Are there any shooting gadets that you thought were stupid...

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Carter

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...then realized they were pretty useful or cool?

I'm usually not the judgemental type. Pretty open minded and willing to try anything once, within reason. The only exception I really have to this is food.

My gadet was the vertical foregrips with the bipods that pop out. First time I saw them I thought they looked extremely cheap and rediculously oversized. Besides, if you want a bipod, just get a bipod. Right?

Well, I ended up getting one in a trade with a rifle and decided to use it to help me sight in my new (to me) ACOG. It made a HUGE difference. Not having any sandbags to steady me on the bench, and my shooting buddy forgot his (raced to range after work) I really didn't have a choice but to try the bipod grip. I was actually kind of excited to use it to my surprise. It made making steady shots a lot easier and was surprisingly very steady and didn't rock itself loose (didn't locktite it down).

It now is going to replace the regular vertical foregrip that came on the rifle.



So, what shooting gadet did you think was rediculous or stupid before you tried it?
 
Boresnake. Thought it was an overpriced piece of string, then I ended up with one. Made cleaning years of yuck out of a kar 98k a breeze. Ended up buying one for just about every caliber I own.

Thumbsaver mag loader for Ruger 22 auto pistols. Best $2 ever spent on a piece of plastic.
 
I'm just replying to just the first part of your question (Are there any shooting gadets that you thought were stupid...).

Well yes, now that you mention it, I think hanging all kinds of crap off of AR-15 is ridiculous. Maybe it's just me or maybe I'm just an old fart but I hate the way a lot of people think that they have to hang FOUR Picatinny rails on every AR-15 and then see how many gimmicks they can hang on it! I think it's obscene the way that they try hang 10 pounds of crap off of a 6 1/2 pound rifle! If I need a bipod, the original cloths-pin type clip-on bipod works wonderfully and is completely out of my way and doesn't affect my POI when I'm not using it. And I don't need a flashlight on my AR-15, Thank You! I'm not planning on going into a cave to hunt bats! And having a flashlight on your gun is about the best way that I can think of to target yourself to the bad guys! AND don't get me started about people that remove the original carry handle then turn around put on a Picatinny rail so they can mount another carry handle! I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the idea. I like the original SP-1, and with the possible except of the more easily adjusted A2 sites, I don't want anything else added to it.

Sorry but YOU asked. :)
 
I am not a fan of (even pressure activated) flashlights on AR-15's or assault rifles. I know I'll catch flack for it, but "FOR ME" I just can't stand it. Its weights the gun down and seems pointless when I can just get a night scope or something.
 
While there are those who do go to the extreme of hanging everything known to man on a rifle, thats not what this thread was about.
 
aussiedog20 said:
I am not a fan of (even pressure activated) flashlights on AR-15's or assault rifles. I know I'll catch flack for it, but "FOR ME" I just can't stand it. Its weights the gun down and seems pointless when I can just get a night scope or something.
Click to expand...
They're designed to blind your attacker.

Every home defense rifle should have one.
 
I can blind an attacker with the flashlight on my pistol. I live in close proximity to neighbors so I won't be firing an assault rifle in my house..hence my "FOR ME" post.
If I lived on a huge farm, and someone was breaking in, then maybe..But not as my setup stands now.
 
I recently warmed up to a product that I never really saw much of a need for. It's a Tipton Gun Vice. I had seen them plenty of times and always thought that they were cool, but I never would have gone out and bought one. They just seemed like another product that could be useful, but wasn't worth the price unless you were a gunsmith or something.

This Christmas my brother-in-law bought me one, and it's awesome. It makes cleaning and working on guns so much easier. I used to just lay a towel down and clean my guns on my work bench. With the vice they stay steady and upright. It makes cleaning my AR so much easier because it can actually hold the gun with the upper and lower opened up without any movement. That is so nice, because I used to hate trying hold the gun while the lower was swinging around so I clean inside the receiver.

So that's my "never thought I'd love this product, but now I highly recommend it" story.
 
I used to hate the can opener on my rifle under the scope, flashlight, laser , to the left of the red dot, bipod, and bayonet until I used it once to open a coke bottle.
 
I'm thinkin of buying a barrett .50 aNd putting a bayonet on it. Just in case u know. Seriously though carter there is nothing wrong with it. If its me and my family or him then he's gone or I am trying.
 
Okay, this wasn't intended for the actually stupid products out there...such as a knife bayonet.

But the sardonic responses are appreciated...
 
A 50 round drum mag my buddy bought for his 22.
Ok it is dumb --- but it was fun to shoot as long as he loaded it.
 
TAC Trigger! Old one with the crank!

seen at gun show and almost laughed myself into a coma!

Then my buddy buys it!

We never had so much fun with Ruger 10-22 and Mini 14 & Mini 30.....

and anything else we could get it on!

What a day!
 

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I didn't think I'd ever use the little hook-shaped tool that removes .45 ACP rounds from moon clips. I only bought it because the dealer recommended I get one. It turned out to be the best $4 item I ever bought at a gun show.
 
Sight paint. I figured any real sight was good enough without paint or you might as well just get some tritium.

Then I saw a stainless PPK/S a few years back with the factory red sight paint and went "hmmmm". I haven't used sight paint on many guns, but a little white dot on a front sight of a rifle will let you still find that front sight against a dark background. Doesn't help at night, but helps in other ways that I didn't imagine it would.
 
It might seem a silly thing, but I'd have to say stock sleeves/butt cuffs. I'd read on various forums how they're useless and so I had no interest in them. Then my close buddy bought me one for 5 bucks at a pawn shop one day and I threw it on my 870. Now I love the thing. The squishy, ~1/8in thick material(feels like a wetsuit) provides a nice cushion making the cheek weld very comfortable and warm, no matter the weather, and it takes all the sting out of the recoil on my cheek. The fact it holds 4 extra rounds is only a bonus.

Yes, it does walk forward on the stock under recoil, but it takes 30-40 rounds to move forward any significant amount. I'm never going to use that many rounds in any situation that matters, so it's a total non-issue.

Joe in fla said:
I'm just replying to just the first part of your question (Are there any shooting gadets that you thought were stupid...).

Well yes, now that you mention it, I think hanging all kinds of crap off of AR-15 is ridiculous. Maybe it's just me or maybe I'm just an old fart but I hate the way a lot of people think that they have to hang FOUR Picatinny rails on every AR-15 and then see how many gimmicks they can hang on it! I think it's obscene the way that they try hang 10 pounds of crap off of a 6 1/2 pound rifle! If I need a bipod, the original cloths-pin type clip-on bipod works wonderfully and is completely out of my way and doesn't affect my POI when I'm not using it. And I don't need a flashlight on my AR-15, Thank You! I'm not planning on going into a cave to hunt bats! And having a flashlight on your gun is about the best way that I can think of to target yourself to the bad guys! AND don't get me started about people that remove the original carry handle then turn around put on a Picatinny rail so they can mount another carry handle! I could go on and on but I'm sure you get the idea. I like the original SP-1, and with the possible except of the more easily adjusted A2 sites, I don't want anything else added to it.

Sorry but YOU asked. :)
Click to expand...

Talk about missing the point of the thread. It's supposed to be about things you at first thought were silly until you used them, not just a rant about how others choose to accessorize their rifles.

That said, I partially agree with you that quad rails are kinda silly as you don't need that much rail space. Tactical lights are no gimmick though and are very useful, and worth the couple ounce weight penalty. Also, you need to learn about how a tactical light is used. You don't leave it on all the time. You only turn it on for short periods for target identification, after all, you don't want to make a mistake in the dark and shoot someone who isn't a bad guy. Once you've IDed your target and either shot or moved on, you always turn the light off and move to a new spot, preventing the light from giving you away.

In addition, your comment about "removing carry handles" is just rather silly. Nearly everyone who has a flat-top AR bought the rifle that way, seeing as they're far more popular nowadays and it's hard to find one that isn't flat top.

aussiedog20 said:
I can blind an attacker with the flashlight on my pistol. I live in close proximity to neighbors so I won't be firing an assault rifle in my house..hence my "FOR ME" post.
If I lived on a huge farm, and someone was breaking in, then maybe..But not as my setup stands now.
Click to expand...

Misinformation, misinformation, misinformation. AR15s and many other rifles represent no more an over-penetration risk than a 9mm, .40, .45, or what-have-you pistol, period. That goes for penetration through bad guys and through walls. This myth just needs to die already.
 
This myth just needs to die already.
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Like the myth that steel cased ammo is horrid for your AR and won't work properly.
My first AR's warranty blamed every problem it could on using steel cased ammo (Delton). Surprisingly it didn't jam on steel cased ammo. It jammed on the pure American made brassed cased ammo I fed it. Its warranty policy and "ammo purist" online had me horrified of steel cased ammo...till one day I need cheap ammo. Guess what...it functioned flawlessly.

So thats one more thing I thought was stupid at first but turned out to be great.
 
1) Magazine loader. At first I thought it was just a cheap gimmick, then I tried shooting a couple GLOCKs and did not enkjoy loading the magazine. When I got my SR9 back in september, it came with a mag loader. I love my mag loader. I really, really love my mag loader.

2) a GOOD holster. I have one of those soft IWB holsters that I got for $15 at the local sporting goods store. It works pretty well, but lately, I've been using a friends Galco pancake holster. Its entirely possible that my friend will not be getting his holster back. Well, OK, I'll give it back... I guess :D

Thanks for starting this thread. I'll definately be keeping my eye out for a boresnake, and maybe one of the pistolgrip/bi-pod combos.

I'm not planning on going into a cave to hunt bats!
Click to expand...

I can't be the only person here who thinks that sounds like it could be a whole lotta of fun...

Chris "the Kayak-Man" Johnson
 
The Butt-Buddy. 'Nuff said. Seriously, though, as funny as the name was, it was a big help while on foot patrols or force protection with an 870.

Levi
 
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