Introduction

Earlier this year Blackhawk introduced a new line of riflescopes available exclusively through Cabellas.  Blackhawk offered 30mm and 1” versions, both with various models with different magnifications.  We were lucky enough to receive their flagship,  4-20x50mm magnification scope sent to us to try out for a few months.

When the scopes were first announced by Blackhawk, I must admit, I had some serious reservations.  First, a company that’s most famous for their molle gear, holsters, and apparel was now getting into the highly competitive and equally precise optics game?  Second, they announced that the scopes were not American made, but imported.  And finally, they 4-24x model costs $900 at Cabellas, which puts the Blackhawk riflescope’s price tag parallel with the Vortex Viper PST and Burris XTR scopes which are proven mid level scopes.  Well after about 4 months using Blackhawk’s entry into the optics game some of those reservations have been resolved, but left one question still lingering—is Blackhawk’s new scope worth almost $900?

America’s love affair with the AR platform is a relationship that isn’t losing its steam anytime soon.  Since the USMC’s adoption of Knight’s Armament’s M110 for a Semi-Automatic Sniper System, America’s fondness has only grown for Armalite’s original .308 AR design that they presented to the DoD over 50 years ago.  Although the 7.62 AR-10 didn’t win the contract, and instead went to its smaller cousin the 5.56 AR-15, the 7.62 platform has found a renewed use.  The ability to reach out and touch multiple Taliban at over 800 yards has finally given the AR-10 a long awaited and respected place in our Military’s arsenal.  And as always, what the military uses, the civilian shooting community’s demand usually follows.

There’s an almost endless variety of AR-10 flavors; already we at Gunblog.com have reviewed 2, the Bushmaster ORC .308, and the DPMS Panther LR-308 (which are basically the same rifle).  We’ve had another Freedom Group AR-10 on our hands for the last 3 months, the DPMS REPR or Rapid Engagement Precision Rifle.  At first look, one may say, “Ok, it’s an AR-10 with a tactic-cool tan paint job,” but that assessment would grow exponentially if they were given the chance to fire it.  Shooters like to build their guns up as mentioned in the Bushmaster ORC .308 review, but the DPMS REPR at its price point should be considered “finished.”  This flagship 7.62 rifle from DPMS has a lot to offer a shooter who’s looking for a precision AR-10.  While the DPMS REPR satisfies the shooters’ desires of military tacti-cool looks, it supplies the attributes that truly matter—worry-free reliability, ergonomic features, and sub MOA accuracy.
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Red dots have almost become an automatic purchase accompanying a new carbine or rifle.  Going to the range, almost every single gun I see has some sort of optic up top, the most common (quality ones) being Aimpoints and for good reason.

Yes, there are the overabundance of new shooters who have yet to realize that the gun show special red dot that they picked up for 100 dollars is going to fail faster than their rifle using that bulk 250 rounds of steel case ammo they picked up to go along with it; but these shooters will soon learn.  And to their defense, the non-airsoft quality gun accessories do have a certain amount of sticker shock with them.  Although Aimpoint’s products do portray this sticker shock effect towards new shooters, their new Patrol Rifle Optic (PRO) may just be the go to choice after that Chinese knockoff goes caput on them.

There is no more of an iconic American handgun like the 1911.  For a century now, shooters have sworn by it and for the 100 years of its existence, the 1911 has set the standard for auto-loading pistols.  From functional design elements to ergonomics, almost every single auto pistol has adopted some sort of attribute from John Moses Browning’s design from over 100 years ago.  Gun manufacturers have made and produced a huge variety of 1911s ranging from different calibers to various sizes, but many feel the quintessential American auto-loading pistol has to be the full size, steel framed, .45 ACP 1911 such as the new 1911 Tactical Operations from Sig Sauer.

A plethora of companies manufacture them but when you hear 1911, the common 1911 makers that usually immediately pop in your head are Colt, Springfield Armory, or Kimber (for me at least).  So last year when Sig Sauer released the 1911 TACOPS (Tactical Operations), just by looking at it, I had a feeling that I would be adding another name to that short list of must have 1911s.  We’ve had the Sig 1911 TACOPS for two months now, shot what seems like an endless amount of rounds through it, and we’re ready to tell Gunblog.com readers that when you hear 1911, the name Sig Sauer should pop in your head as well.

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Since the announcement of the SCAR (Special Operations Forces [SOF] Combat Assault Rifle) a few years ago, the 21^st century assault rifle has had a huge following.  The SCAR program has been adopted by the U.S. military to supplement their existing needs and to anticipate future demands required from our military’s assault rifles.  The SCAR has received a wide appreciation for those soldiers who were fortunate enough to be issued one, which naturally transferred into a large civilian demand for FN Herstal’s newest assault rifle.

The SCAR 16s (MK 16 SCAR-L MOD 0 being the military version), has had a warm reception in the civilian market.  From the time it’s been available to civilians, shooters have raved about its reliability, out of the box features, accuracy and ease of use.  The only thing the civilian SCAR was lacking was a .308 version.  Since there was an MK 17 SCAR-H available for the military, everyone assumed (and eventually were correct) that the version would transfer over to the civilian sector.

I remember talking to an RSR representative in 2009 about if/when the SCAR 17s would be available; his exact response was, “don’t hold your breath.”  Late last year, those waiting could finally exhale—FNH started shipping out SCAR17s in limited quantities, creating a collective rejoice and extreme demand for those wanting the extended range and “oomph” of the .308 cartridge on the SCAR platform.  Gunblog.com has been privileged enough to have had a FNH SCAR 17s for a few months to review—FN Herstal’s new hard hitting battle rifle was everything we were expecting from anticipation about the performance to expectation about the price.

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The number one enemy of any firearm or ammunition is corrosion.  Many shooters turn into firearm collectors, and many firearm collectors know the importance of two things–keep moisture out and keep the guns lubed.  ZCORR has been making a product that was designed to do/maintain these two things exceptionally well; so well in fact that their products previously were only available for the United States Marine Core.  Luckily for us, they’ve opened their product line to civilians, and Gunblog.com is ready to tell you about our experiences using the ZCORR Vapor Barrier firearm and ammunition storage bags.

ZCORR Vapor Barrier bags keep moisture out and preserve its contents within by utilizing a Vapor Phase Corrosion Inhibitor (VpCI).  Basically, in a nutshell, there is a layer of VpCI inside of the bag, and over time, the VpCI forms a gas which molecules cling to the metallic contents of the bags forming a protective barrier against corrosives.  Once the bag’s seal is broken so is the VpCI seal around the firearm or ammunition, making it immediately available for use.

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