STEINER
Steiner gets a long overdue kudo for providing SOF with a number of their 7x50 Military R binoculars in the early ‘80s when we were supporting/assisting/supplying one of the moderate muj groups that were tangling with the Russkies in the ‘Stan. I saw a Steiner for sale in Darra, Pakistan. How they got there, I never found out; but with a few beers, I’m sure I could come up with some fascinating theories.
In the late ‘80s, I was hunting elk on the western slope on the ranch of Jim Chestnut, former CEO of Ramline. He had stuck me on an upper mountain pasture, shivering in an old line cabin as the sun started creeping over the horizon. I started glassing a pasture that was between three and four hundred yards away.
Three elk were moseying along, eating as they went. One was a bull. When I focused the glasses, I could not accurately count the number of points. Was it legal or not? (I popped this 4 x 5 a couple of hours later, but that is another story.) I determined then that I needed something stronger. I used a variety of Steiner 10 x 42s which collected the light effectively and gave me the crystal clear definition I needed.
Here, I’m using the 10x50 Nighthunter XP. It provided great low light performance you’d expect from larger, heavier binos. The exterior lens coating on both front and rear lenses repels water and moisture condensation. The new NBR Long-Life Armoring is designed to last over two times longer than conventional rubber coverings. Bottom line is, what you get is as good as it gets.
SPECTER GEAR AND 5.11
JOINED AT THE HIP. Lt. Col. Scott Blaney, USA (Ret.), and his 21-year-old son, Nate, who recently returned from MP’ing around in the Sand Box, pose in front of the 12’ x 20’ Cabela’s Aleknak II tent. Col. Blaney, left, blasted away with a DPMS Panther .300 Remington SAUM, with a Specter Gear sling that kept the monster under control. Nate holds an H&K 93 and carries accessories and empty magazines in a Specter Gear Modular Zippered Utility Pouch. Under it all is a pair of 5.11 Thermal Underwear. And a special thanks to 5.11 for sending a bunch of ‘em. Photo Steve Langford
U.S. TACTICAL, BUSHNELL, REMINGTON, MILLETT
Steve Langford, from Bushnell, brought a Remington 700 with a Millett LRS scope. It has a Badger Floor Plate, Badger Magazine and a Surefire muzzle brake. Langford was impressed with U.S. Tactical’s One Shot Sniper Package, which includes: Modular Sniper Data book, Mildot Master, Slope Doper, Ballistic Card, and Sniper Template. “A nice comprehensive package for the long range shooter or sniper…all the basic kit one needs.” Photo Steve Langford
SUREFIRE
This light, small, the Surefire E2L Outdoorsman with its non-reflective coating and light weight (3.7 oz.), could put out more light than one of those magnum-size flashlights that was so big it looked like a club. It is an LED flashlight with dual light output settings – 3 lumens on low or 60 lumens on high. The runtime is an impressive 100 hours on low or 11 hours on high. Optional accessories include red, blue and infrared lens filters. I submerged it in water, turned it on and off, and it worked without a single “misfire.” I removed it from the water, opened it up and there was absolutely no moisture on the inside – that’s quality! Having hunted from Alaska to Africa, I couldn’t wait to take this on my next hunting trip. Jerry Kraus
PRO EARS
“I used tactical headsets in combat to hear the radios and not get my ears ruined by heavy machinegun fire or the pressure waves from the VBIEDs going off. I found that the Pro Ears NRR of 26 for hunting give the same crystal clear hearing acuity as the game. You train to walk more quietly, which has many benefits, such as sneaking past your buddies to get the last brat off the grill. If you do hit the animal, you may have to find it after it runs off. The individual microphones in each ear cup pick up the sounds of the wounded animal crashing through the brush. The Predator Gold recovers in 5.5 ms. Hunters know that shooting the game is only part of the skill; getting to your game BEFORE the bears do is the other half. The Pro Ears will alert you before you have to do a face to face with your prey. Even when you zero the rifle before you hunt, the Pro Ears don’t get in the way of a good cheek weld. They accommodate a radio/MP3 player/cell phone/game boy,” David Kopenski; Photo by John Higgs
BLACKHAWK
THE BLACKHAWK! BLACKGORGE all around hunting pack dressed in Advantage Max-1 HD is extremely well made in the USA. It makes my 1,400 pound ANGUS bull proud and is harder than woodpecker lips. Two main elasticized compartments (with organizers) can each handle an auto pistol, at least four spare magazines, and two boxes of rifle ammo. I filled the hydration bladder with four 12 oz bottles of water, which was enough for the morning hunt. The upper compartment has a zippered front pocket that is big enough for one MREs packet, toilet paper, and a flask of Jaegermeister!
Back in Kansas, I put three bricks and a concrete block in the zippered “expandable center section” and humped the loaded pack about a mile and a quarter. It was a damn-heavy load for my old tired-ass and it almost caused a heart-attack, but I had no issues with comfort or capacity. The “Multiple compression and support straps” and beefy waist
belt evenly distributing the weight and the poly-frame easily handled this heavy load. The front harness (with emergency whistle integrated into the male half of the clip) strap locked the shoulder straps in place through the entire hike.
I then used the pack in place of a briefcase in Washington D.C. The conference was a one-mile round trip from my hotel. I packed a laptop, accessories, brochures, and a couple of pounds of other junk. I got lots of looks, like I was the next DC sniper (minus the car and rifle), and it left my arms/hands free to do what was necessary while walking to and from the conference, specifically fending off the homeless beggars. LTC Scott Blaney
TACTICAL TAILOR
Nate Blaney got a kick out of firing his Dad’s DPMS Panther .300 with a Millet LRS SCOPE. He used a lightweight, handy Tactical Tailor day pack with hydration system which was ideal for carrying necessary items while hiking through the mountains.
NIVISYS MUM-14
Nate, as well as other vets, lit up the countryside at night (some mean-spirited soul suggested maybe that is why we didn’t score any elk) with a variety of weapons using the NIVISYS MUM-14 Mini-Monocular Night Vision System. Nate reports, “Amazing! I’m used to the Army’s night vision devices and I really never had a high regard for civilian night vision systems until I used this monocular…incredibly clear…Generation III technology. It performed well even when there were no stars.”
CONTACTS
5.11 Tactical Series
4300 Spyres Way
Modesto, CA 95356
(209)527-4511
www.511tactical.com
Aimpoint
14103 Mariah Court
Chantilly, VA 20151
(877)246-7646
www.aimpoint.com
Blackhawk!
6160 Commander Pkwy.
Norfolk, VA 23502
(800)694-5263
www.blackhawk.com
Black Hills Ammunition
PO Box 3090
Rapid City, SD 57709
(605)348-5150
www.black-hills.com
Bushmaster Firearms International, LLC
999 Roosevelt Trail
Windham, ME 04062
(800)998-7928
www.bushmaster.com/indexasp
Bushnell Corporation
9200 Cody
Overland Park, KS 66214-1734
(800)752-3400
www.bushnell.com
Cabelas
(800)237-4444
www.cabelas.com
DPMS Firearms, LLC
3312 12th Street SE
St. Cloud, MN 56304
(320)258-4448
www.dpmsinc.com
Heckler & Koch USA
19980 Highland Vista Drive, Suite 190
Ashburn, VA 20147
(703)450-1900
www.hk-usa.com
Kifaru International
4894 Van Gordon Street, Suite 305
Wheat Ridge, CO 80033
(866)308-1911
www.kifaru.net
Millett
16131 Gothard Street
Huntington Beach, CA 92647
(800)MILLETT
www.millettsights.com
Remington Arms Company, Inc.
PO Box 700
Madison, NC 27025-0700
(800)243-9700
www.remington.com
Revision Eyewear
7 Corporate Drive
Essex, VT 05452
(802)879-7002
www.revisionready.com
Rock River Arms
1041 Cleveland Road
Colona, IL 61241
(866)980-ROCK (7625)
www.rockriverarms.com
Specter Gear
1107 E. Douglas Avenue
Visalia, CA 93292
(800)987-3605
www.spectergear.com
Springfield Armory
420 W. Main Street
Geneseo, IL 61254
(800)680-6866
www.springfield-armory.com
Steiner/Germany
Pioneer Research
97 Foster Road, Suite 5
Moorestown, NJ 08057
(856)866-9191
www.steiner-binoculars.com
SureFire LLC
18300 Mount Baldy Circle
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
(714)545-9444
www.surefire.com
Tactical Tailor
2916 107th Street South
Lakewood, WA 98499
(253)984-7854
www.tacticaltailor.com
U.S. Tactical Supply
939 Pacific Blvd. SE
Albany, OR 97321
(541)928-8645
www.ustacticalsupply.com
WARNING AND DISCLAIMER: Any content in this publication, including technical data, reports of any activities, information, events and circumstances under controlled situations and under supervised control have not been tested nor approved nor were under the control of Soldier of Fortune Magazine. Reports are transmitted from independent sources to which SOF has neither supervision nor control. The data is transmitted for reporting events by the author. Soldier of Fortune Magazine, its agents, officers, consultants nor any other individual or entity reject any and all responsibility for any reporting in this publication. Any reports in this publication do not provide detail for comprehensive safety techniques, training techniques, training precautions that are absolutely essential for any covered or similar activity. The reader MUST not attempt any reported activity, technique or use of equipment based upon any reports in this publication. Comprehensive training, guidance and supervision is always necessary when engaging in any activity of which any report in this publication mentions or gives any reference to. The views of the authors do not represent the views of the Soldier of Fortune Magazine.