Guns & Gear Review
BY Herschel Smith
2 years, 3 months ago
There were too many useful reviews of gear and guns to make into individual posts, so they’re all dropped into this one.
Outdoor Life has a review entitled The Best Gun Belts of 2022.
All Outdoor has a review of the Mystery Ranch Three Day Assault Pack. They like it, and so do I (from a distance). I saw a SpecOps guy wearing it while taking my family biking in Virginia one time and stopped him and asked him about it. He saw me eyeballing him and I didn’t even finish the question before he gave me an answer. He especially liked the 3-Zip design that lets you get into the pack for needful items without emptying the pack. But at $385 it’s a bit pricey for me.
Outdoor Life has an article on how quarter of a million dollar shotguns are made if you’re rich and that’s your thing.
This guy is yet another satisfied customer and user of the Beretta 1301 combat shotgun.
Shooting Illustrated has a review of the CZ 600 Alpha hunting rifle. We’ve discussed this many times before. The polymer furniture makes it capable of being in the rain or taking a bump or bruise without showing the damage, but the Walnut stocks are so pretty.
TFB: Don’t buy Turkish made shotguns.
SOFREP has a review of the Franchi Affinity 3 field shotgun. Is it me or do shotgun manufacturers seem to be dovetailing into the same sort of external design as the Beretta A400, Benelli and Browning Maximus 2? No, it’s not just me. While some things will never change (Beretta is gas operated while Benelli is inertial), the external features are trending towards the same sort of smooth lines, large controls, large charging handle, Camo pattern wrap or Cerekote, etc.
Readers can add in the comments or discuss guns or gear you’d like to see discussed or reviewed.
On August 29, 2022 at 9:39 am, George said:
a thought: “buy once, cry once.”
On August 29, 2022 at 9:49 am, Drake said:
Love my 1301. That Turkish shotgun is amazingly bad.
I’ve never had a stoppage once with the Beretta – not shooting trap with light loads, heavy buck, or slugs. During break-in I’d mix the lightest birdshot with mag buckshot in the tube – ran it all flawlessly right out of the box.
On August 29, 2022 at 9:50 am, Fred said:
Don’t you have to weigh that against, the gun you can afford is better than none?
On August 29, 2022 at 10:05 am, George 1 said:
I am certainly no expert but I have a surplus Medium Molle II ruck. Not the large ruck. It serves pretty well and is comfortable. It is the most comfortable medium/large pack that I have used. I think I paid $50.00 for it a few years ago but it is in that ugly camo pattern that the Army used to use, ACP maybe? You can get them in the multi cam now. It has a plastic frame like the large ruck. It may not work for what you have in mind. I think it is about 50 liters. It does not have any bladder hangers or the fancy organizers that many new packs have but I think you could rig something up if you wanted.
I have a friend who bought a First Tactical specialist 3 day pack. It is 56 liters. It seemed very well made and comfortable to me. It is supposed to be patterned after a 5.11 2.0 Rush series pack but upgraded in some critical areas. He paid $160.00 for it new and the quality seems excellent to me. They also make a 1 day pack that is about the same size as the Mystery Ranch 3 day assault pack. It goes for about $130.00
The Mystery Ranch 3 day assault pack is no doubt one of the best. I just could never bring myself to pay $400.00 for a pack. But if you want the very best to each their own.
On August 29, 2022 at 8:16 pm, Fred said:
Wilderness instructor belt for edc. Tried the 511 belt of similar type which has better more rounded buckle but the wilderness is much more easily adjustable because the sizing is a wider range. Also 511 has more Velcro area but overall, for me Wilderness is the winner. Been wearing them for years. At one point I liked the alien wear leather which is classier but again the inability to adjust it depending on the circumstances was a problem.the NextBelt at the link looks interesting.
On August 29, 2022 at 9:29 pm, Jonah said:
I have been wearing the Nexbelt for a few years now. Comfortable, adjustable, and holds the holster nicely. Highly recommend.
On August 30, 2022 at 1:43 pm, Fred said:
Thanks Jonah, I might have to give it a try.
On August 31, 2022 at 7:38 am, Latigo Morgan said:
My “cheap” Beretta Outlander A300 runs like a champ. Never had a failure with that gun of any kind. Use it for hunting, trap, and sporting clays. It is even more reliable than my Ithaca 37 pump gun which can be finicky extracting cheap ammo (aluminum brass).