Noob News
Gear Review: LaserLyte Laser Training System (LTS)
A great way to improve your shooting is to shoot. The best way to improve your shooting is to shoot well. You could go to a range every day, close your eyes and blast through a magazine full of rounds while holding the gun gangsta style and never improve one tiny bit. If you go to a range every day, slow things down, make sure that every aspect of your shot is right every time you shoot, there is no way you won’t improve. This puts the fundamentals of shooting (stance, grip, sight picture, trigger control) at the utmost importance.
Wait...check that...safety is the utmost importance. The fundamentals are second. Back to the review...
Let me preface everything I say moving forward with the following statement (which will be reiterated multiple times): Nothing can possibly substitute for range time. There is nothing you can do to avoid the range if your goal is to be even an acceptable shooter, not just an awesome shooter. Got it? Good.
The problem is that ammo is expensive right now, difficult to find and ranges are crowded. It makes things difficult to get the practice we want. Dry fire practice is ok but it still leaves out that needed feedback of “would that shot have hit anything?”, which is the ultimate goal of shooting.
Enter LaserLyte with their “LaserLyte Training System”. The LTS system is made up of two components: a laser that fits inside of the gun and a target that detects the laser beam. LaserLyte offer two options for the target: a larger target for stationary bulleye shooting and also a recently released “LTS ReactionTyme” target which consists of two very small targets that are made to test reaction time and dynamic targeting. This review, however, pertains only to the standard LTS Target.
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Ready to Deploy (RTD) Rack
When I was at SHOT Show, I got to play with the Ready to Deploy Rack. This was a device that can either be mounted in the trunk of a car, walls, cabinets, safes or whatever. It locks down the rifle or shotgun in such a way that completely disables it while it’s in the device. You can’t chamber a round, fire or disassemble the gun in any way. Basically, when it’s locked in place the gun becomes a useless hunk of metal.
Then, if you need it in a hurry, you can enter a code on the keypad and the gun is instantly released. You can also use an RFID card or even a physical key. This isn’t a case like gun safes where you have to decide if you want the keypad or the infuriating dial thingy; All three options are present on every RTD model.
It can store 500-1000 different codes. There’s an option for an anti-tamper alarm.
Best of all? The MSRP is $449!
The "want" is strong with this one...
Check out their homepage here: www.securerifle.com
Clip vs. Magazine
I've touched on it before but it's time to go in depth. I’m hearing it so much lately that now it’s like hearing fingernails on a chalkboard. Hollywood gets it wrong, the media gets it wrong, video games get it wrong and even firearm instructors get it wrong. This only goes to further the problem. Should it bother me as much as it does? Probably not. At the risk of being annoyingly pedantic, however, I want to set the record straight:
“Clip” and “Magazine” are not interchangeable terms.
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New Guide: Intro to Red Dot Sights!
So you want to get a red dot sight, The Noob is here with a rundown on what they are, how they work, and the different types available. Click here to check it out!
New Guide: I Just Bought A Gun! Now What?
I've just added a new guide to the General Section!
Purchasing your first gun is only the first step. There's a lot to think about and do after the purchase. Our new guide can point you in the right direction.
Check it out here!
First Annual Gun Noob Awards of Awesomenicity
Ladies and Gentleman (and TJ), the 2013 SHOT Show has come and gone and it’s time for the highly coveted, First Annual Gun Noob Awards of Awesomenicity! These awards go to the products and people that stood out during my time at the show. I had planned a big musical number to open this awards show but neither Lady Gaga or Jimmy Buffett will return my calls so without further adieu, on to the first category!
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The Great Brownells PMag Conspiracy
According to Adolf Hitler and some of the shooters on AR15.com, people aren't getting their PMags when they're supposed to.
Here’s the deal. Back when the panic buying started following the Newtown Massacre, AR15 shooters, seeing a panic on the horizon, started ordering new Magpul PMags online. As one of the biggest shooting supply stores online, Brownells got a huge chunk of these orders. Given the sheer volume of magazines being ordered, most of them were backordered.
That figures, right? You can’t order three years’ worth of magazines in three days and expect to get them the next day. So, here we are a month later, and PMags are finally starting to ship...
… to people who ordered them last week.
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What the 2012/2013 Panic has taught me
Shooting for me has ground to a standstill thanks to Gun Panic 12-13. Sure, I've always made certain to have a combat load of ammo around the house for emergencies, so no real worries there. But that ammo is for emergencies, and with every common caliber drying up at gun stores and online all over the place, I don't dare shoot it. I have no idea when I'll be able to get more. This means that my review of the Gunsite Scout is on hold, which torques me right off.
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My first time – Tales of a true gun noob
The following story comes from a friend of my sister's who recently took a trip to the range for the first time. She recounts her experience here. - TJ
By Rebecca
To be clear I would like you all to know I am not a stupid woman who lacks common sense (even though this recounting does make me double check that statement); I am a 36 year old successful business owner with a good head on my shoulders. I am also not complexly ignorant of guns and how they work, and by that I mean I have held a revolver and a Glock, I know where the trigger is, and which end is the business end of the gun. I have however never shot one…until today that is.
To set the stage you must realize I am in no way afraid of guns, so I do not handle them timidly or with trepidation and due to recent events my boyfriend Joe and I have discussed the purchase of a firearm for myself as he has weapons of his own. He explained to me that I should go to the local Firearms dealer and range to try out a few of their rentals and get the feel of it, the feel had to be “Just Right” I was told.
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SHOT Show Report: Day 1&2
It’s the classic case of the best laid plans of mice. When I was planning for the show, there was a big list of “ok, I need to do X, Y, Z, etc” and “I can’t miss____” and so on. These plans were based off my previous experience with trade shows and such. The problem is, however, that none of the trade shows I’ve been to come anywhere close to the scale of this one. Let me give you an idea of what I’m talking about here. I have a pedometer app on my phone. I’ve tested it in the past and it’s pretty darn accurate. I left for the show at 7:00am on Tuesday and started the app before I left. The battery on my phone died around 3:00pm. The last recorded distance I walked was about 12 miles. One gentlemen I met also had a pedometer. In 2 days he had gone 56 miles.
This place is f***ing huge.
...and crazy.
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