Initial Thoughts: KONUS PRO M30 10X-40X52MM

Wow, how far can I see with my new telescope? Yesterday was a first for me.  I came home from work and there, on my coffee table, was a brand new scope that I didn't pay for (yet).

The Konus Pro M30 10X-40X52mm is HUGE measuring just a bit over 18 inches without the 4 inch sunshade attached.  As noted above it also has a huge amount of magnification.  I'll be the first to admit that I am a fan of high magnification, but there are pros and cons to it like everything. With higher magnification comes a bit slower target acquisition, but better visibility down range.  When Travis asked me to choose what scope I'd like to review I found the highest magnification available from Konus.  Why not, I have a 300 win. mag. just waiting to be stretched out.

As mentioned the scope comes with a sunshade.  Also, included with the optic are two flip up lens covers, allen wrench for resetting the turrets, a spare battery for the illuminated reticle, and an owners manual.  At first glance the owners manual seems to be the length of Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace, but as it turns out they included a translation for a total of ten languages... Greek anyone?  The English section is only about four pages and is fairly concise.  It covers your basic functions, has a diagram that explains all the measurements of the milliradian (Mil) reticle, and a conversion chart from MOA to Mils.

The 10X-40 is pretty feature heavy, most obvious are the tall locking-target turrets.  The turrets are 1/10th Mil. adjustments, have a very noticeable click when turned, and feel very solid.  The locks aren't sleek by any means, but they lock solidly preventing any rotation.  On the left side of the scope is a parallax adjustment knob that adjusts from 10 yards to infinity.  The parallax knob turns smoothly without any detents to indicate what range the focus is being adjusted to.  I don't feel this is a big issue since the shooter is going to adjust this in and out until the target is in focus regardless of what the dial says.  There is also a locking "fast-focus" adjustment on the eyebell to sharpen the appearance of the reticle.  Just in front of the eyebell there is an illumination knob offset at 45 degrees.  There are two illumination colors, red and blue, each color has five brightness levels. The magnification adjustment like all the others seems very smooth from 10x-40x. On the outside the scope seems to be very well constructed and has an even matte black finish.  It is nitrogen filled, and shockproof so it should do fine on larger caliber rifles.

The glass is very clear, multi-coated, and fog proof.  This is a second focal plane scope, meaning that the reticle is in the second lens, not the first.  What that means is that the measurements on the mildot reticle are only accurate at a certain power of magnification.  Typically that is at the highest power magnification.  The illuminated mildot portion of the reticle is 10 Mils in diameter.  The dots measure 0.2 Mils, from dot center to dot center measures 1 Mil.  Outside of the 10 Mil. area the stadia are heavy and solid, measuring 18.3 Mils.  So if you are doing the math the reticle is a total of 46.6 Mils in diameter.  Just below the reticle in the shooters field of view is an internal bubble level.  This is a big plus allowing the shooter to correct any canting without having to change position.  At first glance the internal level is pretty hard to see, but I haven't mounted the scope yet so it could be my eye relief, nor have I looked through the scope outside in the sun.

During the review period this scope will be mounted on a Savage model 111 chambered in 300 winchester magnum.  I'll also be doing a review on the rifle soon.  I'll be looking for a few specific things as I review the Konus.  One is light transmission.  Being that this scope has such a long body it could decrease the amount of light transmitted back to the shooters eye.  The 52mm bell and 30mm tube should help though.  Eye relief is an area that I seem to have issues with, and at 3.44 inches of eye relief on this scope should be pretty good.  I'll also be checking the accuracy of the elevation and windage adjustments on the turrets, and parallax adjustment.  My goal is to find a scope that will allow me to shoot long distances, 1000 yards plus, without breaking the bank.  The MSRP on this particular scope is about $750, however, I was able to find it on Amazon for $400.  I am looking forward to mounting this scope and seeing what I can do with it in the coming weeks.

 

Glock 42: The Gun We Hate To Love

As I sit down and write this, I look at my .380 resting inside it's holster, and can’t help but laugh at how everything comes full circle.

My first 'carry' gun was a Bersa .380 that was given to me by my father. I'm sure he chose it due to the fact he had just returned home from overseas, and the gun was in wide use by foreign troops he was with. It even had some gaudy gold overlay from the manufacture, meaning a female MUST obviously like it for the bling factor. Each morning as I strapped it on, I felt as though I was part of some horrible 70's movie that included gold chains and leisure suits! I couldn't get it out of my hands quick enough.

Looking for guidance in what to carry, I turned to my younger brother, a former NOLA police officer for help. My brother had an extra Glock 17 in his safe, so I started using that as my CCW. Although fairly larger than the .380, this 9mm felt amazing in my hand. I decided to jump on board. I started shooting with it regularly, and did my first actual training class with this gun because it was with me 24/7. I quickly fell in love with it’s reliability, minimal recoil, and always forgiving genetics. The only flaw, was that the Glock 17 is a BIG gun, and I’m a SMALL girl, so concealing this gun was no easy task. Again, I turned to some folks with much more experience than me on what I should be carrying. Smith & Wesson Body Guard, Ruger LC9, Kahr PM9, Glock 27, M&P Shield, Kel-Tec, LCP, Beretta Nano, Springfield XDs, 9mm, .380, .40, .45…it seemed like the options were endless. I felt like Goldilocks and the Three Bears, with WAY more options than just hot or cold porridge and a soft or lumpy bed. The guns were either too big, too small, too blocky, too heavy, too much recoil, or too ugly…then finally I found a Glock 19. It was PERFECT! Smaller than a Glock 17, fit my hand better, same ergonomics, and seemed much easier to conceal on my person. THIS was the gun I'd have next to me until the day I died. Case closed.

I loved my Glock 19, it was easy to shoot, a popular caliber, lots of upgrades available, but it still ended up being cumbersome to carry. I found myself carrying it in my purse more often than not, which I knew isn’t the best place to carry, but my other options were slim. I felt like I was back at square one, and needed to start this process all over again.

Fast forward to December 2013, Glock announced a new model that would be revealed in the coming weeks at SHOT Show. Surely it would be a single stack 9mm since that is what the public had wanted for some time! To everyone's dismay, it was a .380! The Glock 42, what a disappointment! I hated it. Why would Glock make a puny .380? No one wanted another sub caliber, mouse gun. The internet hated it, and so did I. Stupid, insufficient .380’s! Now to continue the search, because I didn’t want another, weak .380 pistol.

Well, it’s rare for me to admit when I’m wrong, but this was one of those times. I got the chance to handle the Glock 42 while visiting Thunderbird Tactical in Wichita, Kansas. They were one of the first places to get one, and I LOVED it. It FIT my hand, and FELT perfect, two of the most important factors when choosing a defensive firearm. I was still on the fence though, because after all, despite how amazing it felt in my hand, it was STILL a .380! I started to do more research on the caliber, looked at charts, and graphs about ballistics, read articles people had written, and stumbled across one by Grant Cunningham on the Personal Defense Network’s website. The article entitled “Why does a .380 beat a 9mm?” (http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/380-beat-9mm/)  totally turned everything else I had read by internet commandos on it’s head. Knowing who Grant is, and the time, effort, and energy he puts into his research, I trusted what he had to say, because it ACTUALLY made sense, and had FACTUAL information as opposed to unrequited bias. That did it for me. I went out and got a Glock 42, the most maligned gun on the internet!

The Glock 42 is probably one of my favorite firearm purchases thus far. It’s small enough to finally, comfortably, conceal and carry, but not so small where it doesn’t fit my hand. It has the ergonomics of its larger counterparts, making it feel just right in my hand. I’d stayed away from other .380 guns because they were VERY jumpy while shooting. I’m not recoil sensitive, but being able to get fast, accurate follow up shots is something that’s necessary for a defensive pistol. The 42 doesn’t have the recoil issues as other guns in its class. The gun handles recoil amazingly well for it’s size, and is more accurate than I expected from such a short barrel. It comes with the usual reliability of a Glock, eating all types of ammo I’ve thrown at it. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by this little gun. So here I am now, back with the caliber I so vehemently despised, but in a much more efficient package, and with a greater understanding of it’s capabilities. 

Breakthrough Clean Initial Thoughts

Yesterday I received a sample of Breakthrough Clean so I could do a review on it and share my thoughts on it with everyone. 

This morning I used Breakthrough Clean on the piston setup from my Adams Arms upper, which last week had over 150 rounds of Tula .223 run through it and you could see just how dirty the outside of the gas block was (the AA logo was completely covered). I also used FIREClean on the bolt from the same gun. Both parts showed a good amount of grime covering them because as we all know Tula is dirty and it likes to get everything covered. I didn't scrub with brushes or use picks to clean anything today, this was just a quick run of the cleaner to see how well it does.

As you can see in the above picture the Breakthrough Clean did an awesome job of doing what it is advertised to do. It stripped away all of the dirty ammo grime off of the piston setup with ease, and you can see just how dirty the paper towel is that was used to wipe the grime off.  It is great that there is no chemical smell to the product, and the fact that it is in a spray bottle is awesome also since it makes it easy to apply to either a paper towel or directly to the part being cleaned evenly. 

It took very little effort to clean the piston, all it took was a quick spray down and then I wrapped the paper towel around it and wiped it off. Easy.

The picture above shows the paper towel that was used to clean the bolt from the same gun using just a couple drops of FIREClean. It too was very easy to use to clean the grime off of the bolt, it did take a little more finesse only because of the lugs on the bolt and cleaning between them. 

(The piston looked dried out after cleaning and the Bolt was slick)

Here is the point that I wanted to get to since I know there are some people reading this and shaking their heads saying "These are 2 completely different products! One is a degreaser and the other is a lube!" I hear you and I know what you are saying, however here is the reason why I did this. There are lots of items out there that can do multiple things and do them well, while other things focus on one aspect and excel at it; FIREClean both cleans and lubricates while Breakthrough Clean strips and cleans.

Yes Breakthrough Clean is a degreaser, and it does that job top notch; but as you can see in the picture above it does not lubricate the part that it is cleaning. This means that after you finish cleaning your gun and gun parts you will have to go back through and use a lubricant before putting your gun back together. Don't get me wrong Breakthrough Clean has it's place in my workbench now because it does such a great job of degreasing and cleaning dirty parts. However with my time being limited because I would rather spend time with my wife and kids, I don't always want to take the time to run a 2 step process for cleaning and lubricating my guns.

If you are looking for a degreaser that will strip away all of the dirt and grime I would highly suggest checking out Breakthrough Clean. As I said a few times above, it does an excellent job cleaning off gun parts that are dirty, and also does a great job of stripping off old lubricants that have been applied to your gun before.

I will be posting more on Breakthrough Clean in the future once I have some more time with it but like I said, it has it's place in my workbench because I have seen how well it works.

SHOT Show Initial Thoughts- Caracal CS308

As many of you have seen we posted up a picture of the new Caracal CS308 which was introduced during SHOT Show 2014 Media Day at the Range, and as I am sure those who have been following us and reading or watching our reviews will know I am not a bolt gun guy. However there have been 2 Bolt Guns that I have handled over the past year that have made me want to get one, the first being the Texas Customs Rifle .308 and now the Caracal CS308.

The Caracal CS308 uses a very interesting skeleton frame design, and the stock offers a variety of positions for the shooter to choose from which in turn makes it a very comfortable rifle to shoot. The muzzle break that is installed makes a huge difference in the amount of muzzle flip and felt recoil, you just don't want to be standing at 45* on either side of it because it creates a massive concussive force.

When I got behind the rifle I was surprised at how comfortable it felt and how smooth the bolt is. The bolt system that they use is a 3 Lug System which locks up much tighter that the standard bolt design, and at the same time creates a smoother bullet loading system. On top of all of that the bolt slides like glass with very little effort.

The 2 stage trigger was nice, but I would probably have adjusted it more to my liking if I could have. When shooting the rifle it was evident right away that it was going to be very easy to shoot with, after taking the first shot and having very little recoil and muzzle rise all I could do was smile a little bit.

Looking forward to seeing this rifle when it releases on the market, and also looking forward to seeing how well it holds up given the prior issues Caracal has had with their pistols.

Quick Look: Kaw Valley Precision Linear Comp

Since we here at SpartanTC Reviews have been checking out so many different compensators over the past couple months we figured we would get our hands on a couple more to try out. Recently we contacted Kaw Valley Precision about their Linear Compensator, it was one that a few of you had asked about it, and I had actually seen it a few times while browsing around the internet. KVP was awesomely quick to get back with us and help get our hands on one to test out.

(The new SpartanTC Reviews AR outfitted with the Kaw Valley Precision Linear Comp)

For those who do not know what a linear compensator is here is an answer taken directly from KVP's website.

What is a Linear Compensator? 

A linear compensator is a muzzle device designed to collect and direct all the muzzle gases forward, away from the shooter.  Unlike other types of muzzle devices, KVP linear comps actually lower the decibel the shooter experiences while shooting the rifle. This lowered perceived decibel is especially noticeable in shorter barreled rifles while shooting high power rounds. 

When you first pick up the KVP Linear Comp you can tell right away that it is a solid piece of work, and won't be damaged easily. The machining is really clean on it, and the finish is really well done and seems like it will stand up to quite a bit of abuse.

If you take a close look at the KVP Linear Comp you will notice that the only holes that it has are pointing forward. While this gives it a very different look I am really looking forward to taking it out to the range and seeing how much "quieter" it is over the other comps we have used.

We are hoping to get the new SpartanTC Reviews Test AR out to the range very soon and get some video, along with our initial thoughts on shooting with this comp. Make sure to stay to keep checking back as there are lots of reviews in the works!

Some of My Glock Modifications

As many of you have seen on the Facebook page there are a number of modifications that I have completed on my Glock 19. There are a number of reason for what I have done, but I wanted to do a quick run down on a couple of them to help people understand why I did what I did.

The very first thing that I did to the Glock was the "candle method" grip reduction. While this is not as drastic as other reductions it did help change the grip angle enough to make it more comfortable to me. 

The "candle method" is literally taking your Glock and holding it over a candle to heat the back strap up to the point that it is "moldable". Once it is heated up enough you press the back strap down on a solid surface, rolling it side to side to keep it even. What this does is flatten out the Glock "hump" which gives the Glock it's infamous grip angle.

One thing to be very careful with is to make sure you don't melt the polymer (see picture above), this was a mistake that I made but was able to "repair" the damage by stippling the frame. I ended up using a heat gun set on low and slowly heated the back of the grip up so I could form it to be comfortable for me.

The second modification I completed was stippling the grip. Since I had already melted bubbles into the back strap I knew I was going to have to sand it down and do a stippling job. So I sanded the burned area down along with all of the factory grip dots. 

One of the biggest reasons people stipple their grips is to add additional grip to their guns, for those times when you've been out long enough that your hands are really sweaty, or your gun gets dropped in the mud, etc. I did it because I like the way it feels in my hands and the extra grip is an added bonus.

Once I had the area smoothed out I took my wood burning tool with the small tip and went to work. I had started with doing the small dot pattern but wasn't happy with the way that it looked, so I started to angle the tip and came up with this pattern.

At first I thought it might have been too aggressive of a stipple but have come to really appreciate it. Even though it looks aggressive it does not rub your hands raw, but it does give a nice "stickiness" to the gun.

The third thing that I completed was removing the finger grooves from the grip. I did this because my fingers did not land right on the grip and it was uncomfortable. 

I accomplished this using a Dremel with a sand drum, slowly removing the grooves until everything was even and smoothed out. I was surprised at how much of a difference this made. I could have smoothed it out with sandpaper but had already decided I was going to do a 360* stipple so once the grooves were gone I started stippling. The picture below is after the stippling was all completed.

While there are many reasons on the Internet for doing the modifications that I completed on this gun, it really is up to the individual user on what they want to do. The slight grip reduction has made the gun much more comfortable for me to shoot, while removing the finger grooves was also another comfort modification. 

Stippling has a few advantages as I listed before, but it also gives a uniqueness to your individual firearm. 

There are a lot of great companies out there that are offering their modification services, and there are also a lot of bad companies who turn out terrible work. I personally am a do it yourselfer and truly enjoyed taking on the project. I feel that the personal touch I put into the gun makes it that much more fun to shoot.

In closing I will ask. What have you done as far as aesthetic modifications to your gun?

Strike Industries J-Comp

I recently had the opportunity to take the Strike Industries J-Comp out to the range and get some shooting in with it. I decided I would write down some of my initial thoughts on it before we head out to the range to do some more shooting with it.

 (Left to Right- 556 Tactical Stryker Comp, Strike Industries J-Comp, 556 Tactical StrykeHyde)

As you can see in the picture above the overall length of the SI J-Comp is slightly longer than the other two muzzle devices, however when it's installed it doesn't look awkward like some other comps I have used before.

One of the first things that you notice about it is the interesting design. It was designed after the Japanese Type 89 Assault Rifle muzzle device, so it is a unique comp to say the least.

The rear two ports are meant to reduce recoil and redirect the concussive force you get from a typical compensator, and the front ports are meant to reduce muzzle flash. This means that it should be the best of both worlds when it comes to reducing recoil while still aiding with hiding the flash. 

The reduction in the concussive force from my experience is not as good as some of the more expensive comps (such as the Lantac Dragon) but at the price point of $39.99 it does a decent job. It does create a dust signature to the sides of the muzzle when shooting prone but the amount of dust created isn't all that bad.

As far as reducing muzzle rise goes the J-Comp does a fair job, while I haven't tried shooting rapidly with it yet the comp does a pretty good job of controlling muzzle rise and allows you to get back on target quickly.

So far with the limited time I have spent with it I am not completely sold on it to the point that I would install it on all of my rifles. It is however well priced and a very well machined compensator, which does what it is advertised to do. Hopefully I will get the opportunity soon to take it out for some night shooting and we can see how well it hides the flash.

Make sure to check back for updates in the near future.

ThinkFast Holsters IWB and Mag Pouch

Around a month ago I received my IWB holster and Double Mag Pouch from ThinkFast Holsters. With as often as I go through guns I had decided to hold off on ordering one for the Glock 19 until I was sure it was going to stick around. I have dealt with several different Kydex holster makers over the past year and a half, so I know what I like and what I don't like. 

The IWB holster and the Double Mag Pouch from ThinkFast are both great quality works of Kydex and there is a great deal of pride that is put into making them.

The IWB holster is comfortable in the appendix position for an extended period of time, even during the 16 hours I wore it during Combat Focus Shooting last weekend. With the sweat guard being a lower cut than some of the other in waistband holsters I have had, I've noticed that it doesn't poke me in the spare tire and make me wish I had worn on OWB holster instead. At the same time the sweat guard is still tall enough to help keep my undershirt from being caught between the gun and the holster (not 100% of the time though).

As you can see in the top 2 pictures the mounting hardware for the loops has been set back and away to keep from doing any damage to your gun while drawing or holstering. This is a feature that I appreciate since my Glock is "fancy".

The soft loops are now my favorite type of loops for an IWB holster, j-hooks are nice but I like the way the soft loops completely lock around the belt versus just sitting behind and under like j-hooks.

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ThinkFast does a great job of making sure that all edges that come in contact with your body have been smoothed and rounded. When carrying appendix style I don't feel the holster jabbing me in my leg, which is a big plus

The double mag pouch is also very well made, it sits closely to the body making it easy to conceal. Having the center screw for adjusting the amount of retention is a nice touch, I have other mag pouches that do not have this and the mags tend to stick in them since they are a bit of a tight fit.

The loops on the mag pouch are awesome! They are injection molded and are solid. I've snagged the holster a couple times on doorways and such and felt the holster give a good tug on my belt, where other pouches with Kydex formed into loops possibly would have broken.

One thing I have noticed however is that the screws have loosened up a couple times, it's not a big issue as I expected there would always be some small maintenance that would need to be done to any holster that uses screws for mounting.

Overall the mag pouch and IWB holsters are great, I'm sure they will both give me a long life of service. Also an added plus is that the customer service with ThinkFast Holsters is great, and they are quick to answer any questions you may have.

I highly suggest if your looking for a great holster to take a look at what ThinkFast has to offer.

EPLowers Polymer Lower

A few weeks ago I had talked with Chris from www.EPLowers.com about the 80% polymer lowers that they are producing, he was really informative and helpful. He was awesome enough to engrave the SpartanTC81 logo into the lower, which made this already cool project even better in my eyes.

The reason that the EP Lowers can be finished using a Dremel and a drill, is that the firing control group pocket contains a white polymer. The idea behind it is to remove all of the white polymer from inside the pocket until you get to the solid black (or whichever color your lower is). Once you get to the solid color you will still have to remove some of the colored polymer to allow for the proper fit of the firing control group.

In the picture above you can see a good majority of the white polymer has been removed. Notice the black "bars" that are on the sides, these help you gauge where you are at while using the Dremel to remove the white polymer. They do disappear when you are close to the bottom and at that point it is important to take your time and watch for the final layer of white polymer to give way to the colored polymer below.

Above you can see that there are a lot of shavings from removing the white polymer. If you have access to a shop vac I highly suggest rigging it so that it will aide in the removal of the shavings while you are working.

As you get further down and the walls of the white polymer become thinner you can actually use a set of pliers to remove it.

Above you can see that the white polymer has given way to the black polymer below. You will also notice that the trigger hole will need to be milled/dremeled out to allow for the trigger to fit in. When you do this be careful not to remove too much or it will be possible for your springs to fall through the hole.

When drilling the holes for the trigger and hammer pins I highly suggest drilling straight through from one side to the other. The directions on EP Lowers site say to do them one side at a time, which I did and because I was doing it by hand the drill walked and ended up miss drilling the holes (this was my fault). I ended up with the left side holes sitting lower than the right side, and this lead to the hammer being off center, which lead to the trigger not releasing it. 

Also my selector hole was off, it still worked but was extremely stiff due to it being angled.

Even though I miss drilled the holes I was able to fill them with epoxy (double bubble extra strength epoxy) and drill from the right hand side. This straightened out the issues and will be strong enough to hold the pins and selector in place (however I chose to go with KNS anti walk pins just to make sure they won't move).

As for the quality of the lower, I cannot speak on the durability of it yet since I haven't had the opportunity to toss an upper on it and run it to the range; but it does have a solid feel. It has very little give compared to some of the other polymer lowers I have messed with before and the polymer has a nice feel to it. The "finish" of the polymer is clean and some people who have seen the pictures of the lower have actually mistaken it for a billet lower. 

Once I have a few hundred rounds on it at the range I will be writing a follow up post along with some videos of it performing at the range. I have no doubt that it will work just fine and will be a great range rifle.

Overall this was an awesome learning experience, it gave me a whole new appreciation for building a lower. If you like to tinker on your own firearms and are looking for a new project head on over to www.EPLowers.com and check out what they have to offer.

Strike Industries AK TRAX Rail System

I am sure that many of you have seen the video on the Strike Industries AK TRAX hand guard that I posted earlier in the week, for those of you who haven't I have imbedded it below.

I have been extremely happy with this hand guard so far, but then again the standard Saiga hand guard leaves you with absolutely no mounting options and honestly it looks just a bit weird since they "sporterized" it. So having the option to put a hand guard on that has quite a few different ways to mount rails is pretty awesome.

There are quite a few things to like about the AK TRAX, from the key mod rail system to the multiple mounting options for the hand guard itself. The overall quality is really good, there aren't any rough or sharp "unfinished" spots to be found, and the finish is also great quality.

So far I have had it on my AK for around 2 months and have used it on the range quite a few times, I figure it has been on for around 1,000 rounds so far. Like I mentioned in the video I did have an issue with the front mounting screws falling out because I didn't loctite them in place, but that was an easy fix thanks to the awesome customer service over at SI. Other than the one hiccup with losing the small screws there have been absolutely no other issues with this hand guard, the key mod rails mount nice and snug to it and do not loosen up during use; it has been great having the ability to run a flashlight and the gopro on the rifle.

If you are looking for a good hand guard to install onto your AK I would highly suggest taking a look at the info at www.StrikeIndustries.com.

I will be posting follow up reviews as time goes on so make sure to check back!