out of the box.

Make sure to keep a look out for this new product.

This product is set to release sometime this summer at a surprisingly  affordable price!

***WieBad is in the process of launching a custom section on their site as well for special orders.  Until then, contact Robert@Wiebad.com***

The post Rifle Rear Bag! appeared first on The Loadout Room.

The rear adjustable sight is black and serrated to eliminate any glare on sunny days. It has a .125″ notch and is completely adjustable for elevation and windage. Having a rear adjustable sight is very important if you do or intend to reload your own ammunition. Also, this can come in handy in todays market since ammunition is not as readily available and many times changing ammo will change the point of impact with your weapon of choice.

The front sight is a fiber optic post and is .100″ wide. Having a narrow post is very advantageous for quick target acquisition. In contrast to the rear sights, the FO front stands out like a sore thumb and has already enabled me to improve my time from draw to first round fired.

One of the great things about Dawson is that they send you everything that you need to install your new sights. If you are not comfortable with performing the sight change yourself, for a small fee you can send in your weapon and they will do the install for you as well as sight in the pistol. They have sights available for virtually every make and model of pistol as well as holsters, AR components, tools, etc.

Having both the front and rear sight cost me about $130.00 shipped. Although that may sound steep for most people, it was well worth it for the great service, amazing competition sights, and the reduced target acquisition time.

The post Dawson Precision Rear Adjustable and Front FO Sight appeared first on The Loadout Room.

Designed by a member of the SOF community and weighting in at just under 1 ounce, the clamp is made out of Kydex with a Velcro backing, and a cut out to attach to a MOLLE/PALS Webbing. If you are using a Nexus PTT (2.375” L, 1.125” W, 2.625”H) or a TEA PTT (2.75” L, 1.625” W, 1.125” H), then MATBOCK has a version of their clamp that will work for you.

To install your PTT, you first need to remove the alligator clip from the back of the PTT and then bend the MATBOCK PTT Clamp open and fit your PTT inside the clamp. The first thing you will notice is that your PTT button is protected by a “cage”. Don’t worry, the “cage” is only a finger nail in length, and prevents  that “hot mic” feature that occurs when gear and PTT meet at the worst times..  We noticed that once installed, it did prevent “hot micing” and that a very welcome feature to members of your team that no longer have to hear unneeded chatter.

The PTT Clamp has a lip to help prevent hot-micing

The Velcro backing allows you to mount your PTT for either left-handed or right-handed use. And, you are no longer looking for a piece of MOLLE webbing or an area of your PC to mount it. The  MATBOCK Clamp gives you more options. We have now mounted next to our Marz Admin Pouch, and find it a very affective location.

Velcro Backed and a MOLLE Slot give you tons of mounting options

You can purchase the MATBOCK PTT Clamp directly from MATBOCK for $40.00 and are available in Multicam, Desert Digital, and Digital Woodland.

– Eric

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I believe that shooters should take as much attention to detail to their back up sights as they do a high-end scope or red dot.  These things will save your life!

I came across Magpul’s MBUS Pro sights today and thought I would share some thoughts.

MBUS PRO Front and Rear sight

• No tool adjust sights
• Melonite-finished all-steel
• Positive detents keep the MBUS PRO front and rear at standard AR sight height and low when deployed

The “No tool adjust sights” is a must have!  Not having to deal with finding a piece of brass, spare ammo, or Gerber, and having the sights adjustable by simply spinning the “knob” to adjust elevation or windage makes sighting in on a target not only faster, but extremely practical as well.  For those who are familiar with the windage and elevation turrets on a rifle scope, understand how fast adjustments can be made on target.

The Melonite-finished steel will only insure the durability of the front and rear sights.

Having the sights lay low as possible and still maintain their standard AR sight height, gives the operator the ability to apply laser optics on the weapon and not have the laser interfere with the sights.  Being that the sights are to standard AR spec., the operator will not have to retrain his/her muscle memory when acquiring the sights, it’s still “second nature”.

We can expect to see this product late this summer, the perfect time for shooting!

Price: $84.95 (Front), $104.95 (Rear)

The post Magpul’s New MBUS Pro! appeared first on The Loadout Room.

There are a plethora of great optics that are found on today’s market, but typically you get what you pay for.  Bushnell’s Elite Tactical line of rifle scopes are some of the best scopes I’ve used to date.  Not only are their line of scopes extremely affordable, they are exceptionally durable (combat or competition), have terrific glass clarity, and offer a wide variety of reticles (G2, Horus, etc.)  I personally like the standard MIL dot reticle scopes for my line of work, as my field of view is less obscured.

The earlier versions of their scopes wouldn’t allow the operator to set a zero stop on the ballistic drop compensator (BDC), and no matter your level of competence with rifle scopes, this can become a problem.  Bushnell’s new version does have the zero stop, the ELITE TACTICAL XRS 4.5-30x 50mm.

Some of the features that the XRS 4.5-30x 50mm scope are:

• G2 reticle
• First focal plane
• T-Lok locking target turrets
• Z-Lok zero stop
• Side parallax adjustment
• .1 Mil Clicks, 10Mils/Revs
• Finish:Matte
• Power / Obj Lens:4.5x-30x 50mm
• Reticle:G2
• Field of View (ft@100 yds. / m@100 m):24/7.3@4.5x / 3.6/1@30x
• Weight (oz. / g):37 / 1049
• Length (in. / mm):10.2 / 265
• Eye Relief (in. / mm):3.7 / 95
• Exit Pupil (mm):9@4.5x / 1.7@30x
• Click Value in.@100 yds / mm@100m:0.34 / 10
• Adj Range in.@100yds / m@100m:50 / 1.3
• Mounting Length (in. / mm):6.4 / 162
• Zero Stop
• Price: $2,070 – 2,100

Final Thoughts

I am very impressed with Bushnell’s line of Elite Tactical Scopes!  For the cost, what you get, and durability, once again, this scope is at the top of my list.  The scope holds it value in turret clicks, has extremely clear glass clarity, and the ability to set the zero stop make it a must have for any rifle shooter.  The only thing that I would change on this scope, or not personally use myself, is the 30x power magnification.  Having the scope magnification set to its max, you’ll tend to see the degradation of target clarity as you are magnifying the mirage to such a high level.  A good, max power setting for a rifle scope in my personal opinion, should not exceed 20x.

The post Finding Your Long Rifle Scope…At an Affordable Cost! appeared first on The Loadout Room.

For those who are interested in sniper rifles and what the guys use overseas, this is the one that we need.  I really get excited about this new system, in particular because I remember this being talked about amongst the ranks while I was in JSOC.

While I was in and deployed, we did have rifles that out-performed the average sniper rifle of the regular/conventional Army, but due to the operations we were running, we sometimes didn’t have the reach we needed when moving from one location to the next.  I can recall a few times in Afghanistan where my sniper team would operate in areas where we were engaging targets anywhere from 20 feet to 1100 yards, all in a matter of a few hours.

The SR-25 was superb when the distances ranged from muzzle contact to 1,000 yards, but when we needed to engage targets beyond the 1200 yard mark, things became extremely challenging.  We also had the .300 Win Mag, but still, this was only a 1200 yard rifle, and that’s if the shooter was exceptionally good to get a hit on target within three rounds.  We needed something that we could apply in short, medium, and extreme rage distances with extreme accuracy, especially when the ops we run as Spec Ops snipers include eliminated very key personnel.

I had a chance to shoot this rifle, and I must say, I fell in love!  Everything about this rifle is top-notch, and its performance is great.  Lets take a look at the rifle in some detail:

1. The chassis is fully adjustable in all planes and it’s constructed of aluminium, polymers and steel weighing in at just 17 pounds. Superb for any operation!
2. The foldable  stock allows the operator to keep the system under clothing for incognito ops, collapse for climbing buildings, etc.
3. The quick change barrel is my favorite. The 7.62 can be used for engaging targets under 800, the .300 can be used for distances up to 1100-1200 yards, and the .338 can be used for targets beyond a mile.  I’m sure by now you’ve seen what the .338 is capable of accomplishing, take a look at the shot I took on a human sized target at 2022 yards.
4. The X-treme trigger system is top-notch.  The range of final pull weights in 2 stage operation is from approximately 10oz. to 3.5lbs. The trigger is also available in a single stage pull.
5. The suppressor is key to the shooter.  The suppressor that will be supplied with the rifle eliminates 98% of the muzzle report nullifying the need for ear protection, and  reduces 60% of the recoil (key for follow-up shots).
6. The muzzle break also reduces felt recoil to the shooter by dispersing it outward.
7. The rifle scope is probably one of the best scopes on the market.  The price ranges anywhere from $3,800 – 4,700 on the civilian market.
8. Having the full length modular rail system allows the shooter to attach a variety of night optics.  (PVS-26)

Accuracy

You can be sure that when used with premium match ammunition, this rifle will hold well under 1 MOA (1 inch group for 5 rounds at 100 yards).  The time that I had behind the rifle, I managed to squeeze a .427 inch shot group using 175 gr. .308 Sierra Match King ammunition.

The post Special Operations Command New Sniper Rifle! appeared first on The Loadout Room.

Exceptionally durable, the combat-proven uniforms are lightweight and fire retardant. The reversible fabrics are printed on both sides, one for desert and one for wooded areas, enabling the adjustment of uniforms to any type of environment.

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