Kit Badger Videos

Find out more about CSG here: https://firebasecsg.com/ Not all training is created equal and sometimes you may want to work on things that may not be on the menu... ...enter Firebase CSG (Combat Studies Group). Firebase CSG brings a lot to the table. Decades of real world experience, both domestic and international, coupled with an intense passion for passing on skills. While Firebase trains DOD as well as NGO clients, they also craft classes for individuals as well as small groups. If you're searching for some top level training, whether it is just brushing up on personal defense and pistol work, fighting around vehicles, carbine employment or perhaps some CQB (Close Quarters Battle), reach out to Danny at Firebase Combat Studies Group.

Find links to all the gear here: https://kitbadger.com/2018-tactical-games-loadout/ Basically think about Crossfit Games meets a 2 Gun Competition. In summation, its rad. Thanks to RECOIL, I was fortunate enough to go out and compete in the 2018 Tactical Games in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Over the course of 2 days and 7 events I had to preform, and on top of that, my gear had to preform as well. Here is what I used:

Find out more information here: http://www.rocklakeriflerange.org/ While there are some pretty cool range facilities around the country, I am fortunate to have an amazing one fairly close, Rock Lake Rifle Range. If you want to work on most any shooting discipline, this range is probably the place. If long range is your game, Rock Lake has you covered. They have a huge array of steel targets stretching all the way out to over 1,700 yards. All sizes and shapes of steel as well. Additionally they have a large covered shooting bay and shooting tower. Not to mention all of the different PRS (Precision Rifle Series) type structures to shoot off of. You'll also find lots of steel to work your short game. Numerous bays set up with steel for pistol work. To include a series of different sized shooting bays which are all connected. Allowing the shooter to navigate corners. Suffice to say, it is an amazing range facility. If you aren't local to the North Eastern Washington area, think about coming out to take a class. They host a number of classes, do include some put on by Sawtooth Rifles. They host PRS matches as well.

Check out Violent Little Machine Shop here: https://www.violentlittle.com/ When Violent Little Machine Shop offered to send me out a Little Box of Violence, I was wary. While I can appreciate their sense of humor, usually at any rate, you never really know what you're going to get... Suffice to say, I was pretty stoked. I ended up with all kinds of awesomeness. A rad t-shirt, a whole slew of stickers and patches and a mess of offensive greeting cards just in time for the Holidays...

Check out the Sportsman's Guide here: https://www.sportsmansguide.com/ If you are unfamiliar with Patreon, it is a platform where people can support content creators. Allowing people to contribute anywhere from $1 a month on up, to ensure creators continue making videos, podcasts, music and what not. The other day I got a pleasant surprise. Sportsman's Guide began supporting me at $50 a month. Being incredibly grateful, I reached out to thank them. I received a pretty cool response. They wrote back explaining how the 1st Amendment and 2nd Amendment was important to them, both as a business and on a fundamental level. They have in turn supported myself as well as a number of other content creators that they feel are good stewards of sorts for the industry. I'm very impressed with their commitment to the industry and grateful for their support. If you're interested in some cool gear, to include Military Surplus, check out Sportsman's Guide.

Check out Liberty Suppressors here: https://libertycans.net/ While back in Georgia I had the opportunity to go meet David Saylors, of Liberty Suppressors, and see his operation. It was a great time. Liberty Suppressors makes a whole line of great silencers. My first can I ever bought, and still use to this day, was a Liberty Mystic multi caliber suppressor. I think one of the coolest things to see come out of their shop, is all of the custom work. Their integrally suppressed rifles are amazing. Not to mention their selection which pretty much covers all the calibers you're looking for. Give them a look if you're in the market for a suppressor or maybe even a custom integral.

You can find the light here: https://amzn.to/3y9ajs9 While there are a number of pistol mounted weapon lights on the market, Olight is fairly new to the game. I've had the chance to run their Valkyrie PL-MINI for awhile on a Gen 5 Glock 19. As far as weapon lights, the controls are pretty intuitive and the beam isn't bad, especially for indoor use. I'd have to say my favorite thing about the PL MINI Pistol Light is the fact it uses a lithium polymer battery. It makes the light housing low profile and easy to charge. Unfortunately, due to the odd sized light body, the tac light suffers by not being well supported in the market. What I mean is, it can be a hassle to find a holster to fit this light. I think it is a great light for a nightstand gun, or even EDC (Every Day Carry) if you manage to find a good holster for it.

You can find the NX8 here: https://amzn.to/41GXaE0 There are a lot of low power variable optics out on the market these days, but Nightforce has done something pretty awesome with the NX8 1-8 Rifle Scope. They have managed to create a really compact and light weight scope, but at the same time, something that spans 1x power up to 8x power. That is significant since most optics top out at 6x power at the moment. Additionally the Nightforce NX8 1-8 is a first focal plane scope. While a lot of people don't care for FFP on low power variable scopes, the reticle in the NX8 lends itself well to the application. Not to mention the incredibly bright illumination settings.

My first Elk Hunt was an amazing experience, largely due to the incredible help I received from a total stranger. A year to the day, the tables turned. I couldn't be happier to be in a position to help out Ryan, who helped me so much with my 1st Elk. We all wind up in places where we could use some help. If you are in a position to help someone, I would encourage you to do it. Life often comes full circle...

October 2018 I had the good fortune to participate in the Iraq Veteran 8888 Range Day. It was an amazing 2 day event involving a bunch of amazing people and great vendors. Eric and Chad of IV8888 organize the event each year and invite YouTube content creators as well as vendors to come out and spend some time. Think of it as a mixer, for people involved in the gun industry... I had a great time out there, met some new friends, made some new contacts and shot some amazing guns. Thanks a ton to IV8888 for putting on the event, and Jon over at TGC (The Gun Collective) for the amazing High Speed Footage he captured for everyone. *Yes, I mispronounced IV8888's name in the video. Sorry if you're triggered...*

WTF is a Taper and how does it apply to firearms? Specifically barrels, muzzle devices and silencers / suppressors? Well, they are a marvel of physics and do some great things for us. Like how about creating alignment so that you don't have baffle strikes? Or sealing off gasses so that you don't gum up your threads or choke yourself out when shooting suppressed? Not to mention how they interact with each other. Making it so that all you need for a solid lock up is some good threads, some tapers and a little torque...

You can find it here: https://novagrade.com/products/phone-adapter-double-gripper Using a spotting scope or even binoculars can be a hassle, especially if you wear prescription glasses. To that end Double Gripper Phone Adapter by Novagrade is a huge help. It allows you to attach your phone to most any spotting scope or binocular. This lets you view through the much larger screen on your phone, without having to bring the optic to your eye. This is an obvious benefit if you wear glasses, but is also very handy if you want to take photos or videos through the optic. Not to mention the ability to quickly and easily show someone next to you a point of interest. Overall I am pretty impressed with the Novagrade Double Gripper.

You can find the light here: https://amzn.to/3ELgfLG While there are lots of flashlights on the market, a lot don't have what I am looking for in a good EDC (Every Day Carry) flashlight. The criteria for me is being easy to operate, not overly complex, and the ability to switch between a low setting and a high setting. The Olight M1T Raider Flashlight does a pretty good job with the above criteria. For starters, it is small and light, weighing about 2.5 ounces. The light also has 2 settings, 5 lumens for all of the small every day tasks and 500 lumens for when you need a lot of light. When I say lot of light, think searching for something at some distance, or with respect to EDC, perhaps identifying if someone is a threat. While the switch technology built into the light leave something to be desired for me, it does have the makings of a pretty solid flashlight. And due to the weight and size, it will treat you equally well in the backcountry on backpacking trips.

Check them out here: https://www.violentlittle.com/ I'll be honest, the Violent Little Machine Shop isn't a machine shop. But they do make some pretty cool stuff. I was down in Ketchum, Idaho and had the opportunity to meet up with Yanne, Nate, Emily and Munson, the Violent Little Posse. Ultimately they are some cool people with awesome senses of humor making some rad stuff. All kind of patches, stickers, books, note pads, clothing and so much other stuff. If you get a chance, check them out.

You can find the light here: https://www.klaruslight.com/Products/XTSeries/XT32.html Sometimes you need... ...All the Lumens. I've been using the Klarus XT32 Flashlight for awhile now. Here's what I can tell you. It is bright and it throws a beam. It is pretty much a hand held spotlight. While the high output setting of 1200 lumens doesn't seem that impressive considering other flashlights on the market, this light can really throw a beam. It really comes down to the geometry in the lens of the flashlight. It will reach out there towards 1000 meters. I also appreciate that you can buy the XT32 Flashlight as a kit. Complete with some good 18650 rechargeable batteries and charger. Not a bad set up depending on your needs...

The Giveaway is over. :)

You can find the holsters here: https://www.henryholsters.com/product/aiwb-iwb-holster/ Holsters! There are a ton on the market these days. So what makes the Henry Holsters AIWB (Appendix In the Waist Band) Holster special? Largely how they are made. Rather than starting with a pistol or blue gun, Henry Holsters actually machines out molds for their holster. By doing this they can create much more precise and smoother holster. From the friction lock, all the way to how the holster interacts with your body, they do a great job.

Find this and other courses here: https://www.runenationllc.com/ To that end, I was grateful for the opportunity to take the Functional Pistol Application 1 Course by Runenation. Ian is a great teacher. Really passionate about passing on good information to his students as well as being able to read them. Giving individual students little pieces of tailored knowledge that they can in turn work on to improve their skills.

Part 2 picks up where we left off on our Goat Lake Adventure Log. After fueling up with some coffee in the morning, we head up higher into the mountains in search of Goat Lake. Eventually finding our way there, we fish for a number of hours before heading back to camp for an amazing meal. Then, due to time constraints, we head on down the mountain. Overall a great trip that I'm glad I got to share with my buddy Derek. I hadn't been fly fishing for over 25 years. It was a lot of fun to get back into it.

I was fortunate enough to have Sheepdog Response roll through my hometown, offering their Occupational Carbine 1 Course. The Occupational Carbine course is pretty much what it sounds like. A course tailored to professionals that carry a carbine in the scope of their duties. Think Law Enforcement and Military. Because the threshold for this course is higher than perhaps an entry level course, it moved pretty quick. Quickly pushing past the crawl and walk phases, to ensure competency, and then moving to the run. Overall a solid course, building on those foundational skills and pushing shooters to refine that balance of speed and accuracy.

You can find the Trigger here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9ffmfd The Vickers Tactical Carry Trigger (Flat Face Trigger by Tango Down) for the Gen 5 Glock is an amazing affordable upgrade. While the packaging expressly states that you should probably have a certified Glock armorer install the trigger, it is really pretty simple. To install the trigger yourself, you will need a small punch and a hammer of some sort at minimum. Add a little patience and mechanical ability and you're golden.

Backpacking into the mountains is always an adventure. Between the weather and wildlife, you never know what you're going to get. In this little Adventure Log, my buddy Derek and I head to Copper Basin in South East Idaho to go on a backpacking trip. We spent the previous couple days fly fishing one of the rivers down in the basin and decide it is time to try our luck up in the lakes. With his trusty Poodle-Pointer in tow, we head up into the mountains to catch some trout.

You can find their whole lineup here: https://liveqordie.com/silencers/ Looking at Q's Silencer lineup can be daunting. WTF is a Thunder Chicken?! Well, it is actually pretty straight forward once you wrap your head around it. 4 different 7.62 NATO silencers, rated full auto, in 2 different lengths and configurations. Q offers direct thread silencers as well as fast attach silencers that thread onto their Cherry Bomb muzzle brake. In addition to this, they have 2 different lengths. Trading sound reduction for weight and length. While they are .308 Win silencers, they are rated for 300 Blackout on up to 300 WM. The technology and production process of them is pretty damn cool. From the way the 100% titanium silencers are welded, to the way their bores are Wire EDM'd (Electro Discharge Machine).

I only train with ninjas... Pretty ridiculous right? I used to have the mindset like this though. People's resume was more important for me than whether or not they had the skills and aptitude to teach me. It is easy to get wrapped up in the world of what someone has "done." Were they with Delta, a Navy SEAL, Ground Branch... At the end of the day, a lot of that largely doesn't matter. For one, it is about basics and fundamentals. Granted, if you are specifically seeking "tactics" training, then you make a compelling argument for someone that has perhaps "done" something. While we must all do our due diligence in regards to finding a "credible" firearms instructor, recognize that there are a lot of people out there with skills to pass on, if you are willing to learn.

I was fortunate enough to attend the 2 Day Advanced Precision Rifle Clinic at Rock Lake Rifle Range. It was taught by Scott Satterlee of Sawtooth Rifles and Doug Glorfield. Overall it was an awesome course. Both instructors are a wealth of knowledge and bring different experiences to the table. Scott coming from a military background and Doug from a lifetime of hunting and competitive shooting. This being a Advanced Course, we dove right in. Fortunately I kept my head above water and they got me up to speed fast. We worked through confirming our zero, truing our rifle to our ballistics application, wind calls, building solid shooting positions and all kinds of other skills. It was drinking through a fire hose but I learned tons. Also while there, I had the opportunity to spend some time wringing out the Desert Tech SRS. You can see my video review of that rifle over on TFB TV (The Firearms Blog). It was amazing to put it all together at the end too. Putting rounds on a target out at 1,275 yards... If you have a opportunity and want to up your long range game, either for competing in Precision Rifle Matches or making those solid shots while out hunting, check them out.