Month: May 2018

Hunting at night can be one of the most intriguing — and most difficult — challenges for hunters. And when it comes down to it, there’s a lot more to it than simply finding the best gun for hunting. You also need to be able to visualize your target. That’s where night vision gear comes into play.

Night vision equipment used to be difficult to find, and was primarily used by the military. Civilians rarely possessed anything like a night vision scope, making it difficult to hunt nocturnal game. But today, night vision gear is readily available and easy to find. From Generation 1 to Generation 3, you can find the scopes and goggles you need for each specific use. They range in price and effectiveness, so let’s review your options and address the basics of commercial night vision devices.

Night Vision Devices

There are three categories by which we group night vision gear. There’s night vision gear that you wear, night vision gear that you carry, and night vision gear that you mount on your firearm.

You can wear or carry goggles, monoculars, or binoculars, but weight distribution is critical. You want to aim for long-term comfort and ease because overnight hunting is a strenuous task. It takes a toll on your body and your sight.

Keep your gear light and close to your face for increased balance and less noise. Long binoculars hanging around your neck, swinging while you walk, could be too noisy for hunting at night.

Helmet Mounts

While wearing a helmet isn’t the most comfortable solution, it often offers the most stability. Make sure your helmet mounts are snug, so the forward weight is easy to manage. Also, keep your chin or harness straps tight.

You may also find that the higher-priced night vision goggles have helmet mounts that flip up out of the way when you’re not using them, which is a convenient feature when your environment is rapidly changing.

You can also find helmet mounts with good padding that are more comfortable than the less expensive ones. You may spend a little bit more money for your comfort, but it’s well worth it, especially when hunting in the dark.

Firearm Mounts

Another way to see at night is firearm-mounted scopes. You can find stand-alone night vision optics, rear-mount optics, or front-mount optics.

You have to remove your day optic to use stand-alone optics, meaning your gun needs to be a dedicated night hunting platform unless you want to change out the scope regularly. Stand-alone optics are usually big, so it’s not easy to switch them a lot.

Rear-mount optics can be used in conjunction with day optics, so you don’t have to fiddle with toggling back and forth all the time, but be aware that you may need a special coupling bracket for any magnified optics. It can also be difficult to shoot this way because the loss of eye relief is significant and not comfortable.

Sometimes you can eliminate the glow of night vision scopes on the face, but eyecups aren’t very comfortable, and in humid weather, they may cause fogging problems. Not to mention, all night vision devices glow very brightly at long range, no matter what you do to try to stop it.

Most people’s preference for firearm-mounted night vision scopes are mounted in front of the day scope. Zero isn’t affected as it is with the others, and you don’t have to adjust your normal head position on the gun.

The bad thing about front-mounted night vision scopes is that they are pricey, and the added weight on the front of the gun makes it difficult to hold.

An old option for firearm-mounted night vision is a piggyback mount. They have significant zero-retention problems though and are quickly being replaced by the front-mounted variations.

Handheld Night Vision Tools

Many of the same tools you mount on your helmet can simply be carried in your hand. It can be more comfortable than a helmet, but it adds weight to different areas of your body you’re not used to, and it’s just another thing to hold in your hand when you want to use it.

However, if you’re merely testing out hunting at night or you don’t do it a lot, this may be the best option. After all, sometimes hunting at night should be about the fun and not about the results.

Other Benefits

Hunting at night gives you a certain advantage because many people prefer not to hunt at night. Only if you’re a serious huntsman do you consider journeying out in the dark to catch elusive beasts.

Night vision also comes in handy if you’re hunting with others. It illuminates the night and allows you to find other members of your party. Especially if someone gets lost, it’s an invaluable tool to recover those wanderers.

Which is the Best?

Most people can afford night vision today. There are many affordable options, so don’t shy away from giving something in your budget a try. It’s an irreplaceable experience to have eyes in the night when all of the night-dwelling creatures are out.

If you’re a firearms enthusiast, then you’ve probably heard of Class 3 firearms. This class of weapons includes a variety of products, all of which need extra TLC because of their high power. However, owning military grade firearms is fun, for lack of a better word. It’s pretty cool to be able to experience what a lot of civilians don’t.

It’s important to remember that these high-powered firearms are regulated by the National Firearms Act (NFA), and only licensed dealers with a permit can sell them. They are highly collectible, and with a proper understanding, you too could be the proud owner of one of these pieces of equipment.

The National Firearms Act

Originally enacted in 1934, the NFA was established to place a tax on manufacturing, importing and dealing of certain types of firearms as defined by the act.

The Secretary of the Treasury required that all shotguns, rifles with barrels less than eighteen inches, machine guns, and firearm mufflers or silencers be registered. The ultimate goal was to deter any transactions involving NFA firearms.

If Congress found an unregistered NFA firearm, they assessed a $200 fine. This was the same as the tax imposed on imports, manufacturing, and dealing. It was significant enough in 1934 that Congress hoped it would prohibit these activities, and the tax is still in effect today.

Progression of the Law

In 1968, the NFA was amended with Title II, deeming part of the NFA unconstitutional. People who already possessed NFA firearms were no longer required to pay the fine. It violated their protection against self-incrimination under the Fifth Amendment.

Title II also prevents the use of information on any NFA application as evidence in a criminal case. It expands the definition of ‘machine gun’ and adds the term ‘destructive devices.’

Items Defined by the NFA

Firearms, or destructive devices, must meet one or more criteria as listed here to be included.

Machine Guns

The NFA defines a machine gun as “any firearm which shoots, is designed to shoot, or can be readily restored to shoot, automatically more than one shot without manual reloading, by a single function of the trigger.” Included are parts or combinations of parts intended to manufacture a machine gun, as well as machine gun receivers.

Rifles such as the AR-15 and M16 are considered machine guns.

Short-barreled Shotguns

Short-barreled shotguns include any shotgun with a barrel shorter than eighteen inches. Firearms made from shotguns with barrels shorter than 26 inches fall into this category as well. This includes sawed-off shotguns if the barrel length is less than 18 inches.

Short-barreled Rifles

Rifles are firearms fired from the shoulder. They fire one bullet at a time through a rifled barrel. Short-barreled rifles have barrels shorter than 16 inches, but also include firearms made from rifles, resulting in a firearm length of fewer than 26 inches.

If the rifle has a telescoping stock, this measurement includes the stock fully extended. If the stock is detachable, then the Firearm is measured without the stock. This measurement extends from the end of the muzzle to the front of the breech face.

Short-barreled rifles include M4 Carbines and semi-automatic pistols with shoulder stocks.

Destructive Devices – Explosive Ordinance

Any explosive device, poison gas, or incendiary including grenades, missiles, rockets, bombs, or mines are defined by this ordinance. The definition also includes parts used to make these devices. Claymore mines and improvised explosive devices (IED) qualify as well.

Destructive Devices – Large Bore Firearms

Projectile firearms with bore diameters larger than half an inch are considered large bore firearms. Most shotguns not specified by the ATF are exempt. Antique firearms “not likely to be used as a firearm” also don’t qualify. A manufactured date of 1898 is required for this exemption.

Silencers

Any device intended to silence, muffle, or diminish the report of a firearm is a silencer. Combinations of parts for the assembly or manufacture of a firearm are included. All commercial silencers on the market today fall into this category.

Any Other Firearm

The NFA includes a clause for any other firearm capable of concealment on a person that can be shot and discharged through the energy of an explosive. It’s a catch-all category including pistols with forward grips and cane guns.

With a better understanding of the NFA and what firearms are included, you can protect yourself and others while still enjoying the use of these military-grade pieces of art.

If you’re looking for firearms for sale, Grab a Gun specializes in all types of guns and accessories, and you’ll find many NFA firearms for sale including fierce-looking Sig Sauers, and this Kriss Vector.

All firearms are subject to NFA purchase guidelines, but now that you know what those are, you don’t have to worry. Happy firing!

Pop culture references to blanks have increased their notoriety among most people, even those who aren’t a fan of guns. Movies, television, and live theatre use blanks to produce drama. In the area of sports, blank bullets are often used in starting pistols to signal the start of the race.

Blanks are different than bullets, but you should still exercise safety with any weapon, no matter what you choose to load in it.

What are Blank Bullets?

A blank is a cartridge without a bullet. Often the terms ‘cartridge’ and ‘bullet’ are confused. They are not the same thing.

Typically, a cartridge contains gunpowder and a bullet. When you pull the trigger, it ignites the gunpowder, propelling the bullet toward your intended target. A blank is a cartridge with gunpowder and no bullet.

The cartridge has crimping on the end to hold in the gunpowder. Sometimes plastic, paper, or cotton seals the cartridge to keep the gunpowder contained. When you pull the trigger, it ignites the gunpowder, producing the same noise as firing a bullet, but without any projectile.

Uses of Blanks

When you need the flash and sound of gunfire without the damage of a projectile, or when a real bullet would not be safe, you can use a blank.

In movies, theatre, and television, blanks produce the flare needed to convince the audience that the gun is real. They produce the same sound but are much safer when used under the appropriate conditions.

Often, a starting pistol signals the beginning of a track and field race. The primary purpose is to make a noise that runners cannot mistake for the start of the race. It reduces the amount of false starts and clarifies exactly when to begin.

For this same reason, they can indicate the start of a horse race or hound race. In this case though, the noise also frightens the animal, triggering their response to run. Fast.

Blank cartridges called power loads can also be used in things like nail guns, where what you want is power to drive the nail in place. The noise doesn’t matter so much in this case as does the propulsion of a different kind of projectile.

Some blanks contain slow-burning rifle powder layered with fast-burning pistol powder. The rifle powder and the pistol powder ignite at the same time. The pistol powder reacts quickly, propelling the rifle powder forward.

Because the rifle powder has a slower reaction time, it combusts in the air after traveling only a few yards. This is particularly effective in quick draw competitions because it travels just far enough to pop the target balloon.

Wax bullets are effective in situations in which training requires a non-lethal projectile. Some people consider this a blank and some don’t. It depends on your perspective.

Dangers of Blanks

Make no mistake. Blanks can kill. As stated above, one of the uses of blank cartridges is for nail guns, which are very dangerous tools if not used correctly. Just because something is loaded with a blank does not mean it doesn’t have the power to do any damage.

When used at very close range, the power elicited from the explosion can still cause severe trauma. On the set of CBS’s Cover-Up, actor Jon Erik-Hexum reportedly died after placing a gun loaded with blanks to his temple and pulling the trigger.

The force of the exploding gas is the same as a real bullet, so even though it isn’t launching a projectile, it still contains a massive amount of power. Blanks often contain even more gunpowder than regular cartridges because the intention is to produce a very loud, convincing sound.

You must always exercise caution when dealing with any type of ammunition, even if you don’t think it’s harmful. There are many other reported incidents of fatalities with blanks.

Blank bullets are useful for many different things. Sporting events, competitions, movies, and other productions use blanks for noise and other purposes. While blanks are effective, they can also be dangerous. Always be careful and make sure you take every necessary precaution to protect yourself and those around you.

If you’re interested in getting some blanks for yourself, check out our selection of blanks at GrabAGun!