Hey folks, your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here, bringing you another knife review/rant.
I mentioned in my review of the Kershaw Crown (Knife Review #6, February 27th, 2012) that I would be doing a review on what I called "Gas Station Special" knives and how I disliked them. Well, here it is.
I'll give you a little background on this subject and why I feel so strongly about it. Back when I was a wee Chimp, I used to spend practically all my allowance on cheap knives, simply because I didn't know any better and frankly I liked sharp, pointy things. Over the years, I ended up with at least two plastic storage tubs full of crappy knives, both of the folding and fixed blade variety. Some were pretty good, but most were useless for anything other than opening an envelope. Again, some were purchased from knife shops, but most were purchased from gas stations, hence the nickname "Gas Station Special".
Now, depending on where you live in the US, you can buy cheap pocket knives and fixed blades at the check-out counter. Often times, the knives are less than 10 bucks a pop with some of the larger ones going for about 20 to 30 bucks. These knives range from knock-offs of Kershaw, Benchmade, and Spyderco (which seems to be the most popular brand to make fakes of, by the way) designs to ugly fantasy style knives with zero practical use. The fixed blade knives are even worse. I swear for every normal looking fixed blade, there's at least twelve that look like something out of a bored high school students sketchbook.
The quality of these knives ranges from workable to "Who let the blind monkey near the CNC machine again ? ". Most of them are made from 440 stainless steel, the quality of which can vary widely. Some 440 steel is decent and can hold an edge for a long time, while other 440 steel loses its edge if you look at it wrong or cut a piece of paper. Seriously, I spent a half hour sharpening a Gas Station Special only to have it dull on me after I used it to open a letter. Let's just say that knife is no longer in my collection, at least not the whole knife anyway. The handle materials can vary in composition, most of the time they are cheap plastic with some using what looks like a cross between micarta and particle board.
Some of the worst offenders in the GSS area are the knives from Pakistan. Most are just horribly made and simply sheets of stainless steel stamped into the basic shape of a knife. I had a pair of boot knives made in Pakistan when I was younger and the construction left a lot to be desired. The blades rusted if you looked at them funny and the wood handles were poorly fitted and had big cracks in them from the tang of the blade being pounded into them. There are some GSS knives that are made in China and Korea, which are surprisingly good for most purposes. Are they as good as the factory knives costing three or four times as much ? Heck no, but they are good for cutting stuff and tossing in a tool box or tacklebox when you don't feel like losing your 100 dollar Benchmade or three hundred dollar custom knife.
So, all in all, I'd say buyer beware on some of these knives. If you're at a gas station and they have a sign saying "Benchmade knives $19.99" save your money because what they mean by "Benchmade" is that the knives were made on a bench in a shack somewhere in the desert. Spend the 20 bucks on gas or a novelty Zippo with the silhouette of a naked lady or a wolf on it.
In the meantime, 12-Gauge Chimp's Blog will be undergoing some changes in a few weeks, mostly I'll be dropping the 's and Blog at the end of the site header. As for the YouTube videos, keep an eye out for those and a possible YouTube channel for 12-Gauge Chimp.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Guns and Gear Review # 12: Kershaw Crown
Hey folks, your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here with another knife review. In the past two months, I have purchased two new knives, one being the Aranyik E-Nep I reviewed awhile back and the second being the Kershaw Crown, which I'm reviewing today.
First off, this is the first Kershaw knife I have ever purchased. Well, the first real Kershaw knife, anyway. I have a pair of Kershaw knock-offs I bought from a roadside vendor and they aren't that great. Getting back to the Kershaw Crown.
I was walking around the local Wal-Mart and spotted the knife on a clearance rack. I took a look at it and decided to purchase it. I'm a sucker for quality knives, especially when they are on sale. Now if I could just find a Spyderco or Benchmade knife on sale for less than 100 bucks. Anyway, I paid the price for the knife, which after taxes was 16 dollars US, and walked out of the store. I got home and proceeded to open the package and handle my new knife.
From what I could initially see, the Kershaw Crown is a well made knife. It is extremely sharp right out of the box, or in this case plastic clam shell package. I almost cut myself at least ten times just handling the knife and in one case, a family member managed to nick their finger just by barely touching the blade. So, in other words, Kershaw really means their blades are extremely sharp.
The Kershaw Crown's factory specifications are like this.
Blade length: 3-1/4"
Overall length: 6.55"
Blade material: 8CR13MoV satin finished stainless steel.
Handle material: polished Micarta (in the case of my particular knife, it's a blue colored Micarta)
Now onto the fun part, cutting stuff with it. This is where the Kershaw Crown excels. Everything I cut with it was cut cleanly and without any tearing. The 8CR13MoV steel holds an amazing edge, unlike the crap steel the knock-offs I have. I swear those knives get dull just by me looking at them. I'll be doing a review and rant about what I call "Gas Station Special" knives. Look for that coming soon.
The Kershaw Crown may not be the most expensive knife in Kershaw's catalog, but it is one of the nicest.
The Kershaw Crown gets the 12-Gauge Chimp seal of approval.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
First off, this is the first Kershaw knife I have ever purchased. Well, the first real Kershaw knife, anyway. I have a pair of Kershaw knock-offs I bought from a roadside vendor and they aren't that great. Getting back to the Kershaw Crown.
I was walking around the local Wal-Mart and spotted the knife on a clearance rack. I took a look at it and decided to purchase it. I'm a sucker for quality knives, especially when they are on sale. Now if I could just find a Spyderco or Benchmade knife on sale for less than 100 bucks. Anyway, I paid the price for the knife, which after taxes was 16 dollars US, and walked out of the store. I got home and proceeded to open the package and handle my new knife.
From what I could initially see, the Kershaw Crown is a well made knife. It is extremely sharp right out of the box, or in this case plastic clam shell package. I almost cut myself at least ten times just handling the knife and in one case, a family member managed to nick their finger just by barely touching the blade. So, in other words, Kershaw really means their blades are extremely sharp.
The Kershaw Crown's factory specifications are like this.
Blade length: 3-1/4"
Overall length: 6.55"
Blade material: 8CR13MoV satin finished stainless steel.
Handle material: polished Micarta (in the case of my particular knife, it's a blue colored Micarta)
Now onto the fun part, cutting stuff with it. This is where the Kershaw Crown excels. Everything I cut with it was cut cleanly and without any tearing. The 8CR13MoV steel holds an amazing edge, unlike the crap steel the knock-offs I have. I swear those knives get dull just by me looking at them. I'll be doing a review and rant about what I call "Gas Station Special" knives. Look for that coming soon.
The Kershaw Crown may not be the most expensive knife in Kershaw's catalog, but it is one of the nicest.
The Kershaw Crown gets the 12-Gauge Chimp seal of approval.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Guns and Gear Review # 11: Rock Island Armory GI Tactical 1911
Hey folks, it's your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here with a brand new gun review.
Over the last few months, you might remember me mentioning buying a new handgun. I went back and forth, trying to decide just what kind of handgun I wanted. First I wanted a 9mm because I already have a box of 9mm rounds sitting in my ammo drawer, but then I looked at some .45 ACP pistols and decided I wanted one of those. That opened up a whole new can of worms and lead me down some interesting paths. Well, after a few months of saving up the money and deciding which gun I wanted, I finally got one. In the end, I purchased a Rock Island Armory GI Tactical 1911 in .45 ACP.
Now, for those of you who haven't heard of Rock Island Armory (or as I'll call them in the rest of the review, RIA), the company that makes the RIA line of 1911's, Armscor, has been around since 1952. It was originally a part of a gun store in Manilla called "Squires, Bingham and Co."which was founded sometime in 1911. Now, Armscor is based in the Philippines, but has a subsidiary in the US located in Nevada. An interesting little bit of info is that Armscor makes the STI Spartan line of 1911s as well as guns for Charles Daly (which is once again back in business) and the Auto-Ordnance 1911 pistols.
Enough history, on to my new gun.
Well, I placed the order for it with a local FFL dealer and a few days later, it arrived. Originally, I had a bit of a minor hiccup with the order. Either the FFL ordered the wrong gun by mistake or someone at the distribution center read the order wrong and shipped the basic GI model, which isn't the gun I wanted. After a little bit of work, they shipped the correct gun and I had it in my hands a few days later. It was no big deal, just kind of annoying. Anyway, I received a call from the FFL and went to his shop to pick it up. I spent about 40 minutes there, 30 minutes just sitting around talking with the FFL guy and 10 minutes doing the whole 4473/background check thing.
After paying for the gun, I brought it home and proceeded to wipe off the oil Armscor puts on their guns for shipping. After cleaning it up, I took a closer look at my gun. It appears to be very well made and after I do the factory recommended 500 round break in, it will become my CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon) after I receive my permit to carry a concealed weapon. A lot of people carry these guns, either in the full sized 5" model or the more compact 3" and 4" models.
Now, I haven't had the chance to get out and test my 1911 yet, but once the weather heats up and I get some more ammo, I will be giving you folks a full range report on the RIA GI Tactical 1911. I also can't give it the 12-Gauge Chimp seal of approval just yet, but I can say that if you're interested in a 1911 pistol that won't break the bank or make your wallet scream at you in seven different languages, a Rock Island Armory 1911 is the way to go.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Over the last few months, you might remember me mentioning buying a new handgun. I went back and forth, trying to decide just what kind of handgun I wanted. First I wanted a 9mm because I already have a box of 9mm rounds sitting in my ammo drawer, but then I looked at some .45 ACP pistols and decided I wanted one of those. That opened up a whole new can of worms and lead me down some interesting paths. Well, after a few months of saving up the money and deciding which gun I wanted, I finally got one. In the end, I purchased a Rock Island Armory GI Tactical 1911 in .45 ACP.
Now, for those of you who haven't heard of Rock Island Armory (or as I'll call them in the rest of the review, RIA), the company that makes the RIA line of 1911's, Armscor, has been around since 1952. It was originally a part of a gun store in Manilla called "Squires, Bingham and Co."which was founded sometime in 1911. Now, Armscor is based in the Philippines, but has a subsidiary in the US located in Nevada. An interesting little bit of info is that Armscor makes the STI Spartan line of 1911s as well as guns for Charles Daly (which is once again back in business) and the Auto-Ordnance 1911 pistols.
Enough history, on to my new gun.
Well, I placed the order for it with a local FFL dealer and a few days later, it arrived. Originally, I had a bit of a minor hiccup with the order. Either the FFL ordered the wrong gun by mistake or someone at the distribution center read the order wrong and shipped the basic GI model, which isn't the gun I wanted. After a little bit of work, they shipped the correct gun and I had it in my hands a few days later. It was no big deal, just kind of annoying. Anyway, I received a call from the FFL and went to his shop to pick it up. I spent about 40 minutes there, 30 minutes just sitting around talking with the FFL guy and 10 minutes doing the whole 4473/background check thing.
After paying for the gun, I brought it home and proceeded to wipe off the oil Armscor puts on their guns for shipping. After cleaning it up, I took a closer look at my gun. It appears to be very well made and after I do the factory recommended 500 round break in, it will become my CCW (Concealed Carry Weapon) after I receive my permit to carry a concealed weapon. A lot of people carry these guns, either in the full sized 5" model or the more compact 3" and 4" models.
Now, I haven't had the chance to get out and test my 1911 yet, but once the weather heats up and I get some more ammo, I will be giving you folks a full range report on the RIA GI Tactical 1911. I also can't give it the 12-Gauge Chimp seal of approval just yet, but I can say that if you're interested in a 1911 pistol that won't break the bank or make your wallet scream at you in seven different languages, a Rock Island Armory 1911 is the way to go.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Guns and Gear Review # 10: Aranyik E-Nep machete
Hey folks, your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here, bringing you a brand new knife review.
As you may have noticed, the knife in question is actually a machete, but not like you'd normally think of. The machete in question is an Aranyik E-Nep machete.
The E-Nep is a Thai machete, similar in style to a Nepalese Kukri, made from 5160 carbon steel, which is the preferred steel for tools that'll see heavy use like a machete. Now, I purchased this knife earlier this month right around New Years and received it about a week ago and paying about 42 dollars US for it. That was pretty quick shipping on the part of the guy who makes the knives. According to the info I was able to find out on this style of knife, the guy who makes this particular knife is either in Hawaii or Thailand, I'm not sure. He hand makes these knives using traditional methods. What is the traditional method for making knives in Thailand ? I have no idea. Anyway, the wood he uses for the handle scales is Red Gum Eucalyptus, which is a pretty nice wood for this purpose.
The blade itself measures about 12 inches with a cutting edge of about 9 inches. The total length of the knife, from the very tip of the blade to the bottom of the handle, is 15 and a half inches. Weight is about a pound and it is blade heavy, which is something you want in a machete. These knives come in five different sizes, ranging from size 0 which is the largest to size 5, which is the smallest. I purchased a size 1 E-Nep and it is huge. I can't imagine what the size 0 E-Nep looks like.
My first impressions of the E-Nep were that one, this is a huge knife and two, it is a heavy knife. The sheath that comes with it is kind of crappy, but I didn't buy the knife for it's sheath. I can always make a new sheath for it or have a custom one made. I haven't gotten to test its chopping capabilities yet because as I write this, there is a bit of snow on the ground and it is pretty cold outside as a result.
I will be doing a video review on the Aranyik E-Nep in the near future so look for that on YouTube in the next couple weeks. I'll also be doing video reviews on some of the other knives and guns that I've reviewed in the past.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and can't wait to chop some stuff with it. I would recommend getting an Aranyik E-Nep. It's a well made knife and not too expensive for something that is handmade.
The Aranyik E-Nep Thai machete gets the 12-Gauge Chimp seal of approval.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
As you may have noticed, the knife in question is actually a machete, but not like you'd normally think of. The machete in question is an Aranyik E-Nep machete.
The E-Nep is a Thai machete, similar in style to a Nepalese Kukri, made from 5160 carbon steel, which is the preferred steel for tools that'll see heavy use like a machete. Now, I purchased this knife earlier this month right around New Years and received it about a week ago and paying about 42 dollars US for it. That was pretty quick shipping on the part of the guy who makes the knives. According to the info I was able to find out on this style of knife, the guy who makes this particular knife is either in Hawaii or Thailand, I'm not sure. He hand makes these knives using traditional methods. What is the traditional method for making knives in Thailand ? I have no idea. Anyway, the wood he uses for the handle scales is Red Gum Eucalyptus, which is a pretty nice wood for this purpose.
The blade itself measures about 12 inches with a cutting edge of about 9 inches. The total length of the knife, from the very tip of the blade to the bottom of the handle, is 15 and a half inches. Weight is about a pound and it is blade heavy, which is something you want in a machete. These knives come in five different sizes, ranging from size 0 which is the largest to size 5, which is the smallest. I purchased a size 1 E-Nep and it is huge. I can't imagine what the size 0 E-Nep looks like.
My first impressions of the E-Nep were that one, this is a huge knife and two, it is a heavy knife. The sheath that comes with it is kind of crappy, but I didn't buy the knife for it's sheath. I can always make a new sheath for it or have a custom one made. I haven't gotten to test its chopping capabilities yet because as I write this, there is a bit of snow on the ground and it is pretty cold outside as a result.
I will be doing a video review on the Aranyik E-Nep in the near future so look for that on YouTube in the next couple weeks. I'll also be doing video reviews on some of the other knives and guns that I've reviewed in the past.
Overall, I'm happy with my purchase and can't wait to chop some stuff with it. I would recommend getting an Aranyik E-Nep. It's a well made knife and not too expensive for something that is handmade.
The Aranyik E-Nep Thai machete gets the 12-Gauge Chimp seal of approval.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Friday, November 11, 2011
Ammo Review: Tula and Winchester 7.62x39mm
Hey folks, your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here with a new review.
No, it's not a gun or knife review. It's an ammunition review.
Why am I reviewing ammo, you might ask. Well, it's because I want to save someone else from buying crappy ammo.
The two major differences between Tula and Winchester 7.62x39mm ammo is that the Tula ammo is steel cased and Berdan primed, whereas the Winchester ammo is brass cased and Boxer primed.
First, the Tula ammo.
This stuff is basically Wolf ammo in a different box and with a different headstamp. I've fired this stuff through my SKS and it works pretty well. It isn't quite as clean firing as US made ammo or even some Russian ammo like Golden Tiger or Silver Bear, but if you're like me, cleaning your gun after a trip to the range isn't a big deal. Now, it's non-corrosive, which pretty much all commercially made Russian ammo is. The only ammo that's corrosive is the surplus military ammo.
Accuracy wasn't tested due to the fact I was primarily doing a reliability and function test, but I have heard of folks getting decent groupings with Tula ammo. I've only seen the FMJ version of Tula ammo, but if it's like pretty much every other 7.62x39 brand on the market, we'll see hollowpoints and softpoints soon.
Now, on to the Winchester ammo.
This ammo was purchased in 2007 and was sitting in my ammo can since then. I finally got out to the range to test the Tula ammo and figured I'd bring a US made ammo for comparison purposes. Well, this stuff works, but is expensive. Whereas a box of Tula will only set you back about 5 bucks US for a box, Winchester will set you back around 20 bucks US a box. Not exactly cheap. After running the Tula ammo through my SKS and cleaning it, I went ahead and loaded ten rounds of the Winchester ammo and fired it. Now, most US made ammo uses softer primers than the Russian made stuff, so I carefully closed the bolt on my SKS so as to avoid a slamfire. After loading the US ammo, I took aim and fired. The Winchester ammo was cleaner burning than the Tula, but not by much.
Again, accuracy wasn't tested, but the last time I fired my SKS I was able to keep 8 out of 10 rounds on target with the last two rounds being just slightly off target.
You really can't go wrong with either ammo. If you want cheap ammo that won't break the bank when you go to the range, buy the Tula ammo. It's cheap enough that you can get a good sized stock of ammo for less than 300 bucks. As of right now, 1,000 rounds of Tula will set you back about 150 bucks depending on where you buy it. The Winchester ammo is expensive, but with the price you get quality ammo and reloadable brass cases, which is good if you reload your own ammo. I don't, which is why I buy the cheap steel cased stuff.
That'll do it for this review. I hope you found it useful and entertaining.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
No, it's not a gun or knife review. It's an ammunition review.
Why am I reviewing ammo, you might ask. Well, it's because I want to save someone else from buying crappy ammo.
The two major differences between Tula and Winchester 7.62x39mm ammo is that the Tula ammo is steel cased and Berdan primed, whereas the Winchester ammo is brass cased and Boxer primed.
First, the Tula ammo.
This stuff is basically Wolf ammo in a different box and with a different headstamp. I've fired this stuff through my SKS and it works pretty well. It isn't quite as clean firing as US made ammo or even some Russian ammo like Golden Tiger or Silver Bear, but if you're like me, cleaning your gun after a trip to the range isn't a big deal. Now, it's non-corrosive, which pretty much all commercially made Russian ammo is. The only ammo that's corrosive is the surplus military ammo.
Accuracy wasn't tested due to the fact I was primarily doing a reliability and function test, but I have heard of folks getting decent groupings with Tula ammo. I've only seen the FMJ version of Tula ammo, but if it's like pretty much every other 7.62x39 brand on the market, we'll see hollowpoints and softpoints soon.
Now, on to the Winchester ammo.
This ammo was purchased in 2007 and was sitting in my ammo can since then. I finally got out to the range to test the Tula ammo and figured I'd bring a US made ammo for comparison purposes. Well, this stuff works, but is expensive. Whereas a box of Tula will only set you back about 5 bucks US for a box, Winchester will set you back around 20 bucks US a box. Not exactly cheap. After running the Tula ammo through my SKS and cleaning it, I went ahead and loaded ten rounds of the Winchester ammo and fired it. Now, most US made ammo uses softer primers than the Russian made stuff, so I carefully closed the bolt on my SKS so as to avoid a slamfire. After loading the US ammo, I took aim and fired. The Winchester ammo was cleaner burning than the Tula, but not by much.
Again, accuracy wasn't tested, but the last time I fired my SKS I was able to keep 8 out of 10 rounds on target with the last two rounds being just slightly off target.
You really can't go wrong with either ammo. If you want cheap ammo that won't break the bank when you go to the range, buy the Tula ammo. It's cheap enough that you can get a good sized stock of ammo for less than 300 bucks. As of right now, 1,000 rounds of Tula will set you back about 150 bucks depending on where you buy it. The Winchester ammo is expensive, but with the price you get quality ammo and reloadable brass cases, which is good if you reload your own ammo. I don't, which is why I buy the cheap steel cased stuff.
That'll do it for this review. I hope you found it useful and entertaining.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Random Thoughts # 15: Gun mods and me.
Hey folks, your old pal 12-Gauge Chimp here with a new edition of Random Thoughts.
I was just doing a bit of online gun browsing and after watching a few videos of various types of guns, I've decided to dive into the wonderful world of gun mods. The only two guns that I own that I really want to modify to suit my personal tastes are my Mossberg 500 bullpup 12 gauge shotgun and my Mossberg 702 Plinkster .22LR rifle.
Now, I'm not going to go and swap out the stocks or lighten the trigger springs or sears or anything like that. I don't have the knowledge or the tools to even attempt something like a trigger job or sear work. I can swap the stocks with no problems. Well, at least I could if someone would make an aftermarket stock for the 702 like they do for pretty much every other semi-auto .22 rifle on the market.
Getting away from that minor gripe, I plan to swap the factory sights on the 702 with something better than the factory sights. Now the factory sights are good, but the fact the front sight blade is made of plastic has me concerned about the durability of it in the long run. Granted it's covered by a metal hood that serves as protection, but I want something made of either steel or aircraft grade aluminum. I'd love to see a sight blade made of titanium, but that would probably cost me more than what I paid for the rifle itself. So the sights will get replaced with something a bit stronger.
As for the Mossberg 500 bullpup, I plan to either attach a length of mil-spec picatinny rail to the foregrip and put some kind of pistol grip on it or continue looking for the factory grip assembly. As for the sights, I'm considering removing the carry handle/sight assembly and heatshield and replacing those parts with a heatshield with a picatinny rail on it and putting some folding iron sights on it. Now all I need to do is find a company that makes something like that and purchase it. If all else fails, I can just buy a regular heatshield and weld or silver solder a rail onto it.
So, let's go over the plan.
Planned mods to the Mossberg 702 Plinkster are:
1. New sights.
2. a different stock, if one can be found.( Not likely, but I can dream, right ?)
Planned mods for the Mossberg 500 bullpup shotgun are:
1. swap the sights out for something that doesn't suck.
2. locate factory foregrip or modify existing slide assembly with picatinny rail and aftermarket foregrip. ( I suppose I could just leave the slide assembly alone and call it good because it works fine in its current shape.)
3. swap out the factory heatshield with one that has a picatinny rail attached and put folding or fixed iron sights on it.
So, as you can see, I have a good deal of work ahead of me. Now, once I have the work completed, I'll let you all know how it went.
By the way, I'm contemplating doing a couple of YouTube video reviews based on the gun and knife reviews I've done in the past. It's still in the planning stages at this point and I may end up not doing so, but I'll let you all know what I decide soon.
That'll do it for this edition of Random Thoughts.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
I was just doing a bit of online gun browsing and after watching a few videos of various types of guns, I've decided to dive into the wonderful world of gun mods. The only two guns that I own that I really want to modify to suit my personal tastes are my Mossberg 500 bullpup 12 gauge shotgun and my Mossberg 702 Plinkster .22LR rifle.
Now, I'm not going to go and swap out the stocks or lighten the trigger springs or sears or anything like that. I don't have the knowledge or the tools to even attempt something like a trigger job or sear work. I can swap the stocks with no problems. Well, at least I could if someone would make an aftermarket stock for the 702 like they do for pretty much every other semi-auto .22 rifle on the market.
Getting away from that minor gripe, I plan to swap the factory sights on the 702 with something better than the factory sights. Now the factory sights are good, but the fact the front sight blade is made of plastic has me concerned about the durability of it in the long run. Granted it's covered by a metal hood that serves as protection, but I want something made of either steel or aircraft grade aluminum. I'd love to see a sight blade made of titanium, but that would probably cost me more than what I paid for the rifle itself. So the sights will get replaced with something a bit stronger.
As for the Mossberg 500 bullpup, I plan to either attach a length of mil-spec picatinny rail to the foregrip and put some kind of pistol grip on it or continue looking for the factory grip assembly. As for the sights, I'm considering removing the carry handle/sight assembly and heatshield and replacing those parts with a heatshield with a picatinny rail on it and putting some folding iron sights on it. Now all I need to do is find a company that makes something like that and purchase it. If all else fails, I can just buy a regular heatshield and weld or silver solder a rail onto it.
So, let's go over the plan.
Planned mods to the Mossberg 702 Plinkster are:
1. New sights.
2. a different stock, if one can be found.( Not likely, but I can dream, right ?)
Planned mods for the Mossberg 500 bullpup shotgun are:
1. swap the sights out for something that doesn't suck.
2. locate factory foregrip or modify existing slide assembly with picatinny rail and aftermarket foregrip. ( I suppose I could just leave the slide assembly alone and call it good because it works fine in its current shape.)
3. swap out the factory heatshield with one that has a picatinny rail attached and put folding or fixed iron sights on it.
So, as you can see, I have a good deal of work ahead of me. Now, once I have the work completed, I'll let you all know how it went.
By the way, I'm contemplating doing a couple of YouTube video reviews based on the gun and knife reviews I've done in the past. It's still in the planning stages at this point and I may end up not doing so, but I'll let you all know what I decide soon.
That'll do it for this edition of Random Thoughts.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Monday, August 15, 2011
Range Report # 4: Mossberg 702 Plinkster .22LR rifle
Hey folks, 12-Gauge Chimp here with a brand new edition of Range Report.
Awhile back, you may remember I mentioned buying a Mossberg 702 Plinkster .22 rifle. Well, fast forward a year and I finally got to test fire the rifle. I headed out to the range with a friend of mine and brought the .22 along with a box of ammo. I wasn't planning on spending my whole day at the range, which made sense considering I got there around 7:30 0r so and the sun was going down fairly quick.
The ammo used was Winchester Super Speed .22LR. After arriving, we set up some targets and I loaded my guns. I brought along my SKS and my Mossberg 500 as extras in case we ran out of .22 ammo.
After setting up a few targets, my friend and I proceeded to take turns shooting the 702. I first did a slow fire round, carefully aiming the gun and firing. The next magazine I fired in rapid fire mode. I wasn't going for accuracy here, choosing to see how the gun functioned in rapid fire. It worked well and soon my friend and I had gone through half the box of .22LR I brought along. We moved on to my SKS and my Mossberg 500 bullpup 12 gauge, firing a couple mags worth of ammo through each gun. The ammo used for my SKS was Winchester 7.62x39mm brass cased bulk ammo and the shotgun shells were Federal 2 3/4" game loads. The SKS and Mossberg 12 gauge shot the aforementioned ammo without any problems. I did have a minor FTE (failure to eject) on my shotgun, but that was my fault as I held the gun at an angle, causing the shell to stick. After that, it ran fine.
The Mossberg 702 shot well and the only complaints I have are about the sights and the magazines being a bit hard to remove after firing the gun. That was easily fixed after I figured out a way to remove them. The sights, on the other hand, were a bit harder to figure out. I'll probably be replacing the sights in the future, but for now, the factory sights will have to work. I may even put a scope on the rifle and see if that helps.
Well, that'll do it for this edition of Range Report.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
Awhile back, you may remember I mentioned buying a Mossberg 702 Plinkster .22 rifle. Well, fast forward a year and I finally got to test fire the rifle. I headed out to the range with a friend of mine and brought the .22 along with a box of ammo. I wasn't planning on spending my whole day at the range, which made sense considering I got there around 7:30 0r so and the sun was going down fairly quick.
The ammo used was Winchester Super Speed .22LR. After arriving, we set up some targets and I loaded my guns. I brought along my SKS and my Mossberg 500 as extras in case we ran out of .22 ammo.
After setting up a few targets, my friend and I proceeded to take turns shooting the 702. I first did a slow fire round, carefully aiming the gun and firing. The next magazine I fired in rapid fire mode. I wasn't going for accuracy here, choosing to see how the gun functioned in rapid fire. It worked well and soon my friend and I had gone through half the box of .22LR I brought along. We moved on to my SKS and my Mossberg 500 bullpup 12 gauge, firing a couple mags worth of ammo through each gun. The ammo used for my SKS was Winchester 7.62x39mm brass cased bulk ammo and the shotgun shells were Federal 2 3/4" game loads. The SKS and Mossberg 12 gauge shot the aforementioned ammo without any problems. I did have a minor FTE (failure to eject) on my shotgun, but that was my fault as I held the gun at an angle, causing the shell to stick. After that, it ran fine.
The Mossberg 702 shot well and the only complaints I have are about the sights and the magazines being a bit hard to remove after firing the gun. That was easily fixed after I figured out a way to remove them. The sights, on the other hand, were a bit harder to figure out. I'll probably be replacing the sights in the future, but for now, the factory sights will have to work. I may even put a scope on the rifle and see if that helps.
Well, that'll do it for this edition of Range Report.
As always, this is 12-Gauge Chimp signing off.
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