Initial Review: Ruger 10/22 Deluxe Sporter .22LR Rifle

Cross Posted to The GunDivas

Though not a true BUG (buy a gun) Day purchase, I may or may not have recently (within the last couple of months) acquired a new addition to the gun locker at Castle Erickson. More specifically, that acquisition may be a Ruger 10/22 Deluxe Sporter .22LR semi-automatic rifle. It might have been acquired via private sale using cash in a deal arranged through Texas Gun Trader that could have been mutually beneficial to the parties involved while simultaneously and symbolically giving the Federal .Gov the uni-finger booger flinging salute for having the temerity to think that they can infringe upon the God given rights of free people.

I say this tongue and cheek given the current nuttiness Congress is pursuing with respect to gun control. I realize that we have passed the hurdle of DiFi's thinly veiled attempt at registration/confiscation and the Manchin/Toomey backdoor reach around "compromise"; but, if you really think the fight is over, I have some other very attractive proposals to sell you courtesy of the Nigerian scammers who have been stalking my Craigslist ads.

Seriously though, for FTC disclaimer purposes, I received no compensation or consideration whatsoever from any source for the opinions you are about to receive. The FTC can refer to the uni-finger salute referenced above.

Now that that's out of the way, what else can be said about the Ruger 10/22? It's probably the best selling .22 rifle in America if not the world from the humble and robust carbine version to their heavy barreled target version not to mention name brand and home built custom rifles using the 10/22 action. A lot of ink has already been spilled and pixels burned on the 10/22. So, what's a few more pixels?

First off, let's discuss my qualifications to offer up my opinion. I have a keyboard, a brain and an overdeveloped sense of self worth. I shoot guns for fun. I've never won a shooting competition, hunted extensively, been employed by the firearms industry or taken professional level training courses in shooting. In short, I'm your typical recreational shooter with an hair brained idea and an internet connection.

Next, why go for the deluxe sporter version when you can pay less and get the carbine (which is actually the same action, sights and barrel with different stocks) or pay more and get the target version(which has the same action and sling swivels with a heavier barrel, laminated wood stock and no iron sights)? To answer that question, I need to break the rifle apart into its components and discuss my impressions and thought process. Along the way, I will bring in comparisons to the Marlin Model 60, the 10/22 carbine version and a custom 10/22. So, where do we start?

Let's kick this off in earnest by looking at the stock. In the Ruger 10/22 family, you have a range of stocks. The carbine version comes with either a black synthetic or hardwood (Birch or Walnut depending) stock which has a barrel band. The synthetic stock has some checkering in the grip and fore end areas while the hardwood stock has no checkering and a metal butt plate. I have some experience with the hardwood carbine version as my mother has one. The finish of the hardwood is actually quite nice for a "entry level" rifle; however, the lack of checkering and the way my hands sweat in the Texas heat argued against the hardwood carbine version. I further eliminated the synthetic stocked carbine due to the barrel band which I find aesthetically displeasing.

On the other end of the spectrum, the target model uses a black or brown wood laminate stock which also lacks checkering but includes sling swivels already installed. I'm not a huge fan of the look of laminated woods as I prefer the natural grain pattern of the wood. Having said that, I wouldn't mind having one eventually; however, this go round, I really wanted a rifle with iron sights as opposed to being limited to only using an optic.

The takedown version is kinda neat, but suffers the affliction of the barrel band. The compact version is too small for me. The tactical version is too...tactical for me. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against black rifles. My buddy has a Smith & Wesson M&P 15-22 which is a hoot. I just didn't want one at this point. I wanted a simple, lighter weight, wood stocked rifle with classic lines and some decent checkering that would be accessible to new shooters (thinking ahead to the day when I can introduce M&M to shooting) and not intimidate.

Enter the deluxe sporter. The deluxe sporter has a nice American walnut stock with cut checkering as opposed to pressed checkering. What's the difference? The easiest way to demonstrate the difference is to show you.

Here is the cut checkering on the 10/22 deluxe sporter:

Here is the pressed checkering on the Marlin Model 60:

The cut checkering is crisp and provides me with a very positive grip on the stock even with sweaty paws. By comparison, the pressed checkering on the Marlin is definitely less crisp and grippy which is to be expected since it is effectively the reverse of the Ruger's checkering; but, it is functional in its own way. My personal preference is the cut checkering.

There is one other minor difference in the sporter stock. Namely, length of pull. The sporter has a length of pull of 13.88 inches versus the 13.5 for the carbine, 12.75 for the compact and 13.75 for the target. While that may not seem like a huge variation to some, it is a discernible difference to me with my wingspan. The carbine feels like a Daisy Red Rider in my hands whereas the sporter feels a little more like a "real" rifle.

So, we've established that I think the sporter stock is pretty and I can get a good grip on it. My exemplar exhibits excellent workmanship with more of a satin stain finish to the wood as opposed to a gloss finish. I like either finish depending on the application, and the satin finish is fine in this instance.

Okay, enough about the stock. To each their own. I like this one.

Let's move on to address the elephant in the room: The Trigger. It is heavier than I would like it to be for sure; however, it is consistent, predictable and relatively smooth for a stock trigger. It is non-adjustable short of the tender, loving mercies of a gunsmith or a Dremel if you are so inclined. For comparison's sake, it feels very similar to the Rock River Arms single stage "mil spec" AR trigger if you've ever messed with one. Maybe a tad lighter on the pull, but the take up is fairly short followed by a heavy pull to get to a crisp break while giving no hint of grittiness (to my touch at least). Once you get used to it, one hole groups are possible at close range (as evidenced by the photos to follow); however, having said that, I definitely want a lighter trigger. I am debating a replacement with Kidd and Clark replacement kits in the leading contender slots.

While I did not have a carbine model on hand for a side by side comparison, I will go out on a limb and say that they are identical. Based on other reviews I've seen, I believe the target model gets a better trigger. Maybe one day I will get to verify that. My buddy has a custom 10/22 with an after market trigger that was very smooth and extremely light by comparison. I did shoot both side by side and going from the heavy sporter trigger to the custom aftermarket trigger was eye opening to say the least. I cooked the first shot off early because I wasn't expecting how light it was. He didn't know which brand it was since he had it built for him by another friend who put in a spare trigger "he had laying around" (must be nice), and there were no marks on the outside to give me a hint. It was a straight instead of curved trigger shoe. That's all I can tell you.

For what it's worth, I think the stock trigger in the Marlin 60 beats the stock trigger in the 10/22 sporter. Personally, I think this is stupid and borderline moronic on Ruger's part. When you shell out extra money for an "upgraded" model that costs at least twice what a competitor's model sells for, you should get a better trigger. I'm just sayin'. One man's opinion. Then again, people like me keep shelling out cash for these things knowing full well we are going to have to tinker with them to make them the way we want them. Who's the stupid one now?

Just to respond to the trolls and haters real quick: if I'd wanted another Marlin Model 60...I would have bought another one (or a model 795 for those like me that prefer the detachable as opposed to tube magazine fed option). There's nothing wrong with Marlin 60s. I have one. I didn't need or want two of them. Besides, the 10/22 satisfies my need to tinker.

Moving on, let's talk about the sights. The front sight is quite nice in my opinion. Gold bead post dove tailed onto the end of the barrel. Don't like gold bead sights? Push it out and insert one of your choice. The rear sight...weeellll.... It's functional...it's cheap...it's no worse than any other rear sight installed by manufacturers these days. It's adjustable for elevation (albeit not easily) but not windage. Drifting the front bead in the dovetail can address windage as necessary. It's on the list of things I'm going to change on this rifle as soon as I can figure out what the best aperture sight option is. Seriously though, the rear sight is perfectly adequate for Sunday plinking and casual target work. Spend enough time with it, and you'd probably be able to get it to bark like a dog and impersonate a feral cat. And you can teach a pig to sing eventually too. It's just not the best use of your time and money.

The good news is that Ruger spends to time and money to drill and tap the receiver for a Weaver mount. The rifle is supposed to come with one. Since I did not obtain mine new, I had to go buy a Leupold Weaver mount which was very reasonably priced at $8.00 at Academy. That means mounting a scope is relatively easy. Which I already did. It works like a charm.

So, a word about accuracy: pretty darn good. During the first range outing, I zeroed the rifle at 25 yards with CCI Stinger ammo (32 grain hollow point smoking along at 1650 feet per second) to get it on paper and function test it. First shot of a rest with a Hawke 3-9 x 40 AO scope was about eight and a half inches low but mostly centered horizontally. After dialing in about 140 clicks on the scope, shots were going where they were supposed to be.

I had five flavors of .22LR ammo in my range bag to play with, and I did what any self respecting gun geek does and started testing to see which one was the most accurate. Now, some people may quibble over whether to clean the barrel between groups to obtain the most accurate results. I had neither the time nor the patience to clean the gun that many times in one range outing. Besides, my philosophy is that a dirty gun is a happy gun and real world accuracy is going to deteriorate as you shoot so it's better to know how it shoots when it's fouled anyways.

Let's a take a look at the groups from worst to best. These are five shot groups, shot from a rest at 25 yards with something like a second or two or however long it took me to get comfortable with the sight picture between each shot.

Winchester Super X 40 grain bullets at 1300 feet per second. I picked up a 100 round box of these at Academy back in February before .22 disappeared from the shelves completely. To say that I am disappointed in their performance is an understatement. Seriously, it didn't group. It patterned. It did worse than Remington and Federal bulk pack ammo, and that's saying something. it may function well in other rifles, but this one consistently shot a 4ish MOA group with this stuff.

Remington Gold Tip bulk pack ammo. These are leftovers from a pack I bought at Walmart or one of the other big boxes ages ago. It's been so long, I don't even have the box anymore as the bullets have been moved into old plastic 100 round boxes. These are probably 40 grain bullets in the 1250 feet per second range based on Remington's website (though they could be 36 grains at 1288 FPS). True to my prior experience with them, my one dud round for the day came from this batch. It had a good, strong primer strike on it but no bang. Just under 4 MOA for this stuff is about all you can expect because of the consistency issues in the ammo.

Federal bulk pack that was old before I inherited it from my grandfather. I have no idea when he bought them, but it is probably from the same lot that I used when he taught me to shoot over 30 years ago. I've never even seen the original packaging for this stuff. So, I am guessing these are Federal Champions in the 40 or 36 grain weight in that 1200 to 1300 FPS sweet spot that most .22 ammo seems to fall within. Again, performance is as one would expect with bulk box bullets.

CCI Stinger 32 grain moving at 1640 FPS. These were my favorites coming into this range trip.  Truth be told, I'm a big fan of CCI rimfire ammo. But for a called flyer due to lack of focus and yanking the trigger, the Stingers would have turned in a one hole group (I actually did get a one hole group with them earlier before I started shooting for groups). I love this stuff, and I can't wait until I find some for sale somewhere soon.

CCI AR Tactical 40 grain round nose at 1200 FPS. This was the surprise of the bunch. CCI markets this stuff as being suitable for the current crop of AR pattern .22 trainers. Whatever. I have no idea what makes this stuff ideal for AR pattern .22s that other 40 grain/1200FPS bullets don't have; but, then again, I'm no marketing genius either. Technically, this is "bulk pack" ammo since it does, in fact, come loose in a box of 375 rounds. Performance though was no comparison to the Remington, Winchester or Federal offerings. It does shoot a 1/2 inch to an inch lower than the Stingers at 25 yards, but that's due to the slower velocity. But who is going to argue with .87 MOA from a mediocre shooter using a new rifle? This is my new favorite plinking round, and I will be buying more as soon as it appears on a shelf near me (or not so near if the shipping cost is reasonable).

So, what is my overall impression of the 10/22 sporter? Good...borderline excellent. In terms of accuracy, it shot at least as well as my friend's full custom 10/22 though his admittedly has a nicer trigger. It offers some advantages that the Marlin 60 and Marlin 795s do not possess (namely easier scope mounting, better grade stocks, better after market support, etc.). Is it worth twice what the Marlins go for? It depends. For the same money I spent to get the 10/22, I can get a Marlin 795 AND all the tweaks to get it to where I want it to be AND several boxes of ammo (even at current prices). So, from a strictly dollars and cents value proposition, the answer would be no. From an overall aesthetic, quality and feel point of view, I take the Ruger every time. It feels better to me. It feels more solid and rugged to me. It looks better to me.

At the end of the day, that's what's important to me. Your experience may vary.

Comparison Review: Otter Box Defender and Otter Box Commuter

Originally, I was planning on writing a car review for this posting because everyone seems to like the car reviews, and I just so happened to be going on a business trip last week involving the rental of a car for a dizzying day of driving in Houston traffic. So, me and my business associate landed at Hobby Airport on Friday morning after both surviving 4:30 AM alarms to catch Southwest Airlines flight 1 from Love Field in Dallas. Awaiting me in my email inbox upon landing was a nifty email from Avis telling me that my Mazda 5 Sport VAN was waiting for me at space A25. 

I had no idea there was such a thing as a Mazda 5 Sport Van. I mean, seriously? A COMPACT minivan based on arguably a midsize sedan chassis? Who knew?

So, before moving on with the review that I am actually going to give you today, I will sum up my feelings on the Mazda 5 Sport Van as succinctly as possible since there is no way I am going to spend an entire post waxing poetic about this vehicle for bad or worse. 

In short, Mazda must be playing an epic prank on the car buying public. First, there is nothing remotely sporty about the Sport Van. I've seen turtles that looked sportier, and they were faster to boot. The only van in history that can remotely be considered sporty is B.A. Baracas' van from The A-Team. Maybe the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo. Maybe. Second, I know plastic is cheap, but do you have to remind us by making it LOOK cheap? Third, I was so underwhelmed by the level of strange involved in a SPORT COMPACT MINIVAN, that I didn't even bother taking photos for posterity. Unless you are a soccer mom who can't afford a decent used Windstar or Town & Country and just have to get a cheap minivan, I'm thinking you have better things to do with your money. 

Thus endeth the rant about the Mazda 5 Sport Van. 

Just so you know, that was a total non-sequitur to today's actual review which is, as mentioned in the title of the post, a quick and dirty comparison of the Otter Box Defender and Otter Box Commuter cell phone cases for the iPhone 4S (since I am not yet due for an upgrade to the iPhone 5 at work yet). 

First a brief history, I drank the iPhone Kool-Aid many moons ago (in tech years that is) with the iPhone 3G. I never much bothered with a case for my prior cell phones, and I didn't see much need to start with the iPhone. A co-worker had a snazzy looking, leather, belt clip holster for his iPhone. Being somewhat conscious of the amount of money I spent to enslave myself to the iLeash, I thought I'd give the case a whirl. 

In short, that holster has been collecting dust for far longer that it ever saw use. I'm just not partial to having things on my hip that don't go bang. My solution: slide the iCrackPipe into a pocket and go about my business. That solution stood me in good stead for the most part. Yes, I did drop the phone from time to time. Yes, the phone picked up a few dings and scratches as a result. No, it didn't break. 

Fast forward a few years. The new job hands me a new iHeroin 4S with an iPad speedball chaser, and I merrily go about my business employing the usual habits that have worked so well for me. Barely a month into the new job, I go to put my iOverLord in my pocket before heading into the gym for volleyball when the phone catches on a wayward string securely fastened at both ends of the pocket. Now, the new iPhones are slick. The forward momentum of my hands was apparently too much and overcame the pathetic traction my fingers had on the phone pushing it out of my grasp right onto solid concrete. 

One iBong screen shattered.

Oh NO!!!!

The IT guy was cool about it though. He had me a replacement by mid afternoon the next day. There was some strong hinting that a case might be in order. A lot of the folks in the office used the Otter Box Defenders while one used the Otter Box Commuter. After a brief interlude with another brand of case, I finally broke down and ordered Defenders for both The Queen and I (as The Queen made a royal decree that her Royal Highness must not be deprived of iFruit a moment longer). 

A few quick clicks at Amazon, and two Defenders were on their way here. 

A quick side note here about Amazon. It pays to be observant of the seller. The Defender I bought for me came from one seller while the one purchased for The Queen came from a different seller...in Hong Kong. I mention this as the quality of the two Defenders is dramatically different, and I suspect that The Queen's Defender is a Chinese made knock off. 

The Defender can best be described as "robust". It utilizes a hard plastic shell around which a rubber case is stretched for grip and some shock absorption. Some people I have talked with expressed complaints about the difficulty they had getting their cases apart and put back together. I didn't have that problem, but I can see how some people might not "get it" at first glance. The Defender is also delivered with a hard plastic belt clip holster. The belt clip can be rotated a full 360 degrees. It is a little stiff though, and it sounds like you are breaking the clip when you adjust it. 

Another quick note about the belt clip. I'm not sure if this was by design or by coincidence, but the clip can be latched open. I'm not sure what purpose this would serve, but I discovered this feature when I accidentally dropped the phone after it snagged on something and was pulled from my belt due to no grippy by the clippy. 

Incidentally, an iPhone in a Defender case does bounce a little, but it didn't shatter. So, it's all good. 

The last thing I want to comment on about the Defender is the rubber case. It affords excellent grip even with sweaty palms and fingers. The downside of that excellent grip is that, if you are accustomed to dropping your phone in your pocket as I am, it interferes with getting the phone in and out of a pocket. 

So, after a few weeks of carrying the Defender around both with and without the plastic belt holster, I got frustrated with it. With the holster, it just felt awkward to me. Without the holster, I was constantly having to shove my pockets back in. 

Well, enough of that noise. The nets were cast again, and lo and behold the Otter Box Commuter arrived here at the house. 

The Commuter is essentially a slimmer version of the Defender in reverse. By that, I mean that the rubber part on the inside with a plastic case on the outside holding the rubber part in place. 

Here again, the one other user of the Commuter that I know expressed frustration with the ins and outs of getting the case on and off. As before, I didn't have a problem. 

The hard plastic case of the Commuter does not cover 100% of the back and sides of the phone. It leaves plastic off from the obvious places such as the camera and the volume buttons. This allows the user to have some grippyness to hang onto. The hard plastic shell provides adequate protection from drops ('cause I seem to have developed a case of the butter fingers) and allows people like to me to get the phone in and out of pockets without dumping the contents of the pocket on the floor. 

The one thing the Commuter lacks that the Defender does not (which I consider to be a feature instead of a bug) is the belt clip holster. If you want to feel like Batman with a bunch of stuff hanging off your belt, knock yourself out. I prefer less stuff on my belt unless it goes bang.

Summing things up, both the Commuter and Defender offer good to excellent protection against impacts and drops. They come in a variety of colors. If you are looking for one at Walmart or Best Buy, expect to pay between $35 and $40. Searching online will yield prices ranging from $18 (what I paid) to the mid $20 range. I was able to get free shipping on my order from Amazon since the total was over $25. 

If you are looking for a good cell phone case, I would not hesitate to recommend either one depending on your preferred method of carrying a phone. 

FTC Disclaimer: I used my own money to buy these cases. No one at Otter Box or Amazon gave me anything for this review. So, go bother some investment banker. Better yet, go investigate the .Gov for operating a Ponzi scheme. 

Coming Soon...

Life, as usual, has intruded into my content mill.

Sometime in the new future, I will get around to reviewing the following items:

1. CRKT Delegate folding knife

2. Ruger 10/22 Deluxe Sporter (possibly in comparison with the carbine version and the Marlin 60)

3. Hawke Sport Optics Sport HD IR AO (eieio) 3-9 x 40 Mil-Dot Rifle Scope

4. An as yet to be determined rental car

5. Another gun range(s)

6. A Concealed Handgun Class

7. Comparison of the Otterbox Defender and Commuter iPhone cases.

I am not sure in what order these reviews will appear; but, give me a little time, and they will all flush through eventually.

Gun Range Review: Eagle Gun Range, Lewisville, TX

**cross posted to The GunDivas**

Way back about a month ago (November 16 actually) I received an email from GunDiva asking me if I lived in the Dallas area; and, if I did, would I be interested in checking out a new gun range. My response was 1) yes, I live in the area; 2) Dallas is a big, freaking area; and 3) did you say guns??? Why, yes. I am interested.

GunDiva gave me a link to 2A Mama’s November 5 blog post blegging for Dallas area bloggers to come by and check out her place of employment, Eagle Gun Range in Lewisville, TX.

Before moving on with the actual review part of this, I need to expand upon the concept of the size of the Dallas/Fort Worth area for those of you who live elsewhere (bless your heart). It’s actually relevant to part of the review as you will see shortly.

I consider the Dallas/ Fort Worth area proper (us locals call it the Metroplex) to be everything you can reach continuously without running into rural land between towns. Give or take a little that means you have an area running about 57 miles north/south from McKinney to Midlothian and about 56 miles east/west from Seagoville to Benbrook. That’s 3192 square miles of area. I’m pretty sure we can fit a sizeable chunk of New England into that space. The point is, being in the area is a relative term around here and getting anywhere in the area is going to take you a little time.

Eagle Gun Range is roughly located on the north central part of the Metroplex in a suburb more towards the Dallas side of things as opposed to the Fort Worth side of things. According to MapQuest, it is supposed to take 38 minutes/31 miles to get from my house on the south central side of the area to Eagle Gun Range. Time and distance from the downtowns to the gun range are 42 minutes/34 miles from downtown Ft. Worth and 32 minutes/26 miles from downtown Dallas. That’s assuming no traffic. Dallas/Fort Worth is notorious for bad traffic. Not L.A. or Houston bad, but bad enough. TXDOT seems to think that right now is the perfect time to have every major highway in the area under some form of construction for the next two to five years.

So, anyway, back to our review. After accepting my assignment, emails were exchanged with 2A Mama. She gave me name and location information. Turns out, I had run into the Eagle Gun Range folks at a gun show sometime last year. They had a booth set up to promote the range in advance of their opening. They were handing out cards good for one hour of free lane rental. The cards had their website information and claimed a spring 2012 opening. I kept their card in my desk drawer and bookmarked their webpage in my web browser intending to check them out when they opened.

Well, the best laid plans never survive reality…for me or them apparently.

Fast forward to October of this year, and Eagle Gun Range finally had their opening on October 16…a full season at least later than planned. I was busy with work by then and had forgotten about their card. Then, GunDiva’s email arrived. It took me a little bit due to Thanksgiving, work and a vehicle impairment issue involving my inlaws’ horrible car mojo, but I finally made it out to the range after work here recently for a little looksee.

Before going any further, please allow me to make a brief FTC Disclosure. Aside from the previously mentioned 1 free hour lane rental card which was obtained long before I ever knew I was going to do this review, I neither asked for nor did I receive any payment, gifts, gratuities or compensation in the past, present or future of any kind for this review. I am not a member, employee or owner of the range nor am I related to anyone who is. I have no personal interest whatsoever in the financial success or failure of Eagle Gun Range. The nice folks at Eagle Gun Range gave me a tour of the facility and answered my stupid questions. Beyond that, I got nothin’. So, keep on walkin’ Mr. Government Man.

I went on a recent Monday night because 2A Mama optimistically said that it should have the least amount of customer traffic. Of course, the moment I showed up, it seemed like all of Lewisville had turned up to get some target practice done. In reality, it was only five or six people checking in at the same time, but that’s still a good sign that business is that good on a “slow” night at a place that still has that “new range” smell.

So, without belaboring the review any further than I already have, let’s discuss what Eagle Range has to offer and what I think of it.

The first, and arguably most important, thing I want to talk about is safety. How many of you have been to a range and someone got their full retard on trying to clear a jam with their booker hook on the bang switch while doing the hokie pokie and turning all about? Eagle Range has gone out of their way in my opinion to minimize the potential for disaster resulting from the Idiot of the Month Club breaking all four of The Rules simultaneously.

How do they do that? Well, for starters, there is at least one ranger officer in the range at all times. His job is to keep an eye on things and make sure no one commits an egregious party foul. The night I was there, they had two on duty for 12 active lanes most of which were in use. Now, for the sake of argument, let’s say the RO is busy chastising one fool while his twin brother is five lanes away trying to puzzle out the squib round that just plugged up his gat like a bout of constipation waiting for a bean burrito laxative. Should Bonehead 2.0 manage to push another round through the pipe while the muzzle is pointed towards his neighbor, there is an inch and a half of armor between lanes. Assuming standard pistol ammo, the only casualty should be a pair or two of soiled underwear and maybe a perforated bonehead.

But wait, there’s more. Before Bonehead 2.0 even has a chance to do something incredibly stupid, there is an additional layer of safety built into each lane. Each lane has a small surveillance camera pointing at it so that the folks at the front desk can keep an eye on things as well. If they spot something about to go horribly wrong, they can radio a warning to the RO for them to give the situation their undivided attention.

So, picking your nose with your booger hook, while potentially gratifying, is not recommended. Just sayin’. And don’t even think about a light snack of nostril oysters. One word…YOUTUBE.

Moving right along, let’s talk about the actual place where you can shoot stuff. Eagle has 24 lanes split between two bays. All lanes are 25 yards deep backed by armor and ballistic rubber. The range will allow firearms up to .50 caliber as long as you forego tracer, incendiary and armor piercing ammo. They will also allow shotguns as long as you use slugs. They have this thing about you possibly damaging the target carrier system with buckshot. I can’t imagine why. Full auto, rapid fire and double taps are verboten for the same reason.

Let’s talk about lighting. How many of you have been to ranges that were lit about as well as a kidnapper’s basement? Not so here. In a word, the range lighting at Eagle is outstanding. Lighting duty is handled by standard, overhead florescent tube fixtures and is bright without being harsh or blinding. There were no major dark corners or shady spots anywhere on the range. If you miss, you won’t be able to blame the lighting.

The range is also has a lot going for it from a creature comfort point of view. I’ve been in ranges that were freezing cold or blistering hot sometimes with both conditions existing in the same bay. Outside air temps were in the 40s the night I was there, but the temperature in the range was even and comfortable. The range also employs an air circulation system that is claimed to completely change out the air in the range every 87 seconds. I have no way to independently verify that claim as I write this; however, I can say that the air in the bay was very clean smelling despite most of the lanes being in use. I’d be interested to see someone shooting a black powder rifle or dirty hand loads to get a visual sense of how well the system deals with the smoke. But, that will have to wait for another time.

The range is also quite roomy. The lanes are about five to six feet wide giving a shooter plenty of elbow room to work. The area behind the shooters is about 15 feet deep and empty with the exception of folding tables along the back wall. The back wall is covered in sound absorbing tiles that did an admirable job of mitigating the noise both inside the range and out in the shop area. One more note on the back wall, there are no “fish bowl” windows between the range and the shop. 2A Mama confirmed that there is additional ballistic protection in the back wall, and she commented that having windows there would have caused stacking of customers in the retail area watching shooters on the line. Personally, I agree with her comments and have no problem with the lack of a fish bowl. Honestly, I think it enhances the overall safety of the range.

Finally, the target carriers and retrieval system are a cut above the ubiquitous toggle switch operated line and pulley systems. I didn’t take good notes on make and model (shame on me); but, based on my Google Fu, I think they are using Action Target’s STC-1 Smart Pad system. The system has a carrier mounted on a rail similar to what you see on a garage door opener. The controller is a key pad that allows for programming of preset distances as well as manual operation. Pressing and releasing the forward/back buttons moves the target carrier a half a yard. Holding down the buttons gives continuous movement until the button is released at which point the carrier stops dead in its tracks.

Moving right along to the rest of the establishment, Eagle Gun Range’s facilities are at least on par with other ranges in the area. The shop area is well laid out and clean. I really like how the new firearms are displayed in shadow box cases mounted to the wall as opposed to the traditional counter/display cases commonly seen. For a tall guy with bad knees like me, not having to bend down so much to peruse the selection is a big plus.

They offer two class rooms which are well laid out and actually look like classrooms as opposed to another range in the area that I’ve been to lately. They are currently offering CHL Licensing (new and renewal) as well as Pistol I and II training courses. 2A Mama indicates the instructors are all DPS/NRA certified with military or law enforcement backgrounds. Other classes are planned; however, 2A Mama was not in a position to give specifics until the details are finalized.

I did not inspect the bathrooms, but I would anticipate them being as clean as the rest of the place implies they should be.

There is a lounge/waiting area off to one side. It’s long and narrow compared to the rest of the facilities, and somewhat sparsely furnished considering the capacity of the range. I believe, if my memory serves me correctly, that there was a couch, a chair, vending machines, a buffet cabinet and a flat screen TV. Having said that, it is better furnished than some of the other ranges I’ve been to recently. There was a coffee pot set up on the buffet cabinet; however, there was no coffee set out when I was there. Even if there had been, I wouldn’t be able to comment on the quality of the coffee as I don’t drink the stuff unless there is Irish Whiskey and cream involved.

Eagle will rent you one or more of over 40 firearms for the very reasonable price of $5.00 plus ammunition for handguns. I am told that they are intending to expand the number of rental offerings as additional inventory is received. They are focusing on getting in the newer, harder to get guns right now. Look for a Springfield EMP and more revolvers in the near future according to 2A Mama. You can even rent an M1 Garand or a 1943 Mosin Nagant. Although, I have question the wisdom of allowing the rental of the Bolshevik Flame Throwing Spear of Death when you have a ban on incendiary ammunition. To each their own I suppose. If you don’t know what I am talking about, let me just say it’s almost worth the $100 or so bucks to buy your own Mosin and light a round off at dusk to see the fireball that puppy belches. It’s a Kodak moment for sure.

Last, but not least, Eagle offers a respectable assortment of new firearms, gun cleaning supplies, holsters, ammunition, optics, cases and other accessories for sale. Many are pink. They even have pink Daisy Red Rider BB guns for sale. I’m not making that up either. Apparently, the owner’s wife is very big on pink and making the range accessible to female shooters. At least the ones that are fond of pink.

They also sort and package used brass for sale to reloaders. When I was there, 2A Mama commented that it had not been moving as well as they had hoped. For example, they had a bag of 100 .45 ACP cases marked for $20.00. She and I discussed that, and I suggested that they were priced a little high for the market. In our subsequent email exchange, I provided her with some pricing examples from online vendors and she responded that they have since revised their pricing. I take that as a good sign of good business sense that they are open to constructive criticism and willing to make changes when it makes sense.

As you would expect for a brick and mortar store, pricing is higher than you would see on the internet or at a gun show. I am not up to speed on the current street price of all firearms; however, I have been eyeballing several polymer framed handguns for possible acquisition in the near to not too distant future time frame. As such, I have a fairly good grasp of the MSRP and going street price for those particular items. I was a little disconcerted to see a Ruger SR9 with a price tag listing its MSRP and no other figures recognizable as an asking price.

In our post visit email exchange with 2A Mama, she conceded that pricing is higher than you would see at other brick and mortar stores. However, she indicated that this is balanced by a higher level of customer service. Being the thrifty (read cheap) person that I am, high level customer service is not as much of a priority for me as some people. BUT, I will admit that I would prefer excellent customer service to indifferent customer service. Or worse…a know it all mall ninja telling me how awesome the H und K Blastomatic (that he has probably only ever used in Call of Duty 54: Tacticool Mall Ninja) is as opposed to my Sig 1911. So, like anything else, it’s a tradeoff. 2A Mama promises that even their “old school” guys will still listen to the customer and make recommendations accordingly even if they “seem to recommend revolvers over and over to women.” Her words not mine.

Like most stores, if they don’t have it…they will order it. They will accept firearm transfers; however, they currently will only do so for CHL holders and charge $50 for the privilege. Again, the tradeoff of service over price. They will accept trades and buy used firearms. 2A Mama indicated that they acquired some of their rental guns this way. They do not have a gunsmith on staff; however, 2A Mama indicated that a couple of the employees can perform basic work such as sight installation, etc. For anything they cannot do themselves, they can put you in touch with a qualified gunsmith.

Lastly, pricing for lane rental and memberships appears to be on par with other ranges. One benefit I don’t recall seeing at other ranges is an in and out privilege subject to lane availability. Also, Monday through Thursday, active military, veterans, law enforcement and EMS shoot for 50% off.

How would I rate Eagle Gun Range on a one to five star basis (five stars being the best)? For purposes of this rating, I am basing my opinions on personal use of four other local indoor ranges in the last two years (DFW Gun Range, Winchester Gallery, Bullseye Range and Great Southwest Range) as well as one outdoor range (Elm Fork). I’ve used other ranges in the past, but some of those no longer exist or are in other cities, etc. I’ve also perused the websites of at least a half a dozen others, and I have visited but not utilized one of those. So, let’s take a look at several categories that would be of interest to most shooters.

Amenities

Four and a half stars. To be perfectly honest, there is nothing lacking at Eagle Gun Range that I have seen offered at other gun ranges. However, I can’t help but feel that there is something missing. Maybe more seating in the lounge area or some kid oriented entertainment while mom or dad shoots. Again, I’ve not seen that at other ranges.

Facilities/Equipment

Five stars. There is only one range in the area (On Target) that even comes close to Eagle in terms of the facilities and equipment. The air circulation system and HVAC system are above par. The target retrieval system…above par. Roominess…above par. Décor…neo classical firearm with overtones of sterile environment. In short, they’ve covered most of the walls with guns and most of the floor space with gun related stuff. Don’t like it? Then why are you at a gun range? You’re here to shoot stuff not look at how well the interior decorator coordinated the wood paneling with the couch pillows and the curtains.

Convenience

Four stars. For me, it’s a bit of a hike to get there especially measured against the fact that I have an indoor range less than a mile from my house (that I don’t use because I don’t like them); but, it’s only two miles further from my house than my normal work commute. So, it’s not horrible. Could it be more centrally located? Yes. Ergo, the loss of one star. Is it in the middle of nowhere? No. It is less than one mile off of an interstate highway and close to at least two other major thoroughfares. Bottom line, you can’t be close to everyone. Your mileage may vary.

Price

Four stars. Lane rental is $20 per lane, all day with in and out privileges as mentioned earlier. That’s a little higher on a per lane basis than other ranges; however, you get the benefit of come and go as you please. Tradeoffs again. As indicated above, retail sales are a little higher, but you are paying for better service.

Safety

Four and a half stars. I am reserving a half a star simply because a place where there are firearms with live ammunition in use can never be 100% safe. Having said that, I cannot think of any one thing that they could do differently to enhance the safety of the range. Having ROs in the shooting bays puts them a cut above all the other indoor ranges I’ve been to recently. The armor between lanes is also a plus. The range is also in a relatively nice, well lit area (it’s an industrial area, but it’s close to a major highway) unlike some of the other ranges I’ve been to. Bottom line, you will be hard pressed to find a range safer than this one.

Selection

Four and stars. The only way you can get five stars in this category is to offer one of each from every manufacturer. As it was, their selection of firearms was good considering they had only been open for about six weeks when I went in to visit, and inventory was still coming in. Also, being primarily a range as opposed to a gun store, you shouldn’t expect to see the same selection you would at a gun show.

Service

Four Stars. I would like to have seen a gunsmith on staff which other ranges have to one degree or another (I’ve not sampled the work of those ‘smiths…I just know they exist). Otherwise, the range staff was courteous, attentive, patient and helpful. As I said earlier, there was a brief crush when I came in. At one point, one of the employees (2A Mama’s husband I think) was unsure who was next, and he did what I would expect him to do. He looked at everyone standing around and said “Who’s next?”

Overall Rating

Four and a half stars. If you live in the area, you will be hard pressed to find a better, publically accessible, indoor range. If you live elsewhere and come here to visit, this range is well worth your money for a place to shoot.

Initial Product Review: Coonan Triple Threat Apocalyptic Kit

I’ve been wracking my brain for the last few days trying to decide what to do for the inaugural review around here at this new venture. It had to be something cool. It had to be something that wasn’t too complicated. More importantly, it had to be here now.

Then, quite literally, the subject of this review landed on my doorstep. Problem solved.

With The Queen’s and my nine year wedding anniversary coming up at the end of the month, I’ve been on the lookout for new and interesting gifts to give her. Buying things for The Queen is challenging because, on the one hand, she is not an overtly materialistic person; however, on the other hand, the materials things she likes are expensive.

Easy things like jewelry are out of the question because she is sensitive to metals (a side effect of the mystery illness). Chocolate…she’s not a huge fan. Lingerie…we’re just not going there. No husband should ever buy lingerie for their wife. If you get the size wrong, you are screwed. And not in the way you had hoped.

So, when I spotted the Coonan Apocalyptic Kit mentioned on someone else’s blog, my prayers for an interesting gift, or at the very least a gag gift, were answered. You see, The Queen is a fan of scary movies. Especially zombie, vampire and werewolf movies. And what self respecting scary movie fan would not want a kit specifically designed to fend off the undead? 

Out came the debit card, clickty, click, and, for the paltry sum of $39.95, Coonan’s website confirmed that the order was received. Standard shipping, UPS Ground in this case, is included in the price tag. I didn’t see an option for expedited shipping, but I am notorious, according to The Queen, for not paying close attention to these minor details. I completed the order on Thursday, November 29 in the afternoon. The non-descript box with “CARTRIDGES SMALL ARMS” stamped on the outside arrived on my doorstep on Tuesday, December 4. Not a bad turnaround time at all to get this item ground shipped from Florida to Texas considering the weekend thrown in for giggles.

I only have a couple of minor quibbles about the shipping. First, since the package was shipped UPS Ground, it would have been nice if Coonan had shared the tracking number via email so that I could track the progress and no when to expect its arrival. As it was, I had to hope that The Queen did not intercept the package and ask pointed questions about why there was a sharp pointy stick in a box. This brings up the second quibble. Basically, what you are getting when you buy this product is a sharp pointy stick with eight rounds of silver jacketed .357 Magnum ammunition in a plastic blister pack with only a small little dot of padding inside the blister pack to try and keep it from punching through the packaging.

As you can see in the photo, that little dot is a wee bit ineffective at fulfilling its intended purpose. Fortunately, UPS didn’t beat the box up too much leaving the sharp, pointy stick still sharp and pointy.

Let’s talk about the packaging for a moment. It’s a poster board sandwich holding the stake and ammo inside the plastic blister bubble. Coonan has gone to the trouble to design some clever artwork and a brief little back story on the back; however, the real treasure here packaging wise is the warnings. I’m pretty sure Coonan’s lawyers were under the influence of something when they wrote these. 

Bonus points to Coonan for some giggle worthy snark. My favorite is: “If any of these WARNINGS are news to you, it may not be an ideal product for you to own.” Yep, that means you Cletus.

On the flip side, the packaging is not what I would consider “display worthy”. Had they done something like put the stake on a velvet cushion inside a little glass topped, pine coffin with a hammer on a chain and an “In Case of Undead, Break Glass” flag, that would have been epic. Put that on you coffee table when you have guests over, and it’s instant conversation. The conversation may start with “Are you nuts?”, but at least you’ll be talking to someone other than the voices in your head. 

 Now, let’s talk about the product itself. According to Coonan’s website, this product is:

8 rounds with a Pure Silver Jacket in an Ash Vampire Stake.

The Coonan Triple Threat Apocalyptic Kit is designed for the serious hunter and collector. Packaged in a wooden Vampire Stake are Eight .357 Magnum Bullets Jacketed in 99% PURE SILVER. This is the perfect addition to your Coonan Pistol or a Holiday Gift Idea. It's not just a conversation piece, it's a Zombie, Werewolf, or Vampire's worst nightmare.

So, let’s break this down.

The Stake.

I have not taken the stake out of the packaging since it’s my wife’s gift. It looks like ash wood. The wood does not appear to be finished with any kind of stain, varnish or clear coat. I am not enough of a student of undead lore to know whether or not such refinements interfere with the vampire killing properties of a sharp, pointy stick to the chest, but my guess is that making the stick a little prettier wouldn’t hurt its effectiveness although the sadist in me thinks that leaving the stick rough and unfinished would cause the vampire a little extra pain from splinters whilst being impaled.

My biggest problem with the stake is the laser etching. Coonan chose to have its name and logo along with the words “Vampire Stake” burned into the wood using a laser etching machine. Unfortunately, it looks like it was done with an old dot matrix printer with a bad ribbon. Have some dyes or brands made and burn the stuff in proper for crying out loud. The laser etching on this example just looks terrible. 

 

I can tell you that the stake is very pointy since it has poked through it packaging. It will most certainly impale an undead chest or skull without too much trouble although the traditional mallet and stake approach is probably the better way to go when using this item.

The Ammunition.

Here again, I cannot comment on the effectiveness of the ammunition as it remains in its packaging. It does LOOK pretty. While .357 Magnum will take care of most of your zombie and werewolf eradication needs, it’s not my first choice for either target. Granted, the product comes from Coonan, a company known for its .357 Magnum 1911 style semi auto pistols. Having said that, for zombies, you really don’t need the silver and .357 is overkill against a shambler. A good old .22 long rifle is all you really need to dirt nap a zombie. For werewolf, I wouldn’t say no to a .357, but I would be a lot happier with a high capacity semi automatic in 9mm, .40 S&W or .45 ACP.

Conclusions.

I'm calling this an initial review because, in all likelihood, I will never have an opportunity to test it fully against a horde of undead. If I ever do, y'all will be the second to know. Assuming I survive.

Seriously, the intended purpose of this item is not to go hunting the undead. The reality is that you would be foolish to actually shoot the eight rounds of silver plated ammo for target practice, and you would be even more foolish to carry it in a concealed carry weapon. Try explaining to the jury why you shot the carjacker with silver bullets. Go ahead. I dare you.

No, this is intended to be a fun novelty that makes you smile and giggle a little. In that respect, I think the product succeeds in spades. Could it be more over the top? Yes. See my suggestions earlier about the pine coffin, etc. Is it good enough? I went ahead and gave it to The Queen last night after she had a rough day with the kids. I was rewarded with smiles and giggles.

That alone made it worth the $39.95 price tag.

FTC Disclosure: I paid for this product with my own money. Coonan didn’t give me squat and was not consulted before this review was posted. So, bug off.

Welcome to the Toy Box

Those of you who have followed me over here from Preachers and Horse Thieves, you kinda already know what this place is about. Thanks for coming along for the ride. If you are finding your way here from somewhere else, welcome and please allow me to give a (hopefully) brief statement of intent. 

First, though, a little brief history. For a business trip in 2010, I rented a car. On a lark, I decided to write a review of that car for my original blog, Preachers and Horse Thieves. That review turned out to be my most popular post ever and popular enough in Google's eyes to reach number three on the search engine results when you look up "2010 Ford Focus SES review." For whatever that's worth at least.

 Like most people, I am a consumer of goods and services. Unfortunately, in a capitalistic society (at least for now) and the Internet being what it is, it's nearly impossible to find unbiased information about the value and quality of a particular item or service. Most reviews you find are on sites trying to sell you something. Those sites, of course, have absolutely nothing bad to say about the stuff they are selling. How many times have you seen "We sell only the highest quality bovine feces from the top producers"? Yeah, um hum. I see, and how can every producer of bovine feces on the planet be a top producer? What exactly makes bovine feces the highest quality anyways? Even sites that are not trying to sell you something seem to go out of their way to focus on only the good points of a particular item, gloss over the details of how the item came into their possession, are vague about the methodology, etc. And let's not get started about traditional reviews done by print media. When was the last time you saw Car & Driver or Guns & Ammo say something was an unmitigated failure of design or manufacturing resulting in a world class piece of garbage? I'm betting its somewhere between a really, REALLY long time ago and never.

 So, here's the deal. I plan on writing reviews of stuff. Products or services of interest to me (a slightly overweight, middle aged, white guy with a toy habit). That means cars, motorcycles, airplanes, guns, knives, tools, books, movies, music, etc. Initially, it will mainly be stuff that I already have or can beg, borrow or liberate from easily accessible sources since I am not independently wealthy nor intimately connected with an over abundance of industry contacts outside my current profession. Need to know a good civil litigation defense attorney or mediator? I can probably hook you up in two phone calls or less. Otherwise, I will be depending upon the kindness of others or the limits of my own bank account to get this bird off the ground.

 My promise to you is that the reviews will address the good, the bad and the ugly of any particular item or service to the best of my abilities. I will do my best to compare claims made by the manufacturer/service provider against reality. There may be actual research and/or interviews involved. I will endeavor to be completely transparent about means, methods and potential conflicts of interest. Please note, I am not a scientist or engineer. If you REALLY want to know whether the BFG Blastomatic 5000 really is made out of aircraft grade aluminum as opposed to beer can aluminum, you are barking up the wrong tree.

 My intent is to eventually grow this into a semi commercial venture. That means I am not opposed to earning a little money off this puppy if you, the readers, find the service has merit and value. There may be ads if I can figure out how to solicit from advertisers that I deem worthy. There will be a tip jar once I figure out how to stick one in the side bar.

 And, I will take requests. You want an unbiased opinion about something. I will be happy to provide it subject to the availability (to me) of the product or service. So, if you want me to review say a Lamborghini Murcielago, your assistance (physically or financially) in arranging a date for me with said vehicle would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise, your request will languish until an opportunity arises.

 Similarly, if I am physically, legally or morally unable to test the product or service, other options will need to be explored. For instance, the likelihood of shoehorning my 6'4" 238 pound frame into a formula one race car, aside from the financial unfeasibility and lack of access issues, is between slim and none. Likewise, God, The Queen and the law would probably have a thing or two (none pleasant) to say about a suggestion to review the services provided by a local bordello.

 That's it in a nutshell. More or less.