Kit Badger Videos

You can find the Model 1 here: https://radianweapons.com/rifle While there are a lot of AR-15 pattern rifles on the market, the Radian Weapons Model 1 stands apart. This is for a number of reasons… Everything on the rifle is, for lack of a better word, polished. Attention was paid to all the little details. No take down pins are stuck and require force, the selector moves smoothly and distinctly, it is overall very well made. A lot of the rifles magic is in the lower receiver. The A-DAC (Ambidextrous Dual Action Catch) allows for full ambidextrous use. But more to the point, you can lock the bolt to the rear by depressing the magazine release (on the right side) and running the charging handle. This for me is an amazing feature and cuts down on time when clearing malfunctions. The rifle is also accurate. While it comes with a claim of Sub M.O.A. (Minute Of Angle), I was able to verify that, doing my part with good ammo, getting groups down to .85" and .8". If you are looking for a really amazing rifle, and your budget will allow it, take a hard look at the Model 1 by Radian Weapons.

You can find their products here: https://www.minutemanmunitions.com/ While there are a lot of ammunition manufacturers out there, they are not all the same. You find many variances in price, quality and accuracy. Personally, across the board, I have been very pleased with all the ammo I've received from Minuteman Munitions. Not only do they offer good quality training ammo at a fair price, but depending on your needs, they offer some very accurate 223 68gr BTHP Match Ammunition as well. Using the Hornady Match AMP Projectile. As far as rifle calibers they currently produce, they offer both 223 Remington and 5.56mm NATO in addition to 300 Blackout. They also offer 38 Special, 9mm, 40 S&W and 45 ACP. Also offered are they loadings with Blue Bullets. Which are hard cast lead covered in a high temp polymer. The next time you need to pick up some ammunition, give Minuteman Munitions a look. Good ammo made by a small company here in the USA.

2018 Year In Review. This last year has been, in a word, Rad. I've had some incredible experiences, met some amazing people and filmed some really cool videos. I'm super grateful for all of it. Some of the high points are probably my Adventure Log up to Franklin Lakes with my two boys, going to the SIG Press Event and all the doors that opened there, not to mention some really cool shooting courses I've taken. Oh, and how about 2nd place at the Tactical Games? But what about 2019? I'm really optimistic and looking forward to whatever is in store. Come along for the ride, it'll probably be pretty rad…

Pants, most people wear them. Either because it is too cold for shorts or nudity is frowned upon in that location. At any rate, it can be hard to find a good pair sometimes. After wearing this pair of Carlos Ray Cargo Pants by Tactical Distributors, I'm on the whole, pretty stoked on them. They are pretty solid everyday or even adventure pants. The incorporated stretch in the material is great, not to mention the cut and sizing fits my body type well. They have pockets for days, which may or may not be your thing, but they're there. While there are a few tweaks I would love to see in the design, overall they are a great pair of pants and have held up well. If you happen to be a member of the Badger Den either through my website or my Patreon page, you can save some money while picking them up. Otherwise you can find the TD Carlos Ray Cargo Pants here.

I was just out on the range working malfunctions, doing some science… And by science, I mean running a shot timer. It is really easy to tell ourselves that that repetition "felt" fast, but the shot timer won't lie. What was I testing? I was trying to see what kind of time savings I could get clearing a double feed, between a standard AR-15 lower receiver versus an A-DAC Lower Receiver (Radian Model 1 in this case). If you are unfamiliar, the A-DAC (Ambidextrous Dual Action Control) Lower Receiver has… ….ambidextrous controls. More to the point though, it has some really cool engineering that allows the magazine release to double as a bolt catch. This creates significant time savings when it comes to clearing a double feed…

What are Ripstays? According to their site, they are the "fastest MOLLE system on earth." In my experience they are, so long as we are just talking about removing pouches or placards. When it comes to weaving them into PALS webbing, bring your patience. For reals though, they are fast. They allow you to attach any PALS / MOLLE compatible pouch/placard to a pack, belt or armor system. Then, should the need arise, you simply "rip" the Ripstay out and the pouch comes free. I think these are a great way to retrofit pouches that are not easily removable. For example to attach any type of life saving equipment that you may need intimidate access to.

"What does your tattoo say?" I've got that question a fair bit, so here is the back story on my tattoos. Are they Moto Tats (Motivational Tattoos)? Kind of a I guess, my time in the Marine Corps definitely influenced them. I most certainly put a lot more time and thought into one versus the other though.

As far as things go in the gun industry, Q is doing some pretty rad stuff. One of the most amazing things they are doing though, in my opinion, is their Customer Build Days. You literally get to go in and hang out at Q in New Hampshire and build your gun. And not only build it, but build it with some of the engineers that are responsible for designing elements of it. That is mind blowing for me… So if you want a truly custom rifle and experience, go build your Honey Badger or Fix Rifle. Once you place your order, reach out to them with the order number and see when their next customer build day is. And don't forget to bring them a 6 pack of craft beer, it is just the nice thing to do…

You can find the Gen-12 here: https://www.genesisarms.com/ What if someone actually made a Shotgun on the AR-10 platform…? Enter the Gen-12 by Genesis Arms. While I don't have enough time behind this little 12 gauge to do a review, my first experience was promising. For a 12 gauge the recoil is "different." It isn't snappy like a regular shotgun, more of a straight push and pretty controllable, even with slugs. In the future I will hopefully get to spend some more time with one and do a full review.

If you spend time outdoors, backpacking, hunting, hiking and on adventures… …you can grow to hate oatmeal. There is only so much oatmeal you eat. Additionally there are only so many breakfast foods ready made for backpacking. I recently tried the Muesli Breakfast Cereal by BaseKamp. While not a avid muesli fan, I will say it was pretty good and a welcome change from oatmeal. Additionally it was super filling and sustaining for a solid 6-7 hour stretch. Not to mention there is something great about a warm meal on a cold day.

What?! How can you train for the Tactical Games in 1 Easy Step you ask? Easy, I'll tell you how. I'll also outline 3 tips that may come in handy should you choose to compete in the Tactical Games. And if you aren't familiar with the Tactical Games, think Crossfit Games meets 2 Gun Competition. You can check out this video by RECOIL.

Sometimes things go sideways like plans, weather, vehicles… This is where misadventures come in. Recently I packed up a lot of gear for a solo overnight backpacking trip up to a local peak, Strawberry Mountain. My intention was to do some filming that afternoon, stay the night, film more in the morning and then come down. This didn't happen. There ended up being way more snow than I had anticipated up there. So I had to call it and hike all the way back down that same day. Up to this point, no big deal. Plans changed and I made the right decision. Unfortunately, on the way down the mountain, things went sideways…There are a number of takeaways from the experience.

You can find the optic here: https://amzn.to/3mxs4i0 At this point in time, most everyone is familiar with Trijicon and their ACOG (Advanced Combat Optical Gunsight). But how about the 1.5x16s? While their 3 and 4 power ACOGs tend to get a lot of love, the 1.5x16s ACOG tends to get left out. The 1.5x16s is a ACOG with 1.5x magnification and a 16mm objective lens. It is small, light and fast to use. The length is only 4" and it weighs about 5 oz. And due to the 1.5x magnification, you can snap the gun up almost as fast as a red dot optic. I've been using this little optic for a few months now and it has done pretty good for me. I've ran it on my Honey Badger by Q in a Carbine Course with Firebase CSG. I've also ran it on a SBR as well as a Radian Model 1. It even spent a little time on a Gen 12 Shotgun. The reticle (TA-44C) green circle with 2 MOA dot, was clean and easy to use.

You can find the scope here: https://tinyurl.com/2p8ru4yw When I was trying to put together a complete precision rifle package, with a total budget of around $1300 or less, I looked long and hard at different optics. The Savage 110 Tactical Desert in 6.5 Creedmoor was going to eat up about half of the money, costing around $620. So what was the best value I could find for the rifle? I settled on the Bushnell Nitro 4-16x44. The magnification would take me out to 1,000 yards and the price was right at $550. But here was the catch, the turrets are capped. Fortunately this was a non-issue due to the Nitro being offered in their FFP (First Focal Plane) Deploy Mil Reticle.

Go here for the PDFs: https://kitbadger.com/kit-badger-ambush-targets-v2-0/ It is time for the release of my Ambush Targets 2.0! I released my initial Kit Badger Ambush Targets in May of 2017. They started as a line sketch after measuring out the dimensions of my face in the mirror. I eventually transferred them into Adobe Illustrator and did a kind of poor job colorizing them. Fast forward and we have the new Profile Anatomy / Ambush Targets. They, just like my KBATs (Kit Badger Anatomy Target) provide all of your vital anatomy represented to scale on two 8.5"x11" sheets of paper. Except, these show all of your anatomy at a 90 degree angle to the viewer. They're easy to print out at home and take to the range. I was originally inspired to make these after I was introduced to the Vital Anatomy Targets by Sage Dynamics. While I liked them, I found that when I pushed back in distance, I was presented with a box and circle rather than a true target indicator of a silhouette. This I have changed in my Kit Badger Targets. You are presented with a silhouette at distance and all of the vital anatomy disappears.

There are a lot of great stocks and chassis out there that allow for the adjustment of length of pull as well as comb height. Frankly, most of them are really expensive. Enter the Savage Accustock with Accufit... Savage has raised the bar, increasing the value of their rifles by adding their Accufit System to their already well made Accustock. While the Accustock is lightweight and rigid, giving you a true free floated barrel for increased accuracy, the Accufit allows the stock to be adjusted to the shooter. You can adjust the LOP (Length Of Pull) so that your arm is neither extended too far or contracted too much, giving the shooter a customized comfortable feel. Additionally you can change out the comb height. This allows for the shooter to select the appropriate comb height so that they can acquire natural and proper eye relief when looking through their scope. All the adjustments can be done with a simple Philips Head Screwdriver and about 3 minutes time.

In November of 2018 I was fortunate enough to attend 4 Day Comprehensive Precision Rifle Course at the K&M Shooting Complex in Finger, Tennessee. The course covers pretty much all the bases with respect to precision shooting. Starting with fundamentals, working on getting a good zero, pushing out to ranges of 800-1200 yards, unconventional shooting positions, stress shoots, shooting moving targets and even some ranging work. I learned tons at the course and met some amazing people in the process. Shannon and the rest of the K&M Cadre are incredibly knowledgeable and passionate. If you're looking to up your long range game, be it for PRS Competition, Hunting, Military or Law Enforcement applications, I'd give K&M a hard look. Find the K&M Shooting Complex Training Schedule here.

You can find the light here: https://amzn.to/3SSHhXp When it comes to EDC (Every Day Carry) Flashlights, there are a lot of options. SureFire has managed to bring together a lot of great elements in their EDCL1-T Flashlight. For starters, the light has 2 running modes, 5 lumens and 500 lumens. Not a bunch of useless setting in between that the user has to scroll through. The light also happens to have the best switch technology of any EDC Light I've ever used. It uses a push through tail cap. Light pressure gives you momentary 5 lumens. More pressure will give you momentary 500 lumens. As soon as you let go, the light turns off. If you need constant on, you can twist the tail cap for 5 or 500 lumens. Overall, I think it is the best EDC Flashlight I've used to date. You can find the SureFire EDCL1-T Flashlight here.

I think it is important to introduce kids to firearms. On the one hand I hope my kids have the same love for them as myself so that we can pursue hunting, marksmanship and self defense training as they get older. But more importantly, I want them to be able to be safe around guns. If you are thinking to yourself that you don't have guns in your house, that is fine. But what happens when you child or children end up at someone else's house? And there are guns in that house... It is about equipping your children for life with the skills to safely handle and respect firearms. Beyond the 4 weapon safety rules and what they actually mean, it is important to establish "what" a firearm is for them. And to that end, dispelling myths around firearms for kids is important. They don't magically go off, and because of that, we need to handle them with care and respect. I hope this helps.

Gun Oil can be like Snake Oil... But you never know until you try. I met some really cool people at the IV8888 Shoot in 2018 out in Georgia. Some among them were the guys from Modern Spartan Systems. After talking with them a bit I was offered the chance to try some of their products, their Gun Treatment among them. It consists of a Accuracy Oil, Carbon Destroyer, Copper / Lead Destroyer and Crystal Clear (for lenses). I followed the directions of removing any carbon from a brand new 12.5" Barreled upper receiver from Michael over at Criterion Barrels, and then followed the procedure of applying their Accuracy Oil. Gun oil obviously takes a long time to "review" but as I use these products I will occasionally update along the way.

You can find the holster here: https://hiddenhybridholsters.com/products/glock-glock-19-23-25-32-38-single-clip-strong-side-appendix-iwb While there are a number of hybrid holsters on the market, the One Clip AIWB (Appendix In the Waist Band) Holster by Hidden Hybrid Holsters is the best one I’ve used. If you are unfamiliar with hybrid holsters, they are a mating of two materials. In this case a leather and suede backer with a kydex holster body. I really like the incorporation of the claw into this holster. It does a great job pushing the grip of the pistol back into your waistline so that the gun doesn’t print as much. Additionally, the suede backing is really comfortable. While the suede backing is really nice, I would like to see it cover all of the hardware on the back. And a little more retention would be preferable. But after wearing the holster for a solid month or so, I am overall really pleased with it. The one clip makes it easy to take on and off and carries my Gen 5 Glock 19 comfortably all day.

Check out their ammo here: https://www.gorillaammo.com/ While out in Florida I had the opportunity to check out Gorilla Ammunition and their sister company, PCP Ammunition. I always enjoy seeing how things are made and ammunition is no exception. While the process of making brass cased ammunition is pretty cool, the real magic was in their sister company, PCP, where they make polymer cased ammunition. The polymer case creates a weight savings of approximately 30%. While that is impressive, the implications are huge when you start considering fuel costs that our military spends transporting millions of rounds of ammunition. I also got to get out on the range with some of the guys from Gorilla. It was a awesome time and an interesting look into the future of ammunition.

Sometimes I go out to train at the range. Strict round counts, certain drills I want to run or a specific fundamental I want to work on. Not this day though. This day was about having fun on the range. Caleb (on Instagram as @pnw.outdoorsman) and I went out to get some rifles zeroed and then just have fun. Taking turns pushing some fun weapon systems out onto steel at different ranges. We were using a Thompson Center .308, Fix Rifle by Q, SCAR 17s, and a pair of Q Honey Badgers...

You can find the pants here: https://amzn.to/3EZVf41 I'm always on the look out for a good pair of pants. I spend most of the year in them and I've came up with a criteria of sorts for what works for me. Mainly what allows me to carry my EDC (Every Day Carry) in a way that works. I've spent some time on the range at shooting courses as well as hiking in the backcountry with the TRU-SPEC 24/7 Xpedition Pants. They are a combat style pant with numerous stretch panels in places to lend themselves to dynamic movements. Additionally they have a number of pockets beyond just your standard cargo pockets. Despite the stretch material, I've managed to blow the crotch out on these guys twice now. I blame the single stitching...

You can find the belt here: https://ciguera.com/ What is a gun belt? On its face it seems pretty simple right? Something to hold up the pants and a "gun". While this is true, not all gun belts are created equal. Some belt companies love to tell you how stiff and rigid they are. Is this important, yes, but not often the way you think it is. The stiffness is important on the vertical plane of the belt. That is what actually keeps your pistol from rolling with a cheap soft "pants" belt. The Emissary Gun Belt V2, by Alonso Defense Group, is a great blending of materials and stiffness. It doesn't "look" like a gun belt and can be worn with most any type of clothing. Additionally it has all the stiffness it needs to support your pistol and associated items, such as magazines or other gear.