Kit Badger Videos

As it turns out, there is a lot of assembly that goes into the 300 Blackout Honey Badger by Q. Each rifle is meticulously hand crafted by the Engineers to ensure the highest quality and smoothest functioning rifles. And while that is all true, this isn't how its done. It was however a lot of fun to film with the guys over at Q. Be sure to catch the "Real" Deep Dive into the Honey Badger by Q.

It is time for another trip to the range with my little CZ 527 Carbine chambered in 7.62x39mm. On this trip I finally upgraded the scope, getting rid of the old 1-4x while I'm trying out a 4-12x Zeiss. I will say it helped me refine my sight picture. Ultimately though, while trying out some Federal Fusion ammunition, I was kind of disappointed. Not very impressive groups, but a fun trip to the range all the same.

Awesome guns and great ammunition? Sign me up! I was fortunate enough to have a pretty rad range day with some of the guys from Q and Discreet Ballistics. At Discreet Ballistics' small private range, where they test load development, I got to run through a number of Q's weapon systems. Putting some rounds downrange with the Q Honey Badger (2 stamp rifle) as well as the Honey Badger Pistol, The Fix in .308 Winchester, with the Thunder Chicken Silencer, and the new 12.5" 8.6 Creedmoor Fix Rifle by Q. All in all, an awesome experience. We shot mainly the 190gr Subsonic Quiet Pills by Discreet Ballistics. Their 300 Blackout and 7.62x51 offerings. For the 8.6 Creedmoor we ran Supersonics that day.

You can find this holster here: https://www.craftholsters.com/heckler-koch-p7m8-holsters There are a lot of holsters on the market. When you start looking into quality leather holsters, that number shrinks dramatically. Creating a good leather holster takes a lot of skill. After running this AIWB Tuckable Leather Holster from Craft Holsters for the last two months or so, I've been pretty pleased. From a quality standpoint, this holster checks all the boxes. High quality leather with a nice clean form fit to my pistol, H&K P7M8. All the stitching is really uniform and strong as well. I do like how easy the holster is to both take on and off. While it is tuckable, allowing the user to tuck in a shirt while wearing it, I don't use that option. I do however wish that the holster incorporated a wing/claw feature to push the butt of the pistol into me, creating less printing. These holsters are made by Falco in Europe for Craft Holsters. Due to that, expect a 4 or 5 week window in which to receive your holster. You can go here to order a Craft Holsters Tuckable Leather Concealed Carry Holster.

Check out their offerings here: https://discreetballistics.com/ A lot of companies are making Subsonic Ammunition these days, but not many like Discreet Ballistics... At Discreet Ballistics they have some amazing loads they have developed for 300 Blackout, .308 Winchester and 458 SOCOM. By keeping their focus tight, they can produce some of the highest quality subsonic ammunition. They have uniquely paired 300Blk training ammo and defense / hunting ammo. Between the two loads, the projectiles have a 2 grain difference. This allows the shooter to train and get the feel of the higher cost machined copper expanding Defense / Hunting load, while shooting the more cost effective training ammunition. Additionally, they run extremely strict quality controls, that frankly are impractical for larger ammunition manufacturers. Ensuring only the highest quality ammo makes it to their customers.

The 8.6 Blackout / Creedmoor... Basically 300 Blackout turned up to 11. Or think of it as the big brother to 300 Blk. Ultimately it is going to be an amazing versatile round that will preform well both Subsonic and Supersonic out of a relatively short barrel. Delivering devastating terminal ballistics at range. Check out more on the 8.6 Creedmoor here...

You can find the LS1 brake here: https://libertycans.net/product/liberty-suppressors-ls1-muzzle-brake/ The Liberty Mystic / Mystic X are pretty amazing multi-caliber suppressors. These silencers will eat anything from .22 long rifle, to 9mm to 300 WinMag. With that huge variation in calibers, they also have a large variety of mounting solutions. One of which is the LS1 Muzzle Brake. In order to use the LS1 with the Liberty Mystic X, or legacy Mystic, you need to use the Sovereign to Mystic Adapter. The benefit for me with this set up, is the ability to use the host weapon, in this case a 300 Blackout SBR, with the added benefit of a muzzle brake while not running it suppressed. Otherwise I would be stuck with just a thread protector on that rifle.

You can find the Podavach Loader here: https://podavach.store/#buy Loading up magazines to go shoot at the range isn't usually the most fun part of training. But you can't really get away from it. You need ammo to feed your rifle. The Podavach Fury, and now Podavach U-LOADER (Universal Magazine Loader), make the process easier. It is a 2 piece design using CNC cut plywood that helps you rapidly load your AR-15/M4 pattern and AK-47 pattern magazines. I've had good success with Magpul, Tango Down, Lancer, USGI and ASC magazines. You fill the top section with loose rounds, orient them correctly and slide them into the lower section until it is full. Then you place your empty magazine at one end and slide the feeder, pushing all those rounds into the magazine. It's pretty quick with respect to loading magazines. Durability is something I question being made of plywood, but time will tell.

There are a number of different options for electronic hearing protection on the market these days. Some of them are incredibly expensive with options to tie into radio communication sets. For the average shooter, this may be overkill. But there are a lot of benefits to electronic hearing protection. I especially like having new shooters wear electronic ear pro to the range. This allows them to hear range commands easily but at the same time preserve their hearing. This happens by the electronic ear muffs cutting off the amplification when a noise impulse breaks a certain threshold. So to that end, I've been using the NoiseRider S1 Electronic Ear Muff for the last couple months. I will say they are much more comfortable out of the box than my Howard Leight Impact Sport and come with a nice carrying case. This keeps them from getting beat up and dirty while kicking around in your range bag. On the down side, I find the lack of a windscreen over the microphones to be a detriment. As well as the switch that turns them on and off. I find it gets accidentally turned on leading to dead batteries. And lastly, the delay when they cut off loud impulse noise is pretty noticeable.

You can find the PolySTRIKER XL here: https://amzn.to/3XDTiAJ While there are a lot of ferro rods on the market, I think Exotac did a great job with their polySTRIKER XL. For starters, the ferrocerium is significantly thicker than a lot of ferro rods. Couple that with a large handle made of recycled ABS plastic and a self nesting tungsten carbide scraper... And you have a winner. The way the tungsten carbide scraper is shaped, it does a great job throwing sparks where you need them. Definitely worth having in your day pack or bug out bag.

You can find the Baofeng radio here: https://amzn.to/3lSm0kc The BaoFeng BF-F8HP 2-Way Radio is one of the gateways for people into the HAM Radio (Amateur Radio) world. I have no desire to get my HAM license, so how is this thing useful for me? Ultimately, I think it is a pretty awesome emergency radio for backcountry adventures. While there are more and more devices that can help get you out of a bind if something catasrophic happens out in the mountains, a lot of them are still cost prohibitive. Additionally, many of them are fairly limited in their use. For example they will send a distress signal, or a brief pre-programmed message. The BaoFeng Radio has a lot more going for it. First off, the BF-F8HP is a 2-Way radio. Meaning you can transmit as well as receive. It also has a pretty substantial 8-Watt output, which is a step up from the BaoFeng UV-5R, a earlier model. Couple that with 128 programable UHF and VHF channels, the ability to receive FM radio stations, built in flashlight, scanning function... There is a lot going for it. I even find it valuable for no other reason that to use it as a weather radio.

While I love exploring and going on adventures with my boys, there are ways to go about it to mitigate risk. Like making sure we keep together. Making sure everyone has some essential gear like water. And making sure we at least have some sort of rudimentary plan. Austin and his family did not. Failure is a great teacher and ideally we can learn from Austin and his family so as not to make the same mistakes. Whether it is an outing into the mountains backpacking or a trip to the county fair, it is good to have a plan.

You can go here to order KBAT pads: https://kitbadger.com/product/kbat-kit-badger-anatomy-target-pad/ I've long been displeased with most commercially available targets. Many of the targets out there are not anatomically correct. This I feel is a disservice to people training to use their firearms in life or death situations. Be they military, law enforcement or responsible citizens. By not having properly proportioned targets, we fail to reinforce good shot placement and hold overs for our weapon systems. Additionally, size matters... Many targets are frankly too big and with that comes extra cost. You either end up with a giant unwieldily piece of cardboard or a poster sized target that will invariably end up getting smashed and folded. Not to mention they can be a pain in the ass trying to staple up onto your backer if the wind picks up. For these reasons I created the KBAT (Kit Badger Anatomy Target). It is a simple target with lots of flexibility. The silhouette reads well at a distance up to about 50 yards. Reinforcing the visualization of a threat, without giving away a "shoot here" box as a point of aim. This allows and forces the shooter to create the proper sight picture to put rounds where they need to go, without giving them a artificial aiming point. Additionally, the KBATs has the appropriate anatomical dimensions. Where this is incredibly important is working "Failure Drills." Ensuring you are transitioning the appropriate vertical distance between your shots to the head from the chest.

You can find the receiver sets here: https://www.gibbzarms.com/product-category/receiver-sets/ If you throw a rock, you'll probably find a AR15 manufacturer. I say this, having been one when I had my FFL 07. The market is saturated. So to Gibbz Arms credit, they approached it differently. Rather than rehashing the AR receivers by changing the trigger guard or something, they actually went about creating a side charging rifle. Personally, I'm not a fan of side chargers, but I will say, the Gibbz Arms G4 Receiver Set is the best executed side charging AR15 I've seen.

Lighting a fire can be hard. And lighting a fire when you really need one lit can be even harder if you are cold, wet or maybe it is raining. This simple little hack can be a life saver. My buddy over at Jerking The Trigger mentioned it to me while I was suffering through my To Build A Fire Series. By using a small section of the rubber inner tube of a bike, you can get a flame going that will stay lit for you and buy you some time. One of my big takeaways from my To Build A Fire Series, was the importance of a fire starting method to buy you time. Time to think, move, add fuel and get that fire going. A simple section of bicycle inner tube can do this. Not to mention one tube will make a ton of bands and bike shops are more than happy to give you old tubes.

What the hell is a Hot Dog Hike? It is ultimately a fun way to impart skills. A way to get people that aren't familiar or competent in outdoor skills, in this case fire starting, a chance to work on that skillset in a engaging way. You just need some hot dogs, some method of starting a fire and a sense of adventure. Depending on where you and your groups' skills are, if this sounds too easy, kick it up a notch, try going for one in the rain. You can obviously use any type of fire starter. The lower the skill level, the easier the method. Start with a Bic lighter if you want, or use some sparkers like the PolySTRIKER XL by Exotac or the Swedish FireSteel 2.0. Or if you want a real challenge, go make a friction fire.

You can find the Micro Fight Chest Rigs here: https://www.spiritussystems.com/shop/chest-rigs/ While there are a lot of chest rigs on the market, there aren't a lot as well thought out and executed as the Micro Fight Chest Rig by Spiritus Systems. Which begs the question, how did they do this? Simple, they let the end user decide how to configure their gear. The Spiritus Systems Micro Fight Chest Rig isn't a "Chest Rig" in the traditional sense. It is more like a box of Legos that you put together as you see fit. Rather than someone creating a chest rig design that they think is best for Direct Action or Patrolling, Spiritus Systems gives you the pieces to configure as your mission requires. The heart of the system is their Micro Fight Chassis Mk3. From there the user decides what type of inserts they want, for magazines or other gear. Or maybe a flap to cover part of the rig and turn it into a securable pouch. Do you then want a harness or are you going to clip the chassis directly into a plate carrier? So many options...

You can find the Klarus XT12S here: https://amzn.to/3Z0hWwf There are a lot of flashlights on the market today. This is especially true in the Tactical world. While we all want to run something we trust with a proven track record, that can keep us from trying new products. I had the opportunity to run a Klarus XT12S for a couple of months on my carbine. During that time I ran it in the Nightfighter 101 (Low Light CQB Carbine Course) by Viking Tactics. Overall I can say I am very pleased with the light. The shape and throw of the beam is great and plenty bright. If there is anything I don’t care for, it would be the optional TRS-1 Tape Switch and the fact that you can’t disable the strobe, which I find I don’t have much use for. Overall though, a pretty solid light. The housing definitely took a beating next to the ports on my SureFire WARCOMP too… *Correction* - The TRS-1 Tape Switch will allowfor a constant on if the circle switch is depressed for approximately 2 seconds.

You can find the SF Warcomp here: https://tinyurl.com/35hf2wk4 Since manufacturers starting making muzzle devices for rifles, we have been faced with the problem. Do I want to eliminate flash or do I want to reduce the recoil impulse and compensate for muzzle movement? To this day there is no magical solution, but the SureFire WARCOMP comes pretty damn close... Due to the design of the SureFire WARCOMP, they have managed to port a large amount of the gasses in such a way that the WARCOMP is effective in compensating for muzzle movement. Helping you stay on target for faster follow up shots. Also central to the design are the forks which do a incredible job of reducing the flash. Because of this, you are left with an amazing signature reduction and pretty solid compensation. Does this do as good of a job as the SureFire Compensator? Not quite. Does it do as good of a job as the SureFire Flash Hider? Nearly. We are ultimately left with a really solid compromise between the two. And as an added bonus, the WARCOMP is compatible with SureFire's line of SOCOM Suppressors.

You can go here to find the Razor Gen 2-E 1-6x24: https://tinyurl.com/5n7v6fv3 There are a lot of optics on the market for your rifle these days. That is a great thing as a consumer. Vortex has a pretty nice offering in their Razor HD Gen II-E 1-6x24 scope. It offers a lot of flexibility in a low power variable optic. At 1x you can get some fast shots up close, mimicking a red dot. Especially with it's daylight bright dot. Or, crank it up to 6x and you can reach out to identify targets or get those consistent hits at range. While there is no perfect solution, the Vortex Razor HD Gen-II E 1-6 does a pretty solid job, marrying up the features of a red dot and a magnified optic. It was challenging for me at times during the NightFighter 101 course by Viking Tactics, but it is totally usable, even under less than ideal conditions.

You can go here to find the ODIN Works Mount: https://amzn.to/3xxdsl0 While there are lots of tactical flashlights on the market, there are also lots of light mounts. More and more we have seen companies try and create smaller and lighter mounts. Helping to get your light closer to the rail so it doesn't create a snag hazard or get obstructed when shooting around / through obstacles. The Direct MLOK 1" Flashlight Mount by ODIN Works does a pretty solid job. It mounts up directly to your MLOK rail, alleviating unnecessary picatinny sections, and holds the light securely inline with your handguard. I'm pretty pleased with it.

You can find the trigger kit here: https://ghostinc.com/ghost-edge-complete-trigger-kit-for-glocks-gen-1-5/ There are tons of aftermarket parts for the Glock. With lots to choose from, whether we are talking about barrels, triggers or anything else. In the Glock game, Ghost Inc. has been around for awhile. So I ended up picking up one of their Ghost Edge Complete Trigger Kits for my Glock 17. After putting out a video on how to install the kit, I ran it for a matter of months. Thoughts? Unimpressed... While it absolutely lightened the trigger pull, it was a light jittery pull. Additionally, the firing pin springs are ridiculous. The lighter "competition" spring gave me lots and lots of light strikes. The bigger issue though, was that they aren't clearly marked. Not a dab of paint / ink or anything. This makes it very easy to confuse the two. I have however, in the past, had good experiences with the Ghost Inc. Glock Disconnectors.

You can go here to see what AmmoMan.com has in stock: https://www.ammoman.com/ When it comes to buying ammunition online, there are plenty of options. One place where you can find deals is www.gunbot.net. The problem I have ran into with that site though, is the deals aren't usually what they appear. In my experience, you either find the ammo back ordered or worse, get ambushed with Shipping charges at checkout. At AmmoMan everything listed is in stock and when you look at buying cases, over $100, shipping is free and included. No surprises.

You can find The Fix here: https://liveqordie.com/the-fix/ In Part 5 of our Deep Dive into the Fix Rifle by Q, we wrap it up. Nick walks us through some of the nuances of the trigger and safety as well as taking a look at the Cherry Bomb. The Cherry Bomb is Q's muzzle device for their quick detach suppressors. And lastly we look at the trigger trace on the Q Rifle. It is pretty awesome...

You can find The Fix here: https://liveqordie.com/the-fix/ Continuing our journey in our Deep Dive Series on the Fix Rifle by Q, we have Part 4. In this video we finish putting the top rail onto the rifle and then get into the finer points of what distinguished the Fix Rifle from most any other Bolt Action Rifle on the market, it's bolt assembly. Inside the bolt assembly is where the magic happens.