Kit Badger Videos

You can find The Fix here: https://liveqordie.com/the-fix/ In this video we continue our Deep Dive in to the Fix Rifle by Q. Nick walks us through attaching the barrel to the rifle. Every detail in this rifle is taken into consideration. Bringing the most accuracy and innovation in the most light weight package.

You can find The Fix here: https://liveqordie.com/the-fix/ In this Deep Dive series we walk through the building of the Fix Rifle with Nick, one of the engineers from Q. He explains the how and why behind one of the most innovative rifles ever. In Part 2 the stock is attached and the finer points of it are revealed. Not to mention a few little gems of knowledge, such as what is the strongest anodizing...

You can find The Fix here: https://liveqordie.com/the-fix/ The Fix Rifle by Q is by far one of the most amazing innovations in firearms I have seen. A complete departure from the status quo, but a calculated departure as well. In this deep dive series I will join Nick while he walks us through the how and why of the Fix rifle as he builds it piece by piece. In Part 1 of this deep dive, Nick will walk us through assembling the receiver of the Q Fix.

To take training to the next level, beyond marksmanship and pushing into self defense, we need a reaction. We need to reinforce that when we make good hits we will be rewarded with a visual stimulus beyond a hole in a piece of paper or the sound of hitting steel. There are a few ways to accomplish this. Awhile back I did a video on Making Reactive Targets. While it works, especially in a shoot house, it can be time consuming to reset. The KTAK Target comes at it from a different direction. A steel target that will give the shooter an appropriate response based on where the target is shot. There are 3 targeting areas, the Ocular Cavity in the head, Heart and Lungs in the thoracic cavity and the hips / pelvic girdle. The KTAK Target is impressive to work with. Admittedly it comes with a heft price tag of around $1400. But keep in mind this isn't for the recreational shooter to drag out to the range on the weekend. More of something you should have your local range, department or unit pick up...

You can find a list and links here: https://kitbadger.com/vtac-nightfighter-101-course-loadout/ Every time you go to the range or attend training, it is an opportunity to shake out your gear. This is the gear I took to the Viking Tactics Nightfighter 101 course with Kyle Lamb and Chili Palmer. Most of the gear had been used before, but maybe not "with" the rest of the gear. Here is a list of what was brought with a (E) indicating if it was an Extra backup for a primary piece of gear.

Straight up, I'm impressed with Kyle Lamb and Chili Palmer from Viking Tactics. When it comes to instructors / teachers, they not only offer a perfect combination of being incredibly good at their craft, but they also are capable of breaking down concepts and making them consumable. There are some great shooters out there. But just because someone has knowledge and can preform, doesn't mean they can effectively transfer that knowledge to someone else. Those two can. Arguably even more impressive, is the fact that they are and continue to be life long students. Continually seeking out new ways of accomplishing things, measuring those new techniques against years of experience, proving them out and then adding them to the box or discarding them. But always hungry and looking for more. My time and money was very well spent at the NightFighter 101 Course. If you have the opportunity to get some training with VTAC, I encourage you to do it. The level of instruction you will get is top notch.

The Fix Rifle by Q is amazing. It is amazing on a number of levels in that the engineers at Q re-imagined and built a better bolt action rifle. With doing that though, the pushed into unfamiliar territory with the user. Since most people aren't familiar with the platform, here is a quick how to on stripping the bolt down for cleaning or changing out the bolt handle.

You can find more information about the Sig Academy here: https://www.sigsaueracademy.com/ There are a number of training facilities across the country that you can go to. I would say Sig Sauer has one of the better ones. They have a whole bunch of different ranges offering different training experiences. From live fire shoot house to a 1000 yard precision range. Not to mention their indoor ranges where you can control the lighting and temperature (important in New Hampshire winters). In addition to all of this, they have some world class instructors in their cadre and also bring in guest instructors such as Kyle Lamb and Chili Palmer of Viking Tactics. I'd say the Sig Academy is worth the trip out to Epping, New Hampshire.

I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to take the Low Light CQB Carbine (NightFighter 101) course with Viking Tactics. Kyle Lamb and Chili Palmer of Viking Tactics are amazing instructors. This particular class was held at the Sig Sauer Academy in New Hampshire. NightFighter 101 was set up in a crawl, walk, run fashion. Granted there are pre-requisites and you need in order to be safe and competent in your weapon handling skills out the gate, but the class ramped up. Starting with simple up-drills working on light manipulation and eventually advancing to shooting from and around vehicles, all in the dark using weapon mounted lights. I would take this course by Viking Tactics again in a heartbeat. A great training environment with top tier instructors.

Sometimes you need to get your firearms and gear to another state. Maybe you are going to go hunting, or in my case, attending a shooting course. Well the state you might be flying into, may hate freedom and liberty. So your rifle, pistol and standard capacity magazines might be illegal there. A solution is to send your equipment ahead of you. In this video I talk about sending my rifle magazines, AR-15 and pistol to myself, so that I can attend a Viking Tactics Course at the Sig Academy in New Hampshire.

You can find the ArtStyle Watch Bands here: https://amzn.to/3KdCLA7 After about a year of hard use, one of the pins on my ArtStyle Watch Band broke. Fortunately, due to the design of the watch band, my trusty Timex stayed on my wrist. Faced with replacing the watch pins, or getting a brand new band for a little bit more, I opted to pick up another ArtStyle Watch Band.

The gun debate drones on, with both sides just reinforcing their thoughts, and in some cases their beliefs, without ever creating a meaningful conversation. If you want to reach someone, on a meaningful level, you have to be ready to meet on a foundation of mutual respect. Whether the subject is firearms or anything else, opening with some empathy will probably get you a lot farther.

Awhile back I posted a video on How to Paint Your Rifle, followed by a more concise video on How to Paint Your Pistol (or most anything else). In the videos I outline a method of camouflaging that I learned for a article by the late Pat Rogers over at the Lightfighter Forum. It is a great, simple and fast way to paint weapons using Aervoe spray paint. Since posting the videos I have received a number of comments asking how well the paint has worn. So recently I posted a follow up video showing the paint wear on my rifle and pistol. I painted my pistol over a year ago and my rifle over a year and a half ago from the filming of this video.

There are a number of things I hope to never have happen to me. Some of those though, I would actually like to try given the opportunity. The difference is choice. I don't really ever want to fall through the ice. But after watching a video of someone self rescuing, I got to thinking. While I don't want to do this, should it happen, I know I would rather it not be my first time trying the technique... So, time to take a walk out onto some thin ice.

You can find the Stealth Shovel here: https://amzn.to/3lE4NLe If you take your vehicle off the pavement, 4wd or not, you will eventually get stuck. Going off road leads to this. So it is best to prepare for that eventuality. I carried a military issue E-Tool (entrenching tool) in my vehicle for just such occasions. Did it work? Yes. Did it work well, hell no. While it was small and collapsible, it was in fact small to work with and usually collapsed when you were trying to work with it. At the 2018 SHOT Show I ran into DMOS and ultimately ended up with their Jackson Hole Stealth Shovel. This thing is amazing. Light weight, strong and big. Making otherwise tough jobs easier. Definitely worth having in the back of the vehicle when you venture down less traveled paths.

Well, it is time to hit the range again with my favorite little bolt action rifle. My CZ 527 Carbine in 7.62x39mm, it is light, handy and fun to shoot. Today I tried a box of Tula 124 grain Hollow Points, their 8M3. It did not seem to pair well with my rifle and I. And rather than end on a low note, I found some Wolf ammo and quickly tried it out. It grouped much better for me. The search continues...

You can find this Streamlight ProTac here: https://amzn.to/3lkbf9M The combined features in the Streamlight ProTac 1L 1AA flashlight make it a contender in my mind. I like how you can program the light for max output only, the easy to use tail cap, multi functional clip and the ability to use either AA batteries or CR123 batteries, resulting in 150 lumens or 350 lumens max output respectively. A lot of value at the price point.

Occasionally things break. Well, actually everything will eventually brake is probably a more truthful statement. But when it comes to clothing and gear, we begin to look at how companies will warranty their products. After about 6 years of use the zipper pull on my Arcteryx Atom LT Jacket broke. Was it still usable? Yes, it was. But after paying over $200, I figured I would reach out to them and see how their warranty process went. Overall, pretty pleased with my investment in that jacket...

No matter how well things are made, eventually things break. Sometimes it is because they have worn out after years of use, or perhaps they broke before they should have, due to a faulty part. Recently while filming a video review on my Streamlight ProTac 1L 1AA flashlight, it broke. And by broke, I mean it wouldn't function with the CR123 batteries it is supposed to function with. The light was relatively new and not abused, so I reached out to Streamlight to see about their Warranty Policy. I think they handed it pretty well...

One of the reasons I purchased the Micro Fight Chest Rig by Spiritus Systems, is for it's extreme modularity. And because of that, I wanted to be able to use the chest rig as a binocular harness. I can't stand bino harnesses because they are a total one trick pony. So I figured I would hack my Micro Fight Chest Rig. One thing I wanted to get away from though, is the velcro closure because of how loud it is while out hunting. So I devised a way to create a secure closure using rare earth magnets and velcro. Check it out...

This series was inspired by Jack London's book To Build a Fire: https://amzn.to/3lutUQv It has been awesome for me. I have learned a lot about a number of different fire starting tools and methods. Not to mention destroying some unrealistic ideas with respect to my own abilities. Lighting a fire in the right conditions is easy. Lighting a fire when it is cold outside can be hard. Lighting a fire when you are cold and wet in addition to it being cold outside, is super hard.

You can find the Floodlight Jacket here: https://amzn.to/3E2qGdc While I can appreciate the use of multiple layers for some activities, sometimes you just want "a jacket." Something you can grab while headed out the door that will take care of you no matter what the weather does. The Floodlight Down Jacket by Outdoor Research has become that jacket for me. Nice and cozy with 800 fill goose down and, arguably more importantly, windproof and waterproof. All of this combines for a great jacket that will keep the weather out.

You can find the Savage Rascal here: https://tinyurl.com/yyhkkrrd While there are a lot of "Youth Rifles" on the market, I find most of them to be lacking. To have a true Youth Rifle, you need something that is not only short with a short length of pull, but something light weight. Savage has done a great job of this with their Savage Rascal chambered in .22 long rifle. They have created a great little single shot rimfire rifle that weighs just over 2.5 pounds. And it has features that mirror regular rifles for a seamless transfer of skills.

While I have made a lot of videos for you guys, this one is for me. Divorce in this country is a horrible and disgusting industry. Families and individuals lose out to the courts and lawyers. And all the while there is a lot of stress that permeates your life. This is a short video of me moving past that...

In Part 7 of my To Build A Fire series, inspired by Jack London's book, I give the Doan Magnesium Fire Starter Tool a try. Lighting fires is one of those basic skills that most anyone can do. When we add cold and wet into the equation, it gets a little more difficult. And by little, I mean exponentially...